NFL predictions as season opener arrives | Michigan tumbles out of college football rankings

Good morning and happy game day! We have finally arrived at the start of the 2026 NFL season. Wednesday might not be a traditional football day, but hey, who are we to complain? It's hard to beat a Super Bowl rematch, no matter what day of the week it is. Carter Bahns with you this morning, and I'll get you ready for Seahawks vs. Patriots and the rest of the Week 1 slate.

We also have our first batch of in-season college football rankings to digest, and as always, there is some off-field news to unpack (looking at you, LSU).

Let's discuss all that and more.

1. It's game day in the NFL! For just the second time in 107 years, the NFL season kicks off on a Wednesday as the Seahawks host the Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch. A few key things have changed since February, which could make this showdown a little more competitive than the last one. Our John Breech is still siding with the reigning champions, though. There is also a number of changes league-wide that you should familiarize yourself with ahead of Week 1, like new kickoff rules and the expansion of the international schedule. This week will feature the return of Patrick Mahomes, but we'll have to wait to see Aaron Donald suit back up in a Rams uniform.
2. Don't forget to set your fantasy football lineups. If you have any Seahawks or Patriots on your teams, make sure to activate them in time for tonight's rare Wednesday kickoff. If you didn't land the quarterbacks you wanted in your drafts, you're not out of luck in Week 1, because there are a couple of potential gems who might be available on waivers. At running back, it might not be a bad idea to stash these handcuffs just in case worst comes to worst (and who knows, they might just have bigger roles than we expect). And at wide receiver, make sure Chris Olave is locked into your lineup, because he might go off against the Lions .
3. The Week 2 college football rankings are in, and Michigan is out. The Wolverines tumbled all the way out of the AP Top 25 following their controversial victory over Western Michigan. That is a historic slide. Michigan, which opened the year at No. 16, is now the highest-ranked team to drop out of the rankings following a victory since 1989. Kyle Whittingham's squad still holds a spot in the Coaches Poll, but it plummeted there, too. Oregon similarly slipped in the polls following a narrow victory of its own, but our Tom Fornelli still has the Ducks at No. 2 in his power ratings and projects them to make the College Football Playoff. Meanwhile, Ohio State and Texas enter their Week 2 showdown at No. 1 and No. 4, respectively, and could give the regular-season television viewership record a run for its money in the marquee matchup.
4. The LSU-NFL saga might be winding down, but college football remains active off the field. LSU made a major concession in its fight with the SEC last night when it filled its final two roster spots and shut the door on ex-NFL players Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The Tigers ultimately decided the juice of adding former pros was not worth the squeeze, which is certainly the right call considering the SEC took significant steps toward expelling LSU. Elsewhere in the soap opera that is college football, the MAC called upon the NCAA and CFP to recognize Western Michigan as the winner over Michigan, to which the NCAA effectively said, "We'll pass." And the CFP took another step toward possible expansion when it opened the 30-day negotiating window with ESPN.
5. UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 rolls on. The first set of league phase matches is in the books. Manchester City rolled past Porto, 2-0, to kick off Enzo Maresca's UCL tenure with the club, while Real Madrid showed in their 2-1 win over Inter that Jose Mourinho has a lot of work to do in order to turn them into contenders. Wednesday's slate features a couple of Premier League behemoths, and we have predictions for both Arsenal and Liverpool as they open UCL play. The Gunners bring Riccardo Calafiori back to Italy in their match against Napoli, while Barcelona look to stay scalding hot against underdog Feyenoord.

There are only a few more hours to make preseason NFL predictions, so we're going to beat the buzzer with last-minute prognostications on the league's best and worst teams, the top rookies and potential award winners.

Up first, theories on which teams will emerge from their respective divisions to claim postseason berths. Our experts see the NFC North as the most wide-open division with at least one of them picking each of the four teams to reign supreme. Three are on the Lions, three favor the Bears, two like the Packers and one lone wolf, Josh Edwards, is going with the biggest underdog of the bunch: the Vikings.

