72 games played, by sport.
MLB The marquee game is already live: New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays, a 93-68 club against a 98-64 club, still scoreless early at Tropicana Field with both bullpens fresh. The real heavyweight bout looms tonight, though, as the 103-59 Milwaukee Brewers host the San Diego Padres as heavy favorites, with the heart of the Brewers order looking to jump the Padres starter before he settles into his stuff. Keep an eye on the Braves-Dodgers getaway series too, where Atlanta's southpaw options out of the pen could be the difference if Los Angeles lets this one stay close late.
NBA It's all preseason action tonight, but the marquee matchup is Golden State Warriors at LA Clippers, with everyone wanting a look at how the two squads' buckets flow before things count for real. Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz at Denver Nuggets round out the slate, giving fans an early read on who's got it and who's still finding their legs. Nothing on the line yet, but it's the first chance to see if anyone's got that ice-in-the-veins look heading into the season.
NCAA Football The marquee matchup tonight is Miami at Clemson, where the unbeaten Hurricanes are favored by two touchdowns against a Tigers team that badly needs a signature win to get back in the Playoff conversation. Earlier in the window, keep an eye on BYU at TCU, a pick'em-flavored test for the undefeated Cougars against a scrappy Horned Frogs defense near the line of scrimmage. If you want garbage-time stats already piling up, Missouri is torching Florida 45-10 in the fourth quarter, while Nebraska is clinging to a five-point lead over Maryland in a game that's turned smashmouth down the stretch.
NFL The marquee game is the Kansas City Chiefs at the Las Vegas Raiders, a rare unbeaten-versus-unbeaten clash with both teams at 3-0 and the Chiefs favored by four and a half as they try to keep pace at the line of scrimmage against a Raiders squad feeling good about its start. Also keep an eye on the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Denver Broncos, where another undefeated host looks to cover easily behind time of possession and time in the red zone against a Broncos defense that will need to bail out its offense if it can't move the ball. For smashmouth football and a lopsided spread, the Tennessee Titans travel to the Baltimore Ravens as near two-touchdown underdogs, a game that could turn into garbage-time stats for Tennessee if Baltimore controls it early.
NHL The game to watch tonight is Washington Capitals at Tampa Bay Lightning, with the Lightning heavily favored on home ice and the Capitals looking to stay unbeaten early in the season. Also keep an eye on Boston Bruins at Minnesota Wild, since Boston is the only team on the board still perfect through two games, and a late power play or a goalie getting pulled in the third could flip either of these in a hurry. If you want a sleeper, Montreal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins is a true pick 'em, so don't be surprised if that one needs overtime to settle.
WNBA The marquee matchup is Las Vegas Aces at Golden State Valkyries, a near pick'em on the road with Golden State favored by just a bucket and change — both squads are stacked with buckets and this one's set up to come down to a dagger in crunch time. Don't sleep on New York Liberty at Atlanta Dream either, where Atlanta's defense has been eating teams up all season and will look to keep New York's shooters from getting splash-happy from deep. Watch the paint battle in both games — whoever controls the glass and finishes in the paint is walking away with the win while the other team takes the L.