Category: Sport

There wasn’t much betting optimism that Indiana would be better in 2025 than it was in 2024.

The Hoosiers made the College Football Playoff a season ago in what was then the best season in school history. Indiana only lost to Ohio State in the regular season before losing to Notre Dame in the first round of the CFP. The Buckeyes beat the Fighting Irish for the national title.

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But thanks to some key holdovers and transfer portal additions for coach Curt Cignetti’s season, Indiana is even better. And it is a game away from giving speculative bettors a handsome payout.

A win in Monday’s national championship game will make Indiana the first school to go 16-0 in a college football season since Yale in 1897. Indiana will also be the first undefeated national champion in three seasons after three straight schools won the national title without a loss from 2018 through 2020.

The Hoosiers opened the season at +10000 to win the national championship at BetMGM. That’s $1,000 profit on a $10 bet before the season began. If you wanted to bet Indiana to win the national title now, the Hoosiers’ odds are -350.

Twenty-two teams had better odds than the Hoosiers did to win the national title. Some of those, like Texas, Ohio State and Notre Dame are among the usual suspects at the top of the preseason odds lists. Others may surprise you. Here are a few of the teams who had better or equal odds to win the national championship when BetMGM opened up betting for this season’s national title.

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Tennessee (+2000)

The Vols made the playoff a season ago and returned QB Nico Iamaleava … for a few months, anyway. Iamaleava transferred to UCLA in the spring and former App State QB Joey Aguilar came to Knoxville after a short stint with the Bruins. Though Tennessee averaged 40 points a game in 2025, a defense that was one of the best in college football in 2024 took a huge step back in 2025. Tennessee gave up nearly 29 points per game as it went 8-5 after a Music City Bowl loss to Illinois.

Miami (+3500)

It’s easy to see why the Hurricanes had considerably better odds than the Hoosiers did at the start of the season. Miami added Carson Beck and returned stellar offensive and defensive lines. The Canes also barely missed the playoff a season ago.

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This year, Miami barely made it into the playoff. And now it’s in the title game against the Hoosiers, though Indiana is an 8.5-point favorite.

South Carolina (+4000)

It was a disaster of a season for the Gamecocks. South Carolina ended the 2024 regular season on a six-game win streak before a Citrus Bowl loss to Illinois. The return of QB LaNorris Sellers provided optimism for 2025, but Sellers couldn’t make up for a defense that lost a ton of talent and an offensive line that was overrun at various points in the season.

South Carolina went 4-8 and lost its last six games against power conference opponents as the Gamecocks had just a brutal schedule. Six of South Carolina’s eight SEC opponents were ranked at the time of their game.

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Auburn (+6000)

The Tigers had markedly better odds despite entering the 2025 season on a five-year streak of failing to have more than six wins in a season. That streak is now six, after Auburn went 5-7 in 2025. Hugh Freeze was fired nine games into the season as an excellent defense couldn’t make up for an offense that couldn’t get out of its own way at times.

Louisville (+8000)

Like Indiana, the Cardinals added a quarterback from California in the transfer portal. We can safely say that the addition of Fernando Mendoza was much better for Indiana than the addition of Miller Moss was for the Cardinals.

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Louisville started the season 7-1 and took down Miami on the road. However, the Cardinals quickly fell out of ACC contention with a three-game losing streak that included close home losses to Cal and Clemson and a blowout road loss to SMU.

Florida State (+10000)

Hey, FSU fans had every right to be optimistic after the Seminoles’ Week 1 takedown of Alabama. That optimism quickly faded, however. Florida State’s next win over a power conference team came in November when the team beat Wake Forest at home to snap a four-game losing streak. FSU added a win at home over Virginia Tech, but lost its last two games of the season to finish 5-7 and out of bowl contention.

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Nebraska (+10000)

The Huskers were a sleeper pick in the Big Ten thanks to a very manageable schedule. And Nebraska started the season 5-1 with that lone loss coming in a three-point home defeat to Michigan.

But after a win at Maryland put Nebraska in the AP Top 25, the Huskers were embarrassed on the road at Minnesota and didn’t sniff the top 25 the rest of the season. Nebraska ended up losing four of its last five games of the season as QB Dylan Raiola suffered a season-ending injury. Raiola entered the transfer portal at the end of the season and is set to back up Dante Moore at Oregon in 2026.

Missouri (+10000)

The Tigers started off 5-0 but lost 27-24 at home to Alabama on Oct. 11. That loss was a sign of the struggles Mizzou would have against good teams in 2025. Missouri went 8-0 against unranked opponents but 0-5 against teams in the top 25. In addition to Alabama, Mizzou lost to Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and then Virginia in the Gator Bowl.

After Mike Tomlin stepped down as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, it affected Aaron Rodgers’ future too.

What seemed pretty evident: Rodgers probably wasn’t coming back to Pittsburgh since Tomlin was gone, Steelers president Art Rooney II said Wednesday at a news conference.

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“Aaron came here to play for Mike. So it will most likely affect his decision,” Rooney said.

So what happens next with Rodgers if he wants to keep playing?

[Get more Steelers news: Pittsburgh team feed]

His options will be slim. A few teams might be in need of a quarterback, but that list will be short. It was short last season too, but Rodgers and the Steelers needed each other and it was a reasonably successful one-year arrangement.

Here are Rodgers’ (few) options heading into the offseason:

Minnesota Vikings

This would complete the Brett Favre circle, from Packers to Jets to Vikings to finish things off. There were conversations last offseason about Rodgers and the Vikings, but it didn’t make enough sense then. The Vikings wanted to see what they had in J.J. McCarthy and it wouldn’t have been ideal to bring in Rodgers. After McCarthy struggled for most of his first season starting, the Vikings talked about adding depth to the quarterback room. Could that be Rodgers?

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This time around it might fit. It would be like the Indianapolis Colts bringing in Daniel Jones to compete with Anthony Richardson Sr. last season, after Richardson had some troubling signs through two seasons. It would also be unbelievable for Rodgers to follow the same path as Favre (other than the one-year stopover in Pittsburgh) at the end of his career.

Retirement

Rodgers played pretty well this past season. Considering the history of 42-year-old quarterbacks, it was amazing. Before Rodgers, only Tom Brady had any level of success at age 42. The history of quarterbacks at age 43 is predictably worse. Much worse. The only seven quarterbacks to appear in one game at age 43 or older are Brady, George Blanda, Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, Steve DeBerg and Philip Rivers. Other than Brady, Rivers was the best of that group with an 80.2 passer rating in three games. Blanda is next best with a 66.1 passer rating. It’s not pretty.

Maybe Rodgers could defy history again. But that’s far from a guarantee. Rodgers hinted at the 2025 season being his final one, then late in the season kept the door open for a potential return in 2026. But clearly at his age, retirement is on the table. Going out with a rough season on his fourth team in five seasons isn’t how any legend wants to leave the game.

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Wait around for an opening

Speaking of Philip Rivers, there are always quarterback injuries through a season. Teams get desperate. Even Rivers, after almost five full seasons off and at age 44, got a call from a Colts team that had few options. In comparison, Rodgers at age 43 (he’ll be 42 until December) who played at a reasonably high level the previous season, would be a popular call for a team in need. Then Rodgers could assess each potential team’s playoff viability and make a decision late in the season that best suits him.

The others

If Rodgers wants to join a team during the offseason — maybe late in the offseason, given how long he waited last year to sign with the Steelers — there will be teams that don’t have ideal quarterback situations. If the Dolphins move on from Tua Tagovailoa, they’ll need someone to play quarterback. The Jets might need a quarterback too, but a reunion there is never happening after how that relationship ended.

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Perhaps the Steelers will reemerge as an option if they strike out in other avenues to find a quarterback, as unlikely as Rodgers returning there seems now. It could be just like last offseason, when Rodgers and the Steelers were the only realistic options for each other.

Maybe the Cardinals make a call? There aren’t many obvious answers outside of perhaps Minnesota, which is why Rodgers returning is no sure thing.

NFL Free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft will completely shake up the fantasy football landscape in the coming months.

Before the roster movement begins, Justin Boone is identifying one fantasy-relevant player from every team who’s most likely to break out during the 2026 season.

