The Tampa Bay Rays added rookie right-hander Brody Hopkins to their AL Championship Series roster and dropped lefty Garrett Cleavinger while the Cleveland Guardians added right-hander Slade Cecconi.

Shane McClanahan will not pitch for the Rays in the postseason. Rays manager Kevin Cash said Sunday the left-hander will not be added to the ALCS roster after pitching 118 innings this year in his return following a two-year absence.

McClanahan had Tommy John surgery and then a nerve issue that forced him to miss 2024 and 2025. He was 10-7 with a 3.36 ERA in 24 starts this season before being placed on the injured list with left forearm tightness in early September.

“He’s a healthy pitcher. We are incredibly appreciative and grateful for the contributions that he gave us to get us to this point,” Cash said. “I don’t think any of us could have envisioned that he was going to get to that 120-inning mark and do it in a pretty dominant fashion. I mean, I think he’s got to be up there for Comeback Player of the Year with the time that he missed.

“But felt it made the most sense that his season is over. He’s going to go into the season as a healthy pitcher. Right now, he’s really focused on being the best teammate, which he does that pretty seamlessly and cheering his buddies on.”

The Rays made no other changes to their 26-man roster ahead of Game 1 Monday night against the Guardians. The AL East champions are carrying 14 hitters and 12 pitchers again in this round after sweeping the New York Yankees in the best-of-five Division Series.

The Guardians are carrying 13 pitchers after going to five games against the Chicago White Sox before advancing on Saturday night. Cecconi replaces utilityman Daniel Schneemann.

Cecconi was 5-7 with a 4.91 ERA in 28 games, including 21 starts. He moved to the bullpen in August and posted a 5.93 ERA in 13 2/3 innings.

Hopkins had seven strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings in six appearances this season but also walked six and posted a 5.06 ERA. He made his major league debut on Sept. 13. Cleavinger had a 4.79 ERA in 41 1/3 innings over 51 appearances. He didn’t pitch in the ALDS vs. the Yankees.

The Rays host the Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday night.

Here are the full ALCS rosters for both teams (L = left-handed pitcher):

Tampa Bay Rays ALCS Roster

Pitchers (12): Bryan Baker, Cam Booser (L), Brody Hopkins, Griffin Jax, Kevin Kelly, Nick Martinez, Steven Matz (L), Freddy Peralta, Drew Rasmussen, Ian Seymour (L), Cole Sulser, Tyler Wells

Catchers (2): Nick Fortes, Liam Hicks

Infielders (7): Jonathan Aranda, Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, Jorge Mateo, Richie Palacios, Taylor Walls, Ben Williamson

Outfielders (5): Jonny DeLuca, Víctor Mesa Jr., Cedric Mullins, Chandler Simpson, Ryan Vilade

Cleveland Guardians ALCS Roster

Pitchers (13): Shawn Armstrong, Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo (L), Slade Cecconi, Daniel Espino, Matt Festa, Hunter Gaddis, Foster Griffin (L), Tim Herrin (L), Parker Messick (L), Erik Sabrowski (L), Cade Smith, Gavin Williams

Catchers (2): Patrick Bailey, Austin Hedges

Infielders (6): Travis Bazzana, David Fry, Ángel Genao, Nathaniel Lowe, José Ramírez, Brayan Rocchio

Outfielders (5): Jo Adell, Chase DeLauter, Petey Halpin, Steven Kwan, Angel Martínez

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Lumen Field (Seattle) — We’ve seen this movie before. 

Sam Darnold threw the ball to the other team again and again on Sunday. The Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback had a two-interception showing in their home loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, falling 32-29. 

After another multi-interception game, Darnold was quick to point the finger at himself, as he should. 

“I’ve just got to continue to trust myself, trust my feet and trust what I’m doing,” Darnold said at the podium. “I’ve just got to be better taking care of the football.”

Only three quarterbacks have more interceptions than Darnold’s five this season, and he’s played in essentially two fewer games. Remember, Darnold missed practically the entire first two games of the season due to a glute injury. He’s now thrown an interception in all three games he’s started and finished, with Sunday being his second multi-interception game of the year after leading the league in turnovers last season with 20. 

Still, Seattle Seahawks left guard Grey Zabel told me it’s up to the rest of Seattle’s teammates to pick up their quarterback when he’s struggling.

“It starts up front, being better,” Zabel told me. “Me, in particular, giving the quarterback time and making him feel comfortable up there. Allowing him to make throws. … I don’t think Sam’s the problem. The problem was the left guard not being good enough, and that’s on me.” 

While it’s admirable that Zabel took accountability for Darnold and his offense’s poor performance, Seattle’s issues go deeper than an occasional missed block by the second-year offensive lineman. 

Since moving on from Kenneth Walker III in free agency, the Seahawks haven’t effectively run the football. They entered Sunday 14th in the league in rushing, with first-round pick Jadarian Price dealing with fumble issues before getting placed on injured reserve recently. They rushed for 89 yards on 3.4 yards per carry on Sunday, continuing their struggles.

And Seattle’s inability to run the ball came against a San Francisco front that hasn’t played all too well this season. The 49ers’ pass rush is considered among the league’s least dangerous, and they were missing Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa. Yet, Seattle allowed five sacks and a 45.7% pressure rate, per Next Gen Stats.

That led to Darnold’s pedestrian final stat line. He completed 18 of 29 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown with a 64.6 passer rating. Of course, there were also the two interceptions, which were both made by 49ers cornerback Renardo Green.

Darnold wasn’t the only one who played sloppy on Sunday, though. In what could be characterized as the game of the season so far, neither team played clean football. The seven combined turnovers by both teams are the most in a game this season, according to FOX Sports Research. The 38 combined points off turnovers were the most in a game this season and most in a game since 2017.

The heavyweight, see-saw battle saw four lead changes. One player was ejected: San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw, when he headbutted Seattle’s green-dot play caller, fellow linebacker Ernest Jones, who did not have his helmet on. 

Greenlaw found himself surrounded by Seahawks after hitting Darnold along Seattle’s sideline while he was out of bounds. But the 49ers figured out a way to tame Seattle’s offense without the tone-setter in the middle of their defense.  

The game included a rare drop on the potential game-winning drive by Jaxon Smith-Njigba that would have put Seattle into field goal position with 54 seconds left. 

A play later, the game ended with (no surprise) a controversial call when Cooper Kupp was called short of a first down by a yard while diving for the line to gain.

Defensively, the Seahawks pressured Brock Purdy in his worst game this season. Purdy finished 19 of 29 for 189 yards, with two touchdown passes. He was sacked for the first time this year and also threw an interception corralled by Seattle defensive back Nehemiah Prichett.

However, Seattle struggled to slow down perennial Pro Bowler Mike Evans, who finished with game highs in catches (7) and receiving yards (113), along with executing a viral moment where he named-checked Seattle veteran cornerback Trevon Diggs. Evans’ teammate Fred Warner described the veteran receiver as “walking aura,” which felt very appropriate considering how he played against the Seahawks on Sunday.

But even with the struggles around Darnold, the quarterback’s play will ultimately determine whether Seattle repeats as champions in 2026. And the Seahawks have proof that Darnold playing clean football leads to winning games. The USC product did not turn the ball over in the postseason, leading his team to a Super Bowl title.

So why does Darnold have five interceptions in just three games and a handful of plays in the season opener? Head coach Mike Macdonald said his team must get back to playing effective and efficient football.

“It’s everybody,” Macdonald said, when asked about Darnold’s struggles. “It’s not just Sam. And Sam knows it. It’s not like he wants to turn it over. We need to play collectively more efficiently, and I think when that happens, the ball doesn’t come into jeopardy as much.” 

Again, this isn’t unfamiliar territory for Darnold and the Seahawks. They engineered the same things last year, starting 3-2 before winning 11 of the last 12 games to close out the year. In fact, Darnold also had an early-season performance to forget in a loss to the 49ers last year as well, throwing for just 150 yards in a 17-13 loss. 

But every year is different. This year, Darnold will have to mitigate his mistakes to help Seattle overcome its shortcomings in the running game. 

