The Lions used Ciara’s ex Future to troll Russell Wilson so hard before win over Broncos

Well played, Ford Field.

Maybe this worked (I kid, but who knows?), but either way, the Detroit Lions did all they could to take down Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos.

While Wilson was warming up at Ford Field before Detroit handed him a 42-17 win on Saturday night in Week 15, reporters said that the PA was playing all hits by the star rapper Future. Why is that significant? Because Ciara — Wilson’s wife — is Future’s ex. And the rapper and Wilson haven’t exactly seemed like buddies over the years.

Well played, Ford Field DJ. Got him there. Here are the reports from before the game:

See it: Notre Dame two-sport great poses with future Notre Dame two-sport great

It’s probably too late for Samardzija to be any help to the Bears, isn’t it…

Notre Dame has had its fair share of multisport star athletes over the years.  During World War II, Edward “Moose” Krause starred in football and basketball while also lettering in track. Dick Arrington finished third nationally in wrestling in 1965 while earning All-American honors for helping protect Heisman Trophy quarterback John Huarte.

Bob Golic doubled up as an All-American wrestler while also starring on the football team. Raghib “Rocket” Ismail earned All-American honors in both football and track.

Perhaps the most well-known multisport star at Notre Dame in recent years was wide receiver and star pitcher, [autotag]Jeff Samardzija[/autotag].  Samardzija helped lead Notre Dame’s turnaround in 2005 and 2006 before opting to play professional baseball instead of taking his shot at the NFL.  The Valparaiso, Indiana, native crossed paths with incoming freshman [autotag]Drayk Bowen[/autotag] in a photo that was shared on social media Wednesday night.

Bowen was recently named the 2022 High School Butkus Award winner as the nation’s top high school linebacker.  Bowen plans to play baseball for the Irish in addition to football.

Related:  The best photos of Jeff Samardzija at Notre Dame

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Future may have take a shot at Russell Wilson in new Quavo collab: ‘[Expletive] Russell’

Could this be about Russell WIlson, who’s married to Future’s ex Ciara? Hmm.

In case you don’t know the history: Atlanta rapper Future used to be engaged to Ciara, and they had a child together. But they broke up in the mid-2010s and Ciara then married now-Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson.

Got it? Good. Because it’ll come into play here. Quavo and Future dropped a new song on Friday called Turn Yo Clic Up, and there’s an NSFW lyric in it: “I got it out the field, [expletive] Russell.”

Hmmm. Could that be about Russell … Wilson? No official word either way, but the speculation about it is rampant, as you’d expect from Twitter:

Saints’ known opponents for 2023 season so far

We already know all but three of the Saints’ opponents for the 2023 season:

There are just four games left on the 2022 schedule, and it’s safe to say the New Orleans Saints haven’t quite met expectations. So some eyes are already being drawn to 2023. And we know all but three of the teams the Saints will face next season.

The Saints are scheduled to host the same-place finisher in the NFC East next year while visiting the same-ranked teams in the NFC West and AFC East. If current standings hold, that means a home game with the Washington Commanders and road trips to face the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots.

We’ll know the finalized list of 2023 opponents after the 2022 season. For now, here’s what we know during the Week 14 bye:

2023 CFB Recruiting: Notre Dame lands their quarterback!

How mad is Pat Narduzzi right now? You just hate to see it.

Where there is smoke there is fire and through the clouds of it that have been noticeable for weeks, the fire has finally been found in regards to Notre Dame finding a quarterback in their 2023 recruiting class.  Former Pitt commitment, four-star prospect [autotag]Kenny Minchey[/autotag], announced his commitment to Notre Dame on Tuesday.

Minchey announced he was dropping his commitment to Pitt last week and was on campus for Notre Dame’s drubbing of Boston College this past weekend.  This doesn’t come as a surprise based on recent events but should still be met with celebration.

Minchey is listed at 6-1, 207 pounds.  He just concluded his senior season at Pope John Paul II High School just outside Nashville, Tenn.  He chose Notre Dame after previously being committed to Pitt and holding offers from the likes of Michigan State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and others.

Minchey will be attending the All-American Bowl in January.  He becomes the 24th commitment to Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class as Marcus Freeman and company try to keep it all together ahead of the early signing period next month.

Meet all of Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class right here!

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NFL MVP best bets for 2022: Lamar Jackson’s odds in a contract year are worth your attention

Can Aaron Rodgers make it three in a row? Or will the NFL crown a new king this year?

As the 2022 NFL season nears the kickoff of Week 1, the BetFTW crew is offering up our best outright bets for the new year. Here you’ll find picks and analysis for the top awards handed out at the end of each campaign. Let’s talk about who will be crowned the 2022 MVP.

Aaron Rodgers has captured back-to-back MVP awards heading into his 15th season as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback, but he doesn’t appear on any of the ballots below.

