Virtual playoff lock Texas Tech plays CFP hopeful BYU in ‘manifested’ matchup for Big 12 title
ARLINGTON, Texas — BYU coach Kalani Sitake and Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire have shared a few meals together, and they’ve talked about their teams making the Big 12 championship game. “If you want me at my best, Joey understands this, it’s usually when we’re eating,” said Sitake, the former Cougars...
Ohio State, Indiana clash for Big Ten crown in rare title game featuring nation’s top-ranked teams
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has been here before. Twice. His second-ranked Hoosiers, just like first-ranked Ohio State, have not. For the first time in more than a decade and just the third time since conference championship games were standardized, the nation’s top-ranked teams will play for a title....
MLB players union gathers to prepare for potentially contentious labor negotiations in 2026
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Roughly a month after the Los Angeles Dodgers finished a scintillating seven-game World Series triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Major League Baseball Players’ Association gathered in Arizona this week to discuss the future of the game and look ahead to a possible lockout next December....
Pitt’s Jeff Capel remains confident in Macari Moore’s abilities despite reserve role
As Pitt heads into game No. 10 of the season, its two freshman guards, Omari Witherspoon and Macari Moore, have had dissimilar campaigns. Witherspoon has started every game, playing about 28 minutes per night and contributing 7.7 points. Moore has assumed an irregular bench role. The 6-foot-3 guard from Ypsilanti,...
Pitt, Wisconsin announce mutual cancellation of 2026 football game
Pitt and Wisconsin will no longer meet on the gridiron next season, as both schools mutually announced the cancellation of a contest scheduled at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Friday. Still on the books is the Aug. 28, 2027 season-opener between the Panthers and Badgers that will be played...
Kirk MacDonald is guiding the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to wins (and the NHL)
Kirk MacDonald’s second season as coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins has been a challenge. Successful? Most certainly. Entering Friday, the Penguins had the third-most points (31) in the 32-team American Hockey League (AHL) with a 15-5-1-9 record. But those triumphs have been achieved with a lineup that is constantly in...
First Call: Ravens OC expects Lamar Jackson to play vs. Steelers; George Pickens called ‘uninterested’ in Cowboys’ ‘TNF’ loss
Friday’s “First Call” has Lamar Jackson’s latest health update in advance of his game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. George Pickens was labeled “uninterested” and “disengaged” in Dallas’ “Thursday Night Football” loss in Detroit. The Penguins face another tough opponent after a seesaw win in Tampa. Plus, we lay out the...
Tim Benz: There’s a new narrative surrounding Mike Tomlin and it needs to end now
We’ve reached the point where many former Pittsburgh Steelers players, national media members and Mike Tomlin true believers are finally ready to admit that it’s time for a change at the head coaching position in Pittsburgh. After 18 full seasons — 14 of which have ended without a playoff victory....
Jahmyr Gibbs leads Lions to much-needed win over Cowboys
DETROIT — Jahmyr Gibbs and a defense that suddenly generated pressure and turnovers helped the Detroit Lions stay in contention for a playoff berth. Gibbs ran for three touchdowns, including a 13-yarder with 2:19 left that sealed the Lions’ much-needed 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. The...
Supersized World Cup field begins taking shape at Friday’s draw
WASHINGTON — FIFA has invited more teams than ever for a World Cup priced largely for fans in the 1%. The process of figuring out which teams in the expanded 48-nation field will play where begins with Friday’s draw at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Cape Verde, Curaçao,...
Video review saves Penguins in wild win over Lightning
Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin scored two goals, including the game-winner late in the third period, in his team’s wild adventure of a 4-3 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the venue now known as Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla. on Thursday. But in reality, the NHL was...
Nikolaos Chitikoudis lifts Robert Morris to win in final seconds
Robert Morris’ 80-78 victory Thursday night at Green Bay — the Colonials’ fourth straight triumph — represented a stunning comeback for the defending Horizon League champs. It was a classic. “You’ve got to enjoy them when you steal one like that,” Robert Morris coach Andy Toole said on the RMU...
Pitt volleyball ready to make another NCAA run
Pitt’s women’s volleyball has had a national title within its grasp the last four seasons and has come up short. It has lost in the semifinals. Will this be the season the Panthers (26-4) break through? “I do not know. We have to get there first,” Pitt coach Dan Fisher...
Pirates trade Johan Oviedo to Red Sox for top-100 outfield prospect in 1st move of offseason
The Pittsburgh Pirates made their first move of the offseason, acquiring a top-100 prospect in outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia in a five-player deal that sent right-handed pitcher Johan Oviedo to the Boston Red Sox. The Pirates are giving up Oviedo, left-handed reliever Tyler Samaniego and catcher Adonys Guzman in exchange for...
Surprising Duke meets Virginia in ACC title game amid CFP uncertainty
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s the ACC championship game that was hard to imagine back in September and one that could muddle the College Football Playoff scenario. Duke, by virtue of winning a complicated five-team tiebreaker, will face No. 16 Virginia on Saturday night in Charlotte after both teams overcame steep...
Georgia looks to end Alabama’s rivalry dominance in SEC final
ATLANTA — After No. 3 Georgia closed an 11-1 regular season with its eighth straight win over Georgia Tech last week, coach Kirby Smart was asked about his senior class dominating its top rivals through four seasons. Smart replied with a reminder that Georgia Tech, Florida, Auburn and Tennessee do...
WR Adam Thielen compares joining Steelers this late in season to ‘learning a new language’
For the first time since he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, Adam Thielen was scheduled to meet with the media immediately after practice Thursday. Instead, he spent a half hour at the team’s indoor practice facility running plays and concepts with quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. Meetings were...
Alex Highsmith named Steelers’ winner of Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award
Alex Highsmith on Thursday was named the Pittsburgh Steelers club winner of the 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, a coveted off-field league honor intended to recognize players who excel on the field and demonstrate a commitment to creating a positive impact beyond the game. The sixth-year...
3 days before game vs. Steelers, Lamar Jackson (ankle) sits out Ravens practice
It’s been clear that two-time MVP Lamar Jackson hasn’t been playing at 100% in recent weeks. Three days prior to a first-place showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson did not take part in the Baltimore Ravens’ practice. Jackson did not participate in Thursday’s practice in Owings Mills, Md., because of...
Former Steelers CB Darius Slay puts off reporting to Bills to contemplate futureVideo
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Cornerback Darius Slay has put off reporting to the Buffalo Bills to instead take time to consider his future, the player’s agent confirmed Thursday. “Slay is honored that a first-class organization like the Bills claimed him, but he is going to take some time away from...
Kyle Dugger misses Steelers practice; Patrick Queen returns; Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt full go
Starting strong safety Kyle Dugger was an addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers injury report Thursday, but Patrick Queen returned to practice and stars Aaron Rodgers and T.J. Watt participated fully. Dugger was listed on the status report as having a hand injury. He practiced fully and had no designation Wednesday...
NFL mandates new playing-surface standards by 2028
The playing surfaces at every NFL stadium will have to meet new enhanced standards set through lab and field testing by the start of the 2028 season. NFL field director Nick Pappas detailed the plans for the program Thursday that will provide each team “a library of approved and accredited...
Success of current players a key selling point on recruiting trail for Pitt’s coaches
Pitt’s coaches utilize a variety of strategies on the recruiting trail when courting prospects. Team culture, coaching stability, playing time and NIL and revenue-sharing are all pieces of the puzzle relayed by Pat Narduzzi and his staff to potential future Panthers. Particularly helpful is being able to point to current...
Mark Madden: It’s time to admit the unpleasant truth about Mike Tomlin’s Steelers tenure
The Pittsburgh Steelers are bad. Prehistoric offense. Rotten defense that costs $163 million. Old and getting older. Stars fading fast. Awful decisions piling up. It’s time to form a narrative. That narrative is: It’s not Mike Tomlin’s fault. That’s the vibe, especially on the national front. There are several forks...
First Call: Darius Slay claimed off waivers; Browns open practice window for Deshaun Watson; Pens start rugged stretch
Thursday’s “First Call” has a new destination for former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Darius Slay. The prospect exists that the Steelers might get to face Deshaun Watson when they visit Cleveland after Christmas. The Penguins open up a brutal stretch of games against one of the NHL’s division leaders Thursday...
