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It is finally that time of year, dubbed by many as the greatest season for sports, in which the NFL and College Football are going strong, the NBA and NHL seasons are beginning, and most importantly: October baseball. With so many narratives and storylines going on, here are some of the most prominent ones in sports:
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty has taken college football by storm, on pace for a rushing total not seen since Barry Sanders in 1988. Jeanty has the Broncos currently ranked as the 12 seed, which will be just enough to squeeze into this year’s new 12 team playoff format. Other notable teams fighting for a final spot in this expanded playoff are Alabama, Notre Dame, and Ole Miss, who have all faced upsets to lower seeded opponents so far. Perhaps the most notable was Vanderbilt taking down Alabama, who was ranked #1 at the time. The top 4 is more of the usual, with Oregon, Georgia, Ohio State, Miami, and Texas all fighting for the top seed.
Ohio State has had a good season so far, with a major win at Penn State this past weekend keeping the Buckeye’s Big 10 championship hopes alive after its bitter defeat at Oregon in week 5. True Freshman Jeremiah Smith continues to impress, breaking the NCAA freshman receiving yards record in just eight games. What has been even nicer for Buckeye fans has been witnessing Michigan’s trainwreck of a season. The Wolverines are now 5-4 coming off of their championship season, which was marred by cheating scandals. They seem to have learned that it’s difficult to win football games without cheating.
In the NFL, it has been the Kansas City Chiefs who have been dominant, going a perfect 7-0 to start the season so far. This comes in spite of a drop in production from star players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Other teams to watch are the Lions, Bills, Vikings, and Ravens, who is led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson.
The NBA season started up two weeks ago. The Boston Celtics have continued to look like the team to beat, going 6-1 to start the season. The Cleveland Cavaliers have been surprising so far, sitting first in the East at 6-0. Other notable teams to watch are the JJ Redick led Lakers, who have looked like a whole new team this season despite minimal offseason moves. The Golden State Warriors also appear to be back on track after a busy offseason that saw the Dubs trade franchise cornerstone Klay Thompson to the Mavericks, while landing Buddy Hield, who has perhaps been the Warriors best player to start the year. It will be interesting to watch how Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs fare this year after picking up Chris Paul in the offseason. Paul, though 39 years old now, could play a key role in unlocking Wembanyama’s potential in the young phenom’s sophomore season. It is too early to say who will win the championship, but it appears safe to say that the Celtics are the betting favorites for now.
The Los Angeles Dodgers took down the Yankees in the World Series four games to one. The Dodgers were in control all series, getting off to a 3-0 lead. The Yankees managed to capture a victory at home in game 4, and the series returned to LA. The Yankees looked good in game 5, that is until they let up five unearned runs in the fifth inning. They lost all momentum after this, and the Dodgers won their second World Series in the last four years at home.
