By Elias Meredith 3/6/26 Sportz Nation IOWA VS 3 MICHIGAN Photo by Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo Thursday night, the Michigan Wolverines traveled to Iowa to close out their last road trip of the year on a winning note. Four Wolverines finished in double figures as Michigan defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 71-68, after nearly blowing a 10 point second half lead. In the first half was action-packed. Several ties and lead changes were in the first half with both teams grappling for po

by Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 3/6//2026 Photo: Chris Reed/AP For years, the No. 2 overall pick carried an unfair label as close, but not quite. Then players like Kevin Durant came around and reframed the conversation entirely. Durant didn’t just become a star; he became proof that the second pick can produce generational talent just as much as any No. 1 selection. Over the last decade, the No. 2 spot has produced a fascinating mix of outcomes: players who became immediate sta

Photo credit to Sportsgully via vavel.com The F1 content rolls on as every team is getting ready for their first race weekend of 2026. With my Drivers' Standings Predictions published and finalized (article linked below!), here is a look at how I think the Constructors' Standings will look by the end of this unpredictable season! Cadillac Photo credit to Kym Illman/Getty Images I think this is the consensus expectation for Cadillac. They're a brand new team attempting to lear

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/5/2026 Graphic by NFL via steelers.com 1. Fernando Mendoza Las Vegas Raiders Big Board Rank: 7 Mendoza is the clear pick here for the QB-needy Raiders. The top Quarterback by a landslide in his class, this pick is al but decided already. 2. Arvel Reese New York Jets Big Board Rank: 4 And now the NFL draft starts, (or so they say.) Arevll Reese has gathered the most hype around his potential so he should be the pick here. As a hybrid off ball l

Photo graphic by Cameron Cc: via youtube.com Formula One is entering a new era with so much unknown. One may think they have an idea of the pecking order, the favorites, or even who will fall short, yet it won't be until the drivers go racing that things will start to clear. So, what better time to make some predictions that could end horribly wrong than during the first race week of the season? This was one of the hardest prediction articles I have ever published. With the t

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/4/2026 Honorable Mention - Jon Jones Jones is unquestionably the greatest combat athlete of all time in my opinion but with greatness does not always come popularity. In Jon Jones record-17 PPV Main Events he has never sold over 1,000,000 buys. Photo by Carmen Mandato/ Getty Images 10. Jorge Masvidal The owner of what may be the most viral moment in UFC history Jorge Masvidal, had a 3-year stretch between 2019 and 2022 that included the knee

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/4/2026 My last Big Board came out on January 21st which you can read hereafter the CFP Playoffs which you can read here . Since then, I've had over a month of more research and film studies, The Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowls and then the NFL Combine last weekend. With only CFB Pro Days to go from now until the Draft starts on April 23rd, I have ranked my Top-100 prospects of this class. In general, this class is not as good as years prior. Whil

Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images It is finally race week for the world of Formula One, meaning the teams are set for what could be an unpredictable year, to say the least. With the pecking order still far from concrete, each team has expressed their satisfaction with their driver lineup. Yet, how good really is each driver lineup? I ranked each driver lineup solely based on the talent I believe each of them will present this season. Car performance is not taken into acc

Photo: Jessica Hill/AP March Madness makes or breaks your reputation—and this year, frontcourt talent is hard to ignore. The number of talented power forwards across the country has flooded mock drafts and the 2026 NBA Draft is shaping up to feature an influx of forward-wing hybrids projected to land in the lottery, and the depth at the position is noticeable. Many of the names on this list are carrying their programs and proving they can thrive under pressure. In a college l

by Elias Meredith 3/2/26 Sportz Nation SATURDAY: 22 TENNESSEE vs 17 ALABAMA Photo by George Walker IV/ AP Photo Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide traveled north to Knoxville, Tennessee to face the Tennessee Volunteers. The Crimson Tide looked for revenge after losing to Tennessee in their first matchup in January. The Alabama guard tandem of Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Labaron Philon Jr. combined for 48 points in the 71-69 victory, extending their winning streak to 8 game

