James Franklin fired at Penn State; Chiefs get back to .500 as fight breaks out; Mariners take 1-0 ALCS lead

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Hello everyone and happy Monday. It's Shanna McCarriston here with a recap of all things sports from the last three days. A major college football program finally saw enough, the WNBA crowned a champion, the MLB's championship rounds are underway, and several more injuries hit key players around the NFL before a fight broke out after the Chiefs-Lions game.

There's a lot to unpack, so let's dive right in.

🤕 Five things to know Monday

Expect disciplinary action following the Lions-Chiefs postgame fight. The typical NFL postgame handshakes turned ugly last night after Detroit's Brian Branch started a brawl on the field. Several punches were thrown following Kansas City's 30-17 victory that got the Chiefs back to .500. Both coaches spoke about the incident in which Kansas City's JuJu Smith-Schuster was hurt after being struck in the face.
It was miserable weekend for Penn State. On Saturday, quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in the 22-21 home loss to Northwestern. The injury ends Allar's collegiate career, since he is a senior with no eligibility remaining. On Sunday, Penn State fired coach James Franklin after the three-game spiral. Associate head coach Terry Smith will lead the Nittany Lions for the remainder of the season while the school conducts its search for a long-term successor.
The NLCS will start in Milwaukee and the ALCS will play Game 2. The Mariners experienced a wild weekend, playing nearly the equivalent of two games Friday night before advancing to the ALCS, in which Seattle beat host Toronto in Game 1. (Check out what we're saying about that series.) And in the National League, Game 1 between the Dodgers and Brewers starts tonight. (We have predictions for this series, too.)
The 49ers, Rams, Colts were dealt serious blows on the injury front. San Francisco lost star linebacker Fred Warner for the remainder of the season to a broken and dislocated ankle, while Los Angeles receiver Puka Nacua sustained an ankle injury of his own, however, the severity of his situation was not known last night. Other serious injuries included the Colts' Charvarius Ward (concussion) and Anthony Richardson (orbital fracture) who were both hurt before the game.
Mark Sanchez was released from the hospital and made his first public comments. After being released from the Indianapolis hospital, Sanchez was booked and had his mug shot taken at the Marion County jail. Sanchez, who faces a felony battery charge following the alleged attack on a 69-year-old truck driver, thanked the first responders who, he said, saved his life before adding that his primary focus is on his recovery and reuniting with his family.

🏈 College football's wild weekend

The big news out of the weekend was Penn State firing James Franklin after the Nittany Lions' season went completely sideways. Penn State, somewhat recently ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, finds itself at 0-3 in Big Ten play. The third straight loss came at home against Northwestern, losing 22-21 after Vegas labeled them three-touchdown favorites. They are the first FBS team since 1978 to lose back-to-back games as favorites of at least 20 points. The numbers certainly did not paint a pretty picture, notes Brad Crawford. And John Talty has a great five-minute read on how Franklin's personnel moves left Penn State with no other choice.

Talty: "What Franklin and Penn State taught us is there's a price to going all-in on a season: When you finally have everything you've asked for, with no excuses left, and you still don't perform as expected, then you are the problem."

Franklin will be one of the top candidates available in the coaches cycle should he immediately pursue another college job. Writes Chris Hummer, Arkansas, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin and Maryland are just some of the programs that could consider a conversation with Franklin.

But that was hardly the only major story in the sport:

Michigan fell out of the AP Top 25 after a 31-17 loss at USC. It was a program-defining win for Lincoln Riley, writes Cameron Salerno.
Oklahoma didn't help its title odds with a 23-6 loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry. Arch Manning wasn't flashy, but he won. John Mateer threw three picks in his return from injury.
Indiana made some doubters take a second-look after the Hoosiers' 30-20 win at Oregon.
Ole Miss came away with a win, but not by much. The 24-21 Rebels victory over Washington State caused them to drop a bit.
Alabama is the new SEC frontrunner in the race to the College Football Playoffs.

These are the top five teams in the Week 8 AP Top 25 poll with first-place votes in parentheses:

Ohio State (50)
Miami (13)
Indiana (3)
Texas A&M
Ole Miss

Here's a look at some grades from the weekend:

Texas Tech: A-
Ohio State: B
Alabama: B
Oregon: D
Oklahoma: D

⚾ Mariners win Game 1 after a marathon Game 5

If you're keeping score at home, the Mariners played 24 innings of baseball over a 50-ish hour span that included flying 2,060 miles across three time zones to a waiting opponent. But if you're Seattle the only number you probably care about is two, as in the number of wins they collected.

