09/06 Labor Day Quickie

Boise State-Virginia Tech tonight might be the biggest college football game of the season. That's a tough claim to make in Week 1.

Here's what we know:

If Boise State wins, they stake a claim to No. 1 this week (per "resume" ranking) and give themselves a marquee win to support getting a spot in the BCS title game if they go unbeaten.

If Boise loses, their dream of crashing the BCS title game -- and probably any BCS bowl -- is over. Doubters will say "Told you." And we lose a key storyline of the season immediately.

The stakes are not insubstantial. On the one hand, if Boise played a tougher schedule, they would have more than just this (and, arguably, Oregon State in 3 weeks).

On the other hand, as far as single-game challenges go, playing (and beating) arguably the best team in the ACC is one of the toughest tests any team will take on this season.

We don't know much this early into a season. But we do know that this is a big game.

For the record, I think Boise rolls (an unsurprising prediction from someone who thinks they are the best team in the country) and the debate is so on.

More: Jets and Darrelle Revis come to a deal. At the very least, it makes this week's Hard Knocks a lot more interesting. Season finale drama!

(Does Revis play offense? Because that's where the Jets have looked listless this past month. Maybe his return will energize the entire team.... The point is that he is the best player on the team, and they weren't going anywhere without him.)

Another season, another second-division finish in my baseball fantasy league. Losing 8 of 10 categories to a hungry playoff contender this week cost me what would have been my first-ever top-half-of-the-league finish. It feels entirely appropriate that my Team MVP was Felix Hernandez, who has had a Cy-worthy season on a second-division loser. (And who had two brilliant starts this week, particularly yesterday. Give him the Cy, voters.)

It's Labor Day. Get back to relaxing...

-- D.S.