SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green is enjoying basketball a lot more these days. And it’s not just because his Golden State Warriors have started the season 5-1 after a 103-82 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.

“Can I also say how satisfying it’s been to watch the game of basketball without all those bulls— calls,” Green said after the win, unprompted. “I’m sorry, I’m not supposed to curse in interviews, right? Can I say how satisfying it is to watch the game without all those terrible calls. Guys cheating the game and grabbing guys and getting the foul. I’ve been really enjoying watching basketball this year.

“I kind of had stopped watching the NBA a bit because it was just too flailing and flopping and guys cheating the game and getting free throws. So I think that’s been great. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that because I think that’s been fantastic.”

The NBA this summer enacted new rules against offensive players initiating contact or flailing while trying to draw foul calls. Green, one of the league’s most respected defenders, says the adjustment by the officials in the way the game is now being called has been felt by the players.

“You can 100 percent feel it,” Green said. “Because you don’t have guys doing the garbage to try and draw fouls anymore. I think this game was turning into who can draw the most fouls? Nobody wants to watch that and you definitely don’t want to play in a game like that. So you can feel the difference out there for sure. It’s just more pure basketball and that’s great for our game.”

Two-time MVP Stephen Curry agreed with Green’s assessment, saying there’s a lot less “egregious plays,” which makes the games better to watch.

“I’ve been watching around the league and for the most part, I’d say about 9 out of 10 calls that used to go the other way are not, for good reason,” Curry said. “There’s probably some that are still in that gray area where they’ll get more consistent, but it’s great for the game. I know a lot of fans are loving it. The defensive-minded players are loving it, for us to put the ball in the basket, focus on that. I’ve tried to my entire career so I don’t think it’s a huge adjustment, but I like it.”

Green said that the issues have been going on for a long time, but he commended the league for making the shift when it did, noting that watching the Olympics — which are played under FIBA rules — this summer likely helped push the change in officiating.

Green also specifically mentioned Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden as someone who took advantage of the way the game used to be called and inspired some younger players to do the same.

“James is one of the best at it,” Green said. “At driving and drawing fouls, drawing fouls from the three-point line, he’s one of the best at it. So I definitely remember those games of him going 24-for-24 from the free-throw line. And when you got a guy that shifty, and the moment you touch him they can hook and you’re called for a foul, it’s impossible to guard. You started to see a lot of guys master it, but they all learned from James for sure because he was the master before anybody else ever picked it up.”

As a defender, Green said the inability to be more physical with players, and the way the whistles were called, always hovered in his mind. But as both a player and a fan, Green is just happy the adjustments regarding offensive players trying to create contact has been made.

“The game is flowing better,” Green said. “And I think you’re seeing much better basketball. You’re not seeing 147 to 139. I think I saw the Celtics and Washington went to double overtime and the final score was maybe 104-102 or something like that. We went to overtime the other day, the final score was 104-101 and there’s great basketball taking place. So kudos to the NBA on that. It’s been great to see.”

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Minnesota running back Mar’Keise Irving tries to elude Northwestern defensive back Bryce Jackson Saturday in Evanston. | Nam Y. Huh/AP

The Wildcats started the season with Hunter Johnson, then turned to Ryan Hilinski. In the Wildcats’ 41-14 loss Saturday, they replaced Hilinski with Andrew Marty.

Northwestern’s search for a quarterback continues. The problem is, coach Pat Fitzgerald is just about out of options.

He started the season with Hunter Johnson and replaced him with Ryan Hilinski. In the Wildcats’ 41-14 loss to Minnesota on Saturday in Evanston, Fitzgerald replaced Hilinski with Andrew Marty.

After Hilinski went 1-for-6 for five yards, Marty completed 10 of 16 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns. But Northwestern (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) already had dug itself too deep of a hole.

“We have to help [Marty] a little bit more,” Fitzgerald said. “We had more drops in the second half than we had in a long time. I thought he gave us a spark, and that was encouraging. So who is going to be our quarterback for next week? We will work through that.”

Running back Mar’Keise Irving ran for two touchdowns and a career-high 110 yards and Justin Walley scooped up a fumble and ran 25 yards for a score for Minnesota (6-2, 4-1). Irving, a freshman who played at Hillcrest, broke off a 41-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for a 33-7 lead. Ky Thomas added 106 yards on 21 carries.

Already thin at running back with season-ending injuries to Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts, the Gophers’ Bryce Williams suffered a lower leg injury, putting pressure on Irving and Thomas, a redshirt freshman. Williams’ status is unknown.

“Everybody knows we’re going to run the football,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “I don’t think that is a secret. I don’t think we’re catching anyone off guard by that.”

Fleck even experimented with linebacker Derik LeCaptain at running back. He had a 24-yard run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

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Jorge Soler #12 of the Atlanta Braves hits a solo home run against the Houston Astros during the seventh inning in Game Four of the World Series at Truist Park on October 30, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. | Elsa/Getty Images

Dansby Swanson and pinch hitter Jorge Soler hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning to spark a 3-2 victory that gave them a 3-1 lead in the Series.

ATLANTA — A guy who spent most of the season in the minors kept the Braves in it. Then the offense finally came to life.

Just like that, Atlanta is one win from its first World Series title in 26 years.

Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Jorge Soler connected for back-to-back homers in the seventh inning Saturday night, propelling the Braves to a 3-2 victory over the Houston Astros and a commanding 3-1 Series lead.

Game 5 is Sunday night. The Braves can wrap up the championship on their home field, just as they did two stadiums ago when they beat the Cleveland Indians in 1995.

“It’s just such a cool moment for this city,” Swanson said. “But we’ve got one more. They’ve got a great ballclub over there and we can’t take anything for granted.”

That triumph 26 years ago at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium remains the franchise’s only World Series crown since moving to the Deep South in 1966.

This is the closest the Braves have been to a second title since then.

A huge shoutout goes to a most unlikely hero.

Former first-round draft pick Kyle Wright, who has largely been a huge disappointment in repeated chances with the Braves, turned in 4 2/3 gritty innings out of the bullpen after surprise starter Dylan Lee retired only one hitter.

Wright was hardly overpowering, giving up five hits — including a homer by Jose Altuve in the fourth that staked the Astros to a 2-0 lead — and three walks. But he continually pitched out of trouble, giving the Braves a semblance of hope until the offense woke up and Atlanta improved to 7-0 at home this postseason.

“Just so poised,” Swanson said. “This is really a big level, and man, he was awesome.”

Then, in the sixth, Eddie Rosario became the first Atlanta hitter to get past first base with a one-out double off Brooks Raley.

Rosario wound up scoring on another clutch postseason hit by Austin Riley, who lined a two-out single to left against Phil Maton.

The Braves left the bases loaded, but they weren’t done. Just like that, they stunningly engineered the first lead change of the entire Series.

Facing Cristian Javier, Swanson went the opposite way for a homer that tied the game at 2, the ball hit so hard that it ricocheted off the tabled section in the right-field stands and rolled all the way back to the infield.

“It was like, ‘You know what? Let’s get rid of everything else and just compete,'” Swanson said. “And you know what? Something amazing happened.”

The celebration had barely simmered down when Soler stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter. On a 2-1 pitch from Javier, he got hold of a hanging slider and drove it into the Astros’ bullpen in left, Yordan Alvarez hanging helplessly over the fence as the ball sailed over his head.

Luke Jackson worked a scoreless eighth, getting a great catch from Rosario slamming into the left-field wall that Soler homered over, and Will Smith worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save in six chances this postseason.

The Astros could only kick themselves for squandering countless chances, going hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 on base overall.

Houston got just what it wanted from 38-year-old starter Zack Greinke, who threw four scoreless innings.

Greinke had last pitched in the World Series in 2019, when he was an 18-game winner acquired by the Astros in a trade-deadline deal.

Two years later, Greinke is no longer one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers. But he gave the Astros just what they needed in the bullpen era — four solid innings to leave with a 2-0 lead.

The Braves’ pitching was in a bit of disarray after Game 1 starter Charlie Morton was lost for the rest of the Series with a broken leg.

With former President Donald Trump watching from a private box down the right-field line — he even joined fans for the tomahawk chop — Atlanta decided to go with a parade of relievers, starting with a guy who was released by Miami before the season and spent most of the year in Triple-A.

Lee wasn’t even told he would be starting until he got to the ballpark Saturday afternoon, in hopes that he wouldn’t have too much time to get nervous.

But he looked overwhelmed by the moment, retiring only one hitter before he was lifted with the bases loaded, having walked two and thrown just five of 15 pitches for strikes.

It was the shortest Series start since 2003, when David Wells lasted only one inning for the Yankees in Game 5 before leaving with back spasms.

Wright escaped the jam with only one run scoring on a groundout and made only one major mistake before his night was done.

Altuve went deep with one out in the fourth, launching a 434-foot drive over the center-field wall. It was his 23rd homer in 77 postseason games, which pushed him to second place all alone on the career list behind Manny Ramirez with 29.

Altuve had been tied with longtime New York Yankees star Bernie Williams.

TRUMP’S CHOP

Only months after calling for a boycott of Major League Baseball, Trump chopped away with fans before the game while standing beside his wife, Melania.

Trump said he was invited to the game by Commissioner Rob Manfred and New York Yankees President Randy Levine. Major League Baseball denied making the invitation, saying the former president asked to attend the game.

Trump encouraged a boycott of MLB games after Manfred removed the All-Star Game from Atlanta over Georgia’s new voting law. The game instead was held in Denver.

Unlike the 2019 World Series in Washington, when Trump was booed while still in office, there was no obvious reception for the former president at Truist Park.

His appearance was not announced to the crowd.

LEE STARTS

Lee was one of the most unlikely starters in World Series history.

The 27-year-old left-hander had never pitched in the big leagues until the final weekend of the regular season, when he was called up from Triple-A Gwinnett to make a couple of appearances after the Braves had already locked up the NL East title.

He had been released by the Miami Marlins at the end of spring training and signed a minor league deal with the Braves.

Lee didn’t last long in Game 4, but he will forever be known as a World Series starter.

UP NEXT

Game 1 loser Framber Valdez gets his second start of the Series for the Astros. The left-hander lasted only two innings last Tuesday, giving up eight hits, five runs and two homers in a 6-2 setback.

The Braves will counter with their second consecutive bullpen game. No word on who will be the opener in a start that would’ve gone to Morton if not for a broken leg that ended his season in Game 1.

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Marc-Andre Fleury saved 36 shots but the Blackhawks still lost Saturday. | AP Photos

The Hawks’ nine-game losing streak — extended by their 1-0 loss Saturday — is officially their worst start to a season in franchise history.

ST. LOUIS — Player by player, all the way down the roster, the Blackhawks’ atrocious start is weighing emotionally on everyone.

After an improved but ultimately fruitless effort Saturday in a 1-0 loss to the Blues, the Hawks will finish October having lost all nine games in the month’s schedule. That’s officially the worst start to a season in franchise history, topping their eight-game opening winless streaks in 1953 and 1999.

Defenseman Jake McCabe is “extremely” tired of losing, having jumped from six consecutive losing seasons with the Sabres to now this current mess with the Hawks — while the Sabres roar out to a shocking 5-1-1 start.

“Frankly, each guy has to look at themselves in the mirror,” McCabe said. “What do we have to do better, to a man? And [then] we have to bring that… Obviously, we’re lacking confidence right now from this start.”

Forward Alex DeBrincat didn’t need long to estimate he has “probably not” been through any stretch like this before in his hockey career, even as a kid.

“This is tough,” he said. “It’s very frustrating. We know we have a way better team than we’ve showed. We’ve just got to find a way to muster up the energy to get through it.”

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury looked most emotionally taxed of all Saturday, with his spectacular 36-save effort — by far the best of his Hawks tenure to date — proving not enough to break the drought. The one goal he did concede, a third-period power-play deflection credited to Torey Krug, still eating at him afterward.

“Krug was coming in, opened his blade, looked like he was going to pass [the puck] in front, and brought it back,” Fleury said. “I was leaning toward the middle a little, and that was the difference in the game.”

The Hawks remain without several key players and assistant coaches, as Patrick Kane and the rest of the group in COVID-19 protocol are still missing, and Tyler Johnson was ruled out Saturday with neck soreness.

But that small excuse isn’t making this futility any easier to swallow.

“We’re here to win,” DeBrincat added. “We can say, ‘We played well,’ all we want. But if we’re not winning, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Bettman meets with Beach

Kyle Beach, the former Blackhawks player allegedly sexually assaulted in 2010, met Saturday with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players’ Association director Donald Fehr.

Beach and Bettman discussed ways the NHL can improve its sexual abuse resources moving forward after Bettman apologized for the league’s failure to protect Beach from former Hawks video coach Brad Aldrich, the AP reported.

Beach and Fehr, meanwhile, discussed potential needed modifications in the league’s substance abuse and behavioral health program, the AP reported.

Fehr has come under fire this week for not taking action in 2010 even though the NHLPA was allegedly notified several times of Aldrich’s actions, casting the 73-year-old’s future as the association’s leader into question.

Phillips debuts early

By playing 11:07 on Friday and 8:21 on Saturday, Hawks defenseman Isaak Phillips made history as the first Team Jamaica hockey alumnus to appear in the NHL.

Phillips’ rise has been incredibly fast as a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, barely over a year ago. He became just the 13th player from that draft class to debut, and 11 of the first 12 were picked in the top 26. Phillips, by comparison, was picked 141st.

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After the catch, Oswego East’s Ty Carlson (2) is brought down by Lincoln-Way East’s DJ Ritter (29). | Kevin Tanaka/For the Sun-Times

The Griffins rode a swarming defensive effort and Trey Johnson’s running to a 23-6 Class 8A first-round win over visiting Oswego East on Saturday.

Most years, it works like this at Lincoln-Way East: the seniors play, the juniors wait their turn, and the sophomores and freshmen get their reps at the lower levels.

This fall is different in Frankfort.

Coach Rob Zvonar has one of his youngest teams ever, but that doesn’t mean the talent level has dipped.

The Griffins rode a swarming defensive effort and Trey Johnson’s running to a 23-6 Class 8A first-round win over visiting Oswego East on Saturday. Lincoln-Way East (8-2) plays at Minooka (6-4) next weekend in the second round.

Oswego East (6-4) has a talented junior quarterback in Tre Jones, who has offers from Arizona State and South Florida. But the Griffins were up to the challenge, limiting Jones to 8 of 19 passing for 86 yards and holding the Wolves to 28 rushing yards.

Two leaders of the Lincoln-Way East defensive effort still have a lot of prep football in front of them. Sophomore defensive lineman David Wuske had a sack and three tackles for loss, and freshman defensive lineman Caden O’Rourke also had a sack.

“We have a youth movement going on,” Zvonar said. “You go through some growing pains and nothing’s going to come easy. But the young kids are out there battling their tails off.”

Wuske credits the Griffins’ culture of accountability.

“We stick together,” he said. “When we messed up, we made sure we were on top of it.”

Preparation helps too, in knowing the Jones and the Wolves’ tendencies.

“We made sure [to know] what wide receivers [Jones] was looking toward,” Wuske said.

He also noted junior linebacker Jake Scianna’s vocal leadership for a defense that has held seven of its last eight opponents to 18 or fewer points.

On the other side of the ball, Johnson has emerged as a durable lead back after playing all over the field earlier in the season. On Saturday, he had 34 carries for 188 yards and one touchdown.

Johnson took on a bigger role when James Kwiecinski — who had 43 yards on eight carries Saturday — dealt with some injury issues.

“It kind of forced us to make Trey our workhorse,” Zvonar said. “Sometimes you stumble on things — I don’t want to say by accident … he’s been averaging over 100 yards a game, 20 or 30 carries a game.”

“It’s tiring,” Johnson said, smiling, of the workload. “But whatever it takes to win, I’ll do it.”

Johnson’s running opened up some opportunities for the Griffins’ passing game. Quarterback Chase Arthur completed 10 of 16 for 103 yards and a 13-yard TD to Jack Tremblay, and also had a one-yard sneak for a score.

Oswego East’s score came on a trick play: backup quarterback/receiver Josh Polubinski’s 79-yard option pass to Ty Carlson.

“The stuff we’ve been through over the course of the last week — I’m proud of our guys,” Wolves coach Tyson LeBlanc said. “[Friday] at this time we were getting ready to go to a funeral.”

The funeral was for three-sport athlete Mark Chapas, who died just before Oswego East’s regular-season finale.

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Marc-Andre Fleury saved 36 shots but the Blackhawks still lost Saturday. | AP Photos

The Hawks’ 1-0 loss Saturday, in spite of Marc-Andre Fleury’s heroics, marked their ninth in nine games this month.

ST. LOUIS — Jake McCabe is “extremely” tired of losing.

In six full seasons in Buffalo, the Sabres never once made the playoffs. This year, the Sabres are off to a shocking 5-1-1 start — but McCabe is now on the Blackhawks, who extended their season-opening losing streak to nine consecutive games with a 1-0 defeat against the Blues on Saturday.

“Frankly, each guy has to look at themselves in the mirror,” McCabe said. “What do we have to do better, to a man? And [then] we have to bring that.

“Obviously, we’re lacking confidence right now from this start. You just have to really keep that picture very, very small throughout the game, and focus on a shift-by-shift mentality…and build your game through the 60 minutes that way.”

The Hawks had a very real chance to finally earn that first victory Saturday and avoid a winless October. They entered the third period tied 0-0, needing only 20 solid minutes — a much easier task than 60 solid minutes. And Marc-Andre Fleury finally looked like himself, saving 36 of 37 shots after posting an awful .839 save percentage in his first four Hawks starts.

But the Blues’ Torey Krug finally dented Fleury on the second of two Blues’ power plays early in the third, and the Hawks never truly even threatened to equalize.

Outside of the goalie position, Hawks fielded the only 18-man roster of skaters they could. Tyler Johnson missed the game with “neck soreness” after his injury Friday, leaving the Hawks no spare players with four guys — including Patrick Kane — still on the COVID-19 list.

Bettman meets with Beach

Kyle Beach, the former Blackhawks player allegedly sexually assaulted in 2010, met Saturday with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Players’ Association director Donald Fehr.

Beach and Bettman discussed ways the NHL can improve its sexual abuse resources moving forward after Bettman apologized for the league’s failure to protect Beach from former Hawks video coach Brad Aldrich, the AP reported.

Beach and Fehr, meanwhile, discussed potential needed modifications in the league’s substance abuse and behavioral health program, the AP reported.

Fehr has come under fire this week for not taking action in 2010 even though the NHLPA was allegedly notified several times of Aldrich’s actions, casting the 73-year-old’s future as the association’s leader into question.

Phillips debuts early

When Isaak Phillips learned Thursday he was about to receive his first career NHL call-up, the Blackhawks prospect defensemen immediately phoned his mom at home in the Toronto suburbs.

“I asked where she was and if she was with my dad, and then I conference-called my dad in and I asked them if they were working,” Phillips said with a beaming smile. “I said, ‘You’re going to have to book a flight down to Carolina.’ They were obviously really happy. They were like, ‘What’s going on? This is crazy.’ It was really an eventful day.”

By skating 11 minutes in the Hawks’ loss to the Hurricanes on Friday — then playing again Saturday — Phillips made history as the first Team Jamaica hockey alumnus to play in the NHL.

Phillips’ rise has been incredibly fast as a fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, barely over a year ago. He became just the 13th player from that draft class to debut, and 11 of the first 12 were picked in the top 26. Phillips, by comparison, was picked 141st.

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Brother Rice’s Khary Shaw, dark jersey, breaks up Wheaton Warrenville South’s try for the two-point conversion in the last minute of the game. | Allen Cunningham/For the Sun-Times

Shaw’s key defensive play on Wheaton Warrenville South’s two-point conversion attempt sealed the Crusaders’ 27-26 win.

Brother Rice’s flashy offense had been subdued. The Crusaders’ home crowd had been shocked by a 59-yard touchdown pass from Matt Sommerdyke to Reece Young with 46 seconds left.

Everything seemed to be going Wheaton Warrenville South’s way. The Tigers went for the two-point conversion and the win in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs on Saturday.

Khary Shaw stepped into the spotlight and saved Brother Rice’s season. Sommerdyke scrambled and found a receiver in the end zone. At what was likely the last possible moment, Shaw broke up the play and the Crusaders beat the Tigers 27-26.

“I thought I was late. I thought I wasn’t going to make the play,” Shaw said. “I’m happy I played the hands. Coach always tells me to play the hands. I just trusted playing the hands and we won the game. The defense really showed something tonight. I’m praising God that I made that play.”

Brother Rice quarterback Jack Lausch scored on a 14-yard run with 1:21 left to put the No. 3 Crusaders (8-2) ahead. Lausch and the offense struggled for most of the game. Brother Rice had scored at least 40 points in every game this season.

“That was a great game,” Lausch said. “They were a really tough team. I’m proud of the way we fought and dealt with adversity.”

Lausch was 13 for 26 for 170 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He was dominant on the ground though, with 16 carries for 141 yards and three touchdowns.

“We just didn’t execute very well,” Lausch said. “It happens and we will learn from it.”

Wheaton Warrenville South (5-5) opened the game with a spark. Young returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. The Tigers took a 14-6 lead on a 48-yard touchdown pass from Sommerdyke to Brandon Bell with 4:30 left in the second quarter.

Most of the players on the field were in their first playoff game. Lausch and Shaw were two players that had postseason experience two years ago.

“It’s different when it is all on the line,” Shaw said. “It’s kill or be killed.”

Brother Rice running back Aaron Vaughn had 18 carries for 93 yards and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

“That’s a good football team, we knew that coming in,” Brother Rice coach Brian Badke said. “They play in a great conference and had some injuries throughout the year. We didn’t play our best but to come out with a victory shows the resilience of our kids. I’m really proud of them.”

Sommerdyke was 18-for-30 for 253 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He played a smart game and even made the right decision on that two-point conversion at the end.

“Sometimes you just come up one play short,” Sommerdyke said. “No one in the state thought we were going to come out here and compete to the wire. I think we proved how good the DuKane conference really is.”

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A 26-year-old man was fatally shot Oct. 30, 2021, in Austin. | Sun-Times file

About 4:15 p.m., the 26-year-old was inside a vehicle in the 900 block of South Monitor Avenue, when he was stuck by gunfire.

A man was fatally shot Saturday in Austin on the West Side.

About 4:15 p.m., the 26-year-old was inside a vehicle in the 900 block of South Monitor Avenue, when he was stuck by gunfire, Chicago police said.

He was struck in the neck and taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead, police said. His name has not yet been released.

Police are investigating.

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Will the 8-0 Spartans get a top-four spot? | Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Georgia is a lock for the No. 1 spot. After that? Reputation has its privileges.

Look how cute the Cincinnati Bearcats are, dressed like a College Football Playoff team for Halloween.

Too bad the selection committee probably won’t play along Tuesday with the release of the first playoff poll of the season. The Bearcats are 8-0 and were ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 entering Saturday’s win at Tulane, but just watch them be left out of the top four. And then try to imagine how they’ll feel when they get to 13-0 and the same damn thing happens.

Georgia is a lock for the No. 1 slot. How good are the Bulldogs? So good, they committed three turnovers Saturday, had a devil of a time moving the ball and beat Florida 34-7 anyway.

After that? Nobody deserves a spot more than 8-0 Michigan State — which knocked off unbeaten Michigan in a 37-33 classic — but the Spartans might not be in the four, either. At least they know that if they keep winning, especially Nov. 20 at Ohio State, they’ll be comfortably in the field.

Alabama has lost a game, but I’ll be shocked if the Crimson Tide aren’t in the four. They might be up at No. 2. Reputation has its privileges. Oklahoma is a sloppy 9-0, having barely beaten Tulane, Nebraska, West Virginia, Kansas State and even Kansas, but, again, the reputation thing.

Michigan State? Ohio State? What about 7-1 Oregon, which beat the Buckeyes in Columbus?

And then there’s Cincinnati. Grab an extra mini candy bar from the bowl, Bearcats. You’ve earned at least that.

Here’s what’s happening:

SUN 31

49ers at Bears (noon, Fox-32)

Are the Bears even worse than we thought? That might be the only way to explain the fact they’re betting underdogs at home against an opponent that has lost four games in a row.

Buccaneers at Saints (3:25 p.m., Fox-32)

Tom Brady vs. Jameis Winston doesn’t have quite the sex appeal of Brady vs. Drew Brees, but this is still a must-see rivalry. And speaking of sexy, Bucs tight end Rob Gronkowski should play for the first time in over a month.

Astros at Braves, Game 5 (7 p.m., Fox-32)

You’ve got to hand it to the Braves, who are trying to become the first team since the 2014 Giants to win it all after winning fewer than 90 games in the regular season. No, smarty pants, last year’s 43-17 Dodgers don’t count.

Cowboys at Vikings (7:20 p.m., Ch. 5)

If Dallas QB Dak Prescott’s injured calf prevents him from playing, backup Cooper Rush will run the show for the Cowboys. With a name that awesome, you’d think more of us would’ve heard of the guy by now.

MON 1

Bulls at Celtics (6:30 p.m., NBCSCH)

The season continues without injured Patrick Williams, and that’s a real bummer. Is it too much to ask Zach LaVine to at least pretend he doesn’t have a bum thumb?

Senators at Blackhawks (7 p.m., NBCSCH+)

The Hawks are winless at home and have been outscored by a count of 17-7 at the United Center. In other words, they’ve got the Sens right where they want them.

Giants at Chiefs (7:15 p.m., ESPN)

It’s crazy to think about, but Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is under fire for his shoddy play of late. Turns out it’s not all that easy being the “next” Brady.

TUE 2

College Football Playoff rankings show (6 p.m., ESPN)

From here, new rankings will come out every Tuesday until the regular season is fresh out of Tuesdays.

Braves at Astros, Game 6, if necessary (7 p.m., Fox-32)

Back at Minute Maid Park, the Astros will attempt to squeeze the juice out of their title-minded foes. If you think that joke was lame, just toss it into the nearest garbage can.

WED 3

Bulls at 76ers (6 p.m., NBCSCH)

Do the Bulls get the full Sixers squad, Ben Simmons and all, or is Simmons still plagued by (ahem) back problems? Either way, nobody will have to worry about closing out on his jump shots.

Northern Illinois at Kent State (6 p.m., ESPN2)

The Huskies were winless last season, yet here they are as the only unbeaten team — at 4-0 — in the Midwestern Athletic Conference. It’s called “MACtion,” baby, and it never disappoints.

Braves at Astros, Game 7, if necessary (7 p.m., Fox-32)

Do we get a vote? Dang it, it’s necessary.

THU 4

Jets at Colts (7:20 p.m., Fox-32, NFL, Amazon)

A clunker of a matchup? Tell that to your fantasy team and the sawbuck you’ve got riding on the outcome.

FRI 5

Blackhawks at Jets (7 p.m., NBCSCH)

Who’s that Jets general manager again? Oh, yeah, Ken Cheveldayoff. He sure seems to be breathing easy these days.

SAT 6

Illinois at Minnesota (11 a.m., ESPN2)

Listen, they wouldn’t be the Illini if they didn’t lose at home to Rutgers a week after winning at Penn State. The Gophers have no clue which opponent is showing up.

Navy at Notre Dame (2:30 p.m., Ch. 5)

Middies coach Ken Niumatalolo is only 1-4 against the Irish, but he sure has done wonderful work on the whole. Would it kill you to memorize the spelling of the man’s name already?

Iowa at Northwestern (TBD)

Kirk Ferentz and Pat Fitzgerald have been coaching the Hawkeyes and Wildcats, respectively, for a combined 39 seasons. What, you thought it was more?

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