NEW YORK — New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz didn’t hesitate.

He didn’t try to couch his sentiments.

If the bravado becomes bulletin board material, so be it.

“We are,’ Diaz flatly said after getting the final six outs Friday, ‘going to win the next two games.’

“We can beat them. We can do this.’

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Maybe it wasn’t Joe Namath back in 1969 guaranteeing the Jets would win the Super Bowl, but in this day and age, where everyone tries to be closely guarded, it’s as close as it can come.

The Mets, who appeared left for dead when they took the field facing elimination, instead got up and pounded the Los Angeles Dodgers into submission, writing another chapter in this Cinderella season.

“It wouldn’t be us if we didn’t win this way,’ Mets DH J.D. Martinez told USA TODAY Sports as he packed his suitcase. ‘We’ve been doing it like this all year. Why stop now?’

The Mets, shut out twice in this series, slammed the Dodgers, 12-6, scoring the second-most runs in franchise postseason history in front of their sellout crowd of 43,841, believing they can pull off the stunning comeback.

“We were trying to beat on that dam until it finally breaks,’ Mets left fielder Brandon Nimmo said, “and it finally broke tonight.’

The Mets still trail the Dodgers 3-2 in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, with the next two games at Dodger Stadium beginning Sunday evening.

The 2003 Miami Marlins are the lone team to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NLCS by winning the final two games on the road, beating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in a series made famous by Cubs fan Steve Bartman.

Still, the Mets believe, maybe even now more than ever.

“Why not us?’ Nimmo said. “We’ve been playing with our backs against the wall all year, and we’ve been able to rise to the occasion. Some might even say we’re at our best at that time.

“If any team can do it, we can do it.’

Who can blame the Mets for being giddy?

This is a team that became the first not to strike out in a postseason game since the Los Angeles Angels in Game 2 of the 2002 World Series.

“This is insane,’ said Mets DH Jesse Winker, who also hit his first triple in four years. “I still can’t wrap my head around that. … This is the era of the strikeout. To do that is special.

“We have a special lineup. We had a really good game plan tonight. We had our backs pushed against the wall. We knew we had to something special. We know we’re going to have to continue to do some special stuff.

“And I believe we can do it.’

Everywhere you turned in the Mets clubhouse, there was a hero, and confidence.

First baseman Pete Alonso, who may have played his final game at Citi Field in a Mets uniform, got it started launching a three-run, 432-foot homer in the first inning on Dodger starter Jack Flaherty’s 85-mph slider that was barely a foot off the ground.

“Honestly, it’s unexplainable,’ Alonso said. “It’s the magic of the postseason … I mean, I didn’t really realize how low the pitch was.’’

Then again, as Alonso’s teammates gushed, it’s the Polar Bear. They wouldn’t expect anything less.

“For the rest of us mortals, we fly out,’ Nimmo said. “But for him, it’s just an absolute bomb. So you know, normal Pete.’

There was young catcher Francisco Alvarez, who had been hitting .158 this postseason without an extra-base hit or an RBI. He hit a double in his first at-bat, singled and drove in a run in his next two at-bats, and thanked teammate Starling Marte afterwards for giving him a pep talk.

“I think the biggest difference has been his confidence,’ Marte said. “He’s the type of player that you can say something to and he’ll put it into practice.’

Says Mets manager Carlos Mendoza: “I know when you’re struggling, you’ve got a lot of people in your ears and you need to do this, need to do that. Especially this time of the year, the simple the better. That’s what he did.

“I know it’s easy for me to sit here and say it, but he’s also doing it. He’s a really good player. I’ve been saying it. And he’s showing it right now.’

Marte provided plenty of damage himself in the Mets’ 14-hit, 22-baserunner attack. He went 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBI, becoming the first Met to produce three doubles in a postseason game.

“I can go 0-for-5 and it doesn’t matter,’’ Marte said. “As long as I’m giving my 100%, the team’s producing. It’s definitely exciting. As long as I’m on base, I feel like we can have success.’

And, of course, shortstop Francisco Lindor was in the middle of the action once again. The Mets’ leadoff hitter went 2-for-4, reached base three times, scored two runs, and drove in another. Lindor is the straw that stirs the Mets’ drink. The Mets go as Lindor goes.

He opened the game with a single. He hit a run-scoring triple in the third.

“We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now,’’ Lindor said. “We know what we’re capable of doing.’’

Now, the Mets are off to Los Angeles and a Game 6. They’ll have their best pitcher, Sean Manaea on the mound. The Dodgers will go with a bullpen game. The last time they matched up that way in Game 2, the Mets walked away with a 7-3 victory. If it gets to Game 7, with Luis Severino facing Dodgers starter Walker Buehler, anything can happen.

“You just learn to not panic,’ Nimmo said. “If you’re new here, then you can definitely start to panic and start to change things. But we’ve had success focusing on the process for four or five months now, and it’s not the time to change it.

“We can do this.’

The Mets have proven it all year, so why stop now?

“If you don’t believe, you shouldn’t be here,’ Lindor said. “We have to believe.’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

All of a sudden, the hamstring injury that nagged Davante Adams is healed. 

Adams missed the final three games of his tenure with the Las Vegas Raiders – and didn’t practice for three weeks – but after the big trade on Tuesday reunited the three-time All-Pro receiver with Aaron Rodgers, he isn’t even listed on the injury report for Sunday night. 

Thus, Adams, 31, will make his New York Jets debut in a prime-time showdown at Pittsburgh with his wheels apparently intact. 

Funny, how that progressed. 

“He’s looked fantastic,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich told reporters of Adams’ work on the practice field this week. 

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

Talk about a quick healer. The Jets (2-4) were one of the two teams in the top tier of clubs that Adams sought to be traded to, the other being the New Orleans Saints, quarterbacked by another of Adams’ former teammates, Derek Carr. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens were on Adams’ second tier, with at least two of those teams making offers better than a third-round choice (which can increase to a second-round pick if Adams earns all-pro honors again). Adams didn’t want to consider the second tier, though, unless a trade could not be worked out with either the Jets or Saints, a person with knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss trade matters.

In any event, Adams joins a wide receiver crew – which includes Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard and Mike Williams – that is among the deepest in the league. And Rodgers and Co. would surely welcome Adams’ healing power to apply to a sputtering offense. 

And here’s another surprise: Williams, who missed two days of practice this week for “personal reasons,” is also pegged to play on Sunday night. Williams missed the two days after being called out by Rodgers after the tight loss against Buffalo for apparently not properly running his proper route during the final minutes, which contributed to a Rodgers interception that essentially sealed the Bills’ victory. 

It’s fair to wonder if Williams’ absence was related to his mishap on Monday night. Or perhaps by the addition of Adams, which will push Williams down on the depth chart. He’s expected to be the fourth receiver, fueling speculation that he could soon be traded. 

Williams, speaking to reporters on Friday, maintained that there was no connection between the Monday night drama and his absence. 

Then again, as the Jets seek to snap a three-game losing streak, the mysteries persist.  

Just one concussion suffered on ‘dynamic’ kickoffs

Love it or loathe it, the new “dynamic” kickoff has been a hit when it comes to at least two critical safety measures. The NFL reported that through six weeks, just one concussion and zero torn ACLs and MCLs occurred on kickoffs. And that’s with nearly double the number of returns (304 vs. 160) when compared to the same point a year ago. 

Kickoff returns, it should be noted, are the plays on which the most concussions have occurred since the league began compiling the data in 2016. Yet in eliminating the ramp-up to high-speed collisions, the new kickoff rule is working as designed. 

Although tweaks will likely come next season – the spot after touchbacks will probably be tinkered with – the NFL is hitting on its goal to get the kickoff return back in the game while reducing injuries. The 32% return rate is a significant uptick from the 17% rate through Week 6 in 2023. And the 29.3-yardline average drive start is desirable, too, given the boost it can provide for scoring drives. 

NFL TV ratings anomaly: No election cycle drop…at least not yet

Usually, the NFL suffers a ratings dip in presidential election years. It’s happened during each cycle since 1996. Not this time.

“We’ll take it,” Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media executive, told USA TODAY Sports.    

The NFL averaged 17.5 million viewers through five weeks, which represents a 1% increase since last year and the league’s best start since 2015. 

Rolapp surmises that factors pushing the league’s overall numbers – including the expanding number of streaming platforms carrying NFL games and the drama from competition with the league tying its mark of one-score games at this point of the season – have helped prevent the typical election-year decline. 

“It also tells me that history doesn’t always predict the future,” Rolapp said. 

Then again, maybe the NFL – with 29 of the top 30 telecasts this year – is perfectly positioned for, well, the run-off. 

“If you want to find election coverage, political coverage, there are a lot of places to go, almost 24/7,” Rolapp said. “You can’t escape it. I think we offer something different in this environment, and I think people enjoy that.” 

As the presidential race intensifies for the stretch run, it’ll be interesting to see whether the NFL continues to buck the election cycle trend.   

If Dan Campbell could still play…

With his relentless running style, David Montgomery inspires Dan Campbell in a special way. After last Sunday’s blowout win at Dallas, which included a few breathtaking, multiple effort runs by Montgomery, the fiery Lions coach was moved to the point where he could envision playing again. 

“Look, these old bones can’t play anymore, right?” said Campbell, who played 11 NFL seasons as a tight end. “This old, beat-up body. But he just makes you…you just wish you could play with that guy. I wish I could have played with him. He’s that type of runner and he’s that type of teammate. And it’s inspiring.” 

Said Montgomery, “It would be kind of cool to see him in front of me.” 

Well, at least Campbell can look forward to keeping his sideline view of Montgomery for a while. Last weekend, the Lions signed Montgomery to a two-year, $18.25 million extension that keeps the hard-charging back in Detroit through 2026. It was another in a series of moves by Lions GM Brad Holmes to keep core players intact. 

In recent months, the Lions have re-upped tackle Penei Sewell, quarterback Jared Goff and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, And now Montgomery. 

“We didn’t see ourselves a year or two from now not having ‘5’ with us,” said Campbell, alluding to Montgomery’s uniform number. “We just didn’t see it. It didn’t make sense. He’s too much like us. He’s too much a part of us. He’s everything we’re looking for, and we’re not going to just let that guy leave, so I’m glad he’s here to stay.” 

Quick slants

— From the better-late-than-never department: Darrell Green will have his No. 28 jersey retired by the Washington Commanders during a halftime ceremony on Sunday, a day after he receives a key to the city from Washington, D.C., mayor Muriel Bowser. The Hall of Fame cornerback and former NFL Man of the Year Award winner played 20 years with Washington and was a member of three Super Bowl championship teams. It’s weird that for a class act who was so fast – Green won the NFL’s Fastest Man Competition four times – it took so long time for this honor to come. Yet it’s also a checkmark for the franchise’s new leadership under new owner Josh Harris to correct yet another wrong from the previous regime. 

— Coin toss, anyone? The Chiefs won two of their three Super Bowls in five years against the 49ers, and Patrick Mahomes has never lost against San Francisco (4-0). Yet the undefeated Chiefs are listed as 1 ½-point underdogs for the Super Bowl rematch at Santa Clara. It will be the 10th regular-season matchup between teams that met in the Super Bowl the previous year, with the defending champs holding a 6-3 edge. While the 49ers (3-3) may have revenge in mind, it’s worth noting that KC coach Andy Reid has a 21-4 mark when coming off a bye. And Mahomes is 11-1-1 as an underdog.  

For the second consecutive night, the New York Yankees torched peerless closer Emmanuel Clase. And this time, they held onto the lead – and finally crawled within one win of their first World Series since 2009. 

The Yankees banged out three hits on Clase – more than any he’d given up in any regular season appearance – and pushed across two ninth-inning runs to capture Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, 8-6, at Cleveland’s Progressive Field. 

New York takes a 3-1 ALCS lead into Saturday night, when lefty and Game 1 winner Carlos Rodon will try to finish the job against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee. 

And while this series might eventually look like a blowout, the last two nights were anything but easy for the favored Bronx Bombers. 

They got a two-run homer from Juan Soto and a three-run shot from Giancarlo Stanton to take a 6-2 lead after six innings, but Cleveland never quits. The Guardians scratched out a run in the eighth to tie it and summoned their eighth pitcher of the game, Clase, to keep it level. 

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Clase saved 47 of 50 games in the regular season, but has been roughed up in these playoffs. In Thursday’s Game 3, he gave up home runs to Aaron Judge and Stanton to blow a two-run lead and put the Guardians in peril, before a pair of home runs bailed them out. 

In Friday’s Game 4, it was a soft opposite-field single from Anthony Rizzo and a sharply-struck hit from Anthony Volpe that got him in hot water. After a strikeout, a gentle grounder from Alex Verdugo scored pinch-runner Jon Berti with the go-ahead run. Gleyber Torres added an RBI single – and the Yankees appreciated the insurance. 

With closer Luke Weaver unavailable, Mark Leiter Jr. – activated Friday only because of an injury to Ian Hamilton – recorded five outs. Tommy Kahnle was summoned for the ninth and pitched around a one-out walk and bloop single to close it out.

And come Saturday night, the Yankees could be spraying champagne and awaiting the Mets-Dodgers survivor in the World Series.

– Gabe Lacques

Here’s how Friday’s game unfolded:

Guardians tie it up in eighth

David Fry won Game 3 of this ALCS with a titanic blast. He evened the score in Game 4 with the softest of squibbers. 