Can Darnold do that? Kupp certainly believes so. 

“The energy, the belief and the trust in Sam is unwavering,” Kupp said. “There’s just an expectation the next time to try and find a way to meet the moment.” 

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Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham is sticking with quarterback Bryce Underwood and offensive coordinator Jason Beck.

“Jason is calling plays and Bryce is our guy,” Whittingham said Monday.

The Wolverines (3-2, 0-2 Big) host Penn State (3-3, 0-3) on Saturday in a matchup of disappointing teams led by coaches in their first year with two of the winningest programs in college football.

Michigan was No. 16 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, fell out after a controversial win over Western Michigan, earned a ranking again after beating then-No. 11 Oklahoma, only to go back to being unranked with losses to then-No. 17 Iowa and Minnesota.

The Wolverines are 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 2014.

The Nittany Lions started the season No. 18. After three wins against Marshall, Temple and Buffalo, they dropped out of the poll with a loss to Wisconsin and stayed unranked with setbacks to Northwestern and then-No. 19 USC.

Since the first snap this season in Ann Arbor, all eyes have been on Underwood.

Coming off a shaky freshman season as the nation’s No. 1 recruit, he has struggled to sustain success in large part because of turnovers.

Underwood, who mishandled the second snap of the season, has lost three fumbles this season and thrown four interceptions with just five passing touchdowns.

He threw interceptions on two straight snaps against the Golden Gophers. He was picked off on an ill-advised pass against the Hawkeyes at their 2, taking away a chance to go ahead by two scores in a game Michigan lost by one point after giving up a game-ending touchdown pass.

While Whittingham reiterated that Underwood would continue to start, he did leave an out for an eventual potential change. Michigan’s backup quarterback, Tommy Carr, took some snaps with the first-string offense during the team’s bye week.

“If we don’t get this turnover thing fixed rapidly, then something’s got to give,” Whittingham said.

The Wolverines’ minus-4 turnover margin ranks No. 122 out of 138 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

“That’s pretty bad,” Whittingham said.

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Michigan isn’t much better on offense, scoring just 23 points a game to rank No. 101 in the nation and ranking 98th with 135 yards rushing per game.

Last year at Utah under Whittingham in his 21st season with the program and with Beck calling plays, Utah was fifth in scoring at 41.2 points a game and second in rushing with 266.3 yards rushing on average.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers visit the Milwaukee Brewers for Game 2 of the NLCS on Monday, October 12, 2026 at 9:00 p.m. ET from American Family Field in Milwaukee, WI. The Brewers won Game 1 by a 2-1 score and lead the series 1-0.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the probable starter for Los Angeles. He is 1-0 this postseason with 10 strikeouts. Logan Henderson is the probable starter for Milwaukee. He has a 1.80 ERA this postseason, with one earned run allowed over five innings in NLDS Game 2.

Below, we’ll give you all the details you need to know about how to watch this game.

How to Watch Dodgers vs. Brewers NLCS Game 2

• When: Monday, October 12, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET
• Where: American Family Field, Milwaukee, WI
• TV: FOX
• Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One

Players To Watch

Game 2 belongs to Yamamoto, who threw 7.0 innings on 98 pitches in the Division Series at Atlanta on Oct. 6, allowing 4 hits and 1 earned run with 10 strikeouts and 1 walk. Opponents hit .160 against him in that start, and his postseason ERA stands at 1.29.

He went 14-9 with a 2.53 ERA and 182 strikeouts in 185.0 innings over 28 regular-season starts, with a 0.87 WHIP. Milwaukee beat Los Angeles 2-1 in Game 1.

Contreras went 3 for 4 with a home run at San Diego on Oct. 6 and has reached base in four of five postseason games. He is hitting .316 with a .409 on-base percentage and a .632 slugging percentage over that stretch, with 6 hits, 2 home runs and 3 walks in 22 plate appearances.

The catcher went 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 1 of the NLCS. During the regular season he hit .270 with 18 home runs and 94 RBI in 147 games.

Milwaukee hands the ball to Henderson after his Division Series start against San Diego on Oct. 4, when he went 5.0 innings and allowed 2 hits and 3 walks with 4 strikeouts. One of the two runs he gave up was earned, which put his postseason ERA at 1.80.

The right-hander went 11-3 with a 2.47 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 98.1 innings over 18 regular-season starts. He has not allowed a postseason home run.

Muncy hit home runs in three of the Dodgers’ four Division Series games against Atlanta, on Oct. 3, Oct. 4 and Oct. 7, and has driven in 3 runs with a .813 slugging percentage in the postseason. He has also struck out 4 times in 16 at-bats and has no walks.

He hit 29 home runs with a .838 OPS and 76 RBI in 149 regular-season games. Muncy went 1 for 4 with 2 strikeouts in Game 1 against the Brewers.

Dodgers vs. Brewers Game 2 Odds

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Shohei Ohtani continues to struggle at the plate for the Los Angeles Dodgers, leaving the ballclub playing catch-up early after dropping Game 1 of the NLCS to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Ohtani is a four-time MVP — winning two in each league — but right when the Dodgers need him most his bat has gone cold. With Los Angeles already trailing by a game heading on the road for Game 2, he remains the make-or-break factor they need to overcome the Brewers.

On the “MLB on FOX” post-game show, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez weighed in on Ohtani’s quiet postseason. Still, both analysts agreed that with or without his bat heating up, the Dodgers should be unfazed and fully capable of taking control in Game 2.

“They need Shohei Ohtani if we’re going to see the Dodgers at full strength,” Jeter said. “I don’t think it’s easy to flip a switch, but they don’t have to flip a switch mentally because mentally you walk into that clubhouse, I bet they have the same demeanor as if they won Game 1 because they’ve been here before.”

Rodriguez highlighted just how valuable Ohtani is to the Dodgers’ lineup. It’s not just that his offense is struggling, but you miss his complete presence on the field, whether it’s his raw power, high batting average or ability to create scoring opportunities on the basepaths.

The numbers tell the story. Ohtani is hitting just .188 with three hits across 16 postseason at-bats, leaving a massive void at the top of the Dodgers’ lineup.

“As far as Ohtani goes, the thing why he’s so valuable is you’re not just missing power or batting average or running the bases or stealing bases,” Rodriguez said. “You’re missing all of it. Plus his presence in the lineup.”

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Even with Ohtani’s struggles, Rodriguez believes the Dodgers can still win the series if they drop him lower in the batting order to take off the pressure. But if he can’t turn things around and regain his usual form, it only increases the urgency for the rest of the lineup to step up.

“So can they win? Maybe you can kind of hide him in the fourth and fifth slot,” Rodriguez continued. “He did go first to third today, but that’s one very hard person to replace. You’re gonna have the other guys to step up and make up for it.”

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Chase Briscoe has back-to-back wins, but can he rally to win the title?

He has cut his gap between himself and the points leader, Kyle Larson, from 123 two weeks ago to 65 points after winning races at Las Vegas and Charlotte.

That seems like a lot, but that means he would have to win another two of the final four races to have a shot. A driver on a hot streak, possibly, could be a threat.

Here are my Cup title contender rankings with Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville and Homestead as the only four races left in the season.

On The Verge (Alphabetical Order):

Chris Buescher (RFK Racing No. 17 Ford, -216 points behind leader): Buescher finished 10th for his first Chase top-10 but he still lost 20 points to Larson.

William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet, -208): Byron got caught up in the Alex Bowman wreck and lost another 48 points to Larson.

Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 Chevrolet, -185): Elliott was 12th at Charlotte, which continued a meh Chase for him as he lost 22 points to Larson.

Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports No. 77 Chevrolet, -180): Hocevar was 14th at Charlotte and will look to get back into the top 10. He lost 22 points to Larson.

Ryan Preece (RFK Racing No. 60 Ford, -227): Preece was 15th at Charlotte, dropping another 27 points behind.

Daniel Suárez (Spire Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet, -215): Suárez was 13th and lost 20 points to Larson. A top-10 season should be the goal.

Contender Rankings

10.

