James Franklin and Penn State football and their season have hit a major roadblock.

The No. 6 Nittany Lions let a loss to Oregon bleed over to Week 6, when they struggled against UCLA at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. Despite a late comeback attempt, Penn State lost 42-37 to the previously winless Bruins.

While Franklin has enjoyed plenty of success leading the Nittany Lions, fans started chanting ‘Fire Franklin’ inside the Rose Bowl with Penn State trailing 27-7 near halftime against the Bruins.

Here’s what you need to know about Franklin’s buyout and contract, if Penn State decided to move on from the coach:

James Franklin buyout

Buyout: $50 million

According to a 2022 financial term sheet obtained by the USA TODAY Network, Franklin’s buyout if he were fired without cause is just under $50 million as of Oct. 4.

James Franklin contract details

In addition, according to the contract, his annual compensation is $8.5 million on a deal that runs through Dec. 31, 2031.

The breakout of his pay includes:

Base salary of $500,000
Supplemental pay of $6.5 million
Retention bonus of $500,000 payable each year on Dec. 31.
Annual loan for life insurance of $1,000,000

Deion Sanders returns to where it all started for him two years ago as coach of the Colorado Buffaloes.

His team faces TCU at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, the same place where Sanders and the Buffs shocked the college football world with a 45-42 win in his first game in charge of the team on Sept. 2, 2023.

But just about everything about his team has changed since then – his quarterback, his roster, his outlook. Only 12 scholarship players are still on the team from then, according to Colorado records. Instead of starting the season with a bang, like they did then, the Buffs now just want to right the ship after starting the season with a 2-3 record, including 0-2 in Big 12 Conference play.

Doing so will require consistent, elevated play from Liberty transfer quarterback Kaidon Salter, who has played well so far only in spurts. If Salter falters and the Buffs lose, they’ll need to win four of their final six games to become eligible for a postseason bowl game.

Follow along here for game updates, highlights and news.

Who’s starting at quarterback for Colorado, TCU?

Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter is expected to make his third straight start for Colorado and fourth overall. He looked brilliant at a run-pass threat in a 37-20 win against Wyoming on Sept. 20 and then led his team to a 14-0 start against BYU before falling to convert for his team after that.

This game could hinge on whether he can outplay TCU quarterback Josh Hoover, a junior who started the last six games of the 2023 season and took over from there. Last year, Hoover set TCU’s season passing record with 3,949 yards. This year, he ranks 12th nationally in total offense with 308.5 yards per game.

RG3 in car accident in Fort Worth before Colorado-TCU game

Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner, is scheduled to call the game as a color analyst for Fox even after being involved in a car accident in Fort Worth Friday. He said his wife and kids are safe even though his car blew out both front tires and ricocheted off the highway divider. He said it was the worst car accident of his life.

When is the Colorado-TCU game?

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 4 from Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas. Colorado is 2-3. TCU is 3-1.

How to watch the Colorado-TCU game

The game will be televised on Fox and also is available on Fubo.

What are the odds for the Colorado-TCU game?

College football odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Sept. 11. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.

Spread Favorite: TCU (-13.5)
Moneyline: Houston (-550), Colorado (+400)
Total: 57.5

Who are the announcers for the Colorado-TCU game?

Connor Onion will handle play-by-play for Fox, alongside color analyst Robert Griffin III, the former Baylor star quarterback. Alexa Landestoy will report from the sideline.

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

After becoming the first player in MLB history with three hits in two innings of a postseason game, Milwaukee Brewers star Jackson Chourio was removed with a hamstring injury after beating out an infield single.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the second inning, Chicago Cubs third baseman Matt Shaw fielded Chourio’s grounder but was unable to catch him at first to score a run – Chourio’s third RBI in two innings – and extend the Brewers’ lead to 9-1.

But the 21-year-old Chourio pulled up after beating out the throw, prompting manager Pat Murphy to remove his left fielder from the game. Chourio previously missed a month of the season after suffering a hamstring strain in late July against the Cubs.

“It’s scary,’ Murphy said on the TBS broadcast between innings. ‘It’s the same hamstring and so we’re worried about it.”

The Brewers announced later in the day that Chourio had left the game with right hamstring tightness and would be further evaluated after Game 1.

Chourio had 21 home runs and 21 stolen bases in 131 games this season, his second year in the majors.

The attorney for Kyren Lacy said the former LSU wide receiver was nearly 100 yards behind a fatal hit-and-run accident despite being charged with multiple felonies.

Lacy, who was set to face a grand jury hearing April 14, 2024 on charges of negligent homicide, reckless operation of a vehicle with an accident and a hit-and-run that caused a fatality related to his involvement, died April 12, 2024 after authorities were called out for a verbal dispute between Lacy and a family member. Lacy fled the scene before police arrived, with the pursuit ending with his death.

Louisiana State Police said following its investigation into the December accident that killed Herman Hall that Lacy ‘recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline’ into oncoming traffic in a don’t pass zone on Louisiana Highway 20. Lacy turned himself in and posted a $151,000 bond the same day.

State Police say Lacy ‘drove around the crash scene’ following the accident and fled without stopping to help or report the crash and his involvement in it.

“We know from data that Kyren Lacy did in fact pass four cars, there’s no disputing that, further north, Kyren Lacy passed four cars,” Lacy’s attorney Matthew Ory told HTV10, showing video of the crash. “However, he was back in his lane of travel, 92.3 yards — back in his lane — behind Mr. Hall. At the time of impact. He’s 72.6 yards behind the vehicles at the time of impact. Key word, behind the vehicles. That is not how this story was ever painted. Never…

‘What we know now is he was three times legally what he needed to be back in his lane of traffic.’

In February, Ory also denied Lacy caused the car accident that led to Hall’s death:

‘The collision that resulted in the death of Mr. Herman was not caused by Mr. Lacy’s actions,’ Ory said. ‘The accident occurred directly in front of him when a second vehicle in the oncoming lane crossed the centerline and collided with Mr. Herman’s vehicle, in which he was a passenger. We are of information and belief that the vehicle that collided with Mr. Herman’s vehicle was issued a citation. At no time did Mr. Lacy’s vehicle strike the rear of Mr. Herman’s vehicle, nor did any of the vehicles Mr. Lacy passed collide with his. After the collision occurred in front of Mr. Lacy, he cautiously went around the vehicles after passage was safe.

‘It is crucial to emphasize that Mr. Lacy did not cause or contribute to the crash. There was no suspicion of alcohol or drug use involved. Furthermore, contrary to some media reports, Mr. Lacy never ‘returned’ to the scene of the accident.’

Lacy started his college career at Louisiana before transferring to LSU prior to the 2022 season.

Over five seasons, Lacy amassed 2,360 yards and 26 touchdowns on 162 career receptions. At LSU, Lacy had 112 catches for 1,628 yards and 16 TDs. As a senior in 2024, Lacy posted a career-high 58 catches for 866 yards and nine scores

‘Kyren was a bright star,’ LSU coach Brian Kelly said in April. ‘Mental health is one of the facets of player development that you’re working with in my field. It’s happened before, and I don’t take a situation like this as one that could never happen. You’re always on guard for it.

‘He had an incredible personality. I’ll remember him as somebody that had a love for the game, a love for being a Tiger, and was a guy that played with great emotion. When you think of Kyren, you’re going to smile most of the time because of the way he handled himself. He was a guy that was full of energy. I think a lot of his teammates will remember him that way as well.’

Tigers QB Garrett Nussmeier paid homage to Lacy by wearing Lacy’s No. 2 on the inside of his suit jacket at this year’s SEC Media Days.

Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers have arrived for Game 1 of their National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies.Ohtani has continued to prove why he’s one of the best players in baseball with another 50+ home run season and his ability to serve as a starting pitcher throughout a chunk of the season.It will be his postseason debut as a pitcher on Saturday against a formidable Phillies lineup, giving fans their first glimpse of Shohei Ohtani as both postseason slugger and playoff starting pitcher.

USA TODAY Sports will have ongoing coverage of how the Dodgers’ two-way star performs throughout Game 1 with stats, highlights, and more.

Shohei Ohtani’s first-inning pitching stats

Ohtani struck out the Phillies’ lead-off hitter, Trea Turner, in the bottom of the first inning. Ohtani threw 12 pitches, eight of which were strikes.

Shohei Ohtani strikes out

Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez struck out Shohei Ohtani as the leadoff hitter for the Dodgers.

Ohtani will quickly turn his attention to taking the mound shortly. It will be the first time he’s pitched in the postseason.

Dave Roberts sets expectations for Ohtani

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told TBS during the broadcast that he’d like to get superstar Shohei Ohtani through the sixth or seventh inning on the mound tonight. Roberts also mentioned he would want to get him around the ‘century mark’ (100 pitches).

NLDS TV, time and streaming for Dodgers vs Phillies

Times ET.

Date: Friday, Oct. 4
Time: 6:38 p.m. ET
TV: TBS, truTV
Streaming: HBO Max

Shohei Ohtani pitching stats vs Philadelphia Phillies

Ohtani faced the Phillies one time this season. On Sept. 16, the right-hander tossed five innings in a 9-6 loss to Philadelphia. He managed five Ks and one walk over 68 pitches.

Shohei Ohtani odds

Odds via BetMGM.

Strikeouts: Over 6.5 (+115); Under 6.5 (-150)
Earned Runs: Over 1.5 (-175); Under 1.5 (+120)

Shohei Ohtani’s regular-season stats

Batting

At-bats: 611
AVG: .243
HR: 55
RBI: 102
SB: 20
OPS: 1.014

Pitching

Games: 14
Record: 1-1
ERA: 2.87
IP: 47.0
SO: 62
WHIP: 1.04

Bill Belichick made his ‘College GameDay’ debut as the head man of the North Carolina football program on Saturday with an on-the-field interview and aced it.

The appearance included giving former Alabama coach and ‘College GameDay’ host Nick Saban credit for the ‘awful lot’ of information the former NFL coach learned from their time together with the Cleveland Browns. That apparently isn’t true, according to Saban, who quickly unleashed an expletive at Belichick’s response.

‘I never thought in all the time we’ve been friends, I ever say you are full of (expletive),’ Saban said jokingly back to Belichick on ‘College GameDay’ on Saturday. ‘I learned a lot more from you than you learned from me.’

But what did Belichick learn from Saban over the years? Here’s what the first-year Tar Heels coach had to say, going as far back as their days together with the Cleveland Browns. Saban served as Belichick’s defensive coordinator in Cleveland from 1991 to 1994, the first of two stints in the NFL for the legendary college football coach.

‘I learned an awful lot from Coach Saban. We came from different defensive systems and we merged them together in Cleveland. I learned a lot from him on man-to-man coverage, which we didn’t play a lot of in New York (with the Jets). And the 4-3 defense, which he played at Michigan State and Toledo,’ Belichick said.

‘It was a great experience watching Nick handle the free agents and recruit and build a program at Alabama. I’m very grateful for the relationship that I have with him and all the things that I learned from him. He’s the best to have ever done it.’

Belichick is now in the midst of building his own program in Chapel Hill with the Tar Heels, his first college football coaching job of his illustrious career. Despite being 2-2 on the season, with two losses to Power Four opponents in TCU and UCF, Belichick mentioned on ‘College GameDay’ that he believes the program is making progress and is looking at recruiting classes as a way of building a foundation for success.

North Carolina has its biggest test yet under Belichick on Saturday against another struggling team: Dabo Swinney’s Clemson at noon ET at Kenan Memorial Stadium. A win for the Tar Heels on Oct. 4 not only will be the biggest win of the budding Belichick era but would snap a six-game losing skid to the Tigers.

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North Carolina fans left early during a game against Clemson after falling behind 28-3 in the first quarter.
Coach Bill Belichick’s first season with the Tar Heels has been challenging, with the team on its way to a third significant loss.
Belichick, who joined North Carolina in the offseason, stated he is focused on rebuilding the team through recruiting.

North Carolina football and coach Bill Belichick might already be looking to next season, and so are its fans.

Tar Heels fans are already starting to leave in droves after Clemson’s touchdown gave the Tigers a 28-3 lead just before the end of the first quarter. North Carolina has two wins against Charlotte and Richmond this season, but is on its way to its third huge defeat this season.

Clemson has been quite the disappointment this season as well, although to a different degree. The Tigers entered the season has a trendy national championship pick before dropping three of their first four games to LSU, Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

UNC’s student section looked even worse at halftime, with the Tar Heels trailing 35-3.

North Carolina turned to a new quarterback in Week 6, as veteran Max Johnson started over South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez. Johnson, who started his career at LSU before transferring to Texas A&M and then North Carolina, entered the game with 6,094 career passing yards and 49 touchdowns in six seasons.

Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as the New England Patriots head coach, made a shocking move in the offseason by joining the college ranks for the first time in his career. The 73-year-old coach is the oldest in college football, and the experiment hasn’t gone well so far.

‘We’ve got a big recruiting class coming in,’ Belichick said on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ on Saturday, Oct. 4. ‘We missed a couple recruiting classes from the last two years. We only got just a handful of players that are playing. So we’ll get try to build through the recruiting classes and supplement that with some transfer guys, but we need a couple good recruiting classes, and I think we’re on the way to getting those. Excited about it.’

North Carolina fans are certainly hoping Belichick is right.

Texas football freshman wide receiver Parker Livingstone had to be helped off the field against Florida after sustaining an apparent leg injury.

The injury occurred in the second quarter of the Longhorns’ road game in Gainesville, at the conclusion of a 33-yard reception on second-and-8. He took a hit to his leg from Florida defensive back Devin Moore.

He was helped off the field with the help of several Longhorns trainers. He returned to the field in the winding minutes of the first half on his own power after a further evaluation in the locker room.

Before he exited the field, Livingston reeled in his second catch of the day of at least 14 yards. He currently leads all Texas receivers with two catches for 47 receiving yards, as Texas trails Florida 19-7 in the second quarter.

Entering Saturday’s game vs. Florida, Livingstone led Texas with 232 receiving yards and was tied with Ryan Wingo for a team-leading three touchdown receptions.

Here’s the latest on Livingstone’s injury:

Parker Livingstone injury update

Livingston sustained an apparent leg injury in the second quarter of Texas’ Week 6 road game at Florida at the conclusion of a 33-yard catch down the field. As Livingston made the catch, he took a hit to his kneecap area from a Florida defender that caused him to flip in the air.

He was helped off the field by members of Texas’ medical staff back to the Longhorns bench where it looked like he was limping and in some noticeable pain.

After being taken back to the Longhorns’ locker room at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Livingstone was seen walking back to Texas’ bench on his own power. According to several reports on X (formerly Twitter), Livingstone has not yet been given back his helmet as he stands on the sidelines.

Parker Livingstone stats

Here’s a look at Livingstone’s stats at Texas this season entering Saturday:

2025: 11 receptions for 232 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns

This story has been updated with new information.

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The UFC light heavyweight title won’t be the only thing on the line Oct. 4 when Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev square off in their rematch at UFC 320.

Also in play: the aura of invincibility.

Pereira, the 38-year-old Brazilian, is trying to reclaim the aura of invincibility after losing the light heavyweight belt to Ankalaev in a defeat by unanimous decision in March. Ankalaev, the 33-year-old Russian, is trying to solidify the aura of invincibility after the victory over Pereira extended his streak of matches without a loss to 14 in a row.

