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Saban is 23-0 all time against former disciples, including 1-0 against Kiffin. Barring a few close games with former defensive coordinator Kirby Smart against Georgia, no other coach has given Saban more fits than Kiffin. Their two teams engaged in a sloppy, defense-optional game in Oxford in 2020, resulting in a 63-48 win for the Crimson Tide. The Tide have homefield advantage this time around, but Kiffin has had an entire year to implement his offensive system, led by odds-on Heisman Trophy favorite Matt Corral....

Both No. 2 Alabama and No. 13 Texas A&M enter this game at 1-0 after wins against SEC East competition in Missouri and Vanderbilt, respectively. Yet both the Crimson Tide and Aggies likely were left wanting in their season-opening games, despite their victories. Alabama looked routinely dominant in the first half of its game against season-opening game against the Tigers, jumping out to a 28-3 halftie lead behind the arm of Mac Jones (18 of 24 passing, 249 yards, three touchdowns, two of which went to Jaylen Waddle) and a stout defensive performance....

Granada find themselves in eighth place in the La Liga standings at the moment and have punched above their weight this season. The away side slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Sevilla last week and will need to take it up a notch on Thursday. Barcelona, on the other hand, are in a four-way race for the La Liga title and cannot afford to drop points in this fixture. The Catalan giants have managed four victories in their last five league games and will be confident ahead of this game....

The Browns will start third-stringer Nick Mullens at quarterback after Baker Mayfield and backup Case Keenum failed to clear COVID-19 protocol on Monday morning. Recently re-signed Kyle Lauletta will serve as Mullens’ backup. Head coach Kevin Stefanski also will not be available, leaving special teams coordinator Mike Priefer to stand in as acting head coach for a game that will be critical to the Browns’ playoff picture. A win would put Cleveland in first place in the gridlocked AFC North, but a loss would send them to the bottom of the division....

That could be a blessing and a curse, of course. If the Chargers beat the Broncos, the Raiders beat the Colts, or the Ravens beat the Rams it really mitigates the gravity of this game. If the Steelers win, however, they have a better shot than the Browns due to the tie in their record. The AFC playoff picture is remarkably complicated at the moment, but pieces are starting to settle into place....

The Suns star shredded the Bucks’ defense for 32 points and nine assists in his NBA Finals debut, leading Phoenix to a 118-105 win. Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer admitted that Paul is tough to guard in the pick-and-roll, but his team will have to put more pressure on the future Hall of Famer if it wants to avoid heading home down 2-0. “I think we have to just keep getting better,” Budenholzer said after Game 1....

Kansas City, which is coming off a dramatic 42-36 overtime victory over the Bills last weekend, is seeking its third straight Super Bowl appearance. The Chiefs are making their fourth consecutive AFC Championship Game, which has also been the same amount of years Patrick Mahomes has started as quarterback. Kansas City has won two of those AFC Championship appearances, defeating the Titans and Bills, respectively, in the last two seasons after losing to the Tom Brady-led Patriots in 2018....

The NHL’s newest team, the Kraken, will hit the ice in Las Vegas to take on the Golden Knights on opening night. Before things get underway at T-Mobile Arena, the Lightning will take on the Penguins in Florida. The games mark the return of ESPN as the league’s broadcaster. What to expect from the Kraken in 2021-22 is anyone’s guess. Will they be like expansion teams of yore, who struggled mightily against the more established clubs?...

The second-ranked Wolverines (12-1) will take on the Bulldogs (12-1) in what should be a defense-heavy matchup that will impact both teams’ search for a long-awaited national championship. MORE: College football bowl picks, predictions for all 43 postseason games in 2021-22 Michigan’s most recent national championship came in 1997, a year in which the Wolverines split the championship with Nebraska (Michigan won the AP vote, while the Coaches Poll went with Nebraska)....

Instead of showing the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on NBCSN, where NASCAR put last weekend’s contest in Las Vegas, it will broadcast the latest race on NBC. NASCAR at Talladega should completed before the start of NBC’s airing of “Sunday Night Football.” MORE: Watch today’s NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial) Kurt Busch is the lone driver guaranteed a spot in the next playoff round. There are two more races (Talladega included) to determine the other seven competitors....

