Mike Vrabel’s potential Patriots reunion; Night of upsets in college basketball

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Good morning to everyone but especially …

EVERY NFL TEAM LOOKING FOR A HEAD COACH

The NFL coaching carousel is full of all types of firings — expected, rumored, whispered about and shocking. This one falls under that last category. Mike Vrabel is out in Tennessee after six years, a 54-45 record, three playoff berths and a 2021 AP Coach of the Year award.

Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said the team is looking for an “aligned and collaborative team across all football functions” after hiring Ran Carthon as GM last year, and apparently Vrabel didn’t fit the bill. The Titans are 7-21 over the last two seasons (tied for 26th in the NFL) after going 23-10 (fifth-best) in 2020 and 2021 combined.

One team’s loss will certainly be another team’s gain. Vrabel produced a top-half scoring defense in five of his six seasons in Tennessee and is immensely respected. Derrick Henry said he was “shocked” by the firing, and longtime former tackle Taylor Lewan called the decision “nuts“ and “a big mistake” and added Vrabel is “the absolute best.”

His absolute best fit, Cody Benjamin writes, might be a reunion.

• Benjamin: “It’s the match made in heaven, according to many folks around the NFL. Vrabel spent the majority of his playing career in New England, winning three Super Bowl rings under Bill Belichick. Now, with Belichick reportedly facing an uncertain future after 23 seasons on the job, Vrabel profiles as a seamless successor for owner Robert Kraft. The question is, will Belichick actually go? And if so, when?”

With Vrabel now in the fold, this is shaping up to be a very strong hiring cycle. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but Vrabel joins Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn, Raheem Morris, Mike Macdonald, Todd Monken, Bobby Slowik and Dan Quinn among the hot names on the coaching circuit … and that’s before whatever happens with Belichick. That’s good news not just for the Titans but also for the five other teams with a vacancy. You can keep up with head coach and GM interviews here.

Jeff Kerr has potential options for Vrabel’s successor, but Tennessee is fifth in Will Brinson’s rankings of all six head coach openings. At No. 1 is …

• Brinson: “1. Washington Commanders — Things can change (David Tepper seemed like a good owner early) but for now the Commanders top this list because there’s a new, seemingly patient owner in charge and a clear commitment to win while upending the poisonous culture that’s pervaded the beltway for years. … There’s an opportunity to land a franchise quarterback here, with potentially strong ownership, a fantastic fanbase dying for quality football and a new stadium potentially on deck. The Washington job is back to being wildly attractive.”

😃 Honorable mentions

• The Cubs signed Japanese left Shota Imanaga, the No. 42 free agent in this year’s class, per R.J. Anderson.
• The Heat and Erik Spoelstra agreed on an eight-year extension for $120 million, the largest coaching contract in NBA history. It’s well-deserved. He is terrific.
• The Steelers will keep rolling with Mason Rudolph.
• The Dolphins are looking for any and all answers for a pass rush, signing Justin Houston, Bruce Irvin and Malik Reed.
• The Marlins hired Rachel Balkovec as director of player development.
• Adonai Mitchell declared for the NFL Draft.
• The Flyers traded 2022 No. 5 pick Cutter Gauthier to the Ducks for Jamie Drysdale.

🏀 And not such a good morning for …

THE NO. 1 PURDUE BOILERMAKERS AND THE NO. 2 HOUSTON COUGARS

Hilton Coliseum — the Hilton House of Horrors — strikes again! There are no more undefeated teams in men’s college basketball after Iowa State took down No. 2 Houston, 57-53, in the Cougars’ first conference road game as a Big 12 program.

• Excellent freshman Milan Momcilovic hit a long fadeaway jumper to give the Cyclones the lead with under a minute left and hit a pair of free throws to seal the deal. Momcilovic (11 points) and Tamin Lipsey (14) were the hosts’ only double-digit scorers.
• Iowa State outscored Houston 18-8 from the free throw line and 17-6 off turnovers.
• It’s Iowa State’s 14th home win over a top-10 team since 2011-12. Only Kansas has more.

T.J. Otzelberger produces hard-nosed teams that don’t back down from anyone. This year’s squad is no different.

The Cougars shouldn’t feel too bad, though, because the only team ahead of them went down a few hours later. That’s right, No. 1 Purdue fell at Nebraska, 88-72. It’s the Cornhuskers’ fourth win ever over a No. 1 team, first since 1982 (at Missouri) and first at home since 1964 (vs. Michigan).

Nebraska made 14 of their 23 3-point attempts (61%) with ridiculously fun guard Keisei Tominaga making five. The Cornhuskers also did a terrific job on Zach Edey (15 points), using a variety of defenses and defenders against the reigning player of the year.

Missing the madness of college football? College basketball has you covered.

😕 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Season-ending NFL Power Rankings: Looking back to Week 1

It’s that time of the year again. Pete Prisco calls it “let’s-see-how-stupid-Pete-was day.” I’ll just call it “the NFL is really hard to predict.”

Pete released his final Power Rankings by comparing them to how they looked in Week 1, and there were some misses. Four initial top-10 teams that didn’t finish there are …

• Eagles (opened No. 2, finished No. 11)
• Bengals (opened No. 4, finished No. 17)
• Jaguars (opened No. 6, finished No. 15)
• Jets (opened No. 7, finished No. 26)

At least the Eagles are still in the playoffs, and the Bengals’ and Jets’ falls can be largely attributed to Joe Burrow‘s and Aaron Rodgers‘ respective injuries. Pete picked the Jaguars to go to the Super Bowl! And halfway through the season, that pick still looked solid. Then came the wretched finish. Sorry, Pete.

As for the four teams entering the top 10 this week who were outside of it to start …

• Lions (opened No. 15, finished No. 6)
• Dolphins (opened No. 11, finished No. 8)
• Rams (opened No. 31, finished No. 9)
• Packers (opened No. 14, finished No. 10)

🤔 What’s next for Jim Harbaugh, Washington and the first 12-team playoff?

Just yesterday, I told Michigan fans to enjoy their national championship and not worry about what happens next.

But when Dennis Dodd writes about Jim Harbaugh, I read it. And it goes in this newsletter. Will the enigmatic, charismatic coach carry on at his alma mater and potentially build a dynasty or look to add a Super Bowl trophy to his CFP Championship one? This is a fascinating story about motivation.

• Dodd: “Perhaps the biggest accomplishment was etching something else in stone: Harbaugh’s way works whether you like it or not. … I asked Harbaugh directly what boxes were left to check in his career after reaching the mountaintop on college football’s grandest stage. ‘That’ll check the biggest box,’ said Harbaugh … In his career, Harbaugh has resurrected Stanford, gotten to the big game with the San Francisco 49ers and spent nearly a decade waking the echoes at his alma mater. At age 60, having put at least a temporary stop to college football’s offensive revolution, the pros have to be the next stop, don’t they?”

Looking to the other sideline Monday, Kalen DeBoer has set a new standard at Washington, writes Chip Patterson, and returning to the CFP will be easier than ever before with the field expanding to 12. Will they make it, though, in their first year in the Big Ten? Barrett Sallee has his early 2024 CFP bracket prediction.

🏀 NBA Power Rankings: Bucks falling, Celtics hold strong

With the college football season and the NFL regular season both over, we’re going to be adding Colin Ward-Henninger’s excellent NBA Power Rankings to our weekly rotation, and while the Celtics continue to hold strong at No. 1, there’s a new team behind them: The Nuggets are 9-2 over their last 11 and have quietly surged to the No. 2 seed in the West.

The Pacers have also impressed and avoided disaster when Tyrese Haliburton was diagnosed with “only” a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He’ll be out for at least two weeks, but considering how bad/awkward the injury looked, that’s good news. Indiana is the biggest riser in the rankings, going from 24th to 11th.

A large part of that jump is two recent wins over the Bucks, who are heading in the wrong direction. Milwaukee was booed by its home fans in a loss to the Jazz, and Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’d boo, too. The Bucks fell from third to 14th, and Colin says “Something is rotten in Milwaukee.”

Here’s the top five:

1. Celtics (previous: 1)
2. Nuggets (4)
3. Knicks (8)
4. Thunder (6)
5. Mavericks (9)

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

🏒 Wild at Stars, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 7 North Carolina at NC State (M), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 15 Wisconsin at Ohio State (M), 8:30 p.m. on BTN
🏀 Butler at No. 11 Marquette (M), 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Nuggets at Jazz, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Golden Knights at Avalanche, 10 p.m. on TNT