Sunday’s NFL slate somehow had a little bit of everything.

We arguably had the best game of the young season, with the San Francisco 49ers taking down the Seattle Seahawks in a thriller to remain undefeated. The Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars had two lead changes in the final 15 seconds of their game in London. Sunday also brought us our first tie of the year, and a rare headliner trade on a game day that helps set the course for an interesting trade deadline. 

Suffice it to say, Sunday brought us a lot of things we could overreact to. Which overreactions are legitimate, and which ones aren’t? Let’s break it down. 

The 49ers Are The Team To Beat In The NFC

With the win over the Seahawks, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan erased the perception that he can’t defeat a Mike Macdonald-led defense. And with the win, the 49ers are 3-0 against the Broncos, Seahawks and Rams this season, becoming the first team since the 1981 Broncos to record three wins in their first five games against teams that reached a conference championship game the previous season.

It’s the third time San Francisco has started the season 5-0 under Shanahan. The previous two instances (2019 and 2023), the 49ers reached the Super Bowl.

Conclusion: Not an overreaction

The 49ers also easily handled the Super Bowl champions of the offseason, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 in Australia to start the year. Brock Purdy is the frontrunner for league MVP, even though he struggled at times against one of the best defenses in the league on the road at Seattle.

And receiver Mike Evans has been one of the best free-agent additions of the offseason, finishing with game highs in receiving yards (113) and receptions (7). Through the first part of the regular season, the 49ers have shown the NFC goes through Levi’s Stadium.

Kenneth Walker played his best when the games mattered most, leading the Seahawks to a championship last season. That was particularly true in Super Bowl LX, when he ran for 135 yards and earned the game’s MVP honors. 

But that wasn’t enough for Walker to stay in Seattle this offseason. The Seahawks promptly let Walker go in free agency, where he signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension to join the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason. Paired with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Walker has been the most dominant running back in the NFL, leading the league in rushing yards.

That move has led to some second-guessing in Seattle, which drafted Jadarian Price with its first-round pick in April’s draft. The Seahawks are also awaiting the return of Zach Charbonnet, who is still on injured reserve due to a knee ailment he suffered last season. 

Conclusion: Not an overreaction

Price has failed to come close to Walker’s production so far, dealing with fumble issues (he’s lost two fumbles) before recently landing on IR due a chest injury. With Charbonnet still out, the combination of free-agent pickup Emanuel Wilson and George Holani hasn’t produced the same explosive running game with Walker in the backfield last year.

That wasn’t apparent in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers. The Seahawks were averaging 110 rushing yards a contest entering Week 5 and had just 86 in a loss to San Francisco. Holani had two costly fumbles, including one recovered by San Francisco rookie defensive lineman Gracen Halton for a touchdown. During the team’s Super Bowl run, the Seahawks averaged 130 rushing yards a contest and did not turn the ball over in the postseason.

With the running game falling short, Sam Darnold has had to deal with a larger burden. That hasn’t produced great results, with Darnold throwing two interceptions on Sunday. Of the three games Darnold has started and finished this season, he’s thrown multiple interceptions in two of them — and both resulted in losses. 

The Cardinals finally pulled the trigger by trading Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans. The Cardinals received pretty good compensation, netting a second- and sixth-round pick while also sending a seventh-rounder with Harrison to consummate the deal.

With the move, the Cardinals give up on developing the No. 4 overall selection in the 2024 draft just three years into his NFL career, while Harrison gets a chance at a fresh start in a new environment with someone he had a lot of success with at Ohio State in Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud.

But will the deal help change the course of the Texans’ season? 

Conclusion: Overreaction

Considered the best receiver in his draft class and one of the best receiver prospects in years, Harrison has to take some ownership and accountability for things not going well in Arizona. But he also wasn’t the only one to blame, as the Cardinals did not do a great job of putting Harrison in positions to excel based on his skill set and surrounding him with proper talent. 

That said, there are now no excuses for Harrison. He must figure out how to produce for a new team in a new offense, and that transition will likely take some time. And there isn’t much time for the Texans to figure it out. Sure, they won on Sunday, but they’re 1-4 and face the 4-1 Jacksonville Jaguars in London next week. 

Nick Sirianni Has Little Wiggle Room Left As Eagles HC

 

In a week where folks openly questioned whether the Eagles have given up on the season, Nick Sirianni made another questionable decision that led to an improbable 57-yard game-winning field goal by Jaguars’ kicker Cam Little. The loss dropped the Eagles to 2-3 on the year, marking another woeful defeat in a year where the NFC East feels very winnable. 

The Eagles appeared to have won the game after Jalen Hurts marched the offense into scoring position and Jake Elliott drilled a 48-yarder with eight seconds left. However, instead of instructing Elliott to kick the ball into the end zone, he placed it in the field of play and Ameer Abdullah returned it 53 yards to put Jacksonville into field goal position for the winning score.

Bottom line: Philadelphia lost a game it should have won, and Sirianni is shouldering the blame for the loss.

Conclusion: Not an overreaction

Sirianni has had success in Philadelphia, winning two NFC titles and a Super Bowl in five seasons, but Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is more concerned about what his head coach has done for him lately. And through five games this season, it’s been a hot mess for Philadelphia.

But this is when teams led by Sirianni are usually at their best — when everyone counts them out and their backs are against the wall. And after Lane Johnson’s retirement and the trade of center Cam Jurgens, it appears that everyone will shovel dirt over the Eagles’ season, especially after Sunday’s loss.

However, if Sirianni is going to orchestrate an in-season turnaround this year, he’s going to need to overcome some early obstacles. The Eagles continue to struggle in the second half of games. In 18 drives in the second half this season, Philadelphia has 10 three-and-outs and is 2-of-20 on third down, per FOX Sports Research. Philadelphia has managed just three points in the second half all season.

While the defense has kept them competitive, Sirianni has struggled to get the offense right. And down three starters on the offensive line, two running backs and No. 1 receiver DeVonta Smith, the Eagles have failed to consistently find answers under offensive coordinator Sean Mannion.

And Sirianni might end up paying the price. 

In a rivalry game where both head coaches don’t like each other, Jordan Love finally played like the MVP candidate NFL prognosticators expected to see this season. Love completed 80.6% of his passes for 367 yards and two scores in the Green Bay Packers’ decisive win over the Chicago Bears. For the second time this season, Love didn’t throw an interception. 

Christian Watson (143 yards) and Matthew Golden (123) both had 100-yard receiving performances, as the Bears struggled to defend the deep ball. Green Bay’s much-maligned offensive line did a decent job of keeping Love upright for the most part, as he was sacked just twice. Love finished with six completions of at least 20 yards.

Conclusion: Overreaction

As good as Green Bay’s passing game looked, it still struggled to run the football. Other than bulldozing his way for two scores, MarShawn Lloyd finished with just 31 rushing yards. Entering Sunday’s contest, the Packers were rushing for a league-low 58 yards per game. The running game didn’t look any better against the Bears, as they ran for 70 yards on Sunday.

Also, rookie kicker Trey Smack missed two field goals and an extra point. With the inevitable close games that playoff-contending teams play late in the year, the Packers are going to need more consistency from their young kicker.

The Las Vegas Raiders lost their second game in a row, and veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins wasn’t at his best. Cousins completed 67.9% of his passes for 243 yards and a touchdown, posting a 106.7 passer rating. But his numbers were better than his play might suggest, with the Raiders scoring just 10 points through the first three quarters. 

As a result, the Raiders were boat-raced by the New England Patriots, 45-17, and No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza got his first taste fo regular-season action when he closed out the day. He finished 6 of 8 for 48 yards in mop-up duty, getting into the red zone in his only drive before turning the ball over on downs. 

Conclusion: Overreaction

The Raiders paid Cousins good money for a reason, and that was to take the pounding in the tough part of the first half of the schedule. And with the Raiders getting off to a surprising 3-2 start, Cousins should be the quarterback for the next six games as they face the Bills, Rams, Seahawks, Broncos and 49ers.

It’s better for Cousins to see if he can get through that gauntlet in one piece and give Mendoza two weeks to prepare for his first start after the bye in Week 12. More importantly for Cousins and Mendoza is the Raiders figuring out how to effectively run the football to create balance on offense. Las Vegas finished with just 38 rushing yards against New England.

Needing a jumpstart on offense, the Jaguars leaned on Washington to create some big plays, and he produced. Washington finished with six receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns, one of which was a 51-yard score to start the game, while the other was a pretty, one-handed catch for a score in the fourth quarter.

Washington entered Sunday tied for third in touchdowns (4) and ninth in receiving yards (352). Should a performance like Sunday’s solidify Washington’s spot among the game’s top pass-catchers? 

Conclusion: Not an overreaction

My colleague and Jaguars radio announcer Bucky Brooks has pointed out Washington’s consistent work ethic and compared him to another explosive playmaker: Carolina Panthers icon Steve Smith Sr. Washington led the Jaguars in receiving last season and is one of the reasons quarterback Trevor Lawrence is in the MVP conversation for a second straight season. 

Now, it looks like the duo might be ready to take the next step. 

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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Joe Brady wanted to be a player, not a coach. He spent his life fighting his way onto the field, battling through injuries, proving himself to coaches who overlooked him. He even had to show his dad at times that he shouldn’t be benched.

Brady thought his time was coming, too, at the start of his junior year as a wide receiver at William & Mary. That was the same time that Tre McBride showed up. He was clearly a future pro, who even Brady could see “shouldn’t have been playing at William & Mary.” He had it all — the size, the skills, the untapped potential. Everything Brady didn’t.

Brady was a lanky receiver who, his head coach at William & Mary, Jimmye Laycock told me, was “hard-working and tough, but not the most gifted athlete we had.” And it was clear to everyone that McBride, even as a freshman, was in Brady’s way. 

So Brady did the only thing he could.

He helped McBride become even better.

“He really helped me a lot, making sure that I knew exactly what I had to do from an assignment and an alignment standpoint, every game,” McBride recently told me. “He was my go-to. If I had a question on the field, off the field, it was Joe Brady that I was checking in with. And he was always anticipating too, like he was watching me close. Whatever it was on my mind, he was ready for that.”

It was, McBride admits now, a remarkably generous choice — especially since he didn’t exactly welcome Brady’s help with open arms. They fought at times, but Brady was relentless, making sure his more talented teammate knew every little detail about the Tribe’s offense, and was always aware of exactly what he was supposed to do.

