College Football: Week 0

August 25, 2023

By: Carlos Alvarez

Good Morning,

It\’s a bittersweet day to be a sports fan. While College football officially kicks off this weekend, the news of Shohei Ohtani tearing his UCL once again was a very tough pill to swallow. You win some and you lose some.

Letter Rip!

CFB

Week 0: The Kickoff to College Football

\"\"/ — *Photo: Tom Pennington / Getty Images*

2023 College Football Kickoff: The Top-25 Players In College Football This Season

Here. We. Go. The 2023 College Football season kicks off tomorrow, and the shift in the sports calendar is officially here. Seven games get us started tomorrow afternoon (Sat. Aug. 26) with the unofficial “Week 0” before “Week 1” next weekend — 17 games on Thursday-Friday and more than 75 games next Saturday. We know the top dogs in the Preseason AP Poll — #1 Georgia, #2 Michigan, #3 Ohio State, #4 Alabama and #5 LSU. But do you know which players to keep an eye on?

The Top Players in College Football

It’s easy to track the best athletes on the pro level because they usually have longevity and consistency. In college football, the turnover in recruiting and transfers makes it difficult to keep up. We’re here to help. Everything changes as the season progresses, but here are the 25 best (and most important) players to watch as college football gets started, as well as some Heisman Trophy early favorites.

Top-10 Players

1. QB Caleb Williams (USC)

2. TE Brock Bowers (Georgia)

3. WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State)

4. RB Blake Corum (Michigan)

5. LB Harold Perkins Jr. (LSU)

6. QB Drake Maye (North Carolina)

7. QB Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)

8. DL Jared Verse (Florida State)

9. OL Joe Alt (Notre Dame)

10. DB Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama)

Top-5 Heisman Trophy Favorites (Odds)

1. QB Caleb Williams (USC) — +500

2. QB Jayden Daniels (LSU) — +900

3. QB Quinn Ewers (Texas) — +1000

4. QB Bo Nix (Oregon) — +1200

5. QB Jordan Travis (FSU) — +1200

Non-QB Heisman Trophy Favorites (Odds)

1. WR Marvin Harisson Jr. (OSU) — +2500

2. RB Blake Corum (MICH) — +3000

3. RB TreVeyon Henderson (OSU) — +4000

4. RB Nick Singleton (PSU) — +6600

5. TE Brock Bowers (UGA) — +8000

The 2023 College Football season kicks off tomorrow with seven games, but only two ranked teams are in action. Let’s play some football!

CFB Saturday Kickoff (Week 0)

Navy at #13 Notre Dame (Sat. 2:30 pm ET)

San Jose State at #6 USC (Sat. 8:00 pm ET)

CBS Sports: Big 12 Expert Picks: Most Overrated & Underrated Teams in 2023

CP: The 25 Best Players Ahead of 2023 College Football Season, Ranked

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MLB

Uh-Ohtani: The Halos are Hurting

\"\"/ — *Photo: Masterpress / Getty Images*

Shohei Ohtani’s UCL Tear, Mike Trout Back on IL — Where Do Angels Go From Here?

If you hadn’t already heard, the Angels are in trouble. Just one month after Los Angeles opted to keep Shohei Ohtani at the trade deadline, the two-way superstar is now a one-way bat on a team likely missing the postseason. Ohtani suffered a UCL tear this week and won’t pitch again this season. He’ll still act as the designated hitter, but it may not matter for the Halos, who also placed Mike Trout on the IL. Here’s what we know:

Uh-Ohtani: The UCL Tear 2.0

Ohtani suffered the same injury — a torn ulnar collateral ligament — in 2018, and it led to Tommy John surgery. It’s a ligament tear that severely impacts the pitcher, but swinging a bat is still doable. But this same injury, now at 29 years old… Could it mean a second surgery? Only 42 MLB pitchers have undergone multiple Tommy John surgeries. More than 70 percent did not pitch again, and few others pitched well.

Have we seen the last of Ohtani-the-pitcher?

The Angels couldn’t come to terms with trading away their generational talent last month, but the ‘Offseason of Ohtani’ is approaching fast. The Halos may have to watch the best player in baseball walk away for nothing in return. The Angels (61-67) are 10.5 games back of the wild card without a throwing Ohtani or a batting Trout. They sealed their fate in 2023, and maybe beyond.

SI: The Shockwaves From Shohei Ohtani’s Elbow Injury Are Far-Reaching

CBS Sports: The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani Era Might Have Just Come to an Abrupt End in Worst-Case Scenario

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GOLF

Morikawa\’s Mad Dash

\"\"/ — *Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images*

FedEx Cup Playoffs: Morikawa (-10) Comes Out Hot, McIlroy (-7) Fights Through Back Pain & Scheffler (-9) Survives Triple-Bogey

Starting strokes, be gone! It’s straight-up golf the rest of the way. The first round of the Tour Championship at East Lake did absolutely nothing to separate the field. Instead, we enter the weekend with the tightest leaderboard in recent FedEx Cup Playoffs memory. Scottie Scheffler started hot before an abysmal back-nine meltdown. Rory McIlroy battled through back injuries to save his poor front-nine. By the end of Day 1, Viktor Hovland (-10) and Keegan Bradley (-10) found their way to the top, but Collin Morikawa (-10) fired a 9-under 61 opening round to jump to from the back of the field. Here are the top notes from Thursday.

Scottie’s Wild Start (-9) : Scheffler started with a two-stroke advantage and birdie three of his first six holes to get to 13-under, but three bogeys and a triple-bogey in the water on the 15th brought him back down to earth.
Rory’s Back Problems (-7): McIlroy spent the afternoon wincing through back pain as he tried to overcome a two-over on the front. He finished with three birdies in the last six holes to get back in contention.
Morikawa’s Mad Dash (-10): Morikawa was the dominant force in Round 1, carding seven birdies and one eagle (-9) in a bogey-free round. The 26-year-old had a solid round through 15 holes before he birdied 16-17-18 down the stretch. He holds all the momentum.

Round 1 Leaderboard (Tour Championship)

C. Morikawa (-10)

K. Bradley (-10)

V. Hovland (-10)

S. Scheffler (-9)

R. Henley (-8)

A. Schenk (-8)

R. McIlory (-7)

M. Fitzpatrick (-7)

Other Notable Scorecards: J. Rahm (-6), X. Schauffele (-6), W. Clark (-6), T. Hatton (-6), R. Fowler (-5), P. Cantlay (-5) | Full Leaderboard

Round 1 Highlights | Round 2 Tee Times

Yahoo!: Morikawa Fires 61 to Share Lead at PGA Tour Finale

Golf Monthly: Frustrated Tom Watson Still Waiting for PGA Tour Answers To PIF Deal Questions

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HIGHLIGHTS

MLB

Orioles def. Blue Jays (5-3)

Twins def. Rangers (7-5)

Diamondbacks def. Reds (3-2) (Arizona now occupies third Wild Card spot)

LLWS

Curacao def. Mexico (4-2)

California def. Washington (2-1)

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STORYLINES

\’Kobe Bryant Day\’ Tributes

Two days in late August hold special significance for fans of late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant — his birthday (8/23) and ‘Kobe Bryant Day’ (8/24). Here’s how the sports world celebrated the Mamba, including new plans to unveil a statute in ’24. (LA Times)

NFL Players & Gambling Policies

Ten NFL players have been suspended for gambling violations since April, and the infractions have revealed a foundational problem: Many players say they aren\’t familiar with the league policy. ESPN interviewed 53 players to get their takes. (ESPN)

The U.S. Open Draw

Everything that has happened in tennis since Wimbledon suggests Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are once again on a collision course to meet in the U.S. Open finals. However, Djokovic’s path to get there looks a good bit easier. (USA Today)

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NEWS

Lakers to Unveil Statue of Kobe Bryant Outside Arena on 2-8-24 (USA Today)
Nationals’ World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg Plans to Retire (WaPo)
Giants Acquire Former Top-10 Pick Isaiah Simmons From Cardinals for 7th-Round Pick (CBS Sports)
Vikings Release Former 1st-Round Pick WR N’Keal Harry (Yahoo! Sports)
FIFA Opens Disciplinary Case Against Spain President Luis Rubiales After World Cup Kiss (SI)
Nationals’ Stone Garrett on IL After Suffering Broken Leg in HR Robbery Attempt (ESPN)

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WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Weekend Must-Watch List

PGA

Tour Championship, Rounds 2-4 (All Weekend)

College Football (Saturday)

Navy at #13 Notre Dame (Sat. 2:30 pm)

San Jose State at #6 USC (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Little League World Series

Chinese Taipei vs. Curacao (Sat. 12:30 pm)

Texas vs. California (Sat. 3:30 pm)

3rd Place: Losers of Saturday Games (Sun. 11:00 am)

Finals: Winners of Saturday Games (Sun. 3:00 pm)

MLB

Dodgers-Red Sox Series

Braves-Giants Series

Reds-Diamondbacks Series

Rangers-Twins Series

Full MLB Weekend Schedule

FIBA World Cup

Team USA vs. New Zealand (Sat. 8:40 am)

Racing

NASCAR: Coke Zero 400 @ Daytona (Sat. 7:00 pm)

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

Download The Sportsletter\’s Must-Watch Calendar