Florida State football quarterback Jordan Travis appeared to have suffered a serious lower left leg injury in the first quarter against North Alabama on Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium.

Travis was tackled awkwardly on a 17-yard run on the third drive of the game for the No. 4 Seminoles. Travis, who grabbed his left leg under his knee, was immediately attended to by FSU physicians and trainers. He was down for several minutes before being taken off the field on a cart.

Both teams came to midfield to comfort Travis before he was transported to a waiting ambulance as fans chanted ‘Jordan Travis.’ Travis showed his appreciation for the fans and later cheered on his teammates from his hospital bed.

With the Seminoles trailing the Lions 13-0, backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker came in relief for Travis and completed 13 of 23 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns en route to their 58-13 blowout win. Florida State freshman quarterback Brock Glenn added three completions for 35 yards, in addition to one rushing touchdown, marking the first of his collegiate career.

‘Congratulations brother,’ Travis captioned an Instagram Story of himself watching the rest of the game on his phone while lying in a hospital bed. Travis also provided live commentary of Quindarrius Jones’ 50-yard return of a blocked field goal to end the game. ‘Block that (expletive)… Go score, go score… They blocked the kick.’

Despite the Lions jumping to an early 13-0 lead following a pair of touchdown scores, the Seminoles responded by scoring 58 unanswered points to win. They move to 11-0 on the season.

‘Coming in we knew this was going to be Jordan Travis’ last game at Doak S. Campbell Stadium and I wanted to see him have a special game and a special experience,’ Florida State head coach Mike Norvell said after the game. ‘Anytime someone gets hurt, it hurts. It’s painful to see, it’s painful to have to go through. You want so bad for that kid because he does everything right. He really is a special young man.’ 

Norvell didn’t provide an update on Travis’ injury. Florida State will face in-state rival Florida next week.

Every day, the NFL transaction wire has dozens of names, mostly of players who are on the fringe of NFL rosters or are dealing with some sort of injury.

So it was a shock when former Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Bernard Williams, who hadn’t played in almost three decades, found out he was cut by the team that drafted him in 1994.

Williams, now 51, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he was driving his Amazon delivery route earlier this week and got a text from an NFL scout that he coached in high school.

“He said, ‘I saw it come across the wire,’” Williams said. “This came out of nowhere.’

The Eagles drafted Williams with the 14th overall pick in the 1994 draft.

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Williams played his rookie season, then was suspended for six games in 1995 and then banned again for the rest of the season. He never played an NFL down after that and never applied for reinstatement. Williams had remained on the suspended list ever since.

“It was about me dealing with personal stuff,” Williams told the newspaper. “A lot of grief at that point in my life that I hadn’t dealt with. I really needed to take some time off, but I couldn’t. Marijuana was my crutch during that time. Pretty much, I just wanted to be home. I applaud the young athletes like Simone Biles who are taking time off to deal with their personal issues and mental health. If I was given that opportunity back then, I think I would’ve played a lot longer than I did.”

Williams returned to football in 2000, playing for the Canadian Football League, the Arena Football League and the XFL.

“I think I could’ve played 10, 15 years and been a Hall of Fame player,” Williams said. “I think my talent was that great. But I also think football isn’t life and it’s never been for me. I do love football, but I love myself more. I think about the $50 million down the drain, maybe $100 million down the drain, but when I was rich I wasn’t happy. The money doesn’t bother me.”

An Eagles spokesman told NBC Sports Philadelphia that NFL officials contacted the team recently and explained that they were clearing out decades-old players on various reserve lists when Williams’ name surfaced. 

While the NFL season is still in the midst of the regular-season campaign, the fantasy football season has less than a month left. If you’re one of those players who is just on the edge of the playoff bubble, or just someone looking to avoid last place so you don’t have to spend 24 hours inside a Waffle House, there are still a multitude of players to consider moving forward with this season who are likely available in your league.

Here’s who you should target on the waiver wire ahead of Week 12.

Indianapolis Colts WR Josh Downs

Rostered in 50% of Yahoo leagues

I shouldn’t have to write this right now. When healthy, Downs is an absolute stud, but Downs goes through two games with an injury and then they go on bye and you forget about him? Not on my watch!

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If anything, this was the week to buy the dip. With the Colts on bye, there were bound to be a few people who needed to drop him in order to fill out their starting lineup. The bye gives Downs more time to recover from the knee injury that has been ailing him for the entire season. Sure, he had a flare up in Week 9 and has struggled to produce good fantasy numbers, but even the Colts said that they were ‘not concerned’ with the injury. There was zero reason to drop a guy who scored at least 13 PPR points in five of six weeks before going down in Week 9.

Downs should not be available in any leagues with 10 or more people. However, he’s somehow available in half of all Yahoo leagues. If you can grab him, do it. Then thank your lucky stars somebody else in your league was dumb enough to drop him.

Baltimore Ravens TE Isaiah Likely

Rostered in <5% of Yahoo leagues

This might seem like an obvious decision. With Mark Andrews out for the remainder of the year, moving to his backup seems like a smart move. I wouldn’t go that far though. Even with Andrews hurt on the first drive of Thursday night’s game, Likely could only muster two targets and didn’t haul in a single pass. In fact, in three career games without Mark Andrews, Likely has only received more than one reception once. Albeit, he went off for eight catches and 103 yards, but that was also during a Week 18 game against Cincinnati last season when the Ravens’ spot in the postseason had already been secured. Also, the Ravens played Anthony Brown at quarterback. He will not be playing quarterback for the Ravens again anytime soon.

With all that in mind, why would I be telling you to pick Likely up? So you can trade him of course. Andrews’ injury is going to send every one of his owners into panic mode. Unless they have a great backup to replace Andrews with, they are going to be scrambling to find someone, anyone. Likely will likely be their first thought. If they can’t snag him off the waiver wire, they’ll probably be willing to overpay for him. Likely is worth a low-end FLEX option. You can probably get a WR3, maybe a low-end WR2 at this point. His value has never been higher, and that means you need him on your team.

Even if you can’t trade Likely, at the very worst, he is a high-upside option to keep on your bench. If Lamar Jackson and the Ravens opt to give him 80% of Andrews’ targets, he can be special. I’d be willing to be that doesn’t happen though.

Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford

Rostered in 47% of Yahoo leagues

Despite the Los Angeles Rams’ suboptimal 4-6 record, they are still in the playoff hunt. As long as there is a chance for the postseason, Stafford will play when healthy and this next week, he gets the Arizona Cardinals.

After the Cardinals, the Rams get the Browns and Ravens — two very stout defenses. You obviously wouldn’t want to start Stafford against either of those teams. However, for the fantasy playoffs, the Rams get the Commanders, Saints, and Cardinals — three very good matchups for opposing quarterbacks. The Commanders no longer have their two best pass-rushers from the beginning of the season and just allowed Tommy DeVito to throw for three touchdowns. The Saints have allowed 17, 19, 18, 19, and 26 points to opposing quarterbacks in their last five games. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are the Cardinals. If your starting quarterback was Joe Burrow and you’re panicking to find a replacement, Stafford could be a sneaky choice that could pay off dividends.

Arizona Cardinals WR Greg Dortch

Rostered in <5% of Yahoo leagues

It’s easy to forget how many targets Greg Dortch got last season without DeAndre Hopkins in the mix. Even I forgot about it, but with Kyler Murray last year, Dortch got looked at very often, racking up 23 targets, 18 receptions, 198 yards, and a touchdown in the first three weeks of 2022.

While Dortch did not get any looks in Murray’s first game back from the IR this year, the two picked their connection back up against Houston. Dortch paced the Cardinals in receptions and receiving yards. He had three times as many receptions as the next-closest receiver. It doesn’t matter who it is, anyone with that high a target share in a quarterback’s second game of the season deserves a spot on your fantasy roster.

It’s hard to steal the spotlight away from Peyton Manning at a Tennessee football game.

Unless you’re Dolly Parton.

The country music icon and Tennessee native made her way to Neyland Stadium on Saturday for the Volunteers home game against No. 1 Georgia, and was treated like royalty.

At the end of the first quarter, Parton was escorted down a stage on the field by none other than her fellow Tennessee icon. She then joined to sing ‘Rocky Top.’

Afterward, Parton spoke with CBS Sports’ Jenny Dell about her experience, and she said there were some technical issues with her performance.

‘I couldn’t hear because my sound went out and the stadium was so loud,’ Parton said. ‘But I was so honored to be here, and I love Peyton, I love the crowd. It’s just good to be home.’

Dell went back to the booth to let Brad Kessler call the next play of the game, but the microphone wasn’t off, and viewers could hear Parton singing ‘Rocky Top.’ When it went back to her, she then sang another line of the school’s unofficial fight song.

Parton, who released a rock album Friday, has a partnership with Tennessee. In September, Parton and the athletic department announced a partnership that included an exclusive Vols edition of Parton’s new album ‘Rockstar’ that includes a live version of Parton singing ‘Rocky Top’ and also a co-branded merchandise line.

Florida football lost more than a close game to No. 9 Missouri on Saturday. The Gators could also be without starting quarterback Graham Mertz for their Rivalry Week game vs. No. 4 Florida State.

Florida (5-6, 3-5 in SEC play) needs to beat the Seminoles to earn bowl eligibility, but might have to attempt a win without Mertz. Near the end of the third quarter, he took off to run and came up favoring his shoulder. He was then shown being taken to the locker room before the ESPN telecast said he bypassed the locker room and went straight to Missouri’s facilities for X-rays.

The X-rays revealed a collarbone injury that will more than likely sideline him for the FSU game.

‘Graham has a non-displaced fracture of the collarbone, so he’ll be out for a little bit,’ Florida coach Billy Napier said. ‘We’ll have more information whether it’s surgical or not, we think right now the belief is it may not be but we’ll need to get more images to make that decision.’

Asked if the injury will keep him out for the FSU game, Napier responded: ‘We’ll see. I’ll let you know Monday. I don’t want to speak to something I don’t have 100 percent of the facts. I just know he’s not available. We think it’s a pretty significant injury.’

The first-year starting quarterback exited the Gators’ game trailing 23-21 and had completed 14 of 21 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns with an interception before being replaced by backup Max Brown.

Mertz is in his first year with Florida after transferring from Wisconsin, where he started for three seasons.

Graham Mertz injury update

Mertz exited Florida’s game against Missouri on Saturday after taking a hit on a quarterback scramble. He then was shown favoring his shoulder.

Mertz then exited the game and was shown being taken to the locker room, but the ESPN broadcast later reported he was bypassing the locker room and heading straight to the Tigers’ facilities for X-rays. He later was shown back on the sidelines, but in street clothes with his arm in a sling.

Graham Mertz stats

Who is Max Brown?

Mertz was replaced by redshirt freshman backup Max Brown after exiting.

The 6-2 passer from Tulsa, Oklahoma, completed 6 of his 7 career passes this season before Saturday. He was a 3-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, and chose the Gators over Washington, Central Michigan and Temple.

Brown overcame a turnover to rally Florida to 10 straight fourth-quarter points as UF took a 31-30 lead over the Tigers with 1:36 left.

‘Give Max some credit,’ Napier said. ‘You know Max settled in there a bit and made a few plays. Obviously he’s a good athlete and we were able to use his legs a little bit in the read (option) game and he made some throws as well.’

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Max Verstappen hated everything about the Las Vegas Grand Prix from the moment he arrived in Sin City. Formula One’s three-time reigning world champion found the excess and opulence over-the-top and prioritized over the actual racing.

He changed his tune — literally — following his 18th win of the season.

‘Viva Las Vegas! Viva Las Vegas!’ sang Verstappen as he crossed under the checkered flag waved by Justin Bieber. Verstappen had slammed Saturday night’s spectacle at every chance, yet raced in an Elvis-inspired firesuit and took the victory on the famed Las Vegas Strip.

‘I hope everyone enjoyed it, we definitely did. Excited to come back here next year and try to do something similar,’ said Verstappen, who had markedly reversed his weeklong position on the Las Vegas spectacle.

‘It was a fun race. I enjoyed it,’ he conceded.

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Verstappen passed Charles Leclerc at the start then overcame a penalty to pass Leclerc once more with 13 laps remaining to continue his season-long dominance. Verstappen, Leclerc and Sergio Perez were driven in a limousine to a stage located near the Bellagio − ‘we go straight to the nightclub,’ Verstappen told his fellow podium finishers − but they were instead treated to the casino’s famed fountain show.

