The World of Sports

New on Sports Illustrated: Mac Jones Won the Starting Job, and It Didn’t Make Sense to Keep Cam Newton as a Backup

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/31/mac-jones-won-patriots-starting-job-cam-newton-cut">
It became clear the rookie came along faster than expected, so the gig had to be his.
While there was a bit of a rush to paint Tuesday’s news of
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/31/cam-newton-released-mac-jones-start-patriots">the Patriots’ releasing Cam Newton</a> as either some kind of non-vaccination revenge or general evidence of Belichickian cold heartedness, there exists another scenario that might be worth exploring.
For starters, Mac Jones outplayed Cam Newton this preseason. Jones, depending on who you ask, outplayed almost all rookie quarterbacks this preseason. The ball was out on time. He looked comfortable in the pocket. He nestled snugly into an offense that asks him to perform the kind of unsexy, mechanical tasks that he does particularly well. If you followed the diligent work of the New England football beat, you saw Jones begin to accumulate a larger share of the reps, which is another tell that Belichick’s mind was close to made up. He is a coach who crafted a legend not out of being evil, but out of being open to running a meritocracy.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTQxMTAzOTczMTE0OTE4/mac-jones-wins-job-patriots-release-cam.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports (Jones); Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com/USA TODAY Network (Newton)
</figcaption>
</figure>
Also, Belichick likely has a great appreciation for Newton still. That’s why you would cut a guy soon after your mind is made up and not keep him buried on a depth chart. Many have asked why the Patriots wouldn’t just keep Newton because he’s a better quarterback than Brian Hoyer. That point is undebatable. But over the course of a year, Belichick probably got to know Newton well enough, and appreciate him enough as a competitor, to know that it wouldn’t be an ideal situation to put Newton or Jones in. He doesn’t want Jones looking over his shoulder. He doesn’t want Newton, who invigorated a locker room reeling from the loss of Tom Brady, forced to tuck in his feathers and assume the role of a subservient cheerleader.
It’s rarely painted this way, but there are times the Patriots can take into consideration a bit of humanity, and we might want to think of this situation as one of them. Underlying it all, of course, is the reality that Jones came on a little bit faster than expected. The way Belichick drafted and attacked free agency this offseason, it was clear he was building an offense that could either bolster a rookie quarterback or convert neatly into the kind of powerful, downhill rushing offense that would best suit Newton.
So when Jones flashed, Belichick had to think about Jones the way he did a young Brady. How long do you want someone larger than life (in Brady’s case, Drew Bledsoe; in Jones’s case, a former league MVP who showed last year that he can melt the attendees of a press conference or the heart of his supposed Grinch head coach) sitting there watching the developing rookie’s every move.
How long do you want someone who you probably genuinely appreciate—Newton waltzed his way through a stubborn Boston town struggling to get over the loss of their folk hero—to ride the bench, when he could be squeezing what’s left of his athletic prime elsewhere?
<iframe height="481.984375" width="100%" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?p=DGT4935950864" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Newton’s status as an unvaccinated player obviously complicates matters. It must have caused some momentary frustration, as reports of a “door opening” for Jones surfaced soon after the news that Newton would have to miss practices. But Newton is not alone—not even close—among the fraternity of NFL quarterbacks, or even elite NFL players, who have made the decision not to vaccinate. If there was a concern that this issue would roil the locker room, then it is an active concern of nearly every NFL general manager and coach in the league. This argument can, and will, <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/16/mmqb-ron-rivera-covid-vaccines-joe-burrow-brandon-staley">exist everywhere</a>.
There is a good chance Newton will land somewhere quickly. Quarterback depth charts around the NFL are an utter mess and he’ll get the chance to play some meaningful snaps in 2021. His former head coach, Ron Rivera, would be wise to feel Newton out. The Dolphins, Bengals, Texans, Panthers, Colts and Broncos could all use an upgrade at their backup spot, competition for their starter or a little bit of both. He will factor into the story of the 2021 season somewhere, somehow.
Unless, of course, he remained in New England, where Newton would only have been a factor in terms of how he looked every time Jones threw a touchdown pass or struggled. That wasn’t going to work for either player involved. 
More NFL Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/12/10/cam-newton-career-rushing-touchdowns-breaking-leaderboards">Cam Newton's Rushing TDs Are Breaking the Leaderboards</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/predicting-every-game-2021-nfl-season">Predicting Every Game of the 2021 Season</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/25/how-derrick-henry-handles-workload-that-should-ruin-him-daily-cover">How Derrick Henry Handles a Throwback Workload</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/17/early-look-2022-nfl-qb-carousel">An Early Look at the 2022 NFL Quarterback Carousel</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Mac Jones Won the Starting Job, and It Didn’t Make Sense to Keep Cam Newton as a Backup

It became clear the rookie came along faster than expected, so the gig had to be his. While there was a bit of a rush to paint Tuesday’s n...

New on Sports Illustrated: Dennis Rodman's Midseason Trip to Las Vegas Being Turned Into a Movie

<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/08/31/dennis-rodman-las-vegas-trip-turned-into-movie">
The scripted movie is inspired by Dennis Rodman's midseason trip to Las Vegas during the 1998 season.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
NBA Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman is getting the Hollywood treatment and one of his most famous storylines will be made into a movie.
During the 2020 documentary The Last Dance, the series revolving around the Bulls of the 90s, it was shown that Rodman once asked coach Phil Jackson if he could have some time off in the middle of the 1998 season. And when Jackson approved of his 48-hour vacation, Rodman went off to Las Vegas and the team didn't hear from Rodman for more than the allotted time. 
But now, Lionsgate will be creating a movie titled 48 Hours in Las Vegas that chronicles the trip. The scripted movie will be produced by Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Aditya Sood for Lord Miller, according to <a href="https://deadline.com/2021/08/lionsgate-48-hours-in-vegas-dennis-rodman-lord-miller-1234824207/">Deadline's Justin Kroll</a>. Ari Lubet, Will Allegra and Rodman will executive produce and the screenplay will be written by Jordan VanDina.
"There’s only one Dennis Rodman. In 1998, there was nobody on Earth who’d be more fun – or maybe more dangerous – to party with," Nathan Kahane, president of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group told Deadline. "And yet that’s not even half of who he is. This movie takes you on an unforgettable ride with the myth, the legend, and also the man that Dennis is, behind everything you think you know. We could not be more thrilled to be working with Phil, Chris, Aditya, Ari, Will, and Jordan, and above all, Dennis, whose amazing career and life will make for an off-the-wall hilarious yet completely human and emotional movie. You think you know anything about ’The Worm’? Just you wait!”
A release date is unknown and no actors have been connected to the film yet.
More NBA Coverage: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/08/27/nba-mailbag-warriors-contenders-blazers-trade-rumors">Mailbag: Are the Warriors Serious Title Contenders?</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/08/25/2021-nba-offseason-awards-lakers-nets-rockets">NBA Offseason Awards</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2021/08/30/rajon-rondo-signs-one-year-deal-with-laker">Report: Rajon Rondo to Return to Lakers on One-Year Deal </a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Dennis Rodman's Midseason Trip to Las Vegas Being Turned Into a Movie

The scripted movie is inspired by Dennis Rodman's midseason trip to Las Vegas during the 1998 season. View the original article to s...

