Monday, July 7 marked a national holiday for college football video game enthusiasts as they finally were able to grab the controller and play EA Sports College Football 26.

Since April, fans of the iconic video game franchise have been clamoring for the next installment following the rousing return in 2024. EA Sports has spent much of the buildup advertising the new features to the game that should make it feel like an upgrade from the previous edition, giving hope the series can remain one of the top sports video games.

Even though early access just started — the standard release date in July 10 — there’s already noticeable changes that give optimism of this year’s game. Players have noticed several things they like, but here are the top ones so far for EA Sports College Football 26.

Big game atmospheres, presentation

College football is electric, and it must be translated in order for the game to feel authentic. Of course, not all matchups are the same, but when there are high stakes involved, players know it. Night, rivalry, highly ranked, conference title and College Football Playoff games have a different feel with louder crowds and star players in the spotlight, providing the best the sport has to offer. Mix that in with traditions like Virginia Tech’s ‘Enter Sandman,’ Michigan’s ‘Mr. Brightside’ or Alabama’s red LED lights and it either hypes up the home team, or could have the road squad feeling nervous.

The game presentation itself also got a big boost, with transition screens of the teams, player stats, rankings and rivalry history. Plus, the score bug is an upgrade, something that’s clearly hard to do in the real world.

Smoother gameplay

You don’t need to be a true X’s-and-O’s savant to play this game, but football nerds will enjoy being rewarded for knowing ball. There’s plenty of coaching adjustments players can — and should — make in the game.

Notice you keep getting beat on slant routes? You can adjust your coverage to stop that. Going against an inexperienced offensive line? Turn up the defensive pressure with blitz packages and stunts to get to the quarterback. In return, the computer has gotten smarter. If you keep running the same plays, it will pick up on it and stop it, forcing players to get creative and be more balanced to win.

Substitutions is also easily accessible in the pre-snap menu, making it easier to manage hurt players and guys that are hot while saving so much time from having to pause the game to make any roster changes.

Road to glory high school experience

High school is now in road to glory, and while people are upset you can’t play a full high school season, it’s still an upgrade from last year. The moments users have to play to secure scholarships and interest from schools make it a real challenge to get the career off to a good start, rather than just tearing up the high school ranks.

The experience is extremely unique to each career. A school could have interest in a dual-threat quarterback, but it might not again if it already got a commitment from the same type of player in another road to glory mode. Last year, it wasn’t much fun to just pick what type of recruit a user was and then start college with that. In the high school moments, it’s possible to go from a two-star to five-star, or even go down and schools lose interest. While deflating, it shows how tough football can be when a team decides to pull a scholarship offer.

The commitment ceremony with the hats is also a genius touch.

Real-life coaches add massive layer

So long generic names and faces, as actual coaches in the game not only makes the game feel more real, but also makes it fun in certain modes. Not all of the real-life coaches are in the game, but players will notice coach tendencies, like a play caller that loves to gamble on fourth down or is pass heavy.

In road the glory, it feels legit when Ryan Day reaches out to you about wanting to see if you got what it takes to be a Buckeye.

The best part about it is in dynasty mode. Trying to recruit against big-name coaches makes it more personal and satisfying when getting that commitment. Then there’s the coaching carousel, which goes absolutely insane in the offseason with changes you wouldn’t expect to actually happen. Example: after the 2025 season, Lane Kiffin became the head coach at LSU after Brian Kelly was fired, Dave Aranda is at Florida State and Kyle Wittingham didn’t retire — he took the job at Southern California.

Talk about video game madness.

Transfer portal craziness

Building off the wild coaching carousel, the transfer portal turns out to be just as chaotic. It’s extremely unpredictable, as there’s no telling who will be wanting to leave your school, and who will be looking for a fresh start. In one offseason, DJ Lagway decided to leave Florida after he was a Heisman Trophy finalist, and star defensive end Colin Simmons decided to leave Texas — after leading the Longhorns to the national championship.

It makes it that much more important to figure out player desires and who to prioritize to make sure a key contributor doesn’t jump ship, while making every offseason as exciting time period to stack or rebuild a roster. How crazy the transfer portal gets can be adjusted before a dynasty begins, but even leaving it as is could lead to some pretty ludicrous results.

Bonus: Home screen isn’t annoying

This one is so good, it had to be included. The repetitive, rage inducing generic drumline music is gone from the main screen menu, and now there’s a fresh selection of music to change it up and keep people from losing their minds while recruiting or upgrading their road to glory players. Some fight songs are in, and some marching band covers of songs like ‘Runaway Baby’ and ‘Industry Baby’ will play, alongside a wide variety of generic songs.

Now, it won’t be as bad after suffering a heart-breaking loss.

The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports’ newsletter.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Lionel Messi and Inter Miami return to action on the road against the New England Revolution on Wednesday, July 9. And some rest or limited minutes could be on the agenda for Messi, the Argentine World Cup champion.

Inter Miami will play its second match, following the FIFA Club World Cup, in a stretch of seven game they will play in the month of July.

Coach Javier Mascherano is managing a roster with four of his former Barcelona teammates in Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, while several youngsters who played heavy minutes earlier this season are working their way back from injury.

A rotation, of sorts, could be on the horizon for Messi and some Inter Miami players. But Mascherano also doesn’t want to disrupt their continuity as they push to make up ground in the MLS Eastern Conference standings.

Messi is coming off one of his best games of the season, where he scored two goals with an assist in a 4-1 win against CF Montreal last Saturday, July 5.

Messi’s status for the New England match will be confirmed when Inter Miami announces its starting lineup an hour before kickoff at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

“In Leo’s case, if Leo is fine and doesn’t have any problems, obviously my idea is always to let him play, because we know that if there’s anyone who knows how to manage himself on the pitch and knows his body, it’s him,” Mascherano said before Inter Miami’s practice on Tuesday, July 8.  

“So, we’ll see, we’ll take it as it comes. I don’t want to say one thing and then do another. It’s more a day-to-day thing, depending on how we feel. We can’t make too many rotations, but we’ll make the ones we can because we’re going to need everyone.”

Inter Miami midfielders Yannick Bright and David Ruiz practiced with the club Tuesday, but were held out of the Club World Cup due to muscle injuries. Standout defender Noah Allen is also sidelined with a hamstring injury he suffered during the Club World Cup round-of-16 loss to PSG

Only four MLS clubs will be in regular-season action playing a mid-week match Wednesday: Along with New England and Inter Miami, LAFC will host the Colorado Rapids. So, it’s an ideal match for Inter Miami to pursue three points in the standings, while eight MLS clubs participate in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals this week.

Inter Miami has 32 points from 17 matches (nine wins, three losses, five draws), while most MLS clubs have already played 20 or 21 matches this season.

“Well, obviously we’re not just thinking about [Wednesday’s] game, but also about the string of games we have coming up. We have three more games in practically ten days, so we’ll see how best to manage everyone’s minutes,” Mascherano said.

“I always say the same thing, and you know me: We’re going to put out the best possible 11. But clearly, my idea isn’t to make a lot of rotations, because I think that doing so disrupts the team too much. In the end, many of the guys, even if you don’t change too much within a team, aren’t used to playing together, so it’s like throwing a problem at the players. So, there will be a few changes to freshen things up, but we’ll try to keep the core of the team the same.”

How to watch Messi play in New England vs. Inter Miami match?

The New England vs. Inter Miami match begins at 7:30 p.m. ET, and will be available to live stream on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV.

Messi, Inter Miami upcoming schedule in July

July 9:New England vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET
July 12: Inter Miami vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m. ET
July 16: FC Cincinnati vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET
July 19: New York Red Bulls vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET
July 26: Inter Miami vs. FC Cincinnati, 7 p.m. ET
July 30: Inter Miami vs. Atlas, 7:30 p.m. ET (Leagues Cup)

Running backs Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley signed contract extensions this offseason. Could James Cook be the next running back to ink a new deal?

There’s growing optimism Cook and the Bills can reach a contract agreement by training camp, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Both sides are motivated to get a deal done and have been in talks since the team’s mandatory minicamp.

Bills veterans report to training camp on July 22.

‘Everything is a business, so no hard feelings,’ Cook said last month at Buffalo’s mandatory minicamp, via the team’s official website. ‘Everything gonna work how it’s supposed to work.’

The Bills have rewarded extensions to multiple key players this offseason. Quarterback Josh Allen, defensive end Greg Rousseau, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard and cornerback Christian Benford have all signed extensions.  

Cook is in the final year of his rookie deal. He’s due to make $5.2 million in base salary, per Over the Cap.

Cook said in February on Instagram Live that he hoped his next contract would pay him an annual average of $15 million. However, the running back market has since gone up.

Barkley’s new extension made him the first $20-plus million (per year) running back in NFL history. Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty signed a fully guaranteed four-year, $35.89 million contract as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Cook is coming off a second straight Pro Bowl season in which he tied an NFL-high with 16 rushing touchdowns. He’s produced two consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,200 yards from scrimmage.

The Bills originally drafted Cook in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

Stars across the WNBA, including Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, recently called out Cathy Engelbert. The direct messages to the WNBA commissioner have a common theme: We deserve more.

The WNBA has experienced unprecedented growth over the last three seasons. The current trajectory, which includes continual waves of record-breaking numbers, is converging in real-time with the ongoing collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations between the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).

The WNBPA has made it clear that among the many things players deserve, more money is at the top of the list. Clark, who rarely speaks on the subject, called out Engelbert after the Fever’s Commissioner’s Cup championship regarding the current pay structure that players receive.

“We get more for [the Commissioner’s Cup] than you do if you’re a [WNBA] champion. Makes no sense,’ Clark said. ‘Someone tell Cathy [Engelbert] to help us out.”

Players receive bonus money for marquee events like the Commissioner’s Cup and the WNBA Finals, but the disparity between the pots of money is bewildering. The Fever’s win on July 1 netted Indiana $500,000 to be split among the team. However, the New York Liberty, which won its first championship last October, got only $250,000 to share.

The Minnesota Lynx, who lost to New York in the finals, got much less.

‘Once our paycheck stops after regular season, and we go into playoff basketball, honestly, you’re just playing for pride at that point,’ Lynx star Courtney Williams said flatly. ‘We made it to the finals, bro, and making it to the last two teams of the finals, we got $3,000. Three thousand. That was the bonus to make it to the end.’

Several factors go into why player salaries are so low for WNBA athletes, including revenue and the percentage earned from the league’s current media rights deal. However, as long as the WNBA continues to trend upward, there will be increased pressure on Engelbert and league leadership to bring more to the table during CBA negotiations.

Players have already seen glimpses of what it looks like to have support. Current teams have made improvements to training facilities, arenas and resources. Franchises like the Golden State Valkyries, which began their inaugural season with top-end support for their players, have now become the baseline for expansion teams.

“The games have been really insane when you look at their crowd, and also when you look at what they’ve built, like, their infrastructure with their arena and everything they’ve done to make it feel like every game is a playoff game and create that atmosphere … They’re doing it right,’ Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams told USA TODAY.

Outside entities, like U.S.-based 3×3 basketball league Unrivaled, have also made it harder for the WNBA to delay in providing the best for its players. Unrivaled’s economic model was created to not only keep players stateside during the offseason but to pay them accordingly. The average Unrivaled salary for the league’s three-month season is $220,000, which is $100,000 more than the WNBA’s reported average salary ($119,590). Williams, who has spoken in the past about the WNBA’s prioritization clause as it relates to player salaries, praised Unrivaled for turning up the heat on the WNBA.

“Prioritization would make more sense if the salaries were higher. It’s hard to make prioritization a thing when we’re still paid much better overseas. It’s amazing that we now have Unrivaled,’ she revealed. ‘The WNBA owes a huge thank you to them. … Unrivaled has actually saved a lot of WNBA players and a lot of WNBA teams from not having players there on time because our contracts just aren’t enough to commit for a full season and nothing else here.”

Williams’ words strike a different chord, one not previously heard before, just days after the WNBA officially shared its first CBA offer with the players’ association. Her candor seemingly aligns with her colleagues, including Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, who has been particularly critical of Engelbert and the WNBA regarding major decisions amid ongoing growth. Sabally’s stance regarding the league’s missteps hasn’t changed; in fact, her voice has only gotten louder.

‘We can focus on our players. We recently got a proposal from the league, which was, honestly, a slap in the face. We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now,’ Sabally shared during a scathing callout.

WNBPA vice president and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart echoed Sabally’s assessment of the ongoing negotiations, shedding light on how far the two sides remain apart ahead of scheduled meetings during WNBA All-Star weekend.

‘Anytime you go back and forth, you’re not expecting to hear that ‘yes’ on the first (proposal), but you’re expecting to have a conversation,’ Stewart said on July 3. ‘They kind of just ignored everything we said.’

Two days later, Stewart lamented the progress again.

“It’s like, we’re not even talking about the same thing right now. We’re talking about X’s and O’s at this point and completely different sides of the game.”

VAN NUYS, Calif. — An attorney for boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. said Monday he does not know whether his client is still in the United States after he was arrested by ICE last week.

Chávez Jr. was scheduled to appear in court Monday to seek early release from a pretrial diversion program stemming from gun charges in January 2024. But Chávez Jr. did not appear at the Los Angeles Superior Court Northwest Division and his attorney, Michael Goldstein, said he did not know his client’s location.

Goldstein said that two days ago he learned Chávez Jr. was in Hidalgo, Texas in the custody of DHS. When asked Monday if Chávez Jr. is still in the United States, Goldstein told USA TODAY Sports: ‘We have no idea. We have no information. Unfortunately.’

Chávez Jr., 39, was arrested July 2 outside of his home in Studio City, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, according to DHS. ICE then detained the former world champion boxer and began the process for expedited removal to Mexico, DHS said in its initial statement. USA TODAY Sports reached out to DHS for an update to Chávez Jr.’s status and was directed to its July 3 press release.

The arrest took place just days after Chávez Jr., a former world champion, fought celebrity boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. Chávez Jr., the son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Sr., lost a 10-round bout to Paul by unanimous decision. DHS said Chávez Jr. faces an arrest warrant in Mexico for his alleged ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel.

In August 2023, Chávez Jr. entered the country legally with a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024. In its press release, DHS stated former President Joe Biden’s administration allowed Chávez Jr. to reenter the country in January and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry in California.

The Trump administration has launched a far-reaching crackdown on immigration in an effort to fulfill the president’s campaign promise to deport millions of people in the country illegally.

Mexico’s top prosecutor on July 6 said U.S. authorities have known since at least 2023 that Chávez Jr. was wanted in Mexico on charges related to his alleged ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel, according to an EFE news service report.

Chávez Jr. “entered the United States with the knowledge of American authorities, with a tourist visa that they accepted,” Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero told EFE. “They knew perfectly well that there was an arrest warrant.”

Attorneys for Chávez Jr. in Mexico have asked for an ‘amparo,’ or an injunction, preventing his arrest in Mexico once he is deported, Manero said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Chávez Jr. would face deportation or formal extradition to Mexican authorities.

Days after his arrest by ICE agents, Chávez Jr. still couldn’t be found in the agency’s online detainee locator on July 7. It can take days or more than a week for ICE detainees to turn up in the locator as they await processing.

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said she wants Chávez Jr. to face justice in Mexico, where he has been under investigation since 2019 and where he faces charges related to weapons and drug trafficking.

‘The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico,’ Sheinbaum said during her daily news conference on Friday, July 4. 

After Chávez Jr.’s January 2024 arrest in Los Angeles on gun charges, the court granted Chávez pretrial diversion, which allows people charged with a crime to enter rehabilitative programs rather than face prosecution. Goldstein said Chávez Jr. had begun the program five months earlier on his own accord. But with Chavez not in court Monday, assistant supervising judge Neetu S. Badhan-Smith set a new hearing for Aug. 21.

‘Please make your hearings,’ Badhan-Smith said, although she also referred to the active arrest Chávez Jr. faces in Mexico.

Goldstein, when asked what his plan is, replied, “Come back on the 21st and we deal with it then. We get more information.’

Mark Giannotto contributed to this story.

This story has been updated with new information after contacting DHS for an update on Chávez’s current status.

Another young NBA star just got paid.

The Orlando Magic have agreed to sign forward Paolo Banchero to a five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $287 million on incentives, a person with direct knowledge of the matter confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The person spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss terms of the deal.

ESPN was first to report the news.

Banchero is coming off a season in which he was sidelined for much of the first half with a torn right oblique. Still, when he was on the court, he shined, averaging career bests in points (25.9) and rebounds (7.5) and adding 4.8 assists per game.

Banchero is the young leader of a Magic team whose identity has been on defense, though a trade to acquire former Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane should ease the burden on Banchero to carry the offense. Orlando, which finished 41-41 in the Eastern Conference last season, good enough for seventh place, now has a solid young core of Banchero, forward Franz Wagner and point guard Jalen Suggs to pair with Bane, 27.

A 2024 All-Star, Banchero has led the Magic to consecutive postseason appearances and consecutive Southeast Division wins.

This past season, Orlando fell to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs in five games.

Madison Barone, disqualified at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Friday, July 4 because she couldn’t keep the food down, said she feels no embarrassment about what happened.

“Nope,’’ Barone, 24, told USA TODAY Sports three days after the contest in Coney Island, N.Y. “It was very discreet. All part of the sport.’’

Barone, who lives in Manville, New Jersey, was making her debut at the 2025 contest. Overshadowed by the likes of Joey Chestnut and women’s champion Miki Sudo, she still managed to gained notoriety for violating contest rules.

It started with her eating nine hot dogs and buns by the time the 10-minute contest ended. Then, before the top five finishers had been announced, she started to feel uncomfortable and found a trash can, according to Barone.

“As soon as I got off the stage and everything came up, it wasn’t even like I was sick,’’ she said. “It was more of force. It was more of my body just letting it go.

“And I was like, ‘Oh, man, everybody saw that. Now I’m disqualified.’ ”

Indeed, she was.

‘Ms. Barone experienced urges contrary to swallowing after the contest but before the conclusion of presentations and the awarding of places,’ Sam Barclay, director of operations at Major League Eating, told USA TODAY Sports. ‘By Major League Eating rules, urges contrary to swallowing before the conclusion of the event, including presentations and the awarding of prizes, results in a DQ.’

George Shea, who has served as the contest announcer since 1991, said he was unaware of any such incident taking place at Nathan’s since then.

Barone, who was a wild-card entrant after finishing second at a qualifier, said she hopes to compete at Nathan’s next year.

“If I do,” she said, ‘it’s going to be the biggest comeback ever.’’

The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports’ newsletter.

Monday was a nightmare for Indiana Pacers fans. The team announced that star guard Tyrese Haliburton — who helped lead the team to the NBA Finals last season — will miss the 2025-26 season while recovering from an Achilles tear he suffered in the Finals.

In spite of the bad news, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard did provide some optimism as well.

‘The surgery went well. It was a little higher and he gets more blood to that [as he recovers],’ said Pritchard. That said, Pritchard also added, ‘He will not play next year though. We would not jeopardize that now. So don’t get any hopes up that he will play.’

When did Tyrese Haliburton get hurt?

Haliburton suffered the injury during Game 7 of the NBA Finals. He scored nine points on three three-pointers before exiting the game.

Haliburton had previously suffered a calf strain in Game 5 of the series, and decided to play on it in an effort to give the Pacers their first NBA championship.

Why did Tyrese Haliburton play injured?

Despite the risk, Haliburton thought playing for a championship was worth the risk. Following the injury, Haliburton posted on social media that he didn’t regret playing. He said that he would ‘do it again, and again after that, to fight for this city and my brothers.’

Pritchard told reporters Monday that he would have sacrificed that game if he knew Haliburton was going to get hurt. ‘If you’re asking me, would I have him do it over and over? I would not. I would not,’ said Pritchard. ‘I care for the kid so much and want him to have an incredible career.’

Pritchard also added that he admires Haliburton’s mentality.

Pacers’ 2026 championship odds

Without Haliburton, the Pacers’ odds of winning next year’s championship will take a massive hit. The team also lost forward Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason as well.

Per BetMGM, the Pacers currently have +8000 odds to win the 2026 championship. That ranks 18th in the league, just behind Myles Turner’s new team, Milwaukee (+6600).