Gibbs slapped the wall early and lost seven laps as the team made repairs. A 34th-place finish (and losing 46 points to Larson) made any very small championship hopes now non-existent. Gibbs has two top fives in seven starts at Phoenix, including a fourth at the track in March.

9.

Wallace was an innocent victim in the Alex Bowman crash and his 37th-place day put him definitively out of any championship contention as he lost 48 points to Larson. Wallace has never finished in the top five at Phoenix, where he earned a career-best finish of sixth in March.

8.

Cindric finished fourth and sixth in the two stages but faded late to finish 17th at Charlotte, losing another 17 points to Larson. Cindric has no career top 10s at Phoenix, so he will look to just put together a solid day. He started third in March but ended up 34th after a crash.

7.

Reddick finished eighth for back-to-back top 10s, but those aren’t going to win a title. He lost another eight points to Larson. Phoenix isn’t a great track for Reddick. There, he has two top fives in the nine Next Gen races. He started eighth and finished eighth in March.

6.

Logano was ninth at Charlotte and the intermediate swing hurt this team as they finished 20th, 10th and ninth since his victory at Bristol. He dropped another 21 points to Larson. Logano loves Phoenix, though. He won races there to capture the 2022 and 2024 titles and has led 261 laps in the last three Phoenix races. He was on the pole in March, but a crash relegated him to 31st.

5.

A third-place Charlotte finish was solid for Blaney, who still dropped five points to Larson. But a fifth, a fifth and a third in the three intermediate-track races is definitely something that has to please this team. And now they head to Phoenix, where Blaney has won the last two races and has four runner-up finishes among his eight top fives in the nine Next Gen races at Phoenix.

4.

A frustrated Bell finished second by inches to Briscoe, and he saw being potentially just 31 points behind Larson to being down 51 points. That was a gain of just four on the day. He has the opportunity to gain points at Phoenix, where he won the 2024 and 2025 spring races. He was second to Blaney in March, where he led 17 laps. He has led 324 laps in the last four races at the track.

3.

Briscoe has cut 58 points into Larson’s lead with back-to-back victories. He is on a roll and Phoenix can be a good track for him. Briscoe earned his first career Cup victory when he captured the 2022 spring race there. He has finished outside the top 15, though, in his last four Phoenix starts, including two crashes — one of which resulted in a 37th-place finish in March.

2.

Hamlin lost nine more points to Larson despite a fifth-place finish. The reason? A penalty early in the race at Charlotte where a crew member fell over the pit road wall when trying to reach for a tire resulted in him not earning any points in the opening stage. Phoenix has been both kind and brutal to Hamlin. He led 208 laps at Phoenix a year ago before the late caution and a four-tire pit stop foiled his championship hopes. He has finishes of second, sixth and fifth in his last three Phoenix starts.

1.

Larson made the most of his day by earning the third-most points at Charlotte as he won the opening stage, finished fourth in the second stage and wound up sixth in the race. He extended his lead over Hamlin by nine points but did lose four points to Bell. Larson says that Phoenix isn’t a great track for him, but the stats say it is a very good one. He has six finishes of third or fourth in his last seven Phoenix starts. 

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The math has spoken. Winning matters in The Chase.

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Kyle Hamilton wasn’t trying to stay late.

The Ravens weren’t supposed to win this one. With QB Lamar Jackson out with a sprained ankle, backup Tyler Huntley started, and Baltimore trailed the Atlanta Falcons 23-15 after Nick Folk’s 48-yard field goal with 2:31 left on Sunday night.

Huntley hit wide receiver Devontez Walker for a seven-yard touchdown with 40 seconds remaining, and running back Derrick Henry ran in the two-point conversion to force overtime. Baltimore then took the opening possession of the extra period 63 yards in 14 plays, burning 7:03 of the 10-minute period before Huntley scored on a one-yard run.

Atlanta needed a touchdown to keep the game going. Two plays in, QB Tua Tagovailoa, who was in for Michael Penix Jr. after Penix left late in regulation with a rib injury, threw for Drake London on first-and-10 near midfield. Hamilton jumped the route, and the Ravens had a 30-23 win.

On NBC afterward, Hamilton explained his urgency.

