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It’s adorable how they put up the facade of a fight, the allusion of strength in the face of sheer power.

The Big 12, ACC and Group of Five conferences put on the appearance they would stand firm against the Big Ten and SEC bullies, demanding fairness and accountability. 

Until they couldn’t — until their false bravado of public statements wilted in the face of reality. 

So it should come as no surprise that the College Football Playoff announced Thursday that this season’s 12-team bracket would be a straight-seeded format. 

No more highest-ranked conference champions earning first-round byes, a format that benefits the ACC, Big 12 and Group of Five. No more Mr. Nice Guy from the Big Ten and SEC.

“After evaluating the first year of the 12-team Playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said Rich Clark, executive director of the CFP.

Translation: the SEC and Big Ten said take it or leave it, and the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision conferences fell in line. 

More damning: this is just the beginning of the Big Ten and SEC power play — and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. 

If you don’t believe it, consider this: any change to the final year of first CFP contract needed a unanimous vote.

The next CFP contract beginning with the 2026 season, which will effectively be controlled exclusively by the Big Ten and SEC, doesn’t.

So if the minority didn’t agree with the majority on the straight seeding for 2025 (which they could have), they may as well have signed their own pink slips for the next CFP contract. 

The Big Ten and SEC control everything – format and financials – beginning in 2026. A new 16-team format will likely exceed $1.2 billion in revenue annually, and no one wants to be left out.

So while Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and ACC commissioner Jim Phillips have accomplished some heavy lifting to save their respective conferences, while the Group of Five conferences have done all they can to hang on for revenue scraps, the Big Ten and SEC have doubled down and flexed.

It’s their postseason world, the rest of college football is just surviving in it. And the Big Ten and SEC haven’t even begun to take big swings yet. 

Soon enough – more than likely shortly after the SEC spring meetings next week in Destin, Florida – the College Football Playoff will announce the format for 2026 and beyond. 

It wasn’t long ago that the Big 12 and ACC were publicly questioning a move to 16 teams, and against the idea that the Big Ten and SEC would be gifted four automatic qualifiers each — or half of the field.

It wasn’t long ago that Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey floated the idea that maybe, with the new contract, they wouldn’t use a committee to pick the field — or they would, but it would be tweaked. Shoot, maybe they’d bring back computer polls.

Understand this: the Big Ten and SEC aren’t floating ideas publicly (or leaking them) to gain an understanding of how far things can be pushed. They’re telling you what they’re doing.

And then they’re going to do it. 

When the SEC meets next week in Destin, the league could finally and officially approve a nine-game conference schedule. This will put the Big Ten (which already plays a nine-game conference schedule) and SEC on an even playing field, and eliminate the final point of structural friction between the conferences.

It will also send a shot across the bow to everyone else in college football. The two super conferences are now in lockstep in format and focus, and they’re going after big financial paydays. 

If you don’t like how we structure the postseason beginning in 2026, we’ll take our ball and have our own playoff. Better yet, we’ll schedule each other in non-conference games, and effectively shut out the rest of the sport. 

There’s a reason the Big Ten and SEC have been talking about an expanded non-conference schedule for nearly a year. Network television (and eventually streaming) wants more Big Ten vs. SEC. 

So don’t be shocked when the new 2026 CFP format includes an expanded championship week prior to the beginning of the playoff. That week – which long has been a standalone week for conference championship games – would include a championship game and three play-in games from the Big Ten and SEC. 

The teams playing in the two championship games, and the winners of the play-in games, would advance to the CFP. That’s four automatic qualifiers each from the Big Ten and SEC.

More problematic for the ACC and Big 12 (and Group of Five): the Big Ten and SEC play-in games will suck the oxygen (not to mention, television money) from that final regular-season weekend.  

More games, more television inventory, more revenue for the elite 34 schools of college football.

The ACC and Big 12 would get two automatic qualifiers each beginning in 2026, Notre Dame would be guaranteed a spot if it’s ranked in the top 16, and the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion would also earn a spot. 

That leaves three at-large spots in a 16-team field. Three spots for the Big Ten and SEC to more than likely share, or earn a majority — based, more than anything, on strength of schedule.

It’s all there, plain to see. The Big Ten and SEC are telling us how they’re going to take over college football, and it’s time we start listening.

This is just the beginning, everyone. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it. 

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

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The College Football Playoff will convert beginning this coming year to a straight-seeding model that ranks all 12 teams in order of the final playoff rankings of the regular season, the group’s management committee announced on Thursday.

The new policy will no longer include an opening-round bye for the four highest-ranked conference champions, though the five top conference winners will still receive automatic playoff bids.

Instead, the four highest-ranked teams regardless of conference championships won will receive that bye into the quarterfinals. In the case that one or more of the five top-ranked conference champions rank outside the top 12 of the final playoff rankings, that team or those teams will move into the top 12 and displace any non-conference winners.

The updated seeding policy comes amid a continued push from several Power Four leagues to widen the tournament field to 14 or 16 teams, with multiple automatic bids given to the best teams in the SEC and the Big Ten.

The management committee is composed of the 10 Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua.

“After evaluating the first year of the 12-team Playoff, the CFP Management Committee felt it was in the best interest of the game to make this adjustment,” said playoff executive director Rich Clark. “This change will continue to allow guaranteed access to the Playoff by rewarding teams for winning their conference championship, but it will also allow us to construct a postseason bracket that recognizes the best performance on the field during the entire regular season.”

The debut of the 12-team playoff saw Boise State from the Group of Five land one of the four byes, displacing ACC winner Clemson. Eventual national champion Ohio State earned an at-large bid, as did runner-up Notre Dame as an FBS independent. They were seeded eighth and seventh despite being ranked sixth and fifth, respectively, by the committee.

All other policies will remain the same from last season, the playoff said. That includes opening-round games between teams ranked between No. 5 and No. 12 being played at the home venue of the higher-ranked team. This year’s quarterfinals are to be held in the Cotton Bowl, Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. The semifinals will be in the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl and the championship game is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 19, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

How the College Football Playoff seeding would have looked

Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State were the top four seeds and received first-round byes in the 2024 playoff field due to their ranking as the four-highest champions. However, the Broncos and Sun Devils were No. 9 and No. 12, respectively, in the final rankings. Texas and Penn State played in the first round despite being finishing No. 3 and No. 4. That would have been different under the new system.

Here’s how the playoff was seeded:

No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas

No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State

Second round

No. 1 Oregon vs. Ohio State-Tennessee winner

No. 2 Georgia vs. Notre Dame-Indiana winner

No. 3 Boise State vs. Penn State-SMU winner

No. 4 Arizona State vs. Texas-Clemson winner

Here’s how the playoff would have looked have looked with straight-seeding model:

No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Notre Dame

No. 11 Arizona State at No. 6 Ohio State

No. 10 SMU at No. 7 Tennessee

No. 9 Boise State at No. 8 Indiana

Second round

No. 1 Oregon vs. Indiana-Boise State winner

No. 2 Georgia vs. Tennessee-SMU winner

No. 3 Texas vs. Ohio State-Arizona State winner

No. 4 Penn State vs. Notre Dame-Clemson winner

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The U.S. and Iran resumed nuclear negotiations on Friday in Rome as differences over demands have spilled over into the public sphere, making the red lines for both parties increasingly clear. 

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei this week criticized Washington’s position that has called for an apparent ban on all uranium enrichment in Iran and suggested a deal may not be possible.

The White House did not answer Fox News Digital’s questions about whether it is in fact calling for a ban on uranium enrichment for civil needs like nuclear energy, but on Friday Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters that ‘This round of talks is especially sensitive.’

According to Iranian media outlets, Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left the negotiations and said, ‘I hope that in the next one or two meetings we can reach solutions that will allow the negotiations to progress. 

‘With Oman’s solutions to remove obstacles, there is a possibility of progress,’ though he did not expand on what the hiccups were or what Oman’s solutions may have been.

Araghchi, who was set to negotiate largely indirectly with Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff through Omani mediators, made Tehran’s position on Washington’s apparent demands clear in a post to X early on Friday. 

‘Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science,’ he said. ‘Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal. 

‘Time to decide,’ he added.

Iran has claimed it has no intention of building a nuclear weapon. But steps Tehran has taken, like bolstering its missile program, which could give it the technology to launch a nuclear warhead, and stockpiling enough near-weapons-grade enriched uranium to possess five nuclear weapons, have experts worried, including the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency. 

While uranium enrichment for nuclear energy is a power source many countries, including the U.S., rely on for their energy needs, Iran’s nuclear energy amounts to less than 1% of its energy consumption. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the U.S. is attempting to form a deal that would enable Iran to have a civil nuclear energy program that does not include enriched uranium, though he admitted that this ‘will not be easy’.

‘Washington’s insistence on zero enrichment, I think, is the only sober, sane, non-proliferation approach you can take [with] the Islamic Republic of Iran, which has not stopped enriching uranium at various levels since April 2006 when this entire crisis really was kicked off, Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran expert and senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital.

‘Iran has more to lose by pushing away from the table,’ he continued. ‘Iran is engaging in 2025 for a very different reason than 2013 and 2015. It’s trying to blunt maximum pressure. It’s trying to prevent an Israeli military attack, and it’s trying to prevent European snap-back [sanctions]. 

‘This is why Iran is engaging today, and the Trump administration needs to be cognizant that, because of that, it does have the leverage in these negotiations and can demand more,’ Ben Taleblu urged. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners were released Friday in an exchange with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced, adding that ‘It is very important to return everyone who remains in captivity. 

‘We are bringing our people home. The first stage of the ‘1000-for-1000’ exchange agreement has been carried out. This agreement was reached during the meeting in Turkey, and it is crucial to implement it in full,’ Zelenskyy wrote on X, referencing a recent deal between Russian and Ukrainian officials.

