Why the conference title matchups are perfect for this wonderfully wild season
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Ryan McGee, ESPN Senior Writer
By this time one week from now, all of the mystery will be gone. We will know who the conference champions are, what dozen teams made the final College Football Playoff cut, which teams were left on the doorstep holding their spreadsheets of failed proof and who is going where for the holidays.
The never-ending 15-week roller coaster with no brakes that has been the 2024 college football regular season will have finally pulled back into the queue for oil, maintenance and a chance to catch its grass-stained breath before it rolls back out for a much shorter — though not nearly as short as it used to be — run through Bowl Season (©) and the College Football Playoff.
Before we embark on the awarding of rings, cups, Mylar cubes and trophies that look like giant vape pens, let’s pause to look into the rearview mirror for a gaze back toward the yellow brick road that got us here, a journey of heart, brains and courage. Did I see “Wicked” just before I wrote this column? Yes. And that, as we say on “Marty & McGee,” is “apro-pro.”
Because since the season kicked off in Week 0 — 3 months, 10 days, 4,084 miles (the distance between Tallahassee and Dublin) and 3 points (the distance between Georgia Tech and Florida State) ago — we have not had any idea what was going to happen next. And it has all been very weird. We might not have had “lions and tigers and bears, oh my!” But we did have Nick Saban as a lion, a fake Mike the Tiger and a Cal Bear equipment manager-turned-Hardy Nickerson.
On ESPN’s @CollegeGameDay, always expect the unexpected…
This morning it’s Nick Saban in a Nittany Lion snuggie – a birthday gift from the @GoPSUsports mascot.📸 @joshuagateley | @ESPNImages pic.twitter.com/0EYJ5sYlSp
— bill hofheimer (@bhofheimer_espn) November 2, 2024
If anyone knows this @CalFootball equipment guy, please tell him we have a spot on staff for him during @seniorbowl week.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/Fu1lZSj5C7
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) November 25, 2024
However, like that funky five-star gourmet restaurant you had no interest in but were dragged to by your spouse who won’t stop watching Gordon Ramsey shows, it’s the weirdest stuff that comes from the kitchen that you’d never thought of eating before that usually ends up being the most delicious.
Shaking a little black pepper on your strawberries. Spreading peanut butter over your hamburger. Or watching Diego Pavia play quarterback for Vanderbilt and run all over Alabama as if he were Forrest Gump.
This was the year in which we hadn’t expected to talk about Army or Indiana — a pair of programs that have played football for a combined 271 years, but with only 10 bowl wins to show for it — as potential CFP party crashers … and we had that conversation all the way into late November.
This was the year in which conference realignment threw all of our maps into the shredder. In which the Bay Area suddenly became part of the conference named for the Atlantic Coast. In which Texas and Oklahoma introduced a slow-cooked slab of Southwest into the Southeastern Conference. In which the Big 12 became a Big 16 and the Big Ten became a very bicoastal Big 18. We spent this fall struggling with the sight of scores moving through the ESPN Bottom Line that made us say, “UCLA at Rutgers, that’s weird” before adding “Wait, this is a conference game?”
Now the very conference championship games we will watch this weekend are a full slate of newbies versus, er, oldbies. Georgia, Clemson and Iowa State are charter members of the SEC, ACC and Big 12. They will face off against Texas, SMU and Arizona State, all of which have been members of those conferences since summer. Big Ten rookie Oregon, it of the endless kaleidoscope of DayGlo uniform combinations, will face Penn State, a member of the league since 1990 (which used to seem new), and whose idea of an alternate uniform is to put a block number on its helmets and a single stripe on its pants.
This is the season in which practically none of the preseason conference title favorites were able to even reach their conference title games. See: Ohio State, Utah, Florida State, Memphis, Texas State, Liberty. The year in which the Big 12 nearly ended with a seven-way tie for first. OK in fairness, I feel as if that happens most years.
The year in which everyone’s preseason Heisman Trophy favorites seemed to be Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, in his 15th year of college football, versus a pack of signal-callers from the SEC in Quinn Ewers, Carson Beck, Jalen Milroe and Jaxson Dart. But now, with ballots due Monday, the conversation is dominated by Ashton Jeanty, a back who runs on blue turf; Cam Ward, a QB who isn’t from the SEC but rather the ACC by way of the Pac-12, and Travis Hunter, a Buffalo who plays both ways. Only one of those three, Jeanty, will be onstage for championship weekend.
