The Sportsletter - Week 0 — Football That Counts

BY JEFF YODER

AUG. 23, 2024 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

This one’s special. We’ve made it, team. Not only did you stick it out through the end of this week, but you’ve hung with us through another summer of sports. It was crazier than usual, from the Olympics and the Euros to endless golf, tennis, and baseball, but we’ve arrived. Today marks the eve of the college football season. That means six straight months of weekend football — and the epic fall sports lineup — are about to begin.

Catch Up Quick

• ⚾️ Mariners Fire Manager Scott Servais
• 🏈 Eagles Trade for Commanders WR Jahan Dotson
• 🏈 Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz Gets 1-Game Suspension
• 🏅 Olympics Hero Stephen Nederoscik to Join ‘Dancing With the Stars’

Letter Rip!

  CFB  

Week 0 — Football That Counts

Photo: Aer Lingus Media Centre 

The 2024 CFB Kickoff Brings An ‘Irish Goodbye’ to Life Without Football

The 2024 College Football season is finally here, and it’s an untraditional launch to the American tradition. No. 10 Florida State and Georgia Tech will meet for the ’24 season kickoff game in Dublin, Ireland at Aviva Stadium on Saturday (Noon ET, ESPN). The Seminoles’ new quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei is leaving the United States for the first time in his life, and he’ll be the center of the sports world tomorrow afternoon. FSU is a 10.5-point favorite, but don’t sleep on Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets went 7-6 last year and won a bowl game. QB Haynes King is also a dual-threat must-watch player. Stats and stars aside, a college football showcase on the Emerald Isle isn’t exactly new…

The ‘Irish Goodbye’ (To Life Without Football)

While sports fans get to say goodbye to six months without real football tomorrow, a college football season opener abroad isn’t exactly the gameday tailgating experience we’re accustomed to. The first CFB game played in Ireland occurred in 1996 between Notre Dame and Navy. Since then, prominent Big Ten and ACC games have taken place on Irish soil for the Aer Lingus Classic. Notre Dame and Navy brought significant attention back to the game in 2023, and you can expect it to be an annual ‘Week 0’ tradition for at least the next few years.

The Calm Before the CFB Storm

Four games will hit the gridiron tomorrow for ‘Week 0’ — the first official college football action of the 2024 season. Next week will launch the full-scale invasion of the CFB season with 100-plus televised games Thursday through Monday (Aug. 29—Sept. 2). Here’s a look at this weekend’s four CFB appetizers and another look at the AP Poll before the season officially kicks off.

College Football’s Week Zero (Saturday)

#10 Florida State at Georgia Tech (Noon, ESPN)

Montana State at New Mexico (4:00 pm, FS1)

SMU at Nevada (8:00 pm, CBS)

Delaware State at Hawaii (11:59 pm ET, PPV)

College Football AP Poll (Top-10)

1. Georgia

2. Ohio State

3. Oregon

4. Texas

5. Alabama

6. Ole Miss

7. Notre Dame

8. Penn State

9. Michigan

10. Florida State

Read More

ESPN: Inside Florida State & Georgia Tech’s Wild Planning for Season Opener in Ireland

The Athletic: College Football Week 0 Preview: 4 Games Set to Open Season

Yahoo! Sports: Week 0 Is Here — Should College Football Move Up Its Season for Good?

  MLB  

Tracking MLB Awards Races 🏆

Photo: Matthew Grimes Jr. / Getty Images

5 Weeks Remain in the 2024 MLB Season, But the Awards Races Might Already Be Decided

The next five weeks will shuffle the MLB playoff picture on a nightly basis, especially with the way these pennant races are currently looking. Every series swings the pendulum of October’s outlook. Despite that uncertainty (and excitement), the 2024 MLB Awards might already be secured. Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani appear untouchable in the race for AL and NL MVPs. Two pitchers have risen above the rest for Cy Young honors. Managers and rookie of the year nods could have some last-month alterations — Paul Skenes and Jackson Merrill could be a toss-up for NL rookie of the year — but here’s a quick look at the award-winners (as it stands) at the end of summer.

🏆 Awards Leaders (Predictions)

MVP Awards

AL: CF Aaron Judge (NYY)

.334 Avg. | 48 HRs | 118 RBIs | 6 SBs | 1.191 OPS

NL: DH Shohei Ohtani (LAD)

.291 Avg. | 39 HRs | 88 RBIs | 39 SBs | .988 OPS

Cy Young

AL: P Tarik Skubal (DET)

14-4 Record | 2.49 ERA | 185 Ks | 155.1 Innings

NL: P Chris Sale (ATL)

14-3 Record | 2.62 ERA | 187 Ks | 140.2 Innings

Rookie of the Year

AL: CF Colton Cowser (BAL)

.248 Avg. | 18 HRs | 56 RBIs | 8 SBs | .774 OPS
NL: CF Jackson Merrill (SD)

.269 Avg. | 18 HRs | 71 RBIs | 13 SBs | .813 OPS

*Pirates Pitcher Paul Skenes is in the mix

Manager of the Year

AL: Stephen Vogt (CLE)

Record: 73-54 (.575 Win%) — 1st Season
NL: Pat Murphy (MIL)

Record: 73-53 (.579 Win %) — 1st Season

Read More

B/R: MLB 2024 Award Rankings for MVP, Cy Young & Rookie of the Year

FOX Sports: 2024 MLB MVP Race: Ohtani & Judge Distance Themselves From the Pack

  GOLF  

From Last Man to Low Man ⛳️

Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Keegan Bradley (-6) Goes From Last Man to Top of the Leaderboard at BMW Championship

Week 2 of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is underway from Castle Pines, Colorado, and the field might actually have a chance to catch Scottie Scheffler. Keegan Bradley (-6) posted the first-round lead on Thursday after being the last player in the 50-man field (No. 50 in FedEx Cup points). Hideki Matsuyama (-5) is also in the mix after his win last weekend. The winner of the BMW Championship adds 2,000 points to boost their position in next weekend’s Tour Championship. Scheffler’s lead is still commanding — he’ll likely start with the advantage in starting strokes at East Lake — but the BMW is the last shot to climb the leaderboard for many players.

BMW Championship Leaderboard

K. Bradley (-6)

H. Matsuyama (-5)

S.J. Im (-4)

A. Scott (-4)

C. Conners (-4)

A. Noren (-4)

Other Notable Scorecards: X. Schauffele (-3), C. Morikawa (-2), T. Finau (-2), R. McIlroy (-2), V. Hovland (-1), S. Scheffler (-1), P. Cantlay (-1), W. Clark (E) | Full Leaderboard

Round 1 Highlights | Round 2 Tee Times

FedEx Cup Point Standings (Current)

Read More

AP: Keegan Bradley Goes From Last Man In to Leading BMW Championship

CBS Sports: BMW Championship Takeaways: Keegan Bradley Soars Up FedEx Cup Standings

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

⚾️ MLB

Yankees def. Guardians (6-0)

Aaron Judge Hits 48th HR of Season

Cubs def. Tigers (10-2)

Miguel Amaya Hits Grand Slam

Pirates def. Reds (7-0)

Paul Skenes Fires 9 Ks in Shutout

Astros def. Orioles (6-0)

Spencer Arrighetti Leads 3-Hit Shutout

Braves def. Phillies (3-2)

Raisel Iglesias Extends Save Streak to 35

🏈 NFL Preseason

Colts def. Bengals (27-14)

Anthony Richardson: 8/14, 86 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Bears def. Chiefs (34-21)

Bears DB Reddy Steward Nabs 2 INTs, 1 TD

🏀 WNBA

Liberty def. Wings (79-71)

Breanna Stewart (19 pts), NYL Win 8th Straight

⛳️ LPGA Women’s Open

Charley Hull (-5) Leads Round 1 at St. Andrews

  NEWS   📰 

🏈 Eagles Acquire Former 1st-Rounder WR Jahan Dotson From Rival Commanders in Preseason Trade (FOX Sports)

📺 Olympic Men’s Gymnastics Hero Stephen Nedoroscik to Join Upcoming Season of ‘Dancing With the Stars’ (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz to Serve 1-Game Suspension for Recruiting Violation of QB Cade McNamara (SI)

🏈 Falcons Sign CB A.J. Terell to 4-Year, $81 Million Extension (ESPN)

Hughes Brothers Revealed as Cover Athletes for NHL25 Video Game (B/R)

⚽️ NWSL Inks New CBA Through 2030 to Increase Pay & Benefits (Yahoo! Sports)

⚽️ Cristiano Ronaldo Breaks Record for Fastest to 1 Million Subscribers on YouTube Channel (CBS Sports)

🏅 Olympic Athlete Already Broke Gold Medal & Asks IOC For a New One (USA Today)

⚾️ Veteran Jason Heyward DFA’d by Dodgers Amid Roster Crunch (ESPN)

🏈 Chiefs Make Creed Humphrey Highest-Paid Center in NFL History With $72 Million Deal (CBS Sports)

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE   🗓️

The Weekend Must-Watch List

It’s an absolutely STACKED sports weekend coming up — the first of many this fall. The kids are back to school and college sports are rocking. We’ll crown champions in the Little League World Series, BMW Championship, and the Leagues Cup on Monday before launching our U.S. Open coverage from Flushing Meadows. Enjoy!

🏈 College Football - Week Zero (Saturday)

#10 Florida State at Georgia Tech (Noon, ESPN)

Montana State at New Mexico (4:00 pm, FS1)

SMU at Nevada (8:00 pm, CBS)

🏈 NFL Preseason (Week 3)

49ers at Raiders (Fri. 10:00 pm, NFLN)

Steelers at Lions (Sat. 1:00 pm, NFLN)

Chargers at Cowboys (Sat. 4:00 pm, NFLN)

Giants at Jets (Sat. 7:30 pm, NFLN)

Patriots at Commanders (Sun. 8:00 pm, NBC)

Full NFL Preseason Week 3 Schedule

⛳️ Golf

BMW Championship (FedEx Cup Playoffs)

Rounds 2-4 (Friday—Sunday, Peacock/Golf Channel)

LPGA AIG Women’s Open

Rounds 2-4 (Friday—Sunday, USA Network)

⚾️ MLB

Rangers-Guardians Series

Giants-Mariners Series

Mets-Padres Series

Phillies-Royals Series

Full MLB Weekend Schedule

⚽️ Soccer (Leagues Cup Final)

Columbus Crew vs. LAFC (Sun. 7:15 pm ET, AppleTV)

🏀 WNBA

Fever at Lynx (Sat. 8:00 pm, NBATV)

Aces at Sky (Sun. Noon, CBS)

Full WNBA Schedule

⚾️ Little League World Series

Semifinals (Saturday) / Finals (Sunday)

🏁 Racing
NAS: Coke 400 — Daytona (Sat. 7:30 pm, NBC)

F1: Dutch Grand Prix (Sun. 9:00 am, AppleTV)

  THE TEAM  

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Assistant Writer: Marissa Kasch

Social Media: Aaron Yorke

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