James Franklin wasted little time getting a new job, the SEC and Big Ten still can't figure out playoff format and what is happening at Texas?
USC is counting on a decimated running back unit to keep overachieving against Oregon
USC is expected to face Oregon without Waymond Jordan, who is still recovering from ankle surgery. The tailbacks have performed well despite injuries.
Wimbledon’s expansion plans heading for court of appeal after judge’s ruling
Plans for 39 grass courts were given approval in 2024
Pressure has led to judicial review of that decision
Wimbledon’s battle to build 39 new grass courts on a nearby golf course has taken a fresh twist after local residents were granted permission to take a judicial review case to the court of appeal.
Last year the All England Club (AELTC) was given approval by Jules Pipe, the London deputy mayor for planning and regeneration, to build the courts on what used to be Wimbledon Park Golf Club – a decision that was then endorsed in the high court on 21 July. However, the Save Wimbledon Park pressure group challenged that verdict and on Monday it was announced that Lord Justice Holgate had granted a judicial review of the court’s decision.
Continue reading...Is Chargers QB Justin Herbert College GameDay bound? Madison Beer drops major hint
Could Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert's bye week plans have been revealed?
Capitals Set For Offensive Burst Against Oilers' Leaky Defense
Wednesday features a small NHL slate with only four games, but it includes a standout matchup between two playoff-caliber teams that have stumbled out of the gate. The Edmonton Oilers have been one of the weakest defensive clubs in the league, allowing 73 goals through 21 games while still managing a 9-8-1 record.
They meet a Washington Capitals team that appears to have spent much of its early-season energy pushing Alex Ovechkin toward the goal record. Washington sits at 9-8-2, kept afloat by strong play from goaltender Logan Thompson, who leads the league with a 1.85 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
For anyone following our Pad Stack challenge, the mission has not changed. We began with a ten dollar bankroll and continue to grow it through calculated, research-driven plays. Our previous run ended on Monday at a season-high total of $411.47 before a last-minute empty-netter from the Florida Panthers spoiled our Vancouver spread. We are now rebuilding after resetting to $31, boosted by Tuesday night’s winning play on the Maple Leafs. Our aim is to keep climbing with a confident selection from Wednesday’s Oilers versus Capitals matchup.
All betting lines are from BetMGM Sportsbook and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
Sign up with BetMGM, make a deposit, and place your first wager on any game using your First Bet Offer token. If that bet with the token applied loses, you’ll get your original stake paid back in Bonus Bets, up to $1,500! Get in the game today with BetMGM.
Are The Detroit Red Wings For Real?Detroit's surprising start defies middling stats. Can a youth-fueled surge finally end the playoff drought?Picks: Capitals Over 3.0 Goals (-133)
Yesterday, we avoided the trap set by the sportsbooks. We explained why the Leafs’ matchup with the Blues looked almost guaranteed to be a high-scoring shootout, yet the odds suggested the books knew something the public didn’t. All the signs pointed to a goal-heavy game, which is exactly what they wanted bettors to believe. Instead, we backed the Maple Leafs and the under, and it paid off as Toronto pulled out a 3–2 overtime win.
A similar situation appears to be unfolding on Wednesday when the Oilers face the Capitals. Many will expect an Oilers bounce back, especially since they have won only three of their last eight games and have allowed 33 goals during that stretch. The Capitals have been slightly better with three wins in their last seven games. Their challenge is not defense but offense. Before last season’s breakout, Washington struggled to generate scoring, and that issue has resurfaced. They rank ninth worst in goals per game at 2.79, though there has been modest improvement with 11 goals in their last four games.
I expect Edmonton’s defensive issues to continue. The public will assume the Oilers will push hard to respond, but the Capitals should be ready for a tough battle. Choosing a side is tricky because Washington is at home while Edmonton is 3–1 against the spread this season as an underdog. The Capitals have also won four of their last six meetings with the Oilers, scoring three or more goals in each of those wins, including a 7–3 blowout in February. Even in losses, Washington still finds ways to score on Edmonton with three or more goals in eight of their last ten matchups.
A $31 wager on the Capitals to score at least three goals would return a profit of $23.25, bringing the total to $54.25 plus if Washington finishes with exactly three goals, the bet results in a push.
Islanders' Matthew Schaefer, Avalanche's Cale Makar Already Near-Locks in NHL Award RacesAn 18-year-old phenom and a Norris contender are dominating early NHL award races, setting impressive records and dazzling fans.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Pop-Tarts Bowl is ‘upping the ante’ with even more pastry mascots to toast
Fans will now be a part of the viral Pop-Tarts Bowl experience, voting on which edible mascots will be toasted for players to eat at the game's end.