The Cleveland Guardians forced a 6-6 tie through eight innings Friday when Yankees reliever Mark Leiter Jr. misplayed his soft grounder back toward the mound, retrieved the ball and threw awkwardly to first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

The play was charitably ruled a hit and an RBI as Bo Naylor crossed the plate with the tying run. 

Closer Emmanuel Clase, who gave up two big home runs in the Game 3 win, is on to try to keep this game even to the bottom of the ninth as the Guardians trail 2-1 in the series. 

Yankees 6, Guardians 5: Cleveland claws back in 7th

The Cleveland Guardians are not backing down. 

Right after falling into a four-run hole in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series, they rallied for three runs off a pair of New York Yankees relievers and pulled within 6-5 through seven innings Friday night at Progressive Field. 

And they were just a few feet short of rolling up a six-run inning.

After Giancarlo Stanton’s three-run homer gave New York a 6-2 lead, manager Aaron Boone tried milking a second inning out of reliever Jake Cousins. But Cousins walked the No. 9 hitter to start the inning and things exploded from there off he and fellow right-hander Clay Holmes. 

RBI doubles by Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor drove in three runs and after Boone opted for recently activated Mark Leiter Jr. to put out the fire, counterpart Stephen Vogt sent up Game 3 hero Jhonkensy Noel to pinch hit. 

And Noel nearly came through a second consecutive night, but just got under a fly ball that died in Alex Verdugo’s glove at the left field wall. 

The Yankees’ battered bullpen still needs to find six more outs. 

Giancarlo Stanton home run gives Yankees 6-2 lead

Giancarlo Stanton quieted any notion of a Cleveland uprising with one swing. 

The New York Yankees slugger’s fantastic postseason continued in impactful fashion Friday, as he hammered a three-run homer off Guardians relief ace Cade Smith to give the Yankees a 6-2 lead in the sixth inning of Game 4. 

With the Yankees clinging to a 3-2 lead and the Guardians reborn with their heroics in winning Game 3, Stephen Vogt tabbed the dominant Smith to pitch the sixth. But he issued a leadoff walk to Juan Soto, and Aaron Judge scorched a first-pitch fastball for a single that came off the bat at 112 mph. 

After rare sacrifice bunt from a cleanup hitter, Jazz Chisholm, Stanton followed by shooting a 1-2 fastball 404 feet into the left field bleachers for a 6-2 lead. 

The Yankees are 12 outs from taking a 3-1 ALCS lead.

– Gabe Lacques

Yankees lead 3-2 through four

The New York Yankees are holding a slim advantage – 3-2 over the Cleveland Guardians through four innings of ALCS Game 4. But they also have the upper hand in another fashion. 

Starter Luis Gil survived a significant amount of traffic to gut through four innings, turning in his first clean frame of the night get through the fourth. Meanwhile, the Guardians had to dip into their bullpen in the third inning, with starter Gavin Williams replaced by lefty Erik Sabrowski to make sure Juan Soto – who homered earlier – didn’t get another look at the righty starter. 

As the fifth inning begins, the Guardians are on their third pitcher, Eli Morgan. Gil is still in – though with the top of Cleveland’s lineup looming, perhaps not for long. 

Austin Wells homer makes it 3-1

With two outs in the top of the second, Yankees catcher Austin Wells hit a solo homer to center field against Cleveland starter Gavin Williams, extending New York’s lead to 3-1.

Juan Soto home run gives Yankees first-inning lead

There’s practically no way the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees can top their pulsating Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Yet Game 4 started exactly as the previous one ended: With a two-run homer. 

Juan Soto drilled his second home run of the series, a 414-foot shot off Guardians started Gavin Williams, to stake the Yankees to a 2-1 lead after one inning Friday.

Williams, making his first start in 19 days, found trouble immediately, giving up a single to the red-hot Gleyber Torres before encountering Soto, who pounded a 98-mph fastball into Progressive Field’s right field stands. 

But Yankees starter Luis Gil, like Williams making his first appearance since September, gave half of that back. He walked leadoff batter Steven Kwan and gave up a double to Kyle Manzardo. But Gil would yield only a Jose Ramirez sacrifice fly to maintain the Yankees’ lead. 

– Gabe Lacques

Yankees vs Guardians Game 4 time

First pitch for ALCS Game 4 is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET on Friday night.

Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio
Date: Friday, Oct. 18

Yankees vs Guardians TV channel for ALCS Game 4

Time: 8:08 p.m. ET
TV: truTV

Yankees lineup for ALCS Game 4

Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
Juan Soto (L) RF
Aaron Judge (R) CF
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 3B
Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH
Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
Anthony Volpe (R) SS
Austin Wells (L) C
Alex Verdugo (L) LF

Guardians lineup: ALCS Game 4

Steven Kwan (L) LF
Kyle Manzardo (L) DH
José Ramírez (S) 3B
Josh Naylor (L) 1B
Lane Thomas (R) CF
Daniel Schneemann (L) RF
Andrés Giménez (L) 2B
Austin Hedges (R) C
Brayan Rocchio (S) SS

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

There is no point in shedding crocodile tears for any man who had the luxury of retiring at age 55 because he made more than $40 million coaching college basketball and decided it was no longer worth the trouble. 

It is equally futile to put your coins in the jukebox every time this happens – and it’s going to happen more than you might think going forward – and play the same lament about the good old days, when the scholarship and the promise of a far-off payday were enough to attract an athlete to a Hall of Fame coach. 

Though unusual and frankly uncouth to pull the plug on a career of this magnitude a couple of weeks before the season starts, it’s hardly a surprise. Bennett wasn’t built for this new reality where money is often the deciding factor in a recruitment, and college athletes can change programs as often as it suits them. As Virginia’s year-in, year-out excellence waned in the NIL era, the whispers among Bennett’s colleagues that he wasn’t long for college basketball had become screams. 

“When I looked at myself, I realized I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program in the current environment,” Bennett admitted Friday in an earnest and sometimes tearful news conference that left no ambiguity about why he’s leaving. “There’s still a way to do it and hold to our values, but it’s complicated. And to admit honestly that I’m not equipped to do this is humbling. It’s still right for student athletes to receive revenue, but the game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot.”

Though the sport’s greatness will endure no matter what and the allure of March Madness remains as strong as ever, Bennett has a lot of company in his misgivings about where college basketball is headed. 

It’s overly simple, though, to say this is merely a group of grouchy middle-aged men who have made ridiculous amounts of money whining about the power balance suddenly shifting to the athletes who had too little of it for too long.

In recent years, I’ve watched basketball coaches I’ve known for more than a decade – mostly progressive people who have always advocated for players to get more – grow embittered about the transactional nature of everything now in their sport. 

It’s not even about the recruiting battles, most of which were grimy and cutthroat anyway. Then as now, everyone had to decide how far they could go to get a player. In some ways, making it all legal has been freeing. 

What’s changed are the relationships. Coaches at the lower levels know any good player they recruit will likely leave at the first opportunity. And at the higher levels, the threat of any player picking up and leaving hangs over nearly every interaction like a guillotine.

Nobody is arguing that the problem is players making money. The issue is that the current system of free-market mayhem has turned college coaching into a profession where authenticity in any interaction with a player is no longer possible.

It may be unfashionable to say these days, but 18- to 22-year-olds still need to be coached, developed and disciplined in order to fulfill their individual potential and that of the team. It’s where a program like Virginia, being run the way Bennett knew how to run it, was inevitably bumping up against the current reality. 

De’Andre Hunter, the best player on Virginia’s 2019 national championship team, redshirted his first year on campus because he wasn’t likely going to get a lot of playing time. He ended up becoming the No. 4 pick in the NBA draft. Malcolm Brogdon was a five-year college project who has made more than $110 million as a pro. Joe Harris bought into Bennett’s system before Virginia had won anything and won an ACC title as a senior. 

All coaches, especially in basketball, understand those stories are not likely to happen anymore. They’ll be unwound by playing time demands and outlandish financial expectations – and an entire generation of NIL agents who aren’t qualified to negotiate the price of a soda, much less a six-figure contract. 

“Nick Nurse and I are pretty close,” Wake Forest’s Steve Forbes said, referring to the Philadelphia 76ers coach. “And he’s like, ‘How do you do this?’ The hardest thing for me is not recruiting, it’s retention. Because I know my players, and they have (a) number in their mind. And I’m like, ‘Are you crazy?’ This is why they have a (general manager) in the NBA, because you don’t have to coach them. The business model is wrong.”

If anything, it’s a surprise so many coaches still have the personal ambition to stay in the game at this point. More and more, I hear from coaches in their 40s who are overstressed year-round, have become cynical about what players want out of their programs and are actively plotting an exit strategy once they reach the level of financial security they want. 

These sentiments are easy to mock and dismiss from a profession of salesmen who have made a fortune off the work of young people and whose career choices have also followed money at the expense of loyalty. 

But they are learning in real time what many of us have been saying for years: The only way for the NCAA to comply with antitrust law while also maintaining order is to collectively bargain a new system that provides for salary caps, contracts and restrictions on player movement. 

It’s stunning – and frankly insulting – that college presidents still refuse to consider that path while hoping NCAA president and former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker can get his buddies on Capitol Hill to pass friendly legislation. 

A couple of years ago, you’d have had pretty much every coach and athletics director lining up behind that effort. Now, cracks are starting to form. 

Quite recently, in fact, I heard from a highly respected athletics director at a prominent school who blasted Baker for doing nothing substantially different tactically or rhetorically from his predecessor, Mark Emmert, despite coming into the job with the reputation as a bipartisan and pragmatic reformer who successfully governed a liberal state as a conservative. 

And just last week at ACC basketball media days, you had coaches talking openly about how much they’d prefer a system where players signed contracts like professionals.

“Everybody says, ‘Well, coaches can leave,’ ‘ Forbes said. ‘No we can’t. I mean, we can leave, but there’s a buyout. These guys have unlimited transferring with no penalty. It’s hard to sustain that model. I would feel a lot better about that kind of business model of dealing with the players.” 

This isn’t just about how much sleep college basketball coaches are getting at night. If Bennett or anyone like him doesn’t want to do the job anymore, there are thousands of others who will gladly take the problems along with the huge salary. 

But it does feel like we’re reaching an inflection point for the entire American developmental system.

Through its own poor legal strategy and inflexibility, the NCAA went from being able to make the rules to the point of unfairness to having no rules almost overnight. Now, a generation of athletes who have not proven themselves come into college with the mentality to get as much as they can, from whomever they can, whenever they can, at the expense of other factors – like being developed by good coaches – who play a huge role in what they’ll ultimately become.

To think that’s not going to have an adverse impact on the way some players transition into the NBA or NFL would be extremely naïve. In fact, front offices in both leagues are already seeing it and having to account for it. 

These aren’t the world’s biggest problems, but it would be a mistake to dismiss them. Bennett’s retirement is just one more data point in a malfunctioning system that is blinking red and in need of repair. Nobody really cares if a rich coach doesn’t like his job anymore, but whose interests are served by a 55-year-old all-time great in good health walking away from their life’s work? 

If the NCAA doesn’t acknowledge reality – and soon – a lot more are going to follow Bennett out the door. 

MINNEAPOLIS — Well, well, well, look what happens when owners spend a little money. 

The 2024 WNBA Finals have set up a decisive Game 5 on Sunday in New York City, after the Minnesota Lynx, with their backs against the wall, held on for a chaotic 82-80 win Friday night in the Target Center. It is the first time since 2019 that the Finals will go to the full five games.

It’s fitting that in a series where three of four games have been decided by a single possession — Game 2 was the only outlier, with the Liberty winning by 14 — we’d get the full Finals experience this season. 

It also feels right considering the year the WNBA has had, with record ratings, attendance and merchandise sales, that the two best teams would put on this type of show. 

This is what happens when you invest in women. 

The Liberty is a super-team created by free agency; a roster so stacked that when New York signed multiple MVPs in Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said that because they’d scooped up all the talent, the Lynx had to do things differently. So Minnesota constructed a roster full of afterthoughts and role players, centered around an underappreciated star in Napheesa Collier. Reeve coached the hell out of them, and now we’re here. 

In many ways, these teams couldn’t be more different. But the commonality between the four-time champion Lynx and the title-less New York Liberty is pretty obvious: They’re run by people who are willing to spend money. 

For years, the WNBA was treated more like a tax write-off than a business, with owners refusing to spend money to make money. Teams folded, players were forced to practice and play in pathetically maintained buildings in the middle of nowhere, fans struggled to find jerseys of their favorite players — the list goes on and on. 

But then coaches and players started demanding better and (some) owners stepped up to the plate. Reeve told USA TODAY Sports earlier this week that “we dragged this organization to the space that it’s in now. We dragged them.” More than once, Reeve said she was called “difficult” by people within Minnesota’s organization who didn’t appreciate the way she demanded more. 

But they listened, and she delivered titles — four of them, with another potentially on the way. 

The 2024 season was Reeve’s first as Lynx president of basketball operations, after five years as general manager. Working closely with current GM Clare Duwelius, and with the support of owner Glen Taylor, the Lynx put together a team they believed could contend for titles. 

In New York, Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai bought the Liberty in 2019, moving them from purgatory (AKA Westchester County) and relocating to Brooklyn. From Day 1 they promised to invest in their WNBA team like their NBA team — the couple also owns the Brooklyn Nets — and they more than came through. The Tsais were so committed to treating the Liberty like a professional sports franchise that they willingly took a $500,000 fine for chartering the team in 2022 before it was permitted league-wide. 

And when they decided to rebuild around 2020 No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu and use free agency to go hard after some of the world’s top talent, players paid attention. 

The result is two extremely capable teams putting on one of the best Finals series in WNBA history. 

