Carlos Beltrán, Andruw Jones elected to Baseball Hall of Fame; NFC, AFC Championship picks

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Good morning and happy hump day, sports fans! It's Austin Nivison greeting you on this fine Wednesday, and there is plenty to discuss. The Baseball Hall of Fame added two new members, the Chargers have a new offensive coordinator and we have picks for the NFC and AFC Championship games on deck.

Let's get right into it, shall we?

⚾ Five things to know Wednesday

1. Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Although he had the résumé to reach the Hall of Fame sooner, Beltrán will get into Cooperstown on his fourth try. He is top 50 all-time in home runs (48th), RBI (41st), total bases (34th), doubles (29th) and extra-base hits (24th). It took nine attempts for Jones to finally reach the necessary 75% threshold after receiving 7.3% of the vote his first time, but the wait was worth it. Arguably the best defensive outfielder ever, Jones will now take his place among baseball legends. Here's what this year's vote means for other Hall of Fame hopefuls.
2. The Chargers are expected to hire Mike McDaniel as their next OC. If McDaniel didn't get another head coaching job, he was going to be one of the hottest offensive coordinator candidates on the market, and Jim Harbaugh made is move. McDaniel is set to take the reins of the Chargers offense, replacing the fired Greg Roman. McDaniel's tenure with the Dolphins had some highs and lows, but his ability to scheme up an offense has never been in question.
3. Duke filed a lawsuit against star QB Darian Mensah. One year ago, Duke paid up to land Mensah out of the transfer portal from Tulane, and that investment yielded results in the form of an ACC title. Mensah announced last week his intentions to enter the transfer portal, but he received pushback from the school. Duke filed a lawsuit against Mensah, arguing he broke his contract by attempting to enter the portal. If Mensah does officially hit the open market, expect Miami to be in the mix.
4. Illinois guard Kylan Boswell will miss a month due to a hand injury. The Fighting Illini suffered a tough blow on Tuesday when coach Brad Underwood announced Boswell would be sideline with a fractured hand. In addition to being Illinois' second-leading scorer, Boswell has also become one of the best defenders at the college level. The timing of this injury couldn't be much worse with a top-15 showdown against No. 4 Purdue coming up on Saturday.
5. Individual NCAA champion Michael La Sasso joins Phil Mickelson's LIV Golf team. Few amateurs, when presented with the opportunity to play at The Masters, would pass that up. However, La Sasso did just that when he joined the HyFlyers of LIV Golf, a team captained by Mickelson. La Sasso was the No. 13 ranked amateur golfer entering 2026 after winning an NCAA championship for Ole Miss last year.

🏈 Do not miss this: AFC, NFC Championship picks

With the college football season now in the books, we have just three meaningful NFL games remaining. Two of them will be played this Sunday.

The Broncos and Patriots square off in the AFC, and the Rams and Seahawks go head-to-head in the NFC. It should be a terrific day of football, and our own John Breech peered into his crystal ball to make picks and predictions on each game.

In Denver, the Broncos have a tough hill to climb following a season-ending ankle injury to quarterback Bo Nix. Jarrett Stidham, who hasn't thrown an actual NFL pass in just over two years, will start in his place against a defense that just forced five turnovers. Think this one has all the makings of a blowout? Think again. The Broncos are hosting and their defense is more than capable of giving Drake Maye some trouble.

• Breech: "Maye struggled against one of the best defenses in the NFL, and now, he has to once again play one of the best defenses in the NFL, except this time, he has to go on the road. Maye has taken a beating this postseason (he's been sacked 10 times in two games) and it could get worse this week. He took the fourth-most sacks in the NFL this year and he's facing a defense that recorded the FIFTH-MOST sacks in a single season in NFL history. I have no idea how the Patriots offensive line is going to stop the Broncos' pass-rush."

The weather in Denver will certainly be conducive for a low-scoring defensive slugfest. The forecast calls for temperatures hovering around freezing with some white flakes coming down.

📈 College football's way-too-early top 25 for 2026

Congratulations to Indiana on winning its first national championship, but that's in the past, and there are only eight months until the 2026 college football season begins. With that in mind, Brandon Marcello compiled our way-too-early top 25 rankings.

Expect the usual suspects -- Ohio State, Georgia and Oregon -- to fight for a national championship again next season. But what about the Hoosiers, the team that just flipped the sport on its head? Indiana remains in the top 10, thanks to a strong transfer class headlined by TCU quarterback Josh Hoover.

• Marcello: "We doubted Indiana could replicate the 2024 season by reloading again, and yet the Hoosiers were much better. Curt Cignetti will side with a different transfer quarterback for a third straight year, snagging the nation's passing leader, TCU's Josh Hoover, to lead the offense. The transfer class included more power conference players than ever before under Cignetti, a sign that the Hoosiers are here to stay."

For Hoosier fans hoping to bask in the glow of the 2025 season a little longer, we have you covered:

• Curt Cignetti cemented himself as college football's top coach.
• The Hoosiers issued a warning to the sport's traditional powerhouses.
• Where Indiana vs. Miami ranks among the best CFP title games.
• These seven James Madison transfers changed Indiana football forever.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• Has Steph Curry's championship window closed with the Warriors?
• The Knicks called a players-only meeting amidst a horrific stretch.
• Robert Saleh vs. Liam Coen is the AFC South's hottest new rivalry.
• Baker Mayfield vs. Kevin Stefanski is the NFC South's hottest new rivalry.
• John Harbaugh insists the Giants' new reporting structure isn't a big deal.
• The Packers released All-Pro CB Trevon Diggs after the briefest of stints.
• Alberto Mendoza, brother of quarterback Fernando Mendoza, is transferring from Indiana to Georgia Tech.
• Lane Kiffin says Nick Saban nudged him toward the LSU gig.
• Here are the undercard fighters to keep an eye on at UFC 324 in Las Vegas.
• Nebraska is ascending quickly in our latest edition of Bracketology.
• In women's Bracketology, Iowa State is squarely on the March Madness bubble.
• Arsenal just keeps mowing down its competition in the Champions League.
• A former Alabama center is suing the NCAA in hopes of a CBB return.

📺 What we're watching Wednesday

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Atlético Madrid at Galatasaray, 12:45 p.m. on CBSSN
⚽ UEFA Champions League: PSV Eindhoven at Newcastle United, 3 p.m. on CBSSN
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Pafos at Chelsea, 3 p.m. on Paramount+ ... Here's a preview
🏀 Cavaliers at Hornets, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Red Wings at Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Maryland at No. 11 Illinois (M), 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 Notre Dame at No. 22 North Carolina (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Cincinnati at No. 1 Arizona (M), 9 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Washington at No. 7 Nebraska (M), 9 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏒 Islanders at Kraken, 9:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Thunder at Bucks, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN