Mauricio Dubon was serviceable at the position in 2025, but he’s a free agent and is undoubtedly better served as a super-utility piece than a full-time starter at shortstop. The Braves should be looking to upgrade. The problem is that the free agent market at the position is essentially non-existent. The trade market, however, features some really intriguing names that could fix shortstop in Atlanta for the foreseeable future.

This continues a series where I focus on some of those marquee names, moving on to one of the more intriguing candidates of any position group, Corey Seager.

If you missed the first parts of this series, follow the links below:

• Braves hypothetical trade for Jeremy Peña
• Braves hypothetical trade for Gunnar Henderson

Braves hypothetical trade for Corey Seager

Braves receive: Corey Seager, $20 million cash

Rangers receive: Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, Owen Murphy, Luke Sinnard

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It’s already been reported by numerous sources that the Rangers will try to trade Corey Seager this offseason, which shouldn’t really come as a surprise. Any club would be trying to get out from under the remainder of the $155 million owed to him over the next five years, especially given his injury history. Seager has not played in more than 123 games since 2022 and is entering the offseason after minor elbow surgery.

The only way the Rangers are going to be able to move this contract is if they eat a large chunk of change, which is part of why the Braves make such an intriguing trade partner. Texas can take on the contract of Spencer Strider to start. He’s owed $44 million over the next two seasons, and the Rangers can also absorb the final year of Reynaldo Lopez’s deal, which is set to pay him $8 million. Add on $20 million in cash, and Seager’s deal is essentially cut in half, which would make this a much more affordable gamble for the Braves.

There are a couple of other aspects that must be taken into consideration. Seager will be 33 years old next season. The odds of him playing shortstop for the entirety of his contract are basically zero. However, that actually kind of works for the Braves. They have some talented potential shortstops coming up through the farm, and Ozzie Albies is set to become a free agent a year from now. Seager could move to second base after just one season and eventually shift into a DH role if needed, still providing value now that his contract has been cut in half.

There is one more issue, though. Seager has a full no-trade clause. If he doesn’t want to play for the Braves, there’s nothing Alex Anthopoulos can do about it, similar to what happened with Jacob deGrom at the trade deadline.

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IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The bright spots Atlanta had early in the season have almost all faded. Everybody knows Bijan Robinson is one of the top running backs in football, but Atlanta has struggled running the ball against better defenses. The offensive line play has taken a step back from previous seasons, and Penix’s inability to keep defenses honest has also been a factor.

For a brief moment, it looked like Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees just might be the guys to make Penix a franchise quarterback. He was brilliant against the Packers and Saints in his first two games back, then had another really strong outing in the Falcons’ upset win over the 49ers.

But a lot of the problems that persisted before the new coaching staff arrived have remained constant this season. Penix doesn’t like to move around — likely because of his injury history — and when pressured, he’s no better than Cooper Rush. He actually might be worse, which has led to far too much inconsistency for someone the Falcons were hoping could be the team’s next franchise quarterback.

Is that the fault of Atlanta’s offensive coaching staff? Possibly. They certainly haven’t done anything worth praise, but it also could be that Michael Penix simply isn’t the guy, and the Falcons need to be back in the quarterback market this offseason.

On the other side of the ball, Atlanta seemed to establish a new identity early in the season. They were a physical team that dominated the line of scrimmage. At one point, they had the top-rated rush defense to go along with the best pressure rate in the entire league. But all of that proved to be fool’s gold once they found themselves up against more competent offenses. This is still a unit littered with holes that Matt Ryan and Ian Cunningham will be tasked with filling come the offseason.

Most of this stuff should have been expected. This was a roster that came into the season with tons of questions. Some were even pegging the Falcons to pick #1 overall, so not all of the struggles can be pinned on Stefanski and his staff. But one area is concerning — and it’s something Stefanski talks about often: the ability to adapt.

The sign of a good coaching staff is one that can lead its team to victory when things aren’t right. Whether it’s missing key players, bad weather, or whatever else, the best coaches in the league are tough to beat no matter the circumstances. One could say that’s the entire purpose of a head coach, and in that area, Stefanski has totally failed.

The Falcons looked like a fish out of water when Michael Penix Jr. was out, especially when the Panthers dismantled them in Week 2. Then fast forward a few weeks to when Atlanta had a chance to take a stranglehold of the NFC South with a win over the Bucs. That game took place in a monsoon, and it seemed like only one coaching staff was aware of it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Falcons’, who were shut out in an embarrassing 16-0 defeat — one in which Penix threw four interceptions and the Bucs failed to complete a pass.

That’s the biggest knock on Kevin Stefanski through his first nine games in Atlanta. When everything’s perfect, the Falcons look like contenders. But anybody can win under perfect circumstances; it’s the ones who can adapt to less-than-stellar circumstances that are worth their pay. And so far, Stefanski hasn’t proven he’s worth a dime.

Grade: D

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

There are a couple of names that are particularly intriguing. Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena are exactly the type of right-handed bats Alex Anthopoulos would love to add to this lineup. Both are good for about 25+ home runs a season with an .800 OPS, and Arozarena brings the personality and postseason experience that make him even more appealing.

The problem is that with so few reliable options, just about every team trying to compete is going to be interested. And Scott Boras, Arozarena’s agent, is aiming for the moon as always, seeking a six-year, $150 million deal for his client.

“Arozarena’s camp at the Boras Corporation has also apparently opened the winter with a lofty asking price. Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of The Seattle Times report that they’ve been seeking something in the six-year, $150MM+ range. That’s an ambitious goal, particularly on length. Freddie Freeman and DJ LeMahieu are the only free agents within the past decade to command six years starting at age 32 or older. LeMahieu’s contract was artificially stretched to reduce the average annual value for luxury tax purposes. Freeman is a future Hall of Famer who was a year removed from winning NL MVP when he signed with the Dodgers for $162MM,” Anthony Franco writes for MLB Trade Rumors.

Even coming off a career year in which he recorded 5.7 WAR, Randy Arozarena isn’t going to get six years for $150 million as he enters his age-32 season, but 4-5 years and north of $100 million feels very much on the table — and the Braves seemingly never seriously engage with Boras clients.

Whatever Arozarena gets, one would imagine Suzuki will get something similar. The numbers they’ve put up over the last five seasons aren’t far apart, and many clubs would probably even prefer Suzuki’s consistency.

At that price point, I just can’t see the Braves being seriously interested. Anthopoulos has always been hesitant to pay players well into their 30s. He even balked at handing Freddie Freeman a sixth year when those negotiations happened, and Freeman is twice the player Arozarena and Suzuki are.

Then you add in the fact that both players received qualifying offers, which would cost the Braves multiple draft picks in the first five rounds as well as international bonus pool money — another thing Anthopoulos has avoided in free agency since taking over in Atlanta.

This is a GM who typically follows a strict set of rules when it comes to free agency — rules that Arozarena and Suzuki run afoul of in just about every way. It’s difficult to imagine either of them ending up with the Braves.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

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We were a last-minute BYU touchdown away from another winning week for our Locks, but Bear Bachmeier had other plans. The Locks finished 1-2 last weekend, but our Leans went 5-1 for another winning week overall in the column.

This slate is not as juicy as what we saw last week, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be chaos. There are a few upsets I’m predicting for this week, while some other contenders will make some serious statements. Let’s dive into Week 11.

Locks: 25-10-1

Other Thoughts/Leans: 35-27-1

Column overall: 60-37-2

Georgia -13 vs Missouri

I’ll back the Dawgs as my Best Bet this week. My power ratings make Georgia an 18-point favorite in this game, so anything around two touchdowns is too low in my opinion. I’m not afraid to back the Dawgs coming off a statement road win at Ole Miss, even though we’ve already seen Georgia come off a big road victory, only to return home and lose as a big favorite. Kirby Smart won’t let that happen again.

This isn’t an ideal situational spot for Missouri, either. The Tigers left everything on the field in a tough home loss to Texas last weekend, a game that featured plenty of controversy surrounding questionable officiating decisions. Now they have to pick themselves back up and head into one of the tougher road environments in the SEC, against a Georgia team that appears to be hitting its stride.

The matchup isn’t favorable for Missouri, either. Jamal Roberts has some great rushing numbers this season, but the Tigers have struggled to run the football consistently as a team, ranking outside the top 120 nationally in rushing success rate. That’s a major concern against a Georgia defense that ranks inside the top 20 in rush defense.

I expect Georgia to take away Missouri’s running game and make the Tigers more one dimensional. This will put more pressure on Austin Simmons to move the football through the air. The Bulldogs have been particularly dominant on first and second downs, and have forced opponents into difficult third-and-long situations. It could be more of the same here, with Missouri relying on Simmons to bail the offense out on obvious passing downs.

On the other side of the ball, Missouri’s defense has been pretty good at forcing opposing offenses to move the football methodically. But that shouldn’t be much of a problem for Gunner Stockton and this Georgia offense, which ranks among the nation’s best in overall success rate and rushing efficiency.

Missouri has been effective at making opposing offenses put together long drives, but the Tigers have also struggled to defend explosive plays, ranking outside the top 100 nationally in explosiveness allowed. With Missouri paying plenty of attention to Georgia’s rushing attack, don’t be surprised if Mike Bobo dials up a few deep shots, much like we saw last weekend in Oxford.

Another major concern for Missouri is its inability to finish drives. The Tigers rank around 96th nationally in finishing drives, frequently moving into scoring territory without turning those opportunities into touchdowns. Georgia also has a massive special teams advantage here, with Missouri’s special teams having been a liability recently, including two missed field goals against Texas last weekend. If the Tigers manage to move the football into Georgia territory but stall out, there’s no guarantee they’ll even come away with three points.

Georgia’s defense has done an excellent job creating turnovers this season. Normally, I’d be looking for some regression, but I don’t think this is the spot. Despite throwing only two interceptions, Simmons has recorded nine turnover-worthy plays this season. Against a talented Georgia secondary, and with the Bulldogs likely forcing him into difficult passing situations, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of those dangerous throws finally become turnovers.

With the total sitting in the mid-40s, the market clearly isn’t anticipating many points from Missouri, and I agree. I don’t like the matchup for the Tigers, and I certainly don’t like the situation they’re walking into. Kirby Smart has Georgia clicking on all cylinders since that loss to Auburn, and I expect the Dawgs to keep rolling. Look for Georgia’s defense to put the clamps on Missouri’s offense while Stockton and company create enough separation.

I grabbed Georgia at -13 when the line opened, and I’d still be comfortable laying anything around 15 points or less. Georgia will roll again this weekend.

UCLA -10 vs Illinois

I’m going to lay the points on Friday night with the Bruins, who remain undefeated against the spread this season. My power ratings make UCLA a 15-point favorite, and I’m not really sure why Illinois is getting so much love here.

I know Illinois has a respectable 6-3 record, but look at some of their recent wins. They barely escaped Michigan State in overtime. They beat Oregon in Champaign while the Ducks were still operating under their previous offensive coordinator. They beat Maryland by three in a game where the Terps fumbled on first-and-goal. Then last weekend, Illinois beat a reeling Nebraska team in a game where the Huskers had 50 more total yards, missed two field goals, and came up empty on multiple possessions in Illinois territory.

Maybe I’m being a little picky, but that’s not a résumé that convinces me Illinois should be catching fewer than 10 points in the Rose Bowl against a really good football team. And UCLA’s résumé isn’t perfect either, but the Bruins have answered just about every test thrown their way this season. I was particularly impressed with their performance at Minnesota last weekend, where the offense managed to hit several explosive passing plays against one of the better pass defenses in the Big Ten.

I like the matchup here for UCLA, which has one of the most dominant defenses in the country. Illinois has a solid passing offense, but this Bruins secondary is going to be a different beast. UCLA ranks first nationally in defensive passing success rate and is also inside the top five in rushing defense. While Illinois has been effective on early downs, UCLA has been outstanding at forcing opponents into difficult third-and-long situations. I expect the Illini to have a tough time consistently moving the chains.

On the other side of the ball, the Illini rank outside the top 100 nationally in several important defensive categories, including 135th in passing success rate allowed. I was impressed with UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach last weekend, even though he completed only eight passes. He showed an ability to hit explosive plays, and this Illinois secondary should give him opportunities to do that again.

UCLA also has a strong running game behind Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods, which creates another problem for an Illinois defense that has struggled to get stops on first and second downs. The Illini have been poor at generating defensive havoc, meaning Dieffenbach should have plenty of time to operate without consistent pressure.

Illinois does have an extra day of rest after playing last Friday, but the Illini still have to travel across the country for this matchup. Meanwhile, Bob Chesney has done an excellent job getting his team ready every week, and the Bruins haven’t shown many signs of coming out flat this season.

Now ranked inside the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings and fighting for a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game, UCLA has plenty to play for. I’m trusting my numbers and backing the better team, with the better defense, at home. The Bruins will win by double digits on Friday night.

TCU -7.5 vs Kansas State

It’s hard not to want to fade this Kansas State team right now. The Wildcats are reeling as we head into the middle of November, with a pretty bad injury situation. K State is dealing with several important absences, including defensive tackle Eli Jackson and safety Koy Beasley, but none are more consequential than injuries to its top two quarterbacks, Avery Johnson and Jacob Knuth. Both have been sidelined for an extended stretch, and without them this offense has completely fallen apart.

With Blake Barnett and Dillon Duff taking snaps, the Wildcats managed just 3.8 yards per play in a loss at Arizona State. They were fortunate to even reach overtime against Colorado after the Buffaloes fumbled near the goal line on a possession that could have put them ahead by two scores. Then last weekend, against a bad Oklahoma State defense, Kansas State’s offense managed just 21 points in a blowout loss, with seven of those coming during garbage time in the fourth quarter.

Now the Wildcats have to travel to Fort Worth to face one of the better defenses in the Big 12, a TCU unit that ranks inside the top 10 nationally in defensive success rate. I wouldn’t expect Barnett or Duff to find much success throwing against a secondary that has been particularly effective at taking away explosive passes. TCU should also be able to devote plenty of attention to stopping the run, forcing the Cats into obvious passing situations. Without the ability to generate explosive plays, K State will likely need to put together long, sustained drives to score points, and I just don’t see these inexperienced quarterbacks consistently doing that against this defense.

This is actually a step down in competition for TCU’s defense, which has done an excellent job making some pretty explosive offenses work for their points. BYU managed just 17 points in Fort Worth. West Virginia is used to scoring in the 40s, but was held to 24 despite benefiting from four TCU turnovers. Kansas scored only 16, and Arizona had just 17 points entering the fourth quarter last weekend. This is a defense that has repeatedly shown it can slow down much better offenses than Kansas State’s.

The biggest concern with backing TCU is its own offense, which has been a work in progress for much of the season. The Horned Frogs have struggled mightily to run the football, and ordinarily I’d be hesitant to lay more than a touchdown with an offense that has trouble consistently moving the chains.

But there is one area where I think TCU can exploit this Kansas State defense: explosive passing plays. The Wildcats have been poor at defending the deep ball, and if Jaden Craig can connect on just a few chunk plays, it should create enough scoring opportunities for the Horned Frogs. Especially considering how little I expect Kansas State to produce offensively, TCU shouldn’t need to put up a huge number to cover this spread.

There’s also plenty at stake for Sonny Dykes. He’s on a major hot seat, and his future at TCU depends on reaching a bowl game. Dykes desperately needs a win here, and a home loss to a depleted Kansas State team would likely be the final nail in his coffin. I expect TCU to come out focused after last week’s heartbreaking loss at Arizona, knowing it can’t afford another setback.

My power ratings make this TCU -12.5, so I see a pretty significant difference from the opening market. I grabbed the Horned Frogs at -7.5, and even with the line moving higher, I’d still be comfortable laying 10 or less. This should be a methodical TCU victory, with the Horned Frogs’ defense strangling a Kansas State offense that can’t consistently move the football right now.

Other Thoughts/Leans

Colorado +10 vs Houston — I’m hoping the Buffs haven’t quit just yet. This is a team that’s much better at home and now gets Houston flying into altitude on a short week. My ratings only have Houston -6.5 and I’m betting the Buffs, who can score enough to cover this game. Houston’s defense is awful against the pass–the Cougs grade out as one of the 20 worst pass defenses in the nation–and Colorado can exploit them there. The key will be on the other side where Houston’s efficient offense will really test Colorado’s defense. The Buffs are good against the run, at least. With a long trip on a short week, I’m gonna fade Houston. They will score here and there should be plenty of points, but Colorado can pass on this defense enough to hang around on Friday night.

Marshall +2.5 vs App State — I’ve faded App State a few times recently and been rewarded. My ratings say the wrong team is favored here, and I’ll fade App State again as a short favorite on the road at Marshall — a place App State has never won since they joined the FBS. The Mountaineers are super banged up on the offensive line and in the secondary. They struggled to protect QB Malachi Singleton last weekend and it could be the same story here. Marshall plays much better at home than on the road, and you’ll get a great effort from Tony Gibson’s team as they look to clinch a bowl game. Marshall outright.

Mississippi St +3 vs Auburn — I know Miss State has looked awful recently with their carousel of backup quarterbacks, but it’s come against defenses like Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas. This Auburn defense is a huge step down, and this matchup actually favors the Bulldogs if they still have any signs of life. Auburn is a bad passing offense and much stronger running; while Miss State is stout defending the run. I see Auburn’s offense struggling here. And on offense MSU wants to run the ball and they’ve been successful at it this season; while Auburn ranks outside the top 100 in defending the rush. Low scoring, but I see Miss State being competitive and winning outright.

West Virginia -2 vs Kansas — It’s not one of my favorite bets for Saturday, but I have to play this spot against Kansas. The Jayhawks are winless away from Lawrence this season and coming off two demoralizing losses. Despite dominating the box score at TCU, KU gave up a last minute touchdown to lose the game. Then last week vs UCF, despite winning the box score once again, the Jayhawks gave up a touchdown on the final play of the game to fall to 3-6. Leipold said the losses have been tough and will be hard to bounce back from. I worry about West Virginia’s defense of course, but I’ve gotta fade Kansas here.

Arizona +2.5 vs Utah — I’m just gonna keep fading Utah, who I think is one of the most fortunate teams in the country. This team is begging to be beaten. The Utes barely covered last weekend in the Holy War, thanks in part to three BYU redzone turnovers, including one at the very end when a BYU touchdown could’ve potentially tied the game. Utah deserves some love for this defense, but their two biggest games–Houston and BYU–have been decided by numerous redzone takeaways. This is a tough spot for the Utes having to go on the road off the super hyped Holy War win. It’s Arizona’s second straight home game and they played last Friday night, so there’s a small rest advantage for the Wildcats. Arizona wins outright at home and finally ends this fraud Utah Utes voodoo.

Texas A&M +3 vs Tennessee — This is a massive sandwich spot for the Vols, who are looking ahead to a big home game vs LSU. Texas A&M didn’t look bad last weekend at South Carolina. They moved the ball well but struggled to finish drives. Marcel Reed hasn’t had a good year but he’s been much better at home. A&M also defends the run very well, so they can at least provide some resistance to the Vols offense, and I don’t respect the Tennessee pass game at all. Should be a low scoring game where points are valuable. If there is any fight left in Texas A&M, you’ll see it here. Take the Aggies at 3 or better.

Utah State at San Diego State, Under 21 1st Half — Utah State has an incredible defense that’s one of the best in the G6, and both teams have offenses that really struggle. Utah State’s last four games have all gone under this number in the first half, and the Aggies have allowed zero first-half points in their last two games. They also haven’t allowed an offensive first-half touchdown since October 9. This Aztecs offense is putrid, and this game should stay way under early on.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Former #Rockies UTL Tyler Freeman has reached a Minor League deal and non-roster invitation to Spring Training with the #Braves. Had back surgery in October but says he "feels great" and could be reay for game action by the end of March.

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) November 12, 2026

The 27-year-old Tyler Freeman was a top-100 prospect in his day, a 2nd-round pick by Cleveland in 2017 who climbed the ranks before reaching the majors five years ago.

Then reality hit. Freeman has posted negative WAR in four of his five big-league seasons — and somehow, he’s still around. Not just around, either: he’s appeared in at least 79 games in each of the last three years for the Guardians and Rockies.

There are really only two reasons for that: defensive versatility and his ability to get on base. Freeman can play all over the diamond — even if he grades out poorly defensively — and while his .658 career OPS is ugly, he does carry a respectable .328 on-base percentage.

As Harding mentioned, Freeman also had a back procedure in October and won’t be ready to play until the end of March. That would normally wipe out his spring, but with a lockout looming, odds are he’s cleared to play by the time Spring Training actually happens.

If there’s one thing the Braves have done exceptionally well under Alex Anthopoulos, it’s find diamonds in the rough. Freeman has talent in there somewhere, and maybe Atlanta is the place he finally taps into it. He’ll be competing for one of the last roster spots — and no, this isn’t a sign the Braves are moving off Mauricio Dubon. It’s a depth move, nothing more, born out of just how few quality infielders are currently in the organization.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Both of those were proven true with the Braves’ first significant splash of the offseason, inking reliever Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million contract.

#Braves Sign Evan Phillips: pic.twitter.com/2ozx27CQUG

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 12, 2026

Phillips was actually drafted by the Braves in the 17th round back in 2015. He would go on to make his MLB debut three years later before he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the deal that netted the Braves Kevin Gausman.

But his career really took off when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in the second half of the 2021 season. That’s where he’s been for the last five years, boasting a 2.36 ERA over 232 appearances.

Phillips’ best season came back in 2022, when he posted a silly 1.14 ERA in 64 games. He followed that up with another really solid season in 2023, recording a 2.04 ERA. But in 2025, he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery. That cost him most of the season, and he only pitched in 31 games this year, finishing with a respectable 3.46 ERA.

That normally would be a cause for concern when handing a relief pitcher a three-year contract, but Phillips’ stuff was still off the charts. He struck out 31% of the batters he faced, featuring a fastball/sweeper combination that made opponents feel helpless.

With Raisel Iglesias hitting free agency and the Braves planning on moving Didier Fuentes back to the rotation, adding another high-leverage reliever was a must. Atlanta can now feel comfortable with that plan, moving Robert Suarez to the closer role, and one would assume this is the end of the line for Iglesias, who was outstanding for the Braves after they acquired him at the 2022 trade deadline.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Principles matter, and this is an organization that’s spent a great deal of time ensuring a stable culture over the last 35 years, which is part of the reason they’ve had so much success. Keeping Profar around would put a massive black stain on all of that.

Even Braves beat reporter Mark Bowman suggested earlier in the week that Profar would not be welcomed back with open arms after negatively affecting the team’s chances at winning a World Series two years in a row.

“Profar certainly won’t be back in the clubhouse after performance-enhancing drug suspensions the last two years,” Bowman wrote. “So finding a right-handed-hitting outfielder stands at the top of the must-do list.”

But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what I think, or what Bowman believes. It might not even matter what the players in the clubhouse feel. Alex Anthopoulos is sending a clear message that he’ll keep Profar around if he believes he can help the team win in 2027.

“As we get closer to camp and things like that, we’ll see, and we’ll see where the offseason takes us as well,” Anthopoulos said, via Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “There’s no absolutes. No decisions have been made. We’re going to do what’s best for the club, and it’s the beginning of the offseason, so it’s premature right now because I don’t know what our club’s going to look like.

“As I get a week into the offseason, two weeks, three weeks, a month, things can change, right? But in terms of absolute decisions being made, playing, not playing, none of that stuff. If anyone wants to speculate, none of that stuff’s been decided.”

Profar is currently competing in the Venezuelan Winter League, where he’s holding his own pretty well, hitting .315 with a home run and a .770 OPS through 14 games. The competition, obviously, isn’t the same as Major League Baseball, but one can assume the Braves are keeping a close eye on how he performs.

This is a story that doesn’t appear to have an end in sight. The Braves have to bring in some sort of competition this offseason, at the very least. Because at this point, there’s no telling whether Jurickson Profar will get popped for PEDs a third time, which would result in a permanent ban from baseball. He was dumb enough to do it two years in a row.

But the options that are clearly better than Profar in left field — as far as free agency is concerned — are few and far between. And the Braves are already on the hook for the $15 million they owe him no matter what. That’s what Alex Anthopoulos is currently mulling. Is the juice — whatever Profar could provide on the field — worth the squeeze of keeping him in the clubhouse? From the sound of it, we’re going to find out.

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Photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto

Thomas signed a one-year deal worth $3.1 million with the Falcons in the offseason and has started every game for the team, recording 25 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, and two sacks. Now he gets a raise to $11 million per season over three years.

“He demonstrates what we love about this game every single day,” Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said, via William McFadden of The Atlanta Falcons team website. “The toughness, the strain, the effort—the relentless effort. And then the high-level execution, the consistency. If there’s a guy that we can really lean on on our defense, he’s one of those human beings. I’ve been so overwhelmed with what he’s brought to us.”

For Henderson, it’s a two-year extension worth up to $20 million with $11 million in guarantees — a well-earned reward for a player who’s been through a lot of highs and lows throughout his career.

Henderson was originally drafted 8th overall by the Jaguars after starring at the University of Florida. But he didn’t even make it two seasons with Jacksonville before he was traded to the Panthers, where he continued to struggle.

After signing to a couple of practice squads, Henderson didn’t appear in a game in 2024. He signed with the Falcons ahead of the 2025 season but was cut and relegated to the practice squad, where he would remain until December, appearing in four of the final five games of the season.

That was enough for Henderson to stick in Atlanta, and now he’s become an integral piece of Jeff Ulbrich’s defense. He’s been the Falcons’ best cornerback this season — ahead of A.J. Terrell, whose injury early in the season opened the door for Henderson in the starting lineup — with quarterbacks completing just 55% of their passes when targeting him.

It’s a tremendous story of resilience and a richly deserved extension for a player who’s now expected to be a pivotal member of the Falcons’ defense moving forward.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Among Braves players, Chris Sale, Matt Olson, and Michael Harris II all received MVP votes. No surprises there. Sale was a top-three finisher in the NL Cy Young race. Olson clubbed 41 home runs and was the best first baseman in the sport, and Michael Harris II was probably the best player on the entire team.

The surprise? Ozzie Albies also received an MVP vote, with Rick Cerrone of Baseball Digest ranking him the 6th most valuable player in the National League this season.

I would like for you all to look at that 2nd Pittsburgh voter’s ballot because oh my lord https://t.co/P6GAkT9S22 pic.twitter.com/hikD2pSfzu

— AT (@BaseballWRLD_) November 13, 2026

Cerrone must have been drinking that Braves Kool-Aid, because he also had Matt Olson finishing third ahead of Shohei Ohtani — but even that isn’t as ridiculous as giving Albies an MVP vote at all.

Listen, I’ve been a staunch defender of Ozzie Albies his entire career. He’s been magnificent for the Braves and was one of the few players who actually showed up in the postseason this year. That said, this might have been the worst season of his entire career. Take out a hot month or so to begin the season, and Albies hit .210 with a .610 OPS over the final 125 games.

And while, yes, it’s fun to have a good laugh at just how nonsensical it is to have him finish sixth in the MVP race, we also have to hold Mr. Cerrone accountable. There’s simply no way he should be allowed to vote on any awards moving forward. Just imagine if this were a tight race and his vote actually mattered. It would be World War III amongst baseball fans right now.

Cerrone also had Schwarber second, a guy who finished the season with 2.6 WAR. This is the same type of voter who’s likely keeping one of your all-time favorite players out of Cooperstown. Baseball has to be better about holding these people accountable. Be serious or lose your vote.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Atlanta’s bullpen was one of the best in baseball a year ago, but adding to it this offseason was a necessity because of two major developments: Raisel Iglesias is a free agent, and the Braves will move Didier Fuentes back to the rotation to start the 2027 season.

The Phillips signing is likely the writing on the wall for Iglesias, who is projected to earn a one-year deal worth around $15 million in free agency. It’s hard to imagine the Braves giving that to him now, unless his market turns out to be a lot cooler than expected, which means Robert Suarez will likely be asked to close games moving forward.

Suarez was the Braves’ big bullpen acquisition a year ago, inking a three-year, $40 million contract. In his first season in Atlanta, he was mostly brilliant, posting a 0.56 ERA through his first 31 appearances. An elbow injury then cost him the next several months, but he returned at the very end of the season, pitched in the playoffs, and flashed his typical 100 mph heater — suggesting there shouldn’t be too many concerns about what he can provide in 2027 and beyond.

Phillips will likely slide into Fuentes’ old role, where the Braves hope he’ll be a dominant setup man, as he was with the Dodgers. He posted a 3.46 ERA last season after returning from Tommy John surgery, but the stuff graded out as elite, and he struck out 31% of the batters he faced. Prior to the surgery, Phillips recorded a 2.21 ERA over 187 appearances from 2022-2024.

As a rookie, Fuentes was among the most dominant relievers in the entire sport. Even Phillips at the peak of his powers might not be able to replace that production, but there’s no question the Braves have to see if Fuentes’ success can carry over into the rotation. He came through the organization as a starting pitcher, and now he should have the confidence that his stuff is essentially unhittable when he’s rolling.

If that experiment is successful, the Braves’ rotation wouldn’t be in a bad spot after all. A one-two punch of Chris Sale and Didier Fuentes could prove electric, but another addition to the group remains a must. They’re also still down a man in the bullpen, so expect at least one more signing to round out the pitching staff.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

If you started looking forward to what the merry pranksters at SEC Shorts had in store after a Saturday of SEC beatdown you’re not alone. And as usually they did not disappoint:

On a semi-serious note even I, an SEC purist of the highest order, have to admit it’s probably time for the SEC Championship Game to end when for a second year running it’s being treated more as an obligation to be escaped than an honor to be cherished. That’s sad, but not unpredictable.

Go Dawgs!!!

Are your Georgia Bulldogs taking on a high-quality SEC opponent and looking to avoid another hangover following a big road victory? Then you could probably use a drink.

I can help you with that.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Kirby Smart’s team went on the road and decisively handled a top 10 opponent. It was a result which prompted national media and SEC opponents alike to immediately fete them as the top team in the country. Adulation all around. Fireworks. Champagne dreams. Confetti from the sky.

We saw how that turned out last time. So suffice it to say that I am withholding just the tiniest amount of excitement headed into this Saturday. Maybe the Red and Black’s unfortunate stumble against Auburn was the result of everything going wrong all at once in a way that is unlikely to repeat itself. But I’m keeping this team on probation until the ‘Dawgs prove that they aren’t going to beat the ‘Dawgs.

And what’s the drink for keeping your enthusiasm on probation? Probationer’s punch.

It’s an effervescent refreshment that will still allow you to stay clear-headed and, if you’re a Tennessee fan, able to pass whatever tests your probation officer may have for you.

You’ll need:

3 cups pineapple juice

2 cups orange juice

1 cup of cranberry juice

¼ cup fresh lime juice

6 tablespoons grenadine syrup

Citrus slices (For garnish)

Maraschino cherries (Ditto)

This recipe makes six servings. So feel free to double, triple, or octuple the measurements as needed.

Prepare your garnishes beforehand by skewering citrus slices and cherries on toothpicks or cocktail sticks.

In a large pitcher mix the pineapple, orange, cranberry and lime juices.

Into each individual serving glass pour in one tablespoon of the grenadine syrup. Fill the glass with ice. When ready to serve, pour the rum punch into each glass to create a sunset effect And if you want, you could throw in an ounce and a half of dark rum. Assuming you’re off probation, obviously. . Enjoy responsibly, and….

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

First, here’s why I’m NOT worried about the Show Me Drinks :

1.    The Missouri offense is balanced in it’s approach, if nothing else. And they are committed to the run, more so than most teams. But the production just isn’t elite on a play by play basis.

Yes, they run it 51% of the time and pass it 49%. Yet the passing game accounts for almost 2/3rds of their yardage. So while they are perceived to have a great running attack, and they do have a 1,000 yard back already in Jamal Roberts, it lacks the true game control and is almost 1.5 yards per attempt less than what Georgia trots on the field.

2.  How good are they? I think the stat I saw is that they haven’t beaten a top 25 team – as currently ranked. Sure they beat the brakes off Florida, but that was before the smoke and mirrors Jon Sumrall deployed had been removed from the equation. They lost close to Mississippi State, though that was with a healthy Kamario Taylor.

They beat Arkansas and Texas A&M, but who hasn’t? And I’ll grant them some dubious officiating in the loss vs. Texas last week, but it was a sloppy performance at home and with a pretty big spotlight on them.

3. We faced the #1 red area offense last week in Oxford. It turns out to combat that, you just don’t let the opposing team in the red zone. A different story this week, as Mizzou ranks dead last in the SEC, and 124^th nationally, in red zone offense. Add in the fact that the only way Ole Miss scored was off a debatable DPI call on 4^th down to give fresh life, then I tend to like our chances to keep the Tigers side of the scoreboard on the low side.

Now forgive me, as I was weaned at the nipple of Larry Munson’s scratch so here’s what does worry me about going to Vaught-Hemingway where we’re only 12-9 all time and lost the last 2 trips:

1. Georgia and Missouri are 2 of the top teams in the SEC, and some of the top in the country, in turnover margin. Both defenses are aggressive and create turnovers. Both teams create fumbles with pressure in the backfield, strip fumbles, and cause interceptions from getting in the quarterbacks face. So if you like how the UGA defense creates havoc this season, you’ll see the same from the Tiger front.

They recovered 3 fumbles in Fayetteville on Halloween, and got two more when the Longhorns visited last week (they caused another but Arch fell on it for a key first down). And Tiger QB Austin Simmons is keeping a clean stat sheet – he’s only thrown 2 picks on the season. The positive I draw from all of this is that the only truly stout SEC defense they’ve faced was Texas. Hopefully the Georgia D will show up as it has the last 2 weeks and lay waste to their best laid plans.

2. Caydn Lee is a senior Tiger WR who almost certainly will eclipse 1,000 yds receiving and be pushing double digit receiving scores. 3 games over 110 yards, and 7 games over 75 yards. Of course he’s a Georgia native. And we’ve seen him before.

The product of Kennesaw Mountain HS was with Lane Kiffin the past 3 seasons at Ole Miss. He had 4 catches against us in our game there in 2024, and caught 4 more in the Sugar Bowl last December. But he’s breaking out this season, and is definitely the possession, go-to receiver for Austin Simmons with at least 5 catches in every game. And a good complement to the 6’2” rangy Donovan Olugbode on the other side.

3 . Then there is Austin Simmons. You might remember he spelled an injured Jaxson Dart in 2024 vs. UGA, and promptly marched the BearShark Rebels down the field for a key score to quench any momentum we might have gained.

The lefty has really found a home in CoMo, tossing multiple scores in 6 of the Tigers 9 contests. The one game he didn’t throw a TD was against Ole Miss, but he still spun it for 339 yards. The accuracy is pretty elite, and while not a running threat per se, he can move in the pocket and allow his receivers to lose coverage.

Call me crazy, just don’t call me late for dinner. Let us know in the comments what you’re feeling about possibly the 2^nd to last game in Sanford Stadium this season.  And as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!

Welcome to another edition of around the SEC, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter. That’s right, the points are like conference championship games to those who run college football. Speaking of which…

RIP SEC Championship Game

As you may have heard, the SEC has announced that this year’s SEC Championship Game will be the final edition of the game, ending a run of 34 years. What was once one of the crown jewels of the sport has now been scrapped in favor of a first round game between Iowa State and Virginia. What has happened to the sport I love.

Florida dodges Notre Dame

Florida has announced they have canceled their home-and-home series with Notre Dame in 2031 and 2032. This is likely to be the start of a larger trend where teams will bail on scheduling tough out-of-conference opponents to ensure their record is good enough to make the expanded playoff field. Another sad development for the sport.

Ole Miss Fined

The University of Mississippi was fined $250k for fans throwing trash and debris onto the field during the Rebels’ 42-7 loss to Georgia. This was certainly not the fine Ole Miss was hoping for after their game against Georgia.

Yep, this is one of those nostalgic weeks.

This comes thanks to the infinite wisdom of expanding the College Football Playoff to 24 teams. That, as is well known, means that next month’s SEC Championship will now officially be the final one.

For Georgia fans, playing in this event has become commonplace, but it was not always this way. In fact, until 2002, each December meant lots of watching other SEC rivals take their turn in the spotlight with Georgia fans left to wonder when that time would come..if ever.

For that reason, its why when you think back to the most memorable SEC title game for Georgia, 2002 outranks them all. The whole week was a Mardi Gras for Georgia fans. Thanks to Arkansas’ enthusiasm being grossly outweighed by Georgia fans, the whole scene around the Georgia Dome was a red and black party, and the result was a foregone conclusion.

Yes, there have been other sweet wins in this game for Georgia with last year’s long-awaited win against Bama and the victory a year prior against Texas. The revenge win against Auburn was satisfying, as were the separate wins against LSU, but it terms of what it meant for Georgia fans – the Arkansas win, at least from this viewpoint, will always rank at the top.

In reality, the loss of the SEC title game is a microcosm of the path being driven for college football. And aren’t you glad that teams are going to be incentivized to play marquee games? About that….

Seriously. Saying this new format is great for college football is like going back to 1996 and telling long-time race fans in Wilkes County, NC that moving races away from the Carolinas to Texas and California is a long-term win the NASCAR.

There was apparently some very riveting audio obtained the posting to video content from Glory Glory for their subscribers to view. But at the risk of getting a cease and desist, we won’t post it here, but it can likely be found on the backwebs.

Yes, Georgia is the top-ranked team as expected in the CFP Rankings. But what does that mean to this Georgia team right now? As a south Georgia baseball coach once noted, its only good ‘for toilet paper.’

For the fourth game in a row, Peyton Woodring missed a field goal at Ole Miss. But if you are looking for a lack of confidence in Georgia’s kicker, don’t ask Kirby Smart.

Go Dawgs!

AP Poll

1. Georgia
2. Utah
3. Alabama
4. UCLA
5. Notre Dame
6. Texas
7. Miami
8. Tennessee
9. Indiana
10. BYU
11. Kentucky
12. Texas Tech
13. Wake Forest
14. Houston
15. Iowa
16. Oregon
17. South Carolina
18. USC
19. Ole Miss
20. Ohio State
21. LSU
22. Missouri
23. Arizona
24. Boise State
25. Oklahoma State

Georgia Update

Georgia stormed into Oxford an annihilated Ole Miss 42-7, exacting revenge on the Rebels from last year’s playoff game.

Georgia’s dominant win, coupled with Miami’s loss to Notre Dame, saw the Dawgs rise to #1 in the latest CFP Ranking ahead of their game this weekend in Athens against #22 Missouri.

Our friends at FanDuel have Georgia as the favorites to win the national championship at +250. They also view the Dawgs as a virtual lock to make the Playoff, as they have no longer have active odds that you can bet on for Georgia to reach the CFP.

Ranked Matchups

#22 Missouri at #1 Georgia

#18 USC at #9 Indiana

#2 Utah at #23 Arizona

#6 Texas at #21 LSU

#12 Texas Tech at #25 Oklahoma State

Upset Alert

We’ve witnessed first hand how a team can come out flat the week following an emotional win. FanDuel has the Utah as 2.5 point road favorites against #23 Arizona. A top-2 team has lost five weeks in a row, a feat not seen since 2007. The Wildcats will make it six straight weeks by upsetting Utah at home as minor underdogs.

The sun is shining. The birds are singing. And your Georgia Bulldogs are coming off a dominating SEC road victory. Mondays aren’t high on my list, but this one actually feels pretty darn skippy. Let’s catch up on what you need to know this morning in Bulldog Nation.

The focus now turns to the Missouri Tigers, last seen getting, and this is a term I use advisedly, hosed by the officials in a 34-20 loss to Texas. While the officiating may have turned the tide, the Tigers also had some defensive lapses that made life easier for the Horns. Our good friends at Rock M Nation, the excellent SB Nation Missouri site, have a breakdown of the breakdowns.

Mizzou has lost two of their last three, and are 1-2 against ranked opponents. With Georgia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma left on the schedule, Eliah Drinkwitz’s 6-3 Columbians are coming to Athens behind the proverbial eight ball.

That’s reflected in the spread. The boys and girls in Vegas have installed the Red and Black as a 15.5 point favorite on Saturday. That feels defensible to me given how each of these teams have performed in November. At the same time, Mizzou can be a tough out, as the Bulldogs have seen in the past.

This is the kind of game in which bettors can lose money, because Kirby doesn’t mind running the clock out up 21 late. And while you might lose your rent money when Missouri then scores a late touchdown to close to 14, the Kirbster will still sleep like a baby. So as we have said around here for years, those numbers are for entertainment and insight.

Go Dawgs!!!

Raisel Iglesias

Free Agent Rank: 24
Landing Spot: Detroit Tigers (1 year, $16 million)

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Kelly has Raisel Iglesias leaving Atlanta after a very successful stint with the club, which is something I’ve acknowledged is very possible. Just about every contract prediction has him landing a one-year deal in the $15 million range — a very fair projection, but still one I could see the Braves failing to match, especially if Kelly’s prediction later on comes to fruition.

Tyler Mahle

Free Agent Rank: 20
Landing Spot: Houston Astros (2 years, $39 million with $22 million club option)

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Tyler Mahle is another Braves free agent whose status feels very much up in the air. He was unbelievable for the Braves down the stretch, posting a 1.99 ERA over his final nine regular season starts, then delivering two brilliant performances in the postseason. He undoubtedly made himself a lot of money with that run. The question is whether the Braves believe that level of production is sustainable.

Sonny Gray

Free Agent Rank: 11
Landing Spot: Atlanta Braves (2 years, $50 million)

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I’m not sure an offseason has passed where the Braves haven’t been connected to Sonny Gray in one form or another. He just feels like somebody Atlanta would target, and that price is fairly similar to the deals we’ve seen the Braves work out with Charlie Morton and Chris Sale toward the end of their careers. Gray is coming off a stellar campaign with the Boston Red Sox, recording a 2.72 ERA over 29 starts. His age is a concern, though, at 37, and he did experience a significant dip in his strikeout numbers this season.

Adrián Morejón

Free Agent Rank: 6
Landing Spot: Atlanta Braves (4 years, $80 million)

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Morejón would be quite the upgrade over Raisel Iglesias for the Braves’ bullpen — an area where Alex Anthopoulos hasn’t been afraid to spend over the years. But with so many holes to fill, I have a very difficult time believing they’re going to offer $20 million AAV to any reliever. Add in the fact that Morejón received a qualifying offer from the Padres — which would cost the Braves their 2nd- and 5th-highest draft picks along with international bonus pool money — and I’d be downright shocked if this deal came to fruition.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Braves Top 10 Prospects

1. Eric Hartman
2. Cam Caminiti
3. Tate Southisene
4. AJ Gracia
5. Carter Beck
6. Kaiden McCarthy
7. Jensen Hirschkorn
8. Briggs McKenzie
9. John Gil
10. Owen Murphy

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Eric Hartman was the star of the Braves’ system in 2026, blossoming from a relative unknown into one of the top prospects in all of baseball, thanks to a stint in High-A Rome in which he hit 24 home runs and swiped 38 bags in just 94 games. Hartman did run into some bumps once he reached Double-A, recording just a .577 OPS over his final 34 games, but still just 20 years old, this is a five-tool player everybody will be keeping a close eye on in 2027.

Cam Caminiti is the Braves’ top-ranked pitching prospect, and his 2026 campaign was essentially the opposite of what we saw from Hartman. He struggled a bit in High-A Rome for a prospect of his stature, but he started to roll by midseason, and his final six starts with Double-A Columbus were outstanding — a 2.01 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning.

In terms of consistency, Tate Southisene was probably the most impressive in the entire system. He rolled through Low-A Augusta, continued to rake in Rome, and even earned a promotion to Double-A at just 19 years old. Unfortunately, a hand injury once he got there cut his season short, but he returned for the Arizona Fall League, where he’s stayed red-hot, hitting .341 with a .914 OPS over 13 games.

Following the top three, we get four members of the Braves’ 2026 draft class. The club doubled down on outfielders in the first round with Gracia and Beck. Gracia has not made an appearance with the organization yet due to injury, but Beck hit .409 in 11 games before earning a quick promotion to Rome. The Braves then took two high-school arms oozing with upside in Kaiden McCarthy and Jensen Hirschkorn, who slot in behind the collegiate outfielders.

Briggs McKenzie was the Braves’ fourth-round selection in 2025, when Atlanta went way overslot to get him to forgo his commitment to LSU. He didn’t make an appearance last season and only started seven games this year, but he was brilliant over that short stint, recording a 2.08 ERA with 10.7 strikeouts per nine.

John Gil looks the part of an MLB player and was a lot of people’s pick to really break out in 2026. That didn’t quite come to fruition early on, as he was rather underwhelming in Rome while others around him took off. But Gil ended the season strong after a promotion to Columbus, posting an .812 OPS over 35 games. If it all comes together for him next year, he has the kind of upside to be the best of the entire bunch.

Rounding out the top 10 is Owen Murphy, who Braves fans have already gotten a brief glimpse of. He appeared in five games with the major-league club this season, recording a 6.00 ERA. Murphy doesn’t have immense upside, but there’s hope he can establish himself as a long-term rotation piece as early as 2027.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

It hasn’t worked.

The Braves have just one playoff series win over the last five seasons, beating the Phillies in a three-game Wild Card Series this year. They may have won 94 games this season, but after watching Milwaukee dismantle the Dodgers — the team that knocked out Atlanta — this wasn’t a club close to its ultimate goal.

Which raises the question: how much longer can they keep doing the same thing and hoping for better results? Eventually, one would think the Braves must take a swing if they want to win another championship with this core group, which will soon be broken up one way or another.

Ozzie Albies has just one season remaining on his contract. Ronald Acuña Jr. will be a free agent in two. Matt Olson isn’t getting any younger, and this very well could be the final season of Chris Sale’s career.

If there were ever a time to make a blockbuster trade, it’s this offseason. So let’s take a look at what the Braves have to offer to get that done.

5. JR Ritchie

Ritchie tossed over 73 innings for the major-league club this year and was a bit all over the place, recording a 4.91 ERA. However, he’s still just 23 years old and would be regarded as a top-100 prospect if he hadn’t burned his prospect eligibility this season. For a real blockbuster, the Braves would have to include more, but he’s definitely someone teams around the league would still value in trade conversations.

4. Cam Caminiti

Caminiti is the top-ranked pitching prospect in the system and has legitimate frontline potential at the major-league level, which he showed over his final six starts after a promotion to Double-A Columbus, posting a 2.01 ERA while averaging north of a strikeout per inning. This is the point on the list where I believe the Braves could start bringing in game-changing talent in a blockbuster.

3. Eric Hartman

Hartman is the top prospect in the Braves organization according to most prospect outlets. He’s a true five-tool athlete with power, speed, and an incredible arm — all of which were on display during his memorable run in Rome this season, where he hit 24 homers and swiped 38 bags in fewer than 100 games. He’s a player the Braves would have a real tough time parting with, but I could see a scenario where the organization might want to sell high. Hartman wasn’t a highly regarded player coming into the season, and he really slowed down after he was promoted to Double-A, recording a .577 OPS over the final 34 games of the season.

2. Tate Southisene

If Hartman isn’t your top prospect in the organization, it’s probably Tate Southisene. At just 19 years old, the Braves’ 2025 first-round pick raked at every level, earning a promotion to Double-A in his first professional season. Unfortunately, a hand injury cut his campaign short, but he’s picked up right where he left off in the Arizona Fall League, recording an OPS approaching 1.000 over 14 games. Southisene is probably the prospect the Braves would least like to part with this offseason.

1. Ronald Acuña Jr.

Do I think the Braves seriously entertain offers on Ronald Acuña Jr.? Absolutely not — I’ve made that clear through every avenue I can since the end of the season. That said, I could at least see them gauging interest with only two years remaining on his contract, and if a Godfather offer did come across the table, perhaps they’d bite. It would have to be something pretty incredible, because the Braves’ best chance at winning a World Series is with Acuña on the roster — but there are probably a few packages out there that would at least make them consider it.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

As the 8th overall pick in a draft class many believe could go down as historic, Flemings comes to Atlanta with especially high expectations. He was a star at Houston as a freshman but didn’t play the flashy brand of basketball that defined much of the rest of the top 10. His calling cards were defense, maturity, and the ability to command an offense. He rarely turns the ball over and possesses elite passing skills.

All of that has been on display early for the Hawks, but Flemings is also quickly proving he’s more than capable offensively — the part of his game that was always going to decide his ceiling at the next level. In the Hawks’ 120-105 win over the Wizards, Flemings was in the starting lineup, going 6-for-9 from the field, including 2-for-2 from behind the arc, for 14 points to go along with four assists over 23 minutes.

On the season, he’s averaging just 8.0 points per game but is shooting it at over a 50% clip from the field and knocking down nearly half of his three-pointers. He’s also putting up nearly five assists per game in just 21 minutes, while doing a commendable job avoiding turnovers. The game already isn’t too fast for Flemings, and we’re not even 10 games into his rookie campaign. By April of next year, we could be talking about him as one of Atlanta’s best players.

Zuby Ejiofor’s first season isn’t off to quite the same start, but that was never expected for someone who was a late first-round pick. However, his performance against the Wizards on Wednesday will surely garner him some more minutes moving forward, even when everyone is healthy. In just 17 minutes, he racked up 11 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Ejiofor is a ball of energy who can impact the game in every phase. He gets after it defensively, crashes the boards relentlessly, and has impressive hands for somebody his size. That’s exactly what made him so valued at St. John’s and a first-round pick despite not being particularly great in any one area. Every NBA team needs winning players like that, especially come playoff time, and with a few more performances like Wednesday’s, Ejiofor will find himself a regular in the Hawks’ rotation.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

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Week 9 was another successful week for the column, with our Locks going a perfect 3-0 and our Best Bet (Georgia Southern) covering once again to move to 10-0 on the season and keep its undefeated streak alive.

Week 10 is a slate we’ve all had circled on the calendar since the summer. It’s one of the best college football weekends we’ve had in recent years, and I couldn’t be more excited. Unlike some weeks, I’ve got strong leans on several of the marquee matchups, along with plenty of thoughts on some games flying under the radar.

November is here, and the stakes are only getting higher. Let’s keep the momentum rolling and make it another winning Saturday!

Locks: 24-8-1

Other Thoughts/Leans: 30-26-1

Column overall: 54-34-2

East Carolina ML vs. USF

East Carolina is my Best Bet this week! I grabbed ECU as a small home dog when this line opened, which was a pretty significant difference from my power ratings that have the Pirates favored by more than a field goal here. The market has since moved pretty heavily toward ECU, but I would still back the Pirates at the current number, but probably with a cheap moneyline.

I’m 2-0 fading USF this season, and I continue to be unimpressed with this Bulls team, particularly on offense. USF has played an incredibly weak schedule, ranking 148th nationally in strength of schedule, and yet this offense has still struggled to consistently move the football. Now the Bulls have to go on the road and face the best defense they’ve seen all season.

Last week’s extremely misleading 30-10 win over UAB is another example of why I’m not buying USF. The Bulls benefited from not one, but two scoop-and-score touchdowns, while UAB also missed a pair of field goals. Overall, the game was more even on a down-to-down basis than the final score would suggest. The Bulls are sitting at 6-2, but they’re just a few plays away from being somewhere around 4-4.

USF opened the season by beating FIU despite being outgained by nearly 200 yards and benefiting from three Panthers turnovers. USF needed a fourth-down Hail Mary to escape Army, trailed Bowling Green late in the fourth quarter, and was outplayed at home in a loss to Temple. They followed that stretch by padding their numbers against Kent State, one of the five worst teams in the country.

Meanwhile, East Carolina has played a considerably tougher schedule, and I think the Pirates are much better than their 4-4 record suggests. In fact, they’re only a handful of plays away from potentially sitting at 6-2.

Look at ECU’s losses since their week one defeat at Alabama. The Pirates lost at home to a healthy App State team, despite putting together a much better box score. Two costly turnovers led to App State points, and ECU also missed a field goal.

Their other two losses both came in overtime on the road against UAB and Memphis. Both were competitive games that ECU had opportunities to win, but turnovers proved costly again. The Pirates were particularly impressive at Memphis, where they led 16-3 at halftime and eventually forced overtime despite losing the turnover battle 3-1.

I’m not suggesting we should go back through every team’s schedule and hand out hypothetical wins and losses, but when you consistently see misleading final scores and costly turnovers, I think it tells you something about the true strength of a team. In my opinion, East Carolina has been undervalued by its record, while South Florida has been overvalued by its.

The big news is USF starting quarterback Michael Van Buren was injured against UAB and may not be available this weekend. Backup Luke Kromenhoek played most of that game, and while his legs certainly make him dangerous, there’s not much in his passing game that worries me.

ECU has an underrated defense that is solid against the pass but particularly strong against the run. If Kromenhoek gets the start, I like ECU’s chances of limiting his rushing ability and forcing him to make plays through the air, especially on a short week of preparation.

I’ll trust this Pirate defense to get some key stops against a South Florida offense that I just don’t think very highly of. The wrong team opened as the favorite here, and the market is finally starting to catch up. It should be a low-scoring, physical game, and I’ll take East Carolina at home with the more experienced head coach and the better defense.

BYU +6.5 @ Utah

My power ratings make Utah just a 4.5-point favorite here, so when this number climbed above six, I had to grab the Cougars. I’ve been on record in this column saying I think Utah is overrated. The Utes have played a relatively soft schedule and have benefited from some pretty fortunate circumstances to remain undefeated. At some point, I think this team is going to get exposed, and the Holy War could be the spot.

The Utes beat Kansas 41-24, but the Jayhawks averaged nearly seven yards per play and turned the ball over on downs twice inside the Utah 10-yard line in the fourth quarter. Utah then gave up 7.2 yards per play to Colorado, and escaped with a 27-24 road win in a game it could have easily lost.

And against the best team they’ve faced, Houston, the Utes were held scoreless in the first half at home against a really bad defense. Utah eventually won 21-13, but benefited from a Houston fumble inside the 10-yard line and another fourth-quarter fumble that handed the Utes an easy touchdown.

I think Utah is a good football team. The Utes do plenty of impressive things, but I think their undefeated record is more impressive than their actual week-to-week performances. At some point, some of that good fortune is going to catch up with them.

BYU, meanwhile, has played the tougher schedule and has an offense capable of moving the ball through the air. But the Cougars prefer a slower, more run-oriented approach, and that’s exactly the kind of style I like when catching points. Both teams rank outside the top 85 nationally in seconds per play, which should lead to a physical game with fewer possessions and make getting nearly a touchdown even more valuable.

The Cougars should also receive a huge boost with the expected return of star running back LJ Martin. BYU has clearly missed him, and his return should give the offense a much-needed spark while opening things up for Bear Bachmeier in the passing game.

One injury that does concern me is the absence of star cornerback Evan Johnson, a future high NFL Draft pick who would certainly make a difference against Utah’s passing offense. Still, I expect this to be a physical, competitive rivalry game, and I’m comfortable backing the underdog that’s been more battle-tested.

Three of the last five Holy War games have been decided by one possession, with another ending in a nine-point BYU victory. These games are usually competitive regardless of what the records say.

Utah is a good team, don’t get me wrong. But ranking the Utes in the top five teams of the College Football Playoff rankings is a little too rich for me, and I thought this point spread was too. I think BYU is very capable of winning this game outright, and anything above 4.5 points gets my attention.

Syracuse +3.5 vs Clemson

We won outright with Syracuse last weekend against SMU, and we’re riding the Steve Angeli train once again. I make this game a pick’em, so I was pretty surprised to see Clemson open as a favorite of more than a field goal. My power ratings made SMU a 3.5-point favorite at Syracuse last weekend, and I think the Mustangs are considerably better than Clemson, so this line doesn’t make much sense to me.

I think this is a great spot to fade the Tigers, who now have to make the long trip to New York for their second straight road game after emptying the tank in a big win at Florida State that got Mike Norvell fired. After recent losses to Miami and Virginia Tech, last week’s victory had to be a huge sigh of relief for Dabo Swinney and company. Clemson finally put together a complete performance in a difficult road environment, and I could certainly see a bit of a letdown here. More importantly, I’m just not convinced this Clemson team is good enough to string together those kinds of performances on back-to-back road trips.

Look at Clemson’s four wins before Florida State. The Tigers beat Georgia Southern 22-7 at home, and barely escaped North Carolina in a game where the Tar Heels had all the momentum before a lengthy rain delay. Then they won on the road against an awful Cal team, and beat FCS Charleston Southern. Not exactly a murderer’s row.

Who could lay points on the road with this Clemson offense? The Tigers rank outside the top 100 nationally in multiple offensive categories and have struggled all season to sustain drives, run the football consistently, and finish possessions with touchdowns. They managed just 22 points against Georgia Southern, scored only 17 offensive points against Cal, and had only one touchdown at home against Virginia Tech.

That’s not exactly encouraging when you’re being asked to lay points on the road against a Syracuse offense that has scored 30 and 31 points in Steve Angeli’s two games back as the starter. Clemson has hit those point totals just once against FBS competition this season, and that came last weekend against FSU.

While Clemson tries to get itself up for another road game, Syracuse should be brimming with confidence after consecutive wins. The Orange have been competitive the entire season, even while dealing with major quarterback injuries, and they’re finally starting to put things together offensively with Angeli back under center. And Syracuse won’t be intimidated by Clemson. The Orange went into Death Valley last season as 17-point underdogs and walked out with a 34-21 victory.

Ultimately, this is a fade of a Clemson team that I don’t believe is good enough to replicate last week’s performance, especially on the road for a second consecutive week. Syracuse continues to be undervalued according to my power ratings, and until the market catches up, I’ll keep riding the Orange. At a field goal or better, I love Cuse.

Other Thoughts/Leans

Boston College +7.5 vs Florida State — I usually look to back teams off of firing their coach, but I placed this bet before Norvell was let go and I’m riding with it. I have no idea where the mindset of this FSU team is, but I can’t imagine they’re gonna be pumped up to play a sleepy noon game at cold, windy Boston College. At 4-4, the Eagles are better than expected, and I’m expecting a bounce-back effort at home after last week’s 47-2 loss to Duke. My ratings only make this FSU -4.5.

South Carolina -5.5 vs Texas A&M — Shane Beamer has the Gamecocks in a groove right now and that should continue this weekend. Marcel Reed has been truly terrible on the road in 2026: 50% completion, 1 TD, 5 INT. And A&M is averaging only 10.7 points per game on the road this season. That’s not great against this South Carolina defense which should bring a lot of pressure on Reed. This is also a major revenge spot after Beamer’s group blew a 30-0 halftime lead in this matchup last season. I project this around Carolina -8, so I’ll lay anything less than a touchdown.

LSU -4.5 vs Alabama — I’m not surprised to see this line movement favor LSU this week. My ratings project LSU -6.5, so this market move is warranted in my opinion. This is a bad matchup for an Alabama offense that has struggled against good defense. Now, in Death Valley, they’ll face a great pass defense with a front that is elite at creating havoc. Those are weaknesses for the Tide, mainly havoc, where the Tide are 113th nationally in havoc allowed. I’d take the Bayou Bengals at anything under -6.

Notre Dame -5.5 vs Miami — Similar story in South Bend where I’m not surprised by this line movement either. I project ND -6.5. Obviously the injury to Malachi Toney factors into that a lot, but before his injury news this line was floating around -5 or -5.5, and I would’ve recommended laying the points with the Irish. I just don’t trust this Miami pass defense that has been soft all season.

South Alabama +9.5 @ Louisiana — I’ve successfully faded Louisiana in recent weeks since they have a pretty misleading resume. I project Louisiana -4.5 here, and anything over a touchdown is worth a bet on the Jaguars, who have a fantastic offense but a porous defense. There will be lots of points in this one, and Louisiana will get their fair share. But I trust this South Alabama offense more, and in a back-and-forth shootout, catching a touchdown or more is so valuable.

Utah State +3 vs Fresno St — Another case of wrong team favored! I really like this spot for Utah State, who catch Fresno in a bit of a letdown after the Bulldogs’ big win over Oregon State. It was a great win for Fresno, but slightly misleading when you consider the Beavers fumbled inside the redzone, which cost them some points, and also fumbled inside their own 20, which led directly to an easy Fresno touchdown. Fresno was also off a bye and had two weeks to prepare for that huge game. Now they’ll go on the road and face one of the most underrated G6 defenses. The Aggies have been rolling on the defensive end recently, which is part of why this total is so low. I’ll take Bronco Mendenhall at home catching points

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Coppolella has since been reinstated by the league. These days he writes for Baseball America, and his latest piece centers on the excitement of the upcoming GM meetings and the discussions that happen when some of the most powerful forces in the sport gather in the same place.

Naturally, Coppolella discusses several trades that almost happened — and man, there is a doozy that would have had the Braves looking much different.

The big one he brings up is a mega-blockbuster the Braves presented to the Yankees back in 2014, when they realized a rebuild was necessary to restock what was arguably the league’s worst farm system. At the time, the player they received the most calls on was none other than Jason Heyward. The Yankees were among the interested parties, so the Braves floated an idea.

Braves Proposed Trade To Send Jason Heyward to New York

Braves Receive: Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Gary Sanchez, Ian Clarkin and Manny Banuelos

Yankees Receive: Jason Heyward, Andrelton Simmons, B.J. Upton, Chris Johnson and David Carpenter

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Coppolella acknowledges that it was the Braves who offered this deal and the Yankees who ultimately decided not to go through with it. However, he did add that they didn’t hang up the phone immediately. This is a trade that was genuinely considered — one that would have landed the Braves arguably the best offensive force of this generation before he ever got to the majors, along with several other impactful pieces.

In the end, the Yankees’ lack of action on the proposed blockbuster turned the Braves to the Cardinals, who sent Atlanta Shelby Miller and Tyrell Jenkins. Miller followed it up with a helluva first season with the Braves, and Coppolella was then able to flip him for #1 overall pick Dansby Swanson along with Ender Inciarte. Jenkins also helped the Braves acquire Luke Jackson, who played a key part in the 2021 World Series run. So, Atlanta still came out of it quite well in the grand scheme of things, just not as well as it would have had it pried Judge out of New York.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

However, there are a lot of prospect evaluators who actually see 2025 first-round selection Tate Southisene as the one with the highest upside. He didn’t put up quite the explosive numbers Hartman did, but at just 19 years old, he recorded a .929 OPS in Low-A Augusta and then an OPS north of .800 in Rome before earning a promotion to Double-A Columbus.

Those decisions to move Southisene through the system so quickly should tell you all you need to know about how highly the Braves think of him. They’re never an organization shy about pushing its best prospects early, which sets up a really exciting 2027 campaign.

But here’s a list I didn’t expect to see Southisene on so early. When constructing a top 10 of dynasty second basemen, Baseball America had the Las Vegas product coming in at #8.

The second basemen with the brightest futures

More fantasy baseball coverage from BA's James Anderson:https://t.co/bFjVJYvFAK pic.twitter.com/zKx16VGrcS

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) November 4, 2026

Just look at some of the names on the list. You have All-Stars, MVP candidates, and then little ole’ fresh-faced 20-year-old Tate Southisene, who just completed his first season as a professional. That’s an incredible compliment from what I would call the best in the business at evaluating prospects.

One other thing worth noting — and this isn’t a knock on Southisene — is that he’s being categorized as a second baseman, not a shortstop. In truth, it’s far too early in his development to really know where he’s going to play defensively. He’s the kind of athlete who could even end up in the outfield.

However, it’s something I try to discuss often when people act as if the Braves’ future at shortstop is already in the organization. It is the hardest position to play defensively by far, and most prospects — no matter how talented — cannot do it well enough to stick. Vaughn Grissom and Nacho Alvarez Jr. are perfect recent examples.

The Braves themselves don’t know what to expect out of any of these young talents on the farm just yet, so nothing should hold them back from making a big splash at shortstop if the right trade opportunity arises.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Perry Minasian will be returning to the Braves as a senior adviser to amateur scouting, the same role as a Dana Brown.

They will be working closely with with Braves VP of amateur scouting Ronit Shah.

First, @BNightengale

— Jesús Cano (@Jesus_Cano88) November 6, 2026

Brown was previously the Braves’ vice president of scouting from 2019-2022, helping Atlanta to a World Series and earning direct credit for finding Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider, Tyler Matzek, and several other cornerstones of the franchise.

Minasian was the Braves’ assistant general manager from 2017-2020 before he was hired to be the general manager of the Angels. It’s fair to say that went poorly. The Angels were regarded as one of the worst organizations in baseball for the entirety of Minasian’s tenure, and something similar could be said about Dana Brown. While the Astros were a far better team, he didn’t do enough to help them maintain their stature as the American League’s top club, which led to him being let go.

But just because these two didn’t find success as general managers doesn’t mean they aren’t well-respected talent evaluators. Together, the three helped turn the Braves into a juggernaut in the National League, one that’s won seven division titles and a World Series since 2018. Brown and Minasian both clearly have the trust of Alex Anthopoulos, which might be the single most important factor in constructing a front office.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Kevin Stefanski said James Pearce Jr.'s back injury "flared up" and he was limited in practice, and the Falcons will know more about his status in the next 24-48 hours.

— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) November 6, 2026

Falcons fans are obviously eager to see Pearce back in action. He looked like he was on his way to becoming one of the best pass rushers in all of football toward the end of last season, and on top of that, Atlanta really needs him if they want to find a way to win on Sunday.

The Falcons are already severely short-handed across the defensive front, with Samson Ebukam landing on Injured Reserve earlier this week, and the best way to stop Joe Burrow and company is to get him on the ground. It’s been that way his entire career. If the Falcons give Burrow time while trying to guard Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the back end, it’s going to be a massacre on foreign soil.

On the promising side of the injury report, Atlanta’s secondary will get back Billy Bowman Sr., and Divine Deablo could return this week as well. Brian Robinson Jr., who had a stellar start to the season behind Bijan Robinson, remains out with a hamstring injury.

In the abysmal NFC South, the 3-5 Falcons aren’t in must-win territory just yet. But things are going to start looking extraordinarily sketchy if they can’t get it done in Madrid, because the Chiefs await them when they get back on US soil, and following the bye, they play two more playoff contenders in the Vikings and Lions.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

This continues our series covering the top trade targets at each position of need for the Braves, moving on to the longest-standing hole on the roster: shortstop.

If you missed the first part of this series, follow the link below:

• Top offseason trade targets: Starting Pitchers

Jeremy Peña

Peña is entering the final year of his contract, and the Astros no longer appear to be serious contenders in the American League. That puts them at a crossroads. Do they keep chasing glory, which would require an extension for their star shortstop, or is it time to retool the roster?

If the latter is the route they take, trading Peña is an obvious offseason move for Houston. He’s an All-Star shortstop who’s posted an OPS above .800 in each of the last two seasons, and what makes him especially attractive for the Braves is that while he has pop in his bat, he’s a guy who can hit .300 and won’t strike out too much. Atlanta needs more players like that in the lineup. Peña should be at the top of their list of trade candidates if the Astros make him available.

Corey Seager

There have been murmurs connecting Corey Seager to the Braves dating back to last offseason, and the Rangers are another organization that seems to be mulling a potential rebuild. When healthy, Seager is an absolute monster. He’s a five-time All-Star and World Series MVP who owns an .860 OPS for his career.

The issue is he’s had problems staying healthy. He hasn’t played in more than 123 games since 2022. On top of that, Seager will be 33 next season, and he’s still owed $155 million until he’s 37. The Rangers would surely have to pay down some of that money if they wanted to move him, but with Ozzie Albies set to become a free agent next offseason, there could be a way this works in Atlanta.

Zach Neto

The Angels have new ownership and a new front office, which means they finally seem to be thinking clearly. This is an organization that needed to blow it up and rebuild a decade ago, but they kept trying to hang onto some shred of competitiveness, which set them back for years.

The rebuild began at this year’s trade deadline, when the Angels shipped off several valuable pieces. Most expect that to continue this offseason, with Zach Neto being someone teams will be calling on. Neto has posted 5+ WAR in each of the last three seasons. He’s 26 and isn’t a free agent until 2030. That’s going to make him extraordinarily expensive in terms of prospect capital, but he would be the long-term answer at shortstop the Braves have been looking for.

Gunnar Henderson

It’s been reported that the Orioles will listen on all of their players this offseason outside of Pete Alonso. That includes star shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who is a couple of years removed from an 8.8 WAR season that landed him fourth in the AL MVP voting.

Henderson’s numbers have plummeted dramatically since that campaign, as he recorded just 3.2 WAR to go along with a .712 OPS this year. However, if you’re thinking this is a buy-low option, think again. Henderson is still immensely talented, just 26 years old, and comes with two years of team control. The Orioles are going to get a king’s ransom for him, or they aren’t going to trade him at all.

Otto Lopez

It’s also been reported that the Marlins will listen on Otto Lopez. The Miami shortstop is coming off a career year, posting 6.1 WAR while leading the league in hits and hitting over .300. That’s the kind of table-setter the Braves’ lineup needs. He also isn’t a free agent until 2030.

The Marlins have made big trades inside the division before, but the Braves would certainly have to pay some sort of tax to acquire Lopez. That could be worth it if they believe he’ll continue at the rate he played this season, but that’s the only elite season he has to his name.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

There’s little value in looking ahead. But that’s not going to stop the effort of doing so anyway.

The first round of CFP Rankings came out on Tuesday night, slotting Georgia second. That puts the Bulldogs in a very good position should they take care of what they need to over the next month and then some. With all of that said, putting a lot of stock in the first round of these rankings is like investing energy in early-voting totals – much is to be hammered out by the it matters.

Because a friendly reminder – there was a time in 2022 when Tennessee led the CFP Rankings…and their prospects were never heard from again by that season’s conclusion.

So how does all of this tie in?

It’s all about where Georgia’s quarterfinal-round destination could be. With Miami currently being No. 1, it’d get the first choice of a venue, and it would be hard for the Hurricanes to turn down the Chick-fil-A Bowl in terms of travel. If Georgia ends the season ranked second, you can bet Kirby Smart from a travel angle would want the next closest venue of the Cotton Bowl. That new venue could be fun except for the Bulldogs playing the current projected winner of Texas and Ole Miss – and playing the Longhorns in Dallas would be anything but a home-field advantage. It’d be akin to Florida in Jacksonville.

Clearly, lots will shake out between now and then, but as it stands now, there’s a projected postseason road for Georgia that it would need to avoid.

It was very clear as the Alabama game began how badly Nate Frazier wanted to play against Alabama. The running back detailed more on Tuesday how tough it was to sit out those handful of games.

The Red & Black takes a nice retrospective on Gunner Stockton’s play against Florida after a rough outing against Auburn. Not surprisingly, Kirby Smart remains bullish when it comes to the Bulldogs’ signal-caller.

It’s hard to tell due to some of the angst hanging around, but Georgia’s offensive leads in the SEC in points per game and passing efficiency. That said, there were plenty of chances of tack on yards and points left on the field against Florida, and that’s heavy on the mind for the Bulldogs going toward Ole Miss. Here’s some insight into how offensive coordinator Mike Bobo plans to attack the Rebels on Saturday.

Basketball is underway for both the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs. These early games are glorified scrimmages, in all honesty, but it’ll be good to see what kind of product each team is putting together.

For the Lady Bulldogs, this week was also the debut for new head coach Ayla Guzzardo.

AP Poll

1. Miami
2. Georgia
3. Utah
4. Indiana
5. Alabama
6. Kentucky
7. Texas
8. UCLA
9. BYU
10. Ole Miss
11. Notre Dame
12. Ohio State
13. Tennessee
14. LSU
15. Texas Tech
16. Wake Forest
17. Houston
18. Missouri
19. Iowa
20. USC
21. South Carolina
22. Arizona
23. Oregon
24. Florida
25. Boise State

Georgia Update

Georgia won their sixth straight Cocktail Party, this time in Atlanta and by a final score of 27-8 over Florida.

This win, combined with Ohio State’s loss to USC, saw the Dawgs land at #2 in the first College Football Playoff ranking of the season. The first rankings also mean that their game in Oxford this weekend will be a top-10 showdown with Ole Miss coming in at #10.

Our friends at FanDuel have Georgia with -5000 odds to make the College Football Playoff, only behind Miami who is at -10000. However, the Dawgs are +330 to win it all, which is the best odds of any team.

Ranked Matchups

#2 Georgia at #10 Ole Miss

#9 BYU at #3 Utah

#7 Texas at #18 Missouri

#5 Alabama at #14 LSU

#23 Oregon at #12 Ohio State

#6 Kentucky at #13 Tennessee

#1 Miami at #11 Notre Dame

Upset Alert

I’ve picked Ole Miss twice to win as underdogs. Ole Miss as lost both times. So you know what? I’m doing it again and going for the trifecta. FanDuel has the Rebels as 3.5 point underdogs against Georgia. No way Trinidad Chambliss and team doesn’t win at home against the Dawgs. Give me the Ole Miss to win outright. Hopefully the Rebels don’t make me look bad again (wink, wink).

Welcome to Tuesday, Bulldog fans! Your Georgia Bulldogs have played two-thirds of their regular season games, and two-thirds of their SEC conference games. And, two-thirds of the “traditional” rivals on the schedule, with only Georgia Tech left in a few weeks.

Are you still basking in the glow of a freshly flambe^’ed gator? You should be. We have 360+ days to remind booger-eaters who still runs our state and theirs. Lots of other folks were impressed with the Bulldog defense that stymied the previously 4th-ranked SEC offense. That includes the folks in Birmingham, who awarded Chris Cole the SEC Defensive Player of the Week, and Gabe Harris the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

The initial College Football Playoff rankings will be revealed tonight on ESPN at 7:00 pm ET. Georgia may well be #2, just as it is in the AP poll, with Miami at #1. The real drama will be surrounding teams like 2-loss Ohio State, who are obviously not as good without injured QB Julian Sayin. The same could be said for Wake Forest, whose only loss was to the #1 Hurricanes, but with a QB who left Saturday’s game early. Utah is undefeated and starting to steamroll opponents. UCLA likewise undefeated but with a fairly weak schedule. Kentucky with some of that new car smell.

What does the committee think of Indiana, with a very close loss to Ohio State but also winning by the skin of their teeth most weeks thanks to Cignetti’s deal with the devil? Notre Dame lost to BYU but has otherwise looked very good vs. weaker competition, and BYU is also sitting with one loss – I sincerely hope, and solely for my own entertainment, to have BYU ahead of the Whinin’ Irish.

Coach Kirby Smart held his weekly Monday press conference, and I have to say he was a little more verbose on topics such as tampering and in-season roster management, SEC scheduling as it relates to night games in Athens vs. on the road, and motivation of players in the era of NIL. I don’t think there are any soundbites worthy of national scrutiny (unlike his post-WLCOP comments regarding injuries), but it does make one wonder how he might expound in a more private setting.

When asked about possible injuries to Dwight Phllips, Coach Smart answered “Fine. Probably more tired than hurt.” Similarly, about Ellis Robinson, the answer was “He looks good. Hopefully he’ll be good to go. We’ll find out more today.” That’s pretty positive, and pretty wordy from Kirby. And not a single mention of telling the media to wait until the availability report.

Basketball is here, whether you recognize it’s existence before February or not. Head Men’s Coach Mike White comes into his 4th season in Athens, having already notched more wins in his first 3 campaigns than any previous Bulldog coach. And while not the prettiest of openers, the Hoop Hounds won against NC Central 78-62. It wasn’t necessarily tough for the Bulldogs, but 6-26 from behind the arc kept the Eagles closer than should have been the case.

The Women’s team also tipped off the 2026-27 season Monday afternoon as the first game of a doubleheader at the Steg. The Lady Dawgs bullied West Georgia into a 92-53 victory on their home court.

That should get your Tuesday going as we head into the middle of the week of the last stretch of the regular season, before the post-season, and nonsensical scheduling. Which all makes perfectly good sense for college students. Still and yet, and as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!

Get up, ‘Dawgs! It’s Game Day! Let’s start the morning with the obligatory tailgate music:

Are you not hyped? Let Bulldog legend A.J. Green help:

In injury news, the Bulldogs have good news and bad news on the Friday evening eligibility report.

The return of Chauncey Bowens and Thomas Blackshear is certainly welcome. Dwight Phillips has done great work in the backfield, but we need to spread the pounding around to as many tailbacks as possibles.

But Joseph Jonah-Ajonye being ruled out and Elyiss Williams as questionable don’t give me a warm fuzzy feeling. Jonah-Ajonye has really come in as a disruptive presence on the edge. Williams of course is one of the Athenians’ better blockers and matchup nightmares in the passing game.

Away from the gridiron, the Hoop Hounds improved to 2-0 with a 91-77 victory over the fearsome Presbyterian Blue Hose. The Bulldogs looked cleaner offensively than in their season opener against North Carolina Central, but are still very much a work in progress. In accordance with this site’s standing practice, we will generally divert our eyes from Mike White’s squad until they’ve had a chance to get their act together. It’s the kind thing to dip. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

There’s no question that when it comes to Ole Miss football, its greatest era came in the 1950s and 1960s, when the Rebels were a combined 157-46-11, a span of time that toward the back end included Archie Manning.

But when it came to the 1968, Georgia, as well as Mike Cavan owned the day against Mississippi as he led the Bulldogs to a pair of fourth-quarter drives in a 21-7 win.

That victory was the first ranked win for Georgia that year which tied Tennessee to start the year and would go on to beat two more ranked foes that year – Houston and Auburn on the way to a No. 4 ranking and the SEC title.

Both teams headed into Athens that day with high hopes. Georgia was unbeaten coming away from wins against and Clemson and South Carolina with the Rebels riding high after beating Alabama the week prior.

By the time it all ended, the Bulldogs had made a statement when it came to both Cavan and Georgia’s season. Cavan would go on to be the SEC’s sophomore of the year, and the Bulldogs ended up in the Sugar Bowl, back when it was still played at Tulane Stadium.

For Cavan, his story didn’t end there with the Bulldogs. Even when his career at Georgia ended as a player, he’d eventually end up back in Athens as an assistant coach in what ended up being one of the most important roles in program history by leading the recruitment of Herschel Walker.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Go Dawgs!

Welcome to another edition of Around the SEC, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter. That’s right, the points are like head-to-head results to the CFP Committee. I will say, though, the points are NOT like strength of schedule for once (looking at you, Notre Dame. Good luck this Saturday, you realllllly need this win).

Florida QB Change

Coming off their loss in the Cocktail Party, Florida will make a change at QB, starting freshman Tramell Jones Jr. over Aaron Philo. Jones replaced Philo early against Georgia last Saturday, and head coach Jon Sumrall has elected to go with the freshman ahead of their must-win clash with Oklahoma.

Ole Miss Star Ruled Out

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy has already been ruled out ahead of the Rebels’ big game against Georgia this weekend. Lacy terrorized Georgia in last year’s Sugar Bowl, and his presence will be missed. The Dawgs will be tasked with holding the Ole Miss run game in check, rendering them one dimensional.

Trump Attending Alabama-LSU

Trump will be in attendance for Alabama-LSU in Baton Rouge. No, not that Trump. First Lady Melania Trump will be attendance ahead of an announcement for a $5 million scholarship donation at LSU for those students who have experienced foster care. This is not a political column, so no comments will be made on that front. In regards to football, I’m assuming the headset communications may be disrupted due to Secret Service presence, so we will see which team navigates this the best.

The #Braves today claimed LHP Mitchell Parker off waivers from the Washington Nationals.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 2, 2026

Across three seasons, Parker has pitched 355.1 innings with a 5.19 ERA. Just 39.2 of those came this year, largely because he was wildly ineffective — a 6.58 ERA and a 66 ERA+ (34% below league average).

The surface-level numbers are less than encouraging. The stuff doesn’t jump off the page either, headlined by a low-90s fastball, and to complicate things further, Parker underwent InternalBrace surgery that will likely cost him most of the 2027 season.

Parker is arbitration-eligible this year, projected to earn around $1 million. There’s a strong chance he’s non-tendered, and even if he isn’t, it’ll be a long road before he makes an appearance for the Braves.

But he does come with options and several years of team control, and this is an organization that’s had a lot of success with reclamation projects. The path to sticking in Major League Baseball is rarely linear, and sometimes it comes down to finding the right home. The Braves have been exactly that for a lot of arms over the years.

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Photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto

Alex Anthopoulos is typically the type of general manager who strikes fast. The Braves make most of their free agent additions before December, and now they have even more reason to do so with the lockout set to begin December 1st. We should hopefully see moves fairly quickly, so let’s take a look at who national media pundits are predicting the Braves to land in free agency.

MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free Agents

MLB Trade Rumors just dropped its annual list of the top 50 free agents, along with contract projections and predictions for where each one lands. Here’s who they had linked to the Braves.

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• Sonny Gray (2 years, $55 million) — 1 writer
• Tyler Mahle (3 years, $54 million) — 2 writers
• Clay Holmes (3 years, $45 million) — 1 writer
• Mauricio Dubon (2 years, $18 million) — 3 writers
• Raisel Iglesias (1 year, $17 million) — 1 writer

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The writers over at MLB Trade Rumors don’t expect the Braves to be lavish spenders in free agency, and I can’t say I blame them. Atlanta already has so much money tied up in its core group that it’s really difficult to pony up for some of the top guys, especially with several holes to fill.

The consensus is they expect the Braves to land a mid-tier starting pitcher, maybe two. Tyler Mahle coming back makes a lot of sense. Sonny Gray has been linked to Atlanta for years, even if it’s never come to fruition, and Clay Holmes has ties to pitching coach Jeremy Hefner from their time together with the Mets.

All three writers agree on Mauricio Dubon returning to Atlanta. At that price point, it would be a no-brainer — and because of Dubon’s defensive versatility, the Braves could still look to upgrade shortstop through trade if the opportunity presents itself.

Only one writer predicted Iglesias to return, and I’d agree it’s a toss-up if he’s set to command $17 million. He’s getting up there in age, struggled to close out last season, and the Braves already have an experienced closer on the roster in Robert Suarez. If they don’t retain Iglesias, though, they’ll be in the market for another high-leverage reliever.

Jim Bowden names Braves “best fits” for four free agents

For The Athletic, Bowden also ranked the top 40 free agents in this year’s class along with best fits for each. Of them, he connected four players to the Braves.

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• Mauricio Dubon
• Randy Arozarena
• Raisel Iglesias
• Hiromi Itoh

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David Schoenfield of ESPN also named the Braves a “best fit” for Arozarena, and the match could not be more obvious.