“I don’t get paid overtime, so we’re out here for free,” he said. “So I was trying to get back home as quick as possible.”

The play meant a little more to Hamilton than most. The Atlanta native starred at the nearby Marist School and said he probably knew 500-plus people in the stands at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It was his first game there. He was supposed to play in the building once before, in his high school state championship, but snow moved the game and his team lost. He said that one still bugs him.

It was also Hamilton’s first interception since Christmas Day 2024.

“Tua tried to look me off, but I was just looking off the quarterback’s eyes, and [I] just caught the ball,” he told reporters after the game.

The bigger point, Hamilton said, was how the Ravens finished. Baltimore has let plenty of fourth-quarter leads slip away in recent seasons, and he called this one a turning point.

“That is a game that we have lost many times,” Hamilton said. “That is just us getting over some sort of hump or dark cloud. I am excited for the future.”

The win moved the Ravens to 4-1 for the first time since 2021 and into sole possession of first place in the AFC North. They visit the Cleveland Browns next Sunday.

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Alabama fell on the field, but not in my heart and mind.

College football rankings time, with odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.

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10.

LW: NR
To Make CFP: +500
Title Odds: +9000

Missouri was a bit of a punch line earlier in the season, hanging around the rankings while having beaten nobody. But the Tigers got Florida in a perfect spot and then backed it up with a dominant win over slumping Texas A&M. Austin Simmons will have to keep his emotions in check as he heads back to Oxford, but I give him, Cayden Lee and Missouri a great chance to pull off the upset. 

9.

LW: NR
To Make CFP: +150
Title Odds: +2500

Kind of here by default right now, but the Rebels’ only loss came in a terrible scheduling spot, and they have handled their business otherwise. Could see this going either way.

8.

LW: 9
To Make CFP: +105
Title Odds: +6600

The Utes have crushed everyone in their way so far and the offense looks like it is going to be a problem. Utah should have a cakewalk in Boulder this week before the schedule gets real, starting with a visit from Houston next week. 

7.

LW: 1
To Make CFP: -450
Title Odds: +900

We knew Texas wasn’t the best team in the country, but the Longhorns had two high-level wins vs. Ohio State and Tennessee, so the résumé had to be respected. Still, that was a shocking loss on Saturday, and it’s not going to get easier moving forward. The run game needs to be better, Arch Manning needs to be better and the offensive line needs to be better. Despite the head-to-head win over Ohio State, I have the Longhorns behind the Buckeyes because OSU led for essentially the entire game and kinda gave it away. Couple that with the form Texas has shown for most of the season outside that fourth quarter against the buckeyes, I have to give OSU the nod in the rankings for now. Four straight ranked teams await Texas after a visit from slumping Florida. 

6.

LW: 7
To Make CFP: -800
Title Odds: +1050

It looked like IU was done last week, and then Nick Marsh and Josh Hoover made the plays to keep the Hoosiers’ win streak alive. Credit the Indiana defense for doing a good job, especially in the second half, on shutting down Anthony Colandrea, giving the Hoosiers a chance to stay in the game. IU is a home ‘dog this week against Ohio State, just like Curt Cignetti likes it. 

5.

LW: 4
To Make CFP: -750
Title Odds: +400

I can’t wait for this one in Bloomington. It’s somewhat of the rubber match of the last couple of seasons between the last two national champs. IU controlled the line of scrimmage last year in Indianapolis and it clearly affected Julian Sayin. Can the Hoosiers rattle the Buckeyes’ QB again? An OSU loss here will continue the narrative of Sayin in big games, and the the conversation becomes, “Could the Buckeyes survive a third loss?” So much at stake here. 

4.

LW: 6
To Make CFP: -700
Title Odds: +900

I came out of that game against Georgia with immense respect for the Bama. Had a couple of things go against it and still had a chance to win. Yes, Alabama needs to get better up front, but as Keelon Russell grows up and gets better, the Tide should be in the mix nationally. However, be careful this week in Knoxville, where the Tide have lost the last two visits. 

3.

