With UCLA coming off a national title and Southern Cal going for one of its own with star Juju Watkins returning from injury, there may never have been more attention on women’s basketball in Los Angeles.

“If you intend to come,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said Wednesday at Big Ten media days, “you should probably get your tickets early.”

The success of the two West Coast schools has been a bigger problem for the rest of the Big Ten than Los Angeles basketball fans. In the two years since USC and UCLA left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, each school has topped the standings once and the Bruins have won the conference tournament twice, going on to the Final Four two years ago and winning the championship last April.

UCLA has some holes to fill this season but is still expected to be top-25 caliber. Watkins returns after missing last season with a torn ACL and will join the country’s top recruiting class to try to help USC return to the nation’s elite and extend the rivals’ dominance over its new league.

Phoenix, AZ – April 05: UCLA Bruins pose with the Wade Trophy to celebrate after defeating South Carolina Gamecocks 79-51 in the NCAA Women’s Championship game at Mortgage Matchup Center on Saturday, April 5, 2026 in Phoenix, AZ. (Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

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“Honestly, for me, I’m just excited to be back and whatever comes with that will come,” Watkins said. “I know the team is excited. We’re preparing for a great season ahead. I’m ecstatic.”

The question that poses for the rest of the conference is whether any of the legacy Big Ten teams can mount a challenge to this newfound tilt from Midwest to West. Iowa and Michigan look like the strongest contenders to break the California grip on the league, but there could be as many as eight other Big Ten teams in the preseason Top 25 poll.

“Our league is stronger and tougher than it has ever been,” Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “Every night, you’re going to face a top-25 opponent in our league. It’s incredibly, incredibly challenging.”

The Big Ten has been through this before. When Maryland jumped from the ACC in the fall of 2014, the Terrapins claimed at least a share of first place in six of the next seven seasons. Either Ohio State or Indiana topped the standings in the three years prior to the latest expansion, but since then it’s been all UCLA and USC at the top.

The Bruins have work to do after accounting for six of the first 18 picks in the WNBA Draft, but have five returnees assuming larger roles, including sophomore Sienna Betts and junior Timea Gardiner.

“I think we’re not trying to repeat an outcome, we’re really just trying to repeat a process,” Gardiner said. “Really just giving everything we can to each and every day. We have such an amazing group that is committed to doing that, so we will let the cards fall where they may.”

Southern Cal, meanwhile, added the No. 1 and No. 5 recruits in the country and a pair of impact transfers to a Watkins-Jazzy Davidson backcourt after going 18-14 without the preseason Big Ten player of the year. The Trojans have loaded up the roster to make a run at its first Final Four in 40 years. Gottlieb resisted when asked if she had built a super team, but didn’t exactly deflect the notion, either.

LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 03: USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb and guard Jazzy Davidson (9) looks on during a women’s college basketball game between the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins on January 3, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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“I’ve never called it that,” Gottlieb said. “We’ve just tried to assemble a team that we think can have championship aspirations. We’ve got a lot of excellent players that are all going to play whatever role they’re asked to the best of their ability. If you do that at the highest level, it becomes a super team.”

Super team or not, the challenge the rest of the Big Ten continues to face has not changed.

“It’s great for our league,” Purdue coach Katie Gearlds said. “Obviously, UCLA winning the championship last year, USC as good as they’re going to be this year having Juju back healthy and the star power that they have, it just elevates and lifts our games and gets more eyeballs on us. I think if you talk to anybody that’s here, we all want to find a way to beat them, but it’s cool that we have them in our league and they are as good as they are.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

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SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Matt Arnold is a stress eater. On Wednesday night at Petco Park, tortilla chips were the guilty pleasure for the Brewers’ president of baseball operations. 

But by the eighth inning of the game that would send his team through to the National League Championship Series for the second straight season, the architect of an overlooked and undervalued Milwaukee roster was also overachieving in his own way. He had mustered the willpower to switch to a healthier option when Padres third baseman Manny Machado launched a baseball 406 feet into the night sky and sent 47,712 fans into an anticipatory uproar. 

“I was chewing on ice,” Arnold told me. “I was trying to reduce calories.”

The frozen substitute did not, however, reduce Arnold’s stress levels, which were creeping up jointly with the decibels inside the stadium on a deep drive that could have tied the game and changed the series: “You see that ball, and you see enough of these balls hit where you’re like, ‘That’s trouble.’”

That much was clear from Machado’s reaction, one that went immediately from expectant to incredulous. 

After launching the ball 106.7 mph off the bat, the Padres slugger took a couple small side steps in the batter’s box and admired the moonshot. He clearly thought he got it, up until the point that Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell fought through a sea of Padres fans in the first row to emerge with the baseball. Machado put his hands on his head and removed his helmet in disgusted disbelief. 

For the second time in a four-game, heavyweight, back-and-forth bout, a potential Padres home run stayed in the field of play. In Game 1, it was a deep drive from Ty France that ricocheted off a roof cable at American Family Field. In the deciding Game 4, it was Mitchell bringing Machado’s blast back at Petco Park, thwarting the Padres’ last-ditch effort to save their season in a 3-1 Brewers win. 

“I think we have a different type of confidence and belief in ourselves, together as a team,” Mitchell said. “It’s just a quiet, subtle confidence. It’s not showboaty. … Just, everyone who’s in this clubhouse, front office to the staff, everyone believes.” 

With that snag, and a perfect ninth inning to follow from closer Trevor Megill, the best team in baseball extinguished the hottest team in the sport and removed a burden that had weighed on Milwaukee’s shoulders for nearly a decade.

In the ninth, closer Trevor Megill made sure there was no need for further outfield heroics. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

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Entering Wednesday, the Brewers had lost 12 straight road playoff games. Their all-time postseason road record of 6-24 was the worst mark in MLB. They heard about it over and over.

But even inside one of the most difficult road environments in the sport, at a field in which the Padres produced a 51-30 record during the regular season and had smothered the Cubs during a two-game wild-card sweep, there was a novel sense of composure and poise. Like they knew they would find a way. 

“It’s not outwardly showing something, it’s just that belief,” Mitchell said. “We’ve been here before.” 

“There’s just a different feeling, man,” added reliever Aaron Ashby, who fired three scoreless frames to earn the Game 4 win. “I don’t know that I can explain it. … You can just feel that it’s different, like there’s a calm confidence around the team.” 

Entering Wednesday, the Brewers hadn’t won a playoff game away from home since the 2018 NLCS at Dodger Stadium, a game that was started by Walker Buehler. As it turned out, their next road win would also come in a game started by Buehler. The October standout gave the Padres a chance Wednesday night, allowing just one run over three innings before Fernando Tatis Jr. sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a third-inning solo shot. 

All series, though, the Milwaukee offense countered. 

“It never feels like we’re out of it,” Ashby said, “because we aren’t.”

On Wednesday, the Brewers didn’t record their first strikeout until their 29th batter of the game, with one out in the seventh inning. They looked like the same relentless lineup that led MLB in batting average and on-base percentage, the one that everyone claimed would not translate to October. 

After one series, they lead all playoff teams in both categories as well. 

“I think we’re proving that, no, we still can win in the postseason,” said Brewers manager Pat Murphy. “Good baseball is good baseball.”

Jake Bauers struggled in Game 3, but in Game 4, Milwaukee’s first baseman reached base four times and drove in a run. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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For many of the lefties in the lineup, though, it hadn’t looked so crisp for much of the series. Through the first three games against the Padres, Mitchell, Brice Turang and Jake Bauers were hitting a combined .152 with no extra-base hits. 

So before Game 4, Murphy met with each of them individually. 

And on Wednesday, Mitchell started the scoring with an RBI single and later added the deciding run after a leadoff triple in the fifth. 

“Through mistakes, through the ups and downs, he has always said that he believed in me,” Mitchell said. “And he has given me every opportunity to continue to go out there and be myself.”

Bauers, meanwhile, was coming off a Game 3 in which he struck out in four of his five plate appearances. That made for a tough night of sleep. 

But a day later, he responded by reaching base all four times up and adding an insurance run after a leadoff single in the sixth. The discussion with Murphy helped. 

“He didn’t say anything that I didn’t already know, but it was good to have the conversation, have someone else tell me too that it was time to refocus a little bit,” Bauers said. “Last night, obviously, I struck out four times, hit a ball out of the stadium 300 feet foul. That’s not who I’ve been this entire season. Just was trying to do way too much. To hear him say ‘just be you’ was a good reminder.”

The deep drive from Machado, however, threatened to erase all of their work.

“Obviously, he’s got some juice,” said Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich. “You don’t feel too good about it when he puts a swing on it like that. You see him stand up at home plate, you’re like, ‘Man, he got it.’” 

