The Milwaukee Brewers finished the regular season No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports’ power rankings. But are they the team to beat in Major League Baseball’s playoffs?

That’s a question for another day, and another story, even. For now, though, it’s time to pause before the postseason mayhem and toast the demons of Dairyland, who finished the year 97-65, most in the major leagues and a club record, topping their 2018 and 2011 clubs that won 96 games on their way to the National League Championship Series.

‘Nobody was expecting this,’ ace Freddy Peralta told reporters in Milwaukee after a successful two-inning playoff tuneup.

He’s not wrong about that. Now, to get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018 – though that’s a problem for another day.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Milwaukee Brewers (-)

• Closer Trevor Megill off the IL just in time for a crisp inning in season finale.

2. Philadelphia Phillies (-)

• Trea Turner’s hamstring heals up in time for regular season return.

3. New York Yankees (+3)

• Aaron Judge, meet Jimmie Foxx and Mickey Mantle: The only dudes to win a batting title and hit at least 50 home runs in a season.

4. Toronto Blue Jays (-1)

• With pitchers scuffling and Bo Bichette mending, can certainly use the five days off as No. 1 seed.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers (-1)

• Clayton Kershaw’s final line: 223-96, 2.53 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 3,052 strikeouts in 2,855 1/3 innings.

6. Chicago Cubs (-1)

• 92 wins their most since 2018.

7. Seattle Mariners (-)

• They’re ‘optimistic’ about Bryan Woo’s return from pectoral injury for playoffs.

8. Boston Red Sox (+1)

• Four dudes (Trevor Story, Ceddane Rafaela, David Hamilton and Jarren Duran) stole at least 20 bases.

9. San Diego Padres (+1)

• Posted consecutive 90-win seasons for first time in franchsie history.

10. Cleveland Guardians (+1)

• Nope, it’s still not Browns season yet.

11. Detroit Tigers (-4)

• 1-5 against the Guardians the last two weeks. That won’t matter come Game 1 Tuesday.

12. Houston Astros (-)

• Will heads roll after first playoff miss since 2016?

13. New York Mets (-)

• Pete Alonso is ready to get paid. Can Mets live without hiim?

14. Cincinnati Reds (-)

• No biggie, just gotta take out L.A. and Philly in back-to-back playoff series.

15. San Francisco Giants (-)

• He did it: Willy Adames posts Giants’ first 30-homer season since Barry Bonds.

16. Kansas City Royals (+2)

• Carlos Estevez led the majors with 42 saves.

17. Texas Rangers (-2)

• Jake Burger bound for surgery to repair tendon in wrist.

18. Arizona Diamondbacks (-2)

• Roller-coaster season ends with five-game losing streak to finish 80-82.

19. Miami Marlins (+1)

• Denying Mets a playoff berth extends good vibes toward 2026.

20. St. Louis Cardinals (-1)

• With roster reconstruction ahead, Sonny Gray now open to waiving no-trade clause.

21. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

• Chandler Simpson’s arrival as offensive threat might be year’s best development.

22. Atlanta Braves (-)

• Emotional goodbye for Charlie Morton a nice touch by organization.

23. Baltimore Orioles (-)

• Tony Mansolino finishes interim manager run with 60-59 record.

24. Athletics (-)

• After disillusioning the Yolo County faithful, they tease using ‘Sacramento’ on uniforms next year.

25. Los Angeles Angels (-)

• Playoff drought extends to 11 years.

26. Pittsburgh Pirates (-)

• Paul Skenes about to win the Cy Young Award with 10 wins.

27. Minnesota Twins (-)

• Rocco Baldelli’s fate unknown as rocky season concludes.

28. Washington Nationals (-)

• A hearty ‘See. You. Later!’ to retiring broadcaster Bob Carpenter.

29. Chicago White Sox (-)

• ‘Just’ 102 losses this time. Beats 120, for sure.

30. Colorado Rockies (-)

• Bar can’t go any lower than 43-119. Right?

AI-assisted summary
• The Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds secured the final spots in the 2025 MLB playoffs.
• The postseason begins on Tuesday, Sept. 30, with the best-of-three wild-card series.
• The Blue Jays, Mariners, Brewers, and Phillies earned byes into the division series.

The final pieces of Major League Baseball’s 2025 playoff puzzle fell into place on the last day of the regular season when the Cleveland Guardians clinched the AL Central crown and the Cincinnati Reds secured the third National League wild-card spot.

After a day of much-needed rest, the postseason kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 30, with the opening games of the best-of-three wild-card series.

The top two teams in each league will sit this round out after securing byes into the division series, which will begin on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Here’s a look at the 2025 postseason bracket:

MLB playoff bracket

American League

• Byes: Blue Jays, Mariners
• AL wild card series
  • Tigers at Guardians
  • Red Sox at Yankees
• ALDS
  • Blue Jays vs. Yankees/Red Sox
  • Mariners vs. Guardians/Tigers

National League

• Byes: Brewers, Phillies
• NL wild card series
  • Reds at Dodgers
  • Padres at Cubs
• NLDS
  • Brewers vs. Cubs/Padres
  • Phillies vs. Dodgers/Reds

Upcoming MLB playoff schedule

The AL and NL division series begin on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The AL championship series begins on Sunday, Oct. 12 with the NL championship series starting on Monday, Oct. 13.

