Nico Harrison fired: Where do Mavericks go for new GM; NFL power rankings shakeup

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Good morning and happy hump day, sports fans! It’s Austin Nivison greeting you on this Wednesday, and there’s no need to waste any time with so much news around the sports world. The Mavericks finally fired general manager Nico Harrison, Texas Tech was a big winner in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and the Jaguars suffered a big loss.

Let’s get right to it.

🏀 Five things to know Wednesday

1. The Mavericks fired embattled GM Nico Harrison. Less than one year after trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers in one of the most universally panned deals in NBA history, Harrison was shown the door. While the Dončić deal may have been the final straw — and the spark for many “Fire Nico” chants — a series of key departures ultimately sealed Harrison’s fate. Looking ahead, here are some candidates who could replace Harrison in Dallas.
2. Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter underwent season-ending knee surgery. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Hunter seemed to be finding his footing as he attempted to play both ways at the NFL level. However, the Jaguars placed him on IR on Halloween, and Hunter’s rookie campaign has now been cut short following knee surgery. On offense, he caught 28 passes for 298 yards and one touchdown.
3. Texas Tech jumped Oregon and Ole Miss in latest College Football Playoff rankings. Apparently, the Red Raiders impressed the selection committee with their 29-7 thumping of formerly No. 7 BYU (8-1). That win helped Texas Tech (9-1) fly like a tortilla at Jones AT&T Stadium up to No. 6, and now it’s poised to host a first-round game. Be sure to check out the complete rankings, in which Ohio State (9-0) held steady at No. 1 as its undefeated season rolls on. BYU falls seven spots to No. 12.
4. No. 12 Louisville downed No. 9 Kentucky in early-season rivalry clash. In a Bluegrass State showdown, the Cardinals scored a massive 96-88 victory as they simply played a cleaner game (six more assists and eight fewer turnovers) than the Wildcats. Mikel Brown Jr. paced Louisville with 29 points and five assists. This one will sting for Kentucky, but might there be a rematch in March?
5. The Steelers signed CB Asante Samuel Jr. Now cleared for football activities, Samuel is joining a Steelers defense in need of secondary help. Samuel underwent spinal fusion surgery in April, and he has nearly completed his recovery. It’s tough to know exactly what to expect from Samuel, but he gives Pittsburgh much-needed depth at the position with injuries to Darius Slay and safety DeShon Elliott, which prompted Jalen Ramsey’s move to safety.

🏈 Do not miss this: Major movement in Pete Prisco’s NFL Power Rankings

The NFL once again proved just how unpredictable it can be this past weekend, and that caused a major shakeup in the latest edition of Pete Prisco’s NFL Power Rankings. Each of the top nine teams moved in one direction or another from last week.

In Week 10, there were a many positives to highlight. Drake Maye looks like an MVP candidate, and the Patriots look like real contenders. The Lions went back to lighting up the scoreboard like a Christmas tree with Dan Campbell calling plays. Both teams were among the notable risers.

But what about the teams that were surprising for other reasons? The Bills tumbled six spots after an embarrassing loss to the Dolphins, and they may have one fatal flaw.

• Prisco: “The letdown after beating the Chiefs turned into a disaster in Miami. If you can’t stop the run, and they can’t, you can’t win a Super Bowl. That has to be fixed.”

Because I’m such a nice guy, I’ll give you all a tease of the top 10 with the shifts the order:

6. Buccaneers (-5)
7. Lions (+4)
8. Bills (-6)
9. Broncos (-1)
10. Chiefs (–)

📉 College Football Playoff Rankings: No. 15 Miami still in trouble

If you tuned into the CFP Rankings show last night, you saw Miami as the highest-ranked team in the ACC. You also saw the Hurricanes projected in the 12-team playoff bracket. So, they must be in a great spot to reach the playoff, right? Not so fast, my friend.

Despite a decent playoff resume, which includes wins over No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 25 USF and Florida, Miami has next to no chance of winning the ACC. Thanks to befuddling losses against No. 20 Louisville and unranked SMU, the Hurricanes are 3-2 in conference play … good for seventh place.

As Shehean Jeyarajah explains, the Hurricanes’ non-existent path to the ACC Championship Game means they may very well miss the playoff altogether, despite their current ranking.

• Jeyarajah: “SportsLine projections do give Miami a 12.7% chance to make the College Football Playoff, which is fourth in the ACC. That projection primarily leans on them as an at-large team. The Hurricanes should finish the season 10-2 with a road win against No. 22 Pittsburgh, which would give them a fairly strong resume. Miami would need plenty of help, but a bid for the Hurricanes isn’t completely off the table.”

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

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

⚽ We’ll be tuning into the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Paramount+ all day.

🏀 Magic at Knicks, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Rangers at Lightning, 7 p.m. on TNT
🏈 Buffalo at CMU, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 NIU at UMass, 7 p.m. on ESPNU
🏈 Toledo at Miami (OH), 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Loyola Chicago at No. 1 UConn (W), 7:30 p.m. on truTV
🏀 Kansas City at No. 6 Oklahoma (W), 9 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Lakers at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Devils at Blackhawks, 9:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV