SPORTS BRIEFS: Georgia Southern picked to win Sun Belt Conference

Georgia Southern picked to win Sun Belt Conference

Georgia Southern edged Louisiana-LaFayette in coaches voting Friday and was tabbed as the Sun Belt Conference preseason favorite. The Eagles are the defending conference champions.

Southern finished with 110 points, while ULL has 108. The Eagles received six first-place votes, while Louisiana-LaFayette had three.

The Eagles went 9-3 last season and return 13 starters. They open the season at West Virginia on Sept. 5. They will also visit Athens and play Georgia on Nov. 21.

Georgia State’s football team was picked to finish ninth out of 11 teams.

The Panthers, which went 1-11 last season, return 49 letterwinners and 19 starters. They will open the season hosting Charlotte on Sept. 4 in the Georgia Dome.

Thomas wants to retire a Bronco

Denver Broncos star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas has his sights set on winning the Super Bowl after signing a five-year, $70 million deal.

Thomas, speaking at a news conference in Englewood, Colo., on Friday, said he “wanted to finish a Bronco, retire a Bronco” with negotiations now behind him.

“I still remember from draft day, I had no idea that I was going to be a Bronco,” Thomas said. “From that day on, I said I was going to be the best that I could be to help this team win a Super Bowl or win a lot of games. So far, we haven’t gotten the Super Bowl. We still have some work to do, and I look forward to working and getting a Super Bowl before I’m done.”

The 27-year-old Thomas had been designated as the team’s franchise player. His deal, signed moments before Wednesday’s deadline for franchise-tagged players, includes $43.5 million in guarantees.

“I want to lead the league in yards, touchdowns, basically about everything a receiver can do,” Thomas said. “I kind of want to break the NFL record in yards. There’s big plays to be made (in this offense).”

Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions owns the single-season mark with 1,964 yards set in 2012. Thomas ranks 15th all-time with 1,619 yards last season.

“I know (it’s roughly 2,000 yards),” Thomas said. “If the first few games weren’t bad this past year I would have got it.”

Forbes puts Cowboys’ value at No. 2 in world

The Dallas Cowboys are valued at $3.2 billion by Forbes, making them the second-most valuable sports franchise in the world.

The Real Madrid soccer club is worth $3.26 billion to top the list of the world’s 50 most valuable sports teams of 2015. The New York Yankees tied the Cowboys for No. 2 on the Forbes list.

The New England Patriots are second among NFL teams at $2.6 billion — No. 6 on the Forbes list and tied with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The New York Knicks are No. 8 at $2.5 billion, followed by the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Dodgers tied for No. 9 at $2.4 billion.

The rest of the NFL teams in the top 50: New York Giants, 12th overall, $2.1 billion; Houston Texans, 16th overall, $1.85 billion; New York Jets, 17th, $1.8 billion; Philadelphia Eagles, 19th, $1.75 billion; Chicago Bears, 20th, $1.7 billion; San Francisco 49ers, 22nd, $1.6 billion; Baltimore Ravens, 23rd, $1.5 billion; Denver Broncos, 26th, $1.45 billion; Indianapolis Colts, 27th, $1.4 billion; Green Bay Packers, 29th, $1.38 billion; Pittsburgh Steelers, 32nd, $1.35 billion; Seattle Seahawks, 35th, $1.33 billion; Miami Dolphins, 37th, $1.3 billion; Carolina Panthers, 42nd, $1.25 billion; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 45th, $1.23 billion; Tennessee Titans, 48th, $1.16 billion; Minnesota Vikings, 49th, $1.15 billion.

The world’s 50 most valuable sports teams are now worth $1.75 billion on average, up 31 percent from 2014, according to Forbes.

The NFL landed the most teams in the top 50 with 20 franchises, followed by Major League Baseball (12), NBA (10) and soccer (7). The NHL landed one team on the list with the Toronto Maple Leafs tied for No. 37 at $1.3 billion.