A strong sense of place can deeply influence a story, and in some cases, the setting can even feel like a character itself. This week’s literary geography quiz celebrates popular children’s books and stories from cultures around the world. To play, just make your selection in the multiple-choice list and the correct answer will be revealed. Links to the books will be listed at the end of the quiz if you’d like to do further reading.

Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.

The ACC and Big 12’s hopes of sending multiple teams to the first 12-team College Football Playoff took a big hit over the weekend.

Miami (Fla.) and Iowa State both lost, greatly damaging their at-large hopes. Meanwhile, Ole Miss’ win at Georgia brought more SEC teams into the Playoff mix rather than knocking one out with a third loss. BYU’s comeback escape at Utah likely didn’t help its at-large case with the committee, either.

At this point, those leagues’ best hope for multiple bids is an upset in their respective conference championship games that doesn’t knock the top team out of the mix either. Those two conferences should also be rooting for Tennessee to beat Georgia next week and hoping Alabama and Ole Miss find a second loss somewhere. The crowd of two-loss SEC teams has the potential to squeeze out not only ACC and Big 12 at-large hopes but a team like Indiana, too, should the Hoosiers lose to Ohio State in overwhelming fashion.

But this isn’t the committee. This is The Athletic 134, and I’m standing by my rankings and not reacting to the initial CFP rankings like poll voters sometimes do.

Here is this week’s edition of The Athletic 134.

1-10

Is BYU the fourth-best team in the country? I don’t know, but they keep pulling out wins, and they still have two victories over top-20 teams in SMU and Kansas State. That’s a good resume. Should Tennessee be higher than the Cougars with its loss to Arkansas or should Penn State and Indiana be higher without a top-25 win? Right now, I don’t really think so.

Indiana moves up from No. 9 to No. 7 thanks to losses by Georgia and Miami, but the Hoosiers barely held on for a 20-15 win against a Michigan team that pushed them around a bit in the second half. I think Indiana should be safe for a CFP spot as long as it beats Purdue, but a blowout loss to Ohio State could start a conversation. We’ll see what happens in two weeks.

Alabama jumps from No. 13 to No. 8 after whipping LSU on the road, while Ole Miss climbs from No. 16 to No. 9 after handling Georgia. The Bulldogs are suddenly barely hanging on to a spot in the CFP, and they’ve lost to both Alabama and Ole Miss. Alabama stays ahead of Ole Miss here because of their performances against LSU, which beat Ole Miss.

11-25

Notre Dame actually inches out of my CFP field after Alabama and Ole Miss move up. The Irish might be another team hoping the SEC knocks some of its teams out, depending on what the committee shows on Tuesday.

SMU is my new ACC leader at No. 12 and in position for the No. 4 seed. The problem with Miami’s weak resume was that it couldn’t afford a bad loss, and it took one against Georgia Tech, dropping from No. 4 to No. 14. Miami’s best wins include Louisville and … Duke? Its early-season escapes against Cal and Virginia Tech don’t help. SMU also has wins against Louisville and Duke, plus its Pitt win (which doesn’t mean as much this week), and its lone loss is to undefeated BYU.

Colorado is up to No. 17 and controls its path to the Big 12 title game and a CFP spot after Saturday’s win at Texas Tech. Washington State is 8-1 and up to No. 18, but the path to an at-large spot might be just too far away. Still, the Cougars are having a great season and should feel good about it.

South Carolina jumps up to No. 20 after a dominant win against Vanderbilt. Army is also newly into this group at No. 22 after beating North Texas 14-3. The Black Knights went from zero wins against teams with a winning record to two over the weekend, thanks to this game and East Carolina’s win elsewhere. Arizona State grabs the No. 25 spot after beating UCF to move to 7-2.

GO DEEPER

Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Alabama got its act together and looks Playoff bound … again

26-50

Tulane has quietly been rolling and is up to No. 26, very much in the race for the Group of 5’s guaranteed Playoff bid if Boise State stumbles. Iowa State falls to No. 27 after a loss to Kansas, while Pitt drops to No. 28 after losing to Virginia, the second consecutive loss for both teams. 8-1 Louisiana might be too far behind to challenge for the G5 spot in the CFP, especially since its one loss was to Tulane, but the Ragin’ Cajuns look like the best team in the Sun Belt and are having a really good season, now up to No. 31.

Georgia Tech jumps up to No. 32 after beating Miami. Syracuse falls to No. 40 after losing to Boston College, while Iowa drops to No. 41 after a loss at UCLA. West Virginia’s win against Cincinnati sees the Mountaineers climb to No. 46.

GO DEEPER

Week 11 CFP race lessons: Mizzou in the ‘Playoff hunt’? One-bid ACC?

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51-75

UCLA has really turned things around, winning three consecutive games and rising to No. 57 after sitting near the bottom of the Power 4 not long ago. NC State slips to No. 64 after losing to Duke. Kansas jumps up from No. 85 to No. 65 thanks to its win against Iowa State. No. 71 UConn is 7-3, its most wins since the Fiesta Bowl season of 2010, after beating UAB.

76-100

San Jose State’s win against Oregon State moves the Spartans up to No. 79 and the Beavers down to No. 80. Jacksonville State, No. 81, scored on a Hail Mary against Louisiana Tech and missed the game-winning extra point but won in overtime anyway to stay tied atop the Conference USA standings.

Oklahoma State’s collapse continued with a 38-13 loss to TCU, making it seven consecutive losses for the Cowboys, who have fallen to No. 85. Texas State beat ULM to move up to No. 84. The MAC pack continues, as Miami (Ohio), Ohio and Bowling Green all won, and Northern Illinois handed Western Michigan its first MAC defeat. Four teams are tied atop the conference standings at 4-1.

Has East Carolina turned things around since firing head coach Mike Houston? The Pirates are 2-0 under interim coach Blake Harrell and have scored a combined 105 points in wins against Temple and FAU, moving up to No. 97.

101-134

I haven’t become numb to seeing Florida State lose every week, now down to No. 103 after a 52-3 loss to Notre Dame. It’s still shocking every time. Mike Norvell got moving early in cleaning house, announcing Sunday that both coordinators had been fired. New Mexico is 4-6 and up to No. 109 after beating San Diego State. Nevada might be the best 3-8 team in the country — the Wolf Pack have now pushed SMU and Boise State to the limit in defeat this season.

Air Force beat Fresno State to move up to No. 126, and in a battle of one-win teams, UTEP beat Kennesaw State in overtime, leading to a coaching change at Kennesaw State. Kent State lost 41-0 to Ohio and remains winless and at the bottom of the rankings.

The Athletic 134 series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Photo: Justin Ford / Getty Images)

SAN FRANCISCO — The pinnacle act that defines Klay Thompson’s Bay Area legend, which will be celebrated Tuesday night at the San Francisco palace his dynasty contributions helped build, came on the final night in Oracle Arena across the water in Oakland.

For three quarters, he was the best player on the floor in Game 6 of the 2019 Finals: 30 points on 12 shots. Four 3s in his typical flame-throwing fashion. Four makes inside the arc because of a blossoming off-the-dribble game. Ten free throws, all makes, because he was attacking the rim with some extra playoff ferocity.

“The peak of his powers,” Steve Kerr said.

Thompson was feeling it enough — 10 points in the first 10 minutes of a frantic third quarter — that he went skying for a rare transition dunk to punctuate a nuclear personal run. That’s when Raptors wing Danny Green met him up top with a physical contest, knocking Thompson off balance and forever altering his career.

“One moment,” Joe Lacob said. “One nanosecond can change everything.”

The aftermath is best remembered for Thompson’s determination to brush the pain aside and continue. Trainers forced him toward the locker room. Kerr sent a messenger down the tunnel to relay word that Thompson must shoot the free throws to remain eligible for a return. He hobbled back to the floor and ignited one of the loudest Oracle eruptions ever in its final night, a tease that maybe he would be fine.

“That roar,” Kerr still remembers.

Thompson made both free throws and tried to shamble back on defense. But that wasn’t the plan. Kerr called for a DeMarcus Cousins take foul, gifting Pascal Siakam two free throws so Thompson could finally go to the back and get his knee checked. As he walked past Kerr, Thompson told him: “Give me two minutes.” He was determined to return for the start of the fourth quarter.

“That’s when they did the ACL test,” Kerr said. “I tore my ACL in college. The trainer can tell right away. They just put it up on a table and twist it a certain way. They know instantly.”

Word filtered back to Kerr early in the fourth that Thompson was done. Thompson exited the arena on crutches and was taken to a nearby hospital for testing before the final buzzer. The Warriors, up 85-80 when he disappeared, lost the lead and the game and the title in the fourth quarter.

“I honestly think if he doesn’t get hurt, we win the series,” Kerr said. “But that’s just what we have to believe. No disrespect to Toronto. They were the better team and earned it. Injuries are a part of it. But I will always believe if Klay had stayed healthy, we would’ve found a way. Because that’s what that team did.”

There are those in the organization who believe had he not torn the ACL during one of the greatest games of his life, triggering a torturous domino effect, Tuesday night’s welcome back ceremony in the NBA Cup opener never would’ve been necessary because he never would’ve worn another jersey. But he returns as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and leftover curiosity remains about how it ever got to this point.

The Warriors won four titles in eight years. That much success isn’t attached to many what-if scenarios. But Thompson’s horrid-luck knee injury generates the most painful, not only for the possible three-peat that never was but, more sympathetically, for the tragic ramifications delivered to Thompson’s career.

He wouldn’t play another NBA game for 941 days, missing his ninth, 10th and more than half of his 11th NBA seasons on the heels of five straight All-Star appearances, returning as a productive but understandably diminished player whose body needed far more routine maintenance.

“How old was he?” Kerr asked. “Twenty-nine?”

Yes. Thompson turned 29 four months before the ACL tear. He was 30 when, at the end of his ACL rehab process, he tore his Achilles, sending him into 14 more months of tedious rehab.

“That’s just so devastating,” Kerr said. “To me, 28, 29, 30, that’s when everything comes together — your mind, your experience, your body, your skill. I didn’t think he ever looked better. So that injury clearly was the pendulum swinging the other way in his career. He was still good. Still really good. Helped us win a championship (in 2022).”

But …

“Those next couple years (after the ACL), I think, would’ve been his absolute prime,” Kerr said. “That would’ve been the very best version of Klay. I think part of the reason he struggled so much with it emotionally is that he knew those years were ripped from him by the injuries. He was really at the apex of his game. That’s why it was so tough to see him suffer. He was so distraught at times, even last year. It was sad. To me, he’s just had a really difficult time reconciling the injuries.”

Thompson signed a five-year max extension a couple weeks after the 2019 ACL tear, an earned commitment to a living legend who had delivered so much production (and financial value) to the organization. He spent a large chunk of that next season mostly away from the Warriors, rehabbing out of Rick Celebrini’s view. Celebrini is the team’s respected lead medical decision-maker.

That was a mistake, Thompson would later admit, telling The Athletic in February 2022 that he was about 10 pounds above his normal playing weight when his Achilles popped during an unsanctioned pickup game in Los Angeles a month before his presumed return in 2020.

“I tried to go off on my own and do my own thing, seek out my own thing,” Thompson told The Athletic in 2023. “That backfired. Very badly. So I came crawling back to Rick. Very apologetic.”

Thompson was more present, more diligent, more patient during the second rehab process. But the agonizing wait wore on him. Cameras caught him in tears on the back of the bench during an April 2021 game. Steph Curry came over to console him. In November 2021, two months prior to his return, he sat on the bench for a half-hour postgame with a towel over his head, overcome with emotion.

It’s now been about 20 minutes since the game ended and Klay Thompson is still on the bench with a towel over his head pic.twitter.com/5bvnXjQgCO

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 27, 2021

The work proved worth it. Thompson returned from a pair of catastrophic mid-career leg injuries about as impressively as imaginable. He averaged 36 minutes and 19 points in a 22-game playoff run to the 2022 title. He led the league in 3s the next season. He made the fourth most the season after that.

But Thompson maintained an ambition to regain his All-Star form, to chase down the ghost of his former self, to recapture those prime years lost. It led to a level of shot-hunting that sometimes hijacked the offense and off-court brooding that impacted the mood in the locker room, team sources said throughout the season. He had the “four rings” outburst ejection in Phoenix and several behind-the-scenes conversations with teammates and Kerr about throttling back the shot selection, centering himself and exuding better energy.

“I had a conversation (with Kerr) about just enjoying the last chapter of my career and how lucky I truly am to be playing this game,” Thompson said after a January 2024 game. “Being a better mentor for the young guys. Leading by example and having my energy right every game. He helped me realize I do have negative energy and how that affects the team in a poor manner.”

The contractual context didn’t help. Thompson never liked the narrative that he owed the Warriors something for signing him to a max contract after the ACL tear, considering all he’d done before it. Warriors leadership would privately note that half of that max contract (2.5 years) was spent rehabbing.

Extension talks stalled prior to last season. There are differing stories on the authenticity of the two-year, $48 million reported offer. Thompson never felt a level of genuine desire from the front office or ownership to ensure a franchise legend remained around. When the summer came, they prioritized other pursuits and Thompson decided to depart before giving them a chance to circle back.

In his final season, bitterness had grown. Kerr began closing without Thompson on the floor on certain nights and replaced him with a rookie, Brandin Podziemski, in the starting lineup in February. These demotions stung and wounds still appear unhealed. When approached in Dallas back in the preseason, he declined to speak about it: “I’m not talking about the past,” Thompson said.

“There’s always stuff as a coach that, you know, you look back and you go, ‘Man, I wish I had done this or said that,’” Kerr said. “But there’s nothing that keeps me up at night. Everybody’s life and career arc is different. I think Klay made the right decision going to Dallas. Just seeing him the last couple of years, I think he needed a fresh start.”

As Kerr and Lacob made clear in separate interviews with The Athletic last week, nothing about the end should taint the greatness of Thompson’s run with the Warriors. He’s a statue player who will be welcomed with a celebration on Tuesday. The franchise is giving out Captain Klay hats to every fan in attendance.

Lacob’s first Thompson memory was in college. He’s a huge Stanford fan. He watched Thompson, a star at Washington State, drop 21 points in a road win in Maples Pavilion.

“My son Kent (currently in the front office) was young at the time,” Lacob said. “I remember him telling me: ‘If we don’t draft Klay Thompson, I’ll never talk to you again.’”

Lacob took control of the franchise in late 2010. Their first draft pick, 11th overall, came in June 2011. They’d just hired Jerry West to join the front office and consult on big personnel decisions. This was a major early moment. Lacob and West, among others, went down to Torrance, Calif., to watch Thompson work out.

“He did like maybe five minutes and Jerry said: ‘That’s the guy!’” Lacob recalled. “And I’m like: ‘You’ve only seen him for a couple minutes.’ Jerry said: ‘That’s the guy. That’s all there is to it.’ Maybe it was his shot. Maybe it was his footwork. It was so Jerry.”

West and Kerr were also among the strong advocates not to trade Thompson when Kevin Love became available in the summer of 2014. That’s considered one of the best non-trade decisions in league history. Thompson soon morphed into one of the best shooting guards in basketball and a perfect fit next to Curry. They won their first title the following June.

“Everyone knows the incredible shooting, kind of the unconscious nature of his play,” Kerr said. “He and Steph both share that. People know Captain Klay, China Klay, you know, the fun-hearted guy. But I don’t know that people understand what a killer competitor Klay is. Ultimately that’s what made him a champion.”

Lacob’s most memorable night is a predictable one. Game 6 in Oklahoma City. The Warriors were down 3-2 in that 2016 series and down eight heading to the fourth quarter. Thompson scored 19 in the fourth, hit 11 3s in the game and rescued the Warriors from elimination with a 41-point performance. As he returned to the locker room, Lacob famously bowed to him in the tunnel, a picture that Lacob sent to Thompson in one of his goodbye text messages after he departed for Dallas.

“The tunnel thing was sort of impromptu,” Lacob said.

Kerr’s favorite Thompson story to retell came during the 2017 Finals. JR Smith crashed into him during the first quarter of Game 1, causing a painful high ankle sprain. Thompson also took a knee directly to the thigh.

“He was wearing a sleeve or something and he takes the sleeve off and it was like black and blue and yellow and like, I mean, it was an injury that would have kept him out for at least two weeks in the regular season,” Kerr said. “And he didn’t miss a minute. To me, Klay’s competitive desire is his most underrated quality. At the peak of his powers, the way he guarded the ball and then moved off the ball year after year. He and Steph were one and two in most mileage per game in the NBA. His conditioning, his size, his ability to switch on to Kevin Love and big guys like that and guard them in the post. I mean you don’t do that unless you’re a great athlete, but also unless you care desperately about results and winning at the highest level.”

The Warriors’ charity foundation throws an annual poker event. At it, they put various items up for auction. In the lead-up to the event early this decade, they had the idea of offering a ride across the bay on Thompson’s famous boat from his house to the practice facility. Lacob called to ask. He was uneasy about the request.

“He was like, instantaneously: ‘Absolutely. I’d love to do that,’” Lacob said. “He actually was so enthusiastic about it. I didn’t know. That’s an invasion of someone’s privacy and personal space and time.”

On the night of the auction, the bidding went wild. Toward the end, two attendees were rocketing the price up, intent on acquiring this boat ride. While the bidding neared its final destination of $250,000 — a record for any item or offer at the event — Lacob approached Thompson.

“Would you be willing to do it … twice?” Lacob asked.

Thompson said yes.

“It was a half-million dollars to the foundation,” Lacob said. “He has a great heart. He’s a really good person. That’s what I’ll always remember about him.”

Thompson and Kerr had breakfast in Manhattan Beach in late June. Kerr made the drive up from San Diego. He wanted to reiterate to Thompson that, while everything was still in flux, he valued him and wanted him back. They talked a little about the contractual situation. Kerr laid out the reality of his future with the Warriors — it’d probably include a fluctuating role, perhaps off the bench.

“At the end of the breakfast, he said, ‘You know, I think it’s time. I think I’m going to go to Dallas,’” Kerr said. “I understood. I completely understood. Sometimes a fresh start can be healthy. I think it was the right decision for him.”

GO DEEPER

Inside Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s second season and the Warriors’ chase for the next big fish

Many within the Warriors had seen the move coming and had privately been predicting it for months. Lacob has maintained that it hit him as a surprise. The front office had hinted that the plan was to bring a market offer back to him later in free agency.

“To be honest with you, shocked,” Lacob said. “If you would’ve told me a few years ago, if there’s one person that I would have never thought that would ever leave the Warriors and would retire as a Warrior, I would probably (have said) Klay would be the highest likelihood.”

That reality never panned out. He returns to face the Warriors in a Mavericks jersey on Tuesday night.

“It’s weird seeing No. 31 (on it),” Curry said. “I hate that.”

“This will be as emotional as anything we’ve ever experienced, I think, in my time here,” Kerr said. “I think it’ll be even more emotional than his return to play. Obviously now there’s a finality to it and appreciation for everything he did hanging the banners, helping get the arena built, just being so beloved by everybody.”

“Some of the stuff we’re talking about here today is not a secret,” Lacob said. “People kind of understand from both sides some of the issues that, yeah, kind of happened. But I do think everyone still loves the history. You can’t take away what he meant to the franchise. Honestly, to me as an owner — very, very important. He’s the first guy we ever drafted. I’m not just saying this. I really did feel like he was a son … Regardless of anything — how it ended, didn’t end. Whatever. That doesn’t matter. It’s an important moment. An important day.”

What will Klay Thompson’s return on Tuesday be like?

Steph Curry: “I don’t know. We’ve had homecomings before, but nothing like this.” pic.twitter.com/NT34K1kKyg

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— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 11, 2024

Asked Klay Thompson about his return to San Francisco on Tuesday for his first game against the Warriors:

“It’ll be good to see people you grinded with obviously, but to me, it’s just another regular season game in November.” pic.twitter.com/Kf9KkUwfNP

— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) November 11, 2024

(Photo illustration: Meech Robinson/The Athletic; photos Sam Hodde / Getty Images, Gregory Shamus / Getty Images, Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)