The Top 10 Must-See Teams for Fall
The Golden State Warriors are the must-watch team of the NBA season—stop if you've heard this before.
It's not just Kevin Durant and Co. over in Oakland, California, though. This fall season is set to feature exciting teams from across sports much to the benefit of fans everywhere.
What makes a team "must-see TV," as it were? It's not necessarily likability or talent—although those can help. Really, the key is entertainment value. Teams that are talented, exciting to watch and saturated with intriguing storylines are almost impossible to resist.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, these 10 teams should be tempting to watch throughout the fall season. Even non-fans will tune in to see how the New England Patriots fare without Tom Brady or if Manchester United's new superstars will pull the club back to the top of Premier League contention.
Get comfy on the couch this September-December, folks. These 10 teams should keep sports entertainment at a high level.
Alabama Crimson Tide
1 of 10
The reigning national champion Alabama Crimson Tide trounced the USC Trojans in their opening matchup, 52-6. The only reason this team would not be must-see TV is if football fans find dominance boring.
Still, there are stories to watch in Tuscaloosa. Along with the legendary Nick Saban, the coaching staff now includes not one, but two former USC head coaches in Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian was hired as a special assistant to the offense in September.
Running back Derrick Henry is gone, and Bama's quarterback situation is still unresolved. George Schroeder of USA Today called the offense a "work in progress" but also pointed out the defending champs' undeniably ferocious defense. The unit held USC to just 64 yards rushing on 30 carries and limited star wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to one catch.
Schroeder wrote, "If it feels like the Crimson Tide is still light years ahead of everybody else, that's only partly an illusion."
The coaches, QB situation and stifling defense all make Alabama a team to watch. Two of the Tide's biggest opponents on the schedule—Ole Miss and LSU—each lost in Week 1. Stay tuned to see if anyone can give the champs some trouble.
Chicago Bulls
2 of 10
Given all the free agency shake-ups in the NBA offseason, many teams are going to be interesting to watch. Out west, the Golden State Warriors are the "it" team once again, but that doesn't mean the NBA's Eastern Conference doesn't have its share of intrigue.
Take the Chicago Bulls, for instance. That team is oozing with juicy storylines—from the departure of one hometown hero in Derrick Rose to the return of another in Dwyane Wade.
Endless questions need answering. How will Wade gel with emerging superstar Jimmy Butler, and how will new point guard Rajon Rondo fit into all of it? Will the Bulls renew their rivalry with the Cleveland Cavaliers and give fans the LeBron James vs. Wade bromantic playoff matchup of the year?
Speaking of that, tune in for Bulls vs. Cavs on December 2 and Bulls vs. Rose's New York Knicks on November 4.
Honorable mention here to the Knicks—the additions of Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee sure make that team interesting.
Team Canada
3 of 10
Talk about a superteam. The World Cup of Hockey in Toronto will dominate the month of September, and Team Canada is absolutely stacked with NHL stars.
The final roster includes forwards Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning along with defenseman Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings and goalkeeper Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens (just to name a few).
Team Canada is favored to win the eight-team tournament, according to Oddsshark.com, and Team USA will seek to avenge two consecutive Olympic losses to Team Canada—the gold medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and the semifinals in Sochi.
Aside from the U.S. vs. Canada storyline, the competition will be a nice warm-up for the NHL season.
The tournament is being held for the first time since 2004, but it could move to a more frequent format in the future.
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Green Bay Packers
4 of 10
Despite an appearance in the NFC divisional round, one might say the Green Bay Packers had a disappointing 2015.
They failed to win the NFC North for the first time in five years and were plagued by injuries to wide receiver Jordy Nelson and several members of the offensive line. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had offseason knee surgery as well.
But now, all signs point to a healthy Green Bay offense in 2016.
Randall Cobb said, per the Associated Press (via Fox Sports), "You look at our offense and we're built in a way to have a great year. It's just going out there and proving it. Going out there and executing to expectations."
The Packers will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1, but that Week 2 matchup against the division rival Minnesota Vikings looks particularly intriguing.
Can the Pack return to contention in 2016? What of this talk about the possibly closed Super Bowl window for 32-year-old Rodgers? Can't wait to watch and find out.
Manchester United
5 of 10
Manchester United finished fifth in the 2015-16 Premier League table, a disappointing result that prompted the club to make major offseason moves.
First, the club sacked manager Louis van Gaal and replaced him with lightning rod Jose Mourinho. Next, big-time transfer deals brought striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Paul Pogba over from Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, respectively. It will be highly entertaining indeed to watch how these additions help Manchester United in its attempt to regain Premier League glory.
