taking place in a public park.As one veteran journalist put it, It feels like theres an awful lot of cooncrete and steel out there.dd

ATLANTA -- Alabama showed off all its weapons in the Southeastern Conference championship game.Now, the Crimson Tide can expect a return trip to Atlanta for the College Football Playoff.The nations No. 1 team scored off a blocked punt and an interception return Saturday before wearing down No. 15 Florida in the second half with a dominant running game. The result was a 54-16 rout that positioned Alabama to go for its second straight national title and its fifth crown in the last nine years under coach Nick Saban.Next up: a likely semifinal game at the Georgia Dome on Dec. 31.The Crimson Tide (13-0, No. 1 CFP) bolted to a 16-9 lead in the first quarter, despite being held to minus-7 yards and no first downs. They scored one touchdown off a blocked punt, another off an interception return. A field goal was set up by another pick -- one of three thrown by Florida quarterback Austin Appleby in the first half.The Tide led 33-16 at halftime -- the most points ever scored in the first two quarters of an SEC title game -- and iced the victory with scoring drives of 98 and 91 yards, sparked by a goal-line stand that finished off the last gasp by the Gators (8-4, No. 15 CFP).NO. 7 OKLAHOMA 38, NO. 11 OKLAHOMA STATE 20NORMAN, Okla. -- Baker Mayfield passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State in matchup that decided the Big 12 title and likely guaranteed the Sooners a trip to the Sugar Bowl.Mayfield performed well throughout, despite finishing the game without top receiver Dede Westbrook. Westbrook caught four passes for 111 yards before being knocked out of the game on a crushing hit by safety Jordan Sterns.Samaje Perine rambled for 239 yards on a career-high 37 carries and Joe Mixon caught a touchdown pass and busted a 79-yard touchdown run for the Sooners (10-2, 9-0 Big 12, No. 9 College Football Playoff).Mason Rudolph completed 11 of 25 passes for 186 yards for Oklahoma State (9-3, 7-2, No. 10 CFP). His top target for the season, James Washington, caught two passes for 50 yards on eight targets.NO. 14 WEST VIRGINIA 24, BAYLOR 21MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Skyler Howard threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and West Virginia held on in the Big 12 regular-season finale for both teams.Justin Crawford rushed for 209 yards to help the Mountaineers (10-2, 7-2) to their first 10-win regular-season since 2007. They came from 11 points down in the first half to hand Baylor (6-6, 3-6) its sixth straight loss after a 6-0 start.Baylor held the momentum for nearly three quarters in the final regular-season game for acting coach Jim Grobe, but that changed on two plays.oward, having one of his worst games of the season, threw to Gary Jennings over the middle and he turned it into a 58-yard scoring play. After Baylor got the ball back, Marvin Gross stripped quarterback Zach Smith, and Darrien Howard recovered for West Virginia. An unsportsmanlike penalty on Baylor gave the Mountaineers the ball at the Bears 6, and Howard scored on a 1-yard sneak on fourth down for a 24-14 lead.TEMPLE 34, NO. 20 NAVY 10ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Phillip Walker threw two touchdown passes, Temple stuffed Navys running game and the Owls claimed their first American Athletic Conference title.After Temple (10-3) scored touchdowns on its first three possessions, protecting the 21-0 lead became substantially easier when No. 20 Navy (9-3, No. 19 CFP) lost standout quarterback Will Worth to a second-quarter ankle injury. Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said Worth is done for the season, along with running backs Toneo Gulley and Darryl Bonner, both of whom left with first-half injuries.Although the defeat took Navy out of the running for the Cotton Bowl, the Midshipmen are expected to play in the Armed Forces Bowl after facing Army next Saturday.The Owls extended their winning streak to seven and earned their first league title winning the Middle American in 1967. Walker was 16 for 25 for 199 yards.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 Hank Aaron Brewers Jersey . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Cecil Cooper Jersey . The nimble-footed quarterback got his wish, dashing through the snow and a weary defence all the way into the NCAA record book. https://www.cheapbrewers.com/1059y-orlando-arcia-jersey-brewers.html . PETERSBURG, Fla. Brandon Woodruff Jersey . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Lorenzo Cain Brewers Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. NEW YORK -- The roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium, three years in the making, might be the talk -- and ultimately the savior and star -- of this years event, but the toupee hasnt radically altered the stadiums structure nearly as much as a massive renovation has transformed roughly half of the US Opens 45 acres.This is impressive, said one fan waiting with a companion to enter the new stand-alone Grandstand Stadium built into the southwest end of the grounds. I thought they blew it when they decided to get rid of the old one, but this is something. Its pretty neat.The Grandstand is a sunken bowl surrounded by 8,125 seats. It didnt take savvy fans long on a humid day, when the mercury hit the mid-90s, to find the significant band of seats on the extreme west side that offer a US Open commodity in shade thats as rare as a male American singles contender these days.Anchoring the southwest corner of the grounds, the Grandstand has food concessions at ground level, in the shadow of its bowl. Walkways flow from the Grandstand to the south plaza, which in years past has often been overcrowded. But all the courts on the south side have been moved back about 30 feet, allowing for a significant expansion of the nearby plaza. That includes the space around the fountains and the statue of Arthur Ashe.The big dig also enabled the USTA to create a wide boulevard that now fronts the south-side courts. Those courts were all rebuilt with permanent seating and slick, aluminum-skinned entries that create a great sense of intimacy for those watching -- and playing -- inside.This enhancement underscores a noteworthy feature of the tournament. The US Open has always tried to play up its egalitarian appeal. That effort doesnt always pass the smell test. How could it? But the improvements to the field courts -- and it began with the creation of the practice courts complex (Nos. 4-6) a year ago -- have in effect given every court that much more prestige.Now, every court feels a little bit like a center court. Thats a significant achievement.There has been a cost as well. You no longer get the feeling that on certain courts, the match youre watching is taking place in a public park.As one veteran journalist put it, It feels like theres an awful lot of cooncrete and steel out there.ddddddddddddThat old parks-and-rec feeling may be gone, but the ghosts and traditions of the US Opens past are easily conjured and find ways to live on. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth when the USTA announced that the beloved old Grandstand appended to the side of Louis Armstrong Stadium would be removed to be replaced by the new one that is kitty-corner on the grounds.The new Grandstand certainly is different, but its a fair guess that some of those shade-hoggers were the same characters who in years past staked out the west stand of the old Grandstand for the same reason. By the way, the old Grandstand is still in use, under the forlorn name old Grandstand. It will be torn down along with the rest of Armstrong after this tournament, and a bigger Armstrong Stadium will be built.Courts 11 and 12 more or less stand alone in the center of the grounds, between the original food court near Armstrong and the south plaza fountains. The single, tall permanent stand on the west side of No. 11 now has a mirror-image stand on the east side of 12, enveloping the courts in a microenvironment. But when the wind is right, rich and pungent smoke from the nearby hamburger stand still wafts over Court 11 -- just as it did when Louis Armstrong was the only stadium on the site, and the area was occupied by Court No. 1.Back then, the burgers were cooked on open charcoal fires near the court. The players sometimes coughed and literally choked on the greasy smoke, dispensing it from their vision with a wave of a hand as they prepared to receive serve.Over the years, the old Grandstand became famous for producing great upsets and close, electrifying five-set battles. The first match on the new Grandstand featured a 20-year-old American, No. 146 Taylor Townsend, clashing with former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. Townsend, calling upon all kinds of lefty juju, won the first set and took Wozniacki to 4-4 in the third before capitulating.The new Grandstand didnt quite deliver the upset that Grandstand faithful probably hoped for. Give it time. After all, the old one isnt even gone yet. ' ' '