Make what you will of No. 15 Alabama’s 34-0 win against No. 17 Missouri.

This month has reinforced that no game is a given for the Crimson Tide, who in the past few weeks have sandwiched a narrow win against South Carolina with losses to No. 25 Vanderbilt and No. 8 Tennessee. After those two losses placed them on the brink of erasure from the College Football Playoff picture, topping the Tigers keeps the Tide on track for at-large contention in November.

And doing so while keeping the Tigers off the board gives Alabama a nice boost of credibility with the playoff rankings set to debut one week from Tuesday.

There’s another thing we’ve learned in SEC play: Missouri is not a real contender. Half of the Tigers’ six wins have come against Murray State, Buffalo and Massachusetts. The others are nip-and-tuck wins against Boston College, Vanderbilt and last week against Auburn. At very few points has Missouri resembled a team to take seriously in the SEC race.

That makes it difficult to make any grand takeaways for Alabama other than the importance of avoiding a fatal loss against an overmatched opponent.

But that alone is worth noting. The Tide took the Commodores lightly and suffered a humiliating loss. They messed around with South Carolina. They were irresponsible with the football against the Volunteers.

Alabama reversed that trend by capitalizing on Missouri’s turnovers. Any chance the Tigers had to score a road win disintegrated once injured starting quarterback Brady Cook was replaced by backup and former Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne, who threw three interceptions in relief.

A run-heavy game plan saw four players run for at least 48 yards and Alabama run for 271 yards and four scores as a team. The Tide had gained a combined 263 yards on 2.8 yards per carry in the past three games.

Amid maybe the program’s roughest months in a generation, the rout helps Alabama turn the page on October and look toward the next do-or-die matchup in SEC play. After an off week, the Tide travel to No. 7 LSU on Nov. 9.

Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State lead Saturday’s winners and losers:

Winners

Penn State

Down 10-7 at halftime on the road against Wisconsin, No. 3 Penn State took control in the second half and pulled away with a big fourth quarter to win 28-13 and remain unbeaten heading into next weekend’s huge matchup with No. 4 Ohio State. And the Nittany Lions did so without the services of quarterback Drew Allar, who exited the game late in the first half and was replaced by backup Beau Pribula. All Pribula did was hit on 11 of 13 passes for 98 yards and a score while adding 28 yards on the ground. Most impressively, Penn State clamped down on a Wisconsin offense that had stirred to life in recent weeks and keyed a three-game winning streak. Winning amid adverse circumstances in a tough road environment says a lot about this team.

Texas A&M

What Mike Elko has done in his first year at No. 14 Texas A&M isn’t quite at No. 13 Indiana coach Curt Cignetti’s level among new coaches, but it’s close. After inheriting a messy spot from Jimbo Fisher, the former Duke coach has the Aggies at 7-1 and on a seven-game winning streak after pulling away from No. 7 LSU in the late third and early fourth quarters of a 38-23 win. The biggest spark came from backup quarterback Marcel Reed, who stepped in for Connor Weigman and threw for 70 yards while running for 62 yards and three scores. With the victory, A&M becomes the only team still unbeaten in SEC play. There’s also the fact that at 7-1 and with this major test complete, the Aggies can really begin to picture a clear path to the playoff. From here, it’s South Carolina, New Mexico State, Auburn and Texas. A clean sweep guarantees a spot in the SEC championship game and a playoff berth; wins in all but the finale could or even should still land A&M an at-large bid.

Kansas State

No. 16 Kansas State waited for the inevitable Kansas mistake and took advantage to stretch its winning streak in the Sunflower Showdown to 16 in a row. Leading 27-26 with about three minutes left and needing only a few first downs to score a huge upset that could’ve changed the trajectory of a disappointing year, Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels fumbled the ball back to the Wildcats, who then drilled a 51-yard field with 1:48 left and then held on to score a 29-27 win. This keeps Kansas State right in the thick of things in the Big 12 race with a huge matchup against No. 10 Iowa State looming to end the regular season. Quarterback Avery Johnson had 253 passing yards and three total touchdowns, and DJ Giddens got back on track with 102 yards on 18 carries, helping move the Wildcats to 7-1. On the other side, this should-have-been win joins a long list of games the 2-6 Jayhawks have given away this season.

