The Sportsletter - A New Number 1? 👀

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 16, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

It’s a midweek rankings edition once more, but the college basketball season is off and running. Tuesday night’s Champions Classic featured a pair of nail-biters and an early-season upset. Plus, we’re just days away from the World Cup. Let’s rank ‘em…

Editor’s Note: If you find The Sportsletter frequently ending up in your promotions folder, go ahead and move us to your primary inbox to make sure you’re getting the highlights directly each morning.

Letter Rip!

NFL PICK 'EM

Week 11 Picks

Let’s reset the points! We’ll keep track of our season-long leaderboard as the year rolls on, but you can join the fun at any time for a shot at weekly prizes. Week 11 picks can be made until Sunday.

Thursday Night Football Games Not Included to Allow Players to Make Picks Until Sunday Morning

NFL

Week 11 Power Rankings

Photo: Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images

Vikings Surge Into Top Spot; Eagles, Cowboys & Bills All Fall After Losses

Another week in the NFL’s ongoing saga shook up the hierarchy at the top. The first loss for the Eagles spelled chaos at the top, while the Bills and Cowboys also lost. It’s the Vikings who garner the top spot in this week’s rankings, but roughly 11 teams are neck-and-neck in the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Here’s where they stand after Week 10.

NFL Power Rankings (Week 11)

1. Vikings (8-1) | ↑1

2. Chiefs (7-2) | ↑3

3. Eagles (8-1) | ↓2

4. Bills (6-3) | ↓1

5. Ravens (6-3) | —

6. Giants (7-2) | ↑1

7. Dolphins (7-3) | ↑1

8. Titans (6-3) | ↑3

9. 49ers (5-4) | ↑2

10. Cowboys (6-3) | ↓4

Teams 11-20: 11. Jets (6-3) | 12. Buccaneers (5-5) | 13. Seahawks (6-4) | 14. Commanders (5-5) | 15. Chargers (5-4) | 16. Bengals (5-4) | 17. Packers (4-6) | 18. Patriots (5-4) | 19. Cardinals (4-6) | 20. Rams (3-6)

Teams 21-32: 21. Browns (3-6) | 22. Falcons (4-6) | 23. Lions (3-6) | 24. Colts (4-5-1) | 25. Broncos (3-6) | 26. Steelers (3-6) | 27. Jaguars (3-7) | 28. Bears (3-7) | 29. Raiders (2-7) | 30. Panthers (3-7) | 31. Saints (3-7 | 32. Texans (1-7-1)

Biggest Risers: Chiefs, Bucs, Commanders, Titans

Biggest Fallers: Eagles, Cowboys, Rams, Falcons

Editor's Note: Do you agree or disagree with any of today's Power Rankings? Reply to today's newsletter to share your thoughts.

Week 11 Schedule

Additional Storylines

B/R: Vikings Cement Legitimate Super Bowl Contender Status After Week 10

ESPN: NFL Week 11 Power Rankings: 1-32, Hot Seat Update & More

USA Today: Week 11 Power Rankings: Does Chaos Ensue With Eagles, Bills & Cowboys Losing?

CFB

Playoff Rankings 3.0

Image via @CollegeFootballPlayoffTwitter

College Football Playoff Remains the Same, But Oregon’s Tumble Leaves

The third rendition of the CFB Playoff Rankings yielded no change among the top five teams in the nation. Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan and TCU remain in the driver’s seat with Tennessee still hopeful. No. 6 Oregon tumbled to No. 12 and allowed the door to open for LSU and USC to slide up into contention. All eyes are on the Michigan-Ohio State clash ten days from now, namely Tennessee and LSU. Don’t count out the Trojans if they go unscathed through the Pac-12.

CFB Playoff Rankings 2.0

1. Georgia (10-0)

2. Ohio State (10-0)

3. Michigan (10-0)

4. TCU (10-0)

Rest of Top-10: 5. Tennessee (9-1) | 6. LSU (8-2) | 7. USC (9-1) | 8. Alabama (8-2) | 9. Clemson (9-1) | 10. Utah (8-2) | Full Top-25

Additional Storylines

B/R: USC, You're the Pac-12's Only Hope

ESPN: Analysis of the 3rd College Football Playoff Rankings

USA Today: Georgia Maintains No. 1 Spot in 3rd College Football Playoff Rankings

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MLB

Managers of the Year

Image via MLB.comes

Terry Francona (Guardians) & Buck Showalter (Mets) Win MLB Manager of the Year Awards

The MLB’s awards week threw out the first pitch on Tuesday, and there will be more hardware to dish out in the days to come. Terry Francona (Guardians) and Buck Showalter (Mets) earned the Manager of the Year awards. Francona earned the American League honor after leading Cleveland to the AL Central crown with a 92-70 record. Showalter nabbed the National League title after the Mets shocked everyone with 101 wins.

