I heard your collective sighs when reading the headline and kicker to this story. Great, the most dominant conference in the country only hoards a bigger portion of the most exclusive quartet in college football. How could that be good for the sport? Calm down, Tommy. (what I’m choosing to call the people who groaned without reading a word). The College Football Playoff’s expansion is on its way in a few years and that problem will be solved. For now, it’s not the Southeastern Conference’s strongest squads’ faults that the rest of America can’t keep up.

The SEC has four strong options to make the CFP, by far the most for any league in America. If Ole Miss, Tennessee, Georgia, or one-loss Alabama win out, they’re in, no questions about it. The Crimson Tide and Rebels still have to play and a loss for Alabama would knock it out of title contention. The de-facto SEC East championship game between the Bulldogs and Vols will be Nov. 5 in Athens. A one-loss UGA or UT team, with their only defeat coming the first Saturday in November, would look awfully tempting to the committee. That’s exactly what happened to Alabama in the 2018 playoff. After being left out of the SEC title game, it earned the No. 4 seed, beat No. 1 overall Clemson, and won the natty over Georgia in Tua Tagovailoa’s star-making moment. I don’t think Ole Miss would be given the same second chance at a championship in the same vein Texas A&M didn’t get one in 2020.

Let’s narrow the options of invaders to this nightmare for some, pipe dream for others. Let’s throw each Group of Five hopeful off the boat first. Cincinnati was nice last year, but nothing close exists in 2022. The Big 12 has three options left, with none looking too promising. TCU is the league’s lone undefeated team left, with Kansas State and Oklahoma State as its pair of one-loss teams. The Wildcats played the Horned Frogs and Cowboys over the next two weeks. By the time November rolls around the Big 12 will have a maximum of two teams with CFP dreams alive. Too many good, but not great, teams exist in the Big 12, and TCU will get knocked from its perch eventually. The league isn’t getting into the CFP this season. Sorry to point out what should be obvious.

The Pac-12 is the next closest to be wholesale shoved out of the CFP picture, but its options look better than the Big 12, also with three teams still in contention — Big Ten-bound UCLA and USC, alongside Oregon, whose only loss was getting demolished by Georgia. The Bruins still have to go through the Trojans and Ducks as the Pac-12’s remaining undefeated team, and then win the conference championship game. It’s an unlikely trio of victories and will shoot down their chances of making it to the CFP. Despite losing to Utah, USC is the conference’s best chance to make it into the playoff, but running the table is necessary. Oregon’s opening-week defeat will be a tough pill to swallow for the committee, unless it runs the table and looks dominant, which I think has minuscule odds.

A foreshadowed 75 percent SEC CFP’s biggest roadblock is Clemson, as the Big Ten will get at least one team and there’s no changing that. Ohio State and Michigan as a pair are too good for both to be denied. Whoever wins that matchup in Columbus later this year will destroy the Big Ten West winner and head into the playoff. I’m not going out on a ledge in making that prediction at all. But, anyway, back to the ACC, which hasn’t had a non-Clemson team in the CFP since its inaugural competition if you discount the changes that made a Notre Dame appearance count under the conference’s banner two years ago. Yeah, Syracuse looks strong now, and Wake Forest and North Carolina do have paths to the promised land, but it won’t happen. Can anyone really envision a scenario where one of those three makes it? They’d all get demolished by one of the SEC’s best. Clemson’s silver-platter schedule compared to its national-title-hopeful contemporaries will lead to a spot in the CFP if it wins out. The Tigers are better than they were a year ago. Even as a one-loss conference champion, they’d make it in over a third SEC team.

The three-team SEC scenario has to be both Georgia and Tennessee, as well as either Alabama or Ole Miss. There’s no way two teams from the SEC West and one of the Volunteers or Bulldogs can be plugged in. A one-loss Rebels team that doesn’t get in the SEC Championship game would make the New Year’s Six, but wouldn’t have enough quality wins to make the playoff. If either Tennessee or Georgia trip up before or after their clash, this scenario goes out the window. It’s due to the strength of Josh Heupel’s team that this scenario isn’t laughed out of any discussion immediately.

Is this scenario likely? No. The diverse selection committee wouldn’t put three teams from the same conference together unless they had no other move. A lot of dominos have to fall the SEC’s way for it to occur, but a lot of unlikely scenarios, such as Oklahoma already having three losses, have already fallen Greg Sankey’s league’s way. Two teams from the same conference getting into the playoff has happened in three of the last five editions, including each of the last two years. A slippery slope exists giving the SEC a trio. Now back to your collective groaning until we get an expanded playoff. 

The Golden State Warriors collected their NBA championship rings on opening night before smashing the Los Angeles Lakers, 123-109. After watching this game, it looks like we could experience déjà vu this time next year. It’s only one game, but there isn’t a team in the NBA that can contain this offense once the postseason rolls around.

This version of the Warriors might not be as dominant as the version with Kevin Durant. They’re just as good all around, though, because of depth and the ability to defend at a high level. In fact, this version could surpass the 2016-19 version because they’ve meshed the old and the new together and already proved you can win a championship while building for the future. After watching that performance against the Lakers, the Warriors are clearly hungry for more.

Stephen Curry didn’t have a great shooting night but still led all scorers with 33 points. Golden State has so many ways it can dismantle a team that it’s almost unfair. On any night, Klay Thompson could be the one to make you pay. The next night, it might be Andrew Wiggins, then Jordan Poole. Now James Wiseman is back in the fold, and in his first game back, he contributed eight points, seven rebounds, and a blocked shot.

A little drama never hurts

Draymond Green is still Draymond Green and posted his usual triple-single while leading the effort on defense. As bad as the Green-Poole punch incident was made out to be, that seems to have been put behind them and now the goal is winning back-to-back titles. Golden State held LA to 43 percent from the field and a despicable 25 percent from three-point range. We’ll give more credit to the Lakers than the Warriors for the horrible shooting from deep because they couldn’t shoot it last year either, and it seems not much has changed in that regard.

One thing you look for in a team’s first couple of games after winning a championship the previous season is how hungry they are. Are they still going to make that extra pass, close out hard on that shooter in the corner, or fight on the glass for rebounds? The Warriors checked all those boxes in game one, and it feels like we’re headed down the same road as last year, only this time, there are more believers onboard the Golden State train headed to Kingsville.

Deeper than most

Depth is a killer, and when you add quality minutes to that, it’s a lethal combination. The Warriors had 10 players that logged at least 13 minutes on the floor last night. As expected, Curry, Thompson, Poole, and Wiggins all scored double-figures. The bench is where Golden State has a massive advantage over most teams, and that was no different on Tuesday night.

Golden State’s bench outscored LA’s 41-24, and there’s your ball game, folks. The bench was outscored by 17, and the Lakers lost this game by 14, 123-109. While the stars usually shine bright for the Warriors, what separates them is their bench and how easily they plug guys in. Donte DiVincenzo came over to Golden State in the offseason and, in his first game, shot 50 percent overall and from three-point land. JaMychal Green, another offseason acquisition, shot 50 percent from the field and over 66 percent on his threes.

No competition

There aren’t many teams in the Western Conference who can match the Warriors. The Clippers might have the best opportunity based on their personnel and depth, but in a clutch situation in the postseason, the Warriors have proven to be head and shoulders above the rest too many times. Some have picked the Denver Nuggets to storm the West and capture the No. 1 seed.

That could happen, as it isn’t about regular-season success for the Warriors at this point. There will be points in the season where they don’t look quite like themselves, just like last season. But when it counts, they’ll be there in the end because they know what it takes to win and know they need to set a steady pace through the regular season.

As for the Lakers. Just pray. Much prayer will be needed to put this team in a position to compete for a championship. Competing to make the playoffs might be a big enough battle for LeBron James’ crew. There will be lots of stat sheet stuffing in L.A. this year as James chases Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record.

There had to be a reason that there doesn’t appear to be a significant movement by NFL team owners to try and do something to get Dan Snyder out of the league. It was one thing when he simply was spending money in all of the wrong places and gradually eroding all of the passion in one of the NFL’s top markets. However, in recent years, reports have been released about the Washington football franchise that would lead a reasonable person to believe it’s as toxic as fracking wastewater.

According to a recent ESPN report, many NFL team owners do want Snyder out but they want no part of his vengeful side. Snyder allegedly has hired private investigators to gather damaging information about the other team owners. Well, one member of the NFL’s 32 leaders has clearly had enough and doesn’t care what information Snyder’s private investigators may or may not have. That person is Indianapolis Colts team owner Jim Irsay, and hopefully, it opens the door for more NFL team owners to speak.

“I believe that there is merit to remove him as owner of the [former racial slur nickname],” Irsay said to the media in New York on Wednesday.

Merit, there certainly is that. There was the cheerleader trip of 2013 in which sex trafficking techniques allegedly were used, the slew of employees that were fired for allegedly sexually harassing female employees and media, and a 2009 sexual assault accusation against Snyder by a woman who received a $1.6 million payout, which he and his attorney’s claim he agreed to only to avoid the hassle of court. Another former employee accused him earlier this year of inappropriate sexual contact in 2008. Snyder has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

This toxic workplace culture is currently being investigated by the United States Congress, and even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was called before the congressional committee to testify. An NFL investigation has already revealed that Washington’s workplace was indeed toxic and Snyder was fined $10 million and suspended. The situation almost sounds similar to an NBA owner who was forced to sell recently. Robert Sarver’s workplace was toxic and hostile towards women — as was he — and he was also fined $10 million and told to step away from day-to-day operations.

The main difference between the two is Sarver used racial slurs, while Snyder instead allowed them to be painted in the end zone, and also none of the women accused Sarver of sexual misconduct. The NFL had the results from their independent investigator presented orally, as opposed to the NBA, who released theirs publicly. Don’t expect the House Oversight Committee to act similarly to Goodell.

Sarver decided to walk away shortly after he received his punishment. Snyder is still hanging on, even though ESPN’s Seth Wickersham tweeted out that Goodell confirmed that his status hasn’t changed when it comes to his involvement with the team, while Snyder’s lawyers said that his “punishment” was over in the ESPN report. In response to Irsay’s comments, Snyder released a statement that, for a second time, denied the ESPN report, and was adamant that the franchise will not be sold.

For whatever reason, the NFL has taken no swift action to try and get rid of Snyder. Finally, at least one of the people in charge spoke up. Snyder is facing decades of allegations of sexual harassment by his franchise, by many different people, and in two different countries. Sports Illustrated released a report about former Carolina Panthers team owner Jerry Richardson’s alleged sexual harassment and use of a racial slur in 2017 and his team was up for sale in less than 12 hours. A man with a statue of himself outside of the Panthers’ home stadium bailed in a hurry.

Irsay told the media he’s not scared of any information that Snyder might have on him. His battle with alcoholism and prescription painkiller addiction has been public for decades. He has even spoken on the record about it.

A lot of times the whistleblowers, and other people who speak out, aren’t the most pristine figures. Yet, it’s their words that can lead to change or justice. At least we know in advance that Irsay is flawed, and it’s not some team owner whose history we don’t know that Snyder might reveal.

Irsay was right, what is alleged to have happened in Washington shouldn’t be tolerated, and allegedly, it has been tolerated for far too long, up to the point where Snyder is supposed to not have had any say in how his franchise runs for more than a year. Irsay said the loud part out loud, and now the ball is in the court of the rest of the team owners.

For once there is some pressure on them to give an account of how they feel about one of their own bringing shame to the shield.

In its heyday, College GameDay was the de facto No. 2 studio show behind Inside the NBA. Pregame shows are notorious for filling the air time with a panel of experts struggling to find opportunities to make points or move the conversation into a meaningful discussion. I challenge you to watch the Sunday NFL shows on ESPN, CBS, Fox, or the NFL Network for more than 15 minutes without audibly screaming, “Oh my god, who the fuck cares?!” 17 times.

