start.Life without DhoniIt is coming up to two years since Dhoni annou

The College Football Playoff has abandoned a plan to play most of its semifinals on New Years Eves after television ratings tumbled last year, moving the dates of future games to ensure they will be played either on a weekend or a holiday.The changes will start with the 2018 season. The TV ratings for last years semifinal games played on Thursday, Dec. 31, dropped 36 percent from the semifinals played the season before on New Years Day.This seasons semifinals are still set for Saturday, Dec. 31. Next seasons playoff is scheduled to be back on Jan. 1. In 2018, the games initially scheduled to be played on New Years Eve, will now be played Saturday, Dec. 29.The 2019 games will move to Saturday, Dec. 28.The other seasons affected by the change are 2024, when the semifinals will be moved to Saturday, Dec. 28, and 2025, when the games will be played on Saturday, Dec. 27.We had a healthy discussion with a lot of people who love college football and we concluded that making these changes would be the right thing to do for our fans, College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock said in a statement.In a phone interview with the AP, Hancock said after looking at data provided by ESPN that considered all the factors that contributed to the drop in ratings, such as the lopsided scores and participating teams, it was clear the single greatest factor was when the games were played.Hancock said several options for altering the schedule were discussed, including giving the College Football Playoff a permanent home on New Years Day, but that didnt get far.It was clear from the get go that our group wanted to honor the traditions of the game, including the Rose Bowl, including the Sugar Bowl getting back to New Years Day, which they really cherish, Hancock said. That one didnt stay on the table for long.Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, whose conference is partners with the Rose Bowl along with the Pac-12, said earlier this week the Rose Bowl would not be giving up its traditional New Years Day afternoon time slot. The Big 12 and Southeastern Conference now have a similar partnership with the Sugar Bowl and have locked up the time slot after the Rose Bowl.Hancock said it was important to keep the semifinals in what he called the holiday period between Christmas and New Years Day because it best allows fans to travel to the games.ESPNs Burke Magnus, executive vice president, programming and scheduling, said the network, which is paying about $470 million annually for the media rights to College Football Playoff, was pleased with the decision.They did engage in a really thoughtful analysis of what could make the CFP more fan friendly and ultimately they got to the right place, which were happy about, Magnus said.Magnus said ESPN was not directly involved in the decision nor did it exert any pressure on the CFP to change its schedule. He said there was also no pressure from advertisers.No, it never went anywhere near that kind of conversation, Magnus said in a phone interview. There was never any ultimatums issued.The first College Football Playoff set ratings records for ESPN on New Years Day 2015. The semifinal between Oregon and Florida State was played at the Rose Bowl and Alabama and Ohio State played at Sugar Bowl, with the Rose kicking off at about 5:20 p.m. ET.The semifinals moved to New Years Eve last season for the first of eight initially scheduled times throughout the 12-year contract the CFP has with ESPN.College football officials said they were going to start a new tradition on New Years Eve and that people would incorporate watching big games into their party plans. The initial returns showed that was not happening. Not only did the games have to compete with parties at night, but much of the country was still working when the Orange Bowl between Clemson and Oklahoma kicked off around 4:30 ET. That was 3:30 local time in Oklahoma.We tried to do something special with New Years Eve, even when it fell on a weekday, Hancock said. But after studying this to see if it worked, we think we can do better. These adjustments will allow more people to experience the games they enjoy so much. For these four years, our previous call is reversed.---Online: http://www.collegefootballplayoff.com/pr...leases---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP Stephen Curry Shoes Online Store . -- Yogi Ferrell orchestrates pretty much everything in Indianas offence. Stephen Curry Shoes Wholesale . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. http://www.cheapcurryshoes.net/ . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Steph Curry Shoes Discount . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. Gabriel Bourque scored 3:07 into the second period and Austin Watson tallied 5:15 later for Nashville. Cheap Curry Shoes . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play.England return to action in the first Test against India on Wednesday, a mere 10 days after they capitulated against Bangladesh in Dhaka. The Test series was drawn but it is the collapse that saw them lose 10 wickets in a session - all of them to spin - in that most dramatic of defeats that will be remembered. India vs England November 9, 2016, 3:30am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass The prospect of taking on the worlds No 1 ranked Test side, in similarly spin-friendly conditions, then, does not appear the ideal series in which to rebuild confidence. That though is the challenge Alastair Cooks side face. Here, we look at what we know about India, their strengths and where England may get some joy…Amazing AshwinHe is the man England fans fear most going into the tour and there is no point sugar-coating it, in Ravichandran Ashwin, England - a side whose vulnerability to spin was so brutally exposed in Bangladesh - are coming up against a world-class spinner at the top of his game. With supreme control over both his off-breaks and brilliantly disguised carrom ball, Englands batsmen will be tested to their very limits. Ravichandran Ashwin (right) has been in magnificent form of late The 6ft 5in off-spinner tops the Test bowling rankings and took 20 wickets at just 21.05 in Indias recent three-match series with New Zealand, including two six-wicket hauls and a seven-for. England must find a way of combating the all-rounder if they are to have any chance of upsetting the odds and winning the series.With DRS in place for the series, it will be interesting to see how Ashwin fares. But, of course, while it could deny him the odd wicket, there is every chance the technology could help him claim back just as many, if not more. Either way the umpires are sure to be kept busy.Opening issuesIt is a problem England know well. Top-class opening batsmen are hard to find and those capable of producing on a consistent basis in the Test arena are all the more rare. In Cook, England at least know they have one. As such, that is one area at least that they may have the edge over India. Murali Vijay was the one constant at the top of the order for India against New Zealand Virat Kohlis side used four different openers during the series with New Zealand. Murali Vijay was the only constant with Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan and veteran Gautam Gambhir given one Test apiece at the top of the order.However, none of the quartet could claim to have done enough to have nailed down a place. Vijay hit half-centuries in both innings of the first Test but had a top score of just 19 in his next four innings, Rahul made two scores in the thirties, Dhawan averaged just nine in his two innings and Gambhir - statistically the pick of the bunch - scored 29 and 50 in his two knocks.Injuries to Dhawan and Rahul, as well as another potential option Rohit Sharma, mean Vijay and Gambhir will almost certainly fill the openers berths in Rajkot. But whether the pair will still be in favour by the end of the series remains to be seen.Kohli can be got atFoor many, Virat Kohli is the best batsman on the planet, a supreme all-round player who continues to excel in every form of the game.dddddddddddd And yet, there is reason to believe that England could have some joy against the India skipper. New Zealand showed that Virat Kohli can be got at for much of their Test series in India Indeed, while he tops the ICCs T20 batting rankings and is second only to AB de Villiers in the ODI standings, he is a comparatively lowly 16th when it comes to Tests - below both Joe Root (fifth) and Alastair Cook (11th) - and is not even his countrys highest-ranked player, that honour falls to Ajinkya Rahane (sixth).Even if you ignore the rankings - and 16th in the world is still some achievement - Kohlis recent form in the longer format has been decidedly mixed and he struggled to make an impact in his first four innings in the New Zealand series with scores of nine, 18, nine and 45. That he fell to pace bowlers in three of those innings should also give Englands impressive seam attack reason for optimism.The caveat to all of this? It was spin that did for him in his fifth innings of that series… after he had smashed a career-best 211.Win the tossWith spin expected to play such a big part in the series on pitches that are likely to deteriorate and making batting increasingly difficult as the game goes on, the toss could play a significant part in deciding the outcome. Kohli has reason to smile given Indias recent home form - but how much has winning the toss helped? India have won the toss in each of their last eight Tests on home soil, winning seven and drawing the other. Indeed, since Kohli took over from MS Dhoni as Test captain, he has won seven consecutive tosses in home matches, picking up six wins. In comparison he has called correctly only three times in 10 Tests abroad, of which India won only four.Of course, winning the toss is no guarantee of success for England but given Indias hugely impressive record in home conditions, it would certainly be a decent start.Life without DhoniIt is coming up to two years since Dhoni announced his retirement from Test cricket, the wicketkeeper calling it a day after the drawn Boxing Day Test in Melbourne confirmed Indias defeat in the series. Wriddhiman Saha has taken the glove since MS Dhonis retirement and bats at No 8 Kohli took over the captaincy and since a one-off Test in Bangladesh ended in a draw, India have won their last four series by an aggregate score of 10-1 to rise to the top of the Test rankings.Dhonis retirement has though altered the balance of the side and led to a reshuffle. As well as leading the bowling attack, the pressure is on Ashwin to do his bit with the bat as well having been bumped up to No 7.That is to accommodate Wriddhiman Saha, who has taken over behind the stumps and slots in at eight. However, after two half-centuries in three innings during the New Zealand series, averaging 112, he may be looking for a promotion himself before long.Watch the first Test between India and England from 3.30am on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports 2 HD. Also See: Englands XI for the first Test? Ashwin: Indias spin wizard India v England flash points DRS: Indias new dimension ' ' '