This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us this morning. We appreciate you.
Remember that proposed European Super League from back in 2021? That thing is back and more expansive than ever.
The Super League was a proposed idea that invited 20 of Europe’s most prestigious football clubs to join its ranks, including bigwigs like Manchester United, Barcelona, Liverpool, Arsenal and more. Some squads were here for it. Most were against it.
READ MORE: The previous Super League proposal, explained
UEFA pushed back against the proposed league seeing it as a threat to the current Champions League. It created regulations barring teams from joining. Today, the European Union’s highest-ranking court ruled those regulations were unlawful, per Reuters. Super League backer A22 Sports Group pounced immediately unveiling this new proposal.
This new, bizarre format is expansive. The pool jumped from 20 teams to 64 on the men’s side and 32 on the women’s. Teams would compete with each other midweek and games would be broadcast on a free streaming service supported by the Super League’s unnamed “investors.”
It all sounds good in theory. But it’s almost literally the same thing that was proposed before — just way bigger. But the problem with the Super League before wasn’t its size. Instead, rather, it’s that it tossed merit aside and removed incentives for teams to spend by imposing a salary cap on clubs.
UEFA’s Champions League is far from perfect. But it’s a tournament where the best teams earn their spots. A club can become the champion of a smaller European league or nearly win a championship in one of the bigger leagues to earn a place in the Champions League. With the Super League, you’re just invited.
Merit has always been a key part of the European football system. Without it, we’re looking at a bunch of rich dudes just hoarding money and putting out a product that’s not quite as compelling. Nobody wants to watch that.
Good try, Super League. But please. Go away. Again.
The College Football Playoff destroyed the ACC
It sure does seem like Florida State is about to bail on the ACC and it certainly feels like the College Football Playoff is to blame.
FSU has a scheduled emergency meeting with its board of trustees, The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach reports, which is the first concrete step it needs to take to take legal action challenging the ACC for its grant of rights.
The grant of rights is a legally binding document for a school that essentially controls its image. It gives the ACC control of FSU’s publicity rights through 2036. Challenging that and breaking it would free up FSU to leave the conference.
The school hasn’t made a move yet, Auerbach writes, but has been examining the document for “more than a year” just in case a move needed to be made. 247 Sports’ Bud Elliot says he expects a legal filing to come soon.
I expect the FSU Board of Trustees to approve a legal filing Friday — the first step in an exit from the ACC.
— Bud Elliott (@BudElliott3) December 21, 2023
Maybe this is just convenient timing, but the connection between this and FSU’s College Football Playoff snub is too easy to make.
Obviously, the Jordan Travis injury meant a lot there. But conference play mattered, too. FSU’s undefeated ACC schedule meant less to the committee than a one-loss SEC or Big 12 schedule. That mattered.
Leaving the conference is the only way for FSU to change that. It seems like FSU is doing it. And, with that, yet another conference shakeup will shift college football as we know it.
Thanks a lot, CFP.
Put your bets on Chet
Coming into this NBA season it was obvious the Rookie of the Year race had two horses in it: Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren.
Most people expected Wembanyama to be at the top with Holmgren trailing close behind him. But, as our Prince Grimes writes in Layup Lines, it’s actually in reverse right now. Chet is the favorite by a slim margin.
“Just two months into the season, and Chet Holmgren’s odds to win Rookie of the Year have already closed the gap on Wembanyama’s, even passing his odds at some sportsbooks. BetMGM still has Wembanyama as a slight favorite at -120 to -110, but FanDuel (-130) and DraftKings (-125) each give Holmgren the edge. FTW’s Bryan Kalbrosky elevated Holmgren over Wembanyama in his rookie rankings three weeks ago.”
These things are subject to change — it’s only December. But Holmgren’s case is getting stronger and stronger by the day.
Quick hits: New James Harden memes dropped…Angel Reese, the Baltimore Barbie…and more
— WAKE UP, BABE. NEW JAMES HARDEN MEMES ARE HERE. Charles Curtis has more.
— It’s nice to see Angel Reese showing love to her city and HBCUs. Here’s Meghan Hall on the Baltimore Barbie.
— Prince Grimes has college football’s top 25 classes after the early signing period.
— Ryan Gosling dropped an “I’m just Ken” video and it’s perfect. Caroline Darney has more.
— The Patriots stink so bad these days that cheating doesn’t even matter. Robert Zeglinski has more.
— The Jets should never trust Aaron Rodgers again. This is embarrassing. Cory Woodruff has more.
That’s all, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. We appreciate you. Have an amazing Thursday! Let’s chat again tomorrow. Until then, peace!
-Sykes