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 3/2/2026 Photo by Jeff Bottari/ Zuffa LLC Lone'er Kavanaugh vs Brandon Royval The performance Lone'er Kavanaugh just put on in enemy territory is inspiring. To beat up a former champion and tough guy like Brandon Moreno was awesome to see and should earn him a Top-8 ranking among the Flyweights. For his next fight, I can see him fighting either Brandon Royval or Amir Albazi. With both men on two-fight skids, I'd normally side with

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 3/2/2026 Graphic by NFL via PFF.com Quarterback Winner: Drew Allar, Penn State Drew Allar couldn't test after Tearing his ACL only 4 months ago but BOY OH BOY did he show off his arm in on-file workouts. Multiple QBs showed off their accuracy this year as it is truly a group marked for their precision, but no other QB showed off his arm strength like Allar while still being on the money. Allar is fighting to be QB3 off the board come April behin

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 2/27/2026 In our predictions from last week which you can find here for Strickland vs Hernandez, Zak went 5-2 with 3 methods right for 8 points. Matt went 3-4 with 2 methods right for 5 points. Points to Date: Zak: 28 (19-7) Matt: 25 (17-9) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ *All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 2/26 Graphic by UFC for UFC Mexico Fight Night 268 6 Brandon Moreno vs Lone'er Kavanaugh (Moreno -210) Za

by Elias Meredith 2/27/2026 Sportz Nation Photo by Doug McSchooler/AP Photo Thursday night, the No. 13 Michigan State Spartans traveled 250 miles southwest to visit the No. 8 Purdue Boilermakers in the Mackey Arena on the campus of Purdue University. Senior center Carson Cooper’s 15 points led Michigan State to a 76-74 victory, their first win at Mackey Arena in 12 years. In the first half, Purdue hit the ground running by going on an 11-4 run to start the game. Michigan Stat

Photo: Devin Boyd/AP The expectation for first overall picks has never been higher, and for good reason. When you zoom out and examine the last decade of No. 1 overall picks, it looks like a generational wave of talent, with historic expectations added on to match. The draft has produced stars before in the past, but the density of franchise players concentrated into a single era has been flustering. These aren’t just good players or even perennial All-Stars. Many of these No

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 2/25/2026 Photo Courtesy of @khabib_nurmagomedov/ Instagram First thing's first, this is a list about how much we wanted to see the fight, NOT about how great the fight would've been. So much get's put into the sport of MMA that we forget that the UFC is foremost a spectator sport. While we appreciate the purity of the #1 contender facing the long-anointed champion, we also want to see the fights we want to see. There's something different about

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 2/11/2026 The NFL Combine is one of the biggest NFL Offseason events of the year and it starts tomorrow. A total of 319 college football prospects are heading to Lucas Oil Stadium for the combine as one of the last showcases ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23-25. Breaking the schedule of prospects into 4 different days based on positions, here's how the schedule for the Combine will go. Thursday: D-Lineman, Linebackers and Kickers Friday: S

by Joel Piton - Sportz Nation - 2/17/2026 With roughly two years of sample size now behind us, it feels like the right time to revisit what was widely labeled one of the weakest NBA draft classes in recent memory. That's a pretty bold narrative, and development in the NBA is rarely linear, especially for players barely old enough to buy a drink. In today’s environment, where immediate impact is what perception, patience has become increasingly rare. A player with early strugg

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 2/23/2026 Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Sean Strickland vs Title Holder Matt - We all know Sean Strickland is good, but I don't think anyone expected him to look that good. Strickland may have looked better than he ever has before, completely shutting down a monster in Anthony Hernandez. With Strickland snapping Fluffy's 8-fight winning streak, big things should be on the horizon for him. A third fight against Dricus Du Plessi

by Elias Meredith Sportz Nation - 2/23/26 SATURDAY: HOUSTON VS ARIZONA Photo by Maria Lysaker/AP Photo Saturday afternoon, the Fertitta Center on the campus of the University of Houston was the place to be for a preview of a potential Final Four matchup in March. The No. 4 Arizona Wildcats traveled east to face the No. 2 Houston Cougars in front of a packed house. Senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso tied a season-high scoring 22 points to get Arizona back to its winning ways after