You bring the can opener

The GIST: Early-season college volleyball drama gives way to the conference play grind this week. With surging viewership, all eyes are on the Power Four’s rosters. Each one has its own flavor of chaos, so let’s spin through the spiciest storylines being served up on conference courts:

Q: How will conference newbie No. 3 Stanford change the ACC’s power dynamics?

• The Cardinal powered through an ambitious pre-conference slate and now seems ready to challenge veterans No. 1 Pitt and No. 5 Louisville for the ACC crown. That said, cross-country travel fatigue could be their fiercest foe — it’s already humbled their elite women’s soccer squad.

Q: Who will step up in the Big 12 power vacuum that No. 8 Texas left behind?

• The Longhorns easily dominated the Big 12 last year — only Kansas State snagged a (notably fluke-y) upset. But now that Texas is in the SEC, the field is wide open, with No. 9 Kansas, No. 14 Arizona State, No. 17 BYU, and No. 19 Baylor all strong contenders.

Q: Will Texas find their groove in SEC play?

• Texas’ national title defense is off to a rocky start, with one humbling upset loss and a mid 2-2 record against ranked opponents so far. Can they storm the SEC to surge into the postseason, or will a new rival like No. 12 Kentucky turn a Longhorn three-peat into a longshot?

Q: Who has the stamina to survive the Big Ten?

• There are no nights off in the brutal Big Ten. Traditionally the sport’s toughest conference, nearly every matchup is a potential upset with major postseason consequences. Catch the first one tonight when No. 4 Penn State visits No. 10 Purdue at 7 p.m. ET on BTN.

The GIST: Burned out on Suits reruns? Don’t worry — the NCAA has more legal drama than you’ll ever want as forces like name, image, and likeness (NIL) earnings and conference realignment continue to reshape college sports. No can opener required.

The Pac-12 poaches Utah State: As part of their ongoing campaign to rise from the dead, the Pac-12 added their seventh full member on Monday: Utah State from the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Adding the Aggies brings them one school away from reaching the NCAA’s eight-team minimum. Cue Destiny’s Child.

• With Utah State’s desertion, the MWC is also down to seven teams — and could drop to six if the Pac-12 successfully recruits UNLV. To stay afloat, the MWC is offering big financial incentives to schools who stick around, triggering yesterday’s Pac-12 lawsuit. Messy.

Reggie Bush files NIL lawsuit: The former USC Trojan and NFL great sued the NCAA, Pac-12, and his alma mater on Monday over exploitative use of his NIL during his college days — a case similar to one filed by NC State’s 1983 men’s basketball team in June.

• This is Bush’s second active lawsuit against the NCAA: The other claims defamation regarding his Heisman Trophy debacle.

Tomorrow’s House v. NCAA hearing raises the stakes: Three weeks ago, the federal judge overseeing the landmark student-athlete revenue case sent the parties back to the drawing board to revise their settlement agreement before approval. They’ll take another crack at gaining her go-ahead in tomorrow’s follow-up hearing. Watch this space.

The GIST: Queue up vintage Katy Perry — it’s time for a midweek college sports heat check.

🔥 Michigan State women’s soccer: Thanks to a program-best 8-0-2 (wins, losses, draws) start and a Top-10 weekend dub over conference rival Penn State, Michigan State has captured the poll’s top spot for the first time ever. Welcome to the (S)party!

❄️ Booing athletes: NCAA football reporter Joe Rexrode speculates that NIL has led college gridiron fans to perceive student-athletes as semi-pro — making them suddenly more likely to boo their own team’s players. It doesn’t come close to the abuse that sports betting brought on student-athletes, but it’s still not the vibe.

❓ Heisman contender Quinn Ewers: After suffering an abdominal injury in Week 3, No. 1 Texas’ starting quarterback is still questionable ahead of their Saturday matchup against Mississippi State. That means the game’s most famous backup, Arch Manning, could start under center in the Longhorns’ SEC debut. No pressure.

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