Happy Holidays – the penultimate week of the 2025 NFL regular season is upon us. However you might not exactly enjoy what’s underneath the tree on Christmas – the Yuletide’s three streaming contests (Cowboys-Commanders, Lions-Vikings and Broncos-Chiefs) not exactly crackling with compelling subplots or playoff implications despite their intra-divisional pairings.

Saturday’s couplet is a bit more compelling, Texans-Chargers a rematch from last season’s playoffs and potentially a preview of what goes down next month. The Green Bay Packers host the Baltimore Ravens in the night game – both squads residing on the edge of wild-card contention, Baltimore requiring a win to simply survive mathematically into Sunday.

Sunday afternoon isn’t exactly loaded with must-see football, either, though several teams will be jockeying for seeding or trying to stay alive. Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett could set the single-season sack record against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who could clinch the AFC North crown … unless the Ravens do that for them by losing Saturday. Eagles-Bills and Bears-49ers look good on paper, the latter – which is the ‘Sunday Night Football’ offering – bound to have significant impact on who gets the NFC’s No. 1 seed, which comes with a first-round bye and home-field advantage.

Yet, believe it or not, the most important game of Week 17 might be the one in Sin City, where the Las Vegas Raiders will host the New York Giants – they share a league-worst 2-13 record – in the game that could determine who picks atop the 2026 draft.

The recently revitalized Atlanta Falcons host the LA Rams on Monday.

How does the docket unfold? USA TODAY Sports’ panel of NFL experts weighs in with their picks:

(Odds provided by BetMGM)

Week 17 picks, predictions, odds

• Cowboys at Commanders
• Lions at Vikings
• Broncos at Chiefs
• Texans at Chargers
• Ravens at Packers
• Seahawks at Panthers
• Jaguars at Colts
• Saints at Titans
• Cardinals at Bengals
• Steelers at Browns
• Patriots at Jets
• Buccaneers at Dolphins
• Giants at Raiders
• Eagles at Bills
• Bears at 49ers
• Rams at Falcons

In a sign of the times, the Bears received a commitment from James Nnaji, a 7-foot center from Nigeria who was selected in the 2023 NBA Draft. The 21-year-old will be eligible to play immediately for Scott Drew and will have four years of eligibility remaining, a Baylor spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The Bears is 9-2 this season.

He was the 31st overall pick — first in the second round — in the 2023 draft by the Detroit Pistons, who was then traded him to the Charlotte Hornets. In September 2024, his rights were traded to the New York Knicks as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks.

Despite getting drafted, Nnaji never played in an NBA regular-season game, only playing for the Hornets in the 2023 Summer Classic and the Knicks’ 2025 Summer League team. For New York, he averaged 3.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in five games. He has been playing professionally in Spain for FC Barcelona. He and the team parted ways in August.

It’s certainly unusual to see an NBA draft pick play college basketball, but it’s the latest sign of the line of amateurism being blurred. With name, image and likeness running wild in college sports, the NCAA has changed eligibility guidelines to where athletes who have played professionally have been able to play collegiately.

It’s typically been done with international players, but it’s leaked to those who have played in the NBA G League, which has drawn the ire of coaches across the country.

Reactions to James Nnaji joining Baylor

As news of Nnaji’s commitment to Baylor spread on Dec. 24, it drew some pretty strong responses as people feel it’s ridiculous for a former NBA draft pick to join a college basketball team in the middle of the season.

Notable reactions include Connecticut coach Dan Hurley, who had a slight NSFW response. It’s also left some people confused as to what happens if Nnaji wants to play professionally, if he can get drafted again or would he still have his professional rights owned by the Knicks.

The 2025-26 college basketball season has started off with a bang for some, with some teams like Michigan, Arizona, Iowa State and plenty more asserting themselves as national championship candidates.

But not every team has had such a hot start, and there’s some real concern hovering around as conference play begins. Whether it was stumbling in a Feast Week tournament, losing high-caliber matchups or just looking discombobulated, all the preseason hype is out of the window. Those that had national title aspirations have turned into hoping to make the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, and those that felt like March Madness could have some success may be spending the rest of the regular season on the bubble.

There’s still plenty of time to change course, but which teams are in trouble? And how much should they be panicking? We’ll rank it from 1-5, with one being there’s no need to raise the alarm and five meaning the sky is falling.

Florida

It starts with the defending national champions, a team that has learned it may be tougher to keep the crown. Even with all the departures, the Gators had the look of a team that could make it back to the Final Four, but they haven’t been able to knock down shots. While close, they lost to all three ranked opponents they faced and dropped a Thanksgiving neutral site game to TCU. Even when it has beaten teams like Florida State, Miami and Providence, Florida didn’t look dominant.

Panic rating: 4. The Gators are in for some beatings if they can’t execute against the stiffer SEC competition. The recent emergence of Xaivian Lee has helped restore belief, but that will have to go around the rest of the team that can’t afford more off-nights. However, what doesn’t make it a doomsday scenario is the conference isn’t as top heavy as it was last season, and it’s anyone’s guess who can run the table.

St. John’s

So much for an encore for Rick Pitino, which has gone from starting the season at No. 6 to falling out of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. At 7-4, St John’s is another team that hasn’t been able to win the marquee games — an early loss to Alabama and a 1-2 showing in the Players Era Festival. Then there was the bad outing against a struggling Kentucky team that could have salvaged the nonconference slate. Guard play has been a major issue.

Panic rating: 5. The schedule was set for the Red Storm to stack some Quad 1 wins and it ends December with just one — and four losses. It will get easier in the Big East, but that’s the problem; there aren’t many opportunities to grab those precious victories while having to avoid those pesky Quad 2 and 3 losses. March likely is in the future, but the Red Storm really need to run through the Big East if they want to be considered a top four seed come Selection Sunday.

Kentucky

What a roller coaster it’s been in Lexington. Things got bad when Kentucky lost its fourth game to a ranked opponent, a complete blowout by Gonzaga that had Big Blue Nation booing its team to a dreadful 5-4 start. While it looked like a complete flop was in store, the Wildcats have calmed things down with a three-game win streak with victories over Indiana and St. John’s to have a 1-4 Quad 1 record.

Panic rating: 4. The win over St. John’s prevented this from being a five, giving optimism Kentucky can start clicking with Jayden Quaintance fully healed from injury. What helps is the SEC schedule is backloaded with a comfortable first three weeks to really find a rhythm. However, it has to take care of business early on, or it will be back in trouble once again when February starts, with a chance to be on the bubble.

UCLA

The Bruins were looking to jump up the Big Ten hierarchy with the addition of Donovan Dent, but it’s been a shaky start to the season. UCLA’s two big games against Arizona and Gonzaga ended in defeat and it fell completely flat against California. While it has nine wins, it hasn’t looked impressive in many of them with the patented Mick Cronin defense not looking sharp, resulting in close wins against even mid-majors.

Panic rating: 5. With a 1-4 Quad 1 record and no quality win against a projected tournament team, UCLA needs to tighten up and knock down those at the top of the Big Ten, which is easier said than done. The offense has been shooting the ball well, but it won’t matter if the defense doesn’t follow suit to put a complete game together. Not a great position teetering on the bubble.

Arkansas

John Calipari’s squad has shown flashes of greatness but hasn’t fully met the expectations just yet. Arkansas has held its own against top 10 teams in Michigan State, Duke and Houston, they just resulted in losses. It wasn’t all bad, with the Razorbacks getting a resounding win against Louisville and a strong second half against Texas Tech. It’s all come with freshman Darius Acuff Jr. playing exceptionally well.

Panic rating: 2. Despite a 2-3 Quad 1 start, there’s plenty to like about Arkansas’ chances when the calendar flips. The offense is more than capable of shooting teams out of the building and competing with elite squads. The Razorbacks don’t scream Final Four candidate, but they have the look of a team that can make it to the second weekend of the Big Dance again.

