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After a thrilling conference championship Saturday and a drawn-out reveal show Sunday, the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff field is set. The first true tournament in FBS history has plenty to love -- and elements to loathe. What Went Right: Unique opening-round matchups Whether the first round proves to be more competitive than the four-team Playoff's often lopsided semifinal matchups remains to be seen. Until then, there is at least intrigue in the historic rarity of the four pairings. One opening-round matchup -- ACC automatic qualifier Clemson at Texas -- is a first-time encounter between two programs that combine for seven claimed national championships. Of the other three, the most recent contest occurred in 1996 when Tennessee topped Ohio State in the Citrus Bowl. The Vols and Buckeyes meet as the No. 9 and No. 8 seeds at Ohio State's Horseshoe, with the winner advancing to face top overall seed Oregon. SMU, a perhaps surprising final at-large selection given the Mustangs' dearth of high-profile wins, meets Penn State for the third time ever and first since 1978. The Nittany Lions scored a 26-21 come-from-behind win in Happy Valley, where they will again host SMU. The Penn State victory ended a 30-year stalemate after the first and only meeting in the 1948 Cotton Bowl produced a 13-13 tie. Here's hoping the third part of a 76-year trilogy is as closely contested as the initial two. Meanwhile, the matchup with the most previous installments is the closest in proximity -- less than 200 miles separate in-state counterparts Indiana and Notre Dame -- and the most lopsided. The Fighting Irish and Hoosiers last played in 1991, with Notre Dame's 49-27 win marking its sixth straight victory by multiple scores. Indiana's last win in the series came in 1950, a 20-7 Hoosiers victory in Bloomington. What Went Right: Boise State's big opportunity Although not the first outsider to reach or win a Bowl Championship Series game, Boise State's 2007 Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma was arguably the most pivotal moment in building support for outsiders to compete for the national championship. The Broncos spent two decades knocking on the door, beginning with their perfect 2004 regular season, extending through two Fiesta Bowl wins, and withstanding the heartbreak of late-season losses in 2010 and 2011. The celebration in response to Boise State being part of the bracket -- and not just in, but as the No. 3 seed with a bye into the quarterfinals -- marked a culmination of generations of effort for just this opportunity. What Went Right: ‘Football weather' comes to the postseason From the birth of the bowl system with the first-ever Rose Bowl Game, college football's postseason has resided primarily in warm-weather destinations. This makes sense for the original purpose of bowl games as showcases and celebrations of a team's regular-season performance, but less so for the goal of crowning a national champion. After decades of playing what often amounted to road games in the postseason, northern teams get their opportunity to host. Three of the four first-round contests are in such climates -- though Indiana won't be particularly disadvantaged by weather when playing Notre Dame in South Bend. With average December highs in Pennsylvania in the 30s, SMU will need its heaters on the sideline at Penn State's Beaver Stadium. The more intriguing trip, however, is Tennessee's to Ohio State. Longtime college football fans know the arguments about SEC teams playing in Big Ten country late in the year. Pitting two high-quality teams from the two leagues head-to-head in such conditions is a highlight of this new postseason system. And, given Tennessee and Ohio State have two of the nation's best defenses, expect a style of play befitting what is often described as football weather. What Went Wrong: More teams means more politicking When Mack Brown seemingly spent as much time on TV campaigning in 2004 as that year's presidential candidates, George W. Bush and John Kerry, his Texas Longhorns were among a small collection of teams vying for BCS bids. With the 12-team Playoff opening the top postseason opportunities to as many as 20 teams realistically, the political campaign ads that mercilessly ended in early November were replaced by the politicking of college football figures. Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard spent last week taking shots at SMU and other programs over strength of schedule -- a point neglecting that the Cyclones' losses came to unranked Texas Tech and sub-.500 Kansas. Arizona State's thorough dismantling of Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game solved that debate at the proverbial ballot box. However, brace yourself for an offseason of recount demands coming out of the SEC. Alabama's exclusion at 9-3, while 11-2 SMU landed the final at-large spot, is sure to play into the same controversy that South Carolina coach Shane Beamer leaned into last week. Beamer told The State (Columbia, S.C.) last week that his program may consider changing its nonconference scheduling in response to its seemingly inevitable Playoff snub. It's an odd position, given South Carolina's three losses all came in-conference, and the Gamecocks' nonleague slate included sub-.500 teams Old Dominion, Akron and FCS Wofford. But then again, how often are political campaign pitches rooted in logic? What Went Wrong: Quantity over quality? A more salient position in Beamer's case for South Carolina is that the Gamecocks scored quality wins during a season-ending, six-game streak. With its Rivalry Week defeat of Clemson, South Carolina added a victory over a Playoff qualifier to complement victories over Texas A&M and Missouri. Alabama, meanwhile, boasts wins over No. 2 overall seed Georgia and that same South Carolina team in contention. SMU's resume might be the most likely to draw ire, given the Mustangs received the last at-large berth. However, SMU beat nine- and eight-win Duke and Louisville, with two losses by a combined six points. Indiana should be the more contentious at-large choice, with the Hoosiers beating only one team that finished above .500: 7-5 Michigan. Indiana's only other matchup with an above-.500 opponent was a 38-15 blowout at Ohio State. That's something Alabama and South Carolina have in common with Indiana, as all three teams lost in routs. Alabama dropped a 24-3 decision late in the season at Oklahoma that presumably doomed the Crimson Tide's chances, while South Carolina lost to Ole Miss 27-3. To that end, there are arguments to be made for and against every team that was on the bubble. No system will ever appease all parties. What Went Wrong: Seeding conundrum Much of the Playoff's very existence flies in the face of college football tradition. One facet of how the field was set that upholds tradition in its own small way is rewarding teams for winning their conferences by reserving the four first-round byes for league champions. When this format was implemented, however, the committee could not have envisioned that two of the top five conference champions would not be ranked in the top 10. Because three-loss Clemson survived a furious SMU comeback in the ACC championship game, and Arizona State caught fire after underwhelming losses to Texas Tech and Cincinnati to win a weak Big 12, the committee was in the unusual position of having to slot a non-power conference champion and double-digit-ranked team in a top-four spot. This first edition of the Playoff seems likely to be the last to use this format, even if this scenario seems like an outlier. --Kyle Kensing, Field Level Media
The team standings in the boys Division I CIF State cross country race at Woodward Park in Fresno had strong Bay League representation. The Redondo (157 points) and Mira Costa (192) cross country team finished third and fifth, respectively. The Sea Hawks’ duo of Alexander Barbarie (15:28.3) and Mario Montoya (15:28.5) crossed the finish line in 18th and 19th place, respectively. Carson Ehman (15:36.5) led Mira Costa, finishing in 28th place. Krish Desai (15:38.8) was 31st. San Pedro was 18th as a team, led Christopher Frelix (15:39.7) in 34th place. In the girls race, Mira Costa finished 13th in the team standings. Anna Clarke (17:58.2) led the Mustangs, finishing in 27th place. Clarke’s time was the best for all South Bay runners. In Division IV, the Palos Verdes boys secured a fourth-place (166 points). Adrian Miller led the Sea Kings (15:32.4) with a 10th-place finish, with Lucas Nulman (15:34.8) finishing 12th. The Palos Verdes girls were sixth in their Division IV race (215 points). Ivanka Malysheva (18:14.3) led PV with a 12th-place finish Peninsula’s Jadeyn Skefich (18:23.8) finished 31st and he teammate Alexandra Himebauch (18:47.6) was 52nd in Division II. They qualified from CIF-SS finals as individuals. Chadwick was 20th in the Division V girls race. In Division III, West Torrance girls were 10th (283 points). Kamilah Salim led the Warriors (18:01.5) with a 15th-place finish. Alexis Wolfinger was next for West (22nd place) with a time of 18:18.9. The West Torrance finished ninth (261 points), led by Andrew Quast (15:04.7). South’s Liam Miller was second in the Division III race (14:51.9). His time led all South Bay runners and was the eighth-best time in the event. Miller finished second to Dana Hills’ Evan Noonan at last week’s CIF-SS finals and again Saturday. Quast (West) had the second-best time among South Bay runners. Mary Star’s Finn Babbitt finished 12th in the Division V with a time of 15:34.7.BNP Paribas Financial Markets trimmed its position in Carter’s, Inc. ( NYSE:CRI – Free Report ) by 34.