Hey Team 👋

After a rare calm week in sports, the weekend made up for it with fireworks across every league. The MLB season wrapped up, college hoops tipped off and the NBA is officially back. In case you missed it, here’s a quick rundown of the chaos that unfolded:

• L.A. Seals it in Extras: Game 7 of the World Series came down to one run — and one swing — as Los Angeles clinched their second consecutive title in dramatic fashion.

• Flacco’s Near Miracle Falls Short: Joe Flacco nearly pulled off the comeback of the year, leading the Bengals from 14 down in the final five minutes to a 42-41 lead. But Colston Loveland broke Cincinnati hearts with a last-minute touchdown to give the Bears a 47-42 win.

• Heartbreak at Lambeau: After a huge Week 8 victory, the Packers fell to the Panthers on a walk-off 49-yard field goal as time expired.

• History for Jacksonville: Cam Little drilled an NFL record 68-yard field goal to cap the Jags’ electric win over the Raiders.

Letter Rip!

< MLB >

Deja Blue

Wow, what a finish! After a World Series packed with extra innings, elite pitching and plenty of starpower, Game 7 delivered everything fans could hope for — and then some. The Dodgers and Blue Jays went punch for punch all series long, but in the end, heartbreak struck north of the border.

Toronto entered the top of the ninth clinging to a one-run lead when Miguel Rojas stepped up to the plate. With one out already on the board — and Rojas hitless for nearly a month — the Jays and their fans began to exhale. But in October, there’s no such thing as breathing room. Rojas blasted a game-tying home run, stunning the crowd and sending the game into extras.

As I watched, I expected the Dodgers to turn to Blake Snell. Instead, Dave Roberts made a surprising move, handing the ball to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who had just started Game 6. The decision raised eyebrows — mine included — but Roberts never wavered. Yamamoto was untouchable once again, shutting down Toronto’s lineup and etching his name into history as the Game 7 hero and World Series MVP.

Even with Yamamoto’s brilliance, the Dodgers still needed one more spark. Thanks to Will Smith, they didn’t need 18 innings to get there this time. Smith smashed a go-ahead homer in the 11th to seal Los Angeles’ second consecutive World Series title — a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since the 1998-2000 Yankees.

< CFB >

Week 11 AP Poll

The diamond wasn’t the only place we saw action this weekend. While the top seven ranked teams held firm, a dramatic weekend on the gridiron brought plenty of movement to the AP Poll. 

Undefeated Georgia Tech finally met its match, falling to NC State and tumbling eight spots in the rankings. That loss didn’t exactly stun anyone — but SMU’s shocking upset over Miami sure did. The Hurricanes have now dropped two of their last three, sliding eight spots and putting their playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.

As if the ACC shakeups weren’t enough, Arch Manning and the Longhorns handed Vanderbilt its second loss and tightened the SEC race.

AP Top 25

1. Ohio State (🟰)

2. Indiana (🟰)

3. Texas A&M (🟰)

4. Alabama (🟰)

5. Georgia (🟰)

6. Oregon (🟰)

7. Ole Miss (🟰)

8. BYU (⬆️2)

9. Texas Tech (⬆️4)

10. Notre Dame (⬆️2)

11. Oklahoma (⬆️7)

12. Virginia (⬆️3)

13. Texas (⬆️7)

14. Louisville (⬆️2)

15. Vanderbilt (⬇️6)

16. Georgia Tech (⬇️8)

17. Utah (⬆️7)

18. Miami (⬇️8)

19. Missouri (🟰)

20. USC (⬆️3)

21. Michigan (🟰)

22. Memphis (⬆️3)

23. Tennessee (⬇️9)

24. Washington (previously unranked)

25. Cincinnati (⬇️8)

Week 11 Matchups

Houston at UCF (UCF -1.5)

Tulane at #22 Memphis (MEM -6.5)

#5 Georgia at Mississippi State (UGA -7.5)

#8 BYU at #9 Texas Tech (TTU -10.5)

#3 Texas A&M at #19 Missouri (TA&M -6.5)

#6 Oregon at Iowa (ORE -5.5)

Kansas at Arizona (ARIZ -4.5)

Iowa State at TCU (TCU -6.5)

Auburn at #15 Vanderbilt (VAN -6.5)

Wake Forest at #12 Virginia (UVA -6.5)

Florida State at Clemson (CLEM -2.5)

LSU at #4 Alabama (ALA -9.5)

Florida at Kentucky (FLA -3.5)