The Sportsletter - Rankings, Blue Bloods & Basket-Brawls

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 15, 2023 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

The midweek edition is loaded. Yesterday was chock-full of non-stop sports action. We’ve got football rankings, blue bloods battling, MLB awards, and an overwhelming list of headlines in today’s news section, complete with hirings, firings and rumors galore.

To top it off, the Warriors and Timberwolves had a mini-brawl at the Chase Center. Two minutes into the game… Draymond Green put Rudy Gobert in a full guillotine. He hit the showers early, and he wasn't alone.

Letter Rip!

PICKS

NFL Pick 'Em (Week 11)

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NFL

NFL Power Rankings 11.0

Image via Joe Stella / Media Mobilize

Lions & 49ers Resurface, But Eagles & Chiefs Set Up Clash of 1 vs. 2 in Week 11

If you have questions about football after 10 weeks, you’re not alone. Answers are coming in Week 11 as the big boys clash across the league. And no matter how you feel about this week’s power rankings, keep this in mind: 13 of the 15 AFC teams have four wins or more, and 11 are .500 or better. That second tier (below) features mostly AFC squads (9/10) while the third tier (below) includes 10 NFC teams. It's clear which division is more competitive. Week 11 matchups include two AFC North battles — Bengals vs. Ravens and Steelers vs. Browns — as well as Round 2 of Jets vs. Bills, and that should help solidify some of our rankings.

AFC Teams: 80 Wins, 69 Losses (.537 Win %)

NFC Teams: 70 Wins, 81 Losses (.464 Win %)

And while all of those exciting divisional matchups should be great, nothing will compete with the coming Monday Night Football showdown.

Eagles at Chiefs (Mon. 8:15 pm ET, ESPN)

It’s the rematch of Super Bowl LVII Monday night at Arrowhead. The Chiefs beat the Eagles in last year’s big game (38-35) in one of the best Super Bowls of all-time. It came down to a late Eagles penalty and a chip-shot field goal for KC. Both squads are still the best in the league after Week 10, and it’s safe to assume this should be the most-watched game of the 2023 regular season.

NFL Power Rankings (Week 9)

1. Eagles (8-1) | —

2. Chiefs (7-2) | ↑1

3. Ravens (7-3) | ↓1

4. Lions (7-2) | ↑1

5. 49ers (6-3) | ↑5

6. Dolphins (6-3) | —

7. Browns (6-3) | ↑1

8. Cowboys (6-3) | ↑1

9. Seahawks (6-3) | ↑3

10. Jaguars (6-3) | ↓6

Teams 11-20

11. Bengals (5-4) | ↓4

12. Steelers (6-3) | ↑2

13. Texans (5-4) | ↑5

14. Vikings (6-4) | ↑3

15. Broncos (4-5) | ↑4

16. Bills (5-5) | ↓5

17. Chargers (4-5) | ↓2

18. Colts (5-5) | ↑4

19. Raiders (5-5) | ↑4

20. Jets (4-5) | ↓7

Teams 21-32

21. Saints (5-5) | ↓5

22. Falcons (4-6) | ↓2

23. Buccaneers (4-5) | ↑4

24. Commanders (4-6) | ↓3

25. Rams (3-6) | —

26. Packers (3-6) | ↓2

27. Titans (3-6) | ↓1

28. Bears (3-7) | ↑1

29. Cardinals (2-8) | ↑3

30. Patriots (2-8) | ↓2

31. Giants (2-8) | ↓1

32. Panthers (1-8) | ↓1

ESPN: NFL Week 11 Power Rankings: How All 32 Teams Stack Up

The Athletic: NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Browns, Texans On the Rise, Plus Head Coach Status Check

NCAA

Blue Blood Showdown: Jayhawks Defend #1

Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images

#1 Kansas Holds Off #17 Kentucky (89-84), #9 Duke Downs #18 Michigan State (74-65) in Champions Classic

It took a week of tune-up games to get the ball rolling, but the first night of high-profile, ranked clashes in college basketball finally woke up the hoops fanatics on Tuesday. The State Farm Champions Classic brought four blue bloods to Chicago, including the No. 1 team in the country. Kansas overcame a 10-point deficit to fend off Kentucky, and Duke put their foot down on Michigan State. Plenty of college basketball action is on the way before conference slates start in December. Let's re-run the Champions Classic:

#9 Duke def. #18 Michigan State (74-65)

The Blue Devils and Spartans met for a clash of 1-1 teams after both squads suffered early upsets last week as members of the top-5. A second loss would signal a catastrophic start for either side, and it’s MSU who is now 1-2 and facing a potential drop out of the top-25. Duke jumped on MSU early and never let up. Sophomore Kyle Filipowski had 15-8-3, but Caleb Foster dropped 18 off the bench in an inspired performance.

#1 Kansas def. #17 Kentucky (89-84)

A star-studded nightcap in the Champions Classic saw Kentucky take a 10-point lead on #1 Kansas, in the second half no less, but Hunter Dickinson was just too tough. Dickinson logged 27 points and 21 rebounds in his third game with the Jayhawks since transferring from Michigan. Kansas is now 3-0, and they just passed their toughest test in the month of November. They could be No. 1 for awhile.

Men’s NCAA Highlights

#4 Marquette def. #23 Illinois (71-64)

#7 Tennessee def. Wofford (82-61)

#8 Creighton def. Iowa (92-84)

Women’s NCAA Highlights

#21 Baylor def. #4 Utah (84-77)

CFB

Dawgs Up: New CFP Rankings

Image via @CFBPlayoff Twitter

Georgia Jumps Ohio State for No. 1 in Latest College Football Playoff Rankings (3.0)

The next set of College Football Playoff Rankings (3 of 6) were revealed on Tuesday, and our first shift has occurred. The two-time defending champion Georgia Bulldogs have supplanted Ohio State as the No. 1 team. UGA ran roughshod on #9 Ole Miss last Saturday (52-17), and the Dawgs should be perfect by the time face #8 Alabama on Dec. 2. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Michigan are on a collision course for their head-to-head matchup next Saturday (Nov. 25). Florida State continues to hold the No. 4 slot while Washington and Oregon are Pac-12 powers waiting for someone to slip up.

CFB Playoff Rankings (3.0)

1. Georgia (10-0) | ↑1

2. Ohio State (10-0) | ↓1

3. Michigan (10-0) | —

4. Florida State (10-0) | —

_______________________

5. Washington (10-0) | —

6. Oregon (9-1) | —

7. Texas (9-1) | —

8. Alabama (9-1) | —

9. Missouri (8-2) | ↑5

10. Louisville (8-2) ↑1

MLB

Awards Week: Managers of the Year

Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images

Brandon Hyde (Orioles) & Skip Schumaker (Marlins) Named Mangers of the Year

MLB Awards week continues with two more honors on Tuesday — Managers of the Year. Brandon Hyde (Orioles) and Skip Schumaker (Marlins) earned the nods for their clubs’ unlikely runs in 2023. Hyde’s honor also marks the second award of the week for Baltimore, while Schumaker is just the eighth manager ever to win the award in his first season.

AL: Brandon Hyde (Orioles)

Hyde’s Orioles were baseball’s best story throughout the regular season, notching 101 wins well ahead of schedule. Hyde captained the O’s through three straight losing seasons from 2019-2022, but the O’s (101-61) surprised everyone when they earned the AL’s No. 1 seed. 2nd Place: Bruce Bochy (Rangers) / 3rd Place: Kevin Cash (Rays)

NL: Skip Schumaker (Marlins)

Schumaker’s nod comes from the instantaneous impact he had in Miami. The Marlins hadn’t won 80-plus games since 2010 (2020 shortened season included), but Schumaker’s club went 84-78 to nab an NL wild card bid. 2nd Place: Craig Counsell (Brewers) / 3rd Place: Brian Snitker (Braves)

MLB Awards Week Schedule

Rookies: Corbin Carroll & Gunnar Henderson

Managers: Brandon Hyde & Skip Schumaker

Wednesday: Cy Young Awards

Thursday: MVP Awards

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏀 NBA

Pacers def. 76ers (132-126)

*Haliburton (33-15-7) Leads Indiana Charge

Thunder def. Spurs (123-87)

*Gilgeous-Alexander (28-7-6) Helps OKC Shut Down Wemby

Timberwolves def. Warriors (104-101)