The Los Angeles Rams expect Matthew Stafford to start at quarterback in Week 1 against the Houston Texans, coach Sean McVay told reporters Monday.

‘He’ll be good,’ McVay said when asked about Stafford’s status for the week ahead.

McVay also said he expects Stafford to participate in the full week of practice leading up to Sunday’s game.

The 39-year-old coach did not say whether he anticipated Stafford would be a limited or full participant in the practice sessions.

Stafford, 37, missed the first few weeks of Rams training camp while dealing with an aggravated disc in his back. He was initially expected to return to practice on Monday, Aug. 11, but he didn’t feel good enough to throw. That fueled speculation he could end up sidelined early in the 2025 NFL season.

Stafford eventually returned to practice a week later on Aug. 18, quelling concerns about his Week 1 status.

McVay’s announcement positions Stafford to make his 17th consecutive Week 1 start across 12 years with the Detroit Lions and five with the Rams.

Carson Beck won’t regret transferring from Georgia to Miami. That doesn’t mean Gunner Stockton won’t answer Georgia’s problems.
Kalen DeBoer faces trouble at Alabama, but not the hot seat. Not yet, at least
For Notre Dame, it all comes down to Texas A&M.

It’s gotten so bad in Alabama in Kalen DeBoer’s quest to replace Nick Saban, fans are musing about the availability of Georgia Tech’s coach, and talk-show host Paul Finebaum is tweeting his show’s phone number, lest dejected fans require an on-air therapy session.

Is Georgia Tech’s coach also available to call plays for Notre Dame? The Irish are reeling after their play-callers were out to lunch in the season opener, while Carson Beck dined on leprechaun.

Clemson fought for the driver’s seat on the struggle bus, but the Tigers failed that task, too. Alabama already called dibs. At Texas, they’re left rationalizing that it’s only Week 1.

Here are four lingering questions after college football’s first full weekend:

Will Georgia regret losing Carson Beck?

Beck won’t regret transferring from Georgia to Miami. He wisely left Kirby Smart behind in favor of Miami’s superior wide receivers. Dependable big fellas and reliable pass catchers are a quarterback’s best friends.

For Beck, it became notable that Miami receivers didn’t drop a pass, and CJ Daniels turned a would-be interception into a touchdown with the greatest grab you’ll see all season. Notre Dame sacked Beck just once. Allow Beck comfort in the pocket, and he’ll use his big-league arm to dissect a defense.

Beck’s performance in a 27-24 takedown of the Irish became proof positive of the power in a change of scenery – and the value in wide receivers. Georgia led all Power Four teams in dropped passes last season.

Beck missed his Brock Bowers security blanket in 2024, but, more than that, he missed having a target whom he could throw to without worrying the ball would bounce off their hands. Beck compounded the problem by forcing passes that resulted in interceptions. It’s revisionist history to act like Beck wasn’t part of Georgia’s underachievement last year. His slump played a part, but he was far from the only (or biggest) flaw.

Smart, realizing he had a problem, upgraded Georgia’s wide receivers in the offseason, but the collection in Athens still isn’t as good as what Beck will have at Miami.

So, Beck will enjoy his new digs, but will Georgia regret losing Beck? That’s tougher to answer.

Gunner Stockton, Beck’s successor, lacks Beck’s howitzer, but he’s no noodle-armed quarterback. He’s a veteran blue-chipper. Stockton fared well in Georgia’s smashing of Marshall, but there’s little to glean from playing what Smart aptly described as an “overmatched” opponent.

Still, I couldn’t help but notice Stockton score on a pair of read-option runs.

Georgia’s offense never looked better than it did while possessing dual-threat veteran Stetson Bennett IV in its 2022 national championship season. Bennett could improvise and extend plays with his legs. He became the epitome of a gamer. Georgia rallied around him.

Stockton seems popular inside Georgia’s locker room, and teams that lack receivers like Miami’s Daniels and Malachi Toney benefit from mobile quarterbacks. Stockton’s running abilities give Georgia a callback to Bennett.

Is Kalen DeBoer on the hot seat?

No. Not yet, anyway. He’s on an uncomfortable seat. Rightfully so. Alabama’s defense lacked none of its vintage ferocity in a season-opening loss to Florida State. You could’ve made a similar assessment after last year’s losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

The drop-off of Alabama’s defense didn’t begin under DeBoer. That started at the end of the Nick Saban era, but the problem’s worsened.

DeBoer is protected by a whopper buyout, and the fact that athletic departments now need money to pay athletes. He’s also got five-star freshman quarterback Keelon Russell waiting in reserve. He might want to consider tapping that reserve sooner than later.

For now, DeBoer’s facing heat, but not the firing squad. Ask me again if Alabama loses to Louisiana-Monroe.

Should Texas or Clemson be more concerned?

Texas. Why? Because Clemson’s game against LSU equated to a free swing.

Georgia smashed Clemson last season, and the Tigers still made the College Football Playoff. Clemson’s neatest path to the playoff remains winning the ACC, though Florida State, Miami, Louisville and SMU will make that an obstructed path.

Clemson’s vaunted defensive line will shine within the ACC.

For Texas, the Horseshoe won’t be the only difficult environment it faces. Two of its toughest remaining games, against Georgia and Florida, will be on the road, in addition to a neutral-site game against Oklahoma and home game against Texas A&M. Arch Manning has yet to prove he can diffuse landmines such as those.

It’s not time to panic about Manning or this Texas offense, but it’s also not irrational to be concerned after a clunker in Columbus.

Does Notre Dame’s season hinge on Week 2?

Consider the Irish’s next game – they’ll host Texas A&M – a matchup with win-or-bust consequences.

Notre Dame scheduled its toughest games in the season’s first two weeks, and it’s reasonable to think the Irish need to go 1-1 in those games to build a playoff résumé.

Pinning at-large playoff credentials to opponents like Purdue, Stanford and Syracuse is a bootless errand. The Irish need to beat the Aggies to avoid falling from the playoff picture by Week 3.

The good news for Notre Dame? CJ Carr showed promise against Miami in his first career start. The game plan became a problem. That can be addressed. Start by remembering the existence of Jeremiyah Love.

Texas A&M’s run defense showed vulnerability in a Week 1 triumph against Texas-San Antonio.

Beating Texas A&M buoyed Notre Dame a year ago, even after the Irish lost to Northern Illinois. A year later, the Aggies could sink Notre Dame.

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.

NEW YORK — The last time Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka met at the US Open six years ago, the emotions for a then-15-year-old Gauff were overwhelming, with her bursting into tears at the end of the 6-3, 6-0 third-round defeat.

It was Gauff’s first appearance on the big stage of Arthur Ashe Stadium, but on Monday, a resurgent Osaka was the one fighting back tears. The No. 23 seed again got the best of her fellow former US Open champion and someone she affectionately calls her ‘little sister,’ advancing to the quarterfinals with a rather efficient 6-3, 6-2 victory in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sept. 1, 2025.

Gauff’s issues from earlier matches in the tournament reared their ugly head again, with a flurry of unforced errors and double faults, putting her down early as Osaka, a two-time winner at Flushing Meadows, sat back, waited patiently to capitalize on every mistake, and worked her forehand to win points along the baseline.

The problems started early, as Gauff, the No. 3 seed, was broken on her initial serve. Then, serving to stay in the first set, she started off with an ace but faltered, double-faulting twice, the last one giving Osaka the set.

Gauff was serving to stay in the match, and held a 40-15 lead, only to suffer another meltdown, and Osaka celebrated her victory when Gauff’s return of her effective forehand return hit the net.

It is the fifth time Osaka has reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, and she has gone on to win that title each time. She also advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2021 Australian Open, the last of her four Grand Slam titles.

“I’m a little sensitive and I don’t want to cry, but I had so much fun out here,’ Osaka said in a post-match interview. ‘I was in the stands two months after I gave birth to my daughter, watching Coco. I really wanted an opportunity to come out here and play. This is my favorite court in the world. It means so much to me to be back here. ‘

“I look up to her. The way she conducts herself is really special. To be such an amazing role model at such a young age, it’s a gift. I have all the respect in the world for her.’

Osaka’s quarterfinal opponent will be No. 11 seed Karolína Muchová, a 6-3, 6-7 (0-7), 6-3 winner over No. 27 seed Marta Kostyuk.

USA TODAY had full coverage of the match between Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. Scroll below for a recap and highlights:

Osaka seems primed for victory

Two games away from victory, Osaka has played a steady match so far, limiting her mistakes and capitalizing on opportunities when Gauff’s game has gone astray. In the sixth game, Gauff again couldn’t get together and was broken, giving Osaka a 4-2 advantage.

Osaka takes the first set

Naomi Osaka is halfway home, a set away from the quarterfinals, winning the first set 6-3, as Gauff double-faulted and is broken on her service game to stay in the set. Gauff had 14 unforced errors in the set.

Gauff having issues with errors

Naomi Osaka is continuing to put the pressure on Gauff, and continues to be up a break at 4-2; Gauff, at times, is having trouble returning Osaka’s serve, and several rallies have ended up in the net for unforced errors

Osaka takes two-game lead over Gauff

Osaka is in control in the early part of the match, as Gauff was broken on her serve and Osaka powered through with a clean sweep of games, thanks to several enforced errors by the 2023 U.S. Open champion.

Packed house for Gauff vs. Osaka

It is more than 20,000 strong at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the sixth meeting between Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka. Gauff leads the head-to-head matchup 3-2, including victories in the last two meetings (2022 San Jose and 2024 Beijing).

Osaka’s first win over Gauff came at the 2019 US Open in the third round, with Gauff winning the next time they met at a Grand Slam, a third-round victory at the 2020 Australian Open.

What time is Gauff vs Osaka from the US Open?

The Round of 16 match between No. 3 seed Coco Gauff and No. 23 seed Naomi Osaka is the second match in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, Sept. 1. It will take place immediately following the match between No. 25 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 15 seed Andrey Rublev, which is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. ET.

Gauff and Osaka are likely to begin play in the early afternoon on Monday.

How to watch Osaka vs. Gauff

No. 23 seed Naomi Osaka will face No. 3 seed Coco Gauff in a U.S. Open women’s singles fourth-round matchup on Monday, Sept. 1, on ESPN.

Date: Monday, Sept. 1
Time: TBD, early afternoon ET
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN+ and Fubo (free trial)

Watch the US Open with Fubo

How to watch all the 2025 US Open action: Dates, TV, streaming

Dates: Sunday, Aug. 24-Sunday, Sept. 7
Location: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (New York)
TV channels: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes (Spanish language)
Streaming: ESPN+ and Fubo (free trial)

The first possession of the Bill Belichick era with North Carolina football ended with a touchdown.

It was downhill from there for the Tar Heels, as the TCU at one point scored 41 unanswered points and put a spoiler on Belichick’s collegiate coaching debut on Monday, Sept. 1, at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

UNC led 7-0 following a Caleb Hood rushing touchdown with 10:55 left in the first quarter. The Horned Frogs tied the game at 7-7 on a touchdown pass from Josh Hoover to Jordan Dwyer just over six game clock minutes later. It was all TCU from there.

Here’s a look at some reactions on social media from fans on Belichick’s dud debut at the collegiate level:

Social media reactions to TCU blowing out UNC

NEW YORK — Venus Williams isn’t letting her age or anything else, for that matter, get in her way of trying to take home a 15th Grand Slam doubles title, and with three more victories, she will head back to the podium.

