The New York Knicks avoided falling into a monumental hole against the Indiana Pacers with a come-from-behind win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

Now they can take back homecourt advantage. 

A Knicks victory in Tuesday’s Game 4 would even up the series before it heads back to Madison Square Garden. A Pacers win would put them one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000, which was also their first trip to the Finals in franchise history. 

It all adds up to a crucial Game 4. USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest updates, highlights, wild plays, analysis and more throughout the game. Follow along.

When is Knicks-Pacers Game 4?

Tip-off for Tuesday’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals is set for 8 p.m. ET. 

Where is Knicks-Pacers Game 4?

The Pacers will host the Knicks from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

Where to watch Knicks-Pacers Game 4

TV: TNT
Stream: Sling TV, Fubo, YouTube TV

Knicks at Pacers predictions and picks 

Our NBA experts at USA TODAY Sports predict the Game 4 winner between the Knicks and Pacers: 

Scooby Axson: Pacers 108, Knicks 94
Jordan Mendoza: Knicks 104, Pacers 101
Lorenzo Reyes: Knicks 103, Pacers 101
Heather Tucker: Pacers 117, Knicks 110
Jeff Zillgitt: Pacers 110, Knicks 95

Knicks at Pacers odds, line

The Indiana Pacers are favorites to defeat the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, according to the BetMGM odds. 

Spread: Pacers (-2.5) 
Moneyline: Pacers (-140); Knicks (+115) 
Over/under: 221.5 

NBA championship odds 

BetMGM odds forNBA Finals winner as of Tuesday, May 27: 

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (-375) 
2. Indiana Pacers (+550) 
3. New York Knicks (+1000) 
4. Minnesota Timberwolves (+4000) 

NBA conference finals bracket 

Eastern Conference finals 

No. 3 New York Knicks vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers (Indiana leads series 2-1) 

Western Conference finals 

No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves (OKC leads series 3-1) 

NBA conference finals schedule 

New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers 

Game 1: Pacers 138, Knicks 135 
Game 2: Pacers 114, Knicks 109 
Game 3: Knicks 106, Pacers 100 
Game 4, May 27: Knicks at Pacers | TNT, Sling TV | 8 p.m. 
Game 5, May 29: Pacers at Knicks | TNT, Sling TV | 8 p.m. 
Game 6, May 31: Knicks at Pacers | TNT, Sling TV | 8 p.m.* 
Game 7, June 2: Pacers at Knicks | TNT, Sling TV | 8 p.m.* 

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves 

Game 1: Thunder 114, Timberwolves 88 
Game 2: Thunder 118, Timberwolves 103 
Game 3: Timberwolves 143, Thunder 101 
Game 4: Thunder 128, Timberwolves 126 
Game 5, May 28: Timberwolves at Thunder | ESPN, Fubo | 8:30 p.m. 
Game 6, May 30: Thunder at Timberwolves | ESPN, Fubo | 8:30 p.m.* 
Game 7, June 1: Timberwolves at Thunder | ESPN, Fubo | 8 p.m.* 

* — if necessary 

Knicks vs Pacers rivalry 

The Knicks and Pacers played six memorable playoff series against one another over an eight-season span, including two consecutive matchups in the Eastern Conference finals in 1999 and 2000. The anticipation for this latest matchup has also triggered nostalgia for those classic battles between Reggie Miller and Patrick Ewing, and how the Knicks and Pacers turned into an NBA playoffs rivalry. Here are some of the best (or infamous) moments from Knicks vs. Pacers playoff series, courtesy of Mark Giannotto. 

The Edmonton Oilers can take a commanding lead Tuesday in the Western Conference finals while the Dallas Stars will try to tie the series.

The Oilers lead 2-1 and there will be several changes to the lineup.

Injured Oilers forward Connor Brown won’t play in Game 4 and Viktor Arvidsson will rejoin the lineup. Goalie Calvin Pickard, who’s 6-0 in the playoffs, will back up Stuart Skinner as he returns from an injury.

Veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm is close to retuning but will wait another game after missing the entire playoffs with an undisclosed injury. He last played on April 11.

“Whether it’s tomorrow or the next game or whatever it is, I’m happy with my body and I’m happy with the way I feel,’ Ekholm said Monday. ‘Really excited about where the team’s at and how they’re playing.’

Stars forward Roope Hintz is a game-time decision. He missed Game 3 after being slashed on the foot in the previous game.

Here’s what to know about Tuesday’s Game 4 of the Edmonton Oilers-Dallas Stars series, including how to watch:

What time is Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars Game 4?

Game 4 of the Stars-Oilers series is Tuesday, May 27 at 8 p.m. ET in Edmonton, Alberta.

How to watch Stars vs. Oilers NHL playoff game: TV, stream

Time: 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. local

Location: Rogers Place (Edmonton, Alberta)

TV: ESPN

Stream: ESPN+, Fubo

The Indianapolis Colts are set to honor their late owner Jim Irsay by wearing a black jersey patch throughout the 2025 NFL season, the team announced Tuesday.

The Colts’ jersey patch contains several elements that will pay homage to Irsay. Those include the following, per the team’s official website:

Irsay’s initials;
Irsay’s signature, which includes his ‘trademark smiley face;’
Seven grommets, the same number adorning the Colts’ horseshoe logo.

Below is a look at the jersey patch, via Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star.

Irsay became the Colts owner in 1997 after winning a legal battle with his stepmother, Nancy, to inherit the team after his father Robert’s death. Irsay became the NFL’s youngest owner at age 37 and oversaw one of the franchise’s most successful periods.

The Colts’ success under Irsay was sparked by Indianapolis’ decision to select Peyton Manning with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft. Manning helped turn the Colts into a perennial contender and guided them to a Super Bowl 41 win over the Chicago Bears.

Away from the gridiron, Irsay spent time amassing one of the most impressive collections of music and pop culture memorabilia in the world and serving as the face of the Colts’ ‘Kick the Stigma’ campaign. In the latter role, he drew from his own experiences with substance abuse in the hopes of goal of helping people suffering from mental health issues.

Irsay died in his sleep on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 21. He was 65 years old. No cause of death has been disclosed.

Lamine Yamal – the 17-year-old phenom taking the soccer world by storm – has signed a six-year contract extension to remain with FC Barcelona through 2031, the Spanish club announced on Tuesday.

Yamal is coming off a breakthrough season where he scored 18 goals with 25 assists, helping Barcelona win the Spanish treble of LaLiga, the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa. Barcelona also reached the Champions League semifinals, where they were ousted by Inter Milan.

Yamal joined Barcelona when he was 7 years old, and made his professional debut with the club at 15 years old in April 2023. He will turn 18 on July 23. Yamal will be 33 years old when his new deal ends.

His previous deal, which included an astronomical buyout of $1.05 billion, was signed in 2023 lasted through the 2026 season. Because of his age, Yamal was permitted to sign a three-year deal at the time.

Yamal became the youngest player to be nominated for the Ballon d’Or – considered the most prestigious individual award in the sport – after helping Spain win Euro 2024 last year.

He is expected to be nominated for the 2025 Ballon d’Or when nominees are announced in August. This year’s award ceremony will be held on Sept. 22.

Baby photos of Yamal with former Barcelona star and Argentine World Cup champion Lionel Messi continue to go viral on social media. Yamal was just a few months old, while Messi was 20 years old, when the photos were taken in 2007 by freelance photographer Joan Monfort as part of a calendar photoshoot organized by Diario Sport and UNICEF, the photographer told the Associated Press last year.

Yamal has also gone viral in social media posts featuring his 2-year-old brother Kenye. Yamal’s father, Mounir Nasraoui, is from Morocco, while his mother, Sheila Ebana, is from Equatorial Guinea.

Like Messi, Yamal started his Barcelona career with the No. 19 jersey and is expected to change to No. 10 next season.

While Barcelona isn’t one of the 32 clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States this summer, Yamal will easily be one of the most exciting players to watch with Spain during the 2026 World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

This week marks the beginning of offseason training activities (OTAs) for NFL teams across the league. Twenty teams took to the field on May 27 for the first day of the four-week training program.

The Atlanta Falcons were one of the first teams to take the field, with one notable absence: quarterback Kirk Cousins. Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Cousins was not at the opening day of the voluntary activities.

Cousins is coming off a down year by his standards. He signed the biggest contract in free agency last offseason and started 14 games for the Falcons in 2024. He posted 18 touchdowns – tied for a career season-low with at least eight starts – and led the league in interceptions with a career-high 16.

Atlanta turned to first-round rookie quarterback Michael Penix down the stretch of the 2024 season as they made a push for the playoffs. Penix started the final three games of the regular season with a win over the New York Giants before overtime losses to Washington and Carolina that ended the Falcons’ postseason hopes.

The franchise looks set to move along with Penix as the starter in 2025. Cousins has a no-trade clause in the contract he signed last offseason and would have to waive that in a potential deal.

Prior to the 2025 NFL Draft, there haven’t been substantial trade talks involving Cousins, a person close to the situation told USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon.

‘You want to see him go on to be the best version of himself,’ Falcons coach Raheem Morris said in April. ‘This is not a thing where we’re holding you back. If the opportunity presents itself as something that’s good for both of us – it’s good for the Falcons and for Kirk Cousins – we’d certainly like to see that happen.’

There is no live contact during OTAs, which are voluntary, but there are 7-on-7, 9-on-9 and 11-on-11 drills. Each franchise is allowed 10 total days of organized team practice.

In 2025, Cousins will be in his age-37 season and two years removed from Achilles surgery that ended his final season with the Minnesota Vikings.

Kirk Cousins contract

One of the biggest obstacles to get around in a trade scenario is Cousins’ contract.

If the Falcons trade Cousins before June 1, they’d carry $37.5 million in total dead money on their salary cap for 2025, per OverTheCap, and save $2.5 million. If they trade him after June 1, they’d have a $12.5 million dead cap hit but $27.5 million in cap savings.

It’s financially in the team’s interest to trade him instead of cutting him to save money. If the team cuts Cousins before June 1, they’d carry $65 million in dead money on the cap in 2025. If they cut him after June 1, they’d carry $40 million in dead money with no cap savings.

If Atlanta keeps him on the roster for 2025 as a backup, Cousins would be a $40 million cap hit.

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — It was only matter of time before this inevitable arrived. 

The desperate lash out, the defeated try anything. But not this time, not in this specific situation. 

“I don’t need lectures from others about the good of the game,” says SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

Especially when, in his mind, he’s the one who has been working to save the ACC and Big 12’s hide all along.

He was the one who not long ago convinced his presidents in the SEC that the College Football Playoff (not an SEC playoff) was in the best interest of college football ― even thought many of those presidents were unsure of CFP expansion in the first place.

And he’s the one who, along with new working partner commissioner Tony Petitti of the Big Ten, was given all the power in the CFP by everyone else in the process ― including the Big 12 and ACC commissioners now complaining about it.

So poking the bear probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

But here we are, with the CFP on the verge of a 16-team format beginning in 2026, and the desperate have decided to speak up. Commissioners of the ACC and Big 12, whose leagues won’t get similar access – and more to the point, similar revenue – to that of the SEC and Big Ten, made statements to CBS Sports last week that looked eerily coordinated. 

Both said, in part, that the “best interest of the sport” is at the forefront of every decision each has made relative to the CFP.

That didn’t sit well with the guy who was asked by the CFP board of directors to build the first 12-team playoff, then watched as petty politics delayed it for months. Apparently, the ACC’s part in the delay – the failed “Alliance” with the Big Ten and Pac-12 – was in the best interest of the sport, too.

BIGGER IS BETTER?: SEC at tipping point with football schedule expansion

IN CHARGE:: Big Ten, SEC show who has power with playoff seeding change

The Big 12 and ACC’s raids of the Pac-12, Mountain West and American Athletic conferences to save their very power conference lives was, too, in the best interest of the sport. 

“You can issue your press statements, but I’m actually looking for ideas to move us forward,” Sankey said. “(The SEC) didn’t need the playoff. That was for the good of the game.”

But Sankey wasn’t done there. For the first time since he was named commissioner in 2015 and has since spoken with measured yet forceful tones, Sankey unloaded.

For 10 years he has spoken as the conference, rarely as the commissioner. It’s always “we,” never “me.”

That ended in various spots during a 45-minute state of the SEC to begin the league’s annual spring meetings — a state of the league that quickly turned into the state of college football. 

And Sankey’s place in it.  

“You want to go inside what it’s like to sit in this role?” Sankey said. “I think about the responsibility I have to our member institutions, and I think about the rest of college football, more broadly, all the time. I’m open to (CFP) ideas, there’s just not a lot of incoming. My phone’s not ringing off the hook with, ‘Hey, here’s another way to look at it.’”

This is more than the ACC and Big 12 looking for more access with the new CFP, which currently has a preferred model of 13 automatic qualifiers: four each for the SEC and Big Ten, two each for ACC and Big 12, one for the Group of Six, and three at-large.

This is about Sankey hearing explicitly one way from his presidents and athletic directors, and dealing with the rest of college football on another level. 

Frankly, his presidents – who ultimately make all football decisions – aren’t too thrilled about the CFP process. About the format and allowances to schools who they believe are hanging on SEC financial coattails. 

So when Indiana makes the CFP after beating just one team with a winning record, when SMU makes the CFP after losing its conference championship game, when Texas is a top three team but has to play a first-round game, when Tennessee is a top seven team but has to play a first-round game on the road, that’s a problem for the SEC.

We’re not that far removed from the SEC’s spring meetings in 2021, when Sankey alluded to the possibility that the conference could hold its own playoff — and the market to buy those games would be significant. 

In other words, we actually can take our ball and go home.

“Our athletic directors are telling me we’ve given too much away (in the CFP) to arrive at these political compromises,” Sankey said. “How many of those compromises does it take?”

Meanwhile, these meetings began with the backdrop of the SEC’s seemingly never-ending move to nine conference games. Only now, it’s more of a financial lifeboat.

And another reason the ACC and Big 12 “best interest of the game” statements fell flat. 

College sports is days from the potential approval of the groundbreaking House case that will essentially usher in pay for play — and the need for new revenue streams to pay for it. But why add another game in the best conference in college football to increase media rights revenue, when the CFP selection committee preferred wins over strength of schedule?

Why continue to work to find compromise with a CFP format that favors others based on an easier road to a better record? 

So yeah, it probably wasn’t the right time for the whole best interest of the game thing. 

“Ultimately, I recognize I’m the one who ends up in front of the podium, explaining not just myself, but ourselves,” Sankey said. “So yeah, good luck to me.”

Don’t poke the bear, everyone. Especially when he has all the cards.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

The Pittsburgh Steelers began their first day of organized team activities (OTAs) on Tuesday, and some players are feeling Aaron Rodgers’ absence more than others.

Linebacker Patrick Queen told reporters Tuesday that, though he believes in the quarterbacks the team already has in the building, he’d still like to call the veteran gunslinger his teammate.

‘I’m fine with the guys we got right now,’ he said. ‘But … when I was little, I was a fan of Aaron Rodgers. So it would be cool to have him on the team and stuff, but at the same time, the three guys we got right now, I’ll roll with them.’

Rodgers, it should be noted, is still a free agent. But the connection he’s had with Pittsburgh all offseason looms especially large as the team’s offseason training program gets underway.

In late March, Rodgers reportedly spent six hours at the Steelers’ team facilities meeting with head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan. He eventually left without a deal.

A few weeks later, Rodgers joined the ‘Pat McAfee Show’ and disclosed that he was dealing with personal matters, which have delayed his decision about whether he will play in 2025. Sportswriter Ian O’Connor, who wrote a biography on Rodgers, said earlier this month that he expects Rodgers’ personal issues to be cleared up by the time the Steelers begin their minicamp in June.

Team owner Art Rooney II has also recently told reporters multiple times that he and the team will wait ‘a little while longer’ on Rodgers to make a decision. So as the team’s offseason workouts start without Rodgers present, the door is not necessarily closed on a deal.

For now, the three quarterbacks the Steelers have on their roster are Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson, both of whom signed with the team this offseason, and Will Howard, Pittsburgh’s 2025 NFL Draft sixth-round pick.

Rudolph has the most starting experience between the three (18 games) and played five seasons with the Steelers prior to joining the Tennessee Titans last year. He re-signed with Pittsburgh on a two-year, $8 million deal in March.

In 2024, Rodgers’ second and final year with the Jets, the veteran had a completion rate of 63% with 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. New York let Rodgers know the team planned to go in a different direction in February before releasing him in March.

PARIS, May 27 — Coco Gauff forgot to bring her rackets to the court but reminded her rivals of her French Open title ambitions with a commanding win, while Daniil Medvedev lost his composure on a cold and blustery Tuesday as he crashed out in the opening round.

Last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev had no such trouble as he cruised into the second round in his latest bid to win an elusive Grand Slam title after losing three major finals including at this year’s Australian Open.

Former Roland Garros runner-up Gauff provided early comic relief as the second seed grinned sheepishly and showed her empty bag to her entourage, who scampered to reunite her with her equipment before she thumped Olivia Gadecki 6-2 6-2.

‘Honestly, I thought they put the rackets in the bag, and my side court bag is filled with drinks and everything,’ Gauff told Sloane Stephens on TNT.

‘So it felt like I had enough weight. Then I got on court, and I opened the first zipper. I was like, ‘OK, no rackets’. The second zipper … ‘Oh my God. I went on court with no racquets’. Usually JC (coach Jean-Christophe Faurel) puts them in.

‘I’ll see what happened.’

The Madrid and Rome finalist made up for the delayed start by easing through the first three games and wrapped up the opening set with a battling hold after dropping her service earlier.

There was no looking back from there as Gauff tightened her grip on the contest despite the challenging conditions.

Gauff’s compatriot and former runner-up Sofia Kenin also advanced to the second round after a 6-3 6-1 win over French number one Varvara Gracheva, while Hailey Baptiste beat 2023 semi-finalist Beatriz Haddad Maia 4-6 6-3 6-1.

Former world number one Victoria Azarenka became the oldest woman in the professional era since 1968 to win a singles Grand Slam main-draw match with a 6-0 6-0 scoreline, after the 35-year-old dished out a double bagel to Yanina Wickmayer.

Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, breezed past Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-4 6-4 while sixth seed Mirra Andreeva beat Cristina Bucsa 6-4 6-3 to underline her title credentials after an inspired run to last year’s semi-finals.

On the men’s side, third seed Zverev sealed a comprehensive 6-3 6-3 6-4 victory over American Learner Tien, while 11th seed Medvedev was beaten 7-5 6-3 4-6 1-6 7-5 by Cameron Norrie.

Dusan Lajovic crashed out 6-2 6-4 7-6(4) to Kazakh lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko and Serbian compatriot Laslo Djere fell 6-3 6-4 7-6(6) to Australian ninth seed Alex De Minaur.

Three-times champion Novak Djokovic was looking to lift the spirits of Serbian fans with a victorious start in his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam, with the 38-year-old taking on American Mackenzie McDonald.

It was the end of the road for Bulgarian veteran Grigor Dimitrov, however, after the 16th seed pulled up with injury against Ethan Quinn to exit a fourth straight Grand Slam due to retirement.

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla. — The Big Ten’s preferred playoff model is a trojan horse for the SEC.

And still, the SEC keeps inching toward the horse’s belly.

If the Big Ten gets its way, the College Football Playoff would move in 2026 toward a format in which more bids are awarded via automatic selection.

The idea works like this: In a 16-team field, the Big Ten and SEC would get four automatic bids apiece, the ACC and Big 12 would get two auto bids apiece, the Group of Five would get one auto bid, and that leaves three at-large bids up for grabs. In many years, Notre Dame would snag one of the three at-large bids.

It’s easy to understand why the ACC and Big 12 dislike this model. It preassigns twice as many automatic bids to the Big Ten and SEC before the season even kicks off. It’s a model based more on conference brand prestige than in-season meritocracy.

What’s more difficult to comprehend is the SEC’s swelling support for this model.

On the surface, the auto-bid model sounds OK for the SEC.

Upon deeper consideration, though, a better model for the SEC’s quest to stockpile bids would be a 16-team model that assigns all bids via at-large selection. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey seems to understand this, but will his conference’s membership resist the auto-bid plan?

“For all the gripes about us having four (automatic bids), go back and look at the previous 11 years … we actually lose more spots under that (auto-bid) model than anybody else,” Sankey said Monday before his conference’s spring meetings.

Bingo. There’s plenty of reason for the SEC to be wary of this auto-bid model.

The SEC considers itself the toughest, most rugged conference. As such, it would be foolish to embrace a playoff model that restricts its members from accessing nine of the 16 bids.

“If you actually go back and do the research, that kind of format could cost us positions,” Sankey said.

Exactly.

The SEC would be wise to punt this trojan horse back across the Mason-Dixon Line.

Auto-bid College Football Playoff model could backfire on SEC

As recently as a few years ago, Sankey most favored playoff models that assigned all bids via at-large selection. He ought to keep up that energy, and make his membership understand that the best model for the SEC – and the best model for the sport – is a playoff model that limits automatic bids, instead of awarding more.

A 16-team playoff with all bids decided via at-large selection would be a boon for the SEC, if only the SEC could look past the Big Ten’s auto-bid bait.

Forget the auto bids. A 16-team, all at-large, playoff could be so simple:

∎ Devise a set of playoff selection criteria designed to identify the 16 best teams.

∎ Play the games.

∎ Have a committee select the 16 best teams based on the approved criteria, or bring back an analytical ranking system designed to identify the 16 best teams.

If last year’s playoff had included 16 teams based off the CFP rankings, the SEC would have qualified six teams. Six.

The SEC doesn’t need this 4+4+2+2+1 auto-bid format, and the ACC and Big 12 don’t want this format, and yet this idea keeps gaining steam within the SEC. Oh, what a delight for the Big Ten.

“I have, over time, talked about, hey, let’s just have fill-in-the-blank-number best teams,” Sankey said. “That goes back to 2019, 2020 playoff expansion (talks). I’ve reiterated that. I think our room has an interest in a different model.”

In other words, SEC athletics directors are positioning themselves to be duped by the auto-bid plan.

Here’s why SEC athletics directors might like auto-bid playoff plan

So, why might the SEC go for this auto-bid plan?

For starters, risk aversion.

Being assigned four playoff bids before the season begins would allow the SEC to go from eight to nine conference games without having to worry so much about win-loss records.

Also, auto bids based purely off conference results would encourage teams to beef up their non-conference schedule, because an auto-bid format reduces the penalty of non-conference losses.

Plus, the auto-bid plan would allow a conference to conduct play-in games.

If the Big Ten and SEC receive four automatic bids apiece, they could reserve two bids for the top two teams in their standings, then pit No. 3 versus No. 6 and No. 4 versus No. 5 in a play-in bonanza to determine the final auto bids.

“I think the word ‘hope’ is at the center (of this proposed format),” Sankey said. “How do you bring people into the conversation late in the season? So the idea of, could you have play-in type games continues to (surface).

“That’s about building interest and giving hope. Whether that’s the ultimate destination, we’ll see.”

That might sound OK in theory, but, what does that look like in practice?

Iowa, a team that went 8-5 last season, would have still been alive for the playoff on play-in Saturday, because the Hawkeyes finished sixth in the Big Ten standings.

South Carolina finished sixth in the SEC last season and was ranked No. 15 in the final CFP rankings. It would have qualified for a 16-team playoff, if all bids were awarded via at-large selection.

Iowa, by comparsion, was not ranked in the final CFP rankings.

So, it’s easy to understand why Iowa would love this auto-bid playoff idea. It’s easy to understand why a host of other mediocre Big Ten teams would like this playoff idea. Finish sixth in the Big Ten standings, sprinkle in some play-in magic, and, voila, a playoff bid emerges.

It’s harder to understand why the big, bad SEC would embrace a playoff format that most benefits Big Ten teams like Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Washington.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.