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Major League Baseball proposed to shorten the regular season to 154 games from 162 games starting in 2029 and to expand the Division Series to best-of-seven in bargaining with players on Thursday.

Owners also proposed to allow higher-seeded teams in the first two rounds of the postseason to pick their opponents beginning next year and to make Monday a day off for most teams starting in 2029 except for those in one or two nationally broadcast games.

Cutting regular-season games would reduce the opportunity for players to set season and career records.

“Returning to a 154-game schedule would allow us to introduce a weekly off day, which is good for player health, while also creating a new national broadcast window to showcase our most exciting teams and players,” MLB spokesman Glen Caplin said in a statement.

“A shorter regular season unlocks making October even better for our fans — with fewer weekday afternoon games, a longer Division Series and more opportunities to see the game’s best pitchers on the biggest stage. And allowing the top seeds to select their opponents in the first two rounds would create compelling storylines, intensify existing rivalries and create new ones.”

MLB said player salaries would not be adjusted to reflect fewer games and bonus provision thresholds — like those that pay players for games played — would be adjusted to reflect the shortened schedule.

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The National and American Leagues adopted 154-game schedules in 1904 that had every team in each eight-team circuit playing all opponents 22 times.

The AL switched to a 162-game schedule when it expanded to 10 teams for 1961 and the National League followed suit the next year.

The LCS started in 1969 and were best-of-five through 1984, then expanded to best-of-seven.

Division Series have been best-of-five since their inception for annual use in 1995. Wild card games started with the expansion of the playoffs from eight to 10 teams in 2012 and became best-of-three Wild Card Series when the postseason increased to 12 clubs in 2022.

Brewers Knock Out Padres! Jeter, A-Rod & Big Papi React to Game 4 NLDS Win, NLCS Rematch vs Dodgers

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We aren’t even in the heat of trade deadline season in the NFL, and yet we’ve already seen a few noteworthy trades across the league.

Last week, the New York Giants landed quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and the Dallas Cowboys swung a big trade for cornerback Joey Porter Jr. This week, it was the Baltimore Ravens’ turn to take a swing, acquiring Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens from the Philadelphia Eagles for multiple draft picks, including a 2028 second-rounder.

Who might be the next standout to move? With just over a month before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, we asked people around the NFL which players we should be keeping an eye on over the next few weeks, and which teams could be in a spot to sell. Here’s what we learned. 

Ralph Vacchiano: This could be a good year for teams that are looking for a boost for their offense for the second half of the season, because several talented wide receivers could be available around the trade deadline. And the cost might not be very high.

Multiple NFL sources told me that five receivers in particular could end up on the trading block — Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jacksonville Jaguars), Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Quentin Johnston (Los Angeles Chargers) and Jerry Jeudy (Cleveland Browns). All but Godwin are former first-round picks, and only Godwin and Jeudy are older than 25.

“There are a lot of receivers with size, talent, speed that, for whatever reason, don’t seem to be in their team’s plans anymore,” one team executive told me. “And some of them aren’t going to cost a lot more than a Day 3 pick. If you need help [at that position], the upside could be high. Sometimes a change of scenery works.”

“Sometimes we look at talent more than production when it comes to trades,” an assistant general manager told me. “Maybe a guy is used wrong somewhere else. Maybe it’s the system. Maybe he doesn’t like the staff or the city. But if we see talent, we think we can make it work.

“And I think a lot of the receivers that might be available have some pretty obvious talent.”

Marvin Harrison Jr. only has five catches in four games so far this season. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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Not all of those receivers will be available, of course. Several NFL sources told me they doubted Harrison, in particular, would be traded — at least not at a discount price.

“He seems like something the Cards would want to hold onto to build around,” the executive told me. “There’s so much talent there and he’s still only 24. I know they’ve got a new coaching staff there, but they’ve got to think they can figure him out.”

Last week, Eric explored what could be next for Harrison amid his slumping start. Former NFL star T.J. Houshmandzadeh suggested to Eric that the Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans could be fits for Harrison.

As for which players among that group of receivers seem most likely to be moved, the assistant general manager had a pair of names in mind. 

“The two I’d be looking at are Thomas and Jeudy,” the assistant general manager told me. “Liam Coen looks like he’s buried Thomas there, but man, he was sensational as a rookie [in 2024]. And Jeudy is yesterday’s news in Cleveland. That team has two terrific young receivers (Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion) and a tight end to throw to (Harold Fannin). They don’t need a guy that erratic.

“But he could definitely help somebody else if he lands in the right place.”

Jerry Jeudy might be the odd man out in Cleveland’s wide receivers room. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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Chargers Seem Like Logistical Sellers

Vacchiano: The biggest problem teams face at the trading deadline each year is finding the actual sellers, because the trading deadline comes after Week 9, meaning it’s at the halfway mark of the season.

And most teams don’t want to admit their season is over and start dismantling their team.

The big exception this year could be the Chargers, who several NFL sources told me they will be watching closely, especially if their season continues to go off the rails. Jim Harbaugh’s squad is already 0-4 and facing a very difficult schedule. With the Broncos, Chiefs, Rams and Texans up next, when the deadline hits, they really might be 0-8.

“They are the most likely team to pull the plug,” one NFL executive told me. “Maybe Tampa (also 0-4) is another one, but the Chargers are intriguing because they’ve got some players there. A lot of us thought they’d be good — or at least a lot better than they’ve shown.

“And if this turns into a disaster, they need a real reset in the offseason. When that’s looming, sometimes [general managers] open the doors and take whatever they can get.”

Veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack has three sacks this season, making him an enticing candidate to get traded. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)

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The Chargers do have some intriguing and expendable pieces that maybe could help teams in the playoff race. Khalil Mack is 35 and nowhere near the edge rusher he used to be, but teams are always looking for help in their pass-rushing rotation. And receiver Quentin Johnston has never played like the first-rounder he was and has had plenty of drop issues, but he’s also a 6-foot-3, 208-pound target who had 16 touchdowns over the last two years.

“They wouldn’t get a lot for them,” the executive told me. “But that’s what happens when your season goes wrong.” 

But Even Some Execs Are Skeptical Chargers Will Sell

Eric D. Williams: Expected nationally to compete for a Super Bowl, the Los Angeles Chargers have woefully underperformed this season as one of five teams that sit at 0-4 heading into Week 5 games.

But while the Chargers are cratering and showing no signs of climbing their way out of a deep hole, two league sources I spoke with said it’s unlikely the Chargers would trade major assets away.

“No,” one league executive told me when asked if the Chargers would move on from players at the trade deadline.

Another longtime scout provided more words when asked to explain why the Chargers likely will not move on from players at the trade deadline.

“Harbaugh has been fairly loyal to players he’s helped acquire, and I don’t think the personnel department is any different,” the scout told me. “[Khalil] Mack just needs to retire after the season. Quentin showed inconsistent hands coming out and similar vibes to why Mike Williams wasn’t a long-term player, either.

“Also, that division as a whole is much improved, so there really is no need to panic … yet.”

Quentin Johnston might be another candidate to get traded if the Chargers opt to be sellers ahead of the deadline. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

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During the 11 years general manager Tom Telesco ran the team, the Chargers seldom engineered any midseason trades. Telesco sent cornerback Desmond King to the Tennessee Titans in 2020 for a sixth-round pick. In 2017, he sent Dontrelle Inman to the Chicago Bears for a conditional seventh-round pick.

But since Joe Hortiz took over as general manager three years ago, the Chargers have made some minor moves at the deadline. Just last season, the Chargers traded safety Alohi Gilman and a fifth-round pick for pass rusher Odafe Oweh and a seventh-rounder. The Chargers also gave up a sixth-round pick for Trevor Penning and moved safety cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor to the New York Jets for a seventh-round pick.

However, the Chargers have traditionally been risk-averse when it comes to making moves at the trade deadline because few pan out over the long haul. Along with that, Harbaugh has significant say in roster decisions and will want to ride the season out as long as possible.

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Even with a talented quarterback in Bo Nix and a new wide receiver in Jaylen Waddle, the Denver Broncos’ offense still hasn’t delivered.

Payton told reporters that he will be calling the plays starting this Sunday against the Chargers.

ESPN had originally reported that offensive coordinator Davis Webb will still be the main communication with Nix, but Payton would have the final say.

Denver fell to the Chiefs in its Week 1 road opener, 31-10, in Patrick Mahomes’ return from injury; it then secured home wins over the Jaguars in Week 2 and the Rams in Week 3, but suffered its second loss to the 49ers on the road.

That puts the Broncos at 2-2, with both losses resulting from 14 points or fewer on offense, calling for a new solution in play-calling.

Webb got the keys to play-calling this offseason, with Payton still close by. But Payton made it clear that offensive play-calling needed a change moving forward.

“I think our focus needs to be more on the specifics and the detail of each play regardless [of who’s calling the plays]. I think Davis is very fast, very quick, and understands what we’re doing. I think that the most important job I have is really evaluating the whys,” according to ESPN.

Payton’s involvement will help Denver’s offense improve across the board, given its numbers after Week 4. The Broncos’ run game ranks 29th in yards per game with 81, and the offense ranks 27th in yards per game with 280.

NFL Related Stories

Noticing glaring issues early on, Payton noted that correcting them quickly will be vital down the road.

“I think, collectively, we all after a game, and after a four-game sample size, certainly this isn’t championship football, what we see. How quickly can we correct those things?”

With a Week 6 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, who sit atop the league in yards allowed per game with 246, implementing Payton in a larger play-calling role in Week 5 will be the prime setup heading into a home game vs. Seattle’s defense.

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“So, we meet again, Buzz Lightyear … for the last time!”

For the fourth time in nine seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers will square off in the National League playoffs, as the top-seeded Brewers (103-59) defeated the San Diego Padres in the NL Division Series and the second-seeded Dodgers (100-62) beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

But the Dodgers have come out on top in each of these two teams’ playoff meetings (2018 NLCS, 2020 wild-card round and 2025 NLCS), including a four-game sweep of the Brewers in last year’s NLCS.

How do the Brewers flip the script? FOX Sports MLB Analyst Eric Karros has the answers.

“They come to play every single day. They grind; they don’t give away anything. Offensively, I don’t know if it’s necessarily the hitting part as much as it’s controlling the strike zone, and that means don’t expand, don’t chase pitches out of the zone, take your walks, be patient and just kind of wear down this Dodgers’ pitching staff,” Karros said about the Brewers’ offense in an appearance on Thursday’s edition of “The Herd. “That’s really the MO that they’re going to have to create offensively.”

While they ultimately advanced to the NLCS on Wednesday night, the Brewers only scored 13 runs across their four games against the Padres in the NLDS. Last year, the Brewers scored just four runs against the Dodgers in the 2025 NLCS en route to being swept despite being third in MLB in both runs and hits in the regular season.

In the 2026 regular season, Milwaukee was first in the sport in hits (1,422) and on-base percentage (.341), tied for first in batting average (.258), second outright in runs (832) and tied for 10th in slugging percentage (.403). Remarkably, though, the Brewers were tied for 28th in home runs (154).

Second baseman Brice Turang has been the star of the show for Milwaukee this season, posting 23 defensive runs saved at the middle infield position, driving in a team-high 100 runs and posting 7.3 wins above replacement, which was third among MLB position players.

Elsewhere, primary first baseman Jake Bauers hit a team-high 26 home runs, while driving in 86 runs and posting a .484 slugging percentage; left fielder Jackson Chourio totaled 25 home runs, 75 RBIs, 23 stolen bases and 4.9 wins above replacement over 127 games, while posting a .291/.351/.487 slash line; Chourio hit a walk-off, two-run single in a 2-2 count with two outs in Game 2 of the NLDS; William Contreras drove in 94 runs in the regular season, which led MLB catchers, and hit two home runs in the NLDS.

All that said, as productive as Milwaukee’s bats have been, pitching remains the backbone of its operation.

The Brewers’ starting rotation was second in MLB in opponent batting average (.220), third outright in strikeouts (907), tied for third in WHIP (1.14) and fifth outright in ERA (3.61). Ace Jacob Misiorowski posted a 1.80 ERA, an 0.80 WHIP, a 232 ERA+ and 252 strikeouts, which were all NL-bests, over 30 starts; fellow right-hander Logan Henderson recorded a 2.47 ERA, an 0.84 WHIP and 110 strikeouts over 18 starts. Meanwhile, Milwaukee’s bullpen was third in ERA (3.40) and opponent batting average (.223) and tied for fifth in WHIP (1.23).

Of course, the Brewers are facing a potent Dodgers team that’s among the upper echelon of teams, if not at the top of the mountain in terms of depth.

With the bats, Los Angeles, which features the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Andy Pages and Kyle Tucker, among many others, was second in the regular season in slugging percentage (.424), third in batting average (.257) and on-base percentage (.338), fourth in runs (801) and tied for fourth in hits (1,399). The Dodgers also had the fourth-fewest strikeouts in the sport (1,267).

On the starting pitching front, the Dodgers were second in ERA (3.43) and opponent batting average (.220), tied for third in WHIP (1.14) and fourth outright in strikeouts (904).

Los Angeles, which already featured 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and right-hander Tyler Glasnow, acquired back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers at the MLB trade deadline. Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 due to knee inflammation, but he has remained the Dodgers’ primary designated hitter.

“From a pitching standpoint, they’ve got Misiorowski, who’s as good as anybody and actually dominates left-handers. He’s much better against left-handed hitting [.114 opponent batting average] than he is against right-handers [.209 opponent batting average]. The Dodgers are top-heavy on the left side. That could help Milwaukee,” Karros said about the Brewers’ pitching staff. “They also have Logan Henderson. At the end of the day, this series is going to come down to the Brewers’ bullpen and matchup against the Dodgers’ depth position player-wise and what [Dodgers manager] Dave Roberts creates.”

Milwaukee went 4-3 against Los Angeles in the regular season, with both teams winning a series in the opponent’s home ballpark. Game 1 of the 2026 NLCS is on Sunday night, with the entire series airing on FOX networks.

“I’m looking forward to the series as a fan. I think it’s going to be a great series,” Karros said.

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It’s not hyperbolic to say that a few teams’ seasons are on the line in Week 5. I’m looking at you, Texans and Chargers.

There are also a few early contenders that I’m thinking might be pretenders. New York Giants, anyone?

