Whether it is taking one of the two openings at LSU or Florida or remaining at Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin will be one of the most sought-after and talked-about people in college football over the next couple of months.

In an appearance on ESPN’s ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Monday, Oct. 27, the Rebels’ 50-year-old coach said he’ll not will not be influenced by the Benjamins.

‘I have never made a decision based on money, nor will I,’ Kiffin said. ‘… I’ve seen too many examples in life that money does not buy happiness, so I’m never going to make a decision based on money. Nor do I care about it. (Kiffin’s agent) Jimmy Sexton gets really mad when I say that.’

At 7-1 this season, Kiffin has the Rebels positioned to make their first College Football Playoff appearance in program history.

Following Ole Miss’ top-15 ranked win over then-No. 11 Oklahoma on Saturday, Oct. 25, the Rebels have a 51-19 overall record under Kiffin. For his successes in Oxford and elevating the program into one of the country’s best — on top of his overall track record as college football coach, which features stops at Tennessee, USC and Florida Atlantic — he is looked at as a top candidate at Florida and LSU after the firings of Billy Napier and Brian Kelly respectively.

He also spoke at length about why he addressed the coaching carousel rumors with his team ahead of the Oklahoma game. Kiffin told McAfee he doesn’t see coaching rumors distracting a team from accomplishing their goals like they may have before because of the activity and ‘recruiting’ being done in the transfer portal.

‘I usually don’t talk about it with the team because we’ve dealt with this for a number of years because our players have performed really well and won a lot of games here. And so this attention has come with that,’ Kiffin said. ‘I just thought last week it was important late in the week to address it on Friday just because we have so many new players. So they hadn’t been here the year or the year before that these job rumors and stuff would come up, and so I just told them, ‘Hey, this is a product of how you guys play. They see the way you play, so then people, fans are like, ‘We want that system.’ And they say, ‘Coach.’

‘Really it’s the system of the players and the assistant coaches what a good job they do, and I just told them it’s a compliment to them and I think it’s easier for them nowadays. And remember, basically the same thing happens to them. They have a good game, what happens? You know our freshman receiver has a good game, Saturday night he’s got three calls from places saying, ‘Hey come here, we’ll give you more money.’ Pre-portaling, you know, before the portal opens. That’s what happens. They deal with this all the time. Places saying, ‘Come here, you’ll get more money,’ because they’re playing well. So I don’t think it’s that big a deal to them.’

Ole Miss remained at No. 8 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, which was released on Sunday, Oct. 26. The Rebels take on South Carolina in Week 10 of the 2025 season on Saturday, Nov. 1 at home in Oxford.

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The ‘Power of Friendship’ lifted the UConn women’s basketball team to the program’s 12th national championship in April and the phrase has been commemorated forever in the team’s new bling.

Nearly seven months after the Huskies defeated South Carolina 82-59 in the NCAA championship game to win the university’s first title since 2016, Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers returned to Storrs, Connecticut, to receive the first national championship ring of her career alongside former teammates.

‘The power of friendship … is the reason that we did win it,’ said Bueckers, who helped design the ring alongside Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme. ‘We just went off of straight vibes and we stuck together through it all.’

The championship rings, which feature many intricate details symbolizing the Huskies 2024-25 title run, were awarded during a team ceremony on Thursday night called, A Night With Champions, ahead of the Huskies season-opener against Louisville on Nov. 4. The matchup was originally to be held in Germany, but was relocated to the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland amid the government shutdown.

Here’s a closer look at the details that make up the Huskies’ national championship rings:

Twelve stones for every national championship

UConn’s signature logo is featured prominently across the front of the championship ring in blue stones layered over a gold championship trophy draped in a cut basketball net, a celebratory tradition after securing a national title. The team name and trophy is surrounded by ‘National Champions’ and 12 trapezoid stones to represent the record number of national titles the program has won.

Bueckers explained the team opted for a mostly silver ring because she’s “a huge silver girlie.’

“We all collaborated. We wanted mostly silver, but we got the national championship trophy as the gold, of course,’ Bueckers explained, offering some insight into the designing process.

Piece of championship game ball included

The championship ring comes with its own souvenir. The top can be removed to unveil a piece of the actual championship game ball. The top of the ring also doubles as a pendant and can be worn on a chain when not topping the ring.