LW: 5
To Make CFP: -3000
Title Odds: +500

Another week, another double-digit win. Jonaz Walton has emerged as the go-to back, complementing C.J. Carr and the passing game. The toughest test to date this year comes in Provo, albeit against a shorthanded BYU, which is down its best offensive player in LJ. Martin. Still, it’s a road game at night in a hostile environment, in what will be the Cougars’ biggest home game since upsetting Miami in 1990. 

2.

LW: 3
To Make CFP: -1500
Title Odds: +700

A much-needed off week for injury-ravaged Miami. This week is a potential pink slip game for Mike Norvell and Florida State. Mario Cristobal has dominated Florida opponents the last few years and, given how poor the FSU defense has been, we could be looking at a 50-burger for Darian Mensah and the Canes’ offense here. 

1.

LW: 2
To Make CFP: -2500
Title Odds: +500

A helluva win for the Dawgs on Saturday night in Tuscaloosa cements their spot here. Georgia dominated the line of scrimmage in the run game and appears headed for another SEC Championship Game appearance. Yes, there were some calls that went the Bulldogs’ way, and they had some amazing fumble luck, but they deserved to win the game. It could be a little bit of a flat spot this week against a bad Auburn team ahead of the off week into the Cocktail Party. 

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. is expected to miss “at least a couple of weeks” with the hamstring injury he suffered Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters.

Samuel was ruled out with a hamstring injury in the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks. The injury occurred when Samuel was running toward the sideline when he fell to the ground, fumbling in the process, before being seen by training staff. 

Samuel was eventually able to make his way off the field, holding his right leg before being ruled out.

It was the second loss of the day for the 49ers in Seattle after linebacker Dre Greenlaw was ejected in the second quarter after he headbutted Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV during a sideline scuffle following a late hit on Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold.

Samuel is in his first season back in San Francisco after spending last season with the Washington Commanders, where he had 72 catches for 727 yards and five touchdowns. He rejoined the 49ers on a one-year deal this past offseason.

With Samuel sidelined, Brandin Cooks, who had a receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter, could be the next in line to absorb his workload. 

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Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord, N.C.) — The Team Penske drivers would need a lot to go their way in order to win a Cup title.

But from where they were midway through the season, the fact that they even remain in contention is an accomplishment. 

Struggles earlier this year on the intermediate tracks suggested that Ford would not be a factor at all in The Chase.

Instead, Ryan Blaney sits fifth in the standings at 85 points behind and Joey Logano is 92 points back.

Joey Logano (L) and Ryan Blaney are both still mathematically in the hunt for The Chase.

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Blaney finished fifth, fifth and third in the Kansas-Vegas-Charlotte stretch. Earlier this year, he was 24th at Kansas, 16th at Vegas and seventh at Charlotte. 

Logano’s ninth-place finish gave him back-to-back top 10s and his combined points at these three tracks were 85, compared to 59 at those tracks earlier this year.

Austin Cindric wasn’t great late at Charlotte but earned back-to-back top fives at Kansas and Vegas.

Austin Cindric sits eighth in The Chase standings ahead of Phoenix.

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“There’s no secret of early in the year and then the summer, it’s like, ‘Oh boy, we’re in big trouble. They really have a leg up on us,’” Blaney told me and other reporters after the race. “And these three tracks were super important, and I think our whole building has done a really good job of getting better.

“I think we’ve gained a step. We’re still about half a step behind. Their fire-off speed is just unbelievable. It’s just hard to keep up with them taking off, and I gain about half of it back at the end of a run. But obviously, the math does the math there. So we’ve still got a little work to do.”

The question will be how they build on this so they don’t start behind next year. Ford will have a new body in 2027.

“It’s not really the body that the gains have come from,” Logano told me and other reporters on Saturday. “A lot of it is the setup and finding something finally that kind of seems to fit what I want, what I need in the car.

Joey Logano admits that there will be a learning curve driving the new Ford body in 2027.

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“Yes, there’s going to be somewhat of a learning curve with a new body, but the things that we have found and the things we like and what I need in the car isn’t really body-dependent.”

Blaney believes they can build on it.