Steve Sarkisian debunks Desmond Howard’s post on Texas exit: ‘Absolutely false and untrue’
ESPN's Desmond Howard suggested the Texas football job may come open. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian shut those rumors down on SEC coaches' call.
From the first ball to Bazball: everything you need to know about the Ashes
Can Ben Stokes really lead England to victory in Australia? Set your alarms and gird your loins, this one’s not just big, it’s positively Brobdingnagian
Continue reading...MLB Finalizes New Rights Deals with NBC, ESPN and Netflix
On the heels of its most-watched postseason since 2017, Major League Baseball has officially signed off on a package of new, short-term media rights deals with NBCUniversal, ESPN and Netflix.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred formally heralded the three-year agreements on Wednesday afternoon, or a little more than two months after he first acknowledged that negotiations over the league’s media arrangements for 2026-28 were effectively in the bottom of the ninth inning.
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Under the terms of the new package, MLB will return to the NBC airwaves on Opening Day of the 2026 season, as the Dodgers host the Diamondbacks. But for a pair of promotional one-offs that aired in 2022 and 2023, the March 26 NL West opener will mark NBC’s first significant MLB outing since Bob Costas signed off at the end of Game 6 of the 2000 American League Championship Series.
As part of a pact valued at nearly $200 million per year, NBC has assumed the rights to the ESPN mainstay Sunday Night Baseball and the four Wild Card series. As was the case during the program’s 36-year run on cable, the Sunday night matchup will continue to enjoy timeslot exclusivity, as no other MLB games will be scheduled opposite the weekly primetime showcase. Peacock and the revived NBCSN will pick up the slack on certain fall and spring dates when a scheduled SNB game conflicts with one of NBC’s NFL or NBA broadcast windows.
Peacock also regained the rights to MLB’s 18-game Sunday morning streaming package, which it helped inaugurate in 2022. After two seasons, the league shifted the carveout to Roku for the low, low price of $10 million per year, a discount that ESPN execs found particularly irksome, given Bristol’s own annual $550 million rights payment. (MLB’s Roku pact was one of the factors that led ESPN in February to announce its intention to terminate its legacy MLB contract three years before its 2028 expiration date.)
The NBC flagship first began airing MLB games in 1947, when Jackie Robinson made his debut with Brooklyn. On Oct. 27, 1999, the network served up 25.8 million viewers with its final World Series broadcast, as the Yankees completed their sweep of the Braves with a 4-1 win at home. It chalked up its all-time biggest MLB turnout with Game 7 of the 1986 World Series, as a crowd of nearly 60 million viewers watched the Mets rally from a 3-0 deficit to topple the Red Sox 8-5 at Shea.
The resumption of NBC’s long-dormant baseball duties began taking shape while MLB and ESPN were mending their fences. At times, the rift seemed unbreachable, especially after Manfred sent owners a memo in which he put the cable model on blast. “[We] do not believe that pay-TV, ESPN’s primary distribution platform, is the future of video distribution or the best platform for our content,” Manfred wrote, an assessment that couldn’t have been met with much enthusiasm by fellow MLB cable partners FS1 and TBS.
While the air had grown frosty in recent years, Manfred and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro this summer began the process of what amounted to a mutual thawing-out. By September, it had become clear that neither party was ready to quit on its partner of four decades, and Pitaro’s team had worked out the broad strokes of a deal that would see ESPN assume oversight of the league’s out-of-market platform, MLB.TV.
In addition to snapping up the rights to sell and distribute MLB.TV, ESPN also has assumed the in-market rights to a six pack of RSN refugees that includes the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. ESPN has the option to pick up additional local rights if and when they become available.
Although local baseball is now the focal point of ESPN’s MLB investment, Bristol will continue to carry a 30-game slate of nationally televised games across its linear networks and the ESPN app. Among the games ESPN will host next season include a Phillies-Mets clash on July 16 and Braves-Brewers in next year’s Little League Classic. ESPN closed out its final season of Sunday Night Baseball with its strongest deliveries in 12 years, as the package averaged 1.8 million viewers per game—up 21% versus 2024.
While terms were not disclosed, ESPN is said to have agreed to continue paying the annual $550 million rights fee stipulated in its original contract.
For its part, Netflix has picked up the rights to a pair of midseason tentpoles in the Home Run Derby and the “Field of Dreams” game. The streaming giant also will carry the standalone Opening Day meeting between the Yankees and Giants.
Although Netflix stopped reporting its subscriber numbers at the start of 2025, the last official head count put its global base at 301.6 million customers. In exchange for its new baseball package, Netflix will pay MLB approximately $35 million per year.
The Netflix deal comes as the company begins prepping for its second annual NFL Christmas doubleheader. In its inaugural holiday offering, Netflix last year averaged 24.2 million U.S. viewers with a Chiefs-Steelers/Ravens-Texans two-fer, the latter of which included a halftime performance by Beyoncé.
In finally wrapping up its new suite of rights deals after a full season of negotiations, MLB can now focus its attention on the rapidly approaching 2028 campaign, when all of its national contracts are set to expire. While lead TV partner Fox Sports is determined to continue its longstanding partnership with baseball, the ontological status of another linear player is somewhat more uncertain as Paramount, Comcast and Netflix prepare their bids on TNT Sports’ parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Manfred has said he hopes to increase the number of national MLB games under the next round of rights deals, while developing a centralized model for all local rights.
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Five NHL Squads Most Likely To Hoist The Stanley Cup
By Gary Pearson, BetMGM
If you look up the definition of perennial, you might see these five teams as case studies.
Not only do they have the shortest Stanley Cup odds, but they’ve also either won the Cup or have been knocking on the door in recent seasons.
And probabilities suggest one of them will be lifting the Holy Grail come season's end.
Colorado Avalanche (+250)
The Colorado Avalanche are the best team in hockey, and it’s not particularly close at this early juncture. With just one regulation loss, Jared Bednar's squad is the class of the league.
Their plus-31 goals differential is 15 better than second-place Carolina. Nathan MacKinnon, the MVP front-runner, is accumulating points faster than a toddler collects toys, and Cale Makar is as dominant as ever.
I don’t think either Central Division rival, the Winnipeg Jets or Dallas Stars, pose a disconcerting threat.
The looming question is whether the tandem of Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood can hold up their end of the bargain when it counts.
Carolina Hurricanes (+360)
If at first you don’t succeed… well, you know the rest. No phrase better encapsulates the Carolina Hurricanes, which were tripped up at the Eastern Conference final in two of the previous three seasons.
And we all know who did the tripping — those pesky Florida Panthers. As has become customary, the Hurricanes are among the NHL’s best at the quarter mark of the season.
They arguably have the most well-rounded unit, and the callouses they’ve built from previous playoff heartbreak should help them secure the Prince of Wales Trophy for the first time since they won the Stanley Cup in 2006.
Their path to the promised land, however, could come down to whether they can exorcize their Panthers’ demons.
Florida Panthers (+375)
Even without captain Aleksander Barkov, the defending back-to-back champions have the depth, experience and pedigree to return to the Stanley Cup final four a fourth successive season.
The Panthers have repeatedly proven that they’re the class of the Eastern Conference, especially when it matters most. As long as they make the playoffs, I don’t think their seeding matters.
Paul Maurice’s collective is built for the post-season, and there is no other team I trust more to do the business when the chips are down. Attrition and Barkov’s absence might be the only factors preventing them from capturing the elusive three-peat.
Which State Or Province Will Produce The NHL's 2026 Stanley Cup Champ?Will the state of Florida host a Stanley Cup champion yet again this season?Vegas Golden Knights (+400)
Some immediate concerns have surfaced in Sin City. The good news is that time is on the side of Bruce Cassidy and the collective. Mark Stone needs to return to full health, and Vegas must find an answer between the pipes.
We’ll see whether Carter Hart can stop the bleeding while they await Adin Hill’s return. But akin to the Panthers, these Golden Knights are built to succeed in the playoffs, with the addition of Mitch Marner reinforcing that notion.
Edmonton Oilers (+450)
There are a few guarantees in life: the sun rises in the east, the Toronto Maple Leafs won’t make the Stanley Cup final, and the Edmonton Oilers will come good in the nick of time.
As long as Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are healthy, Edmonton will be among the front-runners to secure a third straight Stanley Cup final berth.
Two Former Michigan Teammates Hit Major NHL Milestones On The Same Night
On a night that felt like a nostalgic echo of Ann Arbor, two former Michigan Wolverines reached significant NHL milestones on the same day as each other.
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin recorded his 600th career NHL point on Tuesday, sealing a 4–2 victory over the Seattle Kraken with an empty-net goal. In Winnipeg, Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski scored against the Jets to notch the 400th point of his NHL career, becoming the first defenseman in franchise history to reach that mark.
Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) on XFriends and former teammates, Zach Werenski and Dylan Larkin hit major milestones on same night
#ProBlueThe simultaneous milestones served as a fitting reminder of the immense talent that passed through the University of Michigan during the 2014–15 season, when Larkin and Werenski starred on a Wolverines roster loaded with future NHL regulars including current Red Wings Andrew Copp and J. T. Compher, along with Zach Hyman and Tyler Motte.
Detroit's AHL Griffins Bring Back Former In-State Standout On PTOMichigan native Nolan Moyle earns another AHL shot with the Griffins after dominating in the ECHL, aiming for Red Wings organization success.Werenski’s goal on Tuesday not only secured his 400th point but further cemented his place as one of the most productive American-born defensemen of his era. With 119 goals and 281 assists in 587 games, he became the eighth-fastest American-born defenseman to reach 400 points. All 400 of his points have come with Columbus, where he has long served as the backbone of the Blue Jackets’ blue line.
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On the same day in Detroit, Larkin added another achievement to his growing resume. His empty-net tally secured both the win and his 600th career point, bringing him to 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points in 20 games to start the season.
Selected 15th overall in 2014, Larkin made his NHL debut in 2015–16 and has spent his entire career with the Red Wings. Now the team’s 37th captain, he has become a foundational piece of Detroit’s resurgence. In January 2025, he became the second-youngest player in franchise history, behind only Steve Yzerman, to reach 700 games played.
Red Wings' Sixth Round Pick Emerging as Surprise Gem in Prospect PipelineFrom a late-round gamble to a dominant QMJHL champion, Rudy Guimond is surprising everyone. The Red Wings' pipeline just got a whole lot more interesting.With 254 goals and 346 assists in 754 games, the 29-year-old center now sits 11th on Detroit’s all-time points list, within striking distance of Brendan Shanahan, who has 633 points.
A decade after electrifying Yost Ice Arena together, Larkin and Werenski’s NHL careers have taken them down different paths, one captaining an Original Six franchise back toward contention and the other anchoring a younger team’s defensive core. But for one night in mid-November, the two Wolverines were in step once again in a special moment for Michigan fans.
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The Pittsburgh Penguins Just Aren't Going Away
We’re basically at the quarter-point of the NHL season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t going away, are they?
With points in seven of their last 10 games, a third-place position in the feisty Metropolitan Division and even balance between their home and road marks – it’s impressive in Pens Land right now.
Suddenly, at a time where we were expecting the Pens to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for a fourth straight season, they might be in the conversation for home-ice advantage in the first round of the post-season.
And while that is clearly one of the biggest surprise developments in the NHL this season, the surprises don’t end there.
The Penguins – which were 30th in the league in goals against per game last season, with 3.50 – are now third-best in the NHL with an average of 2.47. That’s more than a goal against better for Pittsburgh’s low-expectation defense corps.
At the other end of the rink, the Pens’ reversal of fortune is equally stark.
In 2024-25, the Penguins' offense averaged 2.95 goals-for, which had them 18th in the league. But this season, Pittsburgh is averaging 3.26 goals, the eighth-most. Those are huge swings in improvement, and it’s no wonder the Pens have surged into a top-three spot in the Metro and made first-year Penguins coach Dan Muse an early candidate for Jack Adams Award honors as the league’s coach of the year.
Penguins' Special Teams Driving Bus For Hot StartNineteen games into the 2025-26 season, things are going pretty well for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/pittsburgh-penguins">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>.
Finally, Pittsburgh’s goaltenders also deserve their share of the credit for coming out of the gate with strong showings.
Veteran netminder Tristan Jarry – who cleared NHL waivers last year – has a 5-2-0 record, 2.60 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage. Jarry's injured right now, but first-year Penguin Arturs Silovs has been even better, with a 2.44 GAA, .917 SP and 4-2-4 record. Even call-up Sergei Murashov has a .938 SP and 1.52 GAA in two starts. Last season, Pittsburgh would’ve killed to have just one goalie with those kinds of numbers. Now, they have two, maybe three.
In sum, it’s hard to think of how the Pens’ start to the season could’ve gone any better than the way it's gone. By basically every metric, Pittsburgh is an entirely different team than the feeble, weak team it was last season. And in doing so, Pittsburgh is putting the waves of trade rumors into airplane mode.
So long as the injury bug leaves them alone, the Penguins could be for real. And Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang might get one more playoff run together after all.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
How to watch No. 23 Wisconsin vs. No. 9 BYU: TV, live stream info, storylines for Friday’s game
It's a matchup of two ranked teams that played in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament.
Talented freshman class already having a massive impact in college basketball
The recent trend in college basketball has been to build rosters through the transfer portal, adding experienced players who already know the college game and can have an immediate impact. The movement has been upended this season with a deep, uber-talented class of freshmen who are having massive impacts on programs across the country. “It’s an anomaly, in the sense that every year there’s a handful of freshmen that make an impact and oftentimes those are the one-and-done guys,” ESPN college basketball analyst and former coach Fran Fraschilla said.
6 questions, 6 answers on Orioles-Angels trade involving SP Grayson Rodriguez and OF Taylor Ward
The first big deal of this MLB winter has been swung. Late Tuesday evening, the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels conducted a rare big leaguer for big leaguer deal, with right-handed starter Grayson Rodriguez headed to the Halos and outfielder Taylor Ward headed to the O’s.
It’s far from a blockbuster — neither player has ever made an All-Star team — but the swap is compelling nonetheless, in part for what it portends as these clubs move forward with their offseasons.
What kind of player is Taylor Ward?
The soon-to-be 32-year-old is coming off a career year in which he clocked 36 homers across 157 games, drove in 103 runs and finished with a .792 OPS. By most offensive metrics, he was easily a top-20 outfielder in the sport. Defensively, the former first-round draft pick is more solid than spectacular.
What kind of player is Grayson Rodriguez?
Taken 11th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, “G-Rod” gradually blossomed into one of the most hyped pitching prospects in the sport. He debuted in 2023 with a heater that averaged an impressive 97.4 mph. Yet the offering’s suboptimal shape and Rodriguez’s middling command of the pitch meant that his fastball was absolutely clobbered.
Why did the Orioles do this?
Mike Elias, Baltimore’s president of baseball operations, during last week’s general managers meetings told reporters that Rodriguez was not a lock for the club’s rotation, describing him as a “wild card.” That framing and the subsequent trade means the Orioles held significant doubts about whether Rodriguez will ever stay healthy enough for long enough to be an impact arm at the big league level. It’s another example of Elias, considered one of the league’s most calculating execs, taking emotion out of the equation in building a roster.
How Ward fits into the team’s outfield mix remains an open question, but he’s still a nice boost, particularly for a lineup that was quite bad against lefties last year. Before the deal, Baltimore’s Opening Day outfield would have likely featured Colton Cowser in center field, with last season’s free agent add Tyler O’Neill and rookie Dylan Beavers in the corners. Jeremiah Jackson, a post-hype prospect who showed very well in a small sample down the stretch in ‘25, also figures to be in the mix. Ward and O’Neill will play every day against southpaws if they’re healthy.
It’s quite obvious the O’s didn’t believe in Rodriguez anymore and were willing to pull the plug too soon as opposed to too late. The Angels were an eager dance partner and Ward was their most interesting trade chip.
Why did the Angels do this?
Because they need all the pitching help they can get.
For as bad as the O’s were on the mound last year, Los Angeles’ starters were even worse. The Angels finished 28th in ERA and strikeout rate, 29th in opposing OPS and dead last in walk rate. At this point, given his injuries, Rodriguez is far from a sure thing, but for the Angels his upside makes him a chance worth taking. That’s particularly true considering G-Rod still has four more years of control left. Players with his level of talent are difficult to acquire. The Halos saw an opening and acted.
Ward’s departure also helps to simplify the team’s outfield alignment. Mike Trout was almost exclusively a DH last year, which forced Jorge Soler into the grass and pushed Jo Adell, who enjoyed a splendid breakout in 2025, into center. Expect Adell to move back to a corner, where he fits better. Bryce Teodosio, a light-hitting speedster, is borderline transcendent in center and he could make an impact there if he hits just enough.
What does it mean for the Orioles moving forward?
Baltimore was going to refurbish its starting rotation via free agency or trade before this deal. Shipping G-Rod out only increases that chance. For the first time in his tenure, Elias has expressed a willingness to sign a free agent with a qualifying offer attached, which would necessitate the forfeiting of a high draft pick. That puts Ranger Suárez, Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen on the board. With a projected Opening Day rotation of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Cade Povich the O’s probably need to add at least two more starters.
Adding Ward doesn’t completely forbid the addition of another bat, it just means said bat won’t be an outfielder. A first base/DH type like Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber or Ryan O’Hearn would make sense if the team is open to moving on from Ryan Mountcastle.
What does it mean for the Angels moving forward?
Offloading Ward’s $13.5 million contract gives GM Perry Minasian more flexibility in the free-agent market this winter. It’s unlikely the Halos go swimming in the deep end, even though Cody Bellinger would be a really nice fit in center field. The rotation could use a few more arms and the lineup has something of a black hole at third base, courtesy of Anthony Rendon’s descent into irrelevance.