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Study that closely. It’s the formula for this year’s Power Rankings. The Big Ten dominates college football. Not the SEC. Not the ACC. And certainly not the Big 12.

The last few years have changed the power dynamic. The Big Ten is the top power conference, and the Big 12 is the worst.

So, how does that narrative affect teams in the West? For starters, preseason expectations.

Here’s my Preseason Power Ranking at the onset of the year.

Miller covers College Basketball and College Football as well as Formula 1 racing as a Senior Writer and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports.

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After BCCI dissolves national selectors’ role in picking zonal teams, sanctity of the tournament comes under scanner

CHENNAI/NEW DELHI: A few days before the Duleep Trophy got underway at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru on Sunday, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced that the final will be shifted to MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The reason given was that there will be fans who will come to watch the match, which doesn’t happen in the CoE.

Chennai is a cricket-crazy centre. But when you ask those who ‘book’ their IPL tickets long before the event, whether they would be interested in attending the Duleep final, the standard query is: “Will Shubman Gill play?”

Gill, in this case, stands for all the stars of Indian cricket. The Duleep final is from Sept 6-10, and it will be interesting to see that those who are not part of the Afghanistan T20 series starting on Sept 12 turn out at MAC.

That said, the primary purpose of the inter-zonal tournament is to check out the best performers in the Ranji Trophy go head-to-head against each other. The relevance of the tournament, especially after the inception of IPL, has diminished drastically. Yet, it remains a stepping stone for a lot of players.

The tournament’s sanctity has been up for debate with the selection process. The BCCI, in the last decade, has often tried playing the tournament with national selectors picking the India ‘A’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ teams.

This year, the board has reverted to the inter-zonal format and has kept the national selectors out of the equation. The result? Delhi opener Sanat Sangwan, who scored 828 runs in seven Ranji Trophy matches, was on Sunday, benched by the North Zone management and instead middle-order batter Yash Dhull was played as an opener. The Central Zone team has only one player from semifinalist Uttarakhand while Madhya Pradesh was the only team from the zone to have qualified for the quarterfinals. There have been a few debatable selections in the South Zone team as well.

Former national selector Devang Gandhi believes that a national selector has to be involved in the selection process if the sanctity of the tournament is to be saved. “When we were selectors from 2016-2021, BCCI had given us the responsibility of picking the Duleep Trophy to maintain continuity in a player’s development. If the opener with the highest runs in the country doesn’t get to play Duleep Trophy, it defeats the purpose of the tournament. The board must at least ensure one selector from each zone is present in planning their respective zonal teams. Otherwise, politics at the state association level can crop up. There’s no accountability if BCCI selectors are not used,” Gandhi told TOI.

“Today we are seeing Manav Suthar and Saransh Jain as products of domestic cricket. If that structure is compromised, then it will be difficult to see such journeys,” Gandhi added.

TOI understands that the selection committee has been asking for a greater role in Duleep Trophy teams. The board had given the Ajit Agarkar-led committee the responsibility for the last two years before handing complete authority to state associations in the zone.

For selectors, Duleep is a tournament from where players for India ‘A’ are selected. In this case, Australia ‘A’ will come to India in October and those who are part of this Duleep, will look to stake a claim in the ‘A’ side. It is definitely a step lower for the established stars and there’s not much to prove for them, unless it’s just a test of fitness, as is the case for Washington Sundar or Sai Sudharsan, who are coming back from injuries.

In recent times, we have often seen T20 performances have often been the benchmark for red-ball selection. Ajinkya Rahane came back into India’s WTC Final squad in 2023 on the basis of a great IPL while Sai Sudharsan’s entry into the Test squad has largely been due to his consistency in IPL for Gujarat Titans.

When we look at the East Zone squad that took on NorthEast from Sunday, we see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi being named as the vice-captain ahead of Abhimanyu Easwaran. The Bengal opener has an average of 47.85 over 112 games while Sooryavanshi averages 17.25 in the eight games that he has played.

While it can raise a few eyebrows, Gandhi says it’s “a question of backing talent”. “Nothing against Abhimanyu, but we all know what Vaibhav brings to the table. He is one for the future with incredible talent and what’s the harm if he is put in the leadership group at a young age. The selectors will know how he reacts to it,” Gandhi said.

Kevin O’Connell wants an “elevator” to start at quarterback (his word). Essentially, the Vikings want to roll with a QB1 who is himself a playmaker at point guard. Think Stephen Curry – a scoring assassin who can distribute – rather than a PG who can’t pile up points.

Is the same criteria applicable for the backup option?

Recent days have seen some chatter about who is going to solidify the main backup position. Carson Wentz got signed with the intention of putting him into that QB3 job, a role that’s about getting used as a fire extinguisher if injury ignites yet again. Kyler Murray is now the starter and J.J. McCarthy is looking like the QB2. Is that going to hold?

The Vikings Need a QB2 Who is Smart Instead of Sizzling

Different coaches have a different philosophy for the backup quarterback job.

Some insist that the backup should be a coach in shoulder pads. Think back to the Sean Mannion days where he was the main arm behind Kirk Cousins. The plan has flaws but can work so long as the main guy is an ironman who never misses time. Mannion added value by helping Cousins to decode the game in real time and in the leadup to games.

Other coaches want somebody who can win games. Sometimes, that’s a young fella. In other instances, it’s veteran guys with talent and who can play. Think Jacoby Brissett, Mac Jones, Jameis Winston, and so on. These QBs can play ball but could struggle to move a team through a full seventeen game schedule (which is to say nothing of the playoffs thereafter).

So, where does that leave the Vikings?

No matter what, Carson Wentz is going to be on the team. The veteran shepherd is precisely that: a veteran shepherd. All that remains to be determined is where he finds himself on the depth chart. Assuming good health all around, Wentz sees his floor at QB3 and ceiling at QB2.

Likewise, J.J. McCarthy has a QB2/QB3 ceiling and floor. In all likelihood, the kid is going to be the main backup.

When called upon, the best thing McCarthy can do is to keep things simple. Make solid plays and proceed from there. If, per chance, there’s a chance to get a kill shot – a deep bomb to Jordan Addison or something of a similar level of explosion – then by all means put points on the board.

Shifting to the young lad, though, likely means scaling things down and building up from there. He shines when driving his fastball toward the sideline but can then be erratic (as he showed yesterday versus the Ravens). McCarthy’s great task is to continue rallying around what he’s doing well while improving on the things where he isn’t doing as well.

And, crucially, J.J. McCarthy hasn’t see the final chapter of his story written, as Carson Wentz said earlier in the week. Thriving as a game manager QB2 isn’t where his story needs to end even if it’s what he needs to pursue in the present moment. Begin there and then keep stacking good habits, strong days, and better skills.

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Next up for McCarthy and the Vikings is a Denver Broncos road game. Afterwards, the great descent down to 53 will take place. Expect three quarterbacks to get onto the final team.

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Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Michael La Sasso, the 2025 NCAA individual champion, needed just a tap-in birdie on his final hole on Sunday to beat Jon Rahm and win the first LIV Golf event of his career, and when he did it, his teammates doused him with champagne.

It was a big victory for La Sasso in what was a very weird week for LIV Golf.

Sunday at The Club at Chatham Hills was the final round of LIV Golf Indianapolis, the final event of the season for LIV and, well, who knows what else.

The league, you probably have read by now, will not be funded by the Saudi PIF beyond this season. The league and its CEO, Scott O’Neil, is scrambling to secure its own. There’s an unnamed lead investor that was announced weeks ago — believed to be Ted Goldthorpe of BC Partners — but few specifics have been made public beyond that.

There’s also been all sorts of unsavory news: LIV late on checks to some players, missed vendor payments, canceling tournament-week concerts and the bizarre handling of its canceled team event in Michigan (the team event was instead folded into Indy).

Now questions remain regarding what’s next. LIV 2.0 is what the league is calling it, although LIV veteran Ian Poulter said just last week, “I think time might run out.”

