It's a great time of year with football underway, baseball pennant races heating up, playoffs getting started in golf and NASCAR, and tennis' last Grand Slam of 2014 on the horizon in New York. For some football teams, though, a disappointing preseason cannot end soon enough. The FedEx Cup playoffs are beginning-and will end-without Tiger Woods. And the U.S. Open will be without defending champion Rafael Nadal.

All odds provided by Sportsbook.ag unless otherwise indicated.

Notre Dame . Brian Kelly's program did not need any academic improprieties plaguing it; not after quarterback Everett Golson missed the 2013 season due to a cheating scandal. But additional distractions have hit the Fighting Irish as the school is in the midst of an academic misconduct investigation involving four football players: DaVaris Daniels, KeiVarae Russell, Ishaq Williams, and Kendall Moore. All four are currently being withheld from practice, while higher-ups look into allegations that the players had papers written for them by others. Notre Dame is a -21 home favorite over Rice on Aug. 30.

Atlanta Falcons . The Falcons' offensive line was already bad to begin with in 2013, when it at least had Sam Baker for some of the year. Now, it will not have Baker for any of the year. The projected starting left tackle went down with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee in last Saturday's game at Houston, and he will miss the entire season. Baker suffered a similar injury in his left knee in 2013. On the bright side for Atlanta, it has some reinforcements on the offensive line thanks to drafting Jake Matthews and signing Jon Asamoah. The Falcons are +2 home underdogs against New Orleans in Week 1.

Josh Hamilton . Hamilton, who "is not the same as he was when we were looking in the other dugout in Texas," (manager Mike Scioscia's words) removed himself from lineup for Sunday's game against Texas. The Ranger-turned-Angel won the 2010 American League MVP award while with Texas, but an apparent downward spiral started immediately in Los Angeles upon his arrival in 2013. Hamilton batted .250 last season, and he is hitting .266 with just eight home runs and 35 RBIs this season. He has three RBIs in August. Still, L.A. is tied with Oakland atop the AL West and owns the best record in baseball by percentage points. The Angels are +120 to win the division, +350 to win the AL Pennant, and +800 to win the World Series.

Manchester United . Louis van Gaal's tenure as manger of the most famous football club in the world got off to an inauspicious start when Manchester United fell at home to Swansea City 2-1 in its 2014-15 Premier League opener last Saturday. It was the first time in more than 40 years that Man United has lost at EPL season-opener at home. Van Gaal, the Dutch national coach, replaced David Moyes after Man U stumbled to a seventh-place finish in Moyes' only year at the helm. Swansea finished 12^th on last season's Premier League table. The Red Devils are +800 to win the league title; Chelsea is a +150 favorite.

Tiger Woods . The FedEx Cup gets going this week…without Tiger Woods. That is bad news for the PGA Tour, for sponsors, and obviously for Tiger, but it is also nothing new. In reality, Tiger-at least the real one we used to know-has not been around at all in 2014. He is well outside the top 100 on the money list and in the points standings, and he missed the cut or withdrew in three of his last four starts (including at the PGA Championship). As if he was even in consideration for a Ryder Cup spot, Tiger withdrew his name as a possible captain's pick for next month's festivities in Scotland. Bovada Sportsbook has British Open and PGA Championship winner Rory McIlory as a +400 favorite to win The Barclays this week and has Europe as a -175 favorite to win the Ryder Cup.

Tony Stewart . Stewart continues to be inactive since striking and killing Kevin Ward Jr. during a dirt-track race earlier this month. The 20-year-old had gotten out of his care to confront Stewart in the middle of the race when the famed driver fatally ran into him. The No. 14 car withdrew from the next day's Sprint Cup race in Watkins Glen, and Stewart also missed Sunday's competition at Michigan International Speedway. Brett Frood, the executive vice president of Stewart's team, said there is no timetable for Stewart's return. "It's about getting Tony in a better place than he is," Frood said. "When he's ready to do that, he'll get back in the car." Jimmie Johnson is a +350 favorite to win the Sprint Cup.

Rafael Nadal . For the second time in five years, the men's U.S. Open defending champion will not be able to bid for a back-to-back triumph in New York. Ironically, it is due to the exact same reason. A wrist injury sidelined 2009 winner Juan Martin Del Potro in 2010 and now it is 2013 champion Rafael Nadal who is on the shelf for the U.S. Open because of a wrist problem. The world No. 2, who also missed events in Toronto and Cincinnati earlier this summer, announced his official withdrawal from the season's final major on Monday morning. Novak Djokovic is an even-money favorite to win the title; Roger Federer is the second choice at +250.

Want free sports betting picks? Doc's Sports has you covered - get $60 worth of picks free from any of Doc's Sports expert handicappers. Click here for free picks (new clients only).

Read more articles by Ricky Dimon