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π Good morning to everyone, but especially to ...
BRANDON AIYUK AND THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
It had to happen, and it finally has: Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers agreed to a four-year, $120 million extension after a drawn-out and sometimes-testy offseason stalemate.
- At $30 million per year, Aiyuk ties Tyreek Hill for the fifth-highest paid wide receiver on average. He had been due just north of $14 million under the fifth-year option of his rookie deal. The deal includes $76 million guaranteed.
- All six wide receivers currently making $30 million or more annually signed their contracts this offseason.
- Aiyuk, 26, is coming off a 75-reception, 1,342-yard season that earned him second-team All-Pro honors.
Given Aiyuk's skill and the fact that the 49ers are bonafide Super Bowl contenders, it made all the sense in the world for both sides to get things done. Still, there were many times when it seemed he'd be traded, and just Wednesday, GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan had pointed words for Aiyuk, who would go on to sit out practice. Making matters worse, Trent Williams was (and still is) holding out, putting the status of two top-tier players in question.
But now all is well, at least regarding Aiyuk. Yesterday morning, before the Aiyuk contract, I wrote about why getting this done was vital for San Francisco.
- Pereles: "His vertical abilities added an element that made an already-outstanding offense historically good. Then add in the blocking, no small aspect in this offense. Aiyuk earned Pro Football Focus' fifth-highest run-blocking grade among wide receivers. It's already hard to find a wide receiver as good in the passing game as Aiyuk who is also willing to block. But Aiyuk is more than willing. He is excellent."
Here's more:
- Here's how the Broncos may have prevented the Steelers from acquiring Aiyuk.
- But there's asilver lining for Pittsburgh, Bryan DeArdo writes.
- Is Deebo Samuel's time with the 49ers nearing an end?
π Honorable mentions
- Stephen Curry signed a one-year, $62.6 million extension that keeps him tied to the Warriors through 2026-27. He's the first player to crack the annual $60 million threshold.
- Shohei Ohtani's dog delivered a first pitch.
- Here's what coaches think about potential NCAA Tournament expansion.
- Caitlin Clark met Olympians Simone Biles and Gabby Thomas.
- Scottie Scheffler is way ahead at the Tour Championship.
- Danny Stutsmandonated much of his NIL earnings to walk-ons.
- Is Jurickson Profar anMVP candidate?
- What a Triple-A debut for Kumar Rocker.
- The Angels are promoting some youngsters.
- Atlanta will host the 2031 Final Four.
π Not so honorable mentions
- In an absolute shocker, No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz is out of the US Open, falling to unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4. It's van de Zandschulp's first win over a top-10 player at a major.
- With the playoffs out of reach, the Giants are dumping salary.
- The Astros demoted Chas McCormick.
- Jorge Mateo had season-ending elbow surgery.
- Caroline Garcia called out social media abuse aimed at her.
π Colorado rallies, holds on vs. North Dakota State
Just when you thought you'd seen Travis Hunter do it all, he does even more. The two-way Colorado superstar caught seven passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns as the Buffaloes opened their second season under Deion Sanders with a 31-26 win over North Dakota State.
Plenty went wrong for Colorado -- blown assignments, penalties, struggles running the ball and strange coaching decisions -- but with Hunter and Shedeur Sanders (445 yards passing, four touchdowns) leading the way, it was just enough. It'll have to be the Hunter and Sanders show all season long, Shehan Jeyarajah writes.
- Jeyarajah: "After almost any other game, Sanders would have been the biggest story of the day. Unfortunately for him, Hunter was on the same field. Hunter rose to stardom one year ago after torching reigning national runner-up TCU on both sides of the ball in a 45-42 upset victory. Against the Bison, he was even better."
Brandon Marcello talked with Hunter postgame as well.
Here's more from Thursday's action, including anothergruesome injury for Max Johnson and Bowling Green's house call on itsvery first play of the season.
π College football Week 1 picks, previews, best bets and more
I could not be more excited. If I were, I think I'd explode. The first full weekend of the brand-new, conference-realigned, playoff-expanded college football season has arrived.
The schedule is absolutely loaded from the noon kickoffs Saturday until the end of Labor Day, but we have to start at the start. The Atlantic Coast Conference may span all the way to the Pacific, and the Southeastern Conference may now have a Texas and Oklahoma twang, but long-time members will do battle to open the Saturday slate.No. 14 Clemson visits No. 1 Georgia at the Bulldogs' home away from home, Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Tom Fornelli's Six Pack of best bets couldn't start anywhere else.
- Fornelli: "The problem for Clemson is that while I have high hopes for it this season -- I picked the Tigers to win the ACC -- this is a difficult matchup at a bad time. I've never been a fan of QB Cade Klubnik, and it's hard for me to trust him against this Georgia defense. On the other side, there's QB Carson Beck and one of the best offensive lines in the country. One of the few offensive lines out there I believe can mitigate the damage done by the Clemson defensive line. ...Pick: Georgia -13.5 (-105)"
Here's our full preview for that one.
That's far from the only ACC-SEC matchup. We also have No. 19 Miami at Florida (preview)and Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt. The new era for both conferences begins with a bang, Dennis Dodd writes. Also on Dennis' radar? A tough-to-gauge matchup between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 20 Texas A&M.
- Dodd: "First year Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, a former Notre Dame defensive coordinator, knows a lot about Irish quarterbackRiley Leonard. They were together last season atDuke. This is the second time since 2000 a head coach/QB who have played together the previous season faced each other on different teams the next season. Still waiting for thebest recruiting class of all timeto kick in at A&M."
Here's our full preview for that one.
OK, now let's make you some money ... or at least make you a smarter fan.
- Tom Fornelli's Six Packand Big Ten picks
- Jerry Palm's picks
- Friday night picks
- Dennis Dodd's Week 1 overview
- Who's who at quarterback
- Speaking of quarterbacks, is Dylan Raiola ready to lead a Nebraska resurgence?
- The SEC mandated injury reports.
βΎ MLB playoff predictions, plus how many home runs will Aaron Judge hit?
I'm declaring the dog days over. With the end of the MLB regular season just a month away, it's now a sprint to the finish. The standings are a jumble, with four of the six division races within a handful of games, and there'swild card madness lurking, too.
But no division has gotten as wild as the AL Central. For a long time, the Guardians were among the best teams in the sport. But since late June, they're under .500, and the Royals and Twins have made it interesting. Matt Snyder breaks down the MLB's most competitive division race in hisfull playoff field prediction, and remember, help could be on the way for contenders.
Speaking of predictions, our MLB experts projected how many home runs Aaron Judge will finish with. Mike Axisa says ...
- Axisa: "There is not a doubt in my mind Judge will hit 63 home runsif teams pitch to him, which is not a given. ... Judge isn't getting much to hit these days and he still has seven homers in those last eight games, and 16 in those last 31 games. He makes the most of it whenever he does get the opportunity to swing the bat. ... I think Judge breaks his own AL single-season record. I'll say he finishes with 64 home runs."
β½ UEFA Champions League draw winners and losers, best games
The new-look UEFA Champions League draw has arrived, and there are some scintillating matches across the league phase (no longer group stage) to get us started.
James Benge has winners and losers from the proceedings, and on the right side of things is a squad that's been on the wrong side of heartbreak many times in this competition.
- Benge: "Winner: Manchester City -- In trips to Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus and Sporting there is the odd fixture that will afford Pep Guardiola the chance to bafflingly overhype his opponents. Twenty minutes in Phil Foden and Erling Haaland will have walloped in three or four, City waving down imperiously from the top of the league."
Also among the Cityzens' fixtures are Inter Milan, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, Sparta Prague and Slovan Bratislava. (Yes, eight matches! It's new and fun!)
Here's more:
- Full draw
- Explaining the new format
- Who are the favorites?
- Best league stage games
- Americans in the UCL
- Schedule tiers
πΊ What we're watching this weekend
πΎWe're watching the US Open.Here's how.
β³ We're also watching the Tour Championship. Here's how.
Friday
π Lehigh at Army, 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
π Temple at No. 16 Oklahoma, 7 p.m. on ESPN
π TCU at Stanford, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
π No. 14 Clemson at No. 1 Georgia, noon on ABC
π No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia, noon on Fox
π Akron at No. 2 Ohio State, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
π Colorado State at No. 4 Texas, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
πNo. 19 Miami at Florida, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
π Western Kentucky at No. 5 Alabama, 7 p.m. on ESPN
βΎ Braves at Phillies orBrewers at Reds, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
πIdaho at No. 3 Oregon, 7:30 p.m. on BTN
π No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
π Fresno State at No. 9 Michigan, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
Sunday
π Storm at Sun, 1 p.m. on NBA TV
π Fever at Wings, 4 p.m. on NBA TV
βΎ Braves at Phillies, 7 p.m. on ESPN
π No. 23 USC at No. 13 LSU, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
