Primed & Ready for Football

08/29/2024

By: Jeff Yoder

Good Morning!

Yesterday had a little bit of everything, from more Caitlin Clark record rewrites to Shohei Ohtani’s dog throwing out the first pitch. We packed it all in before a busy Labor Day Weekend arrives. Today, the Tour Championship tees off at East Lake and Deion Sanders’ Colorado boys welcome back college football in prime time.

Calendar: The Sportsletter won’t be sent on Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 2). We’ll return to your inbox on Tuesday (Sept. 3).

Letter Rip!

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CFB

Primed & Ready for Football

Deion Sanders & The Colorado Buffaloes Open CFB Season Tonight in Prime Time (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)

What better way to kick off Week 1 of the college football season than with Coach Prime in prime time? More than 20 Division 1 games hit the field tonight to launch a full weekend invasion of college football, but Colorado moves the needle in entertainment value with Deion Sanders (a.k.a. Coach Prime), his sons, Shedeur (QB) and Shiloh (DB), and the two-way mega-star, Travis Hunter. You might recall last September when the Buffs set college football ablaze with a 3-0 start to the season. They finished dead last in the Pac-12 (4-8). But it’s a new season, and a new conference for Colorado.

Buffa-Lows or Highs in the Big 12?

Without giving a full-fledged rundown of the CFB realignment (we would need a week of newsletters to accomplish that feat), Colorado’s entrance to the Big 12 gives the Buffs a chance to refuel and rebrand. Coach Prime made headlines last season when he overhauled Colorado’s roster during summer camp. Year 2 should bring more consistency to the depth chart. Both QB Shedeur Sanders and WR Travis Hunter are top-20 Heisman Trophy favorites, but Colorado will have to win some games for that storyline to become relevant.

Will it be another sizzling September for Coach Prime’s bunch? Or is the Colorado experiment a facade of smoke and mirrored shades? We’ll let the Big 12 decide.

Tonight’s Prime Time Game

North Dakota State at Colorado (8:00 pm ET, ESPN)

Other CFB Games Tonight

Howard at Rutgers (6:00 pm ET, BTN)

W. Carolina at #24 NC State (7:00 pm ET, ACCN)

Murray State at #11 Missouri (8:00 pm ET, SECN)

Lindenwood at #22 Kansas (8:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

North Carolina at Minnesota (8:00 pm ET, FOX)

Southern Utah at #12 Utah (9:00 pm ET, ESPN+)

B/R: Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders Agrees With Nike to NIL Shoe & Apparel Contract Before Season Opener

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GOLF

Master Scheff: The Tour Champ Chase is On

The Tour Championship Tees Off at East Lake, But Can the Field Catch Scottie Scheffler’s Starting Strokes?

Winning at East Lake Golf Club for the season-long FedEx Cup Playoffs is no easy task. Giving starting strokes to the No. 1 golfer in the world? Good luck to the field. The final round of the FedEx Cup Playoffs tees off this morning in Atlanta, and Scottie Scheffler is already winning. Only 30 golfers remain in the final weekend, but 29 will hit their first tee shots today in active chase mode thanks to the starting strokes format (determined by overall FEC points). Those chasers will try to cook up something special this weekend, but the Master Scheff holds the ingredients.

Yes, Scheff (Year in Review)

The 2024 PGA Tour season marked the second year in the dominant Scheffler era. He finished top-10 in 13 of 18 PGA Tour events, including six wins and three additional top-3 finishes, not to mention his Olympic gold medal comeback. Scheffler also became a father, and he won The Masters by a landslide. However, East Lake hasn’t been kind to Scottie throughout his career. Let’s see if anyone can track him down this weekend.

