When you are reading this, we will be TWO WEEKS AWAY from the start of the Marquette women's soccer season!
We'll do a lot more season previewing as we get closer to the start of action, but for now, we have to beat the league office to the punch. Last year, we got the preseason Big East awards just a couple of days before the Golden Eagles got going with their season. That means we have to get waaaaaay out in front of the official results of the polling of the league's women's soccer coaches and make some picks for who is going to get honored as the season gets started. My guiding light on these picks is, as always, trying to predict how the coaches will vote. I have my own preferences as to how things should turn out, but at the end of the day, the goal is to try to get these right.
Okay, let's jump right into it, as we've got three individual awards to discuss, as well as a preseason all-conference team and a predicted order of finish for all 11 teams in the Big East!
These things don't have to be complicated: Kohls is the leading returning point scorer in the Big East this season. She had six goals and eight ***** ists last season for the Musketeers for a total of 20 points. Here's the catch: Since the last time the Big East updated the stats for last season was on November 10th, before the NCAA tournament started, Kohls was tied for eighth in total points a year ago and tied for ninth in points per game. She's still the best returning player. Part of that is because there were A LOT of seniors on the All-Big East teams last fall, and another part is because two players in front of Kohls transferred after the season was over. That includes her own teammate, Samantha Erbach, who was the top scorer in the Big East last year with 18 goals and 16 ***** ists, but now she's at Florida State.
I'm going by the points and points per game here, because I value the contribution of ***** ists to offensive production. Sometimes the coaches don't agree with me on that topic, and so I should note that the Big East's top returning goal scorer from last season is Marquette's Jocelyn Leigh, who finished the year with seven. That was tied for eighth in the league in total goals and alone in sixth for goals per game as of the last time the league ran the stat sheet. Marquette was third in the Big East in team goals for as of November 10th with only Georgetown and Xavier in front of them, so there's an argument for Leigh to get the nod here.

#kohls

NEW YORK
Signs of Jon Bernthal, the Hollywood tough guy, can be found all over his Broadway dressing room. The kettlebell on the floor. The vitamin bottles strewn across his table. The grimacing photo from the Marvel TV series "The Punisher." The pit bull standing guard at the door.
But look further and an image of Jon Bernthal, the sensitive actor, swiftly emerges. The yoga block next to that kettlebell. The boxes of herbal tea next to those supplements. The photos of his wife, three children and two brothers. The fact that the pit bull, a rescue named Bam Bam, is a certifiable sweetheart who just wants head pats and a nice lap to rest his head on.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Bernthal asks as I scratch a blissed-out Bam Bam behind his ears. "Because once you start petting him … "
It's an early July afternoon at the August Wilson Theatre, and Bernthal has two days left of starring in a tumultuous stage adaptation of "Dog Day Afternoon." Long based in Ojai, California, the 49-year-old recently bought a home in D.C. to keep his family closer during his Broadway stint. And it was in the D.C. area, where Bernthal was born and raised, that his scrappier side was forged.

#bull

JanBlachowicz's journey back to ******* le contention has taken anotherunexpected turn.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight ******* leholderwas originally slated to rematch BogdanGuskov at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 in Serbia. However, those plans changedwhen Guskov was offered the UFC Abu Dhabi main event spot against MagomedAnkalaev following KhalilRountree's withdrawal.

As such, Blachowicz (29-11-2) will now square off against NavajoStirling in the new co-main event in Belgrade and the Polishveteran is unfazed by the change.
After Guskov accepted the short-notice bout against Ankalaev,Blachowicz was paired with Stirling. The former champion insistslittle has changed in his preparation.

"I am doing this all my life," Blachowicz said in a recentinterview. "It's a new opponent. I have a lot of respect for him,but it's just another fighter who I have to stop. I don't thinkabout this mess around because I don't want to waste energy forthat. Okay, it's a new opponent; that's it. We do small changes andwe are here to win the fight against him, or a different opponentdoesn't matter."

The upcoming matchup gives Blachowicz an opportunity to halt thelongest winless stretch of his UFC tenure. He has gone fourstraight outings without a victory and is coming off a majoritydraw against Guskov this past December. His last win came all theway back in May 2022 when he defeated AleksandarRakic.

He'll have his work cut out for him against the surging Stirling,who boasts a perfect 10-0 record.

#main #opponent

Tom Holland failed a husband test in hilarious fashion during a recent "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" interview with his wife Zendaya when he failed to remember the lyrics to her 2013 song, "Replay."
Holland, Zendaya and fellow "Spider-Man" co-star Jacob Batalon participated in an interview shared online Monday with Australian news outlet Pedestrian. During the conversation, the three were asked which one of them would be able to finish the lyrics to "one of the most iconic songs of all time," which turned out to be "Replay."
After interviewer Lachlan Guertin read out loud a few lines from the song, Holland and Batalon quickly gave up, with the former telling Guertin, "I have no idea." He also did not know Zendaya had already put it all together.
"That's my song, guys," Zendaya said, much to Holland and Batalon's embarrassment, adding, "Yeah, that's 'Replay.' So, thanks, guys. You know, you think you know someone, you know? And that's alright. It's okay."
"That was the wrong reaction," Holland admitted with his head in his hand. You can watch the full, cheeky moment yourself in the video below.

#batalon #failed #interview

When Kat Friday, a revenue operations employee at financial technology firm Marqeta, first came across Pickle on TikTok in February 2025, she didn't think opening a storefront on the app would ever amount to much.
"I am not into fashion one bit. I wear all black everywhere," Friday tells Fortune. She initially opened the app to scan for a few outfits for an upcoming vacation. But as she scrolled through Pickle's more than 500,000 listings, Friday realized she also could use the platform to rent out an expensive camera sitting on a shelf collecting dust in her apartment.
In November 2025, she listed a Canon G7 X camera, which normally retails for around $1,000, for $150 a week, and waited for a response. The rentals came almost immediately.
"I never use this thing and people are dying for them," Friday says. "I immediately got a bunch of rentals for it, and I was like, 'Okay, I'm gonna list some other stuff.'"
The listing's success inspired Friday to add more items to her Pickle offerings, and she started uploading some shirts and dresses she barely wore. As her storefront grew, Friday even started purchasing "trendy" items in a variety of sizes, what she referred to as "investment pieces" to rent out on Pickle.

#items

A message of gratitude earned Oprah Winfrey a special gift from Queen Bey.
She told the story on the Are You Okay? web series, explaining how it all happened.
"I went to the Beyoncé Renaissance concert," Winfrey said in a clip posted to social media Monday. "I was so blown away. I wrote her a fan letter. She obviously liked the fan letter because she then sent me one of the hats from Renaissance. Beyoncé sent me a hat!"
She continued, breaking into a dance, "I sent her a letter and she sent me a hat! I sent her a letter and she sent me a hat!"
Oprah previously praised Beyoncé's Renaissance show on Instagram, writing alongside a clip of Bey onstage, "I have never in my life experienced something as transcendent as beyonce's Renaissance Tour."

#okay

It didn't take long for the Chicago Blackhawks to express interest in free agent Patrick Kane.
According to Kane in an interview on Monday's "Pardon My Take" in Chicago, Blackhawks owner Danny Wirtz made an "emotional call" to the Detroit Red Wings' forward just after free agency started on July 1, 2026 at 12:01 p.m., Eastern time.
Three weeks later, Kane signed a two-year, $16 million contract to return to Chicago where he won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
"If you were to ask me last year, at the end of the season, I thought I would be going back to Detroit," Kane said in the interview. "Danny (Wirtz) called me at 11:03 (Central time) or something, as soon as free agency opened and it was actually kind of an emotional call from him, a call I'll never forget.
"All of a sudden you start thinking about, okay, well, there's interest. Maybe it'd be a cool place to come back and play."

#Chicago #three

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — In 2025, the American Conference became the first conference in college sports to institute a "minimum investment" threshold for its members.
That meant every school in the conference would be required to spend at least $10 million over a three-year period on revenue sharing. Some schools, like Memphis, cleared that in one year. Others were further away, but Pernetti told The Commercial Appeal at conference media days on July 24 that it's gone well so far.
There have been conversations about expanding it, he said.
"We have talked at our annual meeting with the ADs about the idea of, 'Okay, we're a year in to this thing. We're further ahead than everybody expected we would be. We should have two conversations. The minimum should maybe be higher, and then do we want to designate specific minimums to specific sports."
Asked specifically about a minimum investment threshold for just basketball, Pernetti said those have only been "conversations" and it doesn't mean anything is imminent.

#conference

Megyn Kelly went scorched earth on former CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin this week in a conversation with the co-hosts of the Ruthless podcast, part of the so-called manosphere. Kelly played a recent clip of Baldwin discussing the "journey" she has been on in recent years on her Substack and mocked her overly "therapized" language and jabbed that she used to be a "serious news anchor."
"Her work and her mission include banging four men in a month — one of whom, from her piece, I mean, her written piece, says he flew in just to take her to dinner and spends his days working to save democracy, one congressional district at a time.
Come on. Yeah, she doesn't say who it is," Kelly added during the conversation as the podcast guys laughed.
"Wear is smug again today," Kelly joked, name-checking one of the Ruthless co-hosts.
"Just kidding, just kidding. Man two: one used to run a country. Man three: one is just hot. Man four: not described at all, which — that's tougher for that guy. She says some of the men now subscribe to her newsletter. Hi, fellas! So they're all reading about each other," Kelly continued, adding:
And Brooke Baldwin's journey… of awakening. I mean, the self-help talk, the journeys of awakening — I see you. Her gratitude, the music, like the weird spa music from, like, I don't know, India, the overly therapized talk in there — you can tell she spent a lot of years in therapy. No makeup. You know, "my work and my mission" — it was like, okay.

#baldwin #ruthless #anchor

Georgia has become what all the College Football Playoff expansion naysayers feared could happen.

This is the best program in the SEC. It won two straight conference ***** les, three in the last four years, came achingly close to making it four in a row, and ...

Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10.

Ole Miss 39, Georgia 34.

Two appearances in the 12-team College Football Playoff, two instant outs.

The regular season still matters, but who wants to put on a 2025 SEC Championship t-shirt when the team left the playoff building in a hurry?

And that's not fair.
Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Last year's Georgia team was brutally flawed in several key ways.

It was too inexperienced, the defense couldn't rush the passer, there weren't enough downfield shots, and to be totally honest, it's not like it dealt with a tough Big Ten-level schedule.

Including the playoff, it played all SEC teams, Marshall, and Austin Peay. The only Power Four non-conference game was Georgia Tech, and that was a 16-9 fight of a victory.
And even with all of the problems, and all the inconsistencies, that team not only gut-checked its way to thrilling wins over Tennessee, Ole Miss, Florida, and Georgia Tech.

It totally dominated Bama in the SEC Championship, rolled at will over Texas, and it got a prime spot in the playoff - it came super-close to being 14-0 and on the way to deal with Miami.

And that was in a relatively just-okay season under Smart.
The defense is about to be a destructive force, the offense will pound away like it did last year, and there should be more consistency to it all.

There will be plenty of preseason hype around Texas - and rightly so. Alabama is good, LSU is a burgeoning monster, Oklahoma is great, and it's still the SEC. (These things go in cycles.)

Georgia is the SEC standard-bearer, but it has to be even better.

- 2026 Georgia Schedule ***** ysis

#playoff #four #Football #Tech

Lakers six-player trade proposal gives Los Angeles $88M former Luka Doncic teammate originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
With all of the limited ****** ets the Los Angeles Lakers have, they'd have to get very creative in a trade to improve on both sides of the basketball. Right now, the Lakers have made some impressive moves in the offseason, and I think they'll be a lot better than people are giving them credit for, but I still don't really view them as contenders, especially in a strong Western Conference.
The only way to change that now is for them to make a couple more trades. There are still some okay players on the free-agent market, but certainly not as great as the Lakers need.
That's why the most recent trade proposal involving P.J. Washington, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Portland Trail Blazers, which would involve multiple players, would be the right one on paper.
Lakers receive: P.J. Washington
Mavericks receive: Jrue Holiday, Dalton Knecht
Trail Blazers receive: Klay Thompson, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jake LaRavia

#Lakers #trail

The bottom 50% of households in the U.S. own only $4.27 trillion of the nation's $174 trillion in available wealth. By contrast, the top 0.1% own $25.07 trillion, and the top 99 to 99.9% own a little under $30 trillion, according to Federal Reserve data.

With AI now supercharging the stock market, and richer families already owning the majority of those ***** ets, that divide is only likely to widen.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, is well aware of this phenomenon. In fact, the man worth more than $3 billion according to Forbes says he understands why people are "anti-rich." Speaking to Axios, Dimon said the "anti-rich thing has been around for a long time."
In his role as CEO of the largest bank in the U.S., Dimon rubs shoulders with some of the wealthiest people on the planet. But he also works for the bank's customers who have more standard levels of income.
The resurgence in popular resentment of inequality has happened because "we have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind," Dimon said. The Wall Street veteran, who has the ear of everyone from world leaders to central bankers to the markets, said he often reminds well-off people that they don't have to worry about the schools their children attend, and they don't live in "crime-ridden neighborhoods."
"If you are making less income and you're in a poor rural area, or an inner city area, your schools aren't good, you go to crime-ridden neighborhoods, [there is] more divorce, less jobs–it is becoming intergenerational, so let's acknowledge it and fix it," Dimon said.
Dimon contextualized the frustration of lower-income families, noting that, compared with the 1960s and 1970s, standards of living have improved across the board. In fact, a Fed study released last year found that the share of people who said they were financially "doing okay" or "living comfortably" rose from 62% to 73% in the U.S.

Marseille's new sporting director Grégory Lorenzi addressed the sale of Mason Greenwood (24) to Turkish club Fenerbahçe for €40m, explaining the motivations behind the move at a press conference attended by Get French Football News. "I think you all know the complexities of the Greenwood deal with the image of the player," said Lorenzi during his first press conference at the club. "There weren't a lot of opportunities with Mason, but I want to be precise when I say that the player wanted to leave the club as quick as possible.""The numbers are communicated by people that don't have the right information," Lorenzi said on critics from supporters that the sale price was too low. "All I can say is that the club got what it wanted. Okay, we thought that kore clubs were going to knock on the door. So the best option was this club that the player absolutely wanted to go to."The Englishman joined Marseille in 2024 after concluding a loan with Getafe, scoring 48 goals in 81 appearances under managers Roberto De Zerbi and Habib Beye. It culminated with a return to the Champions League, but a chaotic 2025-2026 season saw OM finish 5th, and with a need to sell players due to deteriorating financial position the writing was on the wall for the former Manchester United. GFFN | George Boxall – Reporting from La Commanderie, Marseille.

Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) was among Jim Cramer's stock calls on Mad Money, as he advised investors to stick with the largest tech companies in the market. Cramer highlighted how the company's rally got triggered. He remarked:
Now, today was one of those days where the complex of Micron, Seagate, Lumentum, Corning, Western Digital, and Sandisk all took off, and they're all at the top of the S&P 500 leaderboard. These are all companies that make products where there's intense demand right now, mostly from the data center, and there's not enough supply.
This rally got triggered by an **** yst who raised his price target for Sandisk from $1,200 to $2,000. Where was that guy? Was he like hiking in the Andes for a while? I don't know. Come on, wake up. There was a clarion call that there are plenty of price increases still to come for their data storage products. When traders see that, they do three things, okay? They do three things. We're going to get them in the order that they do them. First thing they do, okay, well, they buy the stocks I just mentioned.
Photo by Yiorgos Ntrahas on Unsplash
Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) sells NAND flash-based storage solutions, including solid-state drives, embedded storage, removable cards, and USB drives.

International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) was among Jim Cramer's stock calls on Mad Money, as he advised investors to stick with the largest tech companies in the market. Asking for Cramer's opinion, a caller inquired if they should buy, sell, or hold the stock. He replied:
I want you to buy the stock… of IBM. You buy some now and then, it's been having these kind of panic fits, just panic attacks, you buy the rest then. I think IBM's terrific. It's inexpensive and Arvind Krishna's doing a fantastic job.
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) provides software, consulting, and cloud and on-site technology solutions, along with financing to help clients use its products. During the June 4 episode, a caller asked whether the company can generate enough returns to justify its valuation. The Mad Money host responded:
Oh, okay… look, I think you raised a really interesting question. You said it was up, down, up, down. This stock is up about 80 points in like a week. I think we gotta give it a chance. I want it to come down before I can give it my seal of approval. And I like it very much, but it's up on a spike, and you know, I don't recommend a parabolic move… It's hardly ever worked.
While we acknowledge the potential of IBM as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik believes Andy Flower would be an outstanding candidate to succeed Brendon McCullum as England's Test head coach but feels the Zimbabwean is unlikely to leave the IPL franchise because of his existing commitments.

England are searching for a new Test coach after McCullum stepped down from the role following a disappointing run in red-ball cricket. While he will continue to oversee England's white-ball teams, the Test side is looking for a fresh leader after the end of the 'Bazball' era.

Flower, who previously guided England to the top of the ICC Test rankings and their last Ashes triumph in Australia, has emerged as one of the names linked with the vacancy. However, Karthik believes balancing England's Test calendar with Flower's commitments at RCB would be extremely difficult.

"In all seriousness, I think he'll be a great candidate," Karthik said on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.

"He definitely should be one of the names thought of, but I would be very surprised if he took it, considering where England are and his packed schedule as well. He used to do a lot of leagues, and I'm sure that he didn't have time. I read an article which said that England will be happy to accommodate IPL and then the rest of Test cricket, but with the schedule being the way it is, [it'll be very difficult]. Like, when Jacob Bethell didn't come in for the first Test, Jofra Archer not being available, it kicked up a fuss, and there were plenty of people saying, 'Why? How come one of the players is not there?'"

Karthik also questioned whether England could accept their Test coach missing matches during the IPL, pointing to Flower's commitment with Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

"With Andy Flower, with an already pre-signed contract with RCB, which would mean that he would miss parts of all those [Tests]. Will it be okay for England in the preparation for the Ashes if they don't have a coach for a Test match or two? I heard there's a Test match against Bangladesh in May next year, and if Andy Flower is doing RCB, that could be a challenge as well."

Despite those concerns, Karthik had no doubts about Flower's coaching credentials.

"Is he good? Definitely. He is probably one of the best in the world, if not the best. Will he have time? That's the question. I would be very surprised if the answer is a yes," he said.

Flower joined RCB ahead of the 2024 IPL season on a three-year deal and has remained a key figure in the franchise's coaching set-up. While he is among the leading contenders to replace McCullum, Karthik believes the demands of international cricket and franchise commitments make such a move difficult to envisage.

Among their many objectives, Milan will rework their wings this summer and are ******* sing a few options, starting with Noussair Mazraoui, who already played for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, Matteo Moretto reports (via SOSFanta).
The chase is in its early stages. There have been no direct contacts between the two clubs for now. The player is under contract until 2028 with an option. The fullback headed to Old Trafford from Bayern Munich for €15M in 2024 and has accumulated 77 appearances, dishing out 3 ******* ists. He had started his career at Ajax.
Milan will eventually decide whether to bid for Mazraoui or target different players. In the meantime, they are open to selling Pervis Estupinan just a year after acquiring him for €20M. Aston Villa have shown some interest. Ideally, he’d leave for a similar fee.
According to TuttoSport, the Rossoneri are eyeing a right-footed specialist. Amorim might use Alexis Saelemaekers on the left flank. They could duel with Inter for Guéla Doué. They have tendered a five-year contract with a €2.5M salary. Rafik Belghali, who has been offered to several Serie A sides after Verona’s relegation, is among the cheaper alternatives. His price tag is €15M.
It’s not one of their most urgent needs, as Davide Bartesaghi is perfectly viable and Zachary Athekame eventually proved to be an okay backup, but they’ll obviously need an addition if they get rid of Estupinan without taking a bath, which is easier said than done. If they really want to blow their tactics up and have all wingers with inverted feet, they should go after an offensive-minded option like Doué’s teammate, Diego Moreira.

It's not like Coastal Carolina was bad before Ryan Beard took over.

This is just the tenth year of Coastal Carolina football at the FBS level, but already the expectations are jacked.

Jamey Chadwell left for Liberty after winning 31 games in three seasons. Tim Beck stepped in and wasn't bad, but just being okay wasn't good enough.
© Paul Karge/The Shreveport Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Now it's Beard's job to take the success he showed at Missouri State and move Coastal Carolina back to a Sun Belt championship level.
The Chanticleers had some success under Beck with 20 wins and three straight bowl appearances in three seasons, but the program wants to be a player again like it was in 2020 through 2022.
Head Coach: Ryan Beard (1st year; 3rd year overall, 19-16)

Astros 9, Rangers 3
That was unfun.
Kumar Rocker? Well, I guess he pitched okay, if you ignore the home runs.
The home runs? They kind of put a damper on things.
Allowing Yordan Alvarez to launch one to the moon? Okay, that happens. Pretty much every time Alvarez plays the Rangers, really.

This week, Chiefs Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke with Pro Football Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Freeney, who is participating in this weekend's American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe, currently airing on NBC and Peacock, shared his excitement for the tournament, his partnership with Performance Golf, and his mindset while collecting sacks during his playing career.
"I got hooked up with Performance Golf, and they have some great things going on from their standpoint. The app is called PG1, which uses A.I. to scan your swing and tell you exactly what your root flaw is," said Freeney. "So, going into this event, it's kind of like having them behind you, helping with that technology. A.I. is taking over now; I can put my phone behind me. It can ***** yze my swing, and tell me, without a coach, the A.I. is my coach, tells me, okay, this is what you're doing wrong, and then sends me a video on how to fix that problem, it's been a good journey, I think it's going to do good for me, and hopefully I can apply it the right way, you know, during the American Century Championship."
During his career against the Kansas City Chiefs, Freeney recorded 4 sacks and 17 combined tackles in multiple regular-season matchups. He recorded 125.5 career sacks over 16 years and said his favorite sack was the one that affected the immediate outcome of a close game.
"For me, it's the sacks that matter now; they all matter, but whenever you can close a game with a sack that is, I mean, there is no better feeling," said Freeney. "It's very comparable to basketball. You have the ball in your hands, the clock is running down three to one, you freaking let it go, and you win it for your team, kind of how you see all the time in the bracket NCAA basketball championship games; that's the feeling of what it is when you go out there. You get a sack on a quarterback when he's driving; they need to score a touchdown or a field goal. I sack him, I cause the fumble, and we recover the fumble, and we win."

We've done it folks. We've worked through another week and if you're anything like me we you're relaxing with your dog while watching your favorite TV program. At least, I hope that's what you're doing. In the meantime, I did ask all of you to give me your favorite for the 2026 Big Ten football season. Obviously Purdue is going to struggle once again this year. I mean, I know that there was quite a lot of roster turnover, some good, some bad, some with big red flashing question marks since we don't know enough about them, so with no Purdue championship on the horizon who is the team to watch?
I gave you a series of teams to choose from but also allowed you to choose "other" which is always a ******* y choice. I mean other could be anybody, it could even be Purdue! So much to think about there. So, the results are in, let's see who you think.
The Ohio State Buckeyes received the majority of the votes with 52%. I was honestly sort of surprised to see someone win an outright majority. The Indiana Hoosiers come in second with 23% and I still can't believe this is the world we live in. Dogs and cats living together!
I am curious as to who the 5% of respondents think the "other" champion would be. Let us know in the comments! Have a great weekend folks!
This week's results are sponsored by FanDuel. Make sure to check out their college basketball odds that are now live. Please be careful when gambling and don't wager anything you wouldn't be okay losing.

To everyone who wants to put Lincoln Riley on a hot seat, or wants to complain about what USC isn't right now ...

THIS ... IS ... (almost) WORKING.

You wanted Lincoln Riley for his offense, and that's what you got.
© Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Quick, who was No. 1 in total offense in the Big Ten last year?

It was USC, and it wasn't even that close.

That Indiana powerhouse led the way in scoring, and Oregon was second, but USC was a solid third in the loaded conference and 13th in the country.

It was among the best in offenses in the nation in pass protection, fifth in the nation on third downs, and yes, No. 1 in the Big Ten in passing, No. 1 in yards per completion, and a decent sixth in rushing offense.
Okay, so you also wanted Riley to take USC up a few notches to be at a national championship level, and there does need to be a College Football Playoff appearance soon.

The loss to Illinois came on a late heartbreaker. The other losses were to Notre Dame and Oregon, both on the road (whatever on the late Alamo Bowl collapse to TCU).
And, okay, no excuses.

USC should be great no matter who it's playing, and it's way past time to be more of a player.

This year's team has the experience, the coaching, the offensive pop, the defensive front, and everything in place to finally take that next step.

(Even if this year's schedule screams otherwise - more on that at the end.)

- 2026 USC Schedule ****** ysis

France’s 2–0 win over Morocco did not come without a moment of concern. When a place in the semifinals already seemed secured in the 77th minute, Kylian Mbappé had to leave the pitch early.
A few minutes later, TV cameras showed him sitting on the bench with his ankle bandaged. The first rumors quickly spread online: Had the superstar perhaps suffered a more serious injury?
That does not appear to be the case. France coach Didier Deschamps offered initial reassurance in an interview right after the final whistle. “He felt slight pain in his ankle, but that is normal when the matches come thick and fast. It’s nothing serious,” explained the 1998 World Cup winner.
Mbappé himself was also able to reassure his fans. “I’m fine, I knocked my ankle, but everything is okay. At that point, Mateta was in better shape than I was to play out the rest of the match,” he said.
So the 27-year-old will be back on the pitch in the semifinal. Whether France will face Spain or Belgium there will be decided on Friday evening (9 p.m.).

The Indiana Fever lost in blowout fashion, 106-92, to the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night. Surprisingly, Los Angeles was without its star point guard, Kelsey Plum, who is dealing with an injury, while the Fever got its standout back from injury after she missed a couple of games with back troubles.
Unfortunately, Clark didn't look like her normal self in the game. She struggled from the field, going 4-for-12, including 1-for-6 from the three-point line. However, even on nights when she isn't scoring well, Clark usually manages to get her teammates involved. On Wednesday, however, she recorded only three **** ists.
Many fans on social media felt that Clark's lack of production was less on her and more on her teammates not doing enough to help her out.
"Why the F*CK is CC playing with the bench players and not the starters. This sh*t is a humiliation ritual for Caitlin," one fan posted on X.
"Came out here to see Caitlin live, to see what the fuss is about. Shes been okay but what has shocked me the most is anytime her teammates have the ball or Clark sets them up they are HORRENDOUS. Now I know why Clark looks so upset the whole game her teammates are TRASH," one fan at the game posted, along with a clip of a poor sequence.

Zlatan Ibrahimović has never been one to mince his words. So why start now? In the time since retiring from active football, the Swedish superstar has also made a name for himself as a TV pundit on 'Fox Sports', among other things. As usual, he has been firing off one-liners left and right. A number of World Cup nations also got a taste of his sharp tongue after being knocked out of the tournament. Among them was the German national team.
For his punchy remarks, he also occasionally resorted to stereotypes.
"The USA are out. So your American Dream is over. Next time, call it football, not soccer, okay?"
"Portugal? Close. But close isn't enough."
"Mexico? Enjoy your tacos. Amigos, adios."

The soccer savior, once dubbed Captain America, isn’t getting off easy after again failing to perform on the biggest stage for his national team.
Christian Pulisic was subbed off in the 58th minute of the United States’ round-of-16 match against Belgium on Monday night after failing to recover from an apparent foot injury suffered a few minutes earlier, when Pulisic kicked the leg of a Belgium defender while winding up for a shot. It was a fitting end to Pulisic’s World Cup. The U.S. star played just 45 minutes during the group stage, subbing out at halftime against Paraguay with a calf strain, returned for a full 90 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, and left the field less than an hour into arguably the most important game in USMNT history.
Things weren’t going well for Pulisic throughout his 58 minutes on the pitch. His first five touches of the game all led to turnovers, and he lost possession a game-leading 11 times in the first half. The U.S. was down 3-1 by the time he subbed off, and the writing was already on the wall that this team would once again exit the World Cup in the final 16.
After the game, Pulisic made matters worse for himself.
Speaking with Fox Sports reporter Jenny Taft, Pulisic explained his injury: “I mean, I just twisted my ankle, sprained my ankle. It’s just frustrating to end like that, of course. But, you know, now I get time to rest, so hopefully it’ll be okay.”

"I think LeBron's been open-minded, but the Warriors' whole plan going into free agency was, 'Okay, let's see if we can get Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis,'" said ESPN's Shams Charania on Stephen A. Smith's radio show. "I think the big draw for LeBron with the Warriors would be seeing if there's an avenue to be a package deal with Davis," added Charania. "Short of that, I don't think the Warriors are high on his list, and I think the Warriors themselves believe they're not on that list unless they're able to trade for Anthony Davis."
RealGM
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Warriors believe they are not on LeBron James' list unless they can trade for Anthony Davis

A brief exchange between George Russell and Toto Wolff after the British Grand Prix caught the attention of fans on social media, with the former urging the team to address its straight-line speed deficit in the near future before the Austrian was quick to respond.
The British driver made the most of his home weekend by capitalising on another setback for teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who went from a potential British Grand Prix winner to finishing outside the points. That allowed Charles Leclerc to return to winning ways, while Ferrari significantly reduced the gap to Mercedes in the constructors' standings.
Speaking over the team radio after the race, the Briton urged Mercedes to focus on improving its straight-line speed, describing the weekend as an extremely frustrating one despite acknowledging that a series of fortunate circumstances had helped him secure second place.
Responding over the team radio, Wolff immediately pushed back on Russell's **** sment, telling the Briton that Mercedes' straight-line speed had been good during the race: "George, I think straight-line speed was okay in the race."
Photo: Race Pictures

The Heisman Trophy is arguably the best individual award in American sports, professional included. There are weekly columns, year-round odds, and continual commentary on who will win the bronze statue, and once a player does, he is announced from that point forward as "Heisman Trophy winner ..."
Maybe the only other ***** le before a name that means more is "Sir," as those who are knighted by the Royal Family of the United Kingdom. Okay, maybe that's a stretch, but still, becoming a Heisman winner is something that will follow a player all of his life, and in fact, changes his life.
So, it's no surprise then that many focus on the Heisman so much. To that end, Brad Crawford of 247Sports shared the six players that he would bet on to win the bronze statue. Not all the players who have the best odds by the sportsbooks out there, mind you, but which ones he believes actually have a legitimate shot at winning the award.
So, which two Buckeyes does Crawford like to be in the Heisman conversation? It's the same two that you would likely think of: quarterback Julian Sayin and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The OSU quarterback has been among the top, and sometimes on top of some of the Heisman odds in the preseason, but he currently sits among the top four or five on most sportsbooks' odds. As far as Smith goes, he could very well be the best college football player, and in fact, probably will be, but it'll be hard to win the Heisman because he's not a quarterback, and there's the built-in bias.
In other words, there's a good chance that Ohio State will again have another representative in New York as a finalist for the storied award, but who else might be there, according to Crawford? The other four players he'd put a wager on are Notre Dame quarterback C.J. Carr, Texas gunslinger Arch Manning, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, and Miami (FL) signal-caller Darian Mensah.

I legit had an opinion piece in the hopper about why the Commanders should ignore all the social media nonsense and sign receiver Brandon Aiyuk when the 49ers release him.
This morning, I hit delete.
I think we're done here.
Overpay for Stefon Diggs. Maybe $10-15 million for one year. It's okay. The Commanders can afford it from a cap perspective. They need another receiver. Even the Treylon Burks truthers must agree with that.
For those who truly enjoyed their Fourth of July – a sacred holiday for those who cover the NFL, because the life interrupts ever other one – then you missed some fireworks.