Who's Hot Who's Not
Who's Hot
BEARS
After entering the AP poll for the first time in 17 years, No. 25 Baylor earned its first win in Austin since '91 behind the arm of QB Robert Griffin III (right), who passed for two TDs, bumping his career total to 39, a new BU record. As for the NFL Bears? They had a bye, which meant a rare sackless weekend for Jay Cutler.
HAWKEYES FOOTBALL
Iowa handed No. 5 Michigan State its first loss of the season last Saturday in the form of a 37--6 beatdown that saw three Ricky Stanzi passing TDs and two Adam Robinson TD runs. Said MSU QB Kirk Cousins of the game, which was 30--0 at half, "We ran into a buzz saw."
RED STRENGTH
Liverpool got an 86th-minute goal from Maxi Rodriguez (right) to earn a 1--0 win—their second straight, a rare feat for the Reds these days—at Bolton on Sunday, pulling them out of the EPL drop zone and pleasing their new owners of three weeks. Next up: first-place Chelsea.
NCAA COWBOYS & BRONCOS
Oklahoma State bounced back from its loss to Nebraska with a 24--14 win over Kansas State. Meanwhile, Boise State rolled along thanks to a 49--20 win over Louisiana Tech, keeping alive its BCS title-game hopes. The two schools rank Nos. 3 and 2, respectively, in D-I scoring.
Who's Not
TIGERS
No longer No. 1, Tiger Woods was surpassed by Lee Westwood as the top-ranked golfer in the world on Sunday, capping off Woods's worst year ever—on and off the course. And last Saturday, No. 6 Mizzou fell 31--17 to Nebraska, a letdown after the Tigers knocked off then No. 1 Oklahoma just a week ago.
HAWKEYES BASKETBALL
The NCAA last week looked into a rules violation by Iowa's men's team after it admitted that two hoops prospects had met celeb fans Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore (left) at an Iowa football game. On Monday the NCAA deemed the offense "secondary," but a no-no nonetheless.
CLUB LENGTH
Ryuji Imada took a 26-stroke penalty at a tournament in China this weekend after failing to read the course rules on dropped balls. (The PGA says one club length; the Asian tour says a scorecard length.) Said Imada, who finished the round with a 24-over-par 97, "I'm an idiot."
NFL COWBOYS & BRONCOS
Dallas (1--6) and Denver (2--6 behind QB Kyle Orton, left) boast a combined -102 point differential, and each has lost four in a row. After his 'Boys fell to Jacksonville on Sunday, Jerry Jones apologized to fans, saying, "I'm dumbfounded." Worst of all, he says he won't fire Wade Phillips.
SI PLAYERS NFL POLL
WHO IS THE MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER?
Aaron Rodgers, Packers QB 5%
Wes Welker, Patriots WR 5%
Andre Johnson, Texans WR 3%
Ray Rice, Ravens RB 3%
Matt Schaub, Texans QB 2%
FAST FACTS
The Texans, who have two players in the top five, traditionally get little love. From 2002, when they joined the NFL, until '09, they averaged just over one Pro Bowler a year.... Welker was the top vote-getter in the same SI poll last season and hasn't gained much ground despite his 123 receptions (second-most all time) in 2009.... Last year's No. 2, Drew Brees, has started getting his due. He didn't receive a single vote this time around.
Based on 245 players who responded to SI's survey
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JEROME MIRON/SOUTHCREEK GLOBAL/ZUMAPRESS.COM (GRIFFIN)
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LOUIS BREMS/ZUMAPRESS.COM (KUTCHER AND MOORE)
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LAURENCE GRIFFITHS/GETTY IMAGES (RODRIGUEZ)
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ALASTAIR GRANT/AP (ORTON)
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BOB ROSATO (WELKER)
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JOHN BIEVER (RODGERS)
