Power Rankings: It’s never too early to forecast next season
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4 years agoon
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adminThe Milwaukee Bucks are the 2021 NBA champions after rallying from a 2-0 series deficit against the Phoenix Suns.
Now what?
We’re not wasting any time spinning forward to next season, where a host of current contenders and potential superteams will aim to unseat Giannis Antetokounmpo & Co. in 2022.
What will the Los Angeles Lakers look like in Year 3 of the LeBron James–Anthony Davis partnership? What kind of juggernaut will the Brooklyn Nets evolve into as their star trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving (hopefully) returns to full health? Are these Suns one and done, or is a repeat Finals trip in their future?
Let’s take a way-too-early look at where all 30 teams stand immediately following the Bucks’ impressive road to the NBA championship.
Note: These rankings are based on where the members of our panel (ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, Nick Friedell, Andrew Lopez, Tim MacMahon, Kevin Pelton, Royce Young and Ohm Youngmisuk) think teams belong heading into next season, taking into account potential player movement and the draft. Title odds for 2022 by Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill.
1. Milwaukee Bucks
2020-21 record: 46-26
Result: NBA champions
2022 title odds: +900
The Bucks went all-in last offseason in trading for Jrue Holiday and were repaid for doing so by winning the title Tuesday night with their victory over the Suns in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. With Holiday, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo all locked up long term, Milwaukee should be a threat in the East for years to come. The focus now will be on whether Milwaukee is able to re-sign P.J. Tucker, who is an unrestricted free agent, and whether it can come up with an extension for Donte DiVincenzo, the Bucks’ talented young shooting guard who missed most of the playoffs after undergoing ankle surgery. — Bontemps
2. Brooklyn Nets
2020-21 record: 48-24
Result: Lost in East semis
2022 title odds: +230
For their first full season together, the Big Three in Brooklyn had a difficult end to the year, with injuries derailing the superteam nature of the roster and leaving Kevin Durant essentially trying to carry the Nets alone. It was an awkward season overall, with injuries, health and safety protocols and plenty of getting-to-know-you going on, but clearly the path forward for the Nets is bright. They have some questions on the complementary side of the roster, with Spencer Dinwiddie declining his player option and low-salary players Blake Griffin, Bruce Brown and Jeff Green set to become free agents. The Nets are top heavy for good reason, but as this postseason showed, quality depth can be just as valuable at times. — Young
3. Phoenix Suns
2020-21 record: 51-21
Result: Lost in NBA Finals
2022 title odds: +1500
After a disappointing loss in the NBA Finals, the Suns have to figure out one thing: how to get back and win it all. As the Western Conference gets healthier, the Suns’ road back to another Finals will start this offseason with a decision on Chris Paul‘s future. The Point God has a $44.2 million player option that would likely carry the Suns into the luxury tax. Paul could opt out of the deal and try to secure more guaranteed money with more years, though. Phoenix is also looking at negotiating the rookie extensions of former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges. — Lopez
4. Los Angeles Lakers
2020-21 record: 42-30
Result: Lost in Round 1
2022 title odds: +400
For the defending champion Lakers, a first-round exit against the Suns with LeBron James still not 100% and Anthony Davis knocked out of the series by injury had a silver lining: After going through the shortest offseason in NBA history, the Lakers get a relatively normal break this offseason. James and Davis should be healthy in October and ready to go for a second title together. Still, there are questions about who will surround them with up to 11 Lakers becoming free agents, including starting point guard Dennis Schroder hitting unrestricted free agency after turning down a contract extension. — Pelton
5. Philadelphia 76ers
2020-21 record: 49-23
Result: Lost in East semis
2022 title odds: +1800
Following their disastrous second-round exit at the hands of the Hawks, the 76ers enter the offseason with one question looming over the franchise: Is it finally time for the Ben Simmons–Joel Embiid partnership to be dissolved? If it is, Daryl Morey, Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations, will have to craft a deal that can allow the Sixers to find the playoff breakthrough they’ve been searching for. If it isn’t, then all eyes will be on Simmons this fall to see if he can fix his free throw issues from the playoffs, and if he can add some semblance of a jumper to his arsenal. — Bontemps
6. Utah Jazz
2020-21 record: 52-20
Result: Lost in West semis
2022 title odds: +1500
How much luxury tax is new owner Ryan Smith willing to pay after the Jazz finished the regular season with the NBA’s best record but were bounced in the second round of the playoffs? The extensions for franchise cornerstones Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell start next season, which puts Utah right at the luxury tax line before free agency opens. That means the Jazz will have to pay an especially steep price to keep point guard Mike Conley, a must if Utah intends to contend in the immediate future. It could also factor into the decision on using the $5.9 million taxpayer midlevel exception, perhaps on a player who could be utilized at center in small-ball lineups. — MacMahon
7. Denver Nuggets
2020-21 record: 47-25
Result: Lost in West semis
2022 title odds: +2500
Nikola Jokic had an MVP campaign, and the Nuggets looked like legitimate title contenders until Jamal Murray tore his ACL. Without Murray, they couldn’t make it out of the second round of the playoffs. Now the Nuggets have to patiently wait for Murray to heal while building on what they had going before Murray went down. Denver can give Michael Porter Jr. a five-year, $168 million max extension this offseason or let him become a restricted free agent in 2022. Porter had a stretch in the second half when he played like a star. Aaron Gordon, who came in a big trade at the deadline, is set to enter the last season of his contract; Paul Millsap and JaVale McGee are free agents; and Will Barton and JaMychal Green can opt out of their deals. Meanwhile, the Nuggets have to improve their backcourt depth. — Youngmisuk
8. Atlanta Hawks
2020-21 record: 41-31
Result: Lost in East finals
2022 title odds: +3000
The Hawks shocked just about everyone outside of Atlanta with their run to the conference finals, and they might have made it even further had Trae Young not injured his ankle by stepping on an official’s foot. Young’s impressive performance in the playoffs (28.8 points, 9.5 assists) showed he could carry a team when it matters. But will his team look the same next season? John Collins‘ status as a restricted free agent could mean Young will be without one of his favorite targets. But with Young’s play and Nate McMillan’s interim tag being lifted, there’s still plenty of optimism moving forward. — Lopez
9. LA Clippers
2020-21 record: 47-25
Result: Lost in West finals
2022 title odds: +2000
The Clippers redeemed themselves for their 2020 bubble meltdown with a resilient run to the Western Conference finals, but they enter the offseason with uncertainty surrounding their future and that of Kawhi Leonard. The franchise player had surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, and it remains to be seen how much of next season he could miss. Also, Leonard has a player option in his deal and can become a free agent in August. Back in December, Leonard said, “Obviously, if I’m healthy, the best decision is to decline the player option. But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving or staying.” Serge Ibaka also has a player option. Reggie Jackson‘s playoff surge might have increased his value on the free-agent market beyond what the Clippers can give him. Paul George will need help to keep the Clippers in contention until Leonard returns (if he doesn’t opt out and sign elsewhere). The Clippers can still use additional front-court depth and a point guard/leader who can improve their IQ/offensive efficiency. — Youngmisuk
10. Dallas Mavericks
2020-21 record: 42-30
Result: Lost in Round 1
2022 title odds: +3000
The Mavericks already made some major changes, hiring the tandem of GM Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd to replace the departed duo of Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle. The immediate challenge: upgrading the roster in Dallas’ final offseason of salary-cap flexibility before the supermax extension Luka Doncic is expected to sign this summer kicks in. The Mavs recognize the need to add another playmaker to complement Doncic. Can they find a way to do that and re-sign Tim Hardaway Jr.? — MacMahon
11. Miami Heat
2020-21 record: 40-32
Result: Lost in Round 1
2022 title odds: +3000
The bubble hangover was real for a Miami team that could never find the same kind of magic it had during its push to the 2020 Finals. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo will be motivated to prove that their run wasn’t just a flash in the pan, but Heat president Pat Riley will have some tough roster decisions to make. Respected veterans Goran Dragic and Andre Iguodala both have team options, and point guard Kendrick Nunn is a restricted free agent. The Heat still have plenty of top-line talent, but they need young shooter Tyler Herro to take another step in his development to fortify the team’s depth. Riley also must decide what to do with Victor Oladipo, who is an unrestricted free agent and is coming off another quad injury. — Friedell
12. Golden State Warriors
2020-21 record: 39-33
Result: Lost in West play-in
2022 title odds: +1000
It’s a big offseason for a Warriors squad that hopes to jump back into the thick of the Western Conference playoff picture. Stephen Curry reminded everybody that he can still play at an MVP level while dominating at times during the 2020-21 season. Andrew Wiggins registered arguably the most complete season of his eight-year career. Draymond Green showed that he can still be a dominant force when motivated — but even with all that the Warriors still couldn’t make it back to the playoffs. Now the organization must hope that veteran Klay Thompson can return to form after missing two years because of ACL and Achilles injuries and 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman can find his form after an up-and-down rookie season. The Warriors also must find more depth, likely in the form of the No. 7 and No. 14 picks in the 2021 draft. — Friedell
13. Boston Celtics
2020-21 record: 36-36
Result: Lost in Round 1
2022 title odds: +5000
After one of the most stable organizations in the league went through some massive changes — Brad Stevens replacing Danny Ainge atop the organization, Ime Udoka replacing Stevens on the sidelines and the Celtics’ trade swapping Kemba Walker and their first-round pick for Al Horford — Boston enters the offseason with two key questions to answer. The first is whether the Celtics will re-sign Evan Fournier, whom they acquired at the trade deadline and is an unrestricted free agent. The other is whether they can agree to a long-term contract extension with Marcus Smart — and if not, whether the team will attempt to trade him, rather than risk him leaving next summer for nothing. — Bontemps
14. New York Knicks
2020-21 record: 41-31
Result: Lost in Round 1
2022 title odds: +6000
The curse of overachieving, as the Knicks did in 2020-21, is it raises the expectations for the following year. It will now be up to New York to try to raise its talent level to meet the rising bar. There are a few things left for them to sort out. First, New York has to see if Julius Randle is willing to take a contract extension. Second, it has to decide whether to decline Mitchell Robinson‘s very affordable team option, making him a restricted free agent, or pick it up — meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022. Finally, with a bunch of cap space, will New York try to use it or again be patient? — Bontemps
15. Memphis Grizzlies
2020-21 record: 38-34
Result: Lost in Round 1
2022 title odds: +8000
GM Zach Kleiman has done an excellent job as the architect of the Grizzlies’ rapid rebuild, but his one major misfire so far has been the expensive trade for forward Justise Winslow. Will the Grizzlies cut their losses and decline Winslow’s $13 million option — giving them $22 million of salary cap space — or will they give the 25-year-old another season to prove he can be the playmaking wing Memphis envisioned as a complement to Ja Morant? Another complicated issue: Can the Grizzlies and Jaren Jackson Jr. (given his injury history) agree to an extension of his rookie deal that makes sense for both sides? — MacMahon
16. Portland Trail Blazers
2020-21 record: 42-30
Result: Lost in Round 1
2022 title odds: +5000
The offseason already has been sloppy for the Blazers, starting with the transition from long-time coach Terry Stotts to Chauncey Billups. Besides the controversial nature of the hire (Billups faced rape allegations in 1997) and the questions over transparency that came with it, the Blazers are in a pinch in trying to satisfy the ambitions of Damian Lillard. General manager Neil Olshey indicated after Portland’s first-round exit to the Nuggets that the existing roster wasn’t the issue, so any changes might be on the fringes, with internal development around Billups’ approach being the focus. But there always looms the nuclear option, with CJ McCollum‘s name routinely coming up in trade rumors. Could Olshey make a bold play to try to bump the Blazers back to the top half of the West? — Young
17. Indiana Pacers
2020-21 record: 34-38
Result: Lost in East play-in
2022 title odds: +6000
Who says you can’t go home again? Rick Carlisle did just that after resigning from his coaching position with the Mavericks to head back to Indiana for a third time: He was an assistant from 1997 to 2000 and then head coach from 2003 to ’07. Indiana is coming off a season in which it missed the playoffs for the first time in six years, and there is no plan for a rebuild. Now, whether Indiana tries to run it back with a healthier version of last season’s roster or makes some moves to change it up remains to be seen. — Lopez
18. Charlotte Hornets
2020-21 record: 33-39
Result: Lost in East play-in
2022 title odds: +10000
The Hornets just missed a playoff berth, but the future still appears bright in Charlotte thanks to the breakout play of LaMelo Ball. The 19-year-old point guard gave the Hornets the type of electricity they’ve been searching for in recent years, and with the improved play of a young core that includes Devonte’ Graham, P.J. Washington, Miles Bridges and Malik Monk, the Hornets appear to have the pieces in place to push back into the postseason. Gordon Hayward‘s ability to stay on the floor will be crucial for a young team that has a promising future with Ball paired alongside veteran guard Terry Rozier. — Friedell
19. Toronto Raptors
2020-21 record: 27-45
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +6000
Toronto’s lost season in Tampa, Florida, proved to be a blessing in one way, at least, as the Raptors jumped up in the lottery to nab the fourth overall selection in next week’s NBA draft. That will guarantee the Raptors, assuming they don’t trade the pick, will come away with one of the star players in the top tier of this year’s draft class: Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, Evan Mobley or Jalen Suggs. While that decision will come first, the next is whether Toronto will be able to retain point guard Kyle Lowry. After choosing not to trade him at the deadline, the Raptors now at least have the opportunity to keep him with the team he has been with the past nine years, assuming a deal can be struck that makes sense for both sides. — Bontemps
20. Washington Wizards
2020-21 record: 34-38
Result: Lost in Round 1
2022 title odds: +10000
With new coach Wes Unseld Jr. replacing Scott Brooks, Washington GM Tommy Sheppard will be focused on doing what he can to surround Bradley Beal with a winning product. The trade for Russell Westbrook helped get the Wizards into the playoffs despite a COVID-19 outbreak that threatened their season. Now Sheppard has to continue building a winner, and that starts with keeping Beal, who enters the last guaranteed year of his contract. Washington must improve its defense, add impactful veterans but also continue to develop young talent such as Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija and Daniel Gafford. Getting healthy will help after losing Thomas Bryant and Avdija to season-ending injuries. — Youngmisuk
21. New Orleans Pelicans
2020-21 record: 31-41
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +8000
After a disappointing finish to the season, New Orleans and coach Stan Van Gundy parted ways after just one 72-game stretch. Now, Phoenix Suns assistant Willie Green will be tasked with trying to get the Pelicans on the right track. The Pelicans have major decisions to make with restricted free agents Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart as well as whether they’ll trade or keep the No. 10 pick in the upcoming draft. But ultimately Green will have to make a roster centered around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram work better than Van Gundy did. — Lopez
22. San Antonio Spurs
2020-21 record: 33-39
Result: Lost in West play-in
2022 title odds: +25000
After making the playoffs for an NBA-record-tying 22 consecutive seasons, the Spurs have now missed the playoffs in back-to-back years after falling short in the bubble in 2020 and losing in the play-in tournament in 2021. The biggest question facing the Spurs this season will be what happens with several of the team’s veterans who are now free agents, starting with DeMar DeRozan. If DeRozan, Patty Mills and Rudy Gay move on, the Spurs could be major players in free agency or could even get assets back in a potential DeRozan sign-and-trade deal if they choose that route. — Lopez
23. Chicago Bulls
2020-21 record: 31-41
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +10000
The Bulls took a big swing when they traded for veteran big man Nikola Vucevic at the deadline, but it didn’t pan out the way the organization hoped. Now the Bulls have to find a way to improve without a top-10 pick this year (not to mention another future first-rounder headed Orlando’s way) while big cap questions persist. Zach LaVine became an All-Star for the first time this past season and will be looking for a max extension in the near future. Will the Bulls try to use their salary cap space this summer to hammer out a deal with him or use it somewhere else? What about former No. 7 pick Lauri Markkanen? He hasn’t improved the way the Bulls hoped and appears headed for a fresh start somewhere else. Chicago remains in the middle of a rebuild, but it is unclear how much it will be able to improve without the draft capital that most young teams use to improve. — Friedell
24. Sacramento Kings
2020-21 record: 31-41
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +25000
A 31-41 finish saw the Kings tie the Clippers (from 1976-77 through 1990-91) for the longest playoff drought in NBA history. New GM Monte McNair preached patience in his first year, hoping to avoid the mistakes of his predecessors, and added All-Rookie First Team pick Tyrese Haliburton to a backcourt that already included De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield. This season, the pressure will be on third-year head coach Luke Walton to improve Sacramento’s dismal defense, which ranked last in the league by allowing 116.5 points per 100 possessions. Re-signing starting center Richaun Holmes, an unrestricted free agent, would help. — Pelton
25. Minnesota Timberwolves
2020-21 record: 23-49
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +30000
After a strong finish to the regular season and some positive growth under coach Chris Finch, the Wolves are entering the offseason with some expectations. The development of Anthony Edwards was a significant positive from an overall tough season, and in the games in which the Wolves had their full roster available, they were competitive against even the upper crust of the West. General manager Gersson Rosas hasn’t been shy about roster tweaks, saying after the season he believes they have a current core of five players to build on, but are in need of seven or eight additions. They traded this year’s first-round pick to the Warriors two seasons ago to add D’Angelo Russell, so the additional help will have to come via trades or their midlevel exception in free agency. — Young
26. Detroit Pistons
2020-21 record: 20-52
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +30000
Despite last year’s 20-52 finish, there’s reason for hope in the Motor City. The first draft for GM Troy Weaver yielded a pair of hits in All-Rookie First Team pick Saddiq Bey and second-team selection Isaiah Stewart. (The jury is still out on No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes.) Meanwhile, Team USA Olympian Jerami Grant showed the ability to shoulder a heavy scoring load with reasonable efficiency. To that core, the Pistons add this year’s No. 1 overall pick. Although that will likely still translate into a lottery team in 2021-22, the long-term future is bright in Detroit. — Pelton
27. Cleveland Cavaliers
2020-21 record: 22-50
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +30000
This year’s No. 3 pick will be Cleveland’s highest pick since taking Andrew Wiggins No. 1 overall in 2014. The Cavaliers need to add a star and decide on the future of guard Collin Sexton. Sexton has shown the ability to score prolifically with above-average efficiency but might not fit well if Cleveland drafts a guard (likely Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs) and is due a rookie extension. With internal development and a full season from center Jarrett Allen (a restricted free agent), the Cavaliers should take a step forward after winning 60 games over the past three seasons. — Pelton
28. Orlando Magic
2020-21 record: 21-51
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +30000
Another painful rebuild is underway for a Magic franchise that hasn’t been nationally relevant since trading away Dwight Howard in 2012. Former Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley takes over for Steve Clifford and is tasked with trying to build out a young roster that has big question marks. Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac are each coming off serious knee injuries as the Magic hold out hope that both can be key parts of their future. It is important that Magic president Jeff Weltman and his staff hit on the team’s lottery picks (No. 5 and No. 8) in the upcoming draft as the group continues to evaluate forward Wendell Carter Jr., who is up for a potential rookie extension. — Friedell
29. Oklahoma City Thunder
2020-21 record: 22-50
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +50000
The Thunder have been quite transparent about their intentions, using the back end of last season to position themselves for the highest draft pick possible. The pingpong balls didn’t bounce their way, as they ended up with the sixth overall pick, complicating their building plan. But general manager Sam Presti is prudent, and patient, and won’t let that disappointment throw him off his game. He has more levers than anyone to pull if he wants to move up in the draft. But beyond who the Thunder take at No. 6 (or wherever), they also will look to lock up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to an extension, solidifying a core player for the long term. — Young
30. Houston Rockets
2020-21 record: 17-55
Result: Missed postseason
2022 title odds: +50000
The most important decision the Rockets have to make this summer is what to do with the second overall pick in the draft. GM Rafael Stone intends to explore all options, including trading down, but Houston is certainly enamored with the star potential of Jalen Green after the teenage guard starred for the G League Ignite. He could be a great fit with the rebuilding Rockets’ promising young nucleus that includes Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., Jae’Sean Tate and Kenyon Martin Jr. — plus a stockpile of future first-round picks. Houston has interest in re-signing veteran forward/center Kelly Olynyk. — MacMahon
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GameDay Kickoff: Expectations for Jeremiah Smith, LSU-Clemson and more ahead of Week 1
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7 hours agoon
August 28, 2025By
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Week 1 is finally here and there’s plenty to know about ahead of this weekend. Top 25 matchups will be played, and many freshmen will have the chance to show if they can shine under the bright lights for the first time.
All eyes will be on No. 1 Texas-No. 3 Ohio State as the Longhorns travel to the Horseshoe Saturday. What can we expect to see from Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith in Week 1? No. 9 LSU travels to No. 4 Clemson in a tough road matchup to start off the season. While Brian Kelly and LSU have yet to win a Week 1 matchup the past three seasons, will this be the game that changes that? As we look forward to a jam-packed weekend, we take a look back at some of the best quotes of the offseason.
Our reporters break down what to know entering Week 1.
Jump to:
Expectations for Arch and Jeremiah
LSU-Clemson | Freshmen to watch
Offseason quotes
Texas-Ohio State preview
What do we need to see from Arch Manning Week 1?
We can expect Manning to take some deep shots, especially to receiver Ryan Wingo, who Manning has raved about all offseason. The Longhorns weren’t great at stretching the field last season with Quinn Ewers, but whenever Manning got in, he looked to make big plays. Texas’ offensive staffers said this spring they keep reminding Manning that he just needs to keep the offense moving forward and to take the easy throws when he can, especially while breaking in four new starters on the offensive line. Similarly, Manning, who has open-field speed, has been reminded by everyone — including his grandfather, Archie, who liked to run around a little bit — to get down or get out of bounds, and not to drop his shoulder and try to run anyone over. Manning doesn’t have to be “superhuman” or “do anything that is extraordinary,” Steve Sarkisian said on Monday. But a solid performance on the road at No. 3 Ohio State to open the season would set the Longhorns on a national championship trajectory. — Dave Wilson
What can we expect from Jeremiah Smith in his sophomore debut?
Smith noted during Big Ten media days last month that with a year of experience behind him, he expects to play even faster this season. That’s a scary proposition for the rest of college football, considering Smith put together one of the greatest true freshman seasons in college football history, capped with his game-clinching reception that lifted Ohio State to a national championship. The Longhorns were one of the only teams to keep Smith in check last year, holding him to just one catch for three yards. Of course, the attention on Smith allowed Carnell Tate and Emeka Egbuka to thrive, combining for 12 receptions in the 28-14 Buckeyes win. Still, Smith said he has been waiting for this opportunity to face Texas again. How new quarterback Julian Sayin performs could dictate the quality of Smith’s opportunities. Either way, Smith is primed to put on a show on the big Week 1 stage. — Jake Trotter
What each team needs to capitalize on to win
LSU: Four starters from last year’s starting offensive line were selected in the 2025 NFL draft, but that doesn’t mean LSU was elite up front. The Tigers ranked last in the SEC in rushing offense and mustered just 1.5 yards before contact on dropbacks, ahead of only Vanderbilt. This year’s unit will need to improve dramatically on that clip if LSU wants to contend for a playoff berth and that starts with the opener against Clemson. Clemson’s defensive front, manned by Peter Woods and T.J. Parker, is stout, and new coordinator Tom Allen will have his sights set on making LSU one-dimensional. The key to getting the ground game going will be a youth movement in the backfield led by Caden Durham and five-star freshman Harlem Berry. — David Hale
Clemson: As Hale mentioned, Clemson needs to dominate up front — as much as that sounds like a cliché. LSU coach Brian Kelly said he planned to rotate as many as eight offensive linemen in the opener, which is a nod to team depth, but may not be conducive in the type of environment they will be playing in. Clemson is eager to show that it has vastly improved in its front seven under new defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who brings a far more aggressive approach with his scheme. That aggressiveness was missing a year ago, as Clemson struggled to stop the run and consistently get after the quarterback with its best pass rushers. Clemson ranked No. 85 against the run a season ago while Penn State, where Allen coached, ranked No. 9. The same can be said on offense, where a veteran offensive line must help Clemson get the ground game going. Cade Klubnik was more effective as a passer last season because the Tigers had balance in their ground game. Converted receiver Adam Randall gets the nod at running back, and true freshman Gideon Davidson is expected to play. — Andrea Adelson
Five freshmen to watch in Week 1
Bryce Underwood, QB, Michigan, No. 1 in 2025 ESPN 300
Underwood shook the recruiting world with his late-cycle flip from LSU to the in-state Wolverines last November. Ten months later, ESPN’s top 2025 recruit is set to be the program’s Week 1 starter when No. 14 Michigan hosts New Mexico on Saturday.
Underwood’s elite arm talent, pocket awareness and mobility has impressed the Wolverines’ coaching staff since he arrived on campus in January, as has his accelerated knowledge of the game. The young quarterback will get his first chance to flash that talent alongside fellow Michigan newcomers in running back Justice Haynes (Alabama transfer) and wide receiver Donaven McCulley (Indiana) in Week 1 before Underwood and the Wolverines stare down a much stiffer challenge against an experienced, Brent Venables-led Oklahoma defense on Sept. 6.
Elijah Griffin, DT, Georgia, No. 3 in 2025 ESPN 300
For the first time since 2021, the Bulldogs landed the state of Georgia’s top-ranked prospect in the 2025 cycle, and Griffin already appears poised to be a Day 1 contributor for the No. 5 Bulldogs.
Like many of the elite defensive line talents before him at Georgia, Griffin possesses top-end traits — speed, physicality and SEC-ready size at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds — that have had onlookers drawing comparisons to former Bulldog Jalen Carter throughout the spring and summer. Griffin’s maturity and ability to pick up the defense has also stood out as he vies for snaps along a revamped Georgia defensive line that returns multiple starters from a year ago. Whether or not he starts against Marshall on Saturday, Griffin is expected to play early and often in a significant role within coordinator Glenn Schumann’s defense this fall.
Dakorien Moore, WR, Oregon, No. 4 in 2025 ESPN 300
Moore has been one of the nation’s most productive high school playmakers in recent seasons, and his elite speed and playmaking talent are expected to earn him early opportunities this fall as he steps into an unsettled Ducks wide receiver group.
Missing top 2024 pass catchers Tez Johnson (NFL), Traeshon Holden (NFL) and Evan Stewart (injury), No. 7 Oregon is screaming for fresh downfield producers in 2025. The Ducks have plenty of experienced options between Florida State transfer Malik Benson and returners Justius Lowe, Gary Bryant Jr. and Kyler Kasper, but none offer the brand of electricity Moore presents. One of ESPN’s highest-rated wide receiver prospects since 2006, Moore should be an asset for first-year starting quarterback Dante Moore as soon as Oregon takes the field against Montana State on Saturday.
Demetres Samuel Jr., DB/WR, Syracuse, No. 223 in 2025 ESPN 300
Samuel reclassified into the 2025 class to enter college a year early. At just 17 years old, the 6-1, 195-pound freshman is set to feature prominently for the Orange this fall starting with Syracuse’s Week 1 matchup with No. 24 Tennessee on Saturday in Atlanta.
A speedy tackler from Palm Bay, Florida, Samuel has legit two-way potential, and the Orange intends to make the most of it in 2025. Syracuse coach Fran Brown announced earlier this month that Samuel will start at cornerback against Tennessee while also taking snaps at wide receiver, where the Orange are replacing their top two pass catchers from a year ago. With Travis Hunter in the NFL, Samuel stands as one of the most intriguing two-way talents across college football.
Jayvan Boggs, WR, Florida State, No. 284 in 2025 ESPN 300
Boggs joins the Seminoles after hauling in 99 receptions for 2,133 yards and 24 touchdowns in a wildly productive senior season at Florida’s Cocoa High School last fall. Listed as a starter in Florida State’s Week 1 depth chart, he has an opportunity to pick up where he left off in 2025.
Boggs combines a thick build with sudden route running and knack for yards after the catch. Alongside transfers Gavin Blackwell (North Carolina), Duce Robinson (USC) and Squirrel White (Tennessee), he’s positioned to emerge as a reliable downfield option from the jump within a new group of Seminoles pass catchers around Boston College transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos, starting with Florida State’s Week 1 meeting with No. 8 Alabama (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). — Eli Lederman
Notable offseason quotes
“I depend on Depends. … I’m making a joke out of it, but it is real. It is real. It is real. If you see a port-a-potty on the sideline, it is real, I’m just telling you. You’re going to see one at practice, on the sideline [in games].” — Colorado coach Deion Sanders, joking about his cancer recovery.
“But since we’re in Vegas, it seems like the right time to say it, our theme for this team is double down.” — Oregon coach Dan Lanning, on expectations coming off last year’s undefeated regular season.
“We figured we would just adopt SEC scheduling philosophy, you know? Some people don’t like it. I’m more focused on those nine conference games. Not only do we want to play nine conference games, OK, and have the [revised] playoff format [with automatic qualifiers], we want to have play-in games to decide who plays in those playoffs.” — Indiana coach Curt Cignetti on criticism of the Hoosiers’ light nonconference schedule.
“The recent NCAA ruling to not punish players that weren’t involved is correct. However, this ruling also proves that the NCAA as an enforcement arm no longer exists.” — Former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, on the sanctions against rival Michigan.
“They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.” — Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos to On3 in June about the opener vs. Alabama.
“I’m 21 so I can do shots at a bar.” — Texas quarterback Arch Manning, joking after being asked about how he has to carry himself in public.
“They can have their opinion. We’re going to handle all that on Aug. 30.” — Clemson DE T.J. Parker on the battle over the stadium nickname “Death Valley” between Clemson and LSU.
“I still have the [Catholics versus Convicts] shirt. I do. It’s well documented that’s as intense if not the most intense rivalry that at that time it felt like the national championship went through South Bend or Coral Gables. Intensity was high, physicality, the edge that game was played with was next level.” — Miami coach Mario Cristobal on the Notre Dame rivalry. Cristobal played in the game and will now coach in it as Miami opens vs the Irish.
“Be delusional … It means no cap on the jar, no limitations, dreaming big. With the College Football Playoff where it is, as Indiana showed last year, anybody can get there. If we’re delusional enough to know we can do that, we can get there … Take the cap off the jar. Limitless.” — Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, speaking at Big Ten media days.
Sports
East Carolina-NC State and other under-the-radar rivalries really pack a punch
Published
7 hours agoon
August 28, 2025By
admin
-
Ryan McGeeAug 28, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Close- Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com
- 2-time Sports Emmy winner
- 2010, 2014 NMPA Writer of the Year
Let’s start with a personal memory, shall we?
Saturday, Sept. 10, 1983. Night had fallen and traffic was moving slowly as our aircraft carrier Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale was sitting in line attempting to leave Raleigh’s Carter-Finley Stadium. My mother had a white-knuckled grip on the polished wooden steering wheel. I was riding shotgun, dressed head-to-toe in North Carolina State red and white. My little brother was in the backseat, donned in East Carolina purple and gold. He loved the Pirates because our father was an alum and had pitched for the East Carolina Teachers College baseball team back in the day. But I loved the Wolfpack because we were living in Raleigh in the Jimmy Valvano era and, did I mention it was 1983?
ECU had just defeated State for the first time in six years and did so by stopping the Pack on fourth down deep in Pirates territory in the waning seconds, preserving a 22-16 victory in front of 57,700 fans, at the time the largest crowd to ever witness a college football game in the state of North Carolina.
My brother was very happy. I was not. Mom, flying solo because Dad was away officiating another game in another town, had to physically separate us as we walked through the gravel parking lot to the car. Now we all watched as no one was bothering to separate a pair of bourbon-soaked gentlemen throwing hands in that same parking lot right beside our car. They were also dressed in opposing colors. When the guy in red had enough, he got back into his car and power-locked the doors. So the guy in purple walked around behind the car, ripped the license plate off with his bare hands and threw it like a frisbee into the dark pine trees that lined the lot.
“Just so you know, that’s what you two looked like walking to the car,” Mom said to us, our preteen faces still flushed. “If you’re still doing that when you’re their age, don’t come home.”
My brother mouthed silently at me from the backseat: “Go Pirates.”
I responded in kind, perhaps even with a middle finger extended: “Go Pack.”
Looking at East Carolina-NC State this weekend and thinking of all the Down East NC houses divided. Ex. Here’s Dad pitching for ECU in the 1960s and me in my Wolfpack gear in the 1980s (holding a bass). pic.twitter.com/LRBKQEyySU
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) August 27, 2025
Army-Navy, the Iron Bowl, The Game, the Big Game and more Cups than you would find at a Bed Bath & Beyond going out of business sale. College football, far more any other sport, is built atop a foundation of rivalries. But while we as a helmeted nation tend to focus on the biggest brand-name showdowns — the ones that determine conference titles, steer national championship pushes and have long held down prime network time slots on late November weekends — they aren’t always the most fun or even the most furiously fought football fracases on the calendar.
That’s why my personal favorite rivalries are the ones that set fire to their particular corner of the map with a crazed college football intensity but are games that people who live outside that immediate area might not fully understand or appreciate.
The contests when towns, counties, particular pages of state atlases and individual homes are divided by laundry. When autumn Saturday evenings aren’t just a football game, but rather a fistfight at a family reunion. And who doesn’t want to watch that?
It’s Akron and Kent State, stars of the Bottom 10 Cinematic Universe, located only 10 miles apart, who have a snafu in the snow every November over the possession of a Wagon Wheel. It’s North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State, Bison vs. Jackrabbits, in a contest that almost always has huge FCS national title implications and also almost always ends with postgame finger-pointing that will last for the next 364 days. It’s basically the entire Sun Belt Conference, where divisions still exist, teams still ride buses to games, bad blood has flowed through reluctantly shared veins of the likes of Georgia Southern vs. App State and where soon-to-be member Louisiana Tech is resuming the Rivalry in Dixie against Southern Miss. Football feuds that reach back through years gone by in lower divisions and long-abandoned small college conferences.
Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan for the Victory Cannon. Kansas vs. Missouri, a rivalry that next weekend will be reinstated as the Border Showdown, formerly called the Border War, a title with roots back to an actual border war between the two territories. Montana vs. Montana State in the Brawl of the Wild. Even the big brand likes of Clemson vs. Georgia, stadiums only 80 miles apart, and the game we just watched in Ireland to open the 2025 season, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, aka Farmageddon.
Why do I so relish these raucous regional rivalries? Because as you are now aware, I grew up right in the middle of one — maybe the best example there is. East Carolina versus North Carolina State, who will meet for the 34th time Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
Will the nation be riveted? No. But will my neighborhood of that nation be hotter than a bottle of Texas Pete? Oh, hell yes.
“I call them cookout games because if there is ever an argument at the family cookout, then it’s probably about a game like this one.” That’s how it was once explained to me by Ruffin McNeill, a Lumberton, North Carolina, native and former all-star ECU defender who became the coach at his alma mater in 2010 and led the Pirates to four bowls in six years before he was controversially dismissed. Now Ruff is a special assistant at … wait for it … NC State. “To me, it’s what makes college football the best sport in the world. When you look at your brother or your cousin and you say, ‘You know I love you, but for a few hours this weekend I’m not going to love you as much as I usually do.'”
That’s how a lot of North Carolina families will be rolling Thursday night, especially those who reside between the state capital and the Outer Banks, what we call Down East. From Nags Head to New Bern and Scotland Neck to Smithfield, one giant barrel of red and white and purple and gold, all swirled together in the same living room. And man, do those colors clash.
“So, I’m from Texas, right? We have a lot of really intense rivalries that mean a lot inside the state of Texas but that people outside of Texas don’t really understand,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said earlier this year. He was East Carolina’s offensive coordinator for five years, 2010 to 2014, coaching under McNeill. “When NC State came to our place in 2010, I remember in pregame, it was already so tense. I said, ‘Oh man, this is how this is?’ Ruff said, ‘Yes, it is. Now imagine what it’s going to be like when we go there. Buckle up.'”
BACK TO THE memory banks.
Jan. 1, 1992. The final Peach Bowl was played in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It was a drizzly day, but that didn’t prevent nearly 60,000 people from attending the last college football game played at the home of the Braves, soon to be replaced by the Georgia Dome. Both ECU and NC State were in the Top 25. After nearly two decades of annual contests, they hadn’t played since 1987. Why? Because after another win in Raleigh, Pirates fans stormed NC State’s home field and pillaged the goalposts. By this time Valvano was NCSU’s athletic director and, angered by the damage done to his football stadium, he immediately discontinued the series. So, when it came time for the Peach Bowl to send out its invites, the powers-that-be wisely made phone calls to two schools located only 80 miles apart and only a day’s drive down I-85 to their stadium.
There, in the stands, sitting with my family and surrounded by ECU fans, I began openly gloating about State’s imminent victory. After all, the Pack led by 17 points with less than nine minutes remaining. It was over, right? Wrong. Pirates quarterback Jeff Blake, amid chants of “We … believe!” and a sea of foam yellow buccaneer swords, orchestrated a comeback that made him not merely an East Carolina football legend, but the forever Pirates football deity.
I was so bitter about that day for so long that it pained me the first time I finally interviewed Blake, and he was such a genuinely nice guy.
“Everywhere I go, it’s about the ’92 Peach Bowl,” he said to me for a 2014 story about bowl games. Blake threw for more than 21,000 yards over 14 NFL seasons and is now director of the IMG QB Academy in Florida. “If I had won a Super Bowl ring, it would still be second in [Greenville, NC] to people wanting to see my Peach Bowl watch. At a big school, those moments might not mean so much. For the rest of us, those are the moments.”
ECU vs. NCSU has provided so many of those moments.
That game that Lincoln Riley spoke of in 2010 began with a 21-0 ECU lead in the first quarter, but Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson led a comeback of his own, sending the game into OT. But in that extra frame, Wilson was intercepted to secure the victory for the Pirates. It was a revenge game for their last meeting two years earlier, when it was NC State who celebrated at the end of the series’ first-ever overtime contest.
In 2022, ECU had a chance to tie and win the game late but missed a PAT and field goal as time expired, preserving NCSU’s 1-point win. And, oh yeah, there’s their last meeting, only eight months ago in the Military Bowl, where a sellout crowd in Annapolis got a red-hot game and a bloody ref as the result of a fight at the end of the game, à la those drunk dudes in the parking lot in ’83.
Speaking of, I failed to mention this when I shared that story, but those guys totally knew each other. They looked similar. Had the same nose. One even called the other by name. So, it should come as no surprise that the prize awarded for winning this game is directly based on that kind of kinship. The Victory Barrel, which wasn’t introduced until 2007 but has been retroactively marked to represent every result since the series began in 1970, was rolled out with a backstory about two ultracompetitive brothers who grew up on an Eastern North Carolina farm but attended the two different schools. Eventually, they donated the pork barrel that they had once kept in a barn, whittled with the results of their own hometown competitions, for the schools to keep track of their football games.
“Those games are the ones where you look at the other guy and you know that guy, or you at least recognize that guy, because that guy either lives in your neighborhood, or hell, he might be your brother,” explained Jerry Kill when asked about the intensity of overlooked rivalries. Now he’s a special consultant at Vanderbilt. Prior to that, he was the coach at New Mexico State, one half of the Rio Grande Rivalry versus New Mexico, aka the Game When The Diego Pavia Logo Urination Video (ahem) Leaked, which holds its115th edition later this season. “If you like western movies, you know how it works. This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”
North Carolina has never been big enough for all its college football teams. Tobacco Road has long belonged to what used to be called the Big Four. Beginning at the western edge of the middle region of the state, aka the Piedmont, with Wake Forest, then moving east into the Triangle, with Duke and UNC in the middle and NC State on the eastern flank. But as Appalachian State began to gather steam, it challenged from the mountains after East Carolina did the same from the coast. Both have always coveted the power conference ACC membership of the Big Four, but both have also proudly owned the little brother chip on their shoulder pads. All while Wake and State have done the same, as they’ve had to watch the nation become obsessed with the Blue Devils and Tar Heels during hoops season.
NC State head coach Dave Doeren, who made headlines this summer at ACC media days when asked about ECU and replied, “I want to beat the s— out of that team,” has never shied away from the perceived “haves vs. have-nots” syndrome when it comes to UNC. See: When he also made headlines in 2022 saying, as paraphrased by a TV crew, that NC State is blue collar and UNC is elitist. On the flipside, ECU coach Blake Harrell recently suggested that his entire roster was making less NIL money than Pack QB CJ Bailey.
“Whatever you need to motivate yourself, you do it,” Torry Holt said, laughing, prior to his induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. The former NC State All-America wide receiver grew up in Gibsonville, North Carolina, just off Tobacco Road. He even picked tobacco as a kid. He also went 1-1 versus East Carolina during his four years with the Pack, highlighted by a backbreaking 68-yard TD catch to open the second half in Raleigh in 1997 that paved the way to a 37-24 win. “The important thing for me is that the last time I played them, we won. We lost the first one. But you don’t want to lose the last one. That was the last time I played them and the last time I will ever play them.”
He laughed again. “So … scoreboard.”
ONE MORE FROM the memory bank. It’s all you need to know about ECU vs. NCSU, and it easily applies to all those other underappreciated pigskin passion plays throughout this great college football nation.
It was spring 1997 and I was a young feature producer for ESPN. My primary beat was NASCAR, and I was covering a race at my hometown Rockingham Speedway. That’s when the governor of North Governor, Jim Hunt, who was an NC State graduate and former NCSU student body president, wandered into the media center during a rain delay, making small talk. He said to us, “You guys are with ESPN? Well, I have a story for you. Our state legislature is introducing a bill to try and mandate that East Carolina plays State every year. Y’all ever been to one of those games?”
I told him that, yes, I had, growing up in Raleigh in the 1980s. My camera operator said he had been a Wolfpack athlete, a swimmer. What we know now is that the bill never passed, but it did lead to more frequent Tobacco Road bookings for the Pirates.
That ’97 day in rainy Rockingham, Hunt sighed. “If that bill passes, then y’all know what I’m going to have to do?”
We looked at the governor, quizzically. He winked. Then he joked. At least I think it was a joke.
“We’re going to need to hire a lot more state troopers for Down East. Or wrestling referees.”
Sports
Deion’s pitch: Pay players NFL-style playoff bonus
Published
8 hours agoon
August 28, 2025By
admin
-
Associated Press
Aug 28, 2025, 08:56 AM ET
Leave it to Deion Sanders to come up with an idea for the College Football Playoff that nobody has really mentioned yet: Pay the players for making the tournament, and pay them more when their teams win.
If they do that, then “now it’s equality, now it’s even and every player is making the same amount of money,” the Colorado coach said.
Sanders and former Alabama coach Nick Saban talked to The Associated Press as part of their unveiling of a new Aflac commercial that rolls out this week with a storyboard ripped from today’s headlines: It opens with Sanders complaining: “This game has gotten out of control. All the money. All the unpredictability.”
He is talking about health insurance, of course, and the commissioner he wants to see run it isn’t Saban, but that kooky duck who wears the same powder-blue sportscoat as the two football legends.
It’s an endorsement that Sanders says hits home some two years after his diagnosis with bladder cancer, from which he says he is fully recovered.
“I’ve been walking with my coaches over a mile” after practice, he said ahead of Friday night’s season opener against Georgia Tech. “Exercising, lifting.”
Saban will be back on the set with ESPN in his second year of “retirement” after leaving the Crimson Tide, where he won six national titles. He insists he wants to help college sports find its footing, but not via a commissioner job that was floated last year with his name coming up as the ideal fit.
“I don’t want to be in that briar patch of being a commissioner, but I do want to do everything I can to make it right,” he said.
He and Sanders agreed that there needs to be more structure around the deals players sign. Since July 1, schools have been able to start paying up to $20.5 million each to their athletes over the next year under the House settlement alongside third-party NIL deals that have turned some players into millionaires.
Saban said he believes that forgotten amid all the hype about name, image and likeness deals — deals Sanders says are a joke because “there are only three or four guys who you might know their NIL, and the rest you’re just giving money to” — is what happens to the vast majority of these players after they leave school.
“For years and years and years as coaches, and when we were players, we learned this, we’re trying to create value for our future,” Saban said. “That’s why we’re going to college. It’s not just to see how much money we can make while we’re in college. It’s, how does that impact your future as far as our ability to create value for ourselves?”
Currently, conferences whose schools advance to the 12-team playoff receive $4 million for making the bracket, with payments increasing for every round they win.
Saban said Sanders’ idea about spreading the wealth with an NFL-style playoff bonus structure for players (winners of the Super Bowl got $171,000 last year) sounded like a good idea to him. He also had no love for proposals coming out of the Big Ten that would give that league and the Southeastern Conference multiple automatic bids.
“The NFC East has the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants, they have the biggest fan bases of anyone and they have to play their way in,” Saban said. “Everyone should play their way in. One year, a conference might get five teams in, another it might get three. But there’s no [scenario] in any competitive venue where you get a guaranteed playoff spot.”
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