He has been practicing with the team’s G League affiliate, including full five-on-five contact drills.
LeBron James is not expected to rejoin the Lakers until after their current road trip ends in Milwaukee.
When he returns, James will set an NBA record by becoming the first player to play in 23 seasons.

The Los Angeles Lakers star has returned to practice and is nearing his regular-season debut. Once he sets foot on the court, he’ll set an NBA record, becoming the first player in history to play in 23 seasons, breaking the tie he currently holds with Hall of Fame guard Vince Carter.

The Lakers are in New Orleans to face the Pelicans in an NBA Cup West Group B game Friday, Nov. 14 and then finalize their five-game road trip Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Here’s everything you need to know about LeBron James’ injury heading into Friday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans:

Is LeBron James playing tonight?

No, the Lakers have officially listed James as being out on the injury report. He will miss his 13th game of the season and is likely to miss at least the next game following that. James has been in Los Angeles and is not expected to rejoin the Lakers until they conclude their current road trip, which ends Saturday, Nov. 15, in Milwaukee.

James has been practicing with the franchise’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. As part of those sessions, James has been participating in full, five-on-five contact.

‘Got him up and down a bit with some warm-up and transition drills, and then progressed to five-on-five in halfcourt and got, I think, about 12 to 15 possessions of live five-on-five contact,’ Lakers coach JJ Redick said Wednesday, Nov. 12. ‘The reports are that he looked good.’

The Lakers, presumably, don’t need to rush James back, considering that they have started the season quite well, sitting at 8-4 and in fifth place in the Western Conference.

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is a pain caused by some level of irritation, pinching, or compression of the sciatic nerve, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The sciatic nerve is located in the lower back and runs down the back of each leg. It begins from the lower part of the spinal cord and extends through the buttocks, back of the thigh and down to the foot.

As a result, the area of pain can range anywhere along the back of the leg.

What does this sciatica injury mean for LeBron James?

James has been one of the more dependable and available players, despite his age.

Still, he will turn 41 in late December and will likely need to manage his usage and body as the season progresses. Known for being a player who is exacting and meticulous about his body and his health, James will likely ensure he is fully healthy before making his return to the court. The Lakers are willing to give him the time and space to make sure that happens.

Given the timeline that Redick alluded to, James should miss no more than three-to-six games.

James has maintained that he wants to compete for NBA championships, so the nerve issue should not be a significant concern, provided the rest and recovery heal the injury. Given the length of the NBA regular season and playoffs, some missed time is to be expected for a player James’ age.

There has been some mixed messaging surrounding the calf injury that has been keeping Anthony Davis away from the Dallas Mavericks.

Davis, the 32-year-old forward-center who was the Mavericks centerpiece in the controversial trade that shipped Luka Dončić to the Lakers, has missed Dallas’ last seven games as he heals from the injury, which he aggravated Wednesday, Oct. 29.

Yet, the team’s response to Davis’ injury may hunt to its future plans with the star player.

The primary concern would be the risk of a debilitating Achilles tendon rupture, which would force Davis to miss a full season, if not more.

After there were a record seven Achilles tendon ruptures last season in the NBA, USA TODAY Sports studied possible factors responsible for the surging incidence of the injury. Among the materials cited was a March paper that found that two injuries in particular, calf strains and plantar fasciitis, could be precursors to Achilles ruptures. The paper noted that this was especially the case when players returned to the floor quicker from those ailments than the general NBA population.

The thinking behind this is that minor injuries could compromise the tendon’s health, and that a speedy return would not allow it to fully heal.

ESPN also reported that there was a disagreement between Davis’ personal medical staff and Mavericks director of health and performance Johann Bilsborough prior to the team’s Saturday, Nov. 8 game against the Wizards. According to the report, Bilsborough expressed concern about risking a more serious injury if Davis was rushed back too soon. Dumont, then, sided with Bilsborough.

According to ESPN, recently fired general manager Nico Harrison had been in favor of Davis making his return.

In response to a message seeking clarification on the matter, the Mavericks reiterated their public stance that Davis is continuing to work through the return-to-play process under guidance from the team’s medical and performance staffs.

The Mavericks are set to host the Los Angeles Clippers Friday, Nov. 14, and Davis is listed as questionable with a left calf strain designation.

On Thursday, Nov. 13, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said Davis was “progressing” after he completed on-court work.

“He’s doing well,” Kidd added.

