Tua Tagovailoa has been named the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback for Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team announced Monday.

The decision comes after Tagovailoa’s months-long competition with Michael Penix Jr., who started nine games for the Falcons in 2025 before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in November. Prior to the injury, Penix had a 60.1% completion percentage and 1,982 passing yards, with nine TDs against three interceptions in his second season as a pro.

Coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that Cooper Rush will back up Tagovailoa and Penix will be inactive. He declined to speculate on who the team might start at signal-caller beyond Week 1.

Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. were in competition all camp long, but with Penix never playing in a preseason game, Tagavailoa had the edge. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

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Tagovailoa outnumbered Penix in valuable reps throughout training camp. Penix was cleared for 11-on-11 drills on Aug. 22 but did not appear in any preseason games for the Falcons.

“Of course, Mike just getting back to 11-on-11, wanted to make sure we gave him an opportunity in these practices, and we did,” Stefanski said Monday. “But feel strongly about our decision with everything, all the information available to us.”

Tagovailoa started the Falcons’ first and final preseason games. He was 7 of 8 for 95 yards in three drives against his former team, the Miami Dolphins, in Atlanta’s third exhibition. He led an eight-play, 60-yard touchdown drive in Atlanta’s opening drive and lost a fumble in his second. The Falcons beat the Dolphins 17-12.

Stefanski first addressed the quarterback unit as a whole, which consists of Tagovailoa, Penix, Rush and undrafted rookie Jack Strand.

“Really, really proud of those guys,” he said. “Those guys have worked like crazy all offseason, and they’ve pushed each other, supported each other, and that’s what we’ll do for Tua. We’ll continue to support him and understand that this is a collective group that is constantly looking to help each other.”

Falcons Related Stories

Tagovailoa signed a one-year deal with the Falcons in March following a six-year stint with the Dolphins. Miami is on the hook for $99.2 million over the next two seasons after awarding Tagovailoa a four-year, $212.5 million contract extension in 2024. Tagavailoa started 14 games in 2025, the second-most in his career, with 20 TDs against 15 picks; both he and the Dolphins were far off from their 2022 and 2023 pace, when Tagovailoa earned MVP votes and made the Pro Bowl while leading the NFL in passing yards in the latter campaign.

“I’ve gotten to see Tua work from the spring until now,” Stefanski said. “New system for all these guys, and like I told them, there’s a lot of newness with our players, coaches and, you know, everybody getting up to speed, and he’s done a really nice job of working at it. … I think he’s really put himself in position to go be the best version of himself.”

Tagovailoa’s first start for Atlanta will be at the site of his last with Miami. The quarterback was benched for rookie Quinn Ewers following the Dolphins’ 28-15 loss in Pittsburgh on Dec. 15.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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WRIGLEY FIELD (Chicago) — Wrigley Field is, of course, known throughout the sports world as the home of the Chicago Cubs. But in the 112-year history of the Friendly Confines, the venue has also hosted myriad other sporting events, including women’s pro baseball (as depicted in “A League of Their Own”) and pro soccer, plus high school, college and pro football games. 

In addition to the Cubs, the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Sting and Red Stars have played there, not to mention the Harlem Globetrotters, Savanah Bananas and the legendary Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro League. There was also lacrosse, golf, wrestling, boxing, rodeo and even ski jumping. 

But never volleyball. Until Sunday night. 

To cap off Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week, No. 3 Kentucky played No. 13 Penn State in the opener, followed by No. 1 Nebraska taking on Missouri. It was a night to remember. 

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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Sunday’s matchups were broadcast in prime time on FOX, with Connor Onion and Emily Ehman calling the action. Meanwhile, “The Simpsons” got a rare Sunday night off. 

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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The No. 13-ranked Nittany Lions feature six players who are daughters of former pro athletes. They include Alexis Ewing (above left), whose dad is NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, and Finley Krystkowiak (42), the daughter of Larry Krystkowiak, who played nine seasons in the NBA. The third daughter of a former NBA player is sophomore Gabrielle Nichols, whose dad Demetris Nichols played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. 

Penn State redshirt junior Caroline Jurevicius and sophomore Ava Jurevicius are the daughters of Joe Jurevicius, who spent 10 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver and won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Finally, senior opposite hitter Kennedy Martin is the daughter of former NFL receiver Ruvell Martin, who played a total of seven years for the Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills. 

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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Kentucky is led by All-American outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye, the 2024 SEC Player of the Year. DeLeye paced the Wildcats with 21 kills in UK’s 3-1 win over Penn State.

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley was back on home turf Sunday night. In high school, she led Mother McAuley, an all-girl Catholic school on Chicago’s south side, to a state volleyball title and also excelled in basketball. As a result, Schumacher-Cawley is a member of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. 

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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The iconic ballpark proved a beautiful setting for women’s college volleyball. 

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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Ahead of the nightcap, the Cornhuskers entered the arena like rock stars. 

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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A crowd of 43,067 packed into Wrigley Field, the second-largest attendance in the ballpark’s history. It was a sea of Nebraska red. Three years ago, the Cornhuskers drew 92,003 for an outdoor match at Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium to set a record for the largest crowd ever to watch a women’s sporting event in the United States.

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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Not long into the Nebraska-Mizzou match, condensation of the court started to become a problem. Even the players helped out with towels. 

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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During a delay, the Tigers led the crowd in sing-alongs. The team’s motto this season is LFG, but it’s not exactly Tom Brady’s version of LFG. The Mizzou motto stands for Love, Family, Grit.

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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Later, Nebraska opposite hitter Ryan Hunter (18) showed off her dance moves on the video boards, thrilling the crowd and her teammates.

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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After just 18 points in the first set, officials postponed the match for player safety. In a touching address, Bergen Reilly (2), Nebraska’s star setter, thanked the fans for their support. 

Photo by Ed McGregor/FOX Sports

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But the night wasn’t officially over until Cornhuskers star Andi Jackson (15) grabbed the mic for an impromptu a cappella sing-along of Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” getting everyone involved, including the Missouri players. Quite a night.

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Mauricio Pochettino’s first U.S. men’s national team roster since the World Cup will be young, but it won’t include 19-year-old German-American defender Noahkai Banks.

Pochettino on Monday said during a video conference with reporters that he’s been in contact with Banks in the two months since the USA was eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup by Belgium in the round of 16, but that the Hawaii-born center-back still hasn’t decided whether to represent the Stars and Stripes or four-time World Cup champ Die Mannschaft.

“Noahkai didn’t change his mind and is waiting — still no decision, and of course we cannot consider him for the next camp,” Pochettino said ahead of stateside exhibitions against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada later this month.

But the Argentine coach, who signed a new four-year contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation last month, indicated that the squad, which he said would include around 26 field players and four goalkeepers, will mix members of the World Cup roster with promising newcomers who could play a big role during qualifying for the 2030 World Cup — and at the main event itself.

Perhaps the most interesting name potentially in the mix is 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, who has starred for the Philadelphia Union since MLS returned from its World Cup break in mid-July. Sullivan has scored in each of the Union’s last three games.

(Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)

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On a recent episode of Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union podcast, Sullivan said he believes he could’ve helped Pochettino’s side against Belgium. “I think I could come into that game on the right side and make a difference,” he told the FOX Sports analyst and former USA defender. “You have to believe in yourself; you have to think you can help your team win.

“It’s not my team yet,” Sullivan added. “But I’m obviously always dreaming and hoping call-ups.”

Although Pochettino didn’t mention Sullivan by name, he seemed to allude to the interview when specifically asked about Philadelphia’s cache of youngsters. Quinn Sullivan, Cavan’s older brother, and Nathan Harriel both played for the U.S. in 2025, while defenders Neil Pierre and Frankie Westfield are quickly emerging as two of the promising young players in the program.

“We are very happy about to have all these potential good players,” Pochettino said. “Only we need to be careful, no? We need to be careful, because when you are young, of course, you need to be confident, you need to have the trust in yourself and belief that you can perform and you can do well.

“But the thing is, there is a limit,” he continued. “The balance is the most important, and one of our responsibilities is to protect these guys because sometimes if you play well and you are 17, 16 or 18, people start to talk about that you are Messi or you are a big star in the world because you do some few good things.

“That can be dangerous for your career, and that is what we don’t want,” Pochettino added.  “I say you only are entitled to talk a little bit out of order if you are Messi. If you win eight Ballon d’Ors, you can talk with a certain arrogance, but even Messi, you are never going to hear him talking in this way.”

Another teenager who could receive his first senior team invite is Crystal Palace forward Zavier Gozo. Pochettino included Gozo, who scored six goals in 16 games for Real Salt Lake before transferring to the Premier League side this summer, on his 55-player provisional World Cup roster but not the final 26.

(Photo by Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)

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But other Americans who recently moved from MLS to England could be allowed to skip FIFA’s new extended September-October window as they adapt to a new club environment, Pochettino said, noting that 2026 World Cup veterans like Middlesbrough’s Max Arfsten and Sebastian Berhalter are known quantities at this point.

With the Steve Cherundolo-coached U.S. under-23 team idle until November, Pochettino will have access to as many youngsters as he wants. But he also wants to win. The U.S. is 0-2 against chief rival Mexico under the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager, and also lost to Canada — led by American Jesse Marsch — in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League finals.

“I think we cannot bring a whole squad of young players,” he said. “They need to have next to them some guys with experience already.”

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Kyle Larson didn’t enter The Chase trying to win a race or win his third NASCAR Cup Series title.

The defending champion insisted Wednesday that he and his team just want to “do the best job” they can every week. 

The best Sunday at Darlington Raceway might have been fifth. 

Staying out on older tires for a restart with 24 laps remaining, he held everyone off for 12 laps before falling to fifth. He had hoped more than four cars would stay out, giving him enough of a buffer.

Kyle Larson (No. 5 car) led 99 laps at Darlington before finishing fifth.

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So on a Sunday where he led a race-high 99 laps but also had a hiccup on a pit stop, he came up empty once again. 

Ultimately, he saw his winless streak extend to 51 races.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver just can’t seem to find enough speed when it matters or be able to make something happen as he has done so many times in the past. Part of that has been the transition to a new body for the Chevrolets, as the manufacturer has six wins this year in 27 races.

Kyle Larson said he and his team are doing the best they can every week.

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Only two of those have come from Hendrick, with Chase Elliott earning two victories earlier in the year.

“At times, it has been sad meetings,” Larson said about the competition debrief they do every week. “At times it’s been happy meetings. At times, it’s been where we need a little pick-me-up from the boss of motivation and stuff.

“But I would say the good thing with Hendrick Motorsports is there’s no — at least in my time of being there — there’s no finger pointing. There’s nobody calling anybody out. It’s just, especially in these moments, it’s like ‘All right, we know we have an issue, let’s try and just figure it out.'”

And despite it all, Larson said he has enjoyed this season. 

After the fifth-place finish Sunday, he’s seventh in the standings and still within striking distance of winning a title at 49 points behind Denny Hamin.

“As challenging as this year has been, I’ve had a lot of fun with it because it’s been just encouraging and just cool to see everybody working so hard,” Larson said. “As weird as that sounds, I’ve enjoyed this year as much or more than some others — just because of the effort that’s been put in.”

Despite his winless streak, Larson said he’s having fun. 

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The effort has gotten them to the point where they can lead laps again. And to Larson, that shows progress.

“It’s been a challenging season for sure,” Larson said. “I’m proud of the effort and proud of the work and fight that we put in because in those first few months, I thought there’d be for sure no way we’d have even opportunities to win.

“And I feel like we’ve had a few this year that narrowly slipped away. I feel like our race cars have gotten better.”

Larson said the team has changed its outlook somewhat.

“You’ve just got to kind of, you know, adjust your expectations from early in the year and then set out to try and do as good a job as you can,” Larson said. “We’re trying really hard. I know it might not seem like that, but we’re probably trying harder than we’ve ever tried before.”

And that includes in the races because they can’t compensate for mistakes. Or even just choosing what could turn out to be not the winning strategy. 

He was fourth when he stayed out on old tires and finished fifth. So they lost one point while taking a swing at a strategy that, if they won, would have been 22 points more than where they were running.

“I feel like we have to execute a perfect day right now to finish fifth,” Larson said in that interview on Wednesday. “That still doesn’t change the fact that I’m proud of the team for the effort and all that. You can not have as much speed as you want, but it’s going to be more annoying if everybody’s content with that — and nobody’s content with that.

Kyle Larson won the 2025 NASCAR championship. Can he repeat that success in 2026?

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“We’re all working hard. That keeps me motivated. … We know what success feels like. So we’re just itching to get there. It’s just been fun to see the hard work and everybody maintaining their processes and trying to get back there.”

Part of the process is keeping a notebook. And Larson wants to follow that notebook each weekend in The Chase unless there is good reason to take a huge swing. The Toyotas have been the dominant manufacturer this year with 15 wins in the 27 races.

“There’s some tracks in The Chase like Phoenix where we’re garbage at that I’m totally open to trying anything new. … We’re in a good spot with what we need to maximize our car, but just finding that next level — we’re still working hard to figure out.” 

New INDYCAR Performance Standards

Josh Pierson has been pushing to take the next step up to INDYCAR.

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INDYCAR has set standards for Indy NXT drivers to be eligible to compete in INDYCAR. 

Any driver who finishes in the top three in the series or has at least two wins in the last two years is automatically qualified.

A driver with one Indy NXT win is “evaluation eligible,” meaning the driver can do an INDYCAR driver evaluation test. If not, then a résumé review is required before even getting to do an evaluation test.

Drivers from other series will be judged based on their performance in those series. 

The driver this could impact the most is Josh Pierson, who apparently has been pursuing an INDYCAR ride with funding he brings. Pierson won his first career Indy NXT race Saturday, a few days after the standards were announced.

“I know a lot of people have put a lot of stuff out there about me. People seem to talk about stuff that I don’t even know about,” Pierson said during his winner news conference Saturday. 

“For me, it really hasn’t been my concern. I’ve been able to focus on myself, do what I need to do to improve, find my footing. I feel like this has been a huge confidence boost, morale boost for the team coming off a rough year.”

In The News

Josh Bilicki has his sights set on Daytona 2027.

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— Alpha Prime Racing will change manufacturers for its two-car, full-time O’Reilly Series program as it moves from Chevrolet to Ford. It will field Fords in select events this year before going fully Ford in 2027. It will get engines from Roush Yates Engines.

— Dreyer & Reinbold will move from Chevrolet to Honda as it goes from an Indianapolis 500 program only to a full-season INDYCAR program. It will have an alliance with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The specifics of the alliance are still to be determined.

— Josh Bilicki will attempt to make the 2027 Daytona 500 with Garage 66. 

— Laguna Seca has named its infamous corkscrew section after Alex Zanardi who made an incredible pass 30 years ago to win the race. Zanardi, a beloved two-time series champion who lost his legs in a 2001 racing accident and later won Paralympic gold medals, died earlier this year. 

— Nikita Johnson won the Indy NXT title with runner-up finishes in both races at Laguna Seca. The rookie outlasted another rookie, Enzo Fittipaldi, in the final standings. Fittipaldi led the series with four wins.

— Longtime motorsports journalist and key figure in the creation of the Motor Racing Network, Jim Foster, will be awarded the 2027 Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. He’s also a former Daytona track president.

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They Said It

“It’s been too damn long.”
— Christopher Bell after his first win of the year

WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT

With four wins on the season, Denny Hamlin is favored to take home the title as NASCAR drives toward The Chase.

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Kylian Mbappé believes this could be the year he wins the Ballon d’Or for the first time.

He’s optimistic after winning his second consecutive World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, the most in 56 years. He also overtook Lionel Messi for the most all-time World Cup goals with 22. There were also 42 goals in 44 matches for Real Madrid, although the club finished last season without a major trophy.

“There are many people who speak about me and the Ballon d’Or. Of course, I’ve made history in the most important competition. Maybe it’s a good year for this, but people can vote according to what they think,” Mbappé said on Monday.

The award will be presented on Oct. 26 in London. The men’s Ballon d’Or last year was won by Ousmane Dembele after Paris Saint-Germain won its first Champions League title.

“I think when you play for Real Madrid, the best club in the world, people automatically associate you with this award,” Mbappé added. “I always think I’m the best, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.”

(Photo by Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

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Other strong candidates include Harry Kane — 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern Munich — and Lamine Yamal, who won the World Cup with Spain and La Liga with Barcelona.

“I don’t like making comparisons because I do a lot of things that others don’t,” Mbappé said. “If we get into that it becomes an endless debate, you know?”

His best finish in the voting was third in 2023. He spoke ahead of Real Madrid’s Champions League opener against Inter Milan in Madrid on Tuesday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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College football Week 1 is officially here, and Betr is giving you another way to get in on the action. Enter promo code FOXSPORTS to get 2 No Sweat Tokens when you play Betr this week.

With marquee matchups like No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 24 Louisville, Clemson vs. No. 11 LSU, No. 2 Oregon vs. Boise State and plenty of other games on the schedule, there is no shortage of college football action to follow. Whether you’re watching the top-ranked teams or looking for value in this week’s slate, the No Sweat Tokens can give you some added protection on your plays.

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Best Games To Watch In Week 1

• Boise State at No. 2 Oregon — 12:30 p.m. EST
• Clemson at No. 11 LSU — 4:30 p.m. EST
• Wisconsin vs. No. 4 Notre Dame — 4:30 p.m. EST
• No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss — 4:30 p.m. EST
• No. 19 SMU at Florida State — 4:30 p.m. EST
• Colorado at Georgia Tech — 8:00 p.m. EST
• Liberty at James Madison — 12:00 p.m. EST
• Baylor vs. Auburn — 3:30 p.m. EST
• Tulane at Duke — 3:30 p.m. EST
• UCLA at Cal — 10:30 p.m. EST
• Washington State at No. 17 Washington — 4:00 p.m. EST

How To Watch Colorado vs. Georgia Tech 

• Date: Thursday, Sept. 3
• Time: 8 p.m. ET
• Location: Bobby Dodd Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia
• TV: ESPN
• Live stream: Fubo (try for free)

How to Watch Illinois vs. UAB

• Date: Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026
• Time: 9 p.m. ET
• TV: BTN
• Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One, FOXSports.com, FOX Sports App
• Location: Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois

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Can AJ Brown return to being one of the best receivers in the NFL?

Brown enters the 2026 season looking refreshed after being traded to the New England Patriots from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, but the move has reignited questions about where he stands among the NFL’s elite wide receivers. 

During Thursday’s edition of First Things First, Nick Wright, Kevin Wildes and Chris Broussard debated whether Brown can climb back into the top five at his position.

Wright wasn’t ready to buy in, pointing to Brown’s age as a factor working against him. He noted that only two receivers 29 or older posted 1,000 receiving yards last season, Stefon Diggs and Courtland Sutton, calling it a fun fact worth remembering before anointing Brown a top-5 receiver again.

Wright also pointed to a statistical trend from Brown’s final three seasons in Philadelphia that concerns him. “When you show his numbers on his Eagles career, what you see is a pretty consistent downward trend,” Wright said. “Now the catches went up last year, but the yards went down, so the yards per catch plummeted. That, to me, is at least it’s at least on the board that A.J. Brown peaked three years ago, and is now closer to the player he’s been the last two years.”

Last season with the Eagles, Brown’s total catches climbed to 78, but his yardage dropped to 1,003 on seven touchdowns, and his yards per catch fell to a career-low 12.9.

This is a contrast from the previous two seasons. In 2023, Brown caught 106 passes for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 13.7 yards per catch across 17 games. In 2024, missing four games to injury, he caught 67 passes for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 16.1 yards per catch.

Last season with the Eagles, AJ Brown’s total catches climbed to 78, but his yardage dropped to 1,003 on seven touchdowns, and his yards per catch fell to a career-low 12.9. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

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Wright added that Brown hauling in around 1,000 yards this season, is just as likely as a return to the top five — estimating his probable finish will be closer to the top 10 among receivers.

Broussard was the most skeptical of the group, ruling out any chance of Brown reaching the top five. “I don’t think he can be top five,” Broussard said. “I think he can be very good, but he’s not the same.”

Broussard pointed to Brown’s ability to separate, or lack thereof compared to earlier in his career, to back up his stance. 

“His separation isn’t what it used to be,” Broussard said. “That’s why I think those numbers did go down. He doesn’t get the separation, so most of his catches are really contested.”

Despite the criticism, Broussard left room for a strong season in New England. “I still think he can be good,” Broussard said. “I think he can be like a top 10 receiver and have a great year for them.” He stopped short of putting Brown in the same class as Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.

NFL Related Stories

Brown is looking forward to a new start in New England after he repeatedly voiced frustration over his role in the offense and his belief that he wasn’t getting enough targets, with Jalen Hurts even acknowledging afterward that the two had grown apart.

The debate leaves an open question as Brown begins his first season with the Patriots: was last year’s decline due to his quarrels with Hurts, or a sign that his peak has already passed?

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After four years of dominance by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers surprisingly took the division crown in 2025. Will the Bucs regain it, or will we see another shock in 2026? 

With Week 1 approaching, the “First Things First” crew of Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Danny Parkins predicted how the NFC South standings would shake out. And in a division that seems unpredictable entering the year, all three reached a consensus on who they think will finish in first place.

Here’s how all three see the NFC South unfolding in 2026. 

Nick Wright’s NFC South Prediction

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Wright wasn’t convinced he would see a leap forward from the Panthers, pointing to quarterback Bryce Young as the reason. 

“I don’t think there’s a lot of evidence that Bryce turned a corner,” Wright said. “He had a nice stretch, but overall, the course of the season, it was a hell of a lot like Year 2.” 

Wright added he expects Carolina to finish at or around six wins.

Wright was more bullish on the Falcons, landing on them as his deep sleeper to sneak into the playoffs at nine wins. He pointed to running back Bijan Robinson and a potential step forward from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as reasons for optimism. 

“I think Bijan might be number one on the NFL 100 next year,” Wright said. He also credited new head coach Kevin Stefanski, pointing to Stefanski’s track record of getting the most out of his quarterbacks in Cleveland.

Wright surprised many and had two teams in the South making the playoffs as he picked the Buccaneers to finish 11-6 atop the division. Wright said the additions of rookie pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and the return of Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey up front. He was skeptical Tampa Bay would miss Mike Evans as much as some expect after his departure in free agency.

Chris Broussard’s NFC South Prediction

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Broussard agreed with Wright on the Panthers finishing last, questioning whether Bryce Young has taken the step many expect. 

“I thought Bryce was better last year, but he still wasn’t good,” Broussard said. He was more optimistic about Carolina’s defense with the addition of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, but placed the Panthers behind both the Saints and Falcons in his prediction.

On the Falcons, Broussard credited the talented players at other positions on the roster while raising concerns about durability at quarterback. “They have no idea who’s getting away with it,” Broussard said of Atlanta’s quarterback competition, adding that both options have been particularly injury-prone. 

Broussard had the Buccaneers on top, pointing to quarterback Baker Mayfield’s contract situation as extra motivation heading into the year. “Baker’s got a chip on his shoulder, lots approved, money on the line,” Broussard said

Danny Parkins’ NFC South Prediction

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All three hosts agreed the Buccaneers are the team to beat, pointing to the return of quarterback Baker Mayfield, an improved offensive line and a retooled defensive front as reasons for confidence heading into the season.

“The Bucs, to me, are the clear-cut team,” Parkins said.

Parkins broke from his co-hosts by ranking the Panthers second, pointing to rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan and the Jaelan Phillips signing as reasons for belief in a jump. 

“I think Tetairoa McMillan could be a top 10 receiver by the end of the year,” Parkins said. He also said the Phillips addition should provide a boost for a Carolina pass rush that struggled a season ago.

Parkins ranked the Falcons last in the division, citing concern about the quarterback situation undercutting a talented supporting cast. 

“It’s a team with great skill position players and not much else,” Parkins said, adding that Atlanta invested heavily in its pass rush this offseason only to be hit by off-field issues affecting that group.

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LSU coach Lane Kiffin’s chances of fielding former NFL players improved Thursday night when a Louisiana judge issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA in a high-profile eligibility case.

East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden issued his ruling the night before LSU was due to submit its 105-man roster to the Southeastern Conference, which last week announced heavy potential punishment for football and basketball teams that bring in ex-pros.

The ruling clears the way for LSU to list some former NFL players on its roster. How many games they might be eligible to play remains to be seen as the matter continues working its way through the courts.

Lane Kiffin and LSU fought the SEC in court, leading to a TRO that granted former NFL players a fifth-year of eligibility

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Jorden said he considered sanctions against the SEC and the NCAA but ruled he was not ready to issue any at this time.

Jorden’s decision followed a nearly nine-hour hearing in a courtroom near the LSU campus in which athlete after athlete took the stand to explain why they should be allowed to return to play college sports after turning pro. The commissioner of the powerful SEC argued against them, and the league doubled down by filing a lawsuit against the school in federal court. That lawsuit could now become the SEC’s best chance at preventing former pros from playing this season.

The courtroom confrontation came just two days before 11th-ranked LSU opens the season at home against Clemson. Jorden scheduled the hearing over his temporary injunction preventing the NCAA from barring former pros or fifth-year college athletes, a stance reiterated by the SEC and other Power Four conferences in potential punishments adopted last week.

Former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright, two players who hope to suit up for LSU, sat next to each other in the gallery as the hearing began and both took the stand to say they would have not tried to turn pro had they known they might get another year in college.

Dae’Quan Wright spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns after playing his fourth season of eligibility with the Ole Miss. (Photo by Terence Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Harris and Wright said they each earned about $1 million in college. Harris said he was paid just $190 in travel expenses by the Saints and spent all of his time with the club rehabbing a foot injury. Wright said he was paid a $25,000 signing bonus by Philadelphia before his brief time with the Browns and would gladly pay that back for the chance to play for LSU.

Two LSU soccer players, Jazmin Ferguson and Jocelyn Ollivierre, won earlier court orders and have already played this season. Ferguson testified that she was paid $4,500 by a USL team, but ended her contract and paid the money back in hopes of clearing the way to play for the Tigers again. Two LSU softball players also testified.

The athletes testified after SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey was on the stand for more than two hours, defending the league’s authority to enforce its week-old rules barring former pros from returning to play at its 16 member schools. He said school presidents and chancellors felt that they needed to establish a line between professional and college sports and that there needed to be ways to hold schools accountable.

“The line between professional sports and college sports needs to be maintained,” Sankey testified, adding that the league was concerned about incoming athletes being displaced from limited roster spots.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey (right) testified against LSU in court on Thursday. (Photo by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)

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As he spoke, the SEC filed the federal lawsuit in Alabama against LSU and its leadership, alleging the school had “waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes” in defiance of league rules. The court filing against one of the league’s founding members in 1933 seeks an injunction barring LSU from violating the SEC’s First Amendment rights by forcing it to “associate with conduct that is contrary to the conference’s purpose and mission.”

Legal experts said the filing was a backup in case the SEC lost in state court. Outside the courthouse in Baton Rouge, plaintiffs’ attorney Tony Clayton said: “I got a problem with that. I mean, you go around, you can file this suit in any state. You’re suing LSU. Sue them in Louisiana. You go to our nemesis: Alabama. Really? So, so that lets you know what the commissioner is all about.”

In questioning Sankey, attorneys for the athletes cited numerous examples of when SEC eligibility rules align with NCAA rules, suggesting the potential of collusion. They questioned why league members met last week to adopt stiff penalties for the very actions addressed in the Louisiana state court’s temporary injunction against the NCAA.

The attorneys also asked why the SEC singled out players who signed contracts with specific U.S.-based leagues — the NFL, NBA and WNBA — but not overseas pro leagues or women’s pro soccer leagues. When Sankey tried to qualify an answer about whether the SEC had previously punished a school for adding a player with previous pro experience, Clayton said, “I didn’t ask how to build a clock. I’m just asking what time it is.”

Sankey acknowledged that there had previously been no such punishment, but that it had been considered against Alabama last basketball season when the Crimson Tide briefly added a former G League player.

Blake Cotton joined Zxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright in Louisiana court on Thursday. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The players in question also include former Denver Broncos defensive back Blake Cotton, who like Harris and Wright is hoping to join LSU and Kiffin.

Wright, who played for Kiffin last season at Mississippi, started practicing at LSU this week, too late to be eligible for Saturday’s home opener against Clemson under the NCAA’s required seven days of practice. Harris, who also played at Ole Miss last season, has committed to LSU, while Cotton, who played at Utah last fall, has been recruited by Kiffin.

All three are among a host of athletes who’ve argued in lawsuits around the country that they are unfairly being denied an opportunity to spend a fifth year in college under newly adopted NCAA rules allowing for five full years of competition. In all, the NCAA says there are approximately 450 athlete plaintiffs seeking additional eligibility through litigation, with some 300 of them winning the ability to play at least for now.

The athletes in the case who signed pro contracts have argued they did so only because current rules that would have allowed them another college season weren’t adopted until after their decisions to leave for the chance to make an NFL roster.

The SEC contends the question before the judge should be a narrow one regarding whether the conference “can enforce and require its member institutions to comply with SEC rules.” The SEC’s proposed punishments include significant fines, up to half-season suspensions for coaches and member universities’ loss of voting privileges on league business matters.

Sankey provided an affidavit stating that SEC university presidents had voted 15-0 in favor of the new rules, with LSU’s Wade Rousse abstaining.

The fight over eligibility between schools and their own conferences and the NCAA has simmered for months and spilled into politics.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill chatted with plaintiffs’ attorneys before the hearing and filed a brief on their behalf. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry posted on X to attorneys general in Georgia and South Carolina that “calling them ‘NFL players’ is at best disingenuous, and at worst intentionally deceptive … They are not professional football players circling back after years in the NFL. They are college players who were told, by the NCAA, that they were done. So they took the only door that was open — only to watch the NCAA change the lock behind them.”

Reported by the Associated Press.

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I was pretty proud of my 42-30-2 record from last season, but I’m still eager to improve on that this season.

Here are my best bets for Week 1 of the college football season, along with my weekly Bear Bytes.

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Last season’s game featured a 35-0 second half after a slow start and I don’t expect a slow start here. This Miami squad has the potential to be more talented than the one which played for the national title last year and I think the depth and the number of players completing for playing time will result in not taking the foot off the gas. Stanford has some offensive line issues as well and that probably isn’t good against this Miami defense. Something like 42-10 feels right.

Fallica’s Picks: Miami -24.5, Stanford Team Total Under 10.5

Old school Pac-12 after dark in Berkeley, where we could have two pretty good offenses — certainly QBs — on display. This number has flipped from Cal being favored, so I will grab the Golden Bears as a ‘dog here. I think the Bob Chesney narrative is driving that flip, which is fine. I think he’s going to do well at UCLA. But I think we’re overlooking that Cal might have the better roster right now, as Tosh Lupoi is coaching in his first game.

Fallica’s Pick: Cal +2

The Texans gave up 30 to Prairie View in their opener, but Kaden Anderson and Dylan Hines did what they wanted on offense. Tarleton is one of the best FCS teams out there and after last season’s collapse — especially on the offensive side of the ball — I’m not sure BG is better than it. And it’s not like there’s a big home field edge at all.

Fallica’s Pick: Tarleton St. +2.5

A couple of years back, the Boise squad which made the CFP hung around with the Ducks, but this is a better Oregon team and a worse Boise squad. After the way 2025 ended for the Ducks, and with so many of the key players returning for a title run, I expect Oregon to come out with some urgency. The Ducks’ defensive line should eat against an offensive line over which it has a huge edge.

Fallica’s Pick: Oregon -24.5

I can get behind a first-half play on the Longhorns, too. It’s almost too logical/easy to expect Texas will pull guys and ease up in the second half, but its roster is so deep and talented that I’m not sure it will matter.

Fallica’s Pick: Texas -29.5

The Brian Hartline era gets underway at USF, and it might be a tricky opener with a new-look squad against an FIU team that got better and built some culture under Willie Simmons last year. The Panthers have a couple of good backs, including Georgia Tech transfer Anthony Carrier, as well as a pretty experienced defense. FIU might not be good enough to get the outright win, but I’ll take north of two touchdowns.

Fallica’s Pick: FIU +14.5

UNDERDOGS TO PLAY ON ML

Cal +104
Tarleton State +114
Florida State +136

BEAR BYTES

No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss

In his last 11 games as an underdog of six points or more, Jeff Brohm’s team has won eight of them outright.

Ball State @ No. 1 Ohio State

The last 50-point favorite in an FBS vs. FBS game was Michigan -53 vs. Hawaii in 2022.

No. 7 Miami @ Stanford

In the last three years, when favored by at least 20 points over another FBS team, Miami allowed 10, 7, 14, 14, 0 and 7 in those six games.

Northern Illinois @ No. 22 Iowa

This is the 11th game in which Kirk Ferentz has been favored by at least 28 points. Iowa allowed 7, 7, 10, 7, 0, 7, 0, 7, 7 and 10 points in the previous 10 games (6.2 PPG).

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