• Edwards: "Brian Flores is going to have the defense firing -- literally -- on all cylinders. If Kyler Murray can help Minnesota return to a functional offense, then it is easy to envision a scenario in which that team capitalizes on others within the division already dealing with injuries."

For every division winner, there will be a division loser. And one of those last-place teams will hold the worst record of them all. Of all the projected bottom-dwellers, these five have the best chances of securing the No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Speaking of the draft, which players from the 2026 class will make the biggest impressions in their rookie season? First-round picks are always the safest bets, but don't be surprised if a couple of sleepers carve out spots on the All-Rookie team. These players were not first-rounders but are among our preseason picks:

• Browns WR Denzel Boston
• Chargers C Jake Slaughter
• Texans DT Kayden McDonald
• Saints DT Christen Miller
• Packers CB Brandon Cisse
• Raiders S Treydan Stukes

And, of course, no series of predictions would be complete without thoughts on the individual award races. MVP is the highest honor, and our 15 experts have all kinds of ideas as to who will win. Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson earned the most votes, but six others also earned representation on the ballot. In addition, SportsLine projections reveal which 14 teams will make the playoffs and who hoists the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LXI in February.

The movement in this week's MLB Power Rankings goes to show how much better the National League is than the American League. It also goes to show how the depth of strong teams in the NL makes for a thrilling postseason race. There are not enough playoff spots for all the good squads, and there will be some loaded rosters on surprisingly low seed lines as a result.

Here are a few NL-related trends to note from the latest pecking order:

• Seven of the top 10 teams play in the NL, and three are from the West.
• The Reds made the biggest leap of the week (↑4).
• The Diamondbacks are the ninth-best team in baseball but only hold the final NL wild-card spot.

All of these NL teams moved up at least one spot this week:

2. Dodgers (↑2)

9. Diamondbacks (↑1)

10. Padres (↑1)

15. Cardinals (↑2)

17. Pirates (↑2)

20. Reds (↑4)

23. Mets (↑3)

• Surprise! Baker Mayfield got his contract extension after all. He and the Buccaneers reportedly resumed talks and agreed on a massive three-year deal.
• These 10 soon-to-be free agents will define the MLB offseason, and we identified their potential landing spots.
• Frances Tiafoe mounted the biggest grand slam comeback of his career against fellow American Alex Michelsen to reach the US Open semifinals. That's where he will face another American, Ben Shelton, who outlasted No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz in a monumental five-set duel that ended after 3 a.m. ET.
• Former Cincinnati guard Jizzle James is no longer with the Charlotte program as his father, former NFL star Edgerrin James, says his son is in a battle with substance abuse.
• Dabo Swinney took out his frustrations on a media member following Clemson's blowout loss to LSU.
• The same night Aaron Judge returned to the lineup, the Yankees pulled off this impressive feat for the 34th consecutive season.
• The Lakers announced a legendary coach will receive the ninth statue outside Crypto.com Area.
• LIV Golf filed for bankruptcy and owes numerous big-name players millions of dollars.
• Shohei Ohtani is back in the Dodgers' lineup, but it sounds like he probably will not pitch again in 2026. Someone who could throw again this year is Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet, but it might not be in a starter role.
• Former AAC coaches Eric Morris, Ryan Silverfield and Alex Golesh struggled in their Power Four debuts.
• Get ready for Noche UFC on Saturday with five things to know about the fight card.
• Check out the finalists for the 2026 Ballon d'Or.
• Steelers first-rounder Max Iheanachor had nearly $200,000 in property stolen during a home invasion.
• AC Milan and Juventus dropped in this week's Serie A Power Rankings.
• Four more fighters earned UFC contracts during Week 5 of Dana White's Contender Series.

🎾 US Open: Quarterfinals, 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Feyenoord at Barcelona, 12:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Twins at Tigers, 1:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Atletico Madrid at Liverpool, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Rangers at Mariners, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Rays at Braves or Rockies at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Revolution at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Cubs at Brewers, 7:40 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Pirates at White Sox, 7:40 p.m. on Peacock
🏈 Patriots at Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
⚽ Inter Miami at Fire, 8:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Reds at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ St. Louis City at Timbers, 10:30 p.m. on Apple TV