Why might the outcome of the rematch be different than the first fight? Pereira, the former kickboxer, has said an assortment of injuries left him at 40 percent and he indicated he’s closer to full strength.

But Ankalaev’s coach, Sukhrab Magomedov, expressed little concern. “He’s an old kickboxer,’’ Magomedov said of Pereira. “He has no speed.”

And, the coach added, “Alex, he has a punch, but not the kind that can really knock you out.” We’ll see about that. Of Pereira’s 12 victories, 10 have come by knockout.

USA TODAY Sports has everything you need to enjoy UFC 320, including updates, highlights and analysis:

UFC 320: Time, PPV, streaming for Ankalaev vs Pereira 2

The highly anticipated rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira will take place on Saturday, Oct. 4 and can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 4
Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
Early prelims start time: 6 p.m. ET
Early prelims card TV: FX; Early prelims stream: ESPN+, Disney+
Prelims card start time: 8 p.m. ET
Prelims card TV: ESPNEWS, FX; Prelims stream: ESPN+, Disney+
Main card start time: 10 p.m. ET
Main card stream: ESPN+ PPV

Catch UFC action with an ESPN+ subscription

UFC 320 predictions: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 picks

Anatoly Pimentel writes: ‘I predict that Ankalaev will win again by unanimous decision against Pereira in this championship rematch because he will impose his grappling more urgently and earlier compared to the first fight. I never expected both of them to thrive in each other’s game in their first meeting, with Ankalev landing more significant strikes and Pereira successfully defending all the takedown attempts by the Russian.’

Doc Sports: Magomed Ankalaev

Guy Bruhn writes: ‘In his last fight, Magomed Ankalaev squared up with Alex Pereira and ended up getting the win by unanimous decision in round 5. Pereira ended up landing 97 of 159 total strikes attempted in that fight. Ankalaev walked away from this fight having landed 127 of 224 total strikes. In the category of significant strikes, Pereira ended up landing 76 of 137, which gave him a rate of 55%. He finished the fight landing 11 of 57 significant strikes to the head. On the other side of the cage, Ankalaev ended up landing 52% of the significant strikes he threw by landing 94 of 180. In terms of accuracy for the significant strikes, he was 36 of 112 to the head. 90% of the significant strikes connected on by Pereira and 79% of them connected on by Ankalaev were done at a distance.’

UFC 320 odds: Ankalaev vs Pereira 2 fight card

Fight card according to ESPN: Odds via BetMGM.

(Odds as of Saturday at 4:45 p.m. ET)

Main Card:

Magomed Ankalaev (-250) vs. Alex Pereira (+200): Light Heavyweight title
Merab Dvalishvili (-450) vs. Cory Sandhagen (+340): Bantamweight title
Jiří Procházka (-200) vs. Khalil Rountree Jr. (+165): Light heavyweight
Josh Emmett (+360) vs. Youssef Zalal (-500): Featherweight
Abus Magomedov (+200) vs. Joe Pyfer (-250): Middleweight

Prelims:

Ateba Gautier (-2000) vs. Treston Vines (+950): Middleweight
Edmen Shahbazyan (-325) vs. Andre Muniz (+260): Middleweight
Chris Gutierrez (+375) vs. Farid Basharat (-500): Bantamweight
Daniel Zantos (-150) vs. JooSang Yoo (+125): Featherweight

Early Prelims:

Macy Chiasson (-190) vs. Yana Santos (+150): Women’s bantamweight
Patchy Mix (-325) vs. Jakub Wiklacz (+260): Bantamweight
Punahele Soriano (-350) vs. Nikolay Veretennikov (+275): Welterweight
Ramiz Brahimaj (+240) vs. Austin Vanderford (-300): Welterweight
Veronica Hardy (-800) vs. Brogan Walker (+550): Women’s Flyweight