The much ballyhooed match between PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf took place tonight as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy locked horns with Bryson DeChambeau and Brook Koepka in ‘The Showdown’ on TNT. While LIV Golf may be the new, fun brand, it was the PGA Tour that walked away with the victory, and in dominant fashion.

The match itself offered an opportunity to get into the minds of the golfers, with each of them mic’d up throughout the night. Unfortunately, the matchup itself wound up finishing sooner than we’d expected, as Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy dominated from the get-go, taking home the $10 million cryptocurrency prize purse.

Here’s everything that happened at Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas.

Watch The Showdown on Sling

PGA Tour wins The Showdown

From early on, it was evident that Scheffler and McIlroy were playing a level above Koepka and DeChambeau. Perhaps DeChambeau’s parka was a giveaway that LIV was not ready to play in the cold Vegas air.

McIlroy’s heroics with the putter combined with Scheffler’s consistency and DeChambeau’s struggles allowed the PGA Tour to secure the win in just 14 holes.

LIV’s day on the links gets even worse

If you though it couldn’t get worse for DeChambeau and Koepka, you’d be mistaken. The 16th hole saw LIV spend more time in the trees than the fairway. Still, despite the time in the woods, LIV had an opportunity to stay alive if Koepka could’ve sunk a 10-foot putt. Unfortunately, Koepka left the putt to the right, allowing Scheffler to take a two hole lead with only two holes to play.

Given that LIV Golf needed both Koepka and DeChambeau to win their singles matches to have a chance, Koepka’s missed putt gave the win to the PGA Tour. It was a fitting end to a forgettable day for LIV Golf.

Scheffler, McIlroy up 1

With three holes to play, both PGA Tour golfers are one up. DeChambeau actually won Hole 15 after McIlroy left his shot short of the creek on 15, forcing a very tough shot onto the green, while DeChambeau was already near the pin. However, it may not be enough for DeChambeau to overcome his deficit.

DeChambeau having a rough day with the putter

Hole 14 saw LIV Golf win one of their matchups as Koepka defeated Scheffler, but DeChambeau continued to struggle, missing a putt that would’ve tied the hole with McIlroy.

Following the missed putt, DeChambeau was noticeably upset. He put his head in his hands and covered his face for a few seconds before walking over and picking up his ball. While Scheffler and Koepka are tied through two holes of the final segment, DeChambeau is down two with only four holes to play. LIV Golf needs both DeChambeau and Koepka to win their matchups for any shot at the $10 million grand prize.

LIV Golf bogies Hole 13

LIV Golf needs to win each of their singles matchups – Scheffler vs. Koepka, McIlroy vs. DeChambeau – for any shot to win The Showdown, but the third and final segment got off to a rocky start. Hole 13 is a tough Par 3, but both McIlroy and Scheffler were able to earn pars. DeChambeau and Koepka each lipped out their par putts. It was close, but as has been the case all night, LIV Golf is constantly coming up just short. They are at a huge disadvantage with only five holes to play.

PGA Tour wins second segment

Although it was much closer than the first segment, the PGA Tour duo of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy walked away from Hole 12 with a 2 segment to none lead over LIV Golf. DeChambeau and Koepka gave the PGA Tour a run for their money, winning Hole 11 to knot the score up, but after a missed putt opened the door, McIlroy’s ever-faithful putter sealed the victory for his team.

The PGA Tour only needs to halve the final segment – singles play – to secure the grand prize.

DeChambeau and Koepka win their first hole

LIV Golf finally got on the board with a win on Hole 11. PGA Tour’s Rory McIlroy had an opportunity to earn a birdie with a mid-range putt, but missed. McIlroy was flabbergasted, and visibly upset with himself.

That opened the door for Koepka to win the hole. He did just that. We head into Hole 12, the final hole of the second segment, with the teams knotted up. Each team needs 2.5 segments to win the event, meaning if DeChambeau and Koepka cannot win this last hole, their only hope for a win would be each of them winning their singles matches and forcing a playoff.

DeChambeau frustrated after Hole 10

It hasn’t been a great showing for LIV Golf tonight, and Hole 10 was no different, but it could’ve been much worse. DeChambeau had an opportunity to birdie the hole and knot the second segment back up, but he lipped out. Over the broadcast, you could hear DeChambeau audibly say ‘Are you kidding me?’ after the miss. Luckily, Scheffler lipped his birdie putt out as well, giving Koepka an opportunity to tie the hole, which he drained. Through four holes in the second segment, Scheffler and McIlroy are up one.

Scheffler and McIlroy finally break through

After a terrific second shot by Scheffler, McIlroy was set up for an easy birdie to take the lead in the second segment. McIlroy’s putter has been money all night, so it was nearly a guarantee as soon as Scheffler hit the green. Through three holes in the second segment, PGA Tour is up one. LIV Golf needs to win this segment for any hope at the prize money.

Second segment remains knotted up

Once again, McIlroy and Scheffler had an opportunity to take a lead in the second segment, but McIlroy’s impressive putter failed them as he rolled the ball right of the hole on what would’ve been the hole-clinching putt. Through two in the second segment, it’s still tied.

