Kelsie Whitmore became the first 1-1 selection, while Mo’Ne Davis heard her name called just nine picks later as the Women’s Pro Baseball League’s inaugural draft populated four teams in advance of its 2026 debut season.

The Nov. 20 player selection reveal illustrated just how much the game has thrived globally.

Five countries – the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea and the Dominican Republic – were represented in the first nine picks, as Whitmore’s selection by the San Francisco franchise was followed by Los Angeles selecting 35-year-old Japanese pitching legend Ayami Sato.

Players from Mexico, Curacao, Australia, France and England were also eventually selected in the 120-player draft, with player ages ranging from 18 to 37.

Davis, who rose to fame by throwing a shutout at the 2014 Little League World Series, was drafted 10th by Los Angeles. Davis went on to play basketball and collegiate softball at Hampton University, and earned a graduate degree from Columbia.

Whitmore, 27, made her name in men’s baseball spaces throughout her playing career, starting with the independent Sonoma Stompers and then Staten Island in the Atlantic League. She spent last season playing for the Savannah Bananas, while relishing the chance to play in an all-women’s league.

‘It brings freedom. It allows you to feel so free with yourself,’ Whitmore said at the August WPBL tryouts.

Ashton Lansdell, who played for the Savannah Bananas’ Party Animals franchise and an Ole Miss softball alum, was selected seventh overall by Los Angeles.

All four franchises – San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and New York – will play in a central location, which in 2026 will be Springfield, Illinois. The season is slated to begin in August.

WPBL draft results

A look at the top 30 WPBL draft picks:

San Francisco: Kelsie Whitmore, P/OF, USA
Los Angeles: Ayami Sato, RHP, Japan
New York: Kyleie Lahners, INF, USA
Boston: Hyeonah Kim, C, South Korea
Boston: Alli Schroder, RHP, Canada
New York: Denae Benitez, INF, USA
Los Angeles: Ashton Lansdell, 3B, USA
San Francisco: Amanda Gianelloni, INF, USA
San Francisco: Joey Leguizamon, SS, Dominican Republic
Los Angeles: Mo’Ne Davis, RHP, USA
New York: Rakyung Kim, RHP/INF, South Korea
Boston: Raine Padgham, RHP, Canada
Boston:  Zoe Hicks, 3B, Canada
New York: Jaida Lee, RHP, Canada
Los Angeles: Meggie Meidlinger, RHP, USA
San Francisco: Jill Albayati, RHP, USA
San Francisco: Samantha Gutierrez, C, USA
Los Angeles: Thaima Maxiliana, SS, Curacao
New York: London Studer, 1B, USA
Boston: Alexis Hastings, OF, USA
Boston: Kate Blunt, SS, USA
New York: Kiera Izumi, SS, USA
Los Angeles: Jamie Mackay, C, USA
San Francisco: Ayaka Yamamoto, 3B, Japan
San Francisco: Niki Eckert, LHP, USA
Los Angeles: Emi Saiki, SS, Japan
New York: Yonetani Natsuki, OF, Japan
Boston: Denver Bryant, 2B, USA
Boston: Ticara Geldenhuis, Australia
New York: Alyssa Zettlemoyer, C, USA

The complete list of players drafted can be found here.

The SEC is concerned the College Football Playoff selection committee is not prioritizing strength of schedule as promised.
A potential scenario where the SEC runner-up is left out of the 12-team playoff could cause major conflict.
Tensions are also rising between the SEC and Big Ten over future playoff formats and conference scheduling.

The SEC and Big Ten have made stunning moves over the past five years to dramatically mold college football into their preferred image. 

What they can’t do is control the human condition on the College Football Playoff selection committee.

And that may just lead to more stunning moves from the SEC to change the sport forever.

Because the day the runner-up of the SEC isn’t selected to the CFP, is the day the SEC walks out of the entire process.

A selection process the SEC was promised would change, where strength of schedule and big wins, and to a lesser extent, close losses in big games, would be the high-value entry point. 

