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NFC South standings: Where the New Orleans Saints stand after Week 1 win vs. Titans
The New Orleans Saints won a hard-fought matchup with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but where do they slot into the NFC South? Three of the division’s teams won their Week 1 games, including the Saints, but the variety of opponents gives us an early look at each team’s placement.
Here’s how the Saints stack up:
The New Orleans Saints are looking for their first NFC South title since 2020. The pieces are there for them to go the distance, but will they? | @southexclusives
The NFC South will look much different from 2022. The Atlanta Falcons are the only team returning their starting quarterback from last year. The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers find new quarterbacks in free agency. The Carolina Panthers traded up to ensure they picked Bryce Young in the NFL Draft. The shift should have an impact on the final order of the division.
Last season, the NFC South was a division that was won simply because someone had to win it. Six of the seven other divisions had at least two teams with a better record than the NFC South champions. That team was the Buccaneers. Can they win the division for the third year in a row? Let’s predict how the NFC South will play out this year
Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 1:
Week 1 of the college football season took place this weekend, and most Big Ten programs welcomed out-of-conference opponents to begin preparation for conference play.
The Big Ten is talked about with the SEC as one of the future power conferences in the sport. However, not many Big Ten programs looked the part in Week 1. There was enough of a struggle with easily winnable games that I received a few texts Sunday night asking if anybody in the conference aside from Michigan was any good.
Related: Five takeaways from Wisconsin football’s season-opening win over Buffalo
That’s likely an overreaction. Most Big Ten teams found ways to pull away late (except Purdue). However, it’s safe to say it wasn’t the greatest week of Big Ten football.
So with that, here are our Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 1 of the season:
New season-long outlook after Wisconsin’s opening win:
A roller coaster Week 1 of the college football season is nearing completion, with a top-10 matchup between No. 5 LSU and No. 8 Florida State on Sunday night and No. 9 Clemson and Duke on Monday night.
The Big Ten schedule is complete. While most of the conference is 1-0 after the week, some out-of-conference matchups were far from a cakewalk. Then there’s Purdue, which lost to Fresno State in Ryan Walters’ debut as head coach.
ESPN’s Football Power Index continuously updates as games go final. It is a good barometer for how much Ohio State struggling with Indiana, for example, matters. And whether Nebraska’s 13-10 loss to Minnesota actually is a good sign for the rest of the season.
Related: Five takeaways from Wisconsin football’s season-opening win over Buffalo
For Wisconsin, the 38-17 win over Buffalo came with mixed reviews. The first half was nothing close to pretty, but the team pulled away in the second half thanks to huge games from both Chez Mellusi and Braelon Allen.
Now that Week 1 is complete, here are the updated game-by-game win probabilities for the Badgers for the rest of the season:
The New Orleans Saints continued their climb in ESPN’s preseason NFL power rankings, standing head-and-shoulders above a weak NFC South:
Here’s some New Orleans Saints positivity for you: ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters released their preseason power rankings, with the black and gold continuing to climb the standings. The Saints now clock in at No. 19 (having previously been ranked a bit further down at No. 21, putting them head-and-shoulders above their competition in the weak NFC South.
What about the other teams in the division? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have stalled out all the way down at No. 30 (repeating from their last placement), with the trendy preseason pick Atlanta Falcons slotted in above them at No. 28 (falling a couple of spots from No. 26). The Carolina Panthers were right there with the Saints at No. 22 last time, but they’re jogging in place while New Orleans advances.
So that’s encouraging, even if the Saints are still ranked in the bottom half of the league. Derek Carr has a lot of work to do in elevating their offense and proving he can guide this team to the playoffs. That’s something he only did once in nine years with the Las Vegas Raiders, so some skepticism is warranted.
But these power rankings are ultimately nothing more than vibe checks to see how each team is perceived by those on the outside looking in. We’ll know who the Saints are and where they can go this year when the regular season kicks off Sept. 10.
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A look at 2023 SEC baseball standings after Week 12.
The 2023 college baseball season started on Feb. 17.
Southeastern Conference regular-season play will conclude on May 20.
The Southeastern Conference Tournament will be held May 23-28 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama.
NCAA regionals will be contested June 2-5, while NCAA super regionals will be held June 9-12.
The 2023 season will conclude with the College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska. The College World Series will take place June 16-26.
2023 SEC baseball power rankings after Week 12
USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll ahead of Week 13
Tennessee enters Week 13 with eight games remaining in the regular-season, including five home contests.
Below are SEC standings after Week 12.
How will these look at weekend’s end?
After some midweek non-conference games across the conference, the ACC is set for another weekend of conference matchups. For us locally, Notre Dame dropped an extra inning affair against Michigan State on Tuesday. The Irish are back in action this weekend as they’re on the road to take on Clemson.
Will Wake Forest or Virginia put a further stranglehold on their respective divisions this weekend?
Will a bottom feeder to date swim up and surprise someone?
Here is how the ACC baseball standings sit as we enter play on April 14, 2023. You can also find the weekend matchups at the bottom.
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ACC baseball standings and weekend schedule entering the third weekend of games this conference season…
Another weekend of college baseball is upon us and it offers a full slate of conference matchups in the ACC. Two weekends into the conference season it’s tough to see anyone running away with the race, but rough starts by Virginia Tech and Pitt in the Coastal have put both teams behind the eight ball early.
Notre Dame dropped two-of-three on the road last weekend at Wake Forest. Will the Irish be up for the tough task against Louisville this weekend? The Cardinals have had even the best Notre Dame team’s number in recent years?
Here’s how the ACC baseball standings look entering the weekend of March 24 along with the schedule of conference matchups this weekend.
A look at SEC baseball standings after March 18 games.
No. 2 Tennessee (15-4, 0-1 SEC) lost its Southeastern Conference opener Friday at Missouri (14-3, 1-0 SEC), 9-1.
Friday’s contest was the first of a three-game series.
Saturday’s originally scheduled game No. 2 between Tennessee and Missouri was postponed due to high winds and low temperatures. The Vols and Tigers will play a doubleheader on Sunday. The doubleheader will consist of two seven-inning games and can be watched on SEC Network+.
Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader is slated to begin at 2 p.m. EDT, while game No. 2 will start approximately 30-45 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.
Noah Reed (PxP) and Spencer Jurgens (analyst) will be on the call for Sunday’s contests.
Below are SEC standings after March 18 games.
A look at SEC baseball standings after March 17 games.
No. 2 Tennessee (15-4, 0-1 SEC) lost its Southeastern Conference opener Friday at Missouri (14-3, 1-0 SEC), 9-1.
Friday’s contest is the first of a three-game series.
Saturday’s originally scheduled game No. 2 has been postponed due to expected high winds and low temperatures. The Vols and Tigers are now scheduled to play a doubleheader on Sunday. The doubleheader will consist of two seven-inning games and can be watched on SEC Network+.
Game 1 of Sunday’s doubleheader is slated to begin at 2 p.m. EDT, while game No. 2 will start approximately 30-45 minutes following the conclusion of the first game.
PHOTOS: A look at the Tennessee-Missouri baseball series during the Tony Vitello era
Below are SEC standings after March 17 games.