The rivalry with Manchester City has heated up as well with the arrival of Spanish manager Pep Guardiola and the anticipation of the clubs' September 10 matchup.
In fact, Ibrahimovic's agent, Mino Raiola, recently told Cadena COPE (via Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News), "Guardiola? He doesn't have the balls to sit down and talk to me and I don't like that. It's not that I hate him but I don't like him. He's a good coach, but his football bores me."
So already, the young 2016-17 season is plenty interesting.
Clemson Tigers
6 of 10
After a magical 2015 season that saw the Clemson Tigers go all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship (where they lost to Alabama, 45-40), Dabo Swinney and crew are looking to finish the job in 2016.
Clemson eked by the Auburn Tigers, 19-13, to open the season, but it wasn't picture-perfect. The offense was held to under 500 yards for the first time in 11 games.
Though fans didn't see much of it against Auburn, Clemson's offense should be dynamic, electrifying and fun to watch—the unit averaged 514.5 yards per game in 2015 and returned nine starters. Junior quarterback Deshaun Watson is a leading Heisman candidate, and the Tigers are one team that has proven it can hang with Alabama. For those looking to see the Tide go down, keep an eye on Clemson.
A serious threat to Clemson's playoff bid could be ACC rival the Florida State Seminoles, a team that secured a Week 1 win over the Ole Miss Rebels.
Erick Smith of USA Today wrote, "Unless the four champions separate themselves, the committee is going to have a hard time keeping out both the Seminoles and Tigers if one finishes unbeaten and the other with one loss from their Oct. 29 showdown."
San Jose Sharks
7 of 10
The San Jose Sharks played in the first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history in June. Yes, they went on to lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games, but the window isn't closed just yet.
Ahead of the Stanley Cup Final, Arielle Aronson of Fox Sports called the 2015-16 Sharks "one of the most exciting San Jose squads in years." And their quest to return for a second Stanley Cup Final in 2016-17 will be just as intriguing.
There are still questions marks—how aging veterans such as Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau will play, for instance.
Yet, on the first day of free agency, the Sharks signed forward Mikkel Boedker and defenseman David Schlemko, "a direct response" to Pittsburgh's speed, according to Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News.
Andrew Bet of The Hockey Writers wrote, "With training camp on the horizon, the San Jose Sharks are primed to build off a historic campaign last season. ... The off-season moves and motivated prospects in the farm system have put current roster players on notice before the start of camp."
New England Patriots
8 of 10
Who isn't going to be interested in the New England Patriots this fall, particularly for the first four games?
Even folks who can't stand the perennially dominant Pats will likely be looking on to see if the team crumbles without Tom Brady, lost to that four-game Deflategate suspension.
For the general football fan, the storyline is undeniably intriguing. What can backup Jimmy Garoppolo do? Will the 24-year-old even remotely fill Brady's shoes? And when Brady comes back, will he play with such a fiery vengeance that no one will stand a chance? (Probably.)
Even without Brady, Bill Belichick's squad has got the familiar weapons in tow—wide receiver Julian Edelman, running back LeGarrette Blount and slightly but not seriously injured tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Their Week 1 matchup against the mega-hyped Arizona Cardinals will be a must-watch, and it should only get better as the season goes on.
Golden State Warriors
9 of 10
Even for those on the "Golden State Warriors equal supervillains" train, it would be hard to argue they will not (still) be must-see TV come late fall.
All the things that made the Dubs fun in 2015-16 should, for the most part, still be there—Stephen Curry's otherworldly shooting, Draymond Green's antics and Steve Kerr's sarcastic and lighthearted presser jokes.
Plus, a certain former MVP has joined the team. How will Kevin Durant fit in? How will the team as a whole handle the extraordinary expectations and pressure his arrival has added? Will they avenge last season's disappointing Finals loss?
The Warriors' schedule is chock full of must-see matchups as well—the San Antonio Spurs to open the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 3 and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day, just to name a few.
Like it or not, the Warriors are the most interesting team in basketball.
Chicago Cubs
10 of 10
No surprise here—the Chicago Cubs are running away with the National League Central and looked poised to make a deep postseason run.
They have been the World Series favorites all season long, according to Oddsshark.com. Into September, starting pitchers Kyle Hendricks, Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester all have ERAs under 3.00, and All-Stars Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are batting .302 and .295, respectively, as of September 7.
Watching the Cubs make their way through the postseason—assuming they do—will be wildly exciting for Chicago fans and the baseball world at large.
The Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908. Winning one this year would be one of the biggest sports stories of the century, and that's not an overstatement. To witness the quest for a milestone of that magnitude is practically the definition of must-see TV.
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