Franchise Tags, Face-Offs, and Final Fours
The Key for the week of February 17, 2025
Tee ‘em up
Since football season sees no end, we jump right from the Super Bowl to free agency. And perhaps no one is being talked about more, when it comes to the Bengals, than wide receiver Tee Higgins. After a start-and-stop 2024 season marred by injuries, Tee is still looking for a new deal from the Bengals. Instead, he may be franchised again if no long-term deal can be reached. Important dates to know:
Now through March 4 is the Franchise Tag window
February 24-March 3 is the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis (if you haven’t gone, you should-it’s free and you get to see some of the year’s best college players)
March 12 is when free agency starts and you’ll see big names moving around like a game of chess—which it kind of is.
Have the US and Canada saved hockey?
So this year the NHL ditched the traditional all-star weekend and went full-bore nationalistic, flag-waving Olympic-type hate with the 4 Nations Face-Off. Since the pros haven’t played Olympic hockey in a decade, this is the closest we’ve had to nation v. nation: U.S., Canada, Finland and Sweden in a round robin tournament that featured 1) Canada fans booing when the U.S. National Anthem was played; 2) when the U.S. and Canada played in the prelims Saturday night, three fights broke out in the first nine seconds; 3) these two teams play in the finals Thursday and everyone will be watching to see if they can break their own “how fast can we throw the gloves down” record. The NHL tournament had ratings equal to, or in some markets surpassing the NBA all-star game, which, in spite of tweaks, is lackluster at best and cringe-worthy at most, especially since the star of the league, Lebron James, decided at the last minute not to play. Now the NBA is actively trying to save the weekend, while some players are saying the whole thing should be scrapped. That probably won’t happen, but expect to see more changes before 2026.
Ben’s Best Bet…
In a week where Kansas just lost by 34 to BYU, tying its worst-ever under Bill Self, Auburn remains at the top of the AP men’s top 25 for the sixth straight week. The two teams to beat the Tigers, Florida and Duke, are right behind, with Alabama, who just lost to Auburn, falling to fourth. On the women’s side, things are getting interesting as Notre Dame climbs to the top of the AP poll for the first time since 2019. UConn just ended South Carolina’s home win streak at 71 with a thumping of the Gamecocks, 87-58. UCLA, which had been number one, lost to rival USC over the weekend and feel to third, with Texas coming in second and UConn rounding out the top five. BetMGM has UConn the early favorite to claim the national title, with South Carolina the second favorite and the Irish third. Don’t be surprised to see Dawn Staley use this loss to UConn as motivation to send the Gamecocks to their second straight national title, and fourth in the last eight years.