Yelich had seen that swing before. 

Nine years ago, he was playing left field for Team USA when Machado sent a deep drive to an identical location at the exact same field. That hit was robbed by Adam Jones.

On Thursday, it felt like déjà vu when Mitchell tracked it down, setting the stage for a celebration in the road clubhouse at Petco Park. The Brewers popped bottles of Budweiser and Prosecco and puffed on Padrón cigars until 10:40 p.m., when they suddenly cleared out of the clubhouse and back onto the field. 

They wanted a team picture to commemorate the occasion and a group they feel is more together than past iterations. 

The Brewers celebrating their NLDS victory in San Diego. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

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“I do notice it,” Arnold told me from next to the pitcher’s mound, where players and staff lined up for photos with their families. “I don’t know how to talk about it. You can’t measure it, but you can feel it. I think it’s kind of cliché to say it, but it’s a real thing.” 

“We’ve been through this a few times,” Brewers pitching coach Chris Hook told me, trying to explain what others could not. “The more you do something, the more you’re under this kind of stress, I think you get a little bit more comfortable in the environment.”

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It’s that confidence that has the Brewers believing that they’re better equipped this year to handle their next opponent in an NLCS rematch against a Dodgers team that swept them last October. 

“As a team, we noticed that maybe [the belief] was lacking a little bit last year, like we were just happy to be there,” Bauers told me. “This year, it’s a little bit more of a choice.”

“Why wouldn’t you want another chance to go at it?” Mitchell added. “I don’t think that’s any more pressure on us. It’s just, let’s see what we can do.”

And have some snacks handy for the front office. 

“I’ll just kill chips,” Arnold said. “Chips and dip.”

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

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Justin Jefferson and Odell Beckham Jr. have a few things in common.

First, they each played their collegiate ball with the LSU Tigers. Second, they’ve each been superstar wide receivers in the NFL. And now, they’re teammates on the Minnesota Vikings, and the 27-year-old Jefferson is thrilled to be teammates with the veteran Beckham.

“It’s definitely cool,” Jefferson said in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon about the Vikings signing Beckham. “All of the years I’ve watched him play and looked up to his game and his play style, both on and off the field, how he carries himself as a superstar in the league and just managing it. We’ve been brothers for a very, very long time. The connection has always been there. We’ve always kind of talked about this moment and one day being able to play with each other, but for it to actually be here is definitely crazy.

“He called me last night to tell me that he was coming down and just the excitement on his face and just the excitement that we both share together, it was definitely a cool moment.”

Minnesota signed Beckham to its practice squad Wednesday, which comes in the wake of Jefferson missing the team’s Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins with an ankle injury. Beckham, who was a Pro Bowler with the New York Giants from 2014-16 and spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Giants (2014-18), was released by New York last week after logging just one target in the team’s first three games.

Beckham didn’t play in 2025. Prior to the aforementioned gap year, he had one-year stints with the Miami Dolphins (2024) and Baltimore Ravens (2023), preceded by missing the 2022 season due to a torn ACL and helping the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl in 2021; the Giants traded Beckham to the Browns in 2019, with the receiver playing two-plus years in Cleveland before being waived during the 2021 season and joining the Rams.

Over the three games he has played this season, Jefferson, a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, has totaled 13 receptions for 179 yards and two touchdowns. While Minnesota is 4-0, its offense has struggled, as the Vikings are last in the NFL in passing yards (156.0 per game), 31st in total yards (262.8 per game), 18th in points (21.5 per game) and 16th in rushing yards (106.8 per game).

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As for their collegiate careers, Jefferson, who played for the Tigers from 2017-19 and was part of their 2019 National Championship team, is tied for third in LSU history with 24 receiving touchdowns, is sixth outright with 165 receptions and seventh with 2,415 receiving yards. Beckham, who played in Baton Rouge from 2011-13, is ninth in LSU history with 2,340 receiving yards and was selected by the Giants with the No. 12 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after a standout junior season that saw him average 19.5 yards per reception. 

Jefferson, Beckham and the Vikings have a road matchup against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5 (Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX).

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When Ohio State’s wide receivers head to special teams meetings during the week, Jeremiah Smith goes in a different direction.

He walks into the quarterbacks room.

The unanimous All-American and current Heisman Trophy favorite studies film with the quarterbacks, breaks down concepts and goes over game plans. The setup gives Smith an opportunity to “see the game through a different lens,” an Ohio State spokesperson told me, while also strengthening the chemistry between Smith and starting quarterback Julian Sayin.

