How a new money battle emerged in the NFL; plus Scottie chases history
Good morning! This newsletter is fully guaranteed.
Our free and excellent NFL newsletter, Scoop City, published an edition this week that left me thinking about several recent pieces of news. You can judge how related they are:
What was all this fuss about, then? Agents and the NFLPA want to set a new standard that second-rounders get guaranteed contracts. That's how first-rounders reached that point, after all. (It's not CBA-mandated that every first-round pick gets 100 percent of his deal guaranteed.)
But most teams have held firm. Sometimes it made sense. The Browns are one of the teams that did guarantee a second-rounder's deal, but they haven't done so for No. 36 pick Quinshon Judkins, who was recently arrested on a domestic violence charge. Yet sometimes, the second-rounder has serious leverage. No. 40 pick Tyler Shough is probably the Saints' starting quarterback in a post-Derek Carr world. Or he would be, if the Saints sign him. How long is New Orleans going to play chicken with a rookie QB who needs camp reps? (Shough could sign at any moment. Yet it's unprecedented that he hasn't.)
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Which begs the question of where this is all heading, long term. I asked Scoop City author Jacob Robinson how he thinks this league-wide situation will resolve. 'Nothing materially changes' until the league's collective bargaining agreement expires in 2030, he tells me. But there's more to watch between now and then, and I'll turn it over to Jacob here:
Thanks to Jacob. Soon enough, there will be ink on these deals, but what happens over the next few years is a live ball.
Scheffler grabs Open Championship lead
Scottie Scheffler professed to the media earlier this week that golf success doesn't fulfill his deepest desires in life. But while his mind might sometimes drift to other priorities, Scheffler is still the undisputed best golfer in the world. He carded a second-round 64 yesterday, the lowest score of his major-championship career, to take a one-stroke lead at the Open. More on the inevitability of Scheffler — and a look at who can catch him — in our full Round 2 recap. Today's action is already underway. Follow live here. (Free to read and follow!)
Ionescu wins 3-point contest
It was a perfect beginning to WNBA All-Star Weekend for the Liberty, who swept the skills challenge and 3-point contest last night. Natasha Cloud claimed the first event of the night, but it was another dazzling display of shooting from Sabrina Ionescu in the 3-point shootout that won the evening. More on tonight's much-anticipated All-Star Game shortly.
More news:
📺 Golf: Open Championship, Third Round
NBC until around 3 p.m. ET
Coverage has already begun, scattered around Peacock and USA Network. Regular ol' NBC carries everything after 7 a.m. ET today and tomorrow. Scottie Scheffler's issue before this week was that he needed to putt a little better. Well, he's third in the field in strokes gained on the greens through two rounds.
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📺 MLB: Red Sox at Cubs
7:15 p.m. ET on Fox
The Red Sox caught fire heading into the break and are now in a clear buying position as the trade deadline looms. Remember when they traded away their best hitter a month ago? What a time. Brayan Bello pitches against Shota Imanaga. World Series preview? Possibly.
📺 WNBA All-Star Game
8:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Caitlin Clark's injury casts a shadow (more on that tomorrow), but this weekend remains a big showcase for the W. Make time for this revealing player survey from Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant on the league's most and least appealing destinations.
From earlier this week: MLS and Adidas released a second set of retro-inspired kits for 10 teams across the league. Meg Linehan and Brooks Peck reviewed and ranked them.
Speaking of retro, use the POV app at your next party to add some disposable camera/peak Instagram filter-era nostalgia. The delayed reveal feels so quaint. — Torrey Hart
And keeping with the topic of uniforms, David Betancourt has thoughts on MLB players wearing their own teams' threads at the All-Star Game.
'F1' set a new standard for sports movies. See it in theaters while you can. — Jacob Robinson
Levi Weaver debunked the viral rumor that Trevor Bauer got taken deep for a record 594-foot home run in Japan.
My 6-year-old soccer nut is so excited to start opening NWSL cards we ordered. 'I need a Mal Swanson.' LFG. (Backup plan? Check.) — Chris Sprow
Espresso tonics. You may notice I'm on a coffee journey — White guy in his 30s doing that, real original — and I've found the wellspring of espresso creativity. This is simply fresh espresso poured into tonic water, but the quality of both parts is key here. A great tonic water makes this a fizzy, lightly fruity dream that dances on the palate. Just try it, and promise me you'll take more than three sips. — Chris Branch
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The WNBA needs to 'eventize' more regular-season games, including having Caitlin Clark and the Fever play at Lucas Oil Stadium or a unique outdoor venue in the Midwest, Richard Deitsch argues.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Ken Rosenthal's latest MLB trade deadline intel.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our Open Championship Round 2 live blog.
Ticketing links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
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Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What's the answer to college football's playoff problem? Big Ten commish points at 'play-in games' for his rationale
LAS VEGAS — A month ago, as he tuned into a College Football Playoff meeting through Zoom, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti felt a wave of sudden enlightenment wash over him. As he watched CFP staff members share potential changes to the criteria and data used by the selection committee, as he witnessed mathematicians deliver ideas on adjustments, Petitti pulled away from the Zoom and had a thought. What the heck are we doing? 'I found myself sitting there thinking that play-in games seem so rational as we look at folks talk about points and subtracting numbers and adding numbers. I'm thinking, 'This is the rational system and the one where we play games is radical?' 'I admire the work they're putting into it and all the stuff they're talking about and adding and subtracting and listening to mathematicians and scheduling experts. But all of that is more valuable than two teams playing on the field? OK.' In an interview on Monday with Yahoo Sports from the site of this week's Big Ten football media days, Petitti emphasized that his league's position on a future playoff format remains unchanged — a position, he says, that is unlikely to change until the power conferences agree to play the same amount of conference games (nine) and until the selection process is rectified. The conference continues to support a playoff structure with more automatic access spots as opposed to the so-called '5+11' format that features more at-large selections. The Big Ten's long-discussed playoff format — a '4-4-2-2-1' model — would grant four automatic qualifiers to the SEC and Big Ten, two each to the ACC and Big 12, one to the highest-ranked Group of Six champion and three at-large selections. The model, vehemently opposed by the ACC and Big 12, would reduce the subjectivity of the selection committee, incentivize more perennial non-conference matchups and, Petitti says, provide an avenue for inner-conference play-in style games pitting, for instance, the third-place Big Ten team against the sixth-place finisher and the fourth vs. the fifth for spots in the playoff. Any format with a bigger at-large pool such as the 5+11 — it grants qualifiers to the top five conference champions and 11 at-large spots — relies too heavily on a subjective selection committee, he says. Petitti believes proposed alterations to the data used by selection committee members to seed teams and determine at-large selections remains 'incredibly incomplete' and, he suggested, may never reach the point of satisfying his membership. 'I've heard my colleagues around other leagues say that a lot of work has to be done to the selection committee and that's where I have a hard time on what that actually means,' Petitti said. 'In talking to some of the folks in our room, our ADs that have been on that (selection) committee, I've yet to hear someone say they need more data or stuff to look at. You can come up and make metrics, but ultimately it's just people evaluating what's put in front of them.' While acknowledging that his league must agree with the SEC on a playoff format in order for it to advance forward — the two conferences control the matter — Petitti says he's OK with the playoff remaining at 12 teams next season instead of the proposed 16-team expanded model. 'Earlier on, we felt expansion would be a good thing, but we're not going to expand unless we really feel like the format and access makes sense,' Petitti said. 'It has to make the regular season better. If it doesn't do that, why are we doing it?' Such a possibility — remaining as a 12-team playoff in 2026 — is growing more likely by the day as the two conferences remain at an impasse, both with one another over the number of conference games they play (SEC eight and the Big Ten nine) and with the CFP's selection process. The SEC is yet to decide on whether it is moving from eight conference games to nine in 2026, though signs point to the conference remaining at eight games at least for next year, especially if the selection committee process is unsatisfactory. Even SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said last week during his media days there's 'not a lot of warmth' from the football coaches in adding an extra conference game. The head coaches hold sway in the conference. In fact, their pushback to the Big Ten's 4-4-2-2-1 model in May shifted the league's consideration of that format. Meanwhile, neither league seems necessarily agreeable to proposed alterations to data changes in the selection process. The CFP staff proposed to commissioners an adjustment to the committee's strength-of-schedule ranking that gives more weight to games played, for instance, against the top 30-40 programs in the country. Secondly, a new data point, 'strength of record,' has been created that grants more weight to good wins and doesn't penalize as much a program for losses against ranked or top teams. Petitti is unmoved. He is against widening the at-large pool from seven to 11 teams as it gives the 12-member selection committee — a rotation of mostly athletic directors and former coaches — more authority. 'It's not that we think the selection committee does a poor job. I'm just not sure how you make it better. The more teams you add, the more tough decisions you create,' he said. 'We're going to give the committee more to do? What's the reason to do that? Giving them more work to do and more discretion?' Despite the disagreement with the SEC, both commissioners say that they continue to speak regularly and the two leagues remain close. Petitti hopes the conferences can hold a third joint athletic director meeting soon. 'Anybody who is writing that the fact we might not be on the same page today on format changes means we don't have a great working relationship is in the wrong place,' Petitti said Monday. Said Sankey last week: 'There is no rift between the SEC and Big Ten commissioners. We have different views. That's OK.' They disagree on something else too: the timing of the transfer portal. A committee of power conference football administrators and athletic directors is expected to make a formal recommendation on the portal soon. The expectation is for a single portal in January. The Big Ten remains the only FBS conference that is against such a move. Big Ten coaches and administrators are pushing for an April portal. 'That's not where the other three (power) leagues are,' Petitti said. 'At the end of the day, when you govern with others, there are going to be issues where you know you're going to have to agree that your position wasn't the one adopted. But having player movement occur during the postseason seems something that is not ideal. It puts players in tough spots. It's not good for the game.' In an interview with Yahoo Sports last week, Sankey said he was seeking a portal date that is 'the right thing for the educational enterprise,' and both leaders believe there should be a single portal as opposed to the two currently existing. 'We have to get back as a collegiate enterprise to say we have a responsibility and expectation that you pursue your education in a consistent way,' Sankey said. 'Transferring every semester or five schools in five years is not consistent with those objectives.'
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
College football viewer's guide: Here are all the new coaches, including UNC's Bill Belichick
The coaching carousel was relatively quiet after the 2024 season. Nearly every school in the Big Ten and SEC retained their coaches for the 2025 college football season, while there are just six new coaches at power conference schools overall. There was, however, a fair amount of movement elsewhere in college football. Here's your quick guide to every school with a new coach this season. ACC Bill Belichick, North Carolina: We'll start with the most famous — and infamous — new coach in college football. The six-time Super Bowl winner was hired to replace Mack Brown as the Tar Heels' head coach. Belichick has brought North Carolina the attention it sought after it hired him … but not in ways UNC could have imagined. Belichick has been a major offseason storyline thanks to his personal and professional relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. Belichick has said Hudson is not involved with the UNC football program and all eyes will be on the Tar Heels' opener against TCU on Labor Day. Jake Dickert, Wake Forest: The former Washington State coach headed east to replace Dave Clawson after Clawson stepped down after 11 seasons with the Demon Deacons. Dickert led Washington State through two seasons of turmoil as the Pac-12 dissolved and other schools left the Cougars in the dust. Wazzu went 8-4 in 2024 as it scrambled to piece together a schedule following the conference's demise. Frank Reich, Stanford: The ex-Colts and Panthers coach will be one-and-done in Palo Alto. Reich was hired as the team's temporary coach when Stanford fired Troy Taylor after news broke of the school investigations into his treatment of staffers. Reich was brought in by former Stanford QB Andrew Luck, as the former No. 1 overall draft pick is now the GM of the Cardinal. Luck has a big task ahead of him as Stanford has gone 3-9 in each of the past four seasons. American Scott Abell, Rice: The Owls hired Abell from FCS-level Davidson. Over seven seasons, Abell's Wildcats went 47-28 and didn't have a losing season. Tim Albin, Charlotte: Three straight seasons of 10 or more wins at Ohio led Albin to Charlotte, where he replaces Biff Poggi. Charlotte has big dreams in the AAC as it looks for just the second winning season in school history and its first bowl victory. K.C. Keeler, Temple: The Pennsylvania native is tasked with turning the Temple football program around after a bunch of success at Sam Houston. Keeler's teams won at least 10 games six different times before Sam Houston moved to the top level of college football. The Bearkats were 3-9 in their debut season in 2023 before going 9-3 in 2024. Zach Kittley, Florida Atlantic: The 33-year-old takes over at FAU for former Texas coach Tom Herman after leading the Texas Tech offense for the past three seasons. After working as a graduate assistant at Tech, Kittley led high-powered offenses at Houston Baptist and Western Kentucky with QB Bailey Zappe. Tre Lamb, Tulsa: The former Tennessee Tech QB has been an FCS head coach for the past five seasons. Lamb's Gardner-Webb teams were 20-20 over four seasons and East Tennessee State went 7-5 in 2024. Big Ten Barry Odom, Purdue: Odom takes over for the man who worked for him as an assistant at Missouri. Purdue went just 1-11 in 2024 as the Boilermakers were the worst power conference team in the country. After a 25-25 record in four seasons at Mizzou, Odom was Arkansas' defensive coordinator before UNLV hired him ahead of the 2023 season. The Rebels went 19-8 over the past two years and were 12-3 in Mountain West play. Big 12 Scott Frost, UCF: We'll see if a happier Frost can lead the Knights back to the success they had in his first tenure. UCF went 13-0 in 2017 and beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl. Frost left after that game to head back to Nebraska, where he was a quarterback during his college playing days. That stint famously didn't go well, as Nebraska failed to have a winning season and Frost was fired after a Week 3 loss to Georgia Southern in 2022. Rich Rodriguez, West Virginia: It's a season of homecomings in the Big 12 as Rodriguez is back at the school that he brought to national relevance. Rodriguez's spread-option offense powered West Virginia to a 32-5 record from 2005-2007 and got him the Michigan job. The Wolverines were just 15-22 in three seasons before Rodriguez was fired and became Arizona's head coach in 2012. After parting ways with the Wildcats after the 2017 season. Rodriguez took over at Jacksonville State in 2022 and the Gamecocks won nine games in each of the past three seasons. Conference USA Charles Kelly, Jacksonville State: The longtime college football assistant has his first head coaching job as he tries to sustain the success JSU had under Rodriguez. Kelly was the co-defensive coordinator at Auburn in 2024 after he was Colorado's defensive coordinator in 2023. Prior to joining Deion Sanders' staff in Boulder, he was a defensive assistant at Alabama for four seasons. He's also coached at Tennessee, Florida State and Georgia Tech. Phil Longo, Sam Houston: Longo is back at Sam Houston after he was the team's offensive coordinator from 2014-2016. Since then, he's been the coordinator at Ole Miss, North Carolina and at Wisconsin for the past two seasons. Jerry Mack, Kennesaw State: Mack comes to Kennesaw State after a season as the Jacksonville Jaguars' running backs coach. He coached Tennessee's running backs for three seasons before going to Jacksonville and was the head coach at North Carolina Central from 2014-2017. Willie Simmons, Florida International: Simmons was hired to replace former Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre at FIU. Simmons spent the 2024 season as the running backs coach at Duke after a six-year stint as Florida A&M's head coach. The Rattlers were 45-13 in his tenure. MAC Mark Carney, Kent State: Carney is the Golden Flashes' interim head coach following Kenni Burns' firing. Burns was fired in April after he was placed on administrative leave. Kent State never officially said why Burns was fired, but an independent investigation revealed Burns had taken over $100,000 in loans from a Kent State booster who was also a vendor for the school. Getting multiple wins in 2025 will be a big success for Carney. Kent State was 1-23 in Burns' two seasons. Matt Drinkall, Central Michigan: The former Army offensive assistant was hired to replace Jim McElwain after McElwain retired. Drinkable had coached tight ends and the offensive line for Army since joining Jeff Monken's coaching staff in 2019. Eddie George, Bowling Green: The Heisman winner and former Ohio State star was hired in March by the Falcons after Scot Loeffler took a job with the Philadelphia Eagles. George coached FCS-level Tennessee State for the past four seasons and had a career record of 24-22 with the school after a 9-4 campaign in 2024. Joe Harasymiak, UMass: Harasymiak has been an assistant at the top level of college football after a three-year stint as Maine's head coach from 2016-2018. After three seasons at Minnesota, Harasymiak was the defensive coordinator at Rutgers for the last three years. Brian Smith, Ohio: Smith was promoted to replace Albin after Albin left for Charlotte. Smith has worked at Hawaii and Washington State and was the Bobcats' assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2024 in his third season with the school. Mike Uremovich, Ball State: Uremovich comes to Ball State from Butler, where the Bulldogs were 23-11 over the past three seasons. Before coaching at Butler, Uremovich was an assistant at Northern Illinois and Temple. Mountain West Jason Eck, New Mexico: Eck was the head coach at Idaho for the past three seasons. The Vandals were 26-13 in his time with the school and went 10-4 in 2024. Before heading to Idaho, Eck was the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at FCS powerhouse South Dakota State for six seasons. Matt Entz, Fresno State: The former North Dakota State coach parlayed a move to USC as an assistant into a head coaching job. After going 60-11 in five seasons at NDSU, Entz spent the last two seasons as a senior defensive assistant with the Trojans. He takes over for Jeff Tedford after Tedford was forced to step down because of health reasons. Bronco Mendenhall, Utah State: Mendenhall is back in the state of Utah and the Mountain West after a year as New Mexico's head coach. He returned to coaching in 2024 after two years off following his departure from Virginia after the 2021 season. Before heading to Virginia, Mendenhall was the head coach at BYU from 2005-2015 and the Cougars had a 99-43 record. Dan Mullen, UNLV: The former Florida and Mississippi State coach is back on the sidelines after working as a commentator for ESPN. Florida was 34-15 in Mullen's time from 2018-2021, but was 5-6 in 2021 before he was fired ahead of the last week of the season. Hiring Odom, another former SEC coach, worked out brilliantly for the Rebels. We'll see if the formula can be replicated with Mullen. Pac-12 Jimmy Rogers, Washington State: Rogers moves up to the top level of college football after a national title with South Dakota State. The former SDSU linebacker was a defensive assistant with the Jackrabbits from 2013-2022 before taking over as the team's head coach in 2023. That season, SDSU went 15-0 on the way to the FCS title and was 12-3 in 2024 after losing in the semifinals. Sun Belt Tony Gibson, Marshall: Gibson needs to rebuild the Marshall roster after a player exodus following the departure of Charles Huff. Marshall opted out of the Independence Bowl at the end of the 2024 season because the team said it didn't have enough players to play Army. That resulted in a six-figure fine from the Sun Belt conference. Gibson is a longtime defensive assistant who was most recently at NC State. He's also coached at Michigan, Pittsburgh, Arizona and West Virginia. Charles Huff, Southern Mississippi: Huff left Marshall after his contract expired. It was a unique situation; Huff's four-year contract wasn't extended after winning seasons in his first two years and the school didn't move to retain him despite a 10-4 season in 2024. Southern Miss was 1-11 in 2024 after going 3-9 in 2023. Dowell Loggains, Appalachian State: The former South Carolina offensive coordinator parlayed the Gamecocks' successful season into his first college head coaching job. Loggains was at South Carolina for two seasons after he was Arkansas' tight ends coach in 2021 and 2022. Before that, he was an NFL assistant from 2008 through 2020 and worked for the Titans, Browns, Bears, Dolphins and Jets.
Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Red Sox at Phillies Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for July 22
It's Tuesday, July 22 and the Red Sox (54-48) are in Philadelphia to take on the Phillies (57-43). Richard Fitts is slated to take the mound for Boston against Cristopher Sánchez for Philadelphia. The Phillies won the series opener, 3-2, in extra innings on walk-off catchers interference call with the bases loaded. Talk about dramatic. Boston is 1-3 since the All-Star break, while Philadelphia is 2-2 — both losing the first series of the second-half. The Red Sox have scored three total runs in their three losses and six in their lone win during this stretch. Let's dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Red Sox at Phillies Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 Time: 6:45PM EST Site: Citizens Bank Park City: Philadelphia, PA Network/Streaming: NESN, NBCSP, TBS Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Red Sox at the Phillies The latest odds as of Tuesday: Moneyline: Red Sox (+168), Phillies (-204) Spread: Phillies -1.5 Total: 8.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Red Sox at Phillies Pitching matchup for July 22, 2025: Richard Fitts vs. Cristopher Sánchez Red Sox: Richard Fitts, (1-3, 4.28 ERA)Last outing: 5.2 Innings Pitched, 2 Earned Runs Allowed, 5 Hits Allowed, 1 Walks, and 6 Strikeouts Phillies: Cristopher Sánchez, (8-2, 2.50 ERA)Last outing: 7.1 Innings Pitched, 1 Earned Runs Allowed, 6 Hits Allowed, 3 Walks, and 6 Strikeouts Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Red Sox and the Phillies Rotoworld Best Bet Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the value on Boston to miss the postseason: 'Boston has the third-toughest remaining strength of schedule (.516 winning %). Let's look at the first 15 games of the second half for Boston: 3 road games at the Cubs (1-2 record)3 road games at the Phillies (0-1 record)3 home games vs the Dodgers3 road games at the Twins3 home games vs the Astros That schedule alone could put them behind and make a +105 to -115 bet became -200 to -300 quickly. During the All-Star break, I played Boston at plus-money to miss the postseason and think it's still a good bet after losing three of four after the break.' Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Red Sox and the Phillies: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Philadelphia Phillies on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Boston Red Sox at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the over on the Game Total of 8.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC. Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Red Sox at Phillies Philly is 14-5 when Sanchez pitches this season Boston is 2-6 when Fitts pitches this season but won the last two The Phillies have won 4 of their last 5 matchups against AL East teams The Under is 4-1 in the Red Sox's last 5 games The Phillies have failed to cover in their last 3 games against the Red Sox If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
