Wyoming is Off to Best Start in School History

 Wyoming is off to their best start in school history, but are now without Luke Martinez due to a broken finger. (US Presswire)

Wyoming unexpectedly began the season 12-0. Needing only one win to set the record for the best start in school history, they were dealt a huge blow when they found out one of their best players, Luke Martinez, broke his hand in an off-campus incident and is out indefinitely.

Martinez had been averaging 14.5 points, three rebounds and two steals per game. He also leads the team with 35 three pointers made, while shooting 42.2 percent from three and 86.1 percent from the free throw line. The fifth-year senior is Wyoming's leader on both sides of the ball.

Wyoming knew they would be in for a challenge as their first game was on the road against a talented SMU team. They needed someone to step up and senior forward Leonard Washington did. He stole the ball from the Mustangs' Nick Russell and dunked it on the other end to put the Cowboys up by three with 16 seconds left. Washington finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Wyoming found a way to stay unbeaten and are off to the best start in school history. If you look at their numbers and resume this season, it should come as no surprise. This is a talented team and their undefeated start is no fluke. On December 1, the Cowboys beat a ranked Colorado team by seven, and they won at Illinois State later that week.

Wyoming has solid depth throughout its lineup  The aforementioned Washington and sophomore Larry Nance Jr. are the team's leaders in the post. The latter is averaging 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game on the season. The Cowboys' rotation of talented guards will help to lessen the impact the absence of Martinez. Derrious Gilmore, Josh Adams and Riley Grabau are among the guards who will need to step up in his place.

Wyoming's success is also linked to the efficiency of their offense. They are shooting 57.7 percent on two-point attempts this season, which is second in the country to only NC State. The challenge for the Cowboys will be to keeping this up without Martinez. His three-point shooting ability is one of the major things that allows them to stretch the opposition's defense.

Wyoming is off to a record-setting start to the season. They will need continued balance on offense and defense as they wait for Martinez to return. The Cowboys will look to keep their undefeated season going next week as they host Boise State on Wednesday and travel to Reno to take on Nevada on Saturday night.

NFL Wild Card Preview and Predictions

Adrian Peterson will try to carry the Minnesota Vikings to another win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday. (Hannah Foslien)

Cincinnati Bengals (10-6) @ Houston Texans (12-4) - Saturday, 4:30 PM EST, NBC

These two teams enter this wild card matchup with very different momentum. The Texans have lost three of their last four. During that stretch of time, quarterback Matt Schaub has thrown only one touchdown and three interceptions. In the same span, running back Arian Foster has only surpassed the 100-yard mark once. The Texans defense has continued to play well, but that has not been enough to make up the difference.

The Bengals have won seven of their last eight. Probably the biggest reason why is that their defense has played superbly. The last time the Bengals gave up more than 20 points was back in Week 9. The passing game has played well, but quarterback Andy Dalton continues to be inconsistent  Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has improved as the season has gone on. He rushed for over 100 yards in four games during the second half of the season.

Prediction: Texans 20 Bengals 17

Minnesota Vikings (10-6) @ Green Bay Packers (11-5) - Saturday, 8:00 PM EST, NBC

This is the third time this season and second time in less than a week that these NFC North rivals square off. This time it will be decided under the frigid conditions of Lambeau Field. The Vikings have relied on the resurgence of Adrian Peterson all season. His 2,097 rushing yards may have been just shy of the record, but were enough to carry his team to the playoffs. Quarterback Christian Ponder has been much maligned this season, but he did throw three touchdown passes in last week's win over the Packers. The Vikings defense has stepped up and played very well down the stretch against tough competition.

When many predicted before the season that the Packers would go to the Super Bowl, few thought their regular season would be as inconsistent as it was. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been the leader with continued dominant play, but the offensive line has struggled to protect him and to give him the time that he needs to operate. As a result, the run game has been virtually non-existent for much of the season. The Packers defense has had its ups and downs. They have been unable to shutdown Peterson, who has had a combined 409 yards in their previous two matchups this season. The Packers are not going to stop him, but if they can contain him, their odds of winning increase exponentially.

Prediction: Packers 28 Vikings 20

Indianapolis Colts (11-5) @ Baltimore Ravens (10-6) - Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS

This game should be an emotional one for both sides. The Colts had their head coach Chuck Pagano return from leukemia treatment to the sidelines to lead them to a big win at home over the Texans last week as they head into the playoffs with considerable momentum. They finished the season winning five of their last six games as well. Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck has been a major difference maker for the Colts. During the regular season, he threw for 4,374 yards with 23 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Luck will need to limit his mistakes against a Ravens defense that always looks to force turnovers.

Ray Lewis is always the emotional leader of the Ravens, but the fact that he announced that this will be his final season will be an added motivation for his teammates. The Ravens began the season 9-2, but they dropped four of the last five games of the regular season to barely win the AFC North. Quarterback Joe Flacco had an up-and-down year, throwing for 3,817 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Getting running back Ray Rice involved in the passing and rushing game is crucial to the offense's success. The Ravens defense has not been nearly as strong this season. However, they are always a threat to create havoc and force turnovers.

Prediction: Ravens 31 Colts 27

Seattle Seahawks (11-5) @ Washington Redskins (10-6) - Sunday, 4:30 PM EST, FOX

This is a rare playoff game in that it features two rookie quarterbacks squaring off. This game could very well come down to which one of them plays better. The Seahawks come into the playoffs on a five-game winning streak. Their rookie quarterback, Russell Wilson, has played very well during the streak with a ratio of 13 total touchdowns to only two interceptions. During the same stretch of time, running back Marshawn Lynch has rushed for an average of 107.8 rushing yards a game and seven total touchdowns. The Seahawks defense has been one of the best in the league and has given up more than 24 points only once this season.

The Redskins started the season with a 3-6 record, but won seven games in a row to win the NFC East. Their reward is a home playoff game which could be significant because they have won four straight and five of six at FedEx Field, while the Seahawks were only 3-5 on the road this season. Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III has been the leader and inspiration for the Redskins as he has battled through injuries to play well. He has gotten huge help from his top running back, Alfred Morris. Morris ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns last week against the Dallas Cowboys. He finished the regular season with 1,613 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Prediction: Seahawks 20 Redskins 17

Kobe Bryant Needs to Stop Making Excuses

Kobe Bryant says the Lakers are too old. I say he needs to stop making excuses and lead his team. (Andrew D. Bernstein)

The Philadelphia 76ers might not have the prestige names and honors that the Los Angeles Lakers players have had. However, the young 76ers stormed into the Staples Center and dominated the much older Lakers in a 103-99 victory on Tuesday night. The loss dropped the Lakers' record on the season to 15-16. After the game, Kobe Bryant had a colorful explanation.

"You just saw an old @#!*% team," Bryant continued. "I don't know how else to put it to you. We're just slow. You saw a team over there that was just younger and just had fresher legs and just played with more energy, and we were just stuck in the mud. I think individually we all have to figure out how to get ourselves ready each and every game to have a high level of energy. That's all that is."

Do you want to know what this boils down to? An excuse and to be quiet honest with you, a pathetic one at that. They are the fourth-oldest team in the NBA with an average age of 28.4. If this was their fourth game in five days or something, I would completely understand. However, the Lakers came into the home game against the 76ers on the three days rest.

If age is such a huge concern, how come I don't hear other teams and players complaining about? The New York Knicks are the oldest team in the NBA with an average age of 32.7. Rather than whining, the Knicks have been one of the league's surprise stories with a 21-10 record, good enough for the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers’ next game is Friday against their crosstown rivals. The Clippers are the second-oldest team in the league with an average age of 29.3. All they've done recently is rattled off a streak of 17 straight wins. That is more wins than the Lakers have managed to get all season. No wonder more and more Lakers fans are becoming Clippers fans every day.

Bryant, 34, is supposedly the leader of the Lakers. Tim Duncan, 36, is the leader of the San Antonio Spurs, a team that is perennially called too old, but is always one of the best teams in the NBA every year. In tonight's win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Duncan scored 28 points (11-20 FG, 6-7 FT) to go with 13 rebounds, six assists, one steal and three blocks.

