College football teams have typically used their bye week during the 2025 college football season to announce the firing of a head coach.

Baylor went in the opposite direction on Friday, Nov. 21, as president Linda Livingstone announced the school’s decision to retain head coach Dave Aranda, despite the Bears’ 5-5 record heading into the final two weeks of the season.

Livingstone shared the news in a letter with Baylor, citing instability at the school and in college sports in general, one day after athletic director Mack Rhoades resigned for personal reasons.

‘After careful evaluation and consideration, we have decided to retain Coach Aranda as the leader of our football program,’ Livingston’s letter read. ‘We recognize this decision will garner strong opinions. Let me be clear: Baylor expects excellence, accountability and competitiveness at the highest level. We are not complacent and we are not settling for mediocrity.’

The Bears close out the season with games against Arizona and No. 24 Houston, needing one more win to become bowl eligible.

Aranda has enjoyed many highs and lows during his six seasons with Baylor, posting a 36-35 record. The Bears went 2-7 in his first season in 2020, but rebounded with a 12-2 2021 season, which included a Sugar Bowl win.

However, Baylor went 6-7 in 2022, 3-9 in 2023 and started 2-4 last season before rebounding to finish 8-5. Despite having the leading passer in the nation in quarterback Sawyer Robertson, who has passed for 3,210 yards and 29 touchdowns along with nine interceptions, Baylor has been inconsistent this season due to its defense – Aranda’s specialty.

Livingston cited ‘stability during a transition,’ ‘student-athlete experience’ and ‘financial stewardship’ as the main reasons for retaining Aranda. The 2025 season has seen at least 11 FBS coaches fired so far, including major openings at LSU, Florida, Penn State and Auburn.

‘In an era of extreme volatility in college athletics with NIL, the transfer portal, revenue-sharing, and much more, this approach allows us to invest wisely in the program’s future rather than incur significant buyout costs during an unprecedented turnover of coaches across the country,’ Livingston said.

The standoff between the WNBA and its players doesn’t appear close to ending with less than 10 days remaining before the league’s collective bargaining agreement expires.

The Women’s National Basketball Player’s Association has determined the latest CBA proposal from the WNBA won’t move negotiations forward, according to a report from ESPN. The proposal reportedly included a significant raise and revenue sharing component that would allow players to earn as much as $1.1 million per season, up from $249,244 in 2025.

But the players’ union, according to ESPN’s sources, does not believe the league’s proposed CBA includes appropriate player salary growth in conjunction with the league’s business over time. This concept, with a salary cap based on basketball-related income and no fixed salaries like the NBA operates, was among the players’ demands when they opted out of the current CBA in October 2024.

WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael-Jackson did not respond to a message from USA TODAY Sports seeking comment.

The two sides agreed last month to a 30-day extension of the preexisting CBA through Nov. 30 and collective bargaining remains ongoing.

Under the WNBA’s proposed CBA, the league’s minimum salary would rise from $66,079 in 2025 to more than $220,000, with an average league salary of more than $460,000. Front Office Sports reported the $1.1 million maximum salary figure includes additional money related to potential revenue sharing targets and a base supermax contract would be $800,000 or $850,000.

The WNBA salary cap was $1,507,100 for the 2025 season and increased annually by a fixed 3% rate based on the current WNBA CBA. There was also a separate revenue sharing provision that called for direct payments to players, but the league has never hit the revenue targets over the course of the agreement.

Houston’s defense was a key factor, forcing three turnovers and sacking Bills QB Josh Allen eight times.
Texans backup QB Davis Mills won his third straight game in place of the injured C.J. Stroud.
The loss for Buffalo gives the New England Patriots a two-game lead in the AFC East.

If you don’t like NFL football on Thursday nights … then you missed an eventful affair.

The Houston Texans corralled the Buffalo Bills 23-19 to kick off Week 12 of the 2025 season in a game that featured valiant efforts on both sides – and even by the officials – in a contest that could have far-reaching implications on the playoff and MVP races.

Houston’s defense was probably the story of the night as the Texans won for the fourth time in the past five games to improve their odds of making the playoffs and possibly winning a third straight AFC South crown. But it was hardly alone in terms of the winners and losers beyond the scoreboard …

WINNERS

Texans defense

It bottled up Bills QB Josh Allen, the reigning league MVP, while forcing three turnovers and bowing up on third downs and in the red zone. Had Buffalo not scored on special teams, this game wouldn’t have been close.

Bills Mafia

They travel well, y’all, and successfully crossed the border into the Lone Star State. Buffalo’s fans were frequently in full throat throughout the night, notably on Ray Davis’ 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown before halftime.

Davis Mills

Houston’s QB2 maybe seemed a touch incidental while passing for 153 yards. But two of his 16 completions went for touchdowns as Mills won his third consecutive game since starter C.J. Stroud went down with a concussion. Stroud seems poised to return with another 10 days to rest before Houston’s next game … but if he doesn’t, no on-field worries.

Hail Mary sack?

So maybe it wasn’t an important enough sequence to require a nickname, but let’s underscore that Texans DE Will Anderson ran more than 50 yards to bag Allen for one of Houston’s sacks. Anderson has at least one sack in six consecutives games, currently the longest streak in the league.

Fourth-and-27

The Bills converted one on their last drive, and the dynamic execution of the play seemed to foretell a comeback … which was not to be. Still, exceptional play design to extend their chances.

New England Patriots

Tied for the league’s best record at 9-2 and with one win over the Bills already in the bag, their advantage in the AFC East grew to two games without even invoking the tiebreaker.

LOSERS

Josh Allen

Just days after he passed for three touchdowns and ran for three more, Allen, the reigning league MVP (for now) and a man responsible for an NFL-best 28 TDs in 2025, didn’t account for even one in Thursday’s defeat. He was sacked a career-high eight times, hit a total of 12 and was frequently running for his life behind a battered O-line – and actually covered nearly 900 actual yards with his legs over the course of the game, per Next Gen Stats. His second pick of the night came on his 34th and final throw, cinching the game for Houston. It was Allen’s first loss in a Thursday game after he’d started 8-0 in midweek matchups.

Terrel Bernard

Buffalo’s defensive captain left the game with an elbow injury that left him in obvious pain and, later, a sling. Yet another blow this team can hardly afford.

Texans’ Battle Red/Bold Bull uniforms

The Texans are selling their red alternate uniforms quite hard, even giving them dual branding. But meh. The helmet is a mix of red chrome and candy paint red flakes – a nice effect actually, but it overwhelms a fairly drab, red uniform. The horns on the helmet are so dark and devoid of trim, they’re almost hard to make out – though it’s almost a satanic vibe up close. Nah.

Adrian Hill

The game’s referee suffered an apparent non-contact leg injury while running in one of the end zones midway through the third quarter. Hill was carted off the field and had to be replaced by umpire Roy Ellison as the crew scrambled to get him mic’d up while adjusting to being a man down.

Keon Coleman

Buffalo’s second-year receiver, the 33rd overall pick of last year’s draft, remains in coach Sean McDermott’s doghouse and was a healthy scratch for the second time in five days. The decision was especially notable given the Bills were without injured TE Dalton Kincaid and WRs Curtis Samuel and Mecole Hardman.

Indianapolis Colts

Lose Sunday at Kansas City, then they’ll only be two games up on the surging Texans in the AFC South race. And with the division rivals yet to meet in 2025, that would open a path for Houston to reclaim the first-place perch its enjoyed in recent years.

Tropicana Field took a major step toward reopening for the business of baseball. 

All 24 replacement panels have been placed on the roof of the stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida the largest step toward ensuring the hurricane-damaged stadium is set to open on time for the 2026 season. 

Hurricane Milton ravaged the stadium as it made a surprise turn through Tampa Bay in October 2024, destroying the translucent roof and leading to significant interior damage, as the stadium has no drainage system. The disaster forced the Tampa Bay Rays to play the 2025 season at the spring training home of the New York Yankees, 10,000-seat Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. 

But the city of St. Petersburg, per terms of its lease with the Rays, footed the bill for the more than $60 million in repair costs; the Rays’ season in Tampa ensured they’d play one more year at the Trop, through 2028. 

The club is essentially back to the starting line on finding a new stadium in the Tampa Bay area after it backed out of a deal with the city of St. Petersburg to build and develop the land around Tropicana Field. 

The dead deal and the damaged stadium thrust the franchise into flux, but in that period owner Stuart Sternberg sold the club to Jacksonville-based owner Patrick Zalupski for $1.7 billion. 

Now, even as the team’s long-term future remains cloudy their old home is getting nearly-baseball ready, several months before the Rays’ April 6 home opener against the Chicago Cubs. 

Adrian Hill, the referee for the Houston Texans vs. Buffalo Bills ‘Thursday Night Football’ game, suffered an injury in the third quarter of the contest and will not continue.

The injury occurred on a Bills punt midway through the third quarter. Hill was standing behind the play in the end-zone and pulled up and reached for his left leg after trying to run.

Hill’s injury was of the non-contact variety, and he was helped off the field by medical staff on hand for the game. He was unable to put much weight on his left leg, though he was seen standing on the sideline after getting off the field.

Hill was eventually carted off the field because of the injury. He was replaced at his referee spot by the crew’s umpire, Roy Ellison, and the switch will leave the officiating crew without an umpire for the remainder of Thursday’s game.

Hill has been an NFL official since the 2010 NFL season. He has been a referee since the start of the 2019 campaign.

Meanwhile, Ellison has been an NFL umpire since the 2003 season.

The last of the WNBA’s vacant head coaching jobs has been filled.

The New York Liberty have agreed to a deal to hire Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as their new head coach, according to ESPN.

The 40-year-old DeMarco replaces Sandy Brondello, who was fired in September after four seasons, despite leading the franchise to back-to-back WNBA Finals appearances, including the 2024 WNBA championship. Brondello was later named the first head coach of the expansion Toronto Tempo, set to play their first season in 2026.

The injury-riddled Liberty lost in the first round of the postseason to the Phoenix Mercury to end the 2025 season. Former league MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones and starting forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton missed significant time because of injuries.

DeMarco, who is also the head coach of the Bahamas men’s national basketball team, has been an assistant with Golden State since 2012, and in that time, has helped the team win four NBA titles.

USA TODAY Sports observed the production of Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ pregame show, ‘TNF Tonight.’
The show’s success is attributed to the chemistry between the cast and the collaborative production environment.
‘TNF Tonight’ has seen a significant ratings increase, with viewership up 18% from the previous season’s average.

FOXBOROUGH, MA – Throw on a headset a minute before Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” pregame show goes live, and, well, you hear some interesting things.  

Booty, booty, booty, rockin’ everywhere, rockin’ everywhere. 

That dog’s just sniffin’ away. 

Oh guys! Lulu got adopted! 

It must be showtime. 

USA TODAY Sports sat in the production truck ahead of the New England Patriots’ victory over the New York Jets on Nov. 13 for the duration of Prime Video’s pregame show, “TNF Tonight.” This reporter heard everything senior coordinating producer Spoon Daftary told his talent seated onset inside Gillette Stadium – and what host Charissa Thompson and analysts Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth relayed back to the production truck. 

The interactions showed why the Prime Video studio crew has set the new standard for shows across the football media landscape. 

Amazon’s NFL team still pushing amid impressive start, stiff competition

The show starts in about 37 seconds, but Daftary has an iPhone up to his ear. He’s still coordinating the appearance of Medal of Honor recipient Ryan Pitts, who was honored later in the show in a pretaped Veterans Day piece.

That all sorts itself out and moments later, the cacophony of countdowns and “gos!” fill the truck. 

As the show goes through its opening segment smoothly, Daftary is making decisions to keep everything seamless. That shot of Aaron Glenn walking into the stadium with luggage? Boring. Let’s use a locker-room shot of a player readying himself instead. A question about the offensive coordinators in the game is tabled for the sake of time. 

During a break, Daftary reveals “I called Marshawn (Lynch) yesterday.” The former NFL running back is a special contributor to Amazon’s pre- and post-game programming. 

This show was a bit less hectic because of the two pre-taped segments – the Medal of Honor story and Rob Gronkowski, who had officially retired as a Patriot one day earlier, joining the set. 

“There definitely needs to be an article tomorrow about this,” Daftary said about the predictably-off-the-wall “Gronk” session.  

As he coaches his team in preparation to return from break, the collaborative spirit fills him. “What do you have here for C2?” he asks the graphics team. “Oh great!” 

“You can speak too,” he adds for the group about the upcoming segment that features Fitzpatrick’s analysis. 

Starpower is often the answer for most networks regarding their studio programming. ESPN has Jason Kelce and host Scott Van Pelt. The FOX crew lost Jimmy Johnson this season but replaced him with Gronkowski. CBS’ “NFL Today” has undergone a facelift to bring in fresh faces Matt Ryan and Nate Burleson (and J.J. Watt left for a booth job). 

What other studio shows lack compared to the Prime crew, though, is the ability to genuinely blend the fun the format allows for, the football that must be discussed and the humanity – former players have these jobs because of the insight they can provide, after all. 

Four years ago, Thompson – the host and television veteran – had to explain to her deskmates what an “A-block” meant. By Year 2, they were all pros. 

“Spoon and I have dialogue and email back-and-forth after every show,” she told USA TODAY Sports in 2023. “Things we did good, things we did bad, things that we can get better on because I don’t ever want to get complacent.”