New on Sports Illustrated: SI Betting Guide to NFL Player Props

<a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/08/31/nfl-player-props-over-under-guide">
The 2021 NFL season begins soon and it's time to find an edge in the betting market on season-long player prop over/under totals
With 
</a><a href="https://www.sisportsbook.com/">SI Sportsbook</a> opening soon paired with my season-long and weekly NFL stat projections, my natural progression is to find flaws and opportunities in the betting lines to beat the books on futures and player props.
The goal is to set a fair outlook on each team’s offense and each player's injury risk and upside. By doing over four months of research, I hope to find betting opportunities on player props.
<h3>RB Mike Davis, Atlanta Falcons</h3>
<figure><img height="413" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzMDMyOTM4NzQzNDczNTcx/atlanta-falcons-mike-davis.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports
</figcaption>
</figure>
There are two excellent betting opportunities posted at the sportsbooks with Davis. My last set of <a href="https://www.si.com/fantasy/2021/07/13/football-rankings-stat-projections">projections</a> have him rushing for 649 yards on 180 carries with six rushing touchdowns. His over/under in rushing yards is 800.5. I don’t view Davis as a season-long answer at running back. Over his six years in the league, he averaged only 3.7 yards per rush while also lacking explosiveness in the passing game (6.4 yards per catch).
The Falcons’ running backs gained 3.7 and 3.8 yards per rush in 2019 (325/1,217/9) and 2020 (378/1,444/12), showcasing the tiny holes created in their offensive line. In addition, Atlanta lost their starting center to free agency in the offseason.
Based on his career path and his new team, Davis would need more than 215 rushes (12.6 per week over 17 games) to reach 801 yards. I don’t expect him to keep the starting job all season based on his age (28) and his journeyman career path. The bets here are on the under on 800.5 yards and under 7.5 rushing touchdowns. Davis has 11 career rushing touchdowns over 62 career games. His success last year with Carolina (165/642/6 – 3.9 yards per rush) was the best of his career. The Falcons have a pair of big backs on their roster, which invites a rotation over 17 games at the goal line.
Both plays on Davis should be easy wins.
Bet: UNDER 800.5 rushing yards 
Bet: UNDER 7.5 rushing touchdowns
<h3>RB Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers</h3>
Over the past three seasons, Mostert gained an impressive 5.7 yards per rush despite only having seven career runs for 36 yards from 2015 and 2017. His best season came in 2019 (137/772/8) while flashing as well in 2020 (104/521/2) over eight contests.
His over/under in rushing yards (700.5) sits in a fair area, and he could reach this number with 141 carries if he gained 5.0 yards per carry.
My play on the under comes from his injury risk, and Mostert has never had over 137 rushes in his career at age 29. The 49ers have one of the better rushing offenses in the league, giving their starter plenty of chances to have success.
In 2020, Mostert missed time on three different occasions while also battling a knee issue in June and July.
Bet: UNDER 700.5 rushing yards
<h3>WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers</h3>
In late August, the prop betting lines for Smith-Schuster in receiving yards (790.5) and touchdowns (6) point to an opportunity on the over. He has been in the NFL for four seasons, with the past three coming as a starter.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc2NjkzMzQ1MDE4NDU2MDQz/juju-smith-schuster-james-washington-pittsburgh-steelers-celebrate.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
</figcaption>
</figure>
After a dominating 2018 as the Steelers' WR2 (111/1,426/7), he battled injuries the following year (42/552/3) over 12 games. Pittsburgh gave him 128 targets, which was the 15th-best wide receiver opportunity in the league. Despite his chances, he ranked 36th in receiving yards (831) due to the lowest output in yards per catch (8.6). In essence, Smith-Schuster finished with a good running back value in the length of his catches. He gained 13.7 yards per reception over his first 42 games, and the league average for wide receivers in 2020 came in at 12.6 yards.
Pittsburgh has three talented wide receivers plus two viable pass-catching tight ends. They also added a top-tier power runner who will be a factor in the passing game. However, their major question is their offensive line.
Pittsburgh will throw the ball 600 times, and their wideouts will be active (270/3,257/22). In my latest projections, I have Smith-Schuster on track for 87 catches for 924 yards and seven touchdowns while gaining 10.7 yards per catch. Based on this, he would need 74 catches to win on the over in receiving yards or a 23.8 percent drop from his catch total in 2020.
As for touchdowns, I don’t view it as strong of a play, but Smith-Schuster scored over six times in three seasons (7, 7, and 9) while averaging a touchdown in 44.8 percent of his games (7.6 scores projected over 17 weeks).
Bet: OVER 790.5 receiving yards 
Bet: OVER 6 receiving touchdowns
<h3>WR Gabriel Davis, Buffalo Bills</h3>
The writing is on the wall for Davis to emerge as the WR2 for the Bills. In his rookie season, he caught 35 of his 62 targets for 599 yards and seven touchdowns. Buffalo had him on the field for 73.3 percent of their plays, confirming his WR2 status by snaps (797). The training camp news has been positive, and he continues to be a layup in drafts (ADP – 143). The sportsbooks set his betting line at 650.5 yards and 5.5 touchdowns. In my latest projection update, I have Davis catching 61 passes for 920 yards and eight touchdowns. The play here is over in his receiving yards.
Bet: OVER 650.5 receiving yards 
Bet: OVER 5.5 receiving touchdowns
<h3>RB D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions</h3>
Swift comes into Week 1 with concerns about his playing time due to an August groin issue. In his rookie season, he caught 46 passes for 357 yards and two scores over 13 games. His betting line on catches (52.5) and yards (375.5) looks low when adding in the Lions’ new head coach and offensive coordinator featured the running back in the passing game for the Saints (113/987/6) and the Chargers (128/890/4) in 2020. Last season, Detroit completed 89 passes for 712 yards and three touchdowns to their running backs.
The Lions brought in Jamaal Williams to split time at running back. Over his previous four seasons with the Packers, he averaged 30.5 catches for 240 yards and two scores. Swift is the better pass-catching, and I have him projected for 80 catches for 582 yards and three touchdowns (Williams – 28/185/1). Even if he missed a couple of games, he would still have a favorable opportunity to hit the over on catches and receiving yards.
Bet: OVER 52.5 receptions 
Bet: OVER 375.5 receiving yards
More from SI Betting:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/08/18/passing-yard-projections-successful-fantasy-quarterbacks">Passing Yards Player Prop Betting Projections</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/08/25/running-back-rankings-rushing-yards-player-prop-betting-projections">Rushing Yards Player Prop Betting Projections</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/08/19/highest-scoring-nfl-team-best-bets">2021 Highest-Scoring NFL Team by the Odds: Top-Five Best Bets</a> 
• <a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/08/26/2022-college-football-playoff-championship-betting-futures-breakdown-odds">2022 College Football Playoff Championship Futures Breakdown & Odds</a>
<hr />
Senior analyst <a href="https://www.si.com/author/shawn-childs">Shawn Childs</a> is a multi-sport, high-stakes fantasy legend with lifetime earnings in the high six-figures. He has been providing in-depth, analytical break downs for years all while helping his subscribers to countless titles and winnings across season-long & DFS. An inaugural inductee of the NFBC Hall of Fame, Shawn can teach you how to prep like a champ!
<a href="https://twitter.com/shawn__childs">Follow @Shawn__Childs on Twitter</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: SI Betting Guide to NFL Player Props

The 2021 NFL season begins soon and it's time to find an edge in the betting market on season-long player prop over/under totals With ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Cam Newton on Patriots Release: 'Don't Feel Sorry for Me'

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/31/cam-newton-patriots-release-statement-thanks-fans">
Cam Newton issued a statement Tuesday morning shortly after multiple reports of his release, thanking Patriots fans for their support.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
Shortly after reports surfaced that the <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/31/cam-newton-released-mac-jones-start-patriots">Patriots were releasing Cam Newton</a>, the veteran quarterback issued a statement thanking fans for their support.
<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/31/cam-newton-released-mac-jones-start-patriots"></a>
"I really appreciate all the love and support during this time, but I must say...please don't feel sorry for me," Newton <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1432730255366701066">wrote in an Instagram post.</a>
Newton struggled last season, his first with New England, as the franchise finished 7—9 and missed the playoffs. In 15 starts, Newton averaged a career-low 177.1 passing yards per game and finished the season with eight passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also had 592 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
The 32-year-old Newton spent the first nine seasons of his NFL career with the Panthers, making three Pro Bowl appearances and winning the MVP award in 2015, becoming just the second Black quarterback to do so.
In recent years, Newton has dealt with a number of injuries, including having minor arm and abdomen injuries in 2020 and a Lisfranc injury in his left foot that required surgery in 2019. That season, his last in Carolina, Newton missed 14 games. He also <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2019/01/24/cam-newton-arthroscopic-surgery-right-shoulder-panthers">previously underwent surgery for a shoulder injury</a> that caused him to miss the final two games of the 2018 season.
Following Newton's release, Mac Jones—the Patriots' No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL draft—is expected to be the team's Week 1 starter.
More NFL Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/tales-of-tom-brady-forgotten-rookie-year-2000-season-daily-cover">Tom Brady’s Forgotten Rookie Year</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/mmqb-deshaun-watson-trade-rumors-cutdown-day-sirianni-saleh">MMQB: Why You’re Hearing More Deshaun Watson Trade Rumors Now</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/19/dak-prescott-cover-story-brothers-suicide-broken-ankle-mental-health-recovery">Dak Prescott’s Heal Turn</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/27/lavonte-david-devin-white-bucs-lead-linebacker-revival-daily-cover">How the Bucs Are Leading a Linebacker Revival</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Cam Newton on Patriots Release: 'Don't Feel Sorry for Me'

Cam Newton issued a statement Tuesday morning shortly after multiple reports of his release, thanking Patriots fans for their support. Vie...

New on Sports Illustrated: South Carolina Grad Assistant Zeb Noland to Start at QB in Week 1

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/31/zeb-nolan-south-carolina-quarterback-graduate-assistant">
He is stepping in for the Gamecocks after quarterback Luke Doty injured his left foot during preseason practice.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTM5MTE3MjgyMzA1NDQy/zeb-noland-south-carolina.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
</figcaption>
</figure>
South Carolina is turning to its coaching staff for help on the field in 2021 as graduate assistant Zeb Noland is listed as the starting quarterback for Week 1 on the Gamecocks' depth chart.
Noland will guide South Carolina on Saturday, when the school hosts Eastern Illinois in its season opener. He will replace Luke Doty, who was slated to be South Carolina's starting quarterback before suffering a foot injury during preseason practice. 
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"></blockquote>
</div>
</a>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Although South Carolina's situation is a bit odd, Noland enters Week 1 with legitimate credentials under center. Noland appeared in nine games for Iowa State from 2017–18, tallying six touchdown passes. He appeared to complete his playing career in May, when he served as a backup quarterback at South Dakota State. But with South Carolina now in a pinch, Noland is putting the pads on once again. 
Noland is sharing reps in practice with redshirt senior Jason Brown, according to ESPN's <a href="https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/32119289/grad-assistant-zeb-noland-start-quarterback-south-carolina-gamecocks-sources-say">Chris Low</a>. Brown will serve as Noland's backup vs. Eastern Illinois. 
South Carolina enters 2021 following a 2–8 campaign last season, the final year of the Will Muschamp era. The Gamecocks <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2020/12/06/south-carolina-hiring-shane-beamer-oklahoma-assistant">hired former Oklahoma, Georgia and Virginia Tech assistant Shane Beamer</a> as head coach in December 2020. 
More College Football Coverage: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">Forde-Yard Dash: Coaches Facing Critical Week 1 Tests</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/scott-frost-nebraska-running-out-of-time-turnaround-loss-illinois">Frost's Nebraska Is Running Into More of the Same Problems</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/north-carolina-central-sends-message-shifting-meac-hbcu-landscape">N.C. Central Sends Message With Victory Against Alcorn</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/college/texas/football/coach-sarkisian-picks-hudson-card-texas-longhorns-starting-qb">Hudson Card Named Starting Quarterback for Texas</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: South Carolina Grad Assistant Zeb Noland to Start at QB in Week 1

He is stepping in for the Gamecocks after quarterback Luke Doty injured his left foot during preseason practice. Reese Strickland-USA TO...

New on Sports Illustrated: Parent and Player Shed More Light on Bishop Sycamore Football Fiasco

