The 2024 edition of NBA Media Day has arrived. It’s like the first day of school, picture day and homecoming all wrapped up in one. And it’s a beautiful start to the preseason schedule.

Players, coaches, and executives will dole out pleasantries and sports platitudes, giving us their best first outlook on the season to come. And, of course, Jimmy Butler will make a cameo, stealing the spotlight with whatever he decides to do showing up for another season.

This year, 28 NBA teams will hold their media days over the course of Monday. The Celtics and Nuggets already kicked off the festivities with their own media days last week in preparation for the NBA Abu Dhabi games on Oct. 5. This marks the 2024-2025 debut for the rest of the association.

We’re keeping tabs on everything that’s being said around the NBA. Here are the latest news and nuggets from the 2024 NBA media day.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves react to KAT trade

The Karl-Anthony Towns trade to the New York Knicks caught a lot of people by surprise, none more so than his former teammates with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their first public reactions are coming out now thanks to NBA media day. Here’s a sampling of what was said thus far:

Kawhi Leonard injury update

A cautious Kawhi Leonard focused on being healthy enough to finish a playoff series showed up to Los Angeles Clippers media day.

Leonard’s health is again a concern going into another season after he couldn’t complete the Clippers’ postseason loss to the Dallas Mavericks, abruptly left Team USA training camp this summer because of wariness about a knee injury and a report last week that he subsequently underwent a medical procedure on his knee this offseason.

The Clippers’ star conceded the inflammation in his knee that surfaced last season could be an issue the rest of his career, but emphasized that he and the team’s training staff have a better handle on how to deal with it moving forward.

Chicago Bulls give Lonzo Ball injury update

Lonzo Ball’s once-promising NBA career came to a screeching halt because of persistent knee problems with the Chicago Bulls. He has only appeared in 35 games since signing a 4-year, $85-million contract with Chicago in 2021 and did not play at all the past two seasons. But that could soon be changing. Ball’s return could come as soon as this year’s season opener.

‘That’s the plan,’ Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said when asked if Ball could be available for the team’s season opener this year.

Ja Morant ready for ‘scary’ NBA comeback

Ja Morant wanted it known Monday that he’s not out to prove his doubters wrong after the past two seasons veered so off course for him. But the Memphis Grizzlies are aiming to be a playoff team again this year, so he did offer a preview of how the recent turmoil and health issues that limited him to nine games last season could impact the rest of the league.

‘I feel like a happy Ja is a scary Ja for a lot of people,’ Morant said.

Luka Doncic, Jason Kidd welcome Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson is among the most intriguing offseason additions this year, if only because it will be weird initially to see him wearing a Dallas Mavericks uniform instead of one belonging to the Golden State Warriors. But Mavericks star Luka Doncic and coach Jason Kidd see Thompson as potentially the piece Dallas was missing during its run to the NBA Finals last year.

“We haven’t had a Jason Terry or a Klay Thompson here for a long time,’ Kidd said, alluding to his former teammate in Dallas when the Mavericks won an NBA championship in 2011. ‘You’re talking about rare air here when it comes to shooting,”

‘I can’t wait to play with him,’ Doncic said.

Houston Rockets are thinking NBA playoffs

The Houston Rockets made some big offseason moves a year ago to shore up their roster and bring in coach Ime Udoka only to fall short of the play-in tournament in the deep Western Conference. Well, they’ve got designs on making the postseason this time around even though the west looks even deeper this year. And they’re vocalizing them on media day.

Knicks open up about Karl-Anthony Towns trade

Josh Hart had a memorable reaction to the news.

Karl-Anthony Towns picture makes the rounds for Knicks fans

The ink on the Karl-Anthony Towns trade that would send the star from the Minnesota Timberwloves to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo has not yet hit paper. But the big man was spotted on Monday morning in the area, according to Athletic hockey writer Peter Baugh.

Here is a snap of the Knicks newest addition.

The rumored trade is not yet official, which should make things interesting on Monday.

Joel Embiid weight update

NBA reacts to Dikembe Mutombo’s death

This NBA Media Day will be tinged with sadness after the NBA announced Monday morning that Hall of Fame center and beloved humanitarian Dikembe Mutombo died from brain cancer. He was 58 years old.