Notre Dame

Facing a ranked opponent for the third time this season — following earlier wins against Texas A&M and Louisville — No. 11 Notre Dame took advantage of Navy’s carelessness and rolled over the No. 24 Midshipmen in an impressive 51-14 win. Given this opportunity against an unbeaten opponent in the thick of the Group of Five’s playoff race, the Fighting Irish made a statement: Riley Leonard had 261 yards of offense and three scores, the running game finished with 265 yards on 6.6 yards per carry and the defense forced six turnovers.

Oregon

Oregon has pushed the pedal down and built on this month’s thrilling win against No. 4 Ohio State. After blanking Purdue last Friday, the Ducks bullied No. 21 Illinois in a 38-9 win that cements their place as the No. 1 team in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Coming off an impressive victory against Michigan, Illinois’ troubles began on the opening drive — an 83-yard touchdown march that set the tone for the afternoon — and didn’t get much better from there, as Oregon racked up 527 yards of offense, held the Illini out of the end zone until the end of the third quarter and continued to look like the team to beat in the Big Ten. Dillon Gabriel had another three touchdowns passes for the Ducks, giving him multiple scores in every game this season.

Texas

The No. 6 Longhorns avoided Vanderbilt’s upset effort and rekindled a winning streak after last week’s loss to No. 2 Georgia. The 27-24 final saw a bit of a return to form from Quinn Ewers, who completed 27 of 37 attempts for 288 yards and three scores, though he tossed two interceptions. The Commodores are feisty, though, and after falling behind 21-7 in the second quarter crawled back within a touchdown heading into the fourth. Thanks to some more heroics from quarterback Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt came within an onside recovery from potentially tying or even winning the game in the final minute. Here’s a sentence that explains how weird college football has been this season: Vanderbilt is the Longhorns’ best win on the year.

North Carolina

The clock may still be ticking on Mack Brown’s second tenure at North Carolina, but a 41-14 win against Virginia rights the ship on the heels of a four-game losing streak and puts the Tar Heels back on track for a bowl bid. Defensively, UNC gave up only 288 yards of offense after allowing 41.5 points per game during the losing streak, including 70 points to James Madison and 41 points last week against Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels had 10 sacks, forced a pair of turnovers and held the Cavaliers to just 7 yards on 29 carries.

Tulane

After competitive losses to No. 16 Kansas State and Oklahoma in non-conference play, Tulane has moved back into the playoff picture with four wins in a row in the American Athletic. The latest, 45-37 at North Texas, might be the Green Wave’s best of the year. To do so, Tulane had to hold off a late rally by the Mean Green, who trailed 45-24 after the third quarter but made things interesting with two scores in the fourth. While No. 19 Boise State remains in the driver’s seat after Friday night’s win at UNLV, the Green Wave are positioning themselves to take advantage should the Broncos trip on the way to the Mountain West championship.

Brigham Young

No. 12 BYU continues to prove the doubters wrong and make a completely unexpected push for an unbeaten regular season. After last week’s escape against Oklahoma State, the Cougars had a much easier time in a 37-24 win at Central Florida that included 266 yards of offense and three touchdowns from quarterback Jake Retzlaff. You may not totally buy into the Cougars as a legitimate playoff team; if so, you’re not entirely alone. But we all have to admit that this schedule makes that a real possibility: BYU takes on Utah, Kansas, Arizona State and Houston in November.

Losers

Ohio State

The Buckeyes’ 21-17 win against Nebraska should raise an eyebrow. This is a Nebraska team that lost 56-7 to Indiana last weekend and went into Saturday as roughly 25-point underdogs. That the Cornhuskers got back on track and even led Ohio State 17-14 in the fourth quarter may be a building-block moment for second-year coach Matt Rhule. But given where things stand for a program still crawling back toward relevancy, that the Buckeyes were nearly knocked off at home in their first game since losing to the Ducks doesn’t necessarily bode well for the trip to State College. Though a big scare as a heavy favorite at home might be what Ohio State needs to get jumpstarted before facing the Nittany Lions.