The reason college pregame shows work so well is the pageantry, the atmosphere, the marching band, and a few thousand college students who woke up, swigged some Rumplemintz as a substitute for mouthwash, and made their way over to the set to warm up their vocal chords for the real thing. You don’t have to watch every second of the three hour program to enjoy the show, you can turn it on as background noise while you make coffee or eat breakfast, and check in when something fun is going on.

Lately, that’s just the final 10 minutes when the crew picks the games and Lee Corso dons the headgear. Over the past few years, with Chris Fowler moving on and Corso’s, to put it nicely, inconsistent health, the show hasn’t exactly fallen off, but it has become a little vulnerable to would-be usurpers.

Gene Wojciechowski’s heartstring-pulling features still reinforce my cynicism the way Tom Rinaldi used to. Rece Davis isn’t quite Fowler, which is fine because that’s a lofty standard to aspire to, but he’s polished and has a good rapport with the 17 people they parade on the set.

Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff is the most notable pregame show making a bid for GameDay’s spot, and it even adopted the traveling circus template that Fowler, Corso, and Herbstreit perfected. The Fox guys do a serviceable job — the Urban Meyer rehire notwithstanding — and at least lit a fire under ESPN to step up its game(day). However, unless Meyer starts throwing back a few scotches between commercial breaks, they don’t have a Corso.

Gameday’s main attraction, or at least antagonist, has always been Corso, and he has been absent or sparsely used lately. It’s increasingly tough to sit through him trying to hear what the guest picker is saying, or barely getting out the “No so fast my friend” rebuke to the rotating celebrity.

Enter Pat McAFee. The former NFL punter has somehow parlayed a stint in comedy and his relationship with Peyton Manning into a credible media career and a permanent spot on the show. Since leaving Barfstool, he has grown his brand as Aaron Rodgers’ mouthpiece. Anytime the aspiring monk wants to air a grievance about the Packers or vaccine requirements, he hops on the Pat McAfee Show. The host also has an on-again, off-again relationship with the WWE that I’m not knowledgeable enough to comment on. So, seeing as I have no interest in and/or abhor all four of those things — Rodgers, wrestling, Barfstool, and Manning — my reaction to him showing up on the GameDay set was extremely skeptical.

Regardless of how it ended, working for a company that’s at the forefront of the fight on cancel culture like it’s not misogyny’s response to the #MeToo movement lops you in with a repugnant crowd, and amplifying the claims of the NFL’s biggest anti-vaxxer — who’s on your show in a hoodie decrying cancel culture — makes my brain bleed. Throw in the tank tops and a schtick that doesn’t stop, and the intolerableness is too much. It’s too much.

Why couldn’t ESPN find another former college football-only star to try? Eventually, one will pop. Desmond Howard’s laugh is infectious as Fran Drescher’s, David Pollack is oozing so much masculinity the EPA has declared it toxic, but Kirk Herbstreit is still the perfect straight guy to the rest of the antics.

Yet, I’m starting to come around to McAfee. When they ask him to do something — whether it’s a gimmick, talking football, or interacting with a guest — he puts forth maximum effort. You can tell he actually watches the games and loves the sport.

He helped Manning direct the Tennessee band for “Rocky Top” and backflipped/belly flopped off a houseboat into the Tennessee River wearing orange-and-white checkered overalls and a matching bucket hat. He hypes the fans as well as he plays the heel, and I’ve rarely seen a member of the crew openly antagonize the crowd like he did when he howled for NC State while in Clemson for their matchup a fews weeks ago.

My normal reaction when some jackass shows off his oversized belt buckles is an exaggerated “This fucking guy.” I mean, I still say that when McAfee flashes his chrome plate for the camera, as you know some ESPN producer is screaming to avoid a closeup of his crotch, but it’s less of a “This fucking guy” with a thumb point, and more of a “This fucking guy” with a stifled laugh.