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,966 shares of the textile maker’s stock after selling 14,879 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.08% of Carter’s worth $1,817,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of CRI. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in Carter’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $683,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Carter’s in the second quarter valued at about $671,000. Easterly Investment Partners LLC raised its position in Carter’s by 25.2% in the second quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 27,227 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $1,687,000 after purchasing an additional 5,484 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Carter’s by 48.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 81,435 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $5,292,000 after purchasing an additional 26,650 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Carter’s by 10.4% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 122,231 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $7,943,000 after purchasing an additional 11,480 shares in the last quarter. Carter’s Trading Down 1.8 % Shares of CRI opened at $54.84 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $58.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $62.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a current ratio of 2.21. The company has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.70, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.23. Carter’s, Inc. has a 52-week low of $50.27 and a 52-week high of $88.03. Carter’s Announces Dividend Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CRI. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Carter’s from $72.00 to $65.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 28th. Citigroup upgraded Carter’s from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $50.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and seven have issued a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $67.67. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Carter’s About Carter’s ( Free Report ) Carter's, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, sources, and markets branded childrenswear under the Carter's, OshKosh, Skip Hop, Child of Mine, Just One You, Simple Joys, Little Planet, and other brands in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: U.S. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Carter's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Carter's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Delhi BJP leader hoists saffron flags on vendors’ carts
Jordan Scoville’s two-touchdown, one interception performance in S-E-M’s 38-12 State Semifinal win over Garden County earned him Athlete of the Week honors. The Pleasanton Bulldogs clawed their way into the Class D top 10 at last year's state wrestling meet, riding the shoulders of two state runner-ups — Gatlin Krepela (51-4) at 138 pounds and Luke Pawloski (35-3) at 215 pounds. While Krepela has transferred to Omaha Skutt Catholic for his senior season, Pawloski returns to lead the Bulldogs this year. Also back is Chase Gillming, a senior who was 24-18 and a state qualifier a year ago. Other lettermen on the Pleasanton roster are senior Kenan Hasenauer (285), junior Evan Kucera (126) and sophomores Dylan Phillips (120), Sawyer Gillming (132), Riegen Reissland (138) and Sam Smith (160)/ "We have 11 wrestlers out this year and hope to be competitive in quads and dual meets and get better as the year goes on," said coach Mike Herman, who is in his 39th year of coaching. Pleasanton’s Tyra Sekutera, left, and Cassidee Paitz, right, go after a loose ball during a game with S-E-M. The Pleasanton girls are looking for a rebound — the ones under the basket and the one in the standings. Plenty of indications point in that direction, too. "We have a team that is hungry to get back to competing for conference championships and getting back to Lincoln," coach Jordan Arensdorf said. "We had one of the best summers that I can remember as a coach. The girls put an emphasis on putting in the work to improve their overall game." Pleasanton returns four starters and three other letter winners from last year's 10-12 team, the first team with a losing record since 2015. Leading scorer Natalie Rasmussen was one of three seniors on that saw a lot of younger players get playing