Oklahoma

For one half against No. 18 Mississippi, Brent Venables’ decision to replace offensive coordinator Seth Littrell seemed to have worked: Oklahoma had 235 yards of offense, including 125 yards on the ground, and led the Rebels 14-10. The Sooners would gain just 94 yards and fail to score a single point the rest of the way, though, in a 26-14 loss that illustrates the limits of what a midseason coaching change can achieve given the team’s lack of punch on that side of the ball. One positive was the careful play of quarterback Jackson Arnold, who had multiple touchdowns without an interception for the first time since the opener against Temple.

Florida State

After looking a little better last time out against Duke — they didn’t win, obviously — the Seminoles were back at it and back up to their old tricks against No. 5 Miami. To zero surprise, the Hurricanes made the Seminoles look inept in a 36-14 loss that drops their record to a remarkable 1-7 and officially ends any misguided belief that a second-half surge would bring FSU closer to respectability. FSU had 248 yards of offense, converted just three third downs, averaged 3.6 yards per pass attempt and never put up any fight against the current ACC front-runner. The best way to sum things up: The Seminoles are the first team in the past 70 years to start 1-7 after going unbeaten the previous regular season.

Kentucky

In a wacky, weird and unpredictable season, maybe no team has been as wacky, weird and unpredictable as Kentucky. This is a team that almost beat Georgia and did beat Mississippi while losing in a big way to South Carolina, Florida and now Auburn. Yes, Auburn, the team that has done almost nothing right under Hugh Freeze, topped Kentucky 24-10 to climb out of the cellar in the SEC. The offense was absent against the Tigers but the defense was somehow worse. Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter ran for an eye-popping 278 yards on 12.1 yards per carry, single-handedly outgaining the Wildcats by 54 yards. Kentucky will very likely miss the postseason for the first time in a non-COVID year since 2015, Mark Stoops’ third season.

Texas-San Antonio

UTSA owns the day’s most baffling loss, and not just because the loss came to Tulsa. The Roadrunners led 14-0 after the first quarter, 35-7 after the second and 42-24 after the third but were outscored 22-3 in the final frame for a 46-45 loss that might just be the worst in program history. Tulsa trailed 45-32 with five minutes left after a six-minute UTSA drive ending in a field goal. But the Golden Hurricane went 75 yards to make it 45-39 with 2:26 remaining, got a stop and then moseyed 92 yards in eight plays to take the lead with just over a minute to go. UTSA has been one of the top programs in the Group of Five since hiring former Texas assistant Jeff Traylor in 2020 but have been a major flop this season. Picked to finish second in the preseason American Athletic poll, the Roadrunners need to win three of four next month to make a bowl game.

(New information was added to this story.)

LOS ANGELES — Yoshinobu Yamamoto continues to prove his worth in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers signed the 26-year-old Japanese star pitcher to help the team get back to the World Series. He made his World Series debut Saturday and produced a dominant outing in the Dodgers’ 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 2.

“He was made for those moments,” Teoscar Hernández said. “We trust in him. Earlier today, I told him it was going to be a good night for him, and he did. He gave us a chance to score some runs. He put some zeros on the board, and we won the game.”

Yamamoto allowed just one hit while striking out four and walking two in 6⅓ innings pitched. He retired 11 consecutive batters after giving up a home run to Juan Soto in the top of the third inning.

“I thought the first few innings we took a lot of good at-bats against him, made him work some longer at-bats,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Once he got a little bit of that lead, he kind of got into a rhythm, really did a good job of attacking at strike one. It was hard to be patient with him when he was on the attack and getting ahead.”

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Why didn’t Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitch longer in Game 2?

After facing Giancarlo Stanton, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts walked toward the mound to take the ball from Yamamoto, who received a standing ovation from most of the 52,725 fans in attendance. Yamamoto threw 54 strikes on 86 pitches.

“I was trying to focus on facing one hitter at a time,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter. “I was able to throw the strike when I wanted.”

Saturday marked one of Yamamoto’s longer MLB outings. He hadn’t pitched into the seventh inning since a regular season game against the Yankees on the road in June. He allowed just two hits during that outing.

“There wasn’t much stress in the game,” Roberts said of his mindset for Yamamoto’s usage on Saturday. “He hasn’t been in the seventh inning since that Yankee game. I think he’s thrown up to 76 pitches, so I felt we had a good building block foundation.”

Roberts added that he wanted Yamamoto to pitch against Stanton to extend his usage to just one more batter before removing him from the game.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto contract

Yamamoto signed a 12-year deal worth $325 million in December 2023 as a free agent.

When will Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitch next for Dodgers?

Yamamoto could be available to pitch in either Games 6 or 7 of the World Series, if necessary.

Roberts told reporters in September that the plan was to keep Yamamoto on five days rest between starts and they weren’t going to try and force him to pitch on shorter rest just because it was the postseason.

Coach Deion Sanders and his Colorado football team are headed to a bowl game.

They made it possible Saturday night by beating Cincinnati at home, 34-23, improving their record this season to 6-2 with four games remaining in the regular season.

That gives them the minimum number of wins to be eligible for a postseason bowl game in Sanders’ second season. It also keeps them in the thick of the hunt for the Big 12 Conference championship after getting another pair of big performances from quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter.

Sanders completed 25 of 30 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns. Hunter caught nine of those passes for 153 yards and both of those touchdowns.

Cincinnati (5-3) had cut Colorado’s lead to 31-23 with 3:51 remaining after driving 81 yards in 11 plays, capped by a 6-yard touchdown catch by tight end Joe Royer.

But the Bearcats missed on the ensuing two-point pass attempt. Then the Buffaloes answered with a 47-yard field goal with 99 second left, building their lead to 34-23 in front of a sold-out crowd of 53,202 at Folsom Field in Boulder.

It’s only the second time since 2007 that Colorado has won at least six games. It comes just two years after the Buffaloes finished with a 1-11 record and fired their previous coach, paving the way for the arrival of “Coach Prime.” A bowl game after the season also would be only their third since 2007, including the pandemic season of 2020, when the Buffs went to the Alamo Bowl and finished 4-2.

By winning six games, Sanders earns a $150,000 bonus from Colorado and will earn $100,000 for each additional regular-season win after that, according to his contract. His contract also calls for a bonus of at least $150,000 for getting invited to a bowl game. His regular guaranteed compensation this year is $5.7 million.

His team is 4-1 in Big 12 play and has an off weekend next week before returning to play Nov. 9 at Texas Tech.

Was Shedeur Sanders injured?

Sanders, son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, apparently suffered a hip or leg injury when he ran 4 yards for a first down to the Cincinnati 7-yard line in the third quarter. He ended up falling forward but got twisted up when tackled and looked uncomfortable after the Buffaloes scored on a 7-yard touchdown run one play later to help extend Colorado’s lead to 31-14.

He then got treatment on the sideline and returned to the game on Colorado’s next possession. But he only attempted one pass on that drive and instead handed the ball off on running plays as the Buffs tried to run the clock down. The extent of the injury wasn’t clear, but it wasn’t enough to immediately pull him from the game.

He attempted only five passes after the injury and completed four. Colorado still stalled a bit after that with two punts and a field goal in their next three possessions.

Big first half by Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders

The Buffs led 24-14 at halftime after getting two touchdown catches from two-way star Travis Hunter. His quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, completed his first 15 passes and led the offense to scores on all four of their possessions in the first half – three touchdowns and a field goal, including Sanders’ 4-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter.

Cincinnati tried to keep up and even tied the game at 14-14 after an interception was nullified by Colorado defensive back Preston Hodge. Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby had thrown a deep pass that Hodge caught and returned to midfield, but the play got called back when Hodge was flagged for pass interference on the play after apparently grabbing the waist of Cincinnati receiver Tony Johnson.

The ball then was placed at the Colorado 13-yard line and the Bearcats scored a touchdown one play later, helping tie the game with 9:31 left before halftime.

But that was the best they could do in the first half. The Colorado defense stopped Cincinnati on the Bearcats’ next possession, stuffing them on fourth-and-1 at the Colorado 46-yard line. With 33 seconds left in the first half, Sanders took over and finished the ensuing drive with a 34-yard touchdown throw to Hunter, who was wide open on the right side of the field.

