by Zak Drapeau and Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 10/2/2026 Photo by Greg McCabe/AP The wait is over. A new NBA season is on the horizon, and all 30 teams enter the year with a clean slate and something to prove. Some teams are seemingly playoff bound. Others are trying to force their way into contender conversation and prove everyone wrong. But before the season actually starts and everything we think we know gets thrown out the window, it's the perfect time to take an actual l

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 10/13/2026 Elite Teams Photo Credits to Olivia Vanni via Getty Images 1. San Francisco 49ers 5-0 /\ 1 Last Week: 32-29 Win at SEA The 49ers are not only the best team in the NFL right now but they're doing so with one of the most injured teams as well. As a 3-point underdog this week in Seattle, against reigning champions in the noisiest stadium in the league in a divisional rivalry, the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy just win and can bea

(Photo: Alonzo Adams/ImagnImages) How important is it to have a good bench? More than ever before. An All-Star caliber starting five doesn't feel like enough anymore. In a league overflowing with talent, having a dependable second unit can be the difference between a championship contender and an early playoff exit. And as the 2026-27 NBA regular season approaches, several teams have assembled second units that could give opposing starters a run for their money. And throughou