Duncan and the Spurs let their play do the talking, rather than their words. Bryant is so busy running his mouth and making excuses off the court that he isn't finding solutions on it. If he wants to be the leader on the court, than he needs to step up and make his teammates commit to working harder. Will the Lakers ever turn around this season? It will be when they start making the plays on the court, rather than complaining off of it.

Northwestern Wins First Bowl Game Since 1949

After nine bowl defeats spanning 64 years, Northwestern finally wins the Gator Bowl 34-20 over Mississippi State. (Stephen Morton)

On January 1, 1949, Northwestern won their first bowl game, a Rose Bowl victory against Cal. The Wildcats did not make another bowl appearance until 1996 when they returned to the "Granddaddy of Them All." Star linebacker Pat Fitzgerald did all he could, but a 42-31 loss to the University of Southern California started a downward spiral for the program.

In 2006, Fitzgerald returned to Northwestern as head coach and rebuilt the team into a solid program. Unfortunately, he couldn't solve the Wildcats' bowl game troubles as they dropped four straight under his leadership. This brought Northwestern's losing streak in bowl games to nine. People said the Wildcats simply couldn't win the big one and get the monkey off their back.

This year, Northwestern's season got off to a promising start at 5-0. They became bowl-eligible two weeks later and finished the season with a 9-3 record and a place in both the AP and coaches' poll. The Wildcats' reward was a New Year's Day bowl bid in the Gator Bowl to play Mississippi State.

Northwestern got off to a great start when defensive end Quentin Williams returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter. Two field goals by junior Jeff Budzien increased the Wildcats' lead to 13-0. Things started to not look so good when Mississippi State tied the score up on a 47-yard field goal by freshman Devon Bell.

However, this season's Northwestern team showed resiliency by scoring on a rushing touchdown just over a minute later. They added another score on the ground just before the end of the third quarter to increase their lead to 27-13. Early in the fourth quarter, Mississippi State cut the lead in half on a 14 yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Tyler Russell to sophomore tight end Malcolm Johnson.

The Wildcats had an answer again. With 8:10 left in the game, junior Venric Mark ran the ball in from three yards out. The lead was 14 once again. From that point on, the Northwestern defense took over. Mississippi State was never even able to score to mount a comeback.

It took 64 years to the day, but the Wildcats finally got its second bowl win. The curse of nine straight bowl defeats was finally over. The team had an actual stuffed monkey that they kept as inspiration. Of course, Fitzgerald let his team tear the thing to shreds in the locker room following the win.

"I'm just ecstatic for our entire football program," Fitzgerald said in the postgame interview. "This was the one last negative we needed to erase."

Top NFL Head Coaching Candidates

Former Super Bowl winner John Gruden will reportedly interview for head coaching vacancies around the NFL. (Getty Images)

With seven NFL head coaching vacancies now available, it is time to examine the possible replacement candidates. My top five will be listed first and will be followed by five additional possibilities after.

1. Jon Gruden, former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach

Whenever you have the opportunity to get a Super Bowl-winning coach, it’s definitely worth taking a shot. Gruden is reportedly interested in coaching again and willing to listen and/or interview for openings. He will likely want to come into a situation with pieces already in place to work with. Gruden know the game inside and out and would be a great hire for anyone who is able to get him. He is almost certainly going to return to coaching. It is just a matter of when and where.

Possible Landing Spots: San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears

2. Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator/interim head coach

Arians did an excellent job filling in as the Colts interim head coach during Chuck Pagano's absence. He guided the Colts to a 9-3 record and an unexpected playoff berth. Along with his head coaching duties, Arians continued to run the offense and played an important role in the development of rookie quarterback Andrew Luck. He was already highly regarded around the league for his offensive prowess, but now he has proven he can handle the responsibility of being a head coach as well.

Possible Landing Spots: San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills

3. Chip Kelly, University of Oregon head coach

Kelly has has turned Oregon into perennial national contender in his four seasons at the helm. He has created an offensive juggernaut that is difficult for any collegiate team to shut down. Kelly is considered to be a hot commodity around the NFL. Many people think his creativity will transfer will to the pros. With the NCAA breathing down his neck and potential sanctions looming, the time for Kelly to go may be now. He might as well take the Pete Carroll approach and bail ship while he can.