Left field is one of the few areas in the lineup where Atlanta can stand to upgrade significantly. It’s been a sore spot since the 2021 season, with a long line of failed attempts to fix it. Signing Arozarena would be the first time the Braves really spent money on the position. He’s expected to command around $100 million this winter, coming off a career year in which he recorded nearly 6.0 WAR, mashing 26 home runs with an .865 OPS.

Arozarena also has a track record of performing in October. Over 45 postseason games, he has 12 home runs to go along with a .946 OPS. Considering how much of the Braves’ lineup has no-showed in the playoffs over the years, adding a guy with that kind of experience when it matters most is awfully appealing.

The issue with Arozarena is that he’ll be 32 next season. He’s likely in line for at least a four-year deal, and that’s quite a commitment for a player his age — something the Braves have been hesitant to take on in the past.

Maybe that changes out of sheer desperation. It’s evident what the Braves have tried at the position hasn’t worked, but Anthopoulos hasn’t shown he’s a general manager who changes his approach very often, so I wouldn’t hold my breath on Arozarena or any of the top outfield targets, who are all around the same age.

SportsTalk ATL’s Braves Free Agency Predictions

• Braves sign Trevor Rogers (4 years, $100 million)
• Braves sign Mauricio Dubon (2 years, $20 million)
• Braves sign Michael Soroka (2 years, $25 million)

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The Braves probably won’t get all of their work done in free agency, with most of the focus on starting pitching — the strongest part of this year’s class.

I have them going a little bigger than most on that front. They just have so many questions in the rotation, and this very well could be Chris Sale’s final year in Atlanta. They need to find another big arm to pair with him, one that can also stabilize the group once Sale is no longer around.

Trevor Rogers at around $25 million AAV over four years is far from an absurd price. He’ll be 29 next season and has recorded 7.5 WAR with a 3.16 ERA and 3.20 FIP since the start of the 2025 campaign.

I also have the Braves doubling down with a Michael Soroka reunion. His strikeout and walk numbers this season with the Diamondbacks were the best of his career, and he’ll be just 29 next season as well. Maybe it’s the nostalgia in me, but at this price point, there’s not much that could go wrong.

By doubling down on starting pitching, the Braves wouldn’t have to force anything with Didier Fuentes. They rightfully want to see what he can do in the rotation, but for his arm’s sake, it’s best to ease him into that role next season. He’s not someone they should expect 150-plus innings from right away.

The only other free agent I predict the Braves signing is Mauricio Dubon. At the numbers I’ve seen him projected at, I don’t see why Atlanta would let him walk. He’s the best shortstop available on the open market by far, and because he can play everywhere defensively, he doesn’t stop the Braves from pursuing a bigger upgrade at the position. If all it’s going to take is $20 million over two years, that deal should be signed today.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

This begins a series of trade targets for the Atlanta Braves by position of need, starting with the rotation — which should be where Alex Anthopoulos focuses most this offseason.

Mariners Starting Pitchers

It was floated at the trade deadline that the Mariners could be open to moving starting pitching in exchange for more offense. That didn’t come to fruition, but those talks should pick up even more aggressively this offseason after a disappointing finish to the 2026 campaign.

I don’t imagine Seattle will have any interest in moving Kade Anderson, one of the brightest young pitchers in the game, but everyone else should be on the table: George Kirby, Emerson Hancock, Bryce Miller, and Bryan Woo.

Any one of them would be a massive upgrade to the Braves’ rotation, but the trade fit between the two sides is wonky. I don’t see Atlanta being all that interested in dealing players off its major-league roster, unless Seattle has interest in the likes of Sean Murphy, Ozzie Albies, or Austin Riley. Maybe there’s something that could work, but trades between two teams both trying to compete are always tougher to pull off.

Jacob deGrom

By now, we all know what happened between the Braves and Rangers at the trade deadline. The two sides had a deal in place, but deGrom invoked his no-trade clause to stay in Texas, saying he signed his contract for a reason and wants to bring a championship to the Rangers.

It’s very possible deGrom’s stance hasn’t changed, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if he simply wanted to wait until the offseason to see what else is out there. deGrom will be 39 next season, is owed $37 million in 2027, and posted a 4.20 ERA. However, his 3.11 FIP and 11.1 strikeouts per nine suggest he still has plenty left in the tank. I’d imagine the Braves give it another shot this offseason to see if he’s had a change of heart.

MacKenzie Gore

Gore was a really exciting trade prospect a year ago and was eventually moved to the Rangers. But the breakout Texas was hoping for never followed; he finished the 2026 campaign with a career-worst 4.58 ERA over 34 starts.

If the Rangers end up committing to a rebuild, Gore could be on the way out as well, given he’s entering the final year of his contract. At around $8-10 million (arbitration estimate), he doesn’t have to be a frontline starter to live up to that price, and he still comes with enough tantalizing upside to fetch Texas a couple of quality prospects. It would be fun to see what he could do working alongside Braves pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who proved to be an elite addition to Walt Weiss’ staff in year one.

Reid Detmers

Detmers was one of the hottest names floated at this year’s trade deadline, but the Angels ultimately decided not to rush into anything. That should change this offseason, with Los Angeles coming to terms with a lengthy rebuild.

He’ll be 27 next season, comes with multiple years of team control, features elite stuff, and is coming off the best season of his career — a 3.36 ERA over 32 starts. The market will be full of suitors if the Angels are finally ready to move him.

Drew Rasmussen

When healthy, Rasmussen is one of the more consistently dominant pitchers in baseball, and he’s actually stayed healthy over the last two seasons, posting a 2.71 ERA over 61 starts. The Rays would ideally like to hold onto him, but we’ve seen this story a million times before.

He has a $20 million club option for next year, which Tampa Bay will certainly pick up. But he’ll be 31 next season, and the odds of the Rays handing a pitcher that age — with a significant injury history — a massive long-term deal feel slim. That would make Rasmussen the single best pitcher who could get traded this offseason.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Stefanski: Ebukam and Branch have hamstring injuries. They will be out this game. #Falcons

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) November 2, 2026

The good news: James Pearce Jr. will be. The star pass rusher’s suspension has officially been lifted by the league.

#Falcons EDGE James Pearce Jr.’s suspension has officially been lifted by the league today.

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) November 2, 2026

Even without Pearce, the Falcons have been among the best teams in the league at generating pressure all season. The hope is his presence can turn more of that pressure into sacks. Atlanta finished second in the league in sacks a year ago, bringing down the quarterback a franchise-record 57 times. Through eight games this season, they have 18 — still a respectable figure, but one Pearce should help pad almost immediately.

The Falcons also made a couple of roster moves, releasing defensive end Drake Jackson and linebacker Jared Ivey.

The #Falcons have released DE Drake Jackson and LB Jared Ivey, per the team.

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) November 2, 2026

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Tampa Bay didn’t complete a single pass. They attempted just three all game — and still won by 16, most of it off turnovers from Michael Penix Jr., who turned in by far the worst game of his still-young career.

That’s where the finger-pointing is going to start, and it’s hard to argue with the stat line. Penix completed just 8 of 24 of his passes for no touchdowns and four interceptions. His 12.0 passer rating was the worst by any quarterback this season — and keep in mind, the Falcons were forced to start Cooper Rush for two games.

The decision-making from Penix was dreadful, easily the worst we’ve seen from him to this point. But it’s not fair to pin it all on his shoulders. Doing that leaves out some important context.

This game was played in a legitimate monsoon. One team recognized that and adjusted — which is why the Bucs threw it just three times. The other kept chucking it into the rain with nothing to show for it.

That’s on Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees. They knew all week this game could be played in heavy rain, and come Sunday, it was obvious early this wasn’t going to be a normal NFL contest. The focus needed to be on protecting the football, knowing both teams were going to struggle to score. Instead, they kept putting their young quarterback in position to fail.

The Falcons’ staff got out-coached by Todd Bowles and company in a game with major playoff implications — not a great sign for anyone hoping Stefanski would be a massive upgrade over Arthur Smith and Raheem Morris. These are the exact kind of no-shows in big divisional games that got those guys fired, and eight games into the Stefanski era, not enough has changed.

But I still don’t think the coaching was the most disappointing part of Sunday’s debacle. That belongs to the sheer lack of physicality from the entire team in a game with so much hanging in the balance.

Not even a month ago, the Falcons defense ranked first in rushing yards allowed and the offense ranked second in rushing. If there was one thing we thought this team could hang its hat on, it was the ability to compete and often dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

That’s been exposed over the last several weeks, and never more than against the Bucs, who imposed their will on Atlanta for 60 straight minutes. Tampa Bay carried it 56 times and averaged nearly 6.0 yards a pop for 324 yards on the ground. The Falcons didn’t even crack 100.

In a game that would have put Atlanta in the driver’s seat for the NFC South, they got beaten to a pulp until they no longer wanted to compete. It’s a story we’ve seen year after year with this team every time it has a chance to change the narrative. The Falcons left Raymond James Stadium broken in half, and while there’s plenty of season left to put themselves back together, Sunday made it awfully hard to believe they have the right people in the building to pull it off.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

“Dana Brown is joining the Atlanta Braves as a senior advisor to the amateur scouting department, reuniting with president and general manager Alex Anthopoulos, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel move that had not been finalized.”

Brown previously served with the Braves from 2019 to 2022, helping them to a World Series while being credited with finding a number of Atlanta’s current and former stars, including Michael Harris II, Spencer Strider, and Tyler Matzek.

“I remember Dana telling me he was a top-five high-school bat in the draft — he wrote it in his report as well — and that we had to take him,” Alex Anthopoulos said. “He wasn’t highly touted at all and Dana wanted to take him in the third round. I remember asking him if he was sure we needed to take him that high and he was adamant.

“He did the same thing with Spencer Strider (the Braves’ fourth-round pick) in 2020. I’ve been with him a long time and when he’s that convicted I stay out of the way. One other time he pounded for us to sign a player was Tyler Matzek when he was in Indy ball. It was August (2019), minor league season was about to be over and he wouldn’t let it go so we signed him to a two-year minor-league contract. Dana doesn’t bat 1.000, no one does but when he’s passionate about something, I’ve learned the smart move is to listen.”

Brown and Anthopoulos have had a working relationship for over 20 years across three organizations, so when it was announced that Brown and the Astros mutually agreed to part ways during the season, a reunion felt like a logical landing spot. This is a massive addition to the Braves’ front office.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

With the Panthers also losing to the Packers on Thursday, Atlanta might not have lost any ground in the division. But it missed a chance to knock Tampa Bay essentially out of the race, and now it’s anybody’s ballgame with half a season left to play.

According to the oddsmakers, the Bucs are now slight favorites to win the division.

NFC South Odds (Via ESPN)

• Tampa Bay Bucs (+184)
• Carolina Panthers (+200)
• Atlanta Falcons (+265)
• New Orleans Saints (+660)

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Sunday’s loss was the kind of performance that makes you question everything about where the Falcons are headed. A week ago, Michael Penix Jr. was the player of the week and Atlanta handed the San Francisco 49ers their first loss of the season.

Then Penix followed it up with four interceptions against just eight completions. Kevin Stefanski looked completely outmatched by Todd Bowles, and Atlanta was dominated on both sides of the line of scrimmage in a divisional game that should have had all of its focus.

The Falcons didn’t look like they belonged on the same field as the Bucs, yet the odds reflect what is still very much a live three-way race — one set to have plenty more twists and turns along the way. That’s the nature of the NFL, but Atlanta’s biggest issue may be the path in front of them.

The Falcons travel to Madrid this week to take on the Bengals, then face the Chiefs at home before their bye. After the bye come matchups with the Vikings and Lions. If they can avoid a complete implosion over the next month or so, the schedule is pretty gettable down the stretch, featuring three divisional games along with meetings against the Commanders and Browns.

It’s doable, but you have to think the Falcons need to muster a couple of upsets over the next month. The good news: that’s been one of their specialties over the last several years. They love surprising the world when nobody’s expecting it.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

• Randy Arozarena
• Jake Bauers
• David Bednar
• Ryan Jeffers
• Adrián Morejón
• Trevor Rogers
• Seiya Suzuki
• Brandon Lowe

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Teams can extend a qualifying offer to a free agent as long as he spent the entire last season with the club and hasn’t previously received one — which is why you don’t see Tarik Skubal on this list. The player can accept or decline, and in most cases, he declines and enters free agency.

If a player who received a qualifying offer signs with another team, his previous club is entitled to draft compensation — and that’s what this article is all about. A lot of clubs are wary of signing free agents who turned down qualifying offers for that very reason, the Braves included. Atlanta would have to forfeit its second- and fifth-highest draft picks, along with $1 million in international bonus pool money, to sign any of these players.

That’s a stiff penalty, so which players on this list would actually be worth it? Of the eight, six play positions of need for the Braves.

Jake Bauers

Bauers is the most shocking name of the bunch, cashing in on his breakout campaign and tremendous postseason run. But I don’t see many teams surrendering draft compensation on top of a lucrative contract for a player with just one year of production who will be 31 next season — the Braves least of all.

Not Worth It

David Bednar and Adrián Morejón

Even if they don’t re-sign Raisel Iglesias, the Braves already have a really expensive bullpen. They likely aren’t shopping at the top of the reliever market, especially for arms that come with added draft compensation.

Not Worth It

Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki

Arozarena and Suzuki are a different story — the Braves should have real interest in both. They’re All-Star-caliber outfielders who could fill the massive void that currently exists in left field.

The problem is the combination of their age, projected contract, and the draft compensation, which together make it hard to imagine Atlanta seriously considering either. Both will be 32 next season and are likely in line for multi-year deals in the $100 million range. That alone is a massive commitment for a player who’ll be well into his mid-30s by the time the deal ends. Add in the qualifying-offer penalties, and there’s just not much value to be had.

Not Worth It

Trevor Rogers

Surprisingly, Trevor Rogers is the only starting pitcher on this list, and he’s the only candidate I deem worth the draft compensation. He’s arguably the best rotation arm available outside of Tarik Skubal and has upside few free agent starting pitchers in this class can match.

Contract projections around the industry have Rogers landing a four- or five-year deal worth around $100 million. That’s far from a ridiculous price for someone who has been a legitimate frontline starter at his best. If the Braves believe Rogers has ace potential, he’s a player I could see them going after despite the qualifying offer.

Worth It

Atlanta would welcome all three back with open arms, but as is always the case, it’s going to come down to dollars and cents. Here’s what ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projects each of them to earn in free agency.

Tyler Mahle: 3 Years, $49.5 million

Mahle is one of the most interesting free agents in the entire class because of the stark contrast in his performance after he joined the Braves at the trade deadline. Before the move, he posted a 5.13 ERA with the Giants. In Atlanta, he recorded a 1.99 ERA over nine starts, then followed it up with two more brilliant performances in the postseason.

A big reason for the turnaround was an adjustment the Braves made with him: Mahle leaned on his splitter more than he ever had in his career.

“I closely covered Mahle’s spiking splitter usage in the playoffs for the Braves, putting up the top two games of splitter usage in the playoffs (Statcast era), with Gausman taking up most of the other spots just behind him,” McDaniel writes. “This trend started after the Braves traded for him at the deadline, with his usage going from 25% before the trade to 39% afterward, then shooting up more in the postseason. Mahle also posted his highest innings total since 2021, throwing 149 innings in the regular season.”

Some teams are going to scoff at offering Mahle a multi-year deal worth $50-plus million because of the small sample size in Atlanta. The Braves could even be one of those hesitant clubs. But the good news for Mahle is he only needs one team to believe he’s worth it, and with the way he performed in October, it’s fair to assume he made himself a lot of money.

Mauricio Dubon: 2 Years, $16 million

This appears to be what most contract projections have Dubon fetching in free agency, and if that’s the number, the Braves are probably going to be more than willing to pay it.

The question, though: with the market for shortstops extraordinarily thin, could there be a team out there willing to go three-plus years? Dubon is hitting free agency at the perfect time, which could lead to a scenario where he’s playing elsewhere next season and beyond.

Raisel Iglesias: 1 Year, $14 million

After earning $16 million on a one-year deal last offseason, most projections have Iglesias settling for something similar this time around. It’s a pretty fair assumption after a season in which he posted a 2.55 ERA and 34 saves, but he’s not a dominant closer, and he’ll be 37 in 2027. This will be a difficult decision for the Braves, who have a lot of holes to fill and might already have a better closer under contract in Robert Suarez.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The Falcons announced today that Ebukam has been placed on Injured Reserve. They also signed defensive end Drake Jackson to the practice squad and released offensive lineman Colby Sorsdal.

The #Falcons have placed DE Samson Ebukam (hamstring) on IR. They have signed DE Drake Jackson to the practice squad and also released OL Colby Sorsdal from the practice squad.

— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) November 3, 2026

Ebukam had a decent start to his first season with the Falcons, recording 11 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and nine quarterback hits. He initially suffered the hamstring injury back in Week 2, and it never quite healed properly as he tried to fight through it. Now Atlanta is left even thinner along the defensive line — a part of the team that’s been exposed in recent weeks, with the Buccaneers running for over 300 yards this past Sunday.

The addition of James Pearce Jr. will help moving forward. He was removed from the suspension list and is expected to play against the Bengals, but Pearce is much more of a factor rushing the passer than he is against the run. Atlanta has really started to feel the effects of losing Jalon Walker, who is out for the entire season after tearing his ACL during training camp.

If the Falcons can’t find a way to fix those issues, it’s hard to see how they break their postseason drought — even in a division that’s completely up for grabs with more than half the season left to play.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Georgia-Florida. That’s the official name we’re going by here, by the way. Simply because it’s the correct one.

It’s also a week when the fine folks with interests around Alachua County, Florida have selective memories when it comes to what happened before 1990.

Truthfully, who could blame them. If my school went from 1964 to 1990 without beating its professed rival in back-to-back seasons, I’d want to forget that time, too.

Eventually, that series history swung big in Florida’s history thanks to the Head Ball Coach and later, the combo on Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow, but Georgia still leads the all-time series 58-44 – even if the Gators dispute one of that Bulldog wins. That record comes despite Georgia winning only three times from 1990 to 2010, a big testament to what happened before 1990.

But since the folks south of places like Lake Park, Fargo, Statenville, Folkston, Kingsland and Woodbine understandably would want to forget much of what happened in this rivalry before 1990, we’re here to today to provide a service and noting what else did not exist before 1990.

Major League Baseball being played indoors – yes, even in Florida!

The fact that you can pay student-athletes…legally!

The ability to facelessly troll opposing fans with a device that rests in the palm of your hand

The Atlanta Falcons…scratch that. They’re still, as the late great Larry Munson once said, “so pitiful.”

The Dawg Walk

Unfortunately…the affront to pulled pork that is Sonnys BBQ still exists. Eat it if you wish, but it’s not legitimate BBQ.

Zaxby’s restaurants outside of the ones in Valdosta and Statesboro, the former of which was in a legitimate old two-story house.

The concept of Pat McAfee as an on-air personality.

Broadcasters using their dog as a shield against criticism.

Pop music disguised as country music.

Google. The previous version was a whole shelf of encyclopedias.

Relying on maps instead of a mobile device for directions. Honestly, it made you feel like a pirate seeking treasure.

Costco.

Sanford Stadium being used for things beside football.

Visors being a fashionable sideline apparel option. If there’s one thing that both Georgia and Florida’s best coaches in their history have in common that is it…as well as deep-seeded Kylo Ren hatred being birthed by a loss as a player.

Go Dawgs!

First, here’s why I’m NOT worried about the resurgent Booger Eaters:

1.    The Gators have a .500 record in the Benz, having notched victories over Michigan and losing to Bama in the SEC Championship. But their most recent trip was 2020 – there are mullet coiffed and jort-wearing 1^st graders that have never seen their horrible uniforms compete there. And Georgia has played this locale 10 times since then, 3 times in 2022 alone, and twice in 2024, plus just last December where the Red & Black stemmed the Crimson Tide.

2.  Georgia is on a 5 game win streak in this series. And since I have selective memory of this border rivalry like Gator fans, I don’t believe Georgia played Florida in the 1990s, so 5 games is definitely the longest streak by either team. You can’t tell me otherwise.

3. The most famous weakness of the Florida Gators is… well, being a Florida Gator. Only slightly less well-known is that the Gator secondary is next to last in the SEC at passing yards allowed.

They’ve watched teams score through the air in every game but one, let Missouri average over 11 yards per attempt, and permitted South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers to save his coach’s job. In 5 conference games, only Texas and the prodigal son passed for less than 270 yards. So depending on where you rank Gunner Stockton against Arch Manning, and coming off a game where Georgia threw for 325 and 2 scores, this could be a good way to score points.

Now forgive me, as I was weaned at the nipple of Larry Munson’s scratch so here’s what does worry me about the school that I hate solely because of Steve Spurrier, even though I currently am fond of the Head Ball Coach:

1. Wrap it up. I have lamented several times this season, and last season, that the Georgia Bulldogs defense is less than great at tackling in the backfield. The pressure and havoc is there, but somehow these mobile quarterbacks are able to slip through, shed an arm tackle, and either escape or at least avoid a negative play.

We’ve got 51 missed tackles the past two games. And both against teams from the Yellowhammer State. Both have dudes, both are above average, but isn’t our defense above average too? I appreciate the explosiveness from the pass rush, but we simply have to limit the opposing offense by better first contact and contain.

2. Do you think Jadan Baugh is going to play 2 hand touch? He might be one of the best running backs in the country at slipping contact and gaining yards after. The guy has 13 rushing touchdowns this season through 7 games. That is as many as Frazier, Bowens, and Phillips combined.  Baugh has more yards than those 3 as well, on a few more carries.

Lest you think that the running game prowess is equitable, remember that the Gators also have Duke Clark, who is toting it for over 7 yards a clip on average. And UGA allowed 161 ground yards from Alabama, and 192 from a previously stagnant Auburn team.

3 . Since QB1 Aaron Philo was injured, Gator Head Coach Jon Sumrall has been cagey about who will start under center in Atlanta. The last injury report is still to come out but I wouldn’t trust it anyway. So we will have no idea until the game is played if Trammell Jones or Philo will be taking snaps, or even if it will be both. Both QBs are capable, but they have different strengths. One beat Texas on the road, the other manhandled Ole Miss. And both are better than 60% against the blitz.

Georgia allowed the backup QB at Vanderbilt to look like a rock star, especially in the first 45 minutes. We’re fresh off Byrum Brown reminding everyone why he’s the NCAA career leader in offensive production. If you remove the gaffes, even John Mateer had a good game moving the ball on the Bulldog defense. Glenn Schumann’s charges have allowed steadily improving totals from the last 5 conference opponents, a troubling trend when strange things happen against the Saurians.

Call me crazy, just don’t call me late fordinner. Let us know in the comments what you’re feeling about an Outdoor Cocktail Party moved indoors due to inclement greed.  And as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!

I don’t know very much. But I do know this: Gators eat boogers and only weirdos wear jorts.

G

The Parkview High School drum major conducting the Gator Marching Band in their fight song – squillian

“A healthy Frazier is a beautiful thing to watch.” – Mr. Squillian, as we watched the WLOICP.

You know what else is beautiful? Marching bands. Both Podunk and I participated in marching band in high school, both in the flagline/colorguard (different schools call them different things). You cannot understand the level of excitement I had at 7:49AM Friday morning, when one of our Assistant Principals sent out an email to the entire faculty, announcing that the Gator Marching Band would be practicing at Parkview High School from 3-6PM, open and free to the public.

Podunkpup commented on my Facebook post that he wasn’t “sure compliments to the Gators are allowed”, since his brother had gotten put out of the car for saying Go Gators one too many times. I reminded him that his brother would only have said that to irritate Podunk (one of his favorite things to do). However, I remain firmly convinced that if Podunk were with us today, she would have chosen to come for this game, and that she would have been just as excited to watch the Gator band as I was. I spent the entire time enthralled to watch (and wishing I were still in marching band).

However, it is our intention to celebrate Georgia Bulldog Football Wins whenever and wherever they occur. The ugliness or beauty of any particular win is irrelevant for the purposes of the Winning Smart Victory Post. It is therefore my deepest honor and privilege to bring to you this week’s edition of: The Winning Smart Victory Post.

Coach Kirby Smart coached his 146th game this week for the Red & Black. He currently boasts a 124-22 record and a 0.8493 winning percentage, having carded his one hundred twenty-fourth win overall in the indoor version of the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party against the jort-wearing, booger-eating, swamp-living gators.

At the identical juncture in their careers:

Vince Dooley’s 146th game as head coach resulted in a Georgia Bulldogs loss to Pitt in the Sugar Bowl of the 1976 season, giving Coach Dooley a record of 98-43-5 and a 0.6884 percentage.

Coach Mark Richt was 108-38 (0.7397) after a win over Mizzou in the 2nd game of the 2012 season.

One hundred and forty six games into his head coaching career Kirby Smart is sixteen games ahead of Coach Mark Richt and ahead of Coach Vince Dooley by 26 games. As of now, he is holding his own versus the two winningest coaches in Georgia Football History.

As always . . .

Go ‘Dawgs !!!!

The venue was different, but the result and feeling was not. For the sixth time in a row, Georgia-Florida went to the Bulldogs. While this game did have a corporate branding attached to it with a logo splashed across midfield and throughout the venue, that branding mention is not worth repeating here. It’s the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, and on Saturday, the upper hand remained in the hands of Georgia.

Here are ten thoughts from another win over the Gators.

1. Was it glitzy? No. But does it have to be pretty? No. In other words, Georgia’s sixth straight win against Florida was gritty, not pretty. Could the offensive execution have been sharper? Yes, there’s no question about that. But was it an old-school-like game that likely have Vince Dooley and Erk Russell sitting up in ther graves and applauding? No doubt. This was a win of doing what you have to do on offense and letting defense lead the way by winning up front and forcing turnovers. And when it comes against one of your rivals, it should be more than enough to feel good about. 

2. Hopefully this does not sound too much like an ‘old man yells at a cloud take,’ but if you did not live through Steve Spurrier taking Georgia to torture city each year in Jacksonville with one exception, its hard to understand what winning this game time after time means. Going into this game each year, Georgia fans had to convince themselves that they had chance, and those false hopes usually fizzled out. Its an absolute script flip of how this rivalry is now. Georgia has the upper hand, and now Florida needs a chiropractor for its neck pain from looking up at the Bulldogs. It’s been said many a time since Kirby Smart came to Athens, but this is the golden era of this program. Oh, and its also a dark era of misery from Florida’s side…

3. Outside pundits may say that Georgia was gifted a bunch of points in this one. That’s fine if they want to carry on with that ill-conceived narrative. But its one thing to get chances, its another to be able to take advantage, and Georgia had a total of 17 points on Saturday either on or on scoring drives originated by turnovers. 

4. This is a safe space. You can also admit you felt like Kirby Smart when he collapsed to the ground when a penalty negated a stop that likely would have kept the shutout intact and given the Bulldogs their first shutout in this series since 1982…

5. On the note of that turnover, Braylon Conley was a prime example of being ready to go. Rosters are full of depth-role players that when the time comes have to step up. Georgia was in that exact spot when Ellis Robinson had to exit the game, and the secondary did not appear to miss a beat on that side of the secondary. 

6. Is it time to start worrying about Peyton Woodring? Having an automatic placekicker is a blessing. If they teeter toward unpredictability, its a curse.

7. The venue may have been different, but the tradition remained – Florida fans’ annual disappearing act just before the fourth quarter. 

8. Say this much for Florida head coach Jon Sumrall. He didn’t cheaply keep the consecutive games without being held scoreless streak intract with a half-clapped field goal try. So at least award the Gators an A for effort. 

9. Understandably, the pregame scene was slanted to Florida in terms of enthusiasm. Who can blame them – they likely drove in, stayed in hotels and got their money’s worth. Georgia fans have been to Mercedes-Benz so many times that they know all the different roads around here named “Peachtree.” You’d expect that sentiment to flip to Georgia next year in Tampa. 

10. It was fun to see the unique 50/50 fan seating split on Saturday, but otherwise, it felt basically like any other college football game. That’s a problem, because Georgia-Florida is not just a football game. It’s a whole event, whole experience. That is not to dispute how nice MBS is, because its a first-class venue. But in Jacksonville, the game is the centerpiece. On Saturday, the venue was. That’s why fans should start anticipating now for the return to the Banks of the St. Johns River. 

Go Dawgs!

Only two weeks ago I noted in this space that if your college football team goes -3 or so in the turnover column you’re going to lose just about every college football game you play.

I am absolutely delighted to report that is still true.

Florida needed to play a clean football game to stay in the game against Georgia and did the opposite of that, turning the ball over four times as the Bulldogs never really sweated.

The Georgia offense was not its most impressive. To be fair, the Bulldogs never felt like they needed to get the offense out of second gear, controlling the clock and field position almost from the outset. Still Georgia fans would have liked to see the Bulldogs never offense show a little more explosiveness.

The most explosive aspects of the Red and Black attack this afternoon were the explosive number of screen passes and the explosive number of Gunner Stockton keepers. I didn’t start counting the screen passes seriously until we got to 8, and I still don’t fully understand what was going on there. It was as if Mike Bobo saw the Gators’ beleaguered secondary and decided to give those guys a break.

Gunner Stockton carried the ball 12 times for 46 tough yards on the day, and was equally pedestrian in the passing game, going 13 for 23 for 101 yards and no touchdowns. When Stockton threw a shoulder into Gator Myles Graham to stop his return of a Talyn Taylor fumble he sealed a career first: the first game in which he has had more tackles (1) than touchdown passes (0).

I have every reason to believe the Bulldogs could have scored more points and showed more wrinkles had Coach Smart and Coach Bobo felt it necessary. It wasn’t, and they disn’t. But next week’s showdown with a high octane Ole Miss attack is likely to be different.

But on the bright side, the Bulldog defense uncorked one on the Gators for the ages. Only on their last drive did the Gators finally pass Gunner Stockton alone in rushing yards. The Athenians came close to ending Florida’s nation-leading streak of avoiding shutouts, which now stands at 481 games. That sort of thing is nice, but it really important in the grand scheme of things.

The Bulldog defense held Buster Faulkner’s offense to 236 yards of total offense, barely more than half their season average of 451 yards. We knew the Dawgs would need to bottle up outstanding Florida tailback Jaden Baugh, and they accomplished that mission with gusto, holding the Sunshine State Saurians’ leading rusher to an anemic 38 yards on 17 frustratingly bottles-up carries.

It was arguably Georgia’s best defensive performance of the season against an offense that’s shown the ability to move the ball on good defenses. The competition level goes up next week with a rematch with Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss, but this was a good step back after a frustrating defensive effort last week against Auburn.

The victory was Georgia’s sixth in a row against the hated Gators. I am on record is saying that there’s no such thing as a bad victory against Florida, and this one was pretty good. It was a nice way to get back in the win column after the Auburn debacle. It’s once again great to be a Gator Hater, especially when there remains little the Gators can do about it.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Chapel Bell Curve is back, and like a college football team battling its way through a tough SEC schedule, the team is down a key contributor. But the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party must be previewed, and preview ed it will be. In this episode:

• Nathan may not be your football stepdad. But he’s definitely your football dad who stepped up.

• To paraphrase R.E.M., “Everybody’s hurt, sometimes”

• Gather ‘round kids, so your Uncle Nathan can explain to you why us old folks really, really hate Florida.

• I don’t play fantasy college football, but if I did “Nate Frazier Statement Game” would be my team name. 

• It’s not taking your foot off the gas if you’re slowly but surely rolling over people and crushing them beneath the wheels. 

The key to life and football is this: just try to screw up a little less, and you’ll probably be okay. 

And so much more. If you do nothing else today….hate the Florida Gators. But if you do two things this week, make sure the second is to like, subscribe, and patreonize the show on your podcasting medium of choice. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!!

Get up, Dawgs. It’s game day! Cue the tailgate music, in honor of Captain Jean-Luc Picard:

Of all the games on the Bulldogs’ schedule this is the one that fires me up. Part of it is growing up below the gnat line where uncultured Gator fans are as thick as mosquitos. Perhaps it was watching Steve Spurrier’s smug mugtake pot shots at Ray Goff and Jim Donnan through my teens and twenties. Perhaps is my lifelong hatred of jorts. But there is no game on the schedule which provokes in me such fits of rage and emotional furor as this one.

But if you find yourself needing a little extra zing in your zany zany, check out this week’s hype video, narrated by DGD Ernie Johnson:

If that doesn’t melt your cheese, your

On the injury front, there’s good news and bad news. The bad news is that Chauncey Bowens has been moved to “out”, not great news in a game in which the Bulldogs will want to sit on the ball and keep the Gator offense off the field. It’s also not overly heartening that the Gators will have both quarterbacks Tramell Jones and Aaron Philip at their disposal. On the bright side, Nate Frazier is another week removed from the injury report. The real question we don’t have an answer on is how limited KJ Boldwn will be. I think he’ll play. But is he 100%? That I don’t know.

We’ll be back with more later. Until then…

Go Dawgs!!!

His completion percentage has risen seven points under Tommy Rees, sitting at 66.7% for the season. That’s a top-10 mark in the league, tied with Josh Allen and right around quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford and Brock Purdy — pretty good company to keep.

Penix also ranks top 10 in QBR, and his 109.1 passer rating is good for fourth in the league among quarterbacks with at least five starts this season.

But perhaps the most impressive stat of all: Penix has thrown just one interception all season, which, ironically, came on his first drive back from a torn ACL. He almost never puts the ball in harm’s way, with an interception-worthy throw rate of just 2% — the eighth-best mark in the entire league.

Pick a metric, go to the top 10, and you’ll probably find Michael Penix Jr. That’s how good he’s been through his first five starts in 2026, and it’s why the Falcons are 3-2 when he starts — a record that should be 4-1 if not for the collapse against the Ravens.

Are there flaws in Penix’s game? Absolutely. There are some throws — easy completions in critical situations — he has to make more consistently. But those kinds of flaws are the fixable kind. It would be far more worrying if he couldn’t help but throw a meatball over the middle at least once a game.

It’s also important to add context to what Penix has done through five games. This is a young man coming off a torn ACL and learning an entirely new offense for the first time. That’s not an easy situation for any quarterback to navigate, let alone someone who entered the year with less than a season’s worth of starts under his belt.

The sample size remains too small to crown Penix just yet, and the injury concerns aren’t going away anytime soon. That will always be the biggest hurdle he has to clear. But with each passing performance, he’s proving he can be the Falcons’ long-term answer at quarterback — as long as he can stay on the field.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

“Though the Marlins aren’t believed to be shopping Lopez or Edwards, neither player is considered untouchable. If a team is willing to offer a lot in return, Miami would listen.”

Lopez is a player who could be filed under “dream trade candidate” for the Atlanta Braves, who have been searching for answers at shortstop every offseason for the last half-decade. He’s elite defensively, with 14 outs above average and six defensive runs saved, and he just finished the best offensive campaign of his career, hitting .305 with a league-leading 191 hits.

Lopez isn’t much of a power threat. He hit only 11 home runs this season and has 32 for his career, but his profile as a guy who hits for average and doesn’t load the box score with strikeouts should be especially appealing for the Braves.

This is an organization that needs a philosophy change offensively. They’ve been far too reliant on the long ball, and every postseason they’re left wondering why they can’t score runs consistently against the league’s best pitchers. If the Braves aren’t willing to take a long, hard look in the mirror this offseason, nothing is going to change.

Of course, as Jackson points out in his report, the Marlins aren’t going to do anything unless they come away with a king’s ransom. They weren’t far off from playoff contention this year and should be perfectly fine holding onto Lopez, who still has three years of team control remaining.

Miami likely won’t be thrilled about trading him within the division, but it should be noted that hasn’t stopped them before — they’ve pulled off blockbuster trades with the Phillies twice, sending J.T. Realmuto and Jesus Luzardo to Philadelphia. If the Braves are willing to part with their best prospects, they should at least be able to get the conversation started.

Lopez is one of several high-profile shortstops who will be floated in trade rumors this offseason. Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently linked the Braves to Zach Neto of the Angels. Corey Seager is another name worth watching this winter, along with the Astros’ Jeremy Peña.

The market for shortstops in free agency is almost non-existent. If the Braves are going to find an answer, it’s going to have to come via trade — and this could be the perfect offseason to fill one of their longest-standing holes.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

I understand that feeling. I’ve lived it right alongside every one of you. But I’m not sure how anybody can look at what’s transpired through the first seven weeks and not be excited about the trajectory of this organization under new leadership.

The Development of Michael Penix Jr.

You can’t win without good quarterback play in this league, and it’s what’s held the Falcons back ever since the team traded Matt Ryan to the Colts. There were once again tons of questions surrounding the position entering the season, and while not all of them have been answered, Penix has looked every bit a franchise quarterback since returning from an ACL injury.

Atlanta is now 3-2 in games he’s started, and that record very easily could be 4-1 had he not gotten hurt on the final drive of regulation against the Ravens. Penix is completing just under 67% of his passes this season — seven points higher than he came into it — and his QBR ranks ninth in the league. He’s boasting a 109.2 passer rating, tossing nine touchdowns to just one interception.

The questions about Penix’s ability to stay healthy aren’t going away anytime soon, but strictly based on what we’ve seen on the field, he’s performing like a franchise quarterback. This is a guy who has only a season’s worth of starts under his belt, is coming off a season-ending injury, and is just five games into a completely new offensive system. There’s a good chance this is only the tip of the iceberg for his development — making this the closest the Falcons have been to getting the position right in eight years.

A Stellar Rookie Class

Consistent winners are built through the draft, and the new regime in Atlanta was operating short-handed without a first-round pick. Still, it looks to have landed four big-time contributors.

Avieon Terrell has started in the secondary every game he’s been healthy. Kendal Daniels and Harold Perkins Jr. have immediately become game-changers at the second level of the defense, and Zachariah Branch has flashed his explosiveness in the third phase. All of these guys look like they’ll contribute in Atlanta for a long time, and three of them were taken in the third round or later. That’s a tremendous job of identifying talent, and it should give everyone a lot of confidence in this new regime.

An A+++ Offseason

The rookie class is a part of it, but if that’s not enough to convince you Ian Cunningham and Matt Ryan can figure this thing out, the trades and free agent pickups this offseason should put any questions to bed.

Maason Smith and Gervon Dexter Sr. were home-run acquisitions via trade. They’ve completely revamped the interior of the Falcons’ defensive line with two big swings, giving Atlanta a tantalizing front to build around, especially once James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker return.

But Cunningham and Ryan also proved they don’t need a bunch of money to find impact pieces. Za’Darius Smith was added late in the offseason following the injury to Jalon Walker and already has 4.5 sacks in just six games. Cam Thomas was signed to a one-year deal worth just over $3 million and has pitched in a couple of sacks, and Samson Ebukam signed a similar deal while recording 2.5 of his own.

This is an edge group that looked rather hopeless. The Falcons lost Pearce and Walker before the season started, and they barely had any money to spend. Ryan and Cunningham had to find some diamonds in the rough for this to work, and they nailed every addition. Now imagine what they could do next offseason with a lot more cash in their pockets.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

I covered shortstops last week. Mauricio Dubon is really the only free agent who should be considered starting-caliber, so if the Braves want an upgrade there, they’ll have to find a trade. The outfield class isn’t as thin, but it’s going to cost a lot of money to land an impact bat.

Randy Arozarena

Arozarena is arguably the best outfielder set to test the open market. He’s coming off back-to-back All-Star campaigns, with 2026 the best season of his career, hitting 26 home runs with an .865 OPS. He’s also shown a knack for big hits come October, with 12 long balls in just 45 postseason games to go along with a .946 OPS.

That’s exactly the kind of bat the Braves need to add, but in this market, Arozarena is going to have suitors lined up to pay him. It’s likely going to take a contract north of $100 million to land him, and the Braves are typically hesitant to hand that kind of money to players approaching their mid-30s.

The fit exists. I’m just not sure Anthopoulos makes an exception for Arozarena.

Seiya Suzuki

If Anthopoulos is unwilling to budge on paying 32-year-old free agents, Suzuki isn’t going to be his cup of tea either. He’s done nothing but mash since coming over from Japan, posting an .823 OPS across five seasons with the Chicago Cubs — and like Arozarena, he’s coming off a career-best campaign.

He’s likely in line for a very similar deal, and given he’s slightly older than Arozarena, that might take him off the Braves’ board as well.

Jake Bauers

One of the heroes of the Brewers’ World Series run, Bauers entered this season with -1.3 WAR to his name. Then he hit 26 homers with an .874 OPS over 144 regular season games before taking home NLCS MVP honors in Milwaukee’s triumph over the two-time defending champions.

Bauers is a year younger than Arozarena and Suzuki, and the fact that he has just one year of production under his belt should make him much more affordable. But I have a feeling he’s going to be very tough to pry away from Milwaukee, which, while not a big spender, would love to keep the core of its team together.

Ian Happ

One of the most consistent presences of the last decade, all Happ does is show up every season, post an OPS around .800, and win a Gold Glove. His numbers were down a little this season — .218 with 24 homers and a .738 OPS — but he’s still a really solid veteran who would be a considerable upgrade over what the Braves have continually trotted out in left field over the last four seasons. He should also be much more affordable than Arozarena and Suzuki, though he’ll require a multi-year deal.