Seasoned Vets: Tito & Buck

Both of the winning managers are no stranger to the Manager of the Year honor. Francona captured his third award while Showalter became the first manager to win it with four different teams (Yankees, Rangers, Orioles & Mets).

Rookie of the Year Award Winners (Monday)

Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) & Michael Harris II (Braves)

MLB Awards Week Schedule

Wednesday: Cy Young

Thursday: Most Valuable Player

Additional Storylines

NY Times: Buck Showalter & Terry Francona Are MLB’s Top Managers

ESPN: MLB Awards Week: Predictions & Everything You Need to Know for MVP, Cy Young & More

NCAA

Champions Classic Stunner 👀

Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images

Michigan State Shocks No. 4 Kentucky in Double Overtime (86-77, 2OT) in Champions Classic

The Champions Classic tipped off a week later this year, but college basketball’s big bash wasn’t void of drama. The four iconic programs who usually kickstart the year came together for a pair of epic showdowns in Indianapolis. Michigan State withstood 4th-ranked Kentucky and Oscar Tshiebwe (22 points, 18 rebounds) to steal a double-overtime upset. In the nightcap, Kansas and Duke went head-to-head in a top-10 matchup where the Jayhawks gave Duke coach Jon Scheyer his first loss. Jalen Wilson had 25 points and 11 boards for KU.

Champions Classic Highlights

Michigan State def. #4 Kentucky (86-77, 2OT)

#6 Kansas def. #7 Duke (69-64)

Tonight’s Schedule

#2 Gonzaga vs. #11 Texas (9:30 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

USA Today: Kansas Hands Duke Its First Loss Under New Coach Jon Scheyer

CBS Sports: College Basketball Rankings: Villanova, Oregon Fall Out of 1st AP Top-25 Poll

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Kings Crush Nets With 153 Points

The Kings continued their hot start with a point-scoring blitz against the Nets on Tuesday (153-121), tallying the most points the Nets have given up in franchise history. Terence Davis exploded for 31 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench, and the Kings are a surprising 7-6 to open the year.

🏒 NHL: Devils Deliver 10th Straight

Jack Hughes tallied two goals and an assist to spearhead a 5-1 win for the Devils over the Canadiens last night and give New Jersey its 10th straight victory. They’re 13-3-0 and tied for the second-best record in the NHL after a 3-3-0 start. Watch out, Eastern Conference. New Jersey is for real.

THE STORYLINES

🏈 The UVA Tragedy: Why?

Hours after three football players were killed and two additional students were injured in an on-campus shooting, thousands united at a vigil of support and solidarity. (Sports Illustrated)

⚾️ MLB Hot Stove Rumors

The Major League Baseball offseason is up and running. We're now more than a week removed from the end of the World Series and free agency is officially underway. (CBS Sports)

⚽️ How USMNT Restored Its Culture

With the words "together we are better" emblazoned on the large screen behind him, USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter delivered an important reminder to his squad. (FOX Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Ex-MLB Player Yasiel Puig Pleads Guilty to Lying About Illegal Sports Betting (ESPN)
• Novak Djokovic Set to Receive Visa to Play Australian Open (SI)
• Rory McIlroy Urges Greg Norman to Step Down From LIV Role & End Golf’s Civil War (Yahoo! Sports)
• Nationals Release Former 1st-Round Pick Seth Romero After 2nd DWI Arrest (CBS Sports)
• NFL Tabs Spain & France to Host Games as Next International Expansion (USA Today)

• Rams WR Cooper Kupp Set to Have Ankle Surgery, Placed on IR (FOX Sports)

• Anthony Rizzo & Yankees Agree to 2-Year, $34 Million Contract (B/R)

• Washington Mystics Head Coach Mike Thibault Retires From Coaching (NBC Sports)

Support The Sportsletter Team

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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