Three weeks into the latest iteration of the CFP poll, it’s clear those promises haven’t been kept. 

“That simply didn’t happen,” said Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz. 

You want a nightmare scenario for the SEC, and the rest of college football, by proxy? Here it is: 

No. 10 Alabama beats Auburn, advances to the SEC championship game, loses to either No. 3 Texas A&M or No. 4 Georgia (which it already beat this season, in Athens), and drops out of the 12-team CFP.

Behind Notre Dame, which lost to Texas A&M at home. Behind Miami, which won’t even have played in its conference championship game — much less, the ACC championship game.

The 16 SEC presidents would get on the horn to commissioner Greg Sankey, and the fallout would be catastrophic for the future of college football. 

A scenario like that — which isn’t that far from unfolding — would force the SEC into fight or flight, to take its ball and go home with its television partner (ESPN) that runs the sport, and start an SEC-only playoff.

It’s not like they haven’t threatened to do so before. In fact, Sankey defiantly said not long ago that it wasn’t a threat.

In other words, we’ll do it.   

Look, the SEC has played a role in the sport’s dramatic change, and must take its fair share of blame for some of the chaos playing out on and off the field. Expansion, contraction, player empowerment and free player movement with unbridled NIL free agency. They must own it. 

But the most popular and competitive conference in all of college sports has yet to truly flex its muscle. It still hasn’t played the final, undeniably devastating card it holds.

Sankey hasn’t said as much, and won’t when asked. He’ll do what he should, and say we’ll let the committee do its work and hope they use the new metrics they were given to begin the season. 

You know, the proper response — so it doesn’t look like he’s trying to influence the committee. But that hammer is waiting to fall.

Because after the SEC was told the new metrics would be used, the league in August moved to a nine-game conference schedule. Because the Big Ten and Big 12 were already there, and the ACC was moving there, too ― and the SEC opted to put everyone on the same level of play.

Even though they clearly aren’t. 

But the SEC acquiesced, and they moved forward believing the Big Ten would then return the favor by agreeing to a 5+11 model (five automatic qualifiers, 11 at-large) for the 16-team format beginning in 2026. Only the Big Ten hasn’t.

In fact, we’re mere days from ESPN’s deadline of Dec. 1 to change the format for 2026 and beyond, and the Big Ten is still pitching outrageous ideas. One, a 24-team playoff. 

So what exactly is the SEC supposed to do?

Roll into 2026 with a nine-game conference schedule, intentionally making it more difficult to reach the CFP? Do so knowing the CFP hasn’t used the metrics they were given, and preventing the SEC from absorbing more playoff-changing losses?

And do so knowing they will never, ever change the human condition ― because no one in the history of the planet has. 

“I was the first one to say in our meetings going to nine games made no sense,” said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops. “Everyone outside of our league, of course they wanted us to. But it made no sense for us to do so.”

Now the SEC is staring at another paradigm moment in the evolution of the sport, just a couple weeks from announcing the week-by-week 2026 schedule that includes nine conference games. 

For now, anyway. 

Because if the nightmare scenario of the SEC runner-up missing the CFP unfolds, all options are on the table. 

Including the SEC taking their ball and going home.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him at @MattHayesCFB. 

Despite an 8-2 record, the Philadelphia Eagles offense has faced criticism for underperforming this season.
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith stated the criticism is fair, acknowledging the offense hasn’t played to its full potential.
Smith attributes the offensive struggles to self-inflicted errors, particularly pre-snap penalties.

The Philadelphia Eagles offense has received criticism this season despite the team being atop the NFC with an 8-2 record. Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith believes the critique of the defending Super Bowl champs is warranted.

“I think it’s fair. We know we haven’t been playing our best football offensively,” Smith told USA TODAY Sports in a promotional interview on behalf of Oral-B. “The defense has been playing lights out, so trying to play to the standard they’re playing at. I think all criticism is fair.”

The Eagles returned 10 of 11 offensive starters from the squad that won Super Bowl 59. But that continuity on offense hasn’t translated to equivalent production. The Eagles rank 25th in total offense (300.1 yards per game), 17th in run offense (115.2 yards per game), 28th in pass offense (184.9 yards per game) and 16th in points per game (23.4) entering Week 12.

The statistics in all four major offensive categories are a decline from last year’s team.

Philadelphia ranked eighth in total offense (367.2 yards per game), second in run offense (179.3 yards per game), 29th in pass offense (187.9 yards per game) and seventh in points per game (27.2) in the 2024 regular season.

‘We shoot ourselves in the foot a lot.’ Penalties, errors setting Eagles back

Wide receiver A.J. Brown’s voiced his frustration over Philadelphia’s offense on social media and through the media, which even led to a private meeting with quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley.

Smith said the Eagles haven’t let Brown’s frustration become a distraction.

Kevin Patullo replacing Kellen Moore as offensive coordinator was the biggest change Philadelphia made on offense coming into the season. But Smith insists Patullo and Moore’s (now head coach of the New Orleans Saints) offensive philosophies are similar.

“I don’t think it’s a big difference,” Smith said of Patullo and Moore’s offensive approach. “Everybody has their flavor that they throw in there but it’s not too much different.”

So, why has the Eagles offense struggled this year?  

“I think we shoot ourselves in the foot a lot,” Smtih said of the team’s offensive struggles. “We get a lot of pre-snap penalties, whether it’s, the O-line, the receivers. A lot of the penalties is what’s set us back.”

Granted, the Eagles have been flagged 70 times to date, which is the 14th most in the league.

One can argue penalties aren’t preeminent reason why the Eagles offense isn’t flying high yet this year. The Eagles rank 24th in offensive success rate, according to Sumer Sport.

There’s also the factor that the defending Super Bowl champions have a target on their back each week.

“Nobody’s gonna take you lightly,” Smith said. “You’re gonna get every team’s best, and we have to be prepared for that.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

It’s the last Thursday before Thanksgiving, which means now is a great time to call up your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa or great-grandparents for their recipes and hit the grocery store to pick up all of the ingredients.

It’s also a great time to watch some football.

The Houston Texans will host the Buffalo Bills in the last ‘Thursday Night Football’ game before next week’s national holiday. It’s also the second straight season in which Houston hosts the Bills. Last year, the Texans took the win on a 59-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.

Both teams are coming off wins in Week 11 as they enter a prime-time matchup that could have some playoff implications – Buffalo holds the AFC’s No. 1 wild card spot, and Houston is just outside of the postseason bubble.

Notably, the Texans are still without starting quarterback C.J. Stroud, who remains in the league’s concussion protocol for another week. Backup Davis Mills is making his third straight start.

USA TODAY Sports will be providing live updates on score changes, highlights and notable injuries (should they happen) throughout the evening on Nov. 20.

Here’s the latest news out of Texans vs. Bills on ‘Thursday Night Football’:

What channel is Texans vs Bills on Monday Night Football?

TV channel (national): N/A
TV channel (Buffalo market): ABC 7 WKBW
TV channel (Houston market): FOX 26 KRIV

The Texans vs. Bills matchup will not air on TV, as it will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. Viewers in the Buffalo market can watch via ABC, while those in the Houston TV market can catch it on Fox.

Watch ‘Thursday Night Football’ with Amazon Prime

What time is Texans vs Bills on Thursday Night Football tonight?

Start time: 8:15 p.m. ET | 7:15 p.m. CT

The Texans and Bills are scheduled to kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET. Buffalo travels to NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas to take on Houston.

Texans vs. Bills live stream

Stream: Amazon Prime Video | Fubo (local market)

Amazon Prime Video will air the Jets-Patriots ‘Thursday Night Football’ matchup. Those in local TV markets can use Fubo to watch the matchup.