Williams and her partner Leylah Fernandez are on to the quarterfinals after needing only an hour and 15 minutes to beat the No. 12 seeds Ekaterina Alexandrova and Shuai Zhang 6-3, 6-4 in front of a frenzied Louis Armstrong Stadium.

The road gets tougher, though, as the duo takes on No. 1 seed Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova, who won Wimbledon in 2024 and this year’s Australian Open, in the quarterfinals.

Each of Williams’ 14 Grand Slam doubles titles has been with her sister Serena, with whom she also won three Olympic gold medals.

For the 45-year-old Williams, it is her first doubles quarterfinal appearance at a Grand Slam since 2016, when she and Serena won their sixth Wimbledon championship.

Teaming with the 22-year-old Fernandez from Canada, who was a 2021 US Open finalist, has Williams back in the spotlight after she took a 16-month hiatus before returning to the sport this summer. The duo has yet to lose a set in the tournament.

“I have full confidence in Venus, and I hope she has full confidence in me during our match,” Fernandez said. “We’re just going out there, playing our game: Be offensive, aggressive and ready for the ball.”

The praise didn’t stop there when Williams called Fernandez ‘the best doubles partner’ she has had outside of her sister Serena.

But Venus also had a message for her younger sister before her quarterfinal match.

“She’s so happy for Leylah and I. She’s given us advice, and we just need her in the box. So, my message is, Serena, you need to show up,’ Williams said while laughing.

Several NFL teams could get off to slow starts in 2025 thanks to tough schedules and pervasive problems.
The Bengals have been one of the league’s worst early-season underperformers in recent years, and Cincinnati is under pressure to turn things around.
The Chiefs have been strong in September throughout Andy Reid’s run, but Kansas City faces a daunting slate to open the 2025 campaign.

NFL teams are judged on the entirety of their body of work – once they reach the season’s finish line. Until then, new verdicts are rendered constantly in a week-to-week league.

While every team has its slate wiped clean in the standings to start the fresh campaign, there’s hardly even footing in Week 1. Schedule imbalances, for one, confer advantages and disadvantages from the get-go. The latter can prove particularly troublesome to some franchises, which can be tripped up by various vulnerabilities that weren’t fully sorted out in the preseason. And while some teams end up shaking off the initial narratives that surround them and their slow starts, others end up engulfed by them.

With the new season kicking off Thursday, here are five NFL teams that could stumble out of the gates this season:

Cincinnati Bengals

No contender in recent history has embodied September struggles quite like Zac Taylor’s crew, which is just 7-14-1 in the month since the coach took the reins in 2019. Only once in that span – during the team’s 2021 Super Bowl run – has the franchise avoided an 0-2 start.

But Cincinnati has at least some reason to believe it can break out of the pattern that has dogged it for the better part of a decade. For once, Joe Burrow was granted a sense of normalcy not afforded to him in previous training camps, during which he was either battling an ailment or on the comeback trail. Last summer might have been relatively smooth for the quarterback if not for All-Pro receiver Ja’Marr Chase missing all of camp and preseason amid a contract standoff. An 0-3 start ensued, and the hole proved to be too deep for the team to climb out of, with the Bengals missing the postseason for the second consecutive season despite winning their final five contests.

With Burrow healthy and Chase signed to a massive extension, Cincinnati surely hopes its all-important passing attack skews closer to the form in which it finished last season rather than the manner in which it opened 2024, when it faceplanted in a stunning home loss to the New England Patriots. But the effort to give starters more preseason run yielded mixed results, with Burrow and Taylor calling out the sloppiness that spoiled the opener. Cohesion could prove problematic along the offensive line, where two new guards join a starting lineup that’s seldom granted Burrow any semblance of comfort, and throughout the defense, which is counting on new coordinator Al Golden to develop a host of underperforming young players.

The schedule should provide a bit of relief – at least initially. With the opener at home against the Cleveland Browns followed by a tilt with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bengals have a solid shot at their first 2-0 start since Andy Dalton’s penultimate season with the organization. But an intensely difficult five-game stretch afterward – at the Minnesota Vikings, at the Denver Broncos, vs. the Detroit Lions, at the Green Bay Packers and vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers – threatens to put the team at another serious deficit in the standings approaching midseason.

Chicago Bears

In building a reputation as one of the NFL’s offensive masterminds, Ben Johnson has repeatedly hammered the importance of precision. So far, it’s clear the new head coach in Chicago isn’t seeing much of that.

After a preseason finale in which his starters gained just 22 yards on their two first-quarter drives and the offense committed several miscues thereafter, Johnson made clear the showing left him with a bad feeling.

NFL’s airtime domination: How NFL TV schedule gets bigger and bigger

‘This is our first time on the road, and we were going to find out what kind of road team we were going to be,’ Johnson said. ‘If the first quarter was any indication, it was not good enough. We have to get better in a hurry.’

Johnson represents a sea change for the Bears, as a long listless franchise finally appears to be energized. But growing pains are inevitable given the immense scope of the shift. Johnson acknowledged that even exponential growth for Caleb Williams likely entails an initial lag, and operating within structure and better sensing danger might not come easily to the 2024 No. 1 pick after he took a league-high 68 sacks last season. And while the overhauled interior offensive line looks much improved, there’s no guarantee the front will coalesce early, especially with the question at left tackle remaining open. With a slate that opens against the Vikings and Lions and includes October trips to face the Washington Commanders and Baltimore Ravens, Chicago might require a bit of a recalibration on the feel-good vibes.

Houston Texans

Equipping C.J. Stroud with more responsibility seems bound to produce better results than the ones Houston saw in 2024, when the signal-caller ranked second in both quarterback hits (109) and sacks taken (52). But how much can first-year coordinator Nick Caley’s new scheme do to cover for a front that still looks to be on shaky ground? Meanwhile, the receiving corps lacks a reliable running mate for Nico Collins, and Joe Mixon’s uncertain injury outlook leaves an already suspect ground game in a dangerous spot.

There’s plenty for a first-time play-caller to compensate for, leaving lots of reasons to believe that this unit might not find its footing until much later into the fall or winter. The schedule also does little to assuage any acclimation concerns. Houston opens up on the road against the Los Angeles Rams, a team that has famously tripped itself up at the start of each of the last two seasons but now has enviable continuity. Two other matchups against 2024 division winners – vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and at the Baltimore Ravens – loom before the Week 6 bye.

Kansas City Chiefs

Maybe it’s foolhardy to doubt the NFL’s model of consistent excellence, with Kansas City having won at least four of its first five games in each of the last three seasons. But despite all the advantages readily accessible to any team with Patrick Mahomes at the helm, the Chiefs are facing a slate that easily could ignite a Super Bowl hangover discourse. Six teams that won at least 11 games last season await in the first nine games, though only the opener against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil and the pre-bye tilt with the Buffalo Bills will be played away from Arrowhead Stadium.

With Rashee Rice’s suspension in place for the first six weeks, the renewed commitment to reviving the downfield passing game might be forced to go on hold for a bit. And if the reshuffled left side of the offensive line doesn’t provide Mahomes with sufficient protection, Kansas City might fully revert to scraping by with its aerial attack in the short term. Don’t expect a full-blown crisis, but a mere regression to the mean in one-score games for a historic outlier could produce an uncharacteristic run of early setbacks.

Detroit Lions

If Dan Campbell’s crew really does feel the effects of substantial attrition, it should be apparent in short order. While new coordinators John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard can stand firm on the foundation put in place by their predecessors, replacing eight assistant coaches in total is bound to yield some instability. An offensive line that ranked as one of the league’s elite once looked perfectly capable of ironing out imperfections elsewhere, but the loss of Kevin Zeitler and Frank Ragnow, the latter serving as the mainstay in the middle, leaves a lot for rookie Tate Ratledge and second-year blocker Christian Mahogany to take on in starting roles.

The biggest issue for Detroit, however, is its unrelenting schedule. Road matchups against the Packers, Bengals, Ravens and Chiefs will keep the Lions on their toes in the first six weeks, and a brutal four-game stretch that features the Buccaneers, Vikings, Commanders and Eagles follows.

After a historic 15-win campaign in 2024, success can and should be measured differently for Detroit moving forward. That’s good for all involved, because matching the regular-season output amid so much change will be a nearly impossible task for a still-formidable group.

The Green Bay Packers acquired Micah Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys in the week leading up to the 2025 NFL season.

While Parsons passed a physical with the Packers to complete the trade, the 26-year-old is dealing with a back ailment that could impact him early during the 2025 NFL season.

Parsons’ back malady was a known issue before the trade. The Cowboys edge rusher was held out of practice because of the injury, though some assumed it was a ploy to allow the disgruntled pass rusher to continue his hold-in away from the team.

Parsons’ injury was, in fact, real, and he figures to have to manage it throughout the 2025 NFL season as he looks to quickly establish himself as a star with the Packers.

Here’s what to know about Parsons’ injury and whether he will be able to see the field in Week 1.

Micah Parsons injury update

Parsons is dealing with an L4/L5 facet joint sprain in his back ahead of the 2025 NFL season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Facet joints are ‘are the links between the bones of the spine,’ according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The joint between the L4 and L5 vertabrae is located in the lower back, which is also known as the lumbar portion of the spine.

Injuries to facet joints can cause ‘pain and irritation,’ which is presumably what Parsons is dealing with ahead of the 2025 NFL season.

Parsons was in a physical therapy program at the end of his time with the Cowboys, according to Schefter. Dallas also ‘prescribed [Parsons] a five-day plan of an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid’ to help him recover from the injury.

It isn’t yet clear how exactly the Packers will treat Parsons’ injury, but Schefter reports the perennial Pro Bowler ‘may take an epidural injection prior to Sunday’s game vs. the Lions if needed to help him play.’

Will Micah Parsons play Week 1 vs. Detroit Lions?

Parsons is ‘trying to play’ in the Packers season-opener against the Lions on Sunday, Sept. 7, per Schefter.

Parsons has been practicing since being acquired from the Cowboys, but it remains ‘uncertain’ whether he will be able to get on the field in Week 1.

Micah Parsons injury history

Parsons has played in 63 of a possible 68 regular-season games during his NFL career to date. Below is a look at the absences he endured during his four years with the Cowboys.

2021: Parsons missed Dallas’ regular-season finale after being played on the reserve/COVID list. He returned to play in their 23-17 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
2024: Parsons suffered a high-ankle sprain during the Cowboys’ Week 4 game against the New York Giants. He missed four games because of the injury.

Dallas posted a 2-3 record in its five games without Parsons from 2021-24.

Micah Parsons trade details

Below is a look at what the Packers sent to the Cowboys to acquire Parsons:

Packers get:

EDGE Micah Parsons

Cowboys get:

2026 first-round pick
2027 first-round pick
DL Kenny Clark

A freshman football player at Florida State was shot late Sunday night while visiting family in Havana, Florida.

The school confirmed in a social media post on Monday, Sept. 1 that linebacker Ethan Pritchard suffered a gunshot wound and is in the intensive care unit in ‘critical but stable’ condition. The Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network, reports Pritchard underwent surgery Sunday night at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital.

Captain Anglie Holmes, a spokesperson for the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, said there has been misinformation spread online about a potential suspect. She said the sheriff’s office has been canvassing the area for information after Pritchard was shot inside a vehicle.

Pritchard was a three-star recruit from Seminole High School (Sanford, Florida) who enrolled at Florida State over the summer. He did not play in Saturday’s season-opening win over Alabama.