Sunday’s final-round TV broadcast included several end-of-the-season sendoffs and farewells, but that’s also true with any season-ending broadcast in any sport. It’s that lingering uncertainty — about players, funding, the league itself — that made it feel different.

“Whatever the future holds,” Arlo White said as Rahm finished up on Sunday, “Jon Rahm has been colossal in the LIV Golf league.”

Or when reporter Henni Zuel signed off after interviewing Rahm and his winning Legion XIII team: “For myself, it’s a goodbye for now of this last iteration of what LIV was.”

Bryson DeChambeau, who along with Rahm, is the league’s greatest asset, was asked post-round if he had any thoughts as LIV transitions from chapter one to chapter two.

“I think there’s a lot of potential moving forward,” he said. “It’s been an interesting ride, that’s for sure. You know just as much as I have everything that we’ve gone through and the tough moments that we’ve had. But it’s made us stronger. As much as we’re transitioning from LIV 1.0 to 2.0, I have great thoughts about what could happen next year. I wish I could be more up front about it. But ultimately I’m proud of the fact of what we’ve done, the good and some of the bad that we’ve unfortunately had, things that have occurred. I’m going to be real with it — not everything was perfect. But for the most part we’ve done a solid job. If there’s one thing that I could say, it’s we did something different in the game of golf, and I’m proud of that.”

Rahm was asked post-round to identify the main things he’s looking for as he decides what his future will hold.

“I’m looking forward to going home and helping my very pregnant wife with the kids because it’s a 3-v-1 right now; it’s probably a 4-v-1 with the one that’s due in October,” he said. “Happy to be dad for a few days before I get back for the Irish Open, but mainly looking forward to a haircut tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. because I need one badly.”

Rahm had no interest in actually answering the question. Right now there are lots left unanswered.

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Rishabh Pant plays a shot as Sri Lanka’s Niroshan Dickwella watches during day two of the second Test. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Rishabh Pant has moved past legendary MS Dhoni to become India’s highest run-scorer as a designated wicketkeeper in away or neutral Tests, adding another major milestone to his growing record book.Pant crossed 2,500 runs in the category during India’s second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Monday, edging past Dhoni’s previous mark of 2,496. Pant has achieved the tally at an average of almost 42, significantly better than Dhoni’s 32.84.Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer is a distant third on the list with 1,209 runs at 32.67, followed by Syed Kirmani with 1,109 at 21.74 and Kiran More with 901 at 29.06.

Pant battles through injury scare

The milestone came a day after Pant had endured an injury scare at the SSC ground. The India wicketkeeper-batter was struck on his left arm by a short delivery from Sri Lanka pacer Lahiru Kumara during the third session on Sunday.Pant attempted to pull the delivery behind square but missed it, taking the full impact on his arm. He was visibly in discomfort and was attended to by the Indian team physiotherapist, who initially applied an ice pack before Pant’s arm was strapped.After making just three runs from 15 balls, Pant walked off the field alongside the physiotherapist in the 58th over. His early departure added to India’s concerns on a day when they were already being tested by Sri Lanka’s bowlers.Most runs as wicketkeeper in away/neutral Tests (India)

Pant returns to help India rebuild

Despite the blow, Pant returned to the middle on Monday after Sri Lanka claimed India’s sixth wicket through Asitha Fernando, who dismissed debutant Saransh Jain for six.Pant joined Dhruv Jurel with India needing stability and immediately faced another stern examination from the Sri Lankan pacers. Fernando and the other quicks repeatedly tested him with short-pitched deliveries, with Pant taking a couple of blows to the shoulder before the drinks break.The 28-year-old nevertheless showed considerable resilience and continued batting despite the discomfort. Jurel provided valuable support at the other end as the pair put together a crucial partnership to steady India’s innings.

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Paris Saint-Germain snatched a draw away at Rennes (2-2) on the opening day of Ligue 1. Ferran Torres, Paris’s new signing, came on after the break and saved the day for PSG.

Import King Of The Sea has thrown his hat into the ring for spring feature races after a commanding first-up triumph at Randwick, according to trainer Ciaron Maher.

