You can be sure the likes of Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose have put in countless hours honing their skills from their youth to now.

Last season, Rose won the NBA’s MVP award, as his stellar play led Chicago to the league’s best record. D-Rose will be a leading candidate for the award again this season, but even with Chris Paul’s trade to the Los Angeles Clippers, many see Durant as the favorite, with big things being expected of Oklahoma City, who won the Northwest Division title and advanced to the Western Conference finals last season only two seasons after finishing 23-59.

Whatever happens this season, you can expect to see Rose and Durant in the MVP conversation every year for the foreseeable future. They’re already two of the best in the biz, but because they’re daily putting in the work required to make the most of their talent and potential, they’re only going to get better and better.

But looking short term, who else will challenge those two for the MVP this season, and how will the race likely shake out? In all likelihood, it will come down to a trio of stars.

1. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder

Durant has led the league in scoring each of the last two seasons, and the only person who could keep him from three straight is Kobe, as the Lakers’ current lack of options could force the Black Mamba into having to score 35-odd every night out of necessity.

But KD has started his season with hauls of 29 and 33 in wins over Orlando and Minnesota, and he should average close to or above 30 points per game this season.

If he does – and he will – and the Thunder have the excellent season they’re expected to – and they will – Durant should take home MVP honors for the first time.

2. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers

Whatever one thinks of how Paul became a Clipper, all that matters for their long-suffering fans (and the many bandwagoners that have hopped on in the last few weeks) is that he is, and it could prove to be one of the most pivotal moves in recent NBA history, more so than ’The Decision’, for the mere fact that the NBA’s longtime lovable losers are now seemingly a championship contender overnight.

Take out the Paul deal, throw in their acquisitions of Chauncey Billups and Caron Butler, and the Clippers could very well have been a playoff team this season. But throw in what Paul offers with his skills and as a leader, and the Clippers’ NBA title futures odds are as low as they’ve been since…ever.

If the Clippers fulfill the high expectations, or even come close to doing so, it’ll be a tight race between KD and CP3, but KD wins out for now.

3. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls

Can the reigning MVP pull off the repeat? There are a few elements in his favor. The Bulls could be even better this season than they were last season, thanks in part to the addition of Rip Hamilton, and in the previous ten seasons, there were three back-to-back MVP winners (Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, and LeBron James).

However, the top two favorites appear to reside in the West, and they’re going to be riding the hype wave all season long.

But Rose will dazzle again, and he will finish no worse than third in the race. And even if he doesn’t take home a second straight MVP, he’ll continue to reign supreme as the league’s most self-deprecating (a.k.a. humble) player, by a wide, wide margin.

Best of the Rest

4. LeBron James, Miami Heat: Bron Bron has started the season with two excellent performances, which could be a sign that he’s back at his best. If he is, and his head’s in the right place – it wasn’t last season – then he’ll be in the thick of the MVP race, and the Heat will be better equipped to fulfill their lofty expectations than they were last season.

5. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks: Who knows what the Knicks will deliver this season? Anthony will certainly put up lofty stats no matter what, but the only way he’ll be a legitimate MVP contender is if the Knicks do more than just barely make the playoffs.

Andrew Luck and the Cardinal have battered their first two opponents, but that might not be the case against the Wildcats, who boast one of the nation’s best quarterbacks and will be itching to show that they’re much better than last week’s 37-14 loss at Oklahoma State.

Will Stanford remain unbeaten, or will they fall in Tucson? Below is my prediction for that matchup, along with predictions for the rest of this weekend’s Pac-12 action.

Arizona vs. Stanford

Spread: Stanford -9.5
Over/Under: 54

Score Prediction: Arizona 38, Stanford 34

Colorado vs. Colorado State

Spread: Colorado -7.5
Over/Under: 50.5

Score Prediction: Colorado 27, Colorado State 24

UCLA vs. Texas

Spread: Texas -3.5
Over/Under: 44.5

Score Prediction: UCLA 24, Texas 19

USC vs. Syracuse

Spread: USC -16.5
Over/Under: 47

Score Prediction: USC 27, Syracuse 17

Other Predictions

BYU vs. Utah
Illinois vs. Arizona State
Nebraska vs. Washington
San Diego State vs. Washington State

Other Games

Cal vs. Presbyterian
Oregon vs. Missouri State

Off This Week: Oregon State (Next Game: 9/24 vs. UCLA)

ALl four of those top-notch talents are in action this weekend, but will all four be on the winning side? Here are my predictions for this weekend’s Big 12 games, minus last night’s Connecticut-Iowa State showdown.