The ALCS got underway in Toronto on Sunday night, but the Mariners didn't polish off the Tigers in the ALDS until early Saturday morning thanks to the 15-inning Game 5 affair back in Seattle. Although you wouldn't know it by Sunday's result. Yes, the Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead when George Springer parked a ball in the seats in his leadoff at-bat, but the Mariners scored the game's final three runs, which included a game-tying solo shot in the sixth inning by none other than AL home run champ Cal Raleigh. Jorge Polanco then followed with RBI singles in the sixth and eighth. It was a 3-1 victory for Seattle in Game 1.

But if we're handing out stars, let's not forget Mariners' starter Bryce Miller, who took the bump on three days' rest due to Friday's marathon game. Said our Mike Axisa, Miller excelled in the spot on short rest. It's still early yet, but if Seattle advances, Miller's performance may very well be the reason why.

Axisa: "Given the stakes -- on the road in a hostile environment with a tired bullpen behind him -- Miller turned in one of the greatest pitching performances in Mariners' history in Game 1. Remember, this is a franchise that has never been to the World Series. To perform like that on short rest, and give the team a chance to steal Game 1 on the road, is simply remarkable."

Historically, teams that win Game 1 of a best-of-seven go on to win the series 65% of the time, which obviously is good news for Seattle ahead of this afternoon's Game 2. Meanwhile, the NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers starts tonight in Milwaukee.

🏀 In leading the Aces to the WNBA title, A'ja Wilson did something no NBA player ever has

Congratulations to the Aces, the 2025 WNBA champions who won three of the last four titles. On Friday night, Las Vegas finished a sweep of the Phoenix Mercury, winning Game 4, 97-86, in the first women's championship series played in a best-of-seven format.

Aces star A'ja Wilson earned Finals MVP, and is only the sixth player to earn the honor multiple times after also winning the award in 2023. Wilson also became the first player in WNBA or NBA history to win the scoring title, MVP, championship and Finals MVP in the same season. She is in elite company, joining Bill Russell as the only players in WNBA or NBA history to win three MVP awards and three championships in a four-year span.

The achievement puts Wilson in the GOAT conversation and gave the Aces a dynasty. Speaking of, here's where our Jack Maloney ranks this Aces' run among the WNBA's all-time teams:

Minnesota Lynx (2011-17)
Houston Comets (1997-2000)
Las Vegas Aces (2020-25)
Detroit Shock (2003-08)

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

Patrick Mahomes becomes the fastest player in NFL history to reach 300 career touchdown passes, when including the postseason, dethroning Aaron Rodgers.
Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward suffered a concussion in warmups after colliding with a teammate.
The Broncos sacked Justin Fields nine times, and the Jets finished the day with a negative net passing yards as New York fell to 0-6. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson later called out the team's conservative game plan.
The Oregon State Beavers fired their head coach and defensive coordinator Trent Bray, ending his brief stint amid an 0-7 start to a miserable season.
Matthew Stafford passed Dan Marino on the career passing yards list and now sits at No. 9 all-time.
Tua Tagovailoa gives insight on state of the Dolphins, saying some teammates aren't showing up to players-only meetings.
Jaron 'Boots' Ennis makes a statement in his 154-pound debut with a first-round TKO of Uisma Lima.
Denny Hamlin moved into a tie for 10th on NASCAR's all-time wins list after securing a spot in the Championship 4 with a victory at the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Tiger Woods is out indefinitely and will undergo another back surgery while recovering from his Achilles injury.
Nick Saban defended Bill Belichick's start at UNC, despite Chapel Hill's struggles.
49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings says he played through five broken ribs along with high and low ankle sprains and bad shoulders in the loss to the Buccaneers.
Valentin Vacherot stuns Novak Djokovic to reach the championship match at the Rolex Shanghai Masters marking one of the biggest upsets in ATP Masters 1000 history.
Knicks and Raptors mutually agree to dismiss lawsuit over alleged theft of confidential files, according to a report.
Former Dolphins defensive back Reshad Jones, a victim of grand theft scheme by a former financial advisor, receives a $9.5 million settlement.
Xander Schauffele earns his first win of 2025 at the Baycurrent Classic.

📺 What we're watching Monday

🏒 Lightning at Bruins, 1 p.m. on NHL Network
⚾ ALCS Game 2: Mariners at Blue Jays, 5:03 p.m. on Fox/FS1
🏀 Preseason: Heat at Hawks, 6 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Panthers at Flyers, 7 p.m. on ESPN+
🏈 Bills at Falcons, 7:15 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Kings at Wild, 8 p.m. on ESPN+
⚾ NLCS Game 1: Dodgers at Brewers, 8:08 p.m. on TBS/TruTV/HBO Max
🏈 Bears at Commanders, 8:15 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Preseason: Mavericks at Jazz, 9 p.m. on NBA TV