The 2025 World Series opens on Friday, Oct. 24.

Final 2025 MLB standings

AL East

1. Toronto Blue Jays (94-68) – won head-to-head-tiebreaker vs. Yankees
2. New York Yankees (94-68) – clinched postseason berth
3. Boston Red Sox (89-73) – clinched postseason berth

AL Central

1. Cleveland Guardians (88-74) – clinched AL Central title Sept. 28
2. Detroit Tigers (87-75) – clinched postseason berth

AL West

1. Seattle Mariners (90-72) – clinched AL West title
2. Houston Astros (87-75)

AL wild card standings

Top three reach playoffs

1. New York Yankees (94-68)
2. Boston Red Sox (89-73)
3. Detroit Tigers (87-75)

NL East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (96-66) – clinched NL East title
2. New York Mets (83-79)

NL Central

1. Milwaukee Brewers (97-65) – clinched NL Central title
2. Chicago Cubs (92-70) – clinched postseason berth
3. Cincinnati Reds (83-79) – clinched postseason berth

NL West

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (93-69) – clinched NL West title
2. San Diego Padres (90-72) – clinched postseason berth

NL wild card standings

Top three reach playoffs

1. Chicago Cubs (92-70)
2. San Diego Padres (90-72)
3. Cincinnati Reds (83-79) – won head-to-head tiebreaker vs. Mets

USC women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins announced Sunday night she will sit the 2025-26 season as she continues to rehab from a serious knee injury.

While a major bummer for women’s basketball fans, there’s still plenty to be excited about for the upcoming season. Watkins was the next in line of household names, following the likes of Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. But the cupboard is far from bare.

Here are 10 players who should have your attention (and yes, there are plenty more than 10 worthy):

Lauren Betts, UCLA

The reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Betts was a first-team All-American last season and won the Lisa Leslie Award, given to nation’s best college center. She averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks a game for the Bruins, who went 34-3 and reached the Final Four. The 6-foot-7 Betts set a school single-season record with 100 blocks last year.

Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt

Last year’s National Freshman of the Year, Blakes earned second-team All-American honors after finishing second in the SEC in scoring (23.3 points per game). She also averaged 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game. She scored 50-plus points twice last season, including 55 vs. Auburn on Feb. 16, which broke Elena Della Donne’s NCAA single-game freshman record (54).

Madison Booker, Texas

A first-team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year as a sophomore last season, Booker averaged 16.3 points and 6.6 rebounds and hit 40.3% from the 3-point line. She won the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award and helped the Longhorns reach the Final Four. Paired with Rori Harmon, Booker and the Longhorns should be a national title contender again.

Audi Crooks, Iowa State

Crooks announced herself on the national stage as a freshman, scoring 40 points in the 2024 NCAA Tournament vs. Maryland, making 18-of-20 shots. Yes, you read that correctly. As a sophomore last season, the 6-foot-3 Crooks was named third-team All-American after leading the Big 12 in scoring (23.4 points) and setting a Cyclones school record for points in a season (820).

Azzi Fudd, UConn

Fudd, who has overcome two major knee injuries of her own, was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after helping lead the Huskies to the 2025 national championship. She averaged 13.6 points per game last season, but with Paige Bueckers fresh off a WNBA Rookie of the Year season, Fudd figures to be one of UConn’s go-to options this year.

Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

The ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Hidalgo was also a first-team All-American. Her 23.8 points per game average last season was a program record, breaking her own record she set as a freshman. And owning records like that at a school like Notre Dame is no small feat considering the history of the Irish program. She also averaged 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 3.7 steals per game.

Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU

A first-team All-SEC pick and third-team All-American, Johnson averaged 18.6 points and 5.6 rebounds a game for Kim Mulkey’s Tigers. Johnson has helped lead LSU to at least the Elite Eight in each of her three seasons in Baton Rouge, including the 2023 national championship. She’s also a rapper, who has appeared on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ so the spotlight won’t bother her.

Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina

The rich get richer. Dawn Staley reached into the transfer portal and pulled out the nation’s leading scorer. Latson averaged 25.2 points per game last season for Florida State and became just the third payer in ACC history to hit 2,000 career points in their first three seasons. The 5-foot-8 guard scored at least 20 points 25 times last season and also contributed 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

Olivia Miles, TCU

Another transfer on this list, Miles arrives in Fort Worth after a standout career at Notre Dame. A second-team All-American and first-team All-ACC pick, Miles averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game last season. Miles could have entered the WNBA draft, but decided on a final college season at TCU, which knocked off Notre Dame in last year’s NCAA tournament.

Sarah Strong, UConn

You’ve got to be good to start 40 games at UConn as a freshman, and Strong became only the second Huskies freshman to score 600 points in a season. Maya Moore is the other. Not bad company. A second-team All-American, Strong led the national champion Huskies in rebounds, blocks and steals and was second in scoring and assists last season.

Get the latest women’s college basketball news with USA TODAY’s Studio IX, a site dedicated to women’s sports coverage.