Philadelphia 76ers happy to have Paul George in the fold

Tyrese Maxey and Paul George were smiling and Joel Embiid wouldn’t. Not until Maxey playfully knocked the ball from his hands during a photoshoot Monday and they all laughed together in a clip released by the team’s social media account. The vibes are understandably better with the Philadelphia 76ers than a year ago when they returned for training camp in the midst of the franchise’s James Harden stand-off.

Philadelphia has a new big three now after signing George this offseason and General Manager Daryl Morey and coach Nick Nurse are relieved the storyline is about fitting George into the mix with Maxey and Embiid instead of off-court drama.

‘What I like this year,’ Morey said, ‘is the challenges are more traditional.’

‘I think we’ve got a better team than we had with all that going on,’ 76ers coach Nick Nurse said.

Victor Wembanyama weight update

What does year two in the NBA with Victor Wembanyama look like? It’s a question that will determine if the San Antonio Spurs are a playoff contender in the Western Conference this season.

Coming off a strong end to his Rookie of the Year campaign, and then a run to the gold medal game with France at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Wembanyama seems poised for a lot. He’s also likely packed on some muscle to his skinny 7-foot-3 frame. Seems like a welcome development for the Spurs.

NBA Media Day 2024 begins with Quin Snyder, Atlanta Hawks

It appears Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder will go down as the first of probably hundreds of NBA coaches and players to speak with reporters on Monday. And right off the bat, some interesting thoughts on Dejounte Murray and a roster that features now features both Trae Young and No. 1 pick Zaccharie Rissacher.

How to watch NBA Media Day: Time, TV and streaming

While some teams get the party started early in the day, live coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET on NBA TV, followed by coverage on NBA.com. Below times ET.

NBA TV Media Day Presented by AT&T | 1-5 p.m. | NBA TV
NBA Media Day Live | 4-7 p.m. | NBA.com, NBA App

What is NBA Media Day?

NBA Media Day is fans’ first look at their beloved squads as organizations hold an open session for media access to players and personnel.

Aside from interviews, it’s also a moment when players take their season photos, which has led to a tradition of the more memorable images making their way to social media. Jimmy Butler has been one player who has owned this tradition with his own flare for the opportunity.

When does the NBA season start?

NBA action starts on Oct. 22 with the Knicks taking on the Celtics in Boston and the Lakers hosting the Timberwolves. The rest of the association gets in on the fun on Oct. 23.

NBA media day schedule:

All times ET.

Milwaukee Bucks | Fiserv Forum – 9:30 a.m.
San Antonio Spurs | Spurs Practice Facility – 10:00 a.m.
Miami Heat | Kaseya Center – 10:00 a.m.
New Orleans Pelicans | Smoothie King Center – 10:00 a.m.
Brooklyn Nets | HSS Training Center – 10:30 a.m.
Toronto Raptors | Scotiabank Arena – 10:30 a.m.
Indiana Pacers | Gainbridge Fieldhouse – 10:45 a.m.
Philadelphia 76ers | 76ers Training Complex – 11 a.m.
Cleveland Cavaliers | Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – 11 a.m.
Atlanta Hawks | PC&E Atlanta – 11 a.m.
New York Knicks | Knicks Practice Facility – 11 a.m.
Orlando Magic | AdventHealth Training Center – 11 a.m.
Charlotte Hornets | Spectrum Center – 11 a.m.
Utah Jazz | Zion’s Bank Basketball Campus – 11 a.m.
Washington Wizards | TBD
Memphis Grizzlies | FedEx Forum – 12 p.m.
Dallas Mavericks | Mavericks Practice Facility – 12 p.m.
Houston Rockets | Toyota Center – 12 p.m.
Oklahoma City Thunder | Paycom Center – 12 p.m.
Golden State Warriors | Chase Center – 12 p.m.
Portland Trail Blazers | Moda Center – 12 p.m.
Detroit Pistons | Little Caesar’s Arena – 12:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Clippers | Intuit Dome – 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota Timberwolves | Target Center – 1:30 p.m.
Chicago Bulls | Advocate Center – 1:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Lakers | UCLA Health Training Center – 2:00 p.m.
Phoenix Suns | Footprint Center – 2:00 p.m.
Sacramento Kings | Golden 1 Center – 3:00 p.m.

Ozzie Virgil Sr., the first Dominican-born baseball player in the major leagues, has died, MLB announced Sunday. He was 92.

Virgil became the first nonwhite Detroit Tigers player when he joined the team in 1958 via trade, 11 years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier. He was the Tigers’ first Latino player and at the time, Virgil was also considered the first Black Tigers player.

He joined Detroit in a trade with the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Jim Finigan and $25,000. He played for the Tigers from 1958-61 and appeared in 131 games in the Old English ‘D,’ hitting .228 with seven home runs and 33 RBI. Over a nine-year career with five different teams, Virgil hit .231 with 14 homers and 73 RBI.

‘I’d put his legacy up there with that of those who established our republic,” Dominican baseball legend David Ortiz told ESPN in 2006.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Up until Virgil joined the Tigers, they were one of two MLB teams left that had not integrated the roster, along with the Boston Red Sox. Former Tigers general manager John McHale supported integrating the roster after he took over in 1957, starting first with Virgil and then Larry Doby, the first Black player in the AL (with Cleveland in 1947), who briefly played in Detroit in 1959.

“We were a little slow getting into the 20th century at that point,” McHale told the Free Press in 1979. “Getting a Black player was a priority of mine.” 

Virgil played games at third base, second base, shortstop and made one appearance at catcher while he was with the Tigers. Virgil was considered Black by fans and media during his time in Detroit.

In 2008 with the Free Press, the late federal judge Damon Keith said: “Ozzie was not white, but he wasn’t Black, and he was caught in between through no fault of his own.”  

In his home debut for the Tigers at Briggs Stadium, Virgil went 5-for-5 from the second spot in the lineup and later told the Free Press in 2008 he received a standing ovation that he did not forget the rest of his life.

After his time as a player was over, Virgil spent 19 years as an MLB coach for the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Giants and Montreal Expos. His son, Ozzie Virgil Jr., had an 11-year MLB career with the Phillies, Braves and Blue Jays from 1980-90. Ozzie Sr. was also a Marine Corps veteran.

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city’s professional teams, the state’s two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22, and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.

In a sense, it took the Los Angeles Dodgers six months to move up one spot.

This 2024 Major League Baseball season was a circuitous, bumpy, non-linear journey to the end of September, certainly for the very best teams and most certainly the Dodgers. Yet as October looms, the Dodgers find themselves atop USA TODAY Sports’ final power rankings of the season.

It’s not a vast departure from our rankings as the season began, with the Dodgers perched in the No. 2 slot. But ask the preseason No. 1 Atlanta Braves just how much plans can diverge over 162 games, as the six-time NL East champs relinquished that crown and are still fighting for their playoff lives through a deluge of injuries.

It’s a similar story for most of the top 10, which traded the No. 1 spot with frequency as even the most super of teams hit rough patches and rashes of injury. Yet the Dodgers finished the season with 97 wins, with Shohei Ohtani still addicted to making history, and with at least a partial semblance of a starting rotation to take into the postseason.

A look at our final regular season rankings:

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (+1)

Just wild that we’re going to find out what Playoff Shohei Ohtani looks like.

2. New York Yankees (-1)

Anthony Rizzo’s finger injury means Ben Rice could be back in first base mix.

3. Philadelphia Phillies (-)

Citizens Bank Park might implode if it’s the Mets for the NLDS.

4. San Diego Padres (-)

They won’t sneak up on Dodgers in NLDS this time. But they might be better than them, anyway.

5. Milwaukee Brewers (+1)

Aiming to become first (we think) World Series champ to prominently feature a Tobias.

6. Cleveland Guardians (-1)

Kinda built perfectly for the postseason – if they can get past the Tigers.

7. Baltimore Orioles (-)

Can Corbin Burnes-Zach Eflin form a potent 1-2 pitching punch?

8. Houston Astros (+3)

Yordan Alvarez’s health status looms over the entire postseason.

9. Atlanta Braves (+1)

In another year, Spencer Schwellenbach would get a lot of NL Rookie of the Year love.

10. Arizona Diamondbacks (-2)

‘Go, Game 1 winner!’ T-shirts selling like mad.

11. New York Mets (-2)

David Peterson really clutched up, and finished year with 2.90 ERA.

12. Detroit Tigers (-)

The playoff pitching plan? Skubal & The Gang.

13. Kansas City Royals (-)

Can Vinnie Pasquantino return for the wild-card series? They’re a different team with him.

14. Seattle Mariners (+2)

They’ve literally won 54% of their games in the past 11 seasons.

15. Chicago Cubs (-)

At 83-79 and No. 15 in our rankings, they’re the Monsters of the Mid.

16. Minnesota Twins (-2)

Rocco Baldelli stays, says GM Derek Falvey, even after a 9-18 September collapse.

17. St. Louis Cardinals (+1)

Haven’t gone longer than three years missing the playoffs since 1988-95.

18. San Francisco Giants (+2)

Can a new GM retain Blake Snell? Will there be a new GM? Do fans remember they exist?

19. Boston Red Sox (-2)

First 81-81 season since 1985. Woo-hoo.

20. Tampa Bay Rays (-1)

Jose Caballero led AL with 44 stolen bases.

21. Cincinnati Reds (-)

After four shutout innings in Game 162, Hunter Greene finishes with 2.75 ERA in 150 ⅓ IP.

22. Texas Rangers (+2)

Playoff hero Josh Sborz to get balky shoulder examined.

23. Pittsburgh Pirates (-)

Someday we’ll wonder how in the heck Paul Skenes didn’t win Rookie of the Year.

24. Toronto Blue Jays (-2)

Last-place finish for the first time since 2013.

25. Washington Nationals (-)

Many signs of improvement, yet identical record – 71-91 – to last year.

26. Oakland Athletics (-)

They even pre-recorded the last wrap-up show so the hosts wouldn’t go off message.

27. Los Angeles Angels (-)

For what it’s worth, Nolan Schanuel led AL rookies with a .343 OBP.

28. Colorado Rockies (-)

Charlie Blackmon, finally off to his own vacation far away.

29. Miami Marlins (-)

Can GM Peter Bendix make a difference, or is the franchise doomed from the very top down?

30. Chicago White Sox (-)

It could have been worse. Really, it could have.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The 32 things we learned from Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season:

1. Are the Minnesota Vikings the No. 1 team in the NFC? Their record suggests as much after they became the conference’s first 4-0 team – the Seattle Seahawks could match it by beating the Detroit Lions on Monday night – after beating the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field 31-29 on Sunday afternoon. The Vikes last started 4-0 eight years ago, though that squad finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs.

1a. You (me?) could be forgiven for viewing the 2024 Vikings – a month ago, anyway – as a likely last-place team in a competitive division given their quarterback transition, which was further disrupted by first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy’s season-ending knee injury in preseason, and extensive personnel turnover in other key spots. But journeyman QB Sam Darnold’s ongoing resurrection (275 yards, 3 TDs passing Sunday), and former Pack RB Aaron Jones’ revenge tour (139 total yards) were major reasons for Minnesota’s latest triumph.

1b. But let’s not forget the Vikes defense. It only managed one sack Sunday after entering the game with a league-best 16, including at least five in each of the first three games. But it generated four turnovers (including three INTs) and limited Green Bay’s top-ranked run game, which had averaged 204 yards per week entering Week 4.

1c. Like the Georgia-Alabama SEC showdown the night before, the Vikings-Packers game kicked off with widely touted “Game of the Week” billing that totally failed to deliver – at first – with the contest quickly devolving into a 28-0 lead by the eventual winner. Kudos to the Pack and Dawgs for valiantly fighting back and nearly overcoming tremendous odds before ultimately succumbing.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

2. What a Sunday night performance by Baltimore Ravens RB Derrick Henry, who rushed for 199 yards and a TD in a 35-10 walkover against the previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills.

2a. Henry, who suffered a few negative-yardage runs and fumble late in the game, finished 1 yard short of 200 – which would’ve been his record seventh time hitting that plateau. He has 350 yards on the ground the past two weeks.

2b. His 87-yard TD run to open the game was the longest in the Ravens’ 29-season history. Yet it was only the third-longest in the career of Henry, who had a 99- and 94-yarder as a member of the Tennessee Titans.

2c. His next touchdown will be the 100th of his nine-year career.

0-3. Three teams entered Week 4 winless, an ominous harbinger as only six 0-3 teams since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger have recovered to reach postseason. The Cincinnati Bengals got off the mat Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, and Tennessee will try to do the same Monday night at Miami.

0-4. As for the still-winless Jacksonville Jaguars? During the Super Bowl era (since 1966), only one of 164 0-4 clubs – the 1992 San Diego Chargers – has rebounded to make the playoffs.

5. All five 3-0 squads entering Week 4 played on the road. They were 2-2 entering Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Vikings improving to 4-0, while the Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers faltered.

6. The total number of touchdown scored in the Indianapolis Colts’ 27-24 defeat of Pittsburgh. The Steelers scored three TDs – matching their season total entering the game – and surrendered three, after their top-ranked defense had allowed two total in the first three weeks.

7. Number of consecutive games that Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams has scored a TD – the longest active streak in the league.

8. Are the Washington Commanders the No. 1 team in the NFC East? Their record suggests as much after they became the division’s first 3-1 team after throttling the Arizona Cardinals 42-14 in the desert. In a six-day span, the Commanders piled up two road wins and 80 points – Sunday’s outburst their most in eight years, back when Kirk Cousins was their quarterback in 2016.

9. But you probably have to go back to 2012 to get a similar vibe from the nation’s capital. Then, it was No. 2 overall draft pick Robert Griffin III – the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year despite being selected after the more celebrated Andrew Luck – sparking an apparent franchise resurgence. Now, it’s No. 2 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels – perhaps the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year despite being selected after the more celebrated Caleb Williams – igniting a tortured fan base with his scintillating play, accounting for 280 yards of offense and two TDs against Arizona on Sunday.

9a. Daniels hit on 26 of 30 passes against the Cardinals, boosting his league-best completion rate to a gaudy 82.1% – the best four-game start by any passer during the Super Bowl era.

9b. After setting a rookie record by completing 91.3% of his passes in Week 3, Daniels became the first man in league history to exceed 85% (actually 88.7%) over consecutive games with a minimum of 15 throws in each.

9c. Daniels’ heroics paved the way to a satisfying homecoming for both himself – he was Arizona State’s starting quarterback before transferring to LSU in 2022 – and OC Kliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals HC for four seasons.

10. The jersey number of Washington’s Tress Way, who punted Sunday for the first time since Week 1 – a span of 20 possessions amid the recent brilliance of Daniels and the offense.

11. Interesting decision by Green Bay to start QB Jordan Love, who was coming off a Week 1 MCL injury, in the face of Minnesota’s swarming defense. It worked out OK for Love, who seemed to be piling up garbage time stats that eventually became relevant (389 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INTs passing), but the Pack was quickly rendered one-dimensional on its way to rushing for a season-low 86 yards. Most important, Love apparently emerged unscathed despite being less than 100%.

12. Dallas Cowboys K Brandon Aubrey missed his first field-goal try beyond 50 yards in Thursday night’s win over the New York Giants after hitting the first 16 of his career. Amazingly, Aubrey’s conversion rate from 50+ (94.1%) is better than his accuracy from 30 to 39 yards (87.5%).

13. The number of consecutive starts Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has beaten the Giants. Only Hall of Famer Bob Griese (17 straight defeats of the Bills) has a better run against one team in league history.

14. Prescott has not dropped a game to the Giants since they swept the Cowboys during his rookie year in 2016.

15. The new jersey number for Colts QB2 Joe Flacco, 39, the league’s reigning Comeback Player of the Year – though he didn’t have to come from behind Sunday despite filling in for injured starter Anthony Richardson, who hurt a hip against Pittsburgh. Flacco finished an efficient 16-of-26 for 168 yards with two TDs and did a better job distributing the ball than the still-green Richardson has to date.

16. After entering Sunday with eight catches for 69 yards on the season, perennial Chiefs Pro Bowl TE Travis Kelce heated up for seven grabs and 89 yards – both team highs – in Kansas City’s 17-10 defeat of the Los Angeles Chargers.

