USA Gymnastics has a new leader.

Kyle Albrecht, currently the general manager of MLS NEXT, will succeed Li Li Leung as president and CEO on Jan. 1. Leung announced in June that she would step down at the end of the year, saying she wanted her successor to have ‘a long runway’ ahead of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

“(Albrecht) has the leadership experience essential to continue USA Gymnastics’ growth, and his fresh perspective will provide new opportunities and leadership as we look to the LA 2028 Olympic Games as a catalyst for the sport of gymnastics and its athletes,” USA Gymnastics chair Kathryn Carson said in the release announcing Albrecht’s appointment.

Though expectations for USA Gymnastics are always sky high — a U.S. woman has been the Olympic all-around champion at every Games since 2004 and the Americans have won three of the last four team titles — Albrecht inherits a job far different than the one Leung did when she was hired in 2019.

Leung brought USA Gymnastics out of sex abuse scandal

The federation was toxic then, having lost the trust of its athletes, sponsors and the general public in the wake of a horrific sex abuse scandal. Larry Nassar, a team physician for both USA Gymnastics and Michigan State, sexually abused Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney and hundreds of other young gymnasts under the guise of medical treatment. USA Gymnastics was facing a lawsuit from Nassar’s survivors, sponsors had fled and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee had started the process to decertify the federation.

Leung, a former gymnast, moved quickly to try and restore trust in the organization. She apologized to the survivors and acknowledged USA Gymnastics’ harsh culture had fostered the environment that allowed Nassar and physically abusive coaches to prey on athletes. She overhauled the federation’s management team — nearly 70% of the staff has turned over — and initiated a culture centered around the athletes.

USA Gymnastics established an Athlete Bill of Rights in December 2020 and created a program that provides mental health visits for athletes and coaches. It was one of the first federations in the Olympic movement to have therapy dogs at its competitions, a practice that has now spread.

As part of a $380 million settlement reached in 2021, Nassar survivors now have a permanent seat on the USA Gymnastics board. The USOPC also dropped its decertification efforts as part of the settlement. The turnaround has been reflected in the return of big-name sponsors including Nike, which signed a five-year deal with the federation that runs through Los Angeles.

Athlete safety, performance among Albrecht’s priorities

It will be Albrecht’s job to build on that foundation. The longtime MLS executive has experience in commercial partnerships, event management and grassroots programs. Prior to MLS he worked at Under Armour.

‘Athlete safety and performance are the foundation of gymnastics,” Albrecht said in the statement announcing his hiring. “My goal is to be a true steward of the sport and to ensure everyone has access to participating in it. We want to continue to build upon the strong foundation that will carry us well beyond 2028.”

This story has been updated with new information

The Dallas Mavericks fired embattled general manager Nico Harrison on Tuesday, Nov. 11, less than 10 months after orchestrating the controversial trade that sent former star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, owner Patrick Dumont announced in a news release.

The Mavericks appointed former player Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi as co-interim general managers in Harrison’s place and announced that a comprehensive search will begin for a permanent replacement.

‘This decision reflects our continued commitment to building a championship-caliber organization, one that delivers for our players, our partners, and most importantly, our fans,’ Dumont said in a statement.

The moves come in the wake of the Mavericks’ rough start to the 2025-26 season with guard Kyrie Irving and forward Anthony Davis sidelined by injury. It culminated with Monday’s 116-114 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks during which multiple ‘Fire Nico’ chants by fans inside American Airlines Center during a fourth-quarter Bucks’ comeback overshadowed a career-best 26 points by Dallas’ No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg.

Dumont was in attendance at the game as the Mavericks fell to 3-8 for the season.

The Mavericks hired Harrison, a former Nike executive, in June 2021 and the team reached the conference finals and the NBA Finals in 2024 during his first three years leading basketball operations. But he took immediate criticism for his decision to trade Doncic, including fan protests outside of home games last year. The scrutiny continued even after the franchise earned the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and selected Flagg.

In an open letter to fans released after Harrison’s dismissal on Tuesday, Dumont wrote that ‘no one associated with the Mavericks organization is happy with the start of what we all believed would be a promising season. You have high expectations for the Mavericks, and I share them with you. When the results don’t meet expectations, it’s my responsibility to act.

‘Though the majority of the 2025-26 season remains to be played, and I know our players are deeply committed to a winning culture, this decision was critical to moving our franchise forward in a positive direction.’

Bengals QB Joe Burrow has returned to practice for the first time since his Week 2 turf toe injury.
The team opened a 21-day practice window on Nov. 10, giving them until Dec. 1 to activate him.
Burrow has not committed to a specific return date, saying, ‘We’ll see how these next couple of weeks go.’

For the first time since suffering his turf toe injury in Week 2, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has returned to practice. When will Burrow return to game action?

The Bengals opened their quarterback’s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve on Monday, Nov. 10. That gives Cincinnati until the first day of December to activate Burrow for a game

.At a press conference after practice on Monday, Burrow stopped short of giving his target return date from the injury.

‘We’ll see how these next couple of weeks go,’ the Bengals quarterback said more than a couple of times.

There are still several factors that go into Burrow’s return timetable. The first and most important factor is how the quarterback is feeling on his reconstructed toe ligament. There’s also the Bengals’ record to consider.

If Cincinnati loses its next couple of games to fall to 3-8 and out of the AFC North race, would the Bengals really continue pushing to have Burrow return if he’s anywhere less than 100%?

Here’s the latest update on Burrow’s injury and potential return date:

When will Joe Burrow return?

Burrow’s 21-day practice window opened on Monday, Nov. 10, when he returned to the Bengals’ facility as a limited participant in practice. Over the next three weeks, Burrow and his team will evaluate his progress in returning from a turf toe injury that has kept him on injured reserve since Week 2.

There isn’t yet an official return date for the Bengals’ quarterback. Dec. 1 is the latest date Cincinnati can return Burrow to the active roster, but he could return earlier if he feels ready.

‘We have 21 days to figure that out,’ Burrow said in his Nov. 10 press conference. ‘Could be early, could be late in that window. We are still pretty early post-surgery for this injury, so we have a couple of weeks of practice to figure that out and see how it goes.’

One reporter asked Burrow specifically about the Bengals’ Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens on Thanksgiving – Nov. 27, or four days before the end of Burrow’s 21-day window. Could that be Burrow’s target return date?

After a long pause, Burrow said, ‘We’ll see. We’ll see how these next couple of weeks go.’

The Bengals quarterback emphasized the importance of winning the AFC North this year, in a season where the wild card spots could be competitive and the division is wide open through 10 weeks. Given that emphasis, it can be easy to read into Burrow’s answers on Nov. 10 as pointing to a return by Thanksgiving.

But, as Burrow said over and over, ‘We’ll see.’

Bengals QB depth chart

Joe Burrow (injured reserve – toe)
Joe Flacco
Jake Browning
Sean Clifford

Flacco came to Cincinnati in an in-division trade with the Cleveland Browns in early October. He immediately took over as the Bengals’ starter in Week 6 and snapped his new team’s four-game losing streak in Week 7.

Browning was Burrow’s backup to begin the season but struggled heavily in his three games as the Bengals’ fill-in starter. He threw eight interceptions in four games – including three in Week 2 after Burrow departed with an injury. Browning’s struggles were the central reason the Bengals traded for Flacco before Week 6.

Clifford began the season on the roster bubble of the Green Bay Packers and was released at the end of training camp. Cincinnati signed Clifford to its practice squad after Burrow’s injury. After Flacco sustained a shoulder injury in Week 8, the Bengals signed the second-year quarterback to their active roster.

Apparently if you wear enough blue, you are bound to feel blue.

At least that’s the message Jon Stewart, the host of the ‘The Daily Show,’ conveyed during an episode on Nov. 10. While ranting about the Democrats’ role in ending the government shutdown, Stewart also drew a comparison between former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

‘For those of you that don’t follow the New York Football Giants, because let’s say you value your time on this earth, this is a football team on three separate occasions this season, has blown games, that statistically speaking, based on their sizable leads vis-a-vis the amount of time left in the athletic contest, they had a 95% to 99% percent chance of winning,’ Stewart said.

The host alluded to the nearly 97% win probability the Giants had in Week 10 against the Chicago Bears before proceeding to lose, which ended up being a key contributor to what Stewart said was not a good weekend for him.

‘Now for those of you who believe that professional sports and politics are an inept comparative, not only did the Democrats and Giants lose in the same, I can’t (expletive) believe it manner, they sound the same doing it,’ Stewart added.

Take a look.

The comparisons seemingly end there, for now anyway, since election season is in the rearview for 2025.

Daboll wasn’t subjected to elections, but he certainly lost a vote of confidence from the Giants organization, who fired the coach on Nov. 10.

