JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are going with quarterback Nick Foles over rookie sensation Gardner Minshew.

Coach Doug Marrone made the announcement Tuesday, saying Foles is ready to return from a broken left collarbone and will start next week at Indianapolis.

The Jaguars (4-5) have a bye week before then. Marrone said following Sunday's 26-3 loss to Houston in London that he would take some time before deciding whether to go with Foles or Minshew. The coach needed less than 48 hours to make the call.

Foles was injured while throwing a 35-yard touchdown pass to DJ Chark on the second series of the team's season opener. Minshew replaced him and went 4-4 as the starter, throwing for 2,285 yards, with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also ran for 235 yards but has lost seven of 11 fumbles.

Foles signed a four-year, $88 million contract with Jacksonville in March.

Jacksonville waived linebacker Malcolm Smith to make room on the 53-man roster for Foles, who returned to practice two weeks ago.

This edition of the NBA mailbag features questions on the effects of preseason travel to Asia, a difficult early schedule and spot free throw shooting.

You can tweet your questions using the hashtag #peltonmailbag or email them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

"Is traveling to Asia during the preseason to blame for slow starts by the Kings, Nets, Pacers and Rockets?"

-- Chris R.

Starting with this question from one of our editors because it's something I've been curious about during the first two weeks of the season. So far, only the injury-riddled Golden State Warriors have underperformed their preseason projections using ESPN's real plus-minus more than the 1-5 Kings and the Rockets, who are 4-3 but have been outscored by 3.8 points per game. Meanwhile, the 3-4 Nets and 3-3 Pacers have also started slower than expected.

To try to answer this question based on historical data, I looked at a pair of factors:

1. How well teams that have traveled to Asia have done compared with their preseason over/under win totals.

2. How their performance early in the schedule -- evaluated by point differential adjusted for opponent and location -- compared with the course of the full season.

The latter looks at whether there's a jet-lag/fatigue effect after returning, the former at whether that hurt the team's overall record.

Historically, the answer is no. Over the past decade, 20 teams have played preseason games in Asia, mostly in China. As a group, these teams have played almost exactly to their preseason over/under totals, going under by an average of 0.3 wins. And their performance over the first five, 10 and 20 games -- as well as the first half of the season -- has exceeded their season-long results.

That said, we still want to monitor whether shortening the NBA preseason has made travel more difficult. Starting in 2017-18, the league shaved about a week off the period from the start of training camp through opening night, and over the past two years, the four teams that played preseason games in China have gone under by an average of 4.3 wins. Meanwhile, three of the four have gotten off to relatively slow starts through their first 10 games, with the 2017-18 Warriors -- healthy at the start of the season before dealing with injuries later -- being the lone exception.

There's also the question of whether travel to India might be more taxing than playing in East Asia, and our sample size there is solely two teams thus far. But it's also tempting to succumb to confirmation bias, where slow starts by teams that played preseason in Asia are held up as evidence of the effect and strong starts by other teams (the Lakers and Raptors, both among the 11 teams most outperforming their RPM projections) are ignored.

A broader question but is there any evidence of a frontloaded/backloaded/evenly distributed strength of schedule being beneficial or detrimental? (If you're reading this Seth, apologies for double timing you) #peltonmailbag

— EuanDewar (@EuanDewar) October 30, 2019

Staying on the subject of early-season schedule/performance, I'd say the conventional wisdom is that it's preferable to have an easy schedule early on to build confidence, whereas a tough schedule can discourage teams. And there doesn't really appear to be any evidence for this over the past decade.

Again, I've rated schedule strength relative to the full season over the first five, 10 and 20 games as well as the first half of the schedule. There's no relationship between any of those measures and how well teams perform compared with their preseason over/under total. The schedule really does seem to even out no matter how it's distributed.

There is a modest relationship between having a tougher schedule in the second half of the season and having a better record. But there's a simple explanation for this: The national TV schedule is backloaded with good teams playing one another after the NFL season ends, so there's actually a stronger relationship between the preseason total -- a measure of presumed ability entering the season -- and a more difficult second-half schedule.

"Your model has Dallas as a playoff team, but it seems a lot of other pundits who did not have the Mavericks in the postseason are higher on their playoff chances through four games. Is this small-sample-size theater?"

Yes and no. If the question is strictly whether we learn that much from teams based on their first four games, the answer is no. Performance over the first four games of the season explains about 35% of the variation in winning percentage over the full season, which is to say still not very much. A team's preseason win projection, for example, explains about 60% of the variation in their final record. It takes almost 15 games for performance to date to become as predictive.

Based on this track record, if you thought Dallas was a .500 team entering the season, the way the Mavericks have started should add only a couple of wins to their final estimate -- probably not enough to make them a likely playoff team.

At the same time, I'd guess people who have rethought the Mavericks' outlook are probably also taking into account the fact that statistical projections were higher on Dallas entering the season. If you've decided that the first handful of games back up those more optimistic preseason expectations, then it's perfectly reasonable to recalibrate after only a few games.

"To continue the free throw conversation, I've always thought it odd that no matter where a player gets fouled, he then has to or gets to take uncontested shots from 15 feet. What about taking a soccer-like approach and giving players one uncontested shot from the spot of the foul (and still shoot from the FT line for non-shooting fouls). Seems like this would cut down on the intentional fouls near the basket and not "punish" bigs like Andre Drummond for getting fouled shooting near the rim. I'm sure there's a reason not to do it but wanted your thoughts."

-- Matt Jasinski

A number of people had similar responses to last week's mailbag on the topic of shooting one free throw for all points and whether shooting fouls on 3-pointers should yield two free throws instead of three.

Certainly, an uncontested shot from the spot of the foul makes sense for jumpers. I'd guess the conversion rate on 3s would be fairly similar to what we see in the 3-point contest, where the best shooters in the league typically make a little better than half of their attempts. That would put us in the sweet spot where a foul is clearly better than a contested attempt but not so valuable as to make those calls huge game-changers.

Finding that sweet spot around the basket would be more challenging. Soccer solves this with penalty kicks rather than free kicks inside the box, but I'm not quite sure how you'd handle where the player shoots from and where other players line up for a possible rebound in basketball.

If you did it strictly like a soccer free kick where other players can't be within a certain distance, that would seem to guarantee two points for any foul near the basket. That might not be the worst thing in terms of taking away semi-intentional fouls on those players, but it would encourage offensive players to do everything possible to draw a foul.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Mike Smeriglio III, a four-time NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship winning car owner with driver Doug Coby, has announced his retirement.

Smeriglio has worked with Coby since 2014 and together the pair have practically owned the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.

The combination have won 19 races together, five driver championships for Coby and four owner championships for Smeriglio. Last month the pair claimed the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour title again, Coby’s sixth series championship since 2012.

Smeriglio said in an article that appeared on the NASCAR HomeTracks website that his decision to retire has nothing to do with his love of motorsports.

“It doesn’t have to do with anything in racing,” said Smeriglio, who is the first team owner in NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour history to claim four owner championships. “I’ve been a NASCAR owner for the last 21 years — eight years in the SK Modified level at Stafford (Motor Speedway), then the Whelen Modified Tour. It’s very emotional. But I’m glad it’s emotional —  because it’s not an easy decision. My heart wants to race, but my head is saying that my other priorities mean more to me now.  I want to be available to spend time with my wife of 33 years, my adult children and son in laws. Our time together is precious.”

According to the article on NASCAR HomeTracks, Coby has not yet landed a ride for the upcoming season as he pursues his seventh series championship. He does, however, have a sponsor as Mayhew Tools has committed to follow him wherever he goes.

“I’m really happy for him that he accomplished everything he set-out to accomplish in racing and I love him and his family,” Coby said. “What we accomplished as a team probably won’t be replicated anytime soon — if ever. There is a huge sense of gratitude for him picking me to drive the car and giving us everything we needed.”

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – Joe Gibbs Racing has named Riley Herbst as the full-time driver of the No. 18 Toyota Supra in the NASCAR Xfinity Series beginning next season.

Herbst made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at Iowa Speedway in 2018 and finished seventh. Herbst has eight races under his belt in 2019, earning three top-10 finishes and has one more opportunity to secure his first win this season when he climbs in the No. 18 Supra at ISM Raceway on Nov. 9 before turning his attention to next season.

“I’m very excited to compete full time next season in the Xfinity Series in the iconic No. 18,” said Herbst. “I’ve enjoyed the transition to the Xfinity car this season, learned a ton and look forward to continuing to learn next season and improve each and every week. I’m eager to get started and have Monster Energy back with me and can’t wait for Daytona.”

Monster Energy, ORCA Coolers, and Terrible’s will continue their relationship with Herbst and move to the Xfinity Series with him.

“Monster Energy is super pumped to continue with Riley,” said Mitch Covington, VP of Sports Marketing Monster Energy. “He has been a Monster man his whole life and we are really proud of him. We are looking forward to a great career with Riley and excited to be with the Gibbs stable in Xfinity.”

The Las Vegas, Nev., native started his career at Joe Gibbs Racing in 2017 as part of the driver development program and competing in the ARCA Menards Series. In his first season with JGR, Herbst missed the season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway due to his 18th birthday falling a few days after the race, but competed in the remaining 19 races where he scored one win, six top-five finishes and 10 top-10 finishes.

Continuing to compete in the ARCA Menards Series, Herbst has made 47 starts in the series, earning one win, 16 top-five finishes, 30 top-10 finishes and has led 310 laps. Herbst has also competed in a limited number of Camping World Truck Series races for Kyle Busch Motorsports throughout the 2018 and 2019 season.

Prior to joining JGR’s driver development program, Herbst competed full-time in the NASCAR K&N West Series in 2016 and a limited number of races in 2017, garnering 16 starts with a career-best finish of third on four different occasions.

“Riley (Herbst) has been a part of Joe Gibbs Racing for three years through the ARCA program and now the Xfinity Series,” said Steve DeSouza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for Joe Gibbs Racing. “Each week Riley shows improvement and growth, whether it is in the Xfinity Series Supra, the ARCA Series Camry or even the Toyota Tundra’s at KBM. Riley continues to work hard on gaining experience and becoming more comfortable behind the wheel and I think next year will be no different as he competes full time for Rookie of the Year, race wins, and the Xfinity Series championship.”

The crew chief for the No. 18 Toyota Supra will be announced at a later date.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has denied reports he wants Gareth Bale to leave the club in January, and said he is counting on his involvement "until the end of the season."

Bale has been linked with Manchester City in a cash-plus-player exchange that would see Raheem Sterling move to Madrid.

- Champions League group stage: All you need to know
- ESPN Champions League fantasy: Sign up now!

The Wales international's future has also been the subject of speculation since Zidane called on him to leave in the summer, although he has since backtracked on those comments.

"Some people have said I want Bale to leave," Zidane told a news conference ahead of Madrid's Champions League game with Galatasaray at the Bernabeu on Wednesday.

"But no-one can put false words into my mouth. I want him here all season. He wants to do well with Real Madrid."

Reacting to the reports of a swap deal with Sterling, Zidane replied: "I don't get involved in what the press say. My relationship with Bale is good. Nothing has happened with Bale and I, even when he was going to leave."

Bale was called up to the Wales national team on Tuesday morning which sparked controversy in Madrid, because he has not featured for the club since picking up an injury during the last international break.

"At the moment he's not ready to play," Zidane added. "If his country calls him up, they have a right to pick him. We'll see this week if he's ready for the national team, but the shame is he's not ready for us yet."

One player who will be available against Galatasaray is Marcelo, who in recent days has said that he suffered from anxiety before the 2018 Champions League final.

"There will always be pressure," Marcelo said. "It's the price you pay for playing for the biggest club in the world. It's a big responsibility. In any job you can have anxiety. I wanted to say that we're all the same, we have problems at work, problems at home."

New York City coach Domenec Torrent is set to leave his post at the Major League Soccer club despite having another year to run on his contract, various sources have told ESPN FC.

Torrent, 57, topped the Eastern Conference with NYCFC this year but there has been uncertainty about his future since the defeat to Toronto FC in the playoffs in October.

- Stream MLS games LIVE on ESPN+
- MLS Cup playoffs 2019: All you need to know

Speaking after that game, he hinted that he would not remain in charge for next season, although no decision had been made at that time.

Sources have now told ESPN FC that Torrent has decided to bring an end to his time in charge of NYCFC. He will communicate his intentions to the club's owners in the coming days.

The same sources said that he has drawn interest from a number of other MLS clubs and could choose to remain in North America. The same sources deemed his experience "extraordinary." He also has options in the Middle East to carry on his coaching career.

The Catalan coach took over at Yankee Stadium in 2018 following more than a decade on Pep Guardiola's staff at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City. He replaced Patrick Vieira.

He led NYCFC -- who, like Man City, are owned by the City Football Group -- to the Eastern Conference in 2019 playing an attractive brand of football. However, they fell at the first hurdle in the playoffs.

"Believe me, it's not important," he told reporters after the Toronto defeat when asked if he would still be in charge for the 2020 campaign.

"They are ready for another coach, because they are a group, a big group. They are ready. But don't worry. If Patrick is not here, it's Dome. If Dome is not here, it's another coach."

Toronto went on to beat Atlanta United in the Conference Finals and will meet Seattle Sounders for the MLS Cup on Nov. 10 at CenturyLink Field.

The 2019-20 Champions League is heating up at the halfway point of the group stage, with plenty of issues for the major contenders and no team really standing out above the rest. How does everyone rate with three games left between now and the round of 16? ESPN's Gab Marcotti assesses the entire 32-team field to see where every team sits heading into the stretch.

Group A

Paris Saint-Germain: first place, nine points

Despite early injuries to Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe, they've been close to flawless thus far, with the highlight being a 3-0 rout of Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes. Grade: A

Real Madrid: second place, four points

Awful in Paris during Matchday One and possibly worse at home against Bruges, when they came from two goals down. Victory away to Galatasaray was huge and keeps them pointing in the right direction. Grade: D

Club Brugge: third place, two points

They've only lost once all season long in all competitions but will rue their failure to capitalise on a home tie with Galatasaray (it finished 0-0). Meanwhile, wasting a two-goal lead at the Bernabeu could cost them dearly. Grade: B

Galatasaray: fourth place, one point

They've been poor in the league and poor in Europe. Zero points from their two home games thus far means they'll need a minor miracle if they are to advance. Grade: D

Group B

Bayern Munich: first place, nine points

That huge 7-2 away win over Tottenham papered over a number of cracks but they're three for three so far in group play, which means they can worry about manager Niko Kovac's successor rather than the Round of 16. Grade: B

Tottenham Hotspur: second place, four points

Spurs have been a model of unpredictability and inconsistency, but thankfully so have the other sides in the group. Grade: C

Red Star Belgrade: third place, three points

They were heavily beaten in two of their three outings but do control their destiny and have two home games coming up. Grade: D

Olympiacos: fourth place, one point

Still dominant in Greece, but the Champions League is another matter. Defeats to Bayern and Red Star have narrowed their expectations but two road games up next against Bayern and Spurs mean it's do-or-die time. Grade: F

Group C

Manchester City: first place, nine points

They're a perfect three for three though it took them a while to get going and seal victory in their last two games, at home no less. You have to assume there's more to come. Grade: B

Dinamo Zagreb: second place, four points

One of the surprise packages thus far, dominating Atalanta at home and grabbing a huge away point to Shakhtar Donetsk. Grade: A

Shakhtar Donetsk, third place, four points

Everything hinges on their trip to Zagreb in midweek, which is pretty much a qualification-playoff. That said, they've done little to impress thus far. Grade: C

Atalanta: fourth place, zero points

Flopped in the opener, were naive at home to Shakhtar and matched up poorly with City. They deserve kudos for their brand of football, but execution matters too. Grade: F

Group D

Juventus: first place, seven points

They've been more consistent in terms of results than performances so far in Europe, scraping past Lokomotiv Moscow but thumping Bayer Leverkusen, but that's understandable with a new boss in charge. Still solidly on track. Grade: B

Atletico Madrid: second place, seven points

Another team trying to find their identity, like Juventus they've made their experience count without dazzling yet. Grade: B

Lokomotiv Moscow: third place, three points

Their away win at Leverkusen was huge but they were seriously outplayed by Atletico and Juventus. Need to step it up starting this week. Grade: C+

Bayer Leverkusen: fourth place, zero points

Stuttering in the Bundesliga and unable to get off the mark in Europe. Their Champions League campaign will likely end this week. Grade: F

Group E

Napoli: first place, seven points

They've been markedly better in Europe than in Serie A of late. Victory in Salzburg was huge and gives them ample margin for error. Grade: A+

Liverpool: second place, six points

The defending champions were beaten in Naples and given a scare at Anfield, but victory over Genk plus two home games coming up means they are in good shape. Grade: C

FC Salzburg: third place, three points

They've put in tremendous effort and goal-scoring prowess to rattle the big boys but when you concede nine goals in three games, it's all uphill. Need two wins from next two away games to have a shot. Grade: A-

Genk: fourth place, one point

They're hanging on by a thread in the Champions League but given how poorly their domestic season has unfolded, it should not be a surprise, Grade: D

Group F

Barcelona: first place, seven points

The Spanish champions clearly struggled for long stretches in each of their three group games, which means their seven points are max result with minimum effort. Despite their strong standing, they're not out of the woods yet by any stretch. Grade: C-

Inter Milan: second place, four points

Antonio Conte's side haven't shown much consistency at all. Despite impressive periods at Camp Nou and against Dortmund, they've also displayed defensive flimsiness at times. Grade: C+

Borussia Dortmund: third place, four points

Plagued by injuries up front and drifting in the Bundesliga, they arguably haven't played well since the visit of Barca, a 0-0 game they should have won. Grade: C

Slavia Prague: fourth place, one point

Unfancied at the start, they've kept it close in every game. It shows what you can do with a clear plan, even if your wage bill is a fraction of the competition's. Grade: B+

Group G

RB Leipzig: first place, six points

Things are coming together for Julian Nagelsmann and his high-risk/high-reward approach has rattled opponents, regardless of results. Grade: A-

Zenit St. Petersburg: second place, four points

They're pretty much on schedule thus far and have been competitive in every game. Their next two group stage games are at home, offering an excellent chance to lock up a place in the knockout round. Grade: B

Olympique Lyon: third place, four points

Their poor domestic form cost Sylvinho his job but in Europe they've done OK and have arguably played better than their results. Grade: B

Benfica: fourth place, three points

They beat Lyon against the run of play to stay alive after losing their first two games, but it's all uphill now with consecutive road matches. Grade: C-

Group H

Chelsea, first place, six points

They really should be three for three given the way they performed in all three games. Frank Lampard's youngsters have risen to the occasion in Europe as well as in the Premier League. Grade: A

Ajax: second place, six points

Don't let gaudy results in their first two outings against Lille and Valencia (both 3-0 wins) fool you: Ajax have been very much up and down and they face the prospect of back-to-back road games. Grade: B-

Valencia: third place, four points

Have struggled of late, both domestically and in Europe, but it's still very much in their own hands. The fixture list, with both Chelsea and Lille to visit the Mestalla, also favours them. Grade: C+

Lille: fourth place, one point

They were really unlucky against Valencia and Ajax, but the reality is that they'll probably need to win the rest of their games to advance. Grade: C+

Aaron Finch and Lauren Winfield will captain Northern Superchargers in The Hundred next year.

Australia white-ball captain Finch, who has has played for seven different teams in the IPL plus Melbourne Renegades in the BBL and had stints at Surrey and Yorkshire, will lead the likes of Ben Stokes, Ben Foakes, Adil Rashid, David Willey and Chris Lynn in the new competition after he was a first-round pick in last month's player draft for Superchargers head coach Darren Lehmann.

Also read: ESPNcricinfo throw down gauntlet for Darren Lehmann at The Hundred mock draft

"I think we have an excellent side with a good mixture of quality English cricketers and some match-winning overseas stars and I'm very confident of our chances when The Hundred kicks off next summer," Finch said.

"It's such an honour to be asked to captain the men's team. Obviously, I know Darren Lehmann really well and we understand how we both want to go about it. You can't underestimate the importance of that. I've also had some good times up at Yorkshire and I look forward to seeing the fans again.

"We've got a really great spine with the likes of Adam Lyth, Adil Rashid and David Willey, and they know what it takes to win games of cricket up at Headingley. Then you add in the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Chris Lynn and it gets pretty exciting. I just can't wait to meet the guys next summer and have that first net."

Lehmann said: "I think we've picked a great team and I'm really excited to see what Aaron and I can do with the group. He is a world-class cricketer and a superb leader."

Winfield, a member of England's 2017 World Cup-winning side, has previously captained Yorkshire Diamonds in the Kia Super League and she has represented Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers in the WBBL. She will play alongside compatriot Linsey Smith and Australian star Alyssa Healy at the Superchargers with women's head coach Danielle Hazell to fill her squad by May 30.

"It's all very exciting for everyone involved and I can't wait to get out on the field next year and hopefully help lead the team to success," Winfield said.

"Dani Hazell and I are busy working away to sign up the rest of our team. We want to try and keep a core of players together and add players who we believe can move us forward. It's a bit like playing Football Manager, trying to fill the teams with the right players and tick the right boxes but I know that the Superchargers are going to be a team that the other sides won't fancy coming up against."

Hazell said: "Having spent many years playing with Lauren I know she has what it takes to be a great captain for the Superchargers. She's played and thrived in some of the highest-profile matches and arenas our sport has to offer, which bodes well for the first season of The Hundred and beyond."

Calling his Twitter outburst "totally out of character," former Cleveland Browns safety Jermaine Whitehead apologized on his Instagram account Tuesday for his profanity-laced and threatening comments on social media following Sunday's loss at Denver.

View this post on Instagram

?? I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for my actions following our game with Denver. That was totally out of character for me. I do not justify my actions, but was extremely frustrated with the way I had played and our team losing because of it. I was playing with a broken hand, but that is no excuse for my actions, and I am deeply regretful. I want to personally apologize to anyone who I offended, especially those who I was responsive to on Twitter. My choice of words did not reflect who I am, but only what I was feeling. Also, my sincerest apologies to my teammates, coaches, the Browns organization and most of all, the fans and kids that motivate me to even pursue this dream. Again I am deeply sorry for my unacceptable behavior, and I wish the Browns the best of luck in the future. I love you!

A post shared by Jermaine Whitehead (@j2whitehead) on Nov 5, 2019 at 4:56am PST

The Browns waived Whitehead in response to his social media rant Monday morning.

Shortly after the game in Denver ended, Whitehead responded on Twitter to those who had criticized his play, including to former NFL player Dustin Fox, who appears on a postgame show for the Browns' radio network.

In response to Fox's criticism, Whitehead wrote, "Come get it in blood b---- made ass lil boy. I'm out there with a broke hand .. don't get smoked ... "

Whitehead also wrote, "Imma kill you b----.. that's on blood" to another Twitter user.

Whitehead's Twitter account was suspended before he'd even left the visiting locker room. He declined to take questions from reporters.

Whitehead, 26, is in his fourth NFL season after going undrafted out of Auburn in 2015. The Browns claimed him on waivers in November 2018, one day after the Green Bay Packers released him following an ejection for slapping an opponent in the face mask.

"Jermaine Whitehead's social media posts following today's game were totally unacceptable and highly inappropriate," a Browns spokesperson said in a statement Sunday night.

Browns safety Morgan Burnett, who also played with Whitehead in Green Bay, said Monday he hoped the safety could find outside support.

"We're going to miss him because that was a guy that played a lot of snaps for us, a guy that was a good teammate in the locker room. I just feel like it was a situation where his emotions got the best of him," Burnett said. "We're going to miss him, but I think for me personally because I played with him in Green Bay, I take it past football and it's just something where I just want to pray for him, wish him the best and get the help that he needs and pray that he gets back on his feet.

"But as a team, just outside of football, just as a bond of brothers, we're going to miss him."

Burnett, however, said he understood that the Browns couldn't tolerate Whitehead's posts.

"We all have to do a job," he said. "We all are held accountable and held to a certain standard no matter where we are within the organization. They stand behind the brand and I think that's just part of being a professional. You have to carry yourself a certain way even at times when you feel like your buttons are being pushed, you still have young people, young kids looking up to us and watching everything we say and the way we move.''

As the first official College Football Playoff ranking is revealed on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN App), so begins the annual hand-wringing over which team -- and conference -- will be left out. With only four teams in the current system, which is entering its sixth season of a 12-year contract, at least one Power 5 conference champion will be excluded, continuing to fuel the discussions about expansion.

Thirty Power 5 coaches think the College Football Playoff should expand, with the most support coming from the Big Ten and Big 12, according to an ESPN.com survey this past offseason of 62 of the 65 head coaches. The survey included Notre Dame's Brian Kelly, while three other coaches -- LSU's Ed Orgeron, Alabama's Nick Saban and UCLA's Chip Kelly -- declined interviews through school spokespeople.

The coaches don't have the power to change the system -- that's in the hands of the university presidents, 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick. The coaches, though, are the ones tasked with winning the CFP. Here's where they stand on the current system, conference championship games, the selection committee and scheduling:

Should the field expand to eight (or more) teams?

With nine of its 14 coaches in favor of expansion, the Big Ten had the most overwhelming support, possibly reflective of the fact its conference champion has been left out of the top four in each of the past three seasons.

Gus Malzahn, Auburn: I'm a former high school football coach, and I think eight teams, I think you'll see that in the future. I don't know how quick.

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State: There should be eight. If you win your conference, there's five of us, you win that, you're in. Then the Central Floridas of the world, the Boises of the world, who are 12-0, or whoever is the highest-ranked team, they should be in. As it sits right now, there's not ever a school at that level that's going to get in the playoff. Not gonna happen. You had Central Florida go 12-0 twice. And they didn't get in, so that proves it's not gonna happen. If Central Florida were to get in, you take them and you play them against the No. 4 team. You don't put them against the No. 1 team. Let's just say if they come in as the 8 they play the 4. That way it will be a more exciting and competitive game for the country to watch on TV.

Scott Frost, Nebraska: Yes, it should expand. Any sport [where] a championship can be decided by a committee in a room, it's subjective and is not the right sport to me. Gymnastics would frustrate the crap outta me. People love the Cinderella, they love Loyola of Chicago in the basketball tournament or Butler.

It should come as no surprise the most opposition to expansion came from the SEC, where nine coaches continued to praise the system in which their league has been included in every season of its existence. "I think it works," Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. "It's better than it was during the BCS. Being at four, it allows us to get to a real champion."

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: No. I don't know what we've gained by expanding it other than the obvious, financial [reasons]. It's almost become an industry, this whole playoff deal. I don't know how the game of football is any better right now. I'm not sure we've gotten a truer champion. What I don't like about the playoff system is that there's kind of a pull that if you're not in that final four, what you're doing really doesn't matter that much. It takes away from a lot of really good experiences that are going on in college football. I think we're creating a mentality that, to me, takes away from what the game is all about.

Dabo Swinney, Clemson: Everybody focuses on the playoff games and the national championship. The way we have it right now, every game we have, especially once we were positioned, every game was a playoff game. Every game. Duke was a playoff game. South Carolina was a playoff game. Pitt was a playoff game. We have layers of playoffs. The more you expand, the less the season matters, especially if a team so-called already in the playoff, well now you're going to have people not playing guys, just like you have in all these other sports. All of a sudden games don't matter because everybody is just playing for the playoff and they're in. What we have is the best of both worlds.

Dino Babers, Syracuse: If it expands, I think it gives a huge advantage to the traditional powers. If you want a Cinderella team to win it one of these times, you can't have a Cinderella team going against traditional powers more than two weeks in a row. If it's three weeks, or four weeks of contests, it's going to be so physical, there's going to be so much carnage going on, that a team that doesn't have a lot of depth will never win it.

The Jim Harbaugh playoff plan

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has clearly put some thought into expanding the playoff.

"I came up with my own structure," he said this past spring. "I can take a picture of it and send it to you."

And so the Harbaugh Plan emerged: 15 games, 11 teams, starting with each Power 5 conference champion, determined within a 12-game regular season by conference record and tiebreakers, similar to how the NFL chooses its division winners. He then suggests using the BCS system to rank teams 6-11 to determine the rest of the field.

The No. 1 seed would be the highest-ranking BCS Power 5 champion. The No. 1 and 2 seeds get a bye. There's also room for a top-ranked, non-Power 5 team like Notre Dame, and a worthy Group of 5 champion. On the first Saturday of December, instead of playing conference championship games, the playoff begins.

Here's how the field would have shaped up, based on the 2018 season, on his phone-photographed bracket:

"To play each other, to have tiebreakers, within those 12 games, you should be able to determine who your conference champion is," he said. "If you don't have the conference championship games, then you can expand your playoff to at least eight."

To have won it all last year under the Harbaugh Plan, Clemson would have played a total of 15 games, ending with the national championship on Jan. 7.

"You'd still have the same bowl structure that you have now, and teams that lost on Dec. 1, it's like they would've been in a championship game and then they play in a bowl game," he said. "Nobody would play 16 games."

Do coaches believe the process is transparent?

Washington State coach Mike Leach, whose team finished No. 13 at 10-2 last season, is skeptical.

Mike Leach, Washington State: No. No. The purest evidence that you can't trust them to get it right is the fact we weren't in the top eight last year. In the end you look at the votes, and it pretty well reflected where the members of the committee were from.

Mack Brown, North Carolina: I trust them more than the computers because they've got eyes. I've always said the computer wasn't at the game. They don't see who's hurt, they don't see the emotion. The committee's got an impossible job of pleasing everybody but I think they've done the best possible job to this point.

Gary Patterson, TCU: I don't think anybody trusts them. I don't mean that in a bad way, but the people you have on it, I don't trust anybody to recruit for me. If I just followed all of the recruiting services I'd be fired by now.

Pat Narduzzi, Pitt: I think they've done a good job the last few years of getting the right teams in there. All you have to do is get the one right team. There's one best team; there's three other teams that are going to take a shot and swing at 'em.

The Big Ten had the highest percentage (57%) of coaches who said they didn't understand the ranking system.

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: No. I do not. I thought I knew and I don't believe I know now.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State: You certainly understand it a lot better than the coaches poll or the media poll. At least there's somebody explaining the why to it.

James Franklin, Penn State: No, nobody does. Each year it looks like there are different variables that are going to factor in because there are different people sitting in the room. That's going to happen. One person is going to have a bias toward one thing. It's natural. Somebody will have a bias towards another, and some people are going to feel like this is a more important metric.

Herm Edwards, Arizona State: I don't know why people would even want to be on that. It's always going to get second-guessed. They gather information, and they try to figure out the scheduling. That's hard. They can never be right. They won't ever satisfy all of the fan bases, but they get that. They do the best they can.

Should you have to win your league to be eligible?

This question was based on the current system, in which the value of a conference championship has been called into question after both Alabama and Ohio State have landed in the top four without winning their leagues. "The only league that really matters if they have a championship game is the SEC, and it's because of money," said TCU coach Gary Patterson. "Everybody else it doesn't make any difference."

Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia: No I don't, because the current Power 5 conferences in any given year are playing at different levels. Sometimes a conference champion isn't as good as a second-place team in another league.

Lovie Smith, Illinois: Yes I do. I thought that when Penn State won it and didn't go. I think as a general rule, if you're the champion of one of the major conferences, yes you should go. Why do we have conferences anyway if you're not going to let the champion go there?

Tom Herman, Texas: Our conference, you can go 12-0 and your starting quarterback rolls his ankle in the conference title game and you stub your toe and you don't recover from it, and you're not rewarded with anything. Being your conference championship game winner should factor in, but I don't think it should be a requirement nor should the winner be an automatic bid in this form of playoff system.

Should all Power 5 schools have to play the same type of schedule?

There is even more backing across the country for uniform scheduling than for expanding the playoff, with the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12 providing the strongest support (29/36).

Manny Diaz, Miami: Someone's got to become the mighty commissioner and force everyone to do the same thing. Everyone has the ability to do what's best for them right now.

Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee: I worry a little bit about getting rid of the old rivalries. It's already now in the SEC, you're not guaranteed as a student-athlete, if you come to Tennessee you're not guaranteed to play at Texas A&M in a four-year period. By not being able to do that, it possibly eliminates some of the experience, or somebody coming to play at Neyland Stadium. But I do think from a conference standpoint I think we have a great system in what we use to determine a champion, and I think it's fair.

Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech: I'd hate for us to go too far down that road because I do think what makes college football special is hosting teams from either your region or other parts of the country on your campus or traveling to another campus. That's a unique experience. It's very hard to make uniform rules for a group of people that are completely non-uniform. Our leagues are not the same, our regions are not the same.

Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma: Yes. Absolutely. I'd love to see us get to a point where every league, their conference championship game is 1 vs. 2. I think that's healthier for the sport. To me if you're going to do divisions, everybody needs to do divisions. If you're not going to do divisions, everyone needs to do 1 vs. 2. That's what creates the best conference championship games and the most valuable [résumé] the committee can evaluate on somewhat of an even playing field.

And what about Notre Dame?

Steve Addazio, Boston College: Notre Dame? I think they need to get in a conference. That's not college football's problem. That's Notre Dame's problem. I coached there, I have no ill feelings, I think it's a wonderful, fabulous place. But they choose to remain independent because of the revenue stream. I get that. But it can't work all ways. So then does the conference championship matter, or does it not matter? Which one is it?

Pat Narduzzi, Pitt: Why does Notre Dame get into the playoff if they didn't play in a championship game? They've got one foot in the door in the ACC. How come they didn't have to go beat Clemson like we had to at a certain point?

Brian Kelly, Notre Dame: If you're going to be independent, that means you're going to go around the country and play the best teams. You're not going to be independent to play the teams that don't matter. That's our challenge and that's why we've accepted that. [Athletic director] Jack [Swarbrick] and I have already had that discussion. We would, in fact, play a 13th game so we could eliminate that narrative that, 'Let's keep all things equal.' We would schedule a team met the test across the board in our schedules. We would back that statement up.

How many games is too many?

We asked coaches whether their players could handle 16 games. This was one of the most difficult questions for them to answer. Some compared it to the NFL; others said they would have to change the way they practice, and other routines, to make it happen.

Mario Cristobal, Oregon: I think so. I figure there has to be some reprieve on either the front end or the back end. I'll never forget this, this hit me like a ton of bricks: We win the national championship [when Cristobal was an assistant] at Alabama, we get on the plane, and we're on our way back, it's a happy moment, and as soon as we get off the plane, the academic coordinator hands out class schedules for that next day. Congratulations, you have to be up at 6 in the morning. They understand their responsibilities, they get it, but at some point they need to catch their breath. I think it would have to be a true analysis of the entire calendar and where is the relief, where is the reprieve when you put together something like that?

Chris Klieman, Kansas State: No. I really don't. I think that's extremely hard. If you could get to 14, that would be doable. Even 15... 14, I think, would be the most that kids could probably handle.

Geoff Collins, Georgia Tech: I think so. I think we would have to adjust. We're a big user of the data analytics and the wearable technologies. I think we would make educated decisions on how to manage their chronic workload like we do now. It would just be taken up another level, monitoring that and making sure we're taking care of our players' health.