The 2025 Little League Softball World Series continued on Monday, Aug. 4 with four games on Day 2 of the tournament at Stallings Stadium at Elm Street Park in Greenville, North Carolina. This followed an opening day, which also featured a slate of four games.

The teams that prevailed on Day 2 now get a day of rest on Tuesday, Aug. 5, while the elimination games begin for the losing squads.

In the opening game on Monday, Pitt County, representing the host North Carolina region, got another comeback win in its game against the Central region squad of Floyds Knobs, Indiana. Johnstown, Pennsylvania’s Reagan Bills was arguably the biggest star of the day, recording double-digit strikeouts as the Mid-Atantic region team blanked the Los Angeles team of Westchester-Del Rey Little League 9-0.

In a battle of the Southwest vs. the Southeast, it was the team from Tulsa Oklahoma, edging the squad from Lake Mary, Florida 2-1, while the Asia-Pacific region team from Iwate, Japan handed the Canadian team from Repentigny, Quebec its first loss of the tournament.

2025 Little League Softball World Series Day 2 scores

Game 5: (Orange Bracket): North Carolina 5, Indiana 3
Game 6: (Purple Bracket): Oklahoma 2, Florida 1
Game 7: (Purple Bracket): Pennsylvania 9, California 0
Game 8: (Orange Bracket): Japan 6, Canada 1

FINAL: Japan 6, Canada 1

Rinka Nozaki struck out the side in top of the sixth inning to give Japan it’s first ever win in the Little League Softball World Series. Nozaki surrendered two walks in the inning, but fanned the other three batters Repentigny, Quebec sent to the plate in their last chance for a late rally. Iwate, Japan, which is representing the Asia-Pacific region, will now get a day off as it continues play in the winner’s bracket, while the Canadian team will face an elimination game on Tuesday, Aug. 5 against the Latin America region team from São Paulo, Brazil.

Canada looking for late rally

The squad from Repentigny, Quebec, put their leadoff batter on in the top of the sixth but it’s facing a five-run deficit to the team from Iwate, Japan.

Japan’s Nozaki tearing Canada up

Canada needs a huge effort to come back at this point, but Japan’s Rinka Nozaki has made it very difficult. After coming into the game in the third, Nozaki has already recorded five strikeouts to keep Canada’s offense at bay.

Japan not letting up

In taking advantage of a Canada defensive mishap, Japan has extended their lead with a single by Soyoka Horiuchi. Horiuchi would wind up at second base after all was said and done. Japan leads 6-1.

Japan retaliates with three runs

Canada pitcher Arielle Prescott found herself in a groove following the first few Japan hitters. They were 2-for-2 to start the game but just 1-for-9 afterwards. However, once the top of the lineup rolled back around, Prescott still had no answer. Japan answered Canada’s run with three of their own in the bottom of the third. Japan could have had many more, but left the bases loaded following a great play by Alicia Dupont in center field.

Japan leads 5-1 heading into the fourth.

Canada strikes back

The top of the third saw Canada get their first run of the game, but they can’t help but feel a little bad after the inning. Canada stranded two runners in scoring position, giving them an opportunity to take the lead for themselves. Unfortunately, they could not plate those runs. Despite their best inning yet, they still trail 2-1.

Arielle Prescott evades jam with no runs

Japan looked ready to strike again in the bottom of the second, quickly getting runners to second and third with no outs. Prescott would come up clutch though, striking out the next two batters and getting the final batter of the inning to lineout to third base.

It remains 2-0 Japan heading into the third.

Japan off to hot start

The Asia-Pacific region representatives wasted no time putting the first run of the game on the board. In the bottom of the first, Yukina Osada led off with a first-pitch double. After a pass ball, she was just 90 feet away from scoring.

Rinka Nozaki would drill a low fastball the other direction, driving in Osada and giving Japan the early lead.

It didn’t take long for a second run to score either. Just two batters later, an overthrow from the Canadian team allowed Nozaki to score Japan’s second run. After the first, they lead 2-0.

FINAL: Pennsylvania 9, California 0

The bottom of the sixth started off as well as an inning could for them, with a leadoff baserunner. However, that runner was short-lived, as Bills would force a double play just a few pitches later. The call originally had the runner safe at first, but after replay, the call was overturned, pushing California to their final out. On the first pitch, California would ground out to second base, securing Pennsylvania’s win. They advance to face Tulsa in the next round. That game will take place Thursday, August 7 at 1 p.m. ET.

Pennsylvania adding insurance

Not that Bills needed the help, but Pennsylvania has added four runs in the top of the sixth inning while only recording one out.

The barrage finally ended after a triple to right from Mallory Bailor plating Pennsylvania’s ninth run of the game. California would record a strikeout and groundout to end the inning, but the damage was irreversible. California has just three outs to record nine runs.