17. Number of (career-high) tackles made by third-year Atlanta Falcons LB Troy Andersen, whose career day – it included his first NFL pick-six off a deflected pass – was instrumental to a 26-24 defeat of the archrival New Orleans Saints.

18. Of course, Atlanta doesn’t win without Younghoe Koo’s 58-yard field goal in the waning seconds – both the longest of the veteran kicker’s seven-year career and longest in the eight-season history of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

19. Chicago Bears RB D’Andre Swift entered Sunday with 114 total yards from scrimmage, averaging just 2.7 yards per touch. But in a 24-18 defeat of the Rams, he racked up 165 yards and a TD while averaging 7.2 yards per touch.

20. Chicago’s balanced offense and opportunistic defense greatly reduced the load on Caleb Williams, who played – by far – his most efficient game to date (17-for-23, 157 yards, TD, 106.6 passer rating) in what should serve as a blueprint game for the Bears.

All the players and the plays: Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter for NFL news.

21. Another rookie passer, the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix, notched his first career TD throw – an 8-yarder to WR Courtland Sutton that proved pivotal in a 10-9 upset of the New York Jets. It basically qualified as the bare minimum to win in what was otherwise a struggle bus kind of day in poor weather – Nix threw for -7 yards despite seven completions before halftime and finished with 60 yards (albeit with 25 pass attempts).

22. Coincidentally, Sutton finished with three catches for 60 yards. The rest of Denver’s receivers – combined – caught nine balls … for 0 yards.

23. Per OptaSTATS, the Broncos are the first team in the Super Bowl era with four players to catch at least one pass but not finish with positive yardage.

24. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes continues doing things we’ve never seen, including the longest completion – by air yards traveled, per Next Gen Stats – of his eight-year career in Sunday’s victory.

25. Mahomes is now 13-12 in games in which K.C. trailed by double digits, the only quarterback in the Super Bowl era above .500 given such circumstances, per @FrontOfficeNFL.

26. Now with 100 regular-season starts under his belt, Mahomes is an unprecedented 78-22 with 29,328 yards and 225 TDs passing – all league records to this point of a player’s career.

26a. However, he’s unlikely to remember Sunday’s victory fondly given his involvement in the tackle (during an interception return) that took out WR Rashee Rice.

27. Already missing injured RB Isiah Pacheco and WR Hollywood Brown, Mahomes and Co. seem likely to face an even steeper three-peat climb, coach Andy Reid saying of Rice’s knee injury: ‘I’m sure it’s not as good of news as we want.’

28. Uniform note of the week: Among the better things you can say about the Falcons in recent years is their effective disavowal of their gradient jerseys, which haven’t been seen in two years. And the Dirty Birds looked wonderful Sunday in those throwback black jerseys with the original team logo and red helmet with subtle gold stripe – which allows the team to honor both the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech. But the team could take another step forward by mixing in the red jerseys and silver pants combination used extensively in the late 1970s and ‘80s – and, frankly, we wouldn’t mind seeing the classic logo reinstituted permanently.

29. Another uniform note of the week: The Houston Texans debuted their new “Deep Steel Blue” jerseys, a fairly understated approximation of the ones they wore during their first 22 seasons. But wait until you see what they wear next week …

30. Yet another uniform note of the week: Rather than going nearly monochrome white with a less-than-satisfying throwback attempt, couldn’t the Browns do something creative – particularly given their recently adopted alternate logo? Please?

31. Obviously too much white for Cleveland to overcome the Silver and Black – even though the Las Vegas Raiders were without their two best players, WR Davante Adams and DE Maxx Crosby on Sunday, both inactive with injuries.

32. Kudos to the NFC South brethren Buccaneers, Falcons and Panthers pledging a combined $6 million (at least) to relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene – which ravaged Florida’s Gulf Coast and the Carolinas along its destructive track while causing dozens of fatalities. Sunday, the league also promoted the Red Cross on the homepage of its website, giving fans the ability to donate. Please consider it.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

We can’t help ourselves. We college football watchers, professionals and amateurs alike, always look for grand conclusions to draw from a single week of results. The just-concluded Week 5 slate provided us with plenty to analyze.

We’re back to look at the top five overreactions from the weekend, and it probably won’t come as a shock that three of them stem from one memorable contest. We’ll start with two that are in effect opposite sides of the same coin.

We’ll then take a look at one notable individual performance from that game, then we’ll take a quick snapshot of a couple other conferences whose geography has recently changed.

Georgia’s playoff chances are cooked

It certainly looked that way about a quarter-and-a-half into Saturday night’s contest in Tuscaloosa. As we said going in, a close loss at Alabama isn’t a complete deal breaker.

That said, however, the Bulldogs have an uphill climb as far as winning the SEC championship is concerned. With a ‘1’ already in the loss column, Georgia has road trips to Texas and Mississippi as well as a home date with Tennessee still on the docket. The Bulldogs will probably need to sweep those and avoid a letdown elsewhere to finish in the top two in the final standings.

There’s more than one way to the playoff now, however, in the year of expansion. If the Bulldogs can get through that gauntlet with just one more loss, a 10-2 record with the strength of its schedule – Uga has that win against Clemson in the bank remember – would almost certainly be deemed worthy of an at-large berth. The Bulldogs need to do some things better to make that happen, and having to play an extra round would obviously make the path to the title that much more difficult, but they can’t be counted out just yet.

Jalen Milroe just won the Heisman

Those numbers – 374 yards passing, 117 rushing, four total touchdowns – on that stage with those high stakes are impossible to ignore. If the season were over today, the hardware would almost certainly be his.

Even with over half the season yet to be played, Milroe will be playing from the lead in the race the rest of the way. But every week, there will be a performance worthy of consideration. There were several others this week. Colorado’s Travis Hunter delivered game-changing plays on both sides of the ball, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty rushed for more than 250 yards for the second time this season and added four touchdowns to his ledger, and Ohio State’s sensational freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith might just be scratching the surface. Admittedly, the performance of the week in the game of the year to date will be hard to overcome, so it’s fair to say Milroe can expect to be making travel plans for New York in December.

MISERY INDEX: Mississippi’s playoff hopes fall flat after spending big

HIGHS AND LOWS: Alabama-Georgia classic leads Week 5 winners and losers

An Alabama-Georgia rematch is inevitable

As fun as that was, a lot has to happen for the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide to meet again, either for the SEC title or in the playoff.

We mapped out Georgia’s tough road to the SEC finale above. Alabama now has a significant leg up to get there but must also visit Tennessee. Texas is not on the Tide’s regular-season slate, but LSU, Oklahoma and Missouri are. All of those teams, and possibly Texas A&M as well, will be trying to crowd their way into a phonebooth with room for only two. (What do you mean “What’s a phonebooth?) Even more variables would have to line up just so in order for there to be a second meeting in the playoff.

Could it happen? Sure. Will it? We’re a long way from being able to say that.

SMU won the realignment lottery

Even the most optimistic SMU fans, including the ones who essentially helped the school buy its way into the ACC, couldn’t have expected such a resounding debut when they saw the schedule. The Mustangs would be hosting preseason No. 10 and defending conference champion Florida State for their first contest in their new league.

The Seminoles’ implosion began way back in Week 0, of course. But even then the Mustangs didn’t look ready for prime time in a power conference as they struggled to get by a Nevada program that had won just two games a year earlier, and a lackluster loss to Brigham Young did little to alter that perception. But a quarterback change revitalized the SMU offense while FSU’s struggles have continued, resulting in Saturday’s resounding 42-16 Mustangs’ victory.

Things figure to get a bit tougher for SMU in its first run through the ACC, starting next week at Louisville, but so far the move for the latest team to elevate to a so-called power conference is a success.

The Big 12 realignment winner will be …

It might still be Utah, especially when and if the Utes can get Cam Rising back healthy. But Arizona’s win in Salt Lake City in the late hours threw the league race wide open.

At the moment, just three teams are off to 2-0 starts in conference play. They are undoubtedly the three everyone expected – BYU, Colorado and Texas Tech. To date, the league’s best result out of conference arguably is Iowa State’s trophy victory against Iowa.

The vacuum created by the departures of Texas and Oklahoma can’t be denied. But fans around the far-flung league would do well to assume the glass-half-full perspective and view the situation as an opportunity to make headway where there are no runaway favorites.