NASCAR finale at Homestead tops the list; Dolphins get first crack at Goff
1. NASCAR
Sprint Cup champ crowned Sunday at Homestead: Jimmie Johnson can win seventh NASCAR season title to tie Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt for most. But to catch the King and the Intimidator, Johnson must beat Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Joey Logano first.
2. DOLPHINS
Fins at Rams in search of fifth consecutive win: Dolphins on Sunday must survive L.A.’s strong defense and first career start of QB Jared Goff, overall No. 1 draft pick, to continue their win streak and boost playoff chances. Imagine. Relevance in November after 1-4 start.
3. HEAT
Slow start for Miami despite Whiteside domination: The good news: Hassan Whiteside averaged 17.6 points, 16 rebounds and 2.7 blocks entering the weekend. The bad news? Most everything else in the Heat’s 3-8 start, its worst since 2007.
4. HURRICANES
UM at N.C. State seeking strong finish: Canes were narrow road favorites Saturday, and pulled out a 27-13 win at North Carolina State. UM had only that game and next week’s home finale against Duke to prove it isn’t the same team that lost four in a row in October.
5. UM BASKETBALL
Canes men face first real test in Orlando: After soft three-game opening against lesser foes, Miami faces someone its own size, Stanford, on Thanksgiving in Orlando, in an eight-team invitational that includes Florida, No. 14 Gonzaga and No. 20 Iowa State.