PHOENIX — One half of the WNBA Finals is locked in.

The Minnesota Lynx could not overcome the loss of their biggest star, Napheesa Collier, and coach Cheryl Reeve and saw their season end at the hands on the Phoenix Mercury, 86-81, on Sunday at PHX Arena.

The Mercury, who trailed by as many as 14 points, return the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021.

‘It took everybody, everybody on this team,’ said guard Alyssa Thomas, who led the Mercury with 23 points and 10 assists. ‘We’re hungry, we are super ready for this moment and I am just super proud of the way we fought today.’

Phoenix awaits the winner of the other series. The Indiana Fever forced a Game 5 by defeating the Las Vegas Aces, 90-83, Sunday afternoon at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The best-of-five semifinal series heads back to Las Vegas on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). 

Fever center Aliyah Boston scored 17 of her playoff career-high 24 points in the second half, in addition to 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks.

“When we’re the aggressive and move the ball, good things happen for us,’ Fever coach Stephanie White said. ‘We attacked. We played with a sense of urgency, we made the right reads and the right plays.’

Here are winners and losers from Sunday’s WNBA semifinal games:

Winners

Phoenix Mercury

The Mercury entered this season with question marks following the end of the Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner era in Phoenix. Despite returning two players from last season’s roster, the Mercury advanced to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021. They did so with another double-digit comeback win over the Minnesota Lynx.

‘Proud of how we responded today,’ Mercury guard Alyssa Thomas said. ‘We could have easily given up, we could have been heading to Minnesota right now. But, we stuck together.’

The Mercury outscored the Lynx 31-13 in the fourth quarter to win the best-of-five series, 3-1. Phoenix will now get to rest ahead of the WNBA Finals, as the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever will play a winner-take-all Game 5 on Tuesday.

“We need some days off,” Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said.

Mercury F DeWanna Bonner’s clutch shooting

DeWanna Bonner started the season with the Indiana Fever in search of a title. Now has a chance to earn another one with the Mercury. The forward played the first decade of her career with Phoenix, winning titles in 2009 and 2014.

After starting slow in the WNBA semifinal series against the Lynx, Bonner turned in a vintage performance that fueled the Mercury’s comeback. She had 13 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Heading into Sunday, Bonner had averaged 2.6 points in the first three semifinal games against the Lynx.

‘I haven’t been shooting well throughout the playoffs, but teammates kept telling me to keep shooting, forget it, forget the other games,’ Bonner said.

‘Just happy those balls went in at that moment, because I cannot go back to Minnesota.’

Fever F Aliyah Boston’s dominance in the paint

Aliyah Boston, who set a career-playoff high with 24 points, added 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks. Boston is the second player in Fever playoff history to turn in that stat line and score 20-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and five or more steals in a game, joining Tamika Catchings. The Hall of Famer did it twice.

“It’s just being confident,” Boston said. “The fans were great, everyone showed out, and we were confident shooting the ball.”

Fever G Kelsey Mitchell back to efficient self

Mitchell bounced back from two subpar games based on her standards. Following a 34-point performance in the Fever’s Game 1 win, Mitchell was held to 13 points in Game 2, shooting 28.6% from the field. She recorded 21 points in the Fever’s Game 3 loss, but shot 30.8% from the field. She turned in a much more efficient effort in Game 4 on Sunday, with a team-high 25 points (9-of-20 FG, 2-of-5 3PT).

Lynx G Kayla McBride gave it all

Kayla McBride was emotional in the postgame press conference after leaving it all on the floor. McBride finished with a game-high 31 points in the Lynx’s Game 4 loss, shooting 10-of-23 from the field including 6-of-11 from the 3-point line.

‘In sports, it doesn’t get any better than what we have now,’ McBride said through tears. ‘That’s why I am emotional. Because we laid out for each other, it’s never about anything else but each other.

‘To be close two years in a row and hit adverse situations. … It’s hard, especially when you leave everything out there.’

Losers

Minnesota Lynx season over

The Lynx’s season has ended in devastating fashion, again. One year after losing to the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals in a controversial Game 5 that Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said was “stolen from us,” the Lynx have fallen short again after facing more adversity and controversy.

The Lynx played Sunday without MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier, who injured her left ankle in the closing seconds of Game 3, and head coach Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended by the league. The Lynx dropped to a seven-player rotation for Game 4 and couldn’t stave off elimination, despite carrying a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter.

It was the second double-digit lead the Lynx have given up in the second half in the best-of-five semifinal series after losing a 20-point lead in a Game 2 win in Minnesota.

Las Vegas Aces pushed to brink

The Aces failed to close out a playoff series yet again. Las Vegas now finds itself facing the second winner-take-all game this postseason after squandering a 31-point game from MVP A’ja Wilson. Wilson, Jackie Young (18 points) and Chelsea Young (12) combined for 61 of the Aces’ 81 points. NaLyssa Smith was limited to eight points in 22 minutes due to foul trouble and she’s not the only one. Smith, Gray and Young each finished with five fouls, which Wilson called “very interesting.”

Officiating

Officiating is a topic yet again following the Fever’s Game 4 win. Aces head coach Becky Hammon called out the free throw disparity, saying “a lot of grabbing and holding down (in the paint) that got called one way.” The Aces had 11 free throw attempts, in comparison to the Fever’s 34. Fever center Aliyah Boston had 13 free throws, more than the entire Aces team. The Aces were called for 24 fouls and the Fever 17 fouls.

Game 4 was officiated by Isaac Barnett, Randy Richardson and Jenna Reneau, the same crew that worked the Phoenix Mercury’s 84-76 Game 3 win over the Minnesota Lynx. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve ripped the ‘awful’ officiating crew postgame on Friday. The comments and Reeve’s behavior after being ejected for arguing non-calls earned her a Game 4 suspension.

“They shot a lot of free throws. We didn’t,” Hammon added. “I appreciate it was a little tighter call, but tighter on both ends would’ve been nice.”

Ryan Blaney moved one step closer to a potential second NASCAR Cup Series championship last week in New Hampshire.

The Team Penske driver was easily the fastest car in qualifying and race day as he led the final 50 laps to take his third victory of the year. His prize was a secured spot in the Round of 8 – and a local delicacy: a live lobster.

‘I’ve wanted a lobster ever since I was a little kid coming to watch these races. I’ve always wanted one of those things, so I’m looking forward to it,’ Blaney said after his victory.

Blaney won the championship in 2023 and finished runner-up last year to teammate Joey Logano. His win last week ensures he’ll fight on to the next round of the playoffs and he holds a two-point lead over William Byron in the playoff standings.

Sunday marks the Cup Series’ second visit to Kansas Speedway this season. Kyle Larson won the AdventHealth 400 in May in dominant fashion. The Hendrick Motorsports driver took pole position, won every stage, led the most laps and notched the fastest lap of the race.

Larson sits in third in the playoff standings behind Blaney and Byron. He’s one of eight playoff drivers looking for their first win of the postseason to punch their ticket one step further in the playoffs.

Here’s everything you need to know to get ready for the Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN BET at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 28:

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Kansas start?

The Hollywood Casino 400 is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Kansas on?

The Hollywood Casino 400 will be broadcast on USA Network, the channel for most of the Cup Series playoffs. Pre-race coverage will start at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Kansas?

Yes, the Hollywood Casino 400 will be streamed on Peacock, HBO Max, Sling TV and Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.

Stream the NASCAR race at Kansas on Fubo

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Kansas?

The Hollywood Casino 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile track for a total of 400.5 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 80 laps; Stage 2: 85 laps; Stage 3: 102 laps.

NASCAR playoff standings

Here’s how the field stacks up with the gap to leader in parentheses. Four drivers were eliminated after Bristol: Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Berry.

1. Ryan Blaney
2. William Byron (-2)
3. Kyle Larson (-8)
4. Christopher Bell (-20)
5. Denny Hamlin (-22)
6. Joey Logano (-25)
7. Chase Elliott (-35)
8. Chase Briscoe (-37)
9. Ross Chastain (-49)
10. Austin Cindric (-56)
11. Tyler Reddick (-60)
12. Bubba Wallace (-64)

Who won the NASCAR Cup playoff race at Kansas last year?

Ross Chastain didn’t make the playoffs but ensured he wouldn’t go winless in the 2024 Cup Series season by taking the checkered flag at Kansas Speedway last September. He overtook Martin Truex Jr. for the lead on a restart with less than 20 laps to go and kept William Byron far enough behind to get the win. Byron, Truex, Ryan Blaney and Ty Gibbs rounded out the top five.

What is the lineup for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas?

Here is the lineup for the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Kansas Speedway (car number in parentheses; P=playoff driver):

1. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (P)
2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (P)
3. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (P)
4. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (P)
5. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota (P)
6. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
7. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota (P)
8. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
9. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet (P)
10. Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
11. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet (P)
12. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota (P)
13. Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford
14. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford
15. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
16. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
17. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 HYAK Motorsports Chevrolet
19. Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford
20. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
21. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
22. Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
23. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford 
24. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
25. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota
26. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford (P)
27. Cole Custer, No. 41 Haas Factory Team Ford
28. Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford
29. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
30. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet
31. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing Ford
32. Riley Herbst, No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota
33. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
34. Cody Ware, No. 51 Rick Ware Racing Ford
35. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford (P)
36. JJ Yeley, No. 44 NY Racing Team Chevrolet
37. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford (P)

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• Houston Astros missing the MLB playoffs for the first time since 2016.
• The team overcame departures throughout its run, but ran out of gas in 2025.
• Astros won World Series titles in 2017 and 2022.

They fired manager A.J. Hinch and dynasty architect Jeff Luhnow after a grim sign-stealing scandal, chased off Luhnow’s successor, James Click, after winning a World Series – and qualified twice more for the playoffs.

But the bill has finally come due for the Astros, whose empire finally crumbled.

The Astros will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016, a fate sealed Sept. 27 when the Cleveland Guardians eliminated them with a walk-off win.

It’s an outcome that won’t produce many teardrops beyond Texas.

