TORONTO — It was the sort of managerial mishap that has ruined men with greater reputations, with major league player pedigree to fall back on, with bigger contracts and longer leashes.

Yet John Schneider has survived 24 years in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, has grown into a leader his veteran players follow, and has banked enough equity in their clubhouse that Game 5 of the American League Championship Series was not going to define him.

Oh, it was bad: Schneider going with inconsistent lefty Brendon Little in the eighth inning, the ALCS tied 2-2, the Blue Jays holding a 2-1 lead, Cal Raleigh erasing the advantage with one swing and Eugenio Suárez putting Toronto on the brink of winter with a go-ahead grand slam.

For two days, the move was dissected and destroyed, and Schneider’s eternally ruddy face seemed to bear the brunt.

“It felt like I was in a washing machine that just would never stop rinsing and spinning. It was a lot, you know what I mean?” Schneider tells USA TODAY Sports. “You’re always trying to do what’s right by the guys. You’re always trying to let them decide the outcome of the game. I tried to just really stay focused on that and learn in real time and think about what’s best for the team.

“There’s been things I get scrutinized for. You learn to live with it. And the more you do it, the quicker you can move onto the next thing, the easier it gets.”

Oh, there’s little that’s easy about this game. Yet Schneider is proof that redemption is never far: The Blue Jays came home to win Game 6 and Schneider painted his masterpiece in Game 7, deploying two starters in relief, coaxing a third inning in two nights from closer Jeff Hoffman and then, the baseball lifer was granted the just dessert many believed he deserved.

George Springer’s go-ahead, eighth-inning three-run homer vaulted the Blue Jays into their first World Series since 1993, a span in which Schneider was in their employ as a poor-hitting minor league catcher, a coach and manager buried deep in their organization until his methodical rise resulted in him taking the managerial reins in the middle of the 2022 season.

This was not Aaron Boone, going straight from broadcast booth to the Yankee dugout.

No, this was a guy who managed franchise cornerstones Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero many moons ago – not in Toronto, but in rookie league Dunedin, in 2017, when they were teenagers and both players and manager were four levels away from the big city.

This was the organizational grinder sticking around to finally sit in the hottest seat in the organization – and surviving in it long enough to see Game 1, 2025 World Series, Oct. 24 against the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

“It’s easy to play for John because he’s been a player and coach for so long. He’s coached guys here in the minors. He’s basically another player on the team,” Blue Jays set-up man Louis Varland tells USA TODAY Sports. “But he’s the manager. He still maintains that respectful separation between player and manager.

“John is the exact guy you want in that position to deal with it all. He’s the face of the team. He has to answer all the questions. What he does is not easy. But he does it very well. And we are all so happy and prideful to play for him.”

Started from the bottom

At 45, Schneider is just four years older than his most senior player. Yet in this, his fourth season as a big league manager, he made a vow to himself that the gut punches and second guesses and Maalox nights when the best relief options weren’t available would not take him outside of himself.

“My goal coming into the season was to try and be my authentic self. Every single day,” he says. “Not that I wasn’t in the past. But I think you need some time in this job to get good at that. “I’ve tried to keep that in the forefront and set the tone of not wavering if things are bad. And not wavering when things are good and getting too high.

“I feel like that’s resonated with the staff and the players and that’s why we’ve responded the way we do. I’ve learned from past successes and failures to not get lost in it and not get lost in the emotion of it and move on to what the next important thing is.”

So authentic, it is.

After their ALCS Game 7 triumph, Schneider took the liberty to drop a handful of f-bombs on the live mic in Rogers Centre, broadcast live to the nation, as well.

Yet even those words were carefully considered.

“This is (expletive) unbelievable to me,” he said to longtime Blue Jays broadcast reporter Hazel Mae. “This is my 24th year with this organization, and I (expletive) love it here.”

Later, he expanded on that notion, beer dripping off his hat as his players poured Budweiser on their manager.

“It’s such a fulfilling job because you have an entire country hanging on every pitch and I do, too,” he says. “I feel like I’m part Canadian.

“I love drinking beer, I like Tim Horton’s, I’m one of ‘em, you know what I mean?”

OK, so he’s technically a Jersey guy schooled at the University of Delaware. But wear a maple leaf on your hat long enough, and you definitely pass.

Especially when you can stay cool in the most uncomfortable moments.

The Blue Jays led the major leagues in comeback wins this season, so Schneider knew what to do when the seventh inning of ALCS Game 7 came around: He sat down next to hitting coach David Popkins, their customary, silent alignment when a rally was needed.

Perhaps it was just coincidence that Springer delivered. But guide your club to 94 wins, and seven in 11 postseason games, and you earn the regard of those around you.

“I saw someone who was able to get to the next game, get to the next pitch, and really lead and not show an ounce of panic on his face. Everyone feels that,” says Popkins. “It’s easy for managers sometimes when stuff like that happens to really start to panic. They might not want to show it, but they are. They’re showing it on their face.”

Popkins read Schneider’s expression on that suboptimal flight back from Seattle after the Game 5 loss, into the next day. And saw a manager ready to turn the page.

“I think Schneids took a day to talk about it, to feel it, and then after that he was the same guy the next day,” says Popkins.

Says future Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer: “This clubhouse is really tight. And he’s a part of it. Our coaches are in sync with our players. He’s kind of adopted the personality of us, and we of him and we’re a very good team.

“We did lose Game 5 in a very heartbreaking way. Yeah, it stung. We’re humans. But we knew, going back on the flight, we can flip the script. We knew we can play with anybody in this league. We’re a great team. And we did. We flipped it.”

‘Kind of a surreal moment’

They rebounded to win Game 6 behind rookie Trey Yesavage and won the pennant a night later. It was a culmination of what so many veteran Blue Jays say was a potent clubhouse combination, a tight-knit multi-cultural group loving their time in Toronto.

Scherzer, 41, says he had an epiphany the other day: He’s closer in age to Schneider than his eldest Blue Jays teammates. He’s seeking his third World Series ring, his most recent won under four-time Series champion Bruce Bochy.

In Schneider, Scherzer sees a leader but also a semi-peer with whom he can convey the clubhouse vibes.

“It gives me runway where I do have a more personal relationship with a manager. I’ve been around the block. I know how to run a race. This is what I’ve seen,” says Scherzer. “Been in many organizations. Seen how teams operate. And just kind of have the conversation with him, how he’s thinking about the team and the game and seeing it.

“Or, frankly, sometimes, a manager needs to know exactly what the clubhouse is thinking. That can be a very important bridge to make sure everybody in the front office knows as well. It’s a two-way street of communication. He’s been great about it.”

Schneider will now aim to join Cito Gaston as the lone managers to guide the Blue Jays to a World Series championship. Gaston’s name is forever on Rogers Centre’s Level of Excellence, right in between Davie Stieb and longtime exec Pat Gillick.

Perhaps Schneider needs multiple championships, like Gaston, to get memorialized up there. But 24 years in an organization certainly counts for something.

If nothing else, it bought him the equity to maneuver through the tightest of spaces, this postseason cauldron that saw the Blue Jays emerge, ready to host the defending champions in their own, raucous barn.

And now this career .206-hitting catcher has bested Boone and Mariners manager Dan Wilson, a former All-Star catcher, in this postseason. Another playoff legend and two-time World Series winning manager Dave Roberts awaits.

“I know there’s scrutiny and second-guessing that comes with my job. I get it. That’s OK,” says Schneider “But I will do everything in my power to do right by this organization and this entire country.

“For me, it’s kind of a surreal moment now.”

INGLEWOOD, CA — Catching passes from Justin Herbert is a full circle moment for Los Angeles Chargers rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden II.

Gadsden’s father, who he’s named after, played with the Miami Dolphins for six seasons, from 1998 to 2003. Gadsden’s allegiance was to the Dolphins growing up because of his father.

Gadsden II was still in high school in 2020, the year the Dolphins had the fifth pick in the draft. He wanted Miami to draft Justin Herbert with the selection.

The Dolphins chose Tua Tagovailoa, instead, and the Chargers took Herbert with the next selection.

Five years later, Gadsden is catching passes from Herbert on the Chargers.

“It feels great. He’s a guy I’ve been watching for a long time, as long as he’s been in the league,” Gadsden told USA TODAY Sports. “I was a Dolphins fan growing up, so I really was hoping that the Dolphins drafted him back then. So, this guy’s great to play with now and be one of his good targets.”

Gadsden’s turned into one of Herbert’s favorite targets while taking over the Chargers starting tight end position.

The Chargers’ offense has featured Gadsden the past two weeks.

“He’s a stud,” Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey said. “I knew he was special. He’s getting his opportunity and he’s playing like (a) vet.”

Even in a loss in Week 7, Gadsden produced 164 receiving yards, the fourth-most by a rookie tight end in a game in NFL history, and a touchdown. The Chargers offense operated out of 22 personnel (two running backs and two tight ends) on 27 plays in Week 8, tied for third-most by an offense in a game since 2016, per Next Gen Stats. Gadsden compiled five catches, 77 yards and a touchdown in the Chargers’ 37-10 win versus the Minnesota Vikings. He’s just the third rookie tight end since 1970 to register consecutive games with 75 receiving yards and a touchdown.

“As soon as he got here for camp, we knew he was gonna be pretty good. He made a ton of plays, picked up the offense really quickly, and just found a way to get open. That’s what he did (Thursday),” Herbert said. “We’re definitely gonna get him the ball as much as we can, because good things happen when he gets it.”

The rookie fifth-round pick now has 27 catches, 385 receiving yards and two touchdowns in six games this season. He’s quickly become a reliable target over the middle for Herbert and a Chargers team that came into Week 8 with the NFL’s third-best passing offense.

“Just super talented. The thing that strikes me the most is he plays like he’s been playing in the NFL for two, three, four years. He seems like a four-year, five-year player to me,’ Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said.

‘Sure that’s Mr. Gadsden and Mrs. Gadsden who have poured that into him. And with his dad playing, you can probably connect the dots that he’s been in the league his whole life. That’s how he plays. That’s how he approaches everything that he does.

‘That’s been well coached into him and well parented into Oronde, and bodes well for the Chargers.”

Gadsden’s football bloodlines have already paid dividends for the Chargers. His 164 receiving yards in Week 7 were the most by a Chargers tight end since Hall of Famer Antonio Gates had a 167-yard outing in 2009. Gadsden followed up that performance with another superb game in prime time on Thursday night.

‘Bringing the energy, bringing the speed, being consistent in practice, how I am in the game. Then being able to catch the ball every time it’s thrown at me, plus being able to get open versus man,’ Gadsden said of his approach this season.

It’s working thus far. If he continues his positive trajectory, the Chargers might’ve found their tight end of the present and future in the fifth round of the draft.

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

It’s been a quarter-century of mini-dynasties, underdog stories and, so far, no repeat World Series champions.

Yet just how do the 25 Fall Classic victors since 2000 stack up?

With the second quarter of the 21st century ready to crown another baseball king, USA TODAY Sports ranks the 25 World Series champions from least-accomplished to the very best:

25. 2006 St. Louis Cardinals

We’re not here to take the shine off anyone’s diamonds, but this group is an easy choice for No. 25. At 83 wins, they tote the lowest win total of this group.  Their postseason run was turbocharged by manager Tony La Russa’s derring-do on the last day of the season, when he held out Chris Carpenter hoping his team would either win or back in with a Houston loss. They did both – and Carpenter plowed through the playoffs. The World Series was rainy and grim and error-prone. Best forgotten, unless you wash down your toasted ravioli with a swig of Schlafly.

24. 2021 Atlanta Braves

It’s fitting that a seven-year run of Atlanta excellence netted a championship, but ironic that perhaps its most diminished team pulled it off. The Braves lost Ronald Acuña Jr. to a midseason knee injury, won just 88 games and then saw Game 1 World Series starter Charlie Morton succumb to a broken leg. They gutted through with a handful of bullpen games, Max Fried’s brilliance and a three-headed, bepearled monster in the outfield to replace Acuña.

23. 2011 St. Louis Cardinals

We mean no disrespect to the Gateway to the West. For real. It’s just that these Cardinals were 10½ games out of first on Sept. 5, won 90 games and needed some acts of nature to simply get in the playoffs. What they did have: Albert Pujols and Chris Carpenter, who vanquished Roy Halladay and the Phillies in an epic NLDS Game 5 and made three World Series starts thanks to some timely rainouts.

22. 2000 New York Yankees

The Yankees’ three-peat hardly ended with a whimper. They were just a little tired, perhaps. These Bombers won just 87 games and were forced to an ALDS Game 5 by the low-payroll Oakland Athletics. Yet all the usual suspects turned up when they needed them, buttressed by David Justice, who hit 20 homers after a June trade from Cleveland and three more big ones in the postseason, earning ALCS MVP.

21. 2014 San Francisco Giants

Perhaps no franchise is tougher to slot in this exercise than the three-time champion Giants, whose whole was always grander than the sum of their parts. We’ll call this edition the weakest of their three even-year champions, simply because this was always a pitching-centric operation and Tim Hudson, 39, and Jake Peavy combined for a 9.22 ERA in four World Series starts. But the gallant Madison Bumgarner can cover up a lot of deficiencies, with help from a battle-tested bullpen.

20. 2003 Miami Marlins

Talk about a team that had everything and nothing: The only squad among this bunch that fired its manager (Jeff Torborg) midseason, drew just 1.3 million fans to its cavernous football stadium and had a closer eventually convicted of attempted murder in Venezuela. Yet these 91-win wild cards had an amazingly effective throwback duo of slap-and-run dudes in Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo combine for 7.9 WAR, a ready-made playoff ace in Josh Beckett and a 20-year-old hitting machine named Miguel Cabrera. Yes, this team took out the Aaron-Bleeping-Boone Yankees.

19. 2013 Boston Red Sox

No hate for these 97-game winners that rank the lowest among Boston’s four titlists. And salute to David Ortiz, who had perhaps his most epic postseason (.353, five homers, 1.206 OPS in 16 games), months after his ‘this is our (bleeping) city’ moment in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing. Yet these were the Sox of Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes, John Lackey and Mike Napoli, a salty veteran crew that got it done. Salute to them all, even if they’re less decorated than other squads that earned the right to pilot duck boats on the Charles.

18. 2023 Texas Rangers

Almost the epitome of the potent yet streaky squad that caught fire at the right time, Texas won just 90 games and had to fight through the wild-card series, yet proved there’s such a thing as performers built for the postseason. Namely, ace Nathan Eovaldi, slugging shortstop Corey Seager and manager Bruce Bochy, who added a fourth title to his Hall of Fame resume.

17. 2002 Anaheim Angels

They crafted the modern ideal of a playoff team: Make contact but also slug home runs, get by with nominal starting pitching and turn it over to a dominant bullpen. These wild-card Angels won 99 games, ended the Yankees’ streak of four consecutive AL pennants and stunned Barry Bonds’ Giants with a stirring Game 6 rally. Lackey, beginning a run of three championships with three franchises, won Game 7.

16. 2012 San Francisco Giants

The year Giants postseason devil magic was truly born. They lost All-Star center fielder Melky Cabrera to a PED suspension, trailed St. Louis 3-1 in the NLCS and trusted their season to shaky veteran Barry Zito in Game 5. But Zito and the Giants roared all the way back, and the lefty beat Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the World Series, when Pablo Sandoval – Pablo Sandoval! – crushed three homers off the future Hall of Famer.

15. 2019 Washington Nationals

Not your average 93-win wild card, not with a pitching staff featuring future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer, World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg at the height of health and dominance, and Patrick Corbin somehow justifying a $140 million contract with one great season. Oh, and this Juan Soto fellow graced the postseason stage for the first time, helping them overcome a 2-1 NLDS deficit and 3-2 World Series disadvantage to stun the Astros.

14. 2005 Chicago White Sox

Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia, Mark Buehrle and Jose Contreras – the latter had just turned 40 – won’t make anyone’s list of most dominant pitching quartet. But for two weeks in October, they couldn’t be stopped, pitching four consecutive complete games to shock the Angels in the ALCS and then sweeping aside Houston. A nice capstone for franchise stalwart Paul Konerko, who hit five playoff homers and won ALCS MVP honors.

13. 2022 Houston Astros

A true meld of the older-school Astros and the next generation, with Yordan Alvarez capping the run with a mammoth Game 6 World Series home run. Jeremy Peña deftly replaced Carlos Correa, winning ALCS and World Series MVP honors, and the pitching staff’s top-to-bottom dominance was exemplified by Cristian Javier running the opening leg on a four-man World Series no-hitter.

12. 2010 San Francisco Giants

They needed all 162 games to clinch the NL West with 92 wins, but Bochy’s first championship team was about to brew up something special. While their lineup of spare parts inspired the phrase ‘Torture’ to describe Giants baseball, the last great year of Tim Lincecum – he struck out a major league-high 231 batters – dovetailed with the arrival of Buster Posey and the rise of Madison Bumgarner to inspire an 11-4 run through the playoffs. And no, we did not forget Matt Cain’s 21⅓ playoff innings with no earned runs allowed.

11. 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers

That attrition forced them to throw four bullpen games in this postseason run, stare down a 2-1 deficit in the NLDS and get taken to six games by the Mets in the NLCS tempts us to downgrade this group. But also: Shohei Ohtani. The sport’s only 50-50 man slammed three homers and drove in 10 runs through Game 1 of the World Series, before a Game 2 shoulder separation slowed his mojo. No worries: There’s always another Hall of Famer in L.A. to pick up the slack.

10. 2017 Houston Astros

They’d be a couple spots higher if not for The Scandal, which you may have heard about. Regardless, this was a squad, especially once they traded for Justin Verlander in August and saw him post a 1.06 ERA in five starts down the stretch and strike out 38 over 36 postseason innings.

9. 2007 Boston Red Sox

You can make an argument this group was more talented than the history-making 2004 squad. And can we really produce ‘remember when?’ documentaries when nobody’s stopped talking about it? Anyhow, these guys featured plenty of ’04 holdovers yet upgraded with Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell on the dirt and Josh Beckett and Jon Lester ensuring Curt Schilling wouldn’t need to pitch until his sock turned red.

8. 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers

Fun fact: Only two teams in the wild-card era have first-half winning percentages higher than these Dodgers’ .717 mark in the COVID-shortened 60-game season: The 1998 Yankees and 2001 Mariners. The former is arguably the greatest team in that era and the latter won 116 games. Point is: These Dodgers would’ve made the playoffs, as they have the past 13 seasons. And these Dodgers had All-Star and Hall of Fame players performing at peak capability – from Mookie Betts to Corey Seager, Clayton Kershaw to Walker Buehler. With the rules the same for everyone, the Dodgers won more postseason games – 13 – than any champion to that point, 11 of them at a neutral site. Recognize.