“Joe was mature beyond his years,” Laycock told me. “He wasn’t the best player we had, but he could basically run the meetings for the receivers.  He would help the other ones out, knowing where they were supposed to be, alignments, assignments, whatever. He had a great understanding of the whole game.”

Joe Brady became the Bills’ head coach this offseason, with the team turning a new page despite Sean McDermott’s relatively successful tenure. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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And the results were impressive. McBride became the first freshman receiver to play for the Tribe in six years. As a sophomore, during Brady’s senior year, he caught 55 passes for 897 yards and a touchdown, and started to get early attention from NFL scouts. Brady, meanwhile, played in 21 games with McBride over those two seasons at their small FCS school in Williamsburg, Virginia. He caught just three passes for 34 yards.

But Brady reveled in McBride’s success. He never stopped trying to make him better. He never thought about the playing time that maybe he could have had.

“Yeah, it was probably wrong, or different,” Brady told me. “But I felt like if he’s better, it’s going to make me better, and we’ll go from there. It gave me the opportunity to be like ‘All right, maybe I can form some of these guys.’ “

And just like that, Joe Brady realized something else too: He might turn out to be a pretty good coach.

‘Nobody Is Surprised He Wound Up Having Massive Success’

Nobody back then would have imagined that just 15 years later, Brady would be the head coach of the Buffalo Bills at just 37 years old. He got the job back in January when his old boss, Sean McDermott — another William & Mary alum, by the way — was fired after the Bills went 12-5 last season and lost in the divisional playoff round. Brady was part of that failure. He had spent the previous four years as McDermott’s assistant — two as his quarterbacks coach and two as offensive coordinator. But he obviously impressed Bills owner Terry Pegula and general manager Brandon Beane by how he ran one of the NFL’s best offenses, earning franchise quarterback Josh Allen’s trust.

Still, there was a risk in handing over one of the NFL’s best teams to someone so young and so inexperienced. Even by today’s NFL standards, with 30-something coaches becoming more common than ever, Brady has had a meteoric rise.

But to those who know Brady best, and watched him along the way, there’s nothing shocking about it.

“The fact that he got to where he’s at so quickly has surprised literally nobody on our team,” McBride told me. “I guarantee nobody is surprised he wound up having massive success. And it’s no surprise that he became a brilliant football mind.”

“It didn’t take me long to see it either,” added Kevin Rogers, who was the offensive coordinator at William & Mary when Brady took his first coaching job as a graduate assistant. “He’s a unique guy. I mean holy smokes, you talk about success in droves in your career. It’s amazing.”

Joe Brady replaced Sean McDermott, a fellow William & Mary alum, as head coach. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

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In fact, the run of success has been dizzying. Brady got his first coordinator job at LSU at age 29, just three years removed from being a graduate assistant at Penn State. And in one year in Baton Rouge, all he did was turn his quarterback (Joe Burrow) into a Heisman Trophy winner and help the Tigers win the national championship. That led to two more offensive coordinator jobs in the NFL, including the last two years in Buffalo, where the Bills were one of the highest-scoring teams in the NFL.

And now Brady has rewarded his bosses’ faith by getting the Bills off to a 3-1 start, as they head into a showdown against the Rams in Los Angeles on Monday night. He was the first Bills coach ever to start his career by winning his first three games. And he has everyone in Western New York believing that he will win a lot more.

Brady’s ‘Excellent Move’ To Coaching At William & Mary

Coaching was always a thought for Brady, but never part of his original plan. He wanted to play quarterback, at least until he threw out his arm. Then he switched to wide receiver, where he had to work his way up from the bottom of the depth chart at Everglades High School in South Florida. He was eventually good enough to draw interest from the Air Force Academy, but he broke his wrist in the first scrimmage and missed his freshman year. He ended up transferring to William & Mary, only to then break his foot in his first spring drills.

Brady refused to give up on playing, though, even though coaches rarely saw the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder as much more than a scrappy special teamer. 

“He was a tough player,” Laycock told me. “Any time we needed a wide receiver to block down on a linebacker, we’d substitute Joey in there. He was good at that.”

But he wasn’t good for much more on the field. Yet he still emerged as the leader of the “Bomb Squad” — the Tribe’s receiving group. He mentored younger players. He was a teacher in the meeting rooms. Of course he wanted to play, but he understood the reality and eventually accepted his fate.

“Joe was just a team guy at his core,” McBride told me. “And he wanted us to win more than anything. And if he could see where it was going, the trajectory, I have no problem believing that he would just buy into the success of our overall team over his particular situation.”

“Once I realized I wasn’t playing at this level,” Brady told me, “I was like, ‘All right, I want to coach.’”

And so he did, starting from the bottom, as a grad assistant at William & Mary, just weeks after his playing career ended. He made it clear, too, that he was willing to learn everything — offense, defense, special teams, whatever. He was willing to do anything, too.

Laycock saw that just a few weeks into Brady’s tenure, when he was preparing to host some new recruits on a Saturday morning. When the head coach got to the office before breakfast, his grad assistant was already at work.

“Joe was already in there, had the vacuum cleaner out, and was cleaning up the recruiting lounge at 6 o’clock in the morning, just to make sure everything was set,” Laycock told me. “That wasn’t anywhere near his responsibility whatsoever. That hit home with me. I’m thinking, ‘This guy’s got something to him, he really does.’”

Things like that got the notice of the entire staff, too. When the full-time linebackers coach job opened up that summer, Brady asked about it, and Laycock told me he laughed him out of the room at first. But then his other assistants kept asking, “What about Brady?” and they wouldn’t let up.

“Basically, what I had always done is encourage [former players] to go somewhere before I hired them back, just because I wanted a little bit more of a separation from student-athlete to coach,” he told me. “But both the offensive and defensive coaches harped on me about it. 

“The defensive coaches really wanted him.”

Joe Brady quickly impressed the coaches he played for at William & Mary with his work on the sideline. (Photo Courtesy of William & Mary Athletics).

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Hiring him turned out to be “an excellent move,” Laycock told me. Brady was only 23 when he got the job, barely older than his old teammates, but he made a smooth transition. 

“He related well to his players, but he knew the difference between player and coach,” Laycock told me. “Sometimes a guy, once he’s finished playing and you give him the title of coach, he all of a sudden thinks he’s a hard ass. Or it could go the other way, that he’s so damn friendly they’re his buddies. Those are the things that would bother me. 

“But he walked that line very, very well.”

Brady spent two more seasons at William & Mary before James Franklin offered him a grad assistant job at Penn State, just a couple of weeks before practices began in 2015. And from there, the opportunities kept rolling in. Two years later, there was an opening on Sean Payton’s staff in New Orleans for an offensive quality control coach. Brendan Nugent, the Saints assistant offensive line coach and the William & Mary assistant who once recruited Brady as a player, recommended his former receiver for the job.

And even though the quality control job in the NFL is like a grad assistant in college, but with slightly better pay, Brady saw that only as a great opportunity to learn. Before long, he was sitting in on quarterback meetings with offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael (now the Bills’ 54-year-old offensive coordinator) and learning everything he could from watching and listening to Payton and Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

“I was so fortunate that I wasn’t a quality control coach that was just given ‘This is what our game plan is going to be’.” Brady told me. “I sat in the room and saw Sean come up with it. The only reason I was able to go have success and install an offense and run an offense was because I sat there and saw Sean and Pete and how their brains just worked and the connections they had with Drew and how they knew each other. It was so cool.

“I literally say this line all the time: I got my Master’s degree at Penn State, but I got my doctorate in New Orleans.”

  How Brady Became A ‘Can’t-Miss’ Coach In Louisiana

Brady “was always a sponge-type of guy,” Laycock told me. “He wanted to know what was going on, on either side of the ball. He had a good understanding of it, but he always wanted a little more.”

And what he learned was that he had a knack for knowing how to teach. Brady was still in his first season with the Saints when LSU head coach Ed Orgeron wanted to learn more about the New Orleans offense that was already one of the most dynamic in the NFL. He was particularly interested in how they used quarterback/tight end Taysom Hill when they ran RPOs (run-pass option plays).

Carmichael agreed to run a clinic for the LSU coaches, but he made sure to bring Brady along.

Carmichael spoke first. But when Brady got his turn, he dazzled the LSU staff with his film breakdowns, the research he provided from his time at Penn State and what he learned scouting other NFL teams. He knew what the offenses planned, how the defenses adjusted, and how the offense could counter. He was just 28 and had only been coaching for about four seasons, but he had a room full of NFL coaches hanging on every word.

“Ed Orgeron calls me up after, asks me what I knew about Joe Brady,” Rogers told me. “I said, ‘He’s a can’t-miss. There’s no way you’re going to hire a better guy than Joe.’”

Joe Brady became a rising star in the coaching ranks during his one season at LSU, helping Joe Burrow win the Heisman Trophy in 2019. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

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Two years later, Orgeron took that advice and hired Brady to be the Tigers’ passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach.

That, of course, is where Brady’s career really took off. He used a quick-pass system and his matchup wizardry to transform an offense that had been stagnant a year earlier into a juggernaut. They averaged 568.9 yards per game. Joe Burrow, their senior quarterback, threw 60 touchdowns and won the Heisman Trophy. Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase both topped 1,500 receiving yards and combined for 48 touchdowns. And the Tigers went 11-0 and won their first national championship in 12 years.

Brady was suddenly a rising star in the coaching ranks. He won the Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in the nation. He was going to be able to call his next shot.

But he had already chosen his path long ago.

Brady’s NFL Destiny

“Joe always wanted to be an NFL coach,” Rogers told me. “He didn’t care what kind of job a college offered him, whether it was back at his alma mater or coaching at Notre Dame. Joe wanted to coach in the NFL.”

He got his shot less than 24 hours after the national championship game when he was hired by new Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule, who was coming out of college himself after seven years as head coach at Temple and then Baylor. But it didn’t work out. The Panthers’ offense struggled under his direction.

There were unexpected challenges of coaching during a pandemic that certainly didn’t help him. It also hurt that the quarterbacks he got stuck with were an aging Teddy Bridgewater, a still struggling Sam Darnold, and a washed-up Cam Newton trying to hold on to the end of his career.

“That,” Rogers told me, “was the only time he stubbed his toe.”

He also learned a lot from his failure.

“Covid hit and I didn’t spend a lot of time with my guys,” Brady told me. “I was way more Xs and Os driven than I was about anything else. I’ve kind of flipped that. The Xs and Os still hit me, but I spend way more time with my guys, learning what makes them tick, what they need. And they can feed off of that.”

