The St. Louis Blues ruined a lot of things last season. Playoff brackets. "Gloria." The continuing presence of undetected hand passes on winning overtime goals. But mostly they ruined the concept of "bold predictions."

Seriously, how can any prognostication made at the midpoint of the NHL regular season compare to "a team in last place with an interim coach and a rookie goalie is going to win the first Stanley Cup in franchise history?"

Nevertheless, we're tasked with making 31 declarative statements about NHL teams in the second half of the season, so let's get bold:

Anaheim Ducks

Despite a bad season, and an increased concern about his fit with the team after his name was circulated in talks for Justin Faulk earlier this season, Ondrej Kase remains a Duck through the Feb. 24 trade deadline.

Arizona Coyotes

Despite being on pace to miss the mark, Phil Kessel becomes a hot desert dog down the stretch and tops 20 goals for the 12th consecutive season.

Boston Bruins

The Bruins make their annual trade for a winger at the deadline, and this time it's Tyler Toffoli of the Kings joining the black and gold for the playoff run.

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres miss the playoffs again, and they either hire a president of hockey operations above Jason Botterill or fire their general manager outright.

Calgary Flames

After a disappointing season, the Flames trade Johnny Gaudreau to an Eastern Conference team to free up the cap space ... to sign Taylor Hall to a seven-year free-agent contract this summer.

Carolina Hurricanes

Erik Haula will lead the team in goals. The former Golden Knight has been terrific when he's available, but injuries cut into his first half. Expect the Finn to catch fire this spring.

Chicago Blackhawks

The Blackhawks reach a long-term extension with Robin Lehner to be their goaltender of the future. What does that mean for Corey Crawford? He takes a short-term deal with Chicago this summer, or decides to retire.

Colorado Avalanche

Nathan MacKinnon is approached once again by TMZ cameras, and this time he not-so-humbly accepts that he truly has become a celebrity.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus will make the playoffs. The Blue Jackets have been playing like a playoff team for the past month, but if you would have told this to someone after the great exodus that was summer 2019, you would have been called nuts.

Dallas Stars

Alexander Radulov will finish with 30-plus goals for the first time in his career. He's not on pace to do it now (only 12 so far), but Radulov can easily get on a hot streak -- and he's heating up.

Detroit Red Wings

GM Steve Yzerman uses his Jedi powers to manipulate the lottery balls, earning the Red Wings the top pick in the draft and a franchise player in Alexis Lafreniere.

Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid outscores Leon Draisaitl for the season, with 48 goals and 125 points, setting a new career high in both categories.

Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky quiets the haters and earns his money with another .940 save percentage March to lead the Panthers to the postseason.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings trade both Alec Martinez and Tyler Toffoli before the deadline, and get a first-rounder for one of them.

Minnesota Wild

Luke Kunin will finish with 20-plus goals. He's been a key part of Wild's checking line (GEEK Squad forever), but the 22-year-old Kunin is also coming into his own offensively.

Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens become a seller at the deadline and move Tomas Tatar at the height of his value for a first-round pick.

Nashville Predators

John Hynes will lead the Predators to a Stanley Cup. The past six coaches to win a Stanley Cup were on their second, third or fourth coaching jobs. Make it seven straight as Hynes takes this ready-to-win roster all the way.

New Jersey Devils

Nikita Gusev will finish the season with 60 points. The Russian had a rough start, particularly defensively, but is finding his stride in the North American game. Hey, maybe not all of Ray Shero's summer moves were bad.

New York Islanders

The Islanders will make the biggest splash on trade deadline day. It's bold because nobody ever knows what Lou Lamoriello is going to do. But his team could use some scoring help, and he'll swing for a big name.

New York Rangers

Igor Shesterkin proves he's the best Rangers goalie (to win right now) by the end of the season. What does that mean for Alexandar Georgiev? Henrik Lundqvist? Ah, that's a summer problem.

Ottawa Senators

Despite several teams seeking to trade for him, Jean-Gabriel Pageau re-signs with the Senators on a six-year extension.

Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers will become road warriors to clinch a playoff spot. To date, they have played much better at Wells Fargo Center (especially goaltending). That's going to change.

Pittsburgh Penguins

John Marino crashes the Calder Trophy race and earns at least a nomination. Awards voters are often swayed by splashy stats, but the 23-year-old defenseman has been insanely consistent in his first NHL season.

San Jose Sharks

Despite leaguewide calls for Joe Thornton to waive his no-move clause and accept a trade to a contender, Jumbo plays out the string with the Sharks in his farewell NHL season. And then he shaves.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues don't finish the season atop the Western Conference -- a place they've held for most of the season. Hey, the Stanley Cup hangover has to set in at some point. St. Louis will still comfortably make the playoffs, though.

Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning sweep their first-round opponent in the Eastern Conference playoffs before reverting back to their old ways and losing in a Game 7 in one of the next two rounds.

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs overcome their obvious defensive flaws with a Conn Smythe performance from Frederik Andersen and become the third team in five seasons to win the Stanley Cup after an in-season coaching change.

Vancouver Canucks

The Canucks finally get a full season of health out of their star players -- as we knock on the largest piece of wood we can find -- making the playoffs for the first time since 2015 ... and winning a round for the first time since 2011.

Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights win Game 7 of their first-round playoff series after video review overturns a major penalty. Vegas becomes the first arena in NHL history to chant "Thank you, Bettman."

Washington Capitals

The Caps will give Ilya Samsonov more starts than Braden Holtby over the second half. It's a changing of the guard in Washington. Say hello to the new franchise goalie.

Winnipeg Jets

Dustin Byfuglien returns. The 34-year-old defenseman (who is technically suspended) has been rehabbing a surgically repaired ankle. Byfuglien will give it one more go on the ice before he retires.

HONG KONG – Wade Ormsby took sole possession of the lead at the Hong Kong Open with a 4-under 66 in the second round on Friday.

Ormsby, who won the event in 2017, is two shots clear of S.S.P. Chawrasia (63) at 9-under 131 overall.

''I guess it's a good thing being in the lead. You just got to get ahead and get them,'' Ormsby said. ''I'm obviously playing well. I probably played better today than the way I did yesterday. Two bogeys and one of them was a bad hole, but otherwise I played beautifully.''

Chawrasia, who led for three days in 2017 before falling behind to Ormsby, played a flawless round of 7 under.

Travis Smyth (68) was tied for third place along with Shiv Kapur (66), Gunn Charoenkul (67) and Jazz Janewattananond (66), two strokes behind the leader.

Open champion Shane Lowry is four back after a 66. Tony Finau is tied for 24^th, seven back, after his second consecutive 69.

The tournament began on Thursday after a six-week delay because of anti-government protests. It was originally scheduled for November in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory which has seen more than six months of anti-government demonstrations.

Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has picked up a "nasty" thigh injury in training after a hectic Christmas period, manager Frank Lampard said in a news conference on Friday.

U.S. international Pulisic will be out for a few weeks after reporting tiredness following a busy schedule of games over the festive period.

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Pulisic picked up the injury in training prior to the club's 2-0 win over Nottingham Forrest in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.

"It is a damaging miss," Lampard said. "Before Christmas he did report a bit of tiredness so he came out of the team and I was worried about him picking up an injury.

"He was in pain when it happened. He's a good player that provides competition in wide areas and can make things happen. He was in good form for a period.

"He picked up an injury a day before the Forrest game. [An] injury in the abductor, a tendon injury. Nasty injury, he was in paid when it happened."

The 21 year-old scored a hat-trick against Saturday's Premier League opponents Burnley earlier in the season following a lack of first team football when he first arrived at Stamford Bridge last summer. Pulisic has become a regular starter for Chelsea since then, but has failed to play for 90 minutes since playing Everton on Dec. 7.

Pulisic signed for Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund 12 months ago for a fee of £57.6 million, but was immediately loaned back to the Bundesliga side before joining the Blues this summer.

He will not be in contention when Chelsea face Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with Lampard's side hoping to bounce back after losing their last two home games.

Lampard said striker Olivier Giroud can leave in the January transfer window if the right deal can be found, but added there was no agreement with any club. Chelsea have scored just three goals in their past five homes games in the league.

"We created 53 chances in our past three league games and scored no goals," he added. "It's going to hurt you in the league.

"We get into the final third a lot but we are not converting chances. In terms of play, we're controlling big parts of games, but we're not taking our chances.

"We have to get things right and we work on that in training. We need to find that killer instinct."

Lampard said the club are still looking to sign a striker in January but that forwards are in short supply at this time of the year.

On Thursday afternoon, Inter Miami CF selected Robbie Robinson No. 1 in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, making the 21-year-old forward the team's first-ever pick.

Almost immediately, things got a little weird.

"I mean, David Beckham FaceTimed me right after I got picked," he said. "Complete surprise. I had no idea."

Robinson watched the SuperDraft livestream from a room at Clemson University, where he scored 18 goals and posted nine assists during his MAC Hermann Trophy-winning 2019 season. He was surrounded by his family, girlfriend, teammates, coach, agent and many more.

"Pretty much everyone," he said. "A lot of people."

While Robinson didn't know he was going to be taken first until Inter Miami sporting director Paul McDonough announced his name, he was confident he would go first or second due to positive pre-draft conversations with McDonough and Nashville SC general manager Mike Jacobs. The Beckham thing, though? That was the shock of an already surreal day.

