5-at-10: AP's polling numbers tab THE Ohio State, Olympics spirit, Braves' deal, Rushmore of best trio from one university

Former Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee, who had two sacks and forced a fumble in his college finale against Notre Dame in January's Fiesta Bowl, spent much of his sixth-grade year at McCallie School.
Former Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee, who had two sacks and forced a fumble in his college finale against Notre Dame in January's Fiesta Bowl, spent much of his sixth-grade year at McCallie School.

Best program of all-time is

To celebrate its 80th anniversary, the Associated Press football poll released a mathematical ranking of the best college programs ever.

To do so, the AP gave one point for every appearance in any poll in those almost 80 years. A team got two points for being No. 1 in the poll to mark elite-level teams, and a team got 10 points for winning the AP national title. (Side note: According to the AP 165 programs have been ranked and 44 have been ranked No. 1 in the eight decades of the poll.)

You can quibble about the value distinctions, but in a lot of ways this seems as fair and balanced as possible. And we've already heard from a couple of Alabama fans flummoxed how a team with 11 AP national titles does not crack the top 3. Understandable question, but in terms of actual math - and trying to take the passion and position from the college football discussion - this is an interesting starting point.

Here's the top 5: Ohio State, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama, USC.

Here's the link to the complete list - Tennessee, Georgia and Auburn come in at 14, 15 and 16 respectively - with some unbelievably interesting tidbits on each of the team that made the top 25 in the rankings.

(The arguably most amazing stat was Florida State was ranked in every poll of the 1990s. Every single one. That's nuts.)

photo This photo provided by Focus Features shows Stephan James as Jesse Owens in Stephen Hopkins' "Race," a Focus Features release.

Happy anniversary

Normally we leave the date stuff to the bottom, but this is too good not to mention.

Not only is the AP celebrating its 80th college football poll, today is the 80th anniversary of the greatest accomplishment in Olympics history.

It's all too easy to forget as we approach the strife-filled and potentially disastrous Olympics this week what excellence and awe-inspiring accomplishments can happen as the world watches with full hearts and hopeful eyes.

On this day in 1936, Jesse Owens won the 100 meter dash in Berlin. In front of Adolph Hitler. With the world at the edge of global confrontation. Owens, of course, would go on to win win four golds and in those games. A staggering performance under any measure, but a truly historic one considering the racial tensions around the world, especially in Nazi Germany.

It's a pretty fitting reminder, too, as we approach these Games, which start Friday, here's hoping that the headlines and takeaways are about the athletes and their accomplishments. Because, between the security threats and the conditions of the venues and facilities and the worries about bugs and viruses - all of them real and worrisome - the Olympics should be about history and achievement.

The Games should be about Owens, athletically sticking his finger in Hitler's eye. The Games should be about a collection of college hockey players shocking the world and stunning the globe by beating a Russian team viewed as the best in the world, amateur and professional. The Games should be about finding the next Mary Lou Retton or Kerri Strug or fill in the blank about the 10,000-watt smiling champion that wins hearts and claims the cover of the Wheaties box. The Games should be about finding the next Michael Phelps and saying a heartfelt thanks for the memories to the current Michael Phelps.

You can fill in the blank with a million memories, and thankfully the athletic triumphs have always outnumbered the lasting scars of the bombings in 1972 or in 1996.

It's a real and dangerous setting, because of the stage and the interest.

But on that stage - with the world's interest - here's a silent prayer for greatness rather than cruelty. For champions of sport rather than masters of fear.

Here's for a games as magical and memorable and heroic as Jesse Owens was 80 years ago today.

photo Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Tyrell Jenkins, right, reacts after giving up a three-run home run to Colorado Rockies' Nolan Arenado, background, in the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 24, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Positively Braves

OK, so the Matt Kemp era in Atlanta started with a thud. Kemp went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. So it goes.

We're still remaining optimistic - about this team and Kemp's ability to contribute to it.

Sure, he's pricey - making $21.75 million through 2019 when he'll turn 34 - but he's an athletic right-handed power bat who has averaged 27 homers per 162 games of his MLB career. And remember the Dodgers and the Padres are paying $6 million per year of his contract. So there's that.

Now, factor in what the Braves gave up - Cuban outfielder Hector Olivera and his contract that had more than $30 million still on it. And know that Olivera, who is potentially facing jail time, was just released by the Padres after coming off an 82-game suspension for domestic violence.

So, adding up the coin other teams are paying and the dead money that was the Olivera deal, the Braves are adding Kemp for an extra $5 million a year.

And for a team with one of the lowest payrolls in baseball looking to put fans in the stands of a new stadium next year, a guy with 30-homer potential (Kemp has 22 through 101 games this year) seems like a pretty good deal.

As for other faces, September could be the most interesting month of the season for these Braves. A month from now when the rosters expand, it will be interesting to see who gets a call among the supremely talented prospects.

Remember this though, there likely could be very few of the big names called to Atlanta, because once you make your big-league debut, that starts the clock on your contract and the clock on the five-year trip to free agency.

So there's that.

This and that

- Well, this does not bode well for the competitive balance of the NBA. According to this simulation by an NBA executive, the Golden State Warriors are going to win 83 games in the 2016-17 regular season. Yes, that would be a record, considering there's only 82 games on the schedule. Talk about giving 110 percent, right?

- This is one way to determine who goes out with the 1s for the first day of preseason practice. And this is 100 percent Dan Mullen, too. Apparently, Nick Fitzgerald, who is one of four Mississippi State players trying to replace Dak Prescott as the Bulldogs quarterback, got the first reps with the starters Tuesday in the first practice. Because goof ball sports writers like you know who like to make a big deal about such semantics, Mullen has his QBs do a rock-paper-scissors contest to determine who went first. Fitzgerald said he threw rock at the right time.

- An Alabama defensive back's momma is claiming Nick Saban won't let her son transfer to Georgia to play for Kirby Smart. Here's the story, and while there are a lot of things to consider here - transfer rules and the fairness of them for starters - we're pretty sure Maurice Smith is going to hear about it from his Tide teammates about momma yapping to the media.

- How skinny is Brandon Ingram, the Lakers rookie who went No. 2 in the NBA draft? Dude is on a diet in which he eats six meals a day. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner, dinner, and what would a midnight meal be? Breaker or Dinfast?

- Here's a brawl involving the U-19 USA soccer team that got ugly quickly.

- Here's a brawl on a golf course, that was absolutely ridiculous. We've seen tickle fights that were more heated and physical.

- More golf, and this one is even more ridiculous: Apparently PETA wants Andrew "Beef" Johnston to change his nickname to "Tofu" to set a better example. How about a nice big glass of shut the heck up.

Today's question

Happy 39th birthday to Stewwie's fav, Tom Brady. (Also celebrating today are NFLers Todd Gurley and Tyrod Taylor, so there's that.)

If I offered a University of Michigan trio of Brady, Jeter and say, Chris Webber, which athletic department can go better. (Yes, Webber is week, but the first two are pretty strong.) Texas has Earl Campbell (or Tommy Nobis or any number of football players), Clemens and Durant, which is scary.

Whatcha' got, and remember the mailbag friends.

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