Greg Price

At 9-4 the Bengals are currently the No. 3 seed with three weeks left to the season, just one game back of No. 2 New England.

Two of those spots are guaranteed despite losses for the respective teams.

Sitting three points behind first-place Arsenal, and tied with Napoli with nine points but ahead by goal differential, the German club pulled ahead into first place of Group F after the Italian side defeated Arsenal 2-0 at San Paol.

Brendan Rodgers side already proved resilient when forward Daniel Sturridge and defender Jose Enrique went down through February, but between now and then the Reds have pivotal matches against Tottenham, Manchester City, and Chelsea.

Many want to celebrate Mack Brown’s Texas tenure, but the developing story is whether Alabama’s Nick Saban will make a shocking move to Austin. There could also be a new candidate on the rise should Saban stay put, Auburn’s Guz Malzahn.

Cardinals rookie safety Tyrann Mathieu emerged as an excellent third round pick, ranking second on the team with 68 total tackles and two interceptions. Arizona is fourth in total defense this season, and in many leagues have scored the fifth most points for fantasy owners.

Luis Suarez has been magnificent, but he will need help in the coming months. And while the defense has held up, the real test comes in form of Tottenham next week.

Drew Brees and the 9-3 Saints are coming off their worst loss of the season, while Cam Newton and Carolina have won eight straight. A win for the Panthers gives them control of the division, and drops New Orleans into the Wild Card race with San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Arizona.

Los Blancos are a mere three points back of Atletico and Barcelona on the league table, eager to pounce if or when their rivals slip up. But the Bernabeu giants will charge ahead with the campaign without Brazilian striker Alvaro Morata.

The 7-5 Eagles have won four straight behind efficient and emerging star quarterback Nick Foles, but their two division losses have them behind Dallas for the NFC East lead. Philadelphia also needs to keep pace with 8-4 San Francisco and 9-3 Carolina for one of the two Wild Card slots.

A Hollywood producer couldn’t have scripted Kobe Bryant’s return any better, matching up with the team he torched for 81 points back in 2006, the second highest total in a single game ever.

Riding a seven-game win streak, the Sun Devils will seek revenge for the 42-28 loss the Cardinal handed them back in September, and their first conference title since 2007. But Arizona State will have to make do without running back Marion Grice for a second straight game.

Alvaro Morata, Casemiro, Nacho, and Jese Rodriguez will reportedly start, while Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, and Karim Benzema should cheer on from the sidelines for the majority of the match.

Both teams have posted a 7-1 conference record, with the lone loss coming to Big-12 leader Oklahoma State, and both will need the Cowboys to fall against Oklahoma in the day’s earlier game for a shot at the title.

It’s the second appearance in three years for the Spartans since the conference championship game began in 2011 and the inaugural trip for the Buckeyes, who are also eyeing their first national title since 2002.

The reigning scoring champion recently called the Knicks the laughingstock of the NBA, which quickly swirled speculation that he’s seriously considering taking less money and signing with another team in 2014.

While Jameis Winston’s contributions have received the most adulation this year, the Seminoles phenomenal defense has put together a terrific season. Overall Florida State is allowing a miniscule153 passing yards and 11 points per game

If Heisman voters only focus on his stats, Florida State's Jameis Winston is a shoe-in to be the 79th Heisman winner. Named ACC Offensive Player of the Year and overall conference Player of the Year, Winston’s completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 3,490 yards and 35 touchdowns, all while leading the Seminoles to their first No. 1 ranking in more than 13 years.

Now in its third year of inception, the Cardinal will make their second straight appearance in the title game, and look to repeat their 27-24 win over UCLA last season. The Cardinal is only Pac-12 team to defeat Arizona State this season, and the two clubs last met in 2010 with Stanford walking way with a 17-13 win in Tempe.

At 8-4 the 49ers have a slim one-game advantage over Philadelphia for the final Wild Card spot in the NFC, and are coming off two straight wins in which they let up one touchdown and a combined 388 total offensive yards.

The Kings could accelerate their rebuilding process by moving one of their more gleaning assets in guard Jimmer Fredette well before the February trade deadline. Sacramento has been an early rumored trade partner in the first month of the season, with links to several teams, and many of them could use a deep threat.

Tottenham picked up a much-welcomed three points for manager Andre Villas-Boas, who has been on the hot seat due to squad's struggles. Spurs moved up to sixth place in the Premier League with the victory.

Luis Suarez notched his third hat trick in the last four appearances against the Canaries. He has now tallied a Premier League-best 13 goals this season.

All alone on a fastbreak Luis Suarez decided to launch a shot rather than charge ahead for a clever run and the ball wafted through the air before dropping past Norwich’s John Ruddy for a 1-0 lead. Suarez would score twice more in the first half, in the 29th and again in the 35th, notching his third hat-trick in the last four matches against the Canaries.

The Patriots, Chiefs and Raiders are smart moves for postseason owners, but if those teams aren’t available, there are plenty of defense options in Week 14.

Currently fourth on the league table, Liverpool will have to continue that trend in order to keep pace with Manchester City and Chelsea, while attempting to chip away at Arsenal’s seven point lead.

The Blues remain on pace with first-place Arsenal, just four points behind thanks to an equalizer from defender Gary Cahill, and go-ahead scores from John Terry and Demba ba.

The biggest blow comes from striker Daniel Sturridge, who sprained his ankle during training, and will reportedly be out for six to eight weeks. Sturridge has scored 11 goals in 14 appearances this season, and he along with Luis Suarez is one of the main reasons the Reds stormed out of the Premier League gate.

A number of teams are inquiring about Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dion Waiters, while the Houston Rockets are asking maybe too much for center Omer Asik.