<a href="https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2021/08/31/high-school-football-bishop-sycamore-details">
Unpaid bills. Over-age players. No classes. The situation keeps getting stranger.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
<h2>It just keeps getting worse</h2>
The most fascinating story in sports right now is the saga of Bishop Sycamore.
In case you’ve missed the drama of the past few days: Sycamore faced athlete factory IMG Academy in a game on Sunday as part of ESPN’s week-long high school football showcase. Sycamore was touted as a program loaded with Division-I talent, but during the 58-0 blowout, it quickly became clear that its players couldn’t hang with IMG. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill, who called the game, said on Twitter afterwards that it was a <a href="https://twitter.com/TomLuginbill/status/1432088123182358538">“total scam.”</a>
That’s the short version. The long version is that Sycamore, despite claiming to be based in Columbus, is not affiliated with the Ohio High School Athletic Association. The address it provides to recruits is the address for the library of Franklin University, where, <a href="https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2021/08/30/bishop-sycamore-high-school-football-game-espn-raises-questions-columbus-ohio-img/5649518001/">the university told the Columbus Dispatch</a>, it had previously rented a room. It is a “non-chartered, tax-supported” school, according to the Dispatch, but it’s unclear if it has filed the proper paperwork to maintain that status. (Classes are conducted online.) The Sycamore roster includes postgraduate players who are as old as 19 or 20, some of whom are alleged to have already played in juco games. Head coach Roy Johnson was <a href="https://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20190306/roy-johnson-cof-academys-first-perceptions-werent-reality">part of a federal fraud investigation</a> after the African Methodist Episcopal Church denied being involved with his previous football-focused school. Johnson also <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/bishop-sycamore-head-coach-active-warrant-civil-lawsuits">has an active bench warrant</a> for failing to appear in a domestic violence case.
Every detail that trickles out paints an increasingly damning picture of the school. The most shocking accounts come from a former player and a parent of another player, who both gave damning interviews about Sycamore after Sunday’s debacle.
Ray Holtzclaw is the father of Judah Holtzclaw, a former Sycamore player who is now on the football team at Youngstown State. Judah had planned on playing with Sycamore in the 2021 spring season, but, <a href="https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/what-it-was-like-being-a-parent-of-a-bishop-sycamore-player.html">as his father told Awful Announcing in a lengthy interview</a>, chaotic mismanagement prevented that from happening.
“They assured me everything would be taken care of, and then we were supposed to start playing football for them in the spring,” Ray said. “They had a schedule they put out. About two, maybe three weeks before the game was scheduled to play, I said ‘Where is the rest of the team and where are the uniforms? Where’s all the stuff?’ ”
Although Sycamore played six games (and lost all six), Ray held Judah off the field because the team was hardly able to practice. The father and son then turned their attention to summer 7-on-7 college recruiting events, which were also a disaster. Ray told AA that he was told by the school that it would be covering the cost of hotel rooms for a camp in Georgia. When Ray and Judah traveled to the next camp ahead of the rest of the team, he was hit with a surprise bill for $2,500. The hotel told him none of the team’s 15 rooms had been paid for.
The elder Holtzclaw also relayed a story of traveling to a camp at Houston with another unnamed Sycamore player only to be told by a Cougars coach that the other player would not be allowed to attend because he had faked his highlights.
The most troubling account of life at Bishop Sycamore comes from a former player named Aaron Boyd, who played for Johnson when the school was known as Christians of Faith Academy. (Johnson’s failed quest to build COF Academy <a href="https://www.thisweeknews.com/news/20190308/how-close-was-cof-academy-to-fruition-bats-question">was the subject of a six-part series by Andrew King</a>, a reporter for Columbus-area paper ThisWeek, in 2019.) <a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/bishop-sycamore-high-school-player-interview/">Boyd told Complex about his experience</a> living in a hotel, not attending classes and having to steal food in order to eat.
“They sent me books with, like, s--- on how the school was supposed to look,” Boyd said. “Blueprints and everything. They told us we was gonna be on Netflix, they recruited us telling us we were gonna be on a show. They told us we’re gonna be the IMG of the midwest. They lied to me and my mama.”
Boyd said he and his teammates were living in a hotel in Delaware, Ohio, for five months, and claims the school, despite promising to cover the costs, never paid the bill. (Holtzclaw also mentioned issues with housing, saying the mother of another player contacted him after her son “had lost a lot of items at the apartment they got kicked out of.”)
“For the last month and a half, we had about 35 players,” Boyd said. “We moved into these new houses. For that month and a half, we was all sleeping on the floor. We had to go rob Meijers, Krogers, Walmart because that’s the only way we can eat.”
School, Boyd said, was an afterthought. He ended up having to repeat his junior year.
“We didn’t go to school. We never went to school,” he told Complex. “I can’t lie, they tried once. They took us to a community library. One day. It was already October, the season was about to be over. It was like at this point, ‘Well s---, I’m not going to school. Y’all haven’t put me through school this whole time.’ ”
When Sycamore’s deception was first revealed, it reminded me <a href="https://www.si.com/more-sports/2012/08/23/high-school-football-virtual-powerhouse">of a 2012 Sports Illustrated story</a> about a football-first online school in Maryland. But the Sycamore story seems shadier and shadier as each layer of the onion is peeled back. I can’t recommend enough that you read <a href="https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/what-it-was-like-being-a-parent-of-a-bishop-sycamore-player.html">Holtzclaw’s full interview with AA</a> and <a href="https://www.complex.com/sports/bishop-sycamore-high-school-player-interview">Boyd’s full conversation with Complex</a>. There are too many outrageous details to cover here. 
<h2>The best of SI</h2>
Can you believe the gall of <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/30/mets-booing-fans-good-vibes-only">Mets fans to boo when they’re having such a great season</a>? ... The latest <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/30/power-rankings-giants-braves-mariners-marlins-cubs">MLB power rankings as the season’s final month approaches</a>. ... Who is <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/30/miguel-cabrera-juan-soto-the-opener">the next Miguel Cabrera</a>?
<h2>Around the sports world</h2>
John Harbaugh defended his decision <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32114706/baltimore-ravens-coach-john-harbaugh-defends-playing-starting-rb-jk-dobbins-suffered-season-ending-knee-injury-preseason-finale">to play starting running back J.K. Dobbins in Baltimore’s final preseason game, after Dobbins tore his ACL</a>. ... Peyton and Eli Manning <a href="https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/peyton-manning-espn-broadcast-host-eli-nfl-01febv0w5cta">won’t be joined by a third host for their alternate Monday Night Football broadcast</a>. ... Andy Murray says he “lost respect” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/aug/31/tennis-andy-murray-stefanos-tsitsipas-respect-us-open-toilet-breaks">for Stefanos Tsitsipas when he took excessively long bathroom breaks during their five-set match</a>.
<h3>Holy crap</h3>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/globejimmcbride/status/1432706144557051924"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<h3>Mookie’s mom is a riot</h3>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/sportscenter/status/1432547123870982144"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<h3>Too smooth</h3>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1432549778173399040"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<h3>Steelers fans are up in arms over JuJu Smith-Schuster doing this but I don’t think I’ve seen a person do the milk crate challenge so slowly</h3>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/MattLight/status/1432380003988168705"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<h3>Hockey fans lined the streets for one final stick tap at Jimmy Hayes’s funeral</h3>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/kleegs314/status/1432420581090250753"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<h3>Danny Green got a sick tattoo commemorating his title with the Raptors</h3>
<iframe width="320" height="320" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/CTKor1ELn08/embed" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<h2>Not sports</h2>
An episode of Ted Lasso <a href="https://gizmodo.com/a-notchless-next-gen-iphone-inexplicably-pops-up-in-ted-1847582992">might contain a sneak preview of the newest iPhone (or not)</a>. ... China is limiting kids <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-technology-business-china-arts-and-entertainment-aaaf26e80a6fab6d8e3de4613468ca30">to three hours of online video games per week</a>. ... A Polish company is selling a <a href="https://www.unilad.co.uk/technology/expensive-new-phone-causes-controversy-after-basically-being-a-nokia-3310/">“minimalist phone” for $369 that’s basically a ripoff of an old Nokia</a>. 
<h3>I laughed</h3>
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/RustyBertrand/status/1431242718286688256"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<h2>A good song</h2>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6xS3jhZi7Jc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or <a href="https://twitter.com/Dan_Gartland">follow me on Twitter</a> for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. <a href="https://www.si.com/tag/hot-clicks">Bookmark this page</a> to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0KhJJa6nSLoPreU3oJpmMZ?si=jLW6kicrT0e9w5slye4SiA">I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here</a>. Visit our <a href="http://si.com/extra-mustard">Extra Mustard page</a> throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.

New on Sports Illustrated: Parent and Player Shed More Light on Bishop Sycamore Football Fiasco

Unpaid bills. Over-age players. No classes. The situation keeps getting stranger. View the original article to see embedded media. It ju...

New on Sports Illustrated: Source: Patriots Release QB Cam Newton; Mac Jones to Start Week 1

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/31/cam-newton-released-mac-jones-start-patriots">
Following Newton's release, Mac Jones, New England's No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, will be the team's Week 1 starter.
<div>View the</div>
original article</a> to see embedded media.
The Patriots released quarterback Cam Newton on Tuesday, <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1432707916969172994">according to The MMQB's Albert Breer.</a>
The news was <a href="https://twitter.com/globejimmcbride/status/1432706144557051924">first reported by The Boston Globe's Jim McBride.</a>
Newton had been preparing for his second season with the franchise after re-signing on a one-year deal this past offseason. 
As a result of the release, Mac Jones, New England's No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, will be the team's Week 1 starter, per Breer.
The 32-year-old Newton struggled last season, his first with the Patriots, as the franchise finished 7—9 and missed the playoffs. In 15 starts, Newton averaged a career-low 177.1 passing yards per game and finished the season with eight passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also had 592 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.
Last Monday, amid the quarterback battle with Jones, the team announced Newton had to be away from the team until Aug. 26 after a <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/23/cam-newton-patriots-out-august-26-tests-misunderstanding">"misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities."</a> Newton then returned to practice late last week. 
Jones, a former Alabama star who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting last year, threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns with four interceptions and a 77.4 completion percentage.
In the preseason, Jones completed 36 of his 52 pass attempts for 389 yards and one touchdown.
As recent as Aug. 29, coach Bill Belichick had yet to give an inclination as to who would start Week 1 for the Patriots. 
"No, we still have a lot of decisions to make," Belichick said after Sunday night's 22–20 win over the Giants in the preseason finale.
Newton started Sunday and played two series, all with the starters. Jones relieved Newton and played deep into the third quarter, all with the backups.
Newton is a three-time Pro Bowler and was the NFL's MVP in 2015, when he starred as a member of the Panthers. 
New England opens its season on Sept. 12 vs. the Dolphins.
More NFL Coverage:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/tales-of-tom-brady-forgotten-rookie-year-2000-season-daily-cover">Tom Brady’s Forgotten Rookie Year</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/mmqb-deshaun-watson-trade-rumors-cutdown-day-sirianni-saleh">MMQB: Why You’re Hearing More Deshaun Watson Trade Rumors Now</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/19/dak-prescott-cover-story-brothers-suicide-broken-ankle-mental-health-recovery">Dak Prescott’s Heal Turn</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/27/lavonte-david-devin-white-bucs-lead-linebacker-revival-daily-cover">How the Bucs Are Leading a Linebacker Revival</a></li>
</ul>

New on Sports Illustrated: Source: Patriots Release QB Cam Newton; Mac Jones to Start Week 1

Following Newton's release, Mac Jones, New England's No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, will be the team's Week 1 starter. Vie...

New on Sports Illustrated: 2021 MLB Betting Futures Update - Brewers Closing in on Dodgers

<a href="https://www.si.com/gambling/2021/08/31/mlb-futures-betting-odds-update">
Milwaukee, San Francisco & Tampa Bay's odds shrinking in betting futures as we approach the final month of the 2021 MLB regular season
With a little over 30 games remaining in the 2021 MLB regular season, the oddsmakers have begun to make significant adjustments in their future markets as division races heat up. Focusing on one favorite or spotting a longshot who offers long-term value remains the best way to attack futures betting.
Let’s take a deeper look into the risers and fallers in each respective offering.
<h3>2021 WORLD SERIES FUTURES ODDS</h3>
<figure><img height="553" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTI4Mzg5NTI3NzQxNDc4/world-series.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
<h3>ON THE MOVE</h3>
The Los Angeles Dodgers (+250) remain overwhelming favorites in the eyes of the oddsmakers to win the 2021 World Series. Jockeying behind the Dodgers on the overall odds board are four teams. The Milwaukee Brewers are at +700. The next three teams are tied at +800: Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.
Tampa Bay, who have won eight consecutive games, has opened up a seven-game lead in the AL East over the Yankees. The red-hot Yankees, who are 8-3 in their last 11 games, offer solid double-digit value at 10/1.
This week's biggest move belongs to the Milwaukee Brewers, who have attained a firm grip on first place in the NL Central. In World Series odds, Milwaukee was being offered at +1600 last month only to see a sizable reduction this week down to their lowest odds of the season at +700.
<h3>LOSING RESPECT</h3>
The Philadelphia Phillies, despite being 11 games over .500 at home (39-28) and possessing a strong NL CY Young candidate in Zach Wheeler, are being written off by oddsmakers in World Series Futures. The Phillies, now 3.5-games out in the NL East, see their World Series odds rise from 40/1 to +300/1.
In addition, the New York Mets - who are just 3-7 over their last 10 games, have fallen 7.0-games behind the Braves in the race for the NL East crown. The oddsmakers, who were offering the Mets at odds of 40/1 last week, have lost faith in the boys from Queens offering the club at their highest odds of 2021 at 2000/1.
<hr />
<h3>2021 AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT FUTURES ODDS</h3>
<figure><img height="305" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTI4NjEzOTM5NzgyNjk0/al-pen.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
The Tampa Bay Rays, who have posted a record of 27-9 (.750) over their last 36 games, remain in a three-way tie this week in AL Pennant Futures with the White Sox and Astros at odds of +325.
The New York Yankees, 21-6 (.777) in August, continue to offer solid value at +450. Joey Gallo, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Anthony Rizzo have made the Yankees a team to be feared in October. There simply may not be a better lineup in all of baseball.
<hr />
<h3>2021 NATIONAL LEAGUE PENNANT FUTURES ODDS</h3>
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTI4NTI0ODE5MjExNjgy/nl-pen.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
The Dodgers, who have a 12.5-game lead in the National League Wild Card race, continue to own the top perch atop the NL Pennant odds board (+120) well ahead of San Francisco, who sit at +450.
<figure><img height="349" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTcxMDIyNjIyOTI1MDcxNDAy/tom-verduccis-one-minute-preview--milwaukee-brewers00_00_33_12still001.jpg" width="620" /></figure>
I will continue to stress it, but the lack of respect for a Giants club that owns the best record (84-47) in Major League Baseball continues to lead to immense value for bettors. San Francisco has the second-best run differential (+142) in the National League while owning the best home record at 42-19 (.689) in all of baseball.
The biggest move over the past week belongs to the Brewers - who opened up a 9.0-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central. The Brewers, offered at odds of +500 last week, have now moved ahead of the Giants at +350.
<hr />
<h3>2021 PLAYER BETTING FUTURES</h3>
In the Cy Young betting markets, Vegas sportsbooks are very happy to see the recent struggles of Chicago White Sox’s Lance Lynn. The veteran who was -200 to win the AL Cy Young award last week is now +195 after going winless (0-1) in August with a 4.67 ERA in five starts. Last week we shared that the absolute value in the market fell upon Gerrit Cole at +195. Cole, who is 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA, has been lights out in August, posting a 3-0 record with a 0.51 ERA in three victories over the Angels, Twins and Athletics. Oddsmakers have made a major adjustment with Cole as the prohibitive favorite (-165) on the AL Cy Young betting board.
<figure><img height="465" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc2MTc1MjY1OTMwNTUzMjIz/usatsi_15081917.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports
</figcaption>
</figure>
Over in the National League, Los Angeles Dodgers hard-throwing ace Walker Buehler who was (+165) last week, is now the -110 favorite for NL Cy Young. Oddsmakers now have moved Buehler into a dominant betting position over Corbin Burnes (+200) of the Brewers and Zach Wheeler of the Phillies (+550).
The best value on the board continues to be Max Scherzer at +1600. The veteran, who is now 12-4 with a 2.51 ERA and a minuscule 0.88 WHIP, has not lost since May 30 and is 4-0 with 1.55 ERA in five starts since being acquired from the Washington Nationals.
<hr /></a><a href="https://www.twitter.com/Frankie_Fantasy">Frankie Taddeo</a> is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter <a href="https://www.twitter.com/Frankie_Fantasy">@Frankie_Fantasy</a> for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.

New on Sports Illustrated: 2021 MLB Betting Futures Update - Brewers Closing in on Dodgers

Milwaukee, San Francisco & Tampa Bay's odds shrinking in betting futures as we approach the final month of the 2021 MLB regular sea...

New on Sports Illustrated: Forde-Yard Dash: 'College GameDay's' Kirk Herbstreit On Career, Football Landscape

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/31/ncaa-football-q-and-a-gameday-kirk-herbstreit">
The Dash interviews the former Ohio State quarterback, examines six former Tennessee players and welcomes Illinois's Bret Bielema back to the Big Ten.
Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, which at least doesn’t have a Bishop Sycamore travesty on its hands:
MORE DASH:
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">Coaching Tests</a> | <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/ncaa-football-new-coordinators-alabama-notre-dame">Coordinator Changes</a> | <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/31/ncaa-football-backlash-predictions-week-1-clemson-georgia">Backlash Predictions</a>
<h3>FOURTH QUARTER: THE HERBSTREIT INTERVIEW</h3>
Television both literally and figuratively reduces people to two-dimensional characters. What we see of them on-air provides little depth, just an image and a role. For a quarter century, the role played by Kirk Herbstreit (31) on ESPN has been Golden Boy. He’s the handsome, former Ohio State quarterback turned College GameDay cornerstone, and Chris Fowler’s sidekick analyst on the major ABC game of the week. A perfectly fine and enviable image and role.
Then Kirk wrote a book with his ESPN colleague Gene Wojciechowski, “Out of the Pocket: Football, Fatherhood and College Gameday Saturdays.” And suddenly he gained new dimension and greater depth. Suddenly, we learned about a chaotic childhood that was marked by long absences from his father, and often absences of much money or food. We learned about the boy who bounced from school to school, with sports one of the few anchors in his life. We learned about a high school star whose college career was rarely glorious and often frustrating.
There is more to Kirk Herbstreit than the vast majority of us knew, and learning about it made arguably the most prominent figure in college football all the more relatable. A short Dash Q&A with Herbstreit:
Pat Forde: How much did your upbringing influence the way you’ve tried to parent your four children?
Kirk Herbstreit: It definitely had a huge impact. Some people grew up in a family where they had a mom and dad in the house who were great examples for their kids. My parents were great people who were very loving; they just had a problem staying together. It made me and my siblings feel like we were caught in the middle. There were holes in my life, and I didn’t want my kids to feel that.
As loving as my dad was, he was not good at confrontation. In avoiding confrontation, he’d avoid me and my siblings. I was never mad at my dad; it was more of an emptiness. I wanted more of my dad than I got.
So with my kids, I’ve lived my life in the front row of their lives (32) for 21 years. I knew everything they were involved in. I took them to school, I picked them up. I got into the crosshairs of my past, where I didn’t have that example, and I’m trying my best now to be there for them.
SI: Last fall, you broke down on-camera during GameDay in response to an emotional Maria Taylor piece talking to some Black players about the racism, anger and fear they have experienced in their lives. Where did reaction that come from?
KH: It’s not easy for me to open my heart up and be vulnerable. I compartmentalized things for 40 years. I think it was a combination of a lot of things: how sad it made me to see our country being so divided; the strain of the pandemic; and listening to these athletes talking about their lives to Maria. It wasn’t planned. I had talked to [Stanford coach] David Shaw and [former Vanderbilt coach] Derek Mason during the week, and I had two options: be quiet as a white man, listen and observe, which would be the safe route; or speak from the heart, and after talking to David Shaw I felt more prepared to do that.
But I was still having a battle internally and as it was being thrown to me, I just said, “I’ve got to say what I think (33).” When you hold in a lot of thoughts, sometimes it only takes one thing to happen and boom, [the emotions] come out. That’s what happened.
SI: How does it feel to go from a moderately successful college player to an inexperienced broadcaster to arguably the voice of an entire sport?
KH: It’s powerful. It’s not like I walk around calling myself “The voice of college football,” but people are interested in what all of us on Gameday have to say. The heat in that seat is real (34).
I’m a pleaser by nature—I wanted my mom and dad to be proud of me, my teachers and coaches to like me. I’m that way with fans, too. If 100 told me “good job” and one person called me a bozo, I wanted to go to that one fan and say, “Hey, man, what did I do?” I take an immense amount of pride in my work and work very hard, but I had to eventually learn not to take things people say so personally.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTI4NjUwNzE1NDQwMTY2/kirk-herbstreit.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Kirsten Fiscus/Advertiser via Imagn Content Services, LLC
</figcaption>
</figure>
SI: The pace of change in the sport is faster than ever, and the changes are major. How do you see the landscape right now?
KH: I’m trying not to jump to conclusions, trying to stay open-minded. There is always resistance to change, and anytime you change a sport people are so passionate about, it’s OK to have those reactions.  
So far, the NIL stuff is not as drastic as everyone thought it might be (35). I can’t wait for a year or two from now to see where it goes. 
SI: What about realignment?
KH: I’m fearful that Texas and Oklahoma leaving for the SEC—what is that doing to Texas Tech and TCU and Iowa State? What about Kansas and Kansas State? Where are they going? The fear of that unknown has us all up in arms, we’re dreaming up these doomsday scenarios. Are we headed toward four super conferences? It feels that way (36).
How are we, as a group, going to move toward a place where everybody trusts each other? We have five Roger Goodells in college football. We’ve reached the point where we need one leader to get us through all this, or we’re going to be too divided to move forward.
<h3>STAT OF THE WEEK</h3>
Six former Tennessee (37) players are expected to start or heavily contribute for Top Ten teams this season: running backs Eric Gray (Oklahoma) and Ty Chandler (North Carolina); offensive linemen Wanya Morris (Oklahoma) and Jahmir Johnson (Texas A&M); linebacker Henry To’o To’o (Alabama) and defensive back Key Lawrence (Oklahoma). Makes you wonder what a competent Tennessee coaching staff could have done with all those guys, instead of Jeremy Pruitt & Co. Watching all those players perform for prominent teams, plus the expected struggles for the Volunteers as they dig out from the Pruitt crater and transition to Josh Heupel, makes Tennessee The Dash’s preseason favorite for Most Miserable Fan Base of 2021.
<h3>COACH WHO EARNED HIS COMP CAR THIS WEEK</h3>
Bret Bielema (38), Illinois. As they say on the old Disney movie, “The Aristocats:” Big Man O’Malley is back in his alley. Big Bret is back in his comfort zone in the Big Ten, where he won big at Wisconsin before making an ill-advised departure to Arkansas. Now at perpetual underachiever Illinois, the Bielema Era got off to a rollicking start while doing serious damage to <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/scott-frost-nebraska-running-out-of-time-turnaround-loss-illinois">Scott Frost’s viability at Nebraska</a>. The Illini’s 30-22 upset of the Cornhuskers marked their first wins in consecutive years over a Big Ten West rival since the league went to its current divisional alignment in 2014. Very, very nice start.
<h3>COACH WHO SHOULD TAKE THE BUS TO WORK</h3>
Randy Edsall (39), Connecticut. Even Edsall’s joke of an incentive structure couldn’t dredge bonuses out of the Huskies’ debacle of an opener, a 45-0 shellacking at Fresno State. Of the nine FBS teams that played in Week Zero, UConn is last in the nation in total offense, total defense, scoring offense and scoring defense. Some folks in the northeast actually seemed to think taking last season off completely from competition wouldn’t have a negative effect on this season. The early returns rather strongly suggest otherwise.
<h3>POINT AFTER</h3>
If ever there were a joint made for close The Dash, it’s the newly opened Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille (40) in Gainesville. Dash sources say the food is excellent, but the ambience takes it up another level with diagram of famous Head Ball Coach ball plays on the walls. It seems imperative to try a 52-20 Pale Ale, named after the score of the Gators’ beatdown of Florida State to win their first national title on Jan. 1, 1997. 
MORE DASH: <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">Coaching Tests</a> | <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/ncaa-football-new-coordinators-alabama-notre-dame">Coordinator Changes</a> | <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/31/ncaa-football-backlash-predictions-week-1-clemson-georgia">Backlash Predictions</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Forde-Yard Dash: 'College GameDay's' Kirk Herbstreit On Career, Football Landscape

The Dash interviews the former Ohio State quarterback, examines six former Tennessee players and welcomes Illinois's Bret Bielema back ...

New on Sports Illustrated: Why Some NFL Players Switched to Single-Digit Jersey Numbers

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/31/nfl-players-single-digit-jerseys-sterling-shepard-patrick-queen">
Players like Sterling Shepard and Patrick Queen shared their reasons for making the switch once the rule was loosened.
Patrick Queen charged toward Saints quarterback Taysom Hill, diving at his opponent’s legs and
</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8z6xzmtZ60">forcing him to the ground</a> for a loss of 12 yards. The Ravens linebacker stayed down for a moment, kneeling on the ground and flexing while a teammate came over and gave him a few taps on the helmet as the crowd at M&T Bank Stadium cheered.
The play didn’t just force a fourth down in an August preseason game; it also gave fans a glimpse of something the NFL had never seen before: a sack by a player wearing a single-digit jersey number.
Since the league imposed a stricter system in 1973 (before sacks were official), only quarterbacks, kickers and punters could don single-digit numbers. But, in April, the longstanding restrictions changed when <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/04/08/nfl-allow-jersey-number-changes-2021-season">NFL owners accepted a proposal</a> from the Chiefs.
Players across the league, like Queen, quickly took advantage of the opportunity. Though, in order to do so, each one (unless they changed teams over the offseason) had to buy out the remaining inventory of unsold jerseys with their former number, which could be a hefty price in some cases.
Here are some of the best stories behind number switch-ups around the league.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTIzNjc1ODAxMTM0NDk4/nfl-single-digit-jerseys-sterling-shepard-patrick-queen.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Kevin R. Wexler/NorthJersey.com/USA TODAY Network (Shepard); Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports (Queen)
</figcaption>
</figure>
Sterling Shepard, WR, Giants: switched from 87 to 3
Shepard has tried to honor his father, who died when he was 6 years old, throughout his football career. When he first entered the league as a second-round pick for the Giants in 2016, Shepard chose No. 87, one of the six numbers Derrick Shepard wore throughout his time in the NFL as a wide receiver for Washington, the Cowboys and the Saints from 1987 to ’91.
Though 87 carried a special meaning in that regard, three is the number Shepard really associates with his father.
That’s what his father wore at Oklahoma, where he went from walk-on to starting wide receiver for the 1985 national championship team. Three is the number that was on the helmet the Sooners sent Shepard following the fatal heart attack in ’99, telling the young boy he’d one day follow in the footsteps of his father (who also coached there for a brief period) and uncles. Three is the number he wore from that point forward, whenever he had the choice at least, from Pop Warner through his own playing days as a Sooner.
So, when he heard that the rule was changing back in April, Shepard wanted to make the switch right away.
“It's something I've always wanted to do, and it feels good just to be able to honor him in that way—wearing the number three and having the Shepard on the back of my jersey,” he said. “And I'm sure that he would be proud of me as far as I’ve come so far.”
Budda Baker, S, Cardinals: switched from 32 to 3
As soon as the number rule change was announced, Baker knew he wanted to switch as well.
The option to be one of the first safeties wearing single digits in the NFL was appealing in itself, but even more so was the chance to wear No. 3.
“I take numbers very serious,” Baker said in his first media availability of the offseason.
His love of the number three comes from growing up as a huge Allen Iverson fan. He was enamored by the way the Philadelphia 76ers guard changed basketball with his unique “swag” on and off the court, and he also admired Iverson’s effort, which he tries to emulate on the football field. It felt like a natural fit.
Unlike many players who changed their numbers this offseason, Baker never wore three during his college playing days at Washington, or even in high school. But now emulating the 11-time All-Star, the safety looks to continue his success in the league, aiming to turn his three Pro Bowl appearances in four years into a legacy for his franchise.
“Hopefully that number never gets worn again for the Cardinals,” Baker said.
<iframe height="482" width="100%" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?p=DGT4935950864" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Julio Jones, WR, Titans: switched from 11 to 2
For the first time since he entered the league in 2011, Jones will be playing for a new franchise and with a new number, trading in No. 11 on the Falcons for No. 2 on the Titans.
The seven-time Pro Bowl selection was at dinner with new teammates, wide receiver A.J. Brown and quarterback Ryan Tannehill, shortly after he joined Tennessee when Brown offered to give him the signature number. But Jones declined.
“I was like, ‘Bro, I don’t want it. That’s your number,’ ” Jones recalled in his introductory press conference.
Jones opted to go with No. 2 instead. The number didn’t hold a previous meaning for him, but it is symbolic.
“One plus one is two, then two times 11 is 22, so, it’s kind of like … you’re gonna have to deal with us,” Jones said.
Brown, the Titans’ top receiver, is No. 11, and star running back Derrick Henry has worn No. 22 throughout his time in the league. Though Tannehill couldn’t fit into the math equation, Jones said the message speaks to him and the entire 11-man offense as well.
“It’s just something just to keep the guys going and just have fun with it,” Jones said. “Because at the end of the day it’s our job, but we want to have fun with it.”
Patrick Queen, LB, Ravens: switched from 48 to 6
Queen had his eye on No. 8, which he wore at LSU en route to the 2020 national championship, once the rule change was announced. But, of course, that number was occupied by none other than his quarterback, ’19 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.
Queen tried to negotiate his way toward a bargain with Jackson on Twitter, to no avail, later tweeting it was a joke. But Queen still wanted to take advantage of the new rule entering his second year in the league.
“It was just the right thing to do,” Queen said during his first media availability of the offseason. “Single-digit swag, just the swagger that comes with it, just the feel that comes with it.”
When you see Queen making plays for the Ravens this season, building off a Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign last year, he’ll be wearing No. 6 as a nod to his hometown of Ventress, La.
“Back home, the place that we from, we call it ‘Six,’ ” Queen said. “Just try to put the city on me, try to show ’em where I’m from.”
More NFL Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/tales-of-tom-brady-forgotten-rookie-year-2000-season-daily-cover">Tom Brady's Forgotten Rookie Year</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/predicting-every-game-2021-nfl-season">Predicting Every Game of the 2021 Season</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/25/how-derrick-henry-handles-workload-that-should-ruin-him-daily-cover">How Derrick Henry Handles a Throwback Workload</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/17/early-look-2022-nfl-qb-carousel">An Early Look at the 2022 NFL Quarterback Carousel</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Why Some NFL Players Switched to Single-Digit Jersey Numbers

Players like Sterling Shepard and Patrick Queen shared their reasons for making the switch once the rule was loosened. Patrick Queen charg...

New on Sports Illustrated: In College Football, Parity Is Dead. Is There Any Hope for Change?

