Photo Credit: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times. Buying Championships It was a 0-2 count with one out and runners on the corners in the bottom of the 11th in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. Alejandro Kirk stepped into the batter’s box for the Toronto Blue Jays to face off against Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The pitch came, and Kirk swung. His bat shattered as the ball bounced into the glove of Mookie Betts, who stepped on second base and then fired over t

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen 12/10/2025 Sportz Nation Zak's Picks Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili 3 (Bantamweight Championship) Photo by Chris Unger/ Zuffa LLC via Getty Images If any former champion deserves an immediate rematch, it's Merab, and I believe he'll get it. Whether their trilogy concludes in the first half of 2026 or at the White House card is up for debate. Due to the lack of drawing power either of these men has, I can actually see this fight being before the ca

by Joseph McLaughlin 12/9/2025 Sportz Nation Photo Credit: Leigh Bacho/Getty Images The fantasy football playoffs are officially here, and now is the time that every fantasy manager has prepared for. If your team made it to the postseason, congratulations and best of luck in your championship quest. If you did not make the playoffs, that is okay. There are still important games to win to avoid whatever punishment your friends created for last place. Whatever group you are in,

Photo Credit to Bryn Lennon - Formula 1 via Getty Images That's it, the 2025 Formula One season is officially in the books, and what a season it was! With a new champion crowned, it marks the end of what will go down as one of the most unexpected and unpredictable seasons we have had in the sport. Drivers and teams alike fought until the very end, with many exceeding expectations. All eyes are now pointed toward 2026, but before we close out 2025, let's analyze some winners a

Playmaking is one of those things we think  we understand because there’s a number for it in the box score. Toss a few lobs, hit the corner shooter, rack up 8–9 assists a night and boom—“elite playmaker.” But the guys on the rankings live in different categories. Some don’t just share the ball, they protect  it. Some bend and re-bend defenses, probe without panicking, and finish games with assist-to-turnover ratios that make coaches want to frame the stat sheet. Being a good

by Elias Meredith 12/8/25 Sportz Nation Saturday: Michigan State vs Duke Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Last Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils once again proved themselves to be a legit national championship contender. Duke defeated the Michigan State Spartans 66-60 in a packed Breslin Center filled with rowdy Michigan State faithful. The impressive victory made Duke 10-0 on the season, which is the best start to a season under the leadership of head coach Jon Scheyer, and

Photo Credit: Steve Senne/Associated Press. In New England’s Week 12 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the visiting Patriots found themselves down 10-7. It was a slow start for the red-hot Patriots and nothing seemed to go right.  Drake Maye threw a pick-six, the Bengals were moving the football, everything pointed to an off-day for New England as Cincinnati took a 2nd & 5 snap from their 33-yard line. Bengals Quarterback Joe Flacco surveyed his options downfield before

by Zak Drapeau 12/6/2025 Sportz Nation * Not counting Conor, Jon Jones or Amanda Nunes Honorable Mentions: To Aspinall, Kevin Holland and Alexander Volkanovski Photo by Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC 10. Justin Gaethje How fitting that the first entry on our list will be headlining the first Numbered Event of 2026. Justin Gaethje has long been around the top of the Lightweig division and even though he is one of the best fighters in the world, his draw-ability is due to his style. O

by Zak Drapeau 12/5/2025 Sportz Nation SEC Championship Georgia at Alabama Photo by John David Mercer/ Imagn Images While our next Conference Championship will be the most watched, the SEC Championship is almost always most crucial when it comes to CFB Post Season games and this year is no different. For the 4th time in the last 8 seasons, Georgia and Alabama will go head to head for the crown in the SEC in Atlanta. Having already faced each other once this season, Alabama ha

It’s been just over five weeks since tip-off, and the point guard position has been dictating the pulse of the season, especially when it comes to scoring. It seems every team has a floor general putting on a show night after night. These are the ten point guards that have so far controlled the pace, elevated their teammates, and flat-out taken over games when their number was called. But with plenty of basketball still to be played, this list is far from permanent: for now,

by Elias Meredith 12/4/25 Sportz Nation MINNESOTA VS 22 INDIANA Photo by Matt Krohn/Imagn Images Going into last night’s game against Indiana, the Minnesota Golden Gophers were on a three-game losing streak going into their first conference and AP top 25 matchup of the season. That did not faze the Golden Gophers, as they came out victorious, defeating the Indiana Hoosiers, 73-64, handing them their first loss of the season in the process. It was a total team effort for Minne

by Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen, and Joseph McLaughlin Quarterbacks (Zak Drapeau) Photo by Kiyoshi Mio/ Imagn Images Josh Allen vs CIN Dak Prescott at DET Matthew Stafford at ARI Jared Goff vs DAL Lamar Jackson vs PIT Baker Mayfield vs NO Jalen Hurts at LAC Joe Burrow at BUF Patrick Mahomes vs HOU Bo Nix at LV Daniel Jones at JAX Jordan Love vs CHI Trevor Lawrence vs IND Caleb Williams at GB Justin Herbert vs PHI For the first time that he is healthy enough to be on this list, Lam

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Start 'Em (Matt Hylen) Quarterbacks Photo Credit to AP Photo/David Dermer Jordan Love vs CHI Love finally came out of his slump last week on Thanksgiving, producing a stellar 234-yard and 4 TD performance. This is the kind of play managers have been hoping for from Jordan Love, who is talented enough to break down any defense. Look for Love to have another great week against a Bears defense that is bottom-10 in football in fantasy points allowed

by Zak Drapeau 12/3/2025 Sportz Nation Photo Generated by UFC via Fox News Special Report Main Events 1. Tom Aspinall vs Alex Pereira ( Heavyweight Championship ) With Dana White reiterating that Jon Jones can not be trusted to be on this card, Aspinall vs Pereira has to be the most wanted fight for this event. Alex Pereira has been the biggest name in the sport for 2 years now and for him to move up a division and challenge for the Heavyweight Championship would be an All-Ti

Photo Credit: Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Sports Images. This is it, the fantasy football playoffs are a week away, and this is many teams’ final chance to punch their ticket to the dance. If your team is currently on the bubble, with this week deciding your fate, or if you have secured your spot and are planning for the playoffs, here is my list of players to watch this coming weekend.   Quarterbacks Marcus Mariota (WAS ) - There are not too many options at quarterback left thi

Photo Credit to Platinumlist Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a three-way fight for the Drivers' Championship The penultimate round of the 2025 F1 season in Qatar is done and dusted, with the fate of the world championship coming down to the season's final race. The race itself was shaping to be as expected, extremely difficult to overtake for drivers and difficult to watch for viewers, but it did give us a result that will leave another mark on an insane Drivers' Championship.

by Zak Drapeau 12/2/2025 Sportz Nation Graphic Made on tiermaker.com Tier 1 Elite Teams Tied-1. Seattle Seahawks 9-3 (Won 6 of last 7) Problems: Sam Darnold once a month Solutions: Rest of Team The Seahawks have the most complete team in football and probably the best defense as well. With their only loss in the last two months coming against the other team tied for 1st, it's clear they are a REAL Super Bowl Contender. This team will truly go as far as Sam Darnold allows

The stretch big is no longer a niche role brought out by past specialists like Ryan Anderson, Ersan İlyasova, Matt Bullard—specialists brought in to stand in the corner, space the floor, and punish lazy closeouts. These were pure pick-and-pop marksmen who added shooting, but not much else. Fast forward to today, and the position has undergone a full-scale evolution. The modern stretch big isn’t just a spot-up shooter, they’re snipers with guard-like skill sets, capable of put

Photo Credit to NBC Sports Boston Another primetime game for the New England Patriots, as they will take a 10-2 record and put the 9-game win streak on the line against the 2-10 New York Giants. With a bye on the horizon and the number one seed fully in play, a lot is at stake for the Patriots this week. However, based on the teams' records, this should be an easy game for the Pats, right? In my opinion, this game might be a bit closer than meets the eye. So, with that in min

by Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen and Joseph McLaughlin Quarterbacks ( Zak Drapeau ) Photo by Kevin Jairaj/ Imagn Images Tier 1 Lamar Jackson vs CIN Jalen Hurts vs CHI Josh Allen at PIT Patrick Mahomes at DAL Matthew Stafford at CAR Tier 2 Drake Maye vs NYG Dak Prescott vs KC Justin Herbert vs LV Tier 3 Bo Nix at WAS Jacoby Brissett at TB Daniel Jones vs HOU Tier 4 Jared Goff vs GB Caleb Williams at PHI Jaxson Dart at NE Trevor Lawrence at TEN After Baker Mayfield's arm injury on MN