"It was crazy," Robinson said of getting a call from Inter Miami's minority owner and perfectly coiffed legend. "It's a guy I've watched my whole life growing up. For him and them to have faith in me as a player means so much, and it gives me more confidence."

Though Robinson hasn't spent much time in Miami, he did check out the team's "top, top class" training facility. He was also recently in Orlando preparing for preseason with former United States men's national team player Eddie Johnson. They trained in both the tactical and technical parts of the game: passing drills, shooting, turning with the ball into space and off-the-ball movement. In other words, the little details it takes to succeed at the next level.

When it comes to confidence about his MLS career, the Camden, South Carolina native doesn't remember a moment when he realized he was good enough to go pro. That's just always been a fact, in his mind, the only answer he'd ever give when asked, "What are you going to do when you grow up?"

"I think my whole life from when I was 6 or 7, I felt this is what I want to do," Robinson said. "This is what I love to do. I can't see myself doing anything else. Day-by-day, I'd just be outside with a ball. Not because it was what I needed to do to be picked as a professional, but because that was what made me the most happy. When I'm smiling the most, when I'm enjoying [life] the most is when I'm on the field with the ball. That's not something you can learn."

He always has been playing, training and feeding his soccer obsession. As a teenager, Robinson played in a deeper role as an attacking midfielder able to roam and find space. In that position, he developed the technical skills he still leans on despite moving to center-forward after a summer in which a growth spurt of four or five inches took him up to his 6-foot-2 frame.

Robinson patterned his game after individual players, taking a bit from Cristiano Ronaldo when he was at Manchester United, a little from Ajax-era Zlatan Ibrahimovic who loved to run at defenders, a bit of Philippe Coutinho given his famously quick release when shooting.

"People ask me if I have a favorite team," he said. "No. I have favorite players that I like to watch and see what they do." He has even taken some inspiration from Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe. "I've definitely taken some of his moves and put my own little spin on them," Robinson said.

The Inter Miami draftee loves watching soccer, too. An early Major League Soccer memory comes from the U.S. Open Cup when he'd go watch the nearby Charleston Battery host MLS teams. "I remember going in the hotel afterwards, chasing down these players for their autographs," he said.

Freddy Adu was one signature he sought; now, Robinson is a fellow No. 1 pick. Funny how that worked out.

So what is he going to do with his first paycheck? Though some might splurge or indulge, Robinson has more low-key aspirations: "I kind of want a new backpack, so I might look into that" before noting his parents are encouraging him to put some of it away.

While the first pick of an expansion team perhaps isn't as defining a moment as it was in the league's earlier days, Robinson's profile is only going to grow. Now he has become the hero, with children sure to chase him for an autograph and ask him how to make it as a pro instead.

"What advice do I give to kids?" he asked rhetorically, already wonderfully as ease with the "giving kids advice" stage of his nascent career. "I tell them you need to get your relationship with the ball. You need to be around the ball at all times. You need to be outside. It doesn't matter if you're with other people. If you have that love for the game, you can be by yourself."

Those kids can look at the guy answering them and know it worked for him. Chances are, he'll get out on the grass with them too. It's where he belongs, where life makes the most sense.

"I'm the kind of person at the end of the day I want to get out on the field," Robinson said. "All this, it's great and I'm enjoying every single second of it and I can't wait to meet all the fans and everything, but my love is being on the pitch. I can't wait until preseason starts. I'm counting down the days."

Andrew Strauss, the former England opener and ECB director of cricket who now sits on the ICC's cricket committee, has warned that any move towards making four-day Tests mandatory "should be an easy sell or we shouldn't be doing it".

As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, cricket's governing body is mulling the possibility of stipulating that World Test Championship matches be played over four days - with a minimum of 98 overs per day - from 2023 onwards. However, while conceding that efforts had to be made to improve the health of Test cricket globally, Strauss suggested game length was "only one part" of the discussion.

"If you asked how many people want to reduce Test matches down from five days to four, the answer is probably not that many," Strauss told the Guardian. "My gut feeling is that we should be looking at the whole picture, how Test cricket can be looking as healthy as possible in future, then work back from that.

"We shouldn't assume Test cricket is healthy just because it is popular in England. In lots of parts of the world, boards are struggling financially and Test cricket is not paying the bills. So we have to look at ways to improve the product for all. That's the spectacle, the cricket itself, the costs, the schedules, the pitches, the balls, the experience. We need a World Test Championship that is meaningful and compelling. The length of the game is only one part of that bigger discussion.

"This isn't something that is being proposed with an agenda behind it. No one wants to change for the sake of it. It should be an easy sell or we shouldn't be doing it."