The Bellagio fountains had been turned off all week and restarted as part of the victory celebration. None of the participants seemed remotely interested as they stood chatting. After receiving their trophies, they were treated to a New Year’s Eve-style fireworks show over the Strip.

Martin Garrix then launched into a throbbing DJ set to entertain those who opened their wallets for the most expensive spectator race of the season. Celebrities danced along on the grid and everyone seemed thrilled with the show. The stars in attendance included Brad Pitt, Rihanna, Usain Bolt and Shaquille O’Neal as F1 said it drew more than 315,000 spectators over the weekend and estimated an economic impact of $1.2 billion to Las Vegas.

‘I really enjoyed it and I am especially happy that we finished the weekend on a high note because it was hurting me to see the sport that I love so much starting so wrong on Thursday,’ said Leclerc. ‘The fact that we had an amazing race makes it all better.’

The race was the third stop this season in the United States, more than any other country, and was promoted by F1 and owner Liberty Media. But the event has been lambasted — especially by Verstappen — for its emphasis on becoming a neon extravaganza.

Tickets were expensive, hotels along the famed Strip hiked their prices, and the sporting element of the 21st race of the season was overshadowed by everything from celebrities, musical acts and a myriad of Elvis impersonators roaming the paddock that included a wedding chapel where former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve was married earlier in the week.

Liberty expected to spend $500 million on the first grand prix it self-promoted, but paddock speculation before Saturday night’s race was that Liberty had gone well over budget. The entire event nearly imploded nine minutes into the first practice session on Thursday night when Carlos Sainz Jr. ran over a water drain valve cover on the track that badly damaged his Ferrari and F1 had to close the 3.85-mile (6.2-kilometer) circuit for inspection.

Fans were forced to leave at 1:30 a.m. Friday morning after witnessing just nine minutes of track activity. The second practice started at 2:30 a.m. and ran until 4 a.m., and instead of an apology, F1 simply offered $200 credits to the LVGP merchandise store to any ticket holders who had only purchased Thursday access. A class-action lawsuit was filed Friday against the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

It made it critical for F1 to deliver a good race Saturday night and, even though it was Verstappen’s sixth consecutive victory, it was one of the most spirited events of the season. Additionally, a track that had been likened to a “flying pig” because of its layout was praised for its raciness.

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, who finished seventh for Mercedes, said the circuit “provided a better race than most of the tracks we go to.”

‘I don’t think the music stopped this entire weekend in the paddock,’ said Logan Sargeant of Williams, the only American driver in F1.

Leclerc and teammate Sainz had qualified 1-2 on Friday but Sainz was handed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid because Ferrari was forced to change his car due to the damage from hitting the drain cover. That pushed Verstappen up to second for the start and he immediately pounced.

The Dutchman forced Leclerc off track to take the lead, and although Leclerc demanded that Verstappen be forced to give the position back, Verstappen was only handed a five-second penalty. He served it during a later pit stop, but his Red Bull is so strong, he remained in contention the entire race.

Leclerc passed Perez for the lead with 17 laps remaining, and then three laps later Verstappen passed his teammate to take second. He and Perez then worked to create a tow that allowed Verstappen to catch Leclerc for the win with 13 laps remaining.

Perez had worked his way past Leclerc for second but Leclerc grabbed it back at the finish to deny Red Bull its seventh 1-2 finish of the season.

‘I wanted that win so bad,’ Leclerc said. ‘I enjoyed it so much. Second place with a lot of fights. There is no better race for the first race in Vegas.’

With Hamilton finishing seventh, Perez locked up second to Verstappen in the season driver standings.

The Leclerc finish helped Ferrari cut its deficit to Mercedes to four points for second in the constructor championship heading into next week’s finale at Abu Dhabi.

Lando Norris of McLaren was involved in an early accident and taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. He was released shortly after the fireworks show.

The No. 1 team in college football is playing like the No. 1 team.

You’d say that’s obvious, but it’s not always the case. It is with Georgia, though, which continues to dominate against ranked SEC competition and put a headlock on the top spot in the US LBM AFCA Coaches Poll and the College Football Playoff rankings.

After rolling past Mississippi 52-17 last weekend, the Bulldogs controlled Tennessee for nearly every second of a 38-10 win. The Volunteers scored on a 75-yard run on the game’s opening play; from there, it was all Georgia.

You’re beginning to see a program has won the past two national championships round into form just in time to win a third and make college football history. Georgia may have looked vulnerable after some questionably close games to start SEC play and losing tight end Brock Bowers to an ankle injury, but those doubts have been put to rest as the Bulldogs hit another gear near the finish line of the regular season.

Bowers returned from his ankle injury before last week’s game against the Rebels and has picked up where he left off, with another touchdown against the Volunteers on 60 yards receiving. One constant has been the increasingly productive play of quarterback Carson Beck, who completed 24 of 30 throws for 298 yards and three scores. Beck now has 21 touchdowns and five interceptions and is completing nearly 73% percent of his throws.

Georgia is coming together. The rest of the FBS better watch out — especially Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama and the other blueblood programs in the mix for the national championship.

The Bulldogs top Saturday’s biggest winners and losers:

Winners

Washington

Washington’s 22-20 win against Oregon State locks the Huskies into the Pac-12 championship game and makes a statement. The Huskies have been casually dismissed by the playoff selection committee, which has ranked them last among unbeaten Power Five teams despite owning the best single win in the country, earlier this season against Oregon. The physical nature of the win and the fact that it came against one of the top teams in the country could be enough to get Washington up to No. 4 in the playoff rankings and make the playoff math very easy to explain: win and you’re in. The Huskies also sneaked out the road win despite an uncharacteristically poor game from quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who completed just 13 of 28 throws for 162 yards but did have two touchdowns without an interception and a key third-down conversion to clinch the win in bad weather conditions. Before Saturday, Oregon State was 5-0 at Reser Stadium this season and 17-1 since the start of the 2021 season.

Kansas State

Down 11 points in the third quarter, Kansas State came back and topped Kansas 31-27 to remain alive in the Big 12 chase and extend the winning streak in the rivalry to 15 games. Trailing 27-16, the Wildcats capped an 87-yard touchdown drive with the two-point conversion to cut their deficit to 27-24 heading into the fourth and then took the lead on Will Howard’s 15-yard score with just over 10 minutes left. The Jayhawks did a nice job setting up a game plan for third-string quarterback Cole Ballard, who had 217 yards of total offense and averaged 10.2 yards per pass attempt, though he was intercepted twice. Running back Devin Neal added 138 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. But it wasn’t enough to get the Jayhawks past Howard, who also had two touchdown passes. Winners of eight games for the fourth time in five years under Chris Klieman, the Wildcats could reach the conference championship game with a win next Saturday against Iowa State and some help.

Arizona

Jedd Fisch is the Pac-12 coach of the year and should be one of the top names for national hardware after Arizona’s eye-opening 42-18 rout of Utah secured the Wildcats’ first eight-win season since 2014. The Wildcats had one touchdown via a blocked punt and then scored on a garbage-time touchdown pass with under a minute left, inflating the final margin of victory a touch. But this was dominance: Arizona had four scoring drives of 60 or more yards, didn’t turn the ball over, held Utah to 3.2 yards per carry and averaged 7.7 yards per play, the most the Utes have allowed in a game this season.

Louisville

Another top-line contender for national coach of the year is Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, whose homecoming debut with the Cardinals should go down as one of the most memorable years in program history. After winning 38-31 at Miami (Fla.), the Cardinals are an incredible 10-1 heading into the rivalry against Kentucky and are locked into the ACC championship game against Florida State. Everyone expected immediate improvement under Brohm, a tremendous offensive coach, but no one could’ve seen this coming: Louisville has a small but recognizable path to the playoff with wins against the Wildcats and Seminoles.

SMU

SMU has quietly been one of the best teams in the Group of Five since September. This can be partly attributed to a schedule that included high-profile matchups against Oklahoma and TCU but missed Tulane and Texas-San Antonio during American Athletic play. Beating Memphis 38-34 on the road is easily the most impressive result of the season for the Mustangs, who are now in line to finish with an unbeaten record in conference play and play for the AAC crown with a win next week against Navy. What will be interesting to see on Tuesday night is whether the playoff committee ranks the Mustangs — not that it matters, but being ranked before the AAC championship game guarantees that SMU would reach the New Year’s Six with the win.

Northwestern

Think way back to August, when Pat Fitzgerald was fired amid allegations of hazing within the program, and think about the rock-bottom expectations around Northwestern and first-year defensive coordinator David Braun, Fitzgerald’s interim replacement. Who saw a bowl game coming? Well, here we are: Northwestern will reach the postseason after getting 95 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Cam Porter to beat Purdue 23-15. In addition to the summer’s turmoil and the ensuing coaching change, don’t forget that Northwestern had won four games in the previous two seasons and lost at least nine games in three of the past four. So what the Wildcats have done is incredible, and explains why Braun was named this week as the team’s permanent coach.

Arkansas State

Butch Jones was fired by Tennessee in 2017, spent a few years learning new tricks as an off-field assistant at Alabama and then landed the job at Arkansas State in 2021 in an effort to rekindle his coaching career. His first two teams were terrible, posting just a combined five wins, and this year seemed like more of the same after the Red Wolves gave up 70 points in a humbling non-conference loss to Oklahoma. About two months later, Arkansas State will land in bowl play after using four takeaways to score a 77-31 blowout of Texas State. Remarkably, none of the Red Wolves’ nine touchdowns came through the air, with seven on the ground — three from Ja’Quez Cross and two apiece from Zak Wallace and Cedric Hawkins — and the remaining two coming on interception returns in the fourth quarter.

Losers

Florida State

Florida State dropped down 13-0 to North Alabama before getting back on track and cruising to a 58-13 win. But here’s the bad news: Star quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a serious lower-body injury late in the first quarter, likely ending the Heisman Trophy contender’s season and putting the Seminoles’ championship hopes in dire straits. Tate Rodemaker stepped in for Travis and looked good, throwing for 217 yards and two scores, and the former three-star recruit could give FSU enough to land wins against Florida and Louisville to clinch a perfect regular season. But there’s getting to the playoff and then there’s winning once or twice when you get there, and losing Travis drastically impacts the Seminoles’ chances on college football’s biggest stage.

MISERY INDEX: Florida State’s season in doubt after injury to Travis

Southern California

The only good thing you can say about the Trojans’ regular season is that it’s over. Thank goodness. The ending was predictable: UCLA took advantage of mistakes, controlled the line of scrimmage and was just the better team, period, in a 38-20 win that extends the Chip Kelly era for at least one more week. As they’ve had to do all season, the Bruins maximized some minimal returns on offense and let the defense lead the way; the defense responded with three takeaways and consistent pressure on Caleb Williams. After making last year’s Cotton Bowl and beginning the year as one of the trendiest picks for the playoff, USC heads into the postseason at 7-5 and one of the biggest disappointments in the country. And they’ll have to regroup fast with Williams likely headed to the NFL.

Florida

Brutal. Brutal. This has already been an ugly year for Florida, which went 6-7 in Billy Napier’s first season and was 5-5 heading into games against Missouri and Florida State to end the regular season, needing at least one win to reach a bowl and two wins in three possible games to avoid back-to-back losing seasons to start Napier’s tenure — something that would be very, very hard to overcome. Despite losing quarterback Graham Mertz to injury in the second half, the Gators led Missouri 31-30 with 1:34 left and were in position to earn bowl eligibility with one defensive stand. Instead, Missouri went 62 yards in 12 plays, including a ridiculous fourth-and-17 conversion to star receiver Luther Burden, and then kicked a 30-yard field goal with five seconds left to win 33-31. That’s brutal.

Auburn

Now, to be clear: This isn’t your dad’s New Mexico State, or even your older brother’s New Mexico State. The Aggies are a different bunch under the great Jerry Kill, who led the program to a bowl game in his debut last season and has his second team in the Conference USA championship game. But maybe you should sit down for this: New Mexico State 31, Auburn 10. One week after whipping Arkansas to reach bowl eligibility under Hugh Freeze, the Tigers were held in total check by a ball-control offense that held possession for almost 39 minutes and helped the Aggies outgain Auburn 414 yards to 213. This was the first win against the SEC after 27 losses in a row for New Mexico State, which was paid $1.85 million to come to Auburn and beat the Tigers like a drum. Nice return on investment, guys!

Nebraska

Once 5-3, the Cornhuskers head into the finale against Iowa in real danger of missing the postseason in coach Matt Rhule’s first season after losing to Wisconsin 24-17 in overtime. In a larger sense, falling a win short of bowl eligibility doesn’t make Rhule’s debut an unsuccessful one, especially given the situation Rhule inherited from former coach Scott Frost. But Nebraska has spent most of a month knocking on the door of the program’s first bowl bid since 2016. To not get there would be not only tough to swallow but pretty damaging given how important the extra bowl practices would be for Rhule, the staff and the roster.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Major League Baseball owners arrived at their meetings this week, holding back tears, still trying to grasp that beloved San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler is gone. 

“I saw the news on my phone, I couldn’t believe it,’ Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said. 

St. Louis Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt was checking into the hotel, informed of the news by a reporter, and recoiled, hurrying to his room. 

Commissioner Rob Manfred was having a committee meeting when he was informed of Seidler’s death, shared the news with several owners in the room, and no one uttered a word. 

“We just sat there,’ Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said, “and couldn’t say anything.’’ 

HOT STOVE UPDATES: MLB free agency: Ranking and tracking the top players available.

Seidler, 63, the grandson of Dodgers legendary owner Walter O’Malley, was a beautiful man, with a passionate soul, unbridled optimism, with an unwavering commitment to his beloved city of San Diego. 

“He had (non-Hodgkin’s) lymphoma, twice overcoming it,’ Attanasio tells USA TODAY Sports, “but he never had a bad day. At least I never saw it. It was hard to always stay positive going through the treatments, but he was unfailingly positive. He was always warm, kind and gentle. 

“How many baseball owners can you say are gentle?’’ 

When Major League Baseball and the players association were at war two years ago, threatening to cancel the 2022 season, no one was more miserable than Seidler. Even when a resolution was reached on a five-year contract, Seidler was pleading for a 10-year contract. 

When Seidler spent a franchise-record $258 million on his club, sending MLB and his fellow owners into a tizzy, believing he was ruining the game with his expenditures for a small-market team, Seidler’s retort was that he had a plan. And, oh, by the way, he pleaded with reporters: Will you stop calling the Padres a small-market club?

“A lot of people thought that that San Diego would never be a baseball city,’ said Attanasio, Seidler’s closest friend among owners. “It’s a military town. It’s a beach town. He made baseball more than relevant. He brought passion to that fanbase, and that’s as loud a crowd as you will ever hear.’

The Padres finished with an 82-80 record, perhaps the most disappointing team in baseball history, but still drew a franchise record 3.2 million fans, selling out 61 games, and averaging 40,389 fans a game. They went from receiving revenue-sharing money from their fellow owners, to paying it, despite their massive financial losses. 

Seidler didn’t care. He just wanted to win. It was important for him to leave behind a legacy for the entire community, so desperately wanting to win a World Series, no matter the cost, and no matter how much it upset owners. 

Attanasio was well aware of the angst Seidler was causing among fellow owners, going back to why he would dare sign Fernando Tatis Jr. to a 14-year, $340 million contract in 2021 before he played a full season. 

“Look,’ he told Attanasio. “We’ve got a business plan. The Chargers are leaving. There’s no other sports team in town. We think we have an opportunity here if we seize this now. And we have a business plan to draw a lot more fans.’

Said Attanasio: “And guess what, he did.’ 

Seidler refused to stop. He secretly had Aaron Judge come into town the night before he returned to the Yankees, offering him a 10-year, $400 million contract, and willing to pay more if needed. He offered shortstop Trea Turner $42 million more than the Phillies’ 11-year, $300 million deal, and when rebuffed, spent $280 million on shortstop Xander Bogaerts. 

If Seidler were alive today, he’d try to have free agent Shohei Ohtani fill out a blank check.

Seidler, who lived life as if he were immortal, was slowly dying in front of us this past year. He looked more frail every time you saw him. His shirts were too big, his sports jacket drooped off his shoulder. 

But he would never let you believe he even had a cold. 

“He was a two-time cancer survivor,’ Padres CEO Erik Greupner said, “so I think as a result he was more aware than the rest of us that his days were numbered, or limited.’ 

Still, he would never let onto anyone about his health. You ask him how he’s doing, and he immediately spun the narrative, asking about you and your family. 

“You could tell he was sick,’ White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said, “but he didn’t want anyone to feel bad for him. He was just so universally liked.’

He wasn’t just beloved by the owners, but everyone else he met. The grounds crew. The stadium workers. Beer vendors. Government officials. Players. 

“He was just the most genuine and pure soul,’ Padres Cy Young winner Blake Snell said. “He was such a great man.’

Padres All-Star pitchers Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove dropped flowers off at Petco Park the day Seidler passed, while an artist painted a mural of him with the simple message: ‘Thank you.’ 

“Peter was a truly wonderful human being, and being in his presence was always a blessing,” Darvish posted on X. “He was a teacher of life, and taught me countless lessons from all the interactions we had. May his beautiful soul rest in peace.” 

Seidler was a man of the people, opening his doors to anyone and everyone. You dropped into his spacious corner office at Petco Park, and it had less furniture than a college dorm room. He’d passionately talk about trying to combat the homeless situation in downtown San Diego, asking for solutions. 

His idea of a great time at the ballpark was not sitting in his Petco Park suite wining and dining dignitaries, but hanging out at the batting cage before games talking to everyone from grounds crew to Manny Machado, showing as much respect to the bat boys as he did to $300 million players. 

“We’d be in the office and he’d say, ‘Let’s go down to batting practice,” Greupner said. “He loved being on the field. He loved talking to people. He was never in a rush. He would always pause, and just soak in the moment, and enjoy the people around him. He made such a conscious decision to be present in the moment, enjoying every moment with people around him, and didn’t take them for granted. 

“He treasured each and every one.’

The outpouring of love and appreciation for Seidler and his family was shown all week. He wasn’t just a baseball owner, he was a community treasure, doing everything possible to improve the community and help the homeless problem. 