“That’s a piece of the basketball that we won it with on the inside,” Bueckers pointed out. “So a total summary and a beautiful masterpiece of the national championship journey.’

The power of friendship, vibes

Bueckers revealed in April that the team adopted the ‘power of friendship’ motto after it first caught fire online. ‘I saw on social media, they were saying UConn won based on the power of friendship. It’s so accurate. Just how much we love each other, how much we’re connected, how much we’ve been through as individuals, as a team, and how much it has bonded us and helped us become national champions. So I wouldn’t trade it for anything,’ Buckers said during an appearance on the ‘Today’ show in April.

The phrase is featured on the side of the championship ring, alongside the Husky logo and Gampel Pavilion. The rings also includes the phrase, ‘Vibes,’ which Bueckers said was the Huskies ‘vibe of the year.’

“We just went off of straight vibes,’ she explained. ‘And on the inside of the ring where you put your finger, we have the national championship score, the Final Four score, the Elite Eight score, and the Sweet 16 score. So kind of the journey to get there.”

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The USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-136 rounds the corner toward November with three newcomers in the top 10, a shakeup in the Big 12 and big drops from several would-be College Football Playoff contenders.

LSU led Texas A&M 18-14 at halftime but was bulldozed in the second half of a 49-25 loss. Now down to No. 35, the three-loss Tigers will move forward without coach Brian Kelly, who was fired on Sunday.

One minor change in the top five has the Aggies climbing to No. 3 and swapping places with No. 4 Alabama, which struggled to put away South Carolina.

No. 8 Vanderbilt is up two after beating Missouri, No. 9 Mississippi is also up a pair following a road win against Oklahoma and No. 10 Brigham Young climbs five spots after winning at Iowa State. BYU is one of four 8-0 teams in the Bowl Subdivision, joining No. 1 Indiana, A&M and No. 6 Georgia Tech. Ohio State and Navy are both 7-0.

Also in the Big 12, Houston is up 13 spots to No. 17 after beating Arizona State. Houston has already topped last year’s win total and are tied with Texas Tech for second place in the conference standings, though the Red Raiders own the head-to-head tiebreaker. Kansas State is up to No. 52 after moving to 4-4 with a blowout of rival Kansas.

On the other hand, Colorado drops 13 spots to No. 80 after being humiliated by Utah. The Utes ran for 422 yards while the Buffaloes managed just 2.1 yards per play.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards will be out at least two weeks, the latest NBA star to be sidelined because of injury.

Edwards suffered tightness in his right hamstring early in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 114-110 win over the Indiana Pacers Sunday, Oct. 26 and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

The Timberwolves announced Edwards had an MRI on Monday, Oct. 27 at Mayo Clinic, which revealed right hamstring strain. The team said he will be re-evaluated in one week, and ‘further updates of his progress will be provided when available.’

Edwards went 2-for-5 from the field (1-for-3 from long range) for five points and collected a rebound before exiting Sunday’s game after three minutes of play. He made a two-point shot off an assist from Jaden McDaniels to give the Timberwolves a 13-5 lead with 8:53 left in the first quarter. After the Pacers called a timeout, Bones Hyland entered the game, replacing Edwards.

A three-time NBA All-Star, Edwards has only missed three games apiece in each of the last three seasons and has never played fewer than 72 games in any of his five seasons in the league. He made the All-NBA second team each of the past two seasons.

Minnesota has started the 2025-26 season 2-1. Edwards leads the team in scoring, averaging 25.7 point per game, with forward Julius Randle, close behind at 25.3 points.

The Timberwolves host the Denver Nuggets Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET on Peacock.

The Los Angeles Rams are getting additional help in the secondary ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

The Rams on Monday agreed to acquire cornerback Roger McCreary from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a pick swap. The Titans will receive a fifth-round selection while sending back a sixth-rounder.

McCreary, 25, is in the final year of his rookie contract. He’s the second cornerback to be traded by Tennessee’s new regime after the team also sent Jarvis Brownlee Jr. to the New York Jets in September.

The former second-round pick out of Auburn helps solidify the back end of a Rams defense that was left vulnerable after starting cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon suffered a broken clavicle in Week 2, landing him on injured reserve.

‘We’re looking to be able to just add some depth,’ Rams coach Sean McVay said in a news conference Monday after the deal. ‘He was a guy that we respect from playing against him earlier this year. Has some inside, outside flexibility….We’re excited to get him in.’

The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 4.

Fifth-year pro Austin Reaves just got thrust into the national NBA spotlight after the undrafted vet dropped 51 points.
Reaves’ career effective field goal percentage is .571.
Reaves has the skills necessary to take over any game he’s in. After all, he’s scored at least 30 on numerous occasions throughout his career.

Fifth-year pro Austin Reaves just got thrust into the national NBA spotlight after the undrafted vet dropped 51 points on the Sacramento Kings in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 127-120 win.

On a team that features both Luka Doncic and LeBron James − although the latter is currently injured − Reaves has established himself as a high-end third scoring option on one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. His 51-point performance was already the third 50-point game of the NBA season (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Aaron Gordon), but Reaves’ felt different.

SGA is the reigning league MVP, fresh off an NBA title and Finals MVP as well. Gordon is a former top-five draft pick who played a pivotal role in Denver’s 2023 championship run. Reaves was undrafted, and before 2025, his career high was 35 points.

You may not have known about Reaves before Sunday night’s game, but NBA fans have had this man on their radar for quite some time, and last night likely won’t be his last 50 piece.

Austin Reaves’ efficiency

Reaves is a shooter. After all, one of his more popular nicknames is literally a firearm. However, just because someone can hit shots doesn’t mean they have the potential to drop a 50-burger, right?

Sure, the best shooters of all-time can. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard, Reggie Miller and many of the league’s best all-time shooters have done so. Many of them have even done it on multiple occasions. You probably think Reaves doesn’t fit into that category. Think again.

In terms of efficiency, Reaves is one of the best. He quietly put up over 20 points per game a season ago, which may not seem like a big accomplishment, but let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?

Reaves averaged 20.2 points per game, which ranked 34th in the NBA. He did this on just 14.2 field goal attempts per game. Among all guards who ranked in the top 50 in the NBA in scoring a season ago, only Tyrese Haliburton (18.6 PPG on 13.8 FGA) and Collin Sexton (18.4 PPG on 13.8 FGA) attempted fewer shots. And both of them averaged over 1.5 points fewer per game than Reaves. Reaves has always done a lot with what he’s been given, and no stat displays that better than effective field goal percentage (eFG%).

Effective field goal percentage

Effective field goal percentage is a statistic meant to more effectively represent a player’s field goal percentage based on the types of shots they take. For example, a three-pointer is worth 1.5 times a two-pointer, and eFG% takes that into account. The formula is as follows:

(2-pt FGM + 1.5*3-pt FGM) / FGA

For reference, anything over .400 for guards is considered solid. Anything over .450 is considered good. And anything over .500 is considered excellent. Obviously, the volume of shots will play a factor, but we’ll get into that in a moment.

Reaves’ career eFG% is .571. For context, Steph Curry’s is .582. Kevin Durant’s is .554. LeBron James’ is .548. Luka Doncic’s is .542. James Harden’s is .525. Anthony Edwards’ is .524.

Now the obvious difference is that Reaves hasn’t taken as many shots as those other players. If he was forced to take more shots, he wouldn’t have such great efficiency stats, right? Well, let’s not be too hasty.

For his career, Austin Reaves has had 90 games in which he has attempted at least 13 field goals. His eFG% was higher than .400 in 76 of those games. That’s right. He’s only had 14 career games where he was subpar as a high-volume shooter.

Last year, Luka Doncic had 49 games with at least 13 field goal attempts. Nine of those saw him post an eFG% under .400. Anthony Edwards had 14 such games in 73 contests with at least 13 field goal attempts last year.

Those are two of the most well-renowned scoring guards in the NBA, and in terms of efficiency, Reaves is right there with them for his career. His efficiency hasn’t dropped much at all as his role with the Lakers has increased.

Reaves’ outlook

It’s clear the Lakers want to increase Reaves’ role in the team’s offense. His field goal attempts and minutes played have increased every season he’s been in the league, and to that measure, so have his point totals.

