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Rose Bowl brings back best vibe since 2016 The feeling that I had — and still have — after the Rose Bowl win caused me to wonder, “When was the last time that I felt that good from a Penn State win?” I realized that it was the win over Ohio State that led them to their last conference title in 2016. That same team played a great, exciting Rose Bowl game vs. USC but lost. It was that Ohio State game — that was the last time I felt this good. That’s quite a while, which made this year’s Rose Bowl win feel that much better. Geoff Jacobs San Marcos, ...

Mini-Super Bowls before the Super Bowl?

Altoona native recalls Chiefs owner’s idea By Paul Newberry The Associated Press ATLANTA — If Buffalo and Kansas City both reach the AFC championship game, they’ll head to Atlanta, of all places, to compete for a spot in the Super Bowl. The neutral site is just a one-off for now, the hasty solution to a crucial game being called off in the next-to-last week of the regular season after Damar Hamlin’s frightening collapse on the field. Hamlin, thankfully, is on the road to recovery. Now, one can’t help but wonder if the NFL, in a never-ending quest to increase its ...

Postseason no longer rewards greatness

By Jim Caltagirone For the Mirror The culture that promotes giving every kid a trophy continues to permeate college and professional sports in the segment of the schedule that matters most. Over the years, there have been sporadic calls for the inclusion of all teams in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which would have ballooned the field from 68 to 363 this year. From a purely merit-based competitive standpoint, this stance is simply ridiculous. If every team from every conference is provided free entry into the NCAA Tournament, then seeding and pride become the only ...

TCU’s greatest gift to college football fans this season … variety

By Paul Newberry The Associated Press Let’s all give a round of applause to TCU, the interloper at this year’s national championship game. The Horned Frogs might not win the title — reigning champ Georgia is a two-touchdown favorite heading into the game Monday night — but they’ve given the College Football Playoff something it desperately needed. Variety. Face it, the last thing we needed was another rematch of teams from the same conference. “I’ve always believed that the cream rises and the more opportunities that schools outside of the traditional brands ...

Mailbag

Showcase of Central success appreciated I just wanted to commend the Mirror sports staff on the coverage it has given Central High School’s teams in 2022. The Dragons have had a tremendous year in baseball and football and are very competitive year in and year out. Our community is very proud of many things when it comes to our sports programs, our coaches, our parents and especially our players. Their parents aren’t from another area. They are basically from the Martinsburg, Roaring Spring and East Freedom area. The parents and coaches start these kids thinking of ...

Son renews Tiger’s love for the game

Hole by hole, for nearly 100 rounds, I have followed Tiger Woods on golf courses at the majors and regular PGA Tournaments. Since Woods’ car accident in February of 2021 when he broke his legs, he has played in just a handful of tournaments. For the last two years, he has played at the PNC Championship, where he partnered with his 13-year-old son, Charlie. It’s held at the Ritz Carlton Golf Club in Orlando is not your typical tournament. Twenty players, who have won major championships on the PGA or LPGA tour, are invited to play with one family member, as a team, for a ...