Hunter finished the first half with seven catches for 113 yards after sitting out after halftime of his previous two games with a shoulder injury.

There were surprises and important developments in Week 9 of the college football season. Matt Hayes analyzes four hot topics from Saturday’s games.

First Down: Penn State’s big uncertainty in a B1G week

His name is Beau Pribula, and he arrived at Penn State in the same recruiting class as heralded five-star quarterback recruit Drew Allar.

Now Pribula may be called on to save Penn State’s season.

Allar, No. 3 Penn State’s emerging junior quarterback, injured his left knee late in the first half of a 28-13 victory at Wisconsin Saturday, and his status is undetermined for next week’s critical showdown with No. 4 Ohio State in Happy Valley. While Pribula played well against the Badgers, the top five game against Ohio State is a different story.

Penn State coach James Franklin didn’t want to speculate on the extent of the injury because he said he didn’t have specifics. Allar spent the second half of the game on the sidelines, with a brace on his left knee.

“It really came down to Drew once he came out,’ Franklin said at his postgame press conference. ‘I asked him to be very honest, and he just didn’t feel like he was (able to play). Like at the end of the half there, you saw even throwing was challenging.”

That’s not a good sign heading into the biggest game of the regular season, especially considering Franklin’s record at Penn State in big games.

Penn State is 1-9 vs. Ohio State under Franklin, and 3-17 vs. top 10 teams. While Penn State likely doesn’t need to win to advance to the College Football Playoff, a loss to Ohio State significantly damages hopes of playing for the Big Ten championship.

That’s why the potential loss of Allar is so critical. Penn State figured out a way to beat Wisconsin, but direct snaps to running back Kaytron Allen or tight end Tyler Warren won’t work against Ohio State’s elite defense.

At some point Pribula, who wasn’t nationally-rated by 247Sports in the 2022 class (Allar was the No. 3 overall player at any position), will have to make plays in the passing game. That means new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, the heralded addition this offseason from Kansas, will have a week to find what works for Pribula — and how to attack an Ohio State defense giving up 12.7 points per game.

Even if Allar is available, he most certainly will be limited. He wasn’t held out of the second half as precaution; the Lions were trailing 10-7.

Kotelnicki will have to get either quarterback (or both) ready to play against a top 10 pass defense giving up 172 yards per game. The Buckeyes held Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola to 152 yards passing in a 21-17 win Saturday, with no touchdowns and an interception.

HIGHS AND LOWS: Winners and losers from Week 9 in college football

Second Down: Texas on the SEC road

Texas learned a valuable lesson in its first season in the SEC, and first true conference road game: just get out with a win — no matter how it happens. 

Especially when chasing a spot in the SEC championship game.

Texas responded from last week’s embarrassing loss to Georgia by avoiding a disastrous second loss in the SEC, holding off Vanderbilt 27-24 with a critical fourth-down stop with five minutes to play. 

Texas will quickly find out that these are the games that help you win a conference championship: those you’re supposed to win, despite the dangerous reality of playing on the road in the SEC. 

The Longhorns have two SEC road games remaining: Nov. 16 at Arkansas, and Nov. 30 in the regular season final at Texas A&M.  

This time, against a hot Vanderbilt team that beat Alabama in Nashville earlier this month, quarterback Quinn Ewers threw two interceptions that Vanderbilt turned into 14 points. It also looked clunky on both sides of the ball for Texas for much of the game.

But every time the Longhorns needed a play in the critical fourth quarter, they it made it. 

A defensive five-and-out stop after the Commodores closed to 24-17. An interception on fourth-and-two from the Vanderbilt 35 late in the fourth, and a 23-yard run from Jaydon Blue on third-and-nine that allowed the offense to bleed two more minutes off the clock before a short field goal sealed the win. 

That’s the handful of important but overlooked plays that happen every week on the road in the SEC. It’s how you overcome two interceptions from your quarterback, and a scoreless span of more than 20 minutes in the second half.

And how you win and advance along the road to reaching the SEC championship game. 

Third Down: The rise of Notre Dame, Riley Leonard

It’s not about rock bottom, it’s how you respond. 