Furthermore, with the NBA’s new ‘hot-stove’ contact rule, where fouls are called if a defender hits a shooter’s arm after the ball has been released, Reaves could see much more of the charity stripe as well, further enabling his scoring potential. While it has only been three games, he’s already averaging 12.3 free throw attempts per game this season, more than double his previous career-high (5.0). Albeit, he took 22 in his 50-point game last night, and that won’t happen every third game.

That said, even without taking a plethora of free throws, Reaves has the skills necessary to take over any game he’s in. After all, he’s scored at least 30 on numerous occasions throughout his career. 14 times to be exact. Is it that much of a leap to say that with the new rules, increased role and LeBron James’ impending retirement, Reaves won’t be able to score 50 again? No.

The man is only 27 years old, entering his prime. And if Tony Delk can hit 50, why can’t Austin Reaves do it again?

Pittsburgh football coach Pat Narduzzi is not a fan of the NCAA’s recent decision regarding sports betting for its student-athletes.

On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Division II and Division III Management Council voted to approve a change in the NCAA’s sports betting policy, allowing student-athletes and athletics department staff members to make bets on professional sports. Division I adopted the change on Oct. 8.

The new rule goes into effect on Saturday, Nov. 1, just nine days after the NBA started dealing with a major gambling issue of its own.

Narduzzi railed against the decision on Monday, Oct. 27, at his weekly news conference.

‘It’s absolutely one of the stupidest decisions I’ve ever seen,’ Narduzzi said. ‘First of all, it’s a habit. It’s no different than smoking, drinking, doing drugs, it’s a bad habit. I don’t think anyone here encourages you guys to go out drinking and getting smashed on a Friday or Saturday night, or at a ball game.

‘It’s a disease. I mean, you saw the same day that comes out, there’s a disease in the NBA with what’s going on over there.’

Narduzzi also went on to bash the injury reports — which are required by all Power Four conferences as of the 2025 season — as another form of enabling gamblers.

‘It’s the same thing with these availability reports. I mean, what are we doing? We’re encouraging gambling,’ Narduzzi said. ‘People say, ‘Oh, he’s out. Let me put some money down there, see if I can get it done and win.”

Narduzzi said he would talk to his players in a team meeting, but he is not going to encourage his players to gamble on pro sports.

‘I just think it’s not good,’ Narduzzi said. ‘And I am not going to change my tune tomorrow. I’ll talk about it in a team meeting. One of the first things I’ll talk about is, I guess Nov. 1, they can do that. ‘But stay away. Nothing changes in our room. You guys shouldn’t be doing any of that. Save your money, put it in the bank.’ That’s my feelings.’

Texas QB Arch Manning is in the concussion protocol and missed practice on Monday, Oct. 27.
Manning’s status for this week’s game against Vanderbilt is uncertain, although coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t rule out Manning playing.
The injury occurred on a 13-yard scramble during overtime against Mississippi State.

Arch Manning is in danger of missing Texas football’s matchup against Vanderbilt this weekend.

According to the No. 19 Longhorn’s coach Steve Sarkisian, Manning missed practice on Monday, Oct. 27, and is in the concussion protocol. Sarkisian did not rule out Manning playing this weekend against the No. 11 Commodores.

‘He’s in protocol right now,’ Sarkisian said. ‘We’ll have more information as the week goes on.’

Here’s the latest on Manning’s injury:

Arch Manning injury updates

Manning helped lead the Longhorns to a 17-point comeback in the fourth quarter against Mississippi State. However, in the overtime period, Manning scrambled for a 13-yard gain but exited after taking a hard hit.

He was hit by a pair of Bulldogs’ defenders – including defensive lineman Kedrick Bingley-Jones – while reaching for extra yardage. Manning was down on the field for several minutes before being taken to the medical tent.

Matthew Caldwell delivered the game-winning touchdown pass to Emmett Mosley V in the same overtime session to complete the come-from-behind victory. Caldwell received the first team reps on Monday, with true freshman KJ Lacey playing with the second team.

Sarkisian added that Texas has submitted the hit on Manning to the SEC to be reviewed.

‘We’ve turned in a few plays, and that’s not uncommon,’ Sarkisian said. ‘We’re always trying to just to make sure that we’re understanding of the rules.’