What does this all mean for Anthony Davis and the Mavericks?

After Harrison was fired Tuesday, Nov. 11, there was immediate league-wide speculation that Dallas could be entering a rebuilding phase.

Michael Finley and Matt Riccardi were installed as co-interim general managers, and they could opt to ship Davis and other pricey veterans, in favor of draft capital and younger players. This is only magnified further considering that the Mavericks are shifting their offense to have No. 1 overall rookie Cooper Flagg — the youngest player in the NBA at 18 years and 328 days old — as the future face of the franchise.

If Davis is indeed on the trading block, it makes total sense for the Mavericks to rest Davis. Even if he is fully cleared by all parties and there’s no real concern for a further Achilles injury, it would still be prudent for the Mavericks to shut him down until he’s dealt.

Davis has two years left on his contract, with an average annual salary of $58.5 million, per Spotrac.com; he also has a $62.8 million player option for the 2027-28 season.

Simply put: it would be catastrophic for the Mavericks to carry that contract if they want to shop him in a trade and if Davis were to suffer the devastating case of a serious injury.

Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, for example, entered Game 7 of the NBA Finals with a calf strain injury before he suffered an Achilles tendon rupture.

Yet, even if the new front office decides that it wants Davis to be a part of the team’s future, patience appears to be the sensible approach. The Mavericks are 3-9 and in second-to-last in the Western Conference, star point guard Kyrie Irving remains out and only the Pacers trail Dallas in offensive rating (104.6).

Either way, this appears to be a lost season for the Mavericks. Firing Harrison was, in effect, the admission of a mistake made with the Dončić deal.

The Mavericks might as well not compound it by making any rash decisions with Davis’ health.

The Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah, is known as the fastest ice in the world.
Athletes can secure Olympic spots for themselves and their countries based on their World Cup performances.
Speed skater Jordan Stolz could qualify for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics at the World Cup in Utah.

KEARNS, Utah — The last time speed skater Jordan Stolz raced in a World Cup at the Olympic Oval, he set world and U.S. records on his way to a sweep of his four races.

This time, he could all but lock up a spot on his second Olympic team.

Speed skating’s World Cup season begins Friday at The Oval. It has the fastest ice in the world – Stolz’s record of 1:05.37 in the 1,000 meters is one of 15 current world records set here – so getting one of the two top-five finishes he needs to qualify for the Milano Cortina Olympics should be doable this weekend.

Stolz will race in the 1,000 meters, his best event, on Friday night. He’ll do the 500 meters and 1,500 meters Saturday, and another 500 meters Sunday. Beijing Olympic champion Erin Jackson, Brittany Bowe and Cooper McLeod also will be representing the United States at the World Cup.

‘I’m going to use these races in the World Cups to try and build my top end a little bit,’ Stolz said last month.

Stolz, 21, is poised to be the breakout star of Milano Cortina. He swept the 500 meters, 1,000 meters and 1,500 meters at both the 2023 and 2024 world championships, and won the overall World Cup titles in those three distances last season. And, despite his training hampered by pneumonia and strep throat, Stolz won silvers in the 500 and 1,500 meters and a bronze in the 1,000 meters at worlds in March.

Should Stolz win in each of his three distances in Milano Cortina, he’d join Eric Heiden as the only U.S. athlete to win three or more gold medals at a single Winter Olympics. Heiden, a Wisconsin native like Stolz, famously won five golds at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York, winning every speed skating race.

‘I just try not to think about all the things that people will say. I just try and focus on how I’m feeling and what I think is possible,’ Stolz said.

And that is?

‘I think many things are possible,’ Stolz said. ‘But I have to actually do it, so it’s not something that’s going to happen without even trying.’

Here’s everything you need to know about this weekend’s World Cup at the Olympic Oval in Kearns, Utah:

What’s at stake?

Titles and points, just like at any World Cup. But with this being an Olympic year, athletes also can earn spots at the Milano Cortina Games, for themselves and their countries.

U.S. athletes can secure their own spot on the team two ways. First, if they won a medal at the single-distance world championships in March, they need to finish in the top five at the same distance in two of the four World Cups (Salt Lake; Calgary, Alberta; Heerenveen, Netherlands; and Hamar Norway) before the end of the year.

Stolz (silvers in the 500 and 1,500 meters and a bronze in the 1,000) and Cooper McLeod (bronze in the 500 meters) are the only Americans eligible for this pathway.

The second way for an athlete to secure a spot for themselves is to medal in the same distance at two World Cups.

The rest of the team for Milano Cortina – countries can send a maximum of nine men and nine women, based on their top athletes’ placement and times at the four World Cups – will be decided at the U.S. Olympic trials, which are Jan. 2-5, 2026, in Milwaukee.

Who’s competing

Because the World Cup circuit is also the easiest way to get to Milano Cortina, there will be a Who’s Who of speed skating at the Olympic Oval.

Stolz and Jackson’s biggest rivals, Jenning De Boo and Femke Kok, respectively, lead the mighty team from the Netherlands. The Dutch won 18 medals at the single-distance worlds last year, eight of them gold. Two of those golds were won by Joy Beune, the women’s all-around champion in 2024.

Also keep an eye on Japan’s Miho Takagi, who topped the World Cup standings in both the women’s 1,000 and 1,500 meters last year; and Italy’s Davide Ghiotto, the world-record holder in the men’s 10,000 meters.

Stream World Cup speed skating on Peacock

How to watch, streaming options

Live coverage of the three-day meet World Cup will be available on Peacock, with a highlights show airing Sunday afternoon on NBC.

Here’s the schedule (all times Eastern):

Friday, Nov. 14: Live coverage begins at 6 p.m. on Peacock

Saturday, Nov. 15: Live coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. on Peacock

Sunday, Nov. 15: Highlights show at 2 p.m. on NBC; live coverage at 3 p.m. on Peacock.

Streaming options: NBCOlympics.com, NBC Sports app

Competition schedule

(All times Eastern)

Friday, Nov. 14

1:25 p.m. — 3000m Women Division B

1:21 p.m. — 5000m Men Division B

4:09 p.m. — 1000m Women Division B

5:01 p.m. — 1000m Men Division B

7 p.m. — 3000m Women Division A

7:56 p.m. — 5000m Men Division A

9:14 p.m. — 1000m Women Division A

9:47 p.m. — 1000m Men Division A

Saturday, Nov. 15

1:05 p.m. — 1st 500m Women Division B

1:49 p.m. — 1st 500m Men Division B

3:30 p.m. — 1st 500m Women Division A

3:58 p.m. — 1st 500m Men Division A

4:37 p.m. — 1500m Women Division A

5:17 p.m. — 1500m Men Division A

7 p.m. — 1500m Women Division B

8:05 p.m. — 1500m Men Division B

Sunday, Nov. 16

12 p.m. — Team Pursuit Women Division B

12:23 p.m. — eam Pursuit Men Division B

12:51 — 2nd 500m Women Division B

1:28 p.m. — 2nd 500m Men Division B

2:28 p.m. — Mass Start Women Division B

2:49 p.m. — Mass Start Men Division B

4 p.m. — Team Pursuit Women Division A

4:28 p.m. — Team Pursuit Men Division A

5:06 p.m. — 2nd 500m Women Division A

5:34 p.m. — 2nd 500m Men Division A

6:17 p.m. — Mass Start Women Division A

6:38 p.m. — Mass Start Men Division A

As the negotiations for a potential fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua progress towards a possible Dec. 19 bout in Miami, this matchup doesn’t come as a surprise. Paul has been vocal about his preferred opponents in the past, and Joshua was among them.

Paul has frequently taken to social media to express his desire to fight various opponents during his professional boxing career. In the last year, he expressed interest in fighting Canelo Alvarez, but that plan changed when Canelo signed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season. Following that, Paul scheduled a fight against Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis; however, the exhibition boxing match was canceled due to a civil lawsuit filed by Davis’ ex-girlfriend, who accused him of battery and aggravated battery, among other charges.

Most Valuable Promotions sought a replacement for Davis for the Nov. 14 date and reached out to Ryan Garcia, another fighter Paul has expressed a desire to face. However, Oscar De La Hoya, the head of Golden Boy Promotions, dismissed those rumors immediately and shut down any talks about a potential bout.

Paul has also expressed desire to enter the ring to face a list of opponents that include Conor McGregor, KSI, and Kamaru Usman.

Jake Paul’s fight wish list

Here are the fighters that Jake Paul has expressed interest in facing during his professional boxing career:

Canelo Alvarez
Ryan Garcia
Conor McGregor
KSI
Kamaru Usman
Logan Paul
Terrance Crawford
Tommy Fury

Is Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua happening?

As of Nov. 14, there has been no confirmation of a fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua. Although rumors suggest that the fight is being finalized, there have been no updates regarding the date, details, or whether it will be an exhibition match.

The New York Jets lost 27-14 to the New England Patriots, dropping their season record to 2-8.
Quarterback Justin Fields struggled in the passing game, finishing with 116 yards through the air.
Fields was more effective as a runner, gaining 67 yards on the ground with one touchdown.

FOXBOROUGH, MA – The New York Jets made their intentions for the second half of the 2025 season clear at the trade deadline by moving on from linchpins of the defense and stockpiling draft picks with an eye for the future. For a team that sank to 2-8 days later with a 27-14 ‘Thursday Night Football’ defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots, the pair of blockbuster deals were undoubtedly forward-thinking moves by first-year general manager Darren Mougey.

Winning – including New York’s victory over the fellow bottom-feeding Cleveland Browns on Nov. 9 – comes at a cost. The price is precious draft position. 

Which is why employing Justin Fields as quarterback is about the smartest decision a tanking team could make in the modern NFL. 

That’s a harsh criticism of Fields, yes. But one of the primary job descriptions of “quarterback” is throwing the ball. Fields, at present, in this Jets’ offense, is largely incapable of performing the task. 

Fields finished 15-for-26 passing with 116 yards through the air. He also rushed 11 times for 67 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown on the game’s opening series, which took eight minutes and four seconds off the clock. That drive resembled the product of a professional offense.

The rest of the game? Not so much.

“Listen, there were some good things, really good things,’ Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. ‘I thought he put some balls out there. We got to have some guys that make some plays for him, too. I know for a fact he’s going to say there are some things he can do better.

‘I thought he had some really good throws. We just got to finish those.’

At halftime, Fields had more rushing yards (28) than passing yards (23). Forty-one of his passing yards, nearly one-third of his total, came in garbage time. In four of his nine starts this season, he’s thrown for less than 54 yards. Explosives through the air are as rare with Fields at quarterback as Jets playoff appearances, with the franchise’s postseason drought approaching 15 seasons now.

Fields’ effectiveness as a runner makes the offense a conundrum for the coaching staff because, as Glenn said, they “don’t want to make it a habit of our quarterback just continuing to run because we can put him in harm’s way.” 

“Justin ran the ball quite a bit,” Glenn said. “The thing is we, man, can’t put Justin in a situation where that’s a running back and I think we all know that because we will put him in harm’s way. 

“He did a good job on some of those runs. We just have to be calculated when we do those things.”

Regardless, Fields occupies the role of good and loyal soldier.

‘Whatever I have to do to get this team as successful as can be and for us to reach our highest potential, I’m willing to do whatever,’ Fields said. ‘So if that’s me running the ball, that’s what it is.’  

New arrival AD Mitchell – the wideout who came over in the trade that sent Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts – and Fields were not on the same page at all in the second quarter. On one third down, Mitchell beat Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez on a double-move down the left sideline and had a step of separation. Fields put a nice throw on his back shoulder, in-stride, but Mitchell could not snag the pass. 

On a different drive, Fields had Mitchell wide open on an out-breaking route to the right. A poor throw gave Mitchell nary a chance of making the play.

‘You kind of just have to roll with it and deal with it,’ Fields said of the new faces he’s throwing to (newly acquired receiver John Metchie had the longest catch of 22 yards and three total for 45 yards). ‘You can’t look at your circumstances. Just got to go out there and play.’

In fairness to Fields, the deck is stacked against him. It’s not Fields’ fault the defense has not recorded an interception all season (and just one turnover). Before the game, the Jets placed receiver Garrett Wilson on injured reserve.

On Thursday, the acid on the wound came in the fourth quarter with the Jets trailing by 10. On the first play of the drive, Fields fumbled the snap and instead of simply falling on it, he tried to pick up the pigskin and run. That was a doomed effort. New England recovered and kicked a field goal four plays later.

What must be difficult for Fields’ teammates is that he seems like a stand-up guy. A week after Jets owner Woody Johnson put him on blast to the entire world, he helped his team win its first game of the season. He shared a genuine moment of vulnerability – conveying the message that it is indeed OK to not be OK – in that postgame news conference. That’s powerful and important stuff. 

The sad reality is that matters almost zilch on the gridiron. 

Glenn has made it a ritual of not announcing a starting quarterback in some sort of clash with the Big Apple media. The talking heads will keep asking about the viability of starting Fields as long as there is another game to play.