Watch ‘Thursday Night Football’ with Amazon Prime

Texans vs Bills prediction

The Texans still don’t have their starting quarterback, with Stroud still in concussion protocol. The Bills’ starting quarterback is coming off one of the most impressive games of his career with six total touchdowns. Houston backup Davis Mills may be 2-0, but this Buffalo team is a step above the inconsistent Jacksonville Jaguars and several steps above the 1-9 Tennessee Titans. The Bills’ offense will have its work cut out for them against a Texans defense that ranks among the best in the league, but Buffalo is ultimately the better team with Stroud still missing from Houston’s offense.

Prediction: Bills 17, Texans 14

Texans vs Bills live betting odds, moneyline, O/U

Texans inactives vs. Bills

TBA

Bills inactives vs. Texans

TBA

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Bills schedule 2025

Texans schedule 2025

FOX has flexed the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game in Week 14 to an earlier time slot.
The Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers game will now be played in the later 4:25 p.m. ET window.
The NFL allows for flex scheduling on Sunday afternoons and in prime time for specific weeks of the season.

The first flex of the NFL season paid off for CBS. Now FOX is trying its hand at a switcheroo, this one moving the Buffalo Bills’ Week 14 (Dec. 7) tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals from 4:25 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET. Moving later in the day is the Chicago Bears’ game against the Green Bay Packers from Lambeau Field. 

CBS will likely be all-in surrounding the AFC North matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens in the early window. FOX can now prioritize the NFC North tilt between one of the classic NFL rivalries.

The Bengals have been without quarterback Joe Burrow for much of the season. But he returned to practice the week before the team’s Nov. 24 game against the New England Patriots. Cincinnati also plays Thanksgiving Day (night) at 8:20 p.m. ET in Baltimore. 

CBS turned to the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. The game, shown in 78% of markets, drew 26.8 million viewers. 

It’s worth noting Nielsen’s recent methodological changes. In 2020, the company introduced out-of-home viewing – which the networks long claimed was being underreported – and expanded on it this year. They also shifted to a “Big Data + Panel,” which Nielsen says better measures viewing on digital devices.

In prime time, flex scheduling is eligible for “Sunday Night Football” (NBC) twice between Weeks 5–10 and as needed the rest of the season. “Monday Night Football” (ESPN) games can be changed from weeks 12-17. Finally, “Thursday Night Football” contests can be altered between Weeks 13-17. 

Hero or heel? Lane Kiffin’s actions these next few years will dictate how he’s remembered at Ole Miss.
What does Lane Kiffin want legacy to be? ‘Impact people’ he says. He can do that at Florida or LSU.
Lane Kiffin always speaks highly of Ole Miss and Oxford. That’s not the same as wanting to end his career there.

Get your popcorn ready.

Here’s a play in three acts:

1. Mississippi loses the Egg Bowl in Starkville.
2. Lane Kiffin vamooses for another SEC job.
3. The Rebels are left out of the College Football Playoff.
Epilogue: Ole Miss fans hate Kiffin forever, and he reprises his past role as a villainous traitor.

The Greeks’ “Oedipus Rex” would have nothing on this modern-day tragedy in Dixie.

Now, in contrast, how about this three-act drama that’s more uplifting, except for those in Starkville and Gainesville:

1. Ole Miss quiets the cowbells and wins the Egg Bowl.
2. Kiffin signs a contract extension and announces he’s riding with the Rebels.
3. Ole Miss qualifies for the playoff for the first time in history and plays into January.
Epilogue: Kiffin eventually leaves Ole Miss year(s) later, but, upon his retirement, a statue is built in Oxford. Kiffin is welcomed back a hero, and he’ll remember his time coaching the Rebels as the most rewarding years of his career.

This story could take a few other shapes, too, like the Rebels winning the Egg Bowl but Kiffin exiting afterward. Kiffin might cling to the illusion of going on a ‘Last Dance’ type run at Ole Miss, even as he packs his bags for an SEC rival. His Ole Miss bosses could put the kibosh on that.

As Kiffin considers overtures from Florida and LSU while his team pursues the playoff, he must ask himself: What type of production does he want to become the star in?

Is he tired of being the renegade, or does he deep down miss that heel turn? Is he ready to scratch the itch I know he must feel for a plot twist?

Did Ole Miss become his forever love? Did he fully and truly embrace Oxford, complete with the rocking chairs on his veranda, or was that just one of the stories he told to refine his image?

Is he ready to give up dreams of brand names and accept his happiness and success at the emboldened underdog punching above its historical weight? Or, does he think he’s taken Ole Miss as high as he could take it, and he could take Florida (or LSU) higher?

Does he make a better hero, or a black hat?

How Lane Kiffin answers the legacy question

As Kiffin navigates this stay-or-go process, to what degree has he thought about what he wants his career legacy to be? That’s the big enchilada, right there.

I asked Kiffin that very question on the SEC’s midweek teleconference. He paused, speechless for several seconds, before beginning to respond.

“That’s a good one,” Kiffin said. “I wasn’t ready for that.”

As he began to answer, he told a story he’s shared with me before, about how after his dad died, he was struck by the number of people, from all walks of life, who told stories of how Monte Kiffin affected them.

“I love that I feel like my story, what I’ve gone through, my experiences, are able to impact people,” Kiffin said. “I remember speaking at my dad’s funeral, and so many people from so many places sending cards, coming down, saying things about his impact on them, and I was like, ‘God, that’s what I hope for.’

“So, I guess I don’t have a full answer, because you were probably thinking more of coaching. I’m thinking more of the legacy that you leave with the people you connect with and the ability to help them through things.”

I don’t think Kiffin is the same person he was when he inflamed Raiders owner Al Davis or jettisoned the Vols. I also don’t think he’s ever, in his heart of hearts, accepted the idea of retiring at Ole Miss.

Kiffin, a consumer of Taylor Swift’s music, once told me his favorite song off her ‘Tortured Poets’ album is, ‘My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys.’

He saw forever, so he smashed it up, the pop icon sings in that one.

Or, he saw forever, and so he moved to Gainesville or Baton Rouge.

As Ole Miss waits, Lane Kiffin decision on Florida, LSU looms large

If Kiffin wants to “impact people,” as he puts it, he doesn’t need to stay at Ole Miss to do that. In fact, he can tell himself he’d encounter more people whom he could impact by leaving for Florida or LSU.

Two things can be true at once: Kiffin has evolved, somewhat, but not so much that he wants to be a Reb for life. I think he’s long fancied Florida, and I think he believes LSU is an elite job with a vaulted ceiling.

Kiffin can’t have it both ways, in this instance. If he spurns Ole Miss and accepts another job while the team he built and the program he electrified is in the midst of a playoff run, he’s the heel again. That might become unchangeable, etched into his epitaph.

We can tell ourselves stories that help us when we look in the mirror, but we don’t get to write our own legacies.

Legacies are crafted by how others perceive and remember our actions.

Kiffin’s actions these next few weeks will dictate how others perceive and remember his career. Hero or heel, what’ll it be?

No matter what he chooses, he’ll be the star of this show.

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

Two more star Japanese players are set to join Major League Baseball.

Corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto of the Yomiuri Giants and right-handed pitcher Kona Takahashi of the Saitama Seibu Lions have were posted on Nov. 20 by their teams in Nippon Professional Baseball. Their 45-day window in which MLB teams will be able to negotiate with and sign them will open at 5 p.m. ET on Friday.

Okamoto, 29, is a six-time NPB All-Star best known for his power − hitting at least 30 home runs in six consecutive seasons from 2018-2023. He also homered twice in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, including a solo blast in Japan’s 3-2 victory over Team USA in the championship game.

Okamoto played in just 69 games in 2025 due to an elbow injury, but managed to slash .327/.416/.598 with 15 home runs. He can slot in at first or third base.

Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Takahashi posted a 3.04 ERA over 148 innings last season for the Lions. He is not an overpowering pitcher, averaging 5.4 strikeouts per nine innings in 2025. He was much more effective during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, with a combined 2.20 ERA and 1.13 WHIP over 330 2/3 innings.