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Early Breakout Candidates

Early NFC West Breakout Candidates

Arizona Cardinals – Trey Benson, RB

Benson appeared to be on the verge of a breakout when James Conner went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3. Unfortunately, just a week later, Benson suffered a meniscus tear in his knee and wasn’t able to return the rest of the year.

While it was a small sample size, Benson looked and performed like the more effective runner at the start of the season, gaining 170 scrimmage yards on 29 touches during the first three contests, compared to Conner’s 133 yards on 40 attempts.

Coming off a serious injury can be difficult for any back, but it is particularly concerning for one who turns 31 years old before next season. Expecting Conner to return to his previous form seems unlikely.

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The team also drafted Benson two years ago to be their succession plan and we saw him earning a larger role before the two backs got hurt. A passing of the torch only makes sense at this stage of their careers, since the former third-round pick is seven years younger than Conner.

While a lot still needs to be sorted out in Arizona this offseason, including the hiring of a new coaching staff, Benson has an excellent chance to emerge as the Cardinals’ lead back in 2026.

Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★☆

Los Angeles Rams – Terrance Ferguson, TE

Speaking of succession plans, the Rams made a notable investment in Ferguson, taking him 46th overall in last year’s draft.

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The move was a clear sign they were preparing to replace 33-year-old Tyler Higbee, who is a free agent this offseason.

Despite being buried on the depth chart for most of his rookie campaign, Ferguson managed to make a fantasy impact on several occasions. In the five games where he saw at least three targets, Ferguson posted 50 yards and/or a touchdown four times.

Ferguson also finished the season with double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back contests, while Higbee was sidelined.

There’ll be plenty of quality fantasy tight ends to choose from in 2026 and a big reason for that is the infusion of talent that came with last year’s rookies, led by Colston Loveland, Harold Fannin Jr., Tyler Warren and Oronde Gadsden II. But there are even more members of that class who could emerge as fantasy starters with Ferguson, Mason Taylor and Gunnar Helm already flashing their upside.

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Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★☆

San Francisco 49ers – Ricky Pearsall, WR

After beginning the season with two 100-yard games in the first three weeks, Pearsall seemed destined for a breakout before a knee injury derailed his year in Week 4.

When he initially attempted a return to the lineup in Week 11, he didn’t seem like himself and managed just five catches for 20 yards over the next three games.

Since then, he’s been in and out of the lineup but did post stat lines of 6-96-0 in Week 15 and 5-85-0 in Week 17, helping managers who were willing to take a chance on starting him during the fantasy playoffs.

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The good news coming out of Pearsall’s sophomore campaign is that he was a top-24 fantasy wideout four times in the six appearances where he wasn’t limited due to injury.

Brandon Aiyuk isn’t expected to return to the team and George Kittle is dealing with a torn Achilles that could sideline him for most of 2026. So, Pearsall will be a key piece of this offense moving forward and a possible fantasy WR2 if he can stay healthy.

Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★★

Seattle Seahawks – Tory Horton, WR

Horton was a fifth-round rookie who immediately earned a role in the Seahawks offense and was playing around 48% of the snaps before groin and shin injuries sidelined him for the rest of the season.

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Before getting hurt, Horton was becoming a true playmaker in Seattle’s passing attack with five touchdowns in his first eight games and two top-10 weekly fantasy finishes.

If he was able to contribute like that as a part-time piece, imagine what he’ll be able to do when his number gets called more frequently in the future.

It’s also worth noting that his offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, cited Justin Jefferson when he was asked early in the season if there was a wideout he’s worked with that reminds him of Horton.

With Cooper Kupp fading entering his age-33 season and Rashid Shaheed set to hit free agency, we could see Horton move into a more significant role in 2026. He’ll be an intriguing late-round target in this year’s fantasy drafts, with his value only being held down because he missed half the season.

Fantasy breakout potential: ★★★★☆

Early Breakout Candidates

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw had an emotional farewell tour last year after announcing in September that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2025 MLB season. He got one more legendary moment, was able to pay tribute to Dodgers fans one more time and walked away from MLB a World Series champion.

But apparently Kershaw’s retirement from baseball applied only to MLB, not to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. To the surprise of many, the 37-year-old Kershaw was added to Team USA’s roster on Thursday and will pitch for the team in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.