Springer and Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve still get booed wherever they go, the shouts of “Cheater!” likely to follow them on the road until their playing days end. Yet put aside the beyond-the-pale cheating scandal, and the Astros still provoked ire in the industry.

Luhnow’s disruption (hey, it was the early 2010s) of the Astros specifically and Major League Baseball in a broader sense went down poorly in the industry, accompanied as it was by a side of smarminess. Exacerbated by the fact the Astros just kept on winning, and winning, and winning.

But owner Jim Crane finally met his match this winter.

The man who nearly tanked the organization after sending Click on his way and then signing veterans like Jose Abreu to disastrous contracts looked like he pulled off yet another corporate downsizing this winter.

The Astros played footsy with Bregman, yet never came forth with an offer commensurate with the two-time champion’s value – particularly in the clubhouse, as the Red Sox have happily discovered this season.

And rather than mess around with a soon-to-be free agent he might not have had any intention of retaining, Crane traded slugging outfielder Kyle Tucker a year early, ostensibly fetching replacements for Tucker in rookie Cam Smith and Bregman in veteran Isaac Paredes.

They were not up to the task.

Smith flashed stretches of brilliance and should have a bright future, but ultimately posted a .668 OPS and nine homers. Fine numbers for a 22-year-old who will get better, but not necessarily if you’re hoping to stretch a playoff streak toward a decade.

Paredes, playing for his fourth team in five seasons, was in fact a fine match with the left field Crawford Boxes, smacking 20 home runs with an .811 OPS. But injuries limited him to 101 games.

Did someone say injuries? For the second consecutive season, Houston’s playoff hopes were jeopardized by odd and poorly explained mishaps. This time, it was All-Star DH Yordan Alvarez, sidelined for four months with a hand injury that was later revealed to be a finger fracture. When he finally returned, a nasty ankle sprain on Sept. 15 ended his season.

In 2024, it was Tucker who was mysteriously sidelined for three months, before it was finally reported that he suffered a shin fracture. The Astros won the AL West but were forced into the wild card series. Hinch regained some measure of redemption in sweeping the Astros out of the playoffs.

While they were eliminated on the penultimate day of this season, it symbolically ended Sept. 2, when ace Framber Valdez threw a pitch that struck catcher Cesar Salazar in the chest.

It immediately smacked of an intentional cross-up, Valdez frustrated immediately after giving up a grand slam. He denied it was intentional.

Regardless, Valdez is a free agent and, after that episode and Crane’s hesitance to pay top dollar to retain his own players, surely looks like a goner.

They’ll still have a 36-year-old Altuve and a legit ace in Hunter Brown and Correa, reacquired in a Minnesota salary dump, and All-Star Jeremy Peña on the left side of the infield.

But they’ll also, for the first time, take the field as just another team hoping to win 84 to 88 games and grab a playoff spot, rather than the swaggering, powerful, deep, sometimes dastardly Astros of the past.

Those guys are almost all gone. And so is that era, probably for good.

ATHENS, GA – They can’t complain now. Can’t get away with politicking and promoting and posturing in five weeks when the College Football Playoff poll begins. 

This is the monster the SEC created. Suck it up, and deal with it.

If it looks like the NFL, and plays out week after week like the NFL, well, as they say in the south, if you burn your ass, you have to sit on the blisters. 

While Alabama’s surprising 24-21 win over No. 3 Georgia on Saturday night was the epicenter of the SEC world, heavyweight, bare knuckle fistfights played out all over the conference footprint.

Wins and losses — and more important, losses — that will significantly impact the always quirky (and unnervingly fair to a fault) CFP selection committee.   

‘We were talking on the sidelines during the game,’ said Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor. ‘Georgia, night game, prime time TV, this is why you play games in this league.’

And this is how it’s playing out in the bloodbath of a conference: there has never been more uncertainty at the top, and more fluidity among the elite on a weekly basis. What professional league does that sound like?

No. 9 Texas A&M took another step toward erasing its Texas 8&5 reputation, outlasting Auburn by trading blows with the most physical team in the SEC.

All that on one pulsating, punishing weekend, with No. 7 Texas and No. 10 Oklahoma — the two blue bloods who kicked off the SEC move to mimicking the NFL by asking pretty please to join the exclusive club — sitting at home on bye weeks.

About 45 minutes after the game, after Alabama – left for dead after a season-opening loss to Florida State – had beaten Georgia and coach Kirby Smart for the seventh time in eight games, Tide athletic director Greg Byrne stood by the locker room congratulating players and tried to explain this constantly evolving beast of a conference.

‘Hopefully the playoff committee will recognize this challenge, week after week, that every team in this league goes through,’ Byrne said. ‘It’s not (comparing) two losses vs. three losses, or one loss vs. three losses. That needs to be recognized.’

Make no mistake, this is the NFL. Every week is gut-wrenching and gut-pounding. Any team can beat any other team, anywhere at any time.

And speaking of Alabama, what do we make of the team that began the season loafing in a loss at Florida State? Well, it begins with this: if you’re embattled Tide coach Kalen DeBoer and snap Georgia’s 33-game home winning streak, you get to put a period at the end of the Nick Saban is gone conversation. 

And finally, blessedly, move on to the next topic. 