7. 2015 Kansas City Royals

Shh, don’t tell any salary cap-loving owners that smaller-market teams can hit the gas and win it all. The Royals were one win – or 90 feet plus some extra-inning luck – shy of a championship in 2014, then came back and finished the job a year later. Like the Giants who vanquished them a year earlier, the Royals put the ball in play and played exceptional defense. They also had a taut bullpen and went for the jugular at the trade deadline, adding Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist. Ninety-five wins and an 11-5 postseason run – not bad for a Central Division club.

6. 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks

Game 7 of the ’01 World Series has been referred to as ‘The Last Night Of The Yankee Dynasty.’ It’s also a pretty neat coda to an era of, shall we say, anti-aging enhancement. Of the 17 everyday regulars on both teams, 12 were at least 32 years old. That just doesn’t happen anymore! Sure, these Diamondbacks were plenty flawed, but they didn’t need too much more than a 1-2 starting pitching punch we won’t see again. Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson combined to win 43 regular season games and all four of Arizona’s Series games – named co-MVPs – with Johnson replacing Schilling in relief to win the epic Game 7. No, the manager wasn’t great, the back end of the rotation was shaky and the bullpen was terrible. But sometimes two horses beat a whole stable.

5. 2009 New York Yankees

Ah, remember when a $424.5 million outlay for three players was a ‘splurge’? So it was for the Yankees when they reeled in CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira after missing the 2008 playoffs. And goodness, it worked: The Yankees won 103 games, went 11-4 in the postseason and tamed a budding Phillies dynasty in the World Series. Just a perfect mix of old and new guard on this team, epitomized by Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte starting every playoff game, often on three days’ rest. Alex Rodriguez clutched up, months after his exposure as a steroid scoundrel. And while Derek Jeter had long been derided as statuesque at shortstop, he produced a 6.6-WAR season, his best since 1999.

4. 2004 Boston Red Sox

Oh, yeah – these guys. As we mentioned, there might be a better Red Sox team deeper on the list, but it’s tough to match the star power, resiliency and overall thump of this club. Manny Ramirez clubbed 43 homers. Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez combined for 37 regular season wins. Keith Foulke was dynamite in the eighth and ninth innings. The bit parts – Bill Mueller, Mark Bellhorn, trade deadline pickup Orlando Cabrera and yes, even Dave Roberts – fit perfectly around this core. And oh, what a history-making core.

3. 2008 Philadelphia Phillies

Still kind of amazing these Phillies won just one World Series and two pennants. Yet the ’08 squad featured four of their most important pieces firing at peak performance. From Ryan Howard’s majors-leading 48 home runs to Chase Utley’s 9-WAR season and Jimmy Rollins stealing 47 bases – this was the essence of that run. Cole Hamels won Game 1 of every playoff series while fashioning a 1.64 ERA, with Brad Lidge nearly perfect in nine ninth-inning playoff appearances, racking up seven saves.

2. 2016 Chicago Cubs

Nope, not a sentimental choice here. These Cubs won 103 games and were a stunning blend of brilliant youth and veteran smarts. At 24, Kris Bryant was never better, winning NL MVP, drilling 39 homers with a .939 OPS and leading the league with 7.3 WAR; Anthony Rizzo, 26, produced 5.8 WAR from first base and hit 32 homers. Veterans Jon Lester and John Lackey produced one more championship hurrah, while Jake Arrieta was only a little less nasty than his 2015 Cy Young campaign. The late-spring re-signing of Dexter Fowler and deadline add of closer Aroldis Chapman put the team over the top – even if World Series Game 7 brought some frightful moments before Bryant’s iconic, stumbling toss to Rizzo for the final out and their first championship in 108 years.

1. 2018 Boston Red Sox

This championship looked pretty good at the time and has only gotten better with age. Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez finished first and fourth in MVP voting, and the latter’s signing in spring training proved a massive boon thanks to his own production (43 homers, 130 RBI) and lending his hitting expertise to Betts and others. Mookie will be in the Hall of Fame some day and this was his finest hour, leading the majors and setting career highs in WAR (a career-best 10.3), average (.346) and slugging (.640, thanks to 32 homers and 47 doubles). A rotation fronted by three current or future Cy Young winners – Chris Sale, Rick Porcello and David Price – provided the bedrock for a 108-win season, and the trio only grew more lethal in the postseason. That’s when rookie manager Alex Cora deployed them often in relief, papering over a bullpen he trusted only so much. The season ended appropriately, when Sale pitched the ninth inning of a Price start and unleashed a nasty backfoot slider to vanquish Manny Machado and the Dodgers. That capped an 11-3 postseason and 119-win campaign – the team of the century for what’s still the franchise of the century.

Coach Aaron Glenn’s tenure in New York is off to one of the worst starts in Jets history.

New York enters Week 8 as the lone 0-7 team in the NFL. It’s just the third time the franchise has lost seven consecutive games to open the season. The 1996 Jets started 0-8 and the 2020 squad lost 13 straight before breaking through in the win column in December.

The Jets have the worst-ranked passing offense in the league and were without their top wide receiver last week in a loss to Carolina.

Garrett Wilson missed the game due to a knee injury. New York’s offense could have a better shot this week against Cincinnati and the Bengals’ 30th-ranked pass defense than many other teams on their schedule.

But will Wilson be in the lineup? Here’s what we know about his status for Sunday’s game.

Garrett Wilson injury update

‘For the guys who are out, we have Kene [Nwangwu], we have Sauce [Gardner], we have Jay Tufele, Cam Jones, Stone Smartt and Garrett Wilson will be out,’ Glenn said.

This marks the second week in a row that the Jets will be without Wilson. The fourth-year wideout hadn’t missed a game in each of his first three seasons in the NFL after the Jets selected him 10th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

New York faces Cincinnati on the road before their Week 9 bye. That will give Wilson more time to recover ahead of New York’s Week 10 game against Cleveland.

Jets WR depth chart

Garrett Wilson (injured)
Josh Reynolds
Arian Smith
Tyler Johnson
Allen Lazard
Isaiah Williams
Quentin Skinner (practice squad)
Jamaal Pritchett (practice squad)
Brandon Smith (practice squad)
Trenton Irwin (practice squad)
Irvin Charles (PUP)

No. 8 Mississippi faces pressure to stay focused on Oklahoma amid coaching rumors surrounding Lane Kiffin.
No. 19 LSU hopes to salvage its season and playoff chances with a crucial game against No. 3 Texas A&M.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule is under scrutiny to keep the Cornhuskers on track following a recent loss.

Last weekend’s competitive loss at No. 5 Georgia didn’t do too much damage to No. 8 Mississippi’s College Football Playoff hopes.

A lopsided loss at No. 11 Oklahoma would ignite a deeper look at the Rebels’ credentials, though, given that four of their six wins to date have come against teams with a losing record and the three remaining SEC opponents — South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi State — are a combined 3-9 in conference play.

This potential debate comes with coach Lane Kiffin the top contender for the Florida opening. In many ways, he represents the ideal hire for a program searching for a Steve Spurrier-like offensive technician.

What happens on Saturday won’t impact the Gators’ search or his candidacy for the position. Still, the pressure is on Kiffin to keep the Rebels focused on the Sooners and not distracted by the nonstop churning of the rumor mill.

He’s been in this position before. Kiffin famously left Tennessee after just one season for Southern California. He also dealt with coaching rumors during his final season at Florida Atlantic but was still able to pilot the Owls to the Conference USA championship.

Kiffin, No. 19 LSU and Nebraska coach Matt Rhule lead the USA TODAY Sports preview of the team, game, coach and quarterback facing the most pressure in Week 9 of the regular season:

Team: No. 19 LSU

LSU can salvage an increasingly dire season by knocking off No. 3 Texas A&M in Death Valley. A win vaults the Tigers back into the thick of the College Football Playoff chase with the bonus of taking pressure off coach Brian Kelly.

The offense has to show up. LSU has failed to score more than 24 points in six games against Bowl Subdivision teams and ranks near the bottom of the SEC in every major category, including rushing yards, yards per game and yards per play.

The Aggies’ 45-42 victory against Arkansas could provide a blueprint. The Razorbacks ran for 268 yards and compiled 527 yards overall in a major setback for a defense that had allowed a combined 36 points in three previous SEC wins.

A third loss would be devastating for the Tigers’ playoff hopes given road trips in November to No. 4 Alabama and Oklahoma. This is also must-win territory for Kelly, who hit the ground running in Baton Rouge but has totally failed to capitalize on his early success.

Game: Houston at No. 25 Arizona State

This is one of two nationally relevant games in the Big 12, joining No. 10 Brigham Young’s trip to Iowa State.

Houston has joined No. 21 Cincinnati as the league’s biggest success stories, even if the Cougars’ 6-1 start under second-year coach Willie Fritz has been goosed by one of the easiest schedules in the Power Four.

The Sun Devils rocketed up the conference standings by beating No. 15 Texas Tech 26-22, moving them one game behind the Cougars and Bearcats and giving them a huge tiebreaker over the Red Raiders.

The defending conference champions are starting to get more out of quarterback Sam Leavitt. He struggled out of the gate this season, including a dud in a surprising loss to Mississippi State, but has four touchdowns without an interception in conference play.

He could be in for a big game against a Houston pass defense that allowed Arizona to hit on 24 of 26 attempts for 269 yards in last weekend’s 31-28 win. But Leavitt will be without one of the nation’s top receivers in junior Jordyn Tyson, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

The stakes are clear. With a win, Houston goes from sneaky contender to a legitimate threat for the Big 12 crown. Arizona State would take another step toward a repeat and stay one step ahead of the Red Raiders.

Coach: Matt Rhule, Nebraska

Nebraska’s 24-6 drubbing at the hands of Minnesota last Friday splashed a bucket of cold water on what had been a feel-good 5-1 start in Rhule’s third season.

Losses happen, especially to the Golden Gophers; coach P.J. Fleck has won seven of eight in the series, quietly becoming the Cornhuskers’ biggest nemesis this side of Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.

However, that the loss came as Rhule was considered the most-likely candidate to replace James Franklin at Penn State has threatened to engulf Nebraska’s season and the work he’s done to drag the program back toward respectability.

What happens against Northwestern will determine whether the Cornhuskers build on last year’s seven-win finish. The November schedule is not easy: Southern California comes to Lincoln, followed by road trips to UCLA and Penn State before returning to Memorial Stadium to host Iowa.

And what happens this season could determine the trajectory of Rhule’s career. While he’s very much the top candidate at Penn State, that becomes a harder sell for athletics director and longtime friend Pat Kraft if the Cornhuskers finish with six or even seven wins during the regular season.

Quarterback: Carson Beck, Miami

Miami is almost a 30-point favorite at home against Stanford, which might’ve knocked off Florida State in Palo Alto, California, but would need a borderline miracle to do the same to the Hurricanes.

Well, either a miracle or another four interceptions from Beck. His giveaways led to No. 22 Louisville’s 24-21 upset last Friday and rekindled the concerns over turnovers that defined his final season at Georgia.

From the perspective of the Heisman Trophy, that performance is going to be nearly impossible for Beck to live down. But more broadly, Miami lost by a field goal against an opponent now ranked despite being minus-three in turnover margin; the Hurricanes will be very hard to beat in the ACC if they can play clean football.

That starts on Saturday. The only way the Cardinal mount a challenge is if Beck plays sloppy football.

The last teams standing in Major League Baseball are all set to play for a ring and a place in the history books. While the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers enter the World Series as the favorite, the Toronto Blue Jays do have a path to pull the upset.

Which team will ultimately celebrate with the Commissioner’s Trophy? That’s what we’ll try to figure out in USA TODAY Sports’ annual Simulated World Series. Using the Dynasty League Baseball online simulation, USA TODAY Sports and DLB designer Mike Cieslinski will pre-play each game to provide some insight into the key matchups and strategy fans can expect to see in the Fall Classic.

Since we’re playing these games beforehand, there are still a few unknowns as we set our rosters and lineups. So the results may not always be exact (though sometimes they’ve been incredibly close), the overall takeaways still stand.

Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game 1 simulation

Perhaps the biggest surprise leading up to the start of the 2025 World Series was the Blue Jays’ decision to start rookie Trey Yesavage over ace Kevin Gausman in Game 1. Frankly, we didn’t see that coming.

The other big decision for Toronto was whether injured shortstop Bo Bichette would be able to play after missing the first two rounds of the playoffs with a sprained knee. We chose to have Bichette active, but only serve as the DH. Fortunately for the simulated Jays, Bichette came through in the clutch with a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to break the game open. (Toronto did, in fact, add Bichette to its World Series roster.)

BOX SCORE: Blue Jays 9, Dodgers 1

FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Bichette’s big blast fuels Jays rout

Andres Gimenez added a bases-clearing double in the seventh and Myles Straw hit a solo homer in the eighth to account for the rest of the scoring.

Meanwhile, Gausman was sharp on the mound, limiting the powerful Dodgers offense to one run and three hits in tossing a complete game.

Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game 2 simulation

So about that rookie starting pitcher with only six major league starts under his belt taking the mound in the World Series … Trey Yesavage was not up to the challenge in the Sim Series.

Battling a severe case of the jitters, Yesavage walked four of the first five batters he faced to begin the game, and only recorded two outs before he had to be taken out. The damage: 5 runs, 2 hits, six walks in ⅔ of an inning. Ouch.

The Dodgers scored in each of the first four innings to build a 9-0 lead and cruised to a series-evening victory. Six Blue Jays pitchers ended up issuing a total of 14 walks in the game, making the outcome never in doubt.

BOX SCORE: Dodgers 12, Blue Jays 3

FULL PLAY-BY-PLAY: Dodgers tee off early on Blue Jays rookie

Freddie Freeman had the only extra-base hits of the game for L.A. – a solo homer in the third inning and an RBI double in the seventh. Meanwhile, Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed three runs over seven innings and struck out 12 to get the win.

Two games. Two blowouts. And the two teams head to Dodger Stadium for Game 3 all tied up.

Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game 1 projections, analysis

So what does our simulation tell us about what we can expect when the real Game 1 takes place?

First of all, Yesavage will be under an intense spotlight. Will he be able to handle the pressure the way he’s done so far in the playoffs? The first inning will tell us a lot about him. The Jays could regret not going with their ace, Gausman, as they look to set the tone for the series.
The Jays will certainly welcome Bo Bichette’s bat in the lineup. He hit a career-high .311 this season with 18 homers and 94 RBI. However, if Bichette is in the lineup as the designated hitter, that will mean George Springer has to play the outfield. In Dynasty League Baseball’s defensive ratings, Springer grades out as a D in terms of his range in the outfield. That could make a difference with so many big bats in the Dodgers lineup.
Dodger starter Blake Snell needs to be sharp. He allowed four hits, five walks and three earned runs in 5⅓ innings in Sim Series Game 1 before L.A. went to its bullpen. They’ll be missing an important reliever as left-hander Alex Vesia will miss at least the start of the series due to a personal family matter. (Vesia gave up Bichette’s big home run in our Game 1.)

Dodgers vs. Blue Jays Game 2 projections

Yamamoto vs. Gausman should be an excellent pitcher’s duel. Gausman went the distance in Sim Series Game 1, while Yamamoto tossed seven effective innings in his Game 2 start. Both have been outstanding so far in the playoffs.
Runs figure to be at a premium, although Bichette homered again in our Game 2, a solo shot off Yamamoto in the eighth inning. We’re seeing why his bat is so important if the Blue Jays are going to try and slug it out with the Dodgers. L.A. had the second-highest scoring offense in the majors this season, while Toronto ranked fifth.
Toronto’s bullpen will be an interesting case study. The Dodgers have three dangerous left-handed hitters at the top of their lineup in Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy. As the game progresses into the late innings, the Blue Jays will have lefty relievers Brendon Little, Mason Fluharty and Eric Lauer to counter them. We put all three on our Sim Series roster to give the Jays added flexibility if high-leverage innings arise earlier in the game.

TORONTO — Bo Bichette, who has not played since Sept. 6 and missed the Toronto Blue Jays’ entire postseason run due to a left knee sprain, will return for the World Series, while Alex Vesia, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ top left-handed pitcher, is not on their roster.

Both clubs released their World Series rosters Friday, Oct. 24 and Bichette was added in place of utilityman Joey Loperfido, indicating he and the Blue Jays were pleased with the outcome of his workout Thursday at Rogers Centre.

Bichette, 27, their two-time All-Star shortstop and a pending free agent, took batting practice and fielded ground balls at second base during Toronto’s World Series workout. His addition comes after the Blue Jays’ defensive alignment was adjusted in his absence, as they moved regular second baseman Andrés Giménez to shortstop and deployed Ernie Clement and, after Anthony Santander’s injury, Isiah Kiner-Falefa at second base.

Giménez is the defensively superior shortstop, but Bichette’s bat would be a significant boon to either the Blue Jays’ lineup or bench. He posted a .307 average, 181 hits and an .840 OPS this season.

Vesia, 29, is away from the club after the Dodgers announced he was tending to a ‘deeply personal matter’ involving his wife, Kayla. They have been expecting their first child.

‘The entire Dodgers organization is sending our thoughts to the Vesia family,’ the Dodgers said in a statement, ‘and we will provide an update at a later date.’

The Dodgers now have the option, according to an MLB official, of placing Vesia on the ‘family medical emergency list.’ If Vesia is placed on leave, he would be required to stay for a minimum of three days and a maximum of seven days.

Rather than add lefty Tanner Scott, their $72 million acquisition who has not pitched since the division series, the Dodgers opted for right-handers Will Klein and Edgardo Henriquez. Three of the first four hitters in the Blue Jays lineup are right-handed sluggers in George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk.

Toronto Blue Jays World Series roster

Pitchers (12): RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Shane Bieber, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, RHP Braydon Fisher, LHP Mason Fluharty, RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP Jeff Hoffman, LHP Eric Lauer, LHP Brendon Little, RHP Max Scherzer, RHP Louis Varland, RHP Trey Yesavage.

Position players (14): C Tyler Heineman, C Alejandro Kirk, INF/OF Addison Barger, INF Bo Bichette, INF Ernie Clement, INF Ty France, INF Andrés Giménez, INF Vladimir Guerrero Jr., INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa, OF Nathan Lukes, OF Davis Schneider, OF George Springer, OF Myles Straw, OF Daulton Varsho.

Los Angeles Dodgers World Series roster

Pitchers (12): LHP Anthony Banda, LHP Jack Dreyer, RHP Tyler Glasnow, RHP Edgardo Henriquez, LHP Clayton Kershaw, RHP Will Klein, RHP Roki Sasaki, RHP Emmet Sheehan, LHP Blake Snell, RHP Blake Treinen, LHP Justin Wrobleski, RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Position, two-way players (14): SS Mookie Betts, OF Alex Call, OF Justin Dean, INF/OF Tommy Edman, 1B Freddie Freeman, INF/OF Kiké Hernández, OF Teoscar Hernández, INF/OF Hyeseong Kim, 3B Max Muncy, DH/P Shohei Ohtani, OF Andy Pages, INF Miguel Rojas, C Ben Rortvedt, C Will Smith.