“There’s things you can take, and a lot of people that are a lot smarter than me are going to do the right work to figure out just overall balance,” Blaney said. “How Ford built this new body, it was a lot of discussions on where do we need to be better — front downforce, rear downforce, side force, all the little things.

“And Ford kind of went to work and tried to do the best they can. You can always learn.”

Ford officials will obviously be coy on exactly what they are working on for the new body. Ford Racing Global Director Mark Rushbrook told me in an interview last week that 2027 will bring some unknowns.

Ryan Blaney is looking forward to learning as Ford transitions to new body.

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“You go to the new body because it has greater potential in terms of what is designed into it. And as much as we know from CFD [computational fluid dynamics] and the wind tunnel, as with the past homologation and approval from NASCAR, we still don’t know how it is going to race on track on all these different style of tracks,” Rushbrook said.

“We’ll learn more as we start the season. We’ve made some very good improvements in the body, and I think we have a good understanding to start. But until we get out there with 40 cars, we don’t know everything yet.”

There are even more unknowns as far as 2027 and Ford, including how the departure of Brad Keselowski from RFK Racing will impact that organization.

“We have confidence in how RFK will go forward in their commitment to continuing to improve, continuing to put three cars on the race track as well,” Rushbrook said. “So we look forward to what their future is.”

Would he like that future to include Keselowski?

Is Ford in Keselowski’s future now that he’s out at RFK?

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“At this point, it’s what is the opportunity given how late in the season this has developed,” Rushbrook said.

Keselowski also left the door open.

“We’ll see. If Ford wants me, I would certainly listen to that,” Keselowski said.

It certainly has been a long roller-coaster season for much of the Ford camp. And even with the improved performance at Penske, it seems like they are ready for a break and a little bit of a reset.

“The season is plenty long,” Logano said. “I wish we found this speed earlier in the year. Things would look a little different right now. But it is what it is. That is how racing goes.”

JGR-Gabehart Update

Did Chris Gabehart violate his non-compete clause?

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A hearing in the Joe Gibbs Racing lawsuit against Chris Gabehart and Spire Motorsports is scheduled for Tuesday. The suit is regarding whether Gabehart and Spire have violated the restraining order that enforces Gabehart’s non-compete clause now that he’s moved to Spire from JGR.

Gabehart, the team’s Chief Motorsports Officer, was recently put on administrative leave, which JGR cites as an example that Spire has acknowledged a violation. Gabehart and Spire contend he did not violate the order and Spire has reiterated, adamantly, that it has not received any JGR “trade secrets” from Gabehart.

JGR contends that there are two separate issues, the restraining order and the taking of its trade secrets. 

“JGR is not required to prove that Gabehart’s comments were brilliant, novel or outcome-determinative,” JGR said in a court filing. “Instead, JGR must only show that Gabehart provided prohibited services.”

In The News

Austin Dillon will run a tire test for Goodyear in Charlotte.

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— Haas Factory Team confirmed that Cole Custer will remain in its No. 41 Cup car next season. Custer is 32nd in the Cup standings.

— In O’Reilly Series moves, the Burton cousins announced their next steps. Harrison Burton will move from Sam Hunt Racing to Peterson Racing next year, while Jeb Burton will go from Jordan Anerson Racing to RSS Racing. 

— The Kaulig Racing free agent truck will have familiar drivers who currently race other disciplines in its trucks over the next two weeks. INDYCAR driver Conor Daly will drive this weekend at Phoenix and three-time Cup champion and current NHRA driver Tony Stewart will be in the truck at Talladega.

— Team Penske, Arrow McLaren and ECR announced multiyear extensions to remain as Chevrolet teams in INDYCAR.

— Austin Dillon, Zane Smith and Erik Jones will conduct a tire test for Goodyear on Tuesday and Wednesday in Charlotte.

RIP

Monte Dutton was a pivotal member of the NASCAR media corps for decades, writing for the Gaston (N.C.) Gazette and other racing outlets. He died Oct. 8 at age 68.

Social Spotlight

They Said It

“I’m so proud of him. People want to lay sh– on me or whatever or say I’m hard on him. But it’s what it takes.”
— James Small, Crew Chief for Chase Briscoe

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