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👀 Five things to know Thursday

1. The Dream smashed the Valkyries en route to a 2-1 WNBA Finals lead. Atlanta left zero doubt on the court last night. The Dream steamrolled the Valkyries, 97-71, in Game 3 last night. Once again, Angel Reese led the way for Atlanta with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Unfortunately for the Valkyries, Gabby Williams struggled in a pivotal spot. We now await Game 4 on Saturday night as Atlanta tries to get one step closer to its first WNBA championship. In sideshow news, Enes Kanter Freedom claims he was kicked out of Game 3 for refusing a suite offered to him by the Dream.
2. J.J. McCarthy will make his first start for the Giants in Week 7. After Jameis Winston struggled in last week's loss to the Saints, John Harbaugh is making a change at quarterback. The team has announced that McCarthy will start against the Texans on Sunday. In relief of Winston last week, McCarthy threw for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception. This move comes with the NFC East up for grabs, and New York is just as likely to win it as anyone else.
3. Maryland has fired coach Mike Locksley. The first coaching carousel domino has fallen. Maryland has fired Locksley after seven-plus seasons and a 2-5 start this fall. The Terps have been trending in the wrong direction for a few years now, and Locksley finally lost his job because of it. As Maryland begins its coaching search, it will have a number of appealing options to replace Locksley. Likewise, Locksley should get opportunities elsewhere based on his connections and successful track record as an assistant.
4. Kurt Suzuki is one-and-done as the Angels manager. We now have three MLB manager vacancies after the Angels fired Suzuki on the heels of a 100-loss season. It was a brief tenure for Suzuki, who got exactly one year on the job before he was shown the door. The next Angels manager will be their sixth since 2019. One team that is no making a managerial change is the Yankees, but we got some interesting information from the team's end-of-year press conference, including Brian Cashman's contract extension.
5. The Warriors are exploring a Kristaps Porziņġis trade. Due to a recent diagnosis of POTS, Porziņġis has been away from the team through training camp and the start of the season. That being the case, Golden State is looking to move the big man in a trade. Porziņġis just re-signed with Golden State on a two-year, $40 million contract this offseason, but he could be on his way out. It probably won't be easy to find takers for Porziņġis and his contract, but there are a few teams that might be interested.

🏈 Do not miss this: Week 7 NFL picks

The Bears and Patriots will kick off Week 7 in the NFL tonight, and that is a huge game for both sides. The winner will take another big step toward the playoffs, and the loser will tumble to one game above .500.

As he does every week, our own Pete Prisco has given an exact score prediction for every game on the slate, and he sees a very tight battle in Chicago tonight with Drake Maye getting the best of Caleb Williams by the slimmest of margins: Patriots 28, Bears 27.

• Prisco: "This is a big game for both teams, a tough one for the road team on a short week. Both teams can score, which should make this a fun one to watch. I think the Patriots have the better defense and that will be the difference. They overcome the road to win a much-needed game."

Tyler Sullivan has also submitted his Week 7 picks, and he sees some favorites getting the job done.

• Rams 30, Raiders 27
• Browns 24, Titans 17
• Steelers 30, Saints 23

I feel comfortable pointing out that neither of our experts picks the Colts to beat the Vikings, which shouldn't be any kind of surprise. Indianapolis seems to be on the verge of a fire sale with Jonathan Taylor's name in trade rumors and Quenton Nelson on an expiring deal.

As we enter Week 7, be sure to check out our updated NFL playoff projections because those races are starting to take shape in both conferences.

📉 Alabama falling in CFP tiers

After two losses in which the offense totaled 27 points, the sky is falling in Tuscaloosa.

Not really, but Alabama has really hurt its College Football Playoff chances with consecutive losses to Georgia and Tennessee. In his latest College Football Playoff tiers, our own Brad Crawford dropped the Crimson Tide all the way down to Tier C.

November's showdown with LSU is shaping up to be even bigger than originally thought.

• Crawford: "Outside of Texas, no team's stock has tanked faster than Alabama's over the last two games. Alabama hasn't scored a second-half point since Oct. 3 when the Crimson Tide humiliated Mississippi State, 56-23. Since then, the offense has been kept in check by Georgia and Tennessee, leading to jeers for Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb. The upcoming showdown at LSU next month could determine the SEC's final at-large CFP entry."

With Week 8 already underway, we're halfway through the season, and our distinguished college football experts have been given a chance to right their preseason wrongs. In our second-chance predictions, Miami, Georgia, Ohio State and Notre Dame all received national championship picks.

Texas and Oregon were notably absent.

For more midseason content, check out our Big Ten grades and our evaluation of the five remaining unbeaten teams.

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

• Jeremy Swayman has the Bruins off to a roaring start in our NHL Power Rankings.
• The Titans released Jordan Elliott for bringing a firearm to a team facility amid an altercation.
• Don't set your fantasy football lineup until you read our Week 8 Start 'Em and Sit 'Em advice.
• Here's how Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard fared in debuts with new teams.
• The Lions aren't showing any love to Sam LaPorta when it comes to his next contract.
• Passing up on a blockbuster trade may have led to Chris Ballard's demise in Indianapolis.
• Past World Series appearances have only ended in heartbreak for the Brewers and Rays.
• Michigan is among the CFB teams with the most to prove in the home stretch.
• One of the things we learned from Champions League is that Manchester United are in crisis.
• St. Louis City SC has taken home the U.S. Open Cup for the first trophy in club history.

📺 What we're watching Thursday

⚽ Stade Rennais at Juventus, 12:45 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
⚽ AC Milan at AFC Bournemouth, 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Cavaliers at 76ers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 JMU at Appalachian State, 7 p.m. ESPNU
🏈 Liberty at Kennesaw State, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 East Carolina at Memphis, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Patriots at Bears, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Nuggets at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN