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Mikaela Shiffrin secures Olympics bid at Copper Mountain World Cup

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — Mikaela Shiffrin’s latest slalom win comes with a nice prize: A spot on her fourth Olympic team.

The two-time Olympic champion officially secured a spot on the U.S. team for the Milano Cortina Games by winning the slalom race at the Copper Mountain World Cup. In commanding fashion, no less. Shiffrin finished with a combined time of 1:48.75, 1.57 seconds ahead of Germany’s Lena Duerr.

‘If you asked me when I was 8, 9, 10 years old, I don’t know if I could really say that I’d make one. (A fourth Olympics) is pretty incredible,’ Shiffrin said. ‘When you’re at the top of sport, some of these things, they become like an expectation. The world just expects it. `How excited are you to go to the Olympics?’ Technically, I haven’t qualified yet.

‘But when I can say I’ve qualified, that’s a huge step and we have to celebrate those moments.’

There was plenty to celebrate Sunday. The win was the 104th of Shiffrin’s career, extending her record for World Cup wins. It also made her three-for-three in slalom races this season, and she’s won five of the last six going back to last season.

The one outlier? A third-place finish in Are, Sweden.

‘It’s inspiring to see,’ U.S. teammate Paula Moltzan said. ‘That second run, the conditions are really tough, it’s a hometown crowd and she just handles everything with such grace.

‘Nina (O’Brien) and I were standing here watching, being like, `Damn. That’s good skiing.’ So it’s cool to see that.’

Moltzan finished eighth overall after an impressive second run. Still feeling the effects of a crash in the giant slalom Saturday, she struggled in the first run Sunday and was 12th. But she roared back with the fourth-fastest time on the second run and climbed four spots to secure her third top-10 finish of the season.

O’Brien finished 26th.

‘I am excited with my slalom right now. It’s very consistent,’ Moltzan said. ‘Slalom is not a sport of consistency a lot of time. Unless you’re Mikaela Shiffrin.’

Shiffrin had a lead of 0.28 seconds after the first run, and three skiers were within a second of her. While that’s a pretty significant lead in a sport that can be decided by hundredths of a second, anything can happen on a ski hill. Especially when snow is falling, clouds are thickening and the course got more and more rutted as the second run went on.

Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener and Austria’s Katharina Liensberger, who were second and third behind Shiffrin after the first run, both made large enough mistakes that it cost them their spots on the podium. Katharina Truppe, fifth in the first run, also slipped in the standings.

But as Shiffrin stood in the starting gate, she could hear the cheers of the raucous home crowd. That helped power her through, she said, and she sliced her way down the course, switching edges easily and carving tight turns around each gate.

The crowd got louder as her lead built and erupted as she crossed the finish line. Shiffrin threw her arms out to the side, a winner once again.

‘Sometimes when I hear people cheering, I’m like, `Oh God, it’s a home race.’ Sometimes it makes me feel pressure,’ Shiffrin said. ‘And today it was literally the louder they were, the harder I pushed. I just let them take me down the hill.’

Shiffrin had the second-fastest time on the second run, the first slalom this season she did not win both runs. She lost some speed on the second section of the course, same as she had the first run, but closed with a furious push to finish 0.18 behind France’s Caitlin McFarlane, who finished 12th overall.

But that is nitpicking. Shiffrin is dominating the field this season, winning each of the first three slaloms by 1.2 seconds or more.

‘Nothing really ever shocks me about her skiing,’ Moltzan said. ‘She’s just authoritative and commanding. It’s just the way she is.’

Easy as Shiffrin makes it look, though, this win was anything but. This is the longest slalom course of the season, and it’s also at the highest altitude. Shiffrin had said after the giant slalom Saturday that recovery, both overnight and between runs, was going to be critical.

Even with that, it took everything in her for Shiffrin to keep pushing until she crossed the finish line of the second run.

‘Today was so hard,’ Shiffrin said. ‘I was really very nervous today. And it wasn’t really about the skiing or about what happens between start and finish. It’s like when you go into a really hard, hard interval and you know it’s going to be terrible and you have to do it anyway and you’re just like, `But no. I don’t actually have to do this. I could just not, and I would be comfortable. I could be comfortable instead of being really, really uncomfortable.’

‘But here we are.’

A winner, and an Olympian, again.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY
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Men’s soccer NCAA tournament Sweet 16 scores, live updates

The second round was full of carnage in the 2025 men’s soccer NCAA tournament as five of the top six seeds lost. That includes previously-undefeated national champion Vermont, who lost in overtime to Hofstra.

No. 4 Maryland is the highest-ranked team left in the Sweet 16, which will be played Saturday and Sunday.

We’ll provide live score updates as the games kick off this holiday weekend.

HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.

College soccer scores NCAA tournament Sweet 16 schedule

Nov. 29-30

No. 16 Furman 3, Hofstra 3 (Furman advances on PKs)
No. 14 Akron 2, Duke 0
No. 11 Bryant 2, Saint Louis 2, 105′
No. 15 NC State 2, UNC Greensboro 0
No. 12 Stanford 1, Washington 0, 30′
No. 4 Maryland 3, No. 13 UConn 0
No. 7 Georgetown 2, No. 10 High Point 1
No. 8 Portland 1, Grand Canyon 0

How to watch NCAA soccer Sweet 16 games?

All games are streaming on ESPN+.

Men’s college soccer 2025 NCAA tournament schedule

Third round: Nov. 29-30
Quarterfinals: Dec. 5-6
College Cup semifinals: Dec. 12 (Cary, NC)
College Cup final: Dec. 15 (Cary, NC)

When, where is men’s soccer College Cup 2025?

The 2025 College Cup is Dec. 12 (semifinals) and 15 (final) in Cary, N.C.

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Browns call out 49ers WR: ‘I see why he got punched’

Nearly one week after he was at the center of a heated confrontation with an opponent, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings once again has drawn the ire of multiple members of another team.

After the 49ers’ 26-8 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, Browns defensive tackle Shelby Harris alleged that Jennings crossed a line with his remarks while defensive tackle Maliek Collins was injured. Collins left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury and did not return.

‘He says some things that you should not say to a man, ever,’ Harris, who did not elaborate on the nature of Jennngs’ comments, told reporters after the game. ‘But I don’t respect it because you say that (and) then run behind your O-line. That’s some real soft (expletive), and I want that known.

‘I see why they punched your (groin). I’m surprised nobody punched him in the jaw yet.’

Collins’ remark referenced Carolina Panthers safety Tre’von Moehrig punching Jennings in the groin area toward the end of the 49ers’ win on Nov. 24. Moehrig, who was suspended for one game for the incident, said the receiver was ‘talking crazy’ during the game.

‘He had a lot to say that was demeaning and disparaging toward some of our players,’ Browns defensive end Myles Garrett said of Jennings. ‘I was just trying to separate everybody. I tried to go up and ask what the problem was, and he started coming at me. Some guys just roll like that. I don’t feel like that belongs in the game, but if that works for them, then hey, more power to them.’

Jennings hauled in a fourth-quarter touchdown to extend the 49ers’ lead and help put the game out of reach.

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Trump gave Maduro ultimatum to flee Venezuela as land operations loom: report

President Donald Trump delivered a stern ultimatum to Nicolás Maduro to leave Venezuela immediately before announcing the country’s airspace should be closed, according to a report.

Per the Miami Herald, Washington’s warning was delivered in a phone call with Caracas and offered guaranteed evacuation for Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and their son, but only if the dictator agreed to resign on the spot. 

The conversation stalled, U.S. officials said, and within hours Washington escalated dramatically. 

The ensuing impasse, a source told the outlet, was over Maduro asking for ‘global amnesty for any crimes he and his group had committed, and that was rejected.’ 

‘Second, they asked to retain control of the armed forces — similar to what happened in Nicaragua in ’91 with Violeta Chamorro. In return, they would allow free elections.’ 

The final issue was timing, according to the outlet, as Washington demanded that Maduro resign immediately – but Caracas refused.

Trump went on to announce Saturday that Venezuelan airspace would be considered ‘closed in its entirety.’ 

The Herald also reported that the Maduro government tried to schedule another call to Washington but received no response.

According to a defense expert familiar with the country’s military and state-linked cartel ties, Maduro and key players in his regime could now face their most serious threat yet.

‘I think the operations will start imminently,’ former Venezuelan diplomat Vanessa Neumann told Fox News Digital.

‘The clearing of the airspace is an indication and a very clear public warning that missiles might be coming to take out command and control infrastructure or retaliatory infrastructure,’ Neumann said. ‘This will not be like breaking a jar into a thousand pieces, this is where you can lift the concentration of power, and it’s easier to manage.’

‘The targets have been identified through covert operations over the last several years by people on the ground,’ she continued. ‘So they’re well-mapped. This is a capture-or-kill scenario, but there’s a limit to how many people you can remove quickly.’

On Sunday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One not to ‘read anything into’ his declaring Venezuela’s airspace closed when asked if a strike was imminent. 

‘Maduro also doesn’t have that many options, and his military is very weak,’ she warned. ‘You can’t go after 30 people simultaneously, who are spread all around, but certainly high on the list would be Maduro himself.’

Venezuela’s armed forces, once among Latin America’s strongest, have been weakened by years of corruption, sanctions, defections, and lack of maintenance. Much of its equipment, Neuman says, has never even been serviced.

‘Their material is extremely old, decayed, and has not been serviced,’ Neuman explained. 

‘They’ve got junk from the Russians. The stuff they originally had from the Americans is decades old and has not been serviced.

‘So, they have neither the personnel, foreign support, nor the material,’ she said.

Ahead of shuttering the airspace, the U.S. also officially designated the cartel allegedly linked with Venezuela’s government, the Cartel de los Soles, as a foreign terrorist organization.

‘This cartel turned Venezuela’s main oil company into a narcotics trafficking money laundering operation, using the company’s access to international finance, until it was sanctioned,’ Neuman, who has worked with governments on countering transnational organized crime linked to the group, explained.

‘They were using Venezuelan military jets to bring in cocaine from Colombia, process it in Venezuela, and then move it into Central America and then into Europe.

‘Jet pilots were making a lot of money off that, and they’ve tortured people. They target people, anybody who tell on them, they’re disappeared,’ Neuman said. ‘They’re now one of the prime drug trafficking networks into the United States and Europe, and use their military positions, including their military-to-military relations, to grow and accelerate those movements.’

In fact, in September, the European Parliament also voted in favor of the EU designating Cartel de los Soles as a terrorist organization.

‘The Cartel de Los Soles is also a key collaborator and financier of Hezbollah and some of the drug money has been used to fund terrorist attacks that have killed American citizens, even in the Middle East,’ added Neuman, CEO of Asymmetrica Group, which specializes in defense cooperation.

The U.S. has also ramped up a military and intelligence campaign targeting drug-trafficking networks linked to Venezuela, including strikes on suspected narcotics boats.

‘The decision is President Trump’s because when he says, ‘Go’, we go. And nobody knows when he’ll say that,’ Neuman said. ‘He has mobilized so many assets down there now. But what President Trump is doing now is long overdue.’

‘The timing is right now,’ she added. ‘Because even Maduro’s biggest backers, Russia and Iran, are both on the back foot, and China will not go that far in backing Maduro as it has bigger and broader interests throughout the region.’

She also noted that ‘Maduro is also weakened because his partners are weakened and have their own issues to deal with,’ and that ‘we also now have a concentration of power and deep repression within the country that’s quite unified, which means it’s easy to flip.’

Neuman identified others in the regime who may be targeted, including Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello, Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace and Alexander Granko Arteaga, head of Venezuela’s counter-intelligence agency, the DGCIM.

‘One of the reasons Granko is an important figure is that he’s one of the reasons why they haven’t capitulated and why there has not been a military uprising,’ Neuman explained.

‘It’s because of the brutality of the counter-intelligence that they do to their own military, and hundreds of soldiers are tortured. That said, the Venezuelan people have made it clear that they wanted Maduro out and fought democratically but lost,’ she added.

‘They voted in elections, protested peacefully, lobbied for sanctions, and lobbied for international support,’ Neuman said.

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Trump says ‘don’t read anything into it’ when asked about declaring Venezuela’s airspace closed

President Donald Trump defended calling Venezuela’s airspace closed, saying the country is sending criminals into the U.S., but told reporters not to ‘read anything into it’ when asked whether the warning suggested an imminent strike.

While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump said Venezuela is ‘not a very friendly country’ and claimed it has sent criminals, gang members and drug traffickers into the U.S.

On Saturday, Trump told airlines, pilots, drug dealers and human traffickers to ‘consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.’

When asked Sunday if the warning meant an airstrike is imminent, Trump said: ‘Don’t read anything into it.’

Trump also confirmed a report from the New York Times that he spoke on the phone with President Nicolás Maduro, though he offered no details about the conversation.

‘I wouldn’t say it went well or badly,’ he said. ‘It was a phone call.’

The president’s comments come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela over Venezuela’s failure to stop drug traffickers from sending narcotics into the U.S.

Since September, the Trump administration has conducted over 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters and beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the flow of drugs into the U.S.

The strikes have brought the total number of suspected narco-terrorists eliminated to over 82, with three survivors.

But as the U.S. continues to bolster forces in the waters off Venezuela, Maduro has called for peace but also remained defiant against what he called ‘imperialist aggression.’

Maduro delivered an address in Caracas last week while brandishing a sword and warning supporters to prepare for confrontation, saying the U.S. will ‘very soon’ begin stopping suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers on land.

He appeared at a mass rally in the capital holding the sword of Simón Bolívar, the 19th-century independence leader regarded as the liberator of much of South America. Maduro told supporters the country was facing a decisive moment.

The Associated Press reported that he said, ‘For anyone, whether civilian, politician, military, or police –  Let no one make excuses. Failure is not an option. The homeland demands it! Our greatest effort and sacrifice. And with (Simón) Bolívar, I come to say that if the homeland demands it, the homeland will have our lives, if necessary,’ he declared while raising Bolívar’s sword.

Maduro framed the situation as a struggle against what he described as external threats, urging Venezuelans to mobilize against any foreign aggression.

Fox News Digital’s Diana Stancy and Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

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Trump envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow as Ukraine peace talks gain momentum

Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, will travel to Moscow on Monday, a U.S. official tells Fox News.

The trip comes as peace talks between Ukraine and Russia show signs of progress, with the White House pushing a peace plan to end the nearly four-year-long war.

On Sunday, Witkoff — a central figure in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas — joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio and senior advisor Jared Kushner in Florida to meet with Ukrainian negotiators. 

Rubio described the meeting as ‘very productive.’ In a statement, Rubio said that the end goal is ‘not just the end of the war.’

‘Obviously, that’s essential and fundamental. We want to see the end of the killing and the death and the suffering, and I’m sure the Ukrainian side, I know they do as well,’ Rubio said. 

‘They want peace. But it’s also about securing an end to the war that leaves Ukraine sovereign and independent and with an opportunity at real prosperity.’

Last week, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow could reject the White House’s peace deal framework if it does not uphold the ‘spirit and letter’ of what President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to at the Alaska summit in August.

He warned that if the terms of the ‘key understandings’ are ‘extinguished’ then the situation would become ‘fundamentally different.’

Despite Lavrov’s comments, Putin showed interest in Trump’s plans to end the war on Thursday, calling the drafted plans a starting point.

‘We need to sit down and discuss this seriously,’ Putin told reporters, according to The Associated Press.

Trump’s plan as ‘a set of issues put forward for discussion’ rather than a draft agreement.

‘Every word matters,’ Putin added.

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Tobianski, Kyle Schmidbauer and Ashley Carnahan contributed to this report.

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Bills’ Josh Allen sets record for most rushing TDs by a QB

Josh Allen has plenty of football left in his career. But the Buffalo Bills’ quarterback is already setting records. 

Allen broke Cam Newton’s record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL history with his 76th score on the ground, which came on the third play of the fourth quarter eight yards out on third-and-goal Nov. 30 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Allen took the snap on a designed quarterback-run and plowed into the arms of multiple Steelers defenders who could not bring him down. The Bills’ offensive line provided a push to help Allen, who never stopped moving his legs, over the goal line.

The reigning NFL MVP is up to 11 rushing touchdowns this season; his single-season best is 15 from the 2022 campaign. Allen has at least six rushing touchdowns in all eight of his pro seasons. 

Allen made more history against Pittsburgh earlier in the game. He passed NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre for fifth place on the list of signal callers with the most passing touchdowns in the first eight seasons of their career (214) when he found Keon Coleman for a one-yard score in the third quarter.

The Bills led 23-7 with a quarter to go.

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Women’s volleyball selection show recap: Bracket, schedule

It’s been 11 months since Penn State volleyball defeated Louisville in four sets to claim the program’s eighth national championship.

Next month, a new champion will be crowned — and the road to get there was officially set this weekend.

Watch the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament selection show live with Fubo (free trial)

The selection show for the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament took place on Sunday, Nov. 30, when 64 teams saw their names unveiled in a bracket to see what path they have to the Final Four in Kansas City.

Nebraska enters the event as the favorite to win it all, with a 30-0 record under first-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. The Cornhuskers will have considerable competition in their quest to win their sixth national championship, with Texas, Kentucky, Arizona State and Pitt posing what could be stiff challenges.

USA TODAY Sports is providing live updates of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament selection show. Follow along:

HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.

NCAA volleyball tournament selection show live updates

NCAA volleyball tournament bracket

Kentucky Quadrant

No. 1 Kentucky (25-2) vs. Wofford (17-13)
No. 8 UCLA (18-12) vs. Georgia Tech (16-13)
No. 5 BYU (22-8) vs. Cal Poly (25-7)
No. 4 USC (24-6) vs. Princeton (18-6)
No. 3 Creighton (25-5) vs. Northern Colorado (17-15)
No. 6 Northern Iowa (25-5) vs. Utah (15-14)
No. 7 Tennessee (20-7) vs. Utah State (23-7)
No. 2 Arizona State (26-3) vs. Coppin State (23-11)

Texas Quadrant

No. 1 Texas (23-3) vs. Florida A&M (14-16)
No. 8 Penn State (18-12) vs. South Florida (17-12)
No. 5 Colorado (22-8) vs. American (24-4)
No. 4 Indiana (23-7) vs. Toledo (23-10)
No. 3 Wisconsin (24-4) vs. Eastern Illinois (24-7)
No. 6 UTEP (25-4) vs. North Carolina (21-8)
No. 7 South Dakota State (23-4) vs. Arizona (16-12)
No. 2 Stanford (27-4) vs. Utah Valley (16-10)

Pitt Quadrant

No. 1 Pitt (26-4) vs. UMBC (13-11)
No. 8 Xavier (26-4) vs. Michigan (21-10)
No. 5 Iowa State (22-7) vs. St. Thomas (21-9)
No. 4 Minnesota (22-9) vs. Fairfield (25-5)
No. 3 Purdue (24-6) vs. Wright State (21-10)
No. 6 Baylor (17-9) vs. Arkansas State (22-8)
No. 7 Rice (21-9) vs. Florida (15-11)
No. 2 SMU (25-5) vs. Central Arkansas (18-11)

Nebraska Quadrant

No. 1 Nebraska (30-0) vs. LIU (20-8)
No. 8 San Diego (25-4) vs. Kansas State (17-3)
No. 5 Miami (26-5) vs. Tulsa (25-6)
No. 4 Kansas (22-10) vs. High Point (18-9)
No. 3 Texas A&M (23-4) vs. Campbell (23-6)
No. 6 TCU (20-10) vs. Stephen F. Austin (23-7)
No. 7 Western Kentucky (27-5) vs. Marquette (17-10)
No. 2 Louisville (24-6) vs. Loyola Chicago (17-15)

Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas, Pitt earn No. 1 seeds

Nebraska, with its undefeated record, was a no-brainer as the top overall seed, but Kentucky, Texas and Pitt join the Cornhuskers as No. 1 seeds in the tournament. The Longhorns won the NCAA championship in 2022 and 2023 while the Wildcats won it all in 2020. The Panthers, meanwhile, have made the Final Four in each of the past four years.

As long as they advance, each of those teams will play at home all the way through to the Final Four

NCAA women’s volleyball rankings

The RPI rankings weigh heavily into the NCAA’s seeding and at-large selections for the women’s volleyball tournament. Here’s a look at the latest top 10, which has been updated through Nov. 30:

Nebraska
Texas
Kentucky
Arizona State
Pitt
Creighton
Stanford
SMU
Louisville
Texas A&M

To see the full RPI rankings, click here.

NCAA volleyball projected bracket

Here’s a look at the latest mock bracket from Michella Chester of NCAA.com.

NCAA Division 1 volleyball rankings

Though it hasn’t been updated since Nov. 16, here’s a look at the top 10 of the latest AVCA rankings:

Nebraska
Kentucky
Texas
Pitt
Stanford
Texas A&M
Louisville
SMU
Arizona State
Wisconsin

How to watch NCAA volleyball bracket reveal

TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+ ∣ Fubo (free trial)

The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament selection show will air on ESPN. Streaming options for the show include ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.

What time is women’s volleyball NCAA tournament selection show today?

Date: Sunday, Nov. 30
Start time: 6 p.m. ET

The NCAA volleyball tournament selection show is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 30.

NCAA volleyball tournament automatic qualifiers

Here’s a look at the 31 teams that have earned automatic berths to the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament by virtue of winning their conferences:

ACC: Stanford
American: Tulsa
American East: UMBC
Atlantic Sun: Central Arkansas
Atlantic 10: Loyola Chicago
Big East: Creighton
Big Sky: Northern Colorado
Big South: High Point
Big Ten: Nebraska
Big 12: Arizona State
Big West: Cal Poly
CAA: Campbell
Conference USA: Western Kentucky
Horizon: Wright State
Ivy: Princeton
MAAC: Fairfield
MAC: Toledo
MEAC: Coppin State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Mountain West: Utah State
NEC: LIU
Ohio Valley: Eastern Illinois
Patriot: American
SEC: Kentucky
SoCon: Wofford
Southland: Stephen F. Austin
SWAC: Florida A&M
Summit: St. Thomas
Sun Belt: Arkansas State
WAC: Utah Valley
WCC: San Diego

When does NCAA volleyball tournament begin?

Start date: Thursday, Dec. 4

The 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament is scheduled to begin with first-round games on Thursday, Dec. 4.

When is the NCAA volleyball Final Four in 2025?

Dates: Thursday, Dec. 18 and Sunday, Dec. 21

The two semifinal matches in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament will take place on Thursday, Dec. 18 and will be followed three days later by the national championship game on Sunday, Dec. 21.

Where is the NCAA volleyball Final Four in 2025?

The Final Four of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament will be held at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. It’s the third time since 2010 that the venue, formerly known as the Sprint Center, has hosted the Final Four.

NCAA volleyball tournament schedule 2025

Here’s a round-by-round look at the schedule for the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament:

First and second rounds: Dec. 4-5 or Dec. 5-6
Sweet 16 and Elite Eight: Dec. 11 and 13 or Dec. 12 and 14
Semifinals: Dec. 18
National championship: Dec. 21

NCAA volleyball tournament champions

Penn State is the reigning NCAA volleyball champion, having defeated Louisville in four sets last year in the national title game. It was the Nittany Lions’ eighth volleyball championship since 1999.

Here’s a look at the past 10 NCAA volleyball champions:

2024: Penn State
2023: Texas
2022: Texas
2021: Wisconsin
2020: Kentucky
2019: Stanford
2018: Stanford
2017: Nebraska
2016: Stanford
2015: Nebraska

For the full list of champions, click here.

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Week 14 Flop 10: Lane Kiffin waiting game, headbutting refs, no bowl for you!

Lane Kiffin had us hitting refresh all day. Mark Stoops says ‘0% chance’ he walks. Kentucky has 0% chance of a bowl. And The Game makes people do crazy things — like headbutt referees, apparently.

Here’s the worst of Week 14 of the college football season in our Flop 10.

Lane Kiffin Watch

It was DEFCON LANE. Saturday was billed as Decision Day, per Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter’s declaration for post-Egg Bowl clarity regarding Kiffin’s future.

All day, Ole Miss and LSU fans, plus college football media types (with young families!) were held hostage waiting for news to break on whether Kiffin was heading to LSU or staying with Ole Miss. He heard he went to yoga, met with coaches to gameplan for potential SEC title game and then a meeting with Carter, which turned into a meeting also with the chancellor. By 9:30 p.m. ET, the reporting was Kiffin wanted to have his cake and eat it too: He wanted to leave for LSU but stay through the CFP. ESPN’s Marty Smith, who was staked out all day in Oxford, called it a ‘sticking point.’

And so I guess I’ll be stuck to my computer for another day.

Kentucky

That math was simple for Kentucky: Beat in-state rival Louisville, and the Wildcats would be bowl eligible. Well… Kentucky lost 41-0.

You want the bad news or more bad news? Mark Stoops was on a warming seat earlier this season, but back-to-back wins over Auburn and Florida cooled some of the exit talk — along with his $37 million buyout. But after losing big at home to Vanderbilt and then no-showing in its rivalry game against a Louisville team ravaged by injury, folks in Lexington may not be thrilled with Stoops saying, ‘0% chance I walk.’ It doesn’t help that UK alum Jon Sumrall is now the hot name on the coaching carousel being linked to nearly every SEC opening.

Nebraska

Nebraska fans, how ya feeling? The school felt compelled to give Matt Rhule a raise and extension after Penn State came sniffing around a gushing alum.

The Cornhuskers are 1-3 since Rhule signed his new deal. Some of that downturn can be attributed to Dylan Raiola’s injury, but Penn State managed to hammer the Huskers with a backup QB and an interim coach — an interim coach who Rhule gave his coaching start to.

Then Nebraska finished the regular season Saturday with a 40-16 home loss to Iowa, while rumors are swirling about Raiola’s future in Lincoln. Things are swell.

Jaishawn Barham

I was under the impression if you make contact with a referee, you’re done for the day. And if you headbutt a referee, you should be suspended. But Michigan standout defender Jaishawn Barham was only flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Just dumb, and dangerous, considering YOU’RE WEARING A HELMET! The Game makes people do stupid things, but this was beyond stupid.

Florida State

To earn a bowl bid the Seminoles (5-7) needed a win Saturday over its floundering rival Florida, who is having an even worse season and already fired its coach. So naturally, the Gators (4-8) pummeled the ‘Noles, winning 40-21.

FSU administration has already rewarded Mike Norvell with another season, so missing a bowl game for the second straight year isn’t fatal. Though at a place like FSU, it should be. Norvell is 7-17 over the past two seasons, and it’s stunning he’s still there. A $58 million buyout is one helluva hard pill to swallow.

SMU

SMU, WYD? All you had to do was beat a Cal team that just fired its coach and you’d be in the ACC Championship game playing for a second straight CFP spot. The Mustangs lost 38-35 as SMU’s last-second field goal went wide right. You never go far right in Berkeley. Now, Duke (7-5, 6-2 ACC) will play Virginia in the title game.

A Duke win could be disastrous for ACC because there’s no guarantee the CFP committee takes Duke as one of the highest-rated conference champions. That may go to James Madison (11-1). Dukes > Duke. Oh, the intrigue!

Cal freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele completed 31-of-40 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns, showing why he’ll be very popular in the transfer portal, should he choose to enter.

Purdue

Purdue finished 2-10 in Barry Odom’s first season in charge, marginal improvement from last year’s 1-11 record that got Ryan Walters fired. It marks the first time since 1922-23 Purdue won two games or fewer in consecutive seasons.

The Boilermakers haven’t won a Big Ten game since 2023 and have lost 21 straight games against Power Four teams, the worst streak amongst power conference programs.

What magnifies Purdue’s futility is it coincides with Indiana’s back-to-back trips to College Football Playoff. At least Friday’s 56-3 loss was better than last year’s 66-0 Old Oaken Bucket defeat. Marginal improvement…

Bonus nugget: Vanderbilt reached 10 wins this season, meaning Purdue has the longest active streak among Power Four teams without a double-digit win season (1979). Go basketball!

Youngstown State

In Yale’s first FCS playoff game in program history, it trailed Youngstown State 35-7 at halftime. Then the Penguins froze as Yale scored 36 points in the second half — 29 unanswered — and flipped the script, winning Saturday’s FCS first round game 43-42.

‘It’s like a nightmare and you feel like you let a lot of people down,’ YSU coach Doug Phillips said afterward. ‘… We’ll carry that one a long time into this offseason… Gotta dig down deep, myself, staff, players, and figure out how you give up such a big lead.’

Harvard had no such luck in the Ivy League’s first foray into the FCS. The Crimson bled heavily, losing 52-7 to Villanova in its first round game.

UMass

The Minutemen lost to Bowling Green 45-14 on Tuesday to finish the season 0-12, the worst year in program history. UMass is the lone FBS team without a win this season, not a great start to coach Joe Harasymiak’s tenure. Back in the MAC for first time since 2015, UMass lost its games by an average margin of 27.5 points. The Minutemen last FBS win was Oct. 28, 2023, when it beat Army.

Baylor

Baylor needed a win to become bowl eligible and lost at home to Houston to finish 5‑7 in Year Six of Dave Aranda. Anyone else surprised this was Aranda’s sixth season? I guess that’s an indictment of the program’s recent mediocrity. His record in Waco is 36-37, and he got the assurance from his AD he’d return for 2026, an assurance that came with the disclaimer: ‘This decision will garner strong opinions.’

Here’s a fun, strong opinion from a worried Bears fan:

BONUS: Oklahoma State

One team that did make a coaching change, maybe should have just let Mike Gundy finish out the season. Because the Cowboys lost nine in a row after firing Gundy. It was so bad, they couldn’t even win coin tosses (2-10 this season). OSU finished 1-11 and 0-9 in Big 12 play after Saturday’s 20-13 loss to Iowa State. That’s two straight winless conference seasons and 19 straight league losses. Hopefully better days are ahead with North Texas coach Eric Morris set to bring his high-octane offense to Stillwater.

USA TODAY Sports reporter Jordan Mendoza contributed to this story.

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WATCH: Chargers wild tip drill INT vs. Raiders upheld after review

The Los Angeles Chargers are spicing things up in the turnover battle.

There’s your classic turnover and then the limited edition variety, which L.A. pulled off on Nov. 30 against the rival Las Vegas Raiders. Just moments after Justin Herbert tossed an interception to Kyu Blu Kelly, Geno Smith returned the favor with something that is guaranteed to end up on highlight reels.

Vegas’ quarterback lofted a ball down the sideline for Dont’e Thornton Jr., who was, fittingly, being defended by Donte Jackson.

Jackson and Thornton fought for the ball, where it eventually fell into the arms of Tony Jefferson.

Take a look:

Given the play’s wild nature, a review had to take place.

If either player was out of bounds when they touched the ball, the interception would be voided and possession returned to the Raiders.

Replay upheld the call on the field, allowing the tip drill highlight to stand.

Nothing would come of the turnover for the home side, who would promptly turn the ball over on downs and give it right back to Vegas.

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