Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Thursday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EST:- CHICAGO -- Baseballs MVP winners are announced. Mike Trout, Mookie Betts and Jose Altuve are the AL finalists. In the NL, its Kris Bryant, Daniel Murphy and Corey Seager. AL about 6:15 p.m., NL about 6:45 p.m.- CHICAGO -- Major League Baseball concludes two days of owners meetings. The top item on the agenda is the collective bargaining agreement, which expires Dec. 1.- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Saints and Panthers look to put rough losses behind them when they meet in an NFC South game. Drew Brees pounded Carolina last month for 465 yards and four touchdowns. Game starts 8:25 p.m.- INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell joins Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke for the groundbreaking on the teams new stadium and entertainment district.- FRISCO, Texas -- Dez Bryant says he couldnt have played a day after his fathers death without his teammates support. Team chemistry is part of the reason this is becoming a special season for the Dallas Cowboys.- GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The ACC, SEC and Pac-12 are experimenting with collaborative instant replay in which officials at league headquarters assist stadium crews with reviews during games.- Its tempting for playoff contenders to run up lopsided victories to impress the College Football Playoff committee. But the committee insists it doesnt take margin of victory into consideration when compiling rankings.- HOUSTON -- No. 3 Louisville (9-1) and Heisman Trophy favorite Lamar Jackson try to improve their playoff chances with a victory over Houston. Game starts 8 p.m.- PULLMAN, Wash. -- Washington State coach Mike Leach gets called a lot of things: inquisitive, outspoken, ingenious, odd. Leachs quirks often mask his ability to build a program that is now ranked No. 20.- STORRS, Conn. -- The third-ranked UConn put their 76-game winning streak on the line when they host No. 2 Baylor in an early showdown in womens college basketball. Game starts 7:30 p.m.- LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The No. 7 Xavier men open play in the Tire Pros Invitational against Missouri at Disney World. The Muskeeters won this tournament last year. Game starts 1:30 p.m.- HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Carl Edwards is no fan of social media, but hell jump aboard if he wins his first NASCAR championship Sunday. Edwards lost the 2011 title on a tiebreaker and has a shot in the season finale at redemption.- LONDON -- Novak Djokovic beats David Goffin at the ATP finals to finish group play undefeated. The Serb is eyeing a record-tying sixth title at this season-ending tournament and looking to regain the No. 1 ranking from Andy Murray.- BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Much like last spring, the Lightning will have to make do without Steven Stamkos. The Tampa Bay captain is sidelined indefinitely after tearing a ligament in his right knee.- ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. -- The final PGA Tour event of the year begins at Sea Island, with defending champion Kevin Kisner and tournament host Davis Love III in the field at the RSM Classic.- NAPLES, Fla. -- Top-ranked Lydia Ko needs to win the season-ending CME Group Tour Championship to secure player of the year honors. Otherwise, that prize goes to budding star Ariya Jutanugarn. They open play Thursday. Cheap Blazers Jerseys . -- The Magic have their first victory of the new year. Custom Terry Porter Jersey . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series. http://www.customblazersjersey.com/ . The (11-11-4) Jets are seventh in the Central Division with 26 points. Fifth place Dallas and sixth-seeded Nashville also have 26 points, but the Stars have three games in hand on Winnipeg while Nashville has two. Terry Porter Jersey Large . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Authentic Custom Blazers Jersey . -- Ohio States Urban Meyer has never had any issue acclimating to the biggest stages in college football. AUSTIN, Texas -- The sexual assault scandal that took down Baylor Universitys president and revered football coach also found a problem with a bedrock of the schools faith-based education: a student conduct code banning alcohol, drugs and premarital sex that may have driven some victims into silence.Investigators with the Pepper Hamilton law firm who dug into Baylors response to sexual assault claims determined the schools rigid approach to drugs, alcohol and sex and perceived judgmental responses to victims who reported being raped created barriers to reporting assaults. Some women faced the prospect of their family being notified.A number of victims were told that if they made a report of rape, their parents would be informed of the details of where they were and what they were doing, said Chad Dunn, a Houston attorney who represents six women who have sued Baylor under the anonymous identification of Jane Doe.The nations largest Baptist university is a notably conservative place in one of the most conservative states in the country. Dancing on campus was banned until 1996. Fornication, adultery and homosexual acts were included in an official list of misconduct until May 2015, and the current policy stresses that physical sexual intimacy is to be expressed in the context of marital fidelity.Students can still be expelled for using drugs or alcohol, though late last year it included amnesty for minor offenses. Pepper Hamilton investigators urged the school to expand amnesty to sexual conduct code violations; the federal government told all U.S. universities in 2011 that conduct policies may have a chilling effect on reporting sexual assault.Amnesty is a no-brainer, said Shan Wu, a former federal sex crimes prosecutor who is now a criminal defense attorney specializing in student legal issues. Unfortunately, these codes force students to engage in life-or-death calculations, added Wu, who isnt involved in the Baylor case.Baylor officials say they are already making changes. Interim President David Garland, who took over in late May for ousted president and chancellor Ken Starr, said the university considered all of the firms recommendations as mandates.Expectations for our students are outlined in university conduct policies and are a reflection of our faith-based mission, school spokeswoman Tonya Lewis said, noting that the amnesty provisions for drug and alcohol use should assure sexual assault victims that Baylor will focus on their allegations. Baylor has repeatedly declined to comment specific cases.Student safety andd support for survivors of all types of interpersonal violence are paramount to the mission of Baylor University, Lewis said.ddddddddddddBut such offers of amnesty are too late for women who previously reported assaults and told Pepper Hamilton investigators about hurdles they faced in dealing with Baylor officials. Eight former Baylor students have brought three federal lawsuits against the school, outlining rape allegations as far back as 2005 that they say were either ignored or discouraged from reporting.Dunn would not allow his clients to be interviewed by the AP to protect their identity, but relayed questions to them.Two women said they were pushed to accept alcohol conduct violations when they reported their assaults, or feared sexual conduct violations if they did.One woman said her case began when she called police to report a physical assault on another woman at an off-campus party. Police demanded to know if she was underage and had been drinking, then arrested and reported her to the school office that investigates conduct code violations, she said. She told Baylor officials her drinking was a result of being raped a month earlier and detailed what happened in person and in a letter.She received an alcohol code violation and told to do 25 hours community service, and when she tried to appeal, the woman said Baylor officials urged her to drop it. The school never pursued her rape claim.I was told by many Baylor staff that they couldnt do anything for me because my assault was off campus, yet they had no problem punishing me for my off-campus drinking, the woman said. Schools are bound by federal law to investigate on- and off-campus sex assault allegations.The threat of a sexual conduct violation was a common issue that Baylor did nothing to dispel, another woman said.Even when the code of conduct wasnt an overt issue, some women who reported sexual assault said they were grilled about their behavior.Stephanie Mundhenk, a former Baylor student who The Associated Press is identifying because she has publicly blogged about Baylors investigation into her 2015 rape allegations, told the AP that she was never threatened by conduct code violations but was repeatedly questioned about her sexual history.I was alarmed, said Mundhenk, who is not among those suing Baylor. It was biased and it was unfair. They were trying to gauge if I was a loose woman. They were looking to attack my reputation. ' ' '