Joe Brady’s first season as an NFL offensive coordinator came during the COVID-affected 2020 season, presenting him with a challenge with the Panthers. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

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So when McDermott called and offered his fellow Tribe alum a chance to coach Josh Allen as Buffalo’s quarterbacks coach after Rhule and his staff were fired in Carolina, Brady leaned hard into that relationship. And that shouldn’t have been a surprise. Brady used to hang around Rogers’ office at William & Mary and asked him about his time coaching Donovan McNabb at Syracuse and Brett Favre in Minnesota. He had a front-row seat to the Payton-Brees dynamic. He had his own special relationship with Burrow at LSU.

He knew how coaches could get the most out of their quarterbacks because he understood what players need, and how to push their buttons. It was a skill he got from pushing McBride all those years ago. He just has a knack for relating to his players. It’s why Allen calls him “the most real guy you’ll ever meet.”

“The realness that he has, I’ve been able to live it in the quarterback room for the last 3 ½, four seasons,” Allen said. “He’s a real human that guys can get behind and understand and play for.”

It helps that Allen, of course, has had remarkable success with Brady at his side. The quarterback has finished in the top 5 in the NFL MVP voting in each of their first four seasons together, and he won the MVP award in 2024. Brady’s not the only one responsible for Allen’s development, of course, but he’s had a big part in turning him into arguably the most dangerous quarterback in the league.

Joe Brady sees Drew Brees and Sean Payton as the QB-HC duo he and Josh Allen should model themselves after as he spent time up cose with the two in New Orleans. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

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They are close — far closer than Allen ever was to McDermott, according to several team sources — but Brady thinks they can be even closer. He still remembers the way Payton and Brees were in those meeting rooms with the Saints every day.

“We’re not there yet,” Brady told me. “But they were together 15-20 years and that takes time. Pete Carmichael was with Drew Brees for 19 of his 20 years in his career. This will be Year 5 with Josh. I know how he thinks. He knows how I think. But now we’re growing on the field together. With Drew and Sean, Drew would walk in the huddle knowing exactly, ‘This is what we talked about weeks ago.’ 

“We’re going to get to that point, but we’re as close as we can be right now.”

Why Brady Feels He’s Ready To Lead Bills To Super Bowl

Is that enough? It almost has to be, because Brady doesn’t have time to grow on the job. He has taken over a team that has gone 88-33 (.715) over the past seven seasons, been to the playoffs seven straight times and the AFC Championship Game twice in the last six years. He is taking over a franchise that is inexorably tied to a region that is still stinging from four straight Super Bowl losses in the early 1990s, not to mention the 33 years that have passed without getting another shot.

Brady was handed an MVP-caliber quarterback and a roster as good as any in the AFC, and loaded with the weight of a loyal, but tired fan base, that can and will only judge him in one way. McDermott, after all, only lost his job because he failed to deliver a championship.

How could anyone, especially such a young coach, be ready for all that?

“Define what ‘ready’ is?” Brady told me. “Is ‘ready’ if you had success? Is ‘ready’ if it doesn’t go well? That’s how we get judged and a lot of times it just goes to the age. But I think it’s (about) ‘What are you doing in those 10 years? What are you doing in those 15 years?’ I’ve been around some coaches that have been coaching for 30 years, but for the last 20 years this is the only way they do it. They don’t teach them any differently. So have they really been growing? Are they ready for another opportunity because they’ve been coaching for a while?

“I’ve learned so much. I interviewed for jobs in 2020 and I’m such a different coach now than I was in those interviews. So, define ‘ready’. I think I’ve been proactive in my own development. I took a lot of time trying to figure it out on the fly and roll with it.”

Joe Brady coached Josh Allen over the past four seasons as an assistant before becoming the Bills’ head coach this offseason. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

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“He always was proactive in his development,” Rogers says.  “I don’t think he tries to emulate anything as a head coach. I think he is who he is. But he’s a hands-on football coach. He’s a guy that when he goes out to practice, he’s not going to stand there in the middle of the field and look around or get up in a bird’s nest and look down at practice. He’s going to have his hands in quarterback play, wide receiver play, and the offense in general. And he’ll always know what other people are doing and find better ways to do things. That’s just the way the kid is.”

One other thing about the kid that Laycock remembers is that “I don’t ever, ever remember seeing him down — you know, hanging his head or being down about anything. He always seemed to be extremely upbeat about all situations.”

It’s a subtle difference — the ability not to worry about what’s going wrong, but to focus on what he can do to make things go right. Good coaches do that. They make their players believe the future will be better than the past.

And Laycock knows a thing or two about good pro coaches. He’s had a long line of assistants at William & Mary who eventually went to the NFL, including Rogers, Commanders coach Dan Quinn, former Giants coach Brian Daboll, and D.J. Mangas, Brady’s close friend who is currently the Bills’ assistant wide receivers coach. He also coached McDermott and long-time Steelers coach Mike Tomlin when they were still at William & Mary trying to play.

What he saw in them were the same things he sees in Brady.

“One trait is they’re good people. They’re very good, solid individuals,” Laycock told me. “Another trait is they’re not phony. They are who they are. They don’t try to be who they’re not.”

Will Joe Brady be the one to finally get Josh Allen over the hump? (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)

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Brady seems to have those traits and more. He’s proven to be a master tactician. He’s got a knack for pushing the right buttons with his players. He’s an outstanding teacher. And he can motivate people to believe that there’s much more they can do.

It’s just that now he has to do it all in the biggest spotlight of his life, with no margin for error. He knows he was hired with only one goal in mind. Anything short of guiding his team to Super Bowl LXI and he knows some will view him as a failure.

The expectations almost feel unfair. But that’s not the way Brady sees it. He’s been preparing for this since the day he realized that the best thing he could do for his team was help his more talented teammate. That’s when he learned to trust that if he does what he thinks is best, things have a way of working out.

“It kind of goes back to your ‘ready’ question,” Brady told me. “I never felt pressure because it’s like ‘Hey, I’m ready for this. Let me do everything I can to be prepared for this moment and make the most of the moment and reset from there.’ 

“So I don’t think about the Super Bowl. No one has higher expectations than myself. I knew why I took this job. I knew what came with it. That doesn’t mean I am talking about it every single day and I can’t handle all that comes with it. But I’m present right now. And if I just be myself, everything will go OK from there.”

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MILWAUKEE — Brice Turang doesn’t always stay late at the field to hit. Some years, he said he doesn’t do it all. But two nights before the start of the National League Championship Series, the scuffling Brewers second baseman felt it was necessary. 

Turang was one of the most valuable position players in Major League Baseball this year. He hit 21 homers and led the Brewers in hits, runs scored and RBI. But that production didn’t translate to the National League Division Series, where he went 2-for-16 against the Padres. 

So, he decided to hit and hit and hit alongside Brewers hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach and player performance consultant Jace Peterson into the late hours Friday night, trying to find the right feel with his hands and a better path to the baseball.  

“I love trying to figure it out,” Turang said. “Kind of grew up hitting all the time for late hours of the night. So, sometimes it brings me back to being a kid a little bit.”

(Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Brewers manager Pat Murphy was throwing baseballs to his kids when he noticed Turang still working off the Trajekt machine. 

Murphy told me that Turang and the hitting coaches were in the cages until 10 p.m., five hours after the Brewers’ team workout ended.  Vogelbach couldn’t confirm, because he lost track of time entirely. 

“We could’ve been here not late, and with that guy, you feel like there’s a moment coming,” Vogelbach said. “Good players are always going to come back to being good players. You never feel like he’s far away from being Brice.”

In his first at-bat against Tarik Skubal in Game 1, Turang fouled a ball off his knee before grounding out. 

In his next, the Brewers’ lefty did something comparable only to a four-time MVP.

(Photo by Aaron Gash/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Shohei Ohtani was the only left-handed batter during the 2026 regular season to send a pitch from a lefty on the inner third of the plate out the opposite way for a home run. Ohtani accomplished the feat twice, but neither time came on a fastball with the velocity that Turang saw Monday night. 

“Sometimes, facing a lefty gets you more locked in than anything,” Murphy said, “because you know you’ve got to stay tight and you know you’ve got to stay square.” 

Skubal picked apart the Brewers’ lineup the first time through the order Monday night, racking up six strikeouts in the process. “It was looking like he was going to dominate,” Vogelbach said. 

And then came Turang’s slump-busting swing.

The fourth-inning blast changed the course of Game 1, catalyzed the Brewers’ offense — which responded by knocking Skubal out after a go-ahead, 26-pitch fifth inning — and might have gotten Milwaukee’s most productive position player going again in a 2-1 win. 

“Just trying not to hit it off my legs anymore,” Turang joked. “Yeah, if that’s one way to help you stay inside of a ball, is hit a ball off your leg or your foot, then maybe that’s what it was for. Yeah, I was just trying to stay inside of it and drive it back up the middle.”

He did more than that.

(Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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Turang got ahead 2-0 in the count when Skubal expertly placed a 95.5 mph sinker on the inner edge of the plate. The Brewers’ second baseman got his hands in and somehow sent it 102.5 mph out 384 feet the other way for a game-tying solo shot. 

“You don’t see it a ton,” center fielder Garrett Mitchell told me. “But nothing really surprises me with a guy like Brice. That’s why he’s one of the best in the game.”

Jake Bauers, another fellow left-handed Brewers hitter, was more incredulous. 

During a pitching change later in the game, Bauers asked Turang where the pitch was. 

“He said it was in,” Bauers recalled. “I was like, ‘What do you mean it was in?’ He was like,’Yeah, it was in.’ Having seen plenty of lefty sinkers at 97 in on the black in my life, I have no idea how he hit it out to left-center.” 

Bauers credited it, in part, to Turang’s strength.

(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

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Turang may not be the most physically imposing figure, at 6 feet, 190 pounds, but he’ll showcase his raw power with epic drives in batting practice. 

“It’s pretty impressive,” Bauers told me. “It’s not what you think when you look at him. The whip he can generate is second to none.” 

While many in the Brewers’ clubhouse were awed by Turang’s feat, Milwaukee southpaw JoJo Romero was not. 

On May 4, Romero was pitching for the rival Cardinals at the time when he threw Turang a sinker on the inner half of the plate. Turang sent it the other way at 100.9 mph off the bat.

That, however, was a single, not a homer. And it came on a 92 mph two-seamer, not a 96-mph sinker from the defending back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner, who had allowed just four home runs to a left-handed hitter all year. 

Turang entered Game 1 of the NLCS with just three home runs total off left-handers this year and had performed much better against righties (.901 OPS) than southpaws (.619) overall. He didn’t have any extra-base hits in the NLDS, and he had just one hit over four games in last year’s NLCS against the Dodgers. 

But the Brewers, with their Game 1 win, have already proven they aren’t last year’s squad. 

And the extra work paid off. 

“It’s something he’s said he’s done since he was a kid with his dad,” Vogelbach said. “It’s just who he is. … You always think he’s one swing away from getting back to being Brice Turang.”

Source

Michigan made history last April by winning the national championship with a starting lineup of five transfers — the first team ever to accomplish that feat — which raises my biggest question heading into this season:

Is building a championship roster through the transfer portal the new normal?

While the Wolverines proved that a talented group of newcomers can come together and win it all, I still believe continuity matters, which is why I find it impossible to ignore the Florida Gators heading into this season. Forwards Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon, along with center Rueben Chinyelu, return to anchor a roster that I believe has the experience, talent and chemistry to make a serious run.

In an era when rosters can look completely different from one season to the next, I believe the teams that pair a proven core with the right portal additions will have an edge when March arrives.

With that, here’s a look at my preseason top 25 rankings:

25. Indiana Hoosiers

Indiana welcomed in the No. 8-ranked transfer portal class this offseason, per 247Sports.com. (Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 18-14 (Did not play in NCAA Tournament)

My outlook for the Hoosiers: The Hoosiers have significantly upgraded their talent, particularly in the backcourt with former Notre Dame guard Markus Burton and in the frontcourt with Aiden Sherrell (Alabama) and Samet Yigitoglu (SMU). Darian DeVries’ team should have more offensive firepower, versatility and interior size this season, but with only one returning player, chemistry will be the biggest question.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Markus Burton, G, Sr. (Notre Dame: 18.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 3.7 APG)

Stat to know: When this team gets to the line, they make you pay.Indiana ranked 15th nationally in free-throw shooting last season, converting 78% of its attempts. 

Odds to win national title: +6500 (tied 27th-best)

24. Texas Tech Red Raiders

Darrion Williams transferred back to Texas Tech from NC State after being rewarded a fifth year of eligibility. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 23-11 (Lost to Alabama in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Red Raiders: Head coach Grant McCasland made a big splash when he landed senior Cruz Davis out of the transfer portal this offseason. Davis, a 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard, averaged 20.1 points and 4.7 assists last season at Hofstra. The return of senior forward Darrion Williams, who spent last season at NC State after two straight years in Lubbock, also makes the Red Raiders interesting.  Having said that, Texas Tech’s entire season rides on the return and success of All-American forward JT Toppin, who suffered a torn ACL last year.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Cruz Davis, G, Sr. (Hofstra: 20.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.7 APG)

Stat to know: Don’t let this team get hot from deep. The Red Raiders ranked sixth nationally in 3-pointers made per game (11.3) and seventh in 3-point shooting percentage (39.1%) last season.

Odds to win national title: +2200 (tied seventh-best)

23. BYU Cougars

Robert Wright III entertained transferring before returning to BYU for a second season. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 23-12 (Lost to Texas in Round of 64)

My outlook for the Cougars: Fifth-year senior forward Jaxon Kohler, who played four seasons at Michigan State under head coach Tom Izzo, brings rebounding and experience to this BYU team. Point guard Robert Wright III returns for a second season and has the talent to be a first-team all-conference performer, while forward Colin Chandler returns to his hometown after two seasons at Kentucky. This team doesn’t have AJ Dybantsa this year, but the Cougars could be better defensively. 

Transfer I’ll be watching: Jaxon Kohler, F, Sr. (Michigan State: 12.5 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 1.3 APG)

Stat to know: JaxonKohler was one of only two power-conference players in the entire country to record at least 300 rebounds and 50 made 3-pointers last season. He crashes the glass and splashes from deep.

Odds to win national title: +6500 (tied 27th-best)

22. USC Trojans

Alijah Arenas averaged 14.1 points per game as a freshman last season. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 26-9 (Lost to Purdue in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Trojans: Standout guard Alijah Arenas made the decision to return to USC for his sophomore season, which gives this team major scoring upside. Head coach Eric Musselman was able to land former UConn big man Eric Reibe out of the transfer portal. He adds size and massive upside to a roster that could outperform this ranking if healthy.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Eric Reibe, C, Soph. (UConn: 5.9 PPG, 3.3 RPH, 0.5 APG)

Stat to know: The Trojans sent shots back like unwanted mail last year. They averaged 5.7 blocks per game, which ranked eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten behind Michigan.

Odds to win national title: +5500 (26th-best)

21. St John’s Red Storm

Rick Pitino has led St. John’s to two Big East regular-season titles in his three seasons as head coach. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 30-7 (Lost to Duke in Sweet 16)

My outlook for the Red Storm: The Red Storm made a big splash with the surprising addition of Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou. He’s a big-bodied guard who can impact the game on both ends of the floor, averaging 18 points and 6 rebounds per game last season. Head coach Rick Pitino has a lot of talent, but major turnover, injuries and eligibility questions complicate this projection.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Tounde Yessoufou, G, Soph. (St. John’s: 17.8 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 APG)

Stat to know: Rick Pitino has won 76.4% of his games at St. John’s since taking over in 2023, leading the Red Storm to back-to-back Big East regular-season and tournament titles. Queens is officially back on the college basketball map.

Odds to win national title: +3300 (tied 14th-best)

20. Alabama Crimson Tide

Alabama forward Amari Allen averaged 11.4 points during his freshman season. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 25-10 (Lost to Michigan in Sweet 16)

My outlook for the Crimson Tide: Alabama forward Amari Allen withdrew from the NBA Draft and will provide the Crimson Tide with a steadying force on the perimeter. Head coach Nate Oats landed former Georgetown and Boise State forward Drew Fielder out of the transfer portal, which should help offset the loss of big man Aiden Sherrell. Fielder averaged 14.7 points and shot 40.9% from 3-point range last season. He should fit nicely in Oats’ offense, although the backcourt has important questions. Standout guard Aden Holloway will miss three exhibition games and two regular-season games during a five-game suspension following his arrest on a drug charge.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Drew Fielder, F, Sr. (Boise State: 14.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.3 AST)

Stat to know: AdenHolloway posted a 65% True Shooting Percentage (TS%) and a 59.9% Effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) across 28 games (16.8 PPG) last season. He doesn’t waste many possessions.

Odds to win national title: +4500 (tied 21st-best)

19. Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas has won 16 Big 12 regular-season titles under Bill Self. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 24-11 (Lost to St. John’s in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Jayhawks: Tyran Stokes, the top-ranked freshman in the 2026 recruiting class, gives Kansas another talented superstar guard. Head coach Bill Self was able to land former Toledo standout Leroy Blyden out of the transfer portal. The sophomore guard provides experienced scoring and playmaking after being named MAC Freshman of the Year.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Leroy Blyden, G, Soph. (Toledo: 16.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.5 APG)

Stat to know: Kansas has won 16 Big 12 regular-season titles under Bill Self. The Big 12 runs through Lawrence.

Odds to win national title: +3500 (tied 16th-best)

18. UCLA Bruins

UCLA point guard Trent Perry was named to the preseason All-Big Ten first team. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 24-12(Lost to UConn in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Bruins: Head coach Mick Cronin has a nice mix of returners, transfers and incoming freshmen. Both junior guard Trent Perry and senior forward Eric Dailey return for the Bruins and should provide a solid scoring punch. Sophomore guard Jaylen Petty, who started 22 games as a freshman at Texas Tech last season, arrives in Westwood and should add scoring and creation. Cronin also ushers in a very talented international group, including Serbian forward Nikola Kusturica.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Jaylen Petty, G, Soph. (Texas Tech: 9.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.2 APG)

Stat to know: Xavier Booker protects the rim and stretches the floor. The 6-foot-11, 245-pound forward was the only player across all major conferences to record 40-plus blocks while shooting at least 50% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc last season.

Odds to win national title: +4500 (tied 21st-best)

17. Kentucky Wildcats

Kentucky center Malachi Moreno averaged 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last season. (Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 22-14 (Lost to Iowa State in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Wildcats: Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic, one of the country’s premier shooters, joins forces with sophomore center Malachi Moreno. How far can the duo take Mark Pope’s Kentucky squad? The Wildcats’ ceiling will depend heavily on guard play and how quickly the pieces come together offensively.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Milan Momcilovic, F, Sr. (Iowa State: 16.9 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.0 APG)

Stat to know: MilanMomcilovic averaged 16.9 points per game last season, the fourth-highest scoring average among transfers heading into this season. The Wildcats just added a walking bucket.

Odds to win national title: +3500 (tied 16th-best)

16. Miami Hurricanes

Miami head coach Jai Lucas went 26-9 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his first season as Miami’s head coach. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 26-9 (Lost to Purdue in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Hurricanes: Forward Malik Reneau was granted another year of eligibility and is set to return to the Hurricanes, which is enormous. Head coach Jai Lucas was able to add Villanova transfer guard Acaden Lewis this offseason, which should help with shot creation on the perimeter. Lucas has an intriguing mix of returning talent and newcomers.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Acaden Lewis, G, Soph. (Villanova: 12.2 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 5.3 APG)

Stat to know: Feed Somto Cyril the ball and good things tend to happen. The Georgia transfer shot 75.9% from the field last season, the second-highest mark in the country among players who appeared in at least 20 games.

Odds to win national title: +4000 (tied 18th-best)

15. Michigan Wolverines

Mike Boynton Jr. took over as Michigan’s head coach after Dusty May left for the Dallas Mavericks. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 37-3 (Won national championship)

My outlook for the Wolverines: One year after relying on an elite frontcourt, the core of this Michigan team will reside in its returning backcourt of Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam will help replace the departing frontcourt size, but Dusty May’s departure creates uncertainty.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Moustapha Thiam, C, Jr. (Cincinnati: 12.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.6 BLK)

Stat to know: Michigan will be tasked with replacing 66.1% of its scoring from last year’s national championship team. That’s a whole lota buckets to replace.

Odds to win national title: +4000 (tied 18th-best)

14. Iowa State Cyclones

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger had led Iowa State to three straight Sweet 16 appearances. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 29-8 (lost to Tennessee in Round of 16)

My outlook for the Cyclones: Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger has rebuilt his program around defensive versatility and toughness. Bradley transfer Jaquan Johnson – who averaged 16.9 points per contest last season – adds an experienced presence in the backcourt to a roster that looks substantially different heading into this season.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Jaquan Johnson, G, Jr. (Texas Tech: 16.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.6 APG)

Stat to know: Senior guard Tamin Lipsey is the only player in Big 12 history and one of only two power-conference players in modern Division I history to reach 1,500-plus points, 600-plus assists, 500-plus rebounds, and 300-plus steals. He scores, dishes, rebounds and picks pockets.

Odds to win national title: +4500 (tied 21st-best)

13. Arkansas Razorbacks

John Calipari has transferred his success from Kentucky to Arkansas, leading the Razorbacks to the NCAA Tournament in each of his two seasons. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 28-9 (Lost to Arizona in Sweet 16)

My outlook for the Razorbacks: Georgia transfer guard Jermiah Wilkinson brings proven scoring to a roster featuring one of the nation’s premier freshman classes, led by guard Jordan Smith Jr. Head coach John Calipari brings in the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in the nation. In other words: The Razorbacks should be loaded … again.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Jeremiah Wilkinson, G, Jr. (Georgia: 17.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.7 APG)

Stat to know: John Calipari enters the season with six Final Four appearances and ranks fifth all-time in NCAA Division I history in NCAA Tournament wins (59). Love him or hate him, he knows how to win in March.

Odds to win national title: +3300 (tied 14th-best)

12. Tennessee Volunteers

Rick Barnes enters his 12th season at Tennessee, seeking his first national title game appearance. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 25-12 (Lost to Michigan in Elite Eight)

My outlook for the Volunteers: Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes added a legitimate go-to scorer this offseason in guard Juke Harris, who averaged 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds last season at Wake Forest. The Vols’ defense will be there like it always is. 

Transfer I’ll be watching: Juke Harris, G, Jr. (Wake Forest; 21.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.9 APG)

Stat to know: The Vols own the paint. Tennessee has finished in the top five nationally in KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency in three consecutive seasons, holding opponents under 40% shooting at the rim.

Odds to win national title: +3000 (tied 11th-best)

11. Gonzaga Bulldogs

Head coach Mark Few has led Gonzaga to a combined 773-156 record in 27 seasons. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 31-4 (Lost to Texas in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Bulldogs: Arizona State transfer center Massamba Diop gives Gonzaga head coach Mark Few an impact rim protector. Diop should compliment senior forward Braden Huff, who is an All-American candidate. The question is: how quickly can the Zags’ rebuilt backcourt come together?

Transfer I’ll be watching: Massamba Diop, C, Soph. (Arizona State; 13.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.1 BLK)

Stat to know: Gonzaga has reached the Sweet 16 in eight of the last 10 tournaments. The Zags have made the second weekend feel like a yearly tradition.

Odds to win national title: +3000 (tied 11th-best)

10. Virginia Cavaliers

Thijs De Ridder led the Cavaliers in scoring and rebounding as a freshman. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 30-6 (Lost to Tennessee in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Cavaliers: Virginia head coach Ryan Odom returns a strong core this season, led by All-ACC forward Thijs De Ridder. The Cavaliers added senior guard Jurian Dixon, who was a first-team All-Big West performer at UC Irvine, where he averaged 15.9 points per contest last season.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Jurian Dixon, G, Sr. (UC Irvine; 15.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.5 APG)

Stat to know: Virginia is keeping the band together, returning four of its top six scorers from last year’s 30-win team.

Odds to win national title: +3000 (10th-best)

9. Houston Cougars

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is still seeking his first national title. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 30-7 (Lost to Illinois in Sweet 16)

My outlook for the Cougars: Senior forward Joseph Tugler is back in the frontcourt to anchor Kelvin Sampson’s defense. After beginning his career at UNLV and spending last season at LSU, point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. is the experienced playmaker Houston needs after major backcourt departures.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Dedan Thomas Jr., G, Sr. (LSU; 15.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 6.5 APG)

Stat to know: Houston has made seven consecutive Sweet 16s, the longest active streak in the country.

Odds to win national title: +3000 (tied 11th-best)

8. Louisville Cardinals

Pat Kelsey enters his third season as Louisville’s head coach. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 24-11 (Lost to Michigan State in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Cardinals: The Cardinals went out and spent a lot of money to put together a team that I think is title worthy. Let’s start with the best defensive center in the country: Flory Bidunga. Pat Kelsey also added Oregon transfer guard Jackson Shelstad and former Arkansas wing Karter Knox, giving Louisville tremendous upside.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Flory Bidunga, F, Jr. (Kansas: 13.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.6 BLK)

Stat to know: Louisville averaged 84.3 points per game last season, but returns just 10.5% of the team’s offensive production. The Cardinals have plenty of buckets to replace as Pat Kelsey retools the roster.

Odds to win national title: +2200 (tied seventh-best)

7. Texas Longhorns

Matas Vokietaitis returned to Texas for his sophomore season. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 21-15 (Lost to Purdue in Sweet 16)

My outlook for the Longhorns: Texas head coach Sean Miller has assembled a high-ceiling roster. TCU transfer forward David Punch joins returning center Matas Vokietaitis to give the Longhorns an imposing frontcourt, while guards Isaiah Johnson and Mikey Lewis strengthen the perimeter. If the newcomers come together quickly, Texas has the size, talent and depth to build on last season’s Sweet 16 run.

Transfer I’ll be watching: David Punch, F, Jr. (TCU: 14.1 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.0 APG)

Stat to know: Texas center Matas Vokietaiti converted 61.9% of his field goal attempts last season, ranking among the top five interior finishers in the SEC.

Odds to win national title: +2200 (tied seventh-best)

6. Connecticut Huskies

Braylon Mullins averaged 12 points per game last season while shooting 33.5% from beyond the arc. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 34-6 (Lost to Michigan in national championship)

My outlook for the Huskies: Head coach Dan Hurley convinced freshman standout Braylon Mullins to return to UConn after a magical run to the 2026 national title game. Mullins and point guard Silas Demary Jr. make up an outstanding returning backcourt, while Duke transfer Nik Khamenia brings versatility at forward.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Nikolas Khamenia, F, Soph. (Duke: 5.7 PPG, 3.3 RPH, 1.0 APG)

Stat to know: All he does is win. Dan Hurley has won 72.6% of his games since taking over at UConn in 2018, compiling a 199-75 record and leading the Huskies to three national championship appearances in four years. 

Odds to win national title: +1200 (third-best)

5. Arizona Wildcats

Ivan Kharchenkov returned to Arizona for his sophomore season. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 36-3 (Lost to Michigan in Final Four)

My outlook for the Wildcats: Head coach Tommy Lloyd will rely on returning center Motiejus Krivas and forward Ivan Kharchenkov, who give the Wildcats a high floor, especially on defense. Caleb Holt headlines a talented freshman class, while North Carolina transfer guard Derek Dixon brings shooting and playmaking after starting 16 games last season.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Derek Dixon, G, Soph. (North Carolina: 6.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.7 APG)

Stat to know: The paint is in good hands. Arizona brings back 7-foot-2 center Motiejus Krivas, who averaged 10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game last season. Opponents scored 14 fewer points per 100 possessions with Krivas on the floor last season.

Odds to win national title: +2000 (tied fifth-best)

4. Michigan State Spartans

Jeremy Fears Jr. led the nation with 9.4 assists per game last season. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 27-8 (Lost to UConn in Sweet 16)

My outlook for the Spartans: Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is an extension of coach Tom Izzo on the court. He gives the Spartans one of the nation’s best floor generals, but for them to go the distance, senior forward Coen Carr will need to take the next step. Center Anton Bonke, a transfer from Charlotte, adds 7-foot-2 size down low.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Anton Bonke, C, Sr. (Charlotte: 10.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 1.0 APG)

Stat to know: March is a tradition in East Lansing. Tom Izzo has taken Michigan State to the NCAA Tournament in 28 consecutive seasons. No matter what the Spartans look like in November, you can never count Izzo out come March.

Odds to win national title: +2000 (tied fifth-best)

3. Illinois Fighting Illini

Brad Underwood enters his 10th season as Illinois’ head coach. (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 28-9 (Lost to Michigan in Final Four)

My outlook for the Illini: Illinois head coach Brad Underwood should feel good about this group after guard Andrej Stojakovic withdrew from the NBA Draft and returned to the Illini. The team also had a major perimeter addition this offseason in guard Stefan Vaaks, who averaged 15.8 points and made 91 3s last season at Providence. Sophomore forward David Mirkovic’s health is a concern, or I’d have them at No. 2.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Stefan Vaaks, G, Soph. (Providence: 15.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.2 APG)

Stat to know: Five of Illinois’ top eight scorers are back, headlined by senior guard Andrej Stojakovic (13.5 PPG), who tested the NBA Draft waters before ultimately withdrawing and returning to Champaign. That’s a major scoring boost for an Illini team looking to keep its offensive firepower intact.

Odds to win national title: +1300 (fourth-best)

2. Duke Blue Devils

Cayden Boozer averaged 7.0 points and 3.3 assists per game as a freshman. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 35-3 (Lost to UConn in Final Four)

My outlook for the Blue Devils: Duke’s roster blends star power and depth. Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell provides proven perimeter scoring alongside guards Cayden Boozer, Dame Sarr and another elite freshman class.

Transfer I’ll be watching: John Blackwell, G, Sr. (Wisconsin: 19.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.3 APG)

Stat to know: Jon Scheyer and Duke have won 70 games in the past two seasons, which is the most in the country and a program record.

Odds to win national title: +600 (second-best)

1. Florida Gators

Thomas Haugh led the Gators in scoring last season, averaging 17.1 points per game. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

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2025-26 Record: 27-8 (Lost to Iowa in Round of 32)

My outlook for the Gators: Florida vaulted to No. 1 after the team’s entire frontcourt elected to return. Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, all key contributors to Florida’s 2025 national championship team, are back. Denzel Aberdeen gives head coach Todd Golden another experienced guard.

Transfer I’ll be watching: Denzel Aberdeen, G, Sr. (Kentucky: 13.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.4 APG)

Stat to know: Good luck slowing down Florida’s offense. The Gators return 81.5% of their scoring production from last year’s 27-8 team.

Odds to win national title: +550 (first)

Source

A hurricane is stirring in the gulf right now, and it might impact Saturday’s massive Georgia-Alabama showdown. 

One certainty, though: This contest will draw a flood of action in college football Week 6 odds.

“We expect big money on the Georgia-Alabama game. Both of these teams have attracted public money each week leading up to this matchup,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. “These 7:30 p.m. ET matchups are always the biggest-bet games of the day, and this one is shaping up to be a top-five game of the season.”

Bookmakers and sharp bettors serve up their insights on that matchup, along with FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff of Indiana vs. Nebraska and more in college football Week 5 betting.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

  Flipping Favorites

No. 2 Georgia and No. 6 Alabama are both 5-0 straight up (SU) and 4-1 against the spread (ATS). But Bama is coming off the more impressive win, smacking Mississippi State 56-23 as 5.5-point road favorites.

Still, Caesars Sports opened the Bulldogs as 1.5-point road favorites. Within a couple of hours on Sunday, that number flipped to Alabama -1.5, and the Tide moved to -2 on Monday afternoon after taking some early action.

The Tide nudged to -1.5 (-106) on Tuesday afternoon and remained there on Wednesday night.

A key concern beyond the talent of these two teams is whether Hurricane Isaias will impact the Gulf Coast, with landfall expected late Friday/early Saturday. Tuscaloosa is only 200 miles inland, certainly not too far for wind and rain to be an issue.

“There are lot of questions around the weather in this one,” Feazel said. “Our total already dropped from 55 to 51.5, specifically around the weather. Right now, they’re betting Georgia and the Under, with the hurricane driving that action on the Under.

“Both teams are able to put up points and cover. I expect it to be a little more two-way by kickoff, with two powerhouse teams. But so far, one-way traffic on the Under is really the big story.”

Weather could play a role in the passing game for both Keelon Russell and Gunner Stockton (Getty Images).

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  College Football Rocks On FOX

The FOX Big Noon Kickoff heads to Lincoln this week, home to perhaps surprisingly unbeaten Nebraska (5-0 SU/4-1 ATS).

But the unranked Huskers face a stern test against defending national champion Indiana (5-0 SU/1-4 ATS). The seventh-ranked Hoosiers haven’t lost since falling to Notre Dame in the first round of the 2024-25 College Football Playoff.

Caesars opened Indiana as a 9.5-point road favorite, then went to -8.5 within an hour and -7.5 within four hours on Sunday. On Tuesday, Indiana briefly dipped to -7 (-117), then rebounded to -7.5 (-107), where the line remained Wednesday night.

“A little bit of love came in on Nebraska +8.5,” Feazel said. “Now, action is kind of both ways. Bettors are either laying the Indiana spread at -7.5 or taking the Nebraska moneyline.

“So our need would be Indiana winning and Nebraska covering. And that’ll probably be the case going into game day, as well.”

The total has seen significant early movement, too. Caesars opened at 51.5 and initially ticked up to 52.5 on Sunday afternoon. But by Tuesday, the total was down to 49.5, and it went to 48.5 on Wednesday afternoon.

“That’s mostly driven by sharp action,” Feazel said, noting professional bettors got in at Under 52.5 and Under 51.5.

  On-Campus Sharp Side

College football betting expert Paul Stone is already involved with a Big 12 matchup in college football Week 6 odds. Stone likes No. 22 Houston (4-1 SU/2-3 ATS) as a 2.5-point road underdog vs. Kansas State (3-1 SU/2-2 ATS).

In Week 3, Houston went toe-to-toe with preseason Big 12 favorite Texas Tech in Lubbock, before falling 28-26. Cougars QB Conner Weigman was stopped inches shy of the goal line on a two-point conversion attempt that would have forced overtime.

Stone views Houston as the superior team.

“Houston battled Texas Tech on even terms for four quarters on the road,” Stone said. “The Cougars have played the more difficult schedule to date, have the more experienced coach in Willie Fritz and are the more complete team, in my opinion.

“I like Houston and the points.”

Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on FOX.

Can Connor Weigman take Houston on the road and get a win? (Getty Images)

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Oh Say Can You SEC

While Georgia-Alabama is the marquee matchup, there are two other noteworthy SEC games on Saturday.

First up is Texas A&M vs. No. 14 Missouri, at noon ET. The Tigers (4-1 SU/2-3 ATS) are coming off a stunning blowout of then-No. 8 Florida, a 45-17 decision as 5.5-point home underdogs.

The Aggies (3-2 SU and ATS) were dealt a stunning home loss vs. Kentucky, followed by a road loss to LSU. A&M, then bounced back to rout Arkansas 34-7 as a 13.5-point home favorite.

Mizzou opened -3.5 at Caesars and quickly went to -4.5 on Sunday afternoon, then returned to -3.5 on Sunday night. On Monday afternoon, the Tigers moved to -4 briefly, then settled in at -3.5, where the number sat Wednesday night.

“Obviously, Missouri is coming off a big win, when everyone was so high on Florida. Missouri is getting that action this week,” Feazel said. “Yes, the line is moving toward A&M, but action is one-way on Missouri.

“I expect people to continue riding what they saw last week. Our need will probably be A&M to win outright.”

At 3:30 p.m. ET, the Red River Rivalry kicks off in Dallas, between No. 1 Texas (4-0 SU/1-3 ATS) and struggling Oklahoma (2-2 SU/1-3 ATS).

Both teams are coming off byes. Caesars opened the Longhorns as 9.5-point neutral-site favorites at the Cotton Bowl, and the line quickly plunged to Texas -7.5 Sunday.

The line rebounded to Texas -8.5 a couple of times since then, but it’s been steady at -7.5 since Tuesday evening.

“We’re seeing a little more Oklahoma action at this point, on the spread and the moneyline,” Feazel said. “There’s also a low total on this one, which speaks to the defense on both sides. There’s more Under money so far.”

Caesars opened the total at 40.5 and initially ticked up to 41/41.5 in the first 30 minutes on Sunday. But shortly thereafter, the number returned to 40.5, then 39.5, and it remained at 39.5 on Wednesday night.

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Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the quiet part out loud.

He was detailing how he coaches his queen, quarterback Julian Sayin, on the chessboard to assess coverage against his most valuable rook, wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Like most problems in schematic American football, the equation can be solved with simple math.

“If [Smith is] single-covered, he’s open,” Day said. “If he’s double-covered, he’s sort of open. If he’s triple-covered, he’s covered … somebody’s gotta be open somewhere else.”

That part Day said with the slightest hint of annoyance. I can understand why. If three of the 11 defenders are allotted to one man, someone else is likely running more wide open than F1’s Kimi Antonelli on a push lap for pole. And we all know it’s a sin not to hit the open man — lest the wrath of Coach find you on film and smite thee with punishment for not taking care of the football.

But this is Jeremiah Smith we’re talking about.

Jeremiah Smith enters Ohio State’s Week 6 game against Maryland leading FBS receivers with 823 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

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While Smith technically might be covered if there are three men on him mid-route, we’ve seen Sayin throw him the ball anyway, and we’ve seen Smith come down with the rock. It’s as absurd to witness as it is for me to write, and yet it’s the truth. Some of the most outrageous things are.

Most outrageous: Through five games, Smith has put up better receiving numbers than perhaps the best pure wide receiver to ever win the Heisman Trophy.

Jeremiah Smith — the comfortable Heisman frontrunner in Week 6 — already has more receiving yards (823) and receiving touchdowns (nine) on fewer catches (44) than DeVonta Smith had (556 yards, four touchdowns, 45 catches) during his prolific 2020 Heisman campaign. 

DeVonta ended 2020 with 117 catches for 1,856 yards with 23 receiving touchdowns in 13 games. Jeremiah is on pace to shatter the numbers DeVonta put up with a 13-0 national championship Alabama team.

Maybe the only caveat I’ll add is DeVonta played the four games of the season with former Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle as the most productive wide out on that team. Before his injury on Oct. 24, 2020, Waddle had produced more yardage (557) on fewer catches (25) than DeVonta did and was my runaway favorite to win the Heisman.

But after Waddle’s injury, DeVonta went from WR1 to WR1-and-only. His production followed suit.

At Ohio State, everyone in Columbus — hell, across the country — knows Jeremiah Smith is the driving force of the receiving game for the Buckeyes. He’s unchallenged as the program’s most prolific and important wide receiver. 

Indeed, his arrival to the team dramatically enabled the Buckeyes to win the 2024 national title, and he made the game-clinching catch in the national championship game against Notre Dame to solidify that spot.

He did that again last weekend against a then-No. 14 Iowa program that had one of the best scoring defenses in the entire country when he put up 11 catches for 206 receiving yards with two touchdowns. It was the kind of performance that might bring Heisman voters to the notion that they no longer need to worry about who they’re siding with as the best, most outstanding player in the sport. 

I know I’ve seen enough already this season: Smith has been the best player in the sport for two years, and he comfortably still is.

That he did not win the Biletnikoff Award last year — robbing him of the chance to become the trophy’s only two-time winner — is a political travesty. If he does not win the Heisman this year, it won’t be because he doesn’t deserve it. It will be because the folks who quite literally write the history of the sport with their votes are too difficult and obtuse to acknowledge he’s already one of the legends of a sport that dates back to 1869. 

That trophy only makes us right when someone reads the history. Lord help us if he doesn’t.

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The World Series drought is now at 17 seasons.

On the heels of sweeping the American League East-rival Boston Red Sox in the AL Wild Card Series, the New York Yankees were swept by the fellow division rival Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Divisional Series.

Now what? FOX Sports MLB Studio Analyst and former Yankees superstar third baseman Alex Rodriguez has some blunt advice.

A-Rod On Yankees’ “Philosophy” Issue

“They [the Rays] beat them [the Yankees] like a drum. They beat them during the season, and they swept them in October. Something has to change. I’m not talking about personnel. I’m talking about a philosophy. There has to be a philosophy change,” Rodriguez said about the Yankees following their season-ending loss to the Rays on Wednesday night.

“You’ve won 27 titles one way. I’m not saying anyone should lose their job. Let me make that clear. But [Yankees general manager] Brian Cashman has to surround himself with people who know baseball, who understand baseball and can value both sides of the ball. It’s unthinkable in a game where your season is on the line and of the nine positions, you don’t know who’s going to play five positions: first base, second base, third base, center field and right field because Aaron Judge is out.

“If something doesn’t change, you’re going to have the same results, and we’ve been watching the same movie for over a decade, and nothing changes. They’ll use the excuse that Judge wasn’t there, but Judge had nothing to do with that first inning in Game 2, which is one of the craziest innings I’ve ever seen. It’s getting late.”

Prior to a four-game series in the last week of the regular season, the Rays, who won an AL-best 98 games, went 6-3 against the Yankees in the regular season.

As for the first inning of Game 2, Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon committed an error at third base, second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. made a throwing error that brought home a run for the Rays and Austin Wells was called for catcher’s interference. The Yankees, who were held to one hit by Rays ace Drew Rasmussen in Game 1 and lost 1-0, would finish Game 2 with four errors.

In all, the Yankees totaled just six runs and 12 hits in the series. They were without superstar right fielder Aaron Judge, who missed three-plus months due to a right rib injury and then suffered a calf strain roughly one week after returning.

Jeter’s Yankees’ Perspective

“They didn’t play well, and sometimes when you don’t play well in the postseason, everything is magnified, and they start dissecting things that have happened. In the regular season, you can’t get away with it. Over 162 games, you can have periods where you play poorly and periods when you play well. People tend to focus more on the times you play well, but when you get into the postseason, and you’re playing teams like the Rays, you cannot make mistakes because they’re going to capitalize on them,” Jeter said of the Yankees.

“You can make mistakes against the Boston Red Sox and still overcome those mistakes, but you can’t do it against Tampa. They got exposed a little bit, and that’s the reason why they’re going home.”

Jeter added that his dynasty Yankees teams (late 1990s-early 2000s) “focused on all the little things,” could win without hitting the long ball and never “beat themselves,” whereas the Hall of Famer stated the “Yankees beat themselves” against the Rays. For David Ortiz, the Yankees’ “culture” is off, and “they need to start paying attention to those little things.”

“Yeah, the game has changed a lot, and there are a lot of different things going on in the game, but the culture is always going to be the culture. They are far away from being where they used to be culture-wise,” Ortiz said of the Yankees.

Yankees’ 2026 Mixed Bag

New York won 93 games in the regular season behind arguably the best starting rotation in the sport, a unit highlighted by potential 2026 AL Cy Young Award winner Cam Schlittler (he led the AL with a 1.95 ERA, a 215 ERA+ and seven wins above replacement). The Yankees’ starting staff was first in MLB in ERA (3.30), second in strikeouts (908), third outright in opponent batting average (.223) and tied for third in WHIP (1.14). Meanwhile, their bullpen was second in ERA (3.13) and fourth in WHIP (1.22).

Regarding the Yankees’ work with the bats, they were second in the sport with 223 home runs. First baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice had a breakout year, launching 41 home runs, driving in 97 runs and finishing with a .534 slugging percentage, which was second in the AL. The issue? They were feast or famine with the long ball.

New York was 29th in hits (1,250), 26th in batting average (.235), 24th in on-base percentage (.311) and sixth among the 12 teams that reached the postseason with 739 runs scored.

As for future expenditures, the Yankees’ currently have a $276.4 million payroll for 2027, which is fourth in the sport, per Spotrac. Chisholm, center fielder Trent Grisham, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and closer David Bednar are among their pending free agents.

Under manager Aaron Boone, the Yankees have made the playoffs in eight of nine seasons but won the AL pennant just once, doing so in 2024. They’re 790-565 in the regular season and 27-30 in the postseason from 2018-26. Meanwhile, Cashman just wrapped up his 29th season as New York’s general manager.

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After just four weeks, has Kenneth Walker III established himself as the NFL’s RB1? Was the Panthers’ electric performance on Sunday night just an appetizer for what they have in store this season? Is C.J. Stroud blameless in the Texans’ 0-4 start? And the Browns … are a playoff threat?!?

Fans brought their hot takes to our @NFLonFOX Instagram. Now it’s my turn to offer my take, provide some analysis, and render a verdict on whether you’re on the mark this week. 

Alright, let’s do it: 

C.J. Stroud Is Not The Problem With The Texans
– @pleonard_3

Fact or Fiction: Fact

You’re spot on!

Stroud has actually been one of the league’s better quarterbacks to start this season, offering reminders of what he was as a rookie in 2023. Through four games, he’s sixth in passing yards (1,141), third in yards per attempt (7.6), sixth in completion rate over expected (plus-5.3%), 11th in expected points added per dropback (plus 0.06) and 14th in passer rating (95.9), according to Next Gen Stats. He’s one of just three quarterbacks who hasn’t thrown an interception this season, and he hasn’t turned the ball over since Week 1. 

In Week 4 against the Cowboys, Stroud delivered a season-best performance: a 67.7% completion rate for 347 yards and two touchdowns with a 126.7 passer rating, the latter of which is the sixth-highest mark of his career. 

The Texans are 0-4 largely because Stroud hasn’t been getting any help from the run game — Houston is averaging just 79.0 rushing yards per game, 30th in the league — and the team’s talented defense has regressed. 

Houston allowed the fewest yards and second-fewest points in the NFL last season but has dropped to 20th and 26th in those categories, respectively, through four games. The Texans have already given up 30-plus points twice this season, after allowing 30 just once all of 2025, including playoffs (19 games). They have been particularly bad against the pass, sitting 28th in that department (260.0 passing yards allowed per game). 

Stroud and the offense have put up 20 or fewer points twice this season, but they’ve recorded at least 30 points in the two games that star wide receiver Nico Collins has played. The Texans have lost four games by a total of 25 points, and in three of the four, they had a go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter. 

C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins have been a potent pair this season, but the star receiver missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a hamstring injury. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Stroud has done his part and is setting himself up nicely for the big-money extension that didn’t come this past offseason. But the Texans have a big problem on defense right now. 

Kenneth Walker III Is The Best RB In The League
– @nargis17x

Fact or Fiction: Fiction

Before you Chiefs and Walker fans grab the pitchforks, let me explain!

Yes, Walker has been incredible through the first quarter of the season. He leads the NFL in rushing yards (53), yards per carry (6.2), rushing yards over expected (plus-212) and rush EPA (plus-10.9), according to Next Gen Stats. He’s also second in rushing yards after contact (395) and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (4). 

Even more impressive, Walker is just the third player in league history with multiple 170-plus rushing yards in a team’s first four games of a season. He’s looking like the best addition the Chiefs have made in the Patrick Mahomes era.

Kenneth Walker III (No. 9) celebrates with Patrick Mahomes after scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Oct. 4. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)

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But I’m definitely taking Bijan Robinson over Walker as the league’s top back. I know you all saw Robinson’s 59-yard touchdown run last week, when it looked like he was jogging to outrace Saints defenders. The Falcons star is a bit more dynamic as a ball carrier — though Walker leads the league in missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus — and adds much more value in the pass game than Walker, who’s never reached 300 yards receiving for a season. Robinson had 820 last year. 

Robinson is also losing carries to Brian Robinson Jr., a strong RB2 who had a career-high three rushing touchdowns last week. Walker, meanwhile, is the Chiefs’ entire rushing offense. Kansas City’s second leading rusher is backup running back Emmett Johnson, who has just 56 rushing yards. Without Brian Robinson Jr., Bijan Robinson’s numbers would likely match or exceed Kenneth Walker’s output. 

The Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs is in the conversation for best back in the league as well. Maybe his rushing production hasn’t been there — he’s tied for fifth with 353 rushing yards — but he leads the league in touches (101) and is tied for first in combined rushing and receiving touchdowns (7). 

I will say this, though: No running back in the league has been as impactful or a better fit for what his offense is trying to do than Walker. 

The Browns Are A Playoff-Caliber Team
– @althechosenone

Fact or Fiction: Fact

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but … yes, I see the Browns returning to the playoffs this season. 

And it’s not because I think they’re a top AFC contender. Teams like the Bills, Ravens, Bengals, Jaguars, Broncos, Chiefs and even Raiders all look more formidable for the long term. But Cleveland has given itself a great cushion with a 3-1 start, and veteran NFL offensive coordinator Todd Monken is apparently the kind of head coach the franchise needed. 

Great quarterback play gives you a chance in this league. And regardless of how you feel about Deshaun Watson, on the field he has been one of the better QBs to start this season. He ranks in the top 10 with a 69.6% completion rate (sixth) and a 101.2 passer rating (eighth). The former Pro Bowler has registered three consecutive game-winning drives, the longest streak of his career. 

It certainly helps that Cleveland has put a good, young nucleus of pass-catchers around Watson in Denzel Boston (284 receiving yards), Harold Fannin (153) and 2026 first-round pick KC Concepcion (144). 

Rookie receiver KC Concepcion is helping the Browns be one of the NFL’s biggest surprises early in the 2026 season. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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Defensively, the Browns have settled into life post-Myles Garrett. They’ve allowed 24 or fewer points in three of their first four games. That includes holding the Panthers, who are fourth in the NFL averaging 30.3 points per game, to 18 points. 

Cleveland doesn’t have the most intimidating schedule over the next month-plus, either: at the Jets, vs. Ravens, at the Titans, at the Steelers, at the Saints and then back home against the Texans before its bye week. Four of those six opponents have one victory or none through four games, and the Browns already won their first matchup with the Steelers. Winning just half of those games would keep Cleveland above .500 heading into Thanksgiving. 

The Browns are in the always-tough AFC North, but don’t be surprised to see them in position to control their destiny down the stretch. 

The Panthers Will Take The NFC South
– @foxyboy769

Fact or Fiction: Fact

This is an extremely tough call, just because of how dominant the Falcons have been with quarterback Michael Penix Jr. back from ACL surgery. Atlanta has won back-to-back games, both on the road in prime time, by 20-plus points. But I just have more trust at this point in the Panthers, who’ve been more consistent through the first quarter of the season. 

Quarterback Bryce Young looks like a legitimate MVP candidate. Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, coming off a career-high 192 receiving yards against the Lions, is emerging as a top 10-caliber receiver. And since giving up 59 points to Chicago in its season opener, Carolina has allowed just 16.7 points per game over the past three weeks. 

The Panthers are starting to look like a complete team. 

Penix has been great for the Falcons, but it’s been just two games and he has a lengthy injury history. And we’ve seen how atrocious Atlanta’s offense is when he hasn’t played. 

I’m also concerned about the Falcons’ pass rush long term. The pressure rate numbers have actually been great — first in the NFL with 82 pressures and third with a 43.6% pressure rate through four weeks, per NGS — but I don’t see that being sustainable. Jalon Walker (ACL) was lost for the season in training camp, and it could take fellow edge rusher James Pearce Jr. a while to find his groove after finishing his eight-game suspension. The Falcons have just seven sacks this year (tied for 22nd). 

And then the Bucs and Saints just don’t appear to be in the competition with the Panthers right now. Tampa is one of the NFL’s five teams that are 0-4, while New Orleans has lost three of its first four games. 

So though it’s a tough call, yes, the Panthers can take the NFC South.

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Headlining Week 6 of the college football season is a top-10 matchup in Georgia vs. Alabama, and the annual Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma.  

The Crimson Tide and the Bulldogs split last year when Alabama took down Georgia in the regular season, but the Bulldogs answered right back with an SEC title win over Bama. Texas remains atop the 2026 rankings with a comfortable 5-0 record that includes top-15 victories over Ohio State and Tennessee, and the Sooners look to hold off the Longhorns with a rebound win after a big loss to Georgia.

Notably, UCLA and Bob Chesney will travel north to Eugene to face Oregon, where Chesney fell to the Ducks as JMU’s head coach in the College Football Playoff last season. With a dominant run game and a shaky Oregon defense, the Bruins have a chance to hand the Ducks their second loss of the season. 

Here are FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt’s Week 6 picks and previews:

  Georgia 27, Alabama 24

Spread: Alabama 1.5
Moneyline: Alabama -122, Georgia +102

Klatt’s thoughts: “This one is going to be an amazing game. Kirby Smart always has a great defense. They are great, once again. They have the No. 1 defense in the country as it relates to yards per play. They can get after it. They’re going to have to get after it because Alabama’s offense is explosive. Alabama can play offense, and Keelon Russell can throw the ball down the field. I think NFL evaluators should be salivating when he becomes available in the NFL Draft. He reminds me a lot of the way Michael Penix Jr. played at Washington for Kalen DeBoer, and yet he’s more explosive and more mobile as a runner. So it’s a deadly combination. 

“I think that Georgia has to put pressure on them. If they don’t put pressure on Keelon Russell, I think Georgia loses the game. They’ve got to impact him somehow … it will be about the Georgia defense. I know the offense will be methodical. They will try to stay on schedule, they’ve got a quarterback who plays great in the fourth quarter … I think the worse the weather, the better for Kirby and Georgia. I don’t know if Alabama can run the football without the impact of a great passing game.

“I’m going to take Georgia … who I think is the best team in the country.”

Klatt’s straight-up pick: Georgia
Klatt’s pick against the spread: Georgia +1.5

  Texas 20, Oklahoma 10

Will Arch Manning succeed against Oklahoma’s defense? (Photo by The University of Texas Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)

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Spread: Texas -7.5
Moneyline: Texas -325, Oklahoma +260

Klatt’s thoughts: “Texas and Oklahoma. Texas has won three of the last four meetings with Oklahoma. Texas is No. 1 in the country right now. They should be ranked No. 1. They are better on paper than they are on film. They’ve been wildly inconsistent as a team and specifically on the offensive side. I don’t have a lot of worries about the Texas defense. The offense has not been very good … Penalties, not throwing the ball well, Arch has not played very well … they’ve got the best résumé, two top-15 wins. They’ve earned this position where they’re at. Now they play a top-five defense in OU. 

“OU can play defense now. Their issue is definitely not their defense. In a lot of ways, these teams mirror each other. What if I told you Oklahoma is 112th in yards per play offense? They turned the ball over, they couldn’t do anything against Michigan. What if I told you that Texas is 108th in yards per play offense? They’re basically the same team … they’ve got great defenses and great offenses that are woefully underperforming. So what do I see in this game? I think it’s low scoring. Just to give you some context, by the way … Texas is behind Colorado and Michigan in yards per play offense. When I tell you that they’re better on paper than on film, it is the truth. 

“I think Texas wins, and covers, in a low-scoring affair 20-10, Texas and Arch Manning get the win at Red River.”

Klatt’s straight-up pick: Texas
Klatt’s pick against the spread: Texas -7.5

  Oregon 45, UCLA 32

The last time Bob Chesney was in Oregon, he was coaching JMU in the College Football Playoff. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)

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Spread: Oregon -11.5
Moneyline: Oregon -455, UCLA +35

Klatt’s thoughts: “Bob Chesney has UCLA undefeated right now. They’re looking to pull off a huge upset in Eugene. Oregon is going to have to do a lot better at stopping the run than they have done during the course of the season. UCLA can absolutely run the football. They have one of the best run games in the country, averaging seven yards per rush. And they feature a guy in Wayne Knight that is explosive. Now here’s the thing with UCLA: their quarterback can also run. He might not be the most dynamic runner, but Nico Iamaleava can absolutely threaten you in the run game. If I’m an Oregon fan, that makes me very nervous because of what Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker did, running that game in Stillwater. Wayne Knight is outstanding. 

“By the way, Bob Chesney took his JMU team to Eugene for the College Football Playoff, and yes, Oregon won handily, but guess what? JMU scored over 30 points … I think that [UCLA is] going to score some points here. Now the question will become, can Oregon match them and exceed them on the opposite side? I expect to see [Dylan] Raiola, he has bit of a penalty for turnovers, even though we didn’t see that at USC when he came off the bench, but if you look back at his time with Nebraska, there are some turnovers there … I don’t quite trust the UCLA defense. This is a defense that allowed 38 points to Purdue. 

“Oregon gets it done. I think Oregon wins 45-32, and they cover the 11.5.”

Klatt’s straight-up pick: Oregon
Klatt’s pick against the spread: Oregon -11.5

  USC 32, Penn State 14

The Matt Campbell era is not off to a great start, and Joel Klatt doesn’t think it’s going to get better this week. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

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Spread: Penn State -1.5
Moneyline: Penn State -122, USC +105

Klatt’s thoughts: “USC on the road, going east. USC, now 5-1, is at Penn State, who’s now 3-2 and is unranked, and the bottom has kind of fallen out for Matt Campbell … What is going on? Penn State is favored by 1.5. [USC] just played awful football for six quarters. … The big question for me is, is USC going to beat themselves, or will they play a cleaner game? … When you just evaluate the teams and the product on the field, by 1.5 seems wild. USC is facing their old defensive coordinator, with a familiar piece there in D’Anton Lynn. I think the familiarity favors Lincoln Riley … USC should be able to run the ball. Penn State can’t tackle anybody. The only one that gets in the way for USC, in my estimation, are the costly mistakes. Those might show up. I don’t think USC’s defense is great, but I think they’re better than people give them credit for. 

“Penn State can’t do anything on offense. They really miss their wide receiver, Koby Howard. He was averaging 100 yards per game on nearly 30 per catch. Since he went down, they’ve really struggled on offense. Rocco Becht has struggled on offense. They couldn’t do anything against Northwestern. Couldn’t do anything in the second half against Wisconsin. USC is better than Wisconsin and Northwestern talent wise.

“USC 32-14.”

Klatt’s straight-up pick: USC
Klatt’s pick against the spread: USC +1.5

  LSU 28, Kentucky 10

Will Stein has Kentucky exceeding expectations in his first year at the helm, but LSU’s defense looms. (Photo by Zach Del Bello/Getty Images)

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Spread: LSU -9.5
Moneyline: LSU -345, Kentucky +275

Klatt’s thoughts: “LSU at Kentucky. LSU is favored by 9.5. Kentucky beat a very average Texas A&M and a very average-to-bad South Carolina team. They hung with Alabama for a half and then kind of got ran out of that building. I still am a bit concerned for LSU about the health of their quarterback. Sam Leavitt can’t play the way that he normally plays … his health is paramount for this team. Their defense is outstanding. This is where I think it really makes a huge difference in this game. Their defense is better than Alabama’s defense. Kenny Minchey is going to see guys who can get after the passer. Princewill Umanmielen has eight sacks … Will Stein is doing awesome … he’s exceeding expectations for Kentucky. But LSU is a different animal. This defense is a different animal. They can rush the passer and run everywhere. They’re one of the best defenses in America.

“I think Kentucky has to play their best. Do I anticipate them playing their best after the emotional win a week ago? No. History suggests that over the course of the season that very rarely can teams do something on the positive side, in an emotional fashion, and back it up with consistency the next week. So, I don’t see Kentucky playing at the level they need to stay within the 9.5. 

“I got LSU winning this game 28-10. LSU covers the 9.5.”

Klatt’s straight-up pick: LSU
Klatt’s pick against the spread: LSU -9.5

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New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. has no qualms about where he wants to be next season.

“I love it as a Yankee,” Chisholm, who’s set to be a free agent this coming offseason, said in a postgame press conference on Wednesday night following the Yankees’ season-ending Game 3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Division Series. “I grew up as a Yankee fan. Being from the Bahamas, watching Derek Jeter and those guys every day, it was a great time being a Yankee. I loved my time with the Yankees. I had great years with the Yankees, had an All-Star year, had a Silver Slugger year. Yeah, it was great.

“I mean, who doesn’t want to stay with a team that you’ve had such great times with and great years with? To see it maybe end here sucks, but it’s part of the business.”

Chisholm had a bumpy 2026 season.

In the regular season, Chisholm totaled 19 home runs, 55 RBIs, 41 stolen bases, a 97 OPS+ and 1.7 wins above replacement over 137 games, while finishing with a .231/.312/.399 slash line. He posted -6 defensive runs saved at second base.

Then, Chisholm committed a throwing error in the first inning of Game 2 of the ALDS that allowed the Rays to score a run and had only two hits in the postseason altogether; he started just three of the Yankees’ five playoff games. On a bizarre note, Chisholm has hit .182 in the postseason in each of his three years with the Yankees (2024-26).

The year prior (2025), Chisholm had arguably the best season of his MLB career, totaling 31 home runs, 80 RBIs, 31 stolen bases and 4.1 wins above replacement over 130 games, while posting a .242/.332/.481 slash line. Chisholm, who posted two defensive runs saved at second base, earned both an All-Star nod and a Silver Slugger honor.

New York acquired Chisholm from the Miami Marlins before the 2024 MLB trade deadline. After extensive time at second base, shortstop and center field with the Marlins, the Yankees initially played Chisholm at third base throughout their run to the 2024 World Series before moving him back to second base on a full-time basis with occasional cameos at the hot corner in 2025.

While Chisholm, who will be 29 at the start of the 2027 MLB season, could ultimately be back in the Bronx next season, the Yankees could also find his replacement in-house; shortstop Anthony Volpe got playing time at second base for New York down the stretch, including in the postseason, with touted rookie shortstop George Lombard Jr. now playing every day at shortstop.

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