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College football Week 1 winners, losers, overreactions: Georgia remains top dog, Texas A&M has a ways to go

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College football Week 1 winners, losers, overreactions: Georgia remains top dog, Texas A&M has a ways to go

Week 1 of the college football season technically started a week ago, but Saturday marked the first full day of action across the country. With regional rivalries producing some of the best outcomes of the weekend, the full-fledged debut marked a refreshing change from a lengthy offseason full of off-field headlines. 

Old Dominion shocked Virginia Tech 20-17 in Brent Pry’s debut on Friday night. Then, in a Saturday matchup dubbed as the biggest home game in its history, Appalachian State gave North Carolina everything it could handle before falling 63-61 on a failed 2-point conversion. UTSA’s 2-point conversion also failed in a 37-35 triple-overtime loss to No. 24 Houston in front of a packed house, just days after Cougars coach Dana Holgorsen accused the Roadrunners of pumping crowd noise into the Alamodome. Finally, East Carolina missed an extra point and a field goal to lose a 21-20 heartbreaker to No. 13 NC State. 

Of course, there was plenty of big-time national action to go around, too. No. 2 Ohio State survived No. 5 Notre Dame 21-10 in a heavyweight prize fight. Florida upset No. 7 Utah 29-26 behind a late touchdown from quarterback Anthony Richardson. And No. 3 Georgia leveled No. 11 Oregon in Atlanta 49-3. 

The soaring highs and deathly lows of college football were on full display during an opening weekend that featured the nastiest regional rivalries in the country taking center stage. After another offseason of realignment and playoff chatter in the headlines, Week 1 was a perfect palate cleanser. 

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Here are the winners, losers and overreactions from Week 1 of the college football season.

Winners

Georgia: Rumors of Georgia’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, it seems. Despite losing an astonishing 15 players to the NFL Draft, the Bulldogs didn’t miss a step in dispatching Oregon. Georgia became just the second team in college football history to score a touchdown on its first seven drives against an AP Top 25 squad. Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV had a career-best 368 passing yards, while 15 different defenders had multiple tackles. The Bulldogs war machine remains fully operational. 

Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing Maybe the most underrated offensive player in the country last year after posting 1,354 yards receiving and carrying a moribund UTEP program to bowl eligibility, Cowing appears ready to do the same for the Wildcats one year later. The Maricopa, Arizona, native caught eight passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns in his first game as a Wildcat to lead a 38-20 victory over San Diego State. It was the first road victory for Arizona since Oct. 5, 2019, against Colorado. 

Florida coach Billy Napier: There aren’t many better ways to start a coaching tenure than picking up a victory against a top-10 opponent. The Gators hit all the right notes en route to an upset of No. 7 Utah thanks to a dominant rushing performance from quarterback Anthony Richardson. Suddenly, Florida doesn’t look like an afterthought in the SEC East race. The rivalry game with Georgia on Oct. 29 should be circled. Napier became the first coach in Gators history to beat a ranked opponent in his first game with the program.

Losers

NC State QB Devin Leary: Expectations were high for Leary as the Wolfpack entered the year with their highest preseason ranking since Lou Holtz led the program in 1975. However, Leary’s effort against East Carolina leaves me concerned that a new room of offensive players won’t be easy fits in Raleigh. Leary completed barely half of his 33 passes for 211 yards and 6.4 yards per pass attempt. He threw a bad interception that ECU later converted into a touchdown that should have tied the game if not for a missed extra point. If the Wolfpack are to be true ACC contenders, Leary has to be much better to complement an experienced defense. 

Texas A&M’s offensive line: The Aggies went through growing pains up front on offense last season, but there was hope the unit could find its groove in 2022 as part of a team with playoff aspirations. Despite beating Sam Houston 31-0, however, the Aggies offense posted only 3.4 yards per carry and allowed several pressures. With Appalachian State and No. 16 Miami coming to town in the next couple of weeks, the effort has to get better. 

Week 1 Overreactions

Ohio State’s offense has cracks: Heading into Week 1, there were three teams with outsized expectations to win the national championship: Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State. The aforementioned Bulldogs put together one of the most impressive victories over a ranked opponent in recent memory, and Alabama played a perfect football game against Utah State. 

And then there was Ohio State, which needed a handful of miraculous plays from quarterback C.J. Stroud down the stretch to create any offense against Notre Dame. Granted, the Buckeyes had the toughest matchup of the weekend, but they looked eminently mortal following the injury to star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Notre Dame’s defense dictated the game for much of the night. 

There’s a chance Ohio State can grow out of these struggles, especially as Jim Knowles’ defense gets more comfortable. However, any notion that Ohio State is a flawless title contender in the vein of Alabama or Georgia looks wishful so far. 

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Pac-12 is cooked: Last season, UCLA picked up a massive helmet-sticker victory over LSU in the Rose Bowl. The Tigers ended up being awful, but it didn’t matter; beating LSU launched the Bruins to No. 13 in the national rankings and helped bring credibility to the Pac-12 as a whole. 

One year later, Cameron Rising’s ill-advised interception in a loss to Florida is poised to do exactly the opposite. The Utes were selected at the top of the Pac-12 preseason polls and considered the favorite from the league to make the College Football Playoff. However, losing to the Gators once again puts a leading Pac-12 team behind the 8-ball when it comes to the playoff picture. One win or loss doesn’t make a season, but the benefit of the doubt simply isn’t there for the “Conference of Champions.” 

That loss, mixed with the Ducks’ embarrassment in Atlanta, leaves No. 14 USC as the only unblemished Pac-12 playoff contender. Good luck. 

Rivalries remain king: There was no better setting to kick off Week 1 than the banks of the Ohio River as the Backyard Brawl emerged from the ashes after an 11-year absence. In every way, No. 17 Pitt’s come-from-behind victory over West Virginia was the perfect table-setter for college football’s full 2022 debut. 

More than 70,000 people attended the game at Acrisure Stadium – still Heinz Field in our hearts – the biggest crowd in Pittsburgh sports history … and that’s quite a sports city. Legendary players like Pitt’s Tony Dorsett and West Virginia’s Adam “Pacman” Jones graced the sidelines. The dang stadium ran out of beer as bitter enemies of city and country, separated by just 75 miles, converged. 

Most importantly, the game ended in the wackiest way possible with Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire snatching a ball that bounced off West Virginia’s Bryce Ford-Wheaton’s hands and returned it 56 yards for a pick six. The moment was as gratifying for the victors as it was horrifying for the losers. 

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NFL must pay $4.7 billion in damages in ‘Sunday Ticket’ case, jury rules

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NFL must pay $4.7 billion in damages in ‘Sunday Ticket’ case, jury rules

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury in U.S. District Court ordered the NFL to pay nearly $4.8 billion in damages Thursday after ruling that the league violated antitrust laws in distributing out-of-market Sunday afternoon games on a premium subscription service.

The jury awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and $96 million in damages to the commercial class. Since damages can be tripled under federal antitrust laws, the NFL could end up being liable for $14.39 billion.

The lawsuit covered 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 businesses in the United States who paid for the package of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons on DirecTV. The lawsuit claimed the league broke antitrust laws by selling its package of Sunday games at an inflated price. The subscribers also say the league restricted competition by offering “Sunday Ticket” only on a satellite provider.

The NFL said it would appeal the verdict. That appeal would go to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and then possibly the Supreme Court.

Should the NFL end up paying damages, it could cost each of the 32 teams approximately $449.6 million.

“We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict today in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit,” the league said in a statement. “We continue to believe that our media distribution strategy, which features all NFL games broadcast on free over-the-air television in the markets of the participating teams and national distribution of our most popular games, supplemented by many additional choices including RedZone, Sunday Ticket and NFL+, is by far the most fan friendly distribution model in all of sports and entertainment.

“We will certainly contest this decision as we believe that the class action claims in this case are baseless and without merit.”

The trial lasted three weeks and featured testimony from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

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“Justice was done. The verdict upholds protection for the consumers in our class. It was a great day for consumers,” plaintiffs attorney Bill Carmody said.

During his closing remarks, Carmody showed an April, 2017, NFL memo that showed the league was exploring a world without “Sunday Ticket” in 2017, where cable channels would air Sunday afternoon out-of-market games not shown on Fox or CBS.

The jury of five men and three women deliberated for nearly five hours before reaching its decision.

Judge Philip S. Gutierrez is scheduled to hear post-trial motions on July 31, including the NFL’s request to have him rule in favor of the league because the judge determined the plaintiffs did not prove their case.

Payment of damages, any changes to the “Sunday Ticket” package and/or the ways the NFL carries its Sunday afternoon games would be stayed until all appeals have been concluded.

The league maintained it had the right to sell “Sunday Ticket” under its antitrust exemption for broadcasting. The plaintiffs said that only covers over-the-air broadcasts and not pay TV.

Other professional sports leagues were also keeping an eye on this case since they also offer out-of-market packages. A major difference though is that MLB, the NBA and the NHL market their packages on multiple distributors and share in the revenue per subscriber instead of receiving an outright rights fee.

DirecTV had “Sunday Ticket” from its inception in 1994 through 2022. The league signed a seven-year deal with Google’s YouTube TV that began with the 2023 season.

The lawsuit was originally filed in 2015 by the Mucky Duck sports bar in San Francisco but was dismissed in 2017. Two years later, the 9th Circuit, which has jurisdiction over California and eight other states, reinstated the case. Gutierrez ruled last year the case could proceed as a class action.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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US Olympic and other teams will bring their own AC units to Paris

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US Olympic and other teams will bring their own AC units to Paris

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Olympic team is one of a handful that will supply air conditioners for their athletes at the Paris Games in a move that undercuts organizers’ plans to cut carbon emissions.

U.S. Olympic and Paralympic CEO Sarah Hirshland said Friday that while the U.S. team appreciates efforts aimed at sustainability, the federation would be supplying AC units for what is typically the largest contingent of athletes at the Summer Games.

“As you can imagine, this is a period of time in which consistency and predictability is critical for Team USA’s performance,” Hirshland said. “In our conversations with athletes, this was a very high priority and something that the athletes felt was a critical component in their performance capability.”

The Washington Post reported earlier this month that Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada and Britain were among the other countries with plans to bring air conditioners to France.

Olympic organizers have touted plans to cool rooms in the Athletes Village, which will house more than 15,000 Olympians and sports officials over the course of the games, using a system of cooling pipes underneath the floors.

The average high in Paris on Aug. 1 is 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit). The objective is to keep the rooms between 23-26 degrees (73-79 degrees Fahrenheit). The rooms will also be equipped with fans.

“I want the Paris Games to be exemplary from an environmental point of view,” Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has said about the plans for the Olympics.

According to the International Energy Agency, fewer than 1 in 10 households in Europe has air conditioning, and the numbers in Paris are lower than that. The study said that of the 1.6 billion AC units in use across the globe in 2016, more than half were in China (570 million) and the United States (375 million). The entire European Union had around 100 million.

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The Olympics mark the most important stop on the athletic careers of the 10,500-plus athletes who will descend on Paris, which has led some high-profile countries to undercut environmental efforts for the sake of comfort.

“It’s a high-performance environment,” Australian Olympic Committee spokesman Strath Gordon explained to The Post.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

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Panthers outlast Hurricanes in 4th OT in 6th-longest game in NHL history

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Panthers outlast Hurricanes in 4th OT in 6th-longest game in NHL history

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers seemed determined to keep playing. And playing. And playing.

The teams opened their Eastern Conference final playoff series with Florida’s 3-2 victory in four overtimes early Friday, with the game ranking as the sixth-longest game in NHL history.

Matthew Tkachuk’s goal came at the 19:47 mark of the fourth OT to end this one, which marked the 15th four-overtime game in NHL history and the longest game in franchise history for each team.

The longest game in NHL history came on March 24, 1936, when the Detroit Red Wings beat the Montreal Maroons 1-0 in the sixth overtime on Mud Bruneteau’s goal at 116 minutes, 30 seconds of extra play.

Florida’s previous record for longest game was 104:31 in Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup final against Colorado. Carolina’s previous record was 114:47 for Game 3 of the 2002 Stanley Cup final.

The only good news for the teams is they had an extended break before this series began. Carolina closed out New Jersey exactly a week earlier, while Florida eliminated Toronto a day later.

But this game ended roughly six hours after Thursday night’s puck drop, and the teams have a Game 2 in less than 48 hours.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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