hird straight year, a run that began when LeBron James packed his bag

MADISON, Wis. -- The East Division is best in the Big Ten going into conference play.Top to bottom, the league was tested in Week 3, though some outcomes were more surprising than others. Ohio State and Michigan State secured tough road wins, while Michigan sped past Colorado in the second half to win at the Big House.Youve got to?be?able?to?make?big?plays?when?the?lights?come?on,?big?time, Spartans coach Mark Dantonio said after his teams 36-28 win at Notre Dame.?The Easts three top contenders emerged undefeated after three weeks, their playoff hopes firmly intact. They helped preserve the leagues overall reputation following a mainly rough day out West.Iowa got bumped out of the AP Top 25 on Sunday after losing to FCS power North Dakota State. Wisconsin nearly had its season upended by Georgia State before backup quarterback Alex Hornibrook helped give the Badgers a second-half lift .It was good to find a way to win. Its hard to win and appreciate that, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said in recounting the message to his squad after the 23-17 victory.One team is already 2-0 against Big Ten teams.Too bad for the league that Western Michigan plays in the Mid-American Conference.Two weeks after beating Northwestern on the road, the Broncos embarrassed Illinois with a 34-10 win in Champaign. It was the fourth time that a MAC program had beaten two Big Ten foes in the same season, and the second straight season after Bowling Green beat Maryland and Purdue in 2015.This will not be a relaxing bye week for Illini coach Lovie Smith.Were not where we need to be, and the bye week is coming at an ideal time for us to fix some things, and as a football team decide exactly how we want this football season to play out, Smith said.Other notes as the Big Ten begins league play in Week 4:HEAD OF THE CLASSThe Buckeyes strengthened their standing as a top challenger to dethroning Alabama in the College Football Playoff after a convincing 45-24 win at Oklahoma.We know what were capable of, receiver Noah Brown said. Were 3-0 with a chance to go 4-0. Keep it grooving.Ohio State has a bye next week before hosting Rutgers on Oct. 1. Michigan State faces a challenge next week with a visit from Wisconsin.TESTEDMichigan rallied from a two-touchdown deficit in the first quarter to beat Colorado 45-28 and stay unbeaten. The Wolverines open Big Ten play next week by hosting Penn State, which held on to beat Temple, 34-27 at Beaver Stadium. After losing to Pittsburgh in Week 2, another loss to an in-state rival could have turned up the heat on Nittany Lions coach James Franklin.OH IOWAThe Hawkeyes could still win the West Division, but the stunning 23-21 loss at home to North Dakota State crippled their playoff hopes.Yes, the Bison have won the last five FCS national titles. But Iowa was supposed to be the class of the West.This will hurt for a while, and well get back to work tomorrow and see what we can do about moving forward, coach Kirk Ferentz said. The Hawkeyes get a chance to regroup next week with a trip to Rutgers.HAPPY `HUSKERSWhile Iowa lost and Wisconsin struggled, Nebraska beat then-No. 22 Oregon 35-32 to raise its stock in the West and improve to 3-0. This will boost the confidence of the Cornhuskers going into its Big Ten opener next week at Northwestern.Well have to keep putting an exclamation point on it week after week, to make it real. Its obviously a really good start, Nebraska coach Mike Riley said.POLL POSITIONSBig Ten schools in the AP Top 25 poll released on Sunday:No. 2 Ohio StateNo. 4 MichiganNo. 8 Michigan StateNo. 11 WisconsinNo. 20 NebraskaDropped out: Iowa.---Online:AP College Football: http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP Jabari Parker Hawks Jersey .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start. DeAndre Bembry Jersey . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. https://www.thehawkslockerroom.com/Pete-Maravich-City-Edition-Jersey/ . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. Alex Len Jersey . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Jabari Parker Jersey . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month.NEW YORK -- Pat Williams is pretty good at being lucky, and hes got a hunch. "I got a funny feeling that this could be another Magic year, here. For some reason, Ive just got the feel," Williams said. Orlando sure could use it. Following a difficult first season after trading Dwight Howard, the Magic are hoping Williams can bring them more lottery luck. Armed with the best odds and their three-time winner back on stage, the Magic will try to jump-start the rebuilding process Tuesday night by landing the rights to the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Williams has won four times, including victories in 1992, 93 and 2004 with the Magic. They used the most recent one to draft Howard, and no team since has entered with the best odds and won the lottery. The Magic were back in the lottery the next two years but were busy playing in the post-season every spring since until this one, when they finished an NBA-worst 20-62 after sending Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers last August in a four-team deal. That gives them a 25 per cent chance at winning the rights to choose first in a draft that appears uncertain. Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel is considered the top choice, though he could miss the first two months of the season while recovering from a torn ACL. Williams, the longtime team executive, thinks a victory would give the Magic and their fans a boost. "And obviously, to be in that first slot, it gives you lots of flexibility," he said. "Even in a year like this when there a lot of uncertainties with the draft -- there doesnt appear to be a franchise turner, but there are lots of good players in this draft who will have NBA careers. But if we could pull off a win here, it would give our city just a big lift and after a tough year that would be more than welcome." Williams, in good spirits and saying he feels well 2 1/2 years after being diagnosed with blood cancer, jokes about his lottery history. The Magic celebrate it, with pingpong balls in their trophy case. Hes been so good that the NBA was forced to change the lottery process after Orlandos second victory. The Magic won the 1992 lottery and picked Shaquille ONeal, then barely missed the playoffs in his rookie season. Yet they won again with just one pingpong baall out of 66, swapping the rights to Chris Webber for Penny Hardaway, and starting with the 1994 lottery the NBA tweaked the system to give the worst team an even better chance to win and making it nearly impossible for the lottery team with the best record to pull the upset.dddddddddddd "The Orlando rules," Williams said. The biggest loser now has 250 chances out of 1,000 but keeps coming up empty. The Charlotte Bobcats had the worst winning percentage in NBA history last season but slipped to No. 2, missing their chance to pick college player of the year Anthony Davis. Davis will be at the Times Square Studios on Tuesday to represent New Orleans in the Pelicans introduction for much of the national audience. The former Hornets name change became official at the end of the regular season. The Pelicans have the fifth-best odds at 8.8 per cent. Charlotte is second at 19.9 per cent, followed by Cleveland (15.6) and Phoenix (11.9). The lottery has supplanted the playoffs as Clevelands off-season destination. The Cavaliers are in the lottery for the third straight year, a run that began when LeBron James packed his bags and headed for Miami Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who also has a string of casinos throughout Ohio, will be hoping for a little luck when the pingpong balls drop. The Cavs won the lottery in 2011 and used the No. 1 overall pick on point guard Kyrie Irving, who was named an All-Star this past season. Last year, the Cavs picked fourth and chose Dion Waiters, who had a solid rookie season. Cleveland has four of the top 33 picks -- Nos. 19, 31 and 33 -- in this years draft and intend to add some talent and depth for coach Mike Brown, who Gilbert has brought back after firing him three years ago. The draft is June 27 at Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. Williams and the Magic have been gone so long that he isnt even sure the setup in the new location, after it was held for years in Secaucus, N.J., at an old NBA Entertainment studio. "Well have to see if we still have our Magic touch in the next decade," he said. "But were ready, we come loaded for bear. We worked hard and earned our 25 per cent chance through 82 games, and that puts us in the pole position here." ' ' '