NFL ratings up across board in 2025 season – including ‘TNF Tonight’ 

The instructions sound like a classroom roll call after recess.

“We’re talking Vrabel here,” Daftary said. “Sherm, Whit, Tony.” 

As Daftary wrangles his crew back from break, Thompson does a Ron Burgundy impression. “Ow, now, brown, cow,” she says. Sherman quotes T.I.’s “Bring Em Out” with a “mic check, one-two, one-two.” 

Ratings are up across the entire league, from the traditional networks – CBS, for example, is touting its highest viewership since 1998 – to the newest full-time broadcast partner in Prime Video. 

The week prior to this show, according to Amazon, “TNF Tonight” before the Denver Broncos-Las Vegas Raiders snoozer set a new average audience record with 2.18 million viewers – edging the previous best from the streamer’s first game this season between the Green Bay Packers and Washington Commanders (2.13 million viewers). That’s an 18% increase from last season’s average, and up from the 1.12 million average the show drew in its first season (2022). 

“Do I have Ian?” Thompson wonders about the set’s connection to the at-home setup of reporter Ian Rapoport, who will join the team for the next segment with news and nuggets. 

Sometimes, the voice from the other side offers a kind reminder to the crew. 

“Sherm, you’re the only one who says you don’t like what they’re doing,” Daftary reiterated during a discussion about the Jets’ trade deadline selloff. 

“Teeing up Fitz on the Jets,” Daftary says. 

Fitz says his piece, while Daftary keeps going. 

“Tony follows here,” he says. 

See for yourself: Watch Texans-Bills on Amazon Prime’s ‘Thursday Night Football’ stream

“I’ll take Woody,” Daftary adds, asking for the shot of Jets owner Woody Johnson on the field pregame. 

Heading into a different segment, Daftary lets Thompson know the timing will be tight to get to the next break. 

“Perfect,” he says after Thompson’s terse intro. “Out of this, Whit then Sherm.” 

“Ohhh that’s kind of a fun one. Let’s go Gronk and Randy Moss,” Daftary says when a smart cameraman gets a shot of the former tight end and Hall of Fame wideout in attendance standing together on the field.  

‘Where’s Christian Gonzalez?’ Fast pivots and spot fires part of production

It’s not all perfect. Sherman starts talking about Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez – defensive backs are often one another’s biggest fans – but no pregame shot has been prepared. 

“Guys, where’s Christian Gonzalez?” Daftary wants to know. 

Daftary keeps the teleprompter moving and on schedule for Thompson: “Move it up to E23.” “Think about 5 seconds an answer, Fitz,” he instructs for the sponsored gambling segment parlay. 

At 7:58 local time, Daftary compliments the crew and cast for a solid first hour. “Sherm, reminder on the one turnover thing here,” he says to prep the Super Bowl champion for the final pregame word about the Jets’ defensive ineptitude.

Daftary let Thompson know the final segment before handing production over to the announcing booth for the next three hours was about to begin.

“Mics up for you guys too,” he tells his quartet of ex-NFL stars, “please.” 

Kansas City Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub did not mince words when asked for his reaction to President Donald Trump’s recent criticism of the NFL’s dynamic kickoff rule.

Toub – who has been a special teams coordinator at the NFL level since the 2004 season – made it clear during a Nov. 20 media availability that he doesn’t care what the president thinks about the play.

‘He doesn’t even know what he’s looking at. He has no idea what’s going on with the kickoff rule,’ Toub said, referencing Trump. ‘Take that for what it’s worth. And I hope he hears it.’

Toub’s comments come just over a week after Trump referred to the dynamic kickoff as ‘terrible’ during an appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.’

‘I hate the kickoff in football. I think it’s so terrible, I think it’s so demeaning. I think it hurts the game and hurts the pageantry,’ Trump said during a Nov. 11 episode of the show. ‘I’ve told that to Roger Goodell. And I don’t think it’s any safer. I mean you still have guys crashing into each other.

‘The ball is in the air and nobody is moving. It’s supposed to be when the ball is in the air, when the ball is played you’re supposed to be moving. The pageantry of the game is so badly hurt. The NFL, they do what they want to do. I don’t think they’ll change. I hope college football doesn’t change, because the power of the kickoff was so beautiful.’

The NFL instituted the dynamic kickoff for the 2024 NFL season after it was used in the XFL’s 2020 and 2023 seasons. The goal of instituting the new kickoff was to create more return opportunities on kicks while limiting the amount of full-speed collisions that occurred during the old kickoff setup.

The NFL has claimed the dynamic kickoff has, thus far, been safer than the original kickoff while kick return rate rose from a historic low of 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% in 2024, per the league.

And while the NFL hasn’t released full data for its kicks during the 2025 season thus far, the league reported after five weeks that kickoff return rate had increased to a massive 81.3%.

Four WNBA players have now committed to play in Project B, a women’s basketball startup league expected to tip off in Europe, Asia and Latin America in November 2026.

All-Stars Jewel Loyd, who played for the Las Vegas Aces last season, and Jonquel Jones, who was on the New York Liberty, said they would play in the league.

“Every step forward in this game is an investment in what’s possible,’ Loyd said. ‘I believe in where women’s basketball is headed, and the worldwide momentum is real.” 

Jones said she would enjoy being “able to continue to play against the best players in the world, play with the best players in the world and be able to see new parts of the world.”

They join Nneka Ogwumike and Alyssa Thomas, who previously committed to the Project B, which has promised higher salaries than either the WNBA or Unrivaled and an equity stake, which is part of the Unrivaled playbook.

But what do we really know about Project B? Chief basketball officer Alana Beard joined Sarah Spain’s “Good Game” podcast to give some details. It is fair to say Beard kept many of the specifics to herself and refused to answer some of Spain’s more pointed questions.

But, here’s what we learned about the fledgling league:

What is the format for Project B and when will it start?

The women’s basketball league will include six teams, 11 to a roster, and play a traditional 5-on-5 format. Project B plans to host seven two-week tournaments in locations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. Project B, Beard said, will have men’s and women’s leagues but the women will begin play sooner. The plan is for the first women’s season to begin play in November 2026 and conclude in April 2027. Beard did not share where the tournaments would be played, specifically, but did say the men and women will play in the same cities.

How much will Project B pay per season?

Women who play in Project B will get an equity stake in the league in addition to salary. The league promises to pay more than the WNBA ($102,249 per season) or Unrivaled ($220,000 per season) did for 2025. Front Office Sports reported player deals in the women’s league will reach seven figures and start at $2 million annually. Beard would not confirm any salary figures when asked by Spain.

What effect might Project B have on the WNBA?

More than one former player has raised the question, if you are getting paid millions overseas why would you prioritize playing in the WNBA? After all, Diana Taurasi didn’t play the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club team, UMMC Ekaterinburg. They paid her more than her WNBA salary to rest and be healthy for their season.

Basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird addressed that point on her podcast.

“What gets lost when it comes to the WNBA is playing in America, being able to capitalize on endorsements, which now is a real player for these players,” Bird said on A Touch More. “A lot of these contracts — now it’s not that you can’t create a new type of contract — but I know my shoe deal, I had to play in the WNBA to get my money. So, a lot of the ecosystem that we live in as Americans, playing in the WNBA, revolves around playing in America.”

Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson both have lucrative shoe deals with Nike. Angle Reese is signed with Reebok.

Who will play in the league?

Beyond players from the WNBA, Beard said, ‘We have international players signed on. We have young players signed on. (And) that consists of players from four or five different continents at the moment.’ Beard did not name any names.

How will the league model attract fans?

The six teams will not be attached to a city, region or country, which is traditional in sports. Beard said she thinks younger fans are more attached to athletes than teams. ‘It’s our thesis and belief that it’s about the name on the back of a jersey. … When you think about the way fans are now engaging today, this is a younger audience, Gen Z. They’re all about highlights, they’re all about streaming, and they’re all about the individual.’

How did Project B get started?

The startup league was founded by former Facebook executive Grady Burnett and Skype co-founder Geoff Prentice. Beard said the pair came up with it over dinner with the idea that basketball is a global game with lots of fans.

‘It’s just literally analyzing the entire market … there are 3 billion plus basketball fans around the world and within the United States, within kind of the two main leagues, the W and the NBA, they’re only tapping into 10 to 11 percent of that global fan base,’ Beard said. ‘And so there’s so much untapped market outside of North America that we believe as an opportunity to come in and build something that is extremely sustainable, global and competitive and just really unique.’

Who else has invested in the league?

In addition to Prentice and Burnett, former WNBA MVP Candace Parker, Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young and tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Sloane Stephens have invested in Project B. Venture capital firms like Mangrove Capital, Quiet Capital and Sequence Equity also have a stake.

What ties does Project B have to Saudi Public Investment Fund?

Project B is in a partnership with Sela, an entertainment company owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. ‘Sela is a global operating partner that is owned by PIF,’ Beard said. ‘We’re paying them as a service to logistically produce our events, and they have.’