ut they have to beat Vandy ... TENNESSEE 35-24.TWITTER REQUES

Murray Stewart could well have been chasing gold for South Africa instead of Australia in Rio de Janeiro. Had things gone his way 16 years ago, the kayaker probably would have been a teammate of Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya rather than Mack Horton and the Pearls.I thought my brother and I -- I thought it was really unfair on us, Stewart told ESPN of his familys migration to Australia in 2000, as a result of instability in South Africa.It was a combination of factors. We were quite fortunate in that nothing too untoward had happened to our family. You just have to look around to your core group of friends, everyone has a story.I think it was a very well-time opportunity for my dad; he had an offer for work that came with permanent residency for the whole family and I think, at the time, my parents saw that as their one and only opportunity to get into Australia. I think my dad was just over 50 at the time, and once youre over 50, its definitely a lot harder to meet the immigration criteria.So I guess it was a little pre-emptive of what may have happened in the future rather than that something too terrible had happened to us [already] as a family.In the long run, its been by far the best move for us, Stewart continued. I think with the benefit of hindsight you realize how hard the decision was for your parents, for them to kind of leave everything behind, uproot and relocate. I think Im very indebted to them for making that tough call.Stewart, one of Australias few gold-medal hopes in the second week of the Olympics, won through to the final of the K1 1000 as the fastest qualifier with a blistering semifinal sprint that saw him defeat Denmarks world champion, Rene Poulsen.But he could have missed out on Rio altogether too.Struck down by glandular fever in the months leading up the Summer Games, Stewart was overlooked for a spot in the K4 and K2 crews after he was unable to race in key selection regattas.The K4 omission was particularly tough, given Stewart was part of the gold medal-winning crew at the London Games four years ago.Defending the title in the K4 was the one thing that kept me going after London, Stewart told ESPN.The K1 and proving what I can do in the K1 was the other thing. So having raced that event in London and not quite raced to my potential through a combination of factors, I definitely have some unfinished business in that K1.Definitely, I would have loved to be there to defend the title Stewart added. It wouldnt have been the same crew -- two of the guys would have definitely been out -- but still to defend that title would have been good. But the crew that is going to race, theyre still going to have a very good shot.So from the countrys point of view, theyre still going to be very competitive in the K4. But Im lucky Ive still got another race to focus on.And from a purely personal point of view, the K1 offers Stewart the opportunity to really repay the courage of his parents, his father in particular, for their decision to leave friends and family in South Africa.I was always aware of what he [Stewarts father, Robbie] did in canoeing in South Africa, Stewart told ESPN, noting that his fathers dreams of international competition were killed by his countrys isolation as a result of apartheid.So he represented South Africa in a few different aspects of paddling, surf lifesaving, sprint kayaking, marathon paddling; but he didnt really force me down that route.When I chose to give the water polo and swimming away and focus on ski paddling and then later on sprint kayaking, he was very supportive.Whether his K1 challenge results in a medal will come down to the three minutes and 30-odd seconds of lung-busting arm torture at Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas in Copacabana.And as for any lingering unrest at being an uprooted teenager?I think Australia, were so passionate about our sport, that it definitely filters through to the Olympic athletes, Stewart told ESPN of his pride in representing Australia.We get tons of support, not just from the friends and family, but also the Australian community. So being able to do it [Olympics] again, Im no less excited the second time.Jordans Shoes Outlet . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Discount Air Jordan . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. http://www.cheapjordansfromchina.us/ .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. Wholesale Jordans . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Cheap Real Jordans . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover.Shop online instead.There is really no reason for a college football fan to stray from a screen after Thanksgiving dinner no matter what those stores touting Black Friday sales say. From College Football Playoff implications to divisional titles to the Heisman Trophy to plain ol bragging rights, there is so much on the line this weekend.A quick rundown of some of the clear-cut items to be decided:- Four Big Ten games have division title implications- Two ACC games can determine the Coastal Division.- Both Pac-12 divisions will be decided in two games, including a North championship game.- Both the Mid-American Conference and Mountain West will determine their division winners as the two conferences compete for a New Years Six bowl bid.The College Football Playoff race could be thrown into chaos or fall nicely into place.Put it this way: No. 1 Alabama plays No. 16 Auburn on Saturday and it is not even among the five most important games being played this weekend.Thats a good weekend.The picks:THANKS FOR FOOTBALLNo. 25 LSU (minus 5+) at No. 22 Texas A&MCoach Ed Orgeron gets one more chance to prove he is more than just a caretaker at LSU, though at this point he is probably no more than a fallback option ... LSU 27-20.BLACK FRIDAYNo. 6 Washington (minus 5+) at No. 23 Washington StateRarely have both teams entered the Apple Cup with so much at stake. The winner goes to the Pac-12 championship game ... WASHINGTON STATE 33-28.Toledo (plus 9+) at No. 14 Western MichiganThe Rockets are more than capable of keeping the Broncos from rowing that boat to the Cotton Bowl ... WESTERN MICHIGAN 28-24.No. 17 Nebraska (plus 3) at IowaThe Cornhuskers can still win the Big Ten West with a victory and Wisconsin loss ... NEBRASKA 20-17.No. 18 Houston (off) at MemphisTigers QB Riley Fergusons status is uncertain ... HOUSTON 31-24.No. 20 Boise State (minus 10) at Air ForceThe Broncos need a victory and a Wyoming loss to win the Mountain Division of the Mountain West and keep New Years Six bowl hopes alive ... BOISE STATE 35-28.SUPER SATURDAYNo. 16 Auburn (plus 17+) at No. 1 AlabamaThe Iron Bowl is ALWAYS meaningful ... ALABAMA 28-13.No. 3 Michigan (plus 6+) at No. 2 Ohio StateThe Wolverines win the Big Ten East with a victory. The Buckeyes need a victory and a Penn State loss to reach the conference title game, but just a victory might be good enough to get them in the playoff ...OHIO STATE 21-13.South Carolina (plus 23+) at No. 4 ClemsonAn upset by the Gamecocks could crush their rivals plaayoff hopes .dddddddddddd. CLEMSON 31-17.Minnesota (plus 14+) at No. 5 WisconsinThe Badgers win the Big Ten West with a victory. No help necessary ... WISCONSIN 27-17Michigan State (plus 13) at No. 8 Penn StateThe Nittany Lions need a victory and a Michigan loss to reach the Big Ten title games as East champs. This seems like too much too soon for Penn State ... MICHIGAN STATE 24-21.No. 21 Utah (plus 10+) at No. 9 ColoradoThe Buffaloes win the Pac-12 South with a victory to continue the best turnaround season in college football ... COLORADO 31-19.Kentucky (plus 24) at No. 11 LouisvilleCardinals QB Lamar Jackson could use a big game to firm up that Heisman lead before he cedes the stage to contenders moving on to championship week ... LOUISVILLE 54-37.Notre Dame (plus 16+) at No. 12 Southern CaliforniaThe Trojans have become the ultimate playoff dark horse ... USC 35-14, BEST BET.No. 13 Florida (plus 6) at No. 15 Florida StateThe Seminoles have won three straight and five of six in the series ... FLORIDA STATE 28-24.No. 19 West Virginia (minus 7) at Iowa StateThe Cyclones taking some steps forward in first season under Matt Campbell ... IOWA STATE 33-30, UPSET SPECIAL.No. 24 Tennessee (minus 7+) at VanderbiltIf things fall right with some other SEC teams, the Volunteers could land in the Sugar Bowl. But they have to beat Vandy ... TENNESSEE 35-24.TWITTER REQUESTSOregon (minus 3) at Oregon State -- (at)Schrock-And-AweMark Helfrichs last chance to convince Oregon to keep him; if the decision has not already been made. Ducks have won eight straight Civil War games ... OREGON STATE 35-30.Purdue (plus 20) at Indiana -- (at)nashman92Must take advantage of any chance you get to mention that Indianas Big Ten teams play for the Old Oaken Bucket ... INDIANA 45-21.UCF (plus 9+) at USF -- (at)biblicalexThe Bulls can still win the American Athletic Conference East with a victory in the I-4 rivalry and Temple loss to East Carolina ... USF 42-28.Kansas (plus 27+) at Kansas State -- (at)rdcramerWildcats coach Bill Snyder goes for victory No. 200; Jayhawks go for two consecutive wins for the first time since 2011 ... KANSAS STATE 48-17.----Record: Last week 16-8 straight; 9-15 vs. points.Season: 179-77; 114-137-3.Upset specials: 4-8.Best bets: 3-9.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '