Sign up for the daily newsletter, Jay’s Plays of the Day, to get sports betting recommendations for the top games of the night and the week ahead.
A true classic
We normally kick off Tuesdays with the NFL power poll.
This is not a normal Tuesday.
Yes, football is king. And in an ever-changing landscape of proper pronouns, we frequently refer to him or her.
Tiger was him. Mahomes is him. Caitlin is her. Serena was her. There are a few.
But with all due respect and praise, if MJ and Brady were Him, then Shohei Ohtani is HIM, friends.
Wow. In an epic World Series Game 3 — a 6-hour, 39-minute marathon that featured 19 pitchers and more than 600 pitches — that included a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 18th inning, Shohei completely stole the show.
Yes, the macro for this series is mathematical. In the modern version of the seven-game World Series, Monday represented the 62nd time the series was tied 1-1. Before 2025, the Game 3 winner in such instances is 42-19 in terms of winning the title. That’s almost 70%.
Yes, please give flowers to Freddie Freeman, who — hide your eyes, Braves backers — dropped another all-time clutch October moment with that walk-off homer around 3 a.m. Eastern.
And yes, please discuss the perfect exit for first-ballot Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, who was needed and delivered in a World Series moment in what could be his final appearance in Dodgers blue.
But Shohei is HIM.
There have been a small collection of folks who are or were must-see TV.
But Shohei — he of the eight homers this postseason — is simply can’t miss TV.
Want the de facto statement of his next-level HIM-ness:
Shohei went 4-for-4 with two homers, two doubles and five walks in the seemingly never-ending Game 3.
His records (tied or set) from Monday:
› Became the first player since 1906 with four extra-base hits in a World Series game;
› Became the first player to reach base nine times in any postseason game, surpassing the previous record of six. He is one of four players to do it in any MLB game and the first since 1942;
› Became the first player with three multiple-home-run games in the same postseason;
› Became the second player ever to have 12 total bases more than once in the same postseason. The other was some fella named George, but his friends call him Babe;
› Became the first player in postseason history to receive four intentional walks in the same game. Also became the first player to receive three intentional walks with the bases empty, the most for any player in any postseason game.
Sure, all of that is impressive, but to go from him to HIM, now remember this:
Shohei will start Game 4 tonight on the mound.
Lord.
NFL power poll
Not exactly the poster week for NFL parity, huh?
The average margin of victory in the 13 week 8 games was a whopping 18.5 points. Moreover, the favorites were a staggering 11-2 against the spread in Week 8.
Yikes. So the crowd fighting for spots atop the poll (zip it, Spy) and at the bottom of the heap are more muddled than any midway point of any NFL season in recent memory.
With that, let’s make those big white bears and go polar.
Powerful
1 Indianapolis (7-1). If we had midseason awards, I would have zero issue with Colts RB1 Jonathan Taylor being the choice. I also would have zero issue with Shane Steichen being coach of the year and Daniel Jones being comeback player of the year. Indy’s plus-116 point differential is more than 30 points ahead of the next closest NFL team.
2 Green Bay (5-1-1). The race for the 1 seed in each conference — no one wants to go to Buffalo or Green Bay in late January — is critical, but the Packers look as balanced and complete as any team in the league.
3 Buffalo (6-2). The Bills need to be on the phone to New Orleans — or some other cellar-dweller — and make a move for another WR ASAP. Josh Allen’s window is officially now. Ask Baltimore about wasting the ever-dwindling sand-in-the-Super-Bowl hourglass of an MVP QB1.
4 Philadelphia (6-2). Still the champs. And still have a plethora of options. Is Jalen Hurts still underrated?
5 Kansas City (5-3). Yes, there are a slew of teams with better records, like the Pats, the Broncos, the Bucs and the Lions. And each of those teams have likable pieces and parts. None of those teams have Patrick Mahomes.
Powerless
28 Las Vegas (2-5). Is it hockey season yet? What, Spy? It started weeks ago? OK, I’ll take your word for it.
29 Cleveland (2-6). Want to hear how value QB play is without mentioning the QB: When Cleveland’s star defensive end Myles Garrett gets five sacks by himself and the Browns still get blown-the-bleep-out, well, there you go.
30 New York Jets (1-7). After being trashed by Jets’ owner Woody Johnson during the week, Justin Fields led the Jets to their first win of the season Sunday. He got very real in the postgame news conference. Good for you, kid.
31 Tennessee Titans (1-7). If you recall the lone mark in the W column was because the Arizona RB dropped the ball a yard before crossing the goal line on a breakaway would-be TD, the Titans have a strong argument for 32 here.
32 New Orleans (1-7). Man, Vader and his Pelican State peeps are having a rough football season. Condolences.
Time to project
Look, a week from tonight, the first version of the college football playoff committee rankings will be released.
It’s the only set of rankings that matter in the end.
While projecting that seems a bit premature, since I’m forever a bit immature, I say why not?
We’ll offer a couple of caveats here.
First, the committee often likes to raise eyebrows with the initial rating. Remember Mississippi State at one back in the day?
Second, top-of-the-ranking positioning in these early versions is not as critical as the middle-level positioning, especially for the teams fighting for at-large spots and the Group of Five auto-bid.
Without breaking down the exact 12 or 20 or 136, let’s make some projections, shall we?
› Indiana will be 1, yes, even over THE Ohio State. Phrases like “game control” in a 63-10 win over then-ranked Illinois and praises for winning at Iowa and Oregon (which may be the best win for any team this season) will be common place.
› Nine SEC teams will be in the committee’s top-20, and all of them control their fates. Even Texas.
› Georgia Tech and BYU will be in the top 12;
› Memphis will be the highest ranked Group of Five team;
› The most interesting thing could very well two-loss Notre Dame is slotted.
Thoughts?
This and that
› Rules, friends. Here’s Paschall getting us ready for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between the Bulldogs and Gators this weekend.
› Here’s an odds breakdown of the next LSU football coach, with Lane Kiffin and Jon Sumrall leading the betting boards.
› OK gang, if you get to go to a World Series game and Brad Paisley is singing the national anthem, buckle up and ration your snacks. There have been two 18-inning World Series games — Monday night and in 2018 between the Dodgers and Red Sox — and Paisley sang the anthem before each. (Visor tip to Zac, a 5-at-10 regular, for that detail.)
› Man, Urban Meyer potentially angling for the Penn State job? Here’s more.
Today’s questions
True or false, it’s Tuesday. Morning, Ernie.
› True or false, you made it through all 18 innings last night.
› True or false, Shohei is HIM.
› True or false, the Blue Jays should walk Shohei every time he comes to the plate.
› True or false, Urban Meyer will be coaching college football in 2026.
› True or false, another SEC coach loses his job this Sunday.
You know the drill. Answer some T or Fs; ask some T or Fs.
As for today, Oct. 28, let’s review:
› Bill Gates is 70 today.
› Julia Roberts is 58. She’s from my hometown, although she tells everyone I’m from her hometown. War, Smyrna.
› The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on this day in 1886.
Rushmore of statues. Go.