Cowboys vs. Caitlin: Who Goofed Up Playoff Schedule?

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are "America's Team'' and on Sunday NFL Week 3 star in FOX Sports' "America's Game of the Week'' when the Baltimore Ravens come to town . It will surely be the highest-rated clash of the day, with an average of 23 million or so folks tuning in to watch the country's most popular team play its most popular sport ... with Tom Brady in the broadcast booth.

The 3:25 p.m. CT kick off time has been in place for months. No issues there. No arguments there.

Meanwhile, however, there is another major TV sporting event slated for this weekend - the start of the WNBA playoffs. Any idea of a conflict before has never really occurred to the NFL ... and the WNBA has always had to roll with it.

But this time? Caitlin Clark - "America's Sweetheart''? - is involved . And somebody in charge of the basketball league's schedule-making goofed.

The rookie sensation Clark - whose recent participation with Iowa in the NCAA Final Four smashed TV records for her sport - has led the upstart Indiana Fever to the postseason. Indiana is the No. 6 seed in the WNBA playoffs, so they take on the third-seeded Connecticut Sun in the first round.

Game 1 of that best-of-3 series might become the most-watched WNBA game ever, and that is great news. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. CT on Sunday and will be broadcast on ABC. But ...

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Oops. The WNBA could've slated this game for any time that day. Or on Monday. Or on Tuesday. But instead ... they put their top draw smack-dab head-to-head with the Dallas Cowboys (not to mention the rest of the NFL)?

There is a thing called "The Caitlin Clark Effect.'' It sells tickets, fills stadiums, changes rules. But it's not going to beat the NFL. Somebody goofed.