Author: Steve Gardner, USA TODAY

Illinois has fired head football coach Lovie Smith with one game left in the regular season after compiling a 17-39 record in his five-year tenure.

Amid rumors of a strained relationship, Tom Brady and coach Bruce Arians planned to play golf together over the bye week until the NFL intervened.

QB Tom Brady and the Bucs have lost three of their last four games, but still lead the Vikings by a game for the sixth playoff spot in the NFC.

Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats says college basketball would “have a whole lot more problems if we weren’t playing games,” voices disagreement with Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

Titans RB Derrick Henry has a history of big games in December. Could he duplicate his 238-yard, 4-TD performance in 2018 on Sunday?

National League MVP Freddie Freeman edges American League MVP Jose Abreu for first base spot as Braves lead the way with three first-team selections.

Indianapolis Colts WR T.Y. Hilton has come on strong lately and could be a playoff starter; backups to stars can be essential insurance policies.

Carlos Santana, a 2019 AL All-Star with the Cleveland Indians, will take over at first base for the Kansas City Royals.

Corey Davis’ immense raw talent comes through in a career day vs. Browns; Atlanta Falcons’ Todd Gurley not ready to return to lead-back role.