Kershaw made sure to stress that he is not coming back to MLB this season, telling Andy McCullough of The Athletic that he’s doing just enough to make it through the tournament.

“I am throwing just enough to make it for 10 days,” he said. “I’m not pitching this season — so I figured this is the perfect time to try the WBC. I really want to be a part of it.”

When asked why he decided to pitch in professional baseball one more time, Kershaw replied, “Why not?”

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Since early in the offseason, Team USA’s roster has started to take shape. It became clear almost immediately that the U.S. is hungry to win the event, as Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge quickly committed to the tournament. Over the following weeks, they were joined by other MLB stars such as Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr., among many others.

While Kershaw is far removed from his peak, he’s still a big name within the sport. He is arguably the best pitcher of his era and a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer. Even with his reduced velocity and workload over his last few seasons in MLB, Kershaw managed a 3.36 ERA in his final year in the majors, a testament to both his stuff and his intelligence as a pitcher.

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Team USA will have to hope those same skills are on display in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Kershaw proved at the end of last season that he could provide value out of the Dodgers’ bullpen. It sounds like he’ll be used in the same role on Team USA, per The Athletic.

Despite his late-season success, Kershaw made sure to set his WBC expectations low, saying he doesn’t expect to be used in high-leverage situations in the tournament, per The Athletic.

“I am not going to pitch to Shohei in any meaningful game,” Kershaw said. “I’ll tell you that right now. He would hit it so far off me right now.”

Regardless of how it turns out, Kershaw’s addition to the team adds a bit more excitement to the tournament before it starts in March. The Dodgers’ legend already had the perfect ending to his MLB career, going out with a championship.

He now stands to further his already impeccable legacy by also leaving the game of baseball with a gold medal in his final professional appearance.

Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen was limited in practice on Tuesday, listed as having foot, knee and right finger injuries. Despite a limited designation, Allen told reporters, “I feel good” as the team prepares for their divisional round matchup with the Denver Broncos on Saturday.

The Bills were able to overcome a tough Jaguars team in Jacksonville, winning 27-24, behind three Allen touchdowns, 273 passing yards and 33 yards on the ground. Two of Allen’s three touchdowns came in the running game as he carried Buffalo to their sixth win in the last seven games, dating back to the end of November.

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Allen plays like a bowling ball the way he rolls over defenders week in and week out. Even with a limited practice designation just a few days out from the biggest game of the season, there isn’t anyone in Buffalo who believes Allen will miss this game, no matter how sore he may be.

Last season, Allen took home his first MVP award, and the Bills advanced to the AFC title game. This year, Buffalo is looking to advance to consecutive AFC championship games for the first time since the franchise appeared in four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s. Before Allen’s arrival, fans in Buffalo hadn’t seen this level of success in decades.

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Denver will be looking for a measure of revenge on Saturday after being eliminated convincingly in last year’s wild-card round at the hands of the Bills, in Buffalo, 31-7. The roles are reversed this time as the Broncos are the higher seed and have the home-field advantage in this matchup.

Saturday’s divisional game between Buffalo and Denver kicks off at 4:30 p.m. ET from Empower Field at Mile High.

Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg is doubtful for the team’s Thursday night matchup against the Utah Jazz, according to the team’s injury report.

Flagg, the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick, left Wednesday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets with a left ankle sprain.

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Head coach Jason Kidd said Flagg initially hurt his left foot during Monday’s victory over the Brooklyn Nets then landed awkwardly on it with 6:01 remaining in the second quarter against the Nuggets. Flagg grabbed the ankle for a few moments while grimacing in pain.

Flagg returned later in the second quarter but was clearly struggling with the injury. He did not play in the second half and did not return to the bench.

“He stepped on someone’s foot and so I think last game he twisted his ankle, too,” Kidd told reporters after the game. “So they decided to hold him for the second half.”

Flagg has avoided injury for the most part this season having played in 40 of the Mavericks’ 41 games. The Rookie of the Year frontrunner is averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

The Mavericks will play the Jazz again in Dallas again on Saturday evening before leaving for a one-game road trip to face the New York Knicks on Monday.

