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ByRalphD.Russo TheAssociatedPress Everybody says they want Ala- bama. Then they get the Crimson Tide and reality sets in: These guys are al- most impossible to beat. Alabama is in the College Football Playoff for the third straight season, the only school that can make that claim. And as good as Alabama has been through an unprecedented run of four national titles in seven sea- sons, this version of the top-ranked Tide might be the best of all. The Huskies are a resurgent bunch, in contention for a national title for the first time in decades, with a coach who has a reputation for pulling off upsets. Ohio State fans have every reason to believetheBuckeyescantakedownthe Tide — Urban Meyer's team did just that in the first playoff semifinals. Deshaun Watson and the Tigers went toe-to-toe with the Tide in last season's championship game. Coach Nick Saban's crew of former blue-chip recruits and future NFL players is unbeaten, but are they un- beatable? A case for each of the teams in the playoff: Washington WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO Play the per- fect game. Sounds impossible, right? It seems the only chance Washington has against the Crimson Tide is to play flawlessly and hope Alabama is al- ready looking forward to hanging out on the beaches of Tampa ahead of the championship game. But perfection for the Huskies doesn't mean going outside of what got them to the national semifinals, especially on the offensive side. "You don't want to get too far away fromwhatgotyoutothispoint,"Wash- ington offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith said. "At the same time you've got some time to put in some wrinkles or do things differently." Quarterback Jake Browning spent most of the season avoiding mistakes and must do the same against Ala- bama. But his two worst games came against USC and Colorado, the two most athletic and physical defenses the Huskies faced. Alabama had 45 sacks this season, third most in the nation, and Browning is not particu- larly mobile. If Browning can get the COLLEGE FOOTBALL Here'showtobeatAlabama By Chip Thompson editor@redbluffdailynews.com @editorchip on Twitter CORNING The Red Bluff Spar- tans girls beat the Corning Lady Cardinals Tuesday afternoon, while the Cardinals boys took a win over the Spartans on the next field. Forwards Raul Arent and Fe- lipe Arballo found the net for the Cardinals to give Corning the 2-1 win over the Spartans. The Spartans goal was scored by captain Alejandro Alvarez. The Cardinals move to 5-1 on the season going into the holi- day break. They are scheduled to return to action Tuesday, Jan. 10 when they will host the Las Plumas Thunderbirds (1-0-2) at 3:15 p.m. League play will begin Jan. 12 when the Cardinals will host the Oroville Tigers (0-8). The Spartans dropped to 7-2. They return after the break to take on the West Valley Eagles (4-4-1) at Redding Soccer Park Jan. 4. League play is scheduled to begin against the Shasta Wolves (5-3) at 6 p.m. Jan. 11 at Shasta High School in Redding. Lady Spartans 2, Lady Cardinals 0 In the girls match, Megan Thompson scored for the Lady Spartans off an assist from Claire Miller and Chelsea Stone scored unassisted to give Red Bluff a 2-0 win. Grace Thornton had 4 saves at goalie for the Spartans and recorded the shutout. The Spartans go to 6-3-1 with the win and will return after the break to face the West Valley Ea- gles (5-1) at 6 p.m. Jan. 4 at Red- ding Soccer Park. League play is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Jan. 11 in Red Bluff when the Spartans will host the unbeaten Shasta Wolves (8-0). The Lady Cardinals fall to 2-3 on the season and will resume play at 3:15 p.m. Jan. 10 when they will host the Las Plumas Thunderbirds (2-4). SOCCER CARDINALS BOYS TOP VISITING SPARTANS Lady Spartans take shutout victory on the road RedBluff'sMayaCruz,right,movestheballdownfieldTuesday against Corning's Masiel Anaya. PHOTOS BY CHIP THOMPSON — DAILY NEWS Corning's Junior Gonzalez clears the ball Tuesday a ernoon against Red Bluff. By Tim Booth The Associated Press RENTON, WASH. Richard Sher- man is standing firm on his be- lief that his sideline outburst last week was justified. He also believes the dynamic of the Seattle locker room is such that the Seahawks can han- dle Sherman's open questioning of the offensive play calling. "Sometimes things need to happen like that," Sherman said. "The way our team works it worked out fine and we'll move forward." Sherman remained adamant Tuesday that yelling in the direc- tion of coach Pete Carroll and of- fensive coordinator Darrell Bev- ell was not out of line in Seattle's 24-3 win over the Rams. Sher- man was angered by the de- cision to pass the ball on first- and-goal from the 1-yard line. He was seen on the sideline scream- ing toward Carroll and Bevell and had to be pulled away and calmed down by teammates. Seattle scored two plays later on a pass from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin, but that didn't stop Sherman from expressing his displeasure after the game. Even after a meeting with Carroll last Friday — which Sherman described as produc- tive — he said his actions were not out of line. "What's our rule? Protect the team. Protect the team," Sher- man said. "It goes both ways and that's what me and Pete talked about." It's the second time this year Sherman has spent time an- swering for his actions on the sideline during a game. He got into a shouting match with de- fensive coordinator Kris Rich- ard after a blown coverage led to a touchdown in an October victory against Atlanta and had to be pulled away by team- mates. NFL Seattle's Sherman doesn't back down from outburst By Simmi Buttar The Associated Press NEWYORK The Oakland Raiders lead the NFL with seven players selected for the Pro Bowl. Quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiverAmariCooper,centerRod- ney Hudson, defensive end Khalil Mack, safety Reggie Nelson, guard KelechiOsemeleandtackleDonald Penn were picked from the Raid- ers, who are in first place in the AFC West going into Week 16. The Raiders had three players selected from their offensive line, a big reason the team has finally ended its long playoff drought. "It means a lot. It's a great honor to be recognized for what you do," Hudson said. "It's very humbling. I give a lot of thanks to our teammates because you can't do any of it by yourself." The 49ers had no players se- lected for Pro Bowl for first time in 11 years. Five other teams did not have a single player: Bears, Jaguars, Jets, Lions, Saints. Six members of the Atlanta Fal- cons were selected. Outside line- backer Vic Beasley, kicker Matt Bryant, running back Devonta Freeman, wide receiver Julio Jones, center Alex Mack and quarterback Matt Ryan were cho- sen from the NFC South leaders. Despite missing the first four games of the season because of his "Deflategate" suspension, New England quarterback Tom Brady was picked for the 12th time in his career. Cleveland tackle Joe Thomas and Arizona wide re- ceiver Larry Fitzgerald were se- lected for the 10th time. Twenty-six of the 32 teams had at least one player picked. Twenty players were chosen for the first time, including three rookies: Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott from Dallas, and Kansas City's Tyreek Hill. Among the notable omissions was Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford.Thefirst-placeLions,who lead the NFC North at 9-5, did not have a single representative. Carolina'sCamNewton,lastsea- son's NFL MVP, was not picked, ei- ther. Other star quarterbacks left out were New Orleans' Drew Brees and Indianapolis' Andrew Luck. After the Raiders and Falcons, the Cowboys, Steelers and Titans were next with five players se- lected each. NFL 7 Raiders, no 49ers selected to Pro Bowl ALABAMA PAGE 2 VASHA HUNT — AL.COM Alabama running back Bo Scarbrough works through drills during practice on Tuesday. ELAINE THOMPSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, le , bobbles a pass intended for Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt in the first half Thursday in Seattle. SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Wednesday, December 21, 2016 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1