Australia v England: Semi Final - FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023
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Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Let's get right to it.

⚽ Good morning to everyone but especially ...

ENGLAND

England are off to their first Women's World Cup final after defeating host nation Australia, 3-1. It wasn't as easy as the score might suggest, with Australia fighting back to tie the game in the second half thanks to a Sam Kerr rocket. Late goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo put the game away for the Lionesses. It's a momentous occasion for England, but the accomplishment is particularly notable for England manager Sarina Wiegman, who has cemented her status as one of the best coaches in the world. This is her fourth consecutive major tournament final and she becomes the first manager to take two separate teams to a Women's World Cup final. There might not be another manager in the world with a better run than Wiegman:

  • 2017: UEFA Women's Championship with Netherlands
  • 2019: Women's World Cup runner-up with Netherlands
  • 2022: UEFA Women's Championship with England
  • 2023: Women's World Cup finalist with England

Wiegman enters this final with another chance to lift the World Cup trophy for the first time in her career. As for Australia, it was a heck of a run. Kerr finally made it back into the starting lineup after picking up an injury during the lead up to the opening match and scored an absolute banger of a goal to briefly bring Australia back into the match. One of the brightest stars in the game leaves with her head held high and Australia as a whole finish with a much stronger tournament run than expected.

Spain, who beat Sweden in a 2-1 thriller, await England in the final on Sunday.

👍 Honorable mentions

😓 And not such a good morning for ...

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THE FOUR REMAINING PAC-12 TEAMS

Ah, the Pac-12 is back in this section. I can't say I'm surprised. Whatever's left of the Pac-12 after this year is facing significant challenges, writes Dennis Dodd. To recap ...

  • The Pac-12 currently has 12 teams. How nice that the name and number actually line up!
  • One year from now, the Pac-12 will have four teams. USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon will depart for the Big Ten, and Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah will join the Big 12.
  • That will leave Cal, Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State in the Pac-12 ... errrrr, Pac-4. Whatever.

And now, as Dodd writes, not only is there impending major financial loss, but options to mitigate that are dwindling.

  • "In fact, for perhaps the first time in realignment, Power Five schools are assured of losing money by changing conferences. ... None of this is to suggest the remaining Pac-4 won't find a home. It is to suggest we are witnessing the bottom of the barrel in terms of media rights to the point that schools might -- for the first time -- have to reduce their revenue to survive in realignment."

Dennis has detailed -- and frightening for these programs -- insight on what could be next.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Anthony Richardson named Colts starting QB

Indianapolis Colts v Buffalo Bills
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Cam Newton but faster. Michael Vick but bigger. Prepare for athleticism at quarterback we've never seen before, NFL fans: Anthony Richardson has officially been named the Colts' starter by coach Shane Steichen.

  • Richardson, the No. 4 pick in this year's draft, was "competing" against Gardner Minshew and Sam Ehlinger for the starting gig. Even after an up-and-down preseason debut, he won out.
  • After splitting time with Minshew, Richardson had been getting the first-team reps in Colts training camp recently, a good indication he was the frontrunner.
  • Richardson will be the Colts' seventh consecutive different Week 1 starting quarterback, tying the NFL "record." The Colts, of course, hope Richardson will halt that streak for a long time.

This was, to be frank, the correct choice. Maybe even the only choice. With all due respect to Minshew -- a perfectly competent backup and spot starter -- and Ehlinger, we know those guys' ceilings. The Colts' offseason has been dominated by Jonathan Taylor's trade request, but no matter what happens on that front, Richardson can represent a chance for better days ahead. Yes, he's a project, and those "better days" might not be soon. But it's worth finding out what Richardson can be and letting him grow early.

Oh yeah, and his ceiling could be sky-high, both on the field and in Fantasy. Dan Schneier breaks down the latter:

  • "The good news is that 32 quarterbacks start in the NFL every week, and depending on the size of your league, only between eight and 14 quarterbacks start in a Fantasy Football league each week. ... This provides an opportunity to go one of two ways when it comes to pairing Richardson with a QB2, but both routes involve spending one of your next 1-3 round picks on a quarterback after grabbing the Colts rookie. You can go the safer route and look to pair Richardson with Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers -- two pocket passers with high-floor profiles. Or you can pair Richardson with another higher-upside quarterback in that range like Deshaun Watson or Daniel Jones."

🏈 Who's the next RB off the board?

NFL: Washington Commanders at Indianapolis Colts
USATSI

With Dalvin Cook (Jets) and Ezekiel Elliott (Patriots) off the board, the running back market is finally thinning out a bit. But there's still plenty of meat on the bone -- and teams with a need to add to their backfield. Bryan DeArdo played matchmaker for some of the top remaining free agent running backs, including a new face in Minnesota with Cook gone.

  • "J.D. McKissic: Minnesota Vikings -- The team's top-three returning backs from last year, Alexander Mattison, Kene Nwangwu and Ty Chandler, ran for a combined 317 yards last season with a 3.56 yards-per-carry average. ... McKissic wouldn't be asked to fill Cook's previous role as a volume ballcarrier. Instead, he could do more of what he did in Washington, where he was a reliable pass-catcher who in 2020 caught 80 passes while helping Washington capture the NFC East crown."

This is probably my favorite pairing. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has coined this offseason a "competitive rebuild," but McKissic would have a clear role as Minnesota looks to defend its NFC North crown (checking off the "competitive" part) and would come cheap (checking off the "rebuild" part).

Bryan also proposes new homes for Leonard Fournette and Kareem Hunt.

We also have winners and losers from Cook's and Elliott's signings as well as their projected impacts on their new teams.

⚾ Biggest remaining question for every MLB team

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With a month and a half left in the MLB season, we're officially in the stretch run. No more "it's still early." No more "it's a long season." The time is now, and there are big questions to be answered for every team -- the best, the worst and the in-between -- writes Dayn Perry. Let's start with the best ... if they can stay there.

  • "Atlanta Braves: Will they finish with the best record in baseball? -- The Braves are virtual locks to win the NL East and also secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. Next on the list would be securing the best overall record in MLB and thus ensuring the right to play any deciding game of a postseason series at home. ... Right now, they're on pace to do just that, but the Orioles, Rays, Dodgers, and Rangers are all within range."

As for the in-between, Perry looks no further than the Braves' top NL East rival:

  • "Philadelphia Phillies: Will Trea Turner play like Trea Turner? -- Yes, Turner is adding value in the field and on the bases, but the Phils need more from his bat. On that front, Turner has been putting up big numbers in August, so perhaps he's finally finding his level."

And the worst might just be the worst ... ever.

  • "Oakland Athletics: Will they avoid 120 losses? -- They're on pace for 117 losses, which puts them within range of the 1962 Mets' modern record of 120 losses. Photo finish incoming, possibly."

Here's the biggest question for every team.