Reagan Bills the star of LLSWS so far

Bills was spectacular in Pennsylvania’s opening game, but was forced out due to an unforeseen injury. However, that injury clearly didn’t hinder her for long. She returned to the mound just one day later and hasn’t skipped a beat, tallying double-digit strikeouts yet again through five innings. Bills even carried a perfect game into the fourth today.

Pennsylvania extends lead

California’s defensive struggles led to another Pennsylvania run as a stolen base followed by a single to left would’ve called for a close play at home, but an error from the left fielder allowed the run to score easily and put a runner on second. That run would not come around, but it will be very difficult for California to make a comeback with further mental errors.

Pennsylvania takes lead on California in big third inning

A leadoff single, well-executed bunt and passed ball gave Pennsylvania two runners in scoring position and no outs to start the top of the third inning. It didn’t waste the opportunity.

Pennsylvania initially took advantage of some confusion in the California infield after a well-hit ball to the shortstop. An errant throw to second base allowed the runner at third to cross home plate and give Pennsylvania the lead after the top of the third inning. A two-out RBI single by Camilla Gaunt followed by a bases clearing double from Reagan Bills then pushed the Pennsylvania lead over California to 4-0 heading into the bottom of the third inning.

Pennsylvania and California still scoreless

California escaped a first-inning jam without giving up a run after Pennsylvania got a couple hits and two runners in scoring position. Pennsylvania has yet to give up a hit through two innings and is up to bat in the bottom of the second inning.

Pennsylvania and California are underway

Game 3 of Day 2 at the Little League Softball World Series between Pennsylvania and California is underway with Pennsylvania batting in the top of the first inning. Pennsylvania won its first game at the LLWS, 2-1, on a walk-off hit on Sunday. California is playing its first game in Greenville, North Carolina

California is represented by Westchester-Del Rey Little League in Los Angeles while Pennsylvania’s team is based out of Johnstown.

FINAL: Oklahoma 2, Florida 1

There was a bit of controversy to close out the second game of Day 2 at the Little League Softball World Series. Florida got back-to-back infield singles off the pitcher’s mitt, but the umpire ruled baserunner interference despite the video replay appearing to show no contact between the Florida runner and the Oklahoma second baseman. The play was not reviewable.

Florida scored its only run in the first inning and didn’t get a runner in scoring position again until down to their final out in the sixth inning facing Oklahoma pitcher Harmoneigh White. Oklahoma improves to 1-0 at the LLWS and moves into the semifinal round of the purple winner’s bracket. Florida is now 1-1 and moves to the purple elimination bracket.

Oklahoma, Florida head to sixth inning

No drama in the fifth inning as both Oklahoma and Florida are held off the scoreboard. Florida is down to its last three outs facing a 2-1 deficit to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma takes lead from Florida in fourth inning

Oklahoma has taken the lead after falling behind in the top of the first inning. Oklahoma loaded the bases and then plated go-ahead run on an RBI hit by pitch that stood after review.

Florida minimized the damage with a nifty catch by its shortstop to close out the fourth inning. It’s 2-1 Oklahoma as they head to the fifth inning.

Oklahoma ties score with Florida after 3 innings

Oklahoma made quick work in the top of the third inning and Florida got two outs on four pitches to start the bottom of the third inning. But Florida then gave up a two-out double that proved troublesome.

A single into right field, followed by a couple bobbles by the Florida right fielder, tied the score at one apiece after three innings.

Florida foils Oklahoma squeeze bunt

Oklahoma pulled off a 1-2-3 in the top of the second inning and then had its first threat of the game when it came to bat.

Oklahoma attempted a squeeze bunt after a Florida error set up second and third with one out, but Florida snuffed it out in a rundown between third and home.

It’s still 1-0 Florida heading into the third inning.

Florida takes early 1-0 lead on Oklahoma

Florida got off to a fast start in its first LLWS game with two hits in the top of the first inning to get on the scoreboard first. Oklahoma managed to limit the damage and then got two runners on base in the bottom-half of the first. But Florida got out of the inning with its 1-0 lead intact.

Florida vs. Oklahoma up next

Next up from Greenville, North Carolina is a purple bracket matchup featuring a team from Tulsa, Oklahoma representing the Southwest Region and a team from Lake Mary, Florida representing the Southeast region. Florida won its opening game of the LLWS, 9-2. Oklahoma is playing its first game of the event.

FINAL: North Carolina 5, Indiana 3

North Carolina completes another comeback for a 5-3 win over Indiana to improve to 2-0 at the Little League Softball World Series. North Carolina pitcher Makayla Montgomery steadied herself after Indiana scored three runs in the first inning. North Carolina has now come-from-behind in two games at the LLWS, in addition to two games in its regional tournament to advance to the LLWS.

North Carolina, which is also the defending LLWS champion, had 5 runs, 11 hits and two errors. Indiana’s line: 3 runs, 8 hits, 2 errors 

North Carolina with a dramatic top of the 6th

Emily Mills had a two-run single to cut the deficit to 3-2 and then Ava Wilson had an RBI-single to tie the game. Avery Cash gave North Carolina the lead with her infield single and Gemma Braxton pushed it to 5-3 with her RBI-single after the top of the sixth.

3-up, 3-down for both teams in the 5th inning

Indiana’s Mercer and North Carolina’s Montgomery are both cruising at this point at Elm Street Park in Greenville, North Carolina. Indiana appeared to get a bunt single from Sawyer Abel but the safe call on the field was overturned on replay.

4 innings complete: Indiana leads North Carolina 3-0

North Carolina got one hit in its half of the inning with two outs but that didn’t translate into any runs. Indiana got two runners into scoring position and that threat was diffused.

After 3 innings Indiana still in control

North Carolina has no runs, four hits and one error while Indiana has compiled three runs, seven hits and had one error. 3-0 North Carolina.

Indiana goes down 1-2-3 in the 2nd inning

North Carolina’s Makayla Montgomery retired two batters on ground outs and another on a pop out to breeze through a quick inning.

North Carolina leaves the bases loaded again

North Carolina loaded the bases with one out on a single by Abby Pohlplatz, which was the team’s third hit of the game. However, Indiana’s Mercer was able to induce a grounder that turned into a force out at home and then a runner interference call was awarded on the runner colliding with the fielder on the subsequent play.

Indiana takes the lead

Grace Fiore had an RBI-single and Kennedy Nickels supplied an RBI-double before Indiana forced North Carolina to switch pitchers from Emily Mills to Makayla Montgomery. However, that didn’t stop the scoring. Indiana’s Scarlett Renn added an RBI-single as the first batter that Montgomery saw. After 1st inning, Indiana leads 3-0.

Briley Mercer gets out of bases loaded jam

Indiana’s Briley Mercer gave up two straight hits to start out the inning and later had to deal with the bases loaded with one out. She was able to get out of it with no runs scoring.

How to watch 2025 Little League Softball World Series

The 2025 Little League Softball World Series will be broadcast on ESPN platforms, with the championship game airing on ABC. Games will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

Dates: Aug. 3-10
TV: ESPN | ESPN2 | ABC
Stream: ESPN+
Location: Greenville, North Carolina

Catch the Little League Softball World Series on ESPN+

2025 Little League Softball World Series Day 1 results

Sunday, Aug. 3

Game 1: Southeast region: Lake Mary, Florida 9, Northwest region: Mill Creek, Washington 2
Game 2: North Carolina region: Pitt County, North Carolina 4, Latin America region: São Paulo, Brazil 3
Game 3: Canada region: Repentigny, Quebec 5, Europe-Africa region: Prague, Czechia 4
Game 4: Mid-Atlantic region: Johnstown, Pennsylvania 2, New England Region: Guilford, Connecticut 1

As the football coach at Tennessee, it often seemed like Derek Dooley was in the wrong business. 

Sure, he had the right surname and the right resumé to be a head coach in the Southeastern Conference, thanks mostly to his father Vince, who led Georgia to the national championship in 1980 and whose influence reached across a wide swath of college football. 

But when it came time to actually do the job, Derek Dooley – with his coiffed side part, fancy law degree and University of Virginia education – often seemed as if he was cosplaying the role, like he would have fit in better as a professor, an attorney or perhaps even future politician.

“Right now we’re like the Germans in World War II,” Dooley said in 2010 as he descended into an infamous soliloquy comparing Tennessee’s 2-5 record to the confusion of Nazi forces as the Battle of Normandy began with commanding field marshall Erwin Rommel back in Germany visiting his wife. “Here comes the boats, it’s coming, the binoculars like, ‘Oh my god, the invasion is coming.’ That’s what they did. They were in the bunkers. ‘It’s coming.’ They call Rommel. They can’t find Rommel. ‘What do we do? I’m not doing anything until I get orders. Have you gotten Rommel yet?’ And the Americans were the exact opposite.”

After that rant, and a few others that went viral for their sheer weirdness, you can understand why a group of young football players didn’t respond to him. Dooley was fired after three seasons and a 4-19 SEC record, his legendary incompetence dragging Tennessee’s proud program into a cycle of dysfunction that would last nearly a decade. 

Now he’s got a new job that always made a lot more sense: Running for Senate. 

This is not a column about Dooley’s politics, which in fact we know very little about other than he’s running as a Republican and has a lifelong friendship with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who encouraged him to get in the race. It is also not a column about the viability of his candidacy, either in a primary field or against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff. 

That’s for voters to decide. We’ll see how that all plays out over the next year. And, at least in Georgia, we have a recent example of an actual Bulldogs legend in Herschel Walker losing a statewide race. 

Dooley, if he’s remembered for anything in Georgia, it’s as the coach who had 13 men on the field for LSU’s final snap from the 1-yard line in 2010, handing the Tigers the one extra chance they needed to win. 

Out-mangling Les Miles at the end of a game? Now that takes some talent.

The point is this: Whereas sports people from Jack Kemp to Tom Osborne to Tommy Tuberville often leverage their athletic or coaching success into political gravitas, it is the fact that Dooley never belonged on a college sideline in the first place that makes his Senate run seem plausible. 

How bad was it? He was the first Tennessee coach to lose to Kentucky in 27 years. He lost to Vanderbilt by 23 points, the worst margin in that rivalry since 1954. He was the first Tennessee coach to suffer three consecutive losing seasons since 1909-11. And In Dooley’s 2012 recruiting class, he didn’t sign a single offensive lineman. Not one. For an SEC program, it’s unheard of.

The Vols paid for that mistake for many years to come. It was one of the most disastrous coaching tenures in SEC history. 

Yet anyone who has been around or interacted with Dooley understands he’s a man of high intelligence, with a heavyweight education to back it up. He speaks in coherent sentences. He knows history, as he demonstrated with the World War II analogy. He even knows a little bit about infectious diseases, as he revealed in another of his greatest hits.

“We have a few staph infections, so we did a clinic yesterday on proper shower technique and soap and using a rag,” he once told the media. “Y’all think I’m kidding. I’m serious. We have the worst shower discipline of any team I’ve ever been around, so we talked about application of soap to the rag and making sure you hit all your body. You can neglect it trying to cut corners and it shows in how you practice and elsewhere.”

It’s a fair point to make. But as with so many of these Dooley tangents that made him the butt of jokes around the SEC, his instinct to show the world he was the smartest guy in the room would have been more useful coaching Tennessee’s debate team than its football program. 

Still, it’s hard to say Dooley made the wrong choice when he left a prestigious Atlanta law firm in 1996 to join the family business. As successful as he probably would have been in any other field, Tennessee paid him $5 million just to go away. 

Dooley never seemed like he belonged in the SEC, but now he’s reemerged to test the theory he’ll be more adept at a different bare-knuckle sport than the one that takes place on Saturdays in the fall. We’ll see soon whether Georgia voters agree or Dooley’s home state puts one more L on his resumé.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley revealed he declined an invitation to join President Donald Trump’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.

Barkley explained his decision after the Eagles’ Monday practice.

‘A couple months ago, it was brought to my team about the council. So I’m not really too familiar with it,’ Barkley told reporters at the NovaCare facility, per ESPN. ‘I felt like I am going to be super busy, so me and my family thought it would probably be of best interest to not accept that.’

‘I was definitely a little shocked when my name was mentioned,’ he added. ‘I’m assuming it’s something great, so I appreciate it but was a little shocked when my name was mentioned.’

The executive order allows the council to have up to 30 participants. It will be chaired by LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau.

Barkley was named a member of the council by Trump in a news conference announcing its creation; current NFL players Nick Bosa, Tua Tagovailoa and Harrison Butker were also named part of the council along with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.

Barkley golfed with Trump ahead of the Eagles’ April White House visit, celebrating their Super Bowl 59 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Barkley also revealed he golfed with former President Barack Obama in October at Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania. Eagles owner Jeff Lurie was also in attendance for the round, as was quarterback Jalen Hurts, though he did not participate in the round.

All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter. Check out the latest edition: Who will be in 2026 Hall of Fame class?

Guard De’Aaron Fox and the San Antonio Spurs have reached a deal on a four-year, $228.6 million maximum extension, Klutch Sports CEO and Fox’s agent Rich Paul said.

Fox’s deal will put him under contract with the Spurs through 2029-30, and the agreement gives the Spurs their backcourt of the present and future (Fox and Stephon Castle, the 2024-25 NBA Rookie of the Year) alongside blossoming star Victor Wembanyama.

With the extension, Fox is projected to earn $265.6 million over the next five seasons.

The Spurs acquired Fox from Sacramento at the February trade deadline and missed the final 18 games of the 2024-25 regular season. He averaged 23.5 points, 6.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and shot 46.3% from the field and 31% on 3-pointers last season.

ESPN first reported the news of Fox’s deal.

What does the Spurs’ starting lineup look like?

It’s hard to project San Antonio’s starting lineup because it has not finished its offseason roster moves. But Fox, Castle and Wembanyama are penciled in as starters. Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, Luke Kornet, Keldon Johnson, Julian Champagnie and 2025 first-round draft picks Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant will be part of the rotation with the possibility that Harrison Barnes re-signs with San Antonio.

Can the Spurs make the playoffs in 2025-26?

San Antonio was hurt by late-season injuries, including Wembanyama missing every game after All-Star Weekend with a blood clot. The Spurs were 23-29 at the time but just 3½ games outside of a spot in the play-in game. They finished 34-48.

The Spurs have an improved roster headed into this season, but they are also in a deep conference, and Mitch Johnson had the interim tag removed as head coach, replacing Gregg Popovich, who stepped down amid health issues.

The voters in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll have weighed in, and the Top 25 is now out for fans and pundits to debate until they actually take the field in a few weeks.

Preseason polls are speculative, of course, and trying to figure out which teams aren’t ranked but perhaps should be is even more of a crapshoot. To further clarify, none of the five teams listed here were truly snubbed, as they were all mentioned on multiple ballots. But here are a few notable programs that will start the season outside the poll but might at some point be ranked.

TEXAS ON TOP: Longhorns lead preseason poll for first time

OUTLOOKS: Breaking down every Top 25 team in poll

Oklahoma

Left out of the preseason poll for the first time since 1999, the Sooners nearly gave the SEC a record 10th team in the Top 25, missing the rankings by just 25 poll points. Unlike some teams on this list, however, Oklahoma will have ample opportunities to prove its worthiness of receiving poll votes, starting in Week 2 when the Sooners take on No. 14 Michigan. Most of the issues in Norman for the last couple of seasons have been on the offensive side of the ball, so Oklahoma’s long-term staying power this season will largely hinge on the performance of transfer quarterback John Mateer.

Utah

Our coaches poll panelists had widely varied opinions on the Utes, ranging from top 10 to off the ballot altogether. Utah can usually be counted on to field a competent defense, even if coach Kyle Whittingham is nearing the end of a highly successful career. The issue over the last couple of years has been quarterback instability as Cam Rising never was able to get back on the field. The hope is that situation has now been addressed with the arrival of New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier. With several quality teams but no true juggernauts, the Big 12 offers opportunities for improvement.

Iowa

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before – The Hawkeyes seemingly win 8-to-10 games every year and could possibly do even more with just a slight uptick in offensive production. The hopes in Iowa City this year rest with Mark Gronowski, who arrives after putting up huge numbers at Championship Subdivision power South Dakota State. If the defense and kicking game continue to be strengths, watch out.

Georgia Tech

In case you’ve forgotten – and it seems some of the voters have – this team was just a play away from derailing Georgia in the regular-season finale and causing massive disruptions in the playoff picture. Unlike the teams noted above, the Yellow Jackets are set at QB. Haynes King, whose collegiate career began at Texas A&M, can be one of the top signal callers in the ACC when healthy, and his backfield mate Jamal Haynes is also back. The issue now is developing more depth around them and coming up with just a few more defensive stops.

Memphis

We could have designated this entry to the entire American Conference, none of whose members got enough support from the voters to make the preseason poll. The Tigers were featured in this space a year ago and did in fact win 11 games but came up short of the conference title. Ryan Silverfield and his staff certainly know how to develop talent, but the offense is in need of a complete rebuild with mainstay QB Seth Henigan and a slew of other starters lost to graduation. The schedule is manageable, however, so Memphis could string together enough wins to pick up a ranking at some point during the season.

March Madness will not expand − for now.

NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt announced on Aug. 4 the men’s and women’s basketball NCAA Tournament will keep its current format for the upcoming season, with the possibility of expansion happening the following year. The announcement means the 2026 NCAA Tournament will remain at 68 teams.

“Expanding the tournament fields is no longer being contemplated for the 2026 men’s and women’s basketball championships. However, the committees will continue conversations on whether to recommend expanding to 72 or 76 teams in advance of the 2027 championships,’ Gavitt said.

One of the most divisive topics in college hoops, the expansion of the tournament had been picking up steam in recent months by the high powers of college sports. At a Big 12 meeting in May, NCAA president Charlie Baker told reporters the NCAA had ‘good conversation’ with its media partners about the possibility of increasing the number of teams in the field and wanted a final determination in the coming months.

On July 10, Gavitt said no decision was made on tournament expansion after it was “discussed at length” during meetings for the committees. While those in power had building toward expansion, the possibility of it has drawn the ire of college basketball enthusiasts, with the common belief adding more teams ruins what is considered a perfect tournament, with any and all tweaks unwarranted.

The men’s tournament expanded from 53 teams to 64 in 1985, and the format stood until 2011, when the First Four was introduced and grew the field from 65 to 68 teams. On the women’s side, the bracket increased from 48 teams to 64 in 1994, and the First Four was also implemented in 2022.

When the First Four was expanded, it meant more at-large selections and conference tournament champions had to play their way into participating in the first round of the tournament. It led to Cinderella runs to the Final Four like Virginia Commonwealth in 2011 and UCLA in 2021.

NCAA Tournament expansion history

Here’s a look at the history of the NCAA men’s tournament expansion:

1951: expands from eight to 16 teams
1953: grows to 22 teams
1975: expands to 32 teams
1979: grows to 40 teams
1980: expands to 48 teams
1983: grows to 52 teams
1985: expands to 64 teams
2001: adds one team for opening round play-in, expands to 65
2011: First Four added, grows field to 68

Here’s the expansion history of the NCAA women’s tournament:

1982: 32 teams
1983: grows to 36 teams
1984: dwindles back to 32 teams
1986: grows to 40 teams
1989: expands to 48 teams
1994: grows to 64 teams
2022: First Four added, expands to 68 teams

One thing we know about preseason polls is how little it means in the grand scheme of things. A high ranking doesn’t automatically mean success, and there’s always teams not ranked that surprise.

But that doesn’t stop fans — or the media — from letting the rankings set the expectations.

The preseason US LBM Coaches Poll is out and it provides the first real snapshot of who are the contenders for this season’s College Football Playoff.

While there are plenty of teams obviously positioned to compete for a national championship and potential darkhorse candidates, there are clearly some that have the summer hype train at over capacity. 

Whether it’s built off last season’s finish or some hyped up additions, there are some squads that have too much excitement to start. Now, it’s not saying they will have a disappointing season. For all we know, they could be playing meaningful football in January. But these teams need to prove something before we can say they deserve the number next to their name.

2. Ohio State

The defending national champions are ranked second and are poised to compete for another title, but there are still so many questions regarding the Buckeyes. 

Yes, they have arguably two of the best players on both sides of the ball in receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs. But Ryan Day has to replenish so much from last season’s squad, from installing new coordinators while having to replace veterans at quarterback, running back and both lines of the ball. 

The Buckeyes have a top five recruiting class coming into Columbus and some potential stars ready to shine, but they’re an extremely unproven team that seems to benefit from winning it all last year. Of course, they can erase all concern when they face top ranked Texas in the season opener. 

15. Mississippi 

Lane Kiffin continues to make Mississippi a respectable squad in the SEC, but like last year, lofty expectations are being put on a Rebels team that has yet to break through.

The 2024 squad felt like Ole Miss’ best yet, but it couldn’t avoid traps and missed out on the playoff. Now Jaxson Dart and a plethora of talent are gone and Kiffin has to practically rebuild from scratch. He went deep into the transfer portal to replenish the offense, which will be led by sophomore quaterback Austin Simmons. There are holes to fill at receiver and offensive line to keep the high standard established under Dart.

On the plus side, the Rebels have a chance to jump up the rankings with an easy start on the schedule, but it will remain a question whether it is legit until the big game start at the end of September.

16. SMU

Can the Mustangs repeat magic? SMU had a tremendous run to the College Football Playoff in 2024, but it will take a lot for it to get back into the field.

SMU benefits from Kevin Jennings returning under center, and Rhett Lashlee went into the portal to replenish the skill positions that really paved the way for last season’s successful run. While the pieces are there, it’s worth noting SMU greatly benefited from a relatively easy schedule that avoided the top four teams in the ACC. The schedule in 2025 is much more difficult, with Baylor and TCU in non-conference action and Clemson, Miami and Louisville in conference play.

If SMU can navigate a tougher schedule, they will present a solid argument to the playoff committee to be back in. But a tougher slate makes it tough for the Mustangs to survive.

18. Tennessee

Despite all of the offseason drama in Rocky Top, Tennessee has a favorable starting position. However, Josh Heupel has quite the task to keep a high potent offense.

The loss of Nico Iamaleava was not only tough for the Volunteers after guiding them to the playoff, but it came at a difficult time when there wasn’t a wide pool for the Volunteers to look for at signal-caller. They essentially did a swap with UCLA and brought in Joey Aguilar. Could the former Appalachian State quarterback take over the job? A lot of pressure rests on him trying to guide a young offense. Defense will have to lead. 

Tennessee should be a dark horse contender for the SEC title, but they are in the position of what they can do. Right now, it’s not a guarantee the Volunteers are contenders. They need to prove something before it should be in the top 20. 

23. Brigham Young

Of all the ranked teams, the most questionable one on the list is Brigham Young. 

The Cougars fell just short of the playoff and had a real shot of contending in the Big 12 again. But the outlook drastically changed when Jake Retzlaff departed the team. Now whomever wins the job will have the Cougars rolling with a quarterback that doesn’t have significant experience, making it look like they won’t be able to replicate the magic from 2024. 

There’s a good shot BYU starts the season 3-0, but the Big 12 scheduling is daunting by mid-October. Don’t be shocked if the Cougars are just trying to make sure they are bowl eligible.

Receiving votes: Auburn

Twenty-six teams received votes in the poll, and there’s no team that has a bigger question mark and spot than Auburn. The Tigers earned 50 points, putting them at No. 32 among teams in the rankings.

Sure, the Tigers had some back luck in 2024, but they still went 5-7 and nothing has shown it will take a major step forward. The quarterback room has experience but none of them are proven stars, and they’re trying to show they can start. Hugh Freeze showed promise with a strong recruiting effort, but he hasn’t shown he can put together a winning team yet in his two seasons at Auburn.

OXNARD, CA — Jerry Jones is clearly in no hurry.

Why has it taken so long to strike a deal with Micah Parsons?

“It took a long time with Emmitt Smith,” the Dallas Cowboys owner replied, turning back the clock to the Hall of Fame running back’s epic holdout in 1993. “Same thing with (Zack) Martin two years ago. (Cee Dee) Lamb last year. When you have the ability for players under contract to basically renegotiate or say, ‘I’m not going to play the contract,’ then you have those things happen.”

And here’s what else can happen: Parsons, the All-Pro defensive end, rocked the NFL universe on Friday when he took to social media to publicly demand a trade, intimating that negotiations for a new contract have stalled to the point of no return.

Two days before Parsons’ bombshell, though, Jones seemed to have already drawn a line in the sand during an interview with USA TODAY Sports that might have indicated where these negotiations with the defensive centerpiece could be headed.

He mentioned that Dak Prescott, who last year become the NFL’s first $60 million-per-year man, played out his rookie contract and was twice franchise-tagged before landing his four-year, $240 million megadeal. And he referenced the two franchise tags the team used on since-departed defensive end Demarcus Lawrence before he signed a five-year, $105 million deal in 2019.

“Both of those players, they played their contract out,” Jones said. “To me, you’re going through a process where a player wants to see if they can get an extended contract. And if they don’t they play their contract out.”

It should also be noted that Lamb, the star receiver, didn’t play out his contract or get franchise-tagged before landing a four-year, $136 million extension that averaged $34 million.

But Lamb also forced the issue by holding out of training camp last year.

Parsons seemingly gave up leverage by reporting to camp and proceeding as a so-called “hold-in” while not practicing. The Cowboys exercised the fifth-year option on Parsons’ rookie contract, which guarantees a $24.007 million salary for 2025 and a huge bump from the $4.269 million for the first four years of his deal.

With the Cowboys yet to negotiate with Parson’s agent, David Mulugheta, the frustration is boiling over. Parsons is reportedly seeking a deal that could reset the market again for defensive stars after T.J. Watt’s package with the Pittsburgh Steelers averages $41 million per year, which tops the $40 million average that Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett received earlier in the offseason.

Yet with the franchise tag in play, the option for Parsons to merely “play out” his contract as Jones suggested, could allow the Cowboys to prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent until, gulp, 2028.

And the NFL’s highest-rated soap opera, let’s call it ‘As The Cowboys World Turns,’ is back for another season.

“This business is business-first, right?” Prescott said during an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “We always say this game is a business, but it’s business first.”

While Prescott and other players vehemently support Parsons in his efforts to land a new deal, it can’t be good for the business of winning to have the distraction weighing on training camp. No, the Cowboys are not the only NFL team with a lingering contract issue for a key player. But some teams manage such business with much less drama, while the Cowboys always seem to have some drama in the wind.

In other words, Jones seems willing to call Parsons’ bluff — and quite content to keep the drama flowing.

“This is really nothing new, at all, with Micah,” Jones said at one point during the 1-hour, 10-minute interview over lunch in his training camp office.

I asked him about the negative reaction from his massive fan base, which goes far beyond the fans at camp who chanted “Pay Micah!” The extended negotiations over the past two years involving Prescott, Lamb and Martin added to the perception that the Cowboys lack urgency when it comes to signing key players to extensions.

Does the perception that the Cowboys drag their feet concern Jones?

“Let me say this just right,” Jones replied. ‘I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t do it that way. I should be trying to get the most value for the Cowboys. I’ve seen players I wish we had renegotiated their contracts earlier and I’ve had several that I was sorry I renegotiated their contract earlier. The idea that if you wait there’s more money (spent) forgets that in between that wait, you get to evaluate and you frankly get to see if you’re dealing with the same physical elements of it.”

As he pondered this, Jones grabbed a legal pad and began doodling – with circles, arrows and straight lines – to make a point.

“It’s almost akin to an option quarterback,” he said. “He can step out, he can either hand it to that guy going down the line, or he can come on out and keep it, or he can pitch it. Three different things. The longer you give him to get to the sideline, the better chance you’ve got to make the better play.

“So, I’ve never, in any way, forgotten all the things that can happen to you if you go too quick. And that list of going too quick is just as long as the negative of getting it done early every time.”

That we’re talking about Parsons, who is just the second player in NFL history (the first was the legendary Reggie White) to notch at least 12 sacks in his first four seasons, doesn’t move Jones off his point.

There’s also a sense with Jones that no one has the NFL money matters figured out quite like he does. He thinks, as the NFL’s most powerful owner and essential player in driving the league’s media rights deals and labor pacts, that he’s more “in the weeds,” as he put it, with the league’s revenues, able to “look around the corner” at increasing revenues. And with Jones’ marketing, the Cowboys have long been the NFL’s most valuable franchise, last year becoming the first $10 billion sports franchise in the annual Forbes rankings.

“Nobody could possibly have the feel for whether to go early on him or wait,” Jones said, alluding to revenue and salary cap projections.

Of course, skeptics and championship-starved Cowboys fans alike, counter the financials with the football bottom line. The Cowboys, for all of their sustained popularity, have a 29-year drought since last appearing in a Super Bowl.

Jones, who also serves as the team’s GM, addressed the question before it was even asked. He’s not giving up that part of the equation, reiterating his typical stance.

“I’m not in any way revisiting the mentality that I have about how I go about negotiations,” he said. “Not at all. The buck does stop here.”

As usual, the buck is wrapped in so much intrigue.

Jones mentioned the Smith holdout from a generation ago. Smith missed the first two games in 1993, and the defending Super Bowl champions started 0-2 without their MVP.

After Charles Haley planted a helmet into a locker room wall near Jones following the Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Smith’s contract talks suddenly heated up. And it ended well. Smith got his new contract and it sparked the Cowboys to a repeat Super Bowl crown.

Ah, the drama. Yet that was then. And this is now.

Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell. On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social

One of WWE’s biggest returns has caused backlash.

After the main event of SummerSlam 2025, fans were stunned to see Brock Lesnar return to WWE for the first time since 2023. He emerged to a thunderous ovation as he attacked John Cena as the show closed.

Lesnar is one of WWE’s biggest stars, but he’s spent nearly two full years away from the company amid the Vince McMahon lawsuit. In January 2024, former WWE employee Janel Grant sued McMahon, alleging the wrestling company’s founder took part in sex trafficking and put her through sexual acts that were done with ‘extreme cruelty and degradation.’ Lesnar is mentioned in the lawsuit as someone that McMahon offered sexual encounters to with Grant.

A spokesperson said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports, Lesnar’s return is an ‘attempt to sweep misconduct under the rug.’

‘For far too long, abuse was allowed to thrive under WWE’s leadership. Instead of righting this wrong, WWE has done nothing to ensure those responsible are held accountable. This attempt to sweep misconduct under the rug will backfire,’ the spokesperson said. ‘We look forward to the full set of facts, including those about Mr. Lesnar, coming out in a court of law where they belong.’

USA TODAY Sports has reached out to WWE for comment.

What is said about Brock Lesnar in Janel Grant lawsuit?

The suit claims McMahon used Grant as an incentive for a WWE star to re-sign with the company, offering a sexual encounter with Grant for the star. The star isn’t named in the suit, but The Wall Street Journal identified them as Lesnar. It is alleged Lesnar went to WWE headquarters in Connecticut as McMahon offered a sexual encounter with Grant, but it did not happen ‘because he was too intoxicated and taken back to the plane.’

Grant alleges McMahon ordered her in July 2021 to create personalized sexual content for the WWE star and he told McMahon “he likes what he sees.’ The star also later expressed the desire to ‘set a play date,’ but a snowstorm changed the star’s plans. No sexual encounters are alleged in the lawsuit.

The return also came as WWE ditched having traditional press conferences after premium live events, which offered reporters the chance to ask stars and WWE chief content officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque questions. Instead, WWE held a SummerSlam post-show hosted by its panel. Levesque said the dynamic of the room changes with Lesnar back with the company.

‘Anything you thought was happening sort of all goes out the window because the factor of Brock now just changes that dynamic. It makes it so unpredictable. Incredible to have him back,’ Levesque said.