December 08, 1997 | Volume 87, Issue 23

The Bowl Alliance and its predecessor, the Coalition, were formed to create a national championship game and put the best teams in the biggest bowls. But the system hasn't been flawless. For...

1. BOB DAVIEEnjoy it while you can, Bob. This is the last time anyone associated with Notre Dame will be happy with a one-point win over Hawaii.

NAVY'S SMALL-TOWN SENSATION

•SEC CHAMPIONSHIP:AUBURN (9-2) VS. TENNESSEE (10-1)Florida fans might point to the fact that the Volunteers needed help to win the SEC East, but Tennessee is laughing all the way to Atlanta. A...

If Broncos coach Mike Shanahan were playing against his defense, he knows what he would do: run the ball, often. "Wouldn't you?" Shanahan said earlier this season. "If someone went in there with...

1. BOBBYBALLThree weeks ago Eagles quarterback Bobby Hoying took over a stumbling 4-6 team. Since then, he has completed 60% of his attempts, passed for 278 yards per game and thrown six touchdown...

A team usually has six days between games, seven if it's scheduled to play on a Monday night. But typically there are a handful of Thursday games, which require teams to significantly shorten...

Hey, doesn't anyone want to win this thing? The Giants, leaders of the NFC East, are 1-2-1 in their last four games. But they're hanging on at the top because the second-place Redskins blew one at...

Wrestling, one of the world's oldest and proudest sports, is unheralded by most Americans, but it is the life of the minority who embrace it.CHRIS JACKSON, COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS

How to bring the superannuated game of croquet into the go-go world of modern sports

NOVEMBER 21, 1955

Saturday 12/6

Video killed the rodeo star? Each night this week—on ESPN2 at 11:30 p.m., except Friday, when the telecast is on ESPN at midnight—and continuing on both channels through Dec. 14, cowboys can...

(WWW.CNNSI.COM)SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and CNN team up on the Internet to offer up-to-the-minute sports news and stats as well as stories and photos from the magazine. You can also find SI articles and...

2,066,833Prize money, in dollars, won by Tiger Woods this year, a PGA Tour record.

Penny Hardaway's pip-squeakish sidekick can be a Big Pain-y, but he got us thinking about what a few other li'l incarnations might be like.

Tropicana Field, which will be the home of the American League's Tampa Bay Devil Rays beginning in 1998, will offer fans an in-stadium hair salon.

Paul GascoigneEnglish soccer star, on the attraction of playing in MLS after the 1998 World Cup: "In America, once you're famous, you're famous for life. And they make great piña coladas!"

The trade demand that Scottie Pippen leveled at the Chicago Bulls last week was only the latest incident in a career filled with emotional spikes and dips. Some HIGHLIGHTS and LOWLIGHTS:

Many young blacks are so intent on becoming the next Jordan that they forgo more realistic paths to success

Barry Sanders is running circles around NFL defenses with an electrifying style unlike anything the legaue has seen

Two silly acts by the Skins' Michael Westbrook have soiled his image and slowed his ascent into the ranks of the top wideouts

Art HarringtonWILLOW STREET, PA.Harrington, 55, coached the Solanco High girls' cross-country team to the Mares' second AAA state title. Since the team's inception in 1985, Harrington has amassed...

Miami heat center Isaac Austin isn't the only NBA understudy who, as an emergency replacement for an injured star, has raised his game this season. Here's our list of the subs-turned-starters who...

Pat Tillman (above) may never be a household name, but the teams he played against this year probably will never forget him. Here are five other outstanding players whose efforts this season went...

Davis Cup hero Jonas Bjorkman has shot to No. 4 in the world on the strength of his rocket returns, fortified forehand and fabulous funny bone

Tennessee relies on three players called Meek, but the No. 1 Lady Vols aren't the least bit retiring

•TOM BYRUM: Statistically, he was the second-best player on Tour in '97, finishing behind Bill Glasson in the all-around category. Yet Byrum was 42nd on the money list.

Because of the four-year, $800 million television contract signed by the PGA Tour and the networks earlier this year, tournament purses could double in 1999, when the new deal kicks in. However,...

What do these players have in common?

7

If you come across an old catcher standing on the 1st green sizing up a four-foot putt, have some compassion. I'm still struggling with my short game. Last month I entered the first stage of the...

IN THE TOUGH NEW WORLD OF GOLF, A MEAN STREAK IS AN ADVANTAGE

Tom Lehman got a big kick out of stealing the show at the suddenly resurgent Skins Game