Alabama

Another year of Alabama having a premier offense that lights up the scoreboard; it just hasn’t been able to keep that up against great teams. The Crimson Tide had one of the most difficult starts and navigated it well with wins over St. John’s and Illinois with a loss to Purdue in between, but it looked really bad in the big matchups since with blowout losses to Gonzaga and Arizona.

Panic rating: 1. Despite the really bad outings in the losses, Alabama looks like it can really take command of the SEC. The Quad 1 opportunities left look more than manageable to build the resume, and the Crimson Tide have a great shot of not having any bad marks to hurt its chances of being able to play close to home in the tournament.

Illinois

After starting the season 4-0, Illinois has had some bumps against some ranked competition and has gone 4-3 since. The losses came against Alabama, Connecticut and upstart Nebraska. Brad Underwood’s team has victories against Texas Tech and Tennessee. 

Panic rating: 2. The mixed results recently have come with some major wins, and it really hinges on how Illinois does defensively. It’s a tough night when it can’t contain opponents, but it hasn’t been a glaring issue, rather coming in small waves. Illinois appears to have a good grip on itself and set itself up for a strong January. 

Tennessee

Just like Kentucky, times were tough when the Volunteers went on a three-game skid. What was confusing was it came off a tremendous win against Houston, as it was followed with a loss to Kansas, a really bad result at Syracuse and then a defeat from Illinois. It was salvaged when Tennessee dominated at home against Louisville.

Panic rating: 3. There should be some concern for the Volunteers cause it’s been exposed. It’s been heavily reliant on Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Nate Ament, and if the guards aren’t executing, the rest of the offense gets lost. The veteran Gillespie and five-star freshman Ament should find a consistent flow with more games together, but you can’t fully trust it yet.

Auburn

It was going to be impossible to replicate the success of last season, especially with Bruce Pearl leaving the program to his son, Steven. It didn’t help scheduling four teams that have or had a case to be No. 1 this season. The Tigers nearly beat Houston in November, but have looked bad against other premier teams in Michigan, Arizona and Purdue, losing to those three by an average of 29 points. A win over St. John’s in Las Vegas is the only good win on the resume, as victories against NC State and Oregon lost some luster.

Panic rating: 5. The recent losses have taken a ton of hope of what Steven Pearl could do in his first season in charge. Yes, the schedule was extremely difficult, but the Tigers looking non-competitive in most of those matchups is a troubling sign. To add insult to injury, leader Tahaad Pettiford was injured against Purdue, now his health is a big concern. Auburn is No. 43 in the NET rankings, a dangerous spot for a team that likely will be fighting for an at-large consideration.

NC State

The hype of Will Wade’s arrival to Raleigh has died down with NC State’s rather ordinary start to the season. It’s 5-4 since starting the season with four straight wins, and they have some bad outings against Texas and Seton Hall in Maui. The losses to Auburn and Kansas make sense, but the best win so far is against Boise State, and the Wolfpack have a 3-4 record against Quad 1 and 2 opponents.

Panic rating: 4. Wade will gladly tell you himself this rating should be a five after his ‘kindergarten’s over’ rant he laid out on his team, but it’s not to that level just yet. However, it can soon get there. While it doesn’t really own any impressive wins, there are prime chances in ACC play that NC State should be able to take. But if NC State doesn’t start with at least six or seven conference wins by the end of January, it will be in real trouble and be on the bubble.

Christmas came early for Atlanta-based real estate developer and avid golfer Michael Barnouin, who was recently gifted back his stolen cowhide wallet that he bought in Montana.

The culprit – a gull scavenger with white feathered arms, webbed feet and thin beak – often roamed in bunches near Pebble Beach Golf Links, a public golf course at Pebble Beach Resort in Monterey, California.

Barnouin, 30, was playing there for the first time earlier this year on Aug. 7 after finishing a residential renovation project in nearby Carmel.

‘One of my favorite things about taking trips down to Carmel is just throughout Monterey County, you have some of the best golf courses in the in the country,’ Barnouin said. ‘You’ve got Pebble Beach (Golf Links), you have Spyglass Hill, you’ve got Spanish Bay. I personally like Carmel Valley Ranch.’

