AI-assisted summary
• Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon are currently positioned as strong playoff contenders from the conference.
• Key upcoming games include USC at Notre Dame, Nebraska at Penn State, and Ohio State at Michigan.
• At least three Big Ten teams are expected to make the 12-team College Football Playoff field.

Things are about to get very serious in the Big Ten.

The first half of the college football is in the books. Penn State is out of the mix. Wisconsin is terrible. No. 1 Ohio State is intimidating. No. 3 Indiana looks unbeatable.

The second half of the regular season will decide which teams meet to decide the conference championship and which Big Ten teams make the College Football Playoff.

For now, the Buckeyes, Hoosiers and No. 9 Oregon look like playoff locks. The second tier of contenders include No. 21 Southern California, Michigan, Nebraska and Illinois.

The expectation is that at least three and as many as four Big Ten teams make the 12-team field. Four made last year’s bracket in the Buckeyes, Hoosiers, Ducks and Nittany Lions.

These games will shape the Big Ten race in the second half and help clean up an unsettled playoff race:

Southern California at No. 15 Notre Dame, Oct. 18

After beating Michigan to break into the US LBM Coaches Poll, the Trojans take on another big test against the red-hot Fighting Irish. USC could lose this game and still make the playoff as an at-large team, or even rally in Big Ten play to reach the conference championship game. What happens in South Bend will show whether the Trojans have what it takes.

UCLA at Indiana, Oct. 25

This is looking like Indiana’s biggest test the rest of the way, underscoring how the Hoosiers might have the best playoff odds of any team in the Power Four. UCLA has turned a corner since firing Deshaun Foster and clearly found an offensive identity. Will that be enough to score a mammoth upset?

Southern California at Nebraska, Nov. 1

One-loss Nebraska is hanging around the playoff race in Matt Rhule’s third season. A close win against Maryland shows how thin the margin of error is for a team that has improved dramatically under Rhule but isn’t quite a finished product. Beating USC would provide some national respect and set up the possibility of a 10-win regular season.

Nebraska at Penn State, Nov. 22

This might be awkward. A former Penn State linebacker, Rhule was immediately floated as James Franklin’s successor due to his ties to the program and deep connection with Nittany Lions athletics director Pat Kraft. It’s possible that Rhule will have made a public commitment to Nebraska before this road trip. If not, though, and if the Cornhuskers are surging in the Top 25, this matchup will be one of the most storyline-heavy of the second half.

Oregon at Washington, Nov. 29

The Ducks should be in firm position for an at-large playoff bid and even the Big Ten title game before the trip to Seattle. If not, though — let’s say they slip and fall at Iowa or the week prior against USC — this could be a winner-take-all matchup that determines much more than just bragging rights.

Ohio State at Michigan, Nov. 29

Can the Buckeyes finally crack Michigan’s code? The Buckeyes seem better equipped to handle the Wolverines thanks to an elite defense that ranks near the top of the country in every major category. And by this point in the year, the Julian Sayin-led offense could be the best in the conference.

AI-assisted summary
• The SEC has as many as 10 teams in contention for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
• Key games include No. 10 LSU at No. 18 Vanderbilt and No. 5 Mississippi at No. 7 Georgia.
• Rivalry games like Texas A&M at Texas and the Iron Bowl could have major playoff implications.

There is no shortage of high-impact SEC games involving every College Football Playoff contender occurring every weekend from now through the end of the regular season.

But that’s life in college football’s meatgrinder.

While the Big Ten might have five or six teams in the playoff mix, the list of candidates in the SEC goes as many as 10 deep, matching the number of teams the league has in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll.

It’s easy to identify which teams are contending for the 12-team bracket. What’s not so easy is predicting which three or four teams rise to the top of the standings and earn automatic and at-large playoff bids.

The second half of the year will help bring this into focus. From this weekend through the final Saturday of November, these games will determine where the SEC lands:

No. 10 LSU at No. 18 Vanderbilt, Oct. 18

It’s a huge test and a potential breaking point for Vanderbilt, which looked a clear step behind the best teams in the SEC in this month’s loss to No. 6 Alabama. A win establishes the Commodores as a legitimate playoff hopeful and essentially bounces LSU from contention. This is an opportunity for the Tigers offense to finally get on track.

No. 5 Mississippi at No. 7 Georgia, Oct. 18

There are still some unknowns about the Rebels, especially after a too-close-for-comfort win against Washington State. There are questions about the Bulldogs, too, given their uneven play through the first half of games. This is a tone-setting game for both teams that will provide some separation near the top of the conference.

