The Carolina Panthers are considered the favorite to win Super Bowl 50. Five of the eight writers at CBS Sports are taking the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. The experts at SB Nation have similar predictions, with six people in favor of the Panthers and only two for Denver. This is not surprising, considering that fact that the Panthers were close to a undefeated season and that Peyton Manning has been very unpredictable.

The Panthers are making their second trip to the Super Bowl after they dismantled the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game. Cam Newton was at the top of his game, throwing for two touchdowns and running two more. The defense may have been even better, forcing Carson Palmer into six turnovers.

However, the game against the Cardinals did come with some unfortunate results. Thomas Davis, the Panthers veteran linebacker, broke his forearm. Davis hopes to play against Denver, but his status will be a question mark with such a short covery window.

The AFC Championship game proved to be a much more competitive game. The Broncos pulled off a nail-biting 20-18 win over the New England Patriots that game down to the last seconds. The Broncos have no reached the Super Bowl for the second time in the past three years. They hope to fare better this time around, as their last appearance resulted in a 43-8 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.

Although Peyton Manning has struggled this season, he appeared to have hit his stride against New England last week; he threw for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. This is the Manning that the Broncos are going to need against the tough Panthers defense. The Broncos Defense has been a rock this entire season. They had an inspiring performance against Tom Brady, never allowing him to get into a rhythm. Cam Newton will certainly be a different type of challenge, but if last week was any indication, they are ready for the big stage.

While the Carolina Panthers may be the heavy favorites, we should look no further than last year’s Super Bowl to know that anything can happen. This will certainly be a great matchup between the two former number one draft picks, pitting the youth of Cam Newton against the experience of Peyton Manning.

If the Broncos want to win this game, their defense will need to keep playing at a high level so that they can put Peyton Manning in a position for some late-career magic.

There are a lot of quality teams, but no single team that looks as though they are going to run away with the whole thing. The good news is that this unpredictability will likely translate into one of the most exciting March Madness tournaments ever.

Over this past weekend, the Michigan State Spartans snapped their three game losing streak with a 74-65 win over Maryland. The Spartans now have a 17-4 record with four wins over nationally ranked schools: Kansas, Louisville, Maryland, and Providence. Tom Izzo’s team is now slated at 12th in the latest AP college basketball rankings.  

There are currently five Big Ten teams ranked in the polls: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Indiana, and Purdue. North Carolina currently holds the number one position in the Coaches poll, after the previous ranker Oklahoma fell to Iowa State last Monday. Oklahoma still holds onto the number one spot in this week’s AP poll.

Here is a list of the AP Top 25:

1. Oklahoma
2. North Carolina
3. Iowa
4. Kansas
5. Texas A&M
6. Villanova
7. Xavier
8. Maryland
9. West Virgina
10. Providence
11. Virginia
12. Michigan State
13. SMU
14. Iowa State
15. Miami (FL)
16. Louisville
17. Baylor
18. Arizona
19. Indiana
20. Kentucky
21. Purdue
22. Wichita State
23. Oregon
24. Duke
25. Notre Dame

After taking over quarterback responsibilities for Brandon Weeden in Week 6, Matt Cassel has done a solid job. Last night was definitely his best performance thus far.

Cassel led the team on three scoring drives in the fourth quarter to force overtime. He finished the game a passer rating of 105.0, which included 299 yards on 25 of 28 passing, along with three touchdowns and one interception.

Most importantly, Cassel understands the urgency to keep the Cowboys competitive. This was evident after his 18-yard lob into the end zone, intended for none other than Dez Bryant.

“I was exactly throwing it to Dez, There’s no doubt about that,” Cassel said post-game. “That’s where I wanted to throw it.”

Unfortunately, the desperation plays that kept the Cowboys in the game, were accompanied by some painful mistakes. On a short pass to Darren McFadden on the previous drive, Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks was able to jump the route and return the interception 67 yards for a touchdown.

Eagles vs. Cowboys | Week 9 Highlights | NFL

“Every week that you are in this offense and every week that I am here, I feel better and better and more confident in the huddle,” Cassel said. “I feel more confidence understanding the plays and the premise of the plays, where we are supposed to be going with the ball and also understanding our personnel.”