Like this Alabama team may just be good enough to win the whole damn thing. 

Germie Bernard and Isaac Horton made tough, contested catches over the middle. Jam Miller broke tackles with punishing runs, including a couple that sealed the victory. The defense made enough big plays (hello, LT Overton) to contribute to what Alabama always does: find a way to beat Georgia. 

For the love of all things houndstooth, Proctor , 6-7, 366-pound star left tackle, bent down to catch a perimeter screen pass as an eligible receiver and – I swear I’m not making this up – looked like a 30-story building rumbling through the Georgia defense.

Like the old school, black and white film of Godzilla terrorizing the downtown streets. I mean, the humanity of it all. 

So it should come as no surprise that when Alabama returns home next week, it will be greeted by the one player who absolutely, positively, ain’t afraid of Proctzilla. That would be Diego Pavia and — are you ready for this? — big, bad unbeaten No. 20 Vanderbilt. 

The same Vanderbilt that began the Tide dive in 2024, by beating Alabama for the first time since Cornelius Vanderbilt gave two $500,000 gifts to Bishop Holland McTyeire in 1873 to found Vanderbilt. Or something like that.

Then there’s Georgia, which is a missed Tennessee field goal from two losses in September for the first time since 2011. How many teams in the nation can beat this Georgia team? 

Outside the SEC, anyway. 

About 90 minutes before the start of this classic, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey held an impromptu chat with a gaggle of media, patiently dodging and weaving through a maze of issues affecting college football. As the availability was wrapping up, I asked Sankey the most important question of all.

Does he see a future where changes to the CFP could affect the SEC championship game? The one game that, above all else, built this meatgrinder of a conference into something no one could’ve ever imagined. 

“I’ve been on that (championship) stage, and there’s not one person standing there who doesn’t think (an SEC championship) isn’t a big deal,” Sankey said.

If it looks like the NFL, and plays out week after week like the NFL, call it the SEC and go ahead and deal with the blisters.

We’ve got two more months of this wild ride. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

AI-assisted summary
• Oregon quarterback Dante Moore threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
• Penn State quarterback Drew Allar led a fourth-quarter comeback to force overtime.
• The game was decided by an interception in the second overtime period.

STATE COLLEGE, PA — No. 5 Oregon hammered away at No. 2 Penn State and parried the Nittany Lions’ furious charge in the fourth quarter to score a 30-24 overtime win in this high-profile matchup of Big Ten favorites.

‘This is a huge growth moment for our entire team,’ said Oregon coach Dan Lanning. ‘The only time we really struggled was when we beat ourselves. We said it was going to be a battle. We had to figure out what worked, but they handled this environment, and it ended up not being a factor for our team.’

Both teams scored only a field goal in the first half. But the Ducks scored touchdowns on their first two possessions coming out of the break before the Nittany Lions rallied to force overtime behind quarterback Drew Allar, who finished with 179 yards of total offense and had two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.

After the Nittany Lions scored a touchdown and converted the extra point on the first possession of overtime to take a 24-17 lead, the Ducks evened the score on a short touchdown pass. Oregon scored again on the first play of the second extra frame and then failed to convert the automatic two-point try before intercepting Allar on the first play of the Nittany Lions’ ensuing possession.

“Obviously, it’s a really good team. And we’re a really good team. And we’ve got to find ways to win those games,’ Penn State coach James Franklin said.

In the first real test of his first season as the starter, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore completed 29 of 39 throws for 248 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Running back Dierre Hill had 82 yards on 10 carries with a receiving touchdown. Wide receiver Dakorien Moore led the Ducks with 89 receiving yards.

While the score was tied at halftime, the Ducks’ aggressive style on offense and often dominant play on defense showed some signs of eventually wearing down the Nittany Lions.

Oregon outgained Penn State by 120 yards, allowed just 2.8 yards per play and dominated the time of possession in the first half. The Nittany Lions’ issues with moving the ball came after the offense struggled at times in wins against Nevada, Villanova and Florida International.

Even still, the Nittany Lions were giving up just 4.7 yards per play, the Ducks’ second-lowest average in the first half under Lanning. The three points were the Ducks’ fewest in the first half since a loss to Georgia to open the 2022 season.

But the Penn State offense continued to sputter coming out of halftime. A promising drive to begin the third quarter reached the Oregon 36-yard line but ended with Allar stuffed at the line of scrimmage on thrd-and-8 and the Nittany Lions trying to get into more manageable range of a field goal. Instead of still trying a 53-yard attempt, Franklin opted to punt, with the kick going into the end zone and resulting in only a 16-yard net gain.

‘We just didn’t execute the way we were supposed to in the beginning of the game,’ said senior offensive lineman Nick Dawkins. ‘We got it going a little bit at the end, but that’s inexcusable. That’s not our standard.’

Starting at their own 20, the Ducks’ first possession of the second half changed the complexion of the game.

Oregon went 80 yards in 10 plays, including a key 23-yard completion by Moore and a 24-yard run by Hill, to take a 10-3 lead on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Hill with 3:16 left in the third quarter. The drive was extended after a crucial replay reversal of a potential Noah Whittington fumble at the Nittany Lions’ 10-yard line.

Playing from behind for the first time, Penn State went three-and-out and gave the ball right back to the Ducks, who marched downfield for a second touchdown in a row to take a 17-3 lead with 12:25 left in the fourth quarter.

Capped by an 8-yard touchdown run on fourth down by running back Jordon Davison, the scoring drive was highlighted by a completion on third down near midfield that saw Moore buy time against the Nittany Lions pass rush by rolling to his right and then find Dakorian Moore for a 29-yard gain.

That sparked a quick, under-two-minute touchdown drive by Penn State ending with a 35-yard pass from Allar to receiver Devonte Ross. After stopping Oregon thanks in part to a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against offensive lineman Alex Harkey, the Nittany Lions took over at their own 38-yard line with 7:07 to play and the chance to tie the score.

Paced by a 20-yard Allar run and a pair of fourth-and-short conversions, the drive reached the Oregon 10-yard line with 1:15 remaining. After Allen ran for three yards to set up 1st-and-goal, Allar hit Ross on a shovel pass for the game-tying touchdown with 30 seconds left to force overtime.

‘We started to pick it up,’ said Penn State running back Nick Singleton. ‘At the same time, we have to do that earlier in the game.’

Oregon won the overtime coin toss and opted to start on defense.

The Nittany Lions opened the first extra frame with an Allen touchdown run to take a 24-17 lead, their first since going ahead 3-0 in the second quarter. Another key fourth-down conversion extended the Ducks’ following possession and led to a 2-yard touchdown pass.

Oregon scored on a 25-yard touchdown pass to start the second overtime but was intercepted on the two-point try. On the first play of the Nittany Lions’ possession, Allar was intercepted on the left side by safety Dillon Thieneman to seal the Ducks’ win.

‘We’re focused on the next play the entire time. Those guys handled that moment well. They were so locked in and focused,’ Lanning said.

Oregon finished with 424 yards of offense. Penn State had 276 yards on 60 plays, with 137 yards coming on the two scoring drives in the fourth quarter.

‘I’m always very critical of myself,’ Allar said. ‘Our process is our process, and we won’t change that. We have to learn from a lot of stuff from this game. Obviously, the outcome sucks.’

The loss extends the Nittany Lions’ run of failures against top-ranked competition under Franklin. The program hasn’t beaten an opponent ranked in the top five since topping Ohio State in 2016.

‘At the end of the day, we have to find a way to win those games,’ he said. ‘I take ownership and responsibility.’

It is the endless season, where one game represents the smallest fraction possible of any sports season. Yet somehow, at the end, that one little game means everything.

And so we arrive at Game 162 and several Major League Baseball teams playing for almost everything as the 2025 regular season draws to a close.

“It’s why we all do what we do. This is the exact situation you want to be in,” says Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider, whose club can lock up the American League East with a Game 162 win against the Tampa Bay Rays. “Baseball’s funny, man.

“One sixty-two is a lot and then you look up and, of course, it comes down to 162 to get where you want to, right?”

MLB BRACKET: Where races stand heading into final day of 2025 season.

It’s the same story in the Bronx, where the unstoppable New York Yankees will also aim for the East title – though they don’t entirely control the outcome, needing a Blue Jays loss to win the division and the hall pass out of the wild card series.

As the day of reckoning arrives, a look at the winners and losers from the penultimate day of the season, when two playoff tickets were punched and others stayed alive:

Winners

Detroit Tigers

Collapse? What collapse? Hey, nobody remembers a 2-14 stretch drive and losing five of six against your division rival to blow a 15 ½-game division lead when it all ends in a sensory overload of champagne spray and cigar smoke.

Yep, the Tigers righted the ship just long enough to claim a 2-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox and cement a playoff berth. And maybe even the division title if the Cleveland Guardians cooperate.

Either way, the Tigers enter the playoffs as the team that flatlined but were resuscitated to life. They’re not as potent as the 2023 Texas Rangers, and perhaps not as plucky as an 83-win 2006 St. Louis Cardinals team that beat a heavily favored Tigers team in the World Series.

But they do have Tarik Skubal, an ace in a landscape with few of them. And that can cover up a nearly disastrous tank job and a roster that ultimately won just 87 games.

In fact, the Tigers are dreaming of bigger things than an AL Central title: Skubal will not start the season finale, Detroit hoping Chris Paddack and a Guardians loss can hand them the division crown. The grander point: Skubal will start Game 1, be it in the wild card series or AL Division Series on Oct. 4.

Javy Báez

It’s Detroit’s second consecutive postseason trip, yet Báez was not around for the first one: He opted for season-ending hip surgery, team and player knowing he had to get right, and the club launched a chaotic run to the AL Division Series without him.

This year, he was healthy, and an All-Star, and then befallen by a .221/.229/.300 second half, his demise coinciding with Detroit’s. But in Game 161, he was nails, with a Superman-like diving catch to save one run and then a 29.3 feet per second sprint toward home to score the eventual winning run on Jahmai Jones’ single.

“Obviously last year I couldn’t be here because of the surgery,” Báez said amid the clubhouse revelry. “I told the boys, I know it’s been a crazy season with the ups and downs and injuries, but we deserve it more than anyone.

“Keep playing.”

This year, Báez will do just that.

Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton

Uh-oh.

There’s plenty of factors behind the Yankees’ rise but nothing is quite so gloriously unsubtle than when their 6-7 and 6-6 sluggers are pounding baseballs out of sight. Judge and Stanton each homered in their Game 161 triumph over Baltimore, the eighth time this year they’ve gone deep in the same game and the 59^th , including postseason, in their eight years together. Only Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth (75) have done that more in Yankee history.

Judge’s MVP-caliber season makes it easy to overlook that Stanton, after missing the start of the season due to pain in both elbows, has a .272/.348/.946 line and 24 homers in 76 games.

They may be the AL’s toughest out – duo and team – and have a shot at five days off if things break right one more time.

Trey Yesavage

From Dunedin to Vancouver (British Columbia) to New Hampshire to Buffalo to Toronto and finally to starting the biggest game of the year, it’s been quite a ride for the 20^th overall pick in the 2024 draft.

And Yesavage showed he has the big-game mettle that should make him a huge postseason factor for the Blue Jays.

He tossed five scoreless innings against Tampa Bay for his first major league win, shaking off a booted double-play ball to strike out five and leave with a 4-0 lead.

With his long extension and unique arm angle, Yesavage is an imposing figure for opposing hitters – and none of the Blue Jays’ AL playoff opponents have ever seen Yesavage. He looks like a rotation lock even in a best-of-five series – though it will fall on veteran Kevin Gausman to pitch Toronto past the Rays in Game 162 and out of the wild-card series.

“I got all the confidence in the world in Kev,” says Schneider.

The Mendoza Line

Mario Mendoza never liked the fact his career was associated with hitting worse than .200. Well, thanks to the Cleveland Guardians’ playoff qualification, perhaps that stigma will be lessened.

Four players in the box score from their clinching win over the Texas Rangers are batting between .152 and .188, including cleanup hitter Johnathan Rodriguez (.188), whose two-run homer kept the Guardians level with Texas before they could win it on a walk-off hit-by-pitch. Jhonkensy Noel (.152), Austin Hedges (.161), Bo Naylor (.192)? They’re going to the playoffs and you’re probably not. Life’s never been better on the interstate.

Pete Alonso

Will the Mets ever be able to quit the Polar Bear?

It doesn’t seem like it, not when dude seems to clutch up when they need him the most. A loss to Miami in the opener of their season-ending series put the Mets on the brink, but Alonso roared out of the gate Sept. 27 with an RBI double and home run.

That was enough for starter Clay Holmes, and now the Mets aim for hope from Milwaukee. Alonso has surely played well enough to opt out of the last year of his $54 million contract and hit the market again.

If Alonso bails them out two years in a row, can the Mets afford not to bring him back yet again?

Losers

Houston Astros

If a dynasty topples in a series no one’s watching in Anaheim, does it make a sound?

Lost in all the hysteria over Guardians magic and Tigers suckage is the fact the Astros – playoff participants for eight consecutive seasons – were about to fold the tent on their semi-dynasty.

They’ve kind of been a dead team walking since the Seattle Mariners roared through Daikin Park with a sweep to essentially ice the AL West. Now, Houston’s lost six of seven and saw its postseason hopes officially end when the Tigers and Guardians both won.

Sure, 2017 was a relatively long time ago, but we get the sense there won’t be many tears shed beyond Harris County.

Jacob Misiorowski, reliever

With the Brewers hesitant to put 6-7 All-Star rookie Jacob Misiorowski in their playoff rotation, The Miz got a shot at workshopping a relief role in a most difficult spot: Bases loaded, two outs, third inning of a 1-0 game against Cincinnati.

It did not go well.

Sure, Misiorowski ran into a little bad luck with a swinging bunt off the bat of Ke’Bryan Hayes that registered 57.8 mph on the exit velocity and drove in a run. But then a bases-loaded walk to Matt McLain was followed by a TJ Friedl single to left field, mayhem briefly visiting when an Isaac Collins throwing error allowed another run to score.

The Brewers can certainly analyze the situation and realize this wasn’t all Misiorowski’s fault, but on the other hand they brought him into a 1-0 game and it soon became 6-0.

The overriding lesson once the NLDS arrives: Bring The Miz in at the start of an inning, lest the Brewers’ playoff run go sideways quickly.

Of course, that’s too late to save the Mets, who could only watch as Misiorowski teetered and pushed their postseason hopes to the very edge.

ESPN

They’ve been sitting on a dream Yankees-Red Sox matchup in the wild-card series – in this, the year they opted out of the remainder of their contract to broadcast it – yet the ratings magic carpet might just get pulled out from under them.

A Tigers win over the Red Sox and Guardians win over the Texas Rangers would knock Boston from the No. 2 wild card to No. 3 – and send them packing for the Rust Belt for a wild-card series against the Central champion.

Meanwhile, the Yankees would welcome either the Guardians or Tigers to the Bronx.

In a sense, it might help spreading the Northeast ratings behemoths across two series. But it’s hard to shake the sense the chance at a ratings jackpot would be missed.