‘Today — 390 people. On Saturday and Sunday, we expect the exchange to continue. Thank you to everyone who is helping and working 24/7 to bring Ukrainian men and women back home. It is very important to return everyone who remains in captivity. We are verifying every surname, every detail about each person. We will continue our diplomatic efforts to make such steps possible,’ he added.

The swap unfolded at the border between Belarus and Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official told the Associated Press. Moscow had no immediate comment. On his X account, Zelenskyy released images purportedly showing the newly-freed Ukrainians.

‘A major prisoners swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine. It will go into effect shortly,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning. ‘Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???’ 

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X that ‘I held a meeting on the preparation for an exchange’ and ‘The agreement to release 1,000 of our people from Russian captivity was perhaps the only tangible result of the meeting in Turkey.’ 

Trump had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Following the conversation, Trump said ‘I believe it went very well.’ 

‘Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War. The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,’ Trump said. ‘The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later.’ 

Putin, in a statement after the call, also noted that ‘a ceasefire with Ukraine is possible’ but noted that ‘Russia and Ukraine must find compromises that suit both sides.’ 

The Kremlin then said Thursday that both sides had no direct peace talks scheduled. 

‘There is no concrete agreement about the next meetings,’ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Associated Press. ‘They are yet to be agreed upon.’ 

Fox News Digital’s Morgan Phillips contributed to this report. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

An internal House GOP memo sent to Republican lawmakers and obtained by Fox News Digital highlights the party’s key accomplishments included in President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’

House Republicans passed all 1,118 pages of Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill’ on Thursday morning, after working through hourslong committee meetings, huddles in the speaker’s office and even a last-minute push from the president. 

Finally, late Wednesday night, House leadership found consensus among key factions of the Republican caucus. The late-night ‘manager’s amendment’ appeased lingering Republican holdouts, including fiscal hawks who wanted more reform on Medicaid and former President Joe Biden’s green energy subsidies, and blue state Republicans seeking to raise the cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction. 

The bill is a sweeping multitrillion-dollar piece of legislation that advances Trump’s agenda on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt. It aims to slash the federal government’s spending trajectory by cutting roughly $1.5 trillion in government spending. The U.S. government is over $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department. 

The bill raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion. 

The internal House Republican memo shared with Fox News Digital summarizes Republicans’ key legislative accomplishments. 

According to the memo, the bill reduces the deficit by $238 billion through the Agriculture Committee, securing $294 billion through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit reform. It reinvests $56 billion in SNAP benefit savings into rural America. 

Republicans say the SNAP reform restores its integrity by requiring states to pay a larger share for its benefits and incentivizing more state efficiency. It requires congressional approval for states to increase enrollment eligibility and creates SNAP work requirements for able-bodied adults who do not have young dependents. 

The Armed Services Committee increased defense spending by nearly $143 billion with improvements to service members’ quality of life, healthcare and family support. There are billions of dollars allocated to building the military’s arsenal, advancing technology and infrastructure and expanding military readiness. 

The bill allocates $34 billion for shipbuilding, $5 billion for border security enforcement, $400 million for the Department of Defense and $25 billion for Trump’s Golden Dome, which is a layered missile defense shield. 

It reduces the deficit by $349.1 billion through the Education and Workforce Committee, which made a series of reforms to streamline student loan payment options, support students and save taxpayer money. 

Specifically, the bill caps the total amount of federal student aid a student can receive annually to the median cost of the college, which is $50,000 for undergrad, $100,000 for graduate students and $150,000 for professional graduate programs. There is also a ‘lifetime limit’ of $200,000. 

The Education and Workforce Committee consolidated student loans into two plans – a fixed mortgage-style plan or a repayment assistance plan. 

It also establishes a performance-based PROMISE grant program, prevents future attempts at the loan forgiveness program championed by the Biden administration and reforms Pell Grant programs. 

The Energy and Commerce Committee, which had a lengthy overnight budget markup last week, includes a series of Medicaid reforms, which Democrats have railed against as conservatives pushed for more cuts. The bill establishes work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, requires state cost-sharing for adults above the poverty line, eliminates illegal immigrants from enrolling and reduces state funding for states who prioritize coverage for illegal immigrants. 

The Financial Services Committee in the ‘big, beautiful bill’ includes reforms to save taxpayer money and reduce federal bureaucracy. Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Committee increases spending by a little over $79 billion to expand border security, and the Judiciary Committee increases spending by about $7 billion to stop illegal immigration. 

The Energy and Commerce Committee also delivered on one of Trump’s key campaign promises to unleash American energy by supporting domestic energy production and eliminating Biden-era green energy projects, including eliminating electric vehicle mandates. 

The Natural Resources Committee reduces the deficit by $18 billion to deliver Trump’s energy agenda. The bill reinstates quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales, requires geothermal lease sales and mandates at least 30 lease sales in the newly-renamed Gulf of America over the next 15 years and six in the Cook Inlet in south-central Alaska.

It returns oil and natural gas royalty rates to before Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, resumes leases on energy production in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, resumes coal leasing on federal lands, increases timber sales and long-term contracts on federal lands and walks back funds allocated by the Biden administration for climate change. 

The bill includes amendments by the Oversight Committee that will reduce the deficit by $12 billion by eliminating retirement annuity payments for new federal retirees that are eligible to retire before age 62, allows new federal employee hires the option to elect to serve ‘at will’ in exchange for higher take-home pay, requires a comprehensive audit of employee dependents currently enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program plans.

Finally, the Ways and Means Committee makes the 2017 tax cuts permanent, which prevents a 22% tax hike, and delivers Trump’s campaign promises, including no taxes on tips, overtime pay or car loan interests. It also provides additional tax relief for seniors. The bill increases the university endowment tax and subjects the largest endowments to the corporate tax rate.

As touted in the House GOP memo, the bill also prevents taxpayer benefits from going to illegal immigrants by requiring a Social Security number for individuals claiming tax credits and deductions, ends illegal immigrant eligibility for Obamacare premium tax credits and Medicare, and applies new remittance payment fees for illegal immigrants. 

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in the U.S. House of Representatives 215 to 214. All Democrats and just two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voted against it. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., voted ‘present.’

Now, the Senate is tasked with passing their own version of the bill before it lands on Trump’s desk. Republican leadership is eyeing a July 4 deadline, but sparks are likely to fly in the Senate before Trump can claim a legislative victory. 

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ never gets old for David Letterman.

From the start, he’s partnered with former Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal in what’s now known as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL).

A native of Indianapolis, Letterman, 78, has said his earliest memory of the Indy 500 goes back to 1955 when he’d listen to the race on the radio with his family at their home, just miles away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. And once again, he’ll be back home in Indiana for this year’s 500, which takes place Sunday, May 25.

Has David Letterman ever won the Indy 500?

If you mean the racing team Letterman co-owns, then yes.

Buddy Rice won the Indy 500 in 2004 for Rahal Letterman Racing, and Takuma Sato won it in 2020 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers in 2025 Indy 500

David Letterman’s team will have four drivers in the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Takuma Sato, a two-time Indy 500 (2017 and 2020), posted the second-fastest time in qualifying. He will start in the middle of the front row in the No. 75 RLLR Honda.
Devlin DeFrancesco, a 25-year-old Canadian driver, is in his first season with RLL. He qualified 16th in the No. 30 Honda
Louis Foster: The British driver is a rookie in the IndyCar Series and will make his Indy 500 debut on Sunday. He starts 20th in the No. 45 RLLR Honda.
Graham Rahal, the son of team owner Bobby Rahal and a six-time IndyCar series winner, is in his 18th season on the IndyCar circuit. He will start 28th in the No. 15 RLLR Honda. (Fun fact: Graham Rahal once presented a Top 10 list on Letterman’s ‘Late Show’ in 2013.)

How did David Letterman get into owning an IndyCar team?

In a recent interview with the Indianapolis Star, Letterman discusses how special the Indy 500 was in the life of his family and friends.

‘I saw every weekend this kid named Bobby Rahal running up front. I started following him and was attracted to ‘the guy,’ not so typical of the drivers I was familiar with as a younger person. When he won in ’86, he came on (‘Late Night with David Letterman’), and that was the beginning of our acquaintance, and it developed into a friendship, and I would attend races around the country when I had time off. From that, he was nice enough to let me come in and be a bit of a partnership on the team.’

Also in that interview, Letterman talks about what it was like to be part of the winning team at The Brickyard in 2004 and 2017.

David Letterman’s first Indy 500

A few years ago, Letterman told the story of the first time he ever attended the Indianapolis 500 in person. In an interview with NBC Sports, Letterman revealed it was in 1966, when he was a student at Ball State University.

‘(A) buddy of mine from Ball State, we drove down, and we found a old piece of Samsonite luggage. A big, like six-suiter or something, and we put as much beer in it as we could. And as the day heated up, all the ice melted, and we had a waterfall going down. And people beneath us [were like], ‘What? Where is this?’ And of course it was the idiots, the drunks, sitting up there.’

2025 Indy 500 starting lineup

See where Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers are on the starting grid.

(Car number in parentheses, followed by driver, team, manufacturer; R=rookie; W=former winner)

(83) Robert Shwartzman (R), Prema Racing, Chevrolet
(75) Takuma Sato (W), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
(5) Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
(9) Scott Dixon (W), Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
(60) Felix Rosenqvist, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
(10) Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
(4) David Malukas, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet
(7) Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
(28) Marcus Ericsson (W), Andretti Global, Honda
(3) Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske, Chevrolet
(76) Conor Daly, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet
(20) Alexander Rossi (W), Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
(8) Kyffin Simpson, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda
(33) Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
(14) Santino Ferrucci, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet
(30) Devlin DeFrancesco, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
(77) Sting Ray Robb, Juncos Hollinger Racing, Chevrolet
(21) Christian Rasmussen, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet
(17) Kyle Larson, Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
(45) Louis Foster (R), Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
(90) Callum Ilott, Prema Racing, Chevrolet
(06) Helio Castroneves (W), Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
(27) Kyle Kirkwood, Andretti Global, Honda
(6) Nolan Siegel (R), Arrow McLaren, Chevrolet
(23) Ryan Hunter-Reay (W), Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, Chevrolet
(24) Jack Harvey, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing/Cusick Motorsports, Chevrolet
(26) Colton Herta, Andretti Global, Honda
(15) Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda
(98) Marco Andretti, Andretti Global, Honda
(66) Marcus Armstrong, Meyer Shank Racing, Honda
(18) Rinus Veekay, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda
*(2) Josef Newgarden (W), Team Penske, Chevrolet
*(12) Will Power (W), Team Penske, Chevrolet

Watch the Indy 500 with Fubo

How to watch the Indy 500: Date, time, TV and streaming

Date: Sunday, May 25
TV time: 10 a.m. ET
Race time: 12:45 p.m. ET
TV channel: FOX
Live stream: Fubo (free trial to new subscribers)
Location: Indianapolis Motor Speedway

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Monaco is the crown jewel of the Formula 1 calendar. Drivers were racing around the streets 21 years before F1’s inaugural season in 1950. For decades, it’s been a race every driver on the grid wants to win.

The race is an anomaly. It’s the only event on the calendar that doesn’t have to meet the sport’s 190-mile minimum race distance. It’s the slowest race of the year by average speed (95-100 mph) as drivers make their way through the tight, twisting circuit with few, if any, overtakes.

The 2024 Monaco Grand Prix had an early red flag which meant teams didn’t need to pit at any point in the race. That made for one of the least exciting races of the season but featured a rarity in the event: a hometown winner. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc became the first Monégasque driver to win the event since Louis Chiron in 1931.

Qualifying is everything in Monaco due to the lack of overtaking. Last year qualifying was a close battle between the Ferraris and McLarens in the top four places in qualifying. This year could be close again but between the McLarens and reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull.

Verstappen won the most recent race, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, his second victory of the season. That broke McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s streak of three consecutive wins. Piastri and Verstappen are tied for pole positions this season with three each through seven races.

Verstappen could make it two wins in a row but the McLaren drivers may get back on top in the streets of Monaco. Here’s what to know about the race.

How to watch the 2025 Monaco Grand Prix

There are multiple options for U.S. F1 viewers to catch all of the action from Monaco.

Date: May 23-25
Location: Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Grand Prix start time: 9 a.m. ET
TV: ABC, ESPN3
Streaming: ESPN+, F1TV, Fubo

Watch the 2025 Formula 1 championship season with Fubo

Monaco Grand Prix start time, TV, schedule

Friday, May 23

Practice 1: 7:30 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN2
Streaming: ESPN+, F1TV, Fubo

Practice 2: 11 a.m. ET

TV: ESPNU
Streaming: ESPN+, F1TV, Fubo

Saturday, May 24

Practice 3: 6:30 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN2
Streaming: ESPN+, F1TV, Fubo

Qualifying: 10 a.m. ET

TV: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+, F1TV, Fubo

Sunday, May 25

Grand Prix race: 9 a.m. ET

TV: ABC, ESPN3
Streaming: ESPN+, F1TV, Fubo

Who has the most Monaco Grand Prix wins?

Ayrton Senna has the most Monaco Grand Prix wins in F1 history with six (1987, 1989-93). Among active drivers, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton has the most with three (2008, 2016, 2019). Max Verstappen can match Hamilton’s mark as the active leader with a win on Sunday.

F1 2025 calendar, results

Here’s a list of events in 2025 with the Grand Prix winners of completed events.

Australian Grand Prix (March 16): Lando Norris, McLaren
Chinese Grand Prix (March 23): Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Japanese Grand Prix (April 6): Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Bahrain Grand Prix (April 13): Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (April 20): Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Miami Grand Prix (May 4): Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix (May 18): Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Monaco Grand Prix (May 25)
Spanish Grand Prix (June 1)
Canadian Grand Prix (June 15)
Austrian Grand Prix (June 29)
British Grand Prix (July 6)
Belgian Grand Prix (July 27)
Hungarian Grand Prix (Aug. 3)
Dutch Grand Prix (Aug. 31)
Italian Grand Prix (Sept. 7)
Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Sept. 21)
Singapore Grand Prix (Oct. 5)
United States Grand Prix (Oct. 19)
Mexico City Grand Prix (Oct. 26)
São Paulo Grand Prix (Nov. 9)
Las Vegas Grand Prix (Nov. 22)
Qatar Grand Prix (Nov. 30)
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Dec. 7)

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Liberty has already made history in the NCAA softball tournament. Its triumph over Texas A&M was the talk of the fast-pitch world after the tournament’s opening weekend, as it marked the first time the top overall seed was unable to advance from its own regional under the current format.

But now that the Flames are in the super regionals for the first time in their own program’s history, they hope this thrill ride has one more stop after this week’s trip to Oregon. Two more wins against the Ducks would mean a spot in Oklahoma City at the Women’s College World Series.

“It’s attainable,” said Flames coach Dot Richardson. “I’ve been in the World Series, and now just envisioning Liberty softball being there is exciting. We just have to keep playing the way we play and focus on the ball. I’m just so humbled yet hungry to keep going.”

The opportunity against the top team actually came as something of a surprise. Liberty entered the tournament with 47 wins and might have been somewhat underseeded. Richardson said the team was expecting an assignment closer its home in the south Virginia mountains. An opponent like South Carolina or Clemson. Instead, it got the team the tournament committee ranked No. 1.

“But think about all the eyes that were on that game,” Richardson said. “That was just softball at the highest level. I’m getting chills here just thinking about it.”

UP AND DOWN: Winners and losers from softball tournament regionals

Naturally, the team is enjoying the ride. Right fielder Rachel Roupe, the hitting hero of the regional, told media members she and her fellow Flames haven’t slept much since the triumph against the Aggies.

“Right after we won we went to the hotel pool – which was closed so we had to jump the fence,” she said of the post-game celebration. “I think we got to bed at about 4:30 in the morning, and we haven’t slept much since we got back to Lynchburg.”

In truth the program has been building toward this breakthrough for some time. It began with the hire of Richardson, one of the most decorated players at the collegiate and Olympic levels in the history of the sport. Since Richardson assumed the reins in 2014, Liberty has become a regular participant in the NCAA tournament. As such, those associated with the program are hoping this year’s achievement is, to draw men’s basketball parallels, not so much analogous to that of Maryland-Baltimore County or Fairleigh Dickinson but more akin to Gonzaga’s breakout run in 1999.

Until now, though, the Flames hadn’t reached the round of 16 stage. They were one win away from the super regionals on two other occasions, in 2018 at South Carolina and last season at Georgia. In both those cases, however, the host team managed to beat Liberty twice to move on. Last year, in fact, the Flames were an out away from winning a deciding game in Athens, but the Bulldogs rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to prevail 3-2.

A similar scenario appeared to be unfolding as Texas A&M took a 3-1 lead into the sixth inning in the deciding game on Sunday. But the Flames came up with five huge runs, capped by Roupe’s three-run homer, and held on for the 6-5 win as reliever Kaylan Yoder ended it with a strikeout.

“I truly think the reason we were able to win this game was because of last year,” said catcher Savannah Jessee, whose two-run shot started the sixth-inning rally. “Even though we were down … we were all super calm.”

Not quite everything broke Liberty’s way over the weekend. Had Oregon, the No. 16 seed, not avoided elimination twice against Stanford in its regional, Liberty might be hosting this super. But on the plus side, this trip to the west coast provides an opportunity for a couple members of the team, starting left fielder Paige Doerr and infielder Brynn McManus, to play in their home state.

“I told everyone it should be a lot cooler there this weekend,” Doerr said with a laugh.

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The attention of the lacrosse world turns to Foxborough, Massachusetts, this Memorial Day weekend, the traditional place on the calendar for its biggest event as NCAA championships will be determined.

The women take the field first at Gillette Stadium on Friday with a pair of semifinal contests. The docket features the top four seeds, and they’re all quite familiar with the big stage. The field includes the three most recent champs, with the fourth making its second consecutive championship weekend appearance and third overall hoping to break through for its first title.

Here’s everything you need to know to enjoy the games.

No. 1 North Carolina (20-0) vs. No. 4 Florida (20-2)

Time/TV: 3 p.m. ET, ESPNU

How they got here: North Carolina – beat Clemson 18-9, Princeton 19-10. Florida – beat Mercer 18-6, Stanford 13-12 (2OT), Duke 11-9.

National championships: North Carolina three (last 2022), Florida none.

Players to watch: North Carolina – Ashley Humphrey (31 G, 82 A); Chloe Humphrey (79 G, 27 A); Marissa White (45 G, 7 A). Florida – Gianna Monaco (73 G, 20 A); Frannie Hahn (32 G, 59 A); Jordan Basso (36 G, 38 A).

Quick sticks: The Tar Heels look to match the feat of an undefeated championship season they achieved in 2022. They beat all the other Final Four participants in the regular season, including a 14-9 win at Florida way back on Feb. 15. … The Humphrey sisters garner most of the headlines, but the UNC offensive depth goes well beyond them with 10 players recording at least 30 points on the season. … Due to conference realignment Florida is now an affiliate member of the Big 12 in women’s lacrosse, but the Gators’ winning ways have not changed. As mentioned, this marks the program’s third semifinal appearance, though they’ve yet to reach the championship game.

No. 2 Boston College (19-2) vs. No. 3 Northwestern (18-2)

Time/TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU

How they got here: Boston College – beat Stony Brook 10-7, No. 7 Yale 18-11. Northwestern – beat Michigan 15-7, Penn 17-12.

National championships: Boston College two (last 2024), Northwestern eight (last 2023).

Players to watch: Boston College – Rachel Clark (103 G, 22 A); Emma LoPinto (76 G 32 A); Mckenna Davis (25 G, 75 A). Northwestern – Madison Taylor (105 G, 41 A); Niki Miles (40 G, 26 A); Riley Campbell (35 G, 17 A).

Quick sticks: These two programs squared off in the championship game each of the last two years. The Eagles took last year’s meeting in a 14-13 thriller, and they upended the Wildcats 13-9 earlier this season as well – coincidentally also on Feb. 15. … Taylor and Clark have been nip and tuck all season in the national scoring race, and both are Tewaaraton Award finalists. BC has more scoring depth in support of Clark, but Sam Smith could be an equalizer for the Wildcats with her ability to control draws.

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If you haven’t been paying attention, or maybe you’ve forgotten since it’s been a slow march, “Around The Horn” is airing its final episode Friday, May 23, ending an era that transformed sports television and the discourse surrounding our favorite games, players and events. 

More than that, though, it’s the disembarkation of a journey different for every fan who tuned in to the ESPN program. 

“That was our childhood,” my brother replied last week when I told him that the show’s finale was approaching.  

It’s true. For those of us who don’t have much (or any) memory of the 1990s, 5-6 p.m. ET on ESPN was holy hour, with “Around The Horn” leading right into “Pardon The Interruption” before the evening edition of ‘SportsCenter.’

Life gets busy. That hour becomes dedicated to after-school activities, then you go off to college, then you’re working or commuting or at happy hour (they probably have the show on at the bar without volume) or adulting in some other way. But oh how sweet are those times you tune in and catch a segment before your rotted brain’s attention shifts to something else during a commercial break. 

“ATH” had to fight that natural progression of life. At some point last year, ESPN executives decided “Horn” needed an end date. In March, news broke that the Friday before Memorial Day was going to be the final air date. 

No replacement for ‘ATH’ has been revealed. But we already know nothing can replicate a show that opened so many windows into different conversations we couldn’t have imagined had we not been watching that day.

It all starts with the host

Tony Reali took over the show from Max Kellerman, the original host, when he was 25. Overnight – literally, he accepted the job during the 2004 Patriots-Panthers Super Bowl (yes, the Janet Jackson halftime performance) and was in the host’s chair the next day – he became judge, jury and executioner (in the form of a mute button) to venerated columnists from across the country including Jackie MacMullan, Bob Ryan, Kevin Blackistone and Woody Paige. 

“It was always going to be a great show because Tony was in charge,” MacMullan told USA TODAY Sports.

In the beginning, however, imposter syndrome was real. 

“It took me a while, as a young host and as a young person in the industry, to really get past what was an enormous honor,” Reali said. 

Over the past month, Reali wanted to honor the panelists, production team and crew. There was the fan who showed up outside the Seaport studios in New York, and Reali brought him inside for a selfie. 

“I’ve had an opportunity to do that in ways I couldn’t script or imagine,” he said. 

Countless technicians and camera operators worked on the show. But the five-person editorial crew sustained the show over its 4,953 episodes. Coordinating producer Aaron Solomon was the brain behind the show and had his hands in every episode. Josh Bard, another producer, was the “beating heart,” said Reali. Jeff Weiner (video producer), Caroline Willett (producer/researcher/stat keeper) and Tierney Corrigan rounded out the crew. The small circle responsible for the show “is the most under-said thing,” Reali said. 

A couple of months ago, Reali was sad that he felt sad – that the show was being “sunset, or canceled, or whatever you want to call it.” He said he’s a realistic person and that no show lasts forever.

“But I was surprised that I was disappointed and sad because I thought the show still had more,” he admitted. 

Now Reali feels pride and gratitude and hopes the show has demonstrated that in its closing episodes. The opportunity to say goodbye has been “amazing” because rarely in life do we actually have the chance. Having months to think about it and do something he believes in – showing and telling the people who mean a lot to him in life exactly how they’ve imprinted upon him. 

“That’s the definition of gratitude,” he said.

The power of the ‘Horn’: Life-changing exposure, family atmosphere

Solomon could have been bitter about the show he worked on for 23 years ending. But he’s had time to digest and prepare, and as the finish line approached over the past couple of weeks, he had nothing but positive feelings. Hearing positive feedback and reading about the show’s impact in the news has helped put him at peace. 

“It’s just been an amazing feeling of love and appreciation for not only the fans of the show but also the panelists,” Solomon told USA TODAY Sports. “I feel their love and gratitude and that has been really gratifying, just to feel everybody’s love in the closing weeks, and even months.”

The show’s legacy, of course, is the sheer number and variety of voices “Around The Horn” introduced sports fans to. There was beauty in the variety – the emotional writing and viewpoints of a Bill Plaschke, compared to the sports-obsessed vibe of a Ryan. What started as a consistent lineup for the first several years turned into a more frequent rotation. 

The different cast members and Reali created a familial aspect of the program. Their interactions between takes or prior to shows, popularized on social media through “Between the Horn” segments, led to a “certain chemistry,” Solomon said. 

“It was more than ‘OK, roll tape, let’s get out of here,’” he said. 

Usually those discussions weren’t about sports. They revolved around family and daily, everyday life grievances. 

“I think that was something that came off and I think that will be missed,” Solomon said. 

What endured was a strange, lovable family that looked straight out of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” central casting, MacMullan said. It was a group that hardly ever saw each other in real life, and the bond was built through a box on a screen and nearly 2.5 decades. 

“It gave us exposure that really changed our lives in many ways,” MacMullan said. 

The array of topics on one “Around The Horn” could make a viewer the most well-rounded and knowledgeable in the room. Most programs rely on the same topics and sometimes the same teams for content. That was never going to fly on “ATH.” 

“I think that we try to give so many other sports, shed light on other sports, I think people are going to miss that,” Solomon said. 

Panelists came from diverse backgrounds. And no topic was off-limits. 

“You have to talk about the news of the day,” Reali said. 

The show often tackled subjects that intersected with society, culture, race and politics – and didn’t receive the same attention on other rundowns. 

“Some would say that might have been the downfall of ‘Around The Horn.’ But I’m not ashamed of it,” Solomon said. “And I’m actually kind of proud of the fact that we handled some topics that are difficult to handle.”

Now the craze in sports media leans into former athletes and personalities. Journalists were the priority on “Around The Horn.” It didn’t matter what you looked like or whom you loved. If you could talk about sports, “ATH” had a spot for you. 

Rivalries emerged. Nobody took it personally. MacMullan naturally went toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles and New York representatives, Plaschke and Frank Isola, respectively.

Then there’s MacMullan’s famous Gary Sheffield story; the ex-MLB slugger would nary engage media members, but he liked that she said Sheffield had the most violent swing in baseball on a show.

“That’s the power of Around The Horn,” MacMullan said.

An hour of sports TV that will never be the same

I dispute the notion that “Around The Horn” wasn’t a great show. Was it flawless? Absolutely not. The undefined scoring system, Reali always making sure the finals went three rounds and other nuances could take a viewer out of the game. 

But the game-fication of sports talk – different from what was on radio or highlight shows at the time – was also sports fandom candy. “ATH” was ahead of its time with personality-driven analysis that wasn’t fan- or team-specific. For sports-obsessed viewers, “ATH” displayed four people living the dream every single day. It made this profession and sports at large relatable. Every sports culture tastemaker of the 20th century is in some way affected by the show. It was the bridge from television to the Internet era. 

“ESPN has canceled this show and yet they’ve stolen all the best parts of it for every single minute of every single day,” MacMullan said. “I don’t get it, but that’s OK.” 

For some of us who made it into the business the panelists and Reali occupied, “ATH” was sort of like our first (only?) sports journalism class – lots of history, some ethics and a pinch of an introduction to reporting. MacMullen didn’t realize the influence on the industry during the early days of the show as it was still evolving. (Chaotic was how she described it in the beginning.) 

“It was just odd to have print journalists on the air like that,” said MacMullan, who had some experience from “The Sports Reporters.” But nothing could prepare somebody for “ATH,” the first of its kind in the sports television space: fast-paced, with turns on a dime. 

Something MacMullan didn’t realize until she retired was how difficult it was to be a consistent panelist because she had to be up to date on every sports topic if she wanted to perform positively. 

“I think we all took that seriously,” she said. 

Throughout the show’s run, Reali felt free and independent as a host. The only notes he ever received was “keep on doing what you’re doing” for 23 years, and he’s not complaining about that. 

ESPN has yet to tip its hand about what will replace “ATH” for those 30 minutes every day. Solomon said it will be interesting to see if it does as well with the viewing audience. “ATH” pulls in considerably fewer viewers than “PTI,” but both Reali and Solomon said their recent ratings have been consistent with the show’s history. 

‘ATH’ and “PTI” (hosted by Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser, both of whom were also print journalists), are descendants of “The Sports Reporters.” Kornheiser and Wilbon are the pinnacle of sports television and nobody is touching that, Reali said. 

“That’s a married couple you’re watching on TV,” Reali said. 

The durability of the show – five days a week no matter what – made it ubiquitous. Reali nodded to his origin as “Stat Boy” on “PTI” as something every sports television show would benefit from: acknowledging any mistakes or oversights. 

Words matter. What you say is more important than how you say it, and this show taught an entire generation that. 

For a while, Reali didn’t want to think like that. But he’s come around to the effect.

“I intentionally wanted the show to not just be about having an opinion but proving why your opinion deserves to be heard and proving why your opinion is the best opinion in this moment,” said Reali, who relayed that philosophy to panelists during that welcome-to-the-show phone call. 

Although Reali knew the verbiage was of the utmost importance, as a television creator-host-producer he subscribed to the idea that people will forget what was said, but they will remember how they felt. 

“I work in feelings,” Reali said. 

“Around The Horn” was a fuller conversation, more of a Sunday dinner or golf foursome or barroom.

“That is more what I was going for,” he said. 

Both had similarities that gave the 5-6 p.m. ET hour a different flair: rundowns, clocks, scoring systems, mute buttons.  

“Something felt different in the five o’clock hour than the rest of the viewing day,” Reali said. 

And after Friday, even though ‘PTI’ will still be there, that hour will never feel the same again.

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