Okamoto and Takahashi join right-hander Tatsuya Imai and slugger Muneteka Murakami as Japanese players who have been posted this offseason.

Major League Soccer announced its 2026 schedule, which gets underway with a showdown between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Son Heung-min’s LAFC at the Los Angeles Coliseum on the Feb. 21 opening night.

Other highlights include an extended World Cup break and the opening of Inter Miami’s new stadium (April 4), an extended break for the World Cup and the league’s All-Star Game in Charlotte (July 29).

MLS will pause after matches on May 24 and return to action on July 16, three days before the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The league’s season had concluded before the December 2022 World Cup, but MLS went on just a nine-day hiatus in 2018, owing largely to the USMNT’s failure to qualify for that tournament.

Messi and Inter play the inaugural game at their new 25,000-seat Miami Freedom Park against Austin, while the 2026 MLS All-Star Game will be at Bank of America Field against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.

Beginning on Nov. 18, the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs will be uninterrupted by a FIFA international window, unlike the knockout rounds in 2025.

All 510 MLS regular season matches will be available on Apple TV in 2026.

MLS schedule 2026: When does season start?

The 2026 Major League Soccer season begins on Feb. 21 with Los Angeles FC hosting Inter Miami at the LA Coliseum.

USA TODAY Sports’ 48-page special edition commemorates 30 years of Major League Soccer, from its best players to key milestones and championship dynasties to what exciting steps are next with the World Cup ahead. Order your copy today!

Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis braided his hair after being legally tackled by it in a game against West Virginia.
According to the NCAA, tackling a ballcarrier by their hair is a legal play.
Lewis is a freshman quarterback who is expected to start the final games of the season for the Buffaloes.

Colorado freshman starting quarterback Julian Lewis got yanked down to the turf by his hair in his first career start at West Virginia Nov. 8, leading to questions about grooming decisions and rules about legal football tackles.

Should he cut his long bushy hair if it was going to be liability like this?

Is it even legal to tackle a player by hairpull?

Lewis recently made a strategic response to this by braiding his hair to help keep it out of reach of defenders, according to his coach, Deion Sanders. He is scheduled to make his second career start Nov. 22 at home against Arizona State.

“He’s braided up now, so we won’t have that problem, which I respected,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Nov. 19 on his weekly “Coach Prime’s Playbook” show on CBS in Denver. “He understood like, ‘Let me take care of this, because I can’t have this happen.’”

What happened to Julian Lewis to prompt the change?

A West Virginia defender grabbed a fistful of his locks and pulled him down with it, jerking him backward for a sack and a 9-yard loss with 2:00 left in the 29-22 defeat. The TNT game broadcast even showed a small pile or Lewis’ hair still on the field afterward.

After an off weekend last week, Lewis, 18, aims to light a spark for Colorado in Sanders’ third season in Boulder. The Buffaloes are 3-7 this season but are building toward the future by investing in Lewis, who plans to burn his redshirt year this year by starting the final three games of the season, including the loss at West Virginia.

Is tackling by hair legal in college football?

The sack by hair was a legal tackle, which demonstrates the risk taken by ballcarriers who wear their hair long and flowing freely underneath their helmets.

The hair takedown of Lewis was cited in a video tutorial recently by Steve Shaw, the NCAA’s national coordinator of officials in college football.

“Is this a foul?” Shaw asked about the play. “Well, it is clearly not a face-mask foul, as no helmet opening is grabbled. And anatomically, the hair is part of the body, an appendage of the skin. So there’s no foul for grabbing the ballcarrier’s hair and pulling them down.”

It’s different if the player is not carrying the ball but is blocking instead.

“If a player is blocking, he cannot grab an opponent’s hair and hold or pull,” Shaw said on the video. “That would be a foul, but attempting to tackle a ballcarrier, this is not a foul.”

The sack by hair put the Buffaloes in a hole in that game. The Buffs were down 29-19 and had a first down on the West Virginia 27-yard line. But the sack set the Buffs back with 2:00 remaining before they eventually settled for a 38-yard field with 1:16 left.

Follow Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com