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/31/ncaa-football-parity-alabama-clemson-daily-cover">
The sport's playoff has become an exclusive playground for Alabama, Clemson and a few other powerhouses.
One of the greatest offensive minds in the history of college football happens to belong to one of the sport’s most braggadocious men, and today Steve Spurrier is especially eager to crow. He waves a visitor into his cozy office in the bowels of the stadium with a field named in his honor on Florida’s campus and kicks off the conversation with some playful boasting. A friend, he says, just told him about an interesting footnote to his iconic coaching career.
Did you know, he starts off, that the 1996 Gators, the Spurrier-coached group that went 12–1 and produced a Heisman Trophy quarterback, is the last first-time national champion in college football?
“That’s been 25 years,” the Head Ball Coach says through a smirk.
<figure><img height="814" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTIwNjgxNDAzNjIyODE4/dcovcfbbuildvt.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated
</figcaption>
</figure>
It’s true. A quarter century has passed since we’ve seen a program win its first title, a startling drought that’s just one more indicator of a trend that upstart schools from coast to coast are all too aware of: Parity is pretty much dead in college football. Since Florida announced itself as a national power, a small group of teams has done more than dominate the postseason—it has strangled any sense of competitive balance in the sport. Beginning in 1998, the first year of the BCS and the dawn of the era when national championships are decided on the field and not in the polls, six teams have combined to win 74% of the championships: Alabama (6), LSU (3), Clemson (2), Florida State (2), Florida (2) and Ohio State (2). In the last 23 years, just 17 teams have qualified for the 46 spots in championship games.
The Playoff era, which began with the 2014 season, has been even more exclusive. Four teams—Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma—have accounted for 20 of the 28 playoff spots (71%), and the Tide, Tigers and Buckeyes have combined for 11 of the possible 14 championship game berths. Last season marked a new extreme in the imbalance of the sport. For the first time in the seven years of the Playoff, none of the four participants were making their first appearance in the four-team bracket. 
The same teams are appearing so regularly that college football’s executives proposed a
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/06/16/college-football-playoff-expansion-12-teams-why">12-team playoff expansion model</a> this summer, largely to inject new blood (and yes, even more revenue) into a stale system. Fans may be growing bored with the same old teams, too: <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/01/12/alabama-championship-nick-saban-devonta-smith-daily-cover">Alabama’s win over Ohio State</a> in January drew the lowest title-game TV audience of the CFP era.
“I think it’s a problem,” says West Virginia coach Neal Brown. “It’s a problem for our sport, and we’ve got to figure out solutions.”
<figure><img height="437" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTIyNzQ0ODY2OTcyNzEw/x163498_tk1_06090-1.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
David E. Klutho/Sports Illustrated
</figcaption>
</figure>
As an assistant coach with Notre Dame in the mid- to late 1980s, Barry Alvarez never once got turned down for a visit to a prospect’s family home. “I could get into anyone’s living room and have a legit chance to sign them,” he says.
Then he took over as head coach at Wisconsin in 1990, and that all changed. “The big brands get the best kids,” says Alvarez, now a special adviser to the Big Ten, “and when you’re winning championships, that’s where the best players want to go.”
Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football, and it offers the most prominent example of how the sport’s unofficial caste system of Have and Have-not programs has become a self-perpetuating parity destruction machine. If you have a rich championship tradition, you probably also have overflowing coffers, a large fan base and lavish facilities—all the better to impress top recruits who will help you add to that championship tradition.
Of those six teams that have won three-quarters of the national titles since 1998, five rank in the top 12 nationally in athletic department budgets, according to 2019 figures from USA Today. (Clemson is the outlier at No. 22.) And of those six schools, five are part of a group that has reeled in the best talent in the nation over the last decade. In a study from MaxPreps, seven programs have signed 55% of the five-star prospects since 2011. They include LSU, Alabama, Clemson, Florida State and Ohio State, as well as USC and Georgia.
Once, schools around the country could count on a reliable pipeline of talent from their own backyards, and even the biggest programs kept their focus local.
(Bear Bryant’s last Crimson Tide championship team, in 1979, featured 71 players from Alabama and just 37 from elsewhere, including none from Texas or California.) And if you’re lucky enough to coach a school in the Southeast, you can still build a pretty good roster with regional talent. The SEC’s 11-state footprint has produced 197 five-star prospects since 2011. The other 39 states have churned out 134. (Oklahoma, which has produced two five-star prospects in that span, will soon give the SEC a 12-state footprint.) The South’s grip on college football and its talent pipelines has never been stronger. No wonder schools from Southeastern states have won 14 of the past 15 titles, the outlier being Ohio State.
But thanks to years of postseason visibility, massive social media followings and bottomless budgets, big-brand schools are making the recruiting gap between the Haves and Have-nots even wider. For a select few programs, the entire country is now the backyard. For instance, the Crimson Tide’s last two signing classes have featured 13 players from the state of Alabama and a combined 20 players from Florida and Texas. The Tide got three players from Maryland and three more from California. Its national reach has helped Bama build the country’s No. 1 recruiting class in nine of the last 11 years.
“It’s almost unfair,” says Spurrier. “At Alabama it’s like being in the NFL, winning the Super Bowl and every year getting the first 10 picks in the first round.”
It’s a cycle that is choking meaningful competition. “If you win a championship in the NFL, you’re picking last,” says Stanford coach David Shaw. “If you win the championship in college football, you’re picking first. There’s nothing that helps the people in the middle get to the top.”
<figure><a href="http://www.si.com/tag/daily-cover/" rel="nofollow"><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc5NjcyNDIyMTEzMzU1NzM2/daily-cover-promo-new.jpg" width="620" /></a></figure>
So, today’s blueblood programs are stronger, richer and more powerful than ever. But despite what Shaw says, there are a few factors that could help level the playing field. 
• The transfer portal. Players can now transfer and play for a new team immediately, making it easier for talent to spread. A school that is one or two pieces short of a championship-caliber team can dip into the transfer portal, sign a player and immediately plug him into the hole.
• Clever schemes. On its own, offensive innovation can spark a charge at the big boys. “Scheme can close the gap with the Haves,” says Gerry DiNardo, the Big Ten Network analyst who was offensive coordinator for the Colorado team that won the 1990 championship, one of the last nontraditional football powers to win it all. They recruited well and were stocked with future NFL talent, but the Buffaloes also developed an exotic offense by meshing the I-formation with the Wishbone option. The I-Bone powered them to that 11–1 season. 
But since then, the Buffs have won two conference titles in 31 years. It’s a familiar pattern: Just in the 2000s, see West Virginia under Rich Rodriguez and then Baylor under Art Briles and Oregon under Chip Kelly. “There’s a chance a Have-not can break through, but they won’t sustain it,” DiNardo says.
• Committed coaches. One reason for DiNardo’s skepticism about sustainability: Innovative coaches who turn middling programs into winners often bolt for bigger jobs. But long-term program success is connected to consistency at the top. Only 10 coaches in major college football have coached at their respective schools for at least 10 years, including Saban (15 years) and Dabo Swinney (14 years).
Baylor coach Dave Aranda believes one of his Big 12 rivals, Iowa State, is on course for a program breakthrough based on its coaching consistency. “There have been teams that have shown the ability to contend, but the coaches leave after their success,” Aranda says. “The ability to do it and build and build, I think, is uncommon. Matt Campbell is doing it now. ”
Now entering his sixth season leading the Cyclones, Campbell has turned down high-profile jobs to remain in Ames and continue building Iowa State. This past offseason, he said no to a $68 million offer from the Detroit Lions, and in previous years he’s been linked to openings at several high-profile schools. Along the way he has led the Cyclones to four straight bowl games—a program first—including a win over Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl last January. Iowa State was No. 9 in the final AP poll, its highest finish ever, and in 2019 and 2020 it broke into the top 50 recruiting class rankings. “You’re always trying to figure out: How do you find consistency?” Campbell says. “To be quite honest, you’re in an uphill climb.”
<figure><img height="420" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTIyNzU4NTU3MjQ2ODgy/gettyimages-1276893713.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images
</figcaption>
</figure>
• An expanded postseason. Oregon coach Mario Cristobal, a former Saban assistant, believes he’s identified the recipe for success in college football: (1) recruit well; (2) develop players; and (3) use those players appropriately. “That’s how Clemson got so successful, right? That’s how it works,” he says. “That’s the blueprint proven over time.”
Sometimes it takes a little luck, too: Two years ago, Oregon finished 12–2 but fell a field goal short of a likely spot in the four-team playoff. Plenty of programs have been one play from the promised land in the Playoff era. How could anyone forget Big 12 cochampions TCU and Baylor, both 11–1, being left out of the 2014 playoff? In ’15, Stanford and Iowa were just on the outside looking in. Last year it was one-loss Texas A&M and undefeated Cincinnati.
In June, the College Football Playoff Board of Managers approved a feasibility study for an expanded, 12-team playoff system that would include six major-conference champions and six at-large teams. Broadening the postseason might help teams outside of the Bama-Clemson–Ohio State–Oklahoma axis break through. “When’s the last time you saw a school become a new brand in football?” asks Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick, who was part of the committee that formed the expanded playoff proposal that will be studied. “We’ve seen Gonzaga become a brand in college basketball. Football is such a high-resource sport. There’s such a high investment to get to that level. The commitment you have to make is hard for universities.”
The only way to create that investment is to build the kind of program profile that comes with national titles, or at least regular postseason exposure. “To crack the code to create parity, you’ve got to get into the playoff, and you’ve got to win,” new Texas coach Steve Sarkisian says.
There are more far-fetched ideas for creating parity. Some have suggested limiting college programs to a certain number of four- and five-star recruits. Others say the NCAA should reduce scholarships from 85 to 70 to disperse more talent across the country. Kyle Whittingham, the longtime coach at Utah, believes parity can be achieved only if a 30- or 40-team superleague forms with equal revenue distribution to all members. (The SEC, with its plans to add Oklahoma and Texas, may be heading down that path.) 
Until that happens, coaches outside of college football’s power circles are relying on the tool that has rallied programs and fans throughout the game’s history: hope. “I do believe there’s enough wins for everybody,” says Baylor’s Aranda. “Instead of trying to be like those [blueblood] teams, be who you are and make your place unique and reflective of you so that it becomes important to other people.”
In the meantime, <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/13/ncaa-football-top-25-rankings-preseason-2021">here's Sports Illustrated's preseason top 25</a>. The teams at the top might sound familiar.
<a href="https://www.si.com/tag/daily-cover/">Read more of SI's Daily Cover stories</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: In College Football, Parity Is Dead. Is There Any Hope for Change?

The sport's playoff has become an exclusive playground for Alabama, Clemson and a few other powerhouses. One of the greatest offensive...

New on Sports Illustrated: Forde-Yard Dash: Predicting the Backlash for Opening Week Losers

<a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/31/ncaa-football-backlash-predictions-week-1-clemson-georgia">
Breaking down possible reactions from teams and fanbases based on opening games, starting with Clemson and Georgia.
Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where Connecticut took a whole year off and still looked like Connecticut:
MORE DASH: 
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">Coaching Tests</a> | <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/ncaa-football-new-coordinators-alabama-notre-dame">Coordinator Changes</a>
<h2>THIRD QUARTER: TOP OVERREACTION GAMES OF THE WEEK</h2>
As mentioned <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">in the Dash First Quarter</a>, this is arguably the best opening week we’ve ever seen in the sport. There are big games everywhere, which means there will be commensurate overreactions as well. The Dash looks at the games and predicts the potential backlash for the losers:
Clemson vs. Georgia (21). When: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Where: Charlotte. Line: Clemson by three. How big is it: With the No. 3 and No. 5 teams in the AP poll, this is the highest-ranked opener since No. 1 Alabama beat No. 3 Florida State in 2017. That game turned out to be a bit of a dud, and the Seminoles’ season was doomed after a late injury to quarterback Deondre Francois. Let’s hope for better this time.
The overreaction if Clemson wins: <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/18/most-intriguing-coaches-sarkisian-harbaugh-scott-frost">Kirby Smart still can’t win the big one</a>. He’s just a recruiter who is slightly better than Mark Richt but will never be Vince Dooley.
The overreaction if Georgia wins: Clemson’s run is done. Opponents have figured out the defensive signal stealing and it’s over.
Reality: Barring a 40–0 result, the loser of this game sustains no irreversible damage. The winner can start dreaming College Football Playoff dreams.
Stat: Dabo Swinney is 11–1 in season openers, with his only loss to Georgia. Smart is 5–0.
Matchup: How does Clemson’s good-not-great offensive line fare against a Georgia front seven that features half a dozen NFL prospects?
Dash pick: Georgia 24, Clemson 21.
Alabama vs. Miami (22). When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Where: Atlanta. Line: Alabama by 18 1/2. How big is it: The biggest brand in the sport vs. the program persistently trying to re-establish its brand. With both teams ranked in the Top 15, it’s big.
The overreaction if Alabama wins: The U is through and will never matter again.
The overreaction if Miami wins: The U is back! Also: the world as we know it has come to an end. (The latter might not be an overreaction.)
Reality: The Crimson Tide have absolutely dominated these “neutral” field openers under Saban, but they bring an inexperienced offense up against a team that has a wealth of experience. It would be a shock if Bama loses and an incredible boost to Manny Diaz and his program, but nobody’s season loses hope or meaning with a defeat here.
Stat: Not only is Saban 14–0 in openers at Alabama, every victory has been by double digits.
Matchup: Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has 31 career college rushes and passes. Sixth-year Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has 1,388 career college rushes, passes, receptions and kick returns.
Dash pick: Alabama 27, Miami 20.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTI0MzQxMjUyNjI5OTIy/manny-diaz-king.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Nell Redmond/USA TODAY Sports
</figcaption>
</figure>
Penn State at Wisconsin (23). When: Saturday at noon ET. Where: Madison. Line: Wisconsin by 4 1/2. How big is it: Both teams are ranked in the Top 20, with the winner getting a quality win and a big boost after an underwhelming 2020 season.
The overreaction if Penn State wins: Wisconsin has lost its identity and will never again be good enough to beat the best of the Big Ten East. Paul Chryst needs to shake some things up, including ditching the sideline schlep sweatshirt.
The overreaction if Wisconsin wins: Nittany Lions fans default to the James Franklin Is Overrated and Overpaid position.
Reality: Both programs have reason to believe they can be second-best in the Big Ten, at least. A loss here doesn’t affect divisional destiny or the chance to get to Indianapolis to play for the league title.
Stat: The Badgers have lost 12 consecutive times to the East Division axis of Ohio State (eight straight) and Penn State (four straight).
Matchup: Wisconsin’s perpetually tough run defense against Penn State back Noah Cain, returning from a season-ending injury suffered in the first game of 2020. Establishing a running game and not asking Sean Clifford to drop back 35 times seems like a prudent goal for Penn State (though Clifford does have weapons).
Dash pick: Wisconsin 21, Penn State 16.
Notre Dame at Florida State (24). When: Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET. Where: Tallahassee. Line: Notre Dame by 7 1/2. How big is it: Potentially immense for the Seminoles’ credibility and certainly important for the Fighting Irish, who revert to independent status and don’t have a conference championship game to boost their playoff standing.
The overreaction if Notre Dame wins: Florida State football will never matter again, and it’s time to resume the never-ending examination of the coroner’s report over the program’s cause of death.
The overreaction if Florida State wins: Florida State football matters again. <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/ncaa-football-new-coordinators-alabama-notre-dame">Brian Kelly needs better coordinators</a>. Notre Dame needs to join the ACC.
Reality: The last time the Seminoles beat a Top Ten team was last season, over North Carolina, and they followed that with three straight blowout losses—so while a victory would be great, it would have to be accompanied by some follow-up. An Irish victory would squelch some concerns that this will be a down year for the Golden Domers.
Stat: Florida State has lost four straight season openers, the last three as a favorite. Notre Dame has won a true road game in the state of Florida since 2002, in Tallahassee.
Matchup: The Seminoles are keeping their starting quarterback a guessing game, using the old “or” between McKenzie Milton and Jordan Travis on the depth chart. Whoever starts, he has to identify stud Irish safety Kyle Hamilton on every play, and he could be all over the field.
Dash pick: Notre Dame 26, Florida State 24.
LSU at UCLA (25). When: Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Where: Pasadena. Line: LSU by 3 1/2. How big is it: Probably the biggest game of Chip Kelly’s tenure at UCLA, and not a small one for Ed Orgeron as he tries to put 2020 in the rearview mirror.
The overreaction if LSU wins: Kelly is all but done in Westwood. The game has passed him by. UCLA will continue to flail in semi-irrelevance.
The overreaction if UCLA wins: Orgeron is the biggest one-season wonder since Gene Chizik and his days at LSU are numbered.
Reality: Both overreaction scenarios could be pretty realistic, actually. But the fact is, LSU has a legitimate hardship excuse going into this game after being displaced by Hurricane Ida and with many of its players (and coaches) worried about family and friends at home. UCLA could still be good enough to compete for the Pac-12 South title even if it can’t beat the Tigers.
Stat: LSU has a 1-0 all-time record in the state of California, defeating USC in September 1984.
Matchup: If the December 2020 Kayshon Boutte matches up against the December 2020 UCLA pass defense, we could see some Jerry Rice stuff. The LSU freshman receiver finished last year with 27 catches for 527 yards and five touchdowns in his final three games, caped by a 308-yard carnival against Mississippi. The Bruins, meanwhile, gave up 999 passing yards and nine TDs in their final three games of ’20.
Dash pick: UCLA 35, LSU 31.
Indiana at Iowa (26). When: Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. Where: Iowa City. Line: Iowa by 3 1/2. How big is it: Every bit the size of Penn State-Wisconsin, with two ranked teams going at it and trying to establish themselves as Big Ten contenders and nationally relevant.
The overreaction if Indiana wins: Kirk Ferentz is overdue to hang it up, he will never get the Hawkeyes back to winning the Big Ten.
The overreaction if Iowa wins: The Hoosiers had two-season sizzle that is extinguished, and they will promptly return to mediocrity. Tom Allen’s unleashed sideline Labrador retriever act is no longer cute.
Reality: Winner feels great, loser isn’t in bad position. As with the Nittany Lions and Badgers, both would still control their own division destiny.
Stat: Last year was the first time since 2011 that Iowa finished ahead of Indiana in the Big Ten in total offense per game.
Matchup: The Hawkeyes have won 15 straight games in which they’ve run the ball 40 or more times. Can All-America center Tyler Linderbaum and his teammates control the interior and allow Tyler Goodson to pound the rock and keep Indiana’s big-play passing game off the field?
Dash pick: Indiana 28, Iowa 27.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTI0NDc0Mzk2NjE2MDk4/-kirk-ferentz-goodson.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports
</figcaption>
</figure>
Ohio State at Minnesota (27). When: Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Where: Minneapolis. Line: Ohio State by 14. How big is it: For the Buckeyes and their national championship hopes, all games are big games—although a loss here wouldn’t necessarily end anything. For the Gophers, it would be their biggest victory in eons.
The overreaction if Ohio State wins: P.J. Fleck’s sloganeering is over, back to life in the Midwest middle class. And the Buckeyes will win the national title with ease.
The overreaction if Minnesota wins: P.J. Fleck for president. The Urban Meyer Effect on the program has run its course and Ryan Day is exposed as an unworthy successor.
Reality: The Buckeyes absolutely should win, but there are tougher challenges ahead. If the Gophers hang around, it will be a good sign.
Stat: Ohio State hasn’t lost a Big Ten opener since 2011, also known as The Fickell Year.
Matchup: Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim is the nation’s leading returning rusher, and he’s operating behind a full line of returning starters. They’ll try to find creases in a Buckeyes front seven that is talented (as always) but replacing its entire starting linebacker corps and a couple of quality linemen. If the Gophers can control the ball and the clock, maybe they keep it close.
Dash pick: Ohio State 37, Minnesota 24.
Louisiana at Texas (28). When: Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Where: Austin. Line: Texas by eight. How big is it: Kinda massive, at least in terms of prestige and ego—both of which matter a great deal to the folks in burnt orange.
The overreaction if Louisiana wins: The Longhorns are the laughingstock of America, losing their first game since power-playing their way into future SEC membership to a Sun Belt school. Put Sark on an ark out of Austin. Bring back Herman. Bring back Mack. Do something, do anything, blame the Big 12 office. Billy Napier rockets to the top of the short lists at Nebraska, Michigan, USC and the Denver Broncos.
The overreaction if Texas wins: Sark is the next great one and the Longhorns are destined to win a national title in four years or less.
Reality: A Texas loss would, in all candor, be an absolute embarrassment. Even if the Ragin’ Cajuns are a quality opponent. A Texas win is a nice start for Sark.
Stat: Louisiana was 6–1 in games decided by one score last season, on its way to 10–1 overall. Texas was 12–13 in one-score games under Tom Herman.
Matchup: Texas sophomore running back Bijan Robinson against a Louisiana defense that led the Sun Belt in fewest yards allowed per play (4.92) but could be gouged a bit on the ground. Expect Robinson to be fully engaged by Sark in the new offense after occasionally being under-utilized under Herman.
Dash pick: Texas 38, Louisiana 31.
Boise State at Central Florida (29). When: Thursday at 7 p.m. ET. Where: Orlando. Line: UCF by five. How big is it: Massive by Group of 5 standards, as the jockeying for the inevitable disrespect from the College Football Playoff committee begins.
The overreaction if Boise State wins: Gus Malzahn was a has-been and Auburn knew it and that’s why they paid him a gazillion dollars to go away. Andy Avalos is Chris Petersen incarnate.
The overreaction if UCF wins: Boise’s heyday came and went, now all the Broncos have is blue turf. Gus Malzahn was the greatest steal since Alabama got Nick Saban on the NFL rebound.
Reality: Whoever wins will feel great. Whoever loses shouldn’t feel terrible. Both teams probably are still behind Cincinnati in the G5 pecking order.
Stat: Someone’s significant season-opening winning streak is coming to an end. UCF hasn’t lost its opener since it lost every game in 2015. Boise hasn’t lost its opener since 2014, including wins over Washington and Florida State.
Matchup: Malzahn’s offensive mind against Avalos’ defensive brain, as the two coaches try to put their stamp on new programs. Malzahn definitely inherited the shiniest toy in quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but will he throw it as much as he did under Josh Heupel (more than 800 times in two seasons)? Probably not, if Malzahn can get the running game he always favors.
Dash pick: UCF 31, Boise State 24.
San Jose State at USC (30). When: Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. Where: Los Angeles. Line: USC by 14. How big is it: A must-win for the Trojans and Clay Helton if they want to be taken seriously and keep everyone off the embattled coach’s back. But the Spartans, winners of nine of their last 10, are no longer a pushover.
The overreaction if San Jose State wins: Time for Helton to get the Lane Kiffin tarmac treatment. Since there is no flight home in this instance, just fire him in the Coliseum tunnel. And replace him on the spot with Brent Brennan.
The overreaction if USC wins: The Trojans are back and the Pac-12 has a title contender.
Reality: Though it’s been said before and not turned out true, USC has a chance to be quite good. San Jose could provide a quality win for the Trojans, depending how things turn out down the road. Despite being decent competition, a loss here would be cataclysmic for Helton.
Stat: San Jose quarterback Nick Starkel’s 223 pass efficiency rating in the opener against Southern Utah was the highest single-game rating for a Mountain West quarterback with at least 25 pass attempts in three years, since Brett Rypien against Colorado State, and is the highest at SJSU in eight years.
Matchup: Starkel vs. USC quarterback Kedon Slovis is a nice gunslinger duel, with Slovis having led the Pac-12 in passing yards per game last year at 320.
Dash pick: USC 41, San Jose State 24.
MORE DASH: <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/29/forde-yard-dash-coaches-week-one-tests-chip-kelly-ed-orgeron">Coaching Tests</a> | <a href="https://www.si.com/college/2021/08/30/ncaa-football-new-coordinators-alabama-notre-dame">Coordinator Changes</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Forde-Yard Dash: Predicting the Backlash for Opening Week Losers

Breaking down possible reactions from teams and fanbases based on opening games, starting with Clemson and Georgia. Forty names, games, te...