Kansas State vs. Kent State

Spread: Kansas State -17.5
Over/Under: 46.5

Score Prediction: Kansas State 24, Kent State 7

Texas A&M vs. Idaho

Spread: Texas A&M -35.5
Over/Under: 57

Score Prediction: Texas A&M 45, Idaho 17

Other Predictions

Florida State vs. Oklahoma
Georgia Tech vs. Kansas
New Mexico vs. Texas Tech
Tulsa vs. Oklahoma State
UCLA vs. Texas

Other Games

Baylor vs. Stephen F. Austin
Missouri vs. Western Illinois

While the Big East digests the potential loss of two of their top basketball programs, you can digest my predictions for this weekend’s games involving the conference’s current members.

Interestingly enough, the matchup I didn’t get to predict in time, Connecticut’s 24-20 loss to Iowa State, could be a matchup we see on a much more regular basis, if the expansion chips fall as they very well could.

Cincinnati vs. Akron

Spread: Cincinnati -34.5
Over/Under: 56.5

Score Prediction: Cincinnati 55, Akron 13

Other Predictions

Iowa vs. Pittsburgh
Kentucky vs. Louisville
Maryland vs. West Virginia
USC vs. Syracuse

Other Games

South Florida vs. Florida A&M

Off This Week: Rutgers (Next Game: 9/24 vs. Ohio)

But the non-conference portion of the Big Ten’s slate has already had a number of intriguing, quality matchups, and there are several taking place this weekend as well.

The most notable of those are Ohio State’s trip to south Florida to face Miami in a showdown of programs who’ve made far more news off the field recently than on it, and the latest installment of the Notre Dame-Michigan State rivalry in South Bend. But among the home matchups for Big Ten schools are two Big 10 vs. Pac-12 showdowns and a key game for an Iowa team looking to bounce back after losing at in-state rival Iowa State in a triple-overtime thriller.

Below, I give my take on what I see transpiring in those games, and you can also see my predictions for the rest of this weekend’s games involving the Big Ten.

Illinois vs. Arizona State

Spread: Illinois -1.5
Over/Under: 59

Score Prediction: Arizona State 35, Illinois 30

Iowa vs. Pittsburgh

Spread: Iowa -3
Over/Under: 50.5

Score Prediction: Iowa 28, Pittsburgh 21

Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan

Spread: Michigan -29.5
Over/Under: 62.5

Score Prediction: Michigan 49, Eastern Michigan 17

Minnesota vs. Miami (OH)

Spread: Minnesota -5
Over/Under: 47

Score Prediction: Minnesota 23, Miami (OH) 13

Nebraska vs. Washington

Spread: Nebraska -16.5
Over/Under: 54.5

Score Prediction: Nebraska 45, Washington 28

Other Predictions

Army vs. Northwestern
Miami vs. Ohio State
Northern Illinois vs. Wisconsin
Notre Dame vs. Michigan State
Temple vs. Penn State

Other Games

Indiana vs. South Carolina State
Purdue vs. Southeast Missouri State

A win for FSU would thrust the Seminoles firmly into the national title mix, while a road win for the Sooners would help solidify their status as the nation’s top team and a prime favorite to reach this season’s national title game in New Orleans.

That titanic tilt in Tally is without a doubt the game of the week, both in the ACC and nationally, but there are a few other matchups involving ACC teams that bear watching, as Clemson and Maryland both host top-20 opposition.

As with the SEC predictions, all predictions are grouped by host team, and the spreads and totals are brought to you by SBG Global, a fine source for college football betting and much more.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Florida State vs. Oklahoma

Spread: Oklahoma -3
Over/Under: 55

Score Prediction: FSU 34, Oklahoma 27

OTHER KEY GAMES

Clemson vs. Auburn

Spread: Clemson -3
Over/Under: 59.5

Score Prediction: Clemson 35, Auburn 28

Miami vs. Ohio State

Spread: Miami -3
Over/Under: 48

Score Prediction: Miami 23, Ohio State 20

Boston College vs. Duke

Spread: BC -7
Over/Under: 48

Score Prediction: BC 20, Duke 10

Georgia Tech vs. Kansas

Spread: GT -15
Over/Under: 60.5

Score Prediction: Georgia Tech 45, Kansas 25

Maryland vs. West Virginia:

Spread: Maryland -1
Over/Under: 55

Score Prediction: Maryland 28, West Virginia 24

North Carolina vs. Virginia

Spread: North Carolina -10
Over/Under: 48.5

Score Prediction: UNC 26, Virginia 14

Virginia Tech vs. Arkansas State

Spread: Va. Tech -24
Over/Under: 53.5

Score Prediction: Virginia Tech 41, Arkansas State 13

Other Games

North Carolina State vs. South Alabama
Wake Forest vs. Gardner-Webb

This week brings a couple of notable conference tilts as well. Tonight, Mississippi State hosts LSU, looking to bounce back from Saturday’s heartbreaking (and controversial) last-second setback on the Plains. And on Saturday, fierce SEC East rivals Florida and Tennessee tangle at the Swamp, a clash that good friend and proud Gator Sports Chump is no doubt looking forward to.

Overall, it’s a busy week for the SEC, as all 12 teams are in action. How will the action shake out? Below are our predictions for Week 3 in the SEC, complete with college football betting odds from SBG Global.

Alabama vs. North Texas

Spread: Alabama -45.5
Over/Under: 53.5

Score Prediction: Alabama 48, North Texas 7

Arkansas vs. Troy

Spread: Arkansas -22.5
Over/Under: 63.5

Score Prediction: Arkansas 48, Troy 24

Florida vs. Tennessee

Spread: Florida -9.5
Over/Under: 50.5

Score Prediction: Florida 27, Tennessee 17

Kentucky vs. Louisville

Spread: Kentucky -6.5
Over/Under: 42

Score Prediction: Kentucky 20, Louisville 10

Mississippi State vs. LSU

Spread: LSU -3.5
Over/Under: 49.5

Score Prediction: I won’t go against my extreme superstition better judgment and make one. I think it’s a wise decision.

South Carolina vs. Navy

Spread: South Carolina -17
Over/Under: 56

Score Prediction: South Carolina 38, Navy 26

Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss

Spread: Ole Miss -1.5
Over/Under: 48

Score Prediction: Vanderbilt 24, Ole Miss 16

Other Predictions

Clemson vs. Auburn

Other Games

Georgia vs. Coastal Carolina

Last season, Barcelona and Manchester United met in the final for the second time in three seasons, and as they did in Rome in 2009, Barca came out on top in London, with goals from Pedro, Lionel Messi, and David Villa giving the Spanish giants a 3-1 win.

There’s a good chance we could see those two face off in this season’s final, which will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich. Both teams strengthened their squads in the summer and are among the prime favorites for the title, with online betting odds also thinking highly of Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich, who are looking to become the first team to play in the Champions League final in their home stadium since AS Roma in 1984 and the first team to win it in their home stadium since Inter Milan in 1965.

But before they or any of the other favorites can look ahead to next May, they have to navigate the group stage first, and there could be some tricky ties along the way.

Which teams will advance to the round of 16, which teams will land the nice consolation prize that is a place in the knockout phase of the Europa League, and which teams will be left to focus on their domestic competitions after December? Here’s how I see each group panning out.

Group A – Bayern Munich, Napoli, Manchester City, Villarreal

1. Bayern Munich

2. Manchester City

3. Napoli

4. Villarreal

Group B – CSKA Moscow, Inter Milan, Lille OSC, Trabzonspor

1. Inter Milan

2. Lille OSC

3. CSKA Moscow

4. Trabzonspor

Group C – Basel, Benfica, Manchester United, Otelul Galati

1. Manchester United

2. Benfica

3. Basel

4. Otelul Galati

Group D – Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb, Lyon, Real Madrid

1. Real Madrid

2. Lyon

3. Ajax

4. Dinamo Zagreb

Group E – Bayer Leverkusen, Chelsea, Genk, Valencia

1. Chelsea

2. Valencia

3. Bayer Leverkusen

4. Genk

Group F – Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, Olympiakos

1. Arsenal

2. Borussia Dortmund

3. Marseille

4. Olympiakos

Group G – APOEL Nicosia, FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St. Petersburg

1. FC Porto

2. Shakhtar Donetsk

3. Zenit St. Petersburg

4. APOEL Nicosia

Group H – AC Milan, Barcelona, BATE Borisov, Viktoria Plzen

1. Barcelona

2. AC Milan

3. Viktoria Plzen

4. BATE Borisov

Were it not for Serena’s controversial confrontation with chair umpire Eva Asderaki in the second set of Sunday’s final against Sam Stosur, a lot more attention would be on how Stosur dominated Williams 6-2, 6-3 to win her first Grand Slam title. It’s a real shame too, because Stosur did something that few women not related to Serena have been able to do against her.

Serena came into the 2011 US Open final 13-3 in Grand Slam singles finals and 39-14 overall in tournament finals in her career. Two of those Grand Slam final defeats were to her sister Venus, and until Sunday, she hadn’t lost a Grand Slam final to a non-Venus opponent since a 17-year-old Maria Sharapova stunned her 6-1, 6-4 in the 2004 Wimbledon final.

As if beating Serena in a Grand Slam final isn’t a noteworthy achievement in itself, Stosur’s previous struggles in finals make it even more monumental.

