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Vikings playing chess, not checkers in latest SB Nation mock

The Minnesota Vikings add another chess piece for Brian Flores in SB Nation’s JP Acosta post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft

SB Nation’s JP Acosta gave his post-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft as we inch closer to the off-season’s next phase: free agency. There wasn’t much surprise at the top of the draft, including the selection for the Minnesota Vikings at pick 11. Acosta gifted the Vikings with combine standout Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner.

With Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport and DJ Wonnum entering free agency, the Vikings need to address their pass rush this draft. Turner is a juiced up athlete with the ability to turn speed into power and be a defensive chess piece for Brian Flores.

The edge position has been the favorite among experts to give to the Vikings in mock drafts since the beginning of 2024. With outstanding NFL Combine performances from all three edge prospects, especially Turner and Florida State’s Jared Verse, there should be no surprises in future mocks if they are giving Minnesota help off the edge.

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One Foot Down writer: Time for Notre Dame to join Big Ten

Would the Irish actually do this?

With Texas and Oklahoma officially set to join the SEC in a few years, the discussion about the topic finally look to be dying down. However, the argument that Notre Dame needs to join a conference permanently refuses to go away. One such call has come from within the Notre Dame writing community.

Jake Lynch of One Foot Down, Notre Dame’s SB Nation site, has written a piece calling for the Irish to join the Big Ten for football. Among the arguments Lynch makes are the apparent inevitability of four super conferences taking hold of college football and just about every other program looking to avoid a typically quality opponent like the Irish for their nonconference games. To Lynch, the Big Ten makes the most sense because the Irish having more traditional rivals with those programs than ACC programs.

They’re good arguments, but it leaves out the reality that a conference needs Notre Dame more than the other way around. Also, if it was mandated that the Irish join a conference, why would it join a conference that one of its members actively blocked its path to entry? Plus, it’s doubtful the Irish would break their deal with all of the ACC schools that goes well into the next decade. Simply put, it most likely would take a direct order from God for the Irish to give up their independence.

It’s no surprise that Florida basketball dropped in this bracket projection

Florida’s inaction and a bad loss in its last outing is hurting its tournament stock, which was on the rise in the month of January.

With the postponement of the last three games, Florida’s Quadrant 3 loss to South Carolina on Feb. 3 continues to hurt it. The upset ended UF’s four-game winning streak and undid some of the progress made in building its NCAA Tournament resume during the month of January.

And in the latest bracket projection from SB Nation’s Blogging the Bracket, Florida dropped a seed line from No. 7 to No. 8. The Gators are now slotted to take on nine-seeded Minnesota in the first round.

A victory in that game would likely set up a matchup with the region’s No. 1 seed Gonzaga, who is also projected as the top overall team in the tournament.

No other SEC teams are projected in Florida’s region, but all six conference teams projected to make the tournament are above the Last Four In. Other than the Gators, Alabama (No. 2 seed), Missouri (No. 4 seed), Tennessee (No. 5 seed), Arkansas (No. 7 seed) and LSU (No. 9 seed) are in the 68-team field.

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SB Nation Reacts rates Seahawks vs. 49ers rivalry 4th-best in NFL

SB Nation Reacts recently conducted a poll to rate the best rivalries in the NFL, with the Seahawks-49ers rivalry coming in 4th place.

SB Nation Reacts conducted a poll to rate NFL rivalries to commemorate Rivalry Week on the site and the Seahawks vs.49ers rivalry came in at No. 4, receiving 15% of the votes.

The intensity between the Seahawks and 49ers is at its highest since the 2013-14 season when they faced off in the NFC Championship, which Seattle won, punching the Seahawks’ ticket to Super Bowl XLVIII which they won as well.

The 49ers reached Super Bowl LIV last season but lost to the Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Seahawks reached the divisional round and have been competitive for the vast majority of the past decade. Coming off a 2019 season when the two teams split the series with both contests coming down to the wire, the rivalry looks to heat up even more this year in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL.

Both sides have been doing their best to gear up for the upcoming season. If there is one, we could see some more intense matchups between the two NFC West rivals in 2020.

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Watch: SB Nation Does Deep Rewind of Arike Ogunbowale’s Title-Winning Shot

One of my favorite YouTube channels is SB Nation. The way it delves into sports history with their various series such as Collapse and The Worst makes it a must for sports fans. Perhaps its best series is Deep Rewind, in which it gives extensive …

Think about where you were the night Arike Ogunbowale beat the buzzer against Mississippi State to win the 2018 national championship. She had just upset UConn in the semifinals with a similar shot two nights before, and all of a sudden, she was a last-second hero again. It was only surprising that she didn’t get struck by lightning later that night.

Take a look at why it seemed so unlikely the Irish found themselves in this position that season. Learn how this national game came down to one play. And reminisce about the joy you felt the moment this shot went in. As they say at the end of these videos, welcome to a moment in history.