But if Fields is in the conversation to be the starter anyway, losing is probably for the best.

An Ole Miss student thought she was participating in an in-game promotion. It became a surprise proposal.
Coach Lane Kiffin becomes first to congratulate newly engaged Ole Miss couple.
‘I felt like the luckiest man alive,’ former Ole Miss pole vaulter says after getting engaged.

Best-case scenario, Madison Barnette thought she and her beau Drew O’Connor would walk away with a Planet Fitness membership card and a memory at Vaught Hemingway Stadium.

Worst-case scenario, O’Connor would miss the field goal during the in-game promotion in front of thousands of Mississippi fans.

Then came the plot twist Barnette hadn’t seen coming.

The kick contest was all a ruse.

With the help of Ole Miss athletics and marketing staff, O’Connor had arranged a surprise proposal, under the guise of a field-goal promotion.

Barnette kneeled and held the football, thinking O’Connor was about to attempt a 25-yard field goal, before he suddenly changed course and shocked her by popping the question.

She said yes.

Forget the gym membership. Barnette exited the field with the real prize.

“A lifetime membership with my best friend,” Barnette, 21, the newly engaged senior Ole Miss nursing student, told USA TODAY.

The story doesn’t end there.

As an Ole Miss photographer snapped photos of the happy couple on the field, coach Lane Kiffin raced over from the sideline and hopped in the picture. Frame that photo. There’s Kiffin, smiling during a game break, alongside the overjoyed couple.

Truly, an only-in-college-football moment.

Ole Miss couple met in the Grove, got engaged at the Vaught

Barnette and O’Connor met at a tailgate in the Grove last fall. They went on their first date in January. By August, they were ring shopping.

“When you know you know,” Barnette said. “When you know that God has intentionally placed someone in your life for a reason, there’s no hesitancy to join that covenant.”

O’Connor didn’t purchase the ring when the couple shopped together, and Barnette didn’t know he’d bought a ring. Certainly, she didn’t expect a proposal to come during an Ole Miss game against The Citadel. Maybe, she thought, he’d propose during the holiday season.

O’Connor, 24, earned his master’s degree from Ole Miss, where he was a pole vaulter on the track team.

Considering where and how the couple met and Barnette’s affection for Ole Miss football, O’Connor decided to go big with an on-field proposal.

“I wanted to propose to Madison at a place that mattered to both of us, and Ole Miss completely changed both of our lives for the better,” said O’Connor, who will start work at a Missouri accounting firm in January. “It just kind of made sense for me to at least give it my best effort to make it such a special day.”

He brought the idea to Ole Miss, which jumped on board.

“Trust me, I had the easy role,’ O’Connor said. ‘Their behind-the-scenes coordination was super impressive.’

Field goal turns into a proposal, with congrats from Lane Kiffin

As a former athlete, O’Connor is allowed to go onto the field before football games. That’s where his plan shifted into gear.

An Ole Miss staff member asked Barnette if she and O’Connor wanted to participate in a third-quarter contest. She’d be the holder, he’d be the kicker, and they’d need to convert a short field goal for a prize from Planet Fitness. She figured, sure, why not?

Barnette and O’Connor went down to the sideline to get ready for the contest during the third quarter. Some Ole Miss staffers helped sell the plot by giving Barnette tips on how to hold the ball for the kick. Index finger on top of the ball, and laces out, toward the goal posts. She practiced a bit on the sideline.

O’Connor had given the ring to Ole Miss earlier in the week, so he wouldn’t have any issues getting it through security. When he and Barnette took the field, an Ole Miss staffer passed O’Connor the ring. Barnette didn’t see the exchange, but the crowd noticed and began to cheer.

Barnette focused on doing her part, so O’Connor wouldn’t miss what she thought was about to be a prize-winning kick.

“I really was hoping he was going to make the field goal,” Barnette said. “I just think, if he had missed the kick, that would be a little embarrassing, especially in front of the whole stadium. So, I was a little nervous for him, but he was so confident. He sold it really well.”

O’Connor played on his high school football team. Could he have made the 25-yard kick?

Barnette wondered that, too.

“I asked him after the fact, ‘Do you think you could have made that?’’ Barnette said. ‘He was like, ‘Yeah, but it wasn’t about that.”

Instead of kicking the field goal, O’Connor grabbed Barnette’s left hand she’d been using to hold the football, and she got to her feet. He reached into his back pocket, pulled out the ring and dropped to one knee, as Barnette’s jaw dropped.

Surprise.

Never mind the kick. O’Connor had executed the proposal perfectly.

“When she said yes, I felt like the luckiest man alive,” O’Connor said.

As Barnette and O’Connor posed for photos, Kiffin couldn’t help himself. With his Rebels routing The Citadel, Kiffin had a moment to spare. He popped over to join in the fuss on the field.

Caught up in the moment, it took Barnette and O’Connor a moment to realize: Hey, Lane Kiffin has entered the frame.

Kiffin told reporters later he hoped he hadn’t improperly intruded on their moment. No worries on that.

“I absolutely loved it,” Barnette said of Kiffin joining the Polaroid moment. “I’m a big fan of Ole Miss football, Ole Miss athletics, and I think that’s why Drew knew this would be a perfect proposal for me.”

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

We’re on to the second half of the 2025 NFL regular season. Week 11’s slate of matchups features key games for the playoff race in both conferences.

In the AFC, results could impact both the wild card and divisional races. Kansas City’s looking to overcome its slow start to the season by knocking off AFC West leader Denver and drawing even in the wild-card race. Los Angeles currently holds the top wild card spot in the picture and faces off against Jacksonville, who currently holds the No. 7 seed.

The Chargers have won three straight and are on the road to face the Jaguars who are fresh off a loss to the Houston Texans. For one Jaguars player, it’s a special week: rookie tight end Patrick Herbert is facing his older brother, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

‘It’s awesome,’ Patrick said. ‘I think we kind of take it for granted sometimes looking at him and being like, ‘oh, he’s been in the league for five or six years, whatever.’ And I think it’s a big accomplishment. That’s really cool.’

He said he wasn’t thinking about potentially playing his brother later on in the regular season when he signed with the Jaguars. But it’ll be new territory for both of them.

‘I don’t think we’ve ever played on opposite teams,’ Patrick said but added that maybe they did when they played in the backyard as kids. ‘Maybe in like fifth grade, something like that. Maybe like [recreation league] basketball. That might’ve been a little bit more recently.’

Patrick went undrafted this year after his career at Oregon. He and Justin spent one season together with the Ducks in 2019 before Justin was selected No. 6 overall by the Chargers in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Patrick spent six seasons at Oregon and started six of the Ducks’ 14 games during his final season there in 2024.

Jacksonville signed him as an undrafted free agent and kept him on the practice squad following roster cuts in August. He’s one of two tight ends the Jaguars have on their practice squad along with Jordan Akins.

Barring a last-minute shakeup, Patrick will likely not be on the active roster for the game this week. If he’s at the stadium, it’ll be as a fan to see his older brother play.

He said he’s gone to him as needed during his first season in the league.

‘He’s there when I need it,’ Patrick said. ‘If I have questions for him, he’s always there. But besides that, I think it’s kind of my journey.’

What a scene it will be Saturday night in Oxford, Miss., where more than 130 players from two teams will be flying around to impress one coach. 

Welcome to the world of Lane Kiffin, whose current team Ole Miss is battling for position in the College Football Playoff. His potential future team Florida, meanwhile, is trying to do what it did last season: prevent him from reaching the CFP with a mega upset.

It’s a chance for players on Florida’s roster to make an early impression on Kiffin, who could be their coach in 2026. It’s no secret Kiffin is Florida’s top choice to replace fired coach Billy Napier, even though Kiffin could stay at Ole Miss or take another job.

It’s the hottest story in college football, and Kiffin swears it’s not affecting his team. 

“These guys get way more of it than I do,” Kiffin said earlier this week. “They get calls on Saturday night after games from other coaches talking about next year and how much money they have for them, and their plans for them and their system. So I don’t think it’s that big a deal.”

Florida’s November upset of Ole Miss last season not only knocked the Rebels out of the CFP, it likely prevented Florida from firing Billy Napier — and kept Kiffin in Oxford. If ever there were a moment when it would’ve been easier for Kiffin to leave what he has built at Ole Miss, it was after the disappointing way last season ended. 

Now here we are a year later, and Kiffin — with another rebuilt roster — has Ole Miss steered toward the CFP. Florida, on the other hand, is scrambling again, trying to find the right coaching fit for the fifth time in 16 seasons.

This week’s SEC football picks

South Carolina at Texas A&M (-19.5): A classic opportunity for the Aggies to play flat after two statement road wins over LSU and Missouri — one that got a coach fired (Brian Kelly), and the other that has a coach downplaying the focus on all things CFP (Eli Drinkwitz). 

Maybe after this week, against a South Carolina team that has lost six of seven and has completely mismanaged one of the best talents in college football (QB LaNorris Sellers), Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer will be downplaying the focus on bowl eligibility after beginning the season as a trendy pick for the CFP.   

Arkansas at LSU (-4.5): Let me just say right now that I don’t like this pick. It’s a rivalry game, and who knows how LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier will react to getting benched last week.

Or if the LSU team is even listening to interim coach Frank Wilson.

If you don’t think those aren’t legitimate issues, I give you Florida last week against Kentucky. One word: quit.

That and Arkansas has played hard under interim coach Bob Petrino, losing four straight by a combined 18 points. 

Tennessee Tech at Kentucky (-21.5): Fortunately, these November games against FCS opponents will end in 2026 when the SEC moves to a nine-game conference schedule.

Until then, enjoy your body bag game, ‘Cats. One step closer to bowl eligibility.    

Oklahoma (+5.5) at Alabama: Alabama has made amends for two of the three embarrassing road losses last season (Tennessee, Vanderbilt), and gets an opportunity to make up for the third this weekend.

Or the worst of the three losses. 

Forget about the 40-year flood loss to Vandy, the 21-point loss to OU in Norman kept the Tide from the CFP. That should be motivation enough. 

Alabama’s offense struggled last week against a stout LSU defense, and Oklahoma’s defense is similar in size, speed and ability to athletically cause problems up front for the Alabama offensive line. 

All it’s going to take is Sooners’ QB John Mateer to continue moving forward from the injured thumb on his throwing hand, and playing like he did in September.  

New Mexico State at Tennessee (-39.5): There’s a slight chanced Tennessee could reach the CFP at 9-3. But it would take a run of November upsets not seen since 2007.  

Florida at Ole Miss (-13.5): The big (non-coach) question in Gainesville: how will QB DJ Lagway respond to getting benched in last week’s blowout loss to Kentucky? 

Layaway has played one solid game this season in the upset of Texas. Other than that, he has been full of inconsistency and confounding decisions with the ball.  

May as well respond with his best game of the season, especially considering the guy who could be coaching him at some point would also be deciding if he’s diving in the transfer portal for a replacement starting quarterback in 2026.

Texas at Georgia (-6.5): After finally playing its most complete game of the season, we can now see a road map to Georgia making a deep run in the CFP.

They don’t necessarily do anything exceptional, but the run game has picked up over the past two games and the defense is beginning to affect the quarterback. 

Texas QB Arch Manning played his best game of the season two weeks ago in a win over Vanderbilt, and the Longhorns must beat either Georgia or Texas A&M to reach the CFP. It’s either all coming together, or we’re overlooking that two games in the four-game winning streak were in overtime against two of the SEC’s worst teams (Mississippi State, Kentucky).  

Mississippi State (+6.5) at Missouri: Are you buying that Drinkwitz is randomly talking about too much focus on the CFP after a wipeout loss to Texas A&M?

Or maybe he knows how difficult it will be to score points the rest of the season with a third-string quarterback.

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

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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believes his team’s ‘Monday Night Football’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders will be “therapeutic” for the players.

Jones appeared on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Nov. 14 to discuss the Cowboys’ upcoming game in the aftermath of Marshawn Kneeland’s death by suicide.

Jones reflected on his experience playing a college football game for the University of Arkansas soon after former U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

“I think it was therapeutic. You’re fortunate and that you’ve got that to dwell on it, your play. I’ll never forget when I was a junior, John Kennedy got killed, and we played a game on Saturday,” Jones said Friday. “Wasn’t the same circumstances, but just that early, it really caused you to get your mind away from the tragedy.”

Kneeland died last week while the Cowboys were on a bye. The Nov. 17 contest against the Raiders will be the Cowboys’ first game since Kneeland’s death.

Jones said Cowboys first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer has handled the situation well.

“One of his distinctive skills is people skills. He knows how to communicate. That’s a complete must when you’re coaching,” Jones said. “We’re proud of him.”

The Cowboys will wear a special helmet decal for the rest of the season to honor Kneeland. The Cowboys also started a “Marshawn Kneeland Memorial Fund” in part to help Kneeland’s girlfriend, Catalina, who is pregnant.