Five games into the season, that partnership is becoming a nightmare for opposing defenses. Sayin has found Smith 44 times for 823 yards and nine touchdowns.

Their connection was on full display during the Buckeyes’ 31-14 win over Iowa last weekend. On the first play of the second quarter, Sayin lofted a pass into triple coverage. Smith, surrounded by defenders closing in, rose up and snatched the ball away before turning upfield and racing 54 yards toward the end zone.

“At times, you’re thinking, Julian is kind of forcing the ball, but the two of them are on the exact same page,” former Ohio State coach and “Big Noon Kickoff” analyst Urban Meyer told me. “I mean, you can verify that these two have worked together, they’re in meetings together. Because a lot of times you’re like, why did he throw it there?”

Sayin joked after the game that “we probably shouldn’t have gone there.” Ohio State coach Ryan Day agreed: “That was not a great read, but a ridiculous throw and a ridiculous catch.” 

Regardless, the moment was a testament to the trust the two players have built over the last several years — and now, with the added wrinkle that they’re spending even more time together.

Could that familiarity ultimately give the 4-1 Buckeyes, who are pushing to win their second national championship in three years, an edge when they face opponents determined to do everything possible to stop Smith?

‘A Generational Athlete’

Wide receivers taking part in quarterback meetings is unusual — and not the norm at programs around the country. Meyer never did it himself, not even with stars such as Michael Thomas, Parris Campbell or Terry McLaurin on his teams, though he has heard of it happening before. Smith isn’t the first wideout to do this under Day, but he is the only one participating in quarterback meetings this year.

Meyer isn’t surprised to hear that Smith has taken on this extra work.

“His whole lifestyle is nothing other than being the greatest football player he can be,” Meyer said. “I mean, he doesn’t go out. It’s shocking to me when I hear about how committed he is to being the greatest of all time, and that includes going to quarterback meetings.

“This is a generational athlete we are watching.”

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith is now the sole program record holder for career receiving yards (3,363), catches (206) and touchdowns (36). (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

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Former Ohio State QB Justin Zwick remembers a very different setup early in his career, as quarterbacks and receivers met together only because they had the same position coach. Once Jim Tressel eventually hired Darrell Hazell as the dedicated receivers coach, Zwick doesn’t recall anyone outside the quarterback room attending their position meetings.

But he thinks what Day is doing with Smith is notable.

“It’s beneficial because the receivers are seeing and hearing what the quarterbacks are looking for, what the play is intended to be, and how it all works together, so I think it’s important,” Zwick told me. “I think it’s really cool Jeremiah is doing that.”

Zwick said that for Smith, this layer of preparation is like “giving him a PhD in offense” and allows him to “get the bones of the plays and the thought process behind it.” 

FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt agrees, and told me that being in these meetings is “powerful” for Smith. 

“He will now understand not only what to do, but also how to do it,” Klatt said. “And most importantly, why it is done this way.”

In the win over Iowa, Smith caught 11 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, including 77 yards after the catch. He’s now the sole program record holder for career receiving yards (3,363), catches (206) and touchdowns (36) — all in less than two-and-a-half seasons.

Next, he’ll be zeroing in on Big Ten history. Smith is just 238 yards shy of surpassing Purdue’s John Standeford for the conference career receiving yards record (3,618) and four touchdowns away from eclipsing Michigan’s Braylon Edwards for the career receiving touchdowns mark (39). He might not catch Purdue’s Taylor Stubblefield for the all-time receptions record (316), but he’ll come close.

“It’s absolutely absurd,” Zwick said. “Coming into the year, we all were excited and knew he was probably going to break all those records at some point. It’s just been a show.”

‘One Of The Most Refreshing Stories’

Only five wide receivers have ever won the Heisman Trophy. Entering this season, much of the conversation surrounding college football’s most prestigious individual award centered around quarterbacks such as Miami’s Darian Mensah, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Texas’ Arch Manning.

We’re not even halfway through the season, but Smith has already emerged as the favorite. He currently has the highest odds to win the award, and he’s outpacing former Alabama and current Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith, who won the Heisman in 2020. Through five games, Jeremiah has 267 more yards and five more touchdowns than DeVonta did at the same point in his Heisman-winning season.

“We have seen great production before, but what I think is remarkable is that every defense is trying actively to take him away from the Ohio State offense, and he still produces at this level,” Klatt said. “It is crazy. He can defeat double and triple coverage, and he can do it in several ways: pure physicality and size, speed through the top of the defense, elite technique and route running ability. He obviously has an amazing catch radius. 

“And all of this makes him nearly impossible to defend.”

Smith hit the Heisman pose after hauling in a 57-yard touchdown against Iowa. After the game, he told reporters to let the Heisman voters “know that I’m the best player in the country.” And while those who know him best describe him as a man of few words who doesn’t care much about personal accolades, Smith made his ambitions clear when he added, “I’ve got to be there,” referring to the ceremony in New York City.

Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

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Maybe Smith was partly joking. But he wants to win the Heisman. He wants to win everything.

“He’s as serious as it gets, he’s as competitive as it gets, and he practices so freaking hard every day,” Day said this week on the “Triple Option” podcast. “Like, you got to pull him back, and it almost becomes an argument sometimes. He’s like, ‘I need this rep. We got to have this rep.’ He’s a perfectionist. 

“You just can’t imagine how hard he works every day in practice,” Day repeated. “It’s like a coach’s dream, quite honestly.”

And while Smith plays a position often associated with big egos and prima donna behavior, he’s the total opposite.

“He’s down to earth,” Zwick said. “We’ve seen him improve each and every year. And a lot of times with receivers, you can get some ‘look-at-me’ guys and maybe guys who are like, ‘Yeah, I know I’m better than everybody, and I’m not going to work as hard as I should.’ 

“That’s just not what he is about. It’s really special.”

Day has spoken many times about Smith’s leadership and his willingness to lead by example. But to Meyer, that’s the most impressive thing the Buckeyes’ superstar wideout has done.

“In this day and age of NIL and transferring and all the stuff that’s out there, all this kid does is perform every weekend, and you never hear a thing other than how great he is,” Meyer said. “You never hear, ‘Well, he’s kind of a pain in the ass, his parents are too involved, he’s threatening to transfer because he’s not getting more balls.’ All this stuff that sometimes you hear [about players].

“This is one of the most refreshing stories in college football history when you take a look at the whole body of work.”

‘Greatest Wide Receiver In College Football History?’

Smith won a national championship as a freshman. He was a unanimous first-team All-American selection as a sophomore. Now a junior, he’s leading the country in virtually every major receiving category and has posted back-to-back games with at least 10 catches, 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

The conversation in and around Columbus these days has shifted to whether Smith is the best Buckeye ever — and if he belongs alongside, or even above players such as two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin, two-time Lombardi Trophy winner Orlando Pace and Heisman winner Eddie George.

“He is the best player in college football, and it is not very close,” Klatt said. “I think a great question to be asked is if he is the greatest wide receiver in college football history already? I think it is a conversation between [Randy] Moss, Julio Jones, [Larry] Fitzgerald and Smith.”

Smith will have more chances to make his case as Ohio State’s upcoming schedule features matchups against No. 7 Indiana, No. 19 USC, No. 13 Oregon and rival Michigan.

“Everybody’s seen him and everybody wants to try and stop him,” Zwick said. “And it just doesn’t seem like anybody’s going to.”

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The No. 7 Indiana Hoosiers will try to keep their hand hot when they face undefeated Nebraska on FOX Saturday morning.

Can Matt Rhule coach his underdog Cornhuskers to an upset over the defending champions?

And speaking of ‘dogs, Georgia — a 1.5-point underdog at Alabama — will try to get a regular-season W over the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2007.

Here are the lines and what you should know about the five must-watch games on the college football slate for Week 6 (odds via DraftKings Sportsbook).

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.

Spread: Indiana -7.5
Moneyline: Indiana -305; Nebraska +245
O/U: 48.5

What To Know: At 1-4, Indiana’s record against the spread (ATS) is dismal. But head coach Curt Cignetti has his Hoosiers rolling straight up (SU) with a 5-0 record in that spot. Two weeks ago, Indiana got tested by Northwestern when the Wildcats kept it close. Eventually, Indiana got the 29-23 win. How will Nebraska fare against a Hoosiers squad that’s on a quest to protect its championship crown? “The last time Indiana and Nebraska played in a pseudo prove-it game in 2024, the Hoosiers won 56-7,” FOX Sports college sports writer Ben Portnoy explained. “It won’t be that lopsided, but Curt Cignetti & Co. [will] win on the road in Lincoln.”

Spread: Texas -7.5
Moneyline: Texas -325; Oklahoma +260
O/U: 39.5

What To Know: Texas quarterback Arch Manning started off the season as the co-favorite to win the Heisman. Now he’s eighth on the board at +3200. His Longhorns, however, are still near the top of the odds to win the title as the fourth choice on the board. Manning now gets to lead his 4-0 squad into the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma. The Sooners are sitting at 2-2 after suffering losses to Michigan and Georgia. Both teams are coming into the rivalry off bye weeks.

Spread: Oregon -11.5
Moneyline: Oregon -455; UCLA +350
O/U: 58.5

What To Know: Both of these Big Ten squads boast top-25 rankings, but only one can claim an unblemished record and that’s UCLA. At 4-0, the Bruins have wins over Cal, San Diego State, Purdue and Maryland. Oregon’s one loss came in Week 2 to Oklahoma State. The Ducks, though, are riding the momentum of beating USC at the Coliseum two weeks ago. What about the double-digit spread? Well, when it comes to covering, Oregon is 2-2 ATS on the season; UCLA is 4-0.

Spread: Alabama -1.5
Moneyline: Alabama -122; Georgia +102
O/U: 55.5

What To Know: Underdog Georgia has a few things working in its favor when it faces perennial SEC foe Alabama. The Bulldogs rank seventh in the country in total defense and their scoring offense is the best in college football. But Alabama puts up points, too. The Crimson Tide have put up 248 points on opponents so far this season, including 56 against a (then-undefeated) Mississippi State team in Week 5. Both Georgia and Bama are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS.

Spread: Penn State -1.5
Moneyline: Penn State -122; USC +102
O/U: 53.5

What To Know: The Trojans bounced back from their home loss to Oregon by scrapping past Washington last week 25-21. In that win, quarterback Jordan Maiava had 245 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. As a team, the Trojans racked up 360 yards of offense. Now Lincoln Riley & Co. will try to win a second game in a row against a feisty 3-2 Penn State team. The Nittany Lions’ two losses came to Wisconsin and to Northwestern, but their most dominant win came in Week 1, when they shut out Marshall 45-0. 

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Layne Riggs has won twice the number of races than any of his Chase competitors but now must rally in order to win the 2026 truck championship.

Riggs, with six wins this season, sits second in the standings at 37 points behind Kaden Honeycutt.

Honeycutt earned his third win of the year a couple of weeks ago at Kansas Speedway.

Can Layne Riggs rally back beginning at Charlotte?

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The other Chase drivers have combined for three wins all year and while Chandler Smith (71 points behind) and Gio Ruggiero (minus-72) are within 75 points of the lead, it appears to be a race between Riggs and Honeycutt — unless another driver can rattle off at least a couple of wins in the final five races.

The Honeycutt-Riggs battle pits Tricon Garage and its No. 11 team — the team that won the title last year with Corey Heim — against a Front Row Motorsports team of Riggs that has had the swagger for much of the season.

Kaden Honeycutt currently sits at the top of the standings in The Chase in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

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In each of the three NASCAR national series, the regular-season champion no longer leads the points. 

In Cup, Denny Hamlin trails Kyle Larson by 40 points; in O’Reilly, Justin Allgaier dropped to fourth and is 30 points behind Sheldon Creed.

As the trucks go green Friday to open a Charlotte triple-header weekend on the 1.5-mile oval, Honeycutt will take the same approach that earned him the points lead.

“I just focus on winning the race. I think if you try to do anything other than that, you’re just pulling yourself out of the gate,” Honeycutt said in his news conference after the Kansas win. “That’s all this team focuses on.

“That’s our mentality. We just focus on winning. And winning takes care of points.”

Riggs tried to make a move for the win at Kansas, only to hit the wall and finish 19th. If he had finished second in that race, he would have been only 20 points behind Honeycutt.

Riggs admitted he should’ve been thinking “bigger picture” at Kansas.

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“I felt like I should have been a lot smarter and thinking bigger picture and knowing that I could have just easily come out second and had a lot better shot,” Riggs told me and other reporters after Kansas. “I just made it a whole lot harder for myself.”

Riggs won at Charlotte in May, so he enters the race Friday believing he can at least cut into Honeycutt’s lead.

“We can’t change anything in the past,” said Riggs, who has opened The Chase with finishes of 32nd and 19th. “We’ve just got to look forward to the future.”

And the future holds races at Charlotte, Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville and Homestead.

“We’re not out of this,” Riggs said. “Five races is a lot. We can flip the script pretty fast. … We’ve got some good tracks coming up for us. … I’m going to keep grinding.”

WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT

The math has spoken. Winning matters in The Chase.

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Erling Haaland called on everyone at Manchester City to “stick together” in his first public comments since the club was found guilty of large-scale financial rule-breaking in the Premier League.

City will play Liverpool on Sunday in its first match since the publication of an investigatory panel’s verdict that City artificially inflated its revenue by more than $1 billion from 2009-18 to circumvent financial fair-play rules that restricted rival clubs in that period.

Erling Haaland stressed to Manchester City fans to stay positive. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)

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City was found guilty by the panel of all 80 of the serious financial charges brought by the Premier League and could be hit with severe sanctions — including being expelled from the top flight. City has lodged an appeal against the findings.

In an interview with Sky Sports published Thursday, Haaland — City’s most high-profile player — said: “We have to stick together and we have to spread the love to each other. So yeah, stick together, enjoy the ride and smile.”

Asked what his message would be to City fans traveling to Anfield, where a potentially hostile reception awaits the team, Haaland said: “We have to stick together, we have to stay with each other and we have to stay positive.

“No matter what happens in life, we have always have to have a smile. So we have to stay positive, look ahead and try to win football games and then try to enjoy the situation and the game.”

City manager Enzo Maresca is likely to face more severe questioning Friday when he holds his pre-match news conference with reporters. It will be Maresca’s first remarks on the scandal, with domestic soccer having been on hold for the past three weeks because of an extended international break.

Premier League Managers Speak On Man City Case

The return of the Premier League offers rival team coaches a first opportunity to react to the City case that has rocked the world’s most popular soccer league and is likely to have a major impact on the remainder of the season.

They weren’t rushing to judgment on Thursday.

“We’ve all seen the news. It’s obviously big news,” said Frank Lampard, the Coventry manager who played for City for one of the seasons — 2014-15 — that has been under investigation.

“Man City are appealing the situation so I guess my reaction is that: what can you say when an appeal is going on? I’m not inside the story, I’m outside it completely — I played for Man City a long time ago, for one year — so we’ll wait and see what the result of the appeal is.”

Bournemouth manager Marco Rose preferred to stay away from the matter, saying: “I’m a football coach, not a politician,” while Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle said he was “not able to judge” as a manager of another club and “there are authorities taking care of it.”

In a similar vein, Leeds manager Daniel Farke said there were “more qualified people … able to speak about it.”

Speaking at the Leaders in Sport conference in London, Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe – president of the club’s U.S.-ownership group, 49ers Enterprises – said he believed “the most just result, I’m sure, will be delivered.”

“In any sport, you know, everybody wants to play by the same rules,” he added, without mentioning City.

Reporting by The Associated Press. 

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This weekend, No. 2 Georgia travels to Tuscaloosa to face No. 6 Alabama in the latest chapter of this clash of titans.

No. 21 UCLA, meanwhile, faces its biggest test of the season against No. 13 Oregon.

Both matchups carry major conference and playoff implications, but here are five sleeper games worth watching — and wagering on — in Week 6 of college football.

See how much you could win with this week’s parlay slip at the end.

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Spread: Iowa -3

The Outlook: Iowa had the same luck stopping Jeremiah Smith as every other team that has faced Ohio State this season. Smith and the Buckeyes were too much for the Hawkeyes, handing Iowa its first loss of the season. The Hawkeyes now travel west to face a Huskies team that has lost its first two conference games.

Washington had a chance to upset No. 19 USC in the final seconds, but quarterback Demond Williams Jr. couldn’t connect with a receiver in the end zone on fourth-and-10. The Huskies have started 0-2 in conference play for the first time under head coach Jedd Fisch and already have half as many losses as they had all of last season.

Why This Game Matters: Few visiting teams have entered Husky Stadium as favorites, and for good reason. Fisch and the Huskies are 14-3 at home. But with one home loss already in 2026 and an 0-2 conference record, Washington is looking to flip the script and get back on track.

Spread: LSU -9.5

The Outlook: Statistically, LSU has been one of the SEC’s best teams on both sides of the ball through five games, ranking in the top three in every major category. After a loss in Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss, the Tigers responded by outscoring their next two opponents 98-20. Now they head somewhere they haven’t won in a very long time: Kroger Field, home of the 4-1 Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky’s Will Stein became the first coach in school history to win his first two road games after a comeback overtime victory over South Carolina. The Wildcats trailed 17-0 before outscoring the Gamecocks 27-10 to force overtime.

Why This Game Matters: The Tigers haven’t won in Lexington since 2002, and they lost 42-21 in these teams’ last meeting in 2021. Even Kiffin had his share of struggles with the Wildcats during his time at Ole Miss. He went 3-1 against Kentucky, but those three wins came by an average of just 3.6 points.

Now, under a new regime, Kentucky comes in with a new swagger. Can Stein and the Wildcats slow down the Tigers and extend LSU’s long wait for a win at Kroger Field?

Spread: Kansas State -2.5

The Outlook: Trailing 17-0 midway through the third quarter, No. 22 Houston had nothing going its way until a seven-play, 75-yard drive sparked a comeback. Cougars quarterback Conner Weigman scored all three of Houston’s touchdowns with his legs, helping erase the deficit with 27 unanswered points to avoid an upset against UCF. Now the Cougars are back on the road to face a 3-1 Kansas State team.

The Wildcats fell short in a back-and-forth battle with Cincinnati, dropping their conference opener 31-26. Still, oddsmakers favor Kansas State to beat Houston. The ground game fuels the Wildcats’ offense, and despite being outrushed by Cincinnati, they still own the Big 12’s third-best rushing attack, averaging 240.8 yards per game.

Why This Game Matters: Houston averages the fourth-most yards (480.3) and second-most points (41.0) per game in the Big 12, yet the Cougars are underdogs against an unranked Kansas State team coming off a loss.

If the oddsmakers aren’t overlooking the Wildcats, you shouldn’t either. Kansas State allows the second-fewest total yards (246) and fewest passing yards (106.3) per game in the conference, while its offense ranks third in scoring (40.5). That could explain why the books are backing the Wildcats against a ranked Houston squad.

Was Houston’s comeback last week a wake-up call or a sign of underlying issues?

Spread: Wake Forest -3.5

The Outlook: Wake Forest scored its most points in a game since 2021 last week, putting up 57 and piling up more than 500 yards of offense against Stanford. Quarterback Gio Lopez accounted for five touchdowns and more than 350 yards. The Demon Deacons have given No. 4 Miami its toughest test yet; they upset No. 16 Louisville and then routed Stanford by 54 points, yet somehow remain unranked.

Meanwhile, N.C. State quarterback C.J. Bailey responded to his late blunder against Vanderbilt by leading the Wolfpack past Louisville and setting a career high along the way.

Why This Game Matters: What more does Wake Forest have to prove to earn a spot in the AP Top 25? The Demon Deacons won at then-No. 16 Louisville and followed it up with a demolition of Stanford.

Another win over a quality ACC opponent would improve Wake Forest to 5-1 and should be enough to crack the rankings. But don’t sleep on N.C. State, which is 9-1 at home over the past two seasons.

Spread: NDSU -3

The Outlook: North Dakota State has made quite the introduction to the FBS. The Bison are allowing fewer than 10 points per game while scoring 33.6, and their suffocating defense ranks at or near the top of the Mountain West in every major category. That unit faces its toughest challenge yet against UNLV’s high-powered offense.

The Rebels picked up a big 39-31 win over Cal last week behind quarterback Jackson Arnold, who accounted for all five of their touchdowns. The senior threw for three scores and ran for two, totaling 282 yards.

Why This Game Matters: UNLV has won two straight and enters this Mountain West showdown with momentum. Coach Dan Mullen and his offense have found their rhythm, scoring 38 and 39 points in back-to-back weeks, yet the Rebels are underdogs at home.

North Dakota State has earned the oddsmakers’ respect, and another win could draw even more attention. Can the Bison slow down the Rebels and keep their playoff hopes growing?

Week 6 Parlay Slip

Bet $10 to win $223.59 if:

• No. 20 Iowa vs. Washington UNDER 41.5 (-110)
• Kentucky (+8.5) vs. No. 10 LSU (-108)
• No. 22 Houston (+2.5) vs. Kansas State (-105)
• Wake Forest vs. NC State OVER 59.5 (-108)
• North Dakota State Moneyline vs. UNLV (-162)

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

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

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

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

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

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

MLB Related Stories

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

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

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

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

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

–> –> Get more from the Major League Baseball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more [–>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Chargers Seem Like Logistical Sellers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But Even Some Execs Are Skeptical Chargers Will Sell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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