time. Back to restore the Bulldogs in the standings are 5-7 senior guard Tyra Sekutera, 5-9 junior guard Brittany Riley, 5-7 senior guard/forward Cassidee Paitz and 5-9 junior forward/center Cadence Dixon. Sekutera will be a three-year starter at Pleasanton. She averaged nearly nine points per game last season. Riley averaged seven points per game and was the team's leading rebounder. Other returning letter winners are 5-7 junior guard Brecken Wendt, 5-8 sophomore guard Emme Westland and 5-7 junior forward Claire Ahrens. "We will need some young players ... to step up and play like experienced players, which I believe they are capable of," Arensdorf said. Those players include Westland and freshmen Tenley Flood and Kenlie Zwiener, both of whom Arensdorf said will have a big impact on the varsity. "It will be important for this group to keep their composure and to be strong mentally in tough situations," Arensdorf said. "If we can control the controlables, not worry about the outside noise, I look for us to have an improved season." Former Kearney High girls basketball coach Jason Boyd returns to the coaching ranks with 20 years of experience and 310 victories under his belt. He takes over a Bulldog team that went 6-17 last year while starting four underclassmen. "I believe this team is ready to take the next step in their development and have a lot of success this season," Boyd said. "We have a competitive group that is hungry to turn things around and win now." That happened for the Bulldogs in football, but with the good came some bad as senior Ryelan Kingston, who averaged 9. 1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last year, is out with an injury. Others starters returning include 6-foot senior Gavin Zwiener, 6-1 junior Brennan Lindner and 6-2 senior Jayson Cronin. Lindner averaged more than nine points, three assists and three rebounds per game last season. Zwiener contributed six points and four rebounds per game. Other returning lettermen are 6-8 senior guard Cohen Cruise, 6-foot senior guard/forward Josh Pierce, 5-10 senior Gavin Stark, 6-4 junior center Cade Klein, 6-0 junior guard/forward Haden Smith, 6-1 sophomore guard/forward Owen Janitscheck and 6-0 junior forward Austin Hollingsworth. Boyd said the Bulldogs will rely on their experience for leadership in "holding the team accountable for working hard, having a good attitude and competing." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
After a thrilling double-overtime win over Fresno State, California Baptist makes the nearly 2,500-mile trip to Orlando to face Central Florida on Sunday. The Lancers (5-3) capped their time at the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Palm Springs, Calif., with an 86-81 victory over the Bulldogs on Wednesday. That followed a last-second, 79-77 loss to SMU the day before. Dominique Daniels Jr. played 45 minutes against Fresno State and led California Baptist with 29 points. He paces the Lancers with 20.3 points per game, while Kendal Coleman averages 15.1 points and is shooting 59.7 percent form the floor. However, coach Rick Croy's team has struggled from 3-point range, shooting just 30.7 percent entering its first true road game this season. UCF (5-2) is coming off of an 84-76 win over Milwaukee last Wednesday despite being outrebounded 41-31. The Knights were helped by the heroics of senior guard Darius Johnson, who had 28 points as he shot a career-best 8-for-10 from beyond the arc. "Darius was terrific," UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. "He's so comfortable in his leadership role now, he's leading our team and running the show, and our new players are becoming more comfortable playing with him. He's been a rock for us this season, and you love to see it out of a senior point guard." "I had an extraordinary night shooting the ball from three," Johnson said. "I rarely think that would happen again, but it's great. I know my teammates are going to have nights like that as well." Johnson is among the nation's leaders in minutes per game (36.6) and is shooting a team-high 50 percent from 3-point range (23 of 46). He, along with his fellow guard Jordan Ivy-Curry, are each averaging 16.9 points to lead UCF. The Knights opened the season with an impressive win over Texas A&M, now No. 20 in the AP poll, but lost both games at last weekend's Greenbrier Tip-Off, including a triple-overtime defeat against LSU on Sunday. UCF has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2018-19. This will be the first meeting between the Knights and the Lancers, who will each have time off afterwards. UCF won't play until Dec. 8 against Tarleton State, while California Baptist is idle until its Dec. 11 game at San Diego State. --Field Level Media