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As NFL teams transition to Week 2 of preseason, training camp activities continue to roll on — and that means we’ve got plenty of injury updates. New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers advanced to live drills in his recovery from a knee injury, while Los Angeles Rams defensive end Myles Garrett remained off the practice field. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints are expected to be without rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson to start the season. The Cowboys might not be done adding to the defense after the addition of Von Miller. They’re reportedly exploring the cornerback market and could be looking to reunite a familiar face with defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Here’s what you should know about what happened in the NFL on Monday. Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay provided injury updates on defensive end Myles Garrett and wide receiver Puka Nacua, stating both players could remain sidelined from practice for the remainder of the week. Nacua is dealing with soreness in his psoas muscle after exiting joint practice against the Dallas Cowboys last week. Garrett sat out practice due to knee swelling and worked out on a side field with training staff. With Los Angeles only scheduled to practice on Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the week, McVay indicated both players likely will not return to practice until next week. McVay noted that while the issues are minor, the Rams are managing both veterans carefully. “Anytime you’re talking about a soft tissue, especially with a skill player or a knee with a guy that does some of the things that Myles is doing, we’re going to err on the side of caution, while not minimizing how important it is to get those guys out there,” McVay told reporters. McVay emphasized that the team is prioritizing complete health over a quick return to practice. “We want to make sure that it’s a return to performance, not just return to play,” McVay said. Jordyn Tyson’s highly anticipated NFL debut will be put on hold to start the regular season. The New Orleans Saints’ 2026 first-round pick is expected to miss roughly two months after injuring his hamstring in practice last week, NFL Network reported on Monday afternoon. Tyson was selected No. 8 overall by the Saints in the 2026 NFL Draft and was expected to play a major role alongside Chris Olave in the passing attack. However, a history of recurring hamstring issues from college has followed him into the pros, sidelining him once again. Saints head coach Kellen Moore clarified that this new hamstring injury is separate from the issue Tyson dealt with in the spring. After he missed 17 games in college between a knee reconstruction, a collarbone fracture and hamstring strains, his durability remains a major question mark. With Tyson now sidelined for the start of the season, the Saints must decide whether to place him on short-term injured reserve. If designated for return, he would be eligible to come off injured reserve after missing the team’s first four games. Tyson reportedly looked great throughout the spring in training camp and was going to see high volume in Moore’s offense. With him now sidelined, the team will head into the season with Olave, Devaughn Vele and rookies Bryce Lance and Barion Brown. Fresh off agreeing to terms with veteran pass rusher Von Miller, the Dallas Cowboys may not be done making moves. The Cowboys are exploring cornerback options and could target free agent Adoree’ Jackson, according to ESPN. Jackson spent last season with the Philadelphia Eagles and could reunite with newly hired Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker. The two overlapped in Philadelphia, where Parker served as the defensive backs coach under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. The Cowboys’ defense is undergoing a complete revamp under Parker, but the secondary remains one of the team’s biggest concerns. The cornerback room is led by DaRon Bland and Cobie Durant, with the team also leaning on second-year corner Shavon Revel Jr. to step up. Set to turn 31 this season, Jackson is coming off a solid year with the Eagles. He recorded 55 tackles, 40 of them being solo, plus an interception and 11 pass deflections, proving he can still thrive both inside and outside in a variety of defensive schemes. In addition to showing interest in Jackson, details on Miller’s contract have emerged. Miller signed a one-year deal worth $5.5 million that can reach up to $7.5 million with incentives, according to The Athletic. Miller is heading into his age-37 season and has remained productive late into his career. He played last season in the NFC East at a high level with the Washington Commanders, posting 26 total tackles, 16 solo tackles, and nine sacks in 17 games. The Cowboys likely added Miller as a rotational depth piece, as their defensive line is surrounded by talented pass rushers. Miller will be playing alongside Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, James Houston and 2026 first-round pick out of UCF in Malachi Lawrence. The injury update surrounding Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan isn’t as promising as fans had hoped. Egbuka’s status for Week 1 is up in the air after missing nearly a full week of practice with a toe sprain. Head coach Todd Bowles offered little clarity, vaguely labeling Egbuka as “day to day, week to week,” according to our Greg Auman. When asked about Egbuka’s status for Week 1, Bowles admitted he wasn’t sure “at this time.” McMillan has missed two weeks of practice while nursing a knee injury, and there’s no timetable for his return to the field. Bowles described the issue to reporters as a “banged-up knee,” adding that the receiver remains “day-to-day, week-to-week” as well. If Egbuka and McMillan aren’t on the field for the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team will be relying heavily on veteran Chris Godwin. The offense will also look to incorporate young pass-catchers in second-year receiver Tez Johnson and rookie Ted Hurst. Reinforcements are on the way for the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense as wide receiver DeVonta Smith is finally back on the practice field, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. He returned in a limited capacity for Monday’s practice after missing roughly two weeks with a hamstring injury. With A.J. Brown out of the picture, the spotlight fully belongs to Smith. Entering the year as the unquestioned top target, he now leads a revamped receiving group featuring new additions that include Dontayvion Wicks, Marquise Brown, and 2026 first-round selection Makai Lemon. Smith is coming off a productive 2025 season with the Eagles, hauling in 77 receptions for 1,008 yards and four touchdowns while averaging 13.1 yards per reception. A potential uptick in target volume positions Smith nicely for a career year ahead. New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers took a step forward in his rehabilitation, participating in full-speed 11-on-11 drills for the first time since tearing his knee. Nabers wore a red non-contact jersey typically reserved for quarterbacks during 11-on-11 work and caught three passes during 7-on-7 drills. Speaking to reporters after practice, Nabers emphasized a measured approach to his return. “I mean the most important thing right now is my health,” Nabers said. “So you know, I’m taking each step accordingly, or just you know making sure my body feels good with you know taking the next step week by week or day by day or whatever they want to do. So just letting them know how my body feels, just so I can take it more.” The Chicago Bears are reportedly adding depth to their defensive line by signing edge rusher Marcus Davenport, according to CBS Sports. Davenport visited with the club on Sunday before finalizing the deal. The move keeps the 29-year-old in the NFC North after he spent the previous two seasons with the Detroit Lions and played for the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. Davenport appeared in eight games with seven starts in 2025, recording one sack and three quarterback hits while dealing with a chest injury. He missed the majority of the 2024 season after suffering a triceps injury. Selected 14th overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 draft, Davenport spent his first five seasons in New Orleans and has recorded 25.0 career sacks, 28 tackles for loss, and 71 quarterback hits.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

With Sunday’s Freedom 250 Grand Prix roaring through Washington, D.C., all eyes are on the victory circle. Winning in the nation’s capital is a monumental moment for any driver, but doing so during the United States’ 250th anniversary elevates the stakes. It has sparked endless creativity around what prize the winning driver will take home. IndyCar drivers Josef Newgarden and Kyle Kirkwood appeared on First Things First on Monday afternoon with Danny Parkins and Greg Jennings to discuss Sunday’s race. However, the conversation took a turn when the group tried to figure out what the prize should be. Parkins made his pitch to the IndyCar drivers, jokingly suggesting that the winner should receive a bald eagle. “It should be something very American,” Newgarden said in response. “Maybe there’s a bald eagle statue or something that you receive. I don’t know…I was thinking like you should get a horse or something just like a famous American horse like ‘great job, you won the race.’” Sunday’s race carries far more weight than a typical IndyCar weekend. For American drivers like Newgarden and Kirkwood, there’s extra motivation in racing past historic landmarks like the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument. Newgarden is focused on honoring his country, well aware that a race of this magnitude is a once-in-a-lifetime moment. “Oh, totally,” Newgarden responded when asked if there’s extra motivation. “I don’t think this will happen again. When are we going to be allowed to drive Indy cars in our nation’s capital again? It’s going to be an unbelievable opportunity.” Kirkwood felt much the same way about what was driving him this weekend. For him, it isn’t just about winning a race, but it’s more about making sure an American driver comes out on top on such a historic stage for the country’s 250th anniversary. “As a fellow American, I think for America’s 250, we want to see one of us win,” Kirkwood said. “There’s a few other Americans in the series, but we’re a diverse group right? We want to see an American win on the 250, so that’s a big deal for us too.” While the winner might not walk away with a bald eagle, the stakes are plenty high when Sunday’s race kicks off. All eyes will be on Newgarden and Kirkwood to see if either can come away with a win.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

BEREA, Ohio — There were 10 NFL head coaching jobs available this past offseason and most of those teams either had a franchise quarterback, or a clear plan to acquire one. Nothing is more important to a new coach than having that quarterback. It rarely works when they take a job without one. “Yeah,” new Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken told me. “When you have a choice.” The 60-year-old Monken didn’t have one when he was hired by the Browns in January. It was the first NFL head coaching job he had been offered in his 37-year coaching career, and he wasn’t about to turn it down. But the fact that he inherited a volatile quarterback situation hasn’t dampened his enthusiasm. No, he doesn’t know whether he’ll roll with veteran Deshaun Watson, who hasn’t played since 2024 and hasn’t played well since he last appeared for the Texans in 2020, or second-year pro Shedeur Sanders, who had better publicity than performance as a rookie. It’s possible — maybe even likely — that neither of them will help the Browns win either now or in the future. But before heading out to practice on Monday, Monken told me he was fine with not diving into the draft or free agency this past spring to find a better answer. He and the Browns thought it would be better to use this year to find out what they’ve got. “We made a decision as an organization, ‘Hey, let’s build the roster. Let’s see where we’re at and then pivot then,’” Monken told me. “That’s why we stuck with the guys that we had. We might as well exhaust every opportunity to see what we have, because it would’ve been a damn shame to not, and (then) someone goes on to play really well (somewhere else). ‘The guy was in our building for God’s sake!’ “So let’s at least exhaust that and see where we’re at.” It certainly could be exhausting because there really has been no indication that either Watson or Sanders can be their long-term answer. At 30 years old, it’s hard to imagine Watson recapturing his Pro Bowl form after playing just 19 games over the past five seasons. And despite the volumes of hype around Sanders last season, he was generally inaccurate (a 56.6 completion percentage) and threw more interceptions than touchdowns (10 to 7). He was only a rookie, but he didn’t exactly look like a budding star. Which means it’s likely that Cleveland’s future quarterback will end up coming from the 2027 NFL Draft. And that’s a shame, because there is a lot to like on the rest of this roster. On defense, for example, the Browns may have traded away Myles Garrett, the best defender in the NFL. But they replaced him with defensive end Jared Verse, the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2024. And he’s backed by last year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, linebacker Carson Schwesinger, and Pro Bowl corner Denzel Ward. On offense, the club has promising skill players such as running back Quinshon Judkins and tight end Harold Fannin and rookie receivers K.C. Concepcion and Denzel Boston, whom they took in the first two rounds of this year’s draft. That’s a lot of talent for the future. But this is a franchise that has had just five winning seasons over the past three decades. Nobody wants to wait for next year again. “I think the future is very important, but I’m mostly focused on the present before anything else,” Verse said. “I think we’ve got a lot of talent. I think we’ve got a lot of people that can do amazing things. But we need those amazing things today.” Unfortunately, it would have to be really “amazing” for those players to do enough today to drag this team toward even respectability without the quarterback mess sorted out. And it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen any time soon. So yes, once again, the present is probably bleak. But that hasn’t dampened Monken’s outlook about what comes next. “Because I see it,” the first-time NFL head coach told me. “I see the young talent. I see the draft capital we have in the future. I see we’re going to have money. If you didn’t have the young talent, I’d see that. But I see the future. I see how (GM Andrew Berry) does the draft. We have an ownership that is committed to winning, committed to whatever we need to win. “Now we’ve just got to do our part, which is develop a young roster and find a quarterback.” That last part, of course, is the hardest of all. I get that he wasn’t traded straight up for Myles Garrett. The Browns got first-, second- and third-round draft picks, too. But he’s the piece that is expected to fill Garrett’s shoes — an impossible task given Garrett’s NFL-record 23 sacks last season and the 125.5 sacks he tallied in his nine-year tenure. The 25-year-old Verse is pretty good, but not in the Garrett stratosphere. He had 7.5 sacks for the Rams last year, his second in the NFL. The Browns had a top-10 defense last year, so they can probably excel even without Garrett’s historic production. But they are almost certainly hoping Verse will deliver double-digit sacks, at least. After all, defense is probably all that could save this team. It’s why the Browns were competitive at all in a 5-12 mess of a season in 2025. They still don’t have a quarterback, so they need to disrupt as many opposing QBs as possible to stay in games. Verse offers their best chance to do that. “In California, it doesn’t really rain that much. I was outside yesterday just enjoying the rain, sitting on my back porch. … I like it here. I wasn’t really distraught at all after the initial shock wore off. I love the organization.” — DE Jared Verse on being traded from the Rams to the Browns No Quarterback = No Hope I want to believe. I really do. But I just can’t see any way in which this Browns team wins more than a handful of games. I might’ve felt differently about them if they appeared to have the defense they had the past couple of years. But the Myles Garrett trade took care of that. While I think they have some really intriguing young players on offense, it’s meaningless to me until they find a quarterback. And right now, there’s no way to convince me that whatever’s left of Deshaun Watson can be anywhere near the quarterback he was in Houston, before sexual misconduct allegations and injuries derailed his career. And while I’m not completely dismissing Sheduer Sanders after half of one rookie season, I need to see much more from him before I join the many cheerleaders on his overcrowded bandwagon. If either of those guys turns into a viable quarterback this year, then sure, maybe the Browns have the pieces to surprise me and become a really competitive team. If that happens, though, I won’t be the only one proven wrong. It’s a special treat for me, because the Bills will be holding another practice at their brand new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. I’m going to like it because, let’s face it, their old stadium was a dump. And I assume the press box seats aren’t one of the many restricted view seats that have surprised and upset so many Bills season ticket holders. It’ll take a three-hour drive along the beautiful shores of Lake Erie to get there, though I doubt I can see much from the New York State Thruway. Fun fact: If you continue about a half hour past the stadium, up I-190, you’ll get to Niagara Falls, my old home. My first job was covering the Bills for the Niagara Gazette … a long, long time ago. I’m still big there, I’m told. Not as big as the expectations on new Bills coach Joe Brady. He replaces Sean McDermott, who did everything in Buffalo except get the Bills to the Super Bowl. So, yeah, the first-year expectations on the 36-year-old, first-time head coach are very real.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Finally, after six months of no football, nearly all 32 teams got their first taste of game action this weekend, and while several stars and starters didn’t play, many rookies made their unofficial NFL debuts. Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson, who were the only quarterbacks taken in the first round of this year’s draft, showed glimpses of promise over the weekend. So did Drew Allar, who quarterbacked the Pittsburgh Steelers to a victory over the Green Bay Packers. Those three quarterbacks were just a few of the rookies who made some headlines in Week 1 of the preseason. Now, with the first week of the preseason behind us, here are our takeaways. 1. Ty Simpson Offers Solid, Promising Performance Eric D. Williams: Simpson got the call for the Los Angeles Rams after Stetson Bennett started the first quarter in Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs and didn’t disappoint in three quarters of action, playing the rest of the game against back end of the roster players. Simpson continued to show command and comfort with Sean McVay’s offensive system. I watched him earlier in the week against the Dallas Cowboys in a joint practice, and Simpson showed well in the limited reps he got. He built on that performance against the Chiefs. Simpson finished 21 of 25 for 190 yards with two touchdown passes to running back Dean Conners and no interceptions. He also wasn’t sacked, posting a 125.0 passer rating. Offensive coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, calling the plays instead of McVay, did a nice job of tailoring them to accentuate Simpson’s movement skills and ability to throw on the run. Simpson completed a handful of throws on play-action passes and had a clean pocket most of the game. It’s a good start for Simpson, and we’ll see how he performs if he gets an opportunity to face ramped-up pressure against NFL starters as he competes with Bennett for the backup job behind Matthew Stafford. 2. Drew Allar Gives Steelers Hope For A Post-Rodgers Future Ralph Vacchiano: Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike McCarthy is absolutely convinced they stole a first-round talent when they drafted Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round in April. And Allar backed up his coach’s big words last week with a stellar performance, completing 10 of 13 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score in a win over the Green Bay Packers. But Allar has done more than that to give Pittsburgh hope for its future, whenever the 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers really calls it quits. He has had an excellent camp, showing off a strong arm and excellent decision-making skills. And McCarthy told me that three weeks into camp, Allar basically has been given the entire playbook. There’s nothing he couldn’t be asked to do. Now, no one in the Steelers’ organization is willing to guarantee that the 22-year-old is their quarterback of the future. He’s not even likely to be Rodgers’ backup, an honor that probably will go to veteran Mason Rudolph. And technically, he still has to beat out Will Howard, a sixth-round pick in 2025, for a spot in the quarterback room. But Allar almost certainly will be a part of the team’s quarterback conversation moving forward, and he will spend the next year (at least) learning at the feet of Rodgers. Whether the Steelers roll with Allar in 2027 or dive into the star-studded quarterback class in the upcoming draft probably depends on how this season goes, and where they fall in the draft order. However, Allar’s quick growth and early returns may give them a future option they didn’t clearly have before. 3. How Much Playing Time Is Too Much? Cardinals Find Out With Jeremiyah Love Greg Auman: No two NFL head coaches will answer the question the same way, but each team must decide how much — if at all — to play their best players in the preseason. Too little, you risk rust and ineffective play in the first weeks of the regular season, but too much, you take on a greater risk of injury. The Arizona Cardinals’ offense, under new coach Mike LaFleur, had as good a first half as you could ask for against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, with three drives all resulting in touchdowns. Rookie running back Jeremiah Love, the third overall pick in the draft, was a big part of that, finishing the half with 11 carries for 58 yards and three catches for 14 yards. The 14 touches were more than most people expected him to get, including Love himself. But LaFleur liked the chance to get him comfortable and confident in adjusting to the speed of the NFL. “I like where he was at with the touches,” LaFleur said after the game. However, the excitement was tempered by news that Love would miss a week with a “sore” ankle sustained as he was brought down on his last touch. Things have escalated, and Love has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain that will sideline him from the remaining two preseason games. It puts his status for their season opener Sept. 13 at the Chargers in question as well. Why the heavy usage a week after holding Love out of the Hall of Fame Game entirely? Another new back, Tyler Allgeier, played only six snaps compared to Love’s 24, and if any team should be wary of keeping their backs healthy, it’s Arizona. Last year, the Cardinals lost their top two backs — James Conner and Trey Benson — to season-ending injuries by Week 4, so their leading rusher (Michael Carter) had just 333 rushing yards, the lowest for any team’s leading rusher in six years. Love might be healthy for the opener and could still have a monster rookie season. He never had so much as 200 carries in a season at Notre Dame, so he could easily exceed that in a healthy rookie season. 4. Did Ravens Finally Hit On A Mid-Round WR? If They Did, It Could Change AFC Outlook Henry McKenna: It’s not like Lamar Jackson has been entirely unsupported. The Baltimore Ravens offense boasts Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews and, before he defected in free agency, Isaiah Likely. But there have been times when — in the passing game — that has not quite seemed like enough. The more I’ve watched this Baltimore offense over the years, the more I wondered what the Ravens could be with legit playmakers at WR2 and WR3. Maybe — just maybe — that’s what the Ravens found in the 2026 NFL Draft. Baltimore selected USC receiver Ja’Kobi Lane and Indiana wideout Elijah Sarratt, and both players have put together impressive camps, according to reports on the scene. So my eyes were fixed on that Ravens offense in preseason, even if Jackson wasn’t on the field. Because the rookies were. And they were terrific. In this weekend’s game, Sarratt led Baltimore in catches (six) and receiving yards (66). Lane finished with three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown. That preseason production might not mean a whole lot if the receivers weren’t already showing promising signs in training camp. But their body of work has been really solid. That’s all the Ravens need from the rookies: reliability. If they can take some of the pressure off Jackson (and Andrews and Flowers), the entire Ravens offense should be better off. Certainly, with coach Jesse Minter running the defense, the defense should be just fine. There is no clearer candidate for a bounceback season than the Ravens. They missed the playoffs last year. If these young receivers are for real, though, I can’t imagine Baltimore missing two years in a row. 5. De’Zhaun Stribling Makes Loss Of Ricky Pearsall A Little Less Painful For 49ers Ben Arthur: Losing Ricky Pearsall before the season started marked a major blow for the 49ers, but they may be just fine production-wise out of the wide receiver thanks to rookie De’Zhaun Stribling. Stribling, who was taken by the 49ers with the first pick of the second round, shined in San Francisco’s preseason opener Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans with seven receptions on eight targets for a game-high 63 yards. The former Ole Miss standout gave the Titans’ starting secondary all kinds of fits, catching passes against each of Tennessee’s top three cornerbacks (Cor’Dale Flott, Alontae Taylor, Marcus Harris). Stribling’s most impressive play: a 32-yard, back-shoulder catch down the right sideline with Flott in tight coverage, setting up the Niners’ lone touchdown. With Pearsall (PCL) out for the year and Brandon Aiyuk (reserve/left squad) not part of the team’s plans, San Francisco will depend heavily on old receivers in 2026. Of the 12 receivers on its 90-man roster, seven are at least 29 years old, including Mike Evans (32), Deebo Samuel Sr. (30) and Christian Kirk (29). Stribling is much-needed young blood. And if the preseason opener is any indication, he’ll be a major contributor as a rookie. 6. Odell Beckham’s Performance Not Big Enough To Match Cheers Vacchiano: The biggest cheer of the New York Giants’ preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings was the moment in the second quarter when Odell Beckham entered the game with the second team. It was a reminder of how popular he remains with the New York fans. Too bad those were really the only big cheers he got. The 33-year-old Beckham had a quiet two catches for six yards in his first game action of any kind since December 2024. It’s not that more was expected — this game was mostly about Beckham seeing action and getting some of his timing back. It’s that more was needed if Beckham has any hope of making the team out of camp. Beckham is in a difficult spot. He isn’t trying to just make the Giants as one of their six likely receivers. Since he doesn’t play special teams, he really needs to be in the top four to crack the roster. Assuming Malik Nabers is healthy, the top three spots are likely going to him, Darnell Mooney and rookie Malachi Fields. And Darius Slayton and Calvin Austin seem likely to be two more. That doesn’t give Beckham an obvious avenue. And he’s not going to force Giants coach John Harbaugh’s hand two preseason catches at a time. Beckham did get open one other time in the game on a deep seam route, but the Vikings blitzed and quarterback Jameis Winston dumped the ball off underneath. It was a moment that would have electrified Giants fans in the stadium. Who knows if it would’ve done anything to increase Beckham’s chances of making the team. But he’ll need moments like that, and bigger performances than he had, to have any shot of sticking on the roster. And he’s running out of time to do it. 7. Cowboys Undrafted WR Camden Brown Makes Highlight Reel Plays Williams: The top of the Cowboys’ receiver room is set, with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens arguably forming the top wide receiver duo in the NFL. Ryan Flournoy is also listed as a projected starter, and talented return man KaVontae Turpin will take another spot. But Brown, an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Southern, could be making a claim for one of those spots on the back end of the roster. Brown finished with three catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. Both scores were diving, acrobatic catches in the end zone, including a one-handed catch on a fade route. Brown made similar plays during the two training camp practices I watched the Cowboys in Oxnard and has been one of the most talked-about players in the team’s camp. If he can figure out a way to contribute on special teams, Brown could have a chance to find his way on the back of the roster, or at least land on the practice squad.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

I hope you had some fun this weekend watching NFL preseason games. There were guys out there grinding for jobs, players who might someday emerge as key contributors for the teams where they earn a roster spot. That said, I wasn’t focused on the bubble guys. I was interested in the stars. And some key things were happening this week in the preseason games — and the greater NFL news cycle. This is Sound Smart, where I try to spin forward, dive deeper, think outside the box and read between the lines. The Los Angeles Rams protected Ty Simpson and played it nice and safe. Almost boring, in fact. The first-round quarterback had 84% of his passes travel 15 yards or fewer and 72% for 10 yards or fewer. In the first three quarters, there were a lot of rollouts and passes behind the line of scrimmage so that Simpson barely needed to think — operating the basics and letting everyone else do the work for him. I suspect that’s why coach Sean McVay said the following about the team’s preseason playcaller, Nate Scheelhaase: “I thought the coaches did a really good job putting guys in good spots. I thought [Scheelhaase] called a really good game.” The beauty of a preseason game is that defenses are as simple as can be. That makes life easier for the playcaller and the QB. In the final 10 minutes, Simpson and his coaches started to ramp up the difficulty and use more of the field — with a little more intermediate throwing and some targets toward the middle of the field. Ultimately, he saw pressure on only three of his 25 dropbacks. He had a tight-window throw on 8% of his passes. It looked easy for Simpson because it was very easy for Simpson — a stone’s throw away from 7-on-7 drills. It seems like the reaction has been unanimously positive about Simpson, perhaps because of his statistics. And while I’m excited about his long-term prospects on the whole, I’m not sure I saw anything particularly outstanding. But here’s the thing: At least Simpson played in control. At least he made the easy stuff look easy. Because I can think of somebody who didn’t. I was startled by Ward’s film. I hate to get worked up about preseason film, but I can’t really stop myself here. There was an astonishing lack of accuracy. There was an astonishing lack of … everything. If there’s one thing we know about the preseason, it’s that it’s deeply deceitful. I’ll never forget in 2015 when Sam Bradford absolutely tore apart preseason defenses with former Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly calling the plays. And I thought it meant something. It didn’t. Bradford was a mess and Kelly got fired after going 6-9. With Ward and the Titans, the same (but opposite) can be true here, where the second-year QB’s preseason calamity won’t translate to the regular season. But let’s just look at the numbers, because it’ll help contextualize my alarm. On 12 dropbacks, Ward attempted a tight-window throw on 8% of his passes. (Just like Simpson.) That should speak to an easy day for Ward: no risky or high-difficulty throws. So you’d think he would’ve been completing his passes, right? Wrong! He completed 41.7% of his passes (5-for-12). Even worse, he had a completion percentage over expected of -26.3%, second worst among all 91 passers who took 12 or more dropbacks this first week of preseason. His success percentage (23.1%) was second worst among those same 91 QBs. His expected points per dropback was tied for eighth-worst — alongside Colts QB Anthony Richardson, whose play is currently bad enough that Indianapolis can’t seem to find a trade partner. You’re probably also thinking that maybe Ward didn’t have receivers Carnell Tate, the fourth overall pick this year, or Wan’Dale Robinson, the team’s $70-million free agent acquisition. You’d — again — think wrong. And Tate, whose training-camp highlights have often appeared on the Titans’ X account this summer, saw three targets for zero receptions. This was a tremendously bad outing for Ward. It was also a small sample size — in preseason. But it looked too much like the lowest lows from Ward’s rookie season. I had hoped he was getting past all that. For now, let’s try to chalk it up to preseason. Let’s hope it’s just a whole bunch of nothing. Because, man, what the heck happened out there? LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears might have the most compelling and polarizing passing attack in the NFL (and I’ll have more to say about them in a story later this week). But while Chicago’s rushing attack may get neglected by the media, it has the head coach’s attention. Ben Johnson gets excited anytime he has the opportunity to coach or discuss the ground game. And so it was interesting to hear first-year offensive coordinator Press Taylor relay Johnson’s philosophy on the run game. “I don’t think Ben’s ever mentioned the word efficiency,” Taylor said last week. “We talk about explosives. We are trying to attack a defense. I think there’s a perception — a lot of people are going to run the ball. ‘We’re going to stay efficient. We’re going to control the clock. We are looking to attack a defense.’ “We’re looking to attack fronts to expose space, to create run lanes, to create explosives. We don’t look at the run game as a way to stay on track. We look at the run game as a way to attack defenses and really be explosive and continue to just put our foot on the gas.” All eyes are on quarterback Caleb Williams, whose flair for late-game heroics was incredible last season. He’s a former No. 1 overall pick, and his arm talent is otherworldly. He has the rare ability to generate explosive plays at any moment. And while we don’t often think about D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai in the same way, it seems like Taylor and Johnson would like us to. The 2026 season will be about further establishing that identity. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Despite not having the new contract that he wants, Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez had been a willing participant in training camp. In fact, his presence had been infuriating newcomer A.J. Brown — to the point where the star receiver admitted he was looking forward to joint practices because the competition was getting too fierce between teammates. The underlying takeaway is that Gonzalez is among the best cornerbacks in the league. (And from my vantage point, he’s the best.) He should get paid as such. But when those joint practices started last week, Gonzalez was not on the field. It sure seemed like that was the cornerback’s first flex of leverage in his contract negotiations with the team. And he didn’t stop there. He wasn’t on the field for the team’s first preseason matchup against the Colts at Gillette Stadium. Patriots coach Mike Vrabel addressed Gonzalez’s absence. “Christian was unavailable — physically unavailable for the practice. That’s the clarification,” Vrabel told reporters after the team’s preseason game. “Just like other players that I told to have treatment, and everybody has a plan here, there were other guys that were in that same category.” The “clarification” is still quite vague. And that’s often how it goes when a player is holding in. If there was anything that would further entrench Gonzalez, it was the news that Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, represented by the same agent, Reggie Johnson, signed a $132-million, four-year deal. New England’s defense can’t afford to start the season without Gonzalez. The Patriots will need their best defensive player on the field when they kick off the NFL season in a rematch against Seattle on Sept. 9. They need to get a deal done. And it’ll probably have to be a deal that’s more lucrative than what Witherspoon got. EAGAN, Minn. — This was one heck of a statement from Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy about six-time Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith, who retired after last season. “I would say obviously having Harry [Harrison Smith] back there, a guy who’s gonna probably tell you every single play that’s coming — it’s been different [not having him],” Murphy said at the Vikings’ practice facility in Eagan last week. “But obviously, we got guys stepping in. We got communicators like 44 [Josh Metellus], even the young guys are stepping in. So we got guys that still are communicators.” Minnesota’s defense is still incredible, starting at the top with DC Brian Flores, who seems destined to — sooner or later — find his way back into a head coaching position. Flores has been no less ruthless this camp, doing what he can to terrorize the two quarterbacks — and amping up the degree of difficulty, with help from stars like edge rusher Dallas Turner, as each QB tries to prove himself. Two weeks ago, I saw firsthand how quickly Flores’ defense can shut down the Vikings’ offense, with both Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy failing to complete a single pass in the 2-minute drill. Murray’s offense went three-and-out and McCarthy threw an interception. Even so, Smith won’t be an easy guy to replace. And you get the sense that maybe they won’t have to. There have been rumors about a possible Smith return, but Minnesota isn’t counting on it. Instead, they’re counting on Metellus, who’s beginning his seventh year with Minnesota. “It’s crazy, man, to be following after a guy for so many years,” Metellus told me. “And then you get to a position where you follow him so much that you just like step into his road, almost naturally.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Baltimore Orioles sold at the deadline, are under .500 … and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. That’s the current state of affairs in the underwhelming American League, where five teams are fewer than two games behind the Orioles for the final playoff spot. Every AL team other than the Royals, A’s and Angels still feels like it’s in contention. That’s not the case in the National League, where three teams with winning records (Arizona, Miami, St. Louis) are chasing the final wild-card spot, which currently belongs to San Diego. All of those playoff hopefuls will need a late-season spark plug in order to make an October run. In this week’s Power Rankings, we identify one player from every team worth watching down the stretch. The Angels decided to keep Zach Neto at the deadline, but he has a .489 OPS since the break. It’s hard to envision the team taking strides forward until it gets its shortstop on track. It’d be fun to see Bryce Eldridge go on a late-season tear to bring some hope for the future in what has been a lost season in San Francisco. The rookie has 13 homers in 81 games. The A’s were never going to do much with Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom all injured, but they certainly weren’t expecting right fielder Lawrence Butler to be a below replacement level player in the second season of his seven-year extension. He has looked better lately, so maybe he can turn it around. Could Zac Veen be a post-hype sleeper down the stretch? After raking in 100 games at Triple-A (.327/.402/.635), the Rockies outfielder is already providing a spark in his first four games back in the big leagues. As bad as things have gone in Kansas City, Jac Caglianone is on fire in August. The 23-year-old is slashing .407/.429/.759 with nine extra-base hits and 18 RBIs in 14 games this month as he continues his breakout. Elly De La Cruz is 7-for-51 (.137) with one stolen base in August. The Reds need him to get back to being a dynamic force down the stretch if they want to challenge for a playoff spot. It took until August, but the Mets are finally playing some ball. A significant part of that is the uptick from Bo Bichette, who is starting to resemble the player the Mets envisioned. The Mariners mustered a big series win in Houston, but their road back to relevance won’t get any easier as their next three series are against the Brewers, Cubs and Phillies. Julio Rodríguez is heating up, and one of his annual late-season surges might be the only thing that can save Seattle. Acquired as part of the Mackenzie Gore trade with the Rangers, 24-year-old first baseman Abimelec Ortiz has five home runs in his first 13 games. Is Royce Lewis … back? The 27-year-old infielder has an OPS over 1.000 in August. After years of injuries, it would be a joy to see the former top overall pick find the form that made him such a captivating young talent a few seasons ago. Unmoved by their deadline additions, the Guardians are 9-19 to start the second half, and José Ramírez hasn’t looked like himself since returning from his hamate fracture last month. The Guardians aren’t going to do much if Ramírez is a league-average hitter. You simply can’t drop back-to-back series against the Angels and A’s when you’re trying to be taken seriously as a contender. Wyatt Langford, who had a 1.005 OPS in June and an .819 OPS in July, has a .597 OPS in August. The Rangers need to get him going again. All eyes are on Paul Skenes as he tries to right the ship. Pittsburgh’s ace has a 5.62 ERA since the start of July, and the Pirates have won just three of his past 13 starts. Skenes’ velocity is down, he just threw 65 pitches in his last start, and he had his next start pushed back. Those are all ominous signs, but maybe he can figure it out in time to save Pittsburgh’s season. They don’t have Adley Rutschman or Taylor Ward anymore, but they still have the Polar Bear. Pete Alonso is hitting .380 with four homers in August and giving the Orioles a chance to sneak into the playoffs even after their deadline selloff. Framber Valdez signed a three-year, $115 million deal that gave him the highest average annual value of any left-handed pitcher in the sport, but his performances all year have been marred by inconsistency. The Tigers need Valdez to get in more of a rhythm with Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize gone. Their spectacular pitching has the Blue Jays still dreaming of October baseball. The offense, meanwhile, has been the worst in the American League. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. can’t be a below league-average hitter all season, right? … RIGHT? Considering how thin their rotation is — they rank 28th in starters ERA — the Astros can’t afford for Hunter Brown (3.67 ERA) to simply be solid. Free passes continue to be a problem that he’ll need to figure out quickly. Since returning from a leg injury in June, Eury Pérez has a 1.80 ERA over his past 10 starts. When Perez and Sandy Alcantara are pitching the way they are now, the Marlins have a chance against anyone. Rookie Joshua Báez, who just became the first player ever to homer in each of his first three at-bats, is already helping jump-start a Cardinals offense that had the lowest OPS in the sport in July. We know the Phillies’ top three starters give them a chance against any team they’ll see in October. But if they want to make it there, they’ll need to win some of the other games, too. On that note, Aaron Nola has a 2.91 ERA over his past four starts. The seemingly indomitable Red Sox have suddenly dropped seven of their past nine games and have scored more than four runs just once in that stretch. Adley Rutschman is 1-for-17 to start his Boston career, which obviously has to change if the Red Sox want to make a run. (Of course, getting Roman Anthony, who’s been out since early May with a finger injury, back for the stretch will also help.) The White Sox put a ton of faith in Luis Castillo to turn his season around when they traded for him at the deadline. In two starts with his new club, Castillo has already provided fodder for the believers (7 IP, 0 R, 10 K) and the doubters (4 IP, 5 R, 5 K). With the return dates for injured starters Zac Gallen, Ryne Nelson and Corbin Burnes unclear, what Brandon Pfaadt is doing right now is invaluable. He has a 1.09 ERA over his last eight starts and hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his past four starts. The answer here is obviously Aaron Judge, whenever he gets back. For now, the Yankees can enjoy the spark provided by rookie George Lombard Jr., who’s giving them reason to get excited about the shortstop position again. Sweeping the Brewers? You have my attention, San Diego. The Padres have had the best offense in baseball since the break, and Jackson Merrill has looked a lot more like the phenom who gave Paul Skenes a run for his Rookie of the Year Award two years ago. After dropping three of four to the Brewers, the Dodgers are now 5-10 in August and 18-21 since the start of July. I’m putting the focus here on both of their major offseason additions: Edwin Díaz has a 10.66 ERA and has blown three of his past five save opportunities, while Kyle Tucker can’t hit at home. As talented as the Dodgers are, one of those two has to get right by season’s end if they want to three-peat. After a pedestrian start to the year, Alex Bregman has been MLB’s most valuable third baseman since the All-Star break. The Cubs are going to be hard to stop if Bregman continues hitting like this. The Braves have enjoyed this bounce-back campaign despite Austin Riley enduring the worst offensive season of his eight-year career. However, Riley has a .957 OPS in August. Can he keep it up? The Rays won nine straight games on the road before returning home to welcome the Orioles, who then took three straight at Tropicana Field. One of those losses went to Freddy Peralta, who remains in search of his old form. The two-time All-Star’s past two starts (10.2 IP, 5 R) were at least an improvement on his Rays debut disaster (3.2 IP, 7 R). After getting swept in San Diego, the Brewers had a statement series win in L.A. while playing without Brice Turang, who might need to manage his knee pain the rest of the year. Getting William Contreras going feels vital. The standout catcher has a meager .604 OPS in the second half, but he homered on Saturday and reached base twice Sunday.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

If you don’t like where your team is ranked, it’s gotta win. It’s that simple. It has never been more difficult to win a college football game than it is in 2026 — NIL- and portal-driven parity and the ever-spinning coaching carousel among the contributors — but that’s where title contenders and pretenders will separate themselves. This is my ultimate ranking of all 138 college football teams in the FBS ahead of the 2026 season. This ranking reflects both the reverence the sport (and I) have maintained for winning every game you play and winning against the rate of perceived exertion — aka strength of schedule — since we began pitting the “haves” against the “have-even-mores.” Yes, Texas has to play Ohio State before its SEC schedule. Yes, the argument that Indiana ain’t played nobody will hold up — but only until the Hoosiers face the Buckeyes on October 17. Yes, there will probably be one Group of Six school that nearly runs the table against opponents that might finish dead last if pitted against a schedule featuring any Power Four program. We don’t know what’s ahead, but my preseason ranking does what good academic historians do: use the past to best predict the future. After we begin playing games, facts on the ground change. As teams begin to play regularly within their weight classes following Week 3, we’ll have a stronger idea of which teams could be 2025 Penn State — I was spot-on last year about the Nittany Lions — and which could be 2025 Indiana after the Hoosiers had 100-to-1 odds to win the national title in the preseason, only to win it all. What’s represented here is where your team starts, not where it is predicted to finish. The scoreboard will decide that, and I will rank winners and losers accordingly. Here’s my ranking of all 138 FBS teams ahead of the 2026 season. 2025 Record: 0-12 The only winless team in FBS last season won’t be winless this year. Minutemen coach Joe Harasymiak added former Florida A&M QB RJ Johnson III to his quarterback room after Johnson threw for 2,597 yards with 18 touchdowns. Harasymiak’s roster is more than capable of climbing out of the FBS basement and winning a game or two. Hey, you gotta start somewhere. Win total odds: Over 2.5 (-166), Under 2.5 (+130)Odds to win MAC: +11000 (13th) 2025 Record: 4-8 Damn it, Wyoming! Can y’all just score? Please? Did you know that over the last 45 games when you score at least 21 points, y’all are 39-6? Need I remind you the offense scored just 24 points combined in the last four games of the 2025 season? Look, I’m all in on Jay Sawvel. That’s a ball coach if ever there was one and a worthy successor to Craig Bohl. But doggone it, I hope offensive coordinator Christian Taylor can find a way to get sophomore running back Samuel Harris (5.6 yards per carry) loose and into the end zone. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-140), Under 5.5 (+110)Odds to win Mountain West: +2000 (seventh) 2025 Record: 5-7 The Golden Flashes went 1-23 in the two years before Mark Carney became head coach, so going 5-7 in 2025 is akin to a minor miracle for them. With the return of quarterback Dru DeShields and receiver Da’Realyst Clark — who not only has a name that’s cool as hell but who also has two returned kickoffs for touchdowns on his stat sheet — I’m not adverse to the Kent State fans believing they have a team that can reach the postseason for the first time since 2021 (and have a winning record for the first time since 2019). Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-105), Under 3.5 (-125)Odds to win MAC: +4000 (10th) 2025 Record: 7-6 The Cougars might’ve landed one of the best-kept secrets in the 2026 transfer portal cycle in quarterback Caden Pinnick, who put up more than 3,600 total yards and 35 touchdowns last season at UC Davis — as a freshman. And that’s about as good as the news gets for Cougars fans who are going to watch Kirby Moore, their fourth head coach in six years, toe the sideline. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-166), Under 4.5 (+130)Odds to win Pac-12: +800 (fifth) 2025 Record: 12-2 This season could feel like running through mud, quicksand and on ice for Mean Green fans after watching their starting quarterback and basically their 2025 team relocate to Stillwater, Oklahoma, following Mike Gundy successor Eric Morris. And no one knows that more than new coach Neal Brown (who was an assistant at Texas in 2025 after five seasons as head coach at West Virginia). However, he’s got a bona fide mercenary in edge rusher Udoka Ezeani, who will play college football at his fifth different stop this season but comes to Denton, Texas, after racking up 12.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles for UTEP a year ago. Brown wasn’t great in Morgantown (37-35 at WVU) but he was great at Troy, where he won 31 of 39 games. I don’t believe it will be long before UNT returns to making noise in the American Conference. But it’s hard to see UNT putting together back-to-back 10-win seasons. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-130), Under 5.5 (+100)Odds to win American: +2400 (ninth) 2025 Record: 2-10 Do you like pain? Does it let you know you’re alive? Do you like digging into hard-packed dirt solely to find out there is no treasure? Then you might be a Texas-El Paso Miners fan. UTEP has had just two winning seasons in the past 20 years and hasn’t won 10 or more games since 1988. Coach Scotty Walden knows that better than most with a record (5-19) that looks a lot like getting fired everywhere else. Quarterback EJ Colson Jr. decided to join the gold-panning initiative in damn near Mexico after throwing for 2,142 yards at FCS Incarnate Word last season. For UTEP’s sake, I hope the Miners strike pay dirt with him. But the hiring of a fourth offensive coordinator in four years — Kyle Beyer this time — doesn’t exactly move my internal metal detector. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (+110), Under 3.5 (-140)Odds to win Mountain West: +8000 (10th) 2025 Record: 5-8 Scott Abell found out that the move from FCS Davidson to Rice was appropriately hard — but almost entirely because he misevaluated the quarterback position. This season with former UCF and Miami quarterback Jacurri Brown behind center, Abell might have the guy that can run his option offense effectively. And it is deadly effective when it’s run well: Abell’s 2024 Davidson averaged 300 yards rushing a game. If running back Quinton Jackson can make the leap after rushing for 810 yards on 180 rushes last season, the Owls might be the best bird of prey in the American Conference. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-115), Under 3.5 (-115)Odds to win American: +20000 (12th) 2025 Record: 4-8 Stanford general manager Andrew Luck, a Jim Harbaugh guy and former No. 1 NFL draft pick, was empowered and tasked with hiring the man he believed was best equipped to return the Cardinal to contending for conference championships. Naturally, he hired a Jim Harbaugh guy AND an Andrew Luck guy in Tavita Pritchard. But most of all, Pritchard is a Stanford guy. Pritchard lost his starting job to Luck in 2009. After his eligibility was exhausted, he coached Stanford as an assistant coach from 2010 to 2022. He then coached quarterbacks for the Washington Commanders from 2023 to 2025 before Luck hired him to take over their alma mater. Pritchard was the quarterbacks coach when Jayden Daniels won 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, but I don’t know how much credit Pritchard deserves for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the 2023 Heisman winner continuing to be great in Washington. However… if Pritchard can turn former Michigan passer Davis Warren into a bona fide playmaker and the Cardinals into a winner, coaching Daniels for a couple of years becomes the footnote and not the highlight of his coaching career. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-125), Under 3.5 (-105)Odds to win Pac-12: +35000 (sixth) 2025 Record: 5-7 The Zips haven’t been good for some time. Yet, they persist. And because they do, I’m gonna point you to the stud in Akron coach Joe Moorhead’s backfield: Jordan Gant, who rushed for 1,032 at 4.8 yards per clip in 2025. Gant was Akron’s spark plug last season and practically carried the offense on his back. He was responsible for about a quarter of the Zips’ total yards in 2025, but without stronger contributions from his supporting cast, it’s unlikely one man can pull a team above .500 — especially when five of their seven losses last year were by at least two scores. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-125), Under 4.5 (-105)Odds to win MAC: +2500 (ninth) 2025 Record: 6-7 Bronco Mendenhall brought in reinforcements. He reunited with offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who will call plays for quarterback McCae Hillstead in his return to the Aggies following a season with BYU. After going bowling last year — barely — the aim for the Aggies this season is to punch up toward the top of the Pac-12 and assert itself atop a college football landscape that has never been kinder to turnarounds. And in the revamped conference, this could be Utah State’s moment to pounce. Utah State’s win total odds: Over 4.5 (-136), Under 4.5 (+105)Utah State’s odds to win Pac-12: +1300 (sixth) 2025 Record: 4-8 This ain’t Diego Pavia’s New Mexico State. In fact, since Pavia departed and Aggies coach Tony Sanchez took over, the program has fallen to 7-17 in a Conference USA that is only getting stronger with the addition of Delaware and Missouri State. Perhaps offensive coordinator David Yost can strike gold with the addition of former Furman passer Trey Hedden, who threw for 2,967 yards last season and wideout Tyler “TK” King, who averaged 14.3 yards per catch on a bad Aggies team. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-110), Under 4.5 (-120)Odds to win Conference USA: +2500 (seventh) 2025 Record: 2-10 JaMarcus Shephard signed up for one of the tougher jobs in the sport. Winning at Oregon State is difficult if only because it’s constantly compared to neighbors Washington and, of course, Oregon. Maalik Murphy’s return puts me at ease, but the emergence of receiver Xayvion Noland makes me feel great. There aren’t too many 5-foot-6 wideouts who began their careers as FCS walk-ons averaging 22.5 yards per catch, but Noland has a chance to show what he can do at the next level now. Brandin Cooks — a former Beaver now with the Buffalo Bills — should immediately come to mind when you watch Noland play. Brother got live at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and popped out of the portal in Corvallis, Oregon. Combined with former Alabama wideout Aeryn Hampton and former Texas wideout Aaron Butler, I expect the Beavers offense to show an eagerness to air the ball out in 2026. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-150), Under 3.5 (+120)Odds to win Pac-12: +2200 (seventh) 2025 Record: 3-9 When Jeff Choate took over in Reno, he joined the list of American football coaches who just want the hard jobs. And his 6-19 Nevada record shows that. It wasn’t easy to build a winner in this sport before the portal, and sure as hell ain’t been easy since that avenue was implemented. But creating a winner starts with retaining the players you know everybody wants and you developed. Choate has won with dynamo defensive end Dylan Labarbera. Labarbera was pure Dennis The Menace with 118 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks combined in the last two seasons. Offensively, longtime Deion Sanders acolyte Brett Bartolone will get his first chance to call an offensive beyond the outsized shadow of his former boss. But he’s got a tough job on his hands, too, with just his quarterback, Carter Jones, and three offensive linemen returning to the Wolf Pack. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (+120), Under 4.5 (-150)Odds to win Mountain West: +3000 (eighth) 2025 Record: 4-8 There’s a playmaker at quarterback in Tyler Mizzell, a transfer from Division II Concord. He threw for 2,889 yards and 28 touchdowns with five games of 300 passing yards or more. But it’s still going to be an uphill climb for Mike Uremovich’s Cardinals to compete for the postseason in his Year 2. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-120), Under 3.5 (-110)Odds to win MAC: +6000 (12th) 2025 Record: 7-6 Head coach G.J. Kinne has a monster in the middle of his defense this season, and his name is Phillip Bradford. Big Phil tucks in at 6-foot-6 and 308 pounds, and whatever he gets his hands on tends to go down — hard. At McNeese State, he picked up 15.5 tackles and 5.5 sacks last season. Kinne is going to need Bradford to hold up his end in FBS this season, as the Bobcats play Pac-12 football for the first time. Offensively, Brad Jackson is back, and perhaps that’s the difference between another seven-win season and pushing for the CFP. He threw for 3,200 yards and rushed for 744 a year ago, even though the Bobcats blew a 21-0 lead against Troy and lost in double overtime to Marshall. He’ll need to at least do that again, or the Bobcats will find themselves clawing to be above .500 again. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+120), Under 6.5 (-152)Odds to win Pac-12: +550 (third) 2025 Record: 4-8 First, the Owls got one of those Joyner Lucas ones in edge rusher Kenyon Garner, who notched 28 tackles for loss and 15 sacks at Division II Livingstone last year. And while Zach Kittley’s team finished 4-8 in his Year 1, he’s returning quarterback Caden Veltkamp, who threw for 3,641 yards, and 1,000-yard receiver Easton Messer. Messer is second only to Ohio State wideout Jeremiah Smith in career receiving yards (2,373 in 44 total games). There is room yet for the Owls to become a bowl-eligible team in 2026. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-160), Under 5.5 (+125)Odds to win American: +1700 (eighth) 2025 Record: 7-5 I realize that Ryan Coogler and Cam Skattebo featured at Sac State long before the Hornets even thought about making the leap to FBS — a feat they were so zealous to accomplish that this California program accepted an offer to join the MAC. But this ain’t the FCS, and Alonzo Carter’s men have much to prove in a year when they’ll be measured against the sad reality of conference realignment. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-125), Under 4.5 (-105)Odds to win MAC: +5000 (11th) 2025 Record: 7-6 Fairly or unfairly, the Eagles will be about the Max Johnson Experience: a quarterback who started at LSU, Texas A&M and North Carolina before being sidelined with a brutal leg injury. Despite six years in college football, he’s only played more than eight games in a season once. However, this is his first time playing a step down in competition from the Power Four. And he’s paired with a head coach who has a knack for getting the most out of his quarterbacks in Clay Helton — the guy who put Sam Darnold to work at USC. So there’s a chance that Johnson’s final year of college football could lead to a happy ending. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-166), Under 4.5 (+130)Odds to win Sun Belt: +2600 (10th) 2025 Record: 4-8 Michigan State, lord have mercy. Please get out of your own way. Listen to coach Tom Izzo. Remember who you stand for, what you stand for and hope like hell that foundation transfers to the football field. And it might. Cam Edwards rushed for 1,240 yards at UConn last year, and he is the fourth-leading returning rusher in the sport with 2,690 career rushing yards in 36 games. Now he’s a Spartan. Safety Devin Vaught had three interceptions for Maine last year. Now he’s a Spartan. Alessio Milivojevic threw 10 touchdowns against just three interceptions last year, and he remains a Spartan. There was a time when the Spartans were the most feared soldiers in the world because to be a citizen was to be a soldier. It’s past time Michigan State remembered its profession is a full-time battle against the enemy outside, not the enemy within. All of this needs to take place with new coach Pat Fitzgerald — a man who hasn’t coached a single game since 2023 after he was fired amid a hazing scandal at Northwestern, which was his last and only post as a head coach. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (+130), Under 4.5 (-156)Odds to win Big Ten: +50000 (15th) 2025 Record: 2-10 Can Purdue climb out of the Big Ten’s cellar? The Boilermakers have not beaten a Big Ten opponent since November 2023 — a 35-31 win against rival Indiana. Now with Indiana entering this season as the defending national champions — apparently some at Purdue needed reminding of that — Boilermakers coach Barry Odom needs to show results in the toughest league in the country. The good news is Purdue returns Ryan Browne, who threw for 300 yards or more twice last year, including 30-of-50 for 302 yards against top 25-ranked Illinois. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (+120), Under 3.5 (-140)Odds to win Big Ten: +100000 (18th) 2025 Record: 2-10 Head coach Phil Longo signed players like he’s had quite enough of this. After going 2-10 in his first season — following a 10-win year led by his predecessor, K.C. Keeler — Longo went hunting in the Power Four for players he hopes can bully Conference USA opponents. He brought in transfers from Wisconsin, Maryland, NC State, Boston College and Arizona. But even with those Power Four players, so much of the Bearkats’ success depends on quarterback Landyn Locke making a massive jump in development. He completed just 50 percent of his 141 pass attempts last season and threw as many touchdowns as interceptions (four). Win total odds: Over 3.5 (+125), Under 3.5 (-160)Odds to win Conference USA: +8000 (10th) 2025 Record: 1-11 Dell McGee’s Panthers have won just four games in two years. For a coach who came to the other Atlanta team with a reputation for recruiting as a running backs coach at Georgia, his Georgia State teams have not done much for me to believe he’s going to keep this job with another two-win season. However, hope for Panthers fans appeared in the form of quarterback Cameran Brown, who was behind center for four starts in the second half of the season that saw the 2025 team put up an average of 25 points in each game. But he’s just one of four returning starters. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-166), Under 3.5 (+130)Odds to win Sun Belt: +15000 (14th) 2025 Record: 3-9 ULM is the poster program for what happens to a Group of Six team when it uncovers a gem. Ahmad Hardy put the “war” back in Warhawks when he rushed for a Sun Belt-best 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns for a 5-7 ULM team in 2024. But then he transferred to Missouri, and ULM fans put their heads in their hands and cried aloud because they aren’t allowed to have nice things. Making matters worse in 2025, Bryant Vincent’s team lost eight consecutive games at one point and does not look like it can do much from the bottom of the conference. But maybe quarterback Aidan Armenta figures out how to become a playmaker in the passing game. However, a 21-to-18 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the past two seasons does not inspire hope. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-115), Under 3.5 (-115)Odds to win Sun Belt: +10000 (13th) 2025 Record: 6-7 The Chanticleers went 11-1 in 2020, and they’ve been mediocre ever since. Yes, they went bowling last year, but it was clear Tim Beck wasn’t returning the program to the standard it set six years ago. In fact, the Chants watched James Madison come into their league and become the first Sun Belt program to make the CFP. And that made the roosters feel like the sun was going to rise whether they cocked and doodled or not. So they went to get a Bear. Former Missouri State coach Ryan Beard enters after taking the Bears from FCS in 2024 to bowling in the FBS in 2025. He’s bringing with him a whopping 41 transfers from Springfield, Missouri, including Deuce Bailey, who hasn’t played much ball but completed 16 of 31 passes for 278 yards with a touchdown in a 22-20 win against Middle Tennessee last year. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-140), Under 4.5 (+110)Odds to win Sun Belt: +4500 (11th) 2025 Record: 4-8 The Jaguars have only been playing FBS ball for 15 years, and yet, they’ve made three bowl games in the last four seasons. This is in large part because South Alabama has become a brilliant talent incubator for Power Four programs, and I don’t just mean players. Quarterback Gio Lopez (Wake Forest), running back Fluff Bothwell (Mississippi State), cornerback Ladarius Webb (Wake Forest) and even former head coach Kane Wommack (Alabama defensive coordinator) are but a few of the players who outgrew the Jaguars. After a 4-8 Year 2, South Alabama coach Major Applewhite will just have to build most of his roster from scratch again like so many Group of Six programs. But at least he won’t have to do that at quarterback because Bishop Davenport returns. He threw for 2,073 yards and rushed for another 325 with 21 total touchdowns and just six interceptions. South Alabama’s win total odds: Over 5.5 (-130), Under 5.5 (+100)South Alabama’s odds to win Sun Belt: +1500 (eighth) 2025 Record: 9-4 Sean Lewis is an offensive guru, and I expected his teams to feature their fair share of attacking pieces that might have me standing up in an empty room asking, “Are you not entertained?” However, Lewis’ best player might just play defense — offensively. Linebacker Cameron Cooper notched 81 tackles, including 14 for a loss, five sacks and five pass breakups at Western Colorado last season. Assuming Jayden Denegal can take the leap in 2026 — perhaps double last season’s passing yardage (1,807) — San Diego State could become a real contender for the Pac-12 title. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+130), Under 7.5 (-170)Odds to win Pac-12: +400 (second) 2025 Record: 3-9 Derek Mason’s Blue Raiders aren’t good, and they haven’t been good since he took the job — 7-17 in two years. They put the money in the bag against FCS Austin Peay (a 34-14 loss!) and could not win a one-score game in the middle third of the season for love or money. The only player Mason added who I genuinely believe might make like a Michelin Star chef and cook is former Saginaw Valley State running back Terrence Brown, who averaged 10.5 yards per carry last season. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-160), Under 3.5 (+125)Odds to win Conference USA: +5000 (ninth) 2025 Record: 8-5 Sonny Cumbie finally wrangled a winning season out of Tech last year — eight wins! — after four years of just losing football. The Bulldogs wasted no time capitalizing on their great season and paid Conference USA extra money just so they could leave for the Sun Belt early. Of course, the Bulldogs saw what winning the Sun Belt did for James Madison, and they are fielding a team that can chase a title out of the West Division with wideout Jay Wilkerson back (20.2 yards per catch when he was healthy in 2024) and the addition of former NAIA star Jaden Miller (Keiser University in West Palm Beach, Florida), who rushed for 1,127 yards in 2025. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-160), Under 5.5 (+125)Odds to win Sun Belt: +1100 (sixth) 2025 Record: 6-7 After riding high during the Billy Napier years, Louisiana coach Michael Desormeaux just needed to keep the train on the tracks. And he’s done just that. The program has gone bowling in each of the last four years, but after a third-straight 6-7 season, it’s worth asking if this is as good as Louisiana gets in the age of NIL and revenue sharing. Desormeaux did not look to the transfer portal to acquire more talent, so much as he chose to hold on to what he’s got. The strategy here is simple: Continuity can lead to success and perhaps just the second 10-win in the Desormeaux era. To do that, he’s got to hit on D’Wanye’ “Lunch” Winfield, who threw for 1,555 yards and rushed for 667 yards but completed just 59% of his passes. He could be a mid-major engine for the Ragin’ Cajuns like what Alonza Barnett was for James Madison a year ago. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+105), Under 7.5 (-136)Odds to win Sun Belt: +700 (third) 2025 Record: 7-6 The Red Wolves have a chance to showcase one of the most overlooked quarterback transfers in the 2026 cycle in former Texas passer Trey Owens, who stands taller than Arch Manning at 6-foot-5 and is pushing 230 pounds. Red Wolves coach Butch Jones is trying to compliment his offense with a defense that is, like most of the Sun Belt, made of former FCS stars — like former Maine defensive tackle Elias Sherman who, at 290 pounds, notched 10 tackles for loss in 2025. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+110), Under 6.5 (-140)Odds to win Sun Belt: +1150 (seventh) 2025 Record: 5-7 The Thundering Herd are the only team (not named James Madison or Indiana) to beat Old Dominion in 2025. But that was as good as it got for Tony Gibson’s crew. The hope this year, though, is that quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson makes the leap and can carry Marshall through the first quarter of the season until this team begins to gel. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+105), Under 7.5 (-136)Odds to win Sun Belt: +850 (fifth) 2025 Record: 8-6 Gerad Parker’s Trojans didn’t look like much to start 2025. Then an injury to starting quarterback Goose Crowder opened the door for Tucker Kilcrease to get back on track, and Troy did exactly that. After winning five in a row in the middle of the season, the Trojans featured in the Sun Belt Conference title game, with a respectable 8-6 record. But Troy isn’t looking for respectable. It’s looking for the College Football Playoff, especially after Jon Sumrall proved it can be great — he was 23-5 from 2022-2023 — and the Dukes became the first “Hustle Belt” team to make the CFP after playing FCS ball just five years ago. The hire of former Tarleton State offensive coordinator Adam Austin ought to act like a match to an offense that has the kindling to ignite. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-150), Under 6.5 (+120)Odds to win Sun Belt: +800 (fourth) 2025 Record: 10-3 Ricky Rahne had earned a reputation for eking out mediocre seasons with the Monarchs’ program. But I was not sure Old Dominion’s administration wanted to do more than be a decent Sun Belt team until Rahne put together a 10-3 season with two of those three losses coming against a College Football Playoff team and conference champ (James Madison) and the national champ (Indiana). His talisman, quarterback Colton Joseph, transferred to Wisconsin, though. The Monarchs have to hit with either Quinn Henicle or former Washington State quarterback Jaxon Potter. Defensively, cornerback Zion Frink has enough juice to play at a Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year level. He returned after posting 60 tackles, six pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception in 2025. I’ll be shocked if this team can run it back and win 10 games ago. But it won’t be the first time I’ve been struck by lightning. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-120), Under 7.5 (-110)Odds to win Sun Belt: +460 (second) 2025 Record: 7-6 After Charles Huff packed up his 2025 Golden Eagles and took them to Memphis through the portal, there was a need everywhere. One is filled in spectacular fashion: At Wingate last year, wideout Jaylen Himes caught 66 balls for 1,174 yards and 11 touchdowns at 5-foot-8, 180 pounds. However, Blake Anderson takes over a program that returns just one offensive player who started at least twice and one defensive player who got 40 snaps or more from last year’s team. What I’m saying is my mother, a USM alumna, is right to be mad that she doesn’t know anybody on her team because, well, 2026 Golden Eagles teammates didn’t know each other either until they came out of the portal in Hattiesburg. Among the new starters should be former Ole Miss defensive tackle Jeffery Rush and Texas A&M safety Jordan Pride. Perhaps a bit of the SEC in Forrest County can keep USM bowl-eligible for another year. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-130), Under 3.5 (+100)Odds to win Sun Belt: +6000 (12th) 2025 Record: 5-8 Only one team — Memphis — has won more games during the CFP era (107) without making the College Football Playoff than the Mountaineers (105). The program that first brought former Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar to FBS is looking to former UCLA passer Henry Hasselbeck or former Purdue starter Malachi Singleton to return it to winning ways after back-to-back losing seasons. Hasselbeck is the son of former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who played for App State coach Dowell Loggains in 2011-2012 when Loggains was passing game coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. Division II star Kevin Henderson is a natural WILL linebacker — fast enough to cover slot receivers in space and an absolute hammer in run defense. He created 15.5 tackles for loss and seven pass breakups at Findlay in 2025. If he was 6-foot-2 and not 5-foot-10, I think he’d be a Day 2 NFL Draft pick right now. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-166), Under 8.5 (+130)Odds to win Sun Belt: +1800 (ninth) 2025 Record: 12-2 Billy Napier made the move from the SEC to the Little SEC, and he got to work in the portal. On defense, 291-pound defensive lineman Kevin Roberts notched 18 tackles for loss at Division II West Florida last year before joining the Dukes. Offensively, Napier brought in Drake star Nick Herman, who rushed for 1,032 yards at just more than seven yards per carry in the Pioneer League. It’s the kind of move that is indicative of Napier’s previous stint in the Sun Belt, where he put together a 34-5 record from 2019-2021 as head coach at Louisiana. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-130), Under 8.5 (+100)Odds to win Sun Belt: +270 (first) 2025 Record: 1-11 Well, 1-11 is a far cry from what Tim Albin did at Ohio. In fact, after three consecutive 10-win seasons as head Bobcat in charge, his 2025 record looks more like a quiet whimper, engulfed in space’s black hole, where matter collapses into itself, measuring oblivion. And Charlotte’s 1-11 record is even worse than you think: The 49ers lost to every single FBS opponent they played by double-digits and only beat FCS Monmouth by a single score. Only 11 of the 43 players Albin brought to Charlotte last season remain. Hope for Charlotte might have to come in the form of a yellow S, blue spandex and a red cape. Superman could save the 49ers, but I don’t see him listed on their roster. Win total odds: Over 2.5 (+120), Under 2.5 (-150)Odds to win American: +40000 (14th) 2025 Record: 4-8 The Trent Dilfer experience yielded 11 wins in three years and was so bad in the first half of last season that UAB fired him in favor of offensive coordinator Alex Mortensen. Following his promotion, Mortensen led the Blazers to an upset of No. 22 Memphis and showed enough prowess over the rest of the season to keep the head job into 2026. Now comes the hard part: winning more games than the Blazers typically lose. That means sophomore quarterback Ryder Burton is going to have to play the best football of his collegiate life. His performance in a loss to UConn — 21-for-30 with 209 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions — is reason enough to believe there might actually be some fire breathing from Birmingham’s dragons. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-125), Under 3.5 (-105)Odds to win American: +30000 (13th) 2025 Record: 4-8 This ain’t the NFL, Bill. You can’t put out a 4-8 team and get a first-round draft pick for being sorry. And that is exactly what UNC was in 2025 — sorry. So sorry, in fact, that I would not blame Mack Brown for standing over that 4-8 record with a broken spear in hand, pointing at UNC’s board of regents and asking with the same presence and tone as Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther,” “Is this your king?” But if you’re a UNC fan who believes Belichick will eventually result to UNC becoming king of the ACC instead of Page Six, then you must believe in the offensive genius of new Tar Heels offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. At quarterback, Petrino’s going to have Billy Edwards, who I’d argue is a far cry from coaching Lamar Jackson at Louisville but could be good enough to turn the Tar Heels into a team we can begin to take seriously in the ACC. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-130), Under 4.5 (+110)Odds to win ACC: +15000 (15th) 2025 Record: 9-4 The best damn acquisition Jason Candle made when he became the new head coach at UConn isn’t any one of the 56 transfers he signed, including 19 from his previous stop at Toledo. It was general manager Zach Potter. Potter is the best general manager in the sport you’ve never heard of, and he’s been preparing to do this job since he was a teenager. He helped build a dynasty in the USFL and isn’t yet 30. If I became a head coach at the Power Four level, Potter is the first man I’d ask to join my staff. He not only would go get exactly the kind of players I’d need to run my veer and shoot, but he’d do it on my budget. Defensively, the stud on the Huskies’ roster is linebacker K’Von Sherman, who picked up 17 tackles for loss last season as a Rocket. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (+105), Under 5.5 (-136)(UConn is independent and does not have conference odds.) 2025 Record: 5-7 Owls coach K.C. Keeler has won everywhere he’s gone, but it might take a bit in Philadelphia. It wasn’t because the Owls were good to start (5-3 in their first eight games) but because they couldn’t finish (0-4 in their final four games of the season). Keeler has to find out fast which of the two transfer quarterbacks — Ajani Sheppard from Washington State and Jaxon Smolik from Penn State — can help him. If his starting quarterback is good, I don’t see a reason why a coach who has been on the sideline for nine national title games in two different divisions can’t turn Temple into a winner. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-110), Under 5.5 (-120)Odds to win American: +3100 (10th) 2025 Record: 4-8 The Golden Hurricane beat Oklahoma State for the first time since 1998, and that led to first-year coach Tre Lamb providing the nail in the coffin last season to Mike Gundy’s 20-plus-year reign as head coach in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This season, Lamb returns a decent passer in sophomore Baylor Hayes (2,158 yards, 12 touchdowns, six interceptions) and five offensive linemen who started in 2025. But the defense has got to be worth the NIL money it’s getting paid in 2026. Tulsa allowed 30 points or more in seven games last season. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-125), Under 5.5 (-105)Odds to win American: +3200 (11th) 2025 Record: 11-3 The Green Wave have gone 43-13 across the past four years with a College Football Playoff appearance last season. But that record was built by former head coaches Willie Fritz (Houston) and Jon Sumrall (Florida). Asking Tulane coach Will Hall to be as good as either of those men is tough, but that has become the standard in New Orleans. Hall’s previous stop as a head coach at Southern Miss left him with an 11-26 record. However, the Green Wave’s bet on him is that he learned from his former boss, Sumrall, what it takes to win at a high level last season. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+120), Under 7.5 (-150)Odds to win American: +680 (fifth) 2025 Record: 9-4 Brian Hartline — the best damn recruiter at Ohio State over the last decade — finally became a head coach, and he built a talented roster befitting his recruiting prowess. South Florida features 24 Power Four transfers, including former Mississippi State starter and LSU quarterback Michael Van Buren. But my favorite of his acquisitions is 330-pound defensive tackle Major Dillard, who picked up a whopping 70 tackles for Michael Vick’s Norfolk State last season. I’m looking forward to finding out how good running back D.J. Crowther can be after making the move from the Ivy League. At Dartmouth, he averaged 93 rushing yards per game and had 929 yards on the ground in a 10-game season in 2025. I’ve no doubt that Hartline put together a talented roster, good enough to contend in the American Conference, even following a 9-4 season by his predecessor, Alex Golesh. What remains to be seen is how good Hartline is as the CEO of a mid-major program with a thirst to be great in the recruiting-rich footprint of South Florida. It’s also intriguing that this is also the place where former Coastal Carolina coach Tim Beck picked as his landing spot for an offensive coordinator gig. Hartline, at 39, is attempting to join Lincoln Riley, Marcus Freeman and Dan Lanning as men who hit the ground running in their 30s, creating 10-win programs. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+115), Under 8.5 (-146)Odds to win American: +800 (sixth) 2025 Record: 7-6 Let me stop you right here: Jerry Mack left HBCU North Carolina Central and won Conference USA in Year 1 with Kennesaw State. FIU coach Willie Simmons took his first head coach job since leaving HBCU Florida A&M and turned in a 7-6 season. Respect will be paid to the MEAC and SWAC for their legacy of coaching talent here para siempre, hombre. But the job ain’t getting easier. Simmons will begin the season with 17 new starters. However, one of them is cornerback Ryan Gadson, who plays the boundary like a box safety with a wiggle. At Lafayette last season, he notched 53 tackles, 16 pass breakups and three interceptions. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+120), Under 6.5 (-150)Odds to win Conference USA: +800 (fifth) 2025 Record: 9-4 Before Pirates coach Blake Harrell was in charge, ECU went 5-14 in its previous 19 games. Since he took over, the Pirates are 14-5. However, they have to start from scratch in 2026 with just one starter returning on offense and eight on defense. A lot of Harrell’s success with ECU this season depends on his starter at quarterback. It’s either Mitch Griffis — who combined for 2,300-plus yards and 17 touchdowns at Wake Forest and Texas Tech — or it’s going to be former Miami quarterback Emory Williams, who has enough talent to lead the Pirates to American title contention. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+125), Under 7.5 (-150)Odds to win American: +580 (third) 2025 Record: 7-6 The Roadrunners only started playing football 14 years ago, and yet, they have not seen a season below .500 since 2019. That has everything to do with UTSA coach Jeff Traylor, who has seen assistants like Will Stein coordinate a Big Ten title-winning offense, and studs like running back Sincere McCormick march straight into the American Conference looking competitive. Now with quarterback Owen McNown, running back Will Henderson III, three starters on the offensive line and two of the three most productive receivers back in San Antonio, UTSA has enough to push for the American title and a College Football Playoff appearance. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-125), Under 7.5 (-105)Odds to win American: +500 (second) 2025 Record: 3-9 The Huskies got a cheat code over at cornerback, and his name is Yassine Falke. Somehow — despite all the complaining about the transfer portal and the burden it places on discovering, evaluating and then acquiring talent — NIU pulled Falke, who stands at 6-foot-3, broke up 14 passes and picked off five passes at NAIA Marian (Indiana) last year. Interim head coach Rob Harley knows how to put together a defense. He’s the defensive coordinator who held Notre Dame to 14 points in NIU’s 16-14 win in South Bend, Indiana, in 2024. That’s a game the Huskies received $1.4 million to play. (Harley made $260,000 that year.) Now, he has to fix an offense that scored just 17 points and put up just 285 yards on average last season as NIU heads to the Mountain West. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-105), Under 3.5 (-125)Odds to win Mountain West: +6000 (ninth) 2025 Record: 3-9 I’m willing to bet Fran Brown’s Syracuse is a better team in 2026 than it was in 2025 — provided quarterback Steve Angeli stays on the field. When Angeli was the starter, Syracuse looked like a team that could be a problem for anyone on its schedule. Without him, the Orange looked especially depressingly blue. You could see the hues change on the scoreboard. Brown’s best addition, though, is defensive coordinator Vince Kehres, who put together a 95-6 record as head coach at Division III Mount Union from 2013 to 2019 and last coached at Toledo from 2020 to 2025. Now, with his first chance to coach in the Power Four, I expect the Orange’s defense to be a delightful watch in 2026. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-105), Under 4.5 (-115)Odds to win ACC: +15000 (14th) 2025 Record: 2-10 It’s been tough to be an Arkansas football fan. Since 2019, the Razorbacks have won nine games in a season just once and were capped at two-win seasons three times. That’s just one more reason former Razorback coach Sam Pittman had to go, and former Memphis coach Ryan Silverfield was brought in. Selecting the right quarterback will help, whether that’s former Memphis redshirt freshman AJ Hill or sophomore KJ Jackson. But whoever it is, needs to major in handing former Memphis running back Sutton Smith the ball. He averaged nearly six yards per touch from scrimmage and is the most explosive player on the Razorbacks’ roster with six touchdowns of 21 yards or more. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-130), Under 1.5 (+110)Odds to win SEC: +20000 (15th) 2025 Record: 7-6 Scott Satterfield looks like he’s starting former Georgia Southern passer JC French IV, who has thrown for nearly 5,900 career yards and made starts at the FBS level (unlike Penn transfer Liam O’Brien). But both are decent options for a program that finished 7-6 and watched its two-year starter, Brendan Sorsby, elect to enter the portal last year. But the roster is littered with former Group of Six players. That’s fine… if Satterfield evaluated well. If he didn’t, seven wins might be hard to come by for the Bearcats. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (+125), Under 5.5 (-150)Odds to win Big 12: +10000 (15th) 2025 Record: 6-6 Look, I know there’s someone here who expected to hear more about new head coach (and former Kansas State star) Collin Klein and the most pivotal year of the Avery Johnson era at quarterback, but that’s easy. You’re here so you learn something. So turn your attention to redshirt sophomore defensive end Wendell Gregory, who was the best defender in the Big 12 most ain’t seen or heard about. That’s because he picked up 15.5 tackles for loss and four sacks at Oklahoma State in 2025, which was the worst Cowboys team I’ve ever seen. Mark down Gregory for greatness. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+115), Under 8.5 (-136)Odds to win Big 12: +1500 (fourth) 2025 Record: 8-4 New Iowa State coach Jimmy Rogers surprised me with the shrewd acquisition of former Tulane receiver Omari Hayes, along with U-Hauling Washington State’s roster to Ames, Iowa. Hayes averaged 13.2 yards per catch in 2025 on a Green Wave team that made the CFP and won an extremely competitive American Conference last year. Six of the 12 former Washington State players Rogers and former Wazzu defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit brought with them are defensive linemen alone. My eyes will be on former Arkansas State starting quarterback Jaylen Raynor to open the season, though. He threw for 8,694 yards and rushed for 1,707 over his career in Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 37 games. That makes Raynor the fourth-leading returning passer in the sport this season. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-160), Under 5.5 (+134)Odds to win Big 12: +11000 (16th) 2025 Record: 2-10 Jim Mora loves a tough gig. That’s what he had at UConn before turning the Huskies into the second-best independent in the sport with back-to-back nine-win seasons. However, Rams fans probably won’t like being reminded it took two years for Mora to get the Huskies to hunt. Given that he’s taking over a program that finished 2-10 in 2025 and had to rebuild the roster from scratch, I would be happily astonished if Colorado State proved to be a problem in the Pac-12. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (-140), Under 3.5 (+110)Odds to win Pac-12: +3000 (eighth) 2025 Record: 4-8 Former Jacksonville State running back Cam Cook is going to give Boston College running back Evan Dickens a guard-tackle, pull-power run for his money: Who will emerge as the best running back to make the jump from Group of Six to Power Four in 2026? After Cook ran for 1,659 yards and 16 total touchdowns last year, he might end up with that crown. If WVU coach Rich Rodriguez can get Cook to, ahem, cook in the Big 12, the Mountaineers might return to the hell-raising, musket-waving terror they were when Steve Slaton and Noel Devine were running wild through coal country. At quarterback, I expect it will be The Scotty Fox Jr. Show, but former Oklahoma passer Michael Hawkins was brought in just in case the show needs to be canceled early. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-160), Under 5.5 (+134)Odds to win Big 12: +5000 (12th) 2025 Record: 4-8 In 51 years as an FBS program, EMU has had seven-win seasons just seven times, and Eagles coach Chris Creighton has engineered four of them. Though they finished 4-8 last year, five starters on that team return, including quarterback Noah Kim. He threw for 2,817 yards with 18 touchdowns last season, and returning wideout Nick Devereux hauled in 510 of those passing yards. Eastern Michigan gave 25 players starts last year and 17 of those starters are back. Eastern loves a close game — loves. In its last 109 games, a whopping 72.5 percent (79 games) of them have been wins or losses by one possession. It’s a team, a program, that keeps itself in it to win it. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-166), Under 5.5 (+130)Odds to win MAC: +1100 (sixth) 2025 Record: 4-8 Yeah, OK, sure, former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George’s Falcons finished 4-8 in Year 1. But they also beat Toledo, defeated Liberty, stomped a mudhole in UMass, walked it dry — and lost three games by a single score. The canny acquisition of former Oregon quarterback Austin Novosad out of the portal and the power of Grayskull held by Pudge the Cat is enough for me to believe George’s Falcons have a real chance to become Masters of the (MAC) Universe. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-160), Under 4.5 (+125)Odds to win MAC: +1600 (seventh) 2025 Record: 7-6 After a 7-6 Year 1, Central Michigan coach Matt Drinkall can think about making the leap in Year 2 with seven offensive linemen back who have made starts for him. The future feels bright for the MAC team with Drinkall in charge. Last year, he became the first CMU coach to win his debut road game since Bill Kelly in 1951. The toughest teams on the squad’s schedule this season are New Mexico for the season opener and CFP runners-up Miami in late September. Defensively, I love that Drinkall went to the NAIA to snag edge rusher Hunter Zirkle, who picked up 16 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and forced five fumbles at Cumberland last season. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+110), Under 6.5 (-140)Odds to win MAC: +750 (fifth) 2025 Record: 5-7 Pete Lembo brought in former Wingate quarterback Elijah Holmes, who threw for 3,040 yards with 24 touchdowns at the Division II level last season. He’s also got two new coordinators to break in. With just six starters returning, Lembo has had to do a lot of work in evaluating players in the portal to try to bring his program back to the nine-win team it was in 2024 in his third year on the job. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-140), Under 5.5 (+110)Odds to win MAC: +1700 (eighth) 2025 Record: 5-7 Dave Aranda stepped his portal game up in 2026, and I’m not talking about acquiring former Florida quarterback DJ Lagway. I’m pointing you to 2025 national champion defensive tackle Hosea Wheeler, who transferred from Indiana. Look, show me a nose tackle with 30 tackles on a 16-0 team, and I’m gonna show you the foundation for winning. Aranda has one for his defense now. Offensively, DJ Lagway figures to start Week 1, but how he meshes with former Colorado wideout Dre’lon Miller and former Oklahoma State wideout Gavin Freeman will tell us a lot about how good he’s become as a passer — or not. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-166), Under 5.5 (+134)Odds to win Big 12: +4500 (11th) 2025 Record: 10-4 Edge rusher KJ Burley (Keiser University) was just an unmitigated nightmare against NAIA completion last year with 55 tackles, 15 for loss and 5.5 sacks. He is a welcome addition to a Broncos defensive front that was decimated by the portal and graduation. This year is about running back Jalen Buckley, who averaged 8.5 yards per carry over his last four games in 2025. When he averaged just five yards per carry in a game, the Broncos scored 33 points on average. Buckley is the best returning Group of Six tailback in the sport with 2,716 rushing yards over 38 games in his career. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+125), Under 7.5 (-160)Odds to win MAC: +360 (first) 2025 Record: 9-4 The Bobcats were cooking with gas over a two-ton stove on the hottest day of July before former head coach Brian Smith was fired for misconduct. Ohio won 40 games in four years, including the end of Charlotte coach Tim Albin’s tenure as head ball coach in Athens, Ohio. Now John Hauser returns to the Bobcats where he has to keep the standard. After four years at Miami (Ohio) and the last two as the defensive coordinator, I think he’s up for the challenge. Joining the Bobcats is former Holy Cross stud defensive back Eli Thompson, who last season posted 85 total tackles (33 solo and 5.5 for loss), picked off four passes and added a sack. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-130), Under 6.5 (+100)Odds to win MAC: +650 (fourth) 2025 Record: 8-5 Former Mercer coach Mike Jacobs inherited one of the MAC’s best programs, and his transfer portal acquisitions reflect the Rockets’ desire to get to their third conference title game in five years. The addition of former Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year Andrew Zock — the jewel among the 21 small-school superstars Jacobs brought with him — gives the Rockets some zap off the edge. Zock accumulated 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks in 2025. In Jacobs, a former Ohio State offensive lineman, Toledo might’ve hired another Google Me Guy-lite because he just wins — 33-8 over the last three years at Mercer and Lenoir-Rhyne. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-130), Under 7.5 (+100)Odds to win MAC: +400 (third) 2025 Record: 7-7 RedHawks coach Chuck Martin added a stud-muffin in former Monmouth running back Rodney Nelson, who blew through the FCS with 1,802 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns and three games with 200 or more rushing yards. Acquisitions like Nelson are one reason I believe Martin is an 11-win season away from coaching Power Four ball. He was just 5-19 after Year 2 (2015) in Miami, Ohio. But since 2023, he has put together a 27-15 record and turned Miami into the kind of place where Alabama goes to get a kicker. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+105), Under 7.5 (-136)Odds to win MAC: +360 (second) 2025 Record: 5-7 Scott Frost finally got an absolute dude to come play for him at UCF for the first time since quarterback McKenzie Milton tore through the FBS to an undefeated season and share of the 2017 national title — fight me! — and his name is Alonza Barnett III. Barnett, who transferred to UCF from James Madison, became the first quarterback to lead a Sun Belt team to the College Football Playoff in 2025 because he was, what I call, an unanswered player. That’s a player for which the opposing unit, offense or defense, doesn’t have an answer. He could cut you up in the air (2,806 passing yards) or on the ground (589 rushing yards), and he is gonna score (38 total touchdowns last year). Yes, he was an unanswered player in the Sun Belt. But this is the Big 12, and UCF has been looking too much like 2015 UCF (0-12 that year) since making the move to Power Four football. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-140), Under 5.5 (+120)Odds to win Big 12: +6200 (13th) 2025 Record: 5-7 This ain’t the Mike Norvell Florida State you once knew. Following back-to-back losing seasons, with a combined record of 7-17, to say patience is wearing thin among fans would be like calling Ivan Drago’s right hand across Apollo Creed’s jaw a gentle touch. Now, more than any year in his coaching career, Norvell needs to bring FSU aaalll the way back or there might not be a buyout amount high enough to stave off his firing. Quarterback Ashton Daniels won the job during the spring after an explosive second half to his 2025 season. Daniels enters with 23 starts in 37 games but is learning a third different system after stops at Stanford and Auburn. How quickly he adapts to leading this team could be the difference between FSU returning to the kind of form it enjoyed in 2023 or Norvell exiting the program. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+144), Under 6.5 (-175)Odds to win ACC: +4200 (11th) 2025 Record: 7-6 After leading the Bears to a 7-6 season, Ryan Beard left for Coastal Carolina and took a bunch of Missouri State players with him. Now it’s up to former SMU offensive coordinator Casey Woods to try to take the Bears bowling again. If he can turn former Duke quarterback Henry Belin IV into a Group of Six star, the Bears might very well find themselves playing for a championship. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (+130), Under 4.5 (-170)Odds to win Conference USA: +2800 (eighth) 2025 Record: 5-7 Back-to-back 5-7 seasons wiped the good taste of a 2023 9-4 run from Jayhawk fans’ mouths. Getting associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki back to Lawrence, Kansas, after an up-and-down stretch at Penn State should help. Adding Dylan Edwards from Kansas State to the running game and return game will absolutely help. Nailing the quarterback competition between Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall and former Rice passer Chase Jenkins is most dire. Bungling Jalon Daniels’ successor might mean the Jayhawks miss out on bowling for a third straight year. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-156), Under 5.5 (+128)Odds to win Big 12: +4500 (10th) 2025 Record: 7-6 Nick Minicucci is the best Conference USA quarterback, and if he improves on his 2025 output of 3,683 passing yards and 23 touchdowns, that’s enough for me to believe the Blue Hens can be a 10-win team. Not only did Delaware coach Ryan Carty’s program go bowling in their first season of FBS play, but they also finished 7-6 after going 58-53 in the previous 10 years in FCS competition. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+130), Under 6.5 (-166)Odds to win Conference USA: +700 (fourth) 2025 Record: 9-5 Charles Kelly became the head ball coach in charge at Jax State last year and kept the trains running on time. Reaching the Conference USA title game and finishing 9-5 in 2025 means the expectation this season is for the Gamecocks to win their conference. And they’ve got a shot with quarterback Caden Creel returning. He managed to pass for 1,500 yards and rush for 1,100 yards while occasionally throwing deep to 6-foot-8 receiver Deondre Johnson, who averaged 24.4 yards per catch. With 2025 offensive coordinator Clint Trickett off to the Big Ten to call plays for Maryland, new offensive coordinator Taylor Housewright just has to do what his boss did: Make sure the trains keep rolling. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+105), Under 7.5 (-136)Odds to win Conference USA: +450 (third) 2025 Record: 4-8 I’m willing to wave off 2025 for the Flames because Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell wasn’t on the sideline. That program had won eight games or more since 2018 until last year’s downer. After seeking help for what the Liberty called “a serious but treatable medical condition,” he returned to a team that went 21-5 over 2023 and 2024. In his return, he picked up former Army and Arizona State running back Kanye Udoh. If quarterback Ethan Vasko can keep his starting job, I don’t see why the Flames can’t be a league title contender in 2026. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+110), Under 8.5 (-140)Odds to win Conference USA: +270 (first) 2025 Record: 9-4 The Hilltoppers have won eight games or more in each of the past five years, and after last year’s 9-5 record, it’s time the Hilltoppers crest that mountain and smash downhill toward their first conference title in a decade. However, coach Tyson Helton needing to employ a sixth offensive coordinator in seven years doesn’t do much to buoy belief that this is Western Kentucky year. That means Rodney Tisdale Jr. and former Florida State quarterback Brock Glenn each have a chance to impress offensive coordinator Bodie Reeder. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+125), Under 7.5 (-160)Odds to win Conference USA: +290 (second) 2025 Record: 7-6 Jeff Monken’s Black Knights could’ve just easily been 11-2 as 7-6 if they could win all of their one-score games instead of going 4-5 in them. Finding ways to score more points isn’t really what Monken’s flexbone offense is going to ever be about, but with an experienced quarterback in Callum Hellums returning, perhaps experience can help find Army a few more wins in 2026. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-140), Under 7.5 (+110)Odds to win American: +850 (seventh) 2025 Record: 10-4 In a stacked Conference USA with seven teams above .500 and three winning nine or more games, the Owls flipped their 2024 10-loss season into a 10-win one in 2025. In hindsight, that was an even better ball team than many know: The Owls’ only Power Four losses were to national champion Indiana and nine-win Wake Forest. Now Owls coach Jerry Mack has to try to defend the C-USA title with nine new starters on offense. One of those is former LSU and Syracuse quarterback Rickie Collins, who finished last season with almost twice as many interceptions (10) as passing touchdowns (six). Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+100), Under 6.5 (-130)Odds to win Conference USA: +1000 (sixth) 2025 Record: 2-10 Former Liberty running back Evan Dickens is my favorite candidate to become the best breakout tailback in the Power Four this year like Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy was last season after transferring from the Flames. Dickens rushed for 1,339 yards in just nine games last season with 16 touchdowns. He rushed for 200 yards or more in three of his last five games in 2025. I think he can be the best tailback the program has featured since A.J. Dillon. And Eagles coach Bill O’Brien needs him to be. After a rather thrilling 4-1 start to his tenure at Boston College, the Eagles have looked more like wounded Ducks. They’re just 15-5 since that great start, and a 2-10 2025 in a conference where SMU has shown up and made the CFP means the clock is ticking on O’Brien’s tenure with fans. Win total odds: Over 3.5 (+100), Under 3.5 (-120)Odds to win ACC: +40000 (17th) 2025 Record: 3-9 The 2025 Spartans weren’t good, but they were fun. And the latter is because quarterback Walker Eget — who played most of the year on basically one leg (ACL tear) — and receiver Danny Scudero played the two-man game better than anyone else in the Group of Six. But after leading the nation in catches (88) and receiving yards (1,297), Scudero opted for the portal (Colorado), as did Eget (Duke). While SJSU coach Ken Niumatalolo will identify a starter from a list that includes Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver and redshirt freshman Robert McDaniel, perhaps Spartans fans are comforted in knowing Sacramento State transfer Jayland McGlothen notched 9.5 tackles last season at defensive tackle. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-130), Under 4.5 (+100)Odds to win Mountain West: +1800 (sixth) 2025 Record: 11-2 After going 21-5 over the last two seasons with Brian Newberry as head coach, everybody ought to see the Midshipmen coming. The question at the top of my mind is: Can Braxton Woodson be as good as Blake Horvath was behind center for Navy in 2026? He’s started twice for the Midshipmen, and when he’s thrown the ball he’s been decent with a 13.1 yard completion rate. Pay attention. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-160), Under 7.5 (+125)Odds to win American: +380 (first) 2025 Record: 5-7 The Scarlet Knights are 0-37 against top-25 teams in the College Football Playoff era. That’s the bad news. The good news is KJ Duff is the best wideout no one outside of the Big Ten knows about: 60 catches for 1,084 yards last season. And Antwan Raymond is the best tailback no one outside the Big Ten knows about: 1,241 rush yards last season. The addition of Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan makes Rutgers feel like one of Greg Schiano’s plucky Big East teams of way back when. But I’m sure Scarlet Knights fans are tired of national analysts like me reveling in their past. Let’s hope Schiano’s 2026 team gives us both hope for the future. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-156), Under 4.5 (+130)Odds to win Big Ten: +60000 (15th) 2025 Record: 4-8 The Terps are 4-38 against top-25 teams in the CFP era (sound familiar?). That’s the bad news. The good news is Malik Washington might just be another Taulia Tagovailoa for head coach Mike Locksley. After being handed the keys to the offense — and Locksley’s future at Maryland — he threw for at least 210 yards in 11 of 12 games, including a 61-attempt, 459-yard, three-touchdown performance against Michigan State. However, another 4-8 season ain’t gonna do much to invite Terps fans to stick with Locksley much longer. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (+105), Under 5.5 (-125)Odds to win Big Ten: +50000 (16th) 2025 Record: 8-5 PJ Fleck knows how to build a team that competes. The Golden Gophers have finished with a winning record in six out of nine seasons, despite eight different coordinators across both sides of the ball. Expect Darius Taylor to be a force in the backfield after a down 2025. If he’s healthy and gets 200 carries, he ought to be a 1,000-yard tailback. Defensively, Minnesota will be a handful with linebacker Maverick Baranowski returning after a 99-tackle season, and defensive end Anthony Smith coming back after a 12.5-sack season. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+130), Under 6.5 (-150)Odds to win Big Ten: +25000 (13th) 2025 Record: 4-8 If we excuse 2020 — and we do — Troy Calhoun’s Falcons have been as reliable at winning nine games as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is to need “Hangman” to save his ass in “Top Gun: Maverick.” And, like Hangman, the Falcons have been good. They’ve been very good. Calhoun won nine or more games from 2019 to 2023, and then his evaluation took a dive below the hard deck. Air Force has suffered back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2018. But with Liam Szarka established at quarterback — he returns after a year averaging 5.4 yards per carry — and fullback Owen Allen coming back after 750 yards on the ground, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Falcons rip off double-digits wins in 2026. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+120), Under 7.5 (-150)Odds to win Mountain West: +550 (fifth) 2025 Record: 8-5 Charles Huff left Southern Miss in much the same way he left Marshall — with a winning record. In fact, since Huff left Alabama as running backs coach for Nick Saban following the Crimson Tide’s 2020 national title run, he’s endured just one losing season as head coach. Now, Huff took over a program that has won more games without making the College Football Playoff (107) than any other since the CFP’s inception. It’s a dubious honor for a Tigers program that was denied entry into the Big 12 last year, despite bringing a reported $200 million to the table. Memphis is banking on Huff’s coaching prowess and transfer portal evaluations to break through. Either way the quarterback battle goes, I’m confident Huff will have one of the most talented passers in the conference starting for him. Former Ohio State and South Carolina passer Air Noland just needs a featured chance. Former Division II West Florida quarterback Marcus Stokes showed what he can do as a starter last season with 3,297 yards with 30 passing. Edge rusher J’Mond Tapp might be as impactful on defense as Noland or Stokes can be on their offense. He produced 13 tackles for loss for Huff at Southern Miss last year. The Tigers have averaged nearly nine wins a season since 2014, and that is a standard Huff is expected to meet in Year 1. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-105), Under 7.5 (-125)Odds to win American: +600 (fourth) 2025 Record: 8-5 If any coach can make 2026 Arizona State into a winner, it’s Kenny Dillingham, who followed a down year in 2023 with a program-defining one in 2024 before going 8-5 in Year 3. But now he’s got to do it with either Cutter Boley, Mikey Keene or Cameron Dyer at quarterback instead of Sam Leavitt. He’s also got to do it with Omarion Miller at wideout instead of Jordan Tyson and with former Delaware State running back Marquis Gillis instead of Cam Skattebo. All of these players have the potential to help the Sun Devils produce double-digit wins in 2026. But it’ll take some doing. A word on Keene: Somehow, the Fresno State transfer enters the season as the fifth-most productive returning quarterback with 8,245 career passing yards in 39 games. Perhaps he’s good enough to lead Arizona State after all. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-115), Under 6.5 (-105)Odds to win Big 12: +2500 (seventh) 2025 Record: 3-9 We’ll talk about Buffs coach Deion Sanders and quarterback Julian Lewis later. But before we get to them, let’s talk about something new. His given government name is Gideon ESPN Lampron, and he became a human highlight reel at linebacker for Bowling Green after racking up 123 tackles and 18.5 for loss in 2025. I expect Lampron to make himself felt in Colorado’s quest to become the worldwide leader in college football. Story goes that Lampron got his middle name after his dad, Marty, managed to ALL CAPS those letters on his birth certificate while Lampron’s mama, Jennifer, was recovering. Now, if you’re gonna call Lampron by his government name, just know that it’s pronounced ESS-pen. ESS-pen works in a way that Marty’s first choice, according to The Toledo Blade, didn’t. Marty initially wanted to go with Larry Bird, but Jennifer stopped that behind the line of scrimmage and for good reason: What kind of name for a football player is Larry Bird? Onto the Buffs’ outlook. Not a single starter from the 2025 defense returned for 2026. In fact, just five scholarship players are back. However, that ain’t a bad thing, as the defense last year was sorry. It gave up an average of 30.5 points per game, ranked 112th in scoring defense and was just a touch better than the worst Oklahoma State team I’ve ever seen. As for Lewis, I just don’t see former Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson beating him out for the starting job in Brennan Marion’s Go-Go offense. The offense is built for Lewis’ point-guard skillset, and he’ll have a wide receiving corps that could be as prolific as the one Shedeur Sanders enjoyed in 2024. The nation’s leader in catches (88) and receiving yards (1,297) in former San Jose star Danny Scudero commands that unit. The addition of former Texas wideout DeAndre Moore Jr. and former Tulsa wideout Joseph Williams means the Buffs picked up two of the best portal targets at their positions in the past cycle. If former Alabama running back Richard Young or former Sacramento State star Damian Henderson II emerge to be the first 1,000-yard rusher Sanders has ever fielded, Colorado will challenge for the Big 12 title. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (+134), Under 4.5 (-160)Odds to win Big 12: +9000 (14th) 2025 Record: 5-7 Former Kentucky high school football star Will Stein finally took a chance on himself. In becoming Kentucky’s head coach, he’s also attempting to do in Lexington what Curt Cignetti did in Bloomington: Turn a basketball school into a football school overnight. Hiring former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Sloan and recruiting former Notre Dame backup quarterback Kenny Minchey out of the portal will help him do just that. But he didn’t stop there. Stein added some dudes in the form of former Texas running back CJ Baxter, former Oklahoma running back Jovantae Barnes, former UTEP left tackle Lance Heard, former Ohio State guard Tegra Tshabola and former Oklahoma wideout Nic Anderson. If these newcomers gel with the five starters who chose to remain following the end of the Mark Stoops era, Kentucky could make a run at the CFP in Stein’s Year 1. But that means picking a win in Week 2 vs. Alabama or Week 3 at Texas A&M for us to seriously consider the Wildcats as more than just fodder foxes in the hunt. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-148), Under 4.5 (+124)Odds to win SEC: +15000 (14th) 2025 Record: 9-4 Matt Entz can well be perplexed if it felt like his nine-win season last year went mostly unnoticed. But in our defense, the Bulldogs’ only Power Four opponent was a Kansas team, which beat Fresno by 24 points, and each of its four losses were by double-digits. It’s not really the wins and losses that impressed me about how his team is building for 2026; it’s that Entz seems to want to build his program from the inside out. It doesn’t seem to hurt his feelings one bit that his defense might outplay his offense when things are going well. If quarterbacks Khristian Martin or Jayden Mandal turn out to be revelations, the Bulldogs might be one of those teams we’re watching at the end of the season right in the thick of the Pac-12 title fight. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-125), Under 6.5 (-105)Odds to win Pac-12: +600 (fourth) 2025 Record: 5-8 When you start the season 4-0, like the Bulldogs did last year, a 1-8 record over the next nine games can feel like a swift kick to the groin. Start fast again, and this time finish, Mississippi State. But if you don’t, at least your quarterback room is fun with Kamario Taylor, AJ Swann and Jaden Rashada all in Starkville. If he’s healthy, I expect Taylor to start but, goodness me, it’s going to be a gauntlet run akin to the one run by Francis Lanyon in 1760 on the HMS Royal George. The Bulldogs face Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma and Texas consecutively over five weeks. Win total odds: Over 4.5 (-120), Under 4.5 (+100)Odds to win SEC: +25000 (16th) 2025 Record: 10-3 Before Clark Lea arrived in Nashville, the Commodores couldn’t threaten the SEC any more than an ant threatens a boot heel. Since Clark? By God, they’re winning 10 games a season. They fielded a Heisman Trophy finalist. They’re flipping five-star quarterback recruits from Georgia. This is me giving Vandy its flowers — a gift also appropriate for funerals, with apologies and on 20th century first dates. Now, with true freshman quarterback Jared Curtis likely to take the conductor’s seat — but three of the four best receivers from 2025 are gone — let’s find out just how much more coal Lea can shove in the furnace. He can start by continuing to run the ball — a lot. Returning tailbacks Makhilyn Young and Sedrick Alexander averaged 6.5 yards per carry as a tandem last season. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-130), Under 5.5 (+110)Odds to win SEC: +10000 (13th) 2025 Record: 9-5 Spencer Danielson followed up a trip to the playoff with a nine-win season and a second-straight conference title, improving his record as a head coach to 24-8. While I believe North Dakota State will be formidable in the Mountain West, the Broncos are the defending champs and should be regarded as such. However, they’re playing Pac-12 football now. Defensive back JeRico Washington landed in Boise after putting himself on my radar with an outstanding sophomore season on a Kennesaw State team that won the Conference USA title. It’s not the 13 pass breakups that awed me so much as the 3.5 tackles for loss, in addition to holding opposing quarterbacks to a QBR under 40. He enters as one of the conference’s best corners. Offensively, the running back firm of Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley put up more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage, and star quarterback Maddux Madsen is back. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-154), Under 7.5 (+125)Odds to win Pac-12: +164 (first) 2025 Record: 4-8 Last season was Wisconsin’s worst in 35 years. Luke Fickell has to wear that. And after getting the dreaded “vote of confidence” from the administration, he’s got to put the Badgers back in the race to become one of the top-four teams in the Big Ten. Former Old Dominion quarterback Colton Joseph should help him get there. Joseph threw for 2,600 and rushed for 1,100 last season with 34 touchdowns. I genuinely love that they picked up Division III star pass rusher Liam Danitz, who had 21 tackles for loss and 15 sacks at the lower level. Go bowling, Badgers. Life’s better when you do. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-105), Under 6.5 (-115)Odds to win Big Ten: +13500 (ninth) 2025 Record: 4-8 Tell a South Carolina fan that Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks ain’t beat nobody with a ranking on the scorebug since November 30, 2024. Tell them that they ain’t beat nobody at all since September 27, 2025. Then watch them drop back in a prevent defense called “LaNorris Sellers Is Coming.” Look, NFL Draft types love Sellers. They love his height, his speed, his arm talent. I don’t love that he followed up a 9-4 Gamecocks season with a 4-8 one. I don’t love that he has never thrown for more than 2,600 yards in a season. Kendal Briles is the fourth offensive coordinator the Gamecocks have had in five years. Given what he achieved with Josh Hoover at TCU, I can see an arc for Sellers forming that might yet make me a buyer. Wideout Nyck Harbor will be great if he develops the potential we’ve known he’s had since high school. Nitro Tuggle — another great football name! — will offer a great second option if the passing game spins up. Add to this a tremendous Year 3 for edge rusher Dylan Stewart — who has amassed 11 sacks and six forced-fumbles over the previous two years — and the 2026 Gamecocks might actually slice the SEC with a sharp gaff. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+110), Under 6.5 (-130)Odds to win SEC: +5000 (12th) 2025 Record: 9-4 Bet on Jason Eck to win. Entering just his second year at one of the toughest jobs in FBS, he and his Lobos are coming off a 9-4 record, and he’s No. 1 on my list of sitting head coaches who will make a move to a moneyed Power Four program in the next hiring cycle if he puts together another nine-win-plus season. Ex-UNLV receiver Troy Omeire gives Eck a player who averaged 16.6 yards per catch last year. Running back Kiefer Sibley gives him a former North Texas star who averaged 6.1 yards per carry last year, and son Jaxton Eck returns after notching 128 tackles, including 7.5 for a loss last year. And the family Eck brought in should help like the Avengers at the Battle of Wakanda. Leave it to Eck to dig deep into what one coach described to me as the soul-crushing, gravity-defying inferno of the transfer portal to pull out a player with a latent mutant gene in safety Will Hicks. The former Hampton star notched 72 total tackles, six tackles for loss, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a pick last season. The Lobos have the measure of the Mountain West after racking up six-straight regular season wins to finish tied atop the standings in 2025. Mark New Mexico down as a program that will enjoy a third-straight winning season after putting together just two in the previous 17 years. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+140), Under 8.5 (-180)Odds to win Mountain West: +265 (second) 2025 Record: 10-4 The only 10-win team in the Mountain West last year was pillaged in the transfer portal. Fortunately, coach Dan Mullen has already demonstrated how he can find distressed assets in the portal and turn out a winner at UNLV. And because he has, the Rebels have put together more nine-win seasons (three) in the past three years than in the previous 45 (two). So much of UNLV’s success depends on former Oklahoma and Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold putting together a second half of his career that looks like Kyler Murray’s after transferring from Texas A&M to Oklahoma. The return of running back Jai’Den Thomas will help with that. He racked up 1,273 scrimmage yards in 2025. Defensively, former Holy Cross linebacker Cam Santee might just be UNLV’s tackles king after collecting 110 tackles, 14 for loss and five forced fumbles last year. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-174), Under 7.5 (+134)Odds to win Mountain West: +260 (first) 2025 Record: 9-4 If you predicted coach Jake Dickert would go 9-4 in 2025 at one of the toughest jobs in all of football, I need you to throw your tarot now and make sure it says something nice about yourself. Jiminy Christmas! The Demon friggin’ Deacons put together their best recruiting class since 2015 and added former North Carolina and South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez to the roster. Lopez also gets to play for offensive coordinator Rob Ezell, who got the most out of him at South Alabama. And that might just mean the Deacons can be one of the most surprising teams in the sport again in 2026. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-136), Under 5.5 (+115)Odds to win ACC: +7600 (13th) 2025 Record: 9-5 Holy smokes! The Blue Devils are the defending ACC champions, and no one — not me, especially — is picking them to repeat that feat. Why? Well, quarterback Darian Mensah is gone. So is receiver Cooper Barkate. And Duke only made the ACC title game on a bizarre tiebreaker. Its record was so bad, even with an ACC title, it didn’t receive an invitation to the College Football Playoff — and no one really thought it should. Now, coach Manny Diaz and company have to prove last year was not happenstance but instead a legit breakthrough season at a football program that has been dormant for years. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (-130), Under 5.5 (+110)Odds to win ACC: +6800 (12th) 2025 Record: 8-5 I really dig continuity, and coach Dave Doeren keeping offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot for the second year running gives the Wolfpack a great foundation. This’ll help them continue doing just what NC State does in the Doeren era: Guarantee eight wins, something the Pack has accomplished seven of the last nine years. Quarterback CJ Bailey will have to take a major step forward with an assortment of new pieces around him, though, for Doeren’s program to maintain its consistency in winning. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+120), Under 7.5 (-140)Odds to win ACC: +2000 (seventh) 2025 Record: 8-5 Pat Narduzzi will enter his first season in Pittsburgh without Randy Bates as defensive coordinator since 2018. Those shoes are left to former safeties coach and eight-year Pitt assistant Cory Sanders to fill. Both Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and Cleveland Browns safety Donovan McMillon are Sanders products, so I expect the defense to be sound. Offensive coordinator Kade Bell returns with Mason Heintschel as his signal-caller, giving the Panthers a chance to make more noise in the ACC and push for a bid to the College Football Playoff. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-146), Under 7.5 (+125)Odds to win ACC: +1900 (sixth) 2025 Record: 11-3 Tony Elliott just put together the best season Virginia has enjoyed in nearly 40 years, and now the pressure is mounting for him to prove that 2025 was no fluke. The additions of former Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula and Pitt quarterback Eli Holstein will be a big part of that. Between the two of them, he should have a starter who is talented enough to do what Chandler Morris did for the Cavaliers last season. Add to that three starters on the offensive line with 14 starts each last year, and moving the ball should not be a problem. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-150), Under 7.5 (+125)Odds to win ACC: +1800 (fifth) 2025 Record: 7-6 New Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has figured out Indiana, the defending national champs (who feature the 2025 Broyles Award winner and defensive coordinator Bryant Haines) before. Kelly coordinated Ohio State’s offense in a win over the Hoosiers in 2024. But Kelly had Will Howard in 2024, and Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles ain’t him. Chiles hasn’t enjoyed a 300-yard passing performance since September 7, 2024, or led a team to a win since September 13, 2025 — and that was against Youngstown State. But maybe Wildcats coach David Braun rubs off on him. Braun has gone 19-19 as head coach at Northwestern. A .500 record will do just fine in 2026 there too. Whether Kelly has some magic left in him after a disastrous stint with the Las Vegas Raiders is another question. Win total odds: Over 5.5 (+110), Under 5.5 (-130)Odds to win Big Ten: +50000 (14th) 2025 Record: 7-6 I watched coach Tosh Lupoi recruit for his 2026 Cal roster while performing media day duties for Oregon in the semifinal of the College Football Playoff last season. Perhaps he was working the phones so hard because Cal is home for him. As a former Cal defensive lineman, he’d like nothing more than for the Golden Bears to be back on top. He left no stone unturned. In his first season as head coach, Lupoi managed to re-recruit quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele back to Berkeley. Sagapolutele became just the second true freshman starter in school history — the other is Jared Goff — and put together an outstanding season with more than 3,500 pass yards, 18 touchdowns and just nine interceptions in 2025. The Golden Bears still feel very much like a strange fit in the ACC, but a passer with an upside that could figure into the first round of the 2028 NFL Draft might have them looking right at home by the end of the 2026 season. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+125), Under 6.5 (-150)Odds to win ACC: +4000 (10th) 2025 Record: 9-4 Look, I’ve been trying to tell y’all that Micah Alejado can spin it since he left Bishop Gorman. But since there’s not much respect floating around for us short kings, maybe verticalist worshipers will respect that he threw for 3,106 yards and 24 touchdowns on one friggin’ leg last year. Yes, he’s 5-foot-8 on a good day. But I guaran-damn-tee you Auburn, Florida and Penn State would’ve loved to have him in 2025. Expect him to take another leap and supplant himself as one of the finest quarterbacks in the sport, even if you have to stay up way past your bedtime to watch him play. This was a nine-win team in 2025. I don’t see why it can’t be again in 2026. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+120), Under 7.5 (-150)Odds to win Mountain West: +480 (fourth) 2025 Record: 9-4 Entering his fourth year as a starter, quarterback Noah Fifita is getting every chance to take Brent Brennan’s Wildcats to places they’ve never traveled: the Big 12 championship game and the CFP. With a mostly veteran defense returning to help him, I’d like to think he sees more time with the ball in his hands, commits fewer turnovers and ends his career with more than 12,000 passing yards and 100 touchdowns. No one in college football has thrown more passing touchdowns (73) than Fifita has since he entered the sport. Arizona finished 9-4 last year, but two of those losses came in back-to-back weeks to 11-win BYU in overtime and 10-win Houston on a game-winning field goal on the road. That’s how close Arizona was to being a 10-3 or 11-2 program in 2025. I think the Wildcats could be great in 2026, but only if the defense is as disruptive this season as last. Arizona led the FBS in takeaways with 31 last year. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+105), Under 7.5 (-125)Odds to win Big 12: +1900 (sixth) 2025 Record: 5-7 Last year, Alex Golesh coached South Florida to its best season since 2017, in large part because quarterback Byrum Brown became one of two players to pass for at least 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards. The other was 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. But Daniels won his Heisman as a quarterback in the SEC. The question for Brown is, can he be as prolific when it just means more? Can Golesh turn an Auburn program into a version of who Ole Miss was in the Lane Kiffin era? We’ll have an answer to both questions soon enough, and I hope Tigers fans like them. Away games at Tennessee, Georgia and Ole Miss might make 6-6 feel like a true winning season for Golesh and company in Year 1. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-115), Under 6.5 (-105)Odds to win SEC: +4000 (11th) 2025 Record: 7-6 Has coach Matt Rhule reached the ceiling for what he can do at Nebraska? Despite achieving AP Top 25 rankings and winning at least seven games each of the last two seasons, Rhule’s Nebraska has been unable to defeat class opponents. The Huskers have lost 29 consecutive games to AP-ranked top-25 teams, and Illinois could very well be ranked when the two play. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+115), Under 6.5 (-136)Odds to win Big Ten: +14500 (11th) 2025 Record: 3-9 James Franklin might be quoting LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” — “Don’t call it a comeback. I been here for years, I’m rocking peers, putting suckas in fear” — when the 2026 season is done. But for now, he’s trying to turn the Hokies into a team that can rock the ACC with former Penn Stater Ethan Grunkemeyer at quarterback, former Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry at defensive coordinator and picking off 11 former Penn State commits. The schedule is manageable with just one preseason top 25 program (at SMU) to face. It’s there for the Hokies to make us all remember how tough it used to be to go into Blacksburg and come out with a win. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-170), Under 6.5 (+140)Odds to win ACC: +2800 (eighth) 2025 Record: 3-9 Can Bob Chesney perform at a Big Ten program like he did at James Madison? Indiana coach Curt Cignetti did. Cignetti came from the Dukes to a bad Big Ten team and immediately turned that program into a College Football Playoff contender. With Chesney having just led James Madison to the CFP, it’s not unthinkable for him to lead the Bruins to their first CFP appearance. But the Big Ten isn’t the Sun Belt. And UCLA has a task on its hands October 10 when it faces Oregon. But this game could be the first of three that could lead UCLA into the conversation for an invitation to the 12-team playoff in earnest. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+110), Under 6.5 (-132)Odds to win Big Ten: +17000 (12th) 2025 Record: 1-11 If you’re looking for a team that could flip its fortunes with one coaching move and a devastating eye for portal talent, then Oklahoma State is your team. After a breakthrough year as head coach of North Texas, Eric Morris picked up his 12-win team and moved it to Stillwater. That means Oklahoma State, a 1-11 program in 2025, now possesses a 4,300-yard passer in Drew Mestemaker, a 1,400-yard rusher in Caleb Hawkins and a 1,200-yard receiver in Wyatt Young. But that’s not it. Morris got busy in the portal with the addition of former Tarleton State tailback Tre Page III, who rushed for 839 yards on just 112 carries, as well as former Akron wideout Israel Polk, who caught 33 passes for 525 yards with eight touchdowns last season. If the Cowboys manage to pull an early season upset against Oregon or beat in-state rival Tulsa, you’ll see them skyrocket into everyone’s top-25 rankings — not just mine. Oklahoma State is the most improved team in college football through the offseason. Now, the Pokes have to realize that potential. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+120), Under 6.5 (-140)Odds to win Big 12: +2900 (eighth) 2025 Record: 9-4 Former Michigan State quarterback Katin Houser makes his return to the Big Ten after putting together an outstanding 2025, following a 2024 season where he played through a wrist injury for most of the year at East Carolina. But last season, Houser threw for 3,300 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. But can he do that against a schedule that features games at Ohio State, Oregon and at Iowa? I won’t hold my breath. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+134), Under 7.5 (-160)Odds to win Big Ten: +14000 (10th) 2025 Record: 9-4 Kirk Ferentz cares about throwing the ball about as much as a thunderclap cares to be quiet. So whether the starting quarterback is Jeremy Hecklinski or Hank Brown isn’t as important as Phil Parker returning to call a Hawkeyes defense that has consistently been one of the best in the sport. And they’ll need it. Ferentz and the Hawkeyes play at Ohio State, Michigan and at Washington before they reach their first bye week. Iowa was essentially four plays from a 12-0 season, and the CFP selection committee tried to will that record into existence with its ranking of the Hawkeyes last year. Now, I’m asking Ferentz to not make the CFP put its thumb on the scale. Running back Kamari Moulton will help with that. He’s averaged 5.3 yards per carry over the past two seasons. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-140), Under 7.5 (+120)Odds to win Big Ten: +5000 (eighth) 2025 Record: 9-4 With offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner off to Florida, and Haynes King taking on the NFL, Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key has had to nail his offseason replacements. Namely, new offensive leader George Godsey and quarterback Alberto Mendoza. I think Mendoza isn’t nearly as good as his older brother — former Indiana quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, who led Indiana to its first national championship and a 16-0 record. I think this because Curt Cignetti let him go, and that is as much of a red flag as a woman asking me out while wearing a wedding ring. Yes, Alberto was a backup passer on that Hoosier national title team, and Georgia Tech will be keen to find out just how much like his Heisman Trophy-winning older brother he can be. But, again, I don’t think these two are the same, and neither should Yellow Jacket fans, especially after the loud, indelible mark left on the program by King. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (+105), Under 6.5 (-125)Odds to win ACC: +3500 (ninth) 2025 Record: 7-6 Chad Morris is back as offensive coordinator. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen is staying, and quarterback Christopher Vizzina looks the part. But Dabo Swinney is up against the wall. Realize that Clemson had more 2026 NFL Draft picks (nine) than wins in 2025 (seven) and then know that Swinney is coaching for more than staying in the top 25 this season, which is why I think Clemson will turn it around. It’s time Clemson remembered it has seven College Football Playoff appearances in 11 years. Ordinarily, I’d rank Clemson inside the top 25. But what have Swinney and company done to earn that this offseason other than moan about losing Luke Ferrelli to Ole Miss? Nah. This season, the Tigers are gonna have to earn their way into the top 25 because they’ve demonstrated over the last two seasons they’ve been Lil Ol’ Clemson. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-140), Under 7.5 (+120)Odds to win ACC: +1400 (fourth) 2025 Record: 9-4 Lincoln Kienholz is a more talented athlete than any quarterback Jeff Brohm has coached in the previous five years. However, replacing Miller Moss’ ability to orchestrate the offense with precision — or even Tyler Shough’s before Moss’ — will take tremendous growth for a player who sat on the bench at Ohio State for most of his career and didn’t flash much when he did see the field. Defensive lineman Clev Lubin is a star with 18 sacks in just 23 games, ranking sixth among all FBS players. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+124), Under 8.5 (-158)Odds to win ACC: +850 (third) 2025 Record: 12-1 (FCS) In its first year in the conference, North Dakota State might be the Mountain West’s best chance to produce a CFP team. It’s not just that quarterback Cole Payton and wide receiver Bryce Lance — Trey Lance’s younger brother — return to the Fargodome, but the Bison also are one of the great dynastic programs of the 21st century. They joined the FCS just 22 years ago and left with 15 national championships. When I spoke with NDSU coach Tim Polasek in February after the school announced its transition from the FCS to the FBS, there was little doubt in his mind that the Bison’s pedigree is good enough to contend for one of the 12 playoff spots, assuming they’re eligible for postseason play. Consider this: North Dakota State has gone 26-3 over the last three seasons. That’s as many losses as Curt Cignetti’s Indiana teams have had during their 38-3 run over the same span. The Bison have won just as many national titles and twice as many conference titles. This was a 12-1 team in 2025. The Bison came to the FBS to win. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-170), Under 8.5 (+134)Odds to win Mountain West: +300 (third) 2025 Record: 8-5 Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has built a program capable of staying competitive and successful in the tumultuous NIL era. But this season, he has a career backup in George MacIntyre competing with five-star phenom Faizon Brandon for the starting quarterback job. Getting this decision right could be the difference between a College Football Playoff berth and a second straight loss to — gasp — Vanderbilt. The Vols have a tough schedule, but they also get Alabama, Texas and LSU at home this season. Keep an eye on running back DeSean Bishop, who I think could be another Dylan Sampson. Bishop rushed for 1,076 yards and 16 touchdowns on 182 carries last season and should be a valuable weapon for whoever wins the starting quarterback job in 2026. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-125), Under 7.5 (-105)Odds to win SEC: +2000 (eighth) 2025 Record: 11-2 Utah was preparing to make Morgan Scalley their head coach in everything but name by 2026 anyway. Kyle Whittingham’s move to Michigan simply forced the timeline up. The team’s defense will once again be fierce. What remains to be seen is how good quarterback Devon Dampier can be without offensive coordinator Jason Beck calling plays and Kevin McGiven helping direct the offense. Dampier has totaled 33 rushing touchdowns in 33 career games. With Dampier returning and 900-plus-yard tailback Wayshawn Parker next to him, I don’t see why Scalley’s Utah squad can’t challenge for the Big 12 title again in 2026. Scalley is just the fourth head coach at Utah since 1990 and the second-straight hire made from the previous year’s coaching staff. And that’s for good reason: It ain’t broke, so they don’t fix it. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-150), Under 8.5 (+125)Odds to win Big 12: +650 (third) 2025 Record: 9-4 SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has his issues, but he’s good enough for the Mustangs to remain in this top 25 all season. Jennings led the ACC in interceptions last season (13) but also put together another season of at least 3,200 passing yards and 23 passing touchdowns. However, losing 90% of the pass rush from what was a bad defense in 2025 is coach Rhett Lashlee’s real problem to solve in 2026. The Mustangs have gone 22-2 over the last three years in the ACC, and now, they’ve added former five-star wide receiver Jordyn Adams, who is 26 years old and a former first-round MLB Draft pick. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-136), Under 8.5 (+115)Odds to win ACC: +650 (second) 2025 Record: 9-4 Quarterback Jaden Craig came to Fort Worth after putting together a 19-5 record as a starter and setting school records for total offense (6,074 yards) and touchdowns (52). The only issue is Craig set those marks at Harvard in the Ivy League. Proving to be as productive in a Power Four league, in the Big 12, will be the toughest challenge he’s faced as a player. But coach Sonny Dykes has won 36 games over four years, made the Big 12 title game and reached the CFP national title game during that timeframe. I’m willing to bet he figures the 2026 Horned Frogs out. Who knows? Maybe they’ll obliterate Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels again just to make the point clear: Being Texas Christian doesn’t make it sweet. And reading their Bible don’t make it soft — it’s from the stockyards in Texas. Those men came to win. I know that’s true because the Horned Frogs have posted back-to-back nine-win seasons and feel that both were letdowns. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+150), Under 7.5 (-125)Odds to win Big 12: +3000 (ninth) 2025 Record: 9-4 In 2025, I compared Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr. to Kyler Murray, and he still looks every bit the dynamo. If the Huskies can develop a wide receiver as productive as Denzel Boston was one year ago, they can win double-digit games in the toughest league in the country. This also is Year 3 of the Jedd Fisch experience in Seattle, and, if his Arizona tenure taught us anything, it’s that this is the year his teams tend to break through. Linebacker Jacob Manu is the best player on the Huskies’ defense. He has notched 241 tackles in 37 games, which ranks first among Big Ten defenders returning this season. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-170), Under 7.5 (+140)Odds to win Big Ten: +2400 (seventh) 2025 Record: 4-8 Florida coach Jon Sumrall might have pulled off his best recruiting win by convincing prized running back Jadan Baugh to stay another year. Having a tailback who accounted for 1,380 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns on a 3-9 team is impressive enough. Sumrall has reached a conference championship game in every season of his head-coaching career. I’m betting on Sumrall’s record as a head coach and Baugh’s ability to carry the offense here. But I’m also betting on former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner — who has the most SEC name of any coach in the country — and his ability to make his offense work with transfer quarterback Aaron Philo and budding wideouts Dallas Wilson, Eric Singleton and Vernell Brown III. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (+130), Under 7.5 (-156)Odds to win SEC: +2500 (ninth) 2025 Record: 10-3 Forget Willie Fritz’s 14-11 record through his first two years in Houston. You live long enough and you cover this sport long enough, and you’ll come to realize Fritz is one of the 10 best living coaches in college football. His résumé includes two junior college national titles, two FCS national title game appearances, leading Georgia Southern to a 9-3 record in its first-ever season of FBS play, two American Conference Coach of the Year awards and all the piss-and-vinegar that comes from playing football in “The Jungle” at Pittsburg State. (If you know, you know.) If Houston offensive coordinator Slade Nagle — football name! — and former five-star quarterback Conner Weigman can take the leap, look for the Cougars to be a force in Fritz’s Year 3 in H-town. He’s also got one of the nation’s most prolific tailbacks in his backfield in Makhi Hughes. Despite redshirting last season at Oregon, Hughes is the second-leading returning career rusher in the sport with 2,849 yards in 32 games. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+130), Under 8.5 (-156)Odds to win Big 12: +1600 (fifth) 2025 Record: 8-5 Eli Drinkwitz’s team returns the best tailback in the sport in Ahmad Hardy and one of the nation’s most intriguing transfer quarterbacks in former Ole Miss signal-caller Austin Simmons. Simmons beat out Trinidad Chambliss during the 2025 camp competition before an early season injury made way for Chambliss to take over. That alone is enough reason to believe Simmons could emerge as one of the nation’s top signal-callers in 2026. Add in Hardy’s 1,649 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns from last season, and the Tigers have the makings of one of the SEC’s most dangerous offenses. The one concern is Hardy’s availability. He sustained a gunshot wound that could delay the start of his season, leaving Jamal Roberts to shoulder much of the workload early. Win total odds: Over 6.5 (-120), Under 6.5 (+100)Odds to win SEC: +3200 (10th) 2025 Record: 7-6 Matt Campbell brought the best of Iowa State with him to Happy Valley, building his reputation on doing more with less while turning the Cyclones into a Big 12 contender. At Penn State, he’ll get his first opportunity to do more with more. The result should be a drastic turnaround from the Nittany Lions’ disastrous 2025 season. Campbell also has the luxury of avoiding Ohio State, Indiana and Oregon in his first season. Iowa State transfer quarterback Rocco Becht is the second-leading returning passer in the sport with 9,274 yards in 42 career games, and that experience should help ease Penn State’s transition into Matt Campbell’s first season with the Nittany Lions. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-166), Under 8.5 (+130)Odds to win Big Ten: +2100 (sixth) 2025 Record: 12-2 I didn’t expect quarterback Bear Bachmeier to have a breakout season as a true freshman, nor did I expect BYU to lose to just one team — twice — in 2025. But after a 12-2 season and some recent turbulence for reigning Big 12 reigning champion Texas Tech, Kalani Sitake’s Cougars are now a solid bet to win the Big 12 title and earn a trip to the College Football Playoff. The Cougars face Utah and TCU on the road and host Notre Dame this season. If those games are close in the fourth quarter, BYU should like its chances. The Cougars trailed by double digits in seven games last year and came back to win five of them. I expect this team will know how to finish, too. The Big 12 conference featured just two 3,000-yard passers last year, and Bachmeier was one of them. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-150), Under 8.5 (+125)Odds to win Big 12: +550 (second) 2025 Record: 9-4 Kyle Whittingham has everything he needs to reach the CFP for the first time in his career at a program that has made it three times in the last five years and won a national title just two years ago. If offensive coordinator Jason Beck can develop quarterback Bryce Underwood into the player his talent suggests, Michigan should remain one of the Big Ten’s elite teams. That’s the good news. Now the bad. First, the man who brought the former Utah coach to Ann Arbor, Warde Manuel, is (in)voluntarily stepping down on December 31, leaving behind a scandalous tenure. Looking to the field, Whittingham has already messed up the messaging of just how much the Wolverines’ rivalry with Ohio State means and should mean for its head coach and team. And then, Michigan’s schedule does it no favors. Not only do the Wolverines face a top-15 Oklahoma team in Week 2, but they also take on five Big Ten teams ranked inside the top 25 — including Indiana, Oregon and Ohio State. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+140), Under 8.5 (-180)Odds to win Big Ten: +1600 (fifth) 2025 Record: 12-2 Well, quarterback Brendan Sorsby certainly complicated the math on Texas Tech. Following his admission that he gambled on his own team while at Indiana, the legal wrangling that followed and his decision to forgo a fight for eligibility in 2026, the Red Raiders have been forced to move on. Backup Will Hammond is not expected to be ready for Week 1. That means Texas Tech could open its Big 12 title defense with its third-choice quarterback — perhaps former Tulsa signal-caller Kirk Francis. The good news for whoever starts under center is that the supporting cast remains loaded. Cam Dickey and Quinten Joyner give the Red Raiders one of the better backfields in the conference, while the defense should be as devastating this season as it was last season. Linebacker Ben Roberts is like a real Bobby Boucher tackling machine, recording 280 tackles in 40 career games, the most among returning FBS linebackers. Win total odds: Over 10.5 (-200), Under 10.5 (+160)Odds to win Big 12: -105 (first) 2025 Record: 11-4 Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer will start a third different quarterback in as many years, with either Keelon Russell or Austin Mack under center. Whoever wins the job will have to build a quick rapport with wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams, who has the tools to be the best wide receiver in the SEC with enough accurate service. And that connection will have to come fast. The Tide are also trying to avoid losing in Knoxville for a third straight time, while the Vols try to achieve that first since 2000. It’s easy to forget that Alabama was the home team in the SEC championship game against Georgia, and that the Tide became the first program to win a CFP game on the road. DeBoer’s job in 2026 is to create a memorable season rather than just a few memorable moments. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-120), Under 8.5 (+100)Odds to win SEC: +850 (third) 2025 Record: 13-2 Following Lane Kiffin’s departure, Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding answered questions about just how good he can be with the two biggest wins in school history — beating Tulane and Georgia to make the College Football Playoff semifinals — all while Kiffin raided the Ole Miss roster and staff. Star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss will return for a sixth season after putting together a Heisman-caliber year in 2025. Golding will have his first chance to prove he’s a better coach than Kiffin on September 19 when LSU shows up to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. It’s not overselling it to call LSU-Ole Miss the most highly anticipated SEC game of the season. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-166), Under 7.5 (+130)Odds to win SEC: +1100 (sixth) 2025 Record: 10-3 The Sooners barely had a run game last season but still managed to win 10 games and earn a home CFP game. If quarterback John Mateer improves his accuracy, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle becomes less predictable in his play-calling and head coach Brent Venables, again, fields one of the stingiest defenses in the sport, Oklahoma has a real path to the playoff. The Sooners also have a chance to make a statement early on, traveling to Ann Arbor on September 12 to face Michigan for a second straight year. And that’s just the start: Oklahoma plays Georgia, Missouri, Texas and Florida away from home. Win total odds: Over 7.5 (-156), Under 7.5 (+130)Odds to win SEC: +1150 (seventh) 2025 Record: 9-4 Yes, head coach Lincoln Riley is great. Yes, QB Jayden Maiava is good. But Gary Patterson is one of the best defensive play-callers the sport has ever seen, and he’s running the defense at USC in 2026. That alone is enough for me to believe the Trojans can make a real run at a CFP appearance. The more I think about this team, the more I believe the Trojans have the best offensive strategist (Riley) and defensive coordinator (Patterson) of any team in the country. That includes Indiana and Ohio State. In order to achieve the lofty expectations I’ve set for the Trojans, they’ll have to go through Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana — or, in other words, two of the last three national champions and two of the last three Big Ten champs. Sheesh. Fight On, or get moved on. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+115), Under 8.5 (-136)Odds to win Big Ten: +1500 (fourth) 2025 Record: 11-2 Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko seems to believe most coaches in his position are one bad season away from getting fired if they don’t reach the CFP. Well, with the Aggies, he might actually have a point. The good news is that the Aggies did just that in 2025 (losing to Miami), but they also crashed out against rival Texas with a chance to make the SEC title game. Eleven wins doesn’t mean much in College Station without one coming at the expense of the Longhorns. That reality has to change for Elko to feel secure at the end of the season. Offensive coordinator Holmon Wiggins and quarterback Marcel Reed must take a major leap if Texas A&M is going to chase its first conference title of any kind since 1998. Reed is one of just two returning SEC quarterbacks to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for at least 550. The other is Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Ampersand U better come ready. It faces LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma — all on the road. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (+100), Under 8.5 (-120)Odds to win SEC: +1000 (fifth) 2025 Record: 7-6 Hoo boy! If I told you 2026 LSU looks like 2025 Texas Tech with a little seasoning, you’d probably understand what I mean: The Bayou Bengals have decided money ain’t no problem. LSU made Lane Kiffin one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport and the highest-paid ever without a championship on his résumé. They also gave him the resources to bring in former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and Ole Miss defensive end Princewill Umanmielen. For a program that hasn’t won a national title since 2019, LSU fully looks built to change that. Win total odds: Over 8.5 (-115), Under 8.5 (-105)Odds to win SEC: +900 (fourth) 2025 Record: 13-3 Quarterback Darian Mensah broke his contract with Duke to join the Hurricanes after leading the ACC in passing yards (3,973) and passing touchdowns (34). And he did all that while guiding the Blue Devils to a wildly improbable ACC championship on the strength of a 7-5 regular season and the most preposterous tiebreaker protocol in college football history. Now, he must follow Cam Ward’s No. 1 overall selection after a 2024 season in Coral Gables and Carson Beck’s run to the national title game in 2025. Along with Mensah, running back Mark Fletcher and wideout Malachi Toney could give the Canes the best quarterback-running back-wide receiver trio not just in the ACC, but in the entire country. Win total odds: Over 10.5 (-110), Under 10.5 (-110)Odds to win ACC: -140 (first) 2025 Record: 10-2 Notre Dame’s schedule isn’t a joke this year, but that’s only because the punchline in 2024 was Northern Illinois walking out of South Bend with a victory and depositing $1.4 million for the effort. Coach Marcus Freeman’s Fighting Irish won’t face anything resembling a ranked opponent until October 17 against BYU, and they shouldn’t lose before then — if they lose at all. Miami is the toughest team on the schedule, and I don’t rate the Hurricanes higher than Notre Dame. But don’t let that stop you from believing Notre Dame will lose and then refuse to play in the postseason. Win total odds: Over 11.5 (+160), Under 10.5 (-190)(Notre Dame is independent and does not have conference odds.) 2025 Record: 10-3 Last season was coach Steve Sarkisian’s first at Texas without a 1,000-yard rusher. So he traded his running backs out. Former Arizona State running back Raleek Brown and former NC State running back Hollywood Smothers enter the fold, as well as former Auburn receiver Cam Coleman. They should help the most bankable player in the sport, Arch Manning, propel the Longhorns to what they hope will be their first national title appearance since 2009. Just last year, Texas began the regular season ranked No. 1 and lost it after falling to Ohio State in Week 1. The Longhorns later lost to a 4-8 Florida team, which essentially ruined their chances of making the College Football Playoff. Texas will get its shot at revenge against Ohio State, September 12 in Austin. It certainly will help that the Longhorns return edge rusher Colin Simmons, who has more career sacks (21) than any other player in the FBS. Win total odds: Over 9.5 (+120), Under 9.5 (-142)Odds to win SEC: +310 (second) 2025 Record: 13-2 The Ducks are dealing with new offensive and defensive coordinators in the same season for the first time since Dan Lanning took over as head coach, as they promoted Drew Mehringer and Chris Hampton from within. Still, Lanning returns quarterback Dante Moore, dynamite wideout Dakorien Moore — who long-jumped 24 feet, 6.5 inches (7.48 meters) at track and field’s Oregon Team Invitational just for giggles — and wide receiver Evan Stewart, who is back from injury. Provided Oregon runs the ball and plays defense the way it did a year ago — and it should — there’s no reason the Ducks can’t win the first national championship in program history. The schedule, however, is anything but a cakewalk. Oregon must travel to USC, Ohio State and Michigan while also navigating games against a rising Boise State, a refreshed Oklahoma State and a retooled UCLA. Returning cornerback Brandon Finney Jr. and transfer safety Koi Perich should form the backbone of one of the nation’s best secondaries. The Big Ten is Oregon’s for the taking if the Ducks’ new coordinators can coach like the last two. Win total odds: Over 10.5 (+100), Under 10.5 (-120)Odds to win Big Ten: +260 (third) 2025 Record: 12-2 The SEC still belongs to Georgia. The Bulldogs have lost just once at home since 2019, but they still haven’t won a CFP game after earning a first-round bye in the 12-team era. That’s why so much of this season centers on returning quarterback Gunner Stockton. If Georgia fans will be happy with Stockton becoming Stetston Bennett 2.0 — 34 total touchdowns and just five interceptions — then so be it. Georgia fans can be forgiven if, in the course of shuffling the aisles at Walmart or waiting on an open table at Waffle House, they’ve uttered aloud, “Just, what the hell, Kirby?!” to no one in particular. This is because they’ve seen their program win back-to-back SEC titles while also watching their former starting quarterback lead Miami to the national championship game and Indiana winning the whole thing. The expectation is to become the first program since Florida’s 1993-96 run to win three straight conference championships — and then bring another national title back to Athens. The defense should help. Safety KJ Bolden and cornerback Ellis Robinson IV look like future All-Americans. The question is whether enough pieces emerge around them in the secondary to give the Bulldogs another national championship-caliber defense. Win total odds: Over 9.5 (-180), Under 9.5 (+150)Odds to win SEC: +260 (first) 2025 Record: 12-2 Look, I’ve said it for two years, and I don’t mind repeating myself for a third: Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is the best player in college football. He should’ve had a chance to become the first two-time winner of the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s best receiver last season, but those voters had other ideas. Regardless, the good news for Ohio State is that replacing NFL talent becomes a lot easier when the sport’s most dominant player is lining up on your side. And if Buckeyes fans really are Viltrumite refugees temporarily stranded on Earth like in Robert Kirkman’s “Invicible,” then 2026 is the year they reclaim the throne. A win over Michigan. A Big Ten championship. A national championship. Ohio State hasn’t completed that triple crown since 2014, but the pieces are in place to make it happen. That doesn’t mean the road will be easy. The Buckeyes must replace 11 NFL Draft picks, including three first-round selections, while also breaking in a new offensive coordinator. Arthur Smith — who came from the Pittsburgh Steelers to be Ohio State’s newest offensive coordinator — has a track record of designing physical, effective rushing attacks in the NFL, and should be a welcome addition to a ground game that struggled against Power Four competition at times last season. Win total odds: Over 9.5 (-180), Under 9.5 (+150)Odds to win Big Ten: +180 (first) 2025 Record: 16-0 Lost in the shuffle of quarterbacks — a third new starter in as many years — and the rather exhausting list of talent and veteran leadership that departed Bloomington are a few important facts. 1. Curt Cignetti is still the head coach. 2. The best record in the sport over the last two seasons (27-2) belongs to Indiana. 3. The Hoosiers are the reigning national champions and the first team since 1894 to finish 16-0. In the college football universe, Indiana has become the Arrakian prophecy from “Dune” personified. As Paul Atreides once said, “I’m pointing the way.” He could have been talking about Cignetti. TCU transfer quarterback Josh Hoover is a big reason why Indiana remains as formidable in 2026 as it was during last year’s title run. The nation’s leading returning passer has thrown for 9,629 yards in just 36 career games. With Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh catching passes, the Hoosiers have the firepower to make another run at the top of the sport. Win total odds: Over 10.5 (+105), Under 10.5 (-125)Odds to win Big Ten: +255 (second)​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

