since 2002. Across the board, it was a toss-u

RIO DE JANEIRO -- In another Chinese duel, Ding Ning ended up with Olympic gold.Ding beat teammate Li Xiaoxia in the womens table tennis final on Wednesday, reversing the result from four years ago.When the 26-year-old Ding lost to Li in the final at the 2012 London Games, she broke down in tears. In Rio de Janeiro, there were tears again as she dropped to her knees in celebration.The tense match, which came down to a deciding seventh game, was filled with long rallies, lighting quick smashes, looping topspin forehands and stretching defensive saves -- all signs that these two players have spent many, many hours playing together over the years.After nearly every point, the winner raised her fist, let out a sharp yell and stalked away from the table. Ding, a lefthander, relied on a crouching, tomahawk-style serve. Li often fanned herself with her bat while awaiting serve.The rivals went back and forth over the first three games, the medal podium standing in shadows next to their spotlighted table.Ding, the reigning world champion, took the first game. Li bounced back in the second, and Ding won the third. Li then pulled away, winning the next two games to put herself on the brink of another Olympic win. But Ding played herself back into it by winning the sixth game.In the decider, Ding made fewer errors than Li, who several times missed the table with her forehand at crucial points.Chinese women have won every gold singles medal since table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988.Before the Rio de Janeiro Games, China had won all but four of the table tennis gold medals at the Olympics. The country took all the golds at the past two games, and it has made a good start to doing it again in Rio. Each nation is only allowed two players in singles.Earlier Wednesday, Kim Song I of North Korea won a bronze medal by beating veteran Ai Fukuhara of Japan.Kims victory capped a surprising run through the tournament. The chopper, or defensive specialist, repeatedly took down higher-ranked opponents.Kim lost to Ding on Wednesday morning before a small but loud North Korean cheering section, which included Choe Ryong Hae, a top lieutenant of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.On the mens side, London champion Zhang Jike, whose name was inspired by Brazilian soccer great Zico, will face Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus in the semifinals on Thursday. Top-ranked Ma Long of China will play Jun Mizutani of Japan.The mens final is also on Thursday. Jimmy Garoppolo Super Bowl Jersey . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Mike Person Super Bowl Jersey . 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But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. It sounds like a simple proposition: On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is (fill in the blank with a school) to the history of college football?Sure, in our blue bloods project, programs such as Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma and USC all grabbed unanimous 10s across the board.But thats when things got interesting. Here are the most difficult assessments that each of our 12 writers had to hand out.Andrea Adelson: Nebraska CornhuskersIt has been nearly 20 years since Nebraska won a national championship, 17 years since it won a conference title. Despite the recent slide in fortunes, there is no question the Huskers deserve the highest possible rating as a tried-and-true blue blood. The program has been around for 126 years -- its won 46 league titles, five national championships and produced three Heisman Trophy winners. Its teams in the mid-90s go down among the best in college football history. Has the program slid in recent years? Yes. Incoming freshmen have never known true Nebraska football dominance. But its storied history puts the Huskers in rarefied air, worthy of a perfect 10 rating.Edward Aschoff: Ole Miss RebelsYes, the Rebels are nationally relevant now, but its not like this has been a common theme for the program. Growing up in Oxford, the football program wallowed in mediocrity and constantly made real national contenders look good. Before that, you had to go all the way back to the 1960s to find real national success for this football program. So a 6 kind of felt high, but recent success and the wins from long ago made it hard to put the Rebels below the halfway point. And while its been impressive, its taken head coach Hugh Freeze four years to get the Rebels into the national spotlight, and even then, many are still wondering if this is a flash-in-the-pan situation or if Freeze can sustain long-term success. His win totals keep rising, so all signs point to this program sticking around the relevancy category.Brian Bennett: Georgia BulldogsNo wonder the Bulldogs finished just outside our Top 10, and I rated them a 9. They perfectly skate the line between true royalty and simple nobility. Georgia boasts a huge fan base, a tremendous stadium and a grand tradition of great players. Yet it rarely hovers in the national title discussion, has won just two SEC titles in the division era and perpetually seems just a notch below the sports best programs.Heather Dinich: Penn State Nittany LionsFull disclosure: This one was personal. Growing up about three hours east of Penn State, it was impossible to ignore the shadow that Joe Paterno cast over the entire state. Experiences often shape opinions. The Blue-White game. Beaver Stadium. Two-time national champs. Seven undefeated seasons. LaVar Arrington. Courtney Brown. Those traditional white uniforms, those cuffed pants, those glasses ... there was a time when Penn State was the very definition of a blue blood -- winning and tradition. Has recent history, though, changed that picture and perception? Its not the same place. Not the same program. You dont think James Franklin and blue blood. You hear Penn State, you hear Sandusky. Its hard to classify Penn States program anymore, and for better or worse, you cant erase its history. Thats why I gave PSU a 9.Travis Haney: NebraskaFor me, it was Nebraska (my score for the Huskers: 9). It was challenging to balance the programs rich history and tradition with the fact that, really, it has been mostly irrelevant since the turn of the century. Even a move to the Big Ten has not returned the Cornhuskers to national prominence. Coaches see a program that, largely due to location, has struggled to keep up with the recruiting boom. It makes you wonder whether Nebraska will eventually be a museum relic, a storied program we look back on fondly, or if it can find a way back to elite status in modern college football. Count me among the doubters.Chris Low: Alabama Crimson TideMy real dilemma wasnt the score for Bama -- I had the Tide as a 10 -- but more, where to put the program in the top three all time? The Tide were easily in the top three on my list when you think about two of the greatest coaches in history (Bear Bryant and Nick Saban) combining for all of the national titles they have and just the iconic standing Alabama football has in football circles. The fact that Alabama sort of lost its way after Bryant retired in 1982 and spun its wheels for a large chunk of the next two decades hurts the Tides cause some, but few fan bases are as passionate about college football as Alabama.dddddddddddd And where else does football matter more than Alabama? The Tide have it all -- coaches, players, tradition, championships and pageantry. They should be at the top of this list.Ivan Maisel: Penn StateWhat to do with Penn State? Joe Paterno made the Nittany Lions a national power in the early 60s, and they remained so for more than 30 years. Dominance over that length of time turns a programs blood blue in most cases. But thats because in most cases, more than one coach sustained it. In the end, I decided that I wanted to see Penn State return to the top under a different coach, so I gave the Lions a 9.Ryan McGee: Florida State SeminolesAs a would-be college football historian, the most difficult task for me was balancing what a program has done vs. what it is doing. How much more or less weight do you give, say, Penn State, Nebraska or Tennessee? Their lengthy histories are easily among the greatest. So how do you factor in their recent dips, for whatever reason? Or how about an Oregon, Florida or even an FSU? The Seminoles have had ridiculous success during this modern era of the game, but prior to that they had decades that contained an awful lot of so-so football. It makes you appreciate the likes of Ohio State, Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, etc. They might lose their way for a year or two, but they never really go away.Ted Miller: GeorgiaWhile it was tough to rate Nebraska a 9, my most painful realization was that I rated my home state Georgia Bulldogs lower than anyone. I gave the Bulldogs a 7. No one else had them lower than 9 or 10. As an Atlanta native, my immediate reaction was thinking my buddies at home are going to crush me. Then I realized Im just like a Georgia fan -- hard to please. While Wally Butts run in the 1940s might say differently, the Bulldogs own only one real national title: 1980. Thats 36 years ago. Heck, Justin Timberlake and Paris Hilton werent even born yet. While Georgia is almost always at least good, it not only lacks national titles, its mostly been an afterthought in the national title hunt by November over the past few decades. Georgia hasnt won an SEC title in a decade and owns just two since 1983. Ergo, its no blue blood. Still, 7 might be a bit low.Adam Rittenberg: Texas LonghornsMaybe its recency bias but the Longhorns have won only one national title during my lifetime (Im 35) and endured two prolonged stretches of stunning mediocrity (1986 to 1993 and 2010 to present). I realize the long-term history, the great tradition, immense resources and all the star players who have worn burnt orange, but Texas hasnt been consistently elite during a period when the sport is most competitive. It was very close for me, but I had to give the Longhorns a 9.Mark Schlabach: Which is more important -- Notre Dame or Ohio State?Notre Dame or Ohio State? Its like picking between Urban Meyer and Nick Saban to coach your team. Its nearly impossible. In my opinion, Notre Dame is the ultimate blue blood in college football. Knute Rockne. The Four Horsemen. Touchdown Jesus. The Gipper. The Fighting Irish have won 11 national championships, but only three since 1967 and none since 1988. Notre Dames 899 all-time victories are the most in FBS and it has produced seven Heisman Trophy winners. But Ohio States tradition and history are equally impressive. The Buckeyes have won 875 games and have just as many Heisman Trophy winners, including Archie Griffin, the only two-time winner. The Buckeyes claim eight national titles (only six are widely recognized), including two since 2002. Across the board, it was a toss-up between Notre Dame and Ohio State, but I had both as 10s.Mitch Sherman: The Florida schoolsI had trouble finding a way to differentiate the three power programs from the state of Florida. An argument can be made for each that it deserves distinction over the others. Their histories are intertwined. All three have sat atop the entire sport. Ultimately, I considered Florida State over Miami, then Florida. But the gap was so small that I scored each as a 9. ' ' '