Pebble Beach Golf Links also happens to be where basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade hit his first-ever hole in one. Barnouin would’ve never considered any threat to his belongings, certainly not a herring gull seabird commonly referred to as a seagull.

‘I’m playing really well. I was having a great round. Hole 7 is the kind of famous par three, you know that Dwyane Wade hit that hole in one,’ Barnouin said. ‘Hole 8, it’s a it’s a long par 4 and you’ve got to kind of lay up and then you have this Bay that that you have to kind of smack it onto the green for your second shot over.’

Barnouin took his swing and got the ball over the water and eventually finished the hole. As he’s setting up for the ninth hole, people he’s playing with tell him that a seagull is in his cart.

Golf is a sport that requires concentration. Silence during one’s swing is a display of sportsmanship, so naturally Barnouin was ‘kind of frustrated’ when they were talking during his backswing.

‘I don’t care about the seagull in my golf cart,’ he said. ‘It can take whatever it wants.’

Little did he know that it was making off with his cowhide wallet.

‘When I turn around to go back to my cart, I notice a seagull is standing on the seat and it’s got something in its mouth. It was my wallet,’ said Barnouin. ‘And so stupidly I start to chase it and I’ve got my driver in my hand. I start to chase the seagull and it kind of goes down the fairway.’

He added: ‘I don’t think seagulls are that stupid either because this thing kept looking back at me as if I knew that I was chasing it and it knew that I wanted what was in its mouth.’

As the seagull had his wallet locked in its beak, flying around the bay, others quickly began to swarm it, assuming it was food. Seconds later, it was dropped.

Barnouin and other golf mates searched for the wallet, but cold temperatures near the water made them stop and finish the round of golf. Barnouin said he ‘played terrible the next two holes’ before getting it together. He searched the next day at low tide but to no avail, assuming the tides washed it away.

‘Welcome home wallet’

Barnouin never thought he would see his wallet again. He canceled his credit and debit cards.

Months later, he received some mail at one of his properties in Carmel from someone named Erik Bueno.

Bueno is a retired Southern California real estate agent who has spent the decade traveling. He said he owns a couple of rentals in Carmel, and when one of them is empty, he’ll go and stay a while.

‘This particular trip, I stayed six weeks and while I’m there I walk a lot and I go look for golf balls sometimes at low tide,’ Bueno said. ‘I would say I found his wallet maybe around the 20th of October then mailed it out.’

Bueno, 68, wrote a letter that read ‘I found your wallet with AMEX and VISA cards. No cash. Do you want me to mail or trash them?’ and signed off with his name and number.

‘He contacted me and then I took the wallet and a Ziploc bag of golf balls to his buddy’s house,’ Bueno told USA TODAY Sports.

‘I always walk a lot and I always look for golf balls for a couple of reasons. One, it’s great exercise,’ Bueno said. ‘Number two, I want to get the golf balls out of the ocean because it pollutes the ocean. The balls will rub and scratch, the fish will eat the plastic.’

He’ll also donate the balls to junior golf because he said that it’s ‘kind of expensive to play Pebble Beach.’

‘It’s an amazing golf course. So everyone that plays there, they’re usually playing with like excellent golf balls. So I tend to find a lot of Titleist Pro V ones. And then I donate them to junior golf and they love it.’

Bueno found 1,200 golf balls in three days, he said. He knows where to search because it’s the same spot many people get hung up at. The same eighth hole that Barnouin chased the seagull around before his wallet was dropped.

‘It’s the second shot on No. 8 that everybody dumps into the ocean and I didn’t find his ball, but I found his wallet right there on the ocean,’ Bueno said. ‘I think I had mailed the driver’s license and that’s one of the things I thought he wanted the most.’

Bueno certainly could understand where Barnouin was coming from because nearly 25 years ago the same experience happened to him.

‘I played Pebble Beach many times, but about 20 to 25 years ago I was playing with my dad and a seagull came down, took my wallet out of my golf cart,’ Bueno said. ‘But it dropped it right next to the cart. He didn’t fly away with it. My story was not as fun as Michael’s dumping in the ocean. But yeah, my wallet got snagged also.’

Barnouin was ‘absolutely ecstatic’ to get his wallet back and said he plans to play at Pebble Beach again, but next time he’ll be sticking to Apple Wallet, instead.

However, this is a core memory for Barnouin.

‘I don’t know if I birdied the hole eight, but I certainly parred because I remember I was not that upset going into the hole nine, but I did not think I’d get a seagull on hole nine,’ Barnouin said. ‘People are looking for albatross as birdies. I’m the only guy who’s ever gotten ‘seagull’ on Pebble Beach.’

The College Football Playoff’s first round served two competitive games and two blowouts. The reaction to that: Many fans and media types are demanding a change to the playoff bracket format.

Is that an overreaction to two lopsided games, or a worthy response? Let’s remember, last year’s playoff served up four first-round duds.

So, at least this year provided an upgrade. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect.

On this edition of ‘SEC Football Unfiltered,’ a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hosts Blake Toppmeyer and Matt Hayes weigh in on the big CFP debate — just how badly does this format require revision?

Is this CFP format worth saving?

TOPPMEYER: We must face this reality: There’s no escaping blowouts. We had blowouts in the Bowl Championship Series era. We had them in the four-team playoff era, and now in the 12-team installment. You can’t pin it all on the Group of Five, either. Even the bluest of blue bloods have gotten blown out of a playoff game.

Tinkering with the CFP format is worth considering, but that won’t change the playoff’s unfixable problem: It’s not the regular season. That’s a bug that cannot be solved.

The playoff cannot match the splendor of 50 games occurring on a fall Saturday. The season peaks in November. The playoff format can be improved, but it still won’t trump Thanksgiving rivalry week.

This playoff is what it is. What it is, is this: better than the four-team playoff but inferior to the regular season.

HAYES: Fixing the CFP bracket format isn’t hard. Here’s what you do. First, get rid of participation ribbons.

Decide your number — 12 or 16 teams, I don’t much care — and then pick the best teams, period. No charity cases. If the Group of Five produces a team that proved itself worthy of selection (see 2024 Boise State), then, by all means, it should be included in the bracket. But, we don’t need guaranteed spots for any conference.

You know what else we don’t need? Athletic directors involved in the selection process. Fire the ADs off the CFP selection committee. What business do they have choosing the playoff field? Have a combination of former coaches and media members select the field.

No automatic bids. All at-large bids. Play your way in.

Imagine if Notre Dame and Texas had been in this playoff bracket instead of Tulane and James Madison. Right there, that’s how you improve the playoff.

Not so hard, is it?

TOPPMEYER: I’m open-minded to this idea of ditching automatic bids. I’m also open to 16 teams, although I prefer sticking at 12.

The idea I like best: Get the ADs off the selection committee. Their inclusion inserts bias, or at least the illusion of bias. Plus, nobody should be juggling a coaching search and selecting a playoff field at the same time.

Later in the episode

∎ The hosts preview the quarterfinals. They examine Miami’s potential to upset Ohio State and debate whether Alabama is for real or not.

CFP quarterfinals picks against the spread!

Hayes pinch-hit for cohost John Adams on this week’s podcast episode, but Adams is still submitting his CFP picks as he tries to maintain his lead.

Toppmeyer’s CFP picks (picks in bold):

∎ Miami vs. Ohio State (-9.5)

∎ Oregon (-1.5) vs. Texas Tech

∎ Alabama vs. Indiana (-7)

∎ Mississippi vs. Georgia (-7)

Season record: 39-40 (2-2 last week)

—

Adams’ CFP picks (picks in bold):

∎ Miami vs. Ohio State (-9.5)

∎ Oregon (-1.5) vs. Texas Tech

∎ Alabama vs. Indiana (-7)

∎ Mississippi vs. Georgia (-7)

Season record: 42-37 (1-3 last week)

Where to listen to SEC Football Unfiltered

• Apple
• Spotify
• iHeart
• Google

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. John Adams is the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel. Subscribe to the SEC Football Unfiltered podcast, and check out the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox