Braves lose yet another star; College football QB battle updates, ACC expert picks

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Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

MILLER MOSS

Caleb Williams deciding to skip last season’s Holiday Bowl gave Miller Moss a chance. He took advantage to the tune of six touchdowns, and now, he’s going to get plenty more chances. Lincoln Riley named Moss the Trojans’ starting quarterback, opening a new era at signal caller as USC opens a new era as a member of the Big Ten.

• Moss beat out UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava, who had originally committed to Georgia in the portal before switching allegiances.
• Moss, a four-star prospect in 2021, stuck it out through three quarterbacks (Kedon Sloves, Jaxson Dart and Williams) and a coaching change. He had just three career touchdowns passing before his 372-yard, six-touchdown explosion against Louisville to finish last season.
• Moss will be tested quickly: USC opens its season against LSU on Sept. 1.

Moss was one of several quarterbacks around the country who got the starting nod Monday.

• Maddux Madsen beat out Malachi Nelson (a former five-star recruit who was at USC last year) for Boise State‘s starting job. Boise State still likes Nelson’s long-term prospects.
• Arizona State will start Michigan State transfer Sam Leavitt.
• Toledo transfer (and MAC Player of the Year) Dequan Finn is the guy at Baylor.
• Duke tabbed Texas transfer Maalik Murphy as its starter.

Honorable mentions

And not such a good morning for …

AUSTIN RILEY AND THE BRAVES

Another Braves franchise cornerstone has a major injury. Austin Riley is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a broken hand he sustained when he was a hit by pitch on Sunday. The final day of the regular season is Sept. 29, just under six weeks away.

• Riley, 27, got off to a slow start this season but has slashed .275/.339/.531 since the start of June. His 16 home runs and 38 RBI over that span are both second on the team.
• Atlanta has been without reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. (torn ACL) since late May, and ace Spencer Strider started just two games before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Furthermore, Ozzie Albies (fractured wrist) hasn’t played in nearly a month, and Max Fried has struggled since returning from forearm neuritis earlier this month.
• The Braves are up just 1.5 games up on the Mets for the third and final NL Wild Card spot, and the two teams will meet in a potentially crucial series in the last week of the season.

Not so honorable mentions

ACC preview, plus top 151 players in college football

The ACC kicks off Week 0 in just four days with No. 10 Florida State taking on Georgia Tech in Dublin, so it rightfully kicks off our Power Four conference expert picks, too. With three different teams receiving first-place picks from our panel of experts and Cal, Stanford and SMU joining the fun, this is an intriguing year for what I will now call the Any Coast Conference.

After dominating the late 2010s, Clemson has missed the College Football Playoff four straight seasons. Chip Patterson, Tom Fornelli and Will Backus, though, have the Tigers taking back the conference crown.

• Patterson: “The Tigers threw a lot of young players into the fire last season, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they started a little slow and finished strong with a 5-0 run to close out the year. Now, those young Tigers are prepped to be stars in 2024, and Cade Klubnik should be improved in Year 2 with Garrett Riley … This was a program that won 10-plus games for 12 straight seasons, and now many are selling stock because of a 9-4 showing last year. But with better injury luck and more experience at key positions, I’m expecting a return to the top for the Tigers.”

We also have most underrated team, most overrated team and bold predictions in addition to our order of finish projections and champion picks.

As for best player in the conference, that’s a little murky. The ACC landed just one player in the top 25 of Blake Brockermeyer’s top 151 players in the country, and that’s Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter all the way at 24th. As for Blake’s top five:

1. Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter
2. Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr.
3. Michigan DT Mason Graham
4. Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
5. Missouri WR Luther Burden III

Other stuff I enjoyed from our excellent college football writers …

NFL preseason Week 2 takeaways: Bo Nix takes upper hand

Nearly five years ago, Bo Nix became Auburn‘s first true freshman quarterback to start a season opener since 1946. It’s been a winding road since, but after an incredibly successful stint at Oregon to finish his career, he seems to be on the precipice of being the Broncos‘ first Week 1 rookie starting quarterback since John Elway in 1983.

Nix was one of the biggest preseason Week 2 winners after an impressive showing, Tyler Sullivan writes.

• Sullivan: “He got the starting nod and was dialed in from the get-go, completing all but one of his nine passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. Nix led the Broncos to points in each of his two drives and nearly had another touchdown pass, but he was just over the line of scrimmage which triggered a penalty.”

Nix also headlined “the good” for the Broncos in Garrett Podell’s “The good, the bad and the ugly” for every team, and Cody Benjamin declared Nix the frontrunner for the job. Hard to argue there.

Meanwhile, Drake Maye‘s impressive game (and Jacoby Brissett‘s not-so-impressive preseason) has Jerod Mayo leaving the door open on Maye starting the Patriots‘ season opener.

Finally, Jeff Kerr has overreactions and reality checks from elsewhere around the league, including several other quarterback situations.

WNBA Power Rankings: Why Caitlin Clark, Fever could be dangerous

Don’t look now, but Caitlin Clark and the Fever are figuring it out. After Clark’s record-breaking performance Sunday against the Storm, Indiana has won four of its last five games and both of its games since the Olympic break. The Fever, which haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, are currently the No. 7 seed (eight teams make the playoffs) with a month to go.

They’re also all the way up to fifth in Jack Maloney’s Power Rankings.

• Maloney: “This team suddenly looks like a potential threat come playoff time. They’re now 5-0 in their last five games against teams with winning records, and are 11-6 overall since their brutal 2-9 start. Over that time period, only the Liberty, Lynx and Aces have a better record, and only the Liberty have a better offense.”

Indiana’s rise is impressive. New York would be rising, too … if it had anywhere to go. The league’s top team continues to distance itself while remaining atop Jack’s rankings. Here are the four teams ahead of the Fever.

1. Liberty (previous: 1)
2. Lynx (5)
3. Sun (2)
4. Aces (3)

What we’re watching Tuesday

Wings at Liberty, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
Phillies at Braves, 7:20 p.m. on TBS
Mariners at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on MLB Network