NFL
– Miami won the right to host the 2010 Super Bowl, making it the 15th time the game will be in Florida. Atlanta and Houston also had made formal pitches to win the right to host.
– NFL owners voted Thursday to extend their commitment to NFL Europe for five more years. Attendance rose 20 percent last season.
NBA
Vlade Divac, 37, was placed on waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers, apparently ending his long career. Divac had back surgery in January and averaged 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in 15 previous NBA seasons.
College football weekend
Wisconsin at Northwestern
11 a.m., ESPN or ESPN2
The 5-0 Badgers face Northwestern, which almost beat Penn State two weeks ago.
Illinois at Indiana
11 a.m., WBBM-Ch.2
You know those highway signs that warn: “LAST CHANCE FOR GAS.” This might be: “LAST CHANCE FOR BIG TEN VICTORY.”
Texas vs. Oklahoma
Noon, ESPN GamePlan
If Texas can’t end its five-game losing streak to Oklahoma, Mack Brown’s in trouble.
Minnesota at Michigan
Noon, WLS-Ch.7
Big Ten sizes up two top RBs: Mike Hart (Mich.) and Laurence Maroney (Minn.).
Georgia at Tennessee
2:30 p.m., WBBM-Ch.2
Georgia QB D.J. Shockley got a text message this week that read: “How’s our D?” It was sent by friend and Vols CB Jason Allen.
Ohio State at Penn State
6:45 p.m., ESPN
Only USC (26) and Texas (11) have won more consecutive games than Penn State (7).
Orton comments on photos of him at bar
Thanks to photos that have been widely circulated via e-mail and placed seemingly everywhere on NFL message boards, the Bears’ open week issue won’t go away, even though it probably should.
Rookie quarterback Kyle Orton called photos showing him at a bar in Iowa City last Thursday night a “non-issue.” The Bears practiced that day and then were given Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. At the bar, Orton, who is from Iowa, is holding a bottle of whiskey in one photo and smiling and raising his middle finger at the camera in another.
“It’s a tough situation,” Orton said in a conference call with Cleveland reporters. “Obviously, I regret that the pictures came out. It’s [an off] week, and I was trying to get away. I was back with some friends I haven’t seen for quite awhile back home. I’m a 22-year-old kid having some fun.”
