If you like good football, I hope you’re not a Jaguars fan. Not much of that was played by the boys from Jacksonville. The baseball world is locking in on the last week of the regular season, while the NHL preseason got ripping and roaring last night. We even got our first Utah Hockey Club goal! Don’t feel any pressure to read the whole thing today (if you hate fun). If you like fun, you should probably read the whole thing.

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Today’s Trivia🧠

🏈 Titans fans listen up. You always want to get off to a hot start! But if you don’t…How many times has an NFL team made the PLAYOFFS after starting 0-3?

• A. NEVER

• B. 1 time

• C. 3 times

• D. 6 times

• E. 13 times

(answer at the bottom of the Stump!)

On This Day…

🏈⚾️ On this day in 1991, Mr. Primetime himself Deion Sanders left the Atlanta Braves to come back to the Atlanta Falcons. The guy has done it all.

He is now the head football coach for the Colorado Buffaloes, who are 3-1 after a nuts hail mary this past Saturday! You saw that play right?!

What’s Worth Your Time

🏈Bush Looking For His Money

Reggie Bush has been in the media A LOT recently as he leads the charge of former players who were punished for NIL-related activities prior to its legalization. What’s he up to now?

Nobody in the country was bigger in college athletics than Reggie Bush during his years at USC. He won the Heisman Trophy during his junior year, as well as winning a National Championship in 2004. After a 2010 investigation found that Bush received impermissible benefits from USC, the school was stripped of its title and Bush was forced to give back his Heisman.

Now, with the college athletics landscaping shifting in the favor of NIL, Bush wants it ALLLL back. He’s already been given his Heisman Trophy back, but now he’s coming for his money. Bush and his legal team announced yesterday that he has filed a lawsuit against his former university, the Pac-12 conference, and the NCAA seeking compensation for his time with the program.

This is the first of what could be a HUGE can of worms for the NCAA to deal with, and this lawsuit will tell you a lot about how the courtroom views the past of NIL and how former players stand in all of this. Stayed tuned for updates, this could get interesting.

🏫PAC-12 Taking Shape

Well, well, well ladies and gentlemen. You just couldn’t hold the PAC-12 down, it’s back and really starting to take form now. 7 schools have committed, who’s next?

That PAC-12 is turning into the Mountain West Conference, but on steroids. After Utah State announced their intention to join the new conference yesterday, there are officially 7 universities who have agreed to join.

The original 2, Oregon State and Washington State will now be joined by FIVE Mountain West schools: Utah State, Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado State. The announcement came yesterday after the AAC responded to the PAC-12’s interest in a handful of their schools by offering schools a one-time financial incentive to stay in the AAC.

The PAC-12 now only needs one more university to be officially recognized by the NCAA as a viable conference. Mountain West teams UNLV and Air Force are still mulling their options, while the PAC-12 continues to approach certain universities.

The PAC-12 has even discussed offering UConn a spot as a football-only school, while they also offered Gonzaga a spot as a basketball-only school.

⚾️One Week Left: Where Do We Stand

Closing time in the MLB regular season is upon us, let’s see where we each team stands.

The Eliminated: This is a long list, so bear with me. Apologies if your team is on here, there’s always next year! Rangers, Blue Jays, Athletics, Angels, White Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, Giants, Reds, Pirates, Nationals, Rockies, Marlins.

Holding On For Dear Life: The Red Sox and Rays are both four games back for the last Wild Card spot in the AL with six games back. It’s not likely either of these teams make it to the postseason, but they technically still have their heads above water.

The NL Wild Card Situation: The NL Wild Card is pretty set, the Padres are comfortable in the number one spot and the Mets and Diamondbacks hold a two-game lead over the Braves. With the Braves on the outside looking in, this week’s three-game series against the Mets is going to be make or break for both team’s seasons.

The AL Wild Card Situation: With the Red Sox and Rays four games back, the Mariners and Twins are the real threat to shake up the AL. The Orioles are pretty safe, while the Royals and Tigers are barely in the postseason. The Twins are one game back after a rough series in Boston, and the Mariners are two games back.

Already Clinched: Here’s who’s already in: Yankees, Guardians, Phillies, Astros, Brewers, and the Dodgers.

🏈Tuesday Morning Quarterback(s)

Never will I ever complain about a BIG night from a couple of QBs on Monday Night Football, so which guys showed out?

The guy who plays football for Buffalo is pretty good, huh? Josh Allen didn’t really hold back in last night’s matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he went into halftime with more than 200 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. The second time in his career he’s done that.

Allen and the Bills really just sat on the ball in the second half as Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars could really get nothing going. Allen was efficient, dangerous on the ground, and kept the Jaguars guessing all night.

In the late game, it was the two LSU QB’s who lit it up. Joe Burrow was impressive, but it was the guy who took over for him in college that had the last laugh. The Jayden Daniels era in Washington has officially arrived.

Not only did Daniels account for three touchdowns and about 300 all-purpose yards, most importantly, he didn’t make many mistakes. He was 21/23 through the air and was lethal with his legs when he needed to be. He and Terry McLaurin look to finally be on the same page, and the Commanders may be trouble in the NFC East.

⚾️Charlie Blackmon: Rocky For Life

Arguably the best beard and hair combination in the MLB, Rockies star Charlie Blackmon says he’ll retire at the end of the season. Let’s look at what was arguably one of the greatest careers in Rockies history.

If you think of the Colorado Rockies for the past 10 years or so, you think of Charlie Blackmon. The guy with the biggest beard in baseball spent all 14 years of his career in the Mile High City. He announced yesterday this upcoming homestand will indeed be his last.

Blackmon will retire as the franchise’s all-time leader in triples, and second in games played, runs scored, hits, doubles, extra base hits, and total bases. He was a 4-time All-Star and won the 2017 NL batting title.

It’s so refreshing to see a guy play all 14 years of his career in one place. He could’ve left, he could’ve requested a trade, but he didn’t. He was a Rocky for life, he stayed true to the organization that took a chance on him in the second round of the 2008 Draft. Charlie Blackmon was one of those guys you could just tell LOVED to play the game, and didn’t care about all the other stuff. Just a ball player.

Yesterday, but the Good Stuff❗️❗️ 

🏈 If Jayden Daniels is around, watch your ankles

⚾️ Ichiro still has a CANNON at 50 years old????

🏈 Fat man touchdown = fat man touchdown DANCE!

⚾️ Bryce Harper CHAMPAGNE SHOWER!

🏒 First goal for the UTAH HOCKEY CLUB! INJECT IN MY VEINS!

💯 Full Scoreboards: MLB, Soccer, PGA, NFL, WNBA, NCAAF

Today’s Slate

*All times are ET*

🏈 Now we wait for TNF!

⚾️ Orioles @ Yankees (7:05 PM ET), Red Sox @ Blue Jays (7:07 PM ET), Mets @ Braves (7:20 PM ET), Padres @ Dodgers (10:10 PM ET), full schedule

🏀 WNBA Playoffs: Dream @ Liberty (7:30 PM ET - NYL leads 1-0), Storm @ Aces (9:30 PM ET - LVA leads 1-0)

🏒 NHL Preseason: Islanders vs Rangers (7:00 PM ET), full schedule

Trivia Answer:

B. 1 TIME! Only once has a team made the postseason after starting the season 0-3! Who might that be? The 2018 Houston Texans! They lost games to the Pats, Titans, and Giants and then rattled off 9 straight! They made it to the dance but lost in the wild-card round to the Colts.

Can’t thank you enough for sticking to the end of this thing we call The Daily Stump. If you know anybody who might want this bit of daily sports news in their life, send them this link! It would go a long way! Appreciate the hell out of you all!

Trees get chopped. Stumps hold strong!