No. 11 Tennessee at No. 6 Alabama, Oct. 18

The third marquee game this Saturday alone rekindles a rivalry that has shifted back to the Volunteers, winners of two of the last three meetings. Both teams have some playoff wiggle room, but the winner could head out of the weekend as the favorite in the SEC. It’s another test for Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar, who hasn’t faced a ranked opponent on the road.

No. 4 Texas A&M at LSU, Oct. 25

Saturday’s trip to Arkansas won’t help decide whether A&M is truly one of the top five teams in the Bowl Subdivision or just a very good team taking advantage of an easier schedule. That answer could come a week later in Death Valley. LSU has the talent to flip a switch and run the table in the second half.

Georgia vs. Florida, Nov. 1

The annual meeting between the schools in Jacksonville, Florida, is notable for potentially being the final game for Florida coach Billy Napier, who has been able to dodge a pink slip but finds his job security more tenuous than ever. Look for the school to make a coaching change should the Gators lose.

Texas A&M at No. 16 Missouri, Nov. 8

This one of three games remaining against ranked teams for Missouri, sandwiched between matchups against Vanderbilt and No. 13 Oklahoma. Should they get past the Commodores, a win against the Aggies could put the Tigers on track to land an at-large bid.

LSU at Alabama, Nov. 8

One potential backdrop to this game is Brian Kelly’s future at LSU should the Tigers lose once before heading to Tuscaloosa. The same might be said of Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, though he’s solidified his status during an active five-game winning streak. This could determine half of the makeup of the SEC championship game if both teams have just one loss.

Oklahoma at Alabama, Nov. 15

By this point, the hope for Oklahoma is that quarterback John Mateer has fully recovered from his hand injury and is playing at the level that made him a Heisman Trophy front-runner. The Sooners’ defense is one of the best nationally, so a playoff bid comes down to whether the offense gets back in gear.

No. 17 Texas at Georgia, Nov. 15

This game would take on much less meaning if Texas slips up and takes a third loss against Vanderbilt. If the Longhorns have just two losses, the trip to Athens would be one of the biggest regular-season games of the Steve Sarkisian era. A loss might end their postseason hopes. A win could vault them into the SEC title game.

Georgia at No. 13 Georgia Tech, Nov. 28

This could be a playoff eliminator for the loser should unbeaten Geogia Tech lose once or twice in ACC play and fall short of the conference title game. While who the loss or losses come against matters, the Yellow Jackets could still meet the Bulldogs with an at-large playoff bid at risk. Last year’s rivalry was an epic, eight-overtime win by Georgia.

Texas A&M at Texas, Nov. 28

This rekindled rivalry would be must-see TV even if both teams were hovering around five or six wins. There’s a chance that this game carries the same weight as last year’s meeting, which had profound consequences for the SEC and the playoff. If Sarkisian is under fire after the Georgia game, a loss to Mike Elko and the Aggies would make his job security one of the main talking points of the offseason.

Alabama at Auburn, Nov. 29

The Iron Bowl will also draw national eyeballs regardless of the records involved. In this year’s case, don’t look for Auburn to have much more on the line than getting to six wins, which even then might not be enough to salvage Hugh Freeze’s job. There will be plenty of pressure on DeBoer, though, because of the chance the Tigers play spoilers and knock the Crimson Tide out of the title conversation.

Three days into Penn State football’s national search to find its replacement for James Franklin and Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule remains seen as one of the favorites among the candidates for the position.

Asked about those rumors during a media availability with reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 14, Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola offered a rather assertive answer regarding his head coach’s name being put into conversations about the job and whether Rhule would take it.

‘That’s our head football coach and he ain’t going nowhere,’ Raiola said on Tuesday. ‘He’s staying right here. It doesn’t really matter what he says. His wife loves it here, she has her business going and all that stuff. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t. He ain’t going nowhere.’

Raiola, who is in his second season serving as Rhule’s starting quarterback, began his emphatic statement on Rhule not leaving for Penn State by mentioning that Rhule hasn’t allowed the outside noise to impact the program.

‘It doesn’t faze him at all. It’s just some people stirring stuff up and making things better than it is,’ Raiola said. ‘I couldn’t tell you, he’s as locked in as ever on this football game (against Minnesota) to get this win.’

Rhule quickly became one of the top potential candidates for the Penn State job after Franklin’s firing at Penn State on Sunday, Oct. 12. The reasons for Rhule’s name being thrown into the pool of candidates were rather simple, as he played at Penn State from 1994-1997 and has a close friendship with Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft, who hired Rhule at Temple.

‘I absolutely love it here. I want us to continue to take the steps needed for us to turn this thing into a beast. … I’m really happy here,’ Rhule said on Monday, Oct. 13 when asked about the Penn State opening. ‘I love Penn State…’

Nebraska travels to Minnesota on Friday, Oct. 17 for a 8 p.m. ET kickoff against the Golden Gophers, where the Cornhuskers will look to become bowl eligible for the second consecutive season under Rhule. The Cornhuskers will travel to Happy Valley in the second-to-last weekend of Big Ten play on Saturday, Nov. 22.

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MILWAUKEE — Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts has refused to stay at the team hotel in downtown Milwaukee for years, convinced that the famous Pfister Hotel is haunted.

So when the Dodgers come to town, he always checks into an Airbnb away from the team, not ready to encounter any ghosts.

Well, if there’s any extra room, Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez would like to join him.

Hernandez insisted before Game 2 of that National League Championship Series that while he does not believe in ghosts, his wife sure does – so they’re getting different accommodations.

“I don’t believe in ghosts,’ Hernandez said. “I have stayed in there before. I’ve never seen anything or heard anything.

“But my wife is on this trip, and she said she doesn’t want to stay there. So we have to find another hotel.

“But I’ve been hearing from other players and other wives that it’s something happening in these couple of nights.’

Well, just what are they hearing?

“The lights, some of the rooms, the lights goes off and on,’ Hernandez said. “And the doors, there are noises, footsteps, things like that, I don’t know.

“I’m not the guy that I’m going to be here saying, ‘Oh, yeah, I experienced that before’ because I’m not. And I don’t think I’m going to experience that.’

Well, you can’t convince Betts that something isn’t up, and refuses to take any chances, saying “I just don’t want to find out myself.’

Players in the past have talked about some strange occurrences at the 132-year-old hotel with Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper saying his clothes were once moved across the room, and players talking about phantom footsteps and the TV and radios mysteriously coming on in their rooms.

Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton once said: “It’s freaky with the head-shot paintings on the walls and the old curtains everywhere. It reminds me of the Disneyland Haunted House. The less time I’m there, the better.’

The truth, one former MLB executive says, is that it’s often just gags being played by teammates.

The doors to the rooms on the older side of the hotel don’t go all of the way to the floor, leaving about a quarter-inch gap from the bottom.

“So guys will take their TV remotes and go around to other player and staff rooms in the middle of the night clicking TV’s under their doors,’ he said. “I’ve seen it done a ton over the years. That’s where the whole haunted thing started back in the day.’

So the hotel is not haunted?

“Not haunted,’ he said.

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The U.S. men’s national team closed out the October window with a 2-1 friendly win against Australia in Commerce City, Colorado, on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Haji Wright scored both goals, helping the USMNT come back after Jordan Bos opened the scoring for Australia in the 19th minute.

Cristian Roldan assisted both of Wright’s goals as the Seattle Sounders midfielder continued to build his case for a World Cup roster spot.

The main downside from a U.S. perspective came when Christian Pulisic was forced off with an injury in the 31st minute.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side turned in an impressive performance on Friday, controlling much of the game in a 1-1 draw against South American power Ecuador. The win over Australia wrapped up a positive October window for a team that appears to be heading in the right direction.

They’ll look to keep the momentum going next month against Paraguay and Uruguay before turning toward 2026 and a home World Cup.

USMNT vs. Australia highlights

USMNT 2025 schedule and results

• Jan. 20 (friendly) — United States 3, Venezuela 1
• Jan. 22 (friendly) — United States 3, Costa Rica 0
• March 20 (Concacaf Nations League) — Panama 1, United States 0
• March 23 (Concacaf Nations League third-place match) — Canada 2, United States 1
• June 7 (friendly) — Türkiye 2, United States 1
• June 10 (friendly) — Switzerland 4, United States 0
• June 15 (Concacaf Gold Cup) — United States 5, Trinidad and Tobago 0
• June 19 (Concacaf Gold Cup) — United States 1, Saudi Arabia 0
• June 22 (Concacaf Gold Cup) — United States 2, Haiti 1
• June 29 (Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinal) — United States 2, Costa Rica 2 (U.S. won penalty shootout, 4-3)
• July 2 (Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal) — United States 2, Guatemala 1
• July 6 (Concacaf Gold Cup final) — Mexico 2, United States 1
• Sept. 6 (friendly) — South Korea 2, United States 0
• Sept. 9 (friendly) — United States 2, Japan 0
• Oct. 10 (friendly) — United States 1, Ecuador 1
• Oct. 14 (friendly) — United States 2, Australia 1
• Nov. 15 (friendly) — United States vs. Paraguay, 5 p.m. ET (Subaru Park, Chester, Pennsylvania)
• Nov. 18 (friendly) — United States vs. Uruguay, 7 p.m. ET (Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida)

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Brewers knew their pitching was going to be a weak spot in the NLCS.

