is a floating country unto itself, although not nearly as much as it used to be.The state with the next highest number of million dollar-plus races is Kentucky, which has three others in addition to

INDIANAPOLIS -- As Penn States band played and Lucas Oil Stadium rocked, thousands of fans clad in their traditional white shirts chanted We Are Penn State.It might have been more fitting if had it been We are Penn State -- and we are back.Five years after a child sex abuse scandal tainted the reputation of the school and its football program along with the legacy of late coach Joe Paterno, quarterback Trace McSorley put the Nittany Lions squarely back in the national spotlight Saturday night with an epic 38-31 come-from-behind victory over No. 6 Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game. It was the largest comeback in the six-year history of the game.Before coach James Franklin left the field, he was already lobbying the playoff committee to put No. 8 Penn State in the final four.What I do know is that we just won the toughest conference in college football, he said. Weve won nine straight. They say youre allowed to overcome minor setbacks. Weve done that. Its up to you, committee.The Nittany Lions resume is impressive.Since rebounding from a 39-point thumping against Michigan on Sept. 24, Penn State (11-2, No. 7 CFP) has won every game, handed No. 2 Ohio State its only loss of the season and on Saturday rallied from a 21-point first-half deficit to end the Badgers six-game winning streak. Penn State also finished as co-champs of the Big Ten East, a division many considered the toughest in the nation, and now has its first conference crown in eight years.Many, including die-hard Penn State fans, wonder whether that will be enough to jump up three spots in the committees rankings. Some fans even held signs that read we smell roses.While McSorley, who was named the games MVP after a record-breaking performance, has even higher hopes, hes content to let his coach lobby for a playoff spot.Coach said what he needed to say, Im going to enjoy this moment with my teammates, McSorley said before leaving the stage on the field.It was certainly a moment worth savoring.McSorley finished 22 of 31 for 384 yards with four TD passes, breaking the title game records for yards and TD passes. He also broke the schools single-season records for yards passing and touchdown passes.And McSorley wasnt the only one putting on a show. Saeed Blacknall caught six passes, two for touchdowns, and finished with a championship-game record 155 yards. DaeSean Hamilton caught eight passes for 118 yards, most in the second half when the Nittany Lions repeatedly burned the nations No. 3 defense with deep throws.What was most impressive was how they won it.Penn State trailed 28-7 with 5:15 left in the first half. Thats when McSorley and the Nittany Lions offense finally got in sync by scoring touchdowns on each of their next four possessions -- the last an 18-yard TD pass to Saquon Barkley with 13:41 left in the game. The Nittany Lions never trailed again.They made some plays down the field and we didnt make enough to make McSorley feel uncomfortable, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said.Wisconsin (10-3, No. 6 CFP) played without starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook but jumped to the big lead behind Corey Clement, who ran 21 times for 164 yards including a 67-yard TD run in the first quarter.But the Badgers usually stout defense allowed a season-high point total.Wisconsins final chance ended when Clement was stopped short of a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Penn State 24-yard line with 1:01 to go.THE TAKEAWAYPenn State: Consider the turnaround is complete. Five years after the Jerry Sandusky scandal tainted the program and the late Joe Paternos legacy, and the ensuing NCAA sanctions seemed to put the Nittany Lions on the fast track to nowhere, they are Big Ten champs and look like a real national championship contender.Wisconsin: After winning their first two title game appearances, the Badgers have now lost their two -- in shocking fashion. Coach Paul Chryst never could have expected this from a defense that hadnt allowed more than 30 points all season and had only allowed No. 2 Ohio State to gain more than 400 yards in a game this year.POLL IMPLICATIONSPenn State: Coach James Franklin insisted all week that his team was focused more on winning a Big Ten title. Now, the lobbying can begin -- if Franklin wants to. The argument goes like this: Co-champs of the toughest division in college football, championship game winners of the best conference in football and the only team to beat No. 2 Ohio State. Will it be enough?Wisconsin: In the first half, the Badgers looked like they would be making their case to the committee. Instead, the Badgers have no idea what will happen next.UP NEXTPenn State: Will eagerly wait to see who is next on the schedule.Wisconsin: Will wait to see who the Badgers will get in the postseason, one that could have been much more interesting had they protected their lead.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25Custom Philadelphia Phillies Nike Jerseys . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys 2020 . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. 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Custom Minnesota Twins Nike Jerseys . -- About a third of the way through the regular season, the Washington Wizards are at .The big race of this weekend is Saturdays Arlington Million at Arlington Park, just north of Chicago. And it says a lot about a race when it can wrest the stakes spotlight this time of year from Saratoga and Del Mar.Then again, the Arlington Million has always been a big deal. Its a true trailblazer that broke a glass ceiling the previous existence of which now seems almost quaint.The Arlington Million was first run in 1981, and its inaugural running was won by the great John Henry narrowly over The Bart in a photo that some folks dispute to this very day. As if to address the matter, John Henry went back to Arlington three years later and won the 1984 Million decisively.In any case, the thrilling finish of the first Million was really only part of the story, and maybe not even the biggest part. The Million was special before it was even consummated, and that was because of its purse.As the name suggests, the Arlington Million carried a purse of $1,000,000, making it the first ever million dollar Thoroughbred race. And that made it a major deal in the racing world, and I mean world. The then outsized purse proved a powerful lure for overseas horsemen, spurring international competition.Its funny, but I feel as though I have to explain what a thing it was for the Million to break the seven-figure purse barrier because many who became fans of the sport later on might not fully comprehend the significance of the moment.This is understandable. Certainly the advent and evolution of the Breeders Cup has reset the frame of reference of what big purses in U.S. Thoroughbred racing mean. This year, the 13 Breeders Cup races will have a total value of $25.5 million, with a minimum purse of $1 million that actually applies only to five Breeders Cup races, and spiraling up to $4 million for the Turf, to $6 million for the Classic.ddddddddddddBut even when you set aside the 13 Breeders Cup races, it might surprise you to know that the Arlington Million, once all alone in terms of value, now has company this year in the form of a staggering 29 other North American stakes with seven figure purses.The Triple Crown races are, of course, members of this club. The 2016 Kentucky Derby had a purse of $2 million, while the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes had purses of $1.5 million, each.The state-to-state breakdown of where these seven figure stakes are run is quite revealing. The Belmont Stakes is one of 11 million-dollar plus events this year in New York, by far the most of any state when you exclude the Breeders Cup, which you must since it is a floating country unto itself, although not nearly as much as it used to be.The state with the next highest number of million dollar-plus races is Kentucky, which has three others in addition to the Derby.Its a bit surprising to me that California has only three million dollar races to call its own (the Breeders Cup will be at Santa Anita this year, but ?), the same as Canada, and only one more than Louisiana and Pennsylvania. But I was also surprised that Florida, which is a major racing center for about 4-1/2 months a year, has only one seven figure race, the same number as West Virginia.That, however, is scheduled to change on Jan. 28, the date of the inaugural $12 million Pegasus World Cup, which, for the moment, anyway, has surpassed the $10 million Dubai World Cup as the richest horse race in the world.Man, just look at what the Arlington Million started. ' ' '