EA Sports College Football 26 features an incomplete Colorado squad
However, for Colorado fans hoping to step into the virtual shoes of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, there's some disappointment waiting when you open up a new dynasty save.
Coach Prime, one of the sport's most high-profile figures, is among a group of 12 FBS head coaches who declined to have their likenesses included in this year's game. Instead of Sanders pacing Folsom Field in his signature shades, Colorado fans will be greeted by a computer-generated coach named "Kirk Patrick" calling plays for the Buffs.
Sanders is not alone with his decision to opt out of the game. Other notable coaches absent from the sidelines include Miami's Mario Cristobal, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz, Stanford's Frank Reich, UAB's Trent Dilfer and Utah State's Bronco Mendenhall.
It is not at all surprising to see Sanders sit out. Known for doing things his own way, Coach Prime has previously been selective about licensing deals, preferring to control his brand tightly. While he remains a central figure in college football's cultural conversation, his absence in College Football 26 is disappointing, albeit unsurprising.
In real life, Colorado and Sanders are hoping to replicate a 9-4 season that saw them finish tied for first in the Big 12 with a 7-2 conference record.
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Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Photographer's eerie lookalike inspired a search for world's best dopplegängers
Over the last 25 years, French-Canadian photographer François Brunelle has traveled the world photographing around 250 pairs of doppelgängers. Doppelgängers, which translates from German to 'double walker,' originally meant ghostly counterparts of a living person. In folklore and literature, encountering someone who could be your twin has traditionally been viewed as a bad omen. But in modern usage, the term often describes two unrelated people who closely resemble each other. This concept is the focus of Brunelle's photography series, 'I'm Not a Lookalike!' The inspiration for the project came from his own lookalike: Mr. Bean, who is played by British actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson. After being told for years that he looked like the character, Brunelle watched an episode that included a scene he called 'awkward' to see his doppelgänger in. 'I said, 'Oh my God, it looks like me, and he's taking a bath!'' said Brunelle, who felt like he was watching himself on TV. Upon realizing he couldn't be the only lookalike, Brunelle started photographing doppelgängers together. Some of the pairs he captured didn't see the resemblance, 'which can be quite surprising (and entertaining) at times,' Brunelle admitted via email to USA TODAY. He started his project in Montréal with lookalikes he knew in Canada. As media coverage grew and word spread on social media, he received thousands of messages from people worldwide. Many of the doppelgängers he photographed know each other in real life and were made aware of their resemblance to each other after being told by others, like Ester Scholten and Agnes Loonstra. In 2013, Loonstra was approached by a man on a train in the Netherlands. He mistakenly thought she was one of his university students, Scholten, and encouraged Loonstra to reach out to her. Meanwhile, Scholten learned about this encounter from her professor. Out of curiosity, Loonstra decided to find Scholten on Facebook. Scholten shared a translation of the first message she ever received from Loonstra with USA TODAY. 'Hi Ester, probably a bit of an unexpected message, but recently I was approached on the train by a man, and he thought I was you! After some confusion, he said he was a teacher of yours and asked me if I was a girl from Arnhem. Very funny, apparently, he was so amazed by the resemblance (in his eyes) that he insisted I should google you because we seemed so alike. Haha! So here we are... Do you see the same resemblance? 🙂 maybe the ginger hair, bangs and almond-shaped eyes? 🙂' Scholten felt like she was seeing herself when she saw photos of Loonstra on Facebook. 'Even our mouths look somewhat similar. So strange!' Scholten wrote back in her messages to Loonstra. They both found their resemblance surprising because they felt their features were so distinctive that they thought they were unique. The two decided it would be fun to meet, and when they did, they realized it wasn't only their looks that were similar. 'There were a few moments during that first encounter that were almost terrifying, such as the moment we both pulled up a chair to put our feet on and the moment we laughed at the exact same time and discovered the way we laugh is so similar,' Scholten said. Loonstra was 25 and Scholten was 30 when they met on May 4, 2013. At the time, Loonstra was part of an a cappella group that had rehearsals in Scholten's hometown. People waved at her, thinking she was Scholten. 'People I knew told me I had been rude for not saying anything when I passed them,' Scholten said. So Loonstra began waving back at the strangers, followed by a text to Scholten to let her know. From their very first meeting, a friendship was born as they discovered they shared love for the same music, literature and what Scholten calls their "intense' love of cats. 'About half of all our WhatsApp conversations are about cats,' she said. 'We are proud crazy cat ladies.' From that love came the inspiration for a book they published together titled 'Crazy Cat Lady,' combining Loonstra's skills as an illustrator and Scholten's knack for writing. It was picked up by Workman Publishing in New York and has been released worldwide in English and translated to Spanish, German, Finnish, and even Loonstra and Scholten's native language, Dutch. Agnes also played a special role in Ester's wedding as her maid of honor. 'I see Agnes like the little sister I never had,' Scholten said. Although they don't live in the same part of the Netherlands, they try to see each other at least once a month. Loonstra reached out to Brunelle after hearing about his project from several people who sent it to her. Loonstra and Scholten were later included in a study by the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute in Barcelona with other doppelgängers photographed by Brunelle that confirmed they and the other lookalikes were not related. Of the 32 pairs studied, researchers found that the lookalikes share similar DNA variations, particularly concerning genes involved in forming facial features. There were also similarities in height and weight. The study's lead researcher, Manel Esteller, called it 'coincidences of genetics that happen purely by chance,' and does not mean the pairs are related. Despite the study's findings, Loonstra and Scholten are still frequently asked by strangers if they are biologically related, and sometimes, to keep things simple, they just say yes. Brunelle's website features a callout for lookalikes, and he also created pages on Instagram and Facebook for the project. Brunelle plans to release a book this year featuring about 100 photos of the pairs he's photographed, along with a short story from either the subject or his perspective. He shared a few of those stories with USA TODAY. Roniel Tessler and Garrett Levenbrook | New York City, 2013 "I was born in New York, and Roniel in Washington, D.C. Roniel's friends met me at the University of Michigan four years ago and mistook me for him. They then put us in touch, and we discovered we lived near each other. We have remained good friends ever since." ‒ Levenbrook Beatriz Nogueira and Bruna Soares Da Costa | Lisbon, Portugal , 2015 "I work in human resources, and Beatriz is a student. We were both born in Portugal and have been friends since childhood. We first realized we were look-alikes when people started mixing us up. My own father saw a photo of Beatriz and was convinced it was me! I think we look more alike in profile than face-on. We are similar not just physically, but in personality too. And here is a fun detail, I recently discovered we're both left-handed!" ‒ Soares Da Costa Karen Chu and Ashlee Wong | Culver City, California, 2013 "I am a nursing student, while Ashlee is a registered nurse. Most non-Asian people think all Chinese look alike, but that is far from the truth. I consider myself lucky to have met Ashlee, my 'sister' at a traditional Chinese dance performance. Although many people think we look very similar, Ashlee is definitely shorter." - Chu
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Five numbers that showcase the Blue Jays' historic dominance over the Rockies
DENVER — It took 27 whole innings for the home crowd to finally boo. Even then, the Coors Field groans were filled with a sort of amusement, laced with an appreciation of just how much things had gotten out of hand. The Toronto Blue Jays made history in the final frame of a 20-1 victory on Wednesday, tacking on the last few runs of a third consecutive blowout. With Toronto now sporting a 68-48 record, best in the American League, here are five numbers that distill the Jays' three-game dominance in Denver. Advertisement The Jays found seemingly every inch of outfield grass across three games in Colorado. As position player Austin Nola lobbed in pitches to mercifully end Wednesday's finale, the Jays surpassed the 1950 St. Louis Browns for most hits in a three-game series by any squad in the modern era (since 1901). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recorded eight hits in the series. Ernie Clement notched five in the first game and four in the finale. Newly-acquired infielder Ty France, who also reached base with two hit-by-pitches on Wednesday, collected more hits in Colorado (five) than in his previous seven games combined. France's big day was one thing Jays manager John Schneider said he will remember most about the series. 'It was everyone, literally, on the roster, doing something,' he said. The Jays surpassed the franchise's previous record for hits in a three-game series by 12, set in July 2022 at Fenway Park. Coors Field is often a launching pad for opposing lineups. Colorado entered Wednesday's finale with a 6.44 ERA at home, more than a half-run higher than the second-worst squad. But perhaps more than any other team, the 2025 Blue Jays were built for the Rockies' home park. Per Baseball Savant park factors, Coors Field produces 16 percent more hits than the league average. The outfield is massive and the thin air adds additional flight to line drives. For a Toronto team that entered the series with baseball's best batting average (.264) and lowest strikeout rate (17.3 percent), Coors was a run-scoring haven. 'It's a big outfield,' Bo Bichette said. 'Just put the ball in play, give yourself a chance. Obviously, we did that.' Despite ranking around the league average in home runs, Toronto's contact-dominant offence ranks fifth in baseball with 576 runs. At Coors, that contact ability helped them set another record. With at least 10 runs across all three games and 45 runs total, the Jays set a franchise benchmark for most runs in a three-game series. Advertisement For the first time since April, Bichette's batting average pushed over .300. The shortstop tallied seven hits, three homers and 10 RBI across the three games in Colorado. It was his first time playing at Coors Field, where his father, Dante, hit 111 homers. Everything about Bichette is consistent. Each at-bat features the same calculated aggression. Every batting practice showcases the same sprayed line drives. Every word he speaks slowly trickles out in the same calm, quiet tone. In 2024, hamstring strains and a finger fracture halted that consistency. But this year, with Bichette in what could be his final season with the Jays, the dependability returned. He once again owns the most hits in the league (145) and his .815 OPS is above his career average. Bichette is now on pace to lead his league in hits for a third time, surpassing his father, who led the National League in hits twice. 'I just feel like I have a pretty good understanding of who I want to be as a hitter right now,' Bichette said. The Blue Jays' early offensive success came on the back of endless contributions across the lineup. But when Bichette and Guerrero Jr. are in peak form, as they were in Colorado, the offence can hang with the best in baseball. Guerrero Jr. met a fastball at the top of the zone, launching the 99 mph pitch deep to right field in Wednesday's eighth inning. As he connected, the franchise first baseman started into a certain slow trot. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes it 11 runs on the day for the @BlueJays! — MLB (@MLB) August 6, 2025 That deep drive was Guerrero's second opposite-field homer of the series — and just his second on the season. Those power drives to the opposite power alley are the hits that tell Guerrero that his swing is truly locked in. In the first half of the season, Toronto's offence performed just fine without a truly dominant stretch from Guerrero. But if it wasn't already clear, the Colorado homers prove that Toronto's franchise player has found his hot streak. Advertisement 'It feels good,' Guerrero said of his swing, through team interpreter Hector Lebron. 'Things, I know, are going to happen. Good things are going to happen.' In 20 games since the All-Star break, Guerrero is hitting .378 with six homers and 16 RBI. He's now on pace for 25 homers and rides a 23-game on-base streak to Los Angeles, with matchups set against the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Lost in Toronto's endless offence was surprisingly stable starting pitching. Battling the altered environment of Coors Field, Eric Lauer, José Berríos and Kevin Gausman each adjusted their usual plans to quell the Rockies' lineup. All three starters allowed early hits and made quick arsenal tweaks. After allowing a first-inning run, Gausman spent the rest of Wednesday's contest attempting to bounce his signature splitter to avoid hanging pitches. Lauer and Berríos stayed away from their breaking balls. All three starters mentioned an added focus on pitching down in the zone as the game went on. With the Rockies on pace for fewer than 50 wins, the Jays won't have to face the Colorado conditions again this season. But this series tested the starters' ability to make rapid, in-game adjustments — and they passed. Even if Toronto's pitching stumbled at Coors Field, the lineup could've won the series all on its own. But in a high-stakes environment like the postseason, with opposing lineups concocting ultra-focused game plans, those quick shifts on the mound can be the difference between crucial wins and brutal losses. (Top photo of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.:) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Elite, 4-star PF Julius Avent includes Spartans as a finalist
Michigan State basketball is one of five schools still in the running for a big-time power forward prospect in the 2026 class. Julius Avent of Oradell, N.J. revealed his five finalists on Wednesday, which happened to include the Spartans. According to a social media post from On3 recruiting insider Joe Tipton, Avent is down to the following five finalists: Michigan State, Xavier, Seton Hall, Penn State and Providence. Avent is a four-star prospect in the 2026 class, according to 247Sports. He holds a recruiting rating of 96.94 and ranks as the No. 87 overall prospect in the class. He is also listed as the No. 12 power forward and No. 3 player from New Jersey. Michigan State is one of nearly 10 schools to extend him an offer, according to 247Sports. Along with his other four finalists, he also has offers from Mississippi State, Villanova, Washington and George Washington. Avent is scheduled to take an official visit to Michigan State on August 30. It will be the first of five official visits to each of his finalists, according to 247Sports. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