Taylor Ward

After the top four, there’s a significant drop-off. Ward is coming off a down year in which he hit .225 with seven home runs and a .670 OPS, but he’s just a year removed from hitting 36 home runs with the Angels and owns a career .798 OPS against left-handed pitching.

In a perfect world, the Braves would really invest in the position. It’s one of the few areas where they can meaningfully bolster the offense. But Mike Yastrzemski is still under contract, so it’s more than possible they settle on a platoon option to pair with him.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

But they find themselves just a half-game out of first place in the NFC South, and since Michael Penix Jr. returned under center, they’re 3-2 with road wins over the Packers and Saints and a home win over the formerly undefeated 49ers.

Atlanta’s defensive front has been menacing since Week 1, among the best in the league at getting after the quarterback. And it’s set to get star pass rusher James Pearce Jr. back in a couple of weeks from his eight-game suspension. That could have this side of the ball looking really scary, paired with an offense that has made massive strides thanks to the development of Michael Penix Jr.

Go to any stat category for quarterbacks and you’ll find Penix somewhere in the top 10. He has nine touchdowns to just one interception, ranks ninth in the league in completion percentage, ninth in QBR, and fourth in passer rating. That’s a franchise quarterback, one who seems to be improving with each passing start in a new offense under Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees.

This is a team that should feel like it has a golden opportunity to win the NFC South and snap a postseason drought that’s lasted since the 2017 season. But that still doesn’t mean the Falcons should be buyers at this year’s trade deadline.

So far, this season has far more positive storylines than negative ones — something that hasn’t been true in over a half-decade. The coaching staff has clearly been upgraded, with Rees and Stefanski helping Penix establish himself as a legitimate threat at the position. Just as encouraging, Matt Ryan and Ian Cunningham seem to have pulled all the right strings from a personnel standpoint this offseason, even while working at a serious disadvantage.

The draft class is looking like a home run. The Falcons didn’t have a first-round pick and had just six selections in total, yet they came away with four immediate contributors. In free agency, Jahan Dotson, Za’Darius Smith, Samson Ebukam, Brian Robinson Jr., and Cam Thomas all required very little investment yet have made major impacts, while the trades for Gervon Dexter Sr. and Maason Smith have completely revitalized the interior of the defensive line, giving the Falcons something to build around moving forward.

Even with all of those additions, though, this is not yet a championship-caliber football team. There’s no reason to give away future picks in a season where a Super Bowl is nothing more than a pipe dream. That’s what bad organizations do — the exact habit this new regime is trying to break.

Next offseason, the Falcons will have a full allotment of draft picks along with an ungodly amount of cap space. Ryan and Cunningham will be able to completely overhaul the roster with top-tier talent. At that point, the Falcons should feel like they’re in a position to seriously compete, and mortgaging future picks might make sense.

For now, it’s best to just enjoy the ride of a team clearly heading in the right direction. This was always going to be a multi-year rebuild. Straying off course to chase a win this year isn’t something the Falcons should be looking to do as the trade deadline approaches.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Here’s who the former general manager believes fits with the Braves.

Mauricio Dubon

Best Team Fits: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox

There are really only two directions the Braves can go to fill their shortstop void this offseason. If they choose the free agency route, it has to be Mauricio Dubon. He’s the only starting-caliber option testing the open market, and I imagine there’s a lot of interest on Atlanta’s side in re-signing him.

If the Braves are thinking bigger, though, there could be some marquee shortstops moved in trades this winter. The Marlins will reportedly listen on Otto Lopez, even if it’ll take a king’s ransom to get something done. Zach Neto will be floated in rumors often as the Angels enter a full rebuild. Corey Seager has been linked to the Braves in the past, and Jeremy Peña is another name to keep a close eye on.

If the Braves want to win a championship next season, acquiring one of those names via trade is their best option. But we just haven’t seen Alex Anthopoulos make many moves like that since he took over as general manager in Atlanta.

Randy Arozarena

Best Team Fits: Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds

Arozarena was Bowden’s fifth-ranked free agent in the class, and he’ll likely land a multi-year deal worth north of $100 million. The Braves desperately need to upgrade in left field, and Arozarena is coming off a career year in which he posted 5.7 WAR, mashing 26 homers with an .865 OPS. He’s also proven to be an elite performer come October, with 12 postseason home runs and a .946 OPS over 45 games.

That makes him an attractive target who would fit seamlessly into the Braves’ lineup, but the price tag probably makes a move like this unlikely. Arozarena will be 32 next season, and while he’s been elite over the last two years, the Braves are typically cautious about handing players in their 30s four- and five-year deals.

Raisel Iglesias

Best Team Fit: Atlanta Braves

Iglesias is another of the Braves’ own free agents, and a reunion is certainly plausible. He’s been among the top closers in the game for a long time, and Atlanta’s bullpen is already set to take a hit with Didier Fuentes expected to move back to the rotation. There will probably be mutual interest in a reunion, and if Iglesias can be had on a one-year deal worth around $10 million, I think it happens. If he’s looking for more than that, I could see the Braves pivoting to younger options.

Hiromi Itoh

Best Team Fits: Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves

The Braves haven’t dipped their toes into the Japanese market very often, but given the success so many of those players have had in recent years, Anthopoulos might want to rethink that strategy. Itoh has a small frame and isn’t going to overpower anyone with velocity. What he does have is a wide array of pitches and grips to keep hitters off balance, and he rarely issues a free pass.

Bowden projects just a two-year, $22 million contract for Itoh, and at that price, it’s hard to find a bad one.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Obviously, some of these names will be out of Atlanta’s price range, but I’ll cover the options by position group along with some notes on the deals that make a lot of sense for the Braves.

Starting Pitchers

• Tarik Skubal — $350-500 million
• Freddy Peralta — 5 years, $140 million
• Michael King — 4 years, $118 million
• Clay Holmes — 2 years, $44 million
• Nick Martinez — 2 years, $48 million
• Foster Griffin — 3 years, $67 million
• Trevor Rogers — 3 years, $64 million
• Casey Mize — 3 years, $54 million
• Kaima Taira — 3 years, $30 million
• Robbie Ray — 2 years, $45 million
• Shota Imanaga — 3 years, $69 million
• Kevin Gausman — 1 year, $22 million
• Shane Bieber — 1 year, $20 million
• Hiromi Itoh — 2 years, $20 million

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This is a super intriguing list of starting pitchers, which I’d call the strength of this year’s free agent class. That’s good news for the Braves, who probably need to add at least two this offseason with so much uncertainty surrounding the rotation.

Tarik Skubal would be a dream, but let’s nip that one in the bud real quick: not happening.

I’d file Freddy Peralta at that price under the same category. Michael King will probably be too pricey for the Braves’ liking as well, but everybody else is well within the realm of possibility.

Trevor Rogers at three years, $64 million would be an absolute steal. I think he’s the second-best starting pitcher in this entire free agent class.

Clay Holmes on a two-year deal is something that would probably interest the Braves, reuniting him with his former pitching coach, Jeremy Hefner.

A couple of arms I don’t think Alex Anthopoulos targets are Casey Mize and Robbie Ray. He could have had either one at the trade deadline and opted to pass, and given how they performed with their new teams, I don’t see the Braves turning around and paying them around $20 million a year for multiple seasons.

Kevin Gausman or Shane Bieber on a one-year deal is right up the Braves’ alley in terms of how they typically operate. But one name I was surprised not to see here is Tyler Mahle. He’s certainly a better option than a handful of names on this list — and one the Braves hope to retain this offseason.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

He went 2-for-4 for Tiburones de La Guaira of the Venezuelan Winter League and told reporters afterward he’s just there to get reps after missing all of last season.

It’s the first anyone has seen of Profar since the ban. Ronald Acuña Jr. said on his podcast that Profar essentially ghosted everyone in the organization after he left — which only hardens the case that he has no business sticking around.

The Braves owe Profar $15 million next season whether he plays or not, and that’s the one wrinkle keeping this from being completely open-and-shut — something Alex Anthopoulos acknowledged earlier this offseason.

“We’re going to have to sit and talk internally just across the board about the whole thing,” said Anthopoulos, via Jesus Cano of The Athletic. “It wasn’t productive (at the time of his suspension). There was no point at that moment in time because it wasn’t changing, right? He was gone for the year, and we had spring training to take care of. This is now the time to have those discussions.”

Atlanta is a club built around value, and strictly on that axis, cutting Profar doesn’t add up. Even a handful of useful moments in 2027 beats $15 million going completely to waste.

But this is also an organization that prides itself on culture, and keeping Profar around would send a brutal message to the teammates his cheating screwed over. The front office has to decide which matters more — and those conversations shouldn’t take long.

There’s no way the Braves can let Jurickson Profar stick around for another season. Money be damned. He cheated, lied about it, and left the organization holding the bag two years in a row. There’s no rectifying that. The $15 million is already gone — a sunk cost — and the sooner Atlanta treats it like one, the better.

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Photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto

On that list were Mauricio Dubon and Raisel Iglesias, both of whom the Braves should be very interested in bringing back at the right price.

Mauricio Dubon

Jim Bowden’s contract projection: 2 years, $16 million

Given the numbers Dubon has posted over his career, $16 million over two years is probably a fair-ish deal. But this game isn’t always about numbers — even if that’s what the analytics freaks would have you believe. Teams around the league are going to value Dubon’s ability to fill in with Gold Glove defense literally all over the diamond, along with his championship pedigree.

Also important to remember: there’s no better time for Dubon to hit free agency. He doesn’t have an ounce of competition at shortstop, so any team looking for an upgrade will be calling his agent first, which is going to lead to a bidding war of sorts.

I don’t expect it to get out of hand, but Dubon has averaged more than 2.0 WAR over the last four seasons and is a beloved clubhouse presence who’ll do whatever it takes to win. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t get at least $20 million this offseason, maybe even closer to $30 million.

Raisel Iglesias

Jim Bowden’s contract projection: 1 year, $17 million

This projection is basically exactly what Iglesias signed for a year ago to stay with the Braves, bumping his salary by $1 million. Coming off the first All-Star appearance of his career in 2026, there very easily could be some teams interested at this price point.

Will the Braves be one of them? This feels like a situation where there’ll be mutual interest in Iglesias returning, but with Robert Suarez in the fold and Iglesias turning 37 next season, $17 million is a considerable commitment — even for just one year. I’m not saying the projection isn’t fair. I’d just be a little surprised if it were the Braves who signed him for that much.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

They’re 3-4, which doesn’t exactly scream “championship contender.” But they’re also just a half-game back of the Panthers for first place in the NFC South, 3-2 with Michael Penix Jr. under center, and set to get star pass rusher James Pearce Jr. back in a couple of weeks.

There’s certainly a case to be made for Atlanta to buy ahead of the deadline, but that’s not what this piece is about. Over at Fox Sports, they put together a list of trade candidates for all 32 NFL teams, and the name mentioned alongside the Falcons was cornerback Mike Hughes.

“Atlanta’s still in strong contention in the NFC South, so don’t expect the Falcons to deal core pieces away,” Greg Auman writes. “But trading Hughes for even a pick swap would clear a path for second-round rookie Aveion Terrell to step into a larger role. Terrell only has six tackles in his first five games, and Hughes is a reliable veteran who started 27 games over the last two years. Perhaps once A.J. Terrell is back from his groin injury, Atlanta will be comfortable dealing Hughes to get both brothers on the field together.”

Auman is right that the Falcons aren’t going to send out any meaningful pieces at this year’s deadline. This is an organization that knows it isn’t a championship contender just yet, but it also knows it hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2017 season — and it has a golden opportunity to change that this year. That’s not something they’re going to pass up.

That said, there won’t be many Falcons fans mourning the loss of Mike Hughes. He’s been BBQ chicken all season, and with C.J. Henderson stepping up, Hughes’ starting job is likely a thing of the past once the secondary is fully healthy.

I still find a trade like this unlikely, for a couple of reasons. For starters, the secondary hasn’t been 100% healthy for a single game this season, and as I like to say, cornerbacks are like pitchers in baseball: you can never have enough of them. Plus, are we sure Mike Hughes brings back much of anything in return? I highly doubt it, which means the Falcons are probably better off keeping him around for depth purposes.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Yara and Nathan return, bloody but unbowed, to review the Georgia Bulldogs’ 27-24 loss to the Auburn Tigers.Are there feelings? Yes. Are there stats? Absolutely. And the dynamic duo make the case using those stats tha…maybe losing a rivalry game in quirky fashion once a decade isn’t the end of the world? Yes indeed they do. And they also note that:

• Sometimes you run the truck song, other times the truck song runs over you.
• It was actually a great day in Athens, in every way apart from the result.

• What transpired was a series of unfortunate events, except without Neil Patrick Harris, instead starring Gunner Stockton in the role of the forgotten orphan.

• To reiterate: we’re not saying it was a fluke. But, statistically speaking, it was kind of a fluke. 

• The middle eight: still important to the outcome of college football games.

• [Kansas 8 track plays over the stereo]…How long? How long? How long to the point of know return?

All that and a lot more to salve your wounded Bulldog soul. As always pretty please like, subscribe, and patreonize the show on your podcasting medium of choice. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!!

No Bulldog football?

No problem. It’s the most consequence-free Saturday of the year. While the Red and Black rest up and ready themselves for the World’s Largest Indoor Cocktail Party in Atlanta next week, you get to enjoy another day of fine midseason college football action. It’s a big day for games that matter in conference title races and for some teams’ CFP playoff hopes.

The noon slate includes Indiana traveling to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan coming off that tough loss to Ohio State. The Wolverines have experienced a week of turmoil with Bryce Underwood benched in favor of Tommy Carr, the grandson of legendary Wolverine coach Lloyd Carr.

In the SEC, the The Bayou Bengals of Lawsuit State University travel to the Loveliest Little Post-apocalyptic crater on the Plains to take on the Auburn Tigers (ABC). I expect the Cajun Tigers to remind the semi-illiterate Tigers how hard it is to win in the SEC consistently. You can also catch the Skycast+ broadcast of this one on SEC Network.

If you’re a fan of quality ACC football (no, not actually an oxymoron, we swear) you can turn over to the CW and catch Cal at SMU. Yes, Cal-Berkeley at SMU in Dallas is an Atlantic Coast Conference game. No, we’re not joking. Also not joking about the quality, as two competent, fun offenses square off.

We’ll be back later with a separate thread for a solid afternoon/evening slate. Until then…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

I could use an off week. I don’t know about you, but the last 3 Georgia games have not been easy to consume. (Okay, the 2H of Vandy was fairly smooth going down, but it took a while to get there). I may not be as bruised and battered as the Bulldog players, but I don’t see them with a corporate job, a mortgage, yard and house maintenance, food to cook, and be an Uber driver for kids. Let’s just say it’s not comparable.

Being a fan ain’t easy, and being a Georgia Bulldog fan has never been easy on the cardiovascular and digestive systems. So this off week comes at a very opportune time for all. With that in mind, I will allay the regular weekly Munsoning and remind myself why this weekend I can wear my heart rate monitor without fear of it alerting the paramedics of an impending medical emergency.

1. The Bulldog defense won’t miss dozens of tackles. No mobile quarterbacks to slip out of the backfield and elude sacks and TFLs.
2. Peyton Woodring won’t miss a field goal due to crappy field conditions or a FG unit that isn’t completely set and focused on the task at hand.
3. No balls will be thrown to someone attending another college or university (or Auburn), and no balls will be dropped to the ground, subject to the whims of a prolate spheriod made of pigskin amidst large powerful men covered with protective equipment engaged in physical combat.

It doesn’t just extend to me and you, the fans. The refs will have a break too, and can wash their well-used penalty flags. I’m sure they are tired of throwing their laundry on the field every time a deep ball is thrown and Ellis Robinson or Demello Jones is in coverage.

The stats and graphics staff on the broadcast team can take it easy, not having to worry if they forgot to push the Georgia Bulldog record against unranked teams graphic onto our screens.

What concerns are you freed of, thanks to the off week? Is it less shopping and logistics for a tailgate you don’t have to prep? Finally having time to take care of that leaky drain or clogged gutter that’s been bugging you? Maybe it is the chance to eliminate guilt from not spending quality time with family or some friends. Whatever it is, enjoy a Saturday where your Georgia Bulldogs can’t ruin your week because of an inexplicable loss.

Then again, these games are few and fleeting. And watching the ‘Dawgs play football is always a good thing, even when it’s bad. So as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!

It’s 6:00 am Athens standard time. Have you hated the Florida Gators today?

If not, what exactly are you waiting for?

It’s the hatingest week of college football season for those of us in the very specific demographic of “UGA fans raised below the gnat line in the 1990s and who consequently enjoy wiping that smug smile off Steve Spurrier’s smug face.”

It’s Florida week. And I hate those guys.

The Bulldogs will be traveling up to Atlanta rather than down to Jacksonville to review hostilities with the Gators this year. The Florida Times Union has a rundown of what fans going up for the game can expect. That seems fair, given that Gator fans don’t really have a lot of experience traveling to the Benz for SEC Championship games.

Georgia opens as a 10.5 point favorite over the Saurians, who have been one of the most unpredictable teams in America this season. That’s borne out in the Gators’ midseason report card from the staff at Swamp247. The Lizards have looked really, really good when they’ve looked good. But they’ve also looked really bad at times. Offensively they have struggled to run the ball against physical front sevens. Defensively, they’ve struggled in the secondary. Like Georgia, a lot of their effectiveness has hinged on who is available to play in any given week. But then, that’s just been life for everyone in the SEC this season.

On the recruiting trail, Georgia picked up a pledge Sunday from a fast-rising 2027 quarterback who is no stranger to bright lights on or off the field. Bo Bryan, the son of country music star and rabid Bulldog fan Luke Bryan picked the Bulldogs over offers from, well, not a lot of elite teams. Bryan’s other publicly reported offers were from North Alabama, UT-Martin, and Austin Peay. The 6’1, 200 pound senior took over at Nashville’s Battle Ground Academy this season, playing under well-known high school coach Bobby Bentley.

In his first and only year as a starter Bryan has completed 73.5% of his passes for 2006 yards, 30 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions.In short, he takes care of the football but can air it out when he needs to. That’s the kind of thing Mike Bobo loves. Also, Bryan has been a diehard Bulldog fan since he could walk, and probably doesn’t need a big NIL commitment. Can’t hurt in this day and time, right?

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Another week of carnage and mayhem in the SEC is behind us. It was a lot, but that’s won’t stop us from trying to put it all in perspective for every team in the span of a capital letter to a period. Yes, it’s the SEC in a Sentence.

Alabama: Crimson Tide fans continue to miss the days when a double digit win at home over Texas A&M provoked boredom rather than relief.

Arkansas: Arkansas heads to Missouri fresh off a bye week with a one game winning streak and Ryan Silverfield still at the helm, which is not something that was a certainty in mid-September.

Auburn: I’m sorry, I still can’t believe we lost to that team.

Florida: It’s fine, I’m sure Gunner Stockton will turn it over three times two weeks in a row, because that’s a thing that’s happened a lot.

Georgia: Can the Bulldogs put Auburn in the rearview and play within themselves in a game that perpetually screams for players to try to do too much?

Kentucky: “There’s an actual chance that Georgia and Kentucky could meet in the SEC Championship Game with the Wildcats a slight favorite” is one of a thousand completely true things you could have told me in 1998 that would have seemed preposterous at the time, right up there with “of course the backwards ball cap guy from MTV’s Road Rules is the current Secretary of Transportation!”

LSU: Don’t look now, but the Bayou Bengals could be coming off a bye week with the chance to knock Alabama and/or Texas out of the playoff picture.

Mississippi State: Will get their crack at the Longhorns before LSU, and amazingly don’t need a win to feel comfortable about bowl eligibility.

Missouri: 2026 Missouri is 2026 Florida for people who prefer their shirts with sleeves and their shoes with closed toes.

Oklahoma: Looked surprisingly competent once again in a tidy dispatching of Mississippi State on the road, but let’s not make a big deal about it just yet.

Ole Miss: 5-2 Ole Miss may be the SEC team I am most confident will be in the College Football Playoff, which both says something about the vicious parity that has gripped the conference and the vicious self-doubt that has gripped me ever since Gunner Stockton ran heedlessly into Drew Bobo’s unmissably large backside last Saturday.

South Carolina: It feels weird that I’m actually a little worried about South Carolina in the way I used to often be a little worried about South Carolina, and despite the familiarity I really, really don’t like it.

Tennessee: It’s okay, I’m told that many of the best teams of our generation have lost 27-24 on a walk-off field goal after a big win over Alabama.

Texas: The line between “Arch willed us to victory once again!” and “Arch very nearly cost us a winnable football game” is a thin one that zigzags jaggedly across the Lone Star State like the Brazos after a flood.

Texas A&M: Welp, back to the drawing board!

Vanderbilt: In a conference full of change and uncertainty it’s reassuring that Vanderbilt is back to needing an improbable series of late season upsets to have a chance of making a bowl game, almost like slipping into an old sweater and a comfy pair of slippers on a chilly evening.

Welcome to Tuesday, Bulldog fans! And welcome to Tuesday of Hate Week, that of loathing all things reptilian, jortian, mulletian, and boogerian. So how does one reconcile our moral foundations with the role of healing divided societies?

F* it. It’s Georgia Florida. The World’s Largest Outdoor Luxury Sport Saloon Car Cocktail Party. Let it flow freely through you. If you don’t believe me, just look up the origins of Dark Mark Richt – a finer Christian man you will never find, but he knew when to let loose.

In the opening remarks of Head Football Coach Kirby Smart’s press conference Monday, he mentioned familiarity with both coordinators on Florida Coach Jon Sumrall’s staff. He specifically called out OC Buster Faulkner, speaking fondly of his offensive mind, scheme, and how proud and happy he was for him as his career has progressed. That’s all well and good Kirby, but you know he left UGA, went to Tech, before going to Florida, right? I mean, we have to draw the line somewhere, especially in this week of one-thousand suns-fueled hate (also fueled by another one-thousand suns).

The Bulldogs trip to Oxford November 7 was always going to be a big game, and was made even moreso by pre-season rankings. Then the shine came off a little when Ole Miss was run over by Florida in the swamp a month ago. But add in Georgia inexplicably gaffing up at home against Auburn, and almost the entirety of the mid-October top 10 teams also choking down an L, and suddenly the game has regained a lot of lustre. And as such, the welcomed overlords who decide things have made Georgia vs. the Rebels the 7:30 pm ET game on ABC. Great.

At least Ole Miss is also dealing with the grueling _8-game 9-game SEC schedule. And the Rebels will be without one of their most important weapons, as RB and athlete Kewan Lacy is expected to miss significant time dealing with a shoulder dislocation.

Let’s get back to hating Gators, shall we? Did you know they eat boogers? Sources say so, and that they wear jorts as a matter of fashion and not just necessity.

Is Georgia going to prepare for Yellow Jacket turned Gator QB Aaron Philo? Or Billy Napier holdover Trammel Jones? One put Ole Miss into the Swamp turf, the other beat Texas on the 40 acres. And UF head coach Sumrall is keeping mum on who wil get the start and how much each will play. Depending on news later this week, this might affect some Things To Worry About Florida.

Maybe just as important is who will be receiving passes from the unknown football thrower. And it appears Florida might be including the services of top wideout VB3 -Vernon Brown III. Though he’s missed the last 3 games, he still leads the team in yards per reception and yards per game receiving. #1 in some horrible combination of blue and orange is defintely a threat to a battered Bulldog defense.

Off weeks for both teams have fortunately left us bereft of significant team news. Neither team suffered quality player losses from the fortnight, neither seemingly bore the wrath of ACCPD E-bike patrolpersons. And because the NCAA is feckless, neither worries about academic progress. Yet the sentiment remains the same, and forgive me if you’ve heard this before…

Gators Eat Boogers!!! And GO ‘DAWGS!!!

AP Poll

1. Miami
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Indiana
5. Notre Dame
6. Utah
7. UCLA
8. BYU
9. Kentucky
10. Alabama
11. Texas
12. Ole Miss
13. Texas Tech
14. Wake Forest
15. LSU
16. Tennessee
17. Florida
18. Houston
19. SMU
20. Boise State
21. Northwestern
22. Arizona
23. Missouri
24. Oklahoma State
25. Wisconsin

Georgia Update

Georgia had their customary bye week before the Cocktail Party against #17 Florida.

Despite being on a bye, Georgia rose to #3 in the AP Poll.

Newcomers

#25 Wisconsin

Dropped Out

#15 Iowa,

Ranked Matchups

#3 Georgia vs. #17 Florida

#22 Arizona at #13 Texas Tech

Upset Alert

Oregon is reeling and just fired their offensive coordinator, yet they remain a 3.5 point favorite at home against Northwestern. Give me that Chip Kelly Northwestern offense coming into Eugene and knocking off the Ducks.

Back during the very lean years of the Ray Goff era in Athens, a certain revered columnist for the Macon Telegraph joked in a weekly prediction column that Georgia would lose to “Open” during its upcoming bye week.

Thankfully, those years have passed by, and the outlook for Georgia during open weeks for what is ahead is much brighter.

And if what happened across college football is any indicator, saddle up and get ready for a wild five weeks on the way to the postseason.

1. First of all, this week is going to feel odd. I’m sure some ambitious Georgia fans could head down Tuesday to hang out on Fernandina Beach and leave at O’Dark Thirty Saturday to get to Atlanta for Georgia-Florida, but it still would not be the same. Sure, this is a game to get excited about, but placing it inside a sterilized Mercedes-Benz Stadium just does not say much to the way to thrilling college football atmosphere. At least next year in Tampa will be a place where Georgia fans have not traveled to since the days of the Outback Bowl. It’s also a reminder of the swing-and-miss of this game not being put on campus for two years, but that’s a point that’s been hammered into the ground ten-feet under.

2. At this point with the craziness of each week of college football, just getting to the CFP will be an accomplishment. Its become every bit of a survival mode each week. The 2007 college football season’s chaos was something that you felt could not be topped, but that may already be on the way to being surpassed this year.

3. I’m not sure who Georgia should worry more about – South Carolina or Ole Miss. You already know what Trinidad Chambliss can do, and the performance by Georgia against Byrum Brown’s mobility should cause some concern on that front. But if Lanorris Sellers can do similar to what he did against Tennessse on Saturday? That stands to be dicey, especially if its a night kickoff in Coumbia, and place that has at times been a house of horrors for Georgia.

4. On the note of South Carolina’s win, it also highlights this – as even as things are in the SEC, you cannot make multiple mistakes and win – yes, we are looking at you, Tennessee multiple touchdowns being called back. Or to quote Kirby Smart: “The dogs can’t beat the dogs.”

5. Speaking of the Palmetto State, Clemson is every bit of mediocre. That should sum up how silly any existing discourse is about Kirby Smart post-national title vs. Dabo Swinney.

6. At this point, Georgia Tech is bad that Clean Old-Fashioned Hate is going to be aired in between Bluey episodes on Disney Plus.

7. At this point, Lincoln Riley might be the next USC coach to get a tarmac firing. Losing to Oregon is one thing. Losing to Wisconsin, even if the Badgers are more respectable than they were in preseason is a whole other dynamic.

8. If the college football gods have a sense of humor, one of the conference’s at-best, average of time teams, Kentucky will be in the last SEC title game. It’ll be a week looking back of iconic plays and moments canonized in college football history, and right alongside of it will be Kentucky. There is irony, of course, in that this all goes on when basketball in the Bluegrass State has taken a step back.

9. Assuming Georgia does enough to be a top-four CFP seed, odds are very good that it’d mean a Chick-fil-A Bowl in the quarterfinal round. But as Georgia fans, and for the sake of the team, would the Rose, Fiesta or Cotton be better? Yes, Kirby Smart would likely prefer Atlanta due to less travel time. But as Georgia fans, Atlanta is not exciting as many times as you have played there.

10. The best draw for anyone in the CFP opening round? Other than a Group of Five team, it has to be Indiana. The Hoosiers look to be good enough snake into the postseason, but that may be their ceiling.

Go Dawgs!

It would be shocking if there were no baseball played at all next season. The sport has too much momentum moving in a positive direction for that to be the outcome, but some missed games are on the table, and that would without question have a significant effect on free agency.

Still, these players have to sign somewhere, and the Braves have a ton of holes to address — none bigger than the rotation. Atlanta needs both a frontline starter to pair with Chris Sale and depth behind him. If they don’t come away with at least two new starting pitchers this offseason, it’ll be an underwhelming result, one Braves fans are unfortunately used to by now.

Here are some initial thoughts on the starting arms I covet from this year’s free agent class, keeping in mind the Braves are highly unlikely to be a serious landing spot for Tarik Skubal, even if there was interest at the trade deadline.

Trevor Rogers

Rogers is my favorite candidate on this entire list. His surface numbers this season won’t blow anybody away — a 4.03 ERA over 30 starts — but he has nasty stuff, producing a chase rate in the 92nd percentile, and he rarely hands out free passes.

What Rogers could be in Atlanta is much better represented by his 2025, when he piled up 5.3 WAR in just 18 starts. It would be fascinating to see what Jeremy Hefner could turn him into with the Braves.

Sonny Gray

This is probably the 50th time I’ve written about the Braves potentially acquiring Sonny Gray, whether via free agency or trade. They always seem to have interest, but it has yet to come to fruition.

Maybe that changes this offseason. Gray is expected to decline his $30 million mutual option with the Red Sox after another stellar campaign, one in which he recorded a league-leading 18 wins with a 2.72 ERA. That kind of production is going to cost a pretty penny, but Gray seems to find success everywhere he goes.

Clay Holmes

Holmes’ season was essentially cut in half after he was struck by a 111 mph line drive that broke his fibula. But he still made 18 starts between the Cubs and Mets, recording a terrific 3.23 ERA — and that comes after a 3.53 ERA in 2025, his first season starting since he was a rookie in 2018.

He isn’t going to blow opponents away with his stuff, but he keeps hitters off base and really seemed to find his footing with Jeremy Hefner — the Braves’ current pitching coach — while the two were together in New York last year. Starting pitching never comes cheap in free agency, but this is an affordable option the Braves should feel comfortable slotting into the middle of their rotation.

Tyler Mahle

Mahle is among the most intriguing free agents in this entire class because of how his 2026 played out. He gave the Giants next to nothing, posting a 5.13 ERA over 18 starts, but his 1.99 ERA with the Braves and his performances in the postseason are going to have plenty of teams interested.

Mahle has already made it clear he’d like to return to Atlanta, and the interest is surely mutual, but money talks, and the Braves have never been one to get into bidding wars for starting pitching in free agency.

This feels like a case that ultimately comes down to the length of the deal. If another team offers three or four years, my best guess is the Braves let him walk. If it’s a one- or two-year deal, I think he stays.

Michael Soroka

As a Braves fan, one of the better things to watch from afar has been Michael Soroka carving out a nice career for himself after all the injuries he dealt with in Atlanta. He’s coming off his best season since his Braves days, posting a 3.41 ERA and 3.19 FIP over 116 innings, which will likely lead to him opting out of his mutual option with the Diamondbacks and hitting free agency.

The nostalgia alone is enough to sell Braves Country, but even setting that aside, he’d be a tremendous addition to the middle of this rotation at a price point that shouldn’t be ridiculous.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Unfortunately, finding five options is impossible. Hell, finding one is difficult. But I’ll highlight the few that make some semblance of sense if you squint hard enough.

If you missed my section on starting pitchers, follow the link below:

• 5 Free Agents The Braves Should Target: Starting Pitchers

JP Crawford

You should have a sense of just how rough this list is when JP Crawford is leading it off. I’m not even sure you can consider Crawford an everyday shortstop at this point. He was brutal defensively when asked to play the position last year and is overdue for a position change as he approaches his mid-30s.

On top of that, Crawford is coming off one of his worst offensive years as well, hitting .221 with a .687 OPS. This would have been a fun idea a few years ago, but there’s next to no chance the Braves sign him intending to start him at shortstop next season.

Former Braves

• Orlando Arcia
• Nicky Lopez
• Jorge Mateo
• Ha-Seong Kim

—

The list of shortstop free agents is only about ten deep, and it’s basically a reunion of Braves castoffs looking for work. All of these guys started in Atlanta over the last three years, and we know damn well none of them are good enough to come back. Let’s move on.

Mauricio Dubon (Only Option)

Listen, I could write a couple of paragraphs on the possibility of Bo Bichette opting out and becoming an option in Atlanta. But the reality is he’s not really a shortstop anymore defensively, and he’s way out of the Braves’ price range. So even if Bichette does opt out of his deal with the Mets, it’s highly unlikely he’s on his way to Atlanta.

The only free agent option the Braves should be interested in is one of their own. Dubon was excellent defensively this past season when asked to play shortstop, and he offers more than enough at the plate to be a stopgap until the Braves deem one of their prospects ready to take over.

The problem? Every team that needs a shortstop is going to be eyeing Mauricio Dubon. His agent is going to be licking his chops this winter, because sometimes the most important factor in getting paid is the free agent class around you. In Dubon’s case, it’s essentially non-existent. That could make it very difficult for the Braves to retain him, leaving them in an all-too-familiar place at the position — throwing crap at the wall and hoping something sticks.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Ronald Acuña Jr. has one for $17 million in 2027 and another for $17 million in 2028. It’s pretty much a guarantee both get picked up, barring something catastrophic. And while some fans would love to see the Braves field trade calls on the star right fielder after another disappointing postseason, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

This is still one of the most team-friendly contracts in baseball, and he’s under control for two more seasons. The Braves’ best chance of getting back to the top of the mountain is with Acuña, and this isn’t a club interested in rebuilding. Maybe the conversation shifts next winter, but for now I don’t imagine there’s any traction there, even if several teams check in to gauge Atlanta’s interest.

Ozzie Albies’ situation is a different story, as Mark Polishuk points out for MLB Trade Rumors.

“Albies is a bit of a trickier case. He has an 89 wRC+ and a .242/.300/.385 slash line over 1785 PA since Opening Day 2024, with this uninspiring offense combining with so-so glovework to give him a total of 3.8 fWAR over the last three seasons.

“This recent track record notwithstanding, Albies’ salary is small enough that multiple teams would be interested if the Braves shopped him, and some suitors might feel he’d benefit from a change of scenery. Albies is slated for free agency next winter so the Braves could be interested in getting something before Albies leaves…”

The question isn’t really about the Braves picking up Albies’ $7 million option for next season. That much is a foregone conclusion. It’s about whether they’d consider trading him before he potentially walks in free agency next offseason.

While the Braves might be open to the idea, it’s hard to find a path that makes much sense.

Atlanta isn’t going to find a better second baseman for $7 million in free agency. Moving Albies would only open another hole that’s expensive to fill, and this isn’t an organization flush with cash — they already have a ton committed to the 2027 roster.

About the only way it makes sense is as a swap between two teams trying to compete. The Braves can only really move Albies if they fill one of their other glaring holes with a player already proven at the major-league level. Those kinds of trades are always tougher to pull off, and to dampen the scenario even further, I’m not sure the Braves believe Albies is completely cooked.

He was tremendous offensively over the first month of the season, and while those numbers plummeted the rest of the way, he still finished with 22 home runs and an OPS right around .700. That’s well worth $7 million even if he doesn’t improve at all.

The most encouraging signs, though, came during Atlanta’s postseason run. He was the Braves’ best player outside of Michael Harris II, recording six hits and five walks over 30 plate appearances, including two home runs and two doubles.

Albies will be 30 next season. It’s not like he’s pushing 40, he’s a fan favorite, and he’s on a dirt-cheap contract. The Braves would have to be blown away to move on from him — just like they would with Acuña.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The Hawks weren’t a part of that, despite being pegged as an under-the-radar team lurking for the right opportunity to strike. Atlanta had the roster flexibility to do just about whatever it wanted, but instead the front office stayed the course with its young core and added on the margins in the form of Lu Dort and Aaron Wiggins — who on opening night highlighted one of the things that makes this year’s Hawks team so intriguing.

The Hawks Depth Is Real

Look at Atlanta’s bench against the Knicks in the playoffs a season ago: Jonathan Kuminga and really not much else. Now it features two guys who played pivotal roles on an NBA championship team with the Oklahoma City Thunder a couple of years ago, with Dort and Wiggins combining for 24 points as a part of the Hawks’ second unit.

Jock Landale, who missed last year’s series with the Knicks due to injury, added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting to go along with three assists and two rebounds. The Hawks used a nine-man rotation, with rookie eighth overall pick Kingston Flemings seeing the floor for 15 minutes as well. But even the guys we didn’t see — Dorian Finney-Smith, Zuby Ejiofor, Corey Kispert, and Asa Newell — all bring something to the table that will prove valuable over an 82-game season. That’s the kind of depth the Hawks haven’t had in a very long time.

Don’t Forget About Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Sometimes players win Most Improved Player and then fall off a cliff, never to be heard from again. Nickeil Alexander-Walker put everyone on notice from the jump that won’t be the case for him. He was the best player on the floor for the Hawks on opening night, knocking down five of his eight threes and finishing with 31 points — including back-to-back threes in the final 90 seconds that essentially put the game on ice.

Is it possible we see another step forward from him in year two with the Hawks? That’s the kind of development that would have this team’s outlook looking much different later in the season.

Rookies Play Sparingly

The Hawks added two first-round picks this offseason in Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor, who combined to play just 15 minutes and scored a whopping zero points. Ejiofor didn’t even see the floor, and Flemings finished 0-for-5 from the field.

It’s fair to say their impact was underwhelming, but this is a playoff-caliber team with a ton of depth. Both will have to earn their minutes, and it takes time to adjust at this level — just look at the career arc of Trae Young, who struggled early in his rookie season before blossoming into one of the best point guards in the game.

Luckily for these two, the Hawks don’t need them to carry the load. They’ll ease their way into things, and hopefully by midseason both are playing pivotal roles on a team with aspirations of being a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

As we enter Week 8, there are plenty of overrated and underrated teams in the market, along with some strong situational angles to attack. I have four Best Bets this week and a few leans, so let’s get into it.

Locks: 17-8-1

Other Thoughts/Leans: 25-21

Column overall: 42-29-1

North Texas -1.5 @ Navy

My best bet this week is North Texas. I don’t show a ton of value with my ratings — I project North Texas -3 — but laying less than a field goal is good enough for me here.

I love this matchup for North Texas. I’ve faded Navy’s secondary quite a bit this season, and like I thought in the offseason, this defense just isn’t up to standard. Navy gave up 38 points to both FAU and UTSA, two high-powered offenses that attack through the air, and now the Midshipmen have to deal with another one in North Texas.

Neal Brown has done a great job rebuilding a Mean Green program that was left for dead after Eric Morris left for Oklahoma State and took all of the roster with him. North Texas is averaging 42 points per game, and QB Tayven Jackson has been fantastic through the air, averaging more than 300 passing yards per game, third nationally.

They should see very little resistance from a Navy secondary that grades near the bottom of the country in pass defense and ranks #131 nationally in explosiveness allowed. That is a major problem against an offense built to create explosive plays through the air.

North Texas also grades very well in havoc prevention offensively, which should give Jackson a clean pocket and plenty of time to throw. This passing attack has been efficient enough that the Mean Green rank #30 nationally in 3rd & 4th-down success. Even if Navy manages to force some third-and-long situations, UNT has enough explosiveness to rip off chunk plays and keep drives alive.

North Texas’ defense is fine, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. However, it grades out much better against the run than against the pass, which at least lines up reasonably well with what Navy wants to do offensively.

And with the Mean Green coming off a bye, I trust Neal Brown and DC Matt Powledge to find a way to slow this Navy offense down just enough for the offense to lead the way. Brown specifically said his defense has been working on Navy’s offensive concepts through the summer and fall camp, not just during the bye. In a conference that features option-heavy offenses from Navy, Army and now Rice, there is more emphasis than ever on AAC teams knowing how to defend this style.

While North Texas is rested, Navy is playing its fifth straight game and also comes in a little banged up at running back and tight end, thinning out both positions.

This should be a high-scoring game, and bookmakers agree with a total of 62.5. In that type of game, I trust North Texas’ offense much more than Navy’s. UNT is the more explosive team and can score quickly against a Navy defense that has been one of the worst in the country at preventing explosive plays. Navy is built to run the ball, sustain long drives and control possession. But if the Midshipmen get dragged into a shootout and are forced to play catch-up, I don’t trust them to score quickly enough to keep pace.

North Texas has been impressive this season with a brand new roster. The Mean Green were competitive in a Week 1 loss at Indiana, with their only other defeat coming on the road at Texas State. They are right in the middle of the AAC race, and a win here would go a long way toward getting them into the conference championship picture. This Navy team has taken too much of a step back this year, and I’m betting North Texas to outscore them on Saturday and win by more than a field goal.

Duke +2.5 @ Virginia

I’ve faded Duke two weeks in a row and won both times, but now I’m backing Manny Diaz’s Blue Devils as they head to Charlottesville to face a Virginia team that I don’t like the look of right now.

This will be Virginia’s seventh straight week playing, and I’d imagine there is some exhaustion setting in as we reach Week 8. UVA has made two long road trips in the last three weeks, traveling to Tallahassee and then to Dallas to face SMU. Now, after flying back from Dallas, UVA has to regroup for a short-week Friday night game.

When some people look at Virginia, they may still be thinking about that beatdown of NC State in Week Zero, but Tony Elliott’s team has looked completely different recently. As road favorites, Virginia managed only seven points in a blowout loss at Florida State. Then, as two-touchdown home favorites, the Cavaliers were lucky to escape Syracuse, who played most of the second half with its fourth-string quarterback because of a slew of injuries. Virginia still won by only three. And last week at SMU, this offense managed just 13 points. Even Elliott acknowledged that Virginia has struggled to find an offensive rhythm in recent weeks.

I’m not trusting this offense right now, especially on a short week against a good Duke defense. Virginia wants to run first, but Duke will make that difficult. The Blue Devils rank second in the ACC in total defense and allow only 92.5 rushing yards per game.

Virginia has looked much more vulnerable when it has been forced away from the run and has to rely on Beau Pribula to consistently make plays through the air. In a loss to West Virginia, the Cavaliers couldn’t keep pace once the game became more pass-heavy, and the same thing happened in the 38-7 loss at Florida State when Virginia fell behind and had to move away from its preferred run-first approach.

Duke is good enough defensively to hold Virginia’s running game in check, and if the Blue Devils can force Pribula into obvious passing situations, I don’t trust him to consistently beat this defense from the pocket.

There’s also a tempo element that favors Duke. Against SMU, Virginia had only around eight offensive possessions. Duke plays slowly, ranking #112 nationally in seconds per play, so another low-possession game could magnify every failed Virginia drive and make it even harder for the Cavaliers to create separation.

On the other side, Duke’s offense can take advantage of Virginia’s defensive weaknesses: stopping the run and preventing explosive plays. Duke has been very successful running the ball behind Nate Sheppard, who has played his way into the top tier of ACC running backs. I expect him to have another strong game against a Virginia defense that ranks near the bottom of the country in both rushing defense and rushing success allowed.

And if Virginia sells out to slow Sheppard, Duke QB Walker Eget is more than comfortable attacking through the air. Eget came from San Jose State, where he played in the Spartans’ “spread-and-shred” offense that was built around pushing the ball downfield. Virginia ranks bottom 20 in the country in preventing explosive plays, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Duke rip off some chunk gains, whether it comes from Eget’s arm or Sheppard’s legs.

Injuries are a concern for a Virginia secondary that is banged up. Starting corner Omillio Agard is out for the season, while key players Corey Costner, Brandyn Hillman and Ethan Minter are also out for this game.

The Blue Devils should be able to ride Sheppard and Eget to offensive success, while Virginia’s offense has looked sluggish for several weeks. Manny Diaz is an excellent defensive mind, and he already beat Tony Elliott last year in the ACC Championship Game. Add in the short week, Virginia’s recent travel, and a banged-up defense that may be running on fumes, and I think this is a very good spot for Duke.

My ratings project this game as a pick’em. I wish I could get +3, but I like the matchup enough to take the points with Duke, who will win outright in Charlottesville.

Minnesota +7 vs Iowa

I’ll take the full touchdown with Minnesota at home in the Floyd of Rosedale rivalry. I’ve been fading Iowa for most of the season, to varying degrees of success, and I continue to be lower on them than the market. My ratings make this Iowa -3, so I think the market is giving the Hawkeyes too much credit.

This is a classic buy-low, sell-high spot. Both teams are off bye weeks, with Iowa ranked, coming off a convincing win over Washington and getting some playoff buzz. Meanwhile, Minnesota was embarrassed by Purdue before the bye and now returns home rested, and with revenge after losing this game 41-3 last season. Iowa is getting a lot of praise for its wins over Michigan and Washington, but let’s not forget Minnesota has also beaten both teams, and was much more convincing beating the Wolverines than Iowa was.

It’s a very low total sitting around 40.5, so laying a full touchdown on the road with Iowa’s offense is asking a lot. Minnesota probably won’t have much success trying to establish the run. The Gophers rank near the bottom of the country in rush success, while Iowa’s run defense is elite. But Minnesota’s offense is much more productive through the air than people may realize, averaging 236.5 passing yards per game, and that happens to be the weaker part of Iowa’s defense. The Hawkeyes rank near the bottom nationally in preventing explosive passes, and even their own coverage has questioned whether the secondary can hold up when teams are forced to throw, like we saw in the Ohio State game.

On the other side, Iowa’s offense may have trouble exploiting Minnesota’s defensive weaknesses. The Gophers are excellent at creating havoc and have been good on third and fourth downs. The Hawkeyes rank #102 in rush success, so if Minnesota can eliminate the explosive runs and force Iowa to sustain long drives, that’s a major win for the Gophers defense.

That is exactly the type of game Minnesota is more comfortable playing. The Gophers have struggled against faster, more explosive offenses like Mississippi State and Purdue, but they have looked much better against slower, physical teams. We already saw them thrive in a similar spot earlier this season when they were a touchdown home underdog against Michigan and won outright.

I worry about Minnesota’s offensive line, which has been really poor and is a major reason the run game has struggled. If Iowa gets ahead early and makes the Gophers one-dimensional through the air–although that’s a Minnesota strength–the Hawkeyes can focus on the pass and turn up the pressure on Drake Lindsey to get in the backfield.

However, all the pressure is on Iowa here. The Hawkeyes are the ranked team, the road favorite and the team everyone is buying. Minnesota is the rested home underdog with revenge on its mind. I think these teams are much closer than the spread suggests, and I completely disagree with Vegas basically saying Iowa is nine or ten points better on a neutral field. No way. In a low-scoring rivalry game, I want the full touchdown with the Gophers, who will test overrated Iowa.

New Mexico -3.5 vs North Dakota State

I’ll lay the points with the Lobos in one of the biggest G6 games of the season. My ratings make this New Mexico -6, and I’m going to trust my number.

NDSU has roared into the FBS with plenty of early success, but it has come against a weak schedule. Wins over Jacksonville St, Sacramento St, Wyoming and Nevada are not the same caliber of opponent the Bison will see this weekend. When NDSU stepped up in class on the road at UNLV, the offense managed only seven points in a loss. Now the Bison make another long road trip, this time to roughly 5,100 feet of elevation in Albuquerque and what should be a strong home atmosphere.

New Mexico won 21-10 last week at Hawaii, a tough spot to play. Meanwhile, NDSU’s 31-17 win over Nevada was much more misleading. The Bison fell behind 11-0 before returning a missed field goal 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the first half, then added a 74-yard defensive PAT return. Those are two massive fluke plays that made the final look much more comfortable than the actual game, which was pretty evenly played.

This matchup features two of the best defenses in the country, but I give the edge to New Mexico. The Lobos rank #2 nationally in defensive success rate, and I think NDSU’s offense will have a difficult time consistently sustaining drives. NDSU’s defense is legitimate too, but over the course of the game I trust New Mexico’s offense more to create scoring opportunities.

Turnovers could also be huge. New Mexico has been elite at forcing turnovers and is the only team in the country with multiple takeaways in every game this season. NDSU has lived comfortably with a positive turnover margin, but now has to face the best takeaway defense in the country on the road in a hostile environment. In what should be a low-scoring game where every possession matters, one or two short fields could be the difference.

There are some concerns with this bet. The total is only around 41.5, so I don’t love laying more than a field goal. New Mexico is also without Jaxton Eck, its best defensive player and probably the best in the Mountain West. The Lobos looked fine without him last week at Hawaii, but NDSU presents a much tougher test.

One thing I do like is coach Jason Eck’s familiarity with the Bison. During his time at South Dakota State, Eck went 4-4 in eight Dakota Marker games against NDSU after the Jackrabbits had previously lost eight straight in the rivalry.

I’m a big fan of Jason Eck, who will be on to a Power 4 job very soon, and I still think NDSU is slightly overrated because of the schedule it has faced. This should be a grinder, but I trust New Mexico’s defense and home-field advantage. And with my power ratings showing value, I’m betting New Mexico at anything -4 or better.

Other Thoughts/Leans

Virginia Tech @ Clemson, under 49.5 — Clemson’s offense has struggled against better competition in 2026. Now they’ll get James Franklin and Brent Pry’s defense, which has been elite at forcing havoc and getting in the backfield. The Tigers have had two weeks to prepare though, after a Bye week and then beating FCS Charleston Southern. This defense should come out firing and I expect a cagey game in Death Valley.

Rutgers +17 @ Northwestern — The Wildcats have some real buzz to them right now, but this is a bad spot. After a bye week in Week 2, the Cats are playing 11 consecutive weeks. And now they’re off a highly emotional win over old coach Pat Fitzgerald, while also looking ahead to huge matchups against Oregon, Iowa, and Ohio State. This is as close to a bye week as they’ll get the rest of the season. Rutgers has an offense that can score points, and that’s enough for me when betting a big underdog. Throw in the fact that NW is dealing with some key injuries on both sides of the ball — including three starters in the secondary and their best TE — and I think Rutgers can keep this close.

Southern Miss +11 vs Louisiana — Here’s some trash. I only project this around -5 for the Cajuns. Southern Miss has been competitive recently, while Louisiana is off a really misleading big win against Troy where they benefited from tons of turnover variance. The Golden Eagles can move it enough through the air to stick around here.

UCF +9.5 vs BYU — I had to grab this look ahead line for a spot I’ve had circled since the summer. BYU comes off their huge emotional win vs Notre Dame, and now has to fly to sunny, warm Orlando for a game against UCF, who’s off a bye week. The stats don’t say a lot of good things for UCF, but I imagine the slow tempo and physical defenses will rule this low-scoring game. I’m grabbing the points at anything above a touchdown.

Georgia Tech -4 vs Boston College — BC is riding high after a nice win against Pitt last weekend. But that game was at home, Pitt was on their backup QB, and BC had a bye week to prepare. Now the Eagles head to Atlanta to face what should be a much healthier Georgia Tech team looking to rebound after a competitive loss at Virginia Tech. Tech almost lost to BC last year and survived on a last-second field goal. That should have Brent Key’s attention, and for a team that only has one win so far against Power 4 competition, I think the Jackets will be locked in.

Central Michigan +2.5 vs Miami-Ohio — I have CMU favored here and will gladly fade Miami-OH on the road, who just haven’t looked very competent recently amidst some QB injuries. The Redhawks lost to Bowling Green, were lucky to win against UMass, and got a bunch of favorable bounces last week to beat Akron. This is the first time Chuck Martin is facing Matt Drinkall at CMU, who runs an option-style offense that can be hard to prepare for.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Two spots, though, have been problem areas year after year — shortstop and left field — and it’s imperative they find answers there, or it’s hard to imagine any result other than the one we just witnessed a few weeks ago against the Dodgers.

Of the two, shortstop is undoubtedly the tougher to fix. Mauricio Dubon is far and away the best free agent available at the position this offseason, and while the Braves would love to have him back, the competition for his services will be stiff — and it’s not as if he’d be an upgrade. Bringing Dubon back would only maintain the status quo, which isn’t going to get the Braves where they want to go.

If Alex Anthopoulos wants to add an impact player at shortstop, it will have to come via trade — which is why Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report is predicting the Braves swing big for Zach Neto.

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Atlanta Braves: A Trade for a Shortstop
Prime Target: Los Angeles’ Zach Neto (three years of arbitration eligibility, estimated at $9.8M in 2027)

If they manage to re-sign Mauricio Dubón, never mind. Atlanta’s primary trade block focus at that point would be adding a starting pitcher who might actually be able to stay healthy. As is, though, Jim Jarvis is the leader in the clubhouse for the starting shortstop gig on Opening Day, and he posted a .564 OPS before spending the final six weeks of the regular season at Triple-A Gwinnett. Dating back to July 2022, though, the Braves have made 13 trades with the Angels, and maybe they can go back to that well to snag Zach Neto.

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For years, it was impossible to predict which direction the Angels were heading. It was overwhelmingly evident they didn’t have the pieces to compete, yet they refused to trade away the good players they had and commit to a rebuild.

That appears to be changing under new leadership. They dealt away a slew of pieces at the trade deadline, and I’d expect that to continue this offseason, with Zach Neto being one who’s going to garner interest across the league.

Neto is everything the Braves have been looking for at shortstop. He’s a player who’ll give you 25 homers, 5-plus WAR, and a .770 OPS every season — someone the Braves would have to spend $200-plus million on in free agency.

Instead, they can get him for the next three seasons at a fraction of the price. The catch: the prospect capital it will take to acquire him will be monstrous.

The Braves have done a really good job rebuilding their farm system over the last couple of years, and they have several intriguing shortstop prospects in Tate Southisene, John Gil, and Alex Lodise. But none of them are even close to major-league ready, and the odds any one of them becomes even half the player Neto has become are minuscule. Hell, the odds any of them can even handle shortstop at the major-league level are pretty low, as we’ve seen recently with guys like Vaughn Grissom and Nacho Alvarez.

Neto is a needle-mover, a player who would have the Braves immediately looking like a championship contender again. You have to wonder how much longer this front office can keep kicking this glaring need down the road, hoping an answer appears out of thin air. One would like to think they’ve learned their lesson, but this is a stubborn group, led by Alex Anthopoulos, that isn’t too concerned with what the outside world believes.

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Photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto

I’m not sure what the NFL has against Atlanta, but the schedule-makers have put this team through the wringer to start the season. The Falcons just played the Ravens and Bears, two teams almost certainly headed to the playoffs. Now they get the undefeated San Francisco 49ers — and in fact, three of the next five teams on the schedule are currently undefeated. Sandwiched in between is a trip to Madrid to face Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Even after that stretch, it’s not as if a couple of cupcakes are waiting around the corner. The Falcons then face Detroit before heading on the road to play one of the league’s surprises in the 4-2 Browns — a highly emotional contest with Kevin Stefanski returning to face his former team.

Frankly, it would be a miracle if the Falcons came out of that stretch with a real shot at the playoffs. Which is unfortunate, because when you look at the totality of what’s transpired this season, there have actually been several really positive developments.

Michael Penix Jr. has shown signs of growth

For starters, Cooper Rush didn’t give this team a chance to win over the first two weeks. What happened in those games should basically be thrown out the window. This team with Michael Penix Jr. is 2-2. They beat the Packers and Saints on the road by more than 21 points, and they lost a pair of respectable one-score games to the Ravens and Bears.

Could the team — and Penix specifically — have been better over this four-week stretch? Absolutely.

The Ravens game in particular felt like one that got away, and it’s pretty evident to anyone who’s watched Penix this season what he needs to work on. When he’s not pressured, he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the entire league. Under pressure, he’s no better than Cooper Rush.

Still, it’s important to remember this is his first four games back from a torn ACL in a completely new offense. Growing pains are expected, and even with them, he sits 13th in QBR, throwing six touchdowns to just one interception. That’s a massive step forward for a player who still doesn’t have a full season’s worth of starts under his belt.

A defensive line to build around

When Jalon Walker tore his ACL before the season started, combined with James Pearce Jr.’s eight-game suspension, the feeling from the outside was that the Falcons’ defensive front could revert to its old ways as one of the laughingstocks of the league.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. The moves the Falcons made across the board this offseason have proven brilliant, with Gervon Dexter Sr. and Brandon Dorlus instantly blossoming into one of the best defensive tackle duos in football.

Highest pressure rate among DI this season
(min 100 pass snaps)

Brandon Dorlus 14.0%
Gervon Dexter Sr 13.1%
Byron Murphy II 12.9%
Zach Allen 12.9%
Dexter Lawrence 12.8% pic.twitter.com/h1HdLexieq

— PFF (@PFF) October 22, 2026

Maason Smith has also proven to be an outstanding addition on the interior, giving Atlanta a young defensive core it can build around moving forward, especially once Walker and Pearce return.

Even without those guys, the Falcons rank fifth in pass-rush win rate and second in run-stuff win rate. There are still some holes on that side of the ball that must be addressed, but Atlanta will have a lot of money to do so in the offseason.

Games are won in the trenches, and at least on one side of the ball, the Falcons seem to have it figured out.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Shohei Ohtani is now the face of baseball. Yoshinobu Yamamoto already has a World Series MVP under his belt. Seiya Suzuki will be among the league’s most coveted free agents in this year’s class following five stellar seasons with the Cubs. Kodai Senga was an ace before injuries struck. And most recently, Munetaka Murakami helped turn the Chicago White Sox from a laughingstock into a playoff team in a single season, smacking 35 home runs.

Clubs that fail to do their due diligence on players posted from Japan aren’t ones serious about winning — and there are a couple set to come overseas this offseason who fit two of the Braves’ biggest needs.

Teruaki Sato

Slugging third baseman/outfielder Teruaki Sato could end up being the best offensive free agent signed this offseason. He’s fresh off winning the Triple Crown in Japan, hitting .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBIs to go along with a .991 OPS. That comes after a season in which he mashed 40 home runs and posted a .924 OPS.

For comparison, in his last full season with the Yakult Swallows, Murakami hit 33 home runs with an .851 OPS. Seiya Suzuki hit 38 home runs with a 1.067 OPS before he left, so Sato’s numbers are very comparable to two players who recently made the switch to Major League Baseball and immediately contributed at an All-Star level.

Sato will be 28 next season, so slightly older than Suzuki and Murakami were when they joined MLB. Both of those guys signed very reasonable deals — Suzuki for five years, $85 million, and Murakami for two years, $34 million.

Unfortunately, the Braves — and any other team, for that matter — probably won’t be as lucky this time around. There’s clearly been a hesitancy around the league to throw gobs of cash at players from Japan, particularly ones whose value relies almost exclusively on offensive production. Otherwise, a player like Murakami would have easily signed for north of $100 million.

That fear of missing out should create quite the market for Sato this offseason, and it doesn’t hurt that the list of slugging bats set to test free agency is a very short one. Sato could easily command anywhere from $100-150 million, but if he hits anything like his countrymen, that figure could prove to be a bargain.

Hiromi Itoh

Itoh won the Sawamura Award — essentially the Japanese version of the Cy Young — in 2025, posting a 2.52 ERA over 27 starts. He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, with a fastball that sits in the low-90s and touches 96, but he makes up for it with elite control and a deep arsenal of pitches and grips to keep hitters off balance.

Obviously, in today’s game, where everything is about velocity, there are questions about how Itoh’s success will translate to Major League Baseball. He’s probably more of a mid-rotation arm than an ace, and some even believe he’s better suited for a relief role, where his velocity could tick up over shorter stints.

But whether he’s a starter or a reliever, Itoh should be on the Braves’ radar, because they need both. Atlanta really should be looking to add at least two arms to the rotation, and the bullpen could use just as much help. Raisel Iglesias is set to hit free agency, and the expectation is that the Braves will stretch Didier Fuentes out as a starter to begin next season. Those were Atlanta’s two most valuable relievers this year, and now they need to be replaced.

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Photo: IMAGO / AFLOSPORT

Not many people are giving Atlanta much of a chance, which is more than fair. Kyle Shanahan’s group has looked far and away like the best team in football, with a couple of really impressive wins already over the Rams and Seahawks.

But in this league — especially in the middle of the season — it’s often not about who you play, but when you play them.

This week could be a perfect example. The 49ers enter having played Monday night against the Washington Commanders, meaning they’ll be on a short week and traveling across the country. That’s a massive scheduling edge for the Falcons, who haven’t left home since a road game against the Saints on October 5th.

The 49ers are also dealing with a slew of injuries to key pieces. Mike Evans left Monday night’s game right before halftime with injuries to his ribs and Achilles. He isn’t practicing, and his absence was a big reason the Commanders were able to mount a second-half comeback.

Deebo Samuel also isn’t practicing after missing Monday’s game with a hamstring injury. On the other side of the ball, Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams — two key cogs of the 49ers’ defensive front — aren’t practicing either. Bosa hasn’t played since Week 2, though Shanahan is hopeful that changes this week.

This is how upsets in the NFL are created. Nobody is confusing the Falcons for the better team, but the entire 49ers roster is banged up, and they’re traveling across the country to play an early game for their body clocks on a short week. Atlanta has every reason to be motivated against one of the league’s best, and they should be desperate to avoid dropping another game in the standings.

Over the last several years, the Falcons have been the most unpredictable team in the NFL. They lose to the worst teams but typically show up against the best, beating the Bills and Rams on primetime just last season. This one has all the makings of another upset if Atlanta plays its A-game on Sunday.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Anytime a coach returns to his former home, there’s a little added fire in the bellies of his players — especially with a guy like Morris. He’s a player’s coach, somebody everybody loves playing for. Those guys are going to want to celebrate a win with him in style on the flight back across the country.

And it’s not as if the 49ers need extra motivation. San Francisco’s defense is among the most talented in the league, a stiff test for anyone even when they don’t bring their A-game. Add in the Morris factor — a coach who knows Michael Penix Jr.’s weaknesses as well as anyone — and you get a recipe for some tough sledding come Sunday.

There is one counterpoint to that surface-level read I want to propose, though: who doesn’t know Penix’s strengths and weaknesses at this point?

The book is out across the league. When Penix has a clean pocket, he’s as good as anyone in the game. When he’s under pressure, he’s Desmond Ridder lite. Figuring out Penix isn’t a calculus test at this stage of his career. Get him off his spot, make him uncomfortable, and you’re going to have success as a defensive coordinator against the Falcons.

According to Sharp Football Analysis, the 49ers are blitzing at a 27.4% rate this season — right around the middle of the pack. But I’d expect a sharp uptick in that number this week, especially if San Francisco has trouble getting home with four, which could be the case given Nick Bosa looks unlikely to play again.

That will be the game plan for every defensive coordinator that has to prepare for the Falcons offense, so I’m not sure if Morris’ inside advantage gives him much more of an edge over the rest of the league.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Losing is never a good thing. But could that be a silver lining? There are stories aplenty about championship teams that got a stern awakening in an unexpected loss. This is not to say this team will unquestionably win a national title. But if this team meets very high expectations, the Auburn game could be a turning point.

For coaches like Kirby Smart, who like to simply see players get better, the combo of coming off a loss and an off week could be the sweet spot. Smart’s remarks said as much after Saturday’s loss.

There’s an overused saying on coaching and other places – you’re ‘either growing or decaying.’ and part of that growth is that as big of a letdown as the Auburn loss was, how that can help this team get better.

And that includes game management, as Smart delved into how the mishandled field-goal try could have been done different in the second quarter.

Another big upside of this week? There is no game to prep for in a few days. So in addition to healing up, the chance to what is now called ‘self-scouting’ arises. Georgia’s defense has a good bit more of that to examine via the Tigers.

“One of the glaring things to us is we want to tackle better. We’re higher in missed tackles than we’ve been in years past. That’s a big target area for us. We think missed tackles are up as a whole across college football, so we’re not immune to that. We’re part of that problem, but how do we do it better than they do it? That’s really what we’re trying to do this week. How can we get better incrementally and gain inches? When the margins are tighter, the inches are everywhere.” – Georgia head coach Kirby Smart

Speaking of looking back to Auburn. Many a fan pondered whether or not Gunner Stockton was concussed. Kirby Smart’s retort remains the same as it was just after the loss to Auburn. Stockton himself said the early hit didn’t impact him either. Remember – Stockton nearly turned it over twice against Alabama and was not so lucky last week which begs the bigger question – is Stockton all of a sudden being more loose and fast with the ball than he needs to be? Do you wonder why Kirby Smart seems to go to bat for his current QB more than others? Its because Stockton is perfect for what he feels this team needs – someone who makes the throws and minimizes mistakes. That’s a great plan as long as it works.

The Red & Black as always does a tremendous job covering all things red and black, and this fall is no exception when it comes to the latest on volleyball getting a pair of SEC road wins and women’s soccer ending the regular-season home slate with a shutout.

Tuesday of this week would have been the late, great Lewis Grizzard’s 80th birthday. Many of us for sure wonder about what he’d have to say about well…everything these days. Personally, I’d expect him to make a comment that this feels like the era of the televangelists scandals where he joked about offering not to take a paycheck with the AJC because it was so easy to write about.

Go Dawgs!

Welcome to Tuesday, Bulldog fans! I admit the enthusiasm for attacking this day is lacking, likely the lingering effects of losing to an average Auburn team missing it’s best defender. The reasons for that loss are plain to see: giving the Barners 3 free possessions, extending their drives with huge chunk 15 yard penalties, and most importantly just not executing a game plan as well as they did.

But this is ‘Dawg Bites, news and notes about your Georgia Bulldogs, not deep cut game analysis. Plus you’re probably as sick of reliving Saturday afternoon as I am. So let’s see what we can dig up to discuss:

Fresh on the heels of do-everything Braylon Miller committing to the “G” this weekend, Bulldog DL Coach Tray Scott picked up his own good news. Forsyth, GA native and current Northwest Mississippi CC defensive lineman Christian Mays announced he was decommiting from Tennessee and coming home.

No Monday Kirby Smart press conference because of the off-week, so there’s very little news from the football offices. One can imagine what practice is like on Bloody Tuesday. Perhaps not quite so severe, based on the injuries piling up faster than Auburn students retracting their transfer applications to Grand Canyon University.

So we turn Beyond The Hedges, to the pitch, as the Women’s Soccer team finished the regular season home schedule with a much needed win against Missouri.

The Volleyball team visited Red Stick, and came away with a 5 set victory. The Spike Dawgs are 6-1 in conference, and 14-3 overall, and positioning themselves for a post-season run.

Let’s play 2 (times the normal amount of innings)! . The Georgia baseball team faced Clemson in a fall exhibition Sunday at Foley Field, and ground the visiting Tigers 16-4 over the 18 inning scrimmage. At least some Bulldogs defeated Tigers clad in orange in Athens this weekend.

Women’s Tennis are finishing up a tournament in Quebec before returning to the Empire State of the South, the Men’s Golf team are concluding a tourney in Mississippi, while the Women’s Golf Team are starting an event in Tulsa.

Maybe following one of these teams can distract you from the matzah ball hanging over our collective memories of Saturday. Yet and still, it’s always a great day to be a Georgia Bulldog. So use the off week to start hating Gators early. And as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!

It was probably inevitable after Saturday’s disappointing loss to Auburn that the ‘Dawgs were going to be the focus of the SEC Shorts crew’s razor sharp wit. Fortunately, there’s plenty of schadenfreude to go around after a weekend that was truly unprecedented in college football.

As I said yesterday, at least we’re not Alabama fans. Or Texas fans for that matter. Georgia played a generally decent football game but turned the ball over one time too many to escape. Some other preseason SEC front runners aren’t even sure which direction to run if they wanted to escape against medical advice.

Good morning, Dawgs. Welcome to life among the once defeated. On the bright side, after the wildest weekend in recent college football memory we have plenty of company.

The Red and Black fall to #5 in the AP poll, which seems fair given what other teams did this weekend. A competitive last second loss in a rivalry game sure beats losing by 16 to Tennessee in a game that wasn’t really that close. As well as getting physically dominated by a 3-2 Florida.

SI’s Dean Legge has a good list of the things Georgia needs to do to get back to winning. As Dean notes, the main answer is to get healthier. This loss turned on turnovers and critical penalties. But Auburn stayed in the game in part thanks to rushing yards earned against a dinged up Bulldog defense. And the Athenians couldn’t rescue control of the game because their own run game faltered in some critical situations, again likely due to injuries to Chauncey Bowens (out indefinitely) and Nate Frazier (playing, but clearly not at 100%).

Georgia may not be quite as invincible as we thought after that Alabama win. But if they can get healthy over the bye they’re also definitely not as bad as that Auburn game would lead one to believe.

On the recruiting trail, the Bulldogs picked up a pledge from Newton County athlete Braylon Miller. Miller had been committed to Liberty and is not among the top 100 prospects in America . Heck, he’s not even among the top 100 in the state of Georgia according to the recruiting services. But Miller has been showing out for Newton this season, most recently on Friday night when he took over the game to lead Newton past powerhouse Grayson.

Miller has been making a lot of noise this season, and is one of those late bloomers who will likely rise in the rankings before Signing Day.

Go Dawgs!!!

AP Poll

1. Miami
2. BYU
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Georgia
6. Indiana
7. Ole Miss
8. Texas Tech
9. UCLA
10. Utah
11. Tennessee
12. Kentucky
13. Alabama
14. Houston
15. Iowa
16. USC
17. Wake Forest
18. LSU
19. Texas
20. Florida
21. Boise State
22. Missouri
23. SMU
24. Northwestern
25. Arizona

Georgia Update

It’s a rivalry again. Georgia played uncharacteristically poorly for the majority of the game, leading to their first loss of the season 27-24 against unranked Auburn.

The loss saw the Dawgs slip from #1 to #5 in the AP Poll. They’ll have two weeks to address the poor play ahead of the Cocktail Party against #20 Florida.

Newcomers

#20 Florida, #25 Arizona

Dropped Out

#16 Mississippi State, #18 Oklahoma State

Ranked Matchups

#7 Ole Miss at #19 Texas

#14 Houston at #10 Utah

Upset Alert

Texas is a three and a half point favorite at home against Ole Miss? The last time I took Ole Miss as a surprising road dog, the Florida Gators routed them. Ya know what? I’m gonna do it again. Give me the Rebels to win outright in Austin.

Oh, you thought we wouldn’t be doing this one? Think again.

Get the picture. The final horn has sounded. A college football game has ended, and a college football coach has added a tick mark to the loss column, not the win column.

”Vince Dooley’s starched white dress shirt!“ you exclaim, ”“What must that guy be thinking???”

Folks, this is Kirby Smart yesterday evening.

What was Kirby thinking?

• “When Gunner told me he was gonna take that class in the philosophy department on “Buddhism and the Art of Generosity” I should have put my foot down.“

• This:

• “I gotta remember to tell the equipment folks to double this week’s battery order for the bullhorn. It’s gonna be a loud bye week.”
• “Could be worse. I could be Kalen DeBoer.”

As always, your suggestions are welcome in the comments.

Go ’Dawgs!!!

To quote the great philosopher Macho Man Randy Savage, Georgia finds itself today “unjustifiably in the position it’d rather not be in.” Now, after Saturday’s shocking loss to Auburn, the only thing left to do is bounce back and try and become the SEC’s Cream of the Crop once again.

Here are ten thoughts from a sour afternoon in Athens.

1. Losing to a rival stings. This one stings worse if you live in places like Columbus, Newnan or Macon since odds are very good that you will have to show yourself to Auburn fans in the morning…if not sooner. But beyond the rivalry aspect of things, how much does this loss really matter? Georgia can win out and likely still play for the SEC title. It can even lose one more time and still make the CFP. Does that sound defeatist to say after losing to a hated rival? Oh yes. But you can thank the current college football postseason structure for all of that. 

2. Does this team all of a sudden ball security problem? Not to look back again to last week, but Georgia went through a lot of near-disasters against Alabama with plays that could have easily been game-changing turnovers. But playing with fire can eventually get you torched, and that’s what happened to the Bulldogs with Saturday’s three turnovers.

3. One of the worst things about this loss for Georgia is that it almost, as Larry Munson would say, ‘saved its whatchamacallits!“ After getting a late-game defensive stop, you could almost picture, at the least, Peyton Woodring getting in position for a game-winning field goal, if not taking the game to overtime. And with how Georgia was moving the ball late, you had to really like Georgia’s momentum. All of that, of course, was undone with Gunner Stockon’s ill-timed fumble.

4. If you were a Georgia fan in the 1990s, Saturday should not be terribly unfamiliar. No, nobody expected this way the way a No. 1 team in the country would lose. But how many times between Georgia and Auburn did bizarre things happen? Even on Saturday, the Bulldogs’ gave up a touchdown with two defenders colliding on a trick play. When you have something happen like that, you do wonder if maybe it’ll be ‘one of those days.’ It was. 

5. Georgia has had these types of games before under Kirby Smart – against teams you felt like coming in should be a rollover win on paper. South Carolina, Mizzou, Kentucky and even Nichols State. The difference? This time Georgia stepped on its hand way, way too many times. It does not matter what level of football you are playing. You cannot extend opposing drives with undisciplined penalties. You cannot be minus-three in the turnover margin. Auburn deserves a lot of credit, but it sure got lots of help from Georgia. 

6. It was not just Georgia having problems on Saturday. Alabama also had a faceplant. Same for the national champs in their own mind at UT- Austin. Nobody outside the SEC will take this seriously, but it speaks to the fact that on any Saturday in this conference, an unexpected rock fight can happen, and sometimes those bruises are a lot more than just a slight flesh wound. 

7. Gunner Stockton was obviously not himself against Auburn. He was not hurt bad enough on Georgia’s opening offensive play to leave the game, and he was very good on Georgia’s next-to-last possession. There’s a reason why he was never pulled despite not playing his best, and without Stockton, Georgia has no chance to win late in the game. He still gave his team a chance to win in spite of one of his worst days under center at Georgia, and that may say more about Gunner Stockton than anything else. 

8. Pretty sure we know now what Lewis Grizzard would have written after a game like this…

9. Its been written here about the building feeling of zen that takes over when you make that turn northward from Madison toward Athens on game day. On the same token, Saturday also brought the opposite emotion – the feeling of dismal despair after a loss. On that road south of Athens, you feel like one, even in defeat. Basically every car in front and behind you is in the same emotional state, having been together as one. Multiple hours later, like a retreating army, you ride in vehicles cutting through the night with their LED lights, eagerly waiting for the next time that Georgia tees it up.

10. There should be zero worry about this team being laser-focused for Florida. Regardless of the Gators’ win at Texas, this Bulldogs team will have a week off to sit around, stew, get mad and be locked in before playing in Atlanta. It’s a focus that should be sharper than it would have been had Georgia won on Saturday.

Go Dawgs!

Welcome to Around the SEC, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter. That’s right, the points are like the strength of schedule to the College Football Playoff Committee. With that being the case, a 24 team playoff may not be the worst thing in the world.

I know, I know. I really don’t like it either. I think 12 is a fine number of teams, and i could even see 16 being ok. 24, however, is way too many… unless it’s not. And last weekend is a perfect example of why that’s the case.

With last weekend’s carnage around the SEC (and other places in across the country), only four teams remain in the SEC with one loss. Everyone else has two or more losses. It is October 21st, and almost half the season still remains. We’re easily looking at two two-loss teams playing in Atlanta for the conference title. This isn’t because the SEC is losing out of conference matchups; the league is 38-2 in out of conference play. The league is so deep and talent disbursed so wide that anyone can and truly will beat anyone.

Now, I don’t believe the SEC will have quite the same parity as the NFL, where just having a record above .500 is usually considered playoff worthy or just about. I am, however, starting to recalibrate my thinking about what constitutes a playoff worthy record in the SEC.

Gone are likely the days of going undefeated in conference play except on very rare occasions. 8-1 is probably an incredible season at this point too in SEC play. Moving forward, we’re probably looking at the league leaders being 7-2 and 6-3 in conference play.

That 6-3 mark may not be enough to get in a 12 team playoff as currently constructed. Is the Committee going to take a 9-3 SEC team with a gauntlet of a schedule, or an 11-1 or 10-2 Big 12 or ACC (or Notre Dame) team that plays 2 tough games a year and loses both of them?

With the 24 team playoff, 6-3 in the SEC gets you in the Big Dance… and yes it’d be the Big Dance like basketball. Overall, am I in favor of this? No, I wish we’d stay at 12 teams and re-evaluate strength of schedule as a metric for how the Committee views playoff teams. However, I no longer think the 24 team playoff is complete, 100% bad. Just mostly bad.

Anyways, thanks for coming to my TedTalk. A couple quick SEC hitters below:

• Auburn has dismissed linebacker Xavier Atkins, who has entered the transfer portal
• Despite his inconsistent play, Oklahoma QB John Mateer will remain the starter
• Despite his inconsistent play, Texas QB Arch Manning will remain the starter… for now. Backup KJ Lacey Jr. is seeing increased first team reps, and a QB change can’t be ruled out.

Caleb Williams suffered a mild hamstring injury against the Vikings in Week 2 and hasn’t played since, but that’s expected to change against the Falcons, according to Ian Rapoport.

"It looks pretty good for Caleb Williams to return this week..

There's a pretty good chance that we see him on Sunday" ~ @RapSheet #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/U9ce6cHNyC

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 13, 2026

With an offensive genius like Ben Johnson calling the plays — combined with the Bears’ embarrassment of riches at the skill positions — it really doesn’t matter much who’s under center. Chicago was always going to be a formidable test for a Falcons defense that got a little exposed this past weekend by Derrick Henry and the Ravens’ rushing attack.

Like Baltimore, everything starts on the ground for the Bears. Ben Johnson wants his team running for over 200 yards a game, and he has to be licking his chops after what the Falcons just put on tape. But there’s no denying Caleb Williams adds an entirely different element to Chicago’s offense — one it sorely missed against the Packers, who hammered the Bears by 24 at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

The real question is who’ll be under center for the Falcons, and the answer could very well decide this game. With Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta looks like a legitimate playoff contender. With anyone else — including Tua Tagovailoa, who threw the game-sealing interception in Sunday’s loss to the Ravens — the Falcons look like a team angling for the No. 1 overall pick.

Earlier this week, Adam Schefter reported that Penix’s rib injury isn’t believed to be serious. There’s a chance he starts against the Bears, but Kevin Stefanski said the team will have a better idea of where Penix stands after Wednesday’s practice.

Kevin Stefanski asked if Michael Penix Jr. has a real chance to play this week:

“Yeah, I think it's probably I can answer that better Wednesday. Just with any type of injury, I always want to see how the guys respond over a couple days before I can give you a good answer there.”

— Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) October 12, 2026

Before the injury to Penix, the Falcons were driving with a chance to move to 3-2 and win their third straight. Instead, they sit at 2-3 — and while there’s still plenty of optimism around the team because of how they’ve played the last three weeks, it’s always a slippery slope in this league. If Penix can’t go and the Falcons drop to 2-4, all that momentum they built up will have evaporated in the blink of an eye.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Kevin Stefanski said Michael Penix Jr. should start this weekend against the Bears "as long as everything goes accordingly." pic.twitter.com/o3BxbBnESA

— Tori McElhaney (@tori_mcelhaney) October 14, 2026

Penix suffered a rib injury in the fourth quarter of the Falcons’ loss to the Ravens on Sunday Night Football. He did return briefly but was ruled out for overtime, with Tua Tagovailoa throwing the game-sealing interception.

The script for the Falcons has been pretty damn clear through the first five weeks. The team was 0-2 after two games, with Cooper Rush looking like a high school teacher masquerading as an NFL quarterback. Atlanta couldn’t even muster a red zone drive with him under center.

But once Penix returned to the starting lineup, this has been among the most explosive offenses in the NFL. It hasn’t all been perfect, as we saw on Sunday. Penix still has some things to clean up if he wants to be heralded as the franchise’s long-term answer at quarterback, but this team has life with him under center. If he can stay healthy, the Falcons feel like contenders in the NFC South — and they wouldn’t be a fun team for anybody to play come the postseason.

Unfortunately, staying healthy has plagued Penix throughout his football career, dating back to his college days, and through his first three seasons in the league, it’s plagued the Falcons as well.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

That’s enough for one or two meaningful additions — but with this many holes to fill, Anthopoulos will almost certainly have to shed some unwanted salary along the way. The good news: the Braves have plenty of it. The bad news: finding teams willing to absorb bad money is a lot easier said than done.

Spencer Strider

Remaining Contract: 2 years, $49 million

Strider is entering the final two guaranteed years of his deal at $22 million annually, with a club option after that for another $22 million (and a $5 million buyout) — bringing the total to $49 million in guarantees.

Anthopoulos has already admitted the Braves can’t count on Strider moving forward. He hasn’t been healthy in years, and even when he’s pitched, the results have been underwhelming. This might be a case where Atlanta simply has to bite the bullet and hope he rediscovers something down the line. But if the Braves were willing to eat roughly half the salary, you’d imagine a pitching-starved team somewhere would take a flier.

This doesn’t feel completely immovable — as long as Strider’s current injury isn’t going to wipe out all of next season too.

Sean Murphy

Remaining Contract: 2 years, $30 million

Murphy has two guaranteed years left at $15 million per season, plus a club option in 2029 for another $15 million.

He’s an interesting case, because I’m not sure how motivated the Braves are to move him. This is an organization that loves stockpiling starting-caliber catchers, and Murphy is finally heading into an offseason at 100%. There’s a real chance his next two years look a lot better than his recent ones, and $15 million a year isn’t an ugly figure.

But that’s also what makes him the most movable. Good catchers are hard to find, and Murphy still brings plenty behind the plate with real offensive upside. If the Braves wanted to find him a new home, they should have no trouble clearing that money off the books.

Reynaldo Lopez

Remaining Contract: 1 year, $8 million

Another deal Atlanta should be able to move this winter. Lopez’s time with the Braves started with a bang — an All-Star nod and a 1.99 ERA in his first season — but fatigue started catching up to him, and then a shoulder injury limited him to a single start the following year. He hasn’t been the same since, posting a 4.54 ERA over 79.1 innings this season.

Heading into 2027, there isn’t much of a role for him in Atlanta, but a team would likely take a flier given how minimal the deal is. The Braves could put that $8 million to better use elsewhere.

Austin Riley

Remaining Contract: 6 years, $132 million

I had to include Austin Riley, because if I didn’t, I’d have gotten asked about it 100 times.

There’s no question Riley is the biggest albatross contract on the Braves’ books right now. He’s coming off a career-worst season in which he was a below-average player at his position, and his steady year-over-year decline is especially alarming for someone owed $22 million annually over the next six years.