He would routinely take walks alone around town asking the homeless what could be done to help. One time, he left his cell phone on top of his car, realized what happened, tracked down his phone, and discovered that a homeless man had it in his shopping cart. 

Seidler knew it was his, and could have demanded it be returned, but instead bought the man lunch, and gave him a generous tip to have it back. 

There wasn’t a negative bone in the man’s body. Even with his team flailing away with its massive payroll, Seidler remained undaunted, convinced it was going to turn around any day. 

“I remember his first year, the Padres were 20 games out of first place in September,’ Attanasio said, “and he was still hanging on every pitch. He was like, ‘Everything’s going to be OK.”

That was Seidler, with enough optimism to fill every tank at SeaWorld, trying to make the world a better place. 

It was the first day of spring training this year when Seidler uttered the words: “One day soon, the baseball gods will smile on the San Diego Padres, and will have a parade.’

Whenever the Padres have that parade to celebrate their first World Series championship, the first float should be for the Seidler family, wife Sheel, and their three young children, aged 11 to 4. 

Surely, Seidler will be there in spirit, looking down from the heavens, saying, “I told you this day would come.’

May his legacy live forever in the San Diego community. 

Not so fast, John Fisher

Major League Baseball owners, who agreed to allow A’s owner John Fisher to move his franchise from Oakland to Las Vegas, voted to approve the deal under one intriguing caveat. 

There’s a provision in the agreement called a 10-year flip tax, MLB executives told USA TODAY Sports, to prevent Fisher from using the relocation simply to increase the value of his team and immediately sell. 

MLB gave Fisher about a $300 million break by not charging him a relocation fee, but if he turns around and tries to sell the team, he’s going to have to pay a stiff penalty. 

The agreement, an executive told USA TODAY Sports, requires Fisher to retain the team until at least 2028 when they are scheduled to open in Las Vegas. 

If Fisher sells before 2028, he will be taxed 20% of the purchase price, which will be split among owners. 

If Fisher sells in 2029, he will be taxed 10%. 

If he sells in 2030-2033, he will be taxed a decreasing amount each year. 

He will be unable to sell the team without being taxed until 2034. 

So if Fisher was thinking about pulling a fast one, there will be a price to pay. 

Around the basepaths

– The Phillies’ contract talks with Aaron Nola have gained significant momentum in the past few days and there’s strong optimism that they’ll reach an agreement before the winter meetings. 

Nola originally was seeking a seven-year, $210 million contract, while the Phillies were countering with a six-year deal for about $150 million. 

They are getting close to finding middle ground with Nola making it clear to Phillies’ management that he wants to stay put. 

– The Los Angeles Dodgers are in trade talks with the Chicago White Sox in an attempt to acquire ace Dylan Cease. The Dodgers badly need pitching help, and the White Sox badly need to rebuild their roster. 

“I’ve made it very clear that the White Sox are willing to listen in on any of our players,’ White Sox GM Chris Getz said. 

– The Phillies have shown little appetite for free-agent closer Josh Hader, leaving the Texas Rangers as the heavy favorite to sign Hader this winter. 

– The Milwaukee Brewers tried to sign co-ace Brandon Woodruff to a two-year contract, knowing that he’ll likely miss the entire 2024 season with his shoulder injury. Yet, talks broke off, leaving the Brewers to non-tender him and make him a free agent. He was projected to earn $11.6 million in 2024 and would have been eligible for free agency after the season. 

“That was a tough, tough phone call,’ Brewers GM Matt Arnold said. “It was emotional. He was awesome for us in so many ways. … Certainly, a tough day any time you have to deliver news like that to somebody that means so much to your franchise.’ 

– The Phillies want Bryce Harper for life, making sure he never plays for another team again the rest of his career. Harper’s 13-year, $330 million contract doesn’t expire until after the 2031 season, but the two sides are expected to discuss a potential extension paying him more than his current $26 million a year salary. 

– The Yankees and San Francisco Giants are widely viewed as the co-favorites now to sign free-agent center fielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger. The Yankees would love to have Bellinger and Juan Soto roaming their outfield, while the Giants would also like to also have free-agent Matt Chapman playing third base for them. 

– Executives believe that Atlanta is poised to strike big after saving about $12 million in their trades and non-tenders on Friday. They traded six players and non-tendered seven others. 

Certainly, GM Alex Anthopoulos has something big in mind. 

– No manager is going to benefit more by Craig Counsell’s record five-year, $40 million contract than Alex Cora of the Boston Red Sox. 

He’s a free agent after the 2024 season, and he’ll have teams lined up around the Green Monster trying to sign him. 

– Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to be posted Monday where he will be the top free-agent target for many teams, opening his 45-day window to sign with a club. He would have to sign with a team by Jan. 4 or return to the Orix Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball. 

Yamamoto went 16-6 last season with a 1.21 ERA, striking out 169 in 164 innings. 

Yamamoto, unlike Shohei Ohtani, clamors to pitch in a large market, two executes say, predicting that he will pitch for the Yankees or Mets. 

– Padres minority owner Eric Kutsenda, 51, will replace the late Peter Seidler as their new chairman and interim control person. 

 “I am excited to partner with Erik Greupner and A.J. Preller to help guide the Padres forward in fulfillment of Peter’s vision,’’ Kutsenda said in a release. “That vision includes the Padres remaining as a family asset for generations to come and is anchored in Peter’s dedication to the fans and community of San Diego. Our north star remains the same: to win a World Series championship for the city of San Diego.” 

The Padres still are expected to lower their payroll, which would likely mean that they will eventually trade outfielder Juan Soto.  

– MLB has no plans to implement an electronic strike zone in 2024, but likely will tinker with the pitch clock and limit mound visits. They also are discussing the potential of increasing the number of batters a reliever must face from three to four or five, with one executive saying he’d like to make it mandatory for starters to pitch at least five innings. 

For now, MLB’s joint competition committee is expected to reduce the pitch clock from 20 seconds to 18 seconds when runners are on base, requiring pitchers to work exclusively from the stretch with runners on base, and reducing mound visits from five times in a game to four. 

“I think the most important thing on rules is that the owners, the players, the umpires have an openness to revisiting changes that we’ve made, or other rules,’’ Manfred said. “And I’m hopeful that that process becomes more collaborative. I know there are some rule changes that have been discussed in the committee that were actually player suggestions. I take that as a huge positive. And I’m hopeful that with some further discussion, that things that are out on the table, we’re able to reach a consensus.”  

– Kudos to Los Angeles Angels manager Ron Washington for having one of the most diverse coaching staffs in MLB history. 

The names weren’t quite what he wanted originally for various reasons, but he will have three other Black coaches on his staff: 

Manager: Ron Washington Hitting coach: Johnny Washington Third base coach: Eric Young  Sr.First base coach: Bo Porter 

Also on the staff are catching coach Jerry Narron and infield coach Ryan Goins. 

– The Minnesota Twins, who are without a TV contract, have begun implementing budget cuts, costing prized pro scout Billy Milos his job. Milos, 55, who has been with the Twins for 29 years, is widely considered perhaps the best scout to find unheralded talent, particularly among the independent leagues. 

The Twins used nine independent ball players this past season. Milos was the one who recommended the Twins select future Cy Young award winner Johan Santana in the Rule 5 Draft. He also signed All-Star pitcher Pat Neshek, and signed Nick Anderson, Randy Dobnak and Buddy Boshers from the independent leagues. 

Teams should be scurrying to find a spot for him in their scouting ranks. 

– Atlanta outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. set another new record this week. 

He became the first player to learn that he was the NL MVP winner just before he was about to play a winter ball game for Tiburones in his home state of La Guaira, Venezuela. 

– Former Chicago Cubs bench coach Andy Green has found a job with the New York Mets in their front office. Marlins first base coach Jon Jay interviewed for Green’s job, but the Cubs are now looking elsewhere. 

– The Cardinals, the favorites to sign free-agent pitcher Sonny Gray, badly need experienced starters to fill innings. They are without five pitchers who made 82 of their 162 starts this past season. 

– One idea floating around baseball is holding the WBC for a week in the middle of the season, preferably during the All-Star week, instead of in March to reduce injuries and complaints. The next WBC is in 2026. 

– The Rays will be a popular team at the winter meetings, telling teams that Tyler Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot are available. 

– No new manager made a bigger first impression in his press conference than Washington, saying: “Our whole focus is going to be to run the [AL] West down. And you can take that to the bank and deposit it.” 

– No new coach made a bigger first impression with his opening statement than Rickie Weeks of the Brewers. 

“I’m back!’ he began. 

He then spoke about his passion for the city of Milwaukee and the organization, and concluded by saying: “Let’s [bleeping] go!’’ 

– And there was the raw, emotional quote from Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt on his new gig: 

“I’ve been released. I’ve been traded. I’ve been the worst player in baseball. I’ve been one of the best players in baseball. I’ve been a prospect. I’ve been a nobody. You name it. No matter who walks in the doors of that clubhouse, I feel like I know where they’re at and I can relate to them.” 

– Angels GM Perry Minasian reiterates that Mike Trout will be playing for the Angels in 2024 after several large market teams privately inquired about his availability. 

– MLB canceled plans to play regular-season games in Paris in 2025 when it couldn’t find a promoter to make the games profitable. There still are plans to have games in Tokyo, Mexico City and San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2025, however. 

– Fabulous seeing John Adams’ famous drum, beating loudly from the bleachers at more than 3,700 Cleveland Guardians’ games, going to the Baseball Hall of Fame. 

– Pretty cool to see Hall of Famer Derek Jeter returning to his high school, Kalamazoo Central High School, to help fund a $5 million project through his Turn 2 Foundation for new baseball and softball fields at the Michigan school. 

– Sad to think that Oakland was once the epicenter of the sports world with the A’s winning three consecutive World Series titles in 1972-74, the Warriors an NBA title in 1975 and the Raiders a Super Bowl after the 1976 season. 

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale 

Hopefully longtime readers of the Misery Index understand that it is mostly a semi-serious vehicle to look back at each college football Saturday and analyze some of the more notable results through the lens of angry fandom — which, in the end, is what makes people so passionate about the sport to begin with.

Rarely is watching this sport or being a fan of a team associated with actual, real life misery. It’s just entertainment, after all. But for maybe the first time in a decade of doing this every week, we saw that very thing unfold Saturday at Florida State. 

There’s nothing snarky or funny to say about what happened to the Seminoles against North Alabama, when quarterback Jordan Travis was carted off after a run that ended with part of his lower body bent the wrong way. Though the official diagnosis had not been given Saturday night, we don’t really need one. It’s bad, and it’s almost certainly going to end his season and Florida State’s hopes of making the College Football Playoff. 

Quite simply, it’s heartbreaking. It’s brutal. It’s the one truly miserable part of the sport. 

The Seminoles eventually won the game, 58-13, but that hardly mattered. You could tell in the body language on their sideline and in the morose tone of coach Mike Norvell’s halftime interview that the score didn’t seem so important. 

For the team, for the coaching staff and for the fans, this is as bad as it gets. Florida State had been building for years toward a season like this, and it could hardly have been going better. The Seminoles had passed every test, starting in Week 1 with LSU and running all the way through the ACC schedule. All that realistically stood between Florida State and the playoff was a trip to underwhelming Florida next week and a date with Louisville in the ACC championship game. 

Everyone who plays or watches football understands that an entire season or career can change with one bad step or one dangerous tackle. But the idea that it would happen in a throwaway game against an FCS team? Who could even come up with something so awful? 

Travis, a sixth-year senior, had improved every year in Norvell’s program to the point where he became one of the best quarterbacks in the sport. He didn’t deserve his college career to end this way, and neither did his teammates, whose hopes of doing something special this season were largely in his hands. 

But that’s the reality for Florida State, and it just stinks. There’s not much more you can say. 

For the sport of college football, though, it’s also a big potential problem.

Let’s say the Seminoles find a way to beat Florida and Louisville anyway and are sitting there at 13-0 on Dec. 3. Typically, an unbeaten Power Five conference champion would have no issue getting into the College Football Playoff. 

But the field is chosen by a committee whose charge is to pick the four best teams in the country. With Travis, an unbeaten Florida State would pretty clearly be in that group. Without Travis, it seems like a stretch.