After the departure of top wideout Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, the BetFTW crew expects the award to find its way to a different recipient this year.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

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Tequila, a wedding and Vegas panic: The $1K bets on Utah State to win the CFP national championship, explained

Yes, you read correct. Utah State. Not No. 7 Utah.

Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. Are you confused as to why the Utah State football program suddenly saw multiple $1,000 bets to win a title this season? Well, we finally have an answer and we’re here to help.

College football season hasn’t even started yet and we’ve already gotten the most ambitious bet we’ll probably see all season long.

Two friends, Pete Kizenko and Robert Doran, teamed up to place two $1,000 bets on the Utah Aggies to win this season’s national championship.

Not the No. 7 ranked Utah Utes of the Pac-12, but the Utah State Aggies of the Mountain West, who have 1000-1 odds of winning the title.

How did they arrive at this bet? Tequila.

What started as a suggestion to take the over on the Aggies’ win totals—thanks to some unintentional hype from former Michigan Wolverine athletes Doran drank with at a wedding the previous night—turned into a “[expletive] it! Let’s hammer the national championship” upon review of Utah State’s schedule.

The $1,000 down on the Aggies left many, including Caesar’s Sportsbook confused and searching for a logical reason behind such an unlikely bet. Especially after two more bets of the same size came in on Utah State. One was from Kizenko, who doubled down after noticing his action didn’t move Utah State’s line at all. A third wager of $1,000 came from an unidentified bettor in Illinois.

Per ESPN’s David Purdum:

As news spread on Twitter of the three $1,000 bets on Utah State in three days, there were questions like, “Did they get Utah and Utah State mixed up?” and comments like, “Probably the worst bet I have ever seen.”

Meanwhile, [the] Caesars’ trading team were asking, “What’s the angle? What are we missing? Because it’s just so unusual.”

“It’s funny, because you had everybody thinking that these smart people are doing crazy research on Utah State and that it’s some like hidden Messiah golden pick,” said the 33-year-old Doran, who owns the breakfast and brunch spot Almost Home General. “And really, it just came from me ripping tequila shots with some players at a wedding.”

If five months from now we are talking about the Utah State Aggies as national champions, we’re going to circle back to this moment and remember that tequila shots were the driving force behind some history.

That and some Michigan alums who should absolutely get into handicapping. Or scouting.

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Rookie of the Year Odds Watch: Keegan Murray, Nikola Jovic rise after 2022 Summer League

The Miami Heat forward is getting attention from oddsmakers

Somewhere along the way toward becoming an NBA staple, the Las Vegas Summer League convinced people that it wasn’t going to prove who would make it in the NBA, but it would surely show who couldn’t.

Oddsmakers have apparently taken the cliche to heart.

Following the Portland Trail Blazers’ 2022 Summer League title victory over the New York Knicks, handicappers have already begun shifting futures for Rookie of the Year—with only a handful of players moving in a positive direction. For the most part, Summer League seems to have convinced oddsmakers of who can’t win the coveted award.

Here’s a glance at where things stand in mid-July via Tipico Sportsbook:

Odds as of July 18, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

ESPN releases CFB top 25 Future Power Rankings: Where’s Georgia?

Where does Georgia rank in ESPN’s future power rankings?

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg is keeping us all entertained this offseason with his future college football power rankings. So far, he has released his future college football rankings for quarterbacks, offenses and defenses.

On Tuesday, Rittenberg combined the three to create his top 25 future power rankings.

Georgia fans should be pleased with where he ranks the Bulldogs. Here’s his top 10:

Notre Dame closing in on elite quarterback commitment?

“The best players from Michigan play football at Notre Dame” – Jerome Bettis (supposedly)

The quarterback of the future has arrived at Notre Dame.

Well, not officially in terms of a commitment but physically being in South Bend the next two days for a visit.

Five-star quarterback [autotag]Dante Moore[/autotag] of Martin Luther King in Detroit arrived on Notre Dame’s campus for the first of a two-day visit.  Let’s not beat around the bush here, of currently non-committed players, Moore is far and away the most important for Notre Dame to ultimately land.  That’s not just because he’s a great talent but also because of the star talent that would likely be more interested in playing with such a coveted quarterback.

The way it sits now Notre Dame has a stellar 2023 recruiting class ranked atop 247Sports Composite team rankings, but of the nine current commitments only two play offense.  A Moore commitment would likely be the shake that could have an avalanche follow as he’d be the fourth highest rated player to commit to Notre Dame since 2000 (247Sports).

According to Chad Simmons of On3, Moore is said to be “getting worn down” by the recruiting process and could make a commitment by mid-spring.  Simmons also added that as of now, Notre Dame appears to be leading.

If you’re a Notre Dame backer you should be hoping for everything to go well the next day-and-a-half and that Marcus Freeman and Tommy Rees can soon close the deal in getting an elite talent from Michigan.

Related:

Meet Notre Dame’s stellar 2023 recruiting commitments

Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class quarterback targets