Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12, and remains the biggest pony left in this year’s college football coaching carousel. While Franklin was quick to find a new home, Penn State is still searching.

The best move on the market has been to be linked with the Penn State job. It usually meant good news for your bank account. Western Pennsylvanian Curt Cignetti (Indiana), PSU alum Matt Rhule (Nebraska), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri) and Clark Lea (Vanderbilt) all had their names mentioned with the opening. All got new deals, and the latest name, BYU’s Kalani Sitake, appears to be in line for the same.

The SEC Gone Wild has dominated the coaching cycle, leaving State College out in the cold… so far. With Sitake reportedly remaining at BYU, Happy Valley is running out of options.

Here’s the latest on the Penn State coaching search:

HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.

Kalani Sitake to stay at BYU

It’s hard to stray away from home.

After a great deal of hype, Sitake is reportedly staying in Provo, per Pete Thamel. As the Cougars prepare for a Big 12 championship bout with Texas Tech and a possible playoff run, Sitake is in-line to get a big extension after a successful season, making him just the latest coach to use Penn State interest as leverage.

BYU optimistic it can keep Kalani Sitake

As much as Penn State may want Kalani Sitake as its next coach, his current employer isn’t letting him leave without a fight.

Crumbl Cookie co-founder wants to help BYU keep Kalani Sitake

That’s how the cookie crumbles apparently for a Penn State coaching search. Kalani Sitake’s name popped up prominently in the PSU search on Monday. That caused BYU booster and fan Jason McGowan, the co-founder of Crumbl Cookie, to take to social media. ‘Some people are not replaceable. Sounds like it is time for me to get off the sidelines and get to work,’ McGowan posted.

He followed that post on X with another, imploring Cougars fans to let Sitake feel the love.

BYU’s Kalani Sitake ‘focus’ of Penn State job

A Dec. 1 report from ESPN’s Pete Thamel says BYU coach Kalani Sitake is ‘the focus’ of Penn State’s search.

Sitake has built the Cougars into one of the Big 12’s premier programs. The 50-year-old coach and BYU alum has the school in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship game with a spot in the College Football Playoff on the line.

Sitake was asked, on Monday, about his possible connection to the Penn State job:

‘This is a great distraction to have, let’s be honest,’ Sitake said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. ‘I’ll address it with the team. … But they are used to me saying, ‘Hey, this is a good sign that things are going well for us.’ But I will say that this isn’t about me.

‘I’m all about the Big 12 championship and keeping our team focused on that. We’re going to avoid all of the distractions.’

Potential Penn State target Bob Chesney hired at UCLA

Bob Chesney was another name loosely linked to the Penn State job. But the James Madison coach is headed west to coach UCLA.

Brian Dabol, Kalani Sitake prediction favorites for Penn State job

BYU coach Kalani Sitake and recently-fired New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll are Monday’s favorites to become the next PSU leader, according to Kalshi, the federally regulated exchange and prediction market.

Players advocate for Terry Smith to get Penn State job

Interim coach Terry Smith went 3-3 after Franklin’s dismissal as the Nittany Lions clawed their way back to bowl eligibility. PSU players lobbied for Smith to get the job permanently.

After the Nov. 22 win over Nebraska, Smith seemed to stake a claim for the job during a postgame on-field interview while players behind him held signs that read ‘Hire Terry Smith’ and fans chanted his name.

“The emotion is I love my guys. I love my locker room, and you see how hard my guys play,’ Smith said. ‘These guys play inspired football. They’re motivated. And we finished once again tonight… These guys listen to me. They trust me. And they’re going out there playing great football.

‘It’s my locker room.”

What about Josh Heupel for Penn State?

Tennessee fans mocked USA TODAY columnist Blake Toppmeyer when he suggested Josh Heupel swap Knoxville for Happy Valley and maybe get ahead of a growing frustration with some sects of Vols fans. In those same predictive markets, Heupel was sitting at 18% Not a favorite. But nothing to laugh at either.

‘As Heupel’s stock absorbs a hit in Tennessee, candidates with his credentials remain in short supply within this wild coaching carousel,’ Toppmeyer wrote in early November. ‘He’d be a boon for Penn State. Now’s his time to strike, while his resume remains catchy.

‘Before Heupel’s Tennessee revival, Franklin staged one at Penn State. Franklin stayed too long. The posse got him.

‘Exiting Tennessee for Penn State would be a lateral move, but it’s a move with an easier path to the playoff. That’s what this sport is now, for programs like Penn State or Tennessee: Playoff or bust.’

One of the most prominent voices in college football media is going to be sticking to sports after all.

Longtime college football pundit and radio host Paul Finebaum will not be running for a soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, he said to AL.com on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

While Finebaum told the outlet he was ‘deeply moved by so many people in Alabama who have reached out encouraging me to run,’ he has decided against a campaign.

‘It’s time for me to devote my full attention to something everyone in Alabama can agree upon – our love of college football,’ he said in a statement.

Finebaum’s decision brings an end to more than two months of speculation over whether he would launch a bid to run for the Senate seat currently occupied by former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, who is abdicating the seat to run for Alabama governor.

In a Sept. 29 interview with Outkick’s Clay Travis, Finebaum first expressed an interest in a Senate bid, citing the Sept. 10 assassination of right-wing political commentator and organizer Charlie Kirk as an inspiration for a potential campaign. He added that he would run if asked by President Donald Trump.

‘The biggest issue is the direction of ‘Where are we going (as a country)?’’ Finebaum said at the time. ‘And I don’t like some of that.’

The deadline for Finebaum or any other candidate to enter the primary is Jan. 23, 2026.

The 70-year-old Finebaum recently moved from North Carolina back to Alabama, where he first rose to prominence as a columnist for the Birmingham Post-Herald and as a sports talk radio host who amassed a colorful collection of callers.

Finebaum joined ESPN in 2013 and has about a year-and-a-half remaining on his contract with the network. About a week after his initial interview with Finebaum, Travis reported that ESPN had cancelled all of Finebaum’s scheduled appearances on platforms across its family of networks. ESPN swiftly denied Travis’ claim, calling it ‘totally false.’ Finebaum was back to appearing on ESPN shows later that week.

In his statement to AL.com, Finebaum thanked his bosses at ESPN for ‘allowing me to explore this opportunity.’

The final test of the fantasy football regular season is here for fantasy managers. Many will be fighting for playoff spots in Week 14 while missing some of their top playmakers during the NFL’s final set of bye weeks.

Four total teams will be on bye in Week 14: the Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. That will knock plenty of playmakers out of action, including Drake Maye, Christian McCaffrey, Rico Dowdle and many, many more.

As such, fantasy managers on the cusp of making it into the fantasy postseason will have to make some key start ’em, sit ’em decisions to replace these contributors. Those lineup choices could end up making or breaking their respective seasons as the fantasy playoff push reaches its final stages.

Who can you start and sit in fantasy football for Week 14 of the NFL season? USA TODAY Sports outlines eight players to start and eight to sit.

Fantasy football players to start in Week 14

Quarterbacks

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

Goff continues to be a steady producer at quarterback, as he has logged at least 250 passing yards in five straight games while logging multiple touchdowns in four of those five contests. Now, he gets to face a Cowboys defense that has surrendered a league-high 28 passing touchdowns and the most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to quarterbacks.

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (vs. Chicago Bears)

Love has been hit or miss this season, but he performed at an MVP level in the Packers’ Thanksgiving win over the Lions. The 27-year-old should find similar success against the Bears, who are tied with the Lions for the second-most passing touchdowns surrendered to quarterbacks this season.

Running backs

Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings (vs. Washington Commanders)

Mason has taken a backseat to Aaron Jones in recent weeks, but Jones suffered a shoulder injury against the Seahawks. It isn’t clear whether that will cause the veteran to miss time, but either way, it could create more opportunities for Mason. The former 49er has generated between 42 and 47 rushing yards in his last three outings while averaging 6.7 carries per game. He could post better numbers with more volume against a Washington defense that has surrendered the fourth-most FPPG to RBs this season.

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (at Arizona Cardinals)

Wide receivers

Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions (vs. Dallas Cowboys)

Since Detroit’s bye week, Williams is averaging 83.4 receiving yards over five games with four touchdowns. On Thanksgiving, he racked up a season-high seven catches for 144 yards after Amon-Ra St. Brown left the contest with an ankle injury and did not return. Expect Williams to have another big game against a Cowboys defense that has allowed a league-high 21 receiving touchdowns to wideouts this season.

Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens (vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)

Flowers is coming off a Thanksgiving dud against the Bengals, but he has largely remained consistent despite Lamar Jackson’s recent struggles. The Boston College product has posted at least 58 receiving yards in seven of his last nine games and gets an appetizing matchup against a Steelers team that has allowed a league-high 2,061 receiving yards to wide-outs this season.

Tight end

Darren Waller, Miami Dolphins (at New York Jets)

Waller returned to action after missing four games with a pectoral injury. He totaled a team-high 47 yards on just two catches but nearly logged his fifth touchdown of the season, narrowly failing to get both feet down in the end zone. Waller remains a big-time red-zone threat and should have plenty of scoring chances in a favorable matchup against a Jets defense against which he scored twice in Week 4.

Defense/special teams

Cleveland Browns (vs. Tennessee Titans)

No quarterback has been sacked more times than Cam Ward this season (48). Myles Garrett is on pace to set the NFL’s single-season sack record, as he has 19 sacks through 12 games. Add in that the Titans are averaging a league-low 14.2 points per game and this seems like a smash spot for the Browns.

Fantasy football players to sit in Week 14

Quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Los Angeles Rams)

Brissett has been incredibly consistent since taking over for Kyler Murray, logging two passing touchdowns in six of his seven starts and averaging a whopping 312.6 passing yards per game. But backing him against a Rams team that has only allowed multiple passing touchdowns four times in 12 games this season doesn’t seem like a formula for success.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)

Herbert and the Chargers seem confident he’ll play despite the quarterback suffering a fracture in his left, non-throwing hand. Still, backing a quarterback at less than 100% against a strong defense like the Eagles doesn’t seem like a winning formula. Philadelphia has limited opposing quarterbacks to 12 passing touchdowns this season, tied for second-fewest in the league, so Herbert has a low floor/ceiling combination in this one.

Running backs

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. Houston Texans)

The Chiefs eased Pacheco into action in his first game back from a knee injury that sidelined him for three games. He could eventually work his way back into a larger role, but he appears to be playing second fiddle to Kareem Hunt for now. That makes it hard to trust him against a Texans defense that ranks No. 1 overall league-wide in defensive EPA per play, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Woody Marks, Houston Texans (at Kansas City Chiefs)

Trusting either running game in the Texans-Chiefs contest seems risky. The Chiefs have allowed the sixth-fewest FPPG to running backs this season while Marks has averaged just 3.6 yards per carry despite overtaking Nick Chubb in Houston’s backfield rotation. Chubb could also vulture potential scores from Marks, so this just seems like a situation to avoid.

Wide receivers

Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons (vs. Seattle Seahawks)

Many believed Kirk Cousins’ return to the lineup would help Mooney regain the form he displayed during his career-best 2024 season. Instead, he has managed just five catches for 99 yards and a touchdown across Cousins’ two starts. Mooney will remain an inconsistent deep threat, as such, which makes him hard to trust against a Seahawks defense that has allowed the second-fewest receiving yards to wide-outs this season.

DJ Moore, Chicago Bears (at Green Bay Packers)

Moore has been wildly inconsistent during his second season working with Caleb Williams. The 28-year-old veteran had a two-touchdown game in Week 12 but has surrounded that with three games in which he totaled three catches and 35 yards. Moore certainly has boom potential, but he comes with a lot of risk against a Packers defense that is allowing the fifth-fewest points per game league-wide this season (20).

Tight end

Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)

Gadsden has had a couple of monster showings during his rookie season, but he hasn’t been as productive of late. The 22-year-old is averaging just two receptions for 27 yards over his last three games and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 8. It’s best to sit him against an Eagles defense that has allowed the third-fewest FPPG to tight ends this season, especially with Herbert banged up.