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: NFL Adds Weekly Testing for Vaccinated Players to COVID-19 Protocols

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/nfl-updates-covid-19-protocols-weekly-testing-vaccinated-players">
Fully vaccinated players will now undergo weekly COVID-19 testing during the 2021 season, per the NFL's latest protocols.
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTc4MzEwNDE1MjM3Nzg1MTky/nfl-logo-generic.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports
</figcaption>
</figure>
The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to updated COVID-19 protocols for the 2021 season, according to the NFL Network's
</a><a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1432478651384217602">Tom Pelissero</a>.
The updated protocols include weekly testing for fully vaccinated players and staff, per Pelissero. Vaccinated players can reportedly opt in to taking a voluntary second test each week, while unvaccinated players will reportedly be required to undergo a COVID-19 test every day at the club facility. 
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1432478651384217602"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
Unvaccinated players will not be required to wear masks at outdoor practices or walkthroughs, though masks will still be required indoors. All team medical staff, strength and conditioning coaches and equipment staff will be required to wear masks.
The NFL did not make any update to its COVID-19 close-contact protocols, per <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/1432481197121146882">Pelissero</a>. Fully vaccinated individuals will not be designated high-risk close contacts, and only unvaccinated players are at risk of missing games without a positive test.
Numerous notable players have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list in recent days, including Titans quarterback <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/titans-place-ryan-tannehill-covid-19-reserve-list">Ryan Tannehill</a> and Colts quarterback Carson Wentz. 
More NFL Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/tales-of-tom-brady-forgotten-rookie-year-2000-season-daily-cover">Tom Brady's Forgotten Rookie Year</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/predicting-every-game-2021-nfl-season">Predicting Every Game of the 2021 Season</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/25/how-derrick-henry-handles-workload-that-should-ruin-him-daily-cover">How Derrick Henry Handles a Throwback Workload</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/17/early-look-2022-nfl-qb-carousel">An Early Look at the 2022 NFL Quarterback Carousel</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: NFL Adds Weekly Testing for Vaccinated Players to COVID-19 Protocols

Fully vaccinated players will now undergo weekly COVID-19 testing during the 2021 season, per the NFL's latest protocols. Jeff Hanis...

New on Sports Illustrated: MAQB: Kyle Shanahan Has Experience Toggling Between Two Offenses

<a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/maqb-49ers-kyle-shanahan-two-quarterbacks-experience">
If the 49ers are really going to deploy both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, their coach can draw on one particular experience in Washington.
No games this week! But there will be a lot of activity, so let’s get into all that …
<figure><img height="345" src="https://www.si.com/.image/c_fit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_620/MTgzNTIzMTc2Nzc5NjIxNzk0/maqb-kyle-shanahan-carson-wentz-justin-fields.jpg" width="620" />
<figcaption>
Stan Szeto/USA TODAY Sports (Shanahan); Marc Lebryk/USA TODAY Sports (Wentz); Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports (Fields)
</figcaption>
</figure>
• I understand the skepticism that the Niners will be able to make a
</a><a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/49ers-showcase-two-quarterback-system-in-preseason-finale">Jimmy Garoppolo/Trey Lance shuttle</a> work. But as a counter, I’ve got a story to tell—one that I think will bring some context to Kyle Shanahan’s staff’s ability to pull it off. And so I’ll take you back to 2012 and Washington, where Shanahan as offensive coordinator, his dad was head coach and Niners offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was a quality control coach. After drafting Robert Griffin III with the second pick that April, Kyle Shanahan built an adapted version of the Baylor Air Raid offense that Griffin ran in college to shorten the learning curve. At the same time, he was developing Kirk Cousins to play within the tried-and-true version of the Shanahan scheme. And one reason there was so much tension at the end of that season, both before and after Griffin tore his ACL in the playoffs, was what happened in December of that year. Griffin had designs on playing quarterback in a more conventional, dropback sort of way, but wasn’t ready to do that at the NFL level. Then, he got nicked up and missed the game on Dec. 16 as a result. So the Shanahans toggled back to playing the scheme that Mike had run for two decades for Cousins—and that incensed Griffin’s camp, who thought that was how Griffin should be deployed. Cousins wound up throwing for 329 yards, two TDs, a pick and 104.4 passer rating that day, in a 38–21 win in Cleveland. Things weren’t the same after that between the team and Griffin, but that’s not the point of telling the story. The point is that I believe if there’s a coach who’s capable of flipping back and forth in identity on offense, it’s Shanahan, and being able to flip from an Air Raid scheme to a West Coast scheme and back again in a span of three Sundays is proof. Now, do I think a Garoppolo/Lance shuttle will work? I don’t know—nor do I know whether Shanahan’s really going to roll that out against Detroit in Week 1. But what I do know is that the Niners have been mulling this for a while, and the idea it could work for them, and be a huge headache for everyone else, really isn’t bonkers.
• The widely-held assumption that Carson Wentz hasn’t been vaccinated was confirmed on Monday, as he landed on the COVID-19 reserve list as a close contact (vaccinated players don’t get shelved as a result of being close contacts). He’ll be eligible to return to the team on Thursday, and that timing actually works out for the Colts in that it should give Wentz time to get rehab work in and get back on track to try and play in the opener on Sept. 13. But it certainly should be taken as a warning sign on what having your quarterback unvaccinated might mean for teams. Fast-forward a week, and Wentz would be returning to the team on the back end of its preparation for the opener against Seattle. Fast-forward another week, and the Colts would be losing Wentz with almost no notice for that opener.
• The Browns’ presence as a potential seller ahead of the 53-man cutdown used to be a sign that another rebuilding year was in the offing. Now? It’s a sign that the roster is in good enough shape where the team can afford to flip a good player or two—and might actually get something back for guys on the back end of the depth chart. We mentioned Mack Wilson <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/30/mmqb-deshaun-watson-trade-rumors-cutdown-day-sirianni-saleh">this morning</a>. Throw safety Sheldrick Redwine and WR KhaDarel Hodge in as two other names that came up in trade discussions with other teams (Redwine was cut late Monday).
• The Giants’ acquisition of center Billy Price is a sign that, even after investing a lot in the line over the last four offseasons, they still haven’t fixed what’s been a trouble spot for quite some time. New York was kicking tires on interior linemen the last few days and wound up dealing off B.J. Hill to land Price. And the Giants might not be done—bubble guys Dante Pettis, David Sills and Devante Downs have been raised in trade talks.
• Jacksonville’s another team that’s gotten more aggressive in trying to find interior offensive line help the last couple of days. I think that really reflects how seriously Urban Meyer is taking creating the right environment around Trevor Lawrence, and getting better up front is just one part of it. Another is the importance of blocking tight end Chris Manhertz in the offense—the coaches limited him to a total of 30 snaps over three preseason games to keep him fresh for the season. Another yet, I believe, will be a good amount of work for second-year back James Robinson, with the idea being, the more pressure the team can take off Lawrence, the better. Of course, that’ll also mean being more competitive, and not falling behind in games, with a team that went 1–15 last year, which is harder to plan out. But I do think Meyer and his staff are taking the right approach with their prized rookie, particularly after he got knocked around a little in the preseason opener.
<iframe height="481.984375" width="100%" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm?p=DGT4935950864" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>
• Speaking of rookie quarterbacks, Matt Nagy’s assigning Justin Fields to the scout team is yet another way he’s mirroring the experience he had as Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2017. That year, once the team broke camp, Andy Reid had Patrick Mahomes take on similar responsibilities. And in doing so, they saw a couple of interesting things about a guy who’d win league MVP a year later. One, he consistently kept teammates after to throw, so he could get reps running the Chiefs’ offense. And two, he never asked guys like Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins or Travis Kelce to do it—not because he didn’t want to throw to those guys, but because, in his view, those were Alex Smith’s receivers, and he didn’t want to create any sort of issue within the team. The Chiefs staff was pretty impressed with all this, of course, in how Mahomes was getting the work he needed on his own, and also that he understood team dynamics that thoroughly as a rookie. It’s fair to say that, as long as he’s the backup, Fields would be wise to follow that blueprint.
• Gotta reiterate this: The best throw from a rookie quarterback this weekend is right here …
<div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1432130924544733188"></a></blockquote>
<script async="async" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
This shows, as we mentioned this morning, anticipation from Mac Jones. But it also shows, as some quarterback coaches say, an ability by Jones to communicate with his receivers through the ball—a longer way of saying he’s throwing guys open. On this snap, Jones is leading Devin Asiasi into a dead spot in the coverage, and getting him away from two defenders at once. And he’s doing it with the rush bearing down on him. Now, Jones hasn’t been perfect this preseason. I still think watching him, you see it takes a lot more effort for him to get the ball to certain parts of the field than it does other quarterbacks. But as far as presence, intelligence and feel, it’s all showing up like it did at Bama. Bottom line, he’s put a lot of good stuff on tape and given his coaches plenty to think about.
• I’m not going to sit here and play Michael Fabiano and try to give you fantasy advice. But … if you haven’t had your draft, I think it’d be wise to take a flier on Gus Edwards, and earlier than the other people in your league will. IT sucked seeing J.K. Dobbins go down—I expected he and Indy’s Jonathan Taylor to break out and challenge for the rushing title this season—but the reality is that’s not going to change who the Ravens are offensively. And while Edwards has been lodged behind Mark Ingram the last few years, and was going to lodged behind Dobbins, there’s a good faction of that coaching staff that believes Edwards could explode with more opportunity. And given how thin the Ravens are at tailback after losing Dobbins, Edwards (and his career 5.2-yards per carry average) should get a lot of opportunity.
• My feeling is the Saints are being very careful with how much they talk, and what they say, about their temporary exit from New Orleans. And I think that’s the right way to approach it, given not everyone was lucky enough to have the resources to get out of town like the team did. The question now becomes where the team will go after spending this week in Dallas, practicing at AT&T Stadium. The Saints have, over the years, gotten out of town for camp, or practice weeks, having taken their operation in full to San Antonio, Indianapolis, Southern California and West Virginia, in addition to now Dallas at different junctures. So that experience should help. Then, there’s the matter of the opener against the Packers. If New Orleans can’t host it, AT&T Stadium would make sense, given proximity and the fact that it’s open for Week 1. And if the Saints, and the league, decide to move the opener, that would give New Orleans until Oct. 3 to prepare for the team’s next home game, with road trips scheduled for Weeks 2 and 3.
• I feel like we went over this in the MMQB column, but it’s worth repeating: I do think the Texans would be O.K. with holding on to Deshaun Watson past the 53-man cutdown Tuesday. That means the real reason it’d serve as a cutdown is that it might prompt teams to call Houston over the next 24 hours. But I don’t know that there’s a good reason for the Texans to get aggressive here.
More NFL Coverage:
• <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/26/predicting-every-game-2021-nfl-season">Predicting Every Game of the 2021 Season</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/25/how-derrick-henry-handles-workload-that-should-ruin-him-daily-cover">How Derrick Henry Handles a Throwback Workload</a> • <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/08/17/early-look-2022-nfl-qb-carousel">An Early Look at the 2022 NFL Quarterback Carousel</a>

New on Sports Illustrated: MAQB: Kyle Shanahan Has Experience Toggling Between Two Offenses

If the 49ers are really going to deploy both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance, their coach can draw on one particular experience in Washingto...