1. UGLY, UGLY, UGLY....You can't even use the ol' standby that "at least they're playing hard for Norv."....Because it sure didn't look like it on Sunday.....The Chargers are embarrassed at home by the Carolina Panthers, 31-7, after Carolina jumps out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and a 31-0 lead through three....Philip Rivers is under siege again, fumbling four times and losing two.....Meanwhile, former Bolt Mike Tolbert burns his old mates for two touchdowns in the game's first 10 minutes.....Both teams are 5-9, and it is official now: the Chargers will miss the postseason for the third straight season.....
2. IT'S THEIR CITY.....At least for now, it is.....San Diego State took the City Championship in men's basketball from USD for the seventh-consecutive year, easing to a 72-56 victory at Viejas Arena on Saturday night.....USD held an 18-16 lead midway through the first half, when the No. 18-ranked Aztecs took control with a 12-0 run, keyed by a pair of three-pointers from Chase Tapley......Up 13 at the break, SDSU never looked back in winning its eighth-straight game and improving to 8-1 overall....USD fell to 6-6....
3. STATE CHAMPS!!......He's No. 4 on the list of Presidents but No. 1 in the State of California.....We're talking about (James) Madison, of course, whose namesake high school won the State Division III Championship Bowl Game, 38-35, over Marin Catholic on Saturday afternoon......Madison overcame a 21--0 deficit to win its 13th-straight game and its first-ever State title......Pierre Cormier rushed for 272 yards and 3 TD's to lead the Warhawks, who scored 31 unanswered points to finish the season at 14-1......
4. BLOWOUT SUNDAY.....It was supposed to be a version of Super Sunday yesterday in the NFL with a record six games matching teams with winning records....But it turned into a bunch of blowouts instead......Seattle scored 50-plus for the second consecutive week, blasting Buffalo, 50-17.....New Orleans ran it up on Tampa Bay, 41-0.....Atlanta stomped the New York Giants 34-0......Denver rolled to a 28-point lead before beating up Baltimore, 34-17.....The Vikings, led by Adrian Peterson's 212 yards, led by 26 before settling for a 36-22 win over St. Louis.....And even the 49ers had a 28-point lead on the Pats before beating New England, 41-34......
5. BUTLER DID IT -- AGAIN.....The amazing Butler Bulldogs, twice an NCAA finalist in the past three years, were at it again on Saturday, knocking top-ranked Indiana, 88-86, in overtime........Butler is 8-2 this season with wins over North Carolina, and now the Hoosiers -- who fell to 9-1.....No. 5 Florida was also beaten over the weekend, as No. 8 Arizona caught them at the wire for a 65-64 victory in Tucson.....The new rankings come out today, with the Duke Blue Devils likely being the new No. 1 team.......
