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🏆 Five things to know Thursday
- The Brewers are World Series champions. For the first time in franchise history, the Brewers have won the World Series. Ace Jacob Misiorowski slammed the door on the Rays in Game 5, