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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. <\/em>You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here<\/em><\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n The second major of the year is just one day away. The 156 best golfers from across the PGA Tour, PGA of America and LIV Golf will begin play at Aronimink Golf Club on Thursday morning in search of the Wanamaker Trophy. The PGA Championship gets underway at 6:45 a.m. ET when the first group (Braden Shattuck, Alex Fitzpatrick <\/strong>and Ben Griffin<\/strong>) tees off. Check out the rest of the Round 1 tee times and groupings<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n Of course, not everyone in the massive field has real expectations of winning one of golf’s biggest tournaments. There’s a large handful of legitimate contenders, though, and our Patrick McDonald ranked the 26 best<\/a><\/span>. Three of the top four are past winners, including two-time champion Rory McIlroy<\/strong>. <\/p>\n If McIlroy is to secure his second major win of the year and third PGA Championship title, he will have to overcome a blister on his right pinky toe. The issue popped up at last week’s Truist Championship and led him to end his Tuesday practice round<\/a><\/span> after just three holes. <\/p>\n Neither McDonald nor Robby Kalland are riding with any of the aforementioned top five players in the tournament in the expert picks<\/a><\/span>, though. Instead, they are both on Ludvig \u00c5berg<\/strong>, who enters play at 20-1 to hoist the trophy. <\/p>\n Here are a few more items that will help you prepare for the PGA Championship: <\/p>\n The NCAA basketball tournaments are expanding, and the College Football Playoff might be right behind it. The next iteration of March Madness will feature a 76-team bracket, and all indications suggest this year’s CFP will be the last of the 12-team model. Increased access to the postseason benefits numerous leagues and schools, but not everyone wins with these bigger brackets. <\/p>\n First, here’s where things stand. With regard to basketball, the men’s and women’s tournaments formally expanded and will debut their 76-team formats next season. On the women’s side, this is the second wave of expansion in five years, and our Isabel Gonzalez put together a comprehensive explainer on how the tournament will work<\/a><\/span>. Take a look and see what a couple of coaches had to say about the new setup. <\/p>\n As for football, the ACC is expected to become the next conference to endorse the move to a 24-team CFP field, our Brandon Marcello reported<\/a><\/span>. The league will join the Big Ten and Big 12 in pushing for a new format that doubles the number of teams in the national championship race. <\/p>\n Who comes out ahead in all this? <\/p>\n The power conferences are the biggest winners. The vast majority of these new postseason bids will go to teams from their footprints. Our David Cobb explained that reality while identifying the winners and losers from all of this expansion<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n Hardly anyone expected what occurred in the UFC 328 main event. In one of the biggest upsets in the promotion’s title fight history, Sean Strickland <\/strong>stunned then-undefeated and heavily favored Khamzat Chimaev<\/strong> in a narrow split-decision victory. Not only does Strickland now own the middleweight title for the second time, but he is also on the rise in our pound-for-pound rankings<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n \ud83c\udfc0 Five things to know Wednesday <\/h2>\n
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\u26f3 Do not miss: 2026 PGA Championship preview, predictions <\/h2>\n
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\ud83c\udfc6 College sports expansion frenzy winners, losers <\/h2>\n
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\ud83e\udd3c UFC 328 results flip pound-for-pound rankings <\/h2>\n
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