If Florida State does manage to finish off an unbeaten year, it would be pretty cruel — especially under these circumstances — to leave out a team that’s done everything it was supposed to do. But the purpose of the Playoff is to decide a national title, and a team that loses its starting quarterback and offensive engine in the 11th game of the season isn’t the same team that we saw through the first 2½ months. 

In the NFL, it doesn’t matter. If you qualify for the playoffs but suffer a major injury at the end of the season that dooms your chances of winning the Super Bowl, you’re still in the playoffs. For better or worse, college football doesn’t work that way. It’s a somewhat subjective endeavor, and at least until next season when it expands to 12 teams, there are only four spots available. 

The CFP committee has been very lucky over the years to avoid pretty much any truly tough decision. But this FSU situation could present a real conundrum when they have to weigh what’s best for the playoff with what’s fair.

If an injury against North Alabama is what costs the Seminoles a playoff bid that seemed so likely when they woke up Saturday morning, it has to go down as one of the unluckiest moments in the history of the sport. 

Four more in misery

Michigan: Beyond the real-time NCAA investigation that cost linebackers coach Chris Partridge his job on Friday and has cast serious doubt over Jim Harbaugh’s long-term future with the Wolverines as he serves a three-game suspension, there’s a bubbling question as it relates to their current goal of winning a national championship. Is Michigan actually that good? The Wolverines have managed to get to 11-0 while beating just two teams that currently have seven or more wins. One of them was Penn State, which doesn’t ever beat elite teams, and the other was UNLV. It is totally fair to wonder whether Michigan has been tested enough to properly prepare for Ohio State next weekend. Also, after a pretty uninspiring 31-24 win over Maryland, it’s a real question mark whether the Wolverines are even good enough to beat the Buckeyes. Maryland has been far from a defensive juggernaut this year, and Michigan managed just 291 yards of offense. Sorry, Michigan fans, but that’s a major red flag heading into the biggest game of the year. 

Auburn: There are a lot of things about the current state of Auburn football that Hugh Freeze could reasonably blame on his predecessor. Bryan Harsin just didn’t understand the job and didn’t do it very well, particularly when it came to talent acquisition in the SEC. Losing to New Mexico State in arguably the worst Auburn performance in decades, however, is 100% on Freeze. New Mexico State is a good Conference USA team with an excellent coach in Jerry Kill, but when a program like Auburn loses to a program like that, it’s a calamity. And Auburn didn’t just lose, it got walloped 31-10 at home in a game that certainly didn’t seem like a fluke. Auburn didn’t turn it over and didn’t have an unusual amount of penalties. It just couldn’t run the ball (2.5 yards per rush), didn’t protect quarterback Payton Thorne very well and never made any impact on the New Mexico State defense. Auburn’s had enough bad teams on its schedule to eke out bowl eligibility at 6-5, but this has been a highly unimpressive debut season for a coach with a pretty good track record of instant success in his previous stops.  

Southern California: Lincoln Riley brought a future Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with him to Los Angeles and still didn’t manage to win as many games in his first two seasons as Clay Helton. You remember Helton, don’t you? He’s the guy USC fired so that it could make the big splash hire its boosters and administration wanted in Riley, who left Oklahoma for a massive 10-year contract. USC was right to move on from Helton, but it’s simply a fact that he went 21-6 with a Pac-12 title in his first two full seasons. Riley, meanwhile, is sitting at 18-8 with no conference championships after a putrid 38-20 loss at home to UCLA to close a 7-5 regular season. This is going to be a long, embarrassing offseason for the Trojans after losing five of their last six games. Riley isn’t just going to have to hire a new defensive coordinator after firing Alex Grinch, he needs a top-to-bottom reality check about what kind of program he wants to run. And with Caleb Williams almost certainly departing to the NFL, it’s not like the immediate future looks exceptionally bright. 

North Carolina: Tar Heel fans should have a lot of gratitude toward Mack Brown for coming out of the television booth and restoring a decent baseline level of competence to their football program. But at age 72, Brown has hit the ceiling of what he can accomplish in his second go-round in Chapel Hill. Yes, 8-3 is always a pretty good season for North Carolina with the possibility of hitting nine or 10 wins. But it’s also been a year of underachievement with no wins that really stand out and head-scratching losses to the likes of Georgia Tech and Virginia. Given the incredibly soft schedule, North Carolina should have been 10-0 heading into Clemson on Saturday in a game that should have really mattered in the national picture. But the Tar Heels weren’t 10-0, so it didn’t matter much that they lost 31-20. And that’s kind of the problem here. After five years, it’s probably time for Mack to enjoy a nice retirement and for UNC to start looking toward the future. 

Miserable, but not miserable enough

Colorado: There’s no reason to be alarmed about the Buffs’ late-season collapse, which was punctuated by a 56-14 loss to Washington State. If they lose next week at Utah to finish 4-8, that’s actually major progress in Deion Sanders’ first season. What is alarming, however, is Colorado ranks just 63rd in the 247 Sports recruiting rankings with signing day coming up soon. Coach Prime will undoubtedly raid the transfer portal again this offseason, but historically that isn’t the best place to fix the offensive line, which is clearly Colorado’s biggest problem. You’d think all the hype would have translated to a few more blue-chippers by this point.

James Madison: It was a tough break, but a predictable one, when the NCAA denied the Dukes’ request to waive the two-year probationary period for FBS newcomers so that they could play in a bowl game this season. The best revenge for James Madison would have been to go unbeaten and have all of America howling at the injustice of it all. It might still be unjust, but after losing 26-23 in overtime to Appalachian State the cold reality is that fewer people are going to pay attention or care about their cause. 

Baylor: The school’s administration likes Dave Aranda. For a variety of reasons, including the quality of person he is and how well the program is run off the field, they don’t want to fire him. (And yes, at Baylor, both of those things matter given the scars of past football administrations.) But at some point, the results have to be part of the equation as well. A 42-17 loss to TCU, one week after a 59-25 blowout at Kansas State, will at minimum make it very clear that Aranda needs to turn it around next year. But it’s hard to sell Baylor fans on bringing back a coach who goes 3-9, which is where Aranda is likely headed barring an upset of West Virginia next week. That Big 12 title in 2021 seems far in the past.