It's finally back. College football has returned, which means that the pursuit of the national title is underway. It may have not been a bang, but there are some noteworthy headlines to go around. Who stole the opening week of the season and who flopped?

• Winners: Returning Head Coaches: Both Les Miles and Mack Brown made their presences known in their returns to coaching. The "Mad Hatter" saw Kansas get their first win over Indiana State, 24-17, while Brown's North Carolina Tar Heels came back to beat South Carolina, 24-20. Even Twitter got in on the action with the #MackIsBack hashtag.
  
• Winner: Big Ten's Offensive Onslaught: Both Maryland and Penn State destroyed their opponents with a 79-point spot, while Ohio State put 28 points on Florida Atlantic in the first quarter. Other Big Ten schools such as Wisconsin (a 49-0 rout of South Florida), Illinois (a 42-3 blowout of Akron), Michigan (a 40-21 stomping of Middle Tennessee State), Iowa (a 38-14 pasting of Miami [Ohio]), and even RUTGERS (a 48-21 blasting of Massachusetts) has the Big Ten wanting blood.
  
• Winner: Northern Iowa: Despite losing to #21 Iowa State, the Panthers put up a valiant effort, taking the Cyclones to three overtimes. Almost pulling an upset on the road deserves many accolades for the FCS squad.
  
• Loser: Oregon: Despite a blitzing defensive line and a decent performance by Justin Herbert, the Ducks couldn't make the most of their opportunities. They missed a 20-yard field goal and fumbled on first and goal, leading to a 27-21 loss to #16 Auburn. The Pac-12 will probably have to rely on Washington or Utah to make the playoff now.
  
• Loser: Chip Kelly: I think it's safe to say that the football world has figured out Chip Kelly's offense. A 24-14 loss to Cincinnati already has Kelly looking bad and it will lead to questions about Kelly's coaching.
  
• Loser: Tennessee: Losing by a score of 38-30 to a Georgia State team that went 2-10 last season is not a good look for Tennessee. Ever since Philip Fulmer left, this program has been in no-man's land. Will the Volunteers ever make it back to college football supremacy?
  

Other Winners: UCF, Jacob Eason, Michigan State stopping the run, Brandon Talton
Other Losers: Miami-Florida, Western Kentucky

Playoff Four:

1. Clemson
   
2. Alabama
   
3. Georgia
   
4. Ohio State
   

Next up, we have the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that many pundits thought would make the playoffs with LeBron James in tow. However, injuries and a lack of scoring depth hurt the Lakers as they missed the playoffs. What are the story lines heading into this season for Los Angeles?

• The Brow Goes Hollywood: The Lakers finally got Anthony Davis from New Orleans, shipping off Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma in the process. Davis brings a big presence to the Lakers, boosting their isolation game and helping their pick-and-roll as well. The Lakers also brought in DeMarcus Cousins, but an ACL injury knocked him out for the season.
  
• Scoring in Spades: Keeping Kyle Kuzma was actually a good thing for the Lakers: Kuzma was one of the few efficient shooters for Los Angeles last season. In the process, they brought in Danny Green and Quinn Cook and brought back Rajon Rondo. They also brought along two-way player Avery Bradley in the mix to bolster their bench. If the Lakers are to be an NBA Finals contender, they'll need to have their bench be as productive as possible.
  
• The Pacific Gets Harder: The Clippers got a lot better in the off-season, Sacramento has got a promising core, and Golden State is still there. The Lakers did improve in the off-season, but they'll have to contend with a tough Pacific Division in order to do anything of substance this season. Let's not forget that other Western Conference teams such as Utah and Houston have also improved.
  

I'm going to be doing something a little bit different. With the NBA season less than two months away, I will be highlighting ten teams in a preview of what is to come in the upcoming NBA season. I will be starting off with the Houston Rockets. What should you expect from the Rockets this season with a facelift of the team?

• The Beard and the Triple Double Reunite: Russell Westbrook is reunited with his old Oklahoma City teammate as Daryl Morey hopes that Westbrook will bring a different vibe to the up-tempo Rockets offense. Westbrook has averaged a triple double in his past three seasons, so Harden will have something new to work with (sort of). Gone is Chris Paul, who has gotten away from Houston on bad terms and is now in Oklahoma City. Will Harden take as many threes and what will his new move look like?
  
• Capela and Gordon Are Staying: An underrated story line that accompanies the Rockets this season is Clint Capela and Eric Gordon staying put. Capela's under contract in Houston until 2023, but Gordon will be gone after this season. Morey hinted at the possibility of 'reimagining the team' during the summer and Gordon and Capela were part of the trade speculation. However, both have stayed put, indicating that the Rockets are going all in on the season.
  
• Will the Rockets Actually Win It All This Season? The Golden State Warriors lost Kevin Durant to the Nets this off-season and brought in DeAngelo Russell, so the Warriors have taken a massive hit. However, other teams in the Western Conference have improved. The Lakers added an athletic big man (the best, possibly) in Anthony Davis and added shooters. The Clippers added Kawhi Leonard and Paul George while becoming the most dangerous perimeter team in the NBA. Utah added their shooters in Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic, making them an under-the-radar pick to make the NBA Finals. The Rockets will have some stiff competition to reach the NBA Finals this season and will need everyone on board to make this happen.
  

Welcome to another edition of Nostalgia Game Review! In this edition, I will be talking about Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury for the Game Boy Advance. This action/RPG game was published by Atari and developed by Webfoot Technologies in 2004 and is the sequel to The Legacy of Goku II.

The game's mechanics are straightforward. You press A to fight, B for energy attacks, L to switch energy attacks, and R to guard. Strangely enough, Goku and his friends start off at rather high levels (I believe it's 65 in this game?), an unorthodox approach compared to traditional RPGs. In case you haven't seen Dragon Ball Z, the mission for this game is to defeat Majin Buu before the ghastly creature destroys the earth. You also collect Z-Fighter exhibits, Hercule exhibits, and can play as Goten, Trunks, Gohan, and Vegeta.

The game's fighting style is... straightforward. You just pound your enemies with melee attacks, melee attacks, and melee attacks. Energy attacks are nice for holding enemies off at a distance, but melee attacks deal the most damage. I was a little put off by this since it made the game fairly easy to deal with up to the fight with Kid Buu. Still, the game does do a good job of following the story line for the most part. I felt like I was watching the show and felt everything play out right before me. The dialogue had me compelled and even made me laugh.

If you're interested in action RPGs, you can give this game a shot. Hardcore RPG fans may be put off by how easy the fighting system is. However, it is a fun RPG that is meant for even the average person.

Yes, I know it's only three weeks into the Premier League season. However, I am inclined to give you my thoughts on what has transpired in the first three weeks of the English Premier League. I have honestly loved covering this league, especially since I get to wake up in the morning and... INSTANT SPORTS (I'm from the states, I know). Still, I have to give you my thoughts on what has gone on in the EPL.

1. Liverpool Has Some Unfinished Business: After falling just short of the Premier League crown on the last week last season, the Reds are out for blood. Sitting atop the league with nine points, Liverpool looks to bring their first title home and send off Jurgen Klopp home with some hardware (Klopp plans on taking a break after the season). It must that top scoring duo of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah (four goals) that Liverpool has...
   
2. But Manchester City Isn't Far Behind: Sergio Aguero (four goals) and Raheem Sterling (five goals) have also been a dynamic duo in the Premier League, providing the Sky Blues with an aggressive attack. This was especially true in their recent tilt against Tottenham, where they spent most of the match peppering Tottenham on the pitch.
   
3. VAR Has Been a Bit of an Issue: Granted, this is a bit of a global issue in the international soccer world. But there have been some goals overturned at the expense of some clubs (looking at you, Tottenham). But once some of the kinks get worked out, VAR should run more smoothly.
   
4. Leicester City May Be In For Another Surprising Run: This team loves to intercept the pass (see Wilfred Ndidi and Hamza Choudhury) and is aggressive on defense (see Ricardo Pereira and his league-high 17 tackles). With that being said, Leicester City's defense has them sitting at fourth in the Premier League with five points (one win and two draws). Can their attack turn it up and give them a boost?
   
5. Chelsea and Manchester United Have Some Problems: Chelsea has looked sluggish out of the gate, while Manchester United has mustered only one point against Wolverhampton and Crystal Palace. There are already rumors about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being gone by Christmas, but it is only three weeks into the season. This is likely an overreaction, but the team more likely to fall off is Chelsea, barring that the Red Devils get hit by the injury bug once again.
   

In the wake of Andrew Luck's abrupt retirement, there has been not one, but two, comparisons to Pro Bowl NFL stars that retired early. Those two happened to be Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson. Both players came from the Detroit Lions, an organization notorious for its sheer ineptitude.

Barry Sanders retired because he was fed up with being on a team that had no intention of winning. Calvin Johnson was also fed up with football, saying that "he wasn't treated the way he should have been" by the Lions. In fact, Johnson repaid $1 million of his signing bonus to the Lions, which shows how disingenuous the organization is.

Fast forward to August 2019, where Luck retires. The Colts decide they will not recoup the $24.8 million owed to Luck, essentially telling him to keep it all. The Lions could learn a thing or two from the Colts here. Both Sanders and Johnson were world-class athletes and people, not getting into much trouble on the field and off. Andrew Luck was the same thing, keeping out of the limelight for most of his career and even being a humble guy on the field.

If the Lions are to make a change in their organization, it isn't just through emulating the New England Patriots. It's also treating their former players and current players alike with dignity. Otherwise, it'll be the "same old Lions".

The past few years, it's been a war for college football supremacy between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Clemson Tigers. Dabo Swinney has resurrected the Tigers football program through strong recruiting cycles and an overwhelming coaching style. Nick Saban has turned Alabama into a powerhouse ever since he arrived in the early 2010's.

It's safe to say that one of these two teams will be the winner of the college football championship again. After all, there are plenty of questions about the other contenders. Does Georgia have enough offensive firepower? Can Notre Dame overcome losing some key offensive players that includes running back Dexter Williams? Can Oklahoma stop anybody? How will Ryan Day do in his first season at Ohio State? These are the lingering questions that face some of the contenders looking to break through in the playoff.

With that being said, I believe that it will be Alabama's time to shine this season. Nick Saban usually rebounds strongly the year after failing to win a championship. This Alabama team's also fast and hits hard, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see them on top once again. I  wouldn't be surprised if Clemson won, especially since Trevor Lawrence looks legit. But I feel Alabama will reign supreme. Many Crimson Tide fans are hoping for the same thing this year.

Winners of the last five games, the New York Mets have suddenly catapulted themselves into playoff contention. Practically everyone (myself included) wrote them off and thought they were crazy when they acquired Marcus Stroman from Toronto and nearly traded Noah Syndergaard away. But Pete Alonso (40 homers, 97 RBIs, .967 OPS), Syndergaard (five earned runs in his five starts), and Jacob DeGrom (11.3 K/9, 1.05 WHIP, 2.61 ERA) have launched the Mets into contention.

It's not like the wild card competition has been on fire for the National League. Until recent hot streaks by the Cardinals, Cubs, and Nationals, the second wild card spot was occupied by teams that were five games over .500. This makes the Mets' recent run a little less farfetched. However, New York wasn't expected to do much considering Syndergaard's early struggles along with a milquetoast bullpen that has blown leads and underachieved. Yet, here they are, fighting for a wild card spot.

Taking advantage of an easy second half schedule consisting of the likes of Miami, Pittsburgh, and the Chicago White Sox, it's less surprising to see the Mets in this spot. However, they have to contend with a tough remaining schedule featuring the likes of Washington, Atlanta, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Chicago Cubs. Can the Miracle Mets do it? Miracles were born to be made.

We're kicking off college football in a couple days, so I'm going back to putting my "Playoff Four" up. You know the two usual suspects in the ordeal, but who will be the other two to make it?

1. Alabama: Obviously.
2. Clemson: Obviously.
3. Georgia: Georgia has a few benefits going for them. A formidable front seven, a solid schedule with only one tough road game (excluding their neutral location game against #8 Florida), and not having to face Alabama this year. Jake Fromm has a chance to take the Bulldogs to the national title game and Georgia has another good recruiting class. The Bulldogs look like a good candidate to make the playoff, especially if they are undefeated heading into the SEC Championship.
4. Ohio State: So I had a choice to pick between Texas and Ohio State for the final playoff spot. Texas, with Sam Ehlinger and a solid offense, looks like a prime prospect to make it. However, Ohio State has better potential. J.K. Dobbins is on board and the Buckeyes have a better schedule due to the Buckeyes playing in a better conference. Therefore, I'm going with Ohio State for the final playoff spot.

Other Playoff Candidates: Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Oregon, Michigan, Utah

They're okay, I guess. I do like the St. Louis Battle Hawks. That's a pretty badass name, not to mention the fact that the logo looks pretty cold and welded.

But everything else just seems... generic. The Los Angeles Wildcats sounds like a typical MMA team (like a squad for the International Fighting League). As for the D.C. Defenders, they should've just named the MLS team in Washington, D.C. that instead of D.C. United. Everything else just seems like nicknames and logos for a D-list league. I remember when the original XFL kicked off in 2001 and there were team names like the Memphis Maniax, New York/New Jersey Hitmen, Los Angeles Xtreme, and the Orlando Rage. I mean, just look at this logo.

I get the XFL's second incarnation is trying to go for a more patriotic approach as opposed to the NFL. But the XFL was so stupid in its "Attitude Era"-style football that it was good. The least the XFL can do is have the championship game be the "Million Dollar Game".