It came on the heels of another late game collapse by ‘Big Blue’ – after his team blew a 10-point lead with under four minutes to go against the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately for Daboll, that was the rule and not the exception.

New York managed to lose in Dallas after leading by three with 14 seconds left. The Giants lost in New Orleans after building a double-digit lead against the Saints. They allowed a 30-point fourth quarter to the Broncos, blowing an 18-point lead with five minutes left.

Then there was the collapse in Chicago.

At the very least, Stewart can look forward to the football team selecting a new leader. It remains to be seen if he can say the same for the political side.

The upcoming College Football Playoff rankings will focus on the debate between Indiana and Texas A&M.
A potential rankings swap could signal the selection committee’s preference for the SEC over the Big Ten.
The SEC could potentially place five or even six teams in this year’s 12-team playoff tournament.

The debate between Indiana and Texas A&M will take center stage in the second College Football Playoff rankings, potentially reaffirming the selection committee’s admiration for the SEC and underscoring the possibility the league places five or even six teams in this year’s tournament.

The Hoosiers remained in front of the Aggies in the US LBM Coaches Poll after pulling out a narrow win against Penn State. A&M emptied another SEC stadium ahead of schedule during a 38-17 win against Missouri.

A swap in this week’s rankings would be almost entirely symbolic. Indiana is still as close to a playoff lock as any team in the Power Four and could be named the top seed in the 12-team bracket by beating Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.

But the message sent by the committee would be impossible to ignore. While both leagues are assured of at least three playoff teams, moving A&M ahead of Indiana strongly insinuates a decided SEC edge over the Big Ten when comparing at-large contenders with identical or similar records.

Look for the Hoosiers to fend off the Aggies in this week’s poll, though the gap will tighten. There will be no Group of Five team in the rankings for the second week in a row after Memphis lost to Tulane. Here’s how the top 12 will look on Tuesday night:

1. Ohio State (9-0)

Best win: vs. Texas (14-7), Aug. 30.

Loss: None.

Up next: vs. UCLA, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: at Michigan, Nov. 29.

Playoff chances: One win away. The Buckeyes would be an at-large lock with a win on Saturday against UCLA.

2. Indiana (10-0)

Best win: at Oregon (30-20), Oct. 11.

Loss: None.

Up next: vs. Wisconsin, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: Wisconsin.

Playoff chances: Locked in. The comeback against Penn State puts the Hoosiers into the playoff for the second year in a row. Next, Indiana takes aim at the program’s first Big Ten crown since 1967.

3. Texas A&M (9-0)

Best win: at Notre Dame (41-40), Sept.  13.

Loss: None.

Up next: vs. South Carolina, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: at Texas, Nov. 28.

Playoff chances: Nearly secured. Losses to South Carolina and Texas could drop A&M to fifth in the SEC pecking order, behind Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and the Longhorns but ahead of Vanderbilt. While the league should send five teams to the playoff, the Aggies could get squeezed out of the tournament should the Big Ten put together a strong close to November.

4. Alabama (8-1)

Best win: at Georgia (24-21), Sept. 27.

Loss: at Florida State (31-17), Aug. 30.

Up next: vs. Oklahoma, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: Oklahoma.

Playoff chances: Looking great. An eight-game winning streak will be put to the test by Oklahoma’s defense, which ranks first in the SEC by a wide margin in yards allowed per play. But the Tide are in great shape given the tiebreaker over Georgia and games against Eastern Illinois and Auburn to end the year.

5. Georgia (8-1)

Best win: vs. Mississippi (43-35), Oct. 18.

Loss: vs. Alabama (24-21), Sept. 27.

Up next: vs. Texas, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: Texas.

Playoff chances: Looking really good. Georgia would earn an at-large berth by splitting games against the Longhorns and Georgia Tech to end the year.

6. Mississippi (9-1)

Best win: at Oklahoma (34-26), Oct. 25.

Loss: at Georgia (43-35), Oct. 18.

Up next: vs. Florida, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: at Mississippi State, Nov. 28.

Playoff chances: A lock, basically. The Rebels could slip up against Florida or Mississippi State. Probably not, though. Look for a blowout against Florida and plenty of wackiness in the Egg Bowl.

7. Texas Tech (9-1)

Best win: vs. Brigham Young (29-7), Nov. 8.

Loss: at Arizona State (26-22), Oct. 18.

Up next: vs. Central Florida, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: at West Virginia, Nov. 29.

