I don't want a Sports Equinox

Image: Torsten Bolten

Earlier this week, on October 27, 2025, we had a "Sports Equinox" in which games were played in all the major team sports leagues: Game 3 of the World Series was played, Cincinnati faced Columbus in the MLS playoffs, the  NFL featured a Monday Night Football game, and the NBA and NHL had early regular-season games. 

It will be remembered, however, for the World Series game that went 18 innings. Shohei Ohtani had nine plate appearances: two home runs, two doubles, and five walks – four intentional. Freddy Freeman ended the game for a Dodgers win over the Blue Jays with a walk-off home run. He became the first player to have two Series walk-off home runs, as he had one last year.

I'm sure some people got their first chance to see the Lakers in person, only to find out a World Series game featuring their beloved Dodgers would be played that same night. So I'm not a fan of the Sports Equinox. It shouldn't exist. I suggest cutting several games (October's worth) from the NBA and NHL seasons. They're too long anyway. 

Actually, I wouldn't mind if all these sports had five-month regular seasons with a corresponding reduction in the number of games. 

• Baseball from mid-April to mid-September, with the World Series ending in mid-October. This would reduce the number of games played in the cold.

• Hockey from November 1 to April 1, with Stanley Cup Playoffs ending in May.

• The NBA could start after Thanksgiving and play until May 1, with playoffs ending in June.

Now that I'm re-making everything, I should also insist that college football be wrapped up by January 1 or the first weekend following. By the time the championship game is played, everyone's mind is on the NFL playoffs. End college football when the NFL playoffs begin.

Anyway, here are the week's updates.

NFL MVP Chase through Week 8:

The Colts keep winning with Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor having very good or great games almost every time. Patrick Mahomes is making his way up the charts after two years of statistical mediocrity.

PLAYOFF CHASE TOP 25

Each team's Playoff Chase Points reflect the number of wins by opponents the team has beaten, with a deduction depending on the number of losses by the teams it lost to and the margin of defeat. (In this system, most teams would have a negative number.) Where there is a tie in Playoff Chase Points, teams are ranked by winning percentage, then by the lower margin(s) of defeat.

1. Indiana (8-0) 36

2. Ohio State (7-0) 34

3. Georgia Tech (8-0) 31

4. Texas A&M (8-0) 30

5. BYU (8-0) 27

6. Alabama (7-1) 27

7. Georgia (6-1) 27 

8. Louisville (6-1) 24

9. Ole Miss (7-1) 23

10. Miami FL (6-1) 22

11. Virginia (7-1) 21 

12. Vanderbilt (7-1) 21

13. Navy (7-0) 20

14. Texas Tech (7-1) 20

15. Oregon (7-1) 20

16. Cincinnati (7-1) 19

17. Memphis (7-1) 19

18. Houston (7-1) 19

19. North Texas (7-1) 18

20. Oklahoma (6-2) 18

21. Michigan (6-2) 18

22. Washington (6-2) 17

23. Notre Dame (6-2) 16

24. South Florida (6-2) 16

25. Nebraska (6-2) 15

Playoff Eliminations

In one-person operations like The MVP Chase, some mistakes go unnoticed. I intended to cross off nine teams from Playoff contention each week, whittling down 136 teams to 19 entering the Conference Championship weekend, after which seven more would be eliminated.

Except, the season is one week longer than I accounted for. There are five regular-season weeks left, then the Conference Championship weekend. I have eliminated 76 teams, leaving 60. What I will do is eliminate eight each week, including the Championship Game week, leaving us with 12 for the playoffs. We'll then see if my process of elimination matches the Playoff Selection Committee's choices.

Here are the teams I've crossed off, in alphabetical order:

Air Force, Akron, Arkansas, Arkansas St, Arizona, Army, Appalachian St, Auburn,  Ball St, Baylor, Boise State, Boston College, Bowling Green, Buffalo, California, Central Michigan, Charlotte, Clemson, Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Colorado State, Duke, Eastern Mich, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Florida St, Georgia Southern, Georgia St, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas St,  Kennesaw St, Kent St, Kentucky, Liberty, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, LSU, Marshall, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan State, Middle Tenn, Minnesota, Mississippi St, Missouri St, Nevada, New Mexico, New Mexico St, North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Oklahoma St, Old Dominion, Ohio, Oregon St, Purdue, Rutgers,  Sam Houston, San Jose St, South Alabama, South Carolina, Stanford, Syracuse, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa,  UAB, UCLA, UTEP, UTSA, Virginia Tech, Washington State, West Virginia, Western Michigan, Wisconsin

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Contact James Leroy Wilson for writing, editing, research, and other work at jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com. Visit JL Cells for my non-sports writing.