DODGER STADIUM (Los Angeles) – If the Brewers were looking for a boost of playoff confidence after getting swept by the Dodgers in last year’s National League Championship Series, taking three out of four from the reigning champs at Dodger Stadium might have provided it. “I think it lets everybody in the clubhouse know that we can play with these guys,” said Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers, who reached base five times in Sunday’s finale. The Milwaukee offense blitzed scuffling Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz for a comeback win Thursday before World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto provided some October flashbacks on Friday in a Dodgers win. But the Brewers bounced back by holding the Dodgers’ slumbering bats at bay in the final two games. Jacob Misiorowski delivered a gem on Saturday and Logan Henderson out-dueled Dodgers deadline star addition Tarik Skubal on Sunday to take the season series, which could have postseason implications as both teams vie for a first-round bye. “I really wanted to win this game because it could matter,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Sunday. “But we didn’t. So now we’ve got to move forward, but I hope it doesn’t come back to bite us.” Here are four takeaways from the Brewers’ series win: Misiorowski considers last year’s postseason, during which he registered a 1.50 ERA and struck out nine batters in five innings of relief in his lone appearance of the NLCS against the Dodgers, “a real turning point” in his career. Misiorowski took the confidence he gained from that experience into an overpowering 2026 season that has been one of the most dominant ever from a starting pitcher. On Saturday, the NL Cy Young frontrunner returned to Dodger Stadium for the first time since last postseason and held the Dodgers to one run over six innings, bringing his MLB-best ERA down to 1.75. “I’ve never seen the first four pitches of a game, 104 [mph],” Roberts said. Misiorowski fired six straight fastballs to retire Shohei Ohtani to start the game. Ohtani got him back with an RBI triple in the third, the only run that he allowed. Two innings later, Misiorowski showed his maturity since his breakout rookie year. He is no longer just a hard thrower, as evidenced by his Houdini act in the fifth inning. With one out and the bases loaded, Misiorowski struck out both Ohtani and Freddie Freeman on sliders to escape. He told me it was the best his slider has ever felt and credited catcher William Contreras for making that adjustment. In three career appearances against the Dodgers, including last year’s playoffs, Misiorowski has a 1.59 ERA with 27 strikeouts and three walks. “He’s just matured tremendously,” Contreras said through an interpreter. “Last year, he was a little bit more focused on just throwing the ball hard. This year, he’s coming into the day with a game plan. He knows what he wants to do.” It’s the ninth inning during Dodgers home games when the home team is ahead, the lights flash and the sounds of trumpets fill the air as Díaz emerges from the home bullpen. It’s the exact scenario the Dodgers dreamed about when they gave Díaz $69 million this offseason …right up until he takes the ball. The three-time All-Star closer has been largely unrecognizable this year, particularly since returning from his three-month hiatus after undergoing an elbow procedure. He’s struggling to command his fastball, which opponents are hitting .379 against. His slider isn’t missing bats, either. Overall, Díaz is producing the highest walk rate and lowest strike rate of his career, leading to an ERA over 10.00 through 15 outings as a Dodger. Díaz had blown two of his last three save opportunities when he was called upon to preserve a two-run lead in the ninth inning in Thursday’s opener against the Brewers. A strikeout to start the ninth seemed auspicious. It was a red herring. Four straight singles followed, giving him his third blown save over his last four appearances. To this point, it has not cost him his role. “I know I’m struggling, so I want to do the best thing for our team,” Díaz said. “At the end of the day, if they give me the ball in the ninth, I will try to do my job. If they give me the ball in another inning, I’ll try to do my job.” Roberts, who said Díaz needs “a runway to find his way,” went back to his maligned closer on Friday. It was not pretty. Díaz loaded the bases on two walks and a hit-by-pitch, but a game-ending groundout preserved the save with no damage done.  In that respect, it marked progress. He believes he is trending in the right direction. Before that Friday outing, Díaz began to make some adjustments to his posture to try to get his momentum going straight to home plate. His pitching coaches also pointed out to him that his arm slot has dropped from last year. “Just try to lift it a little bit more,” Díaz told me. “I’m not that far away from where I was last year.” Asked after Thursday’s game if he might go another direction in the ninth, Roberts shot back emphatically. “Give me another option,” Roberts said. “I have to have other options. And to be quite honest, none of those guys really are throwing the baseball great.” While left-hander Tanner Scott would seem to be the most obvious choice, the Dodgers’ relief struggles go beyond their scuffling closer. Dating back to the start of July, their bullpen ranks in the bottom 10 in ERA. It’s probably not a coincidence that it’s also around the time that Ohtani stopped pitching while nursing his sore knee. The Dodgers haven’t been able to carry an extra pitcher the way they can when Ohtani is active on the mound (since two-way players don’t count against a team’s 13-pitcher roster limit). In addition, they’ve maintained their six-man rotation even after limiting Ohtani to one-way duties, which means operating with a seven-man bullpen. Los Angeles can survive that way when off days are built in, but it can be taxing in stretches like the one it’s in, where it has played 18 games over 19 days with few blowout wins or losses mixed in. That has meant pushing their top leverage arms more often than they would like, all while being without right-handers Blake Treinen, Brock Stewart and Will Klein in the ‘pen. Dodgers relievers surrendered four more runs (two earned) in Sunday’s loss, with the defense offering little help behind them. They’ll get a bit more coverage going forward, with lefty starter Justin Wrobleski going to the injured list and an eighth bullpen arm getting called up. “When you’re pitching in hot spots every night — it seems like every outing for our relievers has been a leverage situation — I think that makes it tougher,” Roberts said. “Margins are smaller. So, I think that we’ve got to find ways to kind of give them a little bit of margin, too.” That would require hitting, which the Dodgers have not done much of lately … The Dodgers are now 18-21 since the start of July. Their offense ranks in the bottom 10 in baseball in OPS over that stretch, and it hasn’t turned a corner in August. “I just don’t see the consistent plan of attack, one through nine,” Roberts said. “This has been four, five, six weeks of below-average production from our offense.” It hasn’t helped that outfielder Kyle Tucker, who’s making $60 million this year, remains a below-league-average hitter. His home-road splits are particularly confounding. He has looked mostly like himself on the road, where he has an .840 OPS. At Dodger Stadium, meanwhile, he has been one of the worst qualified hitters in baseball. Roberts said he can see the frustration building, enough so that Tucker was given Saturday’s game off against Misiorowski. “Just kind of reactions to at-bats, whether it’s the first at-bat of the game, and you’re really showing emotion – that’s a tell from a guy who doesn’t show a lot of emotion,” Roberts told me. “So, those things, as they build up for me that tells me that you need to watch a baseball game and kind of take some of that frustration, put it to the side.” On the Dodgers’ latest road trip, Tucker went 8-for-22 with two homers and a triple. Then he returned home and immediately regressed, going hitless in 19 at-bats this homestand. To make matters worse, he also dropped a fly ball against the wall in the eighth inning of Sunday’s loss, a blunder that was met by boos. The Dodgers’ offensive struggles extend further. Shortstop Mookie Betts has shown positive signs lately but remains a below-league-average hitter on the year. First baseman Freddie Freeman doesn’t have an extra-base hit in August, and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and second baseman Tommy Edman have both struggled this month. The Dodgers have also grounded into more double plays than any team in baseball, one example of their aging roster. They added two more of those to their docket on Sunday, including a particularly costly one when Ohtani stepped to the plate with runners on the corners representing the tying run in the eighth inning Sunday. They scored just 10 runs over the four-game series and are averaging 3.33 runs per game in August.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Has the NFL ever had this much talent at wide receiver? That was a question we asked ourselves as we ranked the 10 best wide receivers ahead of the 2026 NFL season. A total of 20 pass-catchers logged at least 1,000 receiving yards in 2025, and 13 more reached the 800-yard mark. The stellar play at the position made picking just 10 wide receivers tough. However, the debate at the top was a bit more straightforward, as only two wide receivers received first-place votes, and five of us had the same four wide receivers in the top four of our lists. Without further ado, here are our top 10 wide receivers entering the 2026 season. Greg Auman: Could a new $35 million-a-year contract help give London the national acclaim he’s missed in his first four NFL seasons? Despite playing his career with a collection of not-exactly-great quarterbacks, he’s averaged just under 1,000 yards per season with 22 total touchdowns. Atlanta has now locked up its young core of skill-position talent with lucrative deals for Bijan Robinson and Kyle Pitts, though an elite quarterback might still be on the checklist. Kevin Stefanski is London’s first really good offensive-minded coach, so it’s easy to envision him getting double-digit touchdowns for the first time in 2026. If Atlanta is to end its eight-year playoff drought, London must stay healthy and lead the way in their passing game. Brooks: The big-bodied pass catcher has quietly joined the conversation as a top-10 receiver. Collins’ dominance on the perimeter stems from his superior size and strength against overmatched defensive backs. As a 6-foot-4, 222-pounder, Collins expands the strike zone for C.J. Stroud, making it easier for the Texans to produce big plays in the passing game despite an inconsistent flow from the unit. With three straight 1,000-yard seasons and a pair of Pro Bowl berths, Collins has earned the respect of his peers with a workmanlike game that has been impossible to contain. Henry McKenna: Brown’s numbers weren’t quite what you’d expect from an elite receiver in 2025. But at the same time, he was … fine. In fact, it says something about Brown that everyone thought the sky was falling in a season when he posted 78 catches, 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in a season when he played 15 games. Bottom line: Brown is a physically dominant receiver, as adept at using top speed and agility as he is at using his strength. Drake Maye just got paired up with the best receiver he’s played with in his life. And it’s likely that in Josh McDaniels’ offense, Brown will once again see his production explode. Eric D. Williams: Pickens appears on track for another elite season after putting together a career year last season (93 receptions for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns). Even though Pickens had to settle for signing his franchise tender, where he’ll make $27.3 million on a one-year deal for 2026, the vibes are still good around Cowboys camp for the Georgia product. Pickens likely remains in good spirits because salaries for his position continue to skyrocket, which means if he has another productive season, he’ll likely secure the long-term contract he wants at the end of the year. Auman: Is Lamb even the best receiver on his own team? He missed three games last year, but Lamb had three touchdown catches and Pickens had nine, with more yards and catches per game. That aside, Lamb has been one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL — five straight 1,000-yard seasons, five straight Pro Bowls. Can he get back to his 2023 first-team All-Pro peak, with 12 touchdowns? If Dallas’ defense improves as expected, that means the Cowboys are behind less and should throw less, but Lamb is still a central part of their push to get back to the success of three straight 12-5 seasons from 2021-23. Having a presence in the playoffs again would be a great way to elevate Lamb’s profile. Brooks: As a hyper-competitive pass catcher featured in a dynamic offensive scheme, the three-time All-Pro is a headache for defensive coordinators around the league. St. Brown’s energy and relentless effort, combined with a polished overall game, make it nearly impossible to limit his touches or reduce his impact as a playmaker. As the Lions’ No.1 offensive weapon, he forces defensive playcallers to make tough decisions when crafting a game plan against a unit that also features Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams on the perimeter. Given the amount of one-on-one coverage he faces weekly, it is no surprise to see him punish opponents with a game-changing play. McKenna: If not for the quarterback shortcomings in 2025, we’d still consider Jefferson among the best 10 players in the NFL. It’s just that J.J. McCarthy’s struggles led to a series of systemic issues for Minnesota, dragging Jefferson down. And because he’s a team player (on and off the field), he barely let out a peep of frustration. But it’s clear to see that one of Jefferson’s prime years of production failed to materialize — and not because of him. No matter how you feel about Kyler Murray, you can plainly see that he’s an upgrade from McCarthy. In coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense, Murray should be able to feed Jefferson in the ways the WR deserves. With all the talent that Jefferson has, he could jump back to No. 1 on this list for 2026. Williams: It’s impressive how Nacua skyrocketed from an unheralded fifth-round selection three years ago to one of the best receivers in the league. The BYU product finished second in receiving yards (1,715) and tied for sixth in receiving touchdowns (10) in 2025. Since he entered the league in 2023, only J’Marr Chase has more than Nacua’s 4,191 receiving yards. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Nacua needs to keep the off-the-field issues to a minimum, stay healthy and put up productive numbers. Brooks: The 2025 Offensive Player of the Year has quietly snatched the NFL’s WR1 crown in some circles. The ultra-polished pass catcher punished opponents from out wide a season ago, after touching defensive backfields from the slot in 2024. Given his versatility as a playmaker, precision as a route runner, and the Seahawks’ creative play designs, Smith-Njigba’s reign as the top pass catcher could extend into 2026 and beyond. Auman: Chase, still just 26, is only one year removed from an NFL receiving triple crown, leading the league in catches (127), receiving yards (1,708) and touchdown catches (17) in 2024. He had 10 more targets last year and still dropped off in every category, with nine fewer touchdowns. But a healthy Joe Burrow means a dangerous Chase, so that might be all it takes to return to his dominant best. Can Cincinnati’s defense stop being awful and let them get back in the playoffs? If Chase can get 12 touchdown catches this year — a fairly viable challenge — he’ll have 66 for his career, and the only players in NFL history with more in their first six seasons are Jerry Rice and Randy Moss.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The first full weekend of NFL preseason action provided a pair of standout rookie quarterback performances while a pair of defensive linemen are making noise off the field. Los Angeles Rams rookie Ty Simpson and New York Jets rookie Cade Klubnik posted efficient outings, and the Cleveland Browns continued their quarterback rotation. Veteran pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence announced his upcoming retirement over the weekend, and Sean McVay provided an update on Aaron Donald, who worked out with the Rams for the second time this month. Here’s what you should know about what happened in the NFL this weekend. Rookie quarterbacks Ty Simpson and Cade Klubnik delivered strong initial performances during preseason games this weekend. Simpson completed 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns in a Los Angeles Rams victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. “I definitely felt more comfortable than I ever had coming into a game,” Simpson said. It’s certainly a promising showing for Simpson, whom the Rams surprisingly took with the 13th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, as he’s competing with Stetson Bennett for the backup role behind Matthew Stafford. Rams head coach Sean McVay liked what he saw out of his rookie quarterback. “I thought he took what the defense gave him,” McVay told reporters following Saturday’s game. “I thought he read the plays out, read with his feet. I thought he did a really good job overall. “I thought he kept the ball in play. That’s the biggest thing: Keeping the ball in play.” New York Jets rookie quarterback Cade Klubnik made a surprise start in Friday’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after starter Geno Smith was held out due to a sore ankle. Klubnik delivered, though. He led the Jets to scoring drives on both of his possessions, finishing 5 of 7 for 56 yards before handing over quarterback duties. “I was definitely excited,” Klubnik told reporters. “I knew Geno was only going to play maybe eight to 10 plays and I was ready to go in early after that. “So in my mind, I just got to go in eight to 10 plays earlier.” Smith is expected to be the Jets’ starting quarterback for much of the season. However, if Klubnik, who the team took in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, continues to perform like he did on Friday, it’s reasonable to think that he could make a push to start games at some point this season. In fact, our Ralph Vacchiano floated the idea that Klubnik could start games for the Jets this season after the first week of training camp. Deshaun Watson outshined Shedeur Sanders in the Cleveland Browns’ preseason loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday. Watson, who got the start, completed 11 of 15 passes for 126 yards with zero touchdowns or turnovers. Sanders, on the other hand, completed 6 of 11 passes for 79 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception. However, Browns head coach Todd Monken offered a measured perspective after the team’s quarterback competition moved into live action on Saturday. “I do believe the season is a marathon,” Monken said to reporters. “That marathon starts in Jacksonville. We are still in training.” The Browns plan to start Sanders next week against the Buffalo Bills as the competition continues. “Again, I did feel going into last game that it was relatively close in terms of both having an opportunity at the starting position, so it would be unfair to not go into the next game and give Shedeur that same opportunity,” Monken said. “We owe it to both players who have handled it well and competed at a high level.” Aaron Donald took another step toward a potential NFL comeback on Sunday, appearing on the league transaction wire after completing his second workout with the Los Angeles Rams this summer. Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed Donald’s potential return following Saturday’s preseason victory against the Chiefs. “He’s put himself in a position to be able to say yes or no,” McVay said to reporters. “I think he’s earned that right to have clarity on that. We’re not at that point quite yet.” McVay noted that internal discussions remain ongoing while Donald evaluates his physical benchmarks for the upcoming season. “I feel great about our football team as it currently stands, and I know he’ll add value if he decides to come,” McVay said. Veteran pass rusher DeMarcus Lawrence confirmed that the 2026 season will mark the end of his 13-year NFL career. Lawrence, who spent 11 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Seattle Seahawks, returned for one final campaign to defend Seattle’s title. “This will be my last year,” Lawrence told Yahoo Sports. “Through the grace of God, I’m able to play another year and soak it all up one more good time before I hang it up.” A v Lawrence has racked up 503 tackles, 67.5 sacks, 146 quarterback hits, 108 tackles for loss, 24 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries in 157 career appearances (139 starts). Lawrence recorded six sacks during the regular season last year and added two fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns. After spending the entire offseason revamping their defense, the Dallas Cowboys are still making some moves on that side of the ball. The Cowboys have signed eight-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Von Miller. The 37-year-old had a productive year for the Washington Commanders in 2025, logging nine sacks and playing in every single regular-season game for the first time since 2018. Miller is just one of many new faces on Dallas’ defense this offseason. The Cowboys kicked off the offseason by poaching defensive backs coach Christian Parker from the Philadelphia Eagles to make him their defensive coordinator. They also traded for Green Bay Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary and signed Los Angeles Rams cornerback Kobie Durant before using first-round picks on safety Caleb Downs and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the 2026 NFL Draft. Just seven months after tearing his Achilles, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle remains hopeful that he’ll be ready for the start of the 2026 regular season. While Kittle has yet to practice in a full capacity in training camp, he expressed optimism that he’ll be able to play in the Rams’ season-opening matchup against the Rams on Sept. 10. “I have a chance,” Kittle told reporters on Sunday. “We’re running around a lot, hitting top speeds. Hopefully, we’re back in pads practicing sooner than later. Just trying to check the boxes and not be a dumbass.” Kittle also said he’s “very confident” he won’t open the 2026 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List. If the 49ers placed him on the list, he would be forced to miss the first four games of the regular season. Kittle’s comments are much-needed good news for San Francisco, which has been dealt a slew of injuries so far in training camp. Wide receiver Ricky Pearsall has already undergone season-ending surgery, while running back Christian McCaffrey has missed a week’s worth of practices due to a hamstring injury.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports