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One year after 10/7, Iran is losing the war. Now, Israel must secure peace

One year ago, Iran took a gamble and started a war in Gaza with the attack by Hamas that killed nearly 1,200 Israelis, including over 40 Americans, and took more than 200 hostages 

A year later, it is clear that Iran is losing this war.  

For his part, Ayatollah Khamenei on Friday, October 4, 2024, remembered the massacre as ‘logical and legal’ and used his first public Friday sermon in five years to proclaim that Iran ‘won’t back down.’ He also had a rifle at the podium. He’s that worried.  

You can measure the defeat of Iran in two ways. The first is restoring Israel’s security and carrying out the military destruction of Iran’s terror agents Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and more.  

Israeli strikes of the past several weeks have brought this goal closer. 

Second, getting Israel and Saudi Arabia back on track toward normalizing relations will be the ultimate defeat for Iran. 

Of all the vile causes for the Hamas attack, the strategic tipping point came because Saudi Arabia and Israel were close to a historic normalization of relations.  

Iran couldn’t stand it.  

Last fall, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman were in serious, quiet negotiations. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan wrote in his Foreign Affairs article that the work toward joint infrastructure projects and new partnerships between Israel and its Arab neighbors was ‘bearing fruit.’  

‘Every day we get closer,’ bin Salman said in an interview aired Sep. 20, 2023. 

‘We can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to President Joe Biden during a televised meeting in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly sessions that same day. 

The impending deal included a significant Palestinian component of concessions by Israel. ‘It is not a done deal and there are many variables, but the odds are more than 50%,’ a senior Israeli official told Axios at the time. 

Diplomacy was bubbling along, with Netanyahu invited to Washington, D.C., at the end of the year. 

You can imagine how that went over in Tehran. 

Less than two weeks later, Iran gave ‘the green light for the assault at a meeting in Beirut’ on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, sending word to Hamas and Hezbollah, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

The objective was to force Israel into a war to blacken its reputation and scorch any path to peace. 

To do it, Iran coached Hamas to change tactics.  

Just three years earlier, in May 2021, Hamas waged an all-out missile war with huge salvoes to overwhelm Israel’s missile defenses, to no avail. Even with the incredibly brief warning times characteristic of short-range launches, Israel’s multi-layered defensive system held. Of course, the Israeli Air Force hit weapons caches and launch sites. Egypt stepped in to broker the ceasefire.  

This time, the kind of war sought by Iran would have to go beyond missile attacks.  

Officers of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began specific planning with Hamas for the attack in August 2023. The goal was ‘the most significant breach of Israel’s borders since the 1973 Yom Kippur War,’ the Journal reported Oct. 8, 2023. 

And so it was. Note Iran was content to let the civilians of Gaza pay a terrible price being caught of the middle of a war zone.  

Most of the Hamas military structure in Gaza was destroyed by the spring of 2024. Biden offered a ceasefire on May 30. Hamas toyed with agreement, but this time there would be no ceasefire despite strenuous efforts by Egypt and Qatar. Iran wasn’t ready.  

Enter Hezbollah. A surge in rocket attacks across the alleged UN ‘blue line’ effectively saw Hezbollah take the lead in fighting. Now, Israel would have to contend with Hezbollah, too. The war entered a new phase with the July 30 killing of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas Politburo, in Tehran itself.  

Israel’s systematic campaign has decimated Hezbollah’s leadership, culminating with the pager attacks and the death of Hassan Nasrallah. Israel’s strikes in Lebanon are now attempting to restore border safety. 

A year after the initial attack, Iran is the loser by any military standard. Two big missile attacks on Israel have been thwarted. The military advantage rests with Israel. However, I suspect more strikes on legitimate military and infrastructure targets to reduce Iran’s power may be required.  

Despite Israel’s military successes, dangers remain. For a year, the American military has done everything President Joe Biden asked in the name of deterrence. This includes steps that made sense: U.S. Navy destroyers intercepting Iran’s missiles, aircraft carriers and F-22s deployed with strike options. And measures that didn’t, such as the Gaza aid pier. The bottom line is 40,000 U.S. forces deployed to the U.S. Central Command region, all to keep a lid on Iran. That can’t go on forever (although China would like it). 

The path ahead depends on restoring Israel’s security and taking out Iran’s capabilities. After that, the goal is to get back to the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a goal shared by the Trump and Biden administrations. It’s not easy – the two-state dilemma remains. But it is the one sure way to defeat Iran, for good.  

Of all the vile causes for the Hamas attack, the strategic tipping point came because Saudi Arabia and Israel were close to a historic normalization of relations.  

And it’s important for Americans to stay committed to Israel’s security and to the diplomatic goals, despite the pain caused by the shock unleashing of antisemitism. Too many 21st Century Americans turned out to be biased, ignorant, susceptible to foreign instigation, or all of the above. We Americans have to do better than this.  

Don’t forget that in the words of the Justice Department’s Indictment of Hamas, the government of Iran’s regional and global campaign of terrorism aims to ‘weaken and ultimately destroy both the United States and Israel.’  

America’s best interest remains to support Israel – and take all military steps necessary to get back to the regional diplomacy that will shut down Iran for good. 

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American father of Hamas hostage Itay Chen pushes US, Israel on ‘Plan B’ as negotiations falter

‘When was the last time you talked to your kid? Do you know where he slept last night? Do you know what he ate? Do you know if he had a blanket on him?’ Ruby Chen, father of Itay Chen who was taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, asked in a sit-down interview with Fox News Digital.

‘All those types of questions are questions that we ask ourselves constantly,’ he said. ‘The feeling is that we’ve been failed.’

Itay,19 years old when he was taken, has remained a hostage held in Gaza for 365 days after his unit in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was attacked in southern Israel when Hamas terrorists flooded the border in a series of mass assaults. 

Chen, a New York City native, said he and his wife have been given ‘unprecedented’ access to the White House, the CIA and other top agencies throughout the last year to discuss ongoing strategies to try and get the hostages out of Gaza.

The Chens have not only met with national security adviser Jake Sullivan a dozen times, as well as CIA Director William Burns and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, they also hold a weekly call with the White House. 

But ultimately, these supportive efforts have fallen flat when it comes to the real needs of American families whose loved ones are still held hostage by Hamas. 

‘We have been failed by the Israeli government, we, as U.S. citizens, feel we’ve been failed by the Biden administration despite all of the access that they’ve provided us,’ he explained. ‘They share as much as they can. But at the end of the day, it’s… very black and white.

‘Where is he?’

Chen explained that following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, the Israeli government pushed a strategy to secure the release of the then 251 hostages by bombarding suspected Hamas positions in Gaza.

In the initial weeks following the deadly Hamas attacks, Israel began pounding northern Gaza – a move Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believed would bring Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar ‘to his knees’ and make him be ‘willing to release hostages.’

A week-long cease-fire in November saw the release of 105 hostages. Twelve other hostages have been freed following negotiations during the immediate aftermath of the attack, or because of IDF rescue operations between February and August. 

None of the eight American hostages that were kidnapped have been released, and only seven continue to be held by Hamas after the body of Hersh Goldberg-Polin was discovered by IDF forces in late August, after he along with five others were killed by the terrorist group.

More than 100 hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip – 97 of whom were abducted on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Chens, other American families and the international community have repeatedly urged Israel and Hamas to reach a cease-fire agreement and return all hostages to their families. 

But disagreements over security corridors in Gaza have created a seemingly insurmountable hurdle as U.S., Egyptian and Qatari officials work to get Israel and Hamas to reach an agreement.

The father of the IDF soldier pointed out that so long as no one is discussing a ‘day after’ plan for the Gaza Strip and the Palestinians there, Hamas will continue to hold tightly to its most powerful bargaining chip, the hostages.

‘Where is Hamas in the day-after? And if no one is willing to talk about it, then Hamas believes that they are better off holding on to the hostages until something changes,’ he explained. ‘It’s a jihad organization. They wish to have chaos. They are looking for a regional conflict.

‘When they see that there’s now a conflict with Lebanon, that does not motivate them to get into a cease-fire agreement. On the contrary, they wish to belong, and have other players join in this jihad against Israel,’ Chen continued. ‘So I question, what is the plan?’

‘I am very critical of the time,’ Itay’s father said. ‘The last 10 months, I’ve been asking Mr. Sullivan, What’s plan B?

‘I haven’t heard of a Plan B. And that’s unacceptable,’ he added.

Securing peace in the region became even more precarious last week after Israel, against the objections of the U.S. and its international allies, launched an incursion into southern Lebanon with the expressed intent of dismantling the threat posed by Hezbollah.

Chen pointed out that this second front not only added another dimension to securing the release of the hostages, but it also seemingly pushed talks with Hamas on the backburner as concerns remain high over a broader regional conflict.

‘If you could follow the news, you could see that the hostage issue has been less prioritized,’ he said. ‘And that’s a very difficult feeling for us and the families.’

Netanyahu has said his top priority is securing the release of the hostages, but his refusal to withdraw from the Philidelphi Corridor due to security reasons has created a negotiation impasse and questions have begun to mount over whether the prime minister is truly prioritizing the hostages over his push to ‘eliminate Hamas.’ 

But the parents of Itay – who has been described as a ‘fun-loving kid,’ the ‘sandwich’ of the family with an older sibling and younger sibling, everybody’s ‘best friend,’ and a former Boy Scout turned a young man with a loving girlfriend – cannot allow for him, or the others still in Gaza, to be at the mercy of any political agenda. 

‘I’m a guy that comes from New York City – and we talk less, we look at actions. The actions of the last year show the opposite.’ Chen said. ‘He can say whatever he wants. I don’t believe a thing that comes out of his mouth, I believe in what he does.’

The father of three also urged the Biden administration to question whether it is still in the U.S.’s strategic interest to unequivocally back Netanyahu.

‘There is no accountability from either side for failed negotiation. You do not see any equation that says, ‘OK, if you do not do A, then there’s a consequence’ on either side,’ Chen said in reference to both Israel and Hamas. ‘There’s no consequence associated with a negative action to a strategic interest of the United States.’

Chen also argued that ‘effective pressure’ needs to be put on Hamas by reevaluating what other ‘pressure points’ can be utilized.

The father pointed to the clear need for tougher economic and diplomatic involvement when it comes to international aid sent to Gaza – including tougher sanctions not only on adversarial nations but on partner countries that allow aid to flow into Gaza.

This includes stricter oversight of United Nations-provided humanitarian aid, which though intended for the Palestinian people, is falling into the hands of Hamas, a group that is not designated as a terrorist organization by the UN.

Hamas has long been accused of seizing basic goods in Gaza and then reselling them in a black-market scheme at exuberant prices. 

Reports have further indicated that Hamas for years has had substantial access to monetary aid siphoned from funds provided by top organizations like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has been directly used for combatant operations against Israel, including tunnel building and access to arms.  

But aside from the substantial need to address aid-based concerns, Chen also argued that diplomatic solutions are not being fully recognized by the U.S.

Nations like Russia and Thailand secured the release of their citizens taken by Hamas, and Chen argued Washington – which was able to negotiate with its biggest adversary just months ago to free U.S. citizens from Russian prisons – should be working to do the same to secure the release of those held in Gaza.

‘So, it’s possible,’ Chen said. ‘Complicated, yep. Doable, yep.’

‘The assumption that was put in front of us at the beginning was that U.S. hostages will come out via a larger deal that Israel will be a part of. And if that assumption is not working out after a year, then yes, we need to challenge the administration and look at that assumption.

‘Is that still valid after one year?’

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Sizzling NFL rookie QB showcases different part of his game

LANDOVER, Md. — Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah will see his outstretched hand reaching for Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in his dreams this week.

Instead of taking down the rookie signal-caller, Owusu-Kormaoah let Daniels escape – again.

Daniels juked Owusu-Koramoah, who had a free run at him and started sprinting effortlessly up the right sideline. He took advantage of two more Browns defenders who took bad angles and breezed past them. Daniels was eventually pushed out of bounds after a gain of 34 yards to convert a fourth-and-3 Washington faced in the first half on their way to a 34-13 drubbing of the Browns on Sunday. 

“I got to find a way to get that sack on the ground there in the first half, that kind of sticks with me a little bit,” Owusu-Koramoah said.

Daniels, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and second overall pick in the 2024 draft, passed his way to NFC Rookie of the Month honors. His legs were the engine that drove the Commanders’ offensive operation Sunday. He rushed for more yards (88) in his Week 1 debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but his 82 yards on 11 attempts yielded 7.5 yards per carry, the best for Daniels in his fifth career game.

All things Commanders: Latest Washington Commanders news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

On a different play, Owusu-Koramoah and safety Grant Delpit had a free shot at Daniels, but the quarterback simply backpedaled and let the two Browns defenders run into each other. Daniels spilled out to his right and ran up to the line of scrimmage and fired a bomb downfield to wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a 66-yard gain.

‘I was just playing football. I’m kind of just reacting to everything that they’re doing,’ Daniels said. ‘I was able to get outside the pocket a couple times, scramble a couple times. So I think after hitting that scramble drill to Terry, I think that kind of put them on high alert like, ‘Hey, we have to stay closer to our man.’ So I was able to get the corner on a couple runs.’

That can be ‘demoralizing’ for opposing defenses, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said. Quinn called the Commanders’ offense ‘grimy’ to start the contest. Daniels admitted to wanting some throws back.

After Daniels’ big play to McLaurin, Owusu-Koramoah baited the signal-caller into a goal-line interception – the rookie’s second pick thrown in as many weeks. Daniels finished 14-for-25 for 238 passing yards and a touchdown on the heels of a historic start to his career by completing 82.1% of his passes, the highest mark in a four-game stretch for any quarterback ever.

‘He processes quickly,’ Quinn said. ”All right, this is how they’re going to go, then this is how we’re going to play.”

That’s exactly how Daniels wound up with his touchdown pass. He scrambled out of bounds for 3 yards on the previous play and realized Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had his unit in man coverage.

‘I was turning back around and I said, ‘Man, let’s take a shot’ to (offensive coordinator) Kliff (Kingsbury),’ Daniels said, ‘and he called the play.’

That involved wideout Dyami Brown beating his man down the sideline. Daniels floated in a perfect ball for the 41-yard score, and it was a reminder of why his arrival has been prophetic for the Commanders, 4-1 for the first time since 2008.

Daniels is the first player in NFL history to have more than 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards in his first five career games. The LSU product’s right arm will always be the headline. Even when that part of his game wasn’t at its best, Daniels found a way to be the difference for his team.

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Dodgers All-Star leaves NLDS Game 2 with ankle discomfort

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman departed Sunday’s National League Division Series game against the San Diego Padres after five innings due to right ankle discomfort.

Freeman started in each of the first two games of the series despite rolling his ankle in a Sept. 26 game, also against the Padres. He did not play in any of the Dodgers’ final three regular-season games.

The veteran left-handed hitter went 2-for-5 in Game 1 of the series on Saturday and was 0-for-2 in Game 2 on Sunday. Los Angeles moved third baseman Max Muncy to first base to start the sixth inning, with Enrique Hernandez taking over at third.

Freeman, 35, batted .282 with 22 home runs and 89 RBIs in 147 games this season. In 15 career seasons, the 2020 NL MVP is a .300 hitter with 343 home runs and 1,232 RBIs in 2,032 games for the Atlanta Braves (2010-21) and Dodgers (2022-24).

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Breanna Stewart leads Liberty back to WNBA finals with ‘emotional’ win

LAS VEGAS — Shortly after the New York Liberty had dispatched the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA semifinals on Sunday — winning Game 4, 76-62, to take the series 3-1 — Liberty forward Breanna Stewart wrapped her wife, Marta Xargay, in a long hug on the baseline, tears in both their eyes. 

Their emotion wasn’t only because Stewart and the Liberty had just secured their second consecutive trip to the WNBA semifinals. 

Last fall, Josep Xargay, Marta’s father, lost his nearly year-long battle with cancer. He died Oct. 5. Later that month, Marta gave birth to the couple’s second child, a boy named Theo Josep. (Sister Ruby, one of the most famous toddlers in the WNBA, is 3.)

Josep’s illness weighed heavily on Stewart — a two-time WNBA MVP and one of the best basketball players in the world — and her wife, a former hooper from Spain. That was never more evident than in Game 4 of the 2023 Finals, when Stewart shot just 3-of-17 as the Aces won their second straight title — this time, on the Liberty’s home floor. 

During the Aces’ celebration in Las Vegas the following week, Vegas coach Becky Hammon crowed all about Stewart’s underwhelming performance. And Stewart hasn’t forgotten about it. 

Stewart, who scored 19 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots Sunday, called the 2024 series-clinching win over Las Vegas “emotional” while blinking back tears. 

“No matter what, it’s a really tough time,” Stewart said, referencing the anniversary of Josep’s passing. “And just the way the series went last year, kinda going through all of that and making sure this year is different. Marta and I talk about doing everything her dad would want us to do. And you know, I have receipts on the things that were said — the entire team does. My mentality today was to go in and get this win for my wife and her dad.” 

When Hammon met with reporters later, she acknowledged that any and all Aces’ comments after last year could have fueled New York’s run this season. 

“New York’s had really great will and determination all year,” Hammon said. “We talked a lot of smack last year and I’m sure they heard it. And they got to smack us this year.” 

Hammon, known for her fiery on-court personality during her 16-year WNBA playing career, did not directly address Stewart’s comments but emphasized that trash talk “it’s part of the game, it’s not personal.” 

“At the end of the day, I have mad respect for those (New York) players, there’s no doubt about it,” Hammon said. “Of course I’m always going to ride with A’ja (Wilson) but I think Stewie is phenomenal. Phenomenal. Stewie is gonna go down as one of the greatest of all time.”  

The Finals start Thursday in New York. The top-seeded Liberty will have home court advantage throughout the series, and take on the winner of Tuesday’s Minnesota Lynx-Connecticut Sun matchup. 

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Padres’ Jurickson Profar denies Dodgers’ Mookie Betts of home run

San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar denied Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers of the opportunity to tie the game with a catch in left field during Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

Betts appeared to even the score at one in the bottom of the first inning with a home run but Profar stepped in.

Profar placed his glove over the barricade and among the hands of several fans before securing the ball. Profar appeared to downplay the catch initially, even fooling the Fox Sports 1 broadcast that displayed its home run graphics on the screen and a note that stated it was Betts’ first home run of the postseason.

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Awful coaching decisions by Bills lead to Texans walk-off field goal

The Buffalo Bills offense has disappeared for two consecutive weeks. In Week 5, the Bills lost their second straight game on the road against the Houston Texans 23-20. They did so after some questionable decisions by the coaching staff and quarterback Josh Allen in the fourth quarter.

The Bills stormed back from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter but ultimately came up short as Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn knocked a 59-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired in the fourth quarter.

Buffalo had the ball deep in their territory with 32 seconds left on the clock, with the game tied at 20 apiece. All signs pointed toward overtime, but the Texans had other plans.

How did the Bills lose to the Texans?

With the game tied 20-20 and 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Texans punted from the 49-yard line to the Bills. Tommy Townsend delivered a terrific punt for Houston, and the ball was downed at the Bills 3-yard line.

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

Josh Allen and the Bills offense took the field with 32 seconds remaining. Buffalo would drop back to pass on first down. Allen heaved a deep ball down the left sideline that was incomplete to rookie Keon Coleman.

At this point, Houston had all three timeouts. Opting to run would have forced the Texans to burn all of them before getting the ball back.

The Bills would throw again on second down. Allen attempted to complete another deep ball down the seam to Mack Hollins which would fall incomplete. At that point, 21 seconds remained, and all signs pointed toward the Bills running the ball to have the clock run down. Instead, Allen dropped back to throw on third down, and another incompletion ensued.

Buffalo was forced to punt on fourth down. Sam Martin had to launch his kick with his heels on the back of the end zone. His punt would be returned into Bills territory on the 46-yard line. With 16 seconds remaining and three timeouts, CJ Stroud completed a short pass to get the Texans to the Bills 41. Fairbairn nailed a 59-yard field goal for the win.

Head coach Sean McDermott’s decision to throw on all three downs before the punt is under question.

The Bills botched the opportunity to run the clock out at the end of regulation and play for the win in overtime. Houston played the second half without their star wide receiver, Nico Collins, who left the game with an injury. The Texan’s offense struggled after he exited, and the Bills had all of the momentum.

Josh Allen had one of his worst performances as a passer in recent memory against Houston. He completed just 9 of 30 attempts for 131 yards and one touchdown. Stefon Diggs, Allen’s former No. 1 receiver, was on the opposite sideline in a Texans uniform as the Bills QB struggled to connect with his current group of pass catchers. In Week 4, the Ravens shut down Allen and the Bills offense. There are plenty of questions to be answered heading into Week 6.

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Ionescu can’t be stopped as Liberty beat Aces in WNBA semifinals

LAS VEGAS — In the end, the brilliance of A’ja Wilson wasn’t enough. 

The 2024 MVP has been spectacular all season, turning in a career year to earn the third MVP award of her young career. But for much of the season, the Las Vegas Aces were plagued by a lack of consistency from their All-Star guard trio. 

On Sunday, that year-long issue surfaced again. And this time, it ended their season. 

New York’s Sabrina Ionescu led all scorers with 22 points while Breanna Stewart scored 19 and grabbed 14 rebounds as the top-seeded New York Liberty defeated Las Vegas, 76-62, in Game 4 in Michelob ULTRA Arena to take the semifinal series 3-1. 

Ionescu, who was held to just four points in Game 3, said on Sunday she was just “continuing to read the game, understanding what I didn’t do well last game and able to adjust quickly. You go back, you watch film, and you figure out ways to improve.” 

That might be selling herself a little short. She opened with a 3, then hit a pretty floater — drawing a foul in the process — then hit two more 3s, all before the first quarter ended. It gave New York a 23-19 lead and the jump start the Liberty badly needed after Game 3. 

The loss ends the Aces’ bid to be the first WNBA three-peat title-winner since 1999.

‘I HAVE RECEIPTS’: Breanna Stewart emotional after Liberty get revenge over Aces

The Liberty will play the winner of Minnesota Lynx-Connecticut Sun series in the Finals, which starts Thursday in New York. As the No. 1 seed, New York will have home-court advantage throughout the series; the home-home-away-away-away-home format for the finals is the same as it was in the semis.

Stewart emphasized that while it’s nice to go back to the Finals for a second consecutive year, “we haven’t done anything yet.”

The New York-Las Vegas series was a rematch of the 2023 Finals, which Las Vegas won in four games, the title secured on the Liberty’s floor. It is widely considered the best rivalry in the WNBA.

Two years ago, the Liberty revamped their roster through free agency with the expressed goal of dethroning the Aces, who had won the 2022 title. Last season, in a clip circulated on social media, Vegas coach Becky Hammon told her players regarding New York, “This team was put together to take you out.” 

And Sunday, the Liberty did exactly that. 

Wilson scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Kelsey Plum added 17, but the Aces other guards Chelsey Gray (seven points on 3-of-8 shooting) and Jackie Young (four points on 1-of-10 shooting) were mostly non-factors offensively. 

“What I’ve always tried to convey to this group, with our guards — Chels, Kels and Jack — is their success is so intertwined with each other,” Hammon said. “Their individual greatness comes from being great together … and we just didn’t shoot the ball well this year.” 

That was true Sunday, too. Vegas connected on only 32.8% of its attempts, including 23.3% from 3. The guard trio combined to shoot a dismal 26.4% (9-of-34) overall. 

Meanwhile, the Liberty hit just under 40% of its shots, and 41.7% of its 3s. The best perimeter performance came from Ionescu (5-of-8 from 3) and, when she wasn’t stuck on the bench in foul trouble, forward Jonquel Jones (3-of-5). After a tight third quarter, the Liberty outscored the Aces 23-11 in the fourth, with Jones hitting two key 3s: At 4:57 to give New York a 67-53 lead and then the dagger with 2:04 left to put the Liberty up 74-56. She finished with 14 points. 

“She was really big for us,” said New York coach Sandy Brondello, who collided with Jones at one point on the sideline, which sent both of them to the ground. Brondello popped right back up, joking afterward “I’ve still got it.”

“She was important for us to win this series,” Brondello said of Jones. “She was really frustrated with her fouls, but I thought she maintained her emotional stability, (and) hit three really big shots for us.” 

Other big shots for the Liberty: Layups. Hammon had harped all series about how many easy looks New York got at the rim, and her fiery timeout in Game 2 to drill her team about it went viral on social media. 

That problem crept back in the fourth quarter Sunday, when New York opened the period with four layups on its first six possessions to build a 61-53 lead with just over six minutes to play. 

“The layup thing still irks me,” Hammon said. “You can’t give up layups.” 

Hammon was reflective after the loss, praising her team its perseverance and emphasizing that ‘I choose that locker room every time.’ But she got emotional talking about Wilson, whose record-breaking season will not end with a championship. 

Hammon offered some lighter moments postgame, too. 

The loss sets Vegas up for an interesting offseason. In December, the league will hold its first expansion draft in more than a decade, with the Golden State Valkyries set to join the league for the 2025 season. Each team can protect six players, which means the Aces’ “core four” of Wilson, Plum, Gray and Young should stay together — but it also means the roster as a whole could look considerably different next year. 

Asked what needs to change from an organizational standpoint, Hammon laughed and asked for a week to think on it. She acknowledged that this offseason isn’t what the Aces are used to. 

“We’ve never done exit meetings before,” Hammon said. “We’ve done exit partying.” 

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Texas still No. 1, rest of coaches poll gets major reshuffling after upsets

Sometimes, despite what Creedence Clearwater Revival said, there isn’t actually a calm before the storm. What looked like it would be a fairly quiet Week 6 in college football turned out to be anything but, as four top-10 teams – and very nearly a fifth – went down to defeat. As a result, the US LBM Coaches Poll now looks considerably different.

Texas, which was fortunate enough to have the week off, remains No. 1, claiming 44 of 55 first-place votes. The remaining 11 firsts went to No. 2 Ohio State, which used a strong second half to put away Iowa. The Buckeyes’ next opponent, Oregon, vaults three places to No. 3, setting up next week’s headliner in Eugene.

Georgia and Penn State round out the top five as Alabama and Tennessee each fall five places to No. 7 and No. 9 respectively. The Crimson Tide were shocked at Vanderbilt, while the Volunteers fell on the road against Arkansas. Miami (Fla.) moves up to No. 6 after rallying to escape California in the wee hours. Mississippi climbs to No. 8 after a bounce-back win at South Carolina, and LSU nudges into the top 10.

TOP 25: Complete US LBM Coaches Poll rankings after Week 6

HIGHS AND LOWS: Alabama’s upset leads Week 6 winners and loss

Texas A&M vaults seven spots to No. 14 after its decisive triumph against Missouri, knocking the Tigers down nine slots to No. 18. Michigan tumbles 11 positions to No. 21 after picking up its second loss of the season at Washington.

No. 22 Boise State heads a list of three newcomers to the poll this week. No. 24 Pittsburgh and No. 25 SMU also move in. Southern California, Louisville and UNLV fall out.

(This story was updated to change a video and add a gallery.)

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Nick Saban asks important question, and Vanderbilt offers a loud answer

Nick Saban repeatedly asked last year: ‘Is this what we want college football to become?’ Sure looked pretty great on Saturday.
NIL, transfers brought more parity of competition to a sport not accustomed to that.
As upsets pile up in the SEC, so do the fines.

“Is this what we want college football to become?” Saban said, when discussing the pay-for-play revolution.

It’s not what Saban wanted it to become, and I respect that he retired last winter rather than continue coaching while growing exhausted with college football’s direction.

College football operates within an ever-shifting space of realignment and court cases, and the player compensation structure remains unsettled. It’s all a little messy.

And yet, within this great beautiful mess, all the NIL wheeling and dealing and free transfer movement helped instill more parity of competition than previously existed. In this landscape, it’s more difficult for Alabama and other blue bloods to stash all-stars on their third string.

When a fall Saturday arrives, any problems you think threaten college football’s health just seem to melt away.

The product is as entertaining as ever, and Saturday supplied one of the most memorable days of college football many of us can recall.

Throughout a span of less than 12 hours, the teams ranked Nos. 2, 4, 9, 10 and 15 in the US LBM Coaches Poll all went down, and No. 8 Miami needed a furious comeback to escape an upset at California after Saturday had melted into Sunday in three of the nation’s time zones.

Transfers helped deliver the 40-35 scoreline for Vanderbilt.

A school’s NIL coffers aren’t subject to public disclosure, but it’s safe to say Vanderbilt does not rank atop the list for most-lucrative SEC collectives for football spending. Money won’t buy ball security, though, and the Commodores used a plus-two turnover differential and 42 minutes of time of possession to calm the Tide.

Vanderbilt mostly sat on the sidelines in the transfer sweepstakes before the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but with Clark Lea’s program rooted in the SEC’s cellar, he marched waist-deep into the portal’s waters before this pivotal season and fetched 22 transfers.

Among them, was a 6-foot-tall quarterback full of moxie. Diego Pavia, a graduate transfer, is playing for his third college, but he’s no stranger to slaying SEC teams.

As New Mexico State’s quarterback, he humbled Auburn last season. Now, he and his fellow Commodores are responsible for handing Alabama one of their most stunning losses in program history.

“That is the dream,” said Lea, a Vanderbilt alumnus. “That’s why I came here. It’s what I came here to do.”

Now that he’s done it, Vanderbilt will require a new set of uprights. Those yellow poles at FirstBank Stadium joined Alabama as casualty of this wild night.

Commodores fans – yes, they even have fans now that they’ve located a pulse – marched the goal posts past the honky tonks on Broadway Street and pitched them into the Cumberland River.

“Here’s to having more of these nights,” Lea said.

Yes, here’s to that, because Saturday was, indeed, what we want college football to be.

HIGHS AND LOWS: Alabama’s upset leads Week 6 winners and loss

TOTAL CHAOS: Day of upsets turns conference races upside down

Here’s what else I’m eyeing in this ‘Topp Rope’ view of college football:

You get a fine, and you get a fine!

Arkansas protected its home turf against then-No. 4 Tennessee until the clock struck zero on a 19-14 victory. Then, the turf became a party pad for Razorbacks fans.

Alert the SEC office. Another check is coming your way for a field-storming fine.

“I think the AD’s gonna be mad. Or, maybe he won’t be, I don’t know,” Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman said through a smile, regarding his boss, Hunter Yuracheck. “Right now, I don’t care. Go Hogs. Go Hogs, baby.”

Arkansas can pay the fine with money saved from not firing Pittman and forking over his buyout. Pittman sat on such a scalding-hot seat before the season that he acknowledged the elephant in the room in July at SEC media days.

“I’m HOT,” Pittman said then. “I’m like, the start of the (hot-seat) list.”

At 4-2 this season, he’s not that HOT anymore. The temperature cools in Fayetteville.

How losses impact College Football Playoff chances

Here’s how I rank the five top-15 teams that lost Saturday in terms of playoff chances, from best chance to make the playoff, to least.

Alabama (4-1), lost 40-35 at Vanderbilt: The Crimson Tide can lose at least once more and snag an at-large bid. Unsightly as this loss was, Alabama’s resume will be propped up by its win against Georgia. The difficulty will be getting to 10-2. The schedule includes road games at Tennessee, LSU and Oklahoma.

Tennessee (4-1), lost 16-14 at Arkansas: Josh Heupel’s offense doesn’t look so impressive this side of Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt leaving for the NFL. Arkansas mauled the Vols’ offensive line. Tennessee’s schedule features fewer land mines than some SEC peers. Playoff qualification, though, would require beating either Alabama or Goergia.

Southern California (3-2), lost 24-17 at Minnesota: Not looking good for Lincoln Riley or his Trojans. They’ll need to win out to make the playoff. They’re 0-2 in road games after previously losing to Michigan. The upside is, only two ranked opponents remain, Penn State and Notre Dame. Both are home games. Downside is, the Trojans have seven games left total, and they could lose any of them except for perhaps a home game against hapless UCLA.

Missouri (4-1), lost 41-10 at Texas A&M: The Tigers were revealed as playoff pretenders in a road rout. The game was over by halftime. The Tigers enjoy the easiest schedule of any team on this list, but that also means a 10-2 record would leave Missouri on the vulnerable side of the bubble. And achieving 11-1 would require winning at Alabama.

Michigan (4-2), lost 27-17 at Washington: The Wolverines are toast. Turns out, the ability to complete a forward pass is useful to a playoff quest. Michigan would need to run the table to qualify for the playoff, and four ranked opponents remain.

Three and out

1. As front-runners lose, No. 5 Penn State (5-0) keeps winning, and I’m debating whether I should elevate the Nittany Lions from my playoff-contender list to the more exclusive national championship contender club. I’m holding off for now, but Penn State embodies similarities to the 2023 Michigan team that went undefeated. The Nittany Lions have NFL defenders sprinkled throughout a stingy defense that’s allowed a total of 18 points in the past three games. So, why my hesitation? Penn State has a history of fizzling in the second half of the season, after the schedule stiffens. Games against USC and Ohio State will be revealing.

2. The biggest winner Saturday? That might be No. 8 Mississippi (5-1). The Rebels got off the mat after last week’s home loss to Kentucky and won 27-3 at South Carolina. Thanks to Alabama and Vanderbilt, Ole Miss’ loss no longer looks so ghastly. With so many teams absorbing defeats, the Rebels probably would be positioned for playoff qualification if they reach 10-2. Monitor Saturday’s game at No. 10 LSU (4-1). The playoff probably retains room for one, not both.

3. The latest ‘Topp Rope’ 12-team playoff projections: Texas (SEC), Ohio State (Big Ten), Kansas State (Big 12), Miami (ACC), Boise State (Group of Five), plus at-large selections Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Penn State, Oregon, Clemson and Notre Dame. Next up: Texas A&M, Tennessee, Iowa State, LSU, Brigham Young.

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

The ‘Topp Rope’ is his football column published throughout the USA TODAY Network.

Subscribe to read all of his columns.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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