12/03/2008 - Concord, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roush Fenway Racing has named Donnie Wingo as Jamie McMurray's crew chief for the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season. Wingo and McMurray are paired again after working together for three seasons at Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates.
"I'm thrilled to be working with Jamie again," Wingo said in a team statement. "Jamie and I had some good runs together at Ganassi, and we were pretty successful on the track. I've seen how well Jamie has performed in the past, and I hope with coming over to Roush Fenway Racing we can build on that success."
Wingo replaces Larry Carter, who is moving over to Yates Racing to serve as Paul Menard's crew chief next season. Wingo began the 2008 season at Ganassi as Juan Pablo Montoya's crew chief, but finished the year as the pit boss for Reed Sorenson's team.
McMurray joined Roush Fenway in 2006. He finished 16th in the Sprint Cup point standings this year with four top-five finishes and 11 top-10s.
"Donnie and I have been friends for years," McMurray said. "Even when he wasn't my crew chief, I would still call and talk to him - not just about racing - but anything. He is one of the hardest workers I know, so to be able to have him come over to Roush Fenway and be a part of this No.26 Crown Royal/IRWIN Industrial Tools Ford team is really exciting."
<< Buffalo and Ball State meet for MAC title
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-ranked Ball State Cardinals will try
to cap off an already remarkable run this Friday, as they take on the Buffalo
Bulls in the Mid-American Conference Championship game at Ford Field. It has
been a recor
<< Trojans to secure Rose Bowl berth with win over Bruins
Pasadena, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked USC Trojans will attempt to
clinch the Pac-10 title and a spot in the Rose Bowl with a victory over the
UCLA Bruins this weekend.
USC crushed Notre Dame last Saturday by a 38-3 final to extend
<< Big 12 title tilt pits Tigers against Sooners, again
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners have
earned a spot in the Big 12 Conference Championship Game amidst tremendous
controversy, and the team will battle the 19th-ranked Missouri Tigers for the
league crown at
<< Alabama and Florida duke it out for SEC title
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The showdown that college football fans have
anticipated for weeks will finally take place at the Georgia Dome on Saturday
afternoon, as the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the second-
ranked Florida
Eagles place Jean-Gilles on IR >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have placed guard
Max Jean-Gilles on injured reserve with a broken fibula.
Jean-Gilles, who went down with the injury in the Eagles' 48-20 win over the
Arizona Cardinals on Tha
Astros make it official with Hampton >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros have signed starting
pitcher Mike Hampton to a one-year contract, worth $2 million plus incentives.
"Mike provides an immediate upgrade to our starting rotation," said Houston
gene
Weis will stay at Notre Dame >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Notre Dame finally put an end to the
speculation surrounding Charlie Weis, saying the Fighting Irish football coach
will be back for a fifth season in 2009.
Weis is under contract through the 2015 s
Red Sox sign Pedroia to six-year deal >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have agreed to terms with AL
MVP Dustin Pedroia on a six-year contract with a club option for 2015.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but numerous media outlets in Boston say
the deal is
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
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