As Sandy Brondello said after a record crowd showed up in Game 1, the real winner in these Finals is women’s basketball. Reeve agreed with that Friday, saying that “all of the investments” have led to this point. 

Lucky us. 

Week 8 of the college football season is set to deliver an electrifying SEC clash between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Tennessee Volunteers. Both teams are on a mission to avoid a second loss this season, fully aware that their College Football Playoff aspirations are on the line.

The Volunteers showed their resilience by bouncing back and defeating Florida 23-17 in overtime during Week 7, after suffering a tough loss to Arkansas the week before. The Volunteers’ player of the game was running back Dylan Sampson, who scored his third touchdown with a 1-yard run in overtime, sealing the victory for Tennessee and handing the Gators their third loss of the season.

After a shocking loss to unranked Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide were determined to avoid another setback. They managed a close victory against South Carolina, winning 27-25 in Week 7. Alabama defensive back Domani Jackson was the hero of the game, intercepting Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers in the final seconds, which helped Alabama clinch the crucial win.

In Week 8, both Alabama and Tennessee stand in formidable positions, each with a 5-1 record. With the stakes high and the tension palpable, they cannot afford another loss. Stay tuned for the highly anticipated SEC matchup.

When is the Alabama vs. Tennessee game?

Kickoff for the Alabama vs. Tennessee Week 8 game is 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday (Oct. 19) from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.

How to watch Alabama vs. Tennessee game

The Alabama vs. Tennessee Week 8 game will be broadcast on ABC and can be streamed via ESPN+. You can also watch on Fubo. 

Catch college football action this season with a Fubo subscrption.

College football Week 8 schedule, Top 25

Here are the kickoff times and TV info for the Top 25 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll. (All times are Eastern): 

No. 6 Miami vs. Louisville, noon on ABC
Virginia vs. No. 9 Clemson, noon on ACCN
Nebraska vs. No. 18 Indiana, noon on Fox
Auburn vs. No. 16 Missouri, noon on ESPN
East Carolina vs. No. 24 Army, noon on ESPN2
No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 10 Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
No. 11 Notre Dame vs. Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
No. 22 Michigan vs. No. 21 Illinois, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
No. 14 Texas A&M vs. Mississippi State, 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
No. 8 LSU vs. Arkansas, 7 p.m. on ESPN
No. 4 Georgia vs. No. 1 Texas, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
UCF vs. No. 12 Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. on FS1
No. 17 Kansas State vs. West Virginia, 7:30 p.m. on Fox
No. 23 SMU vs. Stanford, 8 p.m. on ACCN

Alabama-Tennessee odds, line

The Alabama Crimson Tide are favorites to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers in Saturday’s college football matchup, according to the BetMGM college football odds.

Spread: Alabama (-3) 
Moneyline: Alabama -150; Tennessee +130
Over/under: 57

Looking to wager? Check out the top college football betting apps in 2024 offering the top NCAA football betting promos and bonuses in 2024. 

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

MINNEAPOLIS — Game 5 it is. 

The top-seeded New York Liberty will have a chance to win their first WNBA title on their home court after the Minnesota Lynx won a do-or-die Game 4 Friday night in the Target Center to force a decisive Game 5 Sunday at Barclays Center. 

After three games that featured minimal lead changes and ties, this game was a chaotic with 13 ties and 14 lead changes. In the end, the Lynx owned the final lead change when Bridget Carleton drained two free throws with 2 seconds left to give Minnesota an 82-80 win.

Sabrina Ionescu was whistled for the foul after Carleton attempted to tip in a missed 19-footer from Courtney Williams. The game had been tied 80-80 with 18.3 left and, after a timeout, the Lynx cleared out to let Williams go one-on-one. Williams missed the shot, but her team got the win. Ionescu’s heave at the end didn’t hit the rim. 

All five Minnesota starters scored in double figures, led by Kayla McBride, who had 19. Willams finished with 15, while Napheesa Collier chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds. Alanna Smith, playing with a bad lower back, gave one of the guttiest performances of the Finals, finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds, bodying up Jonquel Jones in the paint and sacrificing her body numerous times to help her team get the win. 

Oct. 18 is a day the Liberty would like to forget. Last year, New York also lost Game 4 of the Finals on that day — but that was a decisive game that gave Las Vegas its second consecutive title. 

The 2024 MLS season is hitting its apex, with Decision Day closing out the regular season and determining the playoff picture with a slate of 14 games on Saturday.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have already secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference, having clinched the Supporters Shield Oct. 2. In the Western Conference, the LA Galaxy — coming off of an abysmal 2023 season — need just one point to claim the No. 1 seed. However, the Galaxy face a difficult road game against the Houston Dynamo, while the only team that can catch them (city rivals LAFC) hosts the cellar-dwelling San Jose Earthquakes.

The biggest drama will come in the East, where four teams are vying for the final two playoff spots. D.C. United and CF Montréal both enter Saturday with 40 points, while the Philadelphia Union and Atlanta United trail them with 37 (Toronto FC is level with those sides, but in a 29-team league, they’re the odd team out and have completed their regular season already). D.C. and Montréal both have home games, but if either were to lose, the door would be open for Philadelphia or Atlanta to dramatically snatch a playoff berth at the last moment.

Here’s what you need to know for MLS Decision Day, and the bracket for the 2024 MLS playoffs.

MLS Decision Day schedule

All times Eastern. Home teams listed first.

Chicago Fire vs. Nashville SC — 6 p.m.
D.C. United vs. Charlotte FC — 6 p.m.
Inter Miami vs. New England Revolution — 6 p.m.
CF Montréal vs. New York City FC — 6 p.m.
New York Red Bulls vs. Columbus Crew — 6 p.m.
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United — 6 p.m.
Philadelphia Union vs. FC Cincinnati — 6 p.m.
Austin FC vs. Colorado Rapids — 9 p.m.
FC Dallas vs. Sporting Kansas City — 9 p.m.
Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy — 9 p.m.
LAFC vs. San Jose Earthquakes — 9 p.m.
Minnesota United vs. St. Louis City SC — 9 p.m.
Real Salt Lake vs. Vancouver Whitecaps — 9 p.m.
Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers — 9 p.m.

MLS playoff bracket 2024

Nine teams from each conference will qualify for the 2024 MLS playoffs. The structure includes a single-elimination wild card round, followed by the best-of-three Round 1. From there, the single-game format returns for the conference semifinals, conference finals, and MLS Cup (with the higher seed hosting).

Wild Card round

With the teams involved still up in the air, MLS has not finalized its playoff schedule. The Wild Card round will be played Oct. 22-23, with the No. 8 seed hosting the No. 9 seed in both conferences.

East No. 8 vs. East No. 9
West No. 8 vs. West No. 9

Round 1

MLS will announce dates and times for the first round of the playoffs at a later date. The higher-seeded team in each pairing will host Game 1 and (if necessary) Game 3. Game 2 will be hosted by the lower-seeded team. There will be no ties in this round, and no extra time; if scores are level after regulation play, the winner will be determined via penalty kicks.

Round One will begin Friday, Oct. 25 and run through Sunday, Nov. 10.

Eastern Conference

Inter Miami vs. East Wild Card round winner
Columbus Crew vs. East No. 7
FC Cincinnati vs. East No. 6
East No. 4 vs. East No. 5

In the East, the top three seeds are locked in. Orlando City, New York City FC, Charlotte FC, and the New York Red Bulls have all clinched playoff spots, but their seed will depend on Decision Day results.

Western Conference

West No. 1 vs. West Wild Card winner
West No. 2 vs. West No. 7
West No. 3 vs. West No. 6
West No. 4 vs. West No. 5

In the West, the nine playoff teams are set. However, seeding is entirely up in the air. The Galaxy and LAFC will occupy the top two spots, while the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake are battling for the third and fourth seeds. The Houston Dynamo can finish in fifth or sixth, while the Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Portland Timbers enter Decision Day separated by just four points.

Conference Semifinals

The MLS playoffs are broken up by a FIFA international window, when clubs are obliged to release players for national team duty. All four Conference Semifinal matches will take place Nov. 23-24, with pairings and times still to be determined.

East highest remaining seed vs. East lowest remaining seed
East second-highest remaining seed vs. East second-lowest remaining seed
West highest remaining seed vs. West lowest remaining seed
West second-highest remaining seed vs. West second-lowest remaining seed

Conference Finals

Both Conference finals will be played Nov. 30-Dec. 1, with the last two teams remaining in each conference squaring off at the higher-seeded side’s stadium.

East highest remaining seed vs. East lowest remaining seed
West highest remaining seed vs. West lowest remaining seed

MLS Cup 2024

MLS Cup will feature the two conference champions in a single-game final, with the team with the best record getting to host the match. The match is set for Saturday, Dec. 7.

Eastern Conference champion vs. Western Conference champion

How to watch MLS Decision Day

All 14 games during MLS Decision Day will be broadcast exclusively on Apple TV as part of MLS Season Pass.

Fans trying to keep tabs on multiple games at once can also tune in for MLS 360, a live whip-around show that will jump to notable moments around the league as games are in progress.