The Philadelphia Eagles went 11-6 in 2025 and earned the No. 3 seed in the NFC … and it was a disappointment. Following a tumultuous season — in which the team was attempting to repeat as Super Bowl champions — the Eagles took swift action, removing offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo from his position.

It was a move Eagles fans have been clamoring for all season. On Thursday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke about that decision. And while Sirianni didn’t go into great detail on Patullo’s removal, the head coach stressed that the offenses needed to “continue to evolve” under the team’s next offensive coordinator.

Despite bringing back nearly all of the same personnel from last season, the Eagles’ offense seemed to be stuck in the mud in their first season under Patullo, who was promoted into the role after Kellen Moore got hired by the New Orleans Saints to be their head coach. Star wideout A.J. Brown appeared constantly frustrated with his lack of usage, while running back Saquon Barkley put up an average season — for him — after rushing for over 2,000 yards in 2024.

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But it wasn’t just the vibes that were bad. The Eagles’ offense had a very tangible drop off. After ranking seventh in points per game last season, Philadelphia dropped to 19th in that category in 2025.

[Get more Eagles news: Philly team feed]

While Patullo was removed from the offensive coordinator position shortly after the Eagles were eliminated by the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round, he wasn’t fired. Patullo remains on staff and could take on another coaching role with the Eagles next season. Sirianni said he would “see how it plays out” with Patullo, who Sirianni said should have other opportunities this offseason.

Throughout the season, Patullo was criticized for predictable play calling and splits. NFL analyst — and former player — Brian Baldinger called that out early, sharing a video on Instagram showing the Eagles running what appeared to be the same play out of the same formation multiple times in one game.

Fans on Reddit noticed a somewhat similar phenomenon early in the season, when they pointed out that the Eagles had extreme splits on running and passing plays based on their formation out of the huddle. That may have tipped off defenses as to what type of play was coming, making it much easier to stop.

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Additionally, quarterback Jalen Hurts wasn’t used as much as a runner under Patullo. The quarterback finished the year with 421 rushing yards, his lowest total since his rookie season, because the team essentially stopped calling designed runs for him.

For all those reasons, Patullo won’t reprise his role next season. While expectations will certainly be high for the next person who takes over as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator, the team still has plenty of star power on offense, and there are at least a few easy fixes that coordinator can make to get the offense gelling again.

Subscribe to The Kevin O’Connor Show

Kevin O’Connor and Tom Haberstroh give you the latest as the NBA trade talks heat up! The duo breaks down why Anthony Davis wants out of Dallas and whether the Lakers should trade Austin Reaves after Rich Paul’s latest comments. Plus, they discuss Jonathan Kuminga demanding a trade out of Golden State. Would Michael Porter Jr. be a good fit for the Warriors?

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Next, the pair discusses potential suitors for Ja Morant. Will the Heat be his new home after he purchased a house in Miami? Plus, they break down how Franz Wagner’s return to the Magic’s lineup will impact the team, the growing tension with Giannis in Milwaukee and Nikola Jokic’s return at the end of January. How did OKC end their losing streak against the Spurs? Why is the NBA in a scoring slump?

Plus, KOC & Tom react to the latest intel on the point shaving scandal indictments in college basketball.

(0:49) AD wants out of Dallas

(6:58) Should Lakers trade Austin Reaves?

(10:41) Jonathan Kuminga demands a trade

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(15:58) Should Lakers trade Austin Reaves? continued

(20:35) Would Golden State trade for Michael Porter Jr.?

(23:32) Clippers back on the rise

(33:06) Ja Morant buys house in Miami

(38:31) Franz Wagner returns to Magic lineup

(40:28) Giannis boos at Bucks fans

(45:31) Nikola Jokic to return at end of January

(48:39) OKC beats Spurs on Tuesday

(53:09) Why is NBA scoring down?

(58:12) 20 men indicted for point-shaving

(1:01:13) Trae Young recovering from injury

🖥️ Watch this full episode on the Yahoo Sports NBA YouTube channel

Check out the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

At the end of the 70-page gambling indictment delivering another gut punch to college basketball, each allegation more sordid than the last, the overwhelming takeaway is that we did this to ourselves.

No, we didn’t place the six-figure wagers on mid- and low-major college basketball games that drew suspicion from authorities. We weren’t the players who allegedly agreed to fix games for tens of thousands of dollars. Those are individual decisions to break the law, stain college basketball and shake the public’s trust.

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But as a society?

We asked for this. You bet we did.

Nearly eight years ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act — the law that essentially limited sports gambling to Nevada — many of us celebrated. If you could bet on sports at a Las Vegas casino, why shouldn’t you be able to do it in similar establishments in New Jersey, Mississippi or Ohio?

It seemed like a win for freedom and common sense, not to mention the casino operators ready to get their claws into new clientele.

And what exactly did the rest of us win?

We won a never-ending deluge of ads for online sportsbooks. We won a generation of young gambling addicts who are ill-equipped, emotionally and financially, to handle losing money on long-shot parlays. We won a disgraceful level of harassment, both in person at games and online, from fans toward athletes who didn’t help them cash their bets. And we won a subculture of people like the six defendants in this indictment who preyed on young basketball players from low-profile teams that saw their peers cashing in on name, image and likeness deals and became tempted by the promise of easy money.

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In other words, we lost something too. Maybe a lot.

The sheer amount and availability of gambling has probably become too much. The frictionless experience of firing up an app on your phone and being able to bet on anything at any time has become way too easy. And the trade-offs for making gambling so widely available are now apparent. When PASPA fell, eventually bringing sports gambling to 39 states, we didn’t flip a switch as much as we touched a stove.

You can educate young athletes about the dangers of match-fixing, warn them to stay away from gamblers and even show examples of lost eligibility and legal trouble for those who fell into the trap. It doesn’t matter. Put enough money in front of people, and some are inevitably going to think they can get away with it.

It’s our fault. We opened the floodgates and let it happen. And if we’re going to continue as a country where gambling is available almost anywhere, we have to accept that an occasional scandal is going to be part of the deal.

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Is that worth the trade-off? Perhaps.

Sports gambling is pervasive in plenty of other countries, and match-fixing scandals have popped up in almost every sport across nearly every inch of the globe. In the UK, where you are likely to pass a handful of betting parlors on any decent city walk, there has been a recent push for regulatory reform but no real movement to shut it all down. It will likely be the same on our side of the Atlantic. Too many people are making too much money to go backwards.

But the uniqueness of American college sports is a real vulnerability.

College basketball is popular enough that sportsbooks can reasonably offer and profit from bets on lower-level games and player props. They are simply meeting demand. At this point, however, it’s impossible to deny the vulnerability of college athletes, particularly those at smaller schools.

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It’s not a coincidence that the match-fixers in this indictment started with Chinese Basketball Association players before targeting players at Nicholls State, Tulane, Northwestern State, Saint Louis, LaSalle, Fordham, Robert Morris, Southern Miss, DePaul, North Carolina A&T, Coppin State, New Orleans, Kennesaw State, Eastern Michigan and Abilene Christian.

They’re all colleges with athletes who weren’t making much, if anything, from NIL. Schools where few people would be paying attention. Games that wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar. Often the alleged match fixers focused on first-half lines, presumably to convince skeptical players that it wouldn’t be completely unethical to tank a first half if they could play to their full ability in the second. For someone who sees friends and former teammates signing huge NIL deals at more prominent schools, it must have been hard to say no when the fixers were texting photos with stacks of cash.

Of course, the argument in favor of the current legal gambling environment is that they got caught. The unusual amounts of money being bet on low-interest games triggered inquiries, which led to 20 people — including former NBA player Antonio Blakeney — being charged in the scheme. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

As a result, the issue is presented as an A or B choice: Is it better to have pervasive legal gambling with a system that can detect suspicious activity, or would you rather go back to the days when difficult-to-trace money was being gambled on the black market? After all, we had point-shaving and match-fixing scandals in college sports long before it was legal nearly everywhere.

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We should probably treat that as an open question, a still-evolving conversation. This indictment covers 29 compromised games over two seasons in which there were more than 12,000 college basketball games played.

Is that too many to stomach? Is it about what you’d expect? Or is it just the tip of the iceberg for a set of problems we’re going to deal with for years to come?

The answer is in the eye of the beholder, but it would be foolish to assume this is the last time we’ll see an indictment where a bunch of college athletes were recruited to fix games.

The hope, at least from an NCAA standpoint, is that states will move to limit prop bets on college games and the fallout from federal investigations will scare everyone straight. If both of those things happen, maybe college sports will have a fighting chance to stay as honest and fair as we’d want them to be.

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But whatever course history takes in the first decade of widespread legal sports gambling in the U.S., we must understand that it’s all the product of choices we made as a society to bring it into our lives.

We wanted it, we got it and the consequences are there for all to see.

For the seventh straight year, the NBA asked me if I wanted to be one of the media members who votes on which players should start in the NBA All-Star Game. For reasons passing understanding, I said yes. Here’s how I used my ballot.

A quick reminder: Yes, the NBA has yet again changed the format of the All-Star Game — this time to a round-robin tournament featuring two teams of American players and one “world” roster, resulting in 16 U.S.-born players and eight international players being selected … unless the voting results in fewer than 16 U.S.-born players or eight international players making the cut, in which case NBA Commissioner Adam Silver will just start naming Americans or international players to balance out the sides. (Find all that confusing? You’re not alone!)

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Despite the latest grasp at a structural change to inject some juice into the proceedings, the nuts-and-bolts of the voting remain the same: You vote for five guys in each conference, with fan voting accounting for 50% of the final result, with player and media ballots accounting for 25% each. The main functional difference this year? Rather than choosing three frontcourt players and two backcourt players in each conference, the ballot has gone fully positionless. Just pick five guys, and keep it movin’.

West

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

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Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

Luka Dončić, Lakers

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

(Click here for my East All-Star starters.)

All stats and records entering Thursday’s games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing I don’t have to burn too many calories on convincing you that Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić — the top two finishers in Most Valuable Player voting in each of the last two seasons, and potentially this season’s top two, barring eligibility concerns — deserved a starting vote.

Gilgeous-Alexander has come back from winning his first MVP trophy and NBA championship seemingly better at everything. He’s second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.9 points per game on sparkling 55/39/89 shooting splits, producing points more efficiently and turning the ball over less as the preeminent mover on a Thunder team that opened the season 24-1 and that — despite what qualifies as a “slump” in OKC these days — remains atop the West, on pace for 68 wins (and with the point differential of a 70-win squad). With SGA on the floor, the Thunder have blown opponents’ doors off by 16.5 points per 100 possessions — the largest margin of any player in the NBA, according to Basketball Reference.

Hey, here’s something I just looked up: Only three guards in NBA history have averaged 30 points and five assists per game while shooting 50% from the floor. Stephen Curry did it during his unanimous MVP season in 2015-16. Michael Jordan did it five times. Gilgeous-Alexander, in Year 8, is on pace for his fourth … in a row.

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Which is to say: This is a legitimately historic run, one that could wind up landing SGA in some awfully lofty conversations before all’s said and done. For now, though, it’ll land him on his fourth straight All-Star team.

Nikola Jokić, Nuggets

Before hyperextending his left knee, Jokić was off to the best start of his career. And when you’ve already won three MVPs, man, is that saying a whole hell of a lot.

Jokić is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 29.8 points per game while leading the league in rebounding and assists; he is 12 total points away from being on pace to join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to average a 30-point triple-double for a season. On a per-minute and per-possession basis, Jokić has never scored this much, thanks partly to him splashing 43.5% of the 4.8 3-pointers he’s attempting per game, both of which would be career highs.

He’s on pace to post the highest true shooting percentage in NBA history among players who use at least 25% of their teams’ offensive possessions, topping … himself. He is also on track to set new all-time records in win shares per 48 minutes, box plus-minus and player efficiency rating, and to become the seventh player ever to assist on more than half of his teammates’ baskets; the Nuggets have scored an absurd 130.1 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions in his minutes, which is light years beyond what even the best offenses in league history have mustered. Missed games be damned: The list of players who’ve had a more consistently pronounced on-court impact than Jokić this season is either one name long or it doesn’t exist. An easy choice.

Victor Wembanyama, Spurs

So, too, was Wembanyama, the centerpiece of the Spurs’ rise to third place in the West and — by virtue of knocking off defending champion Oklahoma City three times in four tries and making it to the championship game of the NBA Cup — a spot among the ranks of bona fide title contenders.

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Some voters might feel more compelled to knock Wemby out of a starting spot due to his injury absences: Thanks to an early-season calf strain, followed by a knee hyperextension that’s led to him being on a minutes restriction, he’s played just 26 games and 753 minutes — well below the other serious candidates for starting spots. I hear that. I also don’t really care about it.

I mean, come on: Dude’s averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds and three assists per game on 51.4% shooting at age 22 — no one’s done that since Kareem, 56 years ago — while also profiling as the most menacing defensive force on the planet.

There’s plenty of credit to go around for San Antonio’s surge up the standings: to Stephon Castle, making a massive second-year leap; to De’Aaron Fox, reminding everyone exactly why the Spurs went out, got him and paid him; to a roster full of guys (Devin Vassell, Harrison Barnes, Keldon Johnson, Luke Kornet, Julian Champagnie) playing like stars in their roles; to head coach Mitch Johnson, ably carrying the weight of carrying the mantle left for him by one of the greatest legends the coaching profession has ever seen; etc. All of it, though, starts with the man in the middle — and 750 minutes of what he’s been putting on tape was more than enough to earn my vote.

Luka Dončić, Lakers

Dončić, for his part, leads the NBA in scoring at 33.4 points per game on .606 true shooting to go with 8.8 assists (fourth-most in the league) and 7.9 rebounds a night — the lead guard at the controls of a Lakers team that is vying for a top-four spot in a tough-as-nails top of the West.

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There are nits to pick with these Lakers, who sit 10 games over .500 despite being just plus-1 for the season — not one point per 100 possessions; one point period — and have outperformed their point differential and 23rd-ranked defense, thanks in large part to being an NBA-best 13-1 in “clutch” games. But L.A. is winning on the strength of its offense, which ranks seventh in points scored per possession and is at its best with Luka leading the dance: The Lakers have scored like the Thunder with him on the floor and like the Pelicans with him off it.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves

The fifth starting spot came down to a handful of strong candidates in the midst of excellent seasons. Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün have kept the Houston Rockets in the top five in offensive and defensive efficiency, and in the hunt for a top-four spot out West, despite the preseason loss of starting point guard Fred VanVleet. Ongoing salary-cap-circumvention investigations notwithstanding, Kawhi Leonard has been lights out for nearly two months — 30.1 points on 50/40/93 shooting with 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.1 stocks per game since Thanksgiving — to turn the previously lifeless Clippers into one of the NBA’s hottest teams. Out in the Bay, Curry is scoring as much on a per-minute and per-possession basis as he did during his unanimous MVP season a decade ago, and doing so with characteristically unbelievable shooting efficiency for a Warriors team that, as ever, only goes as far as he can carry it.

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In the end, though, I landed on Edwards, in recognition of both his role in fueling Minnesota’s rise up the standings — just a game out of second in the West entering Thursday’s games, with the NBA’s best record and fourth-best net rating since Thanksgiving — and his scintillating individual production.

Edwards’ impressive run of increasing his scoring volume and efficiency in every year of his career has continued. He’s averaging a career-best 28.9 points per game on .626 true shooting — a combination of volume and efficiency that represents incredibly rare air among NBA scorers — while reducing his turnover rate despite more frequently serving as Chris Finch’s point guard, getting to the free-throw line more often, and continuing to play a key on-ball role in a Minnesota defense that’s tied for fifth in points allowed per possession.

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He’s also been absolute nails in crunch time — an area of concern for Minnesota in recent years — shooting a scorching 70.7% from the floor (29-for-41), 57.1% from long range (8-for-14) and 83.3% from the foul line (10-for-12) when the score is within five points in the final five minutes:

The two-way play, the growth as a facilitator, the ongoing scaling-up of his scoring and efficiency and that close-and-late excellence — all in service of keeping the Wolves in the hunt in the West — earned Edwards the last spot on my ballot.