opportunity to play last weekend but it is obviously good t

Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Wednesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EST:- The NFL is bragging about how for the first time since 1935, Thanksgiving Day features three games with all six teams at .500 or better. Considering how mediocre so many teams are this year, Pro Picks isnt sure how to take that stat.- Preview stories for Thursdays NLF games: Vikings-Lions, Redskins-Cowboys, Steelers-Colts.- The stakes for The Game -- No. 3 Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State -- havent been this high since 2006, when Ohio State was No. 1 and Michigan was No. 2.- One things for sure about the Big Ten: The conference loves a good rivalry. Its in that spirit the conference in 2014 began scheduling rivalry games the final week of the regular season, with five of the seven awarding trophies.- Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will end the regular season with Bedlam for the Big 12 title. The Sooners, part of the two biggest rivalry games in the league, already won their other one this season.- Marlon Humphrey would eat lunch with the other Alabama fans in elementary school, while Auburn supporters sat elsewhere. Its rivalry week around the Southeastern Conference. where the states are divided.- ATLANTA -- The ACC has won seven of eight games against in-state SEC teams on Rivalry Saturday the last two years, including a 4-0 sweep in 2014. Now the ACC is attempting to ride that momentum this week when Clemson plays South Carolina with a lot more than state bragging rights on the line, while Georgia Tech visits Georgia, Florida State plays Florida and Louisville plays Kentucky.- NEW YORK -- The task hasnt changed since Bruce Arena last coached the U.S. from 1998 to 2006, but public scrutiny has shot up exponentially from a maturing fan base -- along with pressure to win. For some, anything less than reaching a World Cup quarterfinal would be a disappointment.- College basketball offers a week full of good matchups in holiday tournaments, led by the Maui Invitational (North Carolina, Oregon, Wisconsin) and the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas (Louisville, Baylor, Michigan State).- OAKLAND, Calif. -- Luke Walton, the former Warriors top assistant who led Golden State to a record 24-0 start last season with Steve Kerr out, brings his Los Angeles Lakers to Oracle Arena to face his former team. Game starts 10:30 p.m. Nasir Adderley Womens Jersey . The 17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. Melvin Gordon III Chargers Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. http://www.prochargersteamstore.com/Youth-Dan-Fouts-Elite-Jersey/ . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Dan Fouts Youth Jersey . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth. Lance Alworth Youth Jersey . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. Ireland will give CJ Stander, Rob Kearney and Simon Zebo every chance to prove their fitness for Saturdays Test clash with Australia.Flanker Stander and full-back Kearney are working through head injury checks after concussions, while Zebo continues to suffer the after-effects of cramping during Saturdays gruelling 21-9 defeat to New Zealand.Ireland are loath to lose any more frontline stars to face the Wallabies at Dublins Aviva Stadium, with Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw already ruled out.So head coach Joe Schmdit could take the rare step of allowing a nucleus of stars to return to full training on Thursday - before settling on his final line-up for Australia.They are on track, they are following the return to play protocols and are covering off those [markers] as we would expect, said Ireland assistant Simon Easterby of Stander and Rob Kearney.We will know later in the week as they go through those protocols.Simon [Zebo] has managed training today and got through some work.He, like some other players in the group, are being managed, to get them right for Thursday, when we can select the team based on who is available.Stander and Kearney must pass all the relevant stages of the rigorous head injury tests before being cleared by Irelands medical team to return to full training.Ireland boss Schmidt would in an ideal world start his Test-match selection process in earnest after training on a Tuesday building up to a Saturday match.The former Leinster coach has delayed his selection to cover the Thursday training run in the past however, and now looks likely to do the same again.Fly-half Sexton will miss Irelands final autumn clash against Australia in Dublin with a hamstring strain, while Henshaw has alreadyy been ruled out through concussion.ddddddddddddUtility back Keith Earls trained fully on Tuesday after missing the All Blacks defeat through a dead leg, while lock Ultan Dillane has beaten a minor knee issue.Munster star Earls recovery offers a significant midfield boost, with Sexton and centre Henshaw already missing and Zebo and Kearney still doubtful.Earls ability to feature at full-back, centre and wing could almost now guarantee him a start against the Wallabies amid Irelands fluid selection process.Keith has managed to train today, Ultan was carrying a bump from his performance against Canada so those guys are back on board, said Easterby.They will have been disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to play last weekend but it is obviously good to have some guys coming in who are a little bit fresher and ready to put their hands up for selection.First and foremost we want to try and get a performance [on Saturday] and keep building some consistency.Yes we want to build depth; that probably goes back to the World Cup time when we didnt quite have that depth in certain positions.But it is important to get the balance right. We have lost a few players already after the weekend, we want to keep some consistency [in selection] but we always want to build some depth going into the Six Nations and this weekend might allow us to do that.The players put themselves through a hell of a workload at the weekend.Its important we get them right in the first part of the week, so we can build up in to Thursday and Friday and get them in a really good physical and mental state for Saturday. ' ' '