FC Cincinnati vs Inter Miami, Wednesday 7 ET

2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Semifinals. Well, Messi-Mania continues tonight!  Inter Miami seeks to reach 2nd final in club history after winning the Leagues Cup Final on penalties on Saturday vs Nashville SC; this is already the furthest stage that the club has reached in the U.S. Open Cup.

Lionel Messi: named best player and top scorer of the 2023 Leagues Cup with 10 goals; already Miami’s top scorer (10) this season with only 7 games played.

Messi: his 10 Inter Miami goals are already the 3rd-most goals in club history (Gonzalo Higuaín has 29 and Leonardo Campana has 16).

Messi: 7-game scoring streak , his longest goal streak for club since Dec. 2018-Feb. 2019 with
Barcelona (9) and tied for 5th longest of his career (see table).

His 8-game scoring streak for club and country is tied for the 5th longest such streak of his career (see table) and also his longest since Dec. 2018-Feb. 2019 with Barcelona (9).

Inter Miami is the top scoring team in Leagues Cup with 22 goals in 7 games; before Messi joined the club, they had scored 22 goals in 22 MLS games this season.

FC Cincinnati: 2nd appearance in U.S. Open Cup Semifinals; lost to New Red Bulls 3-2 in extra time in the 2017 SF when it was a USL club.  FC Cincinnati is also seeking their 1st final appearance in club history.

Luciano Acosta (CIN): leads team in goals (12) and assists (8) this season in MLS; only Hany Mukhtar has more goals (13) and goal contributions (21) than Acosta this season.

FC Cincinnati-Inter Miami is trending to be FC Cincinnati’s hottest ticket ever recorded by Vivid Seats (since 2016) with an average price of $483.

That is +590% more than the previous hottest U.S. Open Cup ticket ($70) between Los Angeles Galaxy and LAFC. The U.S. Open Cup ticket featuring Messi’s Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati is more in-demand than any NFL team from last season, based on average price.

We will have more on this during Shemon and Sheppard 2-6pm.

College Football's 10 Best Games Of Labor Day Weekend.  We are getting so close to those dates! The start of the college football season is always highly anticipated by fans across the country. The 2023 season is no exception.

While it's still early to make definitive predictions, there are several storylines and matchups that are already generating buzz.

There are already several high-profile games scheduled for the early part of the season. These include matchups such as Alabama vs. Texas. Clemson vs. Georgia.  And Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, among others.

One of the most intriguing storylines is the continued rise of young quarterbacks across the country.

Many of the top teams in the country will be led by quarterbacks who are only in their second or third years of college, which promises to make for some exciting games.

Labor Day weekend is always an exciting time for college football fans, as it marks the start of the season and features several high-profile matchups.

The LSU vs. Florida State game is certainly one of the most highly anticipated games of the weekend, as both teams are expected to be strong contenders in their respective conferences.

The rivalry game in the Carolinas is also sure to draw a lot of attention, as there is always plenty of excitement when these two teams meet.

And while the FBS debut for Deion Sanders as head coach of Colorado against TCU may not have as much national significance, it's still an intriguing matchup that will be closely watched by fans of both teams.

Just the top 10 matchups that I think most of you are looking forward to during week 1.

One of the biggest questions will be just how many points Ohio State beats Indiana by on Saturday, September 2nd.  It says here in the Pete Sheppard crystal ball that the Buckeyes win by 50.  Craig Shemon may disagree.

Here's my Top 10 early season matchups.  Again, these are in no particular order.

TCU is heavily favored in this one. TCU is currently ranked at #17, Colorado is unranked.

(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The Florida State Seminoles and LSU Tigers will face off in Orlando to open their 2023 seasons. The neutral-site game will be played on Sunday, September 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ABC from Camping World Stadium.

Benjamin Morrison #20 speaks with Sam Hartman #10 of Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football Game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 22, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The game will be broadcast from Dublin at a 2:30pm local time start. Perfect.

Spencer Rattler #7 of the South Carolina Gamecocks runs the ball during the 2nd quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at TIAA Bank Field on December 30, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

7:30pm start time on ABC.

Jack Miller III #10 throws a pass during the second half of the Florida Gators spring football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on April 13, 2023 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The Florida Gators will be opening the 2023 season with some Thursday night football. 8pm start.

Penn State Nittany Lions players and coaches line up to sing the alma mater after the Penn State Spring Football Game at Beaver Stadium on April 15, 2023 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Heavily favored Penn State home game. And it's at night.

Defensive tackle Scott Matlock #99 of the Boise State Broncos smiles with the Frisco Bowl trophy after winning the game against the North Texas Mean Green at Toyota Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Frisco, Texas. Boise State won by a final of 38-35. (Photo by Emil T. Lippe/Getty Images)

3:30pm Eastern time start on ABC.

A Miami Hurricanes fan wearing football gloves reacts during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Miami Hurricanes in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Center on March 26, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

This game should be played every year with the losing team being referred to as the "Other Miami" for the rest of the season.

Quarterback Kyle McCord #6 of the Ohio State Buckeyes throws the ball during the Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on April 15, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

This is not going to go well for Craig's Hoosiers.

Ethan Davis #86 of the White Team gets tackled out of bounds by Arion Carter #47 of the Orange Team in the fourth quarter during the Tennessee Volunteers Spring football game at Neyland Stadium on April 15, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

This noon kickoff in Nashville looks to be fun.