Axios

The Carolina Panthers placed Cam Newton on injured reserve Tuesday, a move that effectively ends his season and could also spell the end of his tenure in Carolina.

Looking ahead: Newton has one more year left on the extension he signed after being named MVP in 2015, but the Panthers could save $19 million by cutting or trading the injury-prone star this offseason, per OverTheCap.

The College Football Playoff committee released its first of five official rankings Tuesday, with Ohio State taking the top spot and Penn State somewhat surprisingly coming in at No. 4, one spot ahead of Clemson.

Why it matters: In every year of the playoff except for the first one, a team in the CFP committee's initial top four rankings won the national championship.

While the majority of America's top high school talent chose to spend the year in college where they will earn $0 in wages, LaMelo Ball and R.J. Hampton chose to spend the year in Australia's National Basketball League where they will earn $68,400 each in wages.

What they're saying: Ball was unlikely to be NCAA eligible anyway after playing professionally in Lithuania, but Hampton had full eligibility — he simply chose the path he thought would best prepare him for the NBA.

In June, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel voted to move the men's 3-point line from 20 feet, 9 inches to the international distance of 22 feet, 1.75 inches starting this season.

Why it matters: According to the committee, moving the line back will open up the lane for drives/cuts to the basket and additional low-post play, while keeping the 3-point revolution in check by making threes more challenging.

College basketball's ultimate focus on March Madness provides a calming escape from the life-and-death nature of college football — so it's a good thing that beginning Tuesday we have both to choose from.

The big picture: With Michigan State heading up the men's poll and Oregon on top of the women's, there are a slew of storylines to follow as the season kicks off.