A. Auburn. The miracle season continues for Auburn, which did not need any divine intervention to roll over Missouri in the SEC Championship. It did, however, get a huge assist from Michigan State when the Spartans upset then-No. 2 Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. As such, the Tigers vaulted into the second ranking and will face Florida State for the National Championship. FSU is a -9 favorite over Auburn, according to 5Dimes Sportsbook.

B. Ron Burgundy. Will Farrell’s character in “Anchorman” and the upcoming “Anchorman 2” had his “SportsCenter” hosting cancelled last Thursday because of the Jameis Winston case announcement, but he was in studio on Friday to interview Peyton Manning. If you have not watched it yet, do so immediately.

C. Charges. Speaking of charges, there obviously were none. Winston was cleared for action for last weekend’s ACC Championship, and he promptly hammered Duke along with the rest of his Florida State juggernaut by a score of 45-7. When the Seminoles put in their subs midway through the fourth quarter, Duke had more ejected players (one) than points (zero). Sportsbook.ag has Winston as an overwhelming -15000 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy.

D. Tom Daley. The teenaged heartthrob of the 2012 London Olympics (he won a bronze medal in 10-meter platform diving) made a YouTube video last week to announce that he is in a relationship with another man. Tempering the devastation of young British girls, Daley indicated that he is bisexual rather than just gay.

E. Excessive. That’s the kind of speed at which Jadeveon Clowney was driving last Saturday. South Carolina’s star defensive end was cited for doing 110 in a 70-mph zone on Interstate 77. After all, you can’t spell Clowney without “c-l-o-w-n.”

F. Doug Fister. Unloading Prince Fielder and his contract? Not curious. Shipping off Fister? Curious at best. The Detroit Tigers still have a stellar staff, but they sent Fister to Washington last week for a relatively unheralded group consisting of Steve Lombardozzi and prospects Ian Krol and Robbie Ray. The Nationals’ rotation now features Fister, Stephen Strasburg, Gio Gonzalez, and Dan Haren. At Bovada Sportsbook, Washington is +900 to win the 2014 World Series.

G. Rob Gronkowski. Seven games after returning from offseason forearm and back surgeries, Gronkowski is out for the year. New England’s star tight end suffered a torn ACL after a nasty—but legal—hit by Cleveland’ T.J. Ward during the Patriots’ improbable comeback in Week 14. The Pats are +350 to win the AFC Championship, per GT Bets.

H. Houston. Houston, we have a problem. Well, we had a problem. Gary Kubiak was fired last Friday, one day after the Texans lost their 11th game in a row to fellow bottom-feeder Jacksonville. On Sunday, Kubiak took out a full page ad in the Houston Chronicle thanking the team and fans. Wade Phillips is the interim head coach, and he has expressed serious interest in landing the full-time gig.

I. Incomplete. That’s the grade a lot of people gave Kobe Bryant in his return to game action on Sunday night. Kobe, however, initially gave himself an ‘F’ after scoring nine points and committing eight turnovers in 28 minutes during the Lakers’ 106-94 home loss to Toronto. The 35-year-old eventually watched the film and upgraded his performance to a ‘D.’ He scored 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting in a home setback against Phoenix on Tuesday.

J. Jacoby Ellsbury. Ellsbury channeled his inner Johnny Damon and bolted Boston for the Bronx last week. The Yankees signed Ellsbury to a lofty seven-year, $153 million contract. The center fielder hit .298 with 53 RBI, 92 runs scored, and 52 stolen bases for the World Series champions. In the 16 playoff games he batted .344 with six RBI, 14 runs scored, and six stolen bases.
 
K. Kyle Korver. Korver is now the NBA record-holder for most consecutive games with a three-pointer. The Atlanta Hawks’ shooting guard extended his streak to 90 last Friday in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, breaking the mark previously held by Dana Barros. It now stands at 91 after Korver drained one trey against Oklahoma City on Tuesday.

L. Lawrence Frank. Frank’s current job with the New Jersey Nets is “writing daily reports.” You cannot make this stuff up, folks. That’s what happened when Frank, previously Jason Kidd’s top assistant, was reassigned by the beleaguered head coach. Kidd and Frank clashed with their philosophies right from the start, and reports are now surfacing that Kidd went on an expletive-laced tirade at Frank following a Nov. 3 loss at Orlando.

M. Marcus Mariota. Mariota was not among the 25,000 players invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, but he will have another chance to win it next year. Oregon’s quarterback announced last week that will return to Eugene for his junior season. Mariota has thrown for 3,412 yards and 30 touchdowns compared to only four interceptions, and he has also rushed for 582 yards and nine scores in 2013. Oregon is a -13 Alamo Bowl favorite over Texas, according to 5Dimes Sportsbook.

N. Northwestern Mutual World Challenge. To say the finish of last week’s golf tournament was wild would be a gross understatement. For a second straight year, it all came down to Tiger Woods—the host of the event—and Zach Johnson. After tying Tiger late, Johnson duffed one in the water on 18 only to hole out for par from the drop zone. Tiger made a borderline miraculous sand save for par, but he could not do the same in the ensuing playoff. The world No. 1 missed a five-foot putt on the first extra hole to give Johnson the victory. Carbon Sports has Tiger as a +650 favorite to win next year’s Masters.

O. Ohio State. The Buckeyes had won 24 in a row since Urban Meyer took over as head coach. His 25th victory at OSU initially would have resulted in a BCS National Championship, but now it won’t amount to anything more than an Orange Bowl triumph if it comes next month. Michigan State not only played the spoiler role but also propelled itself into the Rose Bowl.

P. Matt Prater. At long last, one of the most revered records in NFL history has fallen. Prater nailed a 64-yarder just before halftime in the Broncos’ win over Tennessee on Sunday. It broke the mark of 63 yards held by Tom Dempsey, Jason Elam, Sebastian Janikowski, and David Akers. Thank God for Mile High Stadium! Denver is a +225 favorite at WagerWeb to win the Super Bowl.

Q. Quote. Nelson Mandela once said this: “Sport has the power to change the world…it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.” R.I.P.

R. Robinson Cano. The Yankees did not show any restraint when they splurged on Ellsbury, but they did with Cano. Seattle shelled out a 10-year, $240 million contract to Cano, and it went unmatched by New York...so it goes without saying that it went unmatched by everyone else as well. Have the Mariners not been following baseball the last 15 years? When was the last time such a monstrous contract worked out well? A-Rod? Pujols? Um, no. Seattle is +1200 at Sportsbook.ag to win the American League Pennant.

S. State championship. Oak Grove High School captured the Mississippi Class 6A state title over the weekend by defeating Tupelo High School, 14-7. Oak Grove’s offensive coordinator? None other than Brett Favre, who didn’t quite put it on level terms with winning a Super Bowl but did say it was “close.”

T. Tim Tebow. This week’s sign the apocalypse is upon us: the most searched athlete in 2013 has been Tim Tebow. Seriously? Seriously?!?!

U. USMNT. Well, that could not have been what the U.S. men’s national team hand in mind when it sat down last Friday to watch the 2014 World Cup draw ceremony. The Americans found themselves in a foursome that is teetering on being the Group of Death, also featuring Germany, Portugal, and Ghana. Team USA is +8000 to win the World Cup, according to BetOnline Sportsbook.

V. October’s Very Own. That is Drake’s label, clothing included. In that industry, though, the rapper recently took a major step up in class. Last week he signed a contract to design for Nike. This comes shortly after Kanye West’s dispute and ensuing separation from Nike.

W. Wedding invitation. A fan invited Peyton Manning to her wedding, and Peyton Manning responded. In response to lifelong Manning fan Anna Bozard, the Broncos’ quarterback checked the "regretfully decline” box but signed his name, number, and added “best wishes.” No matter that it was five weeks after the card was due and three weeks after the wedding. That’s a cool dude right there. The Broncos are -10 home favorites over San Diego on Thursday, according to Sportsbook.ag.

X. Granit Xhaka. The 21-year-old star of Switzerland’s national team plays his club ball for Borussia Monchengladbach. However, rumors are swirling that Liverpool is seeking a transfer in hopes of having Xhaka eventually replace 33-year-old Steven Gerrard. As for Xhaka’s country, Switzerland has an apparent favorable draw at the World Cup with France, Ecuador, and Honduras. The Swiss are +286 at BookMaker to win Group E.

Y. Shayna Taylor. Her name does not exactly start with a ‘Y,’ but any excuse to talk about Taylor is a good one (especially if pictures are involved). Ryan Seacrest’s new love interest modeled in her first big photo shoot on Monday in Los Angeles. Taylor signed a signed a two-year contract with Wilhelmina Models last week.

Z. Zach Mettenberger. It was initially thought that the knee injury Mettenberger sustained against Arkansas would not keep him out of a bowl game. Last week, however, an MRI revealed that LSU’s senior quarterback suffered a torn ACL. Freshman backup Anthony Jennings, who engineered a comeback win over the Razorbacks, will lead the Tigers in the Outback Bowl. GT Bets has LSU as a -7.5 favorite over Iowa.

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