Possible Landing Spots: Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs

4. Andy Reid, former Philadelphia Eagles head coach

Yes, Andy Reid did just get fired from his job as Eagles head coach, but his time in Philadelphia was fairly impressive. He boasts a 129-88-1 record in his career, and he guided the Eagles to the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons, including one Super Bowl appearance. There are many NFL owners who would love to have a man like that coaching their team. Reid is still only 54 and one of the most well-respected coaches around the league. He should at least get interviews for many of the head coaching vacancies.

Possible Landing Spots: San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns

5. Mike McCoy, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator

McCoy is one of the hottest names around the league. Given the Broncos’ offensive success this season and last, it should come as no surprise. McCoy built an entire offensive scheme around Tim Tebow as his quarterback last season. Then, he completely revamped the offense with an entirely different system to fit Peyton Manning for this season. At just 40 years old, McCoy fits the mold of the young mind team's love to hire. With the adaptability and diligence to hard work he has already shown, it is just a matter of time before he gets a head coaching gig.

Possible Landing Spots: Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills

Five Additional Names to Keep an Eye On

• Perry Fewell, New York Giants defensive coordinator
• Greg Roman, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator
• Bill O’Brien, Penn State University head coach
• Mike Zimmer, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator
• Dirk Koetter, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator

Barkley's Legendary Career as a Trojan Comes to a Close

USC senior quarterback Matt Barkley will not play in the Sun Bowl, but the impact he had as a Trojan will never be forgotten. (Kirby Lee)

Matt Barkley's senior season at the University of Southern California did not go as he had hoped. He won't even be able to join his teammates when they take the field in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Monday. A shoulder injury suffered in a loss to rival UCLA caused Barkley to miss the two biggest games of the last chapter of his collegiate career.

While the final chapter may be drawing to a close, Barkley had many great moments at the helm of the Trojans offense. As a ture freshman, he won the job as a starter.  In his second career start, Barkley led USC to an 18-15 win at No. 8 Ohio State. While his performance was far from perfect, he led the Trojans on a game-winning touchdown drive with only minutes left.

Five weeks later, Barkley led USC to another impressive win at Notre Dame. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 380 yards and two touchdowns. In what turned out to be the only bowl game of his career, Barkley led the Tojans to victory over Boston College 24-13 in the Emerald Bowl.

Following the bowl win, began a time of rocky transition for the USC football program. Head coach Pete Carroll left for a job in the NFL. The program was put on probation and given heavy sanctions. Lane Kiffin was also a controversial hire as the new head coach during the difficult stretch.

Barkley had every right to leave the program that was in under disarray and transfer. Nevertheless, he remained loyal to the school and his teammates. As could be expected, Barkley's sophomore season was nothing to write home about. He played well against Andrew Luck and Stanford, but came away the loser. An ankle injury forced him to miss the Notre Dame game, but he was able to return in time to lift the Trojans past their rival UCLA.

By the time Barkley's junior season rolled around, he was comfortable and ready to shine in Kiffin's offense. Barkley began the season by setting the USC single game record for completions with 34 against Minnesota. In an October 1 win over Arizona, he set the single-game record for passing yards with 468. On November 4, he passed for a another school record against Colorado. This time it was the single-game record for touchdowns in a game with 6.

Records weren't the only thing Barkley accomplished as a junior. He led USC to huge road wins at Notre Dame and Oregon. In the rivalry game against UCLA, the Trojans destroyed the Bruins 50-0 behind Barkley's six touchdown passes. That gave him a season total of 39, which became a new Pac-12 record. Everyone expected that to be a fitting end to Barkely's career at USC.

Barkley though had other plans as he passed on the NFL Draft for year to return to the Trojans for his senior year. A 7-5 overall record and 5-4 in the Pac-12 probably isn't what he had in mind. A season cut short by injury probably wasn't in his plans either. Despite all of that, the fact that he will be on the sidelines motivating his teammates in his final game is a testimony to his commitment to them and what it means to be a Trojan at the University of Southern California.

