Chicago Sports

Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson were the top four teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season released Tuesday night, four days before the Volunteers and Bulldogs square off on the field.

Michigan was fifth, followed by Alabama and unbeaten TCU.

Tennessee is No. 1 in the CFP rankings for the first time, starting ahead of a group of teams that have become regulars at the top of the selection committee’s top 25. The Volunteers have already beaten the Crimson Tide and LSU, which was ranked 10th.

Tennessee has been one of the season’s biggest surprises, starting the season unranked in the AP poll and jumping out to an 8-0 start for the first time since the Vols won their last national title in 1998.

“We’ve tried to enjoy the journey,” second-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel told ESPN. “Three years ago, it didn’t look like this.”

Heupel took over after Jeremy Pruitt was fired following a 3-7 season.

Only one team that has been No. 1 in the committee’s initial rankings has not made the playoff, but only about half the teams in first top four managed to finish there.

The committee began its weekly in-person meetings at hotel in Grapevine, Texas, on Monday and revealed the first of six weekly rankings.

The final rankings that set the CFP field of four are set for Dec. 4. The 13-person panel is led by a first-time chairman Boo Corrigan, the athletic director of North Carolina State.

Corrigan said there was some consideration for Ohio State and Georgia as No. 1, but Tennessee’s victories against Alabama and at LSU won the day.

The Buckeyes’ explosive offense and overall dominance gave them a slight edge on Georgia.

He said Michigan’s weak nonconference schedule (Hawaii, Colorado State and Connecticut) and Clemson’s 5-0 record against teams with winning records gave the Tigers the nod for the fourth spot.

“The wins at Wake (Forest), at Florida State, over N.C. State, over Syracuse, really did push (Clemson) over the top,” Corrigan said.

Oregon was eighth followed by Pac-12 rival Southern California at ninth.

The highest ranked team from outside the Power Five conferences was Tulane at No. 19. The highest ranked champion from the Group of Five conferences earns a spot in New Year’s Six bowl.

The CFP semifinals are scheduled to be played at the Fiesta and Peach Bowls on Dec. 31, with the championship game set for Jan. 9 in Inglewood, California.

ANALYSIS

Even before the rankings were unveiled Tuesday night, it was clear which teams still have a chance to play for a national championship.

A glance at the conference standings reveals 14 contenders, all in the Power Five. Sorry, there will be no Cincinnati-style interloper from the Group of Five this season for the selection committee to consider.

A conference-by-conference assessment of who is in the race and the paths to the CFP, with AP Top 25 rankings.

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

Clemson (8-0, AP No. 5)

The Tigers had their streak of six straight playoff appearances snapped last year, but are well positioned to get back, with no ranked opponents left before a likely ACC title game against North Carolina.

No unbeaten Power Five champion has ever missed the playoff. A glance at the Big Ten and SEC suggests getting in as a one-loss conference champion could be dicey for the Tigers.

No. 17 North Carolina (7-1, AP No. 17)

Run the table, beating unbeaten Clemson in the ACC title game, gets the Tar Heels in the conversation, but they’ll need some upsets in other leagues to clear the way.

BIG 12

No. 7 TCU (8-0, AP No. 7)

See above, re: unbeaten Power Five champions. The Horned Frogs flirt with disaster weekly and have some defensive issues. That’s a profile the selection committee tends to look upon skeptically.

They’ll probably need to stay unbeaten to get in and it’s going to be really tough for them to stay unbeaten with the way they have been playing.

BIG TEN

Ohio State (8-0, AP No. 2) and Michigan (8-0, AP No. 4)

Both have been dominant. Neither has played a particularly strenuous schedule and that won’t change much before they meet Thanksgiving weekend. Still, either is lock by winning out.

Either would stay in the mix by being a 12-1 conference champion. And the loser of the rivalry game at 11-1 probably still holds out hope to get in.

Illinois (7-1, AP No. 14)

The Illini have a game against Michigan the week before the Wolverines play Ohio State. That means Illinois could finish 12-1 with either two victories against Michigan or one against Michigan and one against Ohio State.

It’s not likely to happen, but that would put the Illini in the playoff.

PAC-12

Oregon (7-1, AP No. 8), USC (7-1, AP No. 9) and UCLA (7-1, No. 10)

They all need to run the table to have a chance and even then that might not be enough. The Ducks will have to overcome a 49-3 loss to Georgia in their opener. The Trojans have a bad defense and won’t get much of a bump by beating Notre Dame. UCLA played one of the weakest nonconference schedules in the country.

What’s the best option for the Pac-12? The guess here is a 12-1 USC with victories against UCLA and Oregon and one-point loss to a good Utah team.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE

Georgia (8-0, AP No. 1) and Tennessee (8-0, AP No. 2)

The loser of Saturday’s showdown in Athens is not eliminated, especially if its the Volunteers, with a victory over Alabama already in hand.

Alabama (6-1, AP No. 6) and Mississippi (8-1, AP No. 11)

The Crimson Tide and Rebels can’t afford another loss — they play each other in two weeks — but either would breeze into the CFP by winning out.

The most SEC-centric scenario the rest of the country needs to root against is Alabama winning out, beating Georgia in the SEC championship game, and leaving the Tide and Bulldogs at 12-1 and Tennessee at 11-1 with a close loss to Georgia.

LSU (6-2, AP No. 15)

A two-loss team has never made the playoff, but the SEC champion has never missed the playoff. If the Tigers beat Alabama and avenge a loss to Tennessee on the way to a conference title they could break precedent.

College Football Playoff Rankings

1. Tennessee 8-0

2. Ohio State 8-0

3. Georgia 8-0

4. Clemson 8-0

5. Michigan 8-0

6. Alabama 7-1

7. TCU 8-0

8. Oregon 7-1

9. Southern Cal 7-1

10. LSU 6-2

11. Mississippi 8-1

12. UCLA 7-1

13. Kansas State 6-2

14. Utah 6-2

15. Penn State 6-2

16. Illinois 7-1

17. N. Carolina 7-1

18. Oklahoma State 6-2

19. Tulane 7-1

20. Syracuse 6-2

21. Wake Forest 6-2

22. NC State 6-2

23. Oregon State 6-2

24. Texas 5-3

25. UCF 6-2

Read More

Newly released videos appear to show a Chicago police officer firing his weapon at a man who had fired at the cop during a foot pursuit last month in the Old Town neighborhood, and then not administering aid to the man.

Antonio Calmese Jr., 20, was shot about 5:05 a.m. Oct. 2 in the 400 block of West Blackhawk Street, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office. His death was ruled a homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds.

Officers patrolling the area were flagged down by a person who said someone had pointed a gun at them, police said.

Videos released Tuesday by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability show Calmese walking the streets with a gun. They also show the officer, Jarron Jefferson, chasing Calmese through an alley and directing him several times to “drop it,” then saying, “You’ll get shot over that gun.”

About a minute later, the officer deployed his Taser twice, but Calmese continued to walk away.

Then, before turning a corner into another alley, Calmese fired what appeared to be one shot in the direction of the officer.

Jefferson ran to the corner and fired what appeared to be seven rounds toward Calmese, then another four shots. He took cover behind the corner of a building and then fired another seven rounds at Calmese, who did not appear to fire back and dropped to the ground.

Jefferson, 34, did not render aid to Calmese. Other responding officers did not appear to immediately administer aid, though a police report of the incident indicated officers and fire officials rendered aid.

Videos show another officer patting Calmese down about five minutes after the shooting. Fire officials arrived to render aid about eight minutes after the shooting.

A handgun and shell casings that didn’t match the officer’s weapon were recovered near Calmese, police said.

Calmese was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, fire officials said.

Jefferson, who wasn’t shot, was treated for injuries at the same hospital, fire officials said.

The chase lasted about 10 minutes, with Jefferson following Calmese around an apartment building, hopping fences and ultimately losing sight of him in a parking lot. He found Calmese when another officer arrived, at which time Jefferson said, “Get that motherf—–.”

Jefferson got in the other officer’s squad car, and the two drove for about a minute until they located Calmese again. Jefferson got out of the car for another foot pursuit moments before the exchange of gunfire.

COPA continues to investigate the shooting. It will release a summary report after it is concluded.

Read More

NEW YORK — There were no tents assembled, no elephants standing on two legs, not a clown in sight.

Yet the Bulls found themselves on a ”circus trip” they thought no longer existed on their schedule. They can thank the Nets for that.

Hours before the Bulls’ 108-99 victory Tuesday at Barclays Center, a turbulent Nets season turned into flat-out chaos.

Already dealing with the enigmatic Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving defending an antisemitic movie/book and the fallout from Kevin Durant demanding a trade over the summer, the Nets fell into even deeper turmoil by announcing that they had parted ways with coach Steve Nash.

Then to add to the craziness, multiple reports had the Nets already moving toward hiring Ime Udoka, whom the Celtics suspended for the entire season in the wake of an investigation into misconduct allegations by a female staffer.

Nets general manager Sean Marks met with the media before the game and did his best bob-and-weave.

Marks first tried spinning it as a mutual parting of ways with Nash, then tried to deny that Udoka was all but certain to be hired as the Nets’ next coach.

”There’s a reason why we made this move [on Nash] when we did because time is ticking,” Marks said. ”So we do want this [hiring] process to be a thorough one. We’re not going to skip steps on that, and we’ll do our due diligence.”

Just another night in the drama-filled NBA? Nah, this was a little much.

Bulls coach Billy Donovan coached Durant for a season with the Thunder and knows Nash a bit. And while he didn’t want to get involved in the Nets’ business, it did hit home for him.

”It’s unfortunate with Steve because I really, really like Steve,”’ Donovan said. ”Steve knows the game very well. Probably one of the brightest point guards ever to play the game.”

As for Durant, Donovan spoke about how detailed and focused he was but couldn’t even guess at the emotions he has been feeling the last few months.

”He was just locked in always,” Donovan said. ”He sees the game in a very, very holistic way. For me to sit here and say what that was like for him here, I just don’t know. I wish people could see the way this guy works.

”But you have so much on your own plate, and it’s hard for me — just being in the NBA and seeing this — you don’t know what’s going on inside someone’s house.”

Especially because Donovan was trying to make sure his own house was in order. Not off the court, but on it.

Short-handed on the bench without big man Andre Drummond (shoulder) and guard Coby White (left thigh), the Bulls were hanging around through three quarters but didn’t seem as though they had the gear to make a move.

Then Zach LaVine took the wheel and shoved the gas pedal to the floor in the fourth, erupting for 20 of his 29 points as the Bulls took the lead and never looked back.

It was by far LaVine’s best game of the season, and even he couldn’t downplay that. He did try, however, especially when he was asked whether he felt as though he had something to prove with the max contract he signed in the offseason.

”I’ve been doing this for a while,” LaVine said. ”Don’t matter if you have a [max] contract or not . . . whatever I can do to help the team. Some nights it’s DeMar [DeRozan], some nights it’s [Nikola Vucevic], some nights it’s me. I was glad I was able to step in and fill that role like we have in the past.”

Read More

The Blackhawks’ organizational goaltender health issues reached a critical moment in a 3-1 loss Tuesday against the Islanders.

Starting goalie Alex Stalock was knocked out of the game and into concussion protocol just three minutes in. Islanders forward Casey Cizikas crashed into him in the crease, receiving a five-minute major and game misconduct for the dangerous play.

Hawks coach Luke Richardson said the team would know more Wednesday about Stalock’s status.

Arvid Soderblom saved 28 of 30 shots in relief, continuing his strong start to the season. The Hawks looked flat in all other areas, though, mustering only 22 shots against Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin and beating him only once, a Jonathan Toews power-play tip-in in the third period. The defeat was the Hawks’ fourth straight, dropping their record to 4-4-2.

“It was a hard-fought game,” defenseman Caleb Jones said. “We came out a little bit flat… We’re in all these hockey games; we just have to find a way to start pulling them out.”

If Stalock misses time, which seems likely, the Hawks will need to address the situation. Soderblom is now their only healthy goalie on an NHL contract, and they have two more games coming up — Thursday against the Kings and Saturday at the Jets — before a much-needed schedule break.

Petr Mrazek participated in morning skate Tuesday and is close to returning from his groin injury, but he might not be available until next week. Prospect Jaxson Stauber is also unavailable after taking a puck to the eye during a recent Rockford game.

Dylan Wells, a minor-league journeyman with an .862 save percentage in three appearances for Rockford this season, and Mitchell Weeks, an undrafted rookie whose entire pro experience consists of four ECHL games, are the only other goalies in the organization. Neither are currently signed to NHL contracts, but that could change — or the Hawks could look elsewhere around the AHL for a goalie to poach.

The encouraging news is Mrazek said Tuesday he feels “really good” and isn’t worried about his durability.

“It wasn’t as bad as it was last year,” Mrazek said. “I was just trying to be careful with it. The great training staff helped me with everything to get back early… It’s time to move on and get ready for games.”

People business

It was a “complete fluke,” general manager Kyle Davidson said, that the Hawks’ trades last week sent floundering prospects Nicolas Beaudin and Evan Barratt to their hometowns of Montreal and Philadelphia, respectively.

But Davidson did want Beaudin and Barratt — for their sakes — to have opportunities somewhere to progress toward the NHL. With the Hawks, it was “writing on the wall they were going to be odd men out.”

It’s another example of Davidson taking an empathetic approach to his GM duties at appropriate times.

“We’re in the people business,” he said. “Just like anyone working in the front office, those players are trying to make a career out of it, too. You do what’s best for the people in your organization. Players are not just assets, they’re people, too.

“If there’s an opportunity where we’re not sacrificing and it’s something we can do to help them out, then it’s something we’ll explore. Again, we’re not going to do something that hurts the Chicago Blackhawks, but if there’s an opportunity to find something where it’s not necessarily a loss in great value to the Blackhawks, then we’ll consider that.”

Read More

NEW YORK — There are still a lot of unknowns about Zach LaVine and the management program he has been on for his surgically repaired left knee since the start of the regular season, but coach Billy Donovan provided some clarity Tuesday.

Donovan said that while the medical staff monitors all the numbers for LaVine each game, it’s not necessarily about how many miles he runs or steps he takes.

”I think the thing for him is it’s the cumulative,” Donovan said. ”That’s really where I think they’re concerned, like the cumulative buildup of things. He could be totally fine today, come out of this game totally fine. Then let’s say he plays tomorrow. He can wake up the next day and be in some discomfort.

”You’re trying to make him feel well all the time, but they’re trying to wrap their heads around and come up with, ‘OK, we know when he gets to these amount of loads, that’s when he starts to feel some discomfort.’ It’s not necessarily the game load.”

What that means is that LaVine might play Wednesday against the Hornets, even with it being the second game of a back-to-back. It’s unlikely, but it’s possible. More important, it means the communication between LaVine, his medical camp and the Bulls’ staff is all but constant.

And it will have to stay that way if the Bulls want to protect LaVine from further injury — and from himself.

”I mean, he’s on the phone with them after every game, before games, shootaround . . . they’re in constant dialogue all the time with regards to that,” Donovan said. ”There’s times where he feels good where you feel like, ‘OK, he could go.’ But this is what he’s had before, and if we throw him into this now, there’s a probability or possibility he could feel it the next day. That’s what they’re trying to eliminate.”

Of the eight games the Bulls have played so far, LaVine has missed three.

White out

Guard Coby White suffered a bruised left thigh during the Bulls’ loss Saturday to the 76ers, but he said the adrenaline kept him out on the court.

That adrenaline, however, obviously doesn’t last forever. White gave it a go in pregame warmups before the Bulls took on the Nets and was ruled out with the injury.

Donovan said there was significant swelling, but a clean MRI exam eased some minds. The Bulls expect White’s status to be day-to-day. He is averaging 8.1 points but is shooting only 29.4% from three-point range.

Beat the ‘Drum’ slowly

Big man Andre Drummond didn’t make the trip New York, with the medical staff wanting him to stay back and continue getting work on his sprained left shoulder. There doesn’t seem to be an exact timetable for his return.

”Everything on the MRI came back clean,” Donovan said. ”He does have a shoulder sprain. We don’t think it’s going

to be this long-term situation, but he is having some mobility issues, and that’s why he stayed back, just to get some extra work on himself.”

The Bulls’ bench could use Drummond, who is averaging 10.2 rebounds in 16.8 minutes in the six games he has played. Drummond also has a 22.5 player efficiency rating, which is second on the team to forward DeMar DeRozan’s 23.05.

Read More

A former Bears LB is now with the Carolina Panthers

The Chicago Bears made a big move at the linebacker position yesterday. The Bears traded away an All-Pro linebacker to the Baltimore Ravens for an aging linebacker and a couple of draft picks. Other NFL teams were also looking to add a linebacker to their roster Tuesday.

According to the NFL transaction wire, the Carolina Panthers added former Bears linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe to their practice squad Tuesday. Iyiegbuniwe was drafted by the Bears in the fourth-round of the 2918 draft. The Western Kentucky product never started but appeared in 58 games for the Bears.

Iyiegbuniwe was credited with one forced fumble and 29 combined tackles during his time with the Bears. He was with the Bears until teh 2021 season and has spent time with the Seattle Seahawks before joining the  Panthers. He has yet to get regular season playing time since leaving the Bears.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Read More

The Kansas City Chiefs saw something in a former Bears WR

The Kansas City Chiefs have had some great wide receivers through their system in the past few years. Wide receivers, elite or not, have benefited from playing in head coach Andy Reid’s system with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs looked to improve that position on the practice squad this week by signing a former Bears wide receiver.

According to the NFL’s transaction wire, the Chiefs signed Dazz Newsome to their practice squad Tuesday. Newsome worked out with the Seattle Seahawks a few weeks ago. Bears fans had wanted him back at the time. However, Bears fans should be happier with their wide receiver corps after today’s trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for Chase Claypool.

Newsome was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He played in three games for the Bears, returning six punts for 75 yards. On offense, Newsome caught two of his five targets for 23 yards. It’ll be interesting to see if Newsome can flourish with the Chiefs and get on the active roster. If there’s one coach who can elevate Newsome’s talents, it would be Reid.

For More Great Chicago Sports Content

Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE

Read More

Read More

The White Sox’ coaching staff will have a different look under new manager Pedro Grifol, including the addition of former Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo, who will be the Sox’ new bench coach, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times.

Montoyo provides managerial experience alongside Grifol, who will be a first-time manager. He replaced John Gibbons as Blue Jays manager after the 2018 season, was nominated for AL Manager of the Year with the Rays’ Kevin Cash and the Sox’ Rick Renteria in 2020 but was fired by the Jays on July 13 after the team started the season with a 46-42 record.

Indications are pitching coach Ethan Katz will return for his third season and assistant pitching coach Curt Hasler will likely be back for his seventh on the major league staff. The status of other Sox coaches, including Miguel Cairo, is uncertain. The team’s baserunning woes, some of them glaring in key moments, put base coaches Joe McEwing and Daryl Boston under the microscope. McEwing (infielders) and Boston (outfielders) also oversaw the defensive side of an 81-81 team.

Boston would be entering his 11th season as first base coach and 25th in the organization. McEwing would be entering his 12th season and like Boston has served under three managers with the Sox.

The Sox’ offense sagged last season, going from 11th to 22nd in the majors in homers and from third to 11th in on-base percentage, so hitting coach Frank Menechino and assistant hitting coach Howie Clark could be re-evaluated.

Montoyo will fill the spot held by Cairo, the bench coach the last two seasons who replaced Tony La Russa when La Russa stepped down for health reasons and was interviewed for the manager’s job.

It’s also unknown how much input will be given to Grifol, who will want a say in his staff. Renteria had limited authority when it came to his staff when he was hired before the 2017 season.

“It’s going to be similar to how it’s been handled in the past with the managerial change,” general manager Rick Hahn said last month of possible staff changes.

“When the time comes to discuss staffing with the new manager and get his input, we are going to have opinions on how guys fit and we expect the new hire to have his own opinion as well and own desire for what they are looking for in a coaching staff and that will be weighted accordingly when the time comes,” Hahn said.

Read More

As a kid, Ian Happ imagined a future Gold Glove career as a shortstop. He brought up that memory back in September, when Cubs manager David Ross pitched the left fielder as a Gold Glove finalist.

On Tuesday, Happ officially claimed his first Gold Glove, winning over fellow NL left fielders David Peralta and Christian Yelich. Happ led NL left fielders in defensive runs saved (13) this season, according to FanGraphs.

Happ became the fourth Cubs outfielder to win a Gold Glove, joining Bob Dernier (1984), Andre Dawson (1987, 1988) and Jason Heyward (2016, 2017). He is the first Cubs left fielder to take home the award.

Read More