Boise State jumps to No. 4 seed in College Football Playoff Ranking; Celtics deliver Cavaliers first loss

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🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to …

NO. 12 BOISE STATE BRONCOS AND THE NO. 1 OREGON DUCKS

The third College Football Playoff Rankings and bracket of the season have arrived, and there’s no change in the top five of the rankings. Here’s the top 14:

Oregon (11-0) | Projected No. 1 seed
Ohio State (9-1) | Projected No. 5 seed
Texas (9-1) | Projected No. 2 seed
Penn State (9-1) | Projected No. 6 seed
Indiana (10-0) | Projected No. 7 seed
Notre Dame (9-1) | Projected No. 8 seed
Alabama (8-2) | Projected No. 9 seed
Miami (FL) (9-1) | Projected No. 3 seed
Ole Miss (8-2) | Projected No. 10 seed
Georgia (8-2) | Projected No. 11 seed
Tennessee (8-2)
Boise State (9-1) | Projected No. 4 seed
SMU (9-1)
BYU (9-1) | Projected No. 12 seed

Remember, rankings do not equal seed. The four highest-ranked conference champions (out of the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, SEC and the Group of Five conferences) get the four top seeds and the accompanying first-round bye. As such, this is what the bracket would look like:

Here’s the first round:

BYES: No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Miami, No. 4 Boise State
No. 12 BYU at No. 5 Ohio State
No. 11 Georgia at No. 6 Penn State
No. 10 Ole Miss at No. 7 Indiana
No. 9 Alabama at No. 8 Notre Dame

The big headliner here is Boise State — the projected Mountain West winner and top-ranked Group of Five team — surpassing BYU, which leads a wild Big 12 race but fell eight spots in the rankings after losing to Kansas. The Cougars are still among Will Backus’ underrated teams in this reveal.

Of course, No. 16 Colorado, No. 21 Arizona State and No. 22 Iowa State could all have a say in the Big 12 title race. But for now, Boise State has to be encouraged, Shehan Jeyarajah writes.

Jeyarajah: “Heading into the season, the assumption was that the four power conference champions would get byes and the highest-ranked Group of Five champion would settle for the 12-seed. Three weeks into the rankings, Boise State has already bucked the trend. … Boise State still needs to win the Mountain West to make it happen, but the Broncos are in great shape. And even if the Big 12 manages to collect itself, Boise State will have at least a chance against the ACC if Miami loses anywhere.”

In the Big Ten, we know one team that will battle for league supremacy. The conference finally unraveled its own convoluted tiebreakers and determined Oregon will indeed play in the title game. Here are the paths for one of these three — No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana — to be the Ducks’ opponent.

👍 Honorable mentions

🏀 And not such a good morning for …

THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Team meetings this early in the season are never good, especially when they involve calling out your superstar. But the 76ers need something — anything — to get going, so maybe Tyrese Maxey, 24, is the one to lead the charge, even while not on the court.

The young guard, out with a hamstring injury, reportedly called out Joel Embiid, 30, in a team meeting Monday after a loss to the Heat, saying Embiid’s consistent tardiness has negatively impacted everyone involved.

Embiid reportedly took the comments well but also said he’s “confused” by the team’s on-court approach.
Other players want coach Nick Nurse to coach harder and lead practices with more purpose.
The 76ers are 2-11 this season, tied with the Wizards for the league’s worst record. Its ballyhooed “Big Three” of Embiid, Maxey and Paul George have not yet played together.

Only three teams this millennium have made the postseason after winning two or fewer of their first 13 games. And this was supposed to be a 76ers team that can challenge for a title, not just make the playoffs.

Though it’s been ugly so far, Sam Quinn says it’s not quite time to panic … yet.

Quinn: “Embiid, George and Maxey are all earning max salaries. There is not another player on the roster within the 190 highest-paid players in the NBA. … Philadelphia’s path to winning always revolved around having three healthy stars because there was never going to be too much behind them. You could argue that their stars haven’t been good enough when they’ve been on the floor, but that’s been relatively predictable in context. … These are issues that are likely to correct as the season progresses.”

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 Celtics drop Cavaliers to 15-1

It took nearly a month, but the Cavaliers have finally lost. After winning their first 15 games — tied for the second-longest streak to open a season in NBA history — Cleveland lost in Boston, 120-117. The contest appeared to be heading into laugher territory as the Celtics opened up a 21-point lead before the Cavs mounted their comeback.

Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and had 12 rebounds and seven assists, continuing his sterling start, and Al Horford added a season-high 20 points.
All five Celtics starters scored in double figures, and Payton Pritchard had 13 points off the bench, perfect timing after Jack Maloney’s feature on how Pritchard has emerged as a Sixth Man of the Year favorite.
Boston went 22 of 41 (54%) from 3 and has made 287 3-pointers during its own impressive 12-3 start. That’s the most 3-pointers in any 15-game span in NBA history.

Sam Quinn broke down Cleveland’s remarkable start, and Brad Botkin says there are plenty of positives to take away, even in a loss.

And since it was a Tuesday, that means it was an NBA Cup night in the association. Here’s a look at the standings for the league’s in-season tournament. Reminder: Group play continues on Fridays and Tuesdays through Dec. 3.

🏈 New No. 1 in NFL Power Rankings; Jets fire GM Joe Douglas

Down went the Chiefs and Ravens — previously No. 1 and No. 4 in Pete Prisco’s Power Rankings — meaning there’s finally a change at the top in the newest edition. Here’s the top five:

Lions (previous: 2)
Bills (3)
Chiefs (1)
Steelers (5)
Eagles (6)

Josh Allen, Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane have done magnificent work for 9-2 Buffalo after an offseason full of roster churn, Pete notes.

The 3-8 Jets have done the exact opposite, and on Tuesday, another head rolled: GM Joe Douglas was fired, weeks after coach Robert Saleh suffered the same fate. This move was a long time coming given Douglas’ 20-36 record in New York, but, as with everything regarding this team, there were many complicating factors, Jared Dubin writes.

The biggest issue, obviously, was quarterback. And last season, just when Douglas thought he got that figured out, Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles moments into the opener. The comeback has been underwhelming. Once the most feared late-game quarterback on the planet, Rodgers has been woeful in clutch situations this year, I noted in “Five things we liked and didn’t like in Week 11.” Team owner Woody Johnson even suggested benching Rodgers earlier this season.

So now we look to the future. But Cody Benjamin says it might just look like the present.

🎾 Rafael Nadal retires, receives outpouring of tributes

Hero, legend, icon, champion … retiree. Rafael Nadal‘s tennis career is over after Spain lost in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. The 22-time Grand Slam winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist said he “achieved more than what [he] ever dreamed,” and many legends paid tribute.

Roger Federer penned a heartfelt note to his longtime rival.
Novak Djokovic — the third member of the “Big Three,” and the only one still playing — praised Nadal’s “tenacity” and “fighting spirit.”
Serena Williams admitted she got choked up seeing Nadal retire.
Carlos Alcaraz called Nadal his “idol.”

There will never be another Rafa, from his dominance on clay (a record 14 French Open titles) to his doggedness to his emotion, which he wore on his sleeve for the world to see. What a career.

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

🏀 Unrivaled roster reveal, 11 a.m. on YouTube
🏀 No. 1 South Carolina at Clemson (W), 5 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Ohio at Toledo, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Bulls at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Hurricanes at Flyers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 25 Illinois at No. 8 Alabama (M), 9 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Knicks at Suns, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Predators at Kraken, 10 p.m. on truTV/TNT