The Key for the week of August 27, 2025
And then, there were 53
The Bengals have made their “final” cuts to get to the required 53 player roster, but there’s a good chance this won’t necessarily be the final 53 come opening day. The Bengals now have the opportunity to look at other players who were cut this week to fill some holes, and cut players can be moved or brought back for the practice squad.
No real surprises here, but a sentimental favorite to make the team, Desmond Ritter, didn’t—yet. He’s one who could come back on the practice squad for the third quarterback option. One player who DID make the roster was PJ Jules, an undrafted safety who was on the practice squad last year but worked to make the big club this year. Bengals-Browns opener right around the corner on September 7.
West Coast, Worst Coast
At least for the Reds, whose wild card hopes are fading like the sun into the Pacific Ocean. After taking two of three from the Angels, the Reds lost two of three to Arizona and now are in a slump in LA, just when the Mets, who currently hold that last wild card position, have decided to catch fire. It was just last week that the Reds were only a half game out of the wild card, but the West Coast Swing has historically been a graveyard for Reds post-season hopes. The club comes back home for huge games against the Cardinals, Blue Jays, and yes, the Mets before going (gulp) back out west for the Padres and A’s. This next home stand will be critical for the post season.
National Championship Game Already?
That’s how some are billing this weekend’s matchup between preseason #1 Texas against #2 (or #3, depending on the polls) Oho State with brand new quarterbacks starting for both teams—Julian Sayin for the Buckeyes, Arch Manning for Texas. The defending national champions will have eight new starters after losing most of the roster to the NFL draft, while Texas looks to avenge its loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinal last year. It’s only one huge matchup in a blockbuster college football weekend, including Notre Dame at Miami and LSU at Clemson. And watch for the MAC-Power Four upset, as several teams from the Mid-American Conference are playing their paycheck games against the likes of Kentucky, Purdue, Michigan State and Rutgers.
Ben’s Best Bet
Since we’re talking college football, let’s look way ahead to who’s favored in the national championship, shall we? BetMGM has Texas as the opening favorite, with Ohio State not far behind. Third favorite is Georgia, then Penn State and Oregon. If you’re looking at who the sharps think will be the #1 overall seed in the College Football Playoffs, the Buckeyes are a narrow favorite with Notre Dame the second favorite and Texas the third. There’s a long way to go until we get to January, but with a Manning at quarterback, it’s hard to go against the Longhorns. And if you’re going to lose and stay in the national picture, a loss early is better than a loss in November. The Eyes of Texas are on the ultimate prize this season.