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The most anticipated coaching debut in college football has arrived: Welcome to the ‘Chapel Bill’ era of Bill Belichick leading North Carolina football.

First up for the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach will be a Power Four test against Sonny Dykes’ TCU Horned Frogs. The Tar Heels and the Horned Frogs are slated for an 8 p.m. ET primetime kickoff on Labor Day in Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Watch UNC vs. TCU football live with Fubo (free trial)

Belichick, who has never coached a college football game in his illustrious coaching career, is the oldest active coach in the sport right now, at 73 years old. With more than 70 new players on the roster, the former New England Patriots coach is tasked with restoring a UNC program to winning ways after five consecutive bowl game losses. South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez was named as UNC’s starting quarterback for Week 1.

The Horned Frogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 9-4 season last year and return quarterback Josh Hoover, who earned All-Big 12 honors last year after throwing 27 touchdowns and nearly 4,000 yards.

USA TODAY Sports is bringing you live updates, scores and highlights from the game. Follow along:

UNC football vs TCU live score

This section will be updated

UNC vs TCU live updates

This section has been updated with new information

Pregame

UNC warming up ahead of season opener vs TCU

The Tar Heels have taken the field at Kenan Stadium for pregame warmups ahead of their season opener vs. TCU. As noted by ESPN sideliner reporter Holly Rowe, North Carolina players are wearing cutoff, sleeveless hoodies while warming up on the sidelines … a signature outfit that their new head coach, Bill Belichick, wore in the NFL with the New England Patriots.

Bill Belichick arrives for UNC debut

Bill Belichick, rocking what looks to be the Tar Heels’ warmup track suit, has arrived on UNC’s campus for the Old Well Walk pregame walk into the stadium.

Who is Freddie Kitchens?

Freddie Kitchens is in his first season serving as Bill Belichick’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach in Chapel Hill.

The longtime NFL assistant and head coach served as the run game coordinator and tight ends coach for the Tar Heels under Mack Brown, and served as UNC’s interim head coach for its Fenway Bowl game vs. UConn in January during the coaching changes.

Who is UNC football’s quarterback in 2025?

South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez is UNC’s starting quarterback for Week 1 vs. TCU. The 6-foot quarterback was among one of the top quarterbacks at the Group of Five conference level last season, as he finished with 2,559 passing yards and 25 total touchdowns, seven of which were rushing touchdowns.

‘Gio has made a ton of progress. We have evaluated things through training camp. As (of) now, we get ready for TCU, he’ll be our starting quarterback. So we’ll give him a majority of the reps in practice and make sure we give him as much preparation as possible,’ UNC coach Bill Belichick said on Aug. 27.

Celebrities, VIP list for Bill Belichick’s UNC debut

Chapel Hill seems to be the place to be on Monday for Labor Day as a plethora of sports icons and UNC royalty are expected to be in attendance for Bill Belichick’s debut, including Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers.

Has Bill Belichick coached college football before?

No, Belichick has not coached a college football game before in his career. This means UNC’s season opener vs. TCU will be the first game he has coached in the college ranks.

Click here to read more on Belichick’s coaching career and history.

How old is Bill Belichick?

Bill Belichick turned 73 years old back in April.

Who did Bill Belichick replace at UNC?

Bill Belichick replaced Mack Brown in Chapel Hill as UNC’s head coach in December. Brown was told in November of 2024 that he would be not coming back from the 2025 season, which put a sour end to the sixth season in his second tenure with the Tar Heels.

What time does UNC vs TCU start?

Date: Monday, Sept. 1
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Where: Kenan Stadium (Chapel Hill, N.C.)

The Week 1 matchup between UNC and TCU is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Sept. 1 from Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Watch UNC vs. TCU football live with Fubo (free trial)

What TV channel is UNC vs TCU on today?

TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

UNC vs. TCU will broadcast nationally on ESPN and ESPNU in Week 1 of the 2025 college football season. Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit will call the game from the booth at Kenan Stadium, with Holly Rowe reporting from the sidelines.

Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

UNC-TCU predictions

Rodd Baxley, The Fayetteville Observer: UNC 28, TCU 27

‘The ‘Chapel Bill’ era starts on Monday Night Football, with quarterback Josh Hoover and the Horned Frogs trying to build off a strong finish to the 2024 season. TCU is the safe pick because of its stability, but season openers have a tendency to be wacky. The Heels will build off the hype and start the season with a bang.’

North Carolina football schedule 2025

Here is UNC’s schedule for 2025:

Monday, Sept. 1: vs. TCU | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPNU (Fubo)
Saturday, Sept. 6: at Charlotte | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Saturday, Sept. 13: vs. Richmond | 3:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 20: at UCF
Saturday, Sept. 27: BYE
Saturday, Oct. 4: vs. No. 6 Clemson *
Saturday, Oct. 11: BYE
Friday, Oct. 17: at Cal * | 10:30 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)
Saturday, Oct. 25: vs. Virginia *
Friday, Oct. 31: at Syracuse * | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN (Fubo)
Saturday, Nov. 8: vs. Stanford *
Saturday, Nov. 15: at Wake Forest *
Saturday, Nov. 22: vs. Duke *
Saturday, Nov. 29: at NC State *

* Denotes ACC game

TCU football schedule 2025

Here is TCU’s schedule:

Monday, Sept. 1: vs. UNC | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPNU (Fubo)
Saturday, Sept. 6: BYE
Saturday, Sept. 13: Abilene Christian | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN+
Saturday, Sept. 20: vs. No. 16 SMU
Friday, Sept. 26: at No. 11 Arizona State * | 9 p.m. ET | Fox (Fubo)
Saturday, Oct. 4: vs. Colorado *
Saturday, Oct. 11: at No. 20 Kansas State *
Saturday, Oct. 18: vs. Baylor *
Saturday, Oct. 25: at West Virginia *
Saturday, Nov. 1: BYE
Saturday, Nov. 8: vs. No. 21 Iowa State *
Saturday, Nov. 15: at BYU *
Saturday, Nov. 22: at Houston *
Saturday, Nov. 29: vs. Cincinnati *

* Denotes Big 12 game

Aaron Rodgers has been named one of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ captains ahead of his first season with the team, the Steelers announced Monday.

The Steelers hold a player vote to select their captains each season. Typically, the team chooses one offensive captain, two defensive captains and one special teams captain.

Rodgers was chosen by his teammates to be Pittsburgh’s lone offensive captain for 2025. It marks the the 15th time of his 20-year career he has been selected for the honor. The 41-year-old was previously chosen as a captain 12 times with the Green Bay Packers and in each of his two seasons with the New York Jets.

Rodgers’ selection comes just a few months after he originally signed a one-year contract to join the Steelers. The Super Bowl 45 winner’s teammates have spoken glowingly of him since his arrival.

‘The pen was writing ‘Aaron’ before I could even think,’ running back Jaylen Warren said of his decision to vote for Rodgers as a captain. ‘He’s a coach and a best friend all in one. You couldn’t ask for more.’

Pittsburgh has named a quarterback its offensive captain every year since 2008. That includes five different offensive captain quarterbacks over the last five seasons: Ben Roethlisberger (2021), Mitchell Trubisky (2022), Kenny Pickett (2023), Russell Wilson (2024) and Rodgers (2025).

The last time the Steelers didn’t choose a quarterback as their offensive captain was when Hines Ward was selected for the role in 2007.

Rodgers will share the Steelers’ 2025 captaincy with two defensive players and one special teamer. Perennial All-Pro defensive linemen Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt will lead Pittsburgh defense while veteran special teams ace Miles Killebrew will be in charge of his unit.