GOOD MORNING!
I'm adjusting to an unusually early exit for my Patriots. Please send all condolences to -- actually, never mind. I don't think condolences are what I'll be getting. Here's today's ESPN Daily.
LISTEN UP
Why Clemson was slept on ... You would think that a program such as Clemson would have no trouble getting respect. After all, this is a team that won the national title in 2016 and 2018. Yet despite proving his team to be a powerhouse, Dabo Swinney seems like he's always fighting for the respect he thinks the Tigers deserve. In today's episode of the ESPN Daily podcast, Andrea Adelson joins Mina Kimes to discuss where the program has been and what the Tigers are looking forward to beyond Monday's title game.
SAY WHAT?
A Jeopardy! scandal? The great thing about Jeopardy is its straightforward nature. Are you quicker on the buzzer than the other players? Do you know the answer? Can you phrase it in the form of a question? Then, congratulations, you're our new Jeopardy! champ. Add a healthy dose of Alex Trebek hosting, and you have an all-time classic game show, the standard by which all other game shows are judged.
That makes this story all the more wild because it brings an unsavory element to the purest of all game shows. Apparently, the winner of the "Jeopardy! Greatest Of All Time" tournament was leaked, due to a flurry of suspicious bets showing up favoring one contestant (we won't tell you which one). The resulting story involves so much potential for fraud that multiple sportsbooks took the contest off the board. It's pretty wild, man.
Speaking of pretty wild ... What, two stories about game shenanigans in the same day? What are the odds? Pretty good, honestly, because so many things happen that things that have a small chance of happening happen all the time!
Here's how this one starts: Jade Roper-Tolbert, a former contestant on "The Bachelor," won a $1 million daily fantasy sports prize over the weekend. Pretty impressive! Except, well, something might have been amiss. It's a little complicated, but to sum it up, both Roper-Tolbert and her husband, avid high-volume fantasy player Tanner Tolbert, might have colluded to circumvent rules surrounding unique lineups. That seems like a lot of effort to go through to win a fantasy sports contest, but hey, you can't argue with the results!
Actually, yes, you can: The prize hasn't been paid yet, and DraftKings is looking into the allegations.
THINGS TO CARE ABOUT
The Cowboys get their man ... That didn't take long. Shortly after declining to renew Jason Garrett's contract, the Dallas Cowboys hired former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy to run their squad. McCarthy's record in Green Bay is mixed -- he brought them a Super Bowl and led them to the playoffs in nine of his 13 years, but there was always a sense that, considering he had Aaron Rodgers as his quarterback, he should have won more than just the one ring.
It's clear, however, that Jerry Jones believes McCarthy is the one to bring glory back to America's team. You'd better believe we have some hot takes on whether it'll all work out:
Our ESPN+ experts have the grade for this hire -- and every other hire in the upcoming offseason.
Todd Archer wonders if McCarthy can bring Dallas back to its glory days
And, of course, this wouldn't be complete without Stephen A.'s take.
What's next for Tua? He didn't end his Alabama career with a national championship, but there's no denying that Tua Tagovailoa made a lot of his time in college football -- a time that has come to an end. Tagovailoa announced Monday that he's planning to skip his senior season and leave Alabama to enter the NFL draft.
It's a bold move for Tagovailoa but one that's also eminently understandable. Missing the final three games of the season due to a hip injury will do a lot to put your future in perspective. It's clear that Tua has the talent, but is this the right move for him?
According to Mel Kiper Jr., Tua's best NFL comparison might be Drew Brees -- if Brees was left-handed.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2020 QB draft class, which just got a little bit more loaded with talent.
Tua's departure raises big questions for Alabama.
To cap it all off, here's a highlight reel of his best moments with the Crimson Tide.
THINGS TO WATCH
It just keeps getting better ... Yeah, OK, normally I'm not big on trick shot videos, but this one stretches the definition enough to be acceptable -- and it's hilarious to boot.
OVERHEARD
"And we're both going to sell out wherever we fight, and there's going to be violence. But if the dude doesn't want to fight, I'm not a bully, so go do your thing. If he doesn't want this, I don't give a f--- then. You want to fight, you don't want to fight, but don't flirt with me. You want it, or you don't. Leave me alone if you don't."
-- Jorge Masvidal on potentially fighting Conor McGregor
REMEMBER WHEN?
On this date in 1927, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first game. They've played more than 25,000 since and probably boast the best win-loss ratio in sports history. Also, they have the coolest theme song.
WHAT'S ON TODAY?
Carabao Cup: Manchester United vs. Manchester City (2:55 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
No. 5 Ohio State at No. 15 Maryland (men's basketball, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Miami (Fla.) at No. 7 Louisville (men's basketball, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 9 Virginia at Boston College (men's basketball, 7 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
No. 21 Penn State at Rutgers (men's basketball, 7 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)
Boston Bruins vs. Nashville Predators (8 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
No. 17 Kentucky at Georgia (men's basketball, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No. 6 Baylor at No. 22 Texas Tech (men's basketball, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
No. 23 Iowa at Nebraska (men's basketball, 9 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network)
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Vegas Golden Knights (10 p.m. ET, ESPN+)
Utah State at Air Force (men's basketball, 11 p.m. ET, ESPN2)
UNTIL NEXT TIME, REMEMBER ...
Call me a very temporary Ravens fan. Just until the playoffs end. Then it's back to never counting out Touchdown Tom. This has been your ESPN Daily for Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020.