While I’m guessing he’s been vetted enough by the Mothership to be cleared of cancelable offenses from his previous work, I’m not a convert and have zero interest in his show outside of the occasional aggregate-able interview. He’s on record saying his mom would beat his ass if he ever did anything to disrespect a woman, and that’s commendable. It’d be nice if his reason for respecting women wasn’t fear of physical violence, but at this point in society, taking what you can get will have to do.

College GameDay is at its best with an over-the-top personality, and McAfee certainly is that. The show is the soundtrack to a lot of fans’ Saturday mornings, and the headgear selections are part of college football’s tradition. McAfee is vying to become a part of that fabric in an increasingly unforgiving landscape that his former employer and QB buddy actively taunt.

Will ESPN retire the headgear when Corso does? Or will McAfee take over the duties? Will he even last that long? I have no clue. He currently resides under the guilty pleasure umbrella because he’s reviving a show that I love.

Be that as it mat, the chances of him getting caught up in some dumb shit and getting canned are as good as the odds that he successfully replaces Corso as GameDay’s resident court jester. 

It’s not underground baseball science to say that home runs are the determining factor this time of year. Everyone has known it, and yet every so often someone tries to fool themselves into thinking that there can be another way. Generally, it’s someone clinging to the past, “the way baseball used to be” or some other such garbage. But there isn’t. With the pitching as good as it is, you have to hit the ball out of the damn park to get anywhere. Hit homers, win prizes.

The Astros-Mariners series basically became about three home runs, all hit by the Astros. The Rhys Hoskins home run in Game 3 against the Braves pretty much flipped the series. That’s how these things work.

Cleveland tried to make a big deal about how much contact they’ve made during this season. It came from other media people as well, that a team could be successful by doing something other than hitting for power. It’s been a forlorn hope both inside and outside baseball. That’s why Rob Manfred neutered the baseballs, after all. It’s why they’re banning the shift, in the hope that hitters may try and dial it back and just settle for singles again.

But it’s all horseshit. Cleveland didn’t have a plan to just be a slappy, contact-heavy, tilt-the-BABIP-in-our-favor way. They have to be that way because their owners won’t pay for anyone who can hit the ball all that hard. They’ve needed a whole new outfield for years, which they only started doing from within in the middle of this season. They were a team built on a shoestring budget simply because they just happened to make a lot of contact. Houston makes a lot of contact, too. Just way more of it is loud, which is why they’re still playing. Which is why they’re always playing at this time of year.

And it wasn’t good contact for the Guardians. The Cleveland offense wasn’t good this season. Fifteenth in runs, 16th in wRC+ at 99, meaning a tick below average. They got to the playoffs because the only other two teams in their division that were actively trying were either dumb or injured or both — and they also pitch and field extremely well. Their offense was not a feature, it was a bug.

They were lucky to find a team in the Wild Card Round that also couldn’t score in the Tampa Bays — no coincidence they’re another team that won’t pay anyone — but Cleveland is going home now because they couldn’t score. It was cute that they could fashion a couple of railles late in Games 2 and 3, but that’s all it was. They scored 17 runs in seven games of the postseason. They got to hang around because their pitching is that good, and they’re that good at developing pitching.

The Yankees hit homers. They hit one in the first last night thanks to Giancarlo Stanton to basically end the game. They hit two in Game 1, which is how you score against a staff like Cleveland’s. There isn’t room for a string of singles for more than a game at a time.

The Phillies and Padres hurled their best starters at each other later in the day. Both Yu Darvish and Zack Wheeler were magnificent. Neither was going to give up a string of hits. The Phillies hit two homers, including one that should have counted for like six runs. You know it’s a tear in the time/space continuum when the pitcher doesn’t even bother to turn around. If Darvish had seen where it went he might have retired.

Hit the ball out of the damn park. It’s not hard. You can have your slapped singles and seeing-eye singles. Winners go ahead and turn the ball to plasma. Phone call over.

Shimmy and ache

There probably isn’t a better metaphor for James Harden right now than…

There was a time when you were this guy, James. And you can still flash that being that guy. But when it comes down to it, you’re the guy chucking up the airball when it comes time to really be that guy again.