Online sports betting enthusiasts will recall that Stosur was a decided favorite over Francesca Schiavone ahead of the 2010 French Open final, but the Italian defeated her in straight sets, including a 7-2 win in a second-set tiebreaker to clinch the title. Overall, Stosur was 2-9 in WTA Tour singles finals heading into Sunday, with her only titles coming in the 2009 HP Open in Osaka, Japan (a 7-5, 6-1 win over Schiavone) and the 2010 Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina (a 6-0, 6-3 win over Vera Zvonareva).

So, for her to overcome that past history and keep her composure and not get rattled by Serena’s loss of hers is a giant step for Stosur, who had been known mostly for her success in doubles until making a real rise as a singles player over the last few seasons.

But is it a career-changing step? It is on one hand, because winning a major event in any sport gives you far more notoriety than you had beforehand. But can she parlay this success into even more, or will she prove to be a one-hit wonder?

Expectations were high for her going into this year’s Australian Open, and she fell far short of them, going down in the third round to surprise Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova. But now, after becoming the first Australian to win a Grand Slam women’s singles title since Evonne Goolagong Cawley won the 1980 Wimbledon singles title, there’ll be even more pressure on her to become the first Australian to win the Australian Open women’s singles title since Chris O’Neil’s triumph in 1978.

These days in women’s tennis, a lofty ranking isn’t particularly indicative of elite status, but now that Stosur’s taken this major step and proven that she can indeed handle the pressure on the big stage, she might be ready to pursue the kind of consistent excellence that would see wins like Sunday’s considered anything but a surprise.

Whether or not you’re a fan of Ichiro, there’s no denying that it takes at least a little something special to consistently hit like he has even before he came to the U.S. a decade ago.

His accomplishments are far too many to list here, and they extend beyond his hitting exploits, but those are what we all think of first when Ichiro comes to mind, and for good reason. Considering how much the Mariners have struggled for the most part over the last several seasons, there aren’t many reasons to peruse Seattle’s box score on a daily basis, but he’s one of them.

Coming into this season, Ichiro had topped the 200-hit mark in each of his first 10 MLB seasons. Ten. And for the most part, it’s been done with ease, with the exception of 2002 (208) and 2005 (206), when he cut it close.

However, it’s going to take quite a lot for Ichiro to continue that streak, as he’s having a very un-Ichiro like 2011 season.

It started off well enough, as he hit .328 in April. But from May to August, he hit only .258, hitting .210 in May, .282 in June, .241 in July, and .293 in August. After a strong end to his August, he’s had a decent start to his September, hitting .304, belting a couple of home runs, and stealing six bases in his first 11 games this month.

Still, he comes into tonight’s game against the Yankees hitting only .275, and he has 168 hits with 16 games remaining, which means he needs to average exactly two hits per game from here on to keep his 200-hit streak going.

That would seem to be a tall task for many hitters, but if there’s one man that can do it, it’s Ichiro. Even in a down season, he has 55 multi-hit games, which has him currently tied for second in the league with Melky Cabrera (that’s right, Melky Cabrera) and Michael Young, behind Adrian Gonzalez’s 61.

But even if he can get 32 or more hits, he could still fall short of .300. At 4.2 at bats per game (his average for the season), which would give him 67 at bats in his last 16 games, 32 hits would see him finish at only .295. To get to the .300 mark with that many at bats, he needs 36 hits. Easy stuff, right?

He had a chance to really help his cause this past weekend, with the Mariners hosting one of the league’s worst pitching teams in Kansas City, but after going 6 for 8 in the first two games of the four-game set, he was only 1 for 8 in the last two games.

He has some unsightly numbers this season against Seattle’s remaining opponents, but the career numbers are far more favorable, giving his chase a little more hope.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

vs. New York Yankees (3) – .327 average in 96 games (.231 this season – 6 for 26)
vs. Texas (3)/at Texas (3) – .319 BA in 204 games (.157 this season – 8 for 51)
at Cleveland (1) – .344 BA in 91 games (.351 in 49 career games at Jacobs Field)
at Minnesota (3) – .325 BA in 91 games (.160 at Target Field – 4 for 25 in six career games)
vs. Oakland (3) – .331 BA in 198 games (.358 this season – 24 for 67)

In the end, the above statistics and what he’s done up to this point this season matter only so much, because though we haven’t seen it as much this season as in the past, he’s still capable of catching fire at any time. So, it’d be a mistake to write him off, even with the struggles he’s had this season and time not being on his side to right the ship. The greats find a way more often than not, and he’s most certainly one of the greats.

And as easy as he’s made hitting .300+ with 200+ hits seem, it shouldn’t be considered a surprise if, in his last at-bat of his last game of this season, he manages to get the hit that extends one of the greatest individual runs we’ve seen in baseball, or any sport.