Scheffler biffs putt to win first hole of second segment

LIV Golf was all over the yard on the first hole of the second segment, going from the rough off the tee to behind a bunker, but the pair did eventually earn a par to put the pressure on McIlroy and Scheffler. The PGA Tour had an opportunity to clinch it with a six-foot birdie putt for Scheffler, but Scheffler missed. Through one hole in the second segment, it’s all knotted up. LIV Golf must win this segment to have any hope of winning the prize.

McIlroy might have the hottest putter on the planet

After a terrific second shot by Bryson DeChambeau put him mere feet away from the pin, McIlroy rose to the occasion, opting for the ol’ Texas wedge from way off the green. McIlroy drilled it, earning him an eagle, and putting the pressure on DeChambeau to nail his putt.

DeChambeau lipped it left, and the PGA Tour (or solely McIlroy) won the first six-hole segment of the event in just four holes with a 3-hole lead with only two to play. The golfers will skip holes 5 and 6, jumping straight to 7 for the second segment, where each team will alternate shots.

Koepka lands in the water

LIV Golf’s comeback attempt hit another hurdle on the fourth hole as Koepka teed off into the water on the left side. Hole No. 4 is a Par 5, giving Koepka an opportunity for an up-and-down with two fantastic shots, but the odds of him making a difference here are slim.

It appears up to DeChambeau to keep LIV Golf in the running for the first segment of this event.

Hole 3 is a tie

After the PGA Tour pair won each of the first two holes, Hole 3 went to neither group, making the odds of a LIV Golf comeback all the more improbable with only three holes to play.

LIV Golf had an opportunity to win the hole with a birdie putt from DeChambeau, but it was left just right, enabling McIlroy and Scheffler to putt for par and earn a push.

Crew mentions DeChambeau/Koepka feud

During the third hole, as the golfers walked to their shots, the TV crew and Koepka were poking fun at DeChambeau’s big coat, saying that it looked big enough to fit both DeChambeau and Koepka. Afterwards, the crew mentioned that while DeChambeau and Koepka are ‘good now,’ perhaps hopping in the same coat would be too much. For casual golf fans, that statement may have been confusing. But for folks who have followed golf over the last few years, the pair’s feud was sure to be brought up at some point during the night. Here’s a quick explainer:

Emotions between DeChambeau and Koepka started running high after Koepka criticized DeChambeau’s play at the 2019 Dubai Desert Classic. The pair continued taking subtle jabs at one another throughout the 2020 season, with the most viral moment coming after Koepka appeared visibly annoyed with DeChambeau after the latter walked through the former’s interview and said something that the cameras couldn’t pick up, but Koepka clearly heard. Their feud came to a head in 2021 after DeChambeau was showered with ‘Brooksie’ chants throughout the PGA Tour season. It got so bad that the PGA Tour itself had to get involved, threatening to eject fans who taunted DeChambeau.

Their differences have reportedly been squashed since, and the pair’s decision to each sign with LIV Golf certainly helped them look past their grievances.

McIlroy birdies again to give PGA Tour 2-hole lead

With only six holes in the match play segment of this event, Rory McIlroy is putting the PGA Tour on his back, giving them an almost insurmountable two-hole lead after two holes. He’s now birdied twice in a row and reminded everyone why you should never doubt Rory in match play.

McIlroy birdie clinches first hole for PGA Tour

After both LIV and Scheffler parred the first hole, the pressure was on McIlroy to win the hole for the PGA Tour. McIlroy is not known for his clutch gene, but he came up big on this occasion, drilling the putt for the early lead.

As a reminder, only the first six holes will be match play. The following six will be alternating shots, while the final six will be singles.

LIV Golf competitors fail to hit green

After Scheffler was the only golfer to miss the fairway off the tee, the PGA Tour golfers bounced back on their second shots, each of them hitting the green.

The same can’t be said for the LIV duo. Koepka’s shot bounced over the back of the green, just off the edge in the rough, while DeChambeau’s shot fell short.

Sheffler/McIlroy tee off first

After a coin toss on the first tee, it was revealed that the PGA Tour team of Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy would have honors to start the event.

Scheffler took the first shot ahead of McIlroy, and smoked an iron onto the right side rough, just off the fairway. Shadow Creek Golf Course is a notoriously narrow course, so we should expect to see a lot more play out of the thick stuff as the event unfolds.

That said, Scheffler was the only player not to hit the fairway off the first tee.

What time is The Showdown golf match?

The Showdown golf event will be broadcast on TNT, and coverage will start at 6 p.m. The actual time to tee off has not yet been announced.

How to watch The Showdown on TV and streaming

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 17
Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Streaming: MAX, Sling
Location: Shadow Creek golf course in North Las Vegas, Nevada

Catch The Showdown on TNT with a Sling subscription

Who is playing in The Showdown?

Bryson DeChambeau, the 2024 U.S. Open champion, will team up with former rival Brooks Koepka, a five-time major winner, to represent LIV Golf. On the other side, 2024 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler will compete with four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, representing the PGA Tour.

Scheffler, who won the 2022 and 2024 Masters tournament, is the world’s No. 1 ranked golfer and just won PGA Tour Player of the Year in a landslide vote. McIlroy, currently ranked No. 3, won the PGA Champonship in 2012 and 2014, the U.S. Open in 2011 and the British Open in 2014.

DeChambeau won the U.S. Open earlier this year after winning it for the first time in 2020. Koepka has won the PGA Championship three times (2018, 2019 and 2023) and the U.S. Open twice (2017 and 2018). But it could be a large hill to climb for DeChambeau and Koepka to stand a chance. The pair currently rank 10th and 86th, respectively.

Who will TNT have announce The Showdown broadcast?

This will indeed be a lively event as the network is bringing on familiar faces from ‘Inside the NBA.’ Ernie Johnson will be alongside Charles Barkley to call the action. As for commentary from the course, two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson will be alongside Lauren Jbara. The broadcast also gets a boost with experts Trevor Immelman and David Feherty.

The Showdown odds: Betting moneyline for golf match

Odds via Draftkings.

Scottie Scheffler/Rory McIlroy: (-155)
Bryson DeChambeau/Brooks Koepka: (+125)

The Showdown match: Predictions and picks

Golfweek: Scheffer/McIlroy: -155

Riley Hamel writes, ‘This pick is pretty simple: one team has Scottie Scheffler, the other doesn’t. He’s on a different level than any other golfer on the planet at the moment, and he’s a gamer. He wants to win no matter what he’s competing in. I have a hard time seeing Scheffler and McIlroy losing this match, but it is Vegas — anything can happen.’

Kristopher Knox writes, ‘McIlroy hasn’t been as consistent this year, but he’s still ranked third in the World Golf Rankings. DeChambeau and Koekpa are both elite golfers with Majors wins on their resumes. However, it’s hard to envision anyone unseating Scheffler, even in a team event.’

Iain MacMillan writes, ‘I’m going to lean with the favorites in the Showdown almost solely due to their recent form. Both Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler are fresh off wins ahead of Tuesday’s event. McIlroy won the DP World Tour Championship last month and Scottie Scheffler captured his ninth victory of 2024, winning the Hero World Challenge. Not only is the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world coming off his win, but his new claw grip led to his best putting performance of the year. If his putting becomes a strength of his, he’s going to be near invincible.’

When is the tee time for The Showdown?

What is the format for The Showdown?

Although most renditions of The Match are 12 holes long, this battle between the PGA Tour and LIV will be a full 18. Those 18 holes will be divided into three sections of six, with the first six being best ball, holes 7-12 being alternate shot, and singles closing out the final six holes.

What is the prize money for The Showdown winners?

A whopping $10 million in prize money will be up for grabs, according a report last month by Front Office Sports. And, in a bit of a twist, it will be distributed to the participating golfers in the form of cryptocurrency.

Title sponsor Crypto.com said in a news release that the event will be ‘the first ever major golf tournament with a multimillion dollar purse to be paid in CRO cryptocurrency.’ (CRO stands for Cronos, which is the primary cryptocurrency of Crypto.com, a Singapore-based crypto exchange.) — Tom Schad

The Showdown location: Where is the match played?

The Showdown tees off from picturesque Shadow Creek Golf Course in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It is distinguished as the state’s premier public access course by Golfweek.

The Showdown course: Where does Shadow Creek rank?

The Showdown will put the spotlight on one of architect Tom Fazio’s best courses, Shadow Creek in North Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fazio has been one of the most prolific and successful golf course architects of the past 65 years, having either created or renovated 47 of the top 200 Golfweek’s Best modern courses in the United States. His work stretches coast to coast, showing his adaptability and willingness to move plenty of earth to create holes, as he did at Shadow Creek.

Golfweek cited Shadow Creek as one of Fazio’s 20 highest-rated traditional U.S. courses in our its Best rater program, ranking it No. 2. See the full rankings here.

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Half of the teams in this year’s College Football Playoff are starting a transfer quarterback, including both teams in Friday night’s playoff opener between Indiana and Notre Dame.

The pervasiveness of the transfer portal and the team and individual success produced by these new quarterbacks has erased the stigma that was long attached to transfers across all positions. Last year’s transfer class included Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Ohio State’s Will Howard and Miami’s Cam Ward. Gabriel and Ward were Heisman Trophy finalists.

The crop of top passers in this year’s transfer cycle has much less star power but could carry a similar impact on the 2025 season.

Here’s the best of the best on the transfer market, including quarterbacks who have already signed with new schools:

John Mateer (Washington State)

Mateer is the jewel of this transfer class and the one addition capable of matching Gabriel and Ward — himself a former WSU transfer — as a top-level Heisman contender on a playoff contender. Playing off the national map in Pullman, the rising junior threw for 3,139 yards, ran for 826 yards and had 44 total touchdowns. Mateer could be a transformative addition for a quarterback-starved program such as Oklahoma, which recently hired his former offensive coordinator, Ben Arbuckle.

Darian Mensah, Duke (Tulane)

Mensah checks the boxes for Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils as a proven starter with multiple years of remaining eligibility. The rising sophomore led all eligible passers in the American Athletic in completing 65.9% of his throws on 9.5 yards per attempt and is only scratching the surface of his potential.

