Sports Conversation Starters for Your Week
Nov 01, 2026
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday. With that in mind, where does sports rank on your list of small talk topics? It's always No. 1 in mind, even if I'm not sure the person I'm talking to am a sports fan. That's because it's easy to pivot and find common ground, but I know there are other topics you could be using. If you had to make a list, what goes on top?
If you need a few topics and questions to get the ball rolling in small talk this week, these conversation starters can help.
NFL
The Detroit Lions handed the Minnesota Vikings their first loss of the season. There are no unbeaten teams left in the NFL this season. In other NFL games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not complete a pass in their win against Atlanta. It's the first time since 1974 a team did not complete a pass in a game. Heavy rain was a factor on Sunday and resulted in a team record 324 rushing yards.
Talk Sporty Convo Starter:
- Now that every team in the NFL has at least one loss, which team is playing as well as their record suggests?
- Given the odd box score for the Bucs, what's the most dramatic adjustment you've had to made to adjust to unusual circumstances?
NCAA
The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released Tuesday. Just a reminder that these rankings are used to determine which 12 teams complete for the College Football Playoff. Tuesday is the first of six rankings that will be released.
Talk Sporty Convo Starter:
- Miami retains its top spot in the polls after surviving a scare against UNC and moving to 8-0 on the season. Where do you think Ohio State will be ranked by the committee after losing to unranked USC?
MLB
The Milwaukee Brewers captured their first World Series title winning the series against Tampa Bay and now the baseball world is bracing for a lockout which will happen one month from today. There are plenty of questions about how long it will last, but before we get to that point, there are questions about what free agency looks like since those negotiations are not allowed during the work stoppage.
Talk Sporty Convo Starter:
- Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal is the biggest free agent available. Where do you think he will end up?
WNBA
The Golden State Valkyries captured the WNBA title in just their second season in existence. They also made history as the first team to ever win the WNBA championship without a single All-WNBA selection on their roster.
Talk Sporty Convo Starter:
- What do you credit most for the Valkyries success this season?
- Gabby Williams won Finals MVP after scoring 30 points in Game 7. It has been a long and winding road for her to find this much success in the WNBA. Is there something in your career that feels similar?
NCAA
The college basketball season starts this week. Florida enters the season as the top-ranked men's team. South Carolina is the top-ranked women's team. As a reminder, Michigan won the men's championship last year and UCLA won the women's championship.
Talk Sporty Convo Starter:
- Duke and Florida are the preseason favorites to win the men's title. South Carolina and UConn are favored to win the women's championship. Do you agree with those predictions?
- Conference play starts in late December. At what point do you dial into the season?