Strauss, under whose captaincy England held the No. 1 Test ranking between 2011 and 2012, also highlighted the concern that pitches in Asia may not deteriorate enough over four days in order to produce results.

The ICC's cricket committee, currently chaired by Anil Kumble, is set to meet in March to discuss the proposals - which could free up considerable room in cricket's crowded international schedule - before putting their recommendations to the executive body. Two other members of the cricket committee, former Sri Lanka batsman Mahela Jayawardene and Mickey Arthur, Sri Lanka's coach, both expressed their preference for five-day Tests earlier this week.

There have been plenty of dissenting voices among current players, too, with the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations demanding clarity about how the change would positively affect the calendar, amid fears any space made could be filled by "additional or meaningless cricket".

Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first in the third T20I at Pune, as the hosts made three changes to the XI that won comfortably on Tuesday.

Batsman Manish Pandey comes into the middle order, replacing Shivam Dube. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant exits the XI to make way for Sanju Samson. On the bowling front, meanwhile, India have just swapped wristspinners, bringing in legbreak bowler Yuzvendra Chahal for Kuldeep Yadav.

Sri Lanka have made two changes of their own, the most significant of which is to bring Angelo Mathews into the XI. He has not played a T20 international since mid-2018, and replaces Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the lineup. The injured Isuru Udana also makes way for left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan.

The weather is expected to remain good through the course of the game.

India: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Manish Pandey , 6 Sanju Samson (wk), 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Navdeep Saini 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Sri Lanka: 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Avishka Fernando, 3 Kusal Perera (wk), 4 Oshada Fernando, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Lakshan Sandakan, 9 Wanindu Hasaranga, 10 Lasith Malinga (capt), 11 Lahiru Kumara

South Africa have named an unchanged 16-man squad for the second half of the ongoing four-match series against England but there is unlikely to be any tinkering to the XI that lost at Newlands. Though defeated, South Africa found a decent balance to their team, with Pieter Malan slotting in seamlessly in place of the injured Aiden Markram and the two allrounders, Vernon Philander and Dwaine Pretorius, providing plenty of bowling options. Still, the selectors always like to know their cupboard is well-stocked and will turn their gaze to the first-class competition, where the surplus members of the squad were deployed earlier this week. Here's how they performed:

Temba Bavuma

The most talked-about man in South African cricket, Temba Bavuma had the perfect platform to push for a Test return when he walked in to bat with the Lions on 170 for 2 in their match against the Knights at the Wanderers. Bavuma hit two fours off the first 12 balls he faced and a reporter on the scene described him as looking energetic and full of intent. Too much, perhaps.

Off his 18th ball, Bavuma pulled Corne Dry straight to the fielder at short square leg to end his innings on 9. The Lions dominated the rest of the match and he was not needed to bat again, which is likely to leave him on the fringes for the rest of the Test summer. It doesn't help Bavuma's cause that his replacement, Rassie van der Dussen, enhanced his reputation with his performance in Cape Town. His first-innings 68 was the second half-century of his two-Test career while his more than four-hour vigil at the crease in the second innings contributed to taking South Africa to within 50 balls of saving the match. Van der Dussen is set for an extended run in the Test team, which may mean Bavuma will have to wait for another injury, or for Faf du Plessis' lack of form to reach critical levels, to fight his way back in.

Beuran Hendricks

Part of the reason Bavuma did not get to bat again was the form of his Lions' team-mate, left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks. He took seven wickets in the match to contribute to the Lions' comprehensive win.

After the Lions posted 358, Hendricks took two wickets in two overs early on in the Knights innings to reduce them to 75 for 5. He returned to take two more in two overs at the end of the innings as the Knights were bowled out for 158 and made to follow-on. Hendricks picked up exactly where he left off in the follow-on and claimed the first two wickets of the Knights' second innings to leave them 17 for 2 late on the second day. His final wicket came deep into the Knights' second innings, when their lead was below 10. They ended up setting the Lions a target of only 20.

Hendricks' form may not be enough to force his way into the Test team right now, but he will doubtless be in the selectors' minds for the future. Not only does he offer control, but the variety of that left-arm angle, something South Africa have not had since they experimented with Wayne Parnell, who last played a Test in 2017.

Dane Paterson

The Cobras' Dane Paterson is the only one of the reserves set to travel with the Test team to Port Elizabeth, with the rest due to remain with their franchises for another round of first-class cricket. That must mean Paterson is closest to the starting XI and his performance for the Cobras showed why.