This was the season in which the idea of routine field storming came, ahem, storming back as if it were the 1990s again. It was very obvious that everyone was out of practice, especially when it was time for the Sun Devils to unleash a desert storm.
Arizona State fans prematurely rushed the field and took down the goal post with one second left in the game 😬 pic.twitter.com/yRENXDqcVb
— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2024
But then, in the final weekend of the regular season, flag planting suddenly became a thing. A thing that I’m pretty sure no one really wanted and no one seems to have any explanation as to why it did. Admittedly, I’m kind of old. Is there some sort of flag-planting TikTok craze that I’m unaware of? Because, like that door-kicking trend everyone was doing last year, if you plant a flag on your enemy’s 50-yard line, don’t get your feelings hurt if you wind up getting punched in the face. Or maced.
This is the fall in when Florida State, after spending the offseason in court trying to prove it was too good for the ACC, won exactly one ACC game and finished 17th in a conference that I am 100 percent sure no one knew had 17 teams.
The fall that produced perhaps my all-time favorite tree of defeat. Alabama, which entered the season coming off an SEC title, a CFP appearance and with a No. 5 ranking, lost to Vanderbilt … which lost to Georgia State … which lost to Old Dominion … which lost to East Carolina … which lost to Liberty … which lost to Kennesaw State … which lost to UT-Martin … which lost to Missouri State … which lost to Montana … which lost to Weber State … which lost to Northern Colorado, a team that went 1-11 to finish last in the FCS Big Sky Conference. Oh, and Alabama beat Georgia, which beat Texas and those are the two teams that will play for the SEC title Saturday. Oh, and Vandy should have beaten Texas too.
The year 2024 is one in which anything is possible. In which Notre Dame can lose to Northern Illinois, which finished 4-4 in #MACtion — and still finish the regular season ranked fourth in the country. In which a tight end can play his ninth year of college football, as Cam McCormick did at Miami. In which after three weeks and a 1-2 record, Florida Gators boosters can openly declare they will be firing head coach Billy Napier so they can hire Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss, but ultimately, albeit reluctantly, keep Napier on board … so he can go into Oxford and beat Kiffin’s ninth-ranked Rebels to perhaps knock them out of the playoff.
The year in which, even amid all the fun, the power of the game and the community it creates was on display. When Hurricane Helene dumped more than 40 trillion gallons of rain over the East Coast, it left great college towns and teams quite literally underwater. So what provided the anchor that the good folks of Boone, North Carolina, Johnson City, Tennessee, and others needed as those towns and regions struggled through a seemingly overwhelming recovery? Appalachian State football, East Tennessee State football, and other colleges, large and small, using their stadiums as home bases for relief efforts and, when the time was right, turning on their stadium lights as beacons of hope, faith in the future strengthened through the rallying point of football.
This was the season in which NIL and the transfer portal and all of that conference realignment was going to ruin the sport forever, but instead gifted us with the most unpredictable, entertaining, parity-powered autumn since the highwater height of hysteria known as 2007. In the words of the great Chris Doering, live on SEC Network as Vanderbilt’s students politely filed onto their construction zone of a field to tear down the goalposts and carry them past the Crimson Tide and onto Broadway, this has been the year in which the great teams might not be all that great but the bad teams definitely aren’t all that bad.
Will that last? In the face of all those forces already mentioned, can it be sustained? I have no idea. And neither does anyone else. But those concerns are for another day, another year, another time. This day, this year, and this time is college football 2024. I say we ride this roller coaster all the way into 2025 and see where it goes. Because not knowing what’s around the next bend has worked out pretty well so far.
The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs have begun with 16 teams looking to be the last one standing after four grueling rounds of playoff hockey action. The Florida Panthers return to defend their championship, but will have to contend with regular-season powerhouses including the Winnipeg Jets, Washington Capitals and the Edmonton Oilers.