Tour Championship Starting Strokes

10-Under: Scottie Scheffler

8-Under: Xander Schauffele

7-Under: Hideki Matsuyama

6-Under: Keegan Bradley

5-Under: Ludvig Aberg

4-Under: R. McIlroy, C. Morikawa, W. Clark, S. Burns, P. Cantlay
3-Under: S. Im, S. Theegala, S. Lowry, A. Scott, T. Finau
2-Under: B. Hun An, V. Hovland, R. Henley, A. Bhatia, R. MacIntyre
1-Under: B. Horschel, T. Fleetwood, S. Straka, M. Pavon, T. Pendrith
Even: C. Kirk, Tom Hoge, A. Rai, C. Bezuidenhout, J. Thomas

Winner’s Share: $25 Million ($100M Total Purse)

Round 1 Tee Times | Tour Championship Odds

Round 1 Coverage (1:00 pm ET, NBC/Golf Channel)

PGA: How ‘FedEx Cup Starting Strokes’ Work & Tour Championship Payouts

WSJ: This $100 Million Tournament Gives Scottie Scheffler a Head Start. It Also Gives Him Fits. ($-Paywall)

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WNBA

The Caitlin Clark Clinic Continues

Caitlin Clark Breaks WNBA Rookie 3-Point Record (With 9 Games to Go)

Another night, another fallen record in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark’s debutant WNBA season is shaping up to be a full-on assault against the rookie record books. Clark drained three 3s in another 19-point game (19 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast) as the Fever beat the Sun last night (84-80). Her 86th 3-pointer of the season gave her the rookie record, for most 3s, eclipsing the previous mark held by Rhyne Howard in 2022 (85). She still has nine games left, too. Clark already broke the record for most assists by a rookie, and she has a shot (albeit a long shot) at the rookie scoring mark.

Caitlin Clark Rookie Records

Most Threes: 88 (And Counting)

Most Assists: 247 (And Counting)

*1st Rookie With 400 Points, 100 Rebounds & 150 Assists (Accomplished Before the All-Star Break)

Rookie Scoring Record: The WNBA’s rookie scoring record is owned by Seimone Augustus (744), but Cynthia Cooper holds the highest points per game average (22.2). Clark’s 18 ppg won’t come close to the latter, but she needs 205 points over the final nine games (22.7 ppg) to catch Augustus for the triple crown of WNBA rookie feats.

Watch: Caitlin Clark Breaks Rookie 3-Point Record in Another Fever Win

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HIGHLIGHTS & ROSTER NEWS

Quick Picks: Ohtani’s Bark Park

MLB Quick-Hitters

Bonus: Shohei Ohtani’s Dog ‘Decoy’ Throws Out 1st Pitch Before Ohtani Hits HR on Bobblehead Night

NFL Roster News

U.S. Open Highlights (Round 2)

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STORYLINES

Ending the Spring Transfer Portal

A proposal to eliminate the college football spring transfer portal window has the sport buzzing, and though it appears the NCAA’s efforts are benevolent, many wonder if the organization can avoid legal challenges from players. (CBS Sports)

The Paralympics Preview

The Summer of Games is not over. After the first true post-Covid Olympics, the Paralympic Games began in Paris on Wednesday, running for 11 days through Sept. 8. Here’s what to watch from some of the biggest American stars. (NBC News)

Ranking Baseball’s Best Young Stars

For most young baseball players, the goal is the same: reaching the majors. That path isn’t as direct as other professional sports. International teams, minor leagues, and a mid-season draft make it difficult for fans to see the up-and-coming talent. (ESPN+)

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NEWS

44-Year-Old Rich Hill Rejoins Red Sox With Shot to Pitch in 20th Season (ESPN)

Bills’ Josh Allen Stunningly Voted NFL’s Most Overrated QB by Fellow Players (SI)

New Netflix Show ‘Starting 5’ to Feature NBA Stars LeBron James, Anthony Edwards & More (B/R)

Tom Brady Could Face TV Broadcast Restrictions if He Becomes Part Owner of Raiders (CBS Sports)

ESPN Re-Ups U.S. Open TV Rights With Reported 12-Year, $2 Billion Deal (Yahoo! Sports)

Lionel Messi Returns to Training With Inter Miami for First Time Since Copa America Injury (FOX Sports)

Woman Shot at White Sox Game in 2023 Files Suit Against Team (USA Today)

ESPN’s Adam Schefter Hints at ‘Breaking News’ About Travis Kelce Buying Engagement Ring (Sporting News)

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SCHEDULE