Sports
Move over, blue bloods! This playoff belongs to the ‘new bloods’
For ages, certainly as long as we have been in the College Football Playoff age, people have politely asked and desperately pleaded, when were some new bloods finally going to replace the blue bloods on college football’s biggest postseason stage?
Well, folks, the age of new is officially the age of now.
The promise of the four-team CFP versus the two-team Bowl Championship Series title game was to create more room for more teams to challenge the same old establishment. One year ago, the impetus behind the playoff’s further expansion to a dozen teams was to widen that door even further and perhaps interject a little March Madness into college football.
It’s working. At least for now, it is. And fittingly, it’s a basketball school that is leading the movement.
For the first time since the CFP debuted at the end of the 2014 season, the playoff’s final four lineup does not include Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State or Clemson. And over those first 11 editions, any team that did manage to break the big four’s big box déjà vu blockade to earn a spot in the semis or final … well, they weren’t exactly George Mason ’06 or Loyola Chicago ’18.
Notre Dame made it to the title game one year ago, following Michigan‘s 2023 run to the championship. But no one is going to mistake the Irish and Wolverines for UMBC and VCU. The closest we came to a true CFP Cinderella run was TCU in 2022, when the Horned Frogs crashed the big ball in Los Angeles, only to have Georgia take away their glass slipper and beat them over their horned heads with it 65-7.
However, this year’s fortuitous foursome — with Ole Miss facing Miami on Thursday night and Indiana taking on Oregon on Friday — is guaranteed to bring us a new-age champion, no matter who winds up standing atop the stage at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19. And it won’t merely be the boldest new-blood dash of the CFP era, but also of nearly the entire BCS era that began in 1998. Or, honestly, even the Bowl Alliance, the Bowl Coalition or the plain old Bowl era that reaches back more than a century.
No matter your age, you know that Indiana has never had a football golden age until now. No offense to Coach Corso and the 1979 Holiday Bowl champs or Vaughn Dunbar and the 1991 Copper Bowl victors or even Antwaan Randle-El and Anthony Thompson, but that’s really as good as it ever got. The good people of Bloomington were content to let the Irish be the state’s football school with occasional loan-outs to Purdue, while everyone waited for hoops season to finally tip off.
IU has fielded football teams since 1887, but the Hoosiers hadn’t posted double-digit wins in a season until the past two years and hadn’t won an outright Big Ten title since 1945, nor had they won a Big Ten championship game or a Rose Bowl until these past six weeks. Should they win it all, someone needs to let the kids of the 1954 Milan High Indians and Jimmy Chitwood’s Hickory Huskers know that they are no longer the greatest underdog story in “Hoosiers” history.
If you are of a certain age, then you remember when Oregon was really bad at football. As in, most of the 20th century. From 1893 through 1993, the Ducks made exactly three Rose Bowl trips, two of those prior to 1920. They did win seven conference championships, but six of those were shared with other teams; their only outright title came in the four-game Oregon Intercollegiate Football Association campaign of 1895. When they made it to the 1992 Poulan Weed Eater Independence Bowl, it was a very big deal … and they lost that game to Wake Forest.
But the revolutionary football evolution that followed, fueled by Oregon grad Phil Knight and the little shoe company he started on the Eugene campus back in the day, was every bit the equivalent to what Indiana is doing now. They turned around a battleship in a bathtub. But even the dapper dayglo Ducks we’ve known since then — from Joey Harrington’s towering likeness in Times Square and Marcus Mariota’s Heisman win of 2014 to Chip Kelly, Earth’s funniest mascot and those bazillion uniform combinations — Oregon has yet to win a national title, despite two appearances in the BCS/CFP finals, the last coming a decade ago with Mariota behind center.
If you are of the Gen X age, then you knew the unstoppable machine that was The U. But your kids and grandkids have never seen the Miami Hurricanes on college football’s biggest stage. Unless you’ve shown them the Canes dynasty 30 for 30 films on the ESPN App or you’ve made them watch standard definition footage of Ed Reed, Jeremy Shockey & Co. winning the 2001 BCS title (shoutout to Larry Coker), then they only know Miami football as the embodiment of #goacc.
So many preseason predictions of “The U is back!” have ended with Sebastian the Ibis flat on his back in the Everglades mud. Miami’s biggest postseason victory since it beat Nebraska on that January night in Pasadena — so far back the Canes were still a member of the Big East — was, what? The 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl?
And speaking of ages, unless you were an Ole Miss student during the Space Age, you’ve never seen the Rebels fitted for a real championship ring. Fact: There are few, if any, Saturday college football experiences as glorious as strolling The Grove, red Solo cup in hand. The best food served by the most beautiful people beneath tents taken straight out of home decorating magazines beneath magnolia trees taken straight out of Southern Living magazine. We all know about Archie and Eli Manning, about Deuce McAllister and Jaxson Dart.
But also a fact: When you enter Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, you are struck first by how well everyone is dressed. Then you realize how naked that stadium’s walls are when it comes to addressing the program’s championship seasons. The 2003 SEC West Co-Division champions? The 1963 SEC champions? The ’62 national champions, a title bestowed upon the Rebels by the Litkenhous Difference by Score Ratings system (we’re not making that up!) while USC was dubbed the champ by the major polls? The Rebels’ last natty was their third in four years, but it was won so long ago that Johnny Vaught, the name that adorns their stadium, was still coach, and JFK was in the White House.
The point of this four-part, four-team history lesson is not to harp on those programs’ longtime struggles to insert themselves into college football’s most exclusive room, or return to that room after a generational absence, or to finally be able to take care of business once they do get in there.
Reliving the statistical pain of this year’s playoff survivors is to give us all the proper perspective on what it will mean for the one squad that manages to emerge from this quirky quartet to finally hoist the big gold trophy. Also, to fully recognize the realization of a much-demanded postseason team transfusion.
Y’all have been asking for it. Well, now we’ve got it. The new age of new CFP blood has arrived. Enjoy it now, folks, because 156 years of college football history tells us the blue bloods never stay out of power for long. Then again, that same history would have tried to tell us that this quadrumvirate was never going to happen in the first place. And that’s why, as the semifinal kickoffs loom, it feels like it could be, yes, one for the ages.
LAHORE: Kamil Khan, the co-owner of the newly awarded Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise from Sialkot, has said the team entered the auction with a clear vision and ambitious plans for the future.
Speaking in Lahore, Khan said the franchise would officially announce its team logo and the name of its president today. He noted that the franchise management is keen to build a competitive squad by attracting some of the world’s best players for the upcoming PSL season.
“Our aim is to bring top international talent to the Sialkot team,” Khan said. “At the same time, we will rely on a strong local coaching staff to develop our players and represent the region with pride.”
The Sialkot co-owner also expressed confidence that PSL matches would continue to draw large crowds, regardless of where the fixtures are held.
“Wherever the PSL is played, the fans will turn up,” he said. “The league has grown into a major attraction for cricket lovers across the country.”
Khan said he was particularly looking forward to Sialkot’s matches against Lahore Qalandars, describing the rivalry as both competitive and friendly.
“The match against Lahore Qalandars will be enjoyable. We are rivals on the field, but we are also friends,” he added.
He praised the PSL platform for helping Pakistani cricket grow, stressing, “The PSL will move forward and become even stronger.”
He also noted that key decisions about the franchise would be finalised in consultations with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“Everything will be finalised in coordination with the PCB,” he said.
Sialkot officially secured a franchise, thanks to OZ Developers and owner Hamza Majeed, who won the team at a star-studded auction with a record Rs1.85 billion bid on Friday.
The Sialkot franchise, the latest addition to the PSL, is expected to bring fresh energy to the tournament.
NFL primer: The wild-card teams must go on the road, but in some cases they project as stronger teams than the division winners they’ll be facing.
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The Memphis Grizzlies are entertaining trade offers for two-time All-Star point guard Ja Morant, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday.
A trade would end Morant’s tumultuous seven-year tenure in Memphis, which has featured Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player awards and plenty of jaw-dropping highlights. But multiple off-court issues and various injuries have dominated headlines across the past three seasons.
Morant, 26, has had various issues with Tuomas Iisalo, the organization’s new coach, and was suspended for one game earlier this season for conduct detrimental to the team. Morant is averaging career lows in minutes, rebounds and 2- and 3-point percentages.
League sources told ESPN’s Michael C. Wright that Morant still hasn’t gotten over the suspension because he felt alienated by teammates, who were told to leave the star guard alone so he could work through the issues that led to the suspension. In the aftermath, Morant told players around the league and some of his former coaches that he isn’t playing for Memphis anymore, according to sources.
Why could Memphis struggle to get full value in return for its dynamic guard? Which deals and suitors make sense? Our NBA insiders examine the market for Morant, including four trade proposals that could impact the race to the postseason.
Jump to a section:
What makes a Morant deal so difficult?
Financial impact of dealing for the star
Morant trades: to MIA | MIL | TOR | MIN
How difficult will it be for Memphis to trade Morant?
“This is a big season for Ja,” general manager Zach Kleiman said at Grizzlies media day in September. “As we continue to build this team, to be able to achieve a high-end outcome, we need Ja to be a consistent, All-NBA-caliber player.”
Instead, an inconsistent Morant has suffered through his worst season as a pro. His scoring has dropped to 19.0 points per game, lowest since his rookie season in 2029-20. He’s shooting a career-low 40% from the field and 21% on 3-pointers. Among 134 players with as many shot attempts as Morant this season, the guard ranks 133rd in effective field goal percentage.
Morant’s greatest strength has been his ability to get to the rim; in the 2021-22 season, he ranked fourth in made field goals in the restricted area on a leaderboard populated almost exclusively by centers.
But now he is taking fewer shots than ever at the basket, and more shots than ever from the midrange. According to Basketball Reference, Morant had 0.96 dunks per game during his two All-Star seasons, but he’s down to 0.39 dunks per game since.
That statistical decline might not be a hindrance in trade talks, as interested teams could envision a change in scenery rejuvenating Morant’s game. After all, he’s not that far removed from making the All-NBA second team and receiving MVP votes. But combined with Morant’s frequent injuries and off-court controversies, the performance drop-off makes for a significant reduction in Morant’s value.
Because point guard is such a deep position around the league, few other teams need a player like Morant — and one of those potential suitors, the Washington Wizards, just added a new point guard. It’s difficult to imagine a serious bidding war for Morant at this stage, or for much of a trade return for Memphis, given that the Wizards’ acquisition of Trae Young came with no draft compensation headed to the Atlanta Hawks. — Zach Kram
What is the financial impact of adding Morant?
Morant has three years left on his contract (he is eligible to sign a three-year, $178 million extension next summer) and has a salary that ranks just 28th in the league, but availability matters. Morant is on pace for his third straight season of fewer than 60 games.
As the Hawks found with Young, fewer teams need point guards. The teams that do have a vacancy, such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, do not have a first-round pick to trade in the next seven years. Because they are over the first apron, the Wolves are not allowed to take back more salary and would need to send out at least three players. The same constraints apply to the Phoenix Suns.
The Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings, meanwhile, have the draft capital, financial flexibility and contracts to get a deal done, but adding Morant would hardly fit their rebuilding timelines.
One thing working in Memphis’ favor in trade talks: Unlike Atlanta with Young, Morant missed out on All-NBA in 2022-23. If Morant had made it, the five-year, $197 million rookie extension he signed in the 2022 offseason would have increased to $237 million.
In the apron era, this detail matters. Instead of an onerous $47.3 million cap hit this season and $50.6 million and $53.9 million the next two years, Morant is owed $39.5 million, $42.2 million and $44.9 million, respectively. –– Bobby Marks
Four offers for Morant
Here are trades our experts propose for Morant to get out of Memphis, including two three-team deals:
Miami Heat get:
Ja Morant
Memphis Grizzlies get:
If any change of scenery can help Morant rediscover his All-Star form, it’s a move to Miami. The “Heat culture” ethos might be cliché, but it delivers results.
Replacing Herro with Morant would increase variance for Miami, as the Grizzlies point guard comes with a lower floor but higher ceiling than Herro. It’s difficult to imagine Herro ever being one of the top 10 players in the league, as Morant was in 2021-22.
But the Heat need the offensive upside that Morant might provide. They haven’t finished in the top 10 in offensive rating since 2019-20, per Cleaning the Glass, and even their new offensive system this season has brought them only to average. The problem is a lack of star power.
Granted, acquiring Morant might be complicated given that Miami’s new offensive game plan borrows a great deal from the system Morant disliked in Memphis last season. But this might still be a risk worth taking because it’s also unclear whether Herro fits as a long-term player in Miami.
Herro is set to reach free agency after the 2026-27 season, and extension talks this summer could prove thorny, as he’s in the exact class of player — talented but not All-NBA level, an excellent offensive player but a defensive liability — that is most at risk of losing money due to teams’ financial restraint under the new collective bargaining agreement.
The combined salaries for Herro and Fontecchio are almost a perfect match for Morant’s, and Morant and Herro are similar enough in present-day value that, much like in Young’s trade to Washington, no draft picks are included in this deal.
Miami could also try to trade for Morant using other players with smaller salaries than Herro, such as Andrew Wiggins or Terry Rozier (if the NBA permits his inclusion in a trade). But those possibilities aren’t as clean a financial fit; Miami is close to the luxury tax line, and Morant, Herro and Norman Powell wouldn’t all fit on the same team. — Kram
Milwaukee Bucks get:
Ja Morant
Memphis Grizzlies get:
Kyle Kuzma
Kevin Porter Jr.
2026 first-round swap
Detroit Pistons get
Gary Harris
Cash considerations
Frankly, Morant has been nowhere near as effective this season as Porter, who is averaging 18.4 points per game on far better efficiency (.595 true shooting percentage) than Morant (.506). Like the Heat, however, the Bucks need an upside play to salvage the tail end of Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s prime. Porter’s play hasn’t been enough to keep Milwaukee in a play-in spot amidst Antetokounmpo’s injuries.
Because the Bucks are saving the Grizzlies so much money — $20-plus million in 2026-27, provided Porter declines his below-market $5.4 million player option, and Morant’s entire $45 million salary in 2027-28 — they’re not willing to offer a first-round pick outright in this construction.
Instead, Memphis would add Milwaukee to a convoluted set of pick swaps. The Grizzlies will likely end up with their own pick and one from either Orlando or Phoenix, whichever team finishes with a worse record. They could swap the worst of those picks for the one the Bucks end up with after a potential swap with New Orleans. At present, that would move Memphis up from the 18th pick to a tie for 10th, although presumably Milwaukee would bet on making the playoffs after this trade.
The Bucks would still retain the ability to offer three first-round picks in a trade on draft night to build around what would now be an Antetokounmpo-Morant core. — Pelton
Toronto Raptors get:
Ja Morant
Memphis Grizzlies get:
Immanuel Quickley
Ochai Agbaji
2026 first-round pick (top-14 protected)
At last year’s trade deadline, the Raptors dealt a first-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for Brandon Ingram, a former All-Star without much of a trade market. In this proposal, Toronto pounces on another opportunity to acquire an underpriced former All-Star for one first-round pick.
In so doing, the Raptors would attempt to upgrade at the point guard position, where Quickley has been fine but unspectacular since joining the team in the OG Anunoby trade in December 2023. This season, Quickley has a 15.5 player efficiency rating (15.0 is average), which seems a fair assessment of his current value.
Morant would offer far more upside, albeit with a greater downside, but that’s a reasonable risk for a team that could use a top-tier playmaker to seriously contend in the East. The Raptors rank third in defensive rating this season but only 20th on offense with Quickley running the show.
Memphis might reasonably ask for more draft compensation to take back Quickley’s contract, which is somewhat underwater as it extends for another three years at $32.5 million per season. But if the situation with Morant has become so toxic that the Grizzlies just need a replacement — and that the expected trade return for him has fallen accordingly — getting another first-round pick in a loaded 2026 draft could benefit them regardless. — Kram
Minnesota Timberwolves get:
Ja Morant
Memphis Grizzlies get:
Rob Dillingham
Naz Reid
2027 second-round pick (via Bulls)
Washington Wizards get:
Utah Jazz get:
Mike Conley
Cash considerations
To a degree, the Timberwolves are included to show how difficult it would be for them to acquire Morant without breaking up the core that has led them to consecutive Western Conference finals. As Marks explained, Minnesota would need to include multiple players and at least one of fan favorite Reid, ace defender Jaden McDaniels and All-Star Julius Randle.
Of those options, Reid is the least painful to lose and would be a more natural fit with the Grizzlies’ existing frontcourt than Randle. If I’m running the Timberwolves, I see Reid and two recent first-round picks as more than adequate value in return for Morant. If anything, I’d be asking Memphis to include draft picks to get out of Morant’s remaining salary.
Adding four players from Minnesota is untenable for the full Grizzlies roster, so it would reroute Conley back to the Jazz as a veteran leader with cash to help cover his remaining salary and Shannon to the Wizards in exchange for a second-round pick to fill the roster spot they created in the trade adding Trae Young.
That leaves Memphis with an upgraded frontcourt, a chance to evaluate a recent lottery pick in Dillingham and a decent second-round pick. — Pelton
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