But I just don’t see a world where a Riley trade actually happens this offseason. Teams will call — the offers will just be so low that it makes far more sense for the Braves to roll the dice and bet on a bounce-back after a full, healthy winter. Remember: this time last year, everyone wanted to ship Michael Harris II out for a bag of baseballs, and he turned into Atlanta’s best player this season.

I’m not sold Riley can’t turn it around, and I don’t think the Braves are either — which is exactly why Anthopoulos accepting a lowball offer feels like a long shot.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

This is often where World Series are won — and unfortunately for the Braves, Anthopoulos hasn’t conjured much holiday magic in a long time. It’s a big reason this team keeps falling short of expectations.

Robert Suarez (3 years, $45 million)

The biggest deal Atlanta handed out went to All-Star reliever Robert Suarez, and it was easily the best of the bunch. For the first two-plus months, Suarez was arguably the best reliever in baseball — a 0.56 ERA over 31 appearances. The back end of the Braves’ bullpen was untouchable over that stretch, handing them a massive edge in any tight game that reached the seventh inning.

The problem was health. Suarez suffered an elbow injury in June and didn’t return until the final week of the season, which limited his impact on the postseason run. That’s really the only knock here. If he enters 2027 fully healthy, this still looks like strong work by the front office.

Grade: B+

Ha-Seong Kim (1 year, $20 million)

Not much needs to be said about Ha-Seong Kim. He’ll go down as one of the worst free agent signings in franchise history — impressive, considering it was only a one-year deal.

Kim suffered a significant injury over the offseason after slipping on ice back in Korea, costing him the first couple of months. Frankly, it might have been better had he just missed the whole year. He returned for 51 games and hit .116 with a .359 OPS. A complete waste of $20 million, and one that may have ultimately doomed Atlanta’s season.

Grade: F- (is there anything lower than an F?)

Raisel Iglesias (1 year, $16 million)

The Braves brought back closer Raisel Iglesias on a palatable one-year deal, and he rewarded them with a brilliant first half that earned his first-ever All-Star nod. There were some hiccups down the stretch, but given the price tag, this is one Atlanta would absolutely run back — and they might, with Iglesias headed for free agency again.

Grade: B

Mike Yastrzemski (2 years, $23 million)

Our read on the Yastrzemski signing is probably clouded by what happened to Jurickson Profar, who was suspended for the entire season after his second PED positive. Yaz was brought in for outfield depth and as a platoon option against right-handed pitching.

In that role, the deal wasn’t bad. But once Profar went down, the Braves’ offense needed far more than Yastrzemski could provide, and that shortfall haunted the lineup all the way through October. It’s not a deal Anthopoulos would make again, but it’s not one that crippled the club either.

Grade: C-

Tyler Kinley (1 year, $4.25 million)

Kinley was brought back after a strong stretch in 2025, but the success didn’t carry over. He was haunted by the long ball this past season, surrendering nearly two home runs per nine innings — a death wish for any reliever. That eventually led to a designation for assignment after he posted a 4.01 ERA over 49 appearances. Clearly not a great move, but far from the worst on this list.

Grade: C-

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

It was a losing record for the Leans, which finished 2-4, and that’s probably the last time I’ll be betting Texas A&M or Penn State this season. But Week 7 looks like another exciting slate, so let’s dive into this week’s Locks!

Locks: 16-6-1

Other Thoughts/Leans: 23-18

Column overall: 39-24-1

TCU team total under 21.5 at Baylor

My Best Bet of the Week is undefeated this season as we enter Week 7, and I’ll put that streak on the line by betting TCU’s team total under 21.5 points. Excuse me while I overwhelm you with stats and trends.

TCU’s offense has looked absolutely lifeless, and I’m shocked by this number because the Frogs haven’t come anywhere close to clearing it against Power 4 competition. TCU scored 10 against North Carolina, 13 against UCF, and 10 at home against BYU. That’s just 11 points per game against P4 opponents. Now they have to go on the road against arguably the best defense in the Big 12, and I have a hard time seeing TCU suddenly doubling its scoring output against better competition.

Harvard transfer QB Jaden Craig has not lived up to expectations in Fort Worth, but the problems go well beyond quarterback. TCU’s offensive line ranks outside the top 110 nationally in Line Yards, which basically tells us the Frogs aren’t getting much push up front. Meanwhile, Baylor grades as one of the best teams in the country in defensive Line Yards.

In TCU’s two Big 12 losses, the Frogs have averaged just 52.5 rushing yards per game. It’s a brutal matchup for a running game that already grades as one of the worst in the country. One of TCU’s biggest weaknesses—creating dependable rushing push—runs directly into one of Baylor’s biggest strengths.

And while TCU has been more efficient through the air, Baylor’s pass defense grades inside the top 30 nationally, so there really isn’t an obvious escape route for the Frogs if/when the running game gets shut down.

The red-zone matchup might be even worse. TCU ranks outside the top 100 nationally in red-zone scoring, while Baylor ranks #5 in red-zone scoring defense. Even if TCU manages to put together a few drives and get inside scoring range, there is no guarantee those possessions turn into touchdowns, or points at all.

Baylor has held all five opponents to 20 points or fewer this season, and I struggle to see TCU becoming the first team to exceed that number. Both teams are coming off a bye, and Dave Aranda said Baylor used the extra time to maintain its energy, momentum and focus. It also doesn’t hurt that this is a rivalry game in which Baylor has lost four of the last five meetings. I expect the Bears to be fully engaged and ready to keep the momentum going for what’s been a strong season.

I had Baylor +4.5 at Arizona State as one of my best bets a few weeks ago, and the Bears rolled to a 55-19 win in Tempe. With DJ Lagway getting healthier, Baylor’s offense is becoming a little more dangerous, but I still expect this game to stay relatively low scoring. I also like the full-game under 49.5.

That should help this bet, because I expect the game to remain competitive enough that Baylor’s defense stays engaged for four quarters instead of building a huge lead and allowing any garbage-time points.

If TCU’s offense somehow got multiple touchdowns better over the bye week and shows it against a top-tier defense, then so be it. Sometimes that’s football. But I’m willing to pay to see this lifeless offense prove it can suddenly produce against a better defense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see TCU muster only 10 or 13 points.

Houston -3.5 vs Oklahoma State

There’s a chance Oklahoma State is a little overrated in the market. Oregon has trended downward, which has aged their marquee win over the Ducks poorly, and so has their opening loss to Tulsa. Meanwhile, Houston is rolling right now at 5-1. Their only loss came by inches on a failed two-point conversion at Texas Tech, and last week they went to Manhattan as a small road underdog and blew out Kansas State (more on them later).

This game should feature two efficient and explosive offenses, which is why the total is sitting just north of 60. Both defenses have holes, but I trust Houston’s offense more. The Cougars have a very sustainable offensive profile. They are strong on first and second down, and as a result rank top five nationally in creating manageable third-down situations. They also don’t rely heavily on explosive chunk plays. This is an offense that can methodically move the chains on a down-to-down basis.

I trust veteran QB Conner Weigman to keep this offense on schedule and keep Oklahoma State’s defense on the field for what could be some long possessions. Re’Shaun Sanford and Makhi Hughes have formed an excellent 1-2 punch at running back, while Trent Walker, Amare Thomas and star TE Patrick Overmyer are a dependable group of targets. There’s a reason this Houston offense ranks top ten nationally in offensive success rate.

It’s hard to take much away from Oklahoma State’s high-powered offense, which has moved the ball well recently too. But in a lot of ways, the Pokes are the opposite of Houston. Eric Morris’ group is much less efficient at putting together methodical drives and instead relies heavily on explosive chunk plays to generate offense. Houston’s defense has been excellent at limiting explosive runs, so the focus will be taking away Drew Mestemaker’s downfield options and forcing Oklahoma State to string together long drives.

Ultimately, Houston is better equipped offensively to stay on schedule and consistently create scoring opportunities. Both teams should get their points, but I trust Houston’s defense to come up with a few more stops and prevent some of the key explosive plays Oklahoma State relies on.

The Cowboys’ recent game against UCF was pretty telling. Oklahoma State was fortunate to escape with a win after only outgaining UCF by about 40 yards. UCF stayed in the game despite several costly mistakes and held the ball for more than 10 minutes longer than Oklahoma State–a recipe Houston will likely try to recreate. The 42-28 final was misleading, with a third-quarter missed UCF field goal and a fourth-quarter scoop-and-score turning a competitive game into a two-score final.

Oklahoma State-focused reporting also came away concerned about cracks in the defense for a second straight week. Houston should be better equipped than UCF to exploit those same issues because of its down-to-down efficiency and third-down ability.

While Mestemaker has looked really good, this will only be his second career road game against a Power 4 opponent. His first came at West Virginia, which appears to be one of the weaker defenses in the country. Oklahoma State started slowly in Morgantown, trailing 14-3 early and 14-13 at halftime before scoring 28 of its 41 points in the second half.

There is at least some evidence that the Pokes can start slowly on the road. If they do that again in what should be a loud, packed night environment in Houston, I think the Cougars are much better equipped to take advantage and use their methodical offense to control possession and keep the ball out of Mestemaker’s hands.

Ultimately, Houston’s defense does not need to shut down Oklahoma State’s offense — and it probably won’t. This game will come down to getting a few stops here and there and limiting enough explosive plays to create separation. I trust Houston’s offense more, I love the spot in a home night game, and my ratings make this Houston -7, so I show clear value. Give me the Cougs at home.

FAU +3 at Army

I’m backing FAU again, as the Owls are no strangers to service academy offenses. FAU has already played Navy this season, so they shouldn’t be thrown off by Army’s option offense, especially coming off a bye with even more time to prepare. Army QB Cale Hellums is a solid player, but this offense doesn’t look quite as dangerous as some of the Black Knights teams we’ve seen in recent years.

Army has consistently scored in the low 20s, with 24 points against USF, 21 against Temple and 20 against Tulane. That’s partly a product of the way the Black Knights play–wanting to run the ball, put together long methodical drives, keep the opposing offense on the sideline and shorten the game. But I’m not convinced that scoring in the low 20s will be enough against an FAU offense capable of putting points on the board quickly. Army’s defense simply hasn’t seen an offense like the one it will face Saturday.

We already saw how this matchup can play out when FAU faced Navy earlier this season. I had FAU +6 as one of my best bets that week, and the Owls won outright after taking complete control early. FAU led 31-7 at halftime and forced Navy into exactly the type of game it didn’t want to play. Once the Midshipmen fell behind, they had to move away from their run-first approach and try to play catch-up. Navy added some late garbage-time points to make the final look closer, but FAU dictated the game from the start.

I could see a similar script at Michie Stadium. FAU QB Caden Veltkamp and his excellent receiving trio of Easton Messer, Dominique Henry and Kelby Valsin should have opportunities against an Army defense that is not that impressive.

Don’t let some of the final scores fool you — this Army defense is worse than it looks. The Black Knights allowed 28 points to a broken USF offense, then surrendered 460 yards and 8.8 yards per play to Temple in a game where Army was outplayed. Even the 17 points Army allowed to Tulane are a little misleading. The Green Wave threw an interception and turned the ball over on downs on separate possessions inside the Army 30-yard line. There were plenty of opportunities for Tulane to put more points on the board. That’s concerning against an FAU offense built to attack defenses through the air, and Army ranks outside the top 100 nationally in pass defense.

A key stat in this matchup is average third-down distance. FAU ranks top 15 nationally, meaning the Owls consistently keep themselves out of third-and-long situations. Army’s defense ranks in the bottom 15 in that same category, allowing opposing offenses to get into manageable third downs far too often.

I do think FAU’s defense is slightly improved from last season, but I’m not expecting the Owls to completely shut Army down. The Black Knights will have success running the ball, putting together long drives and scoring points. But I’m trusting FAU’s offense to bail its defense out. The Owls should be able to move the ball consistently, and if they can get ahead early, it puts tremendous pressure on Army to play catch-up, where the Black Knights don’t want to be.

FAU’s defense has also been excellent at forcing turnovers this season. In a game where Army wants to shorten the game and limit possessions, even one turnover that gives FAU an extra possession is a huge advantage and could completely disrupt the Black Knights’ rhythm.

That’s another reason I keep coming back to the Navy game. FAU doesn’t necessarily have to dominate Army defensively. It just needs to score enough to force the Black Knights away from their preferred style. I’m 2-0 betting on FAU this season, and I’m looking for a third win. The Owls are in the middle of what could become a special season, and I expect them to win outright at Michie Stadium and continue their push toward an AAC Championship Game appearance.

Other Thoughts/Leans

Ohio St @ Indiana, under 51.5 — We’ve seen these teams play before, and it’s been low scoring. Plus, there’s just a little something missing with the Hoosiers so far this year. In both games where they’ve been tested (NW and Nebraska), we’ve seen it be a lower-scoring affair.

Kansas +7 @ Kansas St — This spread has dropped to 4.5, but if it were still around the opening number of 7, it would probably be my best bet of the week. K-State has looked underwhelming against a very easy schedule, and I’ve seen some positives from the Jayhawks in competitive losses. Kansas QB Isaiah Marshall is capable of making some big plays, and K-State can give up points. My ratings make this KSU -5, and I think the Jayhawks are live to win outright here.

UNC +3.5 @ Duke — I only make this game a pick’em, and I wonder if the market just hasn’t caught up to where Duke should be properly rated. UNC’s two losses to Clemson and Notre Dame have been competitive, and this defense is impressive. Duke RB Nate Sheppard looked a little banged up last weekend against Georgia Tech, and I wonder about his health. I trust these defenses, so I’ll take the points.

Notre Dame -10 @ BYU — I can’t get BYU’s matchups with Texas Tech from last year out of my head. The Cougars looked so overwhelmed from the kick in both games, and while I think BYU is a good team, I don’t exactly think they’re better than last year. But I do think this Notre Dame team is much better than last year’s Texas Tech squad. And without RB LJ Martin, I struggle to see how BYU can score enough to really hang in this game. It may be close early on, but the Irish have too much firepower in the second half. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Notre Dame pull away and win by 17-20 points.

Georgia St +12.5 @ James Madison — I’ll fade JMU for a second straight week. The Dukes were fortunate to escape Statesboro with a win last Saturday, and now they’re playing for a seventh consecutive week while Georgia St comes in rested off a bye. Dell McGee is doing some special things this season, and this Panthers offense is rolling, averaging just shy of 40 points per game. I still question JMU’s résumé and don’t think the Dukes have played many good teams (if any at all). Their two best wins are against the corpse of San Diego St and a Georgia Southern team that probably should’ve beaten them last week. Georgia St has enough offense to hang around here, and if I’m right that JMU is slightly overrated, I think the Panthers are live to win outright.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

And it’s hard to blame them. Robinson is far and away the best running back in the league — a player with zero weaknesses in his game who, as long as he stays healthy, will go down as one of the greatest ever at the position. The Falcons’ offense runs through their star back. But none of it works without the versatile threat of Drake London in the passing game.

London, like Robinson, is the embodiment of everything the Falcons want their culture to be. He’s spent his entire career in Atlanta while the franchise played musical chairs at quarterback, yet you’d never know it from the way he plays in every phase of the game. And the numbers are staggering.

Two years ago, London finished fourth in the NFL in receiving yards, and he was on pace to top that last season before an injury limited him to 12 games. He still finished just shy of 1,000 yards — 25th in the league, ahead of names like D.K. Metcalf, Jaylen Waddle, Tee Higgins, and Davante Adams, all of whom played at least three more games than he did.

But 2026 is shaping up to be his best work yet. Through five games, he’s already approaching 500 receiving yards, good for fourth in the league — and it’s even more impressive considering two of those came with Cooper Rush under center, who throttled the entire passing attack. In the three games Penix has started, London is averaging over 135 yards. It’s completely fair to say that if Penix had been healthy from the jump, London would be leading the NFL in receiving, and it wouldn’t be close.

You can go up and down the league and find tons of fantastic receivers. But try to build a list of guys who’ve strung together a three-year run like London’s since the start of 2024, and it’s damn near impossible. He’s establishing himself as a top-five wideout in the game, and Pro Football Focus has taken note, ranking him the second-best receiver in the league behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

“London had another strong showing in the Sunday Night Football loss to the Baltimore Ravens, hauling in seven of 10 targets for 118 yards,” Gordon McGuinness writes. “He ranks fourth at the position with a 91.0 PFF receiving grade and third in yards per route run (3.70), trailing only Smith-Njigba and Flowers.”

Drake London might not be the fastest receiver on the field. He’s liable to get run down by just about anybody in the secondary, even with a 10-yard head start. He doesn’t have a reel of one-handed grabs going viral on social media. But when it comes to getting open? Good luck. He’s a maestro at his craft, and if the Falcons ever find stability at quarterback, the numbers are going to be absurd.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

He didn’t come close to the standard he’s set for himself. This is a player who, when healthy, has been a top-five talent in the sport — a former NL MVP who, on the surface, doesn’t seem fazed by the moment.

But dig into his playoff numbers and you have to go back half a decade to find an October that resembles the Acuña we’re used to watching in the regular season. The postseason has been a sore spot for years, and this one was no different: .125 with zero extra-base hits and zero RBIs across six games.

Acuña was booed after his final at-bat against Los Angeles and later seen with tears in his eyes as he faced the music in front of the media. He then deleted all his social media, and the questions about his future in Atlanta started flying.

With two years left on his contract, is it finally time the Braves consider trading him if they have no intention of offering an extension?

Those are exactly the questions you get in the days after another disappointing October. The Braves clearly need to change something if they want to win in the postseason again — but if you think the answer is dealing away the most talented player on the roster, don’t hold your breath.

MLB insider Jon Heyman confirmed as much Wednesday, saying teams will call to check on Acuña’s availability, but that it’s a “long shot” the Braves actually move him.

Atlanta has won just one playoff series since hoisting the World Series trophy five years ago. They’re no longer in a position to scoff at anything. They should be listening to anybody and everybody — Ronald Acuña Jr. included.

But the real issue here, as it so often is, comes down to value. Are there really teams out there ready to offer a Juan Soto-type package for a player who’s dealt with a litany of injuries and is coming off arguably the worst season of his career?

I could be wrong, but the only way Anthopoulos ever moves his best player is if the return is simply too good to pass up — a haul that keeps the Braves legitimate contenders now while setting them up for even more three or four years down the line.

Short of someone walking through the door with that kind of offer, these conversations go nowhere. The Braves’ best shot at finally getting this postseason monkey off their back is with Acuña hitting leadoff and playing right field. Anyone who thinks otherwise is grossly misinformed.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Congratulations to our Gold Glove Award finalists: Chris Sale, Matt Olson, Michael Harris II, and Mauricio Dubón! pic.twitter.com/7sbvH1cqUG

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 14, 2026

The Braves have had plenty of problem areas over the last several seasons, but defense has never been one of them.

Michael Harris II leads the way and is one of the best defensive players in all of baseball. Unfortunately, he plays a position stacked with elite gloves — none better than soon-to-be NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong, who’s going to win the award again this season. I do believe there will come a year we see Harris win a Gold Glove. He’s that special defensively; it would just be a lot easier if he played a different outfield spot.

The other three candidates all have strong cases to take home some hardware. Matt Olson is the best defensive first baseman in the game. He already has three Gold Gloves, and a fourth should be coming in the very near future.

Mauricio Dubon feels like a strong bet to win the utility award too. This is a guy who was unbelievable at shortstop — the toughest position on the field — and just as reliable when asked to play the outfield, which was on full display when he robbed Freddie Freeman of a home run in the NLDS with the series tied 1-1. Among players who move all over the diamond, he’s one of the best defenders these two eyes have ever seen. If Dubon wins, it’ll be the third Gold Glove of his career.

For Chris Sale, it would be the second — both with the Braves — as he keeps adding to a Hall of Fame résumé. That’s what makes players like him so special: no detail goes unnoticed. It’s a big reason Sale is pitching the best baseball of his entire career at 37 years old.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

The math is simple, and unforgiving. A loss drops Atlanta to 2-4, and in a loaded NFC, that essentially ends the Wild Card conversation before November even arrives. From there, the NFC South crown becomes the only realistic path — which was always the likeliest route anyway. The division has been the laughingstock of football for years, and with the Bucs and Saints both cratering, it’s once again the worst in the league by a comfortable margin.

Carolina leads the South at 2-2, a half-game up on the Falcons and holding the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Panthers get a winnable spot this week too, traveling to a flawed Eagles team that will be without Jalen Hurts. If Atlanta slips to 2-4 while Carolina climbs, the Falcons’ margin for error gets razor thin, with the undefeated 49ers on deck.

Then there’s the momentum aspect, which has swung wildly already. Through two weeks, the Falcons looked like the worst team in the NFL. Michael Penix Jr.’s return flipped everything — back-to-back 21-point wins and a sudden “hottest team in the league” label. But the blown lead to the Ravens stopped that cold, and a second straight loss, this one at home to the Bears, would bury it entirely. The conversation would shift right back to next year — an all too familiar feeling for the franchise this time of year.

The Bears have plenty riding on this too. At 3-2 and tied for second in the NFC North, Chicago is coming off an embarrassing loss to the rival Packers and badly wants a bounce-back — especially if Caleb Williams is cleared after missing three games with a hamstring injury. A loss could drop them three back of Minnesota, who already holds the tiebreaker from a Week 2 win in Chicago.

So it all comes down to Sunday. Win, and the Falcons can credibly say the division is theirs for the taking, sitting 3-1 since Penix took over. Lose, and they’re staring at a 2-4 hole just as the schedule turns brutal — the 49ers, Chiefs, Bengals, and Vikings all waiting over the next month.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Especially when you look at how the season actually played out. The Braves couldn’t lose over the first two months, touting the best record in baseball with the best offense and the best pitching staff in the sport. Only one of those held up the rest of the way, and it wasn’t the one anyone expected.

From June until the Dodgers finally ended their season, the offense went quiet. Atlanta’s NLDS woes were really just a microcosm of what Braves fans had watched for four straight months — a group that couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position or do the little things required to manufacture runs, which added up to one of the least effective offenses in baseball.

Those issues were masked well enough during the regular season, largely thanks to the elite pitching. But every offensive flaw gets magnified in October against better arms, and Atlanta’s became obvious the moment the Dodgers showed up. The Braves finished the NLDS 1-for-23 with runners in scoring position — the second-worst mark in postseason history, and the worst since 1966.

The Braves went 1-for-23 (.043) with runners in scoring position in the series against the Dodgers.

That's the second-lowest batting average with RISP in a postseason series in MLB history (min. 20 AB with RISP), behind only the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series (0-for-22).

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 8, 2026

Numbers like that make it easy to point the finger at hitting coach Tim Hyers. The offense has stayed relatively healthy the last two years, yet the production has dropped off significantly from its 2023 peak, when the Braves were historically great and set a slew of MLB records. Atlanta ranked 8th in runs scored this season — respectable enough — but 16th in OPS and, most glaring of all, 28th in on-base percentage at .309. Back in 2023, they led the league in that category at .344.

But here’s the question worth raising: how much of this is really on Tim Hyers?

This is an organization built around the long ball — a slug-or-bust mentality implemented by the front office, and one franchise legend Chipper Jones has criticized ad nauseam. It works just fine over 162 games, but these playoff numbers suggest a much deeper root cause than a hitting coach who’s only been around since the start of 2025.

“The Braves shouldn’t try to spin their postseason hitting woes as just the randomness of the baseball or because they faced good pitching,” MLB writer Jason Foster writes on Twitter/X. “When you compare them to the rest of the postseason field over the past five years, they stand out in the worst way.

“Since the start of the 2022 postseason, Atlanta is last — by a wide margin — in average (.185), on-base percentage (.265), OPS (.575), runs per game (2.6) and average with RISP (.180) among teams that’ve played at least 15 postseason games (that’s 14 teams).

“They’re the only team with a postseason average below .200, the only team with a postseason OPS below .600 and the only postseason team that averages fewer than three runs per game. Meanwhile, their .265 OBP is nearly 20 points lower than the next-closest team.”

This is no longer a sample size anyone can scoff at. What the Braves are doing philosophically isn’t working, and it hasn’t worked for a long time. They can try to make Hyers the scapegoat, and maybe he hasn’t done enough to fix the issues. But until the people at the top admit there’s a problem with the way this team approaches offense, the Braves are going to keep running into the same wall every October.

The issues run much deeper than one man not doing his job. Fixing them will take an all-hands-on-deck approach — a scarier thing to admit, but ignoring it will only leave the Braves further behind.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Perhaps you heard, the Georgia Bulldogs played a college football game last Saturday. Nathan and Yara are here this week to review it. That’s just how the world works, Dawgs. And for that we can all be thankful. Topics covered in this review include:

• We’re getting to the point in the season at which you are what you are. What some of the teams of the teams in the SEC are is bad. 

• Georgia and Alabama played a whole football game and if they played again we’d still have no idea what would happen. 

• Nathan rants a little about Chris Fowler’s ingrained natural (acceptable) and economically incentivized (not acceptable) biases. Also Kirk Herbstreit is just a yutz. My word, not Nathan’s.

• Yes, a team benefitted from some questionable calls in this game. Just not the team Bama fans think. 

• The Bulldog defense is “unexpectedly feisty.” Yara’s words, not mine. 
  
  As always we kindly ask that you like, rate, subscribe, and patreonize the show wherever you get your podcasts.Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Welcome to another edition of Around the SEC, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter. That’s right, the points are like the excuses and refereeing complaints from Alabama fans.

Oh How the Turntables

From 2008-2020, the Alabama Crimson Tide football program was the undisputed top program in college football. They rarely lost games, and when they did, they generally prided themselves on never making excuses. Now, in the year 2026, in the words of Michael Scott, “oh how the turntables”. Alabama fans are still very mad online and making every type of excuse. The Twitter/X account of youth football coaching legend and public notary Three Year Letterman has quote-tweeted several of these instances and is reveling in this transformation of the Alabama fan base. Was it pass interference? Absolutely. It’s just that Tyler Simmons, Aaron Murray, Mark Richt, and everyone else associated with the Georgia football program doesn’t feel sorry for you.

More Trouble in Gainesville

The 2019 LSU Tigers, err, I mean, the 2026 Florida Gators may be without their starting quarterback this weekend for their game against Texas. Aaron Philo is dealing with a shoulder injury that may see him miss this weekend’s game. Luckily the Gator offense is rolling and coming off back-to-back blowout games (note: no specification on who was blown out. Hat tip to SEC Shorts).

Apologies on College Station

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko has apologized for calling a large portion of his fanbase a “cesspool”. This is just incredible content. At this point you have to wonder if Elko is angling for one of those famous Aggie buyouts his predecessors are enjoying.

Hate Tennessee, Love Smokey

A New Jersey teenager has been arrested for vandalizing a statue of Smokey outside of Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Now, Around the SEC is known to hate on Tennessee like Silky Johnson in the Playa Haters’ Ball, but Smokey is off limits. He is a mighty, mighty fine dog and far and away the best thing about the Tennessee football program. Better options would have been reminding Tennessee fans they haven’t won a title since 1998, that they really aren’t a football school, that their beloved offense has stalled out, or that they haven’t beat Georgia in a decade.

Time is, as they say in some places, an interesting circle.

In recent years, Auburn was able to use enough backroom muscle with the SEC office to have its schedule altered, so that it could avoid that good ol’ rigor of playing Georgia and Alabama in back-to-back games on the road. Even without mention of the venue, the reality is Auburn no longer plays its two biggest rivals back-to-back.

It got its wish…but in truth, the folks at Clemson without a lake have bigger problems these days…such as deciding that given their lack of football success, are they a basketball school? Or is that a gymnastics school? Maybe equestrian?

But speaking of playing teams back-to-back, its now Georgia with a schedule alignment of note, as it now gets to play Alabama and Auburn in consecutive games.

To quote the great philosopher Michael Scott, “How the turn tables.”

If you look back in recent history, Georgia shows no interest, on paper, in letting this rivalry turn its path anytime soon. That’s hard for anyone to believe who watched Georgia in the 1990s to the 200os, when every game between these two was an all-out war for 60 minutes and then some. How one-sided has it been between these two in Athens as of late?

The Tigers’ most-recent Classic City triumph was in 2005, and their most-recent time scoring more than two touchdowns in Sanford Stadium came in 2009. Auburn is still finding itself under Alex Golesh, and nothing seen so far this season indicates it will come this weekend. The Tigers strike you as a team that is banking on getting better as the season goes on. Ironically, Georgia would likely be on a greater upset alert in this game if it was still played in November as God himself intended.

Georgia’s job up front is a bit easier Saturday with one of Auburn’s top defenders, linebacker Xavier Atkins, out for this week.

With three sacks so far this season, it does certainly take away one of Auburn’s keys to defensive pressure.

More juice for this rivalry? On the week of this game no less, Georgia has flipped three-star cornerback commitment Nash Johnson from Auburn to Georgia. As the saying goes…“ABC: Always Be ‘Crootin”

It’s been almost like clockwork this season when Georgia is in the red zone. Need a score? Enter Chauncey Bowens. Saturday showed how this running back room can dig deep with both Dwight Phillips, Jr., Bo Walker and Nick Peal stepping up to carry the run game. But do either of them strike you as a battering ram like Bowens who is near-automatic inside the five? Even with some very good offenses, this team has struggled in short yardage…yes, even with the apparent greatest coach to ever call a forward pass, Todd Monken. For now, the status of Bowens going forward is at best…uncertain. We will find out more Saturday on if he is dressed or not.

If Nate Frazier continues to be unable to go, the running backs on Saturday night against Alabama may be who this team has going forward. And if these running backs continue going without this offense appearing to miss a beat, you may be looking at Mike Bobo’s finest work.

Go Dawgs!

sure, you saw him thread, the needle time and time again against the Alabama defense on Saturday night. You’ve seen him take off running, take a brutal shot from an opposing defender, and get up grinning. But there’s a numerical tell that Gunner Stockton may in fact be a 1-of-1 quarterback in Bulldog history.

To be sure we’ve been lucky to have some of the most talented signal callers in the game come through Athens. We’ve also had our share of gritty gamers who seemed to will their teams to victory. Stockton more and more presents as an amalgamation of the two. But a couple of stats show just how unbelievable he has been in his season and a half as a starter.

Carson Beck is the career completion percentage leader among starting quarterbacks at Georgia, completing 72.4% of passes across his time in the Classic City. Gunner is currently at 71.0%, but is hitting 76.6 percent of his passes in 2026. Say what you may about the Mike Bobo screen ‘‘em if you got ‘‘em offense. But that number, if it stays where it is, would give Gunner the highest passing percentage for a starting career and for a season in Bulldog history. While he’s a bit different passer than guys like Matt Stafford and Jake Fromm and David Greene, that’s still a heck of an achievement.

Another stellar achievement? Not turning the ball over. Gunner has thrown 14 touchdowns against 2 interceptions in 2026. For his Bulldog career he’s thrown 41 scoring passes and tossed 9 interceptions. That’s a ratio of 4.56 touchdowns for every turnover.

How good is that? There may soon be no one for him to compete with. No, seriously. The closest Bulldog signal callers in TD/INT ratio are Stetson Bennett (3.14 touchdowns per interception) and Jake Fromm (4.33). Unless he suddenly becomes an interception machine, Stockton will likely pull away from Fromm in that category as the year goes along.

In short, Gunner Stockton is playing the quarterback position as efficiently as anyone ever has while wearing a red block “G” helmet. That’s something to savor while we still have him around to so so. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Nothing helps you remember a special night like some souvenir apparel. And the folks at BreakingT’s, as you may recall, are our go-to contacts for in-the-moment souvenir apparel. Dis you think they would let the Bulldogs’ successful business trip to Tuscaloosa pass without a commemorative design? Of course not.

Like all BreakingTs products this shirt is officially licensed by Georgia’s NIL Player program, something not every teeshirt company out there on Torin Kirtsey’s internet can say.

Your Georgia Bulldogs BreakingTs product is also designed and printed in the USA, and comes with free returns and exchanges. You can’t go wrong. While you’re on the BreakingT’s site check out other awesome UGA designs like this Stockton/Frazier ‘26 number that remains one of my favorites.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

If you reflect back to most memorable wins in Georgia’s football history, there is at least some element of expecting success. No, that is not to say you expected the 2001 win at Tennessee with no doubt going in, that the 2007 Florida win was zero shock. You at least in those instances felt this team had some semblance of having a chance going in. Even the National Title win over Alabama with many experts nationally discounting Georgia’s chances had some degree of thinking Georgia had a shot.

That is what made the 2006 win at Auburn different. That season began as a transition year in Athens with Matthew Stafford eventually taking over the starting quarterback job, and with four losses in five games around the season’s midpoint, that’s about where things sat for the Dawgs. And with six wins, Georgia was barely bowl eligible, prospects unlikely to improve with Auburn, a team with BCS aspirations and outside national title hopes coming up, as well as Georgia Tech.

It’s safe to say, few stay coming what would happen that day on The Plains. By the time it was all over, one of the most stunning results of the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry had unfolded. This game did not have the lead-up as other Georgia-Auburn games. With apologies to The Three Daves, this game was so discounted, it was the 12:30 EST Jefferson-Pilot game,

Stafford had shown lots of promise to that point, but also growing pains. On this day, Stafford looked like the seasoned veteran and Auburn’s Brandon Cox looking like the green newcomer overwhelmed. That, of course, came courtesy of one of Georgia’s best walk-on to standout stories in safety Tra Battle, who picked off Cox three times in the first half alone, one of which was returned for a touchdown. It was redemption for Battle, whose getting lost on defense late in the 2005 game in Athens allowed Auburn to get the win. That, by the way, is the Tigers’ last win in Sanford Stadium for those keeping up with such things.

Georgia did not just win this game – it was a no-doubter with the Dawgs up 30-7 at halftime. In the end, Stafford passed for 219 yards and Kregg Lumpkin ran for over 100 yards against one of the nations top-15 defense. It was costly for Auburn, too. It not only dashed its scant national title hopes, but it also took the Tigers out of both BCS Bowl contention and handed the SEC West title to Arkansas.

Go Dawgs!

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has been ruled out for Sunday night’s game in Atlanta.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 9, 2026

Tyler Huntley will start in Jackson’s place, and while the injury will make the game significantly more manageable, it still isn’t going to be a walk in the park. The Ravens are a well-coached football team with a ton of talent on both sides of the ball — easily the best all-around team the Falcons have faced this season — and Huntley has a lot of NFL experience as a backup.

Just last year, the Ravens went 2-0 in games he started, so hopefully there’s no letdown from Atlanta as the team looks to build even more momentum following back-to-back wins over the Packers and Saints.

In more good news, both Jake Matthews and Za’Darius Smith participated in practice today and will be game-time decisions for Sunday’s showdown.

The Streak is questionable as Jake Matthews sitting on 199 consecutive starts but listed as questionable on the game report, along with three other starters. Yasir Abdullah out coming off a career game. pic.twitter.com/HsHBsQqtkQ

— Josh Kendall (@JoshTheAthletic) October 9, 2026

Matthews added that he feels really good about his chances of playing, and when a guy who has started 199 consecutive games says something along those lines, you can usually take him at his word.

Yasir Abdullah is out after the best game of his career last week against the Saints, when he filled in for Za’Darius Smith, who suffered a concussion in the first quarter. That’s even more reason Smith’s status will be one to monitor closely leading up to game time. Without him, the Falcons will be really thin on the edge — not an ideal scenario against Derrick Henry and company.

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Photo: IMAGO / Carneiro Images

The Braves haven’t had a legitimate shortstop since Dansby Swanson walked in free agency after the 2022 season. Orlando Arcia gave them one good half and then cratered. Nick Allen was a glove and nothing else. And Ha-Seong Kim might go down as one of the worst free agent signings in franchise history — which is almost impressive, considering it was only a one-year deal.

The trouble with finding a replacement is simple: shortstops cost a fortune, and nobody trades a good one once they have him. So Atlanta has been left scraping the bottom of the barrel. But the Braves actually have a solution sitting right in front of them in Mauricio Dubon. He’s an elite defender who was more than adequate at the plate, and bringing him back on a two- or three-year deal — a bridge until one of their prospect shortstops is ready — makes all the sense in the world.

That leaves left field as the one spot where Atlanta can upgrade on offense. And if there’s a blemish on Anthopoulos’ résumé, it’s how he’s handled this position since 2021. Jarred Kelenic was a horrendous whiff. Jurickson Profar was somehow worse. Mike Yastrzemski was just average this past season. Left field is where teams get to hide a shaky defender in exchange for offense — and the Braves have gotten next to nothing out of it since their World Series run.

That has to change in 2027, and making it happen will require Anthopoulos to write a bigger check. Former MLB GM Steve Phillips thinks he knows the perfect target: Randy Arozarena.

@StevePhillipsGM believes Randy Arozarena could be a fit for the Braves this offseason in free agency — should Atlanta make him the answer to its left field void? pic.twitter.com/Dt8KNKB5Vl

— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) October 8, 2026

The version of Arozarena we saw in Seattle this year would fit any team in need of a left fielder. He posted 5.7 WAR, hitting 26 home runs with an .865 OPS — and arguably the two best seasons of his career have come in his last two with the Mariners, earning All-Star honors both times.

He’s also built for October. Over 45 career postseason games, Arozarena is hitting .292 with a .946 OPS, and the fact that he isn’t a home-run-or-bust bat should be especially enticing for a Braves lineup starving for guys who hit for average and get on base.

It’s a match made in heaven — but the price and the age could force Atlanta to pivot. Arozarena will be looking for at least a three-year deal this offseason, and probably could land four after the year he just had. Set to turn 32 next season, that’s a hefty commitment for a player who could fade early into the contract. That’s exactly the kind of risk the Braves have historically avoided, and as much as I love the fit, I’m skeptical they’ll do what it takes to get it done.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Kevin Stefanski has never been shy about the identity he wants: pound you on the ground and keep punching until you fold — bully ball, the exact brand of football the Ravens have built their last two decades on. The irony is that Baltimore beat Atlanta at its own game.

It was clear from the opening quarter. The Falcons came in with the best run defense in the NFL, surrendering under 50 yards a game on the ground. The Ravens didn’t care. Derrick Henry and Justice Hill gashed them for over 200 yards combined.

And yet, early on, Atlanta’s defense kept making timely plays. A goal-line stand on Baltimore’s opening drive held the Ravens to a field goal, and on the very next possession the Falcons punched out a fumble and returned it for a touchdown. Through the first 20 minutes, Atlanta had managed exactly one first down and punted on all three of its drives — and somehow led 7-6.

Then Penix found his rhythm. He hit Drake London and Jahan Dotson downfield to set up first-and-goal before firing a strike to Kyle Pitts for the score. The Falcons took a five-point lead into the half and came out of the break humming — this time on the ground, as Bijan Robinson, quiet in the first half, finally got going. A 38-yard burst set Atlanta up at the three.

And here’s where the game turned into a catalog of what’s still holding Penix back. Tommy Rees dialed up a gem, with Jake Matthews reporting eligible and sitting wide open in the end zone. No pressure, a clean pocket — and while it wasn’t the worst throw ever, there was no reason Matthews should’ve had to leap for it. The ball hit the turf. A touchdown became a field goal, and the Ravens stayed within striking distance. That became the story of the entire second half.

Baltimore answered on the next possession — a 47-yard Justice Hill scamper on 4th-and-1, capped by Henry. From there, the Falcons took over the game in every way but the one that mattered: the scoreboard.

Atlanta drove right back into Ravens territory and turned it over on downs when Penix, pressure in his face, couldn’t connect with a wide-open Charlie Woerner in the flat. Another missed chance. The defense then forced back-to-back three-and-outs, and both times the offense responded with strong drives — and both times settled for field goals instead of touchdowns. The Ravens hung around because Atlanta let them.

The last one stung the most. Penix again missed an open Bijan Robinson in the flat on third down — a catch Robinson could’ve taken all the way to Flowery Branch. It wasn’t an easy throw under pressure, but those are the throws that separate good quarterbacks from the rest, and right now they’re the only thing keeping Penix from taking the leap. They’re layups for the best in the game. Hit them, and the Falcons are up three scores.

Instead, the door stayed cracked. With 2:31 left, Tyler Huntley did his best Tom Brady impression, marching the Ravens down the field with ease for the tying touchdown. Baltimore needed two to force overtime, and they put the ball in Henry’s hands — a direct snap to the left, in with ease.

The Falcons still had a shot to win it in regulation, and when Penix hit Dotson for 18 with about 40 seconds left, the drive looked promising. But in this league, a season can turn in a single snap. On the very next play, Penix was walloped for a 10-yard loss, stayed down, and left the game with a rib injury.

The drive died there. Baltimore opened overtime with a surgical, seven-minute touchdown march, and by then the stiffness in Penix’s ribs had set in — opening the door for Tua Tagovailoa’s first appearance as a Falcon.

It started promising. A 20-yard strike to Drake London over the middle was a reminder that Tagovailoa has started plenty of NFL games and led plenty of game-winning drives. Then his very next throw — a meatball lobbed right into Kyle Hamilton’s chest — was a reminder of why Miami ate $100 million just to be rid of him. A horrendous way to end it, and it left all of Atlanta praying Penix’s injury is nothing serious.

After the game, Penix said he doesn’t believe it’ll keep him out long, but we’ll know more Monday once imaging comes back on the ribs.

NEW — Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr tells Dave Archer of the Falcons radio network he is going to "get some imaging" after a rib injury ended his night, "but it's nothing season-ending." pic.twitter.com/580rSUk4So

— Justin Felder (@Justin_FOX5) October 12, 2026

And that’s the all-too-familiar part. Every single time this organization builds a little momentum, something comes along to remind everyone who we are. Atlanta had every chance to bury this game on both sides of the ball. The Falcons had no business losing it — and they lost their oft-injured quarterback in the process. One step forward, five steps back. Sunday was just the latest reminder that the Falcons can’t have nice things. Worth remembering the next time we start feeling good about this team.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Spencer Strider hasn’t looked like himself since undergoing InternalBrace surgery in 2024. He’s lost a ton of life on both his fastball and slider, going from one of the most dominant young pitchers this league has ever seen to just another arm.

There was hope entering this season that a full, healthy offseason might bring back something closer to the pitcher we saw in 2023. It never came. The stuff remained wildly underwhelming and ineffective — and he was eventually shut down for the year with yet another elbow injury.

Even more discouraging: Spencer Schwellenbach didn’t throw a single pitch all season. Midway through 2025, he looked like the next ace in Atlanta — humming it 100 MPH with a legitimate six-pitch mix and total command of the zone. Then he fractured his elbow, ending his season, and the injury still hasn’t healed properly. It got bad enough that he needed a screw put in the elbow, which casts real doubt over whether we’ll ever see him pitch in a Braves uniform again, let alone lead the rotation.

Alex Anthopoulos essentially confirmed as much in his exit interview with Braves beat reporter Mark Bowman, acknowledging the club can’t go into next season expecting much from either Strider or Schwellenbach given their injuries.

“I think from a planning standpoint, I don’t think it’d be responsible to sit here and say, ‘OK, those guys are going to start 30 games and throw 180 innings.’ So that’s something we’re definitely going to have to account for and talk about where we’re going to get our innings for next season,” Anthopoulos said.

“I remember telling Grant Holmes last offseason at the beginning, how he progressed was going to tell us what his potential role would be and how we would bank him and so on in terms of anything. So, if you sit here today, I don’t think you’re going to see us come in and say that we expect [Strider and Schwellenbach] to be locks in the rotation with [Chris] Sale.”

I’d take it a step further: the Braves shouldn’t be counting on anything from either of them. Strider, even when healthy, has been a below-average pitcher for multiple years now. Schwellenbach — if he’s even ready by Opening Day — will not have started a game in nearly two years. As beloved and talented as both were before the injuries, they should be penciled in for nothing until they prove otherwise.

Expecting production from them would be a gross miscalculation — exactly the kind of mistake the Braves can’t afford to make two years in a row.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Orlando Arcia had a great first half in 2023 but never provided much after that. Vaughn Grissom struggled both offensively and defensively. Nick Allen couldn’t hit, and Ha-Seong Kim was one of the biggest free agent busts in Braves franchise history.

It remains one of the few places Atlanta could look to massively upgrade its roster, and MLB insider Joel Sherman believes the Braves could revisit talks with the Rangers surrounding All-Star shortstop Corey Seager.

.@Joelsherman1 mentions the Braves' past interest in acquiring Rangers’ shortstop Corey Seager https://t.co/ILX5O0cO5q pic.twitter.com/bDpoyiYJkZ

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 9, 2026

Last year at the Winter Meetings, it was reported by Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News that the Braves were one of several teams in contact with the Rangers about a potential move for Seager.

“The question is whether the club has any interest in furthering discussions,” Evan Grant wrote. “According to two people with knowledge of the conversations, several deep-pocketed teams, including the Boston Red Sox, have noted the Rangers’ financial approach to the winter and have expressed interest in Seager this offseason. While the Rangers have noted the interest and haven’t explicitly said he’s unavailable, they haven’t engaged in deeper discussions.

“Other teams that have inquired include Atlanta and the New York Yankees.”

The Rangers ultimately decided to run it back in an attempt to return to the playoffs — a venture that failed, as they couldn’t even win the lousy AL West, which could prompt them to be more aggressive sellers this offseason.

However, the return Texas gets isn’t likely to match what it would have received a year ago. Corey Seager will be 33 years old next season. He’s had more than his fair share of injury concerns over the years, missing 60 games in each of the last two seasons, and is coming off a campaign in which he recorded the lowest OPS (.736) of his entire career. Now factor in that he’s still owed $31.5 million in each of the next five seasons, and nobody is going to take on all of that money and send the Rangers top prospects too.

The return will likely depend on how much of that contract Texas is willing to eat. If the Braves wanted to take on all or most of the money, they probably wouldn’t have to give up any worthwhile prospects at all. However, Atlanta isn’t normally the type of organization interested in paying players in the twilight of their careers north of $30 million.

The Rangers are undoubtedly a team to watch when it comes to the Braves this offseason. The two sides reportedly had a trade in place at the deadline for Jacob deGrom before he used his no-trade clause to stay in Texas. Those are also conversations that could heat up again if the two-time Cy Young winner has a change of heart.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Only two are up this year, and neither is a difficult decision.

Braves 2027 Club Options

• Ronald Acuña Jr. ($17 million)
• Ozzie Albies ($7 million, $4 million buyout)

—

You could feasibly make the argument that the Braves should at least explore trading Ronald Acuña Jr. this offseason if they have no intention of extending him beyond his current deal. With two years left on his contract, maybe somebody steps forward with a prospect haul big enough to intrigue Atlanta.

I don’t personally think it happens. But what I can guarantee is that the Braves pick up his very team-friendly $17 million option for 2027.

The same goes for Ozzie Albies. The second baseman had a rough second half, and the days of him being in the conversation for the best player at his position may be behind him. But he’s still a tremendous clubhouse presence and one of the few Braves bats who actually showed up in the postseason.

Since Atlanta would save just $3 million by cutting him loose, this is another no-brainer. There’s no world where the Braves don’t pick up that option, and while Albies is another name Anthopoulos could at least field calls on, I’d bet good money he’s starting at second base on Opening Day in 2027.

The bigger question with both Acuña and Albies is whether the Braves would entertain an extension. Each has fallen short of expectations the last couple of seasons. Acuña’s issues have been almost exclusively injury-related — and that’s not a concern that seems likely to ever fully disappear.

Still, if Atlanta believes either can be a solid contributor over the next half-decade, there may never be a better time to strike on value. Both would likely sign this offseason for far less than we’d have imagined a couple of years ago — which could be an opening the Braves would be wise not to ignore.

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Photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto

Is it finally time to shake up this core and move one of their big pieces? Who in the world can they actually count on in the rotation? What does the future hold for Didier Fuentes? And which of their many free agents are worth aggressively trying to retain?

Those are just a few of the puzzles ahead, and Atlanta will need to solve most of them if it wants to seriously challenge a powerhouse like the Dodgers. But as for the single biggest priority, ESPN’s David Schoenfield believes it’s finally finding an answer at shortstop — a revolving door for the Braves ever since Dansby Swanson left in free agency.

“Shortstop,” Schoenfield writes. “Ha-Seong Kim is also a free agent and he was a $20 million disaster, hitting .116 in 147 at-bats. Dubon ended up starting the most games there, 51, but he’s also a free agent, and his best role is as a utility guy. Rookie Jim Jarvis started 35 games, but he hit .207 with one home run. Prospect Tate Southisene is a couple of years away.

“Aside from that, re-signing Mahle, who pitched so well after coming over at the trade deadline, is another big priority given the uncertainty of Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach returning from injuries. Didier Fuentes will be ready to replace Iglesias as closer, so given the subtraction of Kim, Fuentes and other free agents, there should be room to bring back Mahle.”

The trouble with solving shortstop externally is the cost: these guys command either a fortune or a package of top prospects, and the asking prices are always astronomical — the kind the Braves have consistently refused to meet. Since that’s not likely to change, I wouldn’t expect Anthopoulos to take a big swing here, which is exactly why re-signing Mauricio Dubon should be near the top of the list.

He’s elite defensively and gives you more than enough at the plate for the position, and he shouldn’t require a massive commitment — likely a two- or three-year deal somewhere in the $10-15 million AAV range. That feels like the smart bridge until Atlanta decides one of its intriguing shortstop prospects is ready to take over.

Tyler Mahle belongs on the priority list too. The Braves already know they can’t bank on Strider or Schwellenbach. Martin Perez is a free agent. And while Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes were surprisingly steady for most of the season, neither is the kind of arm that pushes this club over the top.

Mahle was a revelation after the deadline — a 1.99 ERA across nine regular season starts — and then somehow got better in October, forming a legitimate one-two punch with Chris Sale. The catch is that the strong finish may have priced him right out of Atlanta, which would leave the Braves in a very tough spot in the rotation.

One route they’ll almost certainly weigh is moving Didier Fuentes back into the rotation. Schoenfield floats Fuentes as the heir to Raisel Iglesias at closer, and there’s little doubt he could handle it. But he’s far more valuable as a starter, and the Braves would be foolish to slam that door this early in his career just because he dominated out of the bullpen this year.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

They were reportedly in on Tarik Skubal, but per Ken Rosenthal, they never got close before he was shipped to the Dodgers — the very team that would go on to end Atlanta’s season. Now we know a little more about why those talks stalled: the Braves refused to put Didier Fuentes on the table.

“One of the youngsters apparently not on the table was Didier Fuentes, as the Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham reports that the Braves ‘wouldn’t part with’ the right-hander as part of the negotiations with Detroit,” Mark Polishuk writes for MLB Trade Rumors. “While it isn’t known what exactly the Tigers wanted from the Braves in terms of an overall trade package, Atlanta’s desire to keep Fuentes speaks to how quickly the righty has risen to prominence in the team’s future plans.”

In the end, this could go down as one of those trades the Braves are thrilled they never made. Pitching wasn’t the reason Atlanta failed to get past the NLDS, and the arm they did acquire at the deadline — Tyler Mahle — actually outperformed Skubal and cost them nothing. Had the Braves dealt Fuentes for Skubal and still come up short, they’d be absolutely sick about it right now.

Fuentes is one of the most talented young arms in the game. He was a weapon out of the bullpen, posting a 2.04 ERA over his final 56 relief appearances. His role going forward is still a bit of an open question — Atlanta would likely love to stretch him back out as a starter and see if the success carries over — but either way, five more years of control is infinitely more valuable than two months of a rental, no matter how dominant that rental has been over his career.

There was never a world in which the Braves should have moved Fuentes for a few months of Skubal, and if that’s what it took just to get the conversation going, Anthopoulos was right to walk away. As I say all the time: sometimes the best moves are the ones you don’t make. This is a perfect example.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

He did return briefly for one play before overtime, but when the Falcons needed a touchdown to tie it in the extra period, Penix was unavailable, forcing them to turn to backup Tua Tagovailoa — who promptly threw a game-ending interception on his third pass of the night.

Five weeks in, the picture is pretty clear. With Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons can win a lot of football games. Without him, they’re one of the worst teams in the league — and it doesn’t matter whether it’s Tua, Jack Strand, or Cooper Rush. Every one of them has been horrendous when asked to run the offense.

That’s exactly why Falcons fans spent Monday anxiously awaiting the MRI results. Thankfully, the news was good. Adam Schefter reported that Penix’s injury isn’t believed to be serious, and that he could potentially play this Sunday against the Bears.

Michael Penix’s rib injury is not considered serious, per sources. Penix might be able to return for Sunday’s game vs. the Bears, but the team wants to be cautious and see him practice this week before it knows whether he will be able to play in Week 6.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2026

It’s a tricky spot for Atlanta. This is a franchise starved for winning — no postseason since 2017 — and with Penix under center, this team could very well be 3-0. That has everyone pushing for him to play, even if he’s not 100%. But given his injury history, the Falcons are expected to tread carefully.

For now, Penix is a question mark for the Bears game, and the hope is that it’s nothing longer than that. Because the reality is simple: the Falcons are only a playoff team with him under center. Without him, they are vying for a top draft pick. The rest of the quarterback room has already proven it’s completely incompetent.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

It’s not for a lack of trying. Anthopoulos ran it back with Eddie Rosario in 2022 and 2023, which failed miserably. He went back to the well by re-acquiring Jorge Soler, which didn’t work either. Jarred Kelenic was supposed to be a high-upside reclamation the Braves could fix, and he flopped. And then Atlanta actually spent significant money on Jurickson Profar — the worst move of them all.

To be fair, you can’t pin all of that on the Braves. How were they supposed to know Profar had cheated his way into a massive deal with the Padres? He got busted just a few games into his Braves career, but when he returned, he closed the year strong — a .787 OPS over the final 80 games.

That inspired a little confidence heading into 2026. Then he got busted again for PEDs, this time earning a season-long suspension. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. After the first positive test, Profar played dumb, claiming he had no idea how the steroids wound up in his breakfast. It’s always a weak excuse, but the Braves accepted it because, frankly, because they didn’t have a choice.

After the second one, there’s nothing left to debate. Profar is a cheat, and there’s only one right way to handle it: release him.

Anthopoulos wouldn’t commit to that immediately after the season, but he acknowledged in his end-of-season press conference that the team would regroup and make a decision on Profar’s future.

“There isn’t anything that prevents me from talking about it,” Anthopoulos said. “What I can tell you is, we’re going to have to sit and talk internally just across the board about the whole thing.”

The financial piece is the frustrating part. The Braves didn’t have to pay Profar during his suspension, but he’s still owed $15 million next season, and there’s no getting out of it. Even so, this shouldn’t require much discussion. He torched the organization not once but twice, and there’s a real argument he cost the Braves their season. Atlanta wasn’t far from toppling the two-time defending champion Dodgers — it just needed a little more offensive firepower, and the black hole in left field hurt as much as anything.

You simply can’t let a player like that keep rotting the clubhouse. The money will sting, but there’s no place for Jurickson Profar in Atlanta. He should never wear a tomahawk across his chest again.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

It’s Vanderbilt review time on Chapel Bell Curve, and true to their mission statement Yara and Nathan have both some statistics and some feelings to offer, including:

• In the words of the great Mel Brooks, “tragedy is when I cut my finger, comedy is when Eli Drinkwitz jumps up and beats the living crap out of Florida.”

• What do Arkansas football and Swedish house music have in common? Apparently, they both make you want to do drugs.

• Gunner’s good game was even better than you think. 

• Apparently our anaconda does want some (chances to slowly asphyxiate your football team).

• Cry havoc, and let slip the Yara of stats! Just how explosive is the Bulldog offense, really? And Alabama, statistically at least, cannot keep getting away with this (and by “this” we mean a ridiculous turnover margin). Unfortunately, perhaps neither can Georgia.
  
  And as always pretty please like, subscribe, and patreonize the show on your podcasting medium of choice. Until later…. Go ‘Dawgs!!!!
  

First, here’s why I’m NOT worried about the fightin’ orange laundry detergent boxes (with the caveat that we even play the game):

1.    Neither team really knows how good they are. Both are deep and relatively injury free. Both have had opponents help them with bad play. And this 2026 Alabama is not a Nick Saban team – those players have moved out of the program. But Alabama is definitely more confident and comfortable in the DeBoer/Grubb/Wommack systems, and they’re executing it better.

2.  The Bama offensive line is not great but they are running the offense simply, quickly, and effectively. They have lots of gimmicks but aren’t doing lots of motion. It’s a big playbook, and I think they’ve simplified some of the eye candy and are focusing on the basics. Yet with the gaudy scoreboard numbers, the Tide passing offense is only 4^th in the SEC and has given up a dozen sacks – imagine those sack numbers if the guy with the ball wasn’t an athletic freak? And they’re middle of the conference pack in rushing offense – again, with an athletic freak occasionally carrying the ball.

3. At least UGA isn’t favored, and for the first time in forever. With the betting lines very close to a pick’em contest, similar metrics, and a lot of strength on strength matchups, a small but important difference between the teams is the quarterback. Not in statistical terms, or physical traits, but who has been here before and done the thing. Gunner Stockton has played Alabama twice, and been on the sideline for 2 others. He’s beaten Alabama handily, and the 3 losses in that stretch were 1 score games. So I’ll state that I do trust the signal caller in red and black more than the other guy.

Now forgive me, as I was weaned at the nipple of Larry Munson’s scratch so here’s what does worry me about visiting Tuscaloosa while the wrath of the football and weather gods descends upon us:

1.  That is one opportunistic defense. They’ve scored 4 pick sixes, they’re 7^th in the nation in turnover margin and 2^nd in turnovers gained. The rush defense is especially good, surrendering less than 80 yards on the ground per contest – and that’s against run heavy teams like South Carolina and Kentucky. So they stop the run, score on offense, and force you to throw to play catchup. Which forces opponents into mistake. They’ve given up a lot of yards defending the pass, but again, they’ve made 8 interceptions on the year. So maybe there is a chance to take some shots, and maybe Mike Bobo has a scheme ready. Or maybe Gunner Stockton turns into Carson Beck and throws it to the wrong jersey.

2. We have to talk about Tide QB Keelon Russell. He’s averaging over 280 yards a game through the air, and 11 scores against only 2 interceptions. And his last 3 games are where most of the damage was done – 10 passing TDs, zero picks, averaging over 320 yards, and running in a score each game.

Russell can climb in the pocket and throw receivers open. Or take off and scramble over 13 yards per attempt. We’ve seen this before – go into a hostile Tuscaloosa against a 1^st year starter who is very mobile, and watch them rack up points early. He likes to hold on, move up in the pocket, and throw it deep. His ability to escape or  extend allows his receivers to get open, lose coverage, or find the soft spot. Georgia’s pass rush will have to maintain lane discipline, and whoever is spying on Russell will need to stretch those hammies to try and run him down.

3 . I may have poo-pooed the Alabama rushing attack above, but it’s still a dangerous set of backs. And it is very much by committee, similar to the UGA RB rotation strategy. Always able to move to the hot hand, always having fresh legs, always giving the defense different looks. The top 3 ball carriers are all averaging over 40 yards a game and basically 5 yards a carry. They got guys who will get the tough yards, and guys who can hit the homerun. It isn’t flashy, but it’s efficient, and it is putting points on the board. Our top ranked run defense will be tested frequently, and from a lot of looks to confuse them.

Call me crazy, just don’t call me late fordinner. Let us know in the comments what you’re feeling about crossing into the Central Time Zone to face the bane of Kirby Smart’s coaching record.  And as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!

Welcome to another edition of Around the SEC, where everything is made up and the points don’t matter. That’s right, the points are like when the fans of Big Ten schools complain the SEC isn’t good or “they ain’t played nobody PAWWWLLLL”. Let them talk their talk. Yes, they are on a great streak of winning nattys, and their best teams are elite. But we all know who the better, deeper conference is at the end of the day.

Tropical Storm Isaias

As you may have heard, the Georgia/Alabama game may be a wash out due to the incoming Tropical Storm Isaias from the gulf.The latest models are now suggesting the rain may stop by kickoff according to meteorologist James Spann. Something to keep an eye on. A wet, windy game likely favors Georgia given the strength of the defense, run game, and screen game.

Kamario Taylor Update

After leaving the Bulldogs’ loss to Alabama with an injury, Mississippi State QB Kamario Taylor is listed as day-to-day with a leg injury. Mississippi State has a bye this week, so keep an eye on his status leading up to next weekend’s game against LSU.

Change in Knoxville

Tennessee will start QB George MacIntyre for their game this weekend against Arkansas. MacIntyre will be making his first career start, having come in to replace struggling incumbent QB Faizon Brandon to lead the Volunteers’ comeback against Auburn.

New Unis in Oxford

Ole Miss will begin a seven-year deal with Adidas beginning on July 1, 2027, leaving Nike. Let’s hope eligibility guardrails get enforced or else we could see a player wearing that jersey for the duration of that contract.

It’s not every college football website that has a trained meteorologist on staff who spent years tracking hurricanes across the tropics. But we do here at Dawg Sports. Our good friend and Bulldog legend DavetheDawg has been tracking Tropical Storm Isaias, and has the latest on what the storm could mean for Saturday’s Georgia/Alabama game.

In the overnight hours TD#9 has strengthened into Tropical Storm Isaias and the weekend forecast for the northern Gulf coast has become more in-focus. The forecast is for a rapidly strengthening storm and the first hurricane to form in the Atlantic Basin is a virtual certainty. 

NHC is projecting “Isaias” to become a very strong category 2 hurricane (winds 96-110 MPH) on its approach to an early Saturday morning landfall. Once the sustained wind threshold reaches 111 MPH or greater major hurricane criteria has been reached. 

The exact point of landfall is still uncertain at this hour, but anywhere from the mouth of the Mississippi River to the extreme western Florida panhandle looks to be the most likely area with Mobile somewhere in the middle of the current forecast cone. This could change a little bit to the east or west but the bottom line is during the day on Saturday a tropical system will be moving rapidly north and encompass the greater Tuscaloosa area with strong winds (although in a weakening system), heavy rain and the ever present risk of tornadoes – especially if the system tracks a bit further westward thus putting that part of Alabama on the “dirty” side of the storm. As the system weakens, the wind field is expected to expand with the timing of this expected to occur late Saturday afternoon into the evening hours. 

Alabama has a bye on 10/31. Our bye is on 10/24. There goes that possibility of postponing the game but in the grand scheme of things this isn’t that important. 

I was in grad school at Alabama in 1988. A similar scenario played out when Hurricane Gilbert smashed Jamaica on its way to the Texas gulf coast. The computer modeling and forecast tracks were not nearly as good as they are today but out of an overabundance of caution the Alabama @ Texas A&M game that year was rescheduled from a September date to December 1. Gilbert ended up not affecting College Station, but the call was made, the game was postponed with much teeth gnashing as I recall. 

This is a progressive storm and will move fairly rapidly to the north with improving conditions beginning early Sunday. Unfortunately it looks like Saturday is going to be an all-day weather affair for the Yellowhammer State. 

Will the Conference make the call later today? Probably. This game either gets moved (to where I haven’t a clue) or postponed to the next available date – probably in December. I’ve got an idea: How about an SEC Championship Game double-header? Just kidding.

Go Dawgs!

So, there’s really no better way to say this.

It’s going to be wet on Saturday. Very wet. And possibly worse depending on what this tropical system does.

And if the forecast really takes a turn…could the game be postponed? This is not a plea to not have the game played, that’s for consult with Tuscaloosa-area EMA experts to determine. But the fact of it is that we may very well see this game played out in torrential rain.

As of now, there are no plans to postpone….but if the current timeline teaches us anything, it’s never a good idea to rule out anything. Someone did, after all, approved a TV ad campaign for Liberty Bibberty.

It would not be the first time for this between Georgia and Alabama. One thing that made the 2015 debacle in Athens even worse is that Georgia was embarrassed…and fans endured feeling cold, wet and miserable in the process. But it certainly changes the perception of this game. If the field conditions are borderline unplayable, does the result get considered different if one of these teams is borderline for a seed selection by the CFP? Who knows, since that group of kindmakers makes up the rules as they go along…

When you are a 310-pounder like Elijah Griffin, you are not expected to back down from a challenge. That’s especially true going into Saturday’s game against Alabama. Will the game be physical? Likely yes. Is Georgia welcoming the challenge? That’s also a yes. To hear Griffin talk up this week, it may be shaping up to be an old-fashioned bruiser, and the expected weather only adds to that.

The folks at the Banner-Herald had a video visit with Georgia placekicker Peyton Woodring that could be relevant – as he discussed kicking in bad weather.

Speaking of games in Alabama, a salute to one of the greatest names in Georgia football lore – Andre “Pulpwood” Smith.

Go Dawgs!

Yara and Nathan (address all formal dinner invitations to “the Bell Curves”, please) are back and remain very respectful of the Alabama Crimson Tide in this latest episode of Chapel Bell Curve. Among other topics of conversation your intrepid cohosts get into:

• It’s okay to admit this week makes you miserable.

• We actually do have a dog in this fight. But so does Kirk Herbstreit, and that’s kind of the problem.

• If talking about Keelon Russell doesn’t make you nervous, then you’re not paying attention.
• Oh, you thought Yara’s longstanding feud with Jameson Williams was over? Think again.
• The Kalen DeBoer/Kirby Smart mutual admiration society comes to order, and they’re probably correct?
• The Alabama offense: why it’s better to be lucky AND good.
• Your hosts engage in a truly uncomfortable degree of optimism. Like, it fills me with dread even if I can’r conclusively refute it. But draw your own conclusions.

As always we ask that you like, rate, subscribe, and patreonize the show wherever you find quality podcasts. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Are your Georgia Bulldogs heading to Tuscaloosa this weekend, looking for their first win there since 2007?

Is Georgia’s head coach 2-7 against Alabama in his tenure in Athens, making the Tide the only college football team against whom he hasn’t exhibited utter domination?

Is Chauncey Bowens out of a game in which we could really, genuinely use a strong downhill running threat?

And oh yeah, is there a hurricane bearing down on the whole proceeding?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions you could probably use a drink. I can help with that.

For me, it’s always a miserable experience playing the Tide. It’s been a horrendous experience more often than not. I take the position that I will expect the worst, and then if it doesn’t occur I will be pleasantly surprised.

Some men are Baptists. Others Unitarian Universalists. I am a Munsonian Pessimist. Yet even for an inveterate dark cloud spotter like me there are some reasons for optimism in this weekend’s tilt. For one, the Tide have benefitted from some extraordinary turnover luck this season. Last week against Mississippi State Kamario Taylor had two fumbles that were essentially just drops, and a bad interception, before being forced from the game. That kind of turnover luck has a way of reversing itself just as suddenly as it flowed in.

The Red Elephants have also given up 12 sacks, near the bottom of the SEC, and at 2.40 per game on pace to be a higher total than the 2.13 sacks per game they surrendered in 2025. Timely sacks have been the stock in trade for Kirby Smart defenses in big games.

The Crimson Tide, in my estimation, probably have better receivers than the ‘Dawgs, and as good a running back group if for no other reason than theirs are (as far as we know) relatively healthy. The Red and Black may have a slight advantage on the defensive line, as well as in the linebacking corps. Though I could be persuaded otherwise.

But from what I’ve seen the Athenians have two big advantages, advantages which I believe could be decisive. One is in the defensive secondary, where KJ Bolden and Ellis Robinson may both be postseason first team All-SEC selections.

The other is at the quarterback spot. Keelon Russell is an excellent quarterback. I think one day he will be a Heisman finalist, and an early NFL draft pick. I am not certain that Gunner Stockton will be an NFL star, but he was already among the top vote getters for the Heisman last season. I think there will be a day when Keelon Russell is a better quarterback than Gunner Stockton, but I don’t believe six starts into his college career that were quite there yet.

The key to this one is to make Keelon Russell, freshman quarterback, look like a freshman quarterback. And for Gunner Stockton, senior quarterback, to continue to look like a senior quarterback. The key to that will be smart pressure, judiciously applied. But also not losing discipline in pursuit. Russell can take off in a straight line as well as anyone, and Georgia’s defenders, who pursue sideline to sideline as well as anyone, struggle against that type of scrambler.

The key is to key on Russell. The cocktails for that assignment?

The Key On Russell.

It’s a twist on the classic Negroni, a sophisticated traditional cocktail that, while not wveryone’s thing, is a true joy when done right. You’ll need:

• 1 and 1/2 ounces bourbon (or rye whiskey, your choice)

• 1 ounce Campari

• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• A splash of orange juice (literally squeeze one small wedge in)

• orange twist for garnish

Add the bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Squeeze in the orange juice. Garnish with the orange twist and enjoy. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Poor Mike Patrick.

When you think about the 2007 Georgia-Alabama game, there are a lot of things that should be remembered. It was after all, a road win for the Bulldogs on Matthew Stafford’s walk-off touchdown pass to Mikey Henderson.

But that is not the case.

Instead, it’s one sound byte from the ESPN broadcast that happened mere seconds before the game-sealing score:

Milli-moments later, Matthew Stafford struck gold on a deep route to the end zone corner, and Georgia won in overtime.

Between the 2012 SEC Championship and everything that has happened with these two programs since 2017, games like this can get easily lost. But it still ranks as one of the classic showdowns between two of the SEC’s deepest-dyed blue bloods. How even were the two teams this night? Consider that Georgia had 377 yards of offense to the Crimson Tide’s 349.

Both teams began 2007 with expectations to be on the upswing. When Georgia hit its stride to end 2006, capped off by the Chick-fil-A Bowl win, the dynamic was that with Matthew Stafford settling in under center, that the Dawgs were on their way to being among the SEC’s elite again. In Tuscaloosa it was simple – the Crimson Tide needed someone to restore the program’s glory, and Nick Saban was talked into hanging up his NFL whistle in favor of Alabama.

Georgia stumbled in week two, losing 16-12 to South Carolina, but the season was hardly lost – but few other losses could be afforded to win the SEC East. The Crimson Tide entered 3-0, the big win being a 41-38 offensive slugfest against Arkansas.

Georgia found success early, going up 10-0 less than six minutes into the game on a quick pass from Stafford to Thomas Brown later followed by a Brandon Coutu field goal. But after Alabama tied 10-0, the Bulldogs put together another 10-point swing, leading 20-10 after a third-quarter touchdown by Knowshon Moreno and another Coutu field goal. That’s when Alabama rallied for ten points in the final 6:10, sending things to overtime.

There, after Bama led 23-20, Georgia made sure that the Crimson Tide didn’t come back again.

Nobody knew it then…but it’d end up being the first of many instant classics to come between these two teams.

Go Dawgs!

Good day, err’body.

As of Thursday morning’s NHC advisory there has been no significant changes to the track of what is now Hurricane Isaias – an intensifying storm right. Upon approach and eventual landfall along the northern Gulf coast – near Mobile Bay or perhaps closer to the Pensacola/Perdido Key area in the Florida panhandle – increasing wind shear is forecast to weaken the storm prior to landfall but Isaias is still projected to remain a strong category 2 hurricane (96-110 MPH).

This is what the Conference and the University of Alabama and Alabama Emergency Management still must consider: Although Isaias is forecast to weaken fairly rapidly and accelerate northward after crossing the coastline, folks still have to travel to get to the game early enough in the day while the storm is still hazardous and on the move very close to Tuscaloosa and vicinity. And a storm like this isn’t a simple point on a map. It’s a large area of circulation with multiple hazards within that will extend for miles. A weakening tropical cyclone is still capable of producing enough wind to knock down trees, powerlines and other structures and the wind field is forecast to expand which is typical as a storm begins to spin down. This is going to be a tough call.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

But MLB Trade Rumors did release its arbitration estimates for 2027 — one of the most useful articles every year. So let’s take a look at some of those numbers for the Atlanta Braves, with some brief notes on which guys could potentially be non-tendered.

Braves 2027 Arbitration Estimates

• Dylan Lee (4.150): $4.2MM
• James Karinchak (4.130): $1.1MM
• Joey Wentz (3.166): $900K
• Michael Grove (3.122): $1MM
• Luke Williams (3.070): $900K
• Bryce Elder (3.069): $4MM

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Bryce Elder and Dylan Lee are the two biggest names this year, and there is probably a case for the Braves to non-tender them both. Lee was amazing throughout the first half of the season, but from July 2nd to the end of the regular season, he posted a 5.90 ERA.

My guess is that at $4.2 million, the Braves don’t think too long about handing him that money. Atlanta is already pretty thin when it comes to left-handed relievers, and Lee’s track record remains very solid, recording a 2.89 ERA over 269 relief appearances with the club.

The decision on Bryce Elder is much more difficult. He had a nice bounce-back campaign, recording a 4.11 ERA over 26 starts. The Braves probably aren’t in the position they are in today without him, and $4 million for a starting pitcher is chump change — even if Elder is nothing more than an innings eater.

However, what the Braves will really have to decide is whether Elder is going to have a role on the major-league club come Opening Day next season. A lot of that will likely depend on the health of some of their currently injured starting pitchers, as well as how they feel about some of their prospect arms that are on the cusp of being major-league ready. I would lean towards Elder being around in 2027 because the Braves do like him, but I wouldn’t say it’s a guarantee.

The other four, whether they are non-tendered or not, are very unlikely to have much of an impact on the Braves’ 2027 team.

Luke Williams has been around the club for the last several years, offering quality speed and positional versatility. For $900k, I could see the Braves holding onto him for organizational depth purposes.

James Karinchak appeared in nine games for the Braves, and his 1.86 ERA suggests he’s definitely worth $1.1 million. However, it’s evident the Braves never really saw much in him given how little they used him.

Joey Wentz tore his ACL during Spring Training, so the decision on him will likely come down to health.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Ray Kerr delivered again as an opener, as the aura around his path to this point continues to grow. Michael Harris II keeps cementing himself as a postseason demon, adding three more hits to his tally this October, giving him eight in just five games. And 21-year-old Didier Fuentes announced himself to the world, recording 11 straight outs over the final four innings against one of the greatest lineups ever assembled to help seal the victory.

It’s all setting up perfectly for the Braves, who will have Chris Sale ready to roll for Game 3 as the series shifts back to Truist Park. However, one aspect of that Game 2 win that’s probably getting overlooked is Robert Suarez looking like the guy who recorded a 0.56 ERA over his first 31 appearances before an elbow injury shut him down for the next few months.

The two-time All-Star still clearly isn’t 100%. The Braves aren’t going to be able to rely on him as much as they’d like in this series, in order to ensure he stays healthy. But from an effectiveness standpoint, it feels like he can be trusted in the biggest moments again.

Walt Weiss turned to him on Sunday night in the fifth inning with a one-run lead, nobody out, and runners standing on first and second. If Suarez had allowed just one run to score, the Braves probably would have taken it no questions asked, especially given where the Dodgers were in the lineup. Instead, he set down Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, and Teoscar Hernandez in order while keeping the lead intact.

That was arguably the most pivotal point in the entire ballgame, and Suarez continuously pounded the zone with 100-plus MPH fastballs to get the job done. It was by far the best he’s looked since the injury, and while the Braves will have to be cautious about where he’s used, Walt Weiss now has one of his most powerful weapons back at his disposal whenever he needs him most over these final three games.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Grant Holmes has made two relief appearances but hasn’t provided much length, failing to even complete an inning in Sunday’s win over the Dodgers. It’s evident the Braves don’t trust him very much, and the odds of that changing as the competition ramps up are highly unlikely.

So can Atlanta really keep this going with just Sale and Mahle? Recent history suggests it’s possible, with the 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers serving as a very comparable example.

“The Dodgers two years ago. Remember? … Their starting pitching was decimated by injuries and they had all these relievers step up and absorb a lot of innings, exactly where the Braves are right now,” MLB insider Buster Olney pointed out in a recent interview with 680 The Fan. “This has been done before. You can win with two starting pitchers, three starting pitchers in the postseason if you have a lights-out bullpen.”

It’s ironic the Dodgers had to navigate an entire postseason with just two reliable starting pitchers, because they’d spent a ton on starting pitching. They all just happened to be unavailable once the postseason arrived, which forced their bullpen to cover 57.8% of the innings during their 2024 World Series run.

So not only can it happen, but this is how baseball has shifted dramatically over the years. Sure, the current-day Dodgers are an outlier, featuring a rotation consisting of five All-Stars — but they are the outlier. Most clubs are relying on bullpens to cover the bulk of the innings these days, including several of the clubs still standing in the Division Series.

The formula for getting 27 outs doesn’t all have to be the same. Some clubs have several elite starters who can carry the load, and others rely heavily on a plethora of relievers who can create difficult matchups throughout nine innings. That’s exactly what the Braves have done over the first five games.

Atlanta has a slew of high-leverage arms that are built for high-pressure situations, but what’s standing out early on is the guys behind them. Ray Kerr and Dylan Dodd aren’t household names, but they’ve both been incredible for the Braves all season and are now showing up on the biggest stage. That’s how deep this group is, and when you pair that with the likes of Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle, there are enough guys for Walt Weiss to turn to for 27 outs on any given night.

How far the Braves advance really comes down to their ability to score runs against some of the best arms in the game. Atlanta’s pitching staff has carried this club for nearly the entire season, and there’s nothing to suggest that’s changing now.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

#Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is dealing with a sprained ankle that gives him only an outside chance to play Sunday against the #Falcons, sources say.

Jackson could end up missing multiple games based on how rehab goes, but the injury is not considered long-term or surgical. pic.twitter.com/pIKU5IfA3J

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 6, 2026

Based on how the Falcons have performed over the past two weeks — beating the Saints and Packers each by 21 points on the road — there probably aren’t too many people around Flowery Branch concerned about who’s starting for the Ravens this Sunday. If the Falcons play like they have been, there’s not much Baltimore can do about the result that’s coming on national television, in front of what should be one of the more raucous environments we’ve seen at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a long time.

However, it goes without saying that beating the Ravens with Tyler Huntley is a much easier task than dealing with the two-time MVP in Lamar Jackson. He gives Baltimore a fantastic chance to win every time he takes the field, so his status will be something we’ll be monitoring closely throughout the week.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. got whatever they wanted on the ground, rushing for over 200 yards with five touchdowns. Michael Penix Jr. added another touchdown through the air in what was yet another incredibly efficient performance for the third-year starting quarterback. And Atlanta’s defense was once again suffocating. The pressure on Tyler Shough never allowed him to get comfortable, and the Saints managed only 50 rushing yards on 19 carries.

That’s the type of formula that’s going to win the Falcons a lot of football games this season, but one concern as we start to get into the meat of the schedule is the injuries. Atlanta was without a ton of key pieces on Monday night, and two more starters left the game in Jake Matthews and Za’Darius Smith without returning.

Matthews, who has made 199 consecutive starts for the Falcons at left tackle, is dealing with a groin injury. He was questionable to return after he exited before being downgraded to out, so there’s some hope it’s not something that will force him to miss too much time — especially given his pedigree as an ironman.

Smith left the game early and was eventually ruled out with a concussion. He’ll be in concussion protocol this week, but that didn’t stop him from celebrating with the team in the tunnel following the win — a good sign that he likely won’t have to miss much more time, if any at all.

Za'Darius Smith, you have a home in the A for life pic.twitter.com/4XcaLimrvD

— Carrie (@Carrie_ATL) October 6, 2026

In Matthews’ place, Michael Jerrell filled in at left tackle, and the Falcons’ offense didn’t miss a beat. It’s evident the kind of impact first-year offensive line coach Bill Callahan has had on this team, with everybody who’s been called upon seemingly ready to play. Jerrell likely gets the nod again if Matthews can’t play next Sunday night against the Ravens.

The same can be said for the Falcons’ defensive front. Za’Darius Smith leads the team in sacks through four games with 2.5, but there was absolutely zero drop-off when he left the game. With Jalon Walker out for the season and James Pearce Jr. serving an eight-game suspension, this is a position group that came into the season really thin on paper. However, guys have stepped up across the board, and as long as Smith doesn’t miss too much time, this isn’t something the Falcons should be overly concerned about moving forward.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

It’s a best-case scenario for Atlanta, and one that Jesse Rogers of ESPN does not believe the Dodgers will be able to overcome.

“Walt Weiss’ master strategy of holding back Chris Sale will pay off in Game 3 and then the weight of the world will be on the Dodgers for Game 4,” Rogers wrote. “It’ll end there. Then, they’ll start to show their age while the lockout next season prevents them from managing their oft-injured pitchers properly this winter or in a normal spring training. Adding insult to injury, River Ryan and Zyhir Hope star for the Tigers as the Dodgers’ dynasty comes to an abrupt halt. You asked for bold … right?”

Now, the theme of this piece from ESPN was bold predictions the rest of the way, so perhaps Rogers was being a little harsh on the Dodgers’ chances. But the Braves have put themselves in a position every team in the league would dream of when it comes to toppling the two-time defending champions.

Chris Sale has been the most dominant pitcher in baseball over the last three seasons, and this year might have been his best, recording a 2.16 ERA with 200 strikeouts over 27 starts. He also led all of baseball in strikeout-to-walk ratio, walks per nine innings, and home runs allowed per nine innings. There’s nobody you’d rather have in this moment than Chris Sale, and he’ll be doing it in front of a raucous home environment at Truist Park that smells the blood of a dying empire in the water. If the Braves can find a way to get a lead early in Game 3, you have to like their chances of advancing.

However, it’s still the Dodgers. This is one of the best lineups ever put together. Even if they’ve struggled collectively recently, all it takes is one game for them to flip the switch on their way to a third World Series title in a row. It also doesn’t hurt that they have Yoshinobu Yamamoto ready to go in Game 3, Tyler Glasnow set up for Game 4, and Tarik Skubal for Game 5 if the series heads back to Los Angeles.

It’s a bit too early to pop champagne bottles in Atlanta, but the Braves have a legitimate shot at stopping this dynasty in its tracks — and that’s all you could have asked for a few days ago.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Against the Steelers and Panthers, Atlanta’s defense held its own for the most part. Neither team could run the ball on Atlanta, and if the offense didn’t turn the ball over a hundred times against Carolina, that score would have at least been respectable. Instead Cooper Rush looked like a high school quarterback dressed up as an NFL player for Halloween. He legitimately could not throw the ball 25 yards past the line of scrimmage, giving the Falcons zero hope from the moment they stepped on the field.

When Penix returned in Week 3, the switch flipped, and it’s done so in a way that should strike fear into the rest of the league. The mere threat of a passing attack has opened things up for Bijan Robinson, who only needs a little bit of space to make defenses pay again, and again, and again. Following another performance with north of 140 yards on the ground and two scores, he now has 339 rushing yards with four touchdowns over the last two weeks — a clear frontrunner for the Offensive Player of the Year award.

But it’s not just the Falcons’ ground game that’s flourishing. Under the guidance of new head coach Kevin Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, Michael Penix Jr. looks like an above-average quarterback. He’s completing over 73% of his passes, and outside of a shaky first quarter in his first game back against the Packers, he’s been basically perfect, getting the ball out on time and never putting it in harm’s way. His 83 QBR on the season is the fourth-best mark in the entire league, behind only Brock Purdy, Caleb Williams, and Dak Prescott.

The Packers and Saints don’t have all-world defenses, but the Falcons’ offense has now scored 80 points over the last two weeks on the road in primetime. It doesn’t matter if they were playing the Georgia Bulldogs — that’s impressive, especially considering this is Penix’s first two games back from a torn ACL in a completely new offensive system. What happens when he starts feeling more comfortable? Nobody outside of Atlanta wants to see that.

However, for as good as the offense has been, the defense seems to have the bones of something even more special. The Falcons were a team that could get after the passer a season ago, finishing second in the league in sacks. But they were consistently gashed on the ground.

That’s no longer the case. Atlanta came into Monday night’s matchup first in rush defense, allowing fewer than 50 yards per game on the ground, and nothing changed against the Saints, who rushed for just 50 yards on 19 carries — averaging 2.6 yards per attempt.

And the Falcons are still getting after the passer just fine. Even if the sack numbers aren’t there yet, that’s a deceiving stat. A more indicative number of how effective teams are at making quarterbacks’ lives a living hell is pressure — and Atlanta currently ranks second in pressure rate.

Want me to keep going with the impressive numbers? I know you do. A season ago, the Falcons were getting a lot of their sacks from creative blitzes by defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. They didn’t have the manpower to get home with four, so Ulbrich went into his bag early and often, blitzing the second-most of any team in the league. He hasn’t had to do that this season. The Falcons are generating all of this pressure despite blitzing the 30th-most of any team — and they’re doing it without Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. Just imagine what this defense could look like a month from now, when Pearce returns from suspension.

Through four weeks, Atlanta has an elite defense and can run the ball as well as anyone in the league. They are outrushing teams by more than 130(!) yards per game, and they spent the first two weeks with a third-string quarterback under center. That is the picture-perfect formula for winning games at this level, especially now that they are getting more than competent quarterback play.

The scoreboard week-to-week can oftentimes lie. But the Falcons aren’t thriving off turnovers or other teams’ mistakes. They are physically imposing their will on every team that steps between the white lines against them. That’s something we haven’t been able to say about the team in Atlanta for decades, and it makes them one of the scariest teams to play in the National Football League

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Game 3. #LetItFly pic.twitter.com/qEtGsjSSjq

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) October 6, 2026

It’s a very interesting construction against the right-handed Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Ha-Seong Kim is back in at shortstop, with Sean Murphy serving as the designated hitter — two guys the Braves have typically avoided using against righties.

The reason for this is that Yamamoto is a slight reverse-splits guy on the mound. He’s dominant against just about everyone, but left-handed batters have hit just .175 against him for his career with a .503 OPS. Conversely, right-handed hitters are hitting .209 with a .623 OPS.

There are no great options against a guy like that, but Walt Weiss appears to be playing the numbers instead of the traditional lefty/righty matchups. For the postseason, Sean Murphy is 2-for-7 with a home run, a double, and two walks. Kim is still looking for his first hit of the playoffs, but he has coaxed a couple of walks over seven plate appearances.

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Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Bijan Robinson is the frontrunner for the Offensive Player of the Year award, recording 339 yards on the ground with four touchdowns over the past two weeks. Brian Robinson Jr. has been a wonderful complement in the backfield as well, and the return of Michael Penix Jr. has really opened things up for star wide receiver Drake London and the passing attack.

Most everybody who watches the NFL knows about the Falcons’ star power on that side of the ball. But the most impressive aspect of Atlanta through four weeks has been the defense. This is a group that ranks first against the run, allowing fewer than 50 yards on the ground per game, and second in pressure rate. That’s pretty incredible considering they’re doing it without Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., and A.J. Terrell — three of the best players on the defense coming into the season.

There aren’t many players on this unit who are household names, but if these performances keep up, they will be soon.

Cameron Thomas

After spending last season as a reserve for the Cleveland Browns, Cameron Thomas followed Kevin Stefanski to Atlanta on a one-year deal worth just over $3 million. That’s the type of contract fringe roster players often sign, but due to injuries and the suspension handed to James Pearce Jr., Thomas has filled in as the starter and is earning himself a ton of money. Through four weeks, he has 13 pressures — the 17th-most of any EDGE defender — eight quarterback hits, already a career high, and 1.5 sacks. Thomas is a primary reason Atlanta’s defensive front has been among the best in football through four weeks.

C.J. Henderson

When A.J. Terrell went on Injured Reserve, alarm bells went off for everybody who has watched this team over the last five years. He’s the Falcons’ best cover corner, and depth at the position has never been a strength.

However, defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich staunchly defended C.J. Henderson, and the veteran cornerback has responded with possibly the best play of his entire career. He already has six passes defended. Quarterbacks are completing just 50% of passes when targeting him for an 80.9 quarterback rating, and he forced a pivotal fumble in the first half of the Falcons’ win over the Saints. Not bad for a reserve cornerback, who could continue starting even when Terrell returns from injury.

Harold Perkins Jr.

Harold Perkins Jr. — a sixth-round pick out of LSU — is slowly working himself onto the field more, and it culminated on Monday night against his hometown Saints, as he recorded 10 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a pass defended in the win. He’s someone who’s clearly earning the trust of the coaching staff with each passing week, seeing the field on more than 65% of the defensive snaps over the past two games and providing a lot of value in passing situations where his versatility can really shine.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

ESPN just released its latest NFL power rankings following Monday Night Football, with the Falcons walloping the Saints by 21 points in their own building. It’s the Falcons’ second straight primetime victory by 21 points, in which they’ve totaled 80 points on offense with eight touchdowns on the ground.

Atlanta has looked like one of the best teams in football since the return of Michael Penix Jr. in Week 3, so clearly ESPN’s latest edition of its NFL power rankings will reflect that, right?

How about 25th.

“The first two weeks of the season were absolutely disastrous,” Falcons beat reporter Marc Raimondi writes. “Tua Tagovailoa sustained an oblique injury, and Michael Penix Jr. was not ready to return from his ACL injury. Third-string quarterback Cooper Rush was thrust into the starting role — with back spasms to boot — and the Falcons’ offense was hideous. They had a league-low 16 combined points in the first two weeks, going 27 straight series without taking a snap in the red zone. The latter was tied for the second-longest skid in 45 years. But with Penix back, Atlanta’s offense has scored 80 combined points in two weeks, the most in the NFL in that span.”

Now, I do want to make one thing clear: Marc Raimondi is not responsible for these power rankings. That responsibility belongs to what ESPN called more than a dozen NFL analysts. It’s nice that they keep it anonymous, because it’s obvious nobody on that panel watches much football.

The Atlanta Falcons were ranked right behind the 0-4 Houston Texans. But even more ridiculous, the Falcons find themselves two spots behind the Packers AND four spots behind the Saints.

How is that even possible? Those games were on national television, and it never once looked like Atlanta was playing the same sport as the other two. Those two games could be played 100 times anywhere on the planet right now, and the Falcons might win every single time. That’s how vast the gap is between Atlanta and Green Bay/New Orleans.

Additionally, the entire point of power rankings is to throw records out the window and really dive into how teams are playing at this very moment. One of the primary things they take into account is injuries.

The Falcons played the first two games of the season with a third-string quarterback who couldn’t throw the ball past the line of scrimmage. Those games should almost entirely be thrown out the window when talking about power rankings, because they don’t mean anything.

The Falcons still have a lot to prove going forward. Two good performances aren’t going to wash away what’s gone on over the last eight seasons — and nobody is more aware of that than Falcons fans.

But I can guarantee you one thing: the Falcons aren’t the 25th-best team in the NFL. Any NFL analyst who believes that should find a new hobby.

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Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

It’s about time to put toe to leather in Athens, Georgia.

We’ve got a good idea who’s actually playing. We know what we should be worried about. And we know a little rivalry history. Heck, we even have a handle on the things we still don’t know.

At this point there’s nothing left to do but play solid football. The Commodores are going to take some shots downfield, and they’re going to sell out on defense to get to the quarterback. If the Bulldogs can make them pay for both of those it should be a pleasant afternoon.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Look, the goal is to win football games and the Georgia Bulldogs won this one. Beyond that, well, I’ll have more thoughts shortly. For now, let’a turn our attention to some solid football taking place for the remainder of your Saturday.

If you’re not turning over to watch the Braves and Dodgers in the NLDS, you could take in Ohio State traveling to Iowa on CBS. Also Florida travels to Missouri on ABC looking to avoid a hangover after their big win over Ole Miss. The SEC Network has Kentucky going to Columbia to take on South Carolina in a game that could see a changing of the guard in the lower-middle of the SEC.

The evening slate is filled with games that shouldn’t be incredibly competitive but just might get really interesting if they are. Miami travels to Clemson on ABC, with the Hurricanes a prohibitive favorite. The Washington Huskies will take on USC on NBC. If you’re a bit of a degenerate you may enjoy the 7:00 ESPN game between Arkansas and Texas A&M, a matchup of coaches who both really, really need a win. Like, in a “honey, don’t put up the Christmas decorations quite yet” kind of way.

So let’s enjoy another evening of college football action. Every one is special in its own way, and you only get so many of them in a year. Let’s make this one count.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

There was some causes for concern. But in the end, Georgia did what you’d expect – eventually overpower Vanderbilt 38-17. Now, everyone officially can do what they have been secretly doing since August – focus on Alabama.

Here are 10 thoughts from how everything shook out on Saturday Between The Hedges.

1. There’s no telling whether or not Kirby Smart is the hand-written letter type. But he should at the very least have a thank you card sent to Vanderbilt’s athletics department, attn: Clark Lea for doing the Bulldogs a great service on Saturday. Talk to anyone in this program and they will quickly tell you that there is plenty of adversity to be encountered during game weeks at practice, but that run into during actual games is different. Saturday may not have been an “identity game,” but it was a moment of sweating things out with a sack being given up near the goal line and multiple defensive secondary leaks. It’s much better to have these pop up now than next Saturday in prime time.

2. So what was actually said during halftime? We’ll have to wait on ‘leaked audio” more than likely. But there was an apparent intent to take control from a one-touchdown lead, as seen from Gabe Harris’ sack being the first of the day for Georgia’s defense and a scoring drive of more than 6:30.

3. Thank goodness for this team’s running back depth. Nate Frazier entered the game for a handful of carries due to a possible injury to Chauncey Bowens, otherwise, he likely does not play. Then again, with the way Dwight Phillips has run..and caught the ball as of late, there is less concern if this group gets banged up. And given the nature of the season, that will happen.

4. Does this team really have a go-to receiver? The results say no. If you look at receivers and tight ends alone on Saturday, seven were targeting at least twice and none were thrown to more than five times by Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton. That says two things – one, that plenty of players at a position that was a preseason worry can step up and two, that hopefully Stockton does not lock down heavy on one single receiver and not cycle through his secondary options. 

5. On the subject of running backs – the long screen to Dwight Phillips is a feature of this offense as the year goes on – that when you have a guy with Phillips’ speed, you wrinkle in multiple ways to use it. 

6. No Jared Curtis on Saturday. But Vandy quarterback Blaze Berlowitz still presented plenty of capable things, though not as much as Junior Sherrill. This Commodores team is not a bad club, and odds are solid that they will be bowl-bound thanks to those playmakers and how they mix things up defensively. If you need some good schedule fortune, this aligns well for Georgia head of its by-far toughest game coming up.

7. Speaking of Curtis – will Nate Bargatze be asking for a refund after coming to Athens and not even seeing Curtis take the field. Hopefully, he found some means of entertainment in downtown Atnens.

8. As you go into any season, there is a temptation to look at one element and say ‘this might bite us when it matters.” Placekicking is not one of them, with Peyton Woodring still being basically automatic (hopefully this is not a jinx). The last thing you need going into a big game is worrying that your kicker is jumpy, and Georgia is avoiding that as of now. 

9. So the good news for Florida is that it can consult its SEC East-era rival Tennessee on publishing a coffee-table book on a single-win during a season before having your shorts run up the flagpole a few weeks later.

10. You know that line in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when he says “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”?

That apparently was talking about the college football season. With all its faults, this is a greatest sport in America…and the regular season just shy of halfway over. Time is a thief, indeed. 

Go Dawgs!

Is it possible for a 38–14 victory to be….unsatisfying?

Maybe. That is the question confronting Bulldog fans after they watched Georgia put in a solid, though not dominating victory over the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores.

Let’s start with the positives. The Red and Black offense racked up 471 yards of total offense that felt like it very much could have been more. Gunner Stockton’s remains one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football, today hitting on 25 of 32 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns.

Mike Bobo took some of those shots downfield we said in the pregame that he should against a Commodore defense that blitzes more and harder than just about anyone else in the SEC. The Dawgs didn’t hit as many of them as perhaps they should have, and that made the offense perhaps feel a tad more anemic than it really was. But the Bulldogs came away with points on six of their eight drives excluding the short drive before the half and the one to kneel out the game (when Bo Walker very nearly took the ball to the house). That’s pretty solid efficiency.

We saw Nate Frazier, albeit only on 2 rushing attempts for 9 yards. The downside of that is that it was because Chauncey Bowens got banged up. Bowens did return, but we again find ourselves with a running back corps full of Ferraris: the fastest thing on the road when they’re not in for repairs. I would expect Frazier to try to go next Saturday in Tuscaloosa. But in a game in which we may need to control the ball and keep it away from the high-powered Tide offense, I’d really like to have a full complement of tailbacks. We may have everyone available, but not 100%.

It also remains to be seen what the receiving corps look like heading into next week. In the absence of Isaiah Canion Thomas Blackshear caught 3 passes for 33 yards before himself exiting the game with an undisclosed injury he was on the sideline in a shoulder sling in the second half, which isn’t a promising sign going forward. He was one of ten receivers Stockton hit on the me day, with Dwight Phillips leading all receivers with 5 catches for 75 yards an a touchdown (and what would have been another but for instant replay). Coaches have talked all fall about trying to get the ball in Phillips’ hands, and today was a solid step in that direction.

And then there was the defense. The Commodores only totaled 293 yards of offense and were a pedestrian 5 of 12 on third down conversions. But in the moment it felt like both those totals were much higher. Some busted coverages on the back end allowed the Nashvillians to convert some third and longs that extended drives in frustrating fashion.

I don’t want to excuse the performance, but would say that there were extenuating circumstances. With Jared Curtis’s last minute totally legitimate “injury” the Bulldogs found themselves defending Blaze Berlowitz, a more mobile QB who in fact led Vandy in rushing. With a whopping 37 yards. Again, it probably seemed worse to the viewing fan than it was in reality. But the fact that Berlowitz looked serviceable doesn’t inspire confidence with Keelon Russell up next.

It’s also worth noting that the Athenians allowed only 59 yards of offense in the second half. Part of that was the Bulldog offense going into ““anaconda mode”, in which Kirby and Mike Bobo just slowly constrict opponents into oblivion. But part of it was also better execution, especially in the linebacking corps and secondary.

Vanderbilt also executed well on third down, finding some plays they haven’t found at key times this season. Hilariously, Jared Curtis could find himself getting Wally Pipped by Berlowitz after that performance. The UGA defense held the SEC’s 14th ranked offense 70 yards below its season average, but compared to what we’ve seen previously this effort looked a little like a team looking ahead.

And what a game to look ahead to. The Bulldogs will travel to Tuscaloosa, where they haven’t won since 2007, to face a Crimson Tide team that’s suddenly looking like it can’t be stopped offensively unless it stops itself. We’ve more than once seen a Kirby Smart team show up big in a big game after this sort of adequate but not spectacular warmup.

It doesn’t feel even nearing the halfway point of the season like we yet know just how good this team can be, and as if they’re still a work in progress.But we’re about to learn if this team is an apex predator in the SEC or just a member of the pack.

Go ‘‘Dawgs!!

AP Poll

1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Miami
5. Ohio State
6. Alabama
7. Indiana
8. BYU
9. Ole Miss
10. LSU
11. Texas Tech
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. Missouri
15. Tennessee
16. Florida
17. Mississippi State
18. Oklahoma State
19. USC
20. Iowa
21. UCLA
22. Houston
23. Boise State
24. SMU
25. Pitt

Georgia Update

Georgia took care of business on Homecoming, defeating Vanderbilt 38-14.

The Bulldogs stayed at #2 in the AP Poll as they prepare for their game in Tuscaloosa against #6 Alabama. College Gameday will be in Tuscaloosa for the game as well.

Newcomers

#25 Pitt

Dropped Out

#24 Kentucky

Ranked Matchups

#2 Georgia at #6 Alabama

#21 UCLA at #13 Oregon

Upset Alert

I could be a homer and pick Georgia +1.5 against the Tide… but I’m going to go elsewhere. Nebraska, 5-0 and unranked, is a 7.5 point home underdog against Indiana. This would be the C0rnhuskers’ biggest win in years, and I think they have an excellent shot at getting it done.

You probably don’t remember, but my plus one last year for the home opener was my eldest great-nephew. He’s now 15 (with his permit!), and a freshman in high school. Watching him watch the game was every bit as entertaining as the game itself, because he was studying the game. He has played for a few years now (I’m not sure exactly how long), and thoroughly enjoys playing. He clearly was looking to see what he could learn to improve his own game. 

When the family met for Easter, his uncle (my youngest nephew) asked about coming to a game again (he got to attend the Texas game last year after narrowly surviving an ICU visit brought about by vaping. In case you don’t know my feelings about vaping, I’ll be short here – DON’T). When I agreed he could come again, we discussed which game (he chose Mizzou). The GN asked if he could attend an SEC game this year, and he chose Vandy.

We weren’t early enough to get my preferred spot for the Dawg Walk, but we were early enough to get a spot near the Redcoats! I promise, at any football game, the band is having a great time!

We stopped at the endzone corner nearest the UGA crypts, where GN watched players practice. We even got to watch receivers practicing catching the ball in the back corner and make sure to get a foot down (and we saw that at least once in the game, too).

One of my annual plus-ones (a former colleague) had texted me that she was there with her family, so we made sure to meet up with her for a moment in the 3rd quarter.

We even discussed him coming back during our Fall Break (his aligns with mine this year) so we could go explore the cemetery and the marker that bears our name. That will likely depend on his mama’s ability to transport, so stay tuned…

However, it is our intention to celebrate Georgia Bulldog Football Wins whenever and wherever they occur. The ugliness or beauty of any particular win is irrelevant for the purposes of the Winning Smart Victory Post. It is therefore my deepest honor and privilege to bring to you this week’s edition of: The Winning Smart Victory Post.

Coach Kirby Smart coached his 143rd game this week for the Red & Black. He currently boasts a 122-21 record and a 0.8531 winning percentage, having carded his one hundred twenty-second win overall in the fifth game of the 2026 season against the Commodores of Vanderbilt.

At the identical juncture in their careers:

Vince Dooley’s 143rd game as head coach resulted in a Georgia Bulldogs win over Floriduh in the eighth game of the 1976 season, giving Coach Dooley a record of 96-42-5 and a 0.6888 percentage.

Coach Mark Richt was 106-37 (0.7413) after a loss to LSU in the 2011 SECCG.

One hundred and forty three games into his head coaching career Kirby Smart is sixteen games ahead of Coach Mark Richt and ahead of Coach Vince Dooley by 26 games. As of now, he is holding his own versus the two winningest coaches in Georgia Football History.

As always . . .

Go ‘Dawgs !!!!

You don’t tune out the noise of an upcoming tilt with Alabama, Jared Curtis’s return (or not) to Athens, and general Homecoming distractions to romp over the vaunted Vanderbilt Commodores without a total team effort. Yet even then, some players are bound to rise above the noise and confusion, to get a glimpse beyond this illusion, and soar ever higher than the rest. Those stalwart sons of the gridiron are your MVDs: the Most Valuable ‘Dawgs from Georgia’s 38-14 win over Vandy.

Offense: Dwight Phillips, Jr. Look, Gunner Stockton had a wonderful day throwing the ball. And Landon Roldan had a pleasantly productive afternoon with a touchdown and a long catch to set up another. But Peanut the Destroyer was the one who spread the Commodores too thin to recover. He had 75 yards receiving and 27 on the ground, scored one touchdown and all but scored another, and had a run for a key third down conversion.

Defense: Ellis Robinson, IV. The secondary in general gave Bulldogs fans some reason for concern in this one. But Robinson remains very difficult to throw on, and his third quarter interception shut the door on the ‘Dores and paved the way for the Red and Black’s final touchdown, putting this one definitively out of reach.

Special Teams: Peyton Woodring. Drew Miller had a nice punt to get the Bulldogs out of the shadow of their own endzone. But Woodring hit a 39 yard field goal to extend the second half lead to three scores, and his 5 for 5 performance on extra points put him even further in the lead for the most consecutive extra points in Bulldog history.

As always, we’d welcome your nominations in the comments. Until later…

Go ‘Dawgs!!!

Obviously, after this weekend, it was difficult for the crew at SEC shorts to figure out which formerly top 10 SEC football team to set their sites on. So they decided to take a jab at all of them. Obviously, after this weekend, it was difficult for the crew at SEC shorts to figure out which formerly top 10 SEC football team to set their sites on. So they decided to take a jab at all of them.

My only regret in the Georgia/Vanderbilt seque is that we didn’t pull out the battery and jumper cables.

Bryce Elder hit the Injured List at the beginning of the month with a knee injury — one that required a minor surgery. He was out on the field today at Truist Park throwing live batting practice, but it still feels unlikely he returns unless the Braves make it to the NLCS.

Injured reliever Joe Jimenez was also throwing to live hitters at Truist Park on Monday. The once-shutdown setup man hasn’t pitched in a major-league game since 2024 after undergoing several knee surgeries. At one point not long ago, it seemed doubtful he’d ever pitch again, but he’s checked a lot of boxes throughout the season to get to a point where it feels like he’ll be on an MLB roster again — even if making an appearance in the playoffs is not something the Braves are seriously considering.

Martin Perez and Lane Thomas are also out for the Wild Card Series. Perez hit the Injured List last week with back inflammation. He’s not eligible to return until October 6th, but there’s hope he could be an option later in the postseason.

Thomas has been out since September 10th with an intercostal strain. His absence has left the Braves with a void in left field, one they’ll likely fill with a combination of Mauricio Dubon and Mike Yastrzemski until he’s deemed clear to play.

—

(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)

Mauricio Dubon gets the nod in the cleanup spot with a left-handed starter on the mound in Jesus Luzardo. Drake Baldwin gets the start behind the plate instead of Sean Murphy, with Mike Yastrzemski as the designated hitter and Ha-Seong Kim playing shortstop and batting ninth.

Game 1. #LetItFly pic.twitter.com/pX5jhaa6ln

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 29, 2026

Based on how the season has transpired, the Braves don’t really have any good options when it comes to the bottom of the order. I probably would have expected Sean Murphy to start behind the plate because of his defense and potential upside offensively. He did have three hits in his final two appearances of the season, but it’s hard to really argue for a guy who hit just .182 this season with a .556 OPS.

Instead, the Braves will roll with Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop in the series opener. His struggles this season have been well-documented — hitting just .116 on the season — but he did show some clutch genetics over the last five weeks, coming up with multiple walk-off knocks. Perhaps Walt Weiss believes there’s some more magic in that bat with all the chips down, but this is a decision that will likely get scrutinized if it doesn’t work.

If it does work, though, and Ha-Seong Kim comes up with another critical base knock, Weiss is going to look like the Mad Hatter. It all goes down in about two-and-a-half hours.

—

(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)

Everything started to shift the following Monday when it was announced Michael Penix Jr. would make his season debut. Then the Falcons went out and walloped the Packers by 21 points in front of a packed house at Lambeau Field, with Penix turning in one of the best performances of his young career.

To add even more enthusiasm, the rest of the NFC South would go on to lose on Sunday, putting Atlanta tied at the top of the division. The Falcons have new life, and there have been several standout performances through three weeks that provide optimism for the remainder of the season.

Falcons Standout Rookie Class

Despite not having a first-round pick this year, there was a lot of excitement about the Falcons’ rookie class following training camp, and the group has more than lived up to the billing through the first three weeks.

Avieon Terrell has started each of the first three games at cornerback. Quarterbacks have targeted him nine times and recorded just three completions for 38 yards and no touchdowns. The Falcons were without his brother, A.J. Terrell, against the Packers, and you couldn’t even tell the difference — a testament to the kind of secondary depth Atlanta hasn’t had in a long time.

Kendal Daniels — Atlanta’s fourth-round selection — has also started the first three games at linebacker and looks like someone who’s going to be a staple of the second level for a long time, recording 10 tackles and two tackles for loss. Harold Perkins has gotten a lot of run at linebacker as well after being selected in the sixth round. The Falcons clearly value the versatility he brings to the table on passing downs, as quarterbacks have just a 52.8 passer rating over the 11 times they’ve targeted him this season.

On the other side of the ball, Zachariah Branch really hasn’t gotten going offensively. However, it’s hard to put too much weight into what went down over the first couple of weeks with Cooper Rush under center. He should have a much bigger impact in that area moving forward, but even still, he’s played a significant role in the return game, averaging nearly 12.0 yards per punt return.

Michael Penix’s Week 3 Performance

Penix’s season debut against the Packers started in nightmare fashion, with a pick on his first drive. The following couple of possessions were also shaky, but from the second quarter on, that might have been the best we’ve ever seen him look.

He was getting the ball out on time and running the offense beautifully, finishing the night 17-for-20 for 254 yards and a touchdown when he wasn’t under pressure. That was good enough for an 84.9 QBR, the fourth-highest mark of any signal caller in Week 3.

Penix looked the part of a franchise quarterback, and he did it on national television after missing 10 months with an ACL injury. That should have Falcons fans excited about what’s to come.

The Defensive Line… Improved?

After decades of having a dormant pass rush, the Falcons did the impossible a season ago, finishing second in the league with 57 sacks. Despite that, the new front office completely revamped the interior defensive line, bringing in Gervon Dexter Sr. and Maason Smith to replace David Onyemata and Ruke Orhorhoro.

Those have proven to be massive upgrades, not only when it comes to rushing the passer but defending the run as well — an area where the Falcons struggled a year ago. Atlanta is in first by a mile when it comes to rush defense, allowing just 47.7 yards per game. They’ve still yet to surrender a rushing touchdown, and they rank third in the league in pass rush win rate.

The sample size remains small, and they’ll play some much better offenses in the coming weeks, but the signs suggest this defensive line is better than it was a year ago — and they’re doing all of it without James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker.

Walker won’t return this season after suffering a torn ACL, but Pearce has just five games remaining of his eight-game suspension. The Falcons’ defense could get real fun to watch when he returns.

—

(Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire)

Your 2026 Wild Card Series roster! pic.twitter.com/RKJ7kYjP4j

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 29, 2026

Rowdey Tellez and Luke Williams join the club as position players. With a designated hitter in a series like this, seeing much of them is highly unlikely.

But Tellez does offer some power from the left side off the bench and comes with some postseason experience. He hit two home runs against the Braves in the NLDS back in 2021. And Williams is another speedster the Braves could turn to late in the game. He also can play all over the diamond defensively.

On the pitching side of things, the one notable absence is AJ Smith-Shawver. He struggled as a starting pitcher after returning from Tommy John surgery. That forced a move to the bullpen, and after giving up three runs in three appearances, it’s not that surprising the Braves decided against including him for this series. In a five-game series, if the Braves advance, there’s much more of a reason to carry a high-powered arm like his that can go multiple innings.

The Wild Card Series kicks off in just over three hours, with Chris Sale toeing the rubber for the Braves and Jesus Luzardo getting the ball for the Phillies. It will be Luzardo’s first start since throwing a complete-game shutout against Atlanta on September 7th, after serving a short stint on the Injured List with shoulder inflammation.

—

(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)

The Phillies are starting Aaron Nola in Game 3 of the Wild Card series vs. Atlanta tonight, per @MattGelb. pic.twitter.com/rRy4uck1zS

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) October 1, 2026

On the surface, this is a bit of a head-scratching decision. Wheeler has been the head of the Phillies staff for a long time, and he’s having another incredible season, posting a 14-5 record with an even 3.00 ERA.

Nola’s 2026 campaign, on the other hand, has been a roller-coaster ride. He began the year miserably, taking a 6.04 ERA into July. But over his next 14 starts, he posted a 2.92 ERA, including a couple of impressive outings against the Braves, allowing just three earned runs over 13.1 innings. However, over the final two starts of the regular season, he surrendered seven earned runs over seven innings.

So what you’re going to get out of Nola is anybody’s best guess. The Phillies are obviously confident he can handle a Braves lineup he’s had a lot of success against over his career, particularly in the postseason, where he’s allowed just two earned runs over 11.2 innings. However, that was a much more consistent version of Nola back in 2022 and 2023 than the one that exists now, which could present an opportunity for Atlanta to jump on Philadelphia early.

In a winner-take-all environment, I would imagine just about every pitcher who toes the rubber will be on a tight leash. One would expect we’ll see Zack Wheeler in this game eventually, especially with Don Mattingly showing he has very little confidence in any of his relief pitchers outside of Jhoan Duran.

—

Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

The Atlanta Braves had the world at their fingertips. Coming off a thrilling victory in Game 1, Tyler Mahle tossed a gem, allowing just one run — which came in the first inning — over seven innings. If there were any questions about him living up to the moment in the playoffs for the first time, or whether his success since coming to Atlanta was legitimate, they were answered in resounding fashion.

Mahle went step for step with Cristopher Sanchez the entire afternoon, and the Braves finally broke through in the seventh thanks to a couple of boneheaded defensive plays from Philadelphia, leading to two runs with the Phillies down to their last six outs.

But the bullpen — the strength of the Braves for the entire season — couldn’t get it done. For the second consecutive afternoon, Walt Weiss turned to Dylan Lee in a high-leverage spot against Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. He handled it beautifully on Tuesday, but the Phillies’ stars were able to use that added information to their advantage on Wednesday, clobbering back-to-back homers deep into the Chop House seats.

A total disaster, and a decision that probably prevented Walt Weiss from getting much sleep last night, if he got any at all. For as good as Lee was in the first half of the season, he hasn’t been the same guy for a long time, recording a 5.90 ERA over 32 appearances dating back to July 2nd. Throwing him out there on consecutive days with the season on the line against two of the best playoff performers this game has ever seen is just asking for something bad to happen.

And to make matters worse: the Braves had a completely rested bullpen with everyone available. Weiss could have turned to Didier Fuentes, the club’s best reliever over the entire season. Or Robert Suarez, a two-time All-Star with loads of experience in big moments, even if he hasn’t pitched very much since coming back from injury. Or Dylan Dodd, the man who has actually been the Braves’ best lefty reliever over the last four months, posting a 2.54 ERA over 48 games. Hell, Weiss could have even turned to his closer, Raisel Iglesias, early, knowing it was the most important moment of the game, even if it was the eighth inning.

There’s no beating around the bush: it was an abysmal decision from the first-year manager in his first-ever playoff series. But if we’re pointing fingers for why we aren’t talking about the Dodgers right now, almost all of them should be aimed at the Braves’ offense.

This is a lineup that has massively underachieved over the last four months. They had a plethora of opportunities in front of a home crowd to blow the game wide open and turn Truist Park into a frenzy, and they came up short time and time again, leaving 11 runners on base. This game should have been 7-1 by the time Harper and Schwarber stepped to the plate in the eighth inning.

The Braves offense just cannot produce consistently enough when they’re presented with scoring opportunities. It’s a feast-or-famine bunch, and every time October arrives, it bites them in the ass. The Braves played with their food, and they are once again paying the price. Do it again tonight, and there likely will be some uncomfortable conversations had this offseason. Because what we’ve seen from these guys in the postseason is just not good enough, and we have a five-year sample size that shows it is not working.

—

Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)

The script couldn’t have been written any better by the folks in Hollywood. Riley, who’s amid by far the worst season of his career, delivering a moment in front of the home fans that could end up saving the Braves’ season.

But the job isn’t finished yet. The bulk of the Phillies’ rotation was unavailable after pitching over the weekend to get them into the postseason. That won’t be the case the rest of the way — one of the many storylines that will define this Wild Card Series.

Will the Braves’ Stars Show Up?

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of the Braves’ win over the Phillies on Monday is that they did it without any production from their three best hitters. Drake Baldwin, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Matt Olson were lined up at the top of the order — and they combined to go 0-for-11 with three strikeouts.

The Braves survived mostly thanks to Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II. Harris had three hits — all singles. Albies brought in a run with a triple in the sixth inning, then coaxed a critical walk in the eighth, which set the table for Riley’s game-winning three-run blast.

These are all really good players who have had a lot of success over their careers. It’s very possible they find a different gear and are the difference in October. But Albies and Riley haven’t been consistent enough over the last two seasons to believe that’s going to happen every day. The Braves need their stars to show up in big moments if they want to close out this series.

Will Jhoan Duran Be Available for Game 2?

All Braves fans are talking about on this fine Wednesday morning is the heroics from Austin Riley — but there’s always a flip side to every coin. Don Mattingly made the questionable decision to send out his closer, Jhoan Duran, for the super-unconventional nine-out save with a one-run lead, and it backfired. Not only did the Braves win, but Duran threw 30 pitches, bringing into question just how much he can offer if things get tight in Game 2.

Because the Phillies are on the brink of elimination, it would be surprising not to see Duran at all on Wednesday. But this is a bullpen that’s already littered with questions, which is why he was out there for a nine-out save in the first place. Now they have another one, where the answer might not be unveiled until it’s too late.

Was Tyler Mahle’s Success a Charade?

For the Braves, this is one of the biggest storylines of the entire postseason. They’ve been lacking starting pitching depth all year, and the rotation took an even bigger hit over the final month with both Bryce Elder and Martin Perez going on the IL. At this point, it’s basically Chris Sale, Tyler Mahle, and figure it the hell out. Atlanta needs Mahle to be the guy he was in the regular season after the Braves acquired him at the trade deadline, posting a 1.99 ERA over nine starts — the best of any trade deadline acquisition.

However, things are a lot different this time of year, and Mahle has never experienced October baseball before. So what version are the Braves going to get? The guy who had a 1.99 ERA for the Braves this year, or the one who posted a 5.13 ERA with the Giants? We’ll have a much better idea in about seven hours.

Who Will the Phillies Start in Game 3?

The Phillies will turn to Cristopher Sanchez in Game 2, one of the best pitchers in the game over the last three seasons. They should feel confident about their chances of forcing a winner-take-all Game 3, where Mattingly will have to make another difficult decision between Zack Wheeler on short rest or Aaron Nola on full rest.

Nola has bounced back really nicely over the second half of the season, and he’s had a ton of success against the Braves in the playoffs when the teams met in 2022 and 2023. However, this decision doesn’t seem nearly as difficult as some of the others Mattingly will have to make.

The answer is Zack Wheeler. He’s been the ace of the Phillies’ staff for over a half-decade, a guy who’s produced nearly every time he’s been called upon in big moments. If this series does get to Thursday, expect to see him toe the rubber with an opportunity for the Phillies to bounce the Braves out of the playoffs for the third time in five years.

—

(Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire)

Major League Baseball was nice enough to give the 94-win Braves the 2:00 PM time slot against the division-rival Phillies — a decision they’re probably regretting right about now. Because it’s highly unlikely any of the three remaining Wild Card Series deliver like Atlanta and Philadelphia did in Game 1.

The series began with one very significant question: who would the Phillies turn to in Game 1 after exhausting almost their entire rotation just trying to get to the playoffs?

Don Mattingly answered that with Jesus Luzardo — one of the best pitchers in baseball, but a guy who hadn’t made a start since September 7th due to a stint on the IL with shoulder inflammation.

It didn’t look like it bothered him too much. Chris Sale gave up the first run of the game in the very first inning, when Alec Bohm laced a high-90s heater over Michael Harris II’s head, bringing in Kyle Schwarber. The Braves would then answer in the second with a run of their own, thanks to a two-out single off the bat of Mike Yastrzemski. But after that, the teams traded zeros for a while.

Luzardo would exit ahead of the sixth inning, and that’s when things got real interesting. Ozzie Albies gave the Braves the lead with a one-out triple that just missed leaving the ballpark, scoring Michael Harris II. But it felt like Atlanta left one on the board that could come back to haunt them when they failed to bring Albies in — especially when the Phillies added two runs in the seventh on another triple, this time from JT Realmuto with two outs.

Both runs were charged to Chris Sale, who left the game with runners on first and third for Didier Fuentes. The rookie was able to get Justin Crawford to pop out, but the veteran Realmuto came through as he has so many times before against the Braves in October.

The building got even more tense when Mattingly then made a decision that could be talked about for a long time in Philadelphia if they go on to lose this series, bringing in closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh inning, hoping he could get the next nine outs.

For a while, it looked like a stroke of genius. Duran set down Dominic Smith, Drake Baldwin, and Ronald Acuña Jr. in order. He then made quick work of Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubon. Through the first five batters he faced, Duran had thrown only 15 pitches.

But a Michael Harris II infield single changed everything — one of his three hits on the afternoon. Ozzie Albies followed it up by coaxing a rare walk, bringing up Austin Riley with a chance to make everybody forget about the worst season of his career.

A moment he did not let go to waste.

AUSTIN RILEY
GO-AHEAD THREE-RUN HOMER
ATLANTA IS GOING WILD pic.twitter.com/XrPQnazvVO

— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2026

There were a lot of Braves who underachieved in 2026, most of them on the offensive side of things, but nobody was criticized more than Austin Riley. Atlanta’s third baseman and the highest-paid player in franchise history hit just .219 with 19 home runs. He also struck out 201 times, becoming one of just three players to finish a season with more than 200 strikeouts and fewer than 20 long balls.

None of that matters tonight. Tonight, he’s a hero, delivering the type of hit that can change the entire course of the season.

Teams that fall behind in the Wild Card Series since it moved to three games have advanced just one time out of sixteen tries. And with Sale on the mound, this felt like a game the Braves had to have if they wanted to move on and face the Dodgers in the NLDS — especially with Cristopher Sanchez getting the ball in Game 2 for the Phillies, and Zack Wheeler likely available for a winner-take-all Game 3.

The advantage is with the good guys, but there’s still work to be done for this core group to get the postseason monkey off its back.

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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire)

Ray Kerr is starting tonight.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) October 1, 2026

Coming off injury, Kerr didn’t get a lot of work this season, only tossing 18.1 innings. But the results were nearly flawless, as he gave up only three runs, good for a 1.47 ERA. Two of those outings also came against the Phillies, in which he tossed 6.1 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits with five strikeouts.

That was enough to earn Walt Weiss’ trust, as he’s turning to the lefty in hopes of getting through Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber the first time through the order. In a perfect world, Weiss would probably like to lean on Kerr to do that twice, but perfect worlds don’t often exist in winner-take-all environments.

Kerr has gone at least three innings four times out of his nine appearances this season, so he’s capable of giving the Braves some length if his success against the Phillies from the regular season carries over into the playoffs.

After Kerr, it’s anybody’s best guess. Grant Holmes is an option if the Braves need some length, but this feels like a situation where Weiss is just going to have to feel things out and trust his gut. Atlanta’s bullpen — despite its struggles in Games 1 and 2 — has been a strength all season. And it hasn’t been asked to do much through the first two games, with both Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle making it through more than six innings each.

In fact, the Braves have only had to use three relievers the entire series — Dylan Lee, Didier Fuentes, and Raisel Iglesias. That will allow Weiss to lean on some other arms that have had really good years — like Dylan Dodd, Brent Suter, and Robert Suarez — if he wants to make this a full bullpen game.

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Photo: IMAGO / Newscom World

Bijan Robinson and Drake London both received top-of-market deals this offseason. That was going to happen no matter who was in charge, with Robinson being the best running back in the league and London establishing himself as a top-10 wide receiver. But the Falcons also made Matthew Bergeron the highest-paid guard in football, and he’s nowhere close to the top player at his position, suggesting they really don’t care about outside opinions. They’re going to trust their gut when it comes to players inside the building.

Now they’ve done it again, handing defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. a massive four-year contract extension worth $78 million, with $46.5 million in guarantees.

Falcons DT Gervon Dexter is signing a four-year, $78 million extension that includes $46.5 million guaranteed, per his agents Drew and Jason Rosenhaus. Atlanta traded for Dexter on August 30, and now is signing him to an extension one month later. pic.twitter.com/O1OXYtBy8I

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 30, 2026

Dexter was acquired by the Falcons in August for Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round pick, as the team really got aggressive in rebuilding its interior defensive line during the offseason.

The results have spoken for themselves throughout the first three weeks. Atlanta’s pass rush has actually improved from a pressure standpoint over a year ago, when they had 57 sacks — the second-most in the league. And they’re doing it without Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr.

Dexter is a primary reason for that, leading all defensive tackles in pressure rate (20.5%) and sitting sixth in pressures (15).