While the rest of the nation is voting on the things that matter, we vote on the things that don't. The hosts take to the polls to cast their ballots on the rules, traditions and quirks in sports to decide if any sweeping changes need to be made to the games we love. The first College Football Playoff rankings are out and we give our instant reaction. And lastly, we assume the role of Athletic Director at a handful of universities and determine whether or not to kick certain football coaches out of office, or give them a mandatory four more years. 'Brad's Bets' sees a streak come to an end.

The dominant Dodgers take a commanding World Series lead thanks in large part to the theatrics of a hobbled Freddie Freeman. We discuss where Freeman’s Game 1 walk-off fits in the annals of World Series history. And why baseball consistently delivers moments that other sports just can’t do with the same frequency. Aaron Judge is a disaster and his playoff sample size is growing uncomfortably large. ‘NFL Headlines’ makes its return to the podcast after a wild Week 8 that featured all 32 teams in action. Auburn finally notches a win, Bama finally looked like Bama and Texas A&M sits alone atop the SEC. The hosts officially agree to put their first team in the College Football Playoff. Targeting, replay and the negative impacts on an entertainment product.

We analyze the Power 4 conferences in CFB and try to determine who will meet in the conference title games... because nothing ever goes wrong when we predict the CFB future. UGA rolls Texas despite Carson Beck once again looking less than pedestrian. The panic button officially gets pushed in Tuscaloosa. Auburn is allergic to victory. And we preview a unique set of critical matchups in Week 9. A monster World Series featuring the sport's two biggest stars begins Friday. How does the Judge/Shohei clash compare to the greatest individual championship matchups of the past 40 years? We put it up against Christian Laettner vs Chris Webber, Brady vs Mahomes, and Magic vs Bird to see where it stacks up. The NBA season kicks off this week. Brad analyzes four offseason roster additions he's high on, and four that give him some pessimism. An All-World Series 'This Day In Sports History' closes the show.

We break down and debate which NFL teams have the most optimistic five-year forecasts based on everything from their QB situation to their salary cap and draft picks. And we tell you the teams that have the most dyer outlook for the next half decade as well. College Football is simply better than the NFL right now, and Brad and Clark swear it's not because the Jags and Cowboys are embarrassments. We look ahead to the CFB Week 8 matchups and beyond that will shape the most chaotic season we've seen in ages. We also recap a Week 7 Saturday that lived up to the hype and try to find a solution to prevent players from faking all these injuries. The Dodgers pitching comes alive in a big way. Will it be enough for Los Angeles to meet New York in the Fall Classic for the 12th time and give Rob Manfred a precious Shohei/Judge showdown? Plus, 'Brad's Bets' tries to get over the .500 hump with a trio of college plays.

Alabama is embarrassed by Vanderbilt and we attempt to make sense of the historic upset. We play the blame game and pull no punches on Kalen DeBoer and the entire Crimson Tide program. Tennessee, Michigan and Mizzou join in on the misery, while the two hottest seats in college football escape with job-saving victories. Parity in college football has reached an unprecedented level. Will there be an undefeated team when the regular season comes to an end? Auburn lands highly coveted QB recruit Deuce Knight. We tackle a chaotic first week of the MLB Playoffs: The Mojo Mets and the clutch Phillies duel it out while the Dodgers pitching tries to hold on for dear life against the powerful Padres. Why 3- and 5-game series in the MLB Playoffs make for a more palatable product than the NBA’s all 7-game format.

The Braves needed 162 to get back to October as Atlanta faces a completely different playoff path than years past. Alabama fends off Georgia. Does Bama's big win make the Tide a lock for the CFP? Ole Miss doesn't waste time disappointing. Auburn's skid continues and the losing might not end any time soon. We break down Jayden Daniels' historic start, Jalen Hurts' turnovers, the mediocre Cowboys, the disappointing Jets and the resurgent Vikings in "Are They Good?" And we debate Pete Rose's posthumous Hall of Fame case in "This Day In Sports History."

A jam-packed College Football shows touches on everything from week 4, while looking ahead to UGA/Bama and beyond.

• The single-game, eye-test Top 5
• Hugh Freeze’s grade through 17 games
• Mack Brown gets humiliated
• Utah takes pole position in the Big 12
• Miami & Clemson on a collision course
• Travis Hunter’s Heisman chances
• LSU on upset alert vs USA?
• Army/Navy x2

Also, that Japanese guy for the Dodgers did a thing. We drool about it and compare it to Ronald Acuña’s 71/43 campaign. The Braves welcome the Mets to Truist Park Tuesday with the final NL Wild Card spot on the line. The White Sox etch their names in infamy. And ‘Brad’s Bets’ goes into the lab and mixes up a new formula for NFL wagers.

We wrap up a marathon football weekend with a marathon episode. NFL Week 1 is in the books and we name our Winners and Losers from the opening games.

Winners

• Dak
• Saquon
• “Eat” Celebrations
• Baker Mayfield
• Xavier Worthy Fluffers
• Jason Kelce’s wallet

Losers

• Brad
• Survivor Pools
• Greg Olsen
• Deshaun Watson
• Germany
• Atlanta’s new offense

James reacts to Auburn’s upset home loss to Cal. Kalen DeBoer gets a scare on the night the Tide honors Saban. Is Bama ranked too high? Notre Dame makes us look dumb. SEC Superiority in the AP poll. Too early to hit the panic button in Boulder? Texas flexes its muscle. And we give game balls to three quarterbacks and the best freshman in the SEC (and it’s not who you think it is). #LGM