This marks the two sides’ second meeting of a two-game set, with the first matchup going in favor of the Bulls, 110-102. Despite their inconsistencies, the New York Knicks have shown a lot of promise this season. Under coach Tom Thibodeau’s guidance, they have seen impressive defensive performances from the entire team. The Knicks had as many as four players scoring in double digits in their loss to the Chicago Bulls....

The 37-year-old superstar opens his 2022 tournament just days after his Manchester United contract was canceled amid turmoil around his dedication to the team. He now must take the field hoping to persuade another club to sign on, even with his former United teammate Bruno Fernandes a big part of his international side. Ghana, meanwhile, are the weakest team by FIFA rankings in the entire tournament field, sitting at 61st in the world....

Los Angeles, which won the NFC West title for the third time under coach Sean McVay, is coming off an impressive 34-11 wild-card victory over the Cardinals. The Rams posted 375 yards of total offense and limited Arizona to just 198 yards and two interceptions, enabling a runaway victory. MORE: Re-ranking the 8 NFL playoff teams remaining, from Packers to Rams The Rams are in their first year with starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, who threw for the second-most passing touchdowns (41) and third-most yards (4,886) in the regular season....

The Seahawks (8-3) defeated the Eagles on “Monday Night Football” to move into sole possession for the lead in the NFC West with Los Angeles and Arizona both losing last week. While Russell Wilson and D.K. Metcalf have been stringing together All-Pro caliber seasons, it’s Seattle’s defense in recent weeks that has finally started pulling its own weight. The defense has held opponents to fewer than 350 yards in each of the last two games, something it had failed to do once this season....

Pittsburgh (6-0) is the last remaining undefeated team after Seattle lost to Arizona in Week 7, and the Steelers knocked off the previously unbeaten Titans. Key to the Steelers success has been another edition of the NFL’s best defense, holding opponents to 286.3 yards per game and constantly pressuring quarterbacks to the tune of 26 sacks. Pair a resurgent Ben Roethlisberger with three young wideouts — Chase Claypool, Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson — who each have over 225 yards receiving, and Pittsburgh is in position to win the division title for the first time in three years....

After the Pelicans stole one in Phoenix in Game 2, the Suns took homecourt advantage right back with a road win in Game 4. Upon returning back to Phoenix for Game 5, the Suns handled their business behind an impressive stat line of 31 points, five rebounds, four blocks, two assists and one steal in 47 minutes of playing time from rising star Mikal Bridges. Chris Paul also stepped up in a big way, going for 22 points and 11 assists, joining Magic Johnson and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to have 31-plus playoff games with 20-plus points and 10-plus assists....

The big story from Churchill Downs this week is Tiz the Law, the winner of June’s Belmont Stakes by four lengths who enters as the odds-on favorite to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. Adding to the intrigue of this race is the fact Tiz the Law on Tuesday was placed in the No. 17 position, which is the only position that has produced no Kentucky Derby winners....

Nurmagomedov (28-0) last fought in September 2019 at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, defeating Dustin Poirier by way of a third-round submission. His 28-win unbeaten streak is the longest active streak in the UFC. Talks have swirled about a potential rematch for Nurmagomedov with Conor McGregor, but the Russian fighter expressed zero interest in the fight and instead would rather face Georges St-Pierre. Gaethje (22-2), the reigning interim titleholder, defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in May....

The No. 10 Tarheels defeated the Hokies, 56-45, in their last matchup, and finished the 2020 season with an 8-4 record. Virginia Tech, however, finished with a losing record (5-6) for the second time in the past three years. According to ESPN’s Matchup Predictor, which utilizes ESPN’s Football Power Index, Virginia Tech has a 43.7 percent chance of a home victory on Friday night. North Carolina has the opportunity to take down the Hokies in consecutive seasons since the Tar Heels won five games in a row from 1929-1945....

Consider three-dimensional or textured tiles to emphasize your tiles while maintaining a monochromatic color scheme. The high contrast makes the grout and tile the main focus of the room and might make smaller spaces seem a bit busy. Light gray has a soft, pleasant feel that can make a room seem fresh and bright. Choose a light gray with warm undertones (yellow, red, brown) for bright and warm decor, or one with cool undertones (blue, purple) for darker, cooler decor....