Playoff chances: Better than ever. An impressive win against Brigham Young will move up Tech one spot in this week’s rankings. At this point, it would be surprising to see anyone but the Red Raiders as Big 12 champions.

8. Oregon (8-1)

Best win: at Iowa (18-16), Nov. 8.

Loss: vs. Indiana (30-20), Oct. 11.

Up next: vs. Minnesota, Nov. 14.

Biggest game remaining: vs. Southern California, Nov. 22.

Playoff chances: Vastly improved. Oregon handed the committee a ranked win on the road and will follow Tech in climbing one spot in the rankings. Look for the Ducks to take care of Minnesota before another must-have game against USC.

9. Notre Dame (7-2)

Best win: vs. Southern California (34-24), Oct. 18.

Losses: at Miami (27-24), Aug. 31; vs. Texas A&M (41-40), Sept. 13.

Up next: at Pittsburgh, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: Pittsburgh.

Playoff chances: Win and in. That’s been the theme for Notre Dame since dropping two in a row out of the gate. The Panthers will provide a serious test, but it’s all downhill from there with Syracuse and Stanford to end the regular season.

10. Texas (7-2)

Best win: vs. Vanderbilt (34-31), Nov. 1.

Losses: at Ohio State (14-7), Aug. 30; at Florida (29-21), Oct. 4.

Up next: at Georgia, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: vs. Texas A&M, Nov. 28.

Playoff chances: Getting stronger. Texas is the team most likely to grab the last at-large berth with three losses, since two of those losses – to Ohio State and one of Georgia or A&M – would come against top-five competition. A win against the Bulldogs would make the Longhorns the top-ranked two-loss team in next week’s rankings and give them the wiggle room to drop their rivalry game with the Aggies and still make the field.

11. Oklahoma (7-2)

Best win: at Tennessee (33-27), Nov. 1.

Losses: vs. Texas (23-6), Oct. 11; vs. Mississippi (34-26), Oct. 25.

Up next: at Alabama, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: Alabama.

Playoff chances: Not great. That outlook would change dramatically with a win against the Crimson Tide, which could potentially overcome the Longhorns’ head-to-head edge. But a third loss would essentially eliminate the Sooners from contention because the committee wouldn’t move them ahead of Texas if both have the same record.

12. Brigham Young (8-1)

Best win: vs. Utah (24-21), Oct. 18.

Loss: at Texas Tech (29-7), Nov. 8.

Up next: vs. TCU, Nov. 15.

Biggest game remaining: at Cincinnati, Nov. 22.

Playoff chances: Close to zero. Realistically, the Cougars’ only chance is via the Big 12 championship; even reaching the championship game and losing a second time to the Red Raiders would leave BYU shy of the bracket. Keep in mind that two playoff spots are reserved for the ACC champion and the Group of Five representative, both of which will be behind the Cougars in this week’s ranking.

In the NFC, the Eagles, Seahawks, Lions, and Buccaneers are the current division leaders after Week 10.
The Colts, Broncos, Patriots, and Steelers lead their respective divisions in the AFC playoff picture.
Several teams with strong records, like the 7-2 Los Angeles Rams, are currently in wild card positions.

Every week for the duration of the 2025 NFL regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the league’s ever-evolving playoff picture − typically starting after Sunday afternoon’s late games and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we’ll be watching then, too.)

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Here’s where things stand with Week 10 of the 2025 season complete:

NFC playoff picture

1. Philadelphia Eagles (7-2), NFC East leaders: Something catastrophic (not uncommon in Philly) would have to occur for the defending champs not to be the first back-to-back winners of this division since they last did it … 21 years ago. A superior record (6-1) in NFC games allowed the Eagles to move ahead of the Seahawks and atop the conference following Monday night’s escape at Lambeau Field. Remaining schedule: vs. Lions, at Cowboys, vs. Bears, at Chargers, vs. Raiders, at Commanders, at Bills, vs. Commanders

2. Seattle Seahawks (7-2), NFC West leaders: Winners of four in a row, they currently have a better record in NFC West games than the Rams, who are also 7-2. But those clubs will meet in LA in Week 11. Remaining schedule: at Rams, at Titans, vs. Vikings, at Falcons, vs. Colts, vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers

3. Detroit Lions (6-3), NFC North leaders: The offense responded Sunday as Dan Campbell assumed the offensive play-calling. Green Bay’s loss Monday night moved Detroit atop the division. Remaining schedule: at Eagles, vs. Giants, vs. Packers, vs. Cowboys, at Rams, vs. Steelers, at Vikings, at Bears.

