hard and left the Lions without seven starters, Pen

Penn State was picked fourth in the Big Ten East in the preseason and 2-2 after an ugly loss at Michigan, prompting the athletic director to issue a public vote of confidence for third-year coach James Franklin.Two months later, who would have thought the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions would have thrown a wrench into the College Football Playoff hypotheticals by earning a berth in the Big Ten championship game opposite No. 6 Wisconsin?Things would have been so much simpler if Ohio State hadnt lost to the Lions on the road on Oct. 22.A win in Indianapolis on Saturday night would give the Lions (10-2, No. 7 CFP) two victories over top-10 teams to weigh against their losses to Pittsburgh and Michigan. Imagine the outrage in Happy Valley if the Lions beat the Badgers and, as conference champion, were excluded from the group of four teams to play for the national championship. It could happen.The Buckeyes (11-1, No. 2 CFP) would be at the mercy of the committee if Penn State wins, but the chairman already has said Ohio State has the better resume.If Wisconsin (10-2, No. 6 CFP) wins, the committee could logically pick Ohio State based on its overtime win over the Badgers in Madison on Oct. 15. If that happens, the city known as Madtown would surely be that.Franklin tried to stay above the fray Sunday when it came to playoff possibilities.To be honest with you, I dont really have a strong opinion, he said. Were focused on Wisconsin and excited about this opportunity. And after that game, whatever the powers that be decide, well be happy and excited for whatever that opportunity its.Five things to know heading into the Big Ten title game:---OLD VS. NEW: This will be the sixth Big Ten title game, and Wisconsin is in it for the fourth time. Penn State is making its first appearance and going for its first championship since 2008.The Badgers are 2-1 in Indianapolis, beating Michigan State 42-39 in 2011 and Nebraska 70-31 in 2012 and losing to Ohio State 59-0 in 2014.Wisconsin is 9-8 all-time against Penn State. This will be the first meeting since Nov. 30, 2013, when Penn State won 31-24 in a wild game in Madison.INJURY UPDATE: Penn State star running back Saquon Barkley is expected to play after injuring his right foot against Michigan State on Saturday, Franklin said.Barkley averages 101.6 yards a game to rank third in the Big Ten. He was held to 14 yards on 12 carries in the 45-12 win over the Spartans.Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook is day-to-day after getting knocked out of Saturdays game against Minnesota with an apparent concussion. Bart Houston played the entire second half. Chryst said Hornibrook told him he felt better Sunday.FRANKLINS JOURNEY: Penn State lost four straight to end 2015 and got off to a 2-2 start this season with those losses of 42-39 to Pittsburgh and 49-10 to Michigan. A few days after the loss in Ann Arbor, athletic director Sandy Barbour pledged allegiance to Franklin, saying his job was not in jeopardy.Despite a run of injuries that hit the linebacker corps especially hard and left the Lions without seven starters, Penn State turned into one of the hottest teams in the nation.Linebacker Jason Cabinda said he and his teammates never ruled out a chance to play in Indy.We talked about it all last season. That this was our goal and this is where we wanted to go, so we put our head down and went to work, Cabinda said. Every week we have improved and gotten better and now we have a tremendous opportunity to go Indianapolis next week and finish this thing and get a Big Ten championship.BADGER DOMINANCE: Wisconsin and Alabama are the only Power Five programs to reach conference title games four times since 2011. The Badgers have won at least 10 games six of the last eight years and are 17-3 in their last 20 games. Theyre 15-3 against Big Ten West teams since the conference went to the current divisions in 2014.ITS ABOUT DEFENSE: Wisconsin and Penn State rank Nos. 3 and 4 in total defense in the Big Ten, with the Badgers allowing 292 yards a game and the Lions 346.No one has been running much against either team lately. Only five opponents have run for 100 yards against the Badgers. Penn State has allowed no more than 110 yards on the ground in any of its last five games.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Cheap New Jersey Devils Jerseys . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. http://www.cheapdevilsjerseys.com/ . After slipping from the summit during the week, the Gunners overcame struggling Crystal Palace 2-0 on Sunday thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlains second-half brace. Cheap Devils Jerseys China . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Wholesale Devils Jerseys . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. DENVER -- Foul trouble kept Nikola Jokic from playing more minutes the past two games. He showed what he can do when he stays on the floor.Jokic had 27 points and 15 rebounds, Gary Harris scored a career-high 24 points and the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-107 on Monday night.Jokic finished an assist shy of his first career triple-double and tied his career high in points to help the Nuggets win their third straight game. Emmanuel Mudiay scored 18 points.Jokic averaged only 20 minutes in the first two games of the homestand after committing five fouls each game. It derailed potential big nights, but he had just one foul against the Mavericks and dominated.Mike told me he was going to beat me if I made more stupid fouls, Jokic said of coach Michael Malone. I listened.Deron Williams led Dallas with 23 points and eight assists.Denvers recent offensive surge started after its 20-point loss in Dallas on Dec. 12. Malone shook up his starting lineup and the Nuggets have responded by scoring 30 or more points in eight of the last 12 quarters and are averaging 125.3 points since the change.Theyve gotten it done with contributions from different players and Harris was a big contributor Monday. The third-year guard out of Michigan State is averaging 19.3 points since returning from a foot injury.He has three games back and I dont think its a coincidence that we have won three games in a row, Malone said.Harris got the Nuggets started early, scoring 16 in the first half as Denver overcame a 16-point deficit to lead by two at the break. The lead grew to 12 in the third but Dallas made a run to get within six late in the fourth. Jokic hit a 3-pointer, a short jumper and fed Wilson Chandler for a layup for his ninth assist.When you have a guy playing that well you want hhim to get it, teammate Jameer Nelson said of the triple-double.dddddddddddd Thats a heck of an accomplishment for an individual. It means hes playing the game the right way.Jokic had a chance for his 10th assist but Mudiay missed his only 3-pointer off a pass. Jokic wasnt concerned about missing out on the feat.It doesnt really matter, he said. The game is more important than your name.The Mavericks ran out of gas after playing Sunday afternoon.They wore us down as the game went on, Williams said. They came out and hit a lot of 3s in the second half and got the lead. We battled but we couldnt outlast them.TIP-INSMavericks: G J.J. Barea returned to the lineup after missing a month with a strained right calf. He had 11 points in 13 minutes. ... Andrew Bogut (right knee) and Dirk Nowitzki (right Achilles) are hoping to return for the start of 2017.Nuggets: G Jamal Murray played despite a sore right foot. He had three points in 14 minutes. ... C Jusuf Nurkic didnt play a game after logging just eight minutes.TALL TALEMavericks coach Rick Carlisle joked before Mondays game that Jokic was taller than his listed 6-foot-11.Thats (ridiculous). He is probably like 7-4, Carlisle said. His arms are crazy long. Hes a guy thats plays an on-the-floor game but he is some player. Some of his passing is ridiculously creative and he can make shots. We know he can grab it and put in the basket because he did it about six times last game.He was equally impressed after Mondays performance.He kicked our (butt) last game too, he said. Its not a surprise; hes good.UP NEXTMavericks: At Portland on Wednesday night.Nuggets: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. ' ' '