NFL Week 17 Preview and Predictions

The Redskins hope rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III can lead them to one more victory and into the playoffs. (Patrick McDermott)

5. Houston Texans (12-3) @ Indianapolis Colts (10-5) - 1:00 PM EST, CBS
The six AFC playoffs teams are set and these are two of them. The seeding is still to be determined, which is why this AFC South battle is significant on Sunday. Last week, the Texans had a chance to clinch home-field throughout the playoffs, but they lost to the Minnesota Vikings. Now, they must win against the Colts to guarantee themselves a first-round bye. The Colts got the win they needed last week over the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch their place in the playoffs. They also got head coach Chuck Pagano back this week from his battle with cancer. There will be a lot of pride on the line and momentum to be gained in this divisional battle.

Prediction: Texans 27 Colts 17

4. Philadelphia Eagles (4-11) @ New York Giants (8-7) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX
The Eagles playoff hopes have been gone so long it could be considered ancient history. Losers of ten of their last eleven, there is little to be excited about with this football team. However, a chance to knock one of their rivals out of the playoffs might be just enough motivation to show up and play hard when they take on the Giants on Sunday. With back-to-back losses, the Giants are a long shot to defend their Super Bowl title. A porous defense and sputtering offense has put forth ugly performance the past two weeks. In order to make the playoffs, the Giants first and foremost have to take care of business here and get a win over the Eagles. Then, they have to hope for losses by the Cowboys, Bears and Vikings. As I said, they are a longshot.

Prediction: Giants 27 Eagles 13

3. Chicago Bears (9-6) @ Detroit Lions (4-11) - 1:00 PM EST, FOX
The Bears finally snapped a three-game losing streak with a 28-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week. Unfortunately for them, it may be too little, too late for their hopes of making the playoffs. The need a win over the Lions and a loss by the Vikings in order to secure a postseason berth. The Bears defense will need to play well if they hope to slow down Calvin Johnson and the Lions offense. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler will also need to play well and limit his mistakes. The Lions have lost seven in row and have been out of the playoff picture for awhile. They will still be plenty motivated to have a shot at knocking a rival out of the playoffs.

Prediction: Bears 20 Lions 17

2. Green Bay Packers (11-4) @ Minnesota Vikings (9-6) - 4:25 PM EST, FOX
The Packers have won nine out of their last ten, but they still need one more win to guarantee themselves a first-round bye in the playoffs. Last week, quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, running back Ryan Grant rushed for two more and the Green Bay defense dominated in a 55-7 rout of the Tennessee Titans. The Packers will look to use a similar formula when they face the Vikings on Sunday. While all of the focus has been on Adrian Peterson's chance to break Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, the Vikings have quietly positioned themselves for the team's first playoff berth since 2009. The Vikings defense played very well in their surprising upset of the Houston Texans last week. They held the Texans to 187 total yards and only six points. The Vikings defense will need to play just as well if they hope to slow down Rodgers and the Packers' dynamic offense.

Prediction: Packers 24 Vikings 16

1. Dallas Cowboys (8-7) @ Washington Redskins (9-6) - 8:20 PM EST, NBC
The winner of this game is the NFC East champion and earns the automatic berth into the playoffs. Since their Week 12 loss to the Redskins, the Cowboys have played four games decided by five points or less and the last two have gone to overtime. Quarterback Tony Romo played very well last week against the New Orleans Saints. He threw for 416 yards, four touchdowns and most importantly, no interceptions. Romo's top receiver, Dez Bryant, played well in that game as well. He had nine receptions for 224 yards and two scores. The Redskins have won six in a row, but need one more divisional win to become the NFC East champions. Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III returned from injury to lift his team past the Eagles last week to set up this week's showdown with the Cowboys. Running back Alfred Morris has played well lately as well. He has scored at least one touchdown in four out of his last five games. Morris has rushed for an average of 108.8 yards per game during that stretch. The Redskins will try and use a balanced attack to breakdown the Cowboys defense.

Prediction: Redskins 31 Cowboys 28