The Panthers first have to contend with their cross-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning, but got off to a strong start in Game 1 with 6-2 road win. The victory saw the Panthers leapfrog several teams to be given the second-shortest odds behind only the Carolina Hurricanes, who have emerged as the Eastern Conference favorites thanks to a 2-0 series lead over the banged-up New Jersey Devils.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, looking to snap the longest championship drought in NHL history, are up 2-0 on their provincial rivals, the Ottawa Senators, and are now among the top five favorites. The Capitals took care of business in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens with Alex Ovechkin scoring his first career playoff OT winner and followed it up with a Game 2 victory to take a commanding series lead.
In the West, two of the favorites clash in the first round as the Dallas Stars take on the Colorado Avalanche with the teams trading wins in Games 1 and 2, followed by a Game 3 road win by the Stars which saw the teams essentially trade places in the odds race. The Jets have a 2-0 series lead on the St. Louis Blues, while the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild traded wins in Games 1 and 2. The Oilers lost both their road games to the Los Angeles Kings, who are considered the favorite in this series, and must now win at home to get back into the race.
Last year’s Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Connor McDavid, won the top award for playoffs MVP despite his team not winning the championship. This year, he hopes to win it again, but on a happier note. Below, you can see all of the top favorites for Conn Smythe, as well as the odds for every team to win their opening-round series, advance to, and to win the Stanley Cup.
All odds accurate as of publish time. For more, go to ESPN BET. 
Odds to win Conn Smythe trophy
The Conn Smythe is awarded to the player deemed to have been the most valuable to his team throughout the playoffs. Players listed with 200-1 odds or better. More odds available at ESPN BET..
Connor Hellebuyck, Jets: 12-1
Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes: 15-1
Jack Eichel, Golden Knights: 16-1
Anthony Stolarz, Maple Leafs: 18-1
Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche: 18-1
Aleksander Barkov, Panthers: 20-1
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: 20-1
Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs: 20-1
Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers: 20-1
Seth Jarvis, Hurricanes: 20-1
Adrian Kempe, Kings: 25-1
Cale Makar, Avalanche: 25-1
Darcy Kuemper, Kings: 25-1
Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes: 25-1
Jake Oettinger, Stars: 25-1
Mitch Marner, Maple Leafs: 25-1
Nikita Kucherov, Lightning: 25-1
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Lightning: 30-1
Connor McDavid, Oilers: 30-1
Kyle Connor, Jets: 30-1
Logan Thompson, Capitals: 30-1
Mark Scheifele, Jets: 30-1
Sam Reinhart, Panthers: 30-1
Sergei Bobrovsky, Panthers: 30-1
Tomas Hertl, Golden Knights: 30-1
Anze Kopitar, Kings: 40-1
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers: 40-1
Logan Stankoven, Hurricanes: 40-1
Adin Hill, Golden Knights: 50-1
Brayden Point, Lightning: 50-1
Dylan Strome, Capitals: 50-1
Kevin Fiala, Kings: 50-1
Kirill Kaprizov, Wild: 50-1
Mackenzie Blackwood, Avalanche: 50-1
Mark Stone, Golden Knights: 50-1
William Nylander, Maple Leafs: 50-1
John Tavares, Maple Leafs: 60-1
Andrei Svechnikov, Hurricanes: 75-1
Jaccob Slavin, Hurricanes: 75-1
Matt Boldy, Wild: 75-1
Mikko Rantanen, Stars: 75-1
Pavel Dorofeyev, Golden Knights: 75-1
Roope Hintz, Stars: 75-1
Wyatt Johnston, Stars: 75-1
Brady Tkachuk, Senators: 100-1
Connor McMichael, Capitals: 100-1
Filip Gustavsson, Wild: 100-1
Jason Robertson, Stars: 100-1
Linus Ullmark, Senators: 100-1
Miro Heiskanen, Stars: 100-1
Nico Hischier, Devils: 100-1
Pyotr Kochetkov, Hurricanes: 100-1
Quinton Byfield, Kings: 100-1
Sam Bennett, Panthers: 100-1
Tim Stutzle, Senators: 100-1
Brandon Hagel, Lightning: 150-1
Jacob Markstrom, Devils: 150-1
Jake Guentzel, Lightning: 150-1
Jordan Binnington, Blues: 150-1
Joseph Woll, Maple Leafs: 150-1
Martin Necas, Avalanche: 150-1
Matt Duchene, Stars: 150-1
Pierre-Luc Dubois, Capitals: 150-1
Shea Theodore, Golden Knights: 150-1
Thomas Harley, Stars: 150-1
Tom Wilson, Capitals: 150-1
Valeri Nichushkin, Avalanche: 150-1
Victor Hedman, Lightning: 150-1
Aliaksei Protas, Capitals: 200-1
The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs have already included some twists and turns, including long-injured players returning to the ice and others playing through various ailments.
Two teams carry 2-0 leads into Game 3 on Thursday, and history is on their side: according to ESPN Research, teams with a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win 86% of the time.
Will that be the case for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets? Or can the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues notch victories at home?
Plus, will the Florida Panthers win another game in the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s barn? And which team will win a pivotal Game 3 of the Vegas Golden Knights–Minnesota Wild series?
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down in Wednesday’s games, and the Three Stars of Wednesday Night from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
Game 2 (FLA leads 1-0) | 6:30 p.m. ET | TBS
With the Panthers up 1-0, ESPN BET has adjusted the series line to install Florida as the series favorite at -210, whereas the line was -115 before Game 1.
Matthew Tkachuk made his return after more than two months on the shelf, and scored two goals to help the Panthers take Game 1 in the Battle of Florida. Matthew and brother Brady both scored goals Tuesday, which was the 83rd time in Stanley Cup playoffs history that a pair of brothers scored on the same day, the most recent being Marcus and Nick Foligno on April 21, 2023.
Sergei Bobrovsky has backstopped the Cats to many playoff wins recently, and the Game 1 win was his 45th, putting him fifth all-time in playoff wins for goalies born outside North America. The leader? His opponent Andrei Vasilevskiy, with 66.
Nikita Kucherov won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading point-scorer in the regular season, but was limited to just one assist in Game 1. Will that trend continue?
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators
Game 3 (TOR leads 2-0) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2
The Maple Leafs have won just one playoff series in the past 20 years, but they are halfway to doing so here in the Battle of Ontario. Oh, and speaking of decadeslong droughts, this is the first time the Leafs have held a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series since the 2002 series against the New York Islanders (which they won in seven games).
Max Domi was the overtime hero for the Leafs in Game 2, which was his first playoff OT goal. His father Tie played 98 playoff games in his NHL career, and never had one — albeit in a career where he was known more as a pugilist than a scorer.
Toronto’s Core Four continue to drive the train. John Tavares (two goals, two assists), Mitch Marner (one goal, three assists), William Nylander (one goal, two assists) and Auston Matthews (three assists) are in the top four positions on their stats sheet heading into Game 3. They’ve also gotten strong play from goaltender Anthony Stolarz, who became the sixth netminder in Leafs history to win his first two playoff games with the franchise — Ken Wregget, Mike Palmateer, Bernie Parent, Frank McCool and Lorne Chabot are the others.
One pathway to a comeback for Ottawa is for goaltender Linus Ullmark to steal a game or two. The 2023 Vezina Trophy winner has allowed nine goals on 45 shots through two games, a save percentage of .800. Ullmark allowed just two goals on 50 shots in two games against Toronto in the regular season, both of which were wins for Ottawa.
Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild
Game 3 (series tied 1-1) | 9 p.m. ET | TBS
Why is this game so important? The winner of Game 3 in a series tied 1-1 has gone on to win 66% of the time in Stanley Cup playoff history (240-123).
The Wild didn’t want to take any chances in Game 2, scoring three first-period goals and keeping the Knights at arm’s length for the remainder of the game. Kirill Kaprizov reminded everyone why he was a Hart Trophy favorite before getting injured this season, scoring two goals and adding a ridiculous assist on Matt Boldy‘s goal. Kaprizov’s second goal tied him with Marian Gaborik for the second-most playoff goals in Wild history, with 12, four behind Zach Parise.