Although he played a great game, Dallas, yet again, found themselves on the losing end.

The Cowboys have been plagued by injuries this season, most notably losing pro-bowlers Dez Bryant and Tony Romo for much of the season. Thankfully Dez Bryant has returned to the field, but after 6 consecutive losses, the Cowboys appear desperate to get Romo back as well.

Romo is eligible to return November 22 at Miami. Assuming that he is healthy enough to play, Cassel would have one more start against Tampa Bay next Sunday. The team needs a win to get their season back on track and keep their playoff hopes alive.

New Zealand defeated to Australia in the final game of the Rugby World Cup Finals, becoming the first team to ever win consecutive titles. The All Blacks took down the Wallabies at Twickenham by a score of 34-17.

Despite a second-half surge from Australia, New Zealand’s veteran presence held guide the squad to their third World Cup title in history. New Zealand finished off the Rugby World Cup with two impressive over some of the worlds best teams, including South Africa last week. 

Dan Cater proved to be the man-of-the match, providing four penalty goals in total, as well as two conversions and a late drop goal. The dropped goal from Carter came at a critical time at the match, as Australia had narrowed the score to 21-17.

“I was just yelling at the ball, ‘Go! Go!'” Carter stated amid the celebrations on Twickenham. “I wasn’t sure I had enough. I was just relieved to see it go over.”

The All Blacks executed an impressive game plan. They were able to shut the Wallabies out of the game for long stretches of the match. The Wallabies defending was able to keep the game competitive for much of the match, but in the end New Zealand proved to be too powerful a team.

Australia coach Michael Cheika was even impressed with New Zealand’s performance, admitting his team had been outplayed by one of the best squads rugby has seen. “New Zealand won the game fair and square. They have been probably the best team since the last World Cup.”

“It’s a special feeling to be part of such a great team,” stated Carter after the match.

At a ceremony held in London on Sunday, Dan Carter was named the World Rugby player of the year for the third time. Carter has announced his retirement from international rugby with a career that includes a record 1,598 points in 112 appearances. Dan Carter expected to continue his rugby career at the club level in France.

New Zealand, the reigning champions, beat South Africa over the weekend to reach their second straight World Cup final. New Zealand is now only one win away from becoming the first team in rugby union history to successfully defend a world cup title.

South Africa played an exception match, despite the weather conditions, but it proved to not be enough to take down their southern-hemisphere counterparts. The final score resulted in a 20-18 score in favor of New Zealand.

Although they have been ranked as the number one team in the world, early on the All Blacks played nothing like that of a champion. The Springboks were consistently able to breakdown any fierce scrap New Zealand provided. New Zealand trailed by five points at halftime and a man down to follow.

However, the All Blacks responded in the second half and it was clear that the game changed. By the time Jerome Kaino returned, Daniel Carter had reduced the deficit to two points with a 40-metre drop goal and a key substitution had been made.

The All Blacks entered the final quarter with a 20-15 lead. As the rain poured down from the sky, New Zealand proved to have just enough in the tank to turn the lights out on the Springboks World Cup campaign.

South Africa was able to redeem themselves and provide great competition, after beginning the tournament in the worst way possible against Japan. Although both defeats ended with a two-point defeat, they can at least walk away from the loss to New Zealand was honour. The Springboks left nothing behind, playing a ruthless match for its entirety.

As for New Zealand, they move on to the final match against Australia for the right to be crowned champions. While the All Blacks entered the tournament as strong favorites to claim back-to-back world titles, Australia appears ready to prevent the All Blacks from achieving such a feat. The match will take place at Twickenham Stadium, London on Saturday, October 31.

South Africa was the first team to advance over the weekend, with a 23-19 win over Wales at London’s Twickenham Stadium. The Springboks have rebounded well, after beginning the tournament with an embarrassing first-round loss to Japan.

While it appeared that Wales was poised to take down South Africa on Saturday — having led for the majority of the second half — in the end Wales could not hold on. A 75th-minute try by Fourie du Preez lifted South Africa past the determined Welsh squad.

The second quarterfinal match, between New Zealand and France, proved to be much less competitive. New Zealand dominated to match, eventually winning by a score of 62-12. Julian Savea played an amazing game, finishing with three tries, including one in the 38th minute where he crushed the French defenders.

Argentina, arguably the most surprising team to reach semifinal play, took down Ireland on Sunday morning by a score of 43 to 20. Ireland played great during pool play, outscoring opponents 134 to 35, but struggled against Argentina without star flyhalf Johnny Sexton.

The last semifinals spot was taken by Australia, after knocking off Scotland 35-34 in the most intense match of the tournament thus far. It appeared that Scotland was going to pull of the upset after Mark Bennett intercepted a pass in the 75th minute and took it in for the go-ahead try. But a controversial call with 5 minutes left in the match on a Scottish lineout gave the Wallabies a penalty kick in Scotland’s end. Bernard Foley was able to capitalize on the kick to give Australia the stunning win.

South Africa will face the defending champion New Zealand on Saturday, which will be broadcast on NBC at 11 a.m ET. Argentina will match up against Australia on Sunday.

A week has passed since the Springboks opened their 2015 Rugby World Cup push with a surprising loss to Japan. The South African national team is one of the sport’s most successful teams. Japan entered the game with only one win in 24 previous World Cup matches.

There was no question that the defeat was an embarrassment for South Africa. The team’s coach, Heyneke Meyer publicly actually apologized to the nation for the loss. The Springboks’ captain, Jean de Villiers, warned that the loss could potentially break the country apart. This shows just how serious South Africa takes their rugby and how shocking this loss truly was.

All eyes were on Springboks as they entered play against Samoa yesterday, in the north of England. No one in South Africa new what to expect despite having one of the best teams in the world. There was no hiding that there were doubts about the Springboks chances following the loss to Japan; doubt is not a word commonly associated with South Africa when it comes to rugby.

“Before the Japanese match, I wouldn’t have been worried,” said Paul Fields, a South African fan who had journeyed from London that morning to support his beloved team. “But after how we played, you just can’t tell what’s going to happen.”

Despite the doubts, the passionate Springboks fans came together to cheer on their team. The 42,000-person stadium turned into a sea of green and gold, with South African fans outnumbering the Samoans by a ratio of 10 to one. For all intents and purposes, this was a home game for South Africa.

The Springboks got off to a slow start, adding some additional stress to the lives of the South African faithful. But the team soon got it together and finished the match strong. The electric atmosphere in support of South Africa helped push the Springboks towards a decisive victory by a score of 46-6. South Africa will face Scotland next, which will likely the toughest challenge yet.

Information courtesy of NY Times.

Japan beat South Africa in the Rugby World Cup by a score of 34-32 in the opening Pool B match over the weekend. This is one of the greatest upsets in the history of the Rugby World Cup as Japan was able to take down the two-time world champion.

South Africa was the third-ranked team entering the match, and despite leading 12-10 at halftime, they were unable to hold off Japan. This was the most points the Boks have ever conceded at the tournament.

Japan was incredibly aggressive and brave throughout the match right until the end. At the end, Japan opted to go for a five-meter scrum as opposed to a conserved penalty kick that would have ensured a draw.

Michael Leitch, skipper for Japan, stated after the match “I could tell they were panicking. We wanted to scrum rather than take the kick because they were down a man and I personally wanted to go for a win rather than a draw. I didn’t want to let the boys down.”

The win was completely unexpected for South Africa and their fans. The winners of the 1995 and 2007 championships have previously only lost in the World Cup to two-time champions New Zealand and Australia, in addition to England. They entered the tournament with hopes of becoming the first nation to win the World Cup on three occasions.

This was Japan’s first tournament win since beating Zimbabwe in 1991, and only their second victory in tournament history. Japan hopes to keep the momentum going to become one of the two teams from the group to qualify for the quarterfinals.

Japan’s next opponent is Scotland, who they face on Wednesday, before their match against Samoa on October 3 and then the United States eight days later.