Defense/special teams

Houston Texans (at Kansas City Chiefs)

The Texans have one of the NFL’s best defenses and just limited one of the NFL’s best offenses, the Colts, to just 16 points. It may be hard for them to do the same against the Chiefs after Patrick Mahomes and Rashee Rice enjoyed a breakout game in Kansas City’s Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys.

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It’s lobbying season in college football, with coaches, administrators and fans breathlessly presenting their most compelling cases for why they believe their teams should be included in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Sometimes, that politicking is even done by actual, in-the-flesh politicians.

During a meeting between President Donald Trump and members of his cabinet on Tuesday, Dec. 2, Secretary of State Marco Rubio put personal rooting interests to the side and used his designated speaking opportunity to campaign for Miami’s inclusion in the playoff.

“I’m a Florida Gator, but if the University of Miami gets screwed out of the College Football Playoffs, after going 10-2 and beating Notre Dame, the whole thing should be scrapped and (Trump) is gonna have to take over next year,” Rubio said.

Rubio’s a Miami native and former U.S. Senator from Florida who attended Florida as an undergrad before earning a law degree from Miami. His connection to the Florida football program goes beyond cheering for them on Saturdays. His son, Anthony, is a sophomore running back for the Gators.

Miami is one of the most hotly debated teams heading into Sunday’s reveal of the final playoff field. The Hurricanes went 10-2 during the regular season, with both of their losses coming in conference play by a combined nine points. Thanks to a convoluted and controversial series of tiebreakers, they were left out of the ACC championship game, meaning they have no chance at earning an automatic berth to the playoff as one of the sport’s five highest-ranked conference champions.

Still, there’s a potentially valuable bullet point on Miami’s resume, one that could ultimately earn it a spot in the playoff — a 27-24 season-opening victory against a Notre Dame team that has an identical 10-2 record, but was ranked three spots ahead of the Hurricanes in last week’s playoff selection committee rankings.

The committee will release its newest set of rankings on the night of Dec. 2.

Pray for Jake Paul.

So said heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk when asked about the upcoming boxing match between Paul and former world champion Anthony Joshua.

“If Anthony Joshua wants, he (can) kill this guy,’’ Usyk told Boxing Scene, comparing Joshua to a Rolls-Royce and Paul to a Fiat. “… I will pray (for) Jake Paul because I want (to) fight Jake Paul in the Octagon.’’

The projections seem to be growing more dire with Paul set to fight Joshua Dec. 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami in an eight-round bout to be livestreamed by Netflix.

Joshua has held the unified heavyweight championship twice. Paul has fought the likes of retired MMA fighters, a retired NBA player and a 58-year-old Mike Tyson.

Tony Bellew, a retired boxer who was 30-3-1 and now works as a commentator, said Paul is in for a terrifying experience against Joshua.

“When (Joshua) touches him for the first time with a pair of 10-ounce gloves on, he’s going to get the fright of his life,’’ Bellew told IFL TV.

Bellew also expressed doubt the fight will take place, saying of Paul, “I don’t believe he’s going to get in the ring with 10-ounce gloves on.’’

David Haye, a former heavyweight champion, told Sky News that Paul’s life will be at risk when the 6-foot-1 social media-star-turned-boxer climbs into the ring against the 6-foot-6 Joshua.

‘It could be his last day on Earth,’ said Haye, 45, who held world titles as a heavyweight and cruiserweight.

But Louis Durkin, president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, told USA TODAY Sports he has no safety concerns about the boxing match.

‘Although Jake should be a considerable underdog, he has real skills and AJ is a little past his prime,’ said Durkin, Chairman of Emergency Medicine at Mercy Medical Center in  Springfield, Massachusetts. ‘Should be a good match and I think (a) strong chance it goes the distance.’

On safety concerns being aired by others, Durkin said, ‘They don’t want to believe a YouTuber is good enough. He took the shortcut to the top.’

Durkin said the difference between Paul and Joshua in terms of experience and size counts ‘on paper.’

‘But if you look at the individual fighters, I don’t think it rises to the level of safety concern,’ Durkin said. ‘Now whether (Paul) deserves a shot at Joshua is a different question. But I think that gets confused with the level of danger.’

Could Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo be spending his last few months in Milwaukee?

Anything is possible, seeing as the Mavericks shipped Luka Doncic to the Lakers in a blockbuster trade last February, and if things continue the way they have in Brew City, Antetokounmpo very well might be the next NBA star setting up shop elsewhere.

It seems as though eagle-eyed Bucks fans, who are either passionate about their team or just plain nosy with nothing better to do, noticed that Antetokounmpo recently purged his social media accounts of anything related to the Bucks, save for some NBA Cup and NBA Finals-associated posts.

Since winning that championship in 2022, the Bucks haven’t gotten past the conference semifinals during the playoffs, including three consecutive first-round exits.

Milwaukee, thought to be a contender in the Eastern Conference, now sits at 9-13, good for 11th place after blowing a 16-point third-quarter lead and suffering an embarrassing 129-126 loss to the 3-16 Washington Wizards on Monday.

The Feb. 5 trade deadline is likely to loom large if things don’t get better, as Antetokounmpo, who turns 31 on Dec. 6, is making $54 million this season, and is on the books for $58 million for 2026-27 before a $62 million player option has to be decided on in the summer of 2027.

Jury selection will begin May 4 in the trial of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis L. Ortiz, who each face up to 65 years in prison for their alleged roles in a gambling scheme.

Both pitchers have entered not guilty pleas to charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy.

A 23-page indictment alleges the pitchers colluded with bettors, promising to throw balls in predetermined situations to win money on microbets. The pitchers remain on Major League Baseball’s restricted list and could be subject to placement on the league’s permanently ineligible list or other discipline based on the trial’s outcome.

U.S. District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto indicated the trial could begin in the days or weeks after jury selection commences; the pitchers are due next in court Jan. 15.

The indictment alleges that Clase, a three-time All-Star and two-time winner of the American League’s Reliever of the Year award, began interacting with the gamblers in May 2023. Ortiz, acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in December 2024, joined the alleged scheme this past June.

Prosecutors allege bettors won at least $450,000 from pitches thrown by Clase and Ortiz.

It’s quite possible Sonny Gray spends just one season in the Boston Red Sox rotation. He’s apparently set on making the most of it – and that includes taking shots at their archrivals.

Gray expressed his disdain for the New York Yankees in an introductory video news conference with the Boston media Dec. 2, telling the virtually assembled throng: ‘It feels good to me to go to a place where it’s easy to hate the Yankees.’

That will certainly perk up some ears in the Bronx, where Gray spent half of the 2017 and all the 2018 season after a trade from the Oakland Athletics to the Yankees.

He posted a 4.51 ERA over 56 games – nearly a full run worse than his career 3.58 mark – and lost his rotation spot in 2018, feeding the trope that certain players struggle in the game’s biggest market.

Gray noted that he ‘never wanted to go in the first place’ to New York after dominating in Oakland’s pitcher-friendly park.

Gray regained his footing in 2019 after a trade to Cincinnati, earning his second of three All-Star nods, and flourished in Minnesota and St. Louis, where he signed a three-year, $75 million deal.

The retooling Cardinals dealt him and $20 million in cash to Boston, helping cover his $35 million salary this season; there’s a $31 million mutual option for 2027.

That decision will come after what should be a 2026 campaign that spices up the doddering Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. The teams met in the AL wild card series in October and the Yankees prevailed in a decisive Game 3 behind Walpole, Mass. flamethrower Cam Schlittler, who left no doubt he had no love for fans in his native New England.

They’d apparently talked a little too much smack before the winner-take-all game – and Schlittler responded with 12 strikeouts over eight innings and a verbal volley from a champagne-soaked clubhouse.

‘We’re aggressive back home and we’re going to try to get under people’s skins,’ he said. ‘They just picked the wrong guy to do it to. And the wrong team to do it to.’

Add Gray, a thoughtful Tennessean, to the mix. He donned a retro Red Sox World Series cap for his Zoom and noted his affection for the Red Sox goes back to playing for Tim Corbin, a fan of the club, at Vanderbilt.

Now, he’ll get his first taste of arguably the game’s finest rivalry, perhaps in the teams’ first series at Fenway Park, April 21-23. They don’t hit Yankee Stadium until June 5, which seems a long ways away as snow piles up around the country.

Yankee fans probably won’t forget.