Here’s where I’m putting my money in Week 5.

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The Cowboys are once again a machine on offense, sitting near the top of the league by averaging over 30 points per game. I expect another big offensive performance Thursday night against the reeling Bucs. 

Hill’s Pick: Cowboys Over 29.5 (-115)

The Eagles are a complete mess offensively, and have key injuries to many of their best players. I don’t think that gets fixed overnight.

Hill’s Pick: Eagles Under 17.5 (-140)

A genius. A wizard. Bears head coach Ben Johnson is worthy of all the accolades, winning three games this year with three different starting quarterbacks. That being said, being a road favorite at Lambeau with a backup quarterback has me looking at the Packers.

Hill’s Pick: Packers +1.5 (-110)

It’s now or never for the Texans, who can ill afford another loss and an 0-5 start.  I’ll go Over the total here considering the Texans look to be improved on offense while their intimidating defense has regressed significantly in 2026.

Hill’s Pick: Over 38.5 (-110)

The Dolphins are 0-4 but have been feisty and rather competitive the last couple of weeks against the Chiefs and Vikings. The heat in Miami is a tough obstacle for visitors this time of year. I like the home team to keep it close.

Hill’s Pick: Dolphins +7.5 (-110)

The Patriots perhaps saved their season last week with a clutch win in Buffalo. They are 2-2 despite having the most turnovers in the NFL (12). The Raiders have 10 takeaways, also the most in the NFL. There is a lot of randomness when it comes to turnovers. I’ll back the Patriots here, who are due for some better turnover luck. 

Hill’s Pick: Patriots -3.5 (-110)

The Vikings have issues on offense but do have an excellent kicker in Will Reichard. Reichard is 12-for-12 this year on field goals, averaging three makes per game. Against a shaky Saints defense, I expect him to make a couple of field goals. 

Hill’s Pick: Will Reichard Over 1.5 Made FGs (-150)

Browns rookie receiver KJ Concepción had a breakout game last week with five catches for 64 yards on eight targets. The week before, he had nine targets against the Panthers. His prop is set at 40.5 this week, which seems a bit low. 

Hill’s Pick: KJ Concepción Over 40.5 Receiving Yards (-109)

The Colts are playing a road game immediately after traveling back from London last week. The Steelers are home off of extra rest after losing to the rival Browns last week. The rest/travel situation heavily favors the home team.

Hill’s Pick: Steelers -2.5 (-110)

The Giants have hung on for close home wins vs. a soft schedule to get to 3-1, but I’ll take them +3.5 this week against a Commanders team that will send injury-prone quarterback Jayden Daniels back onto the field, with perhaps a cumbersome brace on his left elbow.

Hill’s Pick: Giants +3.5 (-110)

It hasn’t been pretty for the disappointing Chargers, but they battled in the last two weeks, losing one-score games at Buffalo and Seattle. Eventually, they will win a game, and it might not be this week, but getting 3.5 at home against an underwhelming Broncos team is too good to pass up. 

Hill’s Pick: Chargers +3.5 (-110)

The Lions are 4-0 on the Over this year. They are very good on offense but abysmal defensively. I’ll stick with their Overs until proven otherwise.

Hill’s Pick: Over 54.5 (-110)

These teams have not played this year, but they have met twice in 2026. Seattle won both of those games by a combined score of 54-9. I’ll take the Seahawks to win again.

Hill’s Pick: Seahawks -3 (-110)

Last week, I suggested taking Falcons’ star back Bijan Robinson Over his rushing prop and it cashed easily. It’s not fun, but this week I’ll take a shot on the Under, as Robinson draws a solid Baltimore rush defense that is allowing under four yards per carry.

Hill’s Pick: Bijan Robinson Under 89.5 Rushing Yards (-110)

An exciting game on Monday night, but there are whispers that Bills quarterback Josh Allen is battling a knee injury. Allen only ran for four yards last week, so with his prop set at 36.5, I’ll go Under.

Hill’s Pick: Josh Allen Under 36.5 Rushing Yards (-110)

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Quarterback Dante Moore returned to practice with No. 13 Oregon this week, but he remains in the concussion protocol and won’t play on Saturday when the Ducks host No. 21 UCLA.

Moore sustained the concussion in a late hit by linebacker Desman Stephens during the second quarter of the Ducks’ 41-27 victory over Southern California on Sept. 26. Moore was placed on a stretcher and left the game in an ambulance.

Oregon backup Dylan Raiola took over and threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans.

Raiola will get the nod again for the Ducks (3-1, 1-0 Big 10) on Saturday against the No. 21 Bruins (4-0, 2-0) at Autzen Stadium.

“He had an expectation when he stepped out there on the field and performed at a really, really high level, and everybody had confidence in him because they see him do it a lot in practice,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said about Raiola. “You get a lot of reps in practice, regardless of where you’re sitting.”

Raiola transferred to Oregon after starting two seasons at Nebraska, knowing Moore was likely the starter. He has thrown for 413 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions in two appearances this season. Saturday will be his first start for the Ducks.

“It’s totally different systems than what he was running before, so I think you got to build confidence in the system, and that takes time, especially when you ask the quarterback to do as much as we ask the quarterback to do,” Lanning said. “You know, whether it’s checks on plays or just the length of a call, right? It’s a little bit different. There’s a lot of variables in there, and it takes some time to get comfortable with it, even when you’re really cerebral and intelligent like Dylan is.”

UCLA coach Bob Chesney said Moore and Raiola are similar quarterbacks.

“They’re both very, very good football players. You can’t really think one way or the other who’s going to be out there and who’s not,” Chesney said. “We’ve got to prepare for both. But really, the good thing is that it’s not like the second kid can’t throw and is only a runner and has to change everything we’re doing.”

The Ducks have already turned the page from the USC game and everything that came with it, from the worry over Moore’s condition to the joy in the victory, Raiola said.

“Ultimately, the end of the day, our goal is to win and go 1-0 that week. Very proud of how we fought through the ups and the downs and the moments of that game, we came out on the other side strong, Raiola said. “But on the flip side, kind of put that game to bed last week and been preparing because we’ve got got a really, really good football team coming to town.”

While Moore has returned to practice, he was listed on the league’s availability report as out for Saturday and still must complete several benchmarks before he can play in a game. But the team was boosted by his return to practice, even if it was in a limited capacity.

“I think the biggest thing is just being able to see a smile on his face to get around and be around his teammates and his brothers and do that at a high level,” Lanning said. “Everybody has a smile on their face getting to see Dante out there with us this week, and it’s been fun seeing him compete.”

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Reporting by The Associated Press.

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College Football Playoff leaders are channeling their best Jerry Maguire this week.

“Show me the money!” they might tell you – or at least that’s what they’re asking their current television network partner.

Friday marks the end of a 30-day exclusive negotiating window between ESPN and the CFP around the rights to an expanded 24-team field. That won’t, however, be the end of all this.

While Friday could bring an offer from ESPN — also not guaranteed — if no deal is agreed to, the CFP is obligated to bring its own offer to ESPN. The network would then have five business days for negotiations to continue, likely leading to an actual deadline of Oct. 19 (Monday is a federal holiday).

The shorter version is this: CFP leaders are deciding whether to give ESPN the new inventory created by an expanded playoff, or take it to the open market and seek the highest bidder.

How does this all work? It’s complicated and nuanced. Here’s what I’m hearing and where things stand:

What Would A 24-Team College Football Playoff Look Like?

Conversations about an expanded playoff have circulated for the better part of two years.

Initially the brainchild of Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, he saw it as a way to add value to the regular season while also providing more postseason opportunities for his conference’s programs. Petitti’s initial pitch also included automatic qualifiers and other measures of guaranteed spots.

That won’t be the case here.

Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti is leading the push for a 24-team CFP. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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The current CFP contract guarantees ESPN maintains the rights for up to 14 teams without having to add any new money to the existing deal. 

A 16-team format was also bandied about, but such a shift would almost certainly necessitate the elimination of conference championship games — contests that bring in between $200-250 million between the Power Four leagues — and adding just two new CFP games certainly wouldn’t bring that kind of value to justify the move.

Sources briefed on the matter told me the focus remains on a 24-team format that would be essentially all at-large bids and one guaranteed spot for the Group of Six.

The addition of 12 new teams would require an expansion of the first round and the creation of a second round, both of which would likely be played on campus, while the traditional New Year’s Six bowl sites would also be integrated into the quarterfinal and semifinal slots. 

In all, expanding to 24 teams would bring a total of 10 new games to the market (eight first round, two second round).

American Conference Commissioner Tim Pernetti had been among those spearheading a push in recent months for an additional guaranteed spot for the Group of Six should the field size double, but sources involved in negotiations told me that almost certainly won’t happen.

As I reported earlier this week, an expanded CFP would also likely see the Army-Navy game moved to an exclusive window on what is now conference championship Saturday the first week of December, while first-round games could begin the second week of December.

What’s Happening With CFP Negotiations?

Conversations between CFP stakeholders and ESPN have basically centered on how much money adding eight new games to the field might fetch.

That said, there are layers of nuance to the discussion.

ESPN currently controls the bulk of the FBS conference championship games. That gives the network about $200-250 million that it’s already invested in the ecosystem. How much might be added on top of that? That’s less clear, and those involved have been tight-lipped.

For discussion’s sake, let’s do a bit of hypothetical, back of the napkin math.

Let’s say the eight CFP games — which are essentially extra first and second round games between teams ranked No. 13-24 — would fetch $500 million, a little less than half the value of the current deal. Between $200-250 million of that is already spoken for in making leagues whole on the conference title games.

The distribution of the extra $250-ish million becomes its own fight. The SEC and Big Ten shifted the finances of CFP distribution under the terms of the new CFP television deal such that they each receive around 29% of annual revenue, while the ACC (17.25%), Big 12 (14.75%) and Group of Six/Independents (9%) receive smaller cuts.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti have the bulk of control over the future format of the CFP. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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Sources suggest the Big 12 and ACC would, naturally, desire a more equal split of any new money. Whether the Big Ten and SEC will actually go for that is a separate conversation for a later date and those involved aren’t splitting hairs over cash that hasn’t been promised yet.

There’s one other caveat in all of this. ESPN operates the CFP’s sponsorship program. If the games were to go out to another bidder, how might that work? That’s not altogether certain.

Sources briefed on the conversations told me ESPN had yet to bring forward an offer as of the middle of this week, while a call is currently scheduled on Friday among CFP leaders to discuss any potential deal. The CFP also technically has until Dec. 1 to make any changes to the field in time for the 2028 rendition, though that deadline could be moved if extra time is needed.

A decision may not actually be made on Friday given the subsequent five-day window, but we might finally have an answer that has eluded decision makers for months: How much are eight new CFP games worth?

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What would the Dallas Cowboys be without Dak Prescott?

On Thursday’s edition of “The Herd,” Colin Cowherd said it took him a long time to figure out Prescott before he landed on an analogy ahead of the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 5 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“If the Cowboys are the world’s biggest rock band, he’s the manager,” Cowherd said. “As they’re trashing the hotel rooms, he’s making the beds. He makes sure he keeps it glued together.”

Cowherd opened the segment by saying the Cowboys are strange even when things are going well. 

Dallas currently ranks second in the NFL in total points and dead last in offensive possessions, which Cowherd compared to a haunted house. Through four games, the Cowboys are averaging just over 30 points per game, and Prescott has thrown for 1,065 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception. 

The Cowboys are coming off a 34-30 win over the Houston Texans in Week 4, in which Prescott led a game-winning drive and found CeeDee Lamb for the winning touchdown in the final minute.

Cowherd said the job Prescott has is bigger than just the numbers. He rattled off the personalities and storylines Prescott has overlapped with over the years.

“He dealt with Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott’s immaturity early, Jerry’s vanity always. Now it’s George Pickens’ moodiness. It’s the coaching carousel. It’s Micah Parsons had some drama, even in his rookie year,” Cowherd said. 

Cowherd pointed back to 2016, when a rookie Prescott took over after Tony Romo got hurt. Cowherd credited Romo for holding a press conference to say there was no controversy and that the job belonged to Prescott. 

“If he’s your kid, you make him the executor of the will, a stabilizing force,” Cowherd said. “Maturity, however, never shows up in highlights or a passer rating.”

Dak Prescott led the Cowboys on a game-winning drive and found CeeDee Lamb for the winning touchdown in the final minute of a 34-30 win over the Houston Texans in Week 4. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) –>

Cowherd acknowledged Prescott doesn’t have the biggest arm nor is he the greatest athlete, especially after two surgeries, but argued his job has never been comparable to a quarterback job anywhere else in the league.

“It’s the biggest brand. It’s got an owner that has to do radio hits and be front and center, and sometimes start fires that you have to put out,” Cowherd said. “If Dak wasn’t here, there’d probably be three or four interventions over the last decade the franchise would need.”

Cowherd also took a shot at the Cowboys’ coaching staff.

“It’s not fair, but not everybody gets Sean McVay as a coach. Jerry [Jones] in my opinion, doesn’t respect coaching, and so I think this staff, once again, is pretty average.”

Cowherd went on to point out that Dallas has the highest-scoring offense in the NFL since Prescott was drafted in 2016. 

“That is the highest-scoring offense in the league with an owner that drives you nuts, immaturity from a star receiver and running back, drama, moodiness, average coaching sometimes,” Cowherd said. 

“I’ll take Dallas tonight, but not because of coaching.”

Cowboys Related Stories

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Thursday Night Football kicks off Week 5 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visiting the Dallas Cowboys, and bet365 new users can get up to $365 in bonus bets depending on where they live when they use bonus code FOX365.

Tampa Bay enters the game at 0-4 and will be without starting quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is sidelined with a thumb injury. Rookie Jalon Daniels is set for another start as the Buccaneers search for their first win, while Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb look to keep the Cowboys’ offense rolling after their comeback win last week.

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How to Watch Buccaneers vs. Cowboys

• When: Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 8:15 p.m. ET
• Where: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
• Stream: Amazon Prime Video
• Follow Live: FOX Sports

Players To Watch

Lamb has caught 37 of 46 targets for 498 yards and four touchdowns, the most receiving yards on the Cowboys. He caught 17 of 21 targets for 189 yards and a touchdown in the Oct. 4 win at Houston, and he has topped 100 receiving yards in three games, including 153 yards and two touchdowns against Washington on Sept. 20.

The top passer in each of Tampa Bay’s four games has thrown for 857 yards in total against the Buccaneers, 214.3 per game. Dallas’ passing offense ranks seventh in the NFL at 258.0 yards per game, and Lamb’s receptions are where much of it comes from.

Dallas goes to Williams near the goal line: he has five rushing touchdowns, including three on 19 carries for 62 yards in the Oct. 4 win at Houston. He has 231 rushing yards on 62 carries this season, and his best yardage game was 98 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown against Baltimore on Sept. 27.

Tampa Bay has allowed 96 points through four games, 24 per game. Williams’ touchdowns give a Cowboys ground game that ranks 24th in the NFL at 89.5 yards per game a scoring option that does not depend on yardage.

Three yards behind team leader Cade Otton’s 157, Egbuka has 154 receiving yards on 15 receptions and 24 targets, with a touchdown against Cleveland on Sept. 20. His high is five catches for 63 yards at Cincinnati on Sept. 13, and he caught two of four targets for 13 yards against Green Bay on Oct. 4.

The top passer in each of Dallas’ four games has thrown for 874 yards in total against the Cowboys, including 347 for Houston on Oct. 4. Tampa Bay’s passing offense ranks tied for 28th at 172.3 yards per game, so Egbuka’s catches are a main way the Buccaneers can lift that number.

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The first four weeks of the 2026 NFL season were far from predictable. 

A sliver of teams with playoff (and even championship) hopes are winless. The Minnesota Vikings are one of the final three undefeated teams left. Kenneth Walker III looks like the favorite to win Offensive Player of the Year, and the Los Angeles Rams haven’t been as invincible as we thought they might be. 

We technically aren’t at the exact quarter mark of the 2026 NFL season, but we’re just about there. So, as we prepare for Week 5, we’re taking a look back on some of our preseason predictions and eating a slice of humble pie as we share what we were wrong about the most. 

Ralph Vacchiano: I have been high on Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert since 2019, when the New York Giants desperately hoped he’d come out for the draft, one year before he actually did. I thought he had everything I’d want in an NFL quarterback, and I blamed his teammates, coaches and his dysfunctional franchise for why he hasn’t already won multiple Super Bowl trophies and MVPs.

This year, though, I thought everything was set up for him. I believed Jim Harbaugh made a brilliant move to bring in Mike McDaniel to work his wizardry at offensive coordinator. I thought they fixed their line, too. By the end of this season, I was sure Herbert and the Chargers would emerge as a sleeper Super Bowl threat.

Um, about that … 

They’re obviously 0-4, possibly headed towards 0-9 if you look at their schedule, and McDaniel and Herbert look like they’re reading the same book in different languages. There is no cohesion on offense, no answers from the coaches, and all seems lost.

Just a month ago, 10 wins and the playoffs seemed like the floor for this team. I believed that Herbert, who has been floundering the last three seasons, would finally be back on his Hall of Fame track. Now, all I can do is accept that Herbert might be the most overrated quarterback of this generation. I still think the talent is there. But his potential may forever go unfulfilled.

Texans Far From Super Bowl Contention

Ben Arthur: The Texans were an easy Super Bowl pick for me ahead of the season. 

Their all-world defense from a year ago lost no significant contributors over the offseason; they arguably got even better (added free-agent safety Reed Blakenship, second-round rookie defensive tackle Kayden McDonald). And I couldn’t imagine quarterback C.J. Stroud playing worse than he did in the playoffs last season, when he had seven turnovers in two games. If Stroud could keep Houston’s offense on schedule and the defense kept doing its thing, the Texans had a championship formula. 

So it’s been bizarre to see Stroud and the Texans’ defense essentially switch places in their stunning 0-4 start: the quarterback play has been fine — great at times — but the defense has regressed dramatically. Houston ranks 20th in yards allowed and 26th in points allowed through four games. The team has been particularly bad defending the pass, ranking 28th with 260.0 passing yards allowed per game. 

Stroud has shown very real signs of growth, and I think the defense will be fine after head coach DeMeco Ryans took back defensive play-calling responsibilities this week. But I think the hole they’ve dug for themselves is too big to overcome. The Jaguars are positioned to run away with the AFC South, and there will be some very good teams fighting for the three wild-card spots in the AFC.

Jim Harbaugh-Mike McDaniel Pairing Has Been A Disaster

Eric D. Williams: I thought the unusual pairing between the old-school approach of veteran head coach Jim Harbaugh and the new-school approach of quirky offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel would work, despite their differing personalities. Instead, through the first four weeks, it’s been an ineffective combo, with Harbaugh having to answer questions about firing his offensive coordinator.

The uber-talented Justin Herbert is playing his worst football in his seven-year NFL career. L.A.’s offense looks disjointed, riddled with miscues and sloppy penalties. The Chargers are hampered by injuries again, with four of the team’s projected starting five along the offensive line already suffering injuries that forced them to miss time.

The Chargers have one of the worst scoring offenses in the league, and there’s no sign that things will turn around soon, with one of the best defenses in the league traveling to SoFi Stadium to face the Bolts in the Denver Broncos. Once again, the Chargers appear to be facing another lost season led by one of the most talented quarterbacks in the league, and at the center of that struggle is the strained relationship between Harbaugh, McDaniel and Herbert.

  The Pleasant Surprises

Greg Auman: I took the Chargers to win the Super Bowl and thought highly of the Texans, so it would be easy to echo the shock of those two teams opening to 0-4 records.

I’ll pivot to the other side of surprise, and three current playoff teams I didn’t see coming: the Giants, Raiders and Browns, all off to promising 3-1 starts.

You never know how quickly a new coach can imprint on a team that has struggled, and Klint Kubiak has certainly impressed in his first month in Las Vegas. Kubiak had bounced to five teams in five years before winning a Super Bowl last year, from the Vikings to Broncos to 49ers to Chiefs to Seahawks. He looks like someone who has learned from every stop and knows how to build a winning culture. General manager John Spytek spent big in free agency, but Tyler Linderbaum looks like a game-changer, and Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker are a great young linebacker duo. It may not translate to the playoffs this year, but the trajectory is undeniably upward.

There’s so much less standing between the Giants and a division title in John Harbaugh’s first season there. The Eagles are now down three solid offensive linemen, and the Cowboys show little sign that their defense isn’t the limiting factor it was last year. Can Jameis Winston play a full season without falling back to old turnover habits? That may be the biggest question, but New York’s defensive front and rookie linebacker Arvell Reese should only improve as the year progresses.

And Cleveland, off to a 3-1 start with their only loss at Jacksonville? Todd Monken is the old man in this first-year head coach class, and he’s managed to win with Deshaun Watson, a wrinkle nobody saw coming. Rookie receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion are playmakers, and second-year defensive tackle Mason Graham had four sacks in his first three games before falling to injury. Their schedule is loaded with winnable games, and while they’re unlikely to catch Baltimore, they could stick around in an AFC North where all four teams are at .500 or better right now. 

Cowboys’ Defense Failing To Meet Expectations

Steven Ruiz: I’ll go with the idea that the Cowboys’ defense can be “average.” I really bought into it and picked Dallas to win the NFC East. My optimism was based on new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, but I’m already selling my stock. It’s early, so Parker could develop into a great play-caller someday, but Dallas’s defense isn’t playing like a well-coached unit right now. There have been coverage busts, missed tackles, and blown assignments all over the field. So, it feels an awful lot like the 2025 version of the defense. I’m sure some of that will get resolved over the next few months, but it’s going to be difficult to fix all of it. 

Thursday’s upset loss to the Buccaneers further increased my concern surrounding the Cowboys’ defense. The Cowboys are on pace to give up their second-most rushing yards in franchise history, with Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving rushing for a career-high 165 rushing yards. 

Beyond the coaching issues, there’s still a concerning lack of talent. I’d hoped the safeties would improve with the addition of first-round pick Caleb Downs, but the rookie has mostly been used as a nickel back, leaving Markquese Bell and Malik Hooker to cover the deep parts of the field. They’ve been a disaster, and it’s tanked the entire pass unit. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr.’s arrival could push Downs back to safety, patching one of the biggest holes on that unit. But as the defense is currently constructed, this is far from a playoff-level unit. 

With Philadelphia’s season in peril and New York rolling with Jameis Winston for the foreseeable future, the bar for this defense to win the division is much lower than I expected in the offseason. So my take on the defense may have been irredeemably wrong, but I’m still feeling good about my NFC East pick.

The Chiefs Are Actually Playoff-Bound

Henry McKenna: I thought the Chiefs would miss the playoffs, and that was because I thought Patrick Mahomes would need some time before getting on the field — let alone looking like a top-three quarterback. I also thought Kenneth Walker III wouldn’t magically transform the Chiefs’ offensive identity. I was skeptical of whether bringing back OC Eric Bieniemy was the right move — when the team needed fresh ideas. I was beginning to think that maybe there wasn’t enough talent on defense, even with Steve Spagnuolo pulling the strings.

So, yeah, I got all that wrong. Every single element. 

After just four games, the Chiefs have an 89% chance at making the playoffs, tied for the highest in the NFL. They have the highest odds to get the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

That’s because Mahomes is playing the best football he’s played in the last five years. Walker looks like he’s on the same play-making plane as the likes of Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. Bieniemy and Andy Reid have used Walker to bring new life to a dud of an offense. And Spags looks just fine working with the guys he’s got, including high-impact rookies Mansoor Delane, the team’s new CB1, and R Mason Thomas, the team’s rotational edge rusher. The Chiefs took a number of calculated risks. Every single one has paid off. The dynasty is alive and well.

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