What they didn’t foresee was their offense being a complete dumpster fire.

The Brewers have managed a whopping two runs and five hits in the first two games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They never had a runner in scoring position in Game 2 on Tuesday night. They went down in order in each of the last four innings, with just one ball making it out of the infield.  

Christian Yelich is 0-for-7 against Los Angeles, extending a slump that began in the NLDS against the Chicago Cubs. Jackson Chourio, William Contreras and Brice Turang aren’t much better, with Milwaukee’s big four a combined 2-for-29 in the NLCS.

“Not the best,” Yelich said after a 5-1 loss that dropped the Brewers to 0-2 in the best-of-seven series. “I started (the postseason) out good and then just hit a little bit of a rough patch here the last few games.

“Unfortunate time for that to happen,” said Yelich, who had 29 home runs and 103 RBIs during the regular season. “I’ve got to be better. I’ve got to figure it out. That’s just how it goes.”

It’s true that any team would have struggled to scratch out hits, let alone runs, off Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto with the way they were pitching. The Dodgers starters were masterful, with Snell throwing eight innings of one-hit ball Monday and Yamamoto tossing the first complete game in the postseason in eight years Tuesday.

But the Brewers had the season they did because they thrived on pressuring opposing pitchers. No matter what was thrown at them, they found ways to get on base and manufacture runs.

Remember that sweep of Los Angeles in the regular season? The Brewers tagged the Dodgers for 31 runs in those six games. They ran Yamamoto off before he could get through an inning in his one regular-season start against them.

Now they can’t buy a base hit.

“We chased way more than we’ve chased all year,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “We’ve been the best in baseball at not chasing. These pitchers brought out the worst in us.

“Offensively, you’ve got to grind out at-bats. That’s been our forte. … Sometimes great pitching brings out the worst in you.”

It didn’t start out that way.

When Chourio went deep on the first pitch he saw from Yamamoto, it looked as if the Brewers were going to build off their momentum from the ninth inning in Game 1. It was only the third leadoff home run in Brewers postseason history, and it had the sellout crowd at American Family Field rocking.

But Milwaukee quickly faded, with Turang, Contreras and Yelich grounding out to end the inning that began on such a high.

“It’s a great feeling to have, for sure, to be able to put your team ahead right away from the first pitch of the game,” Chourio said. “But unfortunately we were unable to add onto that and to keep going.”

Milwaukee would only put five people on base the rest of the game, and no one after the first out in the fifth inning.  

“The way this offense runs is just getting on base,” Chourio said. “They did a good job of limiting our ability to do that.”

Now the Brewers head to Los Angeles, with only one day to figure out what ails them before Game 3 on Thursday night.

As dire as their circumstances seem, Milwaukee is capable of both digging itself out of a hole and reeling off a winning streak.

The Brewers began the season with a four-game losing streak — giving up 47 runs in the process, no less — only to win four in a row and seven of its next eight. They had an 11-game winning streak in July and a 14-game winning streak in August. They have not lost four in a row since the end of April.  

“This team has been counted out a lot this year. And I think there’s some fight left in them,” Murphy said.

There might be fight, but it’s offense the Brewers need.

“We’re just looking for that one where it kind of clicks,” Yelich said. “Get a few guys going and make a series of it.”

Time is running out.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Season 2 of Netflix’s show ‘Starting 5’ is set to air Thursday, Oct. 16.

Season 1 was met with mixed reviews. The show offered insights into the daily lives of five NBA players: LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis, Jimmy Butler, Jayson Tatum, and Anthony Edwards.

Season 2 will offer similar insights into five new players, reliving the biggest moments of the 2024-25 NBA season.

But who are these new players? Did they accomplish feats last season that would make them more worthy of coverage compared to what we saw a season ago?

Here’s everything to know about the upcoming season of ‘Starting 5’ to get you excited for the 2025-26 NBA season:

Who is being followed in Season 2 of ‘Starting 5’?

Here are the five players who were being covered last season:

• Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns (now with Houston Rockets)
• Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
• James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers

How many episodes will Season 2 be?

Season 2 will be eight episodes. Each episode will have approximately a 45-minute runtime.