On the Vegas side, “Playoff” Tomas Hertl has shown up, scoring a goal in each of the first two games. The longtime San Jose Shark is the fourth different player to score a goal in his first two games with the Golden Knights, a list that includes Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault.
The Knights are also hoping this is just a bump in the road for goaltender Adin Hill. He has an .833 save percentage through two games; that figure was .931 in three games last postseason and .932 in 14 starts during their Stanley Cup run in 2023.
Winnipeg Jets at St. Louis Blues
Game 3 (WPG leads 2-0) | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2
One other bit of history working against the Blues: Presidents’ Trophy winners that have won Games 1 and 2 of a best-of-seven series have gone on to win that series 95% of the time (tracked since 1985-86).
The Blues will want to track Kyle Connor closely if the game hangs in the balance. He has scored the game-winning goal in both games thus far, giving him five in his career, passing Paul Stastny for the most in Jets 2.0/Atlanta Thrashers history.
St. Louis rookie Jimmy Snuggerud — who was playing for the University of Minnesota earlier this spring — became the second rookie to notch a goal this postseason, joining Carolina’s Logan Stankoven.
Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou — who led the Blues in regular-season scoring and both tallied goals in Game 1 — were held pointless in Game 2.
Arda’s three stars from Wednesday night
Sometimes the stat lines don’t matter. The Avs captain returning to the NHL for the first time since lifting the Cup in 2022 is a moment that transcends one team, and is celebrated throughout the hockey world. Welcome back, Gabe!
1:22
Gabriel Landeskog makes triumphant return to Avs after 3-year absence
Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog makes his return for the Avalanche after nearly three years on the sidelines due to a chronic knee injury.
Kempe scored two goals and added two assists as the Kings dismantled the Oilers 6-2 to take both games at home as the series now shifts to Edmonton.
Thompson made 25 saves, including some key stops on dangerous chances in the third period, to help the Caps beat the Habs 3-1 and take a 2-0 series lead.
0:48
Messier: Logan Thompson won the game for the Caps
Mark Messier tells Scott Van Pelt the critical role Logan Thompson played for the Capitials in their 3-1 win over the Canadiens in Game 2.
Wednesday’s scores
Washington Capitals 3, Montreal Canadiens 1
(WSH leads 2-0)
Another game that was perhaps a bit closer than the pundits (and the fans in D.C.) expected. Montreal’s Christian Dvorak opened the scoring in the second period, before the Caps answered with two goals in a one-minute span from Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome. That lead would hold despite the Habs’ best efforts, thanks to some heroic saves from Logan Thompson. McMichael added an empty-netter just before the final buzzer to ensure that the fans went home happy, and that his team takes a 2-0 lead to Montreal for Game 3.
0:34
Capitals take lead over Canadiens on back-to-back goals
Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome score a minute apart to put the Capitals ahead of the Canadiens in the second period.
Dallas Stars 2, Colorado Avalanche 1 (OT)
(DAL leads 2-1)
The big story here was the return of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog after three years. And a first-period goal from Valeri Nichushkin sent the crowd into a frenzy. But the Stars have veteran players of their own, and captain Jamie Benn tied the game midway through the third period, before Tyler Seguin tallied the game-winning goal at 5:31 of overtime.
1:04
Tyler Seguin breaks Avs’ hearts with OT winner for Stars
Tyler Seguin spoils Gabriel Landeskog’s return with a goal to claim the Stars’ second overtime win as they take a 2-1 series lead vs. the Avalanche.
Los Angeles Kings 6, Edmonton Oilers 2
(LA leads 2-0)
For the past three postseasons, the Kings have been eliminated in the first round by the Oilers. Is this finally the year they get past their tormentors from Alberta? Continuing to score six goals per game would certainly help. Brandt Clarke got the party started with a power-play goal at 8:44 of the first period, and he was joined on the scoresheet by Quinton Byfield, Andrei Kuzmenko, Adrian Kempe (with two) and Anze Kopitar. The Kings’ power play has been electric in this series, as L.A. has scored five goals on 10 opportunities with the man advantage.
0:42
Adrian Kempe scores again as Kings close in on victory
Adrian Kempe’s second goal of the night makes it 6-2 Kings as they take full control of Game 2 against the Oilers.
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