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3), NFC South leaders: You can afford to drop two of three if you’re in a division the Bucs have ruled since 2021. Remaining schedule: at Bills, at Rams, vs. Cardinals, vs. Saints, vs. Falcons, at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers

5. Los Angeles Rams (7-2), wild card No. 1: Winners of four straight, all in dominant fashion, they have a strong case as the league’s best team at the moment. Yet a Week 3 loss at Lincoln Financial Field could come back to haunt them when the NFC playoff field is seeded. Remaining schedule: vs. Seahawks, vs. Buccaneers, at Panthers, at Cardinals, vs. Lions, at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals

6. Chicago Bears (6-3), wild card No. 2: They’ve won six of seven since an 0-2 start but have struggled to beat seemingly weaker teams − as happened Sunday against the Giants. Remaining schedule: at Vikings, vs. Steelers, at Eagles, at Packers, vs. Browns, vs. Packers, at 49ers, vs. Lions

7. Green Bay Packers (5-3-1), wild card No. 3: Costly loss to Philly on Monday, dropping the Pack out of the NFC North lead and nearly out of the projected playoff field altogether. They head to Week 11 just percentage points ahead of the 49ers (6-4). Remaining schedule: at Giants, vs. Vikings, at Lions, vs. Bears, at Broncos, at Bears, vs. Ravens, at Vikings

AFC playoff picture

1. Indianapolis Colts (8-2), AFC South leaders: The schedule’s been soft, but you can’t control whom you play − though the second-half lineup seems much less forgiving. A 6-1 record in conference games currently gives Indy the advantage over Denver and New England. Remaining schedule: BYE, at Chiefs, vs. Texans, at Jaguars, at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans

2. Denver Broncos (8-2), AFC West leaders: They’re also winning a lot of ugly games − as they did Thursday night against Las Vegas. But wins are wins − and the Broncos have one more in AFC play than the Patriots do right now. Remaining schedule: vs. Chiefs, BYE, at Commanders, at Raiders, vs. Packers, vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers

3. New England Patriots (8-2), AFC East leaders: They’re in position to win the division for the first time since Tom Brady led them to first place in 2019 and maybe their first No. 1 seed since 2017. Not a whole lot of seemingly tough matchups from here on out. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, at Bengals, vs. Giants, BYE, vs. Bills, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4), AFC North leaders: Don’t look now, fellas, but you’re only one game up on Baltimore for the division lead. Remaining schedule: vs. Bengals, at Bears, vs. Bills, at Ravens, vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens

5. Los Angeles Chargers (7-3), wild card No. 1: They manhandled Pittsburgh in prime time, offering fresh evidence that maybe they can overcome their litany of injuries. Remaining schedule: at Jaguars, BYE, vs. Raiders, vs. Eagles, at Chiefs, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos

6. Buffalo Bills (6-3), wild card No. 2: They’re starting to lose sight of the Patriots atop the AFC East after a pathetic performance at Miami on Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Buccaneers, at Texans, at Steelers, vs. Bengals, at Patriots, at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets

7. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4), wild card No. 3: Tough loss at Houston on Sunday. But their Week 5 defeat of the Chiefs, who are also 5-4, could eventually loom large for both teams. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Cardinals, at Titans, vs. Colts, vs. Jets, at Broncos, vs. Colts, at Titans

SEC, Big Ten can’t agree on expanded playoff format as deadline nears.
If two super conferences can’t agree on expanded CFP bracket, the 12-team format could continue in 2026.
The 12-team playoff is working well. Maybe just leave it alone.

Deadlines become most influential and effective when something threatening lurks on the other side of the date.

Forget to file your taxes on time? That comes with an IRS fine.

Miss the open enrollment deadline? That torpedoes your chance to make insurance changes.

And what if the SEC and Big Ten miss the Dec. 1 deadline to modify and expand the College Football Playoff for the 2026 season? Well, nothing bad happens. A 12-team playoff format that’s working just fine would continue next season.

Sounds pretty good. Certainly, it’s not a threat. Let the deadline come and go with no action.

The 12-team playoff isn’t broken. It doesn’t require a fix.

SEC, Big Ten can’t agree on expanded playoff format

The playoff definitely doesn’t need Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti doing the fixing. In the offseason, Petitti became transfixed with the idea of a 16-team playoff with play-in games and multiple automatic bids for each Power Four conference.

As Petitti’s obsession with play-in games deepened, I thought he must either be an unserious person, or he’s conducting a psyop. Or, he’s an unserious person conducting a psyop.

Because, if there’s one thing college football needs, it’s a play-in game involving the Big Ten’s sixth-place team. (I typed that in my sarcastic voice, can you tell?)

We just had that play-in game. We called it Oregon 18, Iowa 16, on Nov. 8. The regular season supplies the play-in games.

But, wait. Maybe, there’s hope for sixth-place Iowa yet. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger recently reported Big Ten stakeholders have mulled a mega playoff with 20-plus teams and littered with auto bids.

That dog won’t hunt in the South.

“I’m not a big fan of automatic qualifiers,” Mississippi State President Mark Keenum said recently on “The Paul Finebaum Show.”

TOPP THOUGHTS: LSU search got even weirder, and Heisman race is far from over

Keenum, giving voice to the SEC’s position, favors a 16-team playoff, but with 11 at-large bids selected by the playoff committee.

If you’re wondering why I’m quoting Mississippi State’s president, he’s the chairman of the CFP’s board of managers, and he’s the SEC’s representative to the group. That makes him a notable voice on playoff expansion talks.

“I think the best teams ought to play in (the playoff) … and not have automatic bids,” Keenum told Finebaum. “That’s the position of the Southeastern Conference presidents and chancellors (and) our commissioner.”

To review, the Big Ten would like a bigger playoff with a bevy of automatic bids. The SEC doesn’t like automatic bids, nor does it benefit from them. Three weeks from the deadline, the conferences are miles apart. Playoff expansion cannot occur unless the Big Ten and SEC agree on a new format.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not very optimistic that we’ll” reach an agreement on CFP expansion before the deadline, “but we’ll keep working on it,” Keenum said.

Don’t bother. Let’s pretend the deadline was Nov. 1, and, with no consensus reached, continue with this 12-team format in perpetuity.

12-team College Football Playoff strikes right balance

By my count, 30 teams remain in playoff contention entering this third Saturday in November. That includes nearly two dozen teams from power conferences.

That’s enough contenders to keep the schedule full of impactful games each weekend, without devaluing results.

The Oregon-Iowa result mattered greatly. In the Petitti plan, that game would have been a glorified exhibition before the teams meet again in a December play-in game.

This weekend, Texas and Oklahoma will play SEC road games with their playoff fates hanging in the balance. Southern California will try to keep its hopes alive against Iowa. Notre Dame must sidestep surging Pittsburgh.

Playoff stakeholders tweaked the seeding structure for the 12-team format this past offseason. No longer are first-round byes exclusive to conference champions. Instead, teams ranked Nos. 1 through 4 will receive byes, no matter whether they won their conference.

Initially, I thought that seeding adjustment might be a premature reaction, but with the ACC caving in on itself, I’ll admit it was a worthy change to stop having byes exclusive to conference champions.

With that seeding kink ironed out, this fine-tuned 12-team structure can really shine.

The committee will have to make a difficult decision or two come selection Sunday, but the season results will sort most of it out. If the playoff expands, the field would become messier. That’s not necessary.

I count six teams as serious national championship contenders. No team that could win it all will be snubbed from a 12-team bracket.

At 12, the playoff remains exclusive, but accessible.

This playoff format works. Let the CFP expansion deadline pass. Ride with 12.

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

When are the College Football Playoff rankings released?

This week’s top 25 comes out 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 10 on ESPN.

Two spectators at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, died from cardiac arrest during the second day of the tournament, officials said.

‘The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) and the ATP express their deepest condolences following the tragic passing of two spectators yesterday during the ATP Finals in Turin,’ a joint statement from the two organizations said.

‘On-site medical and emergency personnel responded immediately, providing all possible assistance. Despite prompt intervention and subsequent transfer to hospital, unfortunately, both sadly passed away.’

Officials stated that incidents involving the two individuals, aged 70 and 78, occurred at different times during the matches on Monday.

The singles match between Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz was delayed when the 78-year-old man collapsed in the stands, with announcements made at the Inalpi Arena to alert fans to the medical emergency. The 70-year-old man collapsed in the Fan Village in Piazza d’Armi near the arena.

The ATP Finals have been held in Turin since 2021, and will continue in the city for next year’s season-ending tournament. The ATP Finals will remain in Italy until 2030.