Devon Dampier, Utah (New Mexico)

Dampier is a work in progress as a passer, though there were enough bright spots as a first-year starter in 2024 to show the rising junior’s potential in the right system. Utah hired his former coordinator at New Mexico, Jason Beck, and will find a way to lean on his game-changing ability as a runner: Dampier ran for 1,166 yards, third among FBS quarterbacks, with 19 scores.

Fernando Mendoza (California)

Mendoza will have several high-profile suitors after leading California to six wins as new members of the ACC. Last seen leading the Bears the length of the field to beat rival Stanford, Mendoza is an accurate and proven passer Power Four passer with two more years of eligibility.

Miller Moss, Louisville (Southern California)

Moss couldn’t hang onto the starting job at USC amid another disappointing year for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans. But the rising senior still threw for 378 yards against LSU, three touchdowns against Michigan, 336 yards and three scores against Maryland and averaged 278.3 yards per game in Big Ten play. That experience makes him a valuable get for Louisville. But Moss will have to trim his turnovers after throwing nine interceptions in seven league games.

Connor Weigman, Houston (Texas A&M)

Weigman’s production has yet to match his potential. Injuries cost him most of the 2023 season but ineffectiveness was to blame for his permanent demotion from the Aggies’ starting job this past October. There’s no doubting the arm talent and ability, though, and Weigman will have a chance to reboot his college career under Houston coach Willie Fritz and new offensive coordinator Slade Nagle.

Maalik Murphy (Duke)

Murphy is a definite Power Four starter after throwing for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns in his single season with the Blue Devils. The former Texas transfer threw for at least 235 yards eight times and had a flair for the dramatic, leading Duke to six wins decided by a single possession. Look for Murphy to land in the SEC, potentially with Kentucky.

Chandler Morris, Virginia (North Texas)

Morris is a high-volume passer with a high floor, making him an immediate upgrade on the Cavaliers’ ragtag quarterback options this past season. The fourth and final stop in a college career that began at Oklahoma and TCU provides a reunion of sorts with Virginia coach Tony Elliott, who previously worked with Morris’ father, Chad, under Dabo Swinney at Clemson. The Cavaliers also signed a promising developmental option in Nebraska transfer Daniel Kaelin.

Jackson Arnold, Auburn (Oklahoma)

The rising junior has yet to resemble the five-star recruit who held offers from many of the top programs in the FBS. But Arnold does bring assets to the table for Auburn, namely starting experience in the SEC and enough dual-threat ability to broaden Hugh Freeze’s RPO-based offensive scheme. He has ample room for improvement, though.

Beau Pribula (Penn State)

Pribula was the first player in the 12-team playoff era to opt into the portal in advance of postseason play, robbing the Nittany Lions of an offensive wild card heading into Saturday’s matchup with SMU. The rising junior ran for 242 yards with four touchdowns and threw for another 275 yards and five scores, doing most of his damage in replacement of an injured Drew Allar in October’s win against Wisconsin. Pribula will have Power Four options but could definitely land as the starter at one of the top programs in the Group of Five.

Norfolk State is hiring former NFL quarterback Michael Vick as head coach.

Vick confirmed the news Tuesday night on his verified Facebook account. The Virginian-Pilot was the first to report the news.

Vick, 44, played collegiately for Virginia Tech and then was taken No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL draft. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers in his professional career.

The decision to tap Vick, who has been an NFL analyst for Fox Sports since 2017, is a major gamble for Norfolk State, located near his hometown of Newport News, Virginia. Vick has never coached on any level of competition. He was also in contention for the opening at Sacramento State, according to reports.

But prior experience has become less and less of a dealbreaker for programs looking for the immediate spark provided by a big-name hire. Most famously, Jackson State hired Deion Sanders despite his lack of college coaching experience and went 27-6 over three seasons before Sanders left for the same position at Colorado.

One of the most unforgettable quarterbacks in modern college football history, Vick redshirted his first season before taking the sport by storm in his two seasons as Virginia Tech’s starter. Despite his underwhelming numbers by current standards – a combined 21 passing touchdowns, 17 rushing scores and 4,495 yards of total offense – Vick transformed the position with an unmatched blend of speed, power, explosiveness and athleticism.

After finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting as a redshirt freshman and leading the Hokies to the Bowl Championship Series title game in 1999, Vick declared for the 2001 NFL draft after his sophomore year and became the first Black quarterback to be taken first overall.

He made the Pro Bowl three times in Atlanta, finished second in the MVP voting in 2004 and set numerous franchise and NFL records. In 2006, Vick became the first quarterback to run for 1,000 yards and averaged a record 8.4 yards per carry.

But his career disintegrated shortly thereafter. In August 2007, Vick pleaded guilty to his part in a dogfighting ring and was sentenced to just under two years in federal prison. He was suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles upon his release from prison in 2009. He was the Eagles’ primary starter from 2010-12, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2010 after throwing for 3,018 yards and a career-high 21 touchdowns. His last season was with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.

The New York Jets snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday with a 32-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 289 yards and three touchdowns with zero turnovers.

As he did last week, Rodgers made an appearance on ESPN’s ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Tuesday after the win. The four-time NFL MVP criticized sports media in his segment last Tuesday for how coverage has changed during his playing career. He said some of the pundits on sports shows have opinions that are ‘unfounded or asinine’ and ‘believe they’re the celebrities now.’

ESPN NFL analyst and 13-year NFL veteran Ryan Clark responded to Rodgers’ criticism on the network’s ‘First Take’ show last Friday. Clark called him ‘a fraud,’ ‘tone-deaf,’ ‘unaware’ and argued Rodgers is doing exactly what he’s accusing others of: being paid to say ‘asinine things.’

Here’s what Rodgers had to say about Clark’s criticism Tuesday.

Aaron Rodgers’ response to Ryan Clark

Rodgers spent an hour on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ discussing topics like drones in New York, the Jets’ win over Jacksonville, the latest on the Jets’ search for a general manager, the NFL MVP race, the NFC division races, his Netflix documentary and the College Football Playoff.

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

After that hour, McAfee started to say ‘ladies and gentlemen, Aaron Rodgers’ before Rodgers cut him off.

‘I’m not done,’ he said, to which McAfee replied ‘oh (expletive).’

Rodgers then went into what he called ‘just a quick PSA reminder’ for the show.

‘Say whatever the (expletive) you want about me, I don’t care, but just before you do it, whether you state your name, your accolades, pronouns, whatever it is, just state your [vaccination] status so that anything you say afterwards gets put in the right light,’ he said. ‘Just get it out there.’

He did not name anyone individually at ESPN or elsewhere, but continued to emphasize vaccination status.

‘Then when you say things about me people can at least be like, ‘oh, you are captured by the multimillion-dollar propaganda Skyhawk and you’re still upset about it,” he continued. ‘Just so everybody knows where you’re coming from, everybody knows ‘okay, cool, you’re twice [vaccinated with] Moderna with three booster shots’ and then say what you want to say, whatever.’

McAfee and co-host A.J. Hawk both commented that this will help things at the network, likely referring to comments from Clark and others at ESPN.

‘I don’t care,’ Rodgers went on. ‘I’m just saying a PSA, just please help everybody who’s wondering ‘where is this coming from?’ Including myself… do a little bit of digging and then you know where it’s all coming from. You’re captured, you’re highly vaccinated and then say whatever the hell you want to say about me [because] I couldn’t give two (expletive)s about it.’

Rodgers ended with a request that media members put their vaccination status on-air in their biographies instead of their accolades ‘because [they] cared so much about it during the COVID years.’

He then made his lone reference to Clark, saying ‘you don’t just need a broach with your initials.’ Clark wore a gold lapel with his initials ‘RC’ on it during his appearance on ‘First Take’ criticizing Rodgers’ assessment of sports media.

‘Put your [vaccination] status on there too,’ he said.

Minutes later, Rodgers said his comments on sports media obviously ‘struck a nerve.’

“My whole point in saying that was, most of you, nobody remembers your career,’ he said. ‘Nobody remembers it. Guess what, in five or ten years you’re not going to remember my career either… in five or ten years when people forget about my career, I’m not gonna need to find some sort of relevance to be on TV. So all I’m just saying is just be humble when you’re talking about guys.’

Pat McAfee details paying Aaron Rodgers for appearances

After he finished, McAfee attempted to clarify reports that his company paid Rodgers for his appearances. Rodgers said minutes earlier that this year he did not ‘take a dollar’ from the show.

‘The amount of time and effort that you gave to our business on those Tuesdays and the value that it brought, I felt obligated to give you money,’ McAfee said. ‘I felt in my soul obligated to pay somebody whose value is what it is… that whole thing being held against me, I was so confused… I had no idea that would be viewed in a negative way.’

Ryan Clark’s response to Aaron Rodgers

Clark responded on social media to Rodgers’ latest comments on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’

‘Man, I wish @PatMcAfeeShow would’ve let him keep going! It just got good,’ Clark wrote. ‘I don’t know about the Vax stuff, but shoot he almost put a name on it. It’s a lapel pin BTW!!’

Clark added that he has no issue with McAfee’s show or the host paying Rodgers for his appearances, but he does have an issue with Rodgers ‘behaving like he’s not paid to do exactly what the people he’s talking about do.’

The ESPN analyst went on to say he’d love to clear up any rumors about jealousy regarding his view of McAfee and the show.

‘I only want to speak to [McAfee] because I didn’t say anything negative about him and spoke with no ill intent,’ Clark wrote on X, formerly Twitter. ‘So him jumping in this for Aaron is confusing if he’s calling me jealous or thinking I’m attacking his business model.’

Clark ended his responses on social media in saying that he has the Pivot Podcast, which is nominated for a 2024 Sports Emmy in the ‘Outstanding Hosted Edited Series’ category.

Caitlin Clark’s former college coach, Lisa Bluder, thinks it’s time for everyone around the WNBA — including Washington Mystics co-owner Sheila Johnson — to ’embrace’ how Clark’s stardom has provided a boost for women’s basketball.

Following a 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year season with the Indiana Fever, Clark was named Time magazine’s Athlete of the Year, a decision Johnson, the billionaire founder of BET network, said she disagreed with.

In an interview earlier this week with CNN Sports, Johnson said that ‘the structure of the way media plays out race’ was a factor in Clark receiving the honor and argued that Time should have instead ‘put the whole WNBA on that cover, and said the WNBA is the League of the Year.’

Speaking with USA TODAY’s Sports Seriously, Bluder — who in May retired after 24 seasons coaching the Iowa Hawkeyes, where Clark played from 2020-24 — disagreed, insisting that Clark’s impact on women’s sports is historic.

‘It’s silly to me that anybody’s trying to take away from something that’s so good in your sport right now,’ said Bluder. ‘(Clark) is a person that’s really helped athletics, helped women’s sports in a way that nobody has helped women’s sports, maybe since Billie Jean King.’

Mystics owner Johnson: Unrelenting focus on Clark ‘creates hard feelings’

Johnson’s point is a nuanced one, and in the same interview the Mystics co-owner credited Clark for using her Time interview to call for more attention for the WNBA’s Black players.

‘It has taken the WNBA almost 28 years to get to the point where we are now,’ explained Johnson. ‘It’s just not Caitlin Clark, it’s (Angel) Reese. We have so much talent out there that has been unrecognized, and I don’t think we can just pin (the league’s rise) on one player…

‘I feel really bad because I’ve seen so many players of color that are equally as talented, and they never got the recognition that they should have. And I think right now, it is time for that to happen.’

Bluder’s position appears to be that a rising tide will lift all boats, and that the entire WNBA will benefit from Clark’s fame.

‘Let’s get on the bandwagon and help her out, make her life a little bit easier, because she is helping all of us,’ said Bluder. ‘Sometimes, you know, we used to tell our team, ‘listen when, when Caitlin’s light shines on her, it shines on all of us.’ And I think everybody else needs to embrace that a little bit better.’

Clark defends Time honor, acknowledges white privilege

As is the case with any athlete that rockets to superstardom, Clark’s every word on larger issues can spark a reaction. Some have been dissatisfied at the frequency with which the 22-year-old has used her elevated platform to highlight the issues Johnson discussed. In speaking with Time magazine, Clark paid tribute to the WNBA’s Black players while insisting she has earned the plaudits she’s receiving.

‘I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” explained Clark. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.

‘The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. … The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”

Bowl season officially began last week, but a week packed with postseason college football kicks off Tuesday night with Memphis and West Virginia squaring off in the Frisco Bowl.

The Tigers enter the game riding high after ending the season on a three-game win streak, including an upset win over Tulane that ended the Green Wave’s hopes of crashing the College Football Playoff. Memphis achieved back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in team history, and has the chance to reach 11 wins for the first time since 2019 with its high-scoring offense leading the charge. 

West Virginia’s season didn’t go as hoped and Neal Brown was fired. However, hope is renewed in Morgantown with Rich Rodriguez set to come back to lead the Mountaineers next season. The bowl game will serve as a great chance for Rodriguez to see who he wants to bring back in 2025, although there are plenty of players that have opted out of playing.

Tuesday’s game at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas will be the first meeting between the two schools.

When is the Frisco Bowl between Memphis and West Virginia?

The kickoff for the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl game between the No. 23 Memphis Tigers and the West Virginia Mountaineers at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, is Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.

How to watch Memphis and West Virginia in the Frisco Bowl

The Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl game between the No. 23 Memphis Tigers and the West Virginia Mountaineers will be televised nationally on ESPN.

Live streaming is available on Fubo, which has a free trial.

Catch Memphis and West Virginia in the Frisco Bowl with Fubo

Memphis vs. West Virginia odds, line

The Memphis Tigers are the favorites to defeat the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Frisco Bowl, according to the BetMGM college football odds on Tuesday afternoon.

Spread: Memphis (-5) 
Moneyline: Memphis (-210); West Virginia (+170) 
Over/under: 59.5

Memphis vs. West Virginia: Frisco Bowl predictions

USA TODAY: Memphis a heavy favorite

Scooby Axon: Memphis
Jordan Mendoza: Memphis
Paul Myerberg: West Virgina
Erick Smith: Memphis
Eddie Timanus: Memphis
Dan Wolken: Memphis

Reed Wallach, Sports Illustrated: Memphis to win

Wallach writes, ‘The Tigers defense has been vulnerable at times, especially against big plays with an explosive rush and pass rate outside the top 100, but the team can feast on Greene’s shaky decision making. In a game that is being lined as a coin flip, there are plenty of reasons to side with the small favorite to cap its season with a win.’

Adam Burke, VSiN: Memphis (-5)

Burke writes, ‘The Tigers defense has given up a lot of points this season, but West Virginia doesn’t have the tempo or the potency of an AAC offense. QB Garrett Greene had a 13/11 TD/INT ratio and the Tigers were tied for ninth with 24 takeaways. They are also an opportunistic defense with 14 fumble recoveries. WVU only lost four fumbles during the season. But, as a defense, they only had 11 takeaways, so Memphis may very well carry the edge in the turnover margin department.’

The Athletic: Memphis to win

The Athletic’s team unanimously picked Memphis to win, one of only six unanimous predictions, alongside Notre Dame to beat Indiana, James Madison to beat Western Kentucky, Pitt to beat Toledo, Kansas State to beat Rutgers, and Syracuse to beat Washington State.

Clutch Points: Memphis

Nate Duffett writes, ‘Memphis’ explosive offense should be too much for West Virginia in this game. We mentioned that when the Mountaineers lost, they lost big, which could be bad news when facing the Tigers’ offense. Take Memphis to blow this game open with their passing game and hold on for a convincing victory, which they have been doing all season.’

Bowl game schedule

There are 46 games on the college football postseason schedule this season, with the expansion of the College Football Playoff adding to the intrigue of bowl season. The Salute to Veterans Bowl between South Alabama and Western Michigan kicked off the action on Dec. 14, and it all comes to a conclusion 37 days later at the CFP national championship game. USA TODAY Sports has you covered with a complete schedule for every bowl game coming up on the calendar. — Mark Giannotto

USA Today college football bowl schedule

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Norfolk State is hiring former NFL quarterback Michael Vick as head coach, according to multiple reports.

Vick, 44, played collegiately for Virginia Tech and then was taken No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL draft. He also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers in his professional career.

The decision to tap Vick, who has been an NFL analyst for Fox Sports since 2017, is a major gamble for Norfolk State, located near his hometown of Newport News, Virginia. Vick has never coached on any level of competition. He was also in contention for the opening at Sacramento State, according to reports.

But prior experience has become less and less of a dealbreaker for programs looking for the immediate spark provided by a big-name hire. Most famously, Jackson State hired Deion Sanders despite his lack of college coaching experience and went 27-6 over three seasons before Sanders left for the same position at Colorado.

One of the most unforgettable quarterbacks in modern college football history, Vick redshirted his first season before taking the sport by storm in his two seasons as Virginia Tech’s starter. Despite his underwhelming numbers by current standards – a combined 21 passing touchdowns, 17 rushing scores and 4,495 yards of total offense – Vick transformed the position with an unmatched blend of speed, power, explosiveness and athleticism.

After finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting as a redshirt freshman and leading the Hokies to the Bowl Championship Series title game in 1999, Vick declared for the 2001 NFL draft after his sophomore year and became the first Black quarterback to be taken first overall.

He made the Pro Bowl three times in Atlanta, finished second in the MVP voting in 2004 and set numerous franchise and NFL records. In 2006, Vick became the first quarterback to run for 1,000 yards and averaged a record 8.4 yards per carry.

But his career disintegrated shortly thereafter. In August 2007, Vick pleaded guilty to his part in a dogfighting ring and was sentenced to just under two years in federal prison. He was suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

Vick signed with the Philadelphia Eagles upon his release from prison in 2009. He was the Eagles’ primary starter from 2010-12, earning Pro Bowl honors in 2010 after throwing for 3,018 yards and a career-high 21 touchdowns. His last season was with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.

This story and headline were updated to add new information.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs in a proposed multi-billion-dollar settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences are asking a federal judge to award them nearly $525 million in attorneys’ fees and costs, according to filings they made Tuesday.

In addition, as permitted by the proposed agreement, the plaintiffs’ lawyers also asked for the right to apply annually to a judge or special master for additional amounts that, according to the filings, could total roughly another $250 million.

Nearly all of the money comprising both amounts would be set to be paid over a 10-year period. The plaintiffs have been led primarily by Steve Berman of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP and Jeff Kessler of Winston & Strawn LLP.

The documents come a little more than two months after U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken granted preliminary approval to the wide-ranging agreement, which would fundamentally change the structure of college sports. In addition to providing a $2.8 billion damages pool for current and former athletes over a span of 10 years, the deal would allow Division I schools to start paying athletes in any sport directly for use of their name, image and likeness, subject to a per-school cap that would increase over time.

It is expected that the initial amount of the cap would be $20 million to $23 million for the 2025-26 school year.

Also as part of the agreement, Division I athletics programs that provide these NIL payments would no longer be subject to longstanding sport-by-sport scholarship limits, but rather to sport-by-sport roster limits. In the first academic year after final approval of the settlement the roster limit in football, for example, would be 105. Many Power Five schools recently have had rosters of more than 125 players, according to data compiled by USA TODAY Sports through open-records requests.

The additional $250 million for which the plaintiffs’ attorneys are seeking to the right to apply comes from a provision in the settlement agreement that would allow them to seek 0.75% to 1.25% of the annual total amount spent by Division I schools on NIL agreements with athletes, and up to certain limits, new scholarships and academic achievement awards that were created when NCAA restrictions on education-related benefits for athletes were overturned by the Supreme Court in the Alston case in June 2021.

If all 68 Power Four conference schools were to provide $20 million in a year, that amounts to $1.36 billion — and that’s without taking into account any other Division I school providing benefits, as some outside the Power Four seem likely to do.

All of this is subject to final approval by Wilken, who has scheduled a hearing on the matter for April 7, 2025 in Oakland, California. And her ruling would be subject to appeal.

One former college football player and his attorney tied up a monetary settlement in a previous college-sports compensation case by pursuing the matter to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, with the objection based in part on the attorneys’ fees and costs award. That bid ultimately failed, but it ended up delaying final resolution by about two years.

If there are appeals in this case, the settlement agreement states that schools will be allowed to begin offering payments to their athletes and the roster limits would go into place for 2025-26, but damages money and payments for the plaintiffs’ lawyers would be held in escrow until all appeals are resolved.

While the damages pool under the proposed settlement is $2.8 billion, lawyers for the plaintiffs said in their filings Tuesday that ‘expert and lay evidence indicates (the settlement) is likely (to) increase benefits to college athletes by $20 billion or more’ over the next 10 years. The filings described this as ‘one of the largest recoveries in antitrust history.’

In furthering their case for the fees and costs award, the plaintiffs’ lawyers called this a ‘bet-the-company’ case resulting in a ‘monumental settlement’ that ‘revolutionizes college sports’ and will ‘provide college athletes with the opportunity to earn the same percentage of revenues as professional athletes in the NFL and NBA.’

On a more legalistic level, the plaintiffs’ lawyers wrote that their request constitutes 18.3% of the ‘cash common funds before any cash value is assigned to the future benefits stand to receive.’ Using $20 billion as the value of those benefits, as estimated by an economics expert for the plaintiffs, the lawyers wrote that their potential fee request would decrease to ‘3.2% of the total value of the settlement.’ They added that 25% of the settlement value has been used as the benchmark for cases in states covered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which include California.

From interesting haircuts, discount double checks, a Super Bowl win, MVPs to controversy and an unceremonious exit from Green Bay, Rodgers has lived many NFL lives in his two decades on the gridiron. The quarterback’s profile has only grown in recent years as a wildly successful NFL career has wound down.

Rodgers was a great NFL quarterback. Now it’s almost as if he’s preparing for his NFL afterlife, but not in the traditional sense that most players follow. Rather than pursue broadcast opportunities, aside from hosting ‘Jeopardy!’ and sit behind a desk on Sundays, the current Jets quarterback and former Packers great is dipping his toes into the political waters.

Between darkness and ayahuasca retreats, Rodgers is into everything. In fact, the new career path he’s charted almost landed him with a chance to be the second most powerful person in the free world. In Netflix’s ‘Enigma’ documentary, Rodgers peeled back the curtain on many things, including how he was offered the opportunity to go from NFL sidelines to the White House.

Here’s some of the biggest off-field things from the revealing documentary.

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

Was Aaron Rodgers offered RFK’s VP spot?

It had become a standard joke during the 2024 offseason that the Jets lost Rodgers to an Achilles injury four plays into the season and would then lose him to politics after that. While the idea seemed far-fetched, it turns out that Rodgers was offered the Vice Presidential nomination for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign, on a hike.

‘Have you thought about going into politics?’ Kennedy asked Rodgers.

Rodgers explained that he first got into politics as a sophomore in high school, pointing to the assassination of Kennedy’s uncle, John F. Kennedy, as the window into it. The quarterback remained skeptical of the reports given by the government.

‘This is what they said happened? This can’t be real,’ Rodgers said. ‘Then I went to [University of California] Berkeley, which is a crazy political environment. It’s super leftist, and I grew up in a really conservative small-town environment, so that was fun to have my ideologies tested.’

Rodgers, who isn’t a fan of America’s two-party system, told Kennedy that he finally had hope when RFK announced his candidacy. The presidential candidate offered the quarterback the VP spot, something the Jets’ signal caller ultimately turned down.

‘I love football. I want to keep playing, and I hated the way last year went,’ Rodgers said. ‘There’s still some unfinished business in New Jersey.’

Aaron Rodgers comments on being immunized

As for his on-field play, Rodgers was the subject of plenty of criticism surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In many ways, that presented the downfall of his public image for plenty of fans.

He famously declared that he was, ‘immunized,’ and was later revealed to have skipped out on the COVID-19 vaccine.

‘We never did the flu shots growing up, my dad just didn’t believe in it,’ Rodgers said.

The then-Packers quarterback added that everyone in the organization knew his status.

‘Everybody in my (expletive) circle knew I wasn’t vaccinated, everybody on my team knew I wasn’t vaccinated,’ Rodgers said.

Rodgers’ reputation has never recovered from that.

Aaron Rodgers’ Jets future up in the air

While the quarterback continues to insist that he’s had unfinished business in New Jersey, the results haven’t been there in 2024. The Jets are staring at another likely top-10 draft pick along with an offseason that promises plenty of change.

Rodgers has been better in the latter half of the season, but it remains to be seen whether New York will welcome him back for 2025 or look to cut bait after a failed experiment. Debates will rage on about whether the 41-year-old will be better as he’s furthered removed from the Achilles injury, but the Jets will ultimately have the final say.

If he were to be released, it’s a question whether any other team looks to sign him.

Either way, winning continues to be the cure in the world of sports. If Rodgers were to stick around and the Jets were willing, perhaps there is still time to repair what’s become a fractured relationship between quarterback and fans.

After all, time does heal all wounds.