Welcome, everyone, to the evolution of Riley Leonard at Notre Dame. 

He called Notre Dame’s upset home loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2 rock bottom — and has responded with the best run of games in his career. This time it was unbeaten Navy, and Leonard threw for 178 yards and 2 TDs, and ran for 83 yards and another touchdown in a 51-14 win.

That makes six consecutive wins for the Irish since the NIU loss, by a combined 31.3 average points per game. In those six games, Leonard is completing nearly 70 percent of his passes and has accounted for 18 TDs (10 rush).

And while there are any number of reasons why the ball isn’t going downfield more in the pass game — inconsistency at receiver, protection by the offensive line, Leonard’s development with new offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock — the explosion plays are beginning to come. 

Notre Dame had five explosion plays (10+ yards) against Navy, a week after getting nine against Georgia Tech. The pass game is evolving at the right time, with Notre Dame likely needing to win out to reach the CFP for the first time since 2020. 

A loss in any of the final four games — Florida State, Virginia, Army (Yankee Stadium), at Southern California — against overmatched opponents would be too much to overcome.

Fourth Down: Indiana’s backup plan

He left the state of Indiana three years ago, a bluechip recruit too good for the floundering Indiana program with big dreams of playing in the big time at Tennessee.

But there was Tayven Jackson Saturday afternoon in Bloomington, Indiana, less than an hour southwest in the state from where he played high school football in Greenwood, and the big time was all around him. 

A packed Memorial Stadium. A key Big Ten game as a ranked team. The biggest moment of his college career. 

The Hoosiers’ backup quarterback threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and kept unbeaten Indiana headed toward the College Football Playoff in a 31-17 win over Washington. 

First-year Indiana coach Curt Cignetti signed Ohio transfer and Heisman Trophy candidate Kurtis Rourke from the portal, in part, because the quarterback room at Indiana needed an upgrade. That existing room from the previous season included Jackson, the one-time heralded recruit who shared time in 2023 in his first season after transferring from Tennessee.

With Rourke recovering from thumb surgery, Jackson played efficiently, didn’t put the Hoosiers in problematic situations with bad plays, and proved he could be a reliable option should Rourke – expected to return next week at Michigan State – need more time to recover. 

“He made some good plays,” Cignett said in his post game press conference. “He left as many plays out there.”

In other words, Indiana will need more next week if Rourke can’t play, or if Jackson is needed in the month of November when the degree of difficulty increases over the final four games (at Michigan State, Michigan, at Ohio State, Purdue). 

But it’s all out there for the Hoosiers, who could lose only to Ohio State, and likely still make the first 12-team CFP. 

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

LOS ANGELES – A raucous Saturday night at Dodger Stadium took on an ominous tone after superstar Shohei Ohtani injured his shoulder while sliding into second base on a failed steal attempt in the seventh inning.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani had suffered a subluxation (partial dislocation) of his left shoulder on the play and would go for further testing – but the team was ‘encouraged’ about their designated hitter’s outlook.

‘Once we get the scans we’ll know more, but with his strength and range of motion good, that’s certainly a positive,’ Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 4-2 win in Game 2 of the World Series.

Ohtani stayed down on the ground for a few moments and exited with a trainer holding his arm, which dragged behind him on the ground as he slid to avoid the tag from New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres.

‘The whole stadium went silent,’ Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández said.

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Asked about the possibility of Ohtani missing the rest of the series, Roberts said he hadn’t thought that far ahead yet, but is ‘expecting (Ohtani) to be there. I’m expecting him to be in the lineup.’

The Dodgers have a 2-0 series lead as the World Series heads to New York for Game 3 on Monday.

Ohtani, the two-way superstar and only man in major league history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases has been limited simply to hitting duties this season, and had avoided injury, playing in 159 games. He’d drawn a two-out walk in the bottom of the seventh but was thrown out by Yankees catcher Austin Wells. 

‘You never like seeing the best player in the game get injured like that,’ Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge said. ‘Hopefully it’s all good news, and we’ll see what happens.’

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Just two races remain before the season finale, and the pressure on the playoff drivers is steadily increasing following last week’s third round opener at Las Vegas, where Joey Logano became the first driver to clinch a berth in the championship race, and several other contenders took big hits when crashes took them out of the running.

Now the action moves to South Florida, where another contender could join Logano in the championship race if one of the other seven playoff drivers takes the checkered flag Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But Homestead also provides an opportunity for those who struggled last weekend to make up some ground in the standings – which could be crucial since at least one of the three remaining championship spots will be awarded on points. And if Logano or a non-playoff driver wins on Sunday, that would leave two spots decided by points.

Who celebrates in victory lane on Sunday? Here’s all the information you need to get ready for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway:

What time does the NASCAR playoff race at Homestead-Miami start?

The Straight Talk Wireless 400 starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.

What TV channel is the NASCAR playoff race at Homestead-Miami on?

NBC is broadcasting the Straight Talk Wireless 400 and has a pre-race show beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR playoff race at Homestead-Miami?

The Straight Talk Wireless 400 can be live streamed on the NBC Sports website and the NBC Sports app. The race is also available to stream on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

Watch NASCAR Cup Series races on Fubo

How many laps is the NASCAR playoff race at Homestead-Miami?

The Straight Talk Wireless 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile oval for a total of 400.5 miles. The race will feature three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 80 laps; Stage 2: 85 laps; Stage 3: 102 laps.

Who won the most recent NASCAR Cup race at Homestead-Miami?

In last year’s playoff race, Christopher Bell led 26 laps, including the final 16, before pulling away from Ryan Blaney by 1.651 seconds on Oct. 22, 2023.

What are the playoff standings heading into the NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami?

Rank, driver, team, points, deficit to leader. Through seven races; x-clinched berth in championshp race.

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing … 4,086
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports … 4,079 (-7 points)
William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports … 4,071 (-15)
x-Joey Logano, Team Penske … 4,061 (-25)
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing … 4,044 (-42)
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing … 4,041 (-45)
Ryan Blaney, Team Penske … 4,024 (-62)
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports … 4,018 (-68)

What is the lineup for the Straight Talk Wireless 400 NASCAR playoff race at Homestead-Miami?

Car number in parentheses; (P)=playoff driver

1. (45) Tyler Reddick (P), Toyota

2. (5) Kyle Larson (P), Chevrolet

3. (20) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota

4. (11) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota

5. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet

6. (19) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota

7. (9) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet

8. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota

9. (31) Daniel Hemric, Chevrolet

10. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet

11. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet

12. (4) Josh Berry, Ford

13. (14) Chase Briscoe, Ford

14. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota

15. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet

16. (10) Noah Gragson, Ford

17. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet

18. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford

19. (71) Zane Smith, Chevrolet

20. (12) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford

21. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford

22. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet

23. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet

24. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford

25. (24) William Byron (P), Chevrolet

26. (22) Joey Logano (P), Ford

27. (15) Kaz Grala, Ford

28. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota

29. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota

30. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet

31. (38) Todd Gilliland, Ford

32. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet

33. (51) Corey LaJoie, Ford

34. (21) Harrison Burton, Ford

35. (41) Ryan Preece, Ford

36. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford

37. (44) JJ Yeley, Chevrolet

38. (66) Chad Finchum, Ford

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Texas A&M football sits alone atop SEC standings after comeback victory against LSU.
Mike Elko’s quarterback change to Marcel Reed accelerates Aggies after first-half struggles.
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier gains Heisman Trophy buzz before giving it all away with second-half meltdown.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Mike Elko jumped off the sinking ship and boarded a speed boat to a pivotal Texas A&M victory.

With backup quarterback installed Marcel Reed at the wheel of Texas A&M’s offense, the Aggies wriggled out of trouble and accelerated to the top of the SEC standings.

Texas A&M to the SEC championship game? Then, to the College Football Playoff? SEC coach of the year for Elko?

It’s all possible after the No. 14 Aggies surged past No. 7 LSU, 38-23, Saturday night in front of 108,852 screaming fans at Kyle Field.

The Aggies (7-1) are 5-0 in the SEC for the first time ever.

Credit Texas A&M’s first-year coach for a brave third-quarter substitution, and to their backup quarterback for running circles around a befuddled LSU defense that played as if it spent exactly zero seconds this week preparing for Reed.

LSU’s pass rush harassed Aggies starting quarterback Conner Weigman throughout 2½ quarters. The sacks mounted. Weigman’s incompletions piled up. LSU led by 10 points, but it ought to have been ahead by more.

As the Aggies’ season rested on the line, Elko yanked Weigman, a pocket passer, in favor of Reed.

Reed fueled three touchdown drives while throwing just a single pass.

No need to put the ball in the air considering how the Reed-option baffled the Tigers.

The quarterback who runs like a wide receiver ran the ball across the goal line three times, handed off to Le’Veon Moss for another score, and pushed LSU (6-2) to the brink of playoff elimination.

“We needed to run the ball. We needed Marcel’s legs,’ Elko said. ‘We just felt like the style of offense that Marcel brings was going to give us a spark.”

Yeah, I’d say that strategy worked to perfection, and Reed’s execution after Elko’s big decision put the Aggies in enviable position for the playoff.

The Aggies only have one ranked foe (Texas) left on the schedule.

“We have an amazing opportunity right now that we really want to take advantage of,’ Elko said.

Elko keeps solving problems that would’ve left Fisher staring at his playsheet in search of answers that rarely arrived.

Marcel Reed rallies Texas A&M after Conner Weigman struggles

Would Reed keep the ball on the option or hand it to Moss? The Tigers guessed incorrectly play after play.

When Reed finally tossed a second pass, it was a beautiful 54-yard teardrop to Noah Thomas to spur his fourth touchdown drive.

The in-game quarterback switcheroo marked coaching growth for Elko. He stuck with a woeful Weigman throughout a season-opening loss to Notre Dame in which the Aggies mustered just a single touchdown.

A quarterback change would’ve been a smart choice that night. At least Elko didn’t repeat his error.

Reed showed in September that he can position the Aggies for success. He went 3-0 as a starter against inferior opponents while Weigman recovered from injury. Once Weigman got healthy, Elko put the offense back into his hands. And that paid off. Weigman looked as good as ever in a romp against Missouri.

Juggling two quarterbacks can be one of the trickiest tight-rope acts for even the most experienced coaches, but the Aggies’ new boss has handled Weigman and Reed masterfully these past few weeks, while serving a winning product to a starved fan base.

The Aggies starved for offense throughout the first half, while LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier showed off his big arm that makes NFL scouts salivate.

LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier squanders brief Heisman Trophy buzz

At halftime, with LSU seemingly in control, the press box buzzed with the idea of Nussmeier inserting himself into the thick of the Heisman Trophy race.

Three second-half interceptions later, and let’s hold off on booking Nussmeier a trip to New York City.

Nussmeier’s first pick proved particularly brutal. LSU had a two-score lead and all the momentum when Nussmeier threw across his body in a daring attempt on third down. Aggies defensive back BJ Mayes intercepted the pass. One play later, Reed celebrated in the end zone.

‘I started a spark,’ Reed said.

The Aggies had stolen the momentum, and it wouldn’t be long before they had the lead.

LSU’s one-dimensional offense looks bountiful when Nussmeier’s passes find their way to Kyren Lacy or Aaron Anderson or Mason Taylor, but if he loses his touch, the Tigers are helpless to find their way, in the absence of any ground game.

And Nussmeier got swallowed in the din of the second half.

Aggies faithful clad in all black and waving white towels made this college football cathedral tremble and shake all night, and Nussmeier and his Tigers lost their way in the black-out after halftime.

In the closing minutes, the stadium loudspeakers played Garth Brooks song ‘Calling Baton Rouge’ in mockery of LSU.

Are we sure Austin is home to the best ball in Texas?

Ninety minutes of second-half football at Kyle Field suggested otherwise.

While the Aggies bottled up Nussmeier and Reed provided a blur of offense, every Aggies fan in the building probably gleefully looked ahead to Thanksgiving weekend.

And we’ll settle then whether or Texas or Texas A&M rules the Longhorn State, but until then, you can’t argue with the Aggies’ first-place spot in the SEC standings.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @btoppmeyer.

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