In only his second Australian racing campaign, the former UK galloper was outstanding, producing a brilliant turn of foot from the tail of the field to capture the Drinkwise Mile (1600m) on Saturday.

The foreman for Maher’s Sydney stable, Jo Gerard-Dubord, expressed confidence in the five-year-old’s potential but noted that his campaign path would be shaped by his upcoming performances.

“He’s a horse with plenty of talent. He didn’t have a lot of luck last preparation, but the form out of his races has been very strong since, and there’s a lot more to come,” Gerard-Dubord advised.

“He is still lowly rated, so we probably need to see what he does next start. There are plenty of options.

“Whether we target a race like the ‘Metrop’ (Metropolitan) here. You’ve got a Naturalism (Stakes) down in Melbourne to try to get into a Caulfield Cup.

“When they’ve got a turn of foot like that, for a horse that can stay and do that over a mile, it’s very exciting.”

This win represents King Of The Sea’s fourth career victory from ten starts and his maiden success in Australia.

Ridden by James Mcdonald, the gelding justified his $1.80 favouritism, crossing the line 1-3/4 lengths ahead of Puntin ($9), with Anthracite ($15) a further half-neck adrift in third. Punters who used the best horse racing betting apps saw their favoured runner deliver a superb first-up performance.

Looking to get involved in the betting markets? Explore the available betting markets for the race.

Former NBA center Enes Kanter Freedom was ejected from Sunday night’s WNBA game between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky after a confrontation with Sky guard Natasha Cloud late in the third quarter.

Freedom was seated along the baseline wearing a black shirt that read “WOMAN noun. adult human female.”

With 1:22 remaining in the third period, the Fever called a timeout after Cloud scored inside. Cloud shared a chest bump with teammate Aicha Coulibaly before turning around and walking toward Freedom.

Cloud, 34, began yelling and pointing at Freedom, 34, as she approached him. Freedom stood up, extended his arms, and took a step onto the court before security personnel and several Sky players stepped between them.

“There was just a fan incident and the security handled it, and we’re just going to focus on the game,” Chicago forward Azura Stevens said after the Sky’s 113-90 loss.

Chicago coach Tyler Marsh said Cloud was concerned about being a distraction for the team.

“I told her she wasn’t,” Marsh said. “I told her that we all embrace her as someone that protects our team and protects people that need to be protected and so Tash is always going to stand on that, and we stand for Tash.”

Freedom stopped near the basket to argue his case to security as he was escorted from the court area. He spun around while holding his shirt out to encourage a response from the crowd as he walked toward the front lobby.

He spoke with a group of police officers before departing Wintrust Arena.

“I didn’t see it, we were talking about the next play in our huddle,” Indiana star Caitlin Clark said, “so I think that’s probably a question for Chicago.”

Cloud met with team and league security after the game but did not speak with the media.

The WNBA has recently been the focus of debate over whether transgender women — individuals assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity — should be allowed to compete in the league. No transgender athlete has ever played in the WNBA.

Although the league’s collective bargaining agreement states it is restricted to women, it contains no specific language regarding gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stated in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports. Freedom and another former NBA player, Royce White, have declared themselves eligible for the WNBA draft, saying they identify as women.

Freedom joined a small rally supporting Cunningham outside Wintrust Arena before the game.

Asked if he had a message for Freedom, Marsh praised the league and its players.

“If you come to a game you should probably come to enjoy the basketball,” he said, “and that seems pretty simple to me. I think these players deserve that and have earned that. Being a former basketball player, you should probably understand and feel that too.”

There were no major issues between Sophie Cunningham and DiJonai Carrington in Indiana’s 113-90 victory over Chicago on Sunday night. Cunningham scored three points for the Fever in 11 minutes, while Carrington recorded seven points for the Sky in 18 minutes.

It was the first matchup between the teams since Cunningham was brought down by Carrington on a fast break earlier this month. Carrington was listed as questionable with a left foot injury, but was cleared after warmups.

Cunningham downplayed any lingering animosity between the teams going into the game. Indiana had dropped two straight games.

“My mindset has never changed. I think it is what it is,” Cunningham said. “I’m locked in on tonight. … I think we’re just out here trying to get the win.”

Cunningham and Carrington both checked in for the first time with 3::green-background[04] remaining in the first quarter, with no notable disputes between the players all night long.

Sky coach Tyler Marsh said he had no conversations with his players before the game about the tense atmosphere from their previous matchup.

“That kind of was what it was last game and anything that came out of it kind of lasted for that time,” Marsh said. “But for us, again, it was on to the next one in front of us.”

Cunningham was going up for a layup in the first quarter of Indiana’s 90-86 win on Aug. 8 when Carrington came from behind and struck her in the head and neck, knocking her to the court as the shot went in. Cunningham got up, charged Carrington and pushed her as she was held back by a teammate.

The referees reviewed the play and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2 after citing windup, impact, and follow-through, resulting in Carrington’s ejection.

Shortly after being thrown out, Carrington posted “WHITE PRIVILEGE” on social media and tagged the Fever. Carrington is Black and Cunningham is white.

Days later, Carrington said she never claimed the Flagrant 2 assessment resulted from white privilege, though she did not elaborate further.

“I (couldn’t) care less about what she does, what she tweets, any of that,” Cunningham said before Sunday’s game. “I’m here to play basketball.

“There’s going to be people who are going to talk about it … but to me, it’s just another basketball game.”

File Pic: UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, right, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino. (AP Photo)

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has ruled out challenging Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency but delivered his strongest warning yet to the world football chief, saying Infantino must either step down or face a challenger at next year’s election.Infantino has come under mounting pressure following his now-abandoned proposal to sell a stake in the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions to private equity investors. The plan triggered fierce opposition from UEFA and other continental confederations, with European football’s governing body even threatening a boycott of FIFA competitions.Ceferin, widely regarded as a potential challenger to Infantino, said he had no intention of pursuing the top FIFA job. However, he believes Infantino could face an opponent when the election is held in March.“One option is that he realises that he doesn’t have the support, and that’s not only a political support of the ones who vote, but the political support of football community, the political support of fans, the political support of the players, former players, coaches,” Ceferin said in an interview with the British podcast “The Rest is Politics: Leading”.“And the second option is that he goes to the elections in March, but in that case, I think he will have a candidate against him. I don’t know yet who.”

Ceferin rejects FIFA presidency bid

Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and had appeared on course for another unopposed election before the backlash over the proposed investment deal. FIFA has set November 18 as the deadline for potential challengers to nominate.Ceferin, however, insisted he remains committed to UEFA and does not want to replace Infantino.“I’m not interested because of two reasons. One reason is that I love UEFA and I love working here, and I think that at a certain point … it’s time to also enjoy life a bit,” Ceferin said.“And the second point is, my credibility is much, much higher if I’m not interested in the position.”The 58-year-old Slovenian has emerged as one of Infantino’s most vocal critics following the controversy over the proposed creation of FIFA Forward Enterprise, a company that would have managed the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions, with a 21% stake earmarked for sale to a private investment company.

‘Worse than the Super League’

Ceferin described the proposal as more damaging than the failed European Super League project and insisted UEFA would not allow football’s commercial rights to be sold off.“I think this plan is even worse than the Super League plan,” Ceferin said.“Super important clubs wanted to do their own league, which is wrong, and would destroy football. But in this case, football would be literally sold.“I’m absolutely sure that the plan is dead. It’s hard to to imagine what kind of people would sell the sport that belongs to everyone. We will not allow that to happen.”Ceferin also accused FIFA of failing to consult UEFA before unveiling the plan, saying he discovered it through media reports while on holiday with his family.“He didn’t contact me since this happened,” Ceferin said.The UEFA president also took aim at Infantino’s European roots, arguing that the FIFA president should remember the support he received from UEFA during his rise to the top of world football.“But I think someone should remind him that he is a European, and that he was supported by Uefa, which he forgot,” Ceferin said.