Paterson took 1 for 13 in 11 overs after opening the bowling against the Dolphins, and conceded at an economy rate of just over one run an over for the rest of the first innings, in which the Dolphins were bowled out for 174. His second-innings figures of 2 for 57 saw him climb to fourth on the tournament wicket charts with 21 wickets at 21.80 this season and the lowest economy rate of the top 10 bowlers: 2.82. With Vernon Philander's retirement coming at the end of the series, Paterson may be putting his hand up as the replacement.

Andile Phehlukwayo

Allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo has been told he needs to work on his bowling to become a Test player but on a spinner's wicket in Oudtshoorn, his batting shone. He top-scored for the Dolphins with 61 in the first innings to register his sixth first-class half-century and starred in a 91-run sixth-wicket stand with Cody Chetty to ensure the Dolphins scored over 150 in a disappointing first dig. With wickets falling to the Dolphins quicks and Senuran Muthusamy (3 for 92 and 7 for 36), Phehlulwayo was only required to bowl four overs in the first innings and none in the second, where the Dolphins skittled the Cobras out for 86 to win the match.

As a means of comparison, Dwaine Pretorius put in 11 overs in the first innings of the Newlands Test and 16 in the second, which will tell Phehlukwayo the kind of load he will have to be able to carry if he is to included at some stage. Again, Philander's retirement could open up a spot for him, but only if there are more overs under his belt.

Rudi Second

The back-up wicketkeeper and middle-order batsman in South Africa's squad, Rudi Second scored a half-century for the Warriors against the Titans but was overshadowed by his team-mates Sinethemba Qeshile and Eddie Moore, whose names have also been mentioned in connection with national selection. Qeshile's 77 was the top score of the Warriors first innings of 305. He helped them take a slender 11-run lead over the Titans, for whom dropped Test batsmen Theunis de Bruyn scored 54.

In the second innings, Second managed just 13 runs while Moore top-scored with 98 and is now second overall in the tournament standings, and Qeshile was unbeaten on 57. At 30, Second will know his chance has not passed, especially after three recent debutants of the same age: Malan, van der Dussen and Pretorius. But he will also know that unless big runs come soon, he may be eclipsed by brighter stars.

Hayden Walsh has said that he was inspired by the 10-year anniversary of his father's death after helping to secure a tense, one-wicket win for West Indies in Barbados.

The match at Kensington Oval went down to the penultimate ball, with No. 9 Walsh unbeaten on 46 when Sheldon Cottrell hit a six to seal victory. Walsh was batting for only the third time in his ODI career, but shared in partnerships of 52 and 32 for the eighth and ninth wickets as West Indies recovered from 148 for 7 to hold off Ireland and take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Walsh, 27, said that he had been confident of getting the job done, having played as batting allrounder at Under-19s level. Still, there were a couple of nervy moments with victory in sight, as Cottrell was nearly run out twice in consecutive deliveries during the final over - with the bowler, Mark Adair, fumbling on both occasions.

"It was nerve-wracking," Walsh said. "I went down to Sheldon and he said he was not in but he thinks the guy dropped the ball, so I was more confident on that one. The last one, I didn't expect him to come back for [a second run], because the guy has the ball in his hands, so I didn't want to take any unwanted risks and lose a wicket.

"I also backed Sheldon to do his part. I wasn't looking to get the strike unless it was the last ball. I was hoping that he would get a single or we could scramble one and I could face the last ball."

Asked if the crowd's support had had an impact, Walsh, who plays for Barbados Tridents in the CPL, said that he had been more focused on the date, 10 years on from losing his father, also called Hayden Walsh, as a teenager.

"Today marks the 10th anniversary of my father's death and I got that inspiration to take the team over the line," he said.

"It was a bit overwhelming. I was talking myself through the whole innings and to get over the line was like a long journey. Felt like I had just run a whole marathon."

Before eking out the last few runs with Cottrell, Walsh put on vital stands with Khary Pierre and Alzarri Joseph. "I reassured them that we're going to do this, all we need to do is watch the ball and look at the scoreboard," he said.

West Indies and Ireland face off again in one more ODI, in Grenada on Sunday, before playing three T20Is. Despite the gap between the sides narrowing sharply, following West Indies' five-wicket win on Tuesday, Walsh said there was no sense of the home side taking their opponents lightly.

"We were excepting them to come back hard," Walsh said. "The performance that they did in the first game, I wouldn't say it would reflect what they'd like. So I was expecting them to come back harder and give a better shot of winning the game.

"They wanted it a little bit more, but it's cricket, you can't just come and 'bang, bang, bang' and win a game, you have to actually build an innings. I don't think we did that very well and the Irish bowled pretty well."

Money is piling up on LSU, leaving sportsbooks around the nation with lopsided action on a national championship game that is setting up to be a big decision for bookmakers.

Heading into the weekend, LSU is a consensus 6-point favorite over Clemson in Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship in New Orleans (8 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN App).

The line opened as low as LSU favored by 3, but it has been growing since, much like the sportsbooks' liabilities.

"We're going to need Clemson for a whole pile," Jeff Davis, risk director for Caesars Sportsbook, said Thursday.

From the East Coast to the Gulf Coast to Las Vegas, the betting public is all over LSU, including some big wagers. On Tuesday, Las Vegas sportsbook operator CG Technology reported taking two bets totaling $200,000 on LSU. As of Thursday, MGM sportsbooks in Nevada had taken six five-figure bets on the game, all of them on LSU.

Jason Scott, vice president of trading for ROAR Digital/BetMGM sportsbooks, said Friday morning that the action has been exceptionally heavy on LSU.

"The last time we've seen such a one-sided event was Conor McGregor versus Floyd Mayweather," Scott told ESPN.

Bookmakers are reporting significant betting interest on the championship game, with 80% to 90% of the bets on LSU. William Hill U.S. said Clemson-LSU was on pace to be the "biggest bet college football game of all time."

"Right now, it's all LSU," Nick Bogdanovich, director of trading for William Hill U.S., said Thursday. "Current money is about 8-to-1 in favor of LSU and tickets are about 4-to-1 in favor of LSU."

Sportsbooks along the Gulf Coast, next door to Louisiana, are inundated with bets on LSU. At the Scarlet Pearl casino resort in Biloxi, Mississippi -- just over a 2-hour drive from Baton Rouge -- 85% of the bets and 92% of the money is on LSU.

"We're predominantly purple," Will Hall, said sportsbook manager at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi.

Davis of Caesars Sportsbook said the last championship game he could recall that had this one-sided of action was Super Bowl XLVIII between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos -- except for one key difference.

"The amount of money on Denver from the public was ludicrous," Davis said. "The sharp guys couldn't get enough of Seattle. I don't want to say this [game] has that feel, because there hasn't been much Clemson from some of these [sharp] guys."

The underdog Seahawks beat the Broncos 43-8, and Nevada sportsbooks won a net $19.6 million, the most ever on a Super Bowl.

Getting to the divisional round of the 2019 NFL playoffs means a team has made more good choices than bad. But for each of the remaining eight teams still alive for this weekend's games, there's one change that played a much bigger role in their success than any other.

We asked our NFL Nation reporters to identify the most influential change their team made that helped them get within two wins of Super Bowl LIV in Miami, how it played out and what it means going into their matchup this weekend.

Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers

4:35 p.m. ET, Saturday, NBC

49ers

Offseason priority: Supercharge their pass rush, particularly on the edge. While interior rushers DeForest Buckner and Arik Armstead had established themselves, the Niners didn't have an outside rusher with double-digit sacks since Aldon Smith in 2013. Coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch made it clear that the Niners needed "closers" on defense, the types of pass-rushers capable of turning some of their 11 one-possession losses in 2017 and 2018 into victories.

How it played out: The 49ers put their money and draft capital where their mouth was, trading a 2020 second-round pick for edge rusher Dee Ford and giving him an $85.5 million contract and using the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft on defensive end Nick Bosa. It didn't take long for the Niners to be rewarded for those moves. With Ford, Bosa, Buckner and Armstead leading the charge, the Niners' defensive line energized the entire team, leading to a 9-0 start and ranking among the top teams in the league in sacks and pressure. It should be noted that injuries to Ford, Ronald Blair III and D.J. Jones have taken a serious toll on their depth and production in the season's second half.

What it means vs. Vikings: Mobile quarterbacks such as Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray have proved difficult for the Niners' bolstered pass rush, but the Vikings' Kirk Cousins doesn't boast that same athleticism, rushing for 63 yards on 31 attempts this season. The well-rested Niners, who hope to have Ford back from quad and hamstring injuries, should have a chance to pressure Cousins for most of the game. Which means the real key will be how their front holds up against Minnesota's Dalvin Cook-centric run game, a group that finished sixth in the league in rushing yards during the regular season. -- Nick Wagoner

Vikings

Offseason priority: Rebuild the offense around Kirk Cousins. The Vikings sought to inject more balance into their scheme to take pressure off the quarterback, so they hired Gary Kubiak as an assistant head coach/offensive advisor and tasked offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski with running the Super Bowl-winning coach's offense. But building around Cousins didn't mean he'd be the focal point. Minnesota planned to run its offense through running back Cook, which would then allow them to effectively utilize star wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen and tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith Jr.

How it played out: After a rough start, the offense finally got it together in Week 5 and hasn't looked back since. The Vikings discovered they were at their best as a run-first team (second-highest designed run percentage, behind the Ravens) predicated off a zone blocking scheme, which in turn opened up play-action for Cousins. He had an NFL-best 13 passing touchdowns off play-action and averaged 9.6 yards per attempt. By the end of the regular season, the Vikings were able to boast a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher (Cook) and 1,000-yard receiver (Diggs).

What it means vs. 49ers: Perhaps no coach knows Cousins' strengths and weaknesses better than 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was his offensive coordinator with the Redskins. That should play to the 49ers' advantage in building a game plan to attack Cousins, but San Francisco also has to account for Cook breaking off big gains to the outside on runs or a screen (Minnesota was No. 1 in generating yards off running back screens). The Vikings are healthy, and accounting for everyone proves difficult, even for a defense as good as San Francisco's. -- Courtney Cronin

Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers

6:40 p.m. ET, Sunday, Fox

Packers

Offseason priority: Get Matt LaFleur's program established. For almost 13 years, there was one voice -- Mike McCarthy's -- at the front of the room and in quarterback Aaron Rodgers' headset as the playcaller. It was imperative that LaFleur meshed with Rodgers from an X's and O's standpoint, but if he was going to get the team to buy into his program, the locker room had to know that Rodgers bought in first.

How it played out: Neither the offense nor Rodgers was much different than last year, but the buy-in was. And it led to a winning culture from the start. LaFleur was hired seemingly for his offensive prowess, but his ability to lead a room and rally a group of players was underrated. Of course, he had help from a playmaking defense that, especially early in the season, made up for the slow start by the offense. GM Brian Gutekunst deserves plenty of credit for that by adding Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith in free agency.

What it means vs. the Seahawks: Rodgers said last week that even though they enter the playoffs on a five-game winning streak, "no one here is going to say we're on a tear because you guys like telling us how we're just kind of an average team that knows how to win." He's right, but knowing how to win might be more important. This team has nearly perfected the art of winning ugly, and that might be all that matters. -- Rob Demovsky

Seahawks

Offseason priority: Extend Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner and pending UFA Frank Clark. It was ambitious given how all three were going to command top-of-the-market contracts, and it got harder once DeMarcus Lawrence got a $105 million extension with $65 million guaranteed. Wilson and Wagner -- who each got extensions -- had a year remaining on their deals, and the Seahawks could have kept Clark for 2019 via the franchise tag, but they instead got what they could for him figuring it would be too tough to re-sign him this offseason. They were going to need to add to their pass-rush even if Clark remained in the fold. Trading him to Kansas City made that their new priority.

How it played out: The Seahawks used the first-round pick they got for Clark on L.J. Collier, who has made zero impact. They signed Ezekiel Ansah to a one-year deal in May and haven't gotten much from him either. So imagine what their pass-rush would look like had GM John Schneider not pulled off a master stroke by acquiring Jadeveon Clowney from the Texans. He gave up Barkevious Mingo and Jacob Martin plus a third-round pick. Houston defrayed almost half of the money owed to Clowney by giving him a $7 million signing bonus, leaving Seattle with just his $8 million base salary. Clowney has made a much greater impact than his sack total (three in the regular season and another in the wild-card round) would suggest. He was fifth in ESPN's Pass Rush Win Rate, scored a pair of defensive touchdowns and turned in the most dominant performance by a Seahawks D-lineman under Carroll in Seattle's Week 10 win over the 49ers.

What it means vs. Packers: The early word from Carroll is that Clowney made it out of the Eagles game healthy enough to play on Sunday. He's been dealing with a core-muscle injury since Week 10 that cost him two games and could require offseason surgery. Even with his injury, Clowney has been the Seahawks' most effective pass-rusher and represents that group's best hope for getting after Rodgers.-- Brady Henderson

Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens

8:15 p.m. ET, Saturday, CBS

Ravens

Offseason priority: Develop Lamar Jackson into an NFL passer. It feels like ages ago that anyone doubted Jackson, the most electric playmaker in the game. But, in his rookie season, Jackson ran the ball (147 carries) about as much as he threw it (170 pass attempts). Critics pointed out how his passes fluttered and how he threw sidearm or off his back foot. In seven starts after taking over for the injured Joe Flacco, Jackson finished 30th in completion rate (58%) and 31st in off-target percentage (23%). His arm was Baltimore's biggest question mark.

How it played out: Jackson showed why no one should underestimate his work ethic. During the offseason, including workouts on his own, Jackson made the biggest strides with his mechanics. As a rookie, his stance got very narrow and he was up on his toes. Now, he plays with a wider base. Midway through training camp, the coaches saw Jackson's accuracy and decision-making starting to click. He has since exploded into a superstar, leading the 14-2 Ravens to the best record in the NFL and becoming the front-runner for the league's Most Valuable Player award.

What it means vs. Titans: Tennessee has to respect Jackson's arm as well as his legs. Jackson led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and recorded eight games with three or more touchdown throws, the most by a player before his 23rd birthday in NFL history. He joined Ben Roethlisberger as the only players in league history to produce multiple games in a season with a perfect 158.3 passer rating. This could be a problem for the Titans, who were one of eight teams in the regular season to allow more than 4,000 yards passing and 25 touchdown passes. -- Jamison Hensley

Titans

Offseason priority: Entering the 2019 season, the Titans needed to get a true, final evaluation on Marcus Mariota before deciding whether it was time to move on from him. There were various reasons for the inconsistencies the Titans have experienced with Mariota under center. The potential that Mariota showed in glimpses during his time in Tennessee gave the Titans enough cause to pick up his fifth-year option and take one final look at him.

How it played out: Titans GM Jon Robinson signed free-agent offensive lineman Rodger Saffold and receiver Adam Humphries in addition to selecting receiver A.J. Brown with the 51st pick in the draft. Their goal was to reinforce the protection and add weapons for Mariota. Tight ends coach Arthur Smith was promoted to offensive coordinator to provide continuity for Mariota, something that he didn't have in the past. For insurance, Robinson also acquired quarterback Ryan Tannehill via a trade with the Dolphins and somehow got them to pay $5 million of the $7 million in restructured money for their former starter. The Titans benched Mariota for Tannehill in Week 7 and the offense thrived. Over the final 10 games, Tannehill threw 22 touchdowns to five interceptions, his 65.2 Total QBR was sixth best in the NFL and the Titans went 7-3.

What it means vs. Ravens: The Titans are a much more efficient offense with Tannehill under center. They have improved drastically in areas such as red zone scoring percentage and third-down conversion rate. Tennessee's offense ascended to third in the NFL in points and yards per game. Pairing a balanced offense with the already established defense makes the Titans a tough out for the Ravens. Their brand of physical football is ideal for traveling to a tough road environment like Baltimore. -- Turron Davenport

Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs

3:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, CBS

Chiefs

Offseason priority: Improve a defense that in 2018 allowed 421 points, or 26.3 per game, which was ninth worst in the NFL. The Chiefs lost one game last season while scoring 51 points and another while scoring 40. They also lost the AFC Championship Game when they couldn't prevent the Patriots from getting a touchdown on either of their last two possessions, the last one coming in overtime.

How it played out: The Chiefs revamped as much of their defense as was reasonably possible. They brought in a new defensive coaching staff led by coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, installed a new 4-3 base system and brought in several players who would have significant roles. The duo of safety Tyrann Mathieu and end Frank Clark alone came at a cost of $146 million in combined salary. After a slow start, the Chiefs came around defensively. They finished the season allowing 308 points, or 19.3 per game, seventh-best in the league. But over the last six games the Chiefs allowed an average of less than 12 points, best in the NFL over that span.

What it means vs. Texans: It didn't matter much in Week 6 when the teams met at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs allowed the Texans 472 yards and had difficulty getting quarterback Deshaun Watson and the Houston offense off the field. The Texans had 83 plays and controlled the ball for almost 40 minutes. The Chiefs had trouble with Watson's mobility and failed to register a sack despite his 42 pass attempts. But the Chiefs are a different team now. They played that day without one of their key defenders in tackle Chris Jones plus linebacker Anthony Hitchens. They've also added a potentially important piece in pass-rusher Terrell Suggs. So it would be a surprise if the Texans controlled the game the way they did last time. -- Adam Teicher

Texans

Offseason priority: After starting running back Lamar Miller tore his ACL in the Texans' third preseason game, Houston needed help at the position and quickly. Yes, the Texans traded for Duke Johnson from the Browns earlier in August, but coach Bill O'Brien did not intend for him to be Houston's lead back. The Texans needed to replace Miller's production so they could use Johnson as intended.

How it played out: The Texans made four trades on cut-down day. Acquiring left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Kenny Stills from the Dolphins and sending pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks were the splashier deals, but adding Carlos Hyde that day from Kansas City may have been the most impactful move. Hyde, who was on a one-year contract, had the best season of his six-year career, rushing for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns on 245 carries in the regular season. This was the first time in his career that he posted a 1,000-yard season, and Houston finished the season ranked ninth in the NFL in rushing, averaging 125.6 yards per game.

What it means vs. Chiefs: Before the Texans played Kansas City in Week 6, Hyde said he had a chip on his shoulder because he was with the Chiefs during the offseason before they sent him to Houston. In that game, Hyde had his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. While Watson vs. Patrick Mahomes is the marquee matchup in this game, whether the Texans and Hyde can find consistent success on the ground will be key to a Houston victory, as well. -- Sarah Barshop