Kyle Stowers hits 2-run walk-off homer in 10th to give the Marlins an 8-7 win over the Royals
Stowers had already tied a Marlins franchise record with his fourth home run in two games when he hit a three-run shot in the first inning. After Miami had built — then squandered — a 5-0 lead, the first-time All-Star followed with the biggest swing of the game against Carlos Estévez (4-3) that sent the winning shot 394 feet to right field.
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2025 Big Ten betting preview, odds: Favorite over/unders, conference bets and team ratings
For a while there, the Big Ten felt like a side tournament between Michigan and Ohio State to see which would face (and subsequently crush) a team from the west side of Lake Michigan in the conference title game. Then last year, a quartet of ex-Pac 12 teams were added, and Oregon came in and won it. Meanwhile, Penn State benefited from the Buckeyes' loss to the Wolverines, getting to Indianapolis, and now the buzz around the Nittany Lions is at an all-time high. Over at THE WINDOW, we keep things simple, translating the market's opinion of a team into a rating out of 100. The Big Ten brass might be bummed out to find that it sits behind the SEC, but the rest of us are impressed by the average estimated market rating in the conference (65.6). Just playing in the Big Ten warrants a strength-of-schedule boost of 17% above that of an average team, nationally. Even if some (we're looking at you, Indiana) are taking advantage of what conference they are in by avoiding a non-conference matchup against anyone with a pulse. While the Big Ten fights for automatic bids for future College Football Playoffs, it'll figure out its place nationally in December and January. Before then, we're here to figure out who's priced with the best value to win the conference relative to their odds, which members of the conference are overrated or underrated, and if there are any Game of the Year lookahead lines worth locking in now. Conference odds The Big Ten landscape suffers from the same conundrum the SEC does. The more it argues about guaranteed CFP bids, the more we can at least wonder about the importance teams put on getting to their conference title game. That shouldn't lead to some shocking matchup in the Big Ten Championship, but missing out on that 13th game didn't exactly hurt Ohio State last year. As far as a cutoff point for teams that could at least possibly make it to Indianapolis, that probably includes Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa, but with four certified contenders — Ohio State (+190), Penn State (+240), Oregon (+350) and Michigan (+700) — breaking that bubble would be almost miraculous. Team rating nationally Here's a look at how the betting market rates each team in the conference on a national level. To project a point spread between any two teams, find the difference between their points, before applying 3-4 points for home-field advantage. As part of the research for the Big Ten this season, there were two surprising reminders about Illinois: The Illini won 10 games last season Illinois is somehow alphabetically first when listing Big Ten teams While the market might not be instantly aware of the latter, it seems wildly excited about the former, giving the Illini the team rating of a legitimate playoff contender because of last season's success. USC is also among that group, but Lincoln Riley's tenure has been repeatedly underwhelming. The Trojans join Nebraska as teams whose high ceiling rests on the hope that a highly touted quarterback becomes the star he was promised to be. At the bottom of the league, only Northwestern and Purdue are being rated as below-average teams nationally, but at least the Wildcats brought in what should be one of the biggest improvements for any team at quarterback, procuring the services of Preston Stone from SMU. Best bets Michigan to win the Big Ten (+700 at BetMGM) In high-reward betting, we're looking for one key element that can take a team through its previously assumed ceiling. When it comes to conference championship betting, having a positive path that gets a team to the title game acts as permission to take the chance on that key piece ending up being a super-catalyst. Michigan's follow-up to the 2023 national championship was rocky. The Wolverines had to adjust to having to replace head coach Jim Harbaugh — with new coaches in new roles and more than a handful of stars leaving for the NFL. Oh, and they also didn't have a functional quarterback. They took care of that latter by dropping a forklift of cash on the doorstep of No. 1 recruit Bryce Underwood, while also scooping up Mikey Keene (1,170 career pass attempts at UCF and Fresno State), just in case. Reports are that Underwood, who came in at 6-foot-4, 208 lbs, is now tipping the scales at around 230. If Underwood — clearly more physically ready — can be the dual-threat star his rumored $12.5 million NIL deal expects him to be, the Wolverines can beat anyone. 'Anyone' is an obvious reference to the Buckeyes, whom the Wolverines get at home this season, while also avoiding Penn State and Oregon. At least until a potential Big Ten title game, where at 10-1 odds, you'd be holding a ticket on a team that would: Likely be no more than a field-goal underdog against its opponent, due to a team rating already not that far behind the top three contenders. Have already shown that Underwood and Co. are playing at a higher level than their preseason expectations. With a win over either Nebraska or USC on the road, even a dreaded loss to Ohio State should leave Michigan with a league record of 7-2, and at least a tiebreaker away from making it to Indianapolis. As always, shop around with conference odds, as there are some better prices at different books. Regular-season win totals Indiana over 8.5 wins (+110) A bet on the Hoosiers is an exercise in being able to hold an idea that's contrary to a feeling. We may feel like Indiana's non-conference scheduling practices are antithetical to what we'd like college football to be, and how decisions are made within the College Football Playoff committee. However, if Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers' athletic department are going to bet on a strategy of 'win as many games as possible and hope no one notices the opponents,' then why can't we profit off it? It helps Cignetti that, as a Google search suggests, he's a darn good football coach who likes to — and does — win football games. So, after cruising through their first three games, the Hoosiers will only be underdogs in two of nine Big Ten games, as they somehow manage to miss Ohio State, Michigan and even USC. A second offseason in Bloomington has allowed Cignetti to keep building, potentially even improving the Hoosiers' situation at quarterback by adding one of the top NFL prospects at the position in California transfer Fernando Mendoza. Even if the narrative that Indiana snuck into the CFP last season might ring true, it may also be the reason over 8.5 wins is still priced as an underdog, making it worth a bet with our head, not our principles, on Indiana to flirt with playoff contention again. Michigan State under 5.5 wins (+125) The Spartans have something of their own cozy non-conference schedule with Western Michigan, Boston College and Youngstown State coming to East Lansing, but, unlike Indiana, their Big Ten slate doesn't have landmines, so much as it is one big grenade. Michigan State's best chance for a road win looks to be at Minnesota, where it will be around a touchdown underdog in a notoriously tricky place to play. At home, head coach Jonathan Smith could have the Spartans in a good enough place to top UCLA, but the season-ender against Maryland is at Ford Field — which won't exactly be rocking in support of a team looking for just its sixth or (hopefully) fifth win. Smith brought QB Aidan Chiles with him from Oregon State, but getting to six wins will require a leap in production that doesn't seem likely based on what we saw last season (13:11 TD:INT ratio, 30 sacks taken). Washington over 7.5 wins (-110) Like Michigan, the year after the big season (new head coach, quarterback and in the Huskies' case — conference) was always going to be rough. However, all we need to know about Washington's chances for outperforming the betting market's expectations is this is the second season for Jedd Fisch. Arizona went from 1-11 to 5-7 in his second season under Fisch (and then 10-3 in his third and final one), but the cupboard was considerably more bare in Tucson than it is in Seattle. Will Rogers wasn't the perfect fit at QB last season, but more of a serviceable stopgap while highly talented freshman Demond Williams got a chance to watch. What Williams saw was a six-win season that wasn't nearly as bad as it seems, given the Huskies had to zigzag cross-country as part of their new conference schedule, with road games at Rutgers, Iowa, Indiana, Penn State and Oregon. This season, Williams (with a full offseason as the No. 1 QB) only has four Big Ten road games, and one of those is even in Pacific Standard Time (at UCLA). Plus, not having to deal with John Mateer in the Apple Cup makes that game considerably more winnable (Huskies are 12.5-point favorites). Bonus: Game of the Year value bet Beyond the few Big Ten conference games that qualified in our earlier article listing one bet per week in the Game of the Year lookahead lines, here's another bet worth making with an eye on getting the best number possible before kickoff. Week 5: Washington (+13.5) vs. Ohio State Bettors have already gobbled up the +14 that was available on the Huskies' Week 5 game with the Buckeyes this summer, but that doesn't mean there still isn't some value left on Washington. An estimated team rating of 62/100 comes without any boost above an average strength of schedule, which still projects Washington to be around 10-point underdogs to Ohio State. Any regard for a Husky slate that also includes Michigan, Illinois and Oregon, and the 7.5 wins Washington is lined at should equate to a rating that puts it just outside any top-25 ranking. If the Buckeyes don't survive Week 1's showdown with Texas, and Washington dominates the Apple Cup, there may be a groundswell for UW's chances at an upset, and an even shorter point spread than our projection.
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Greg Olsen finds common ground with Tom Brady through youth sports
Greg Olsen says we can look at his relationship with Tom Brady like two young players on a football field. The association begins as they clash with one another on the field, but it develops into a friendship. "It's very similar to how we were with so many guys in the locker room, right?" Olsen tells USA TODAY Sports, "whether they're guys at your position group that you're competing with for time or guys on the offensive side of the ball that you're competing with for opportunities and targets and catches and plays in the game plan. "Competition is at the center of everything at a high level. And anything that is competitive and anything that's worth doing is going to come with that level of competitive spirit." When he retired after a 14-year NFL career as a three-time Pro Bowl tight end, Olsen, 40, quickly rose to Fox's No. 1 color commentator during games and worked Super Bowl 57 with Kevin Burkhardt between the Chiefs and Eagles on Feb. 12, 2023. He was replaced by Brady, as the network's top analyst to start the 2024 season. It stung but, Olsen says, the demotion didn't get in the way of the two learning more about each other when Brady arrived at the network. "No different than some of my best friends that were teammates," Olsen says. "Yes, we were on the same team, but the better I do, I'm going to take more balls away from you and I'm going to get more playing time from you and you're trying to do the same thing to me, but that doesn't mean I want you to drop every pass and run the wrong route. That's a complete opposite of the nature of team that everyone's trying to build in this profession. "Tom and I have had a really good both professional and now a personal relationship and prior to the last year, we didn't have a real deep personal (one) – we obviously, had played against each other a lot and had a ton of respect – but just getting to know him as a person, as a dad, as just a friend, we both have young teenage daughters, and we kind of share and laugh over stories about that, and then we're also both raising teenage sons, which is a whole different world." When he retired, Olsen found himself like many of us with kids who play sports: Confused and even overwhelmed, He created the Youth Inc. podcast. He brought in famous athletes and coaches as well medical experts and noted commentators in the youth sports space. On Aug. 12, Olsen and his partners are launched Youth Inc. , as a digital content and commerce platform built for youth sports families, coaches, and teams. It debuts with a Brady interview, in which the two directly address their relationship publicly for the first time. "As long as I'm cool with you, I know that's all that matters," Brady tells Olsen in the interview. "I'll be here for you for anything because you've been available to me." USA TODAY Sports spoke with Olsen and co-founder Ryan Baise about Youth Inc.'s launch. What is Youth Inc.? Youth Inc. started in 2022 as a series of podcasts in which Olsen took his easygoing style and analytic football mind that breaks down complex schemes into simpler terms. "I've been the first to say this podcast is not for us to tell everybody else how much we know and you need to do things the way we do it," Olsen says. "Listen, I'm along this journey and this learning process right alongside our listeners. I don't pretend to have all the answers." With the help of a $4.5 million seed funding, the platform has expanded offerings, marketing itself as a one-stop shop for media content, merchandise and business services. "The focus for us has not really been X's and O's content or coaching drills or things like that. We felt like there's good resources out there if you're going to look for that type of content," says Baise, who leads the organization's e-commerce initiative. "There's pros and cons in this youth sports world and the way that it's evolving, but fundamentally, at its core, we believe that there's nothing better than youth's sports for a child, as a parent, for society when done right." COACH STEVE: 'Work of the devil'? Two noted authors, dads, test limits of travel sports How has Youth Inc. changed? While Youth Inc. will still offer podcasts – Malcolm Gladwell, Ryan Day, Bryce Young and Clayton Kershaw are part of the new season – it now offers an array of digital content. This author contributed to it earlier this year in an interview with Coach RAC, of Savannah Bananas fame, and his parents. Coach RAC, who distills complicated baseball drills into friendly bite-sized social media nuggets for kids, is part of the spirit of the new movement. "We have three pillars of the content: Information, inspiration, and then entertainment," Baise says. Tim Murphy, a third founder who has worked at Audacy and The New York Times, has helped acquire content and expertise for the website. You can search by sport and topic (training and nutrition, mental health, parenting, coaching, tryouts etc.) to find written, audio and visual content. "I spend a lot of time coaching and parenting and in the world of youth sports, running practices and games and managing teams and all that, and I still get a lot of the things wrong," Olsen says. "I still do things where I look back at the end of the day, of the week and I say I probably should have done that better or different or whatever the case may be. So I'm right along with our viewers and there's a curiosity that I have." Baise, who worked for Fanatics, has brought in a fanwear space primarily for high schools and travel clubs. COACH STEVE: How can kids, parents get the most out of youth sports? 10 tips from Coach RAC What did Tom Brady tell Greg Olsen's middle school team When Brady was starting out as a broadcaster, Olsen offered him advice on the profession. Brady provided an inspirational message for Olsen's team this season. Olsen coaches his two sons – Tate, 14, and T.J., 12 – for a Charlotte, North Carolina middle school. He also has a daughter, Talbot, who is TJ's twin. "His message was that this is the highlight of your life," Olsen says. "Like these are the moments that you're gonna always remember playing football with your buddies for your school, with your parents and the town and your friends in the stands, playing the team from across town that you grew up playing. It's just the moments of playing for your school, in all sports, playing for your school is the best. It is just, it is so much more special than all the other travel ball and super teams and showcases where everybody's just a rent-a- player. Like, this is sports at its purest form." What is Olsen's message to youth athletes and their parents We know from his chat with Brady that the future Hall of Famer was a backup quarterback who didn't know how to put his pads on correctly. Nothing came easy, but he was always prepared because he says he knew how to compete. It was an area of common ground the two found they shared. "Continue to take a long-term approach," Olsen says. "And I think in today's day and age, it's so easy to be creatures of the moment and get caught up in the moment in time. And it's a snapshot of a really long journey. And I think for young kids, mine being in this group, they all view themselves where they are right now. Like, everyone is so worried about comparing to your peers in this moment in time, and especially for the young kids, what they don't realize is it's not a level playing field. Maturity and development and all of that stuff happens at very different paces for different kids, boys, girls, and then obviously within all of those divisions and age. So if everyone can just keep the idea is to get better. "Everyone's doing whatever they can to make that given all-star, that showcase, that Instagram reel, whatever that moment in time of success or failure becomes it becomes almost an indictment of labeling these kids of who they're going to be the rest of their life. And what we know is it's not a race to 12. It's not a race to who's the best sixth grader. It's just not the way sports works, even though at times it feels like it does.' What are Olsen's future broadcasting plans? Olsen will work games for Fox this season with the goal of getting back to a Super Bowl. "I'm sure that's not unique to me," he says. "I'm sure every guy who gets a microphone at Fox, CBS, NBC, everybody wants to elevate to that next level. "I didn't know a lot of things that I know now, and that was no different than when I was a player. That was no different when I was a broadcaster. And I'm sure Tom would say the same thing. His first year as a quarterback, he probably wasn't nearly as good as he was in year 20. "Him being good doesn't make me bad. Me being good, doesn't make him bad. It doesn't work like that. It's independent. We can both pursue excellence at our given career." Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons' baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here. Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him at sborelli@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Greg Olsen, Tom Brady find common ground through youth sports
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NFL training camp live updates: At what point should we worry about Malik Nabers' availability?
[NFL preseason Week 1 schedule | Top camp stories | NFL team feeds | NFL training camp/preseason live blog] One full week of NFL preseason action is in the books, and there's plenty to talk about. Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Tuesday Malik Nabers won't practice yet again, this time in joint sessions with the Jets, and this is becoming a bigger thing by the day. Nabers hasn't practiced since leaving practice on Aug. 6, which he said at the time was part of "the process." What's more, Daboll wouldn't answer questions Tuesday about whether Nabers requires additional tests on his toe at this point. Nabers has dealt with a lingering toe injury since college, which he's acknowledged might ultimately require surgery, but said earlier in camp the Giants have a "great" day-to-day management plan for it. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] This is all about his availability for the regular season, so while fans (and Nabers himself) may have been looking forward to potential matchups vs. All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in joint practices with the Jets, the Giants aren't going to risk it if they don't have to. Nabers caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in just 15 games last season as a rookie, and this was with suspect quarterback play. So it's pretty clear that when healthy, the Giants hit a home run on this pick. But Nabers is pretty much the focal point of their offense. The more time he misses with a yearslong lingering injury, the more eyebrows it's going to raise. Top NFL training camp stories Shedeur Sanders still fourth on Browns' depth chart: It's an unofficial depth chart, so take it with a grain of salt. But even after his solid NFL preseason debut against the Panthers, fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders was still listed fourth on the Browns' depth chart Monday, behind presumptive QB1 Joe Flacco, veteran Kenny Pickett and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. Flacco and Pickett reportedly won't play in Saturday's second preseason game against the Eagles. So will Sanders start that one? "I'm not there on the game itself," head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday. Patriots might have gotten a steal in TreVeyon Henderson: In a quiet moment before the second day of the 2025 NFL Draft, Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf sat down to review his three favorite players still on the board. He pulled up a reel of 100 or so carries Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson had attempted against what Wolf considered 'good' teams. Wolf didn't make it through all 100. 'I watched 15 runs and I was like, 'What am I doing? This is the guy,'' Wolf told Yahoo Sports on Sunday. 'We have way bigger needs than running back and still do. But it was just an opportunity to get a weapon potentially there in the second round.' Then, in Friday's preseason opener, Henderson took the opening kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown. Steelers' Cam Heyward talks hold-in: A standoff between the Steelers and their star defensive tackle is brewing. On Monday, All-Pro tackle Cam Heyward confirmed reports of a hold-in, telling reporters that he was looking for a restructured deal that better represented his 2024 season. The 36-year-old tackle signed a three-year extension with Pittsburgh last September. But Heyward told reporters on Monday that he had told the Steelers at the time to expect him back at the table this year if he was named All-Pro in 2024. Heyward said that he is also weighing longer-term options to get his deal, and might be willing to miss some regular-season games in order to get Pittsburgh to renegotiate. "I think there are definitely options out there that could reflect that," Heyward said, NFL team feeds AFC East: Buffalo Bills | Miami Dolphins | New England Patriots | New York Jets AFC North: Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Cleveland Browns | Pittsburgh Steelers AFC South: Houston Texans | Indianapolis Colts | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tennessee Titans AFC West: Denver Broncos | Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders | Los Angeles Chargers NFC East: Dallas Cowboys | New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles | Washington Commanders NFC North: Chicago Bears | Detroit Lions | Green Bay Packers | Minnesota Vikings NFC South: Atlanta Falcons | Carolina Panthers | New Orleans Saints | Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFC West: Arizona Cardinals | Los Angeles Rams | San Francisco 49ers | Seattle Seahawks NFL training camp/preseason live blog Follow along below as Yahoo Sports tracks all the news, rumors and updates from NFL training camps:
