Gildenbeschreibung » Take Iowa State +17 (Oklahoma State), Northwestern +

KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- Two veteran skips were both left scratching their heads at the Canadian mens curling championships Saturday night, as a change in ice conditions saw crucial draw attempts in an extra end fall at least five metres short of the house. Newfoundland and Labradors Brad Gushue, who lost the game 6-5 to Manitobas Jeff Stoughton, was more than a little peeved as the opening day of the Tim Hortons Brier ended. Gushue expressed his clear frustrations with the ice conditions. "They lost the ice," said Gushue, the 2006 Olympic gold medallist who, like Stoughton, is curling in his 11th Brier. "You see two world class skips throw draws to the four foot that end up 20-feet light. Its embarrassing. I think the ice is just (terrible). Its unfortunate that it came down to that." He said he saw it happen to a lesser degree in an earlier game between Albertas Kevin Koe and B.C.s John Morris. Stoughton was just as mystified. "We were going to draw probably half in the top four and I let it go, the guys said good weight and it just ground in," he said. Although, for him, the result was a little more satisfying as he left his shot stone in the house to win the game. "I guess that side of the sheet got lost somehow but well take it. We had one in there and he missed both his last two shots, what are you going to do?" Stoughton and Morris sit at the top of the standings with two wins apiece after Saturdays draw, followed by Brier rookie Greg Balsdon from Ontario and Steve Laycock from Saskatchewan with one win each. Gushue joined Northern Ontarios Jeff Currie at 1-1 while five rinks were winless after one game, Alberta, New Brunswick, The Northwest Territories-Yukon, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. In the evening draw, Morris beat Currie 8-2 in eight ends, after struggling earlier to edge Albertas Koe 7-6. Currie split the day, beating New Brunswicks Jamie Grattan 13-5 in the opener. Balsdon opened his first Brier by topping Quebec veteran Jean-Michel Menard 9-7 and Saskatchewans Laycock beat the Northwest Territories-Yukons Jamie Koe (Kevins brother) 8-5. Morris, curling for his third province at the Brier, was glad to get off to a good start. "The first one was a little tough on the melon, that one was a little nicer," he said, referring to the difference in the two games. "We played a little better this team, a good solid team effort." He also said he found the ice on the sheet he played on a little more consistent at night. Laycock said his first win wasnt without its scary moments. "Especially in nine there, there was a chance we could have blown a three-point lead in a hurry," he said. "It was nice to sneak out of that with only giving up two." He scored two in the final end to seal it. So did Balsdon, playing in his first Brier after managing to beat Ontario veteran Glen Howard to win the right. "We all felt pretty comfortable. The speed was good, the ice was very consistent, what youd expect from the Brier," he said. He says it helps in a way being a rookie. "Because Im a rookie here I dont really feel a whole lot of pressure for myself and the team. . . Were just hoping to scrap out some games." Nike Free Sale Australia . The mood in Seattle was electrified as the parade featuring the NFL champions began near the Space Needle and made its way to CenturyLink Field, the home of the team. At a ceremony inside the stadium, the team thanked its loyal followers -- the 12th Man -- capping a day of boisterous celebration that drew an estimated 700,000 revelers to Seattle. Nike Free Cheap Online . LOUIS -- St. http://www.nikefreecheapaustralia.com/ .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. Nike Free Australia . Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. Nike Free Shoes Clearance . Rockies manager Walt Weiss was unhappy, too. Weiss addressed the issue in a 15-minute meeting with his pitcher and catcher after the Rockies gave up 14 hits and lost 10-1. De La Rosa lasted only 4 1-3 innings and allowed five runs in his first opening-day start.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - UCLA is coming off its most impressive 2014 outing - a 62-27 romp over Arizona State. Utah lost its last game to Washington State. However, the Utes have a great chance to upset the Bruins. Utahs one-point loss to the Cougars was a game the Utes led 24-7 with just over six minutes left in the third quarter. Did they rest on their large lead or did Washington State stifle them over the final 30 minutes? According to head coach Kyle Whittingham, the answer falls squarely with the latter as he gave all the credit to the Cougars. One thing is for certain - the Utes might have taken Washington State lightly coming into the game off their huge road win at Michigan. They even built a 21-0 lead. Nevertheless, two of their first three touchdowns came via the defense and special teams, and the offense scored just one TD coming on a 76- yard scamper by Devontae Booker. Despite taking on the likes of Washington State, Michigan and Fresno State, Utah has allowed more than seven points in a quarter just twice this season. The defense is playing better than it did at the end of last year and the offense is clicking to the tune of 42 points per game. UCLA is in a tough spot this week off its huge 35-point win over the Sun Devils and with Oregon coming to the Rose Bowl on Oct. 11 in what could be a preview of the Pac-12 Championship Game. As a side note, the Bruins are 0-4 both straight-up and against the spread the last four games prior to facing the Ducks. Jim Moras squad struggled with its opposition the first three contests, winning by no more than eight points in a single game. It certainly is not a stretch to say Utah is a better club than Virginia, Memphis and Texas. Most folks look at the UCLA-Arizona State game and come away impressed with the Bruins. However, there is more to that contest than meets the eye. First, the Sun Devils were without quarterback Taylor Kelly. Second, the backup QB led Arizona State to 38 first downs and 626 total yards against what many consider a solid Bruins defense. Third, UCLA was a plus-4 in the turnover department. Given all that, the Bruins led by just 10 points at halftime only because Ishmael Adams returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown inside the final seconds. Arizona States defense, ranked 90th nationally in allowing 30.8 points per game, is a shell of its former self, so the fact UCLA put up 62 points is not a crucial element when analyzing the game against Utah. The Utes, particularly quarterback Travis Wilson, have been waiting for this matchup for a full year as they would love nothing more than to defeat the Bruins for the first time since winning 31-6 in 2011. Travis Wilson made his first career start at the Rose Bowl two years ago and his lone interception (on Utahs initial drive) set up UCLAs first touchdown. That was the difference in thhe Bruins seven-point victory even though Utah covered the 9.dddddddddddd5-point spread. Last years game was even worse for Wilson as UCLA intercepted him six times, Still, the Utes lost by only seven points once again. This time, they failed to cover the 6.5-point spread. Look for Utah to reverse those two results and come out on the winning side in this years renewal. Take Utah plus 13.5 points in the first of two three-star selections. The other top play this week involves Notre Dame and Stanford. Notre Dame has scored 30 points or more in each of its first four games. However, only one of its four opponents ranks in the top 50 in scoring defense and that team is Michigan at 47th. On Saturday, the Fighting Irish take on the No. 1-ranked defense in the country in Stanford. Not only do the Cardinal top the scoring defense list, but they also are atop the rankings in total defense, allowing only 198 yards per game. Dont expect the Irish to score anywhere near the 35 points they are averaging this season. Furthermore, it is doubtful they will even match the 20 points they scored against Stanford in last years matchup. Along those lines, Stanford will not come close to the 27 points it picked up in that game as this years Cardinal offense is not nearly as powerful as the 2013 version. This game should be played similar to the 2012 matchup when both squads were on top of their games defensively. Notre Dame won that contest, 20-13, in overtime, a defensive battle in which just one offensive touchdown was scored in regulation. Take under 44 points. TWO-STAR SELECTIONS Take Arizona +23.5 (Oregon), North Carolina +2 (Virginia Tech), Ole Miss +7 (Alabama), Texas +15 (Baylor), Cincinnati -4 (Memphis) and Western Ky -9 (UAB). ONE-STAR PLAYS Take Iowa State +17 (Oklahoma State), Northwestern +8 (Wisconsin), New Mexico +17 (UTSA), Rutgers -2.5 (Michigan), ULM +11 (Arkansas State) and Nevada +3.5 (Boise State). THIS YEARS RECORD My overall record stands at 49-33 after an 8-4 mark in Week 5. The headline game won as well as the other top play, so the five-star plays are 4-3. The three-star selections stand at 7-1 after Air Force won outright over Boise State. The two-star choices went 1-1 for a five-week total of 16-16. The one- star plays went 4-3 for a 22-13 mark. THIS WEEKS JEFF FRANK DIRTY DOZEN 1) Florida State, 101.5; 2) Alabama, 101; 3) Ole Miss, 100.5; 4) Oklahoma, 100; 5-T) Oregon, Baylor and Auburn, 99.5; 8) Michigan State, 98.5; 9) Georgia, 98; 10) USC, 97; 11) Texas A&M, 96.5; 12) Ohio State, 96 (The Dirty Dozen is not a reflection of a given teams won-loss record. It is based on power ratings used to predict spreads for the upcoming week. At the beginning of the season, all FBS teams are assigned a power number, which changes on a week-to-week basis depending on the results of the previous week.) ' ' '