Lineup

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

PLAYOFF PREVIEW

30 The Bracket

The final four contenders—and our pick to win it all

32 The Big Ten

Once an afterthought, it's now the best conference in the country

BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG

38 The Cases for ...

All the finalists have a path to the championship. Here's the road map for each one

42 Alabama

How the Crimson Tide have stayed one step ahead of the field

BY ANDY STAPLES

48 The Heisman Race

The surprising favorite is emblematic of larger trends

BY CHRIS JOHNSON

FEATURES

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

52 Blowing Up the BCS

Boise State looks back on the upset that turned the sport upside down

BY LINDSAY SCHNELL

NFL

60 Mike McCarthy

The Packers' coach is having a more complicated season than fans realize

BY AUSTIN MURPHY

NFL

68 Get-right Day

Four players share what it's like on Mondays, when they heal up and refocus

BY GREG BISHOP

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

80 'Tis the Season

Striking images from our quirkiest and least predictable sport

BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

86 Bronson Koenig

The Badgers' guard is becoming a leader to his people as well as his team

BY SETH DAVIS

NHL

92 The Golden Knights

A behind-the-scenes look at how Las Vegas landed a major league franchise

BY ALEX PREWITT

NBA

100 Jayson Williams

During his recovery, the former Net has found a true friend in an old rival

BY L. JON WERTHEIM

NBA

106 The Clippers

Same cast, different result? Continuity has been key for L.A.

BY BEN GOLLIVER

SPORTS BUSINESS

112 New Media

As the old model crumbles, broadcasting economics are changing radically

BY ALEXANDER WOLFF

DEPARTMENTS

6 SI.com

8 Inbox

12 Leading Off

19 Scorecard

26 Faces in The Crowd

27 Just My Type

Dan Patrick: Tom Herman on returning to his grad assistant roots

122 Point After

Michael Rosenberg: Baseball's All-Star Game is mercifully meaningless again

SI HAS REGIONAL COVERS THIS WEEK:

AL TIELEMANS (JALEN HURTS OF ALABAMA); JEFF HAYNES (J.T. BARRETT OF OHIO STATE); KYLE TERADA/USA TODAY SPORTS (DARRELL DANIELS OF WASHINGTON)