The third edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings was released Tuesday night with Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State remaining as the top four teams for the second straight week. Not only that, the first seven teams in the top 25 were unchanged as all won games in a week that only saw one significant upset.
That came as Baylor knocked off previously unbeaten and eighth-ranked Oklahoma, a result that saw the Sooners fall five spots to No. 13, while the Bears moved up to two spots to No. 11. The CFP Selection Committee clearly focused on the head-to-head result above overall record given Baylor has one more loss than Oklahoma. Neither is the top-ranked Big 12 team, though, as Oklahoma State holds that distinction at No. 9 ahead of a Bedlam meeting with OU in two weeks.
Cincinnati, at 10-0 with two Power Five wins, held at No. 5 after a clean win over South Florida. The Bearcats remain the highest-ranked Group of Five program in this history of the CFP Rankings, but as of right now, that’s only good enough for a New Year’s Six bid given they are outside the top four. However, Cincinnati did receive some strength of schedule help with Houston checking in at No. 24. Should the Bearcats meet and beat Cougars meet in the AAC Championship Game, Cincinnati’s relatively weak schedule strength would receive a boost in its final game preceding Selection Sunday.
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In the history of the CFP, no team ranked outside the top seven at this late point in the season has moved into the four-team field after the conference championship games. The No. 7 team has advanced to the top four twice: Oklahoma in 2017, Georgia in 2019.
Let’s take a look at the entire CFP Rankings top 25. Analysis from CBS Sports bowls expert Jerry Palm will be added momentarily.
According to all accounts, Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers is a friendly guy.
He just doesn’t smile that much.
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Therefore, any image of him looking joyful is celebrated and shared by NBA fans.
And any image of him looking happy and healthy is celebrated even more.
According to ClutchPoints, the Clippers posted a picture of Leonard putting up shots at the team’s practice facility, with a pretty big smile on his face.
Fans of the team were elated to see him in such good spirits.
Kawhi Leonard is all smiles at the Clippers practice facility
“Just in general, with exhibition games, I think you want to just err on the side of caution and keep guys healthy,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said, per Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today.
Panarin led the Rangers with 92 points in 82 games last season, while Chytil had 45 points in 74 games.
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Meanwhile, forward Mika Zibanejad (upper body) was back on the ice for practice in a non-contact jersey. He will not play Tuesday when the Rangers host the New York Islanders.
The Senators sent three players back to junior on Tuesday.
Defencemen Matthew Andonovski and Tomas Hamara are returning to the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, while Jorian Donovan is heading to the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs.
Veteran defenceman Mark Pysyk, with Pittsburgh on a PTO, is out “longer term” with a lower-body injury, coach Mike Sullivan told reporters.
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‘We were really looking forward to watching Mark throughout the exhibition season, getting him into some games, and seeing where he might potentially fit on our team,” Sullivan said, per the Penguins.
Pysyk, 31, had three goals and nine assists for 12 points in 68 games with the Buffalo Sabres last season.
The Leafs signed Benoit to a one-year, $775,000-deal this summer.
The Leafs also said forward Calle Jarnkrok was not practising because of a maintenance day.
Columbus Blue Jackets
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Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko returned to the ice Tuesday after missing the start of camp with a back issue, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Marchenko, 23, had 21 goals and four assists in 59 games in his first NHL campaign last year.
The Brooklyn Nets traded away Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving last season.
It left the organization with Ben Simmons as one of the cornerstone players alongside Mikal Bridges.
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Simmons played in just 42 games during the 2022-23 season due to a knee injury.
The 27-year-old was scrutinized for missing so many games last season, but according to Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn, Simmons is 100% healthy heading into training camp, via Ian Begley on Twitter.
Nets’ Jacque Vaughn says Ben Simmons is 100 percent healthy and going 5 on 5 entering training camp.
Simmons’ health has always been a huge concern for him since being drafted into the NBA.
Seven years down the line, it remains an issue for him in his career.
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So much so that many believe the Nets made a huge mistake by trading James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for the former top pick.
But ahead of the 2023-24 season, Simmons has looked sharp in training clips.
Moreover, with the Nets head coach giving a positive update about Simmons’ health, he may finally get back to being an NBA All-Star level player in the league.
Simmons averaged just 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game last season, a career-low for him in every aspect.
Apart from dealing with constant injuries, Simmons was reportedly going through some mental health struggles due to his strained relationship with the 76ers.
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Now, with both issues resolved, there’s nothing that should stop him from becoming one of the best point guards in the league.
However, the true test to Simmons’ skills will be when the new season starts.
