Author: Kevin Allen, USA TODAY

Voting on the Dorsett vs. Payton matchup, plus the Archie Griffin vs. Earl Campbell meeting, starts Thursday at noon and ends Sunday.

Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews’ disorderly conduct charges raise questions about him as a leader and whether he’s ready for captaincy.

USA TODAY Sports’ NHL point projections have the Coyotes and Panthers making the playoffs, and the Avalanche winning the Central Division.

Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov, 19, leads our list of breakthrough candidates for the 2019-20 season after scoring 20 goals in his rookie year.

The XFL will begin play in February, but the professional football league will have its eye on NFL roster cuts as it seeks to fill out team rosters.

This is the opening week of USA TODAY Sports’ quest to determine the best college football player of all-time. We need your help with the voting.

Here are power rankings for the names announced Wednesdayfor the XFL’s first eight teams. We judged them on the basis of creativity and trendiness.

The New Jersey Devils made Jack Hughes the first overall pick in the NHL draft. The New York Rangers followed up with Kaapo Kakko at No. 2

Cole Caufield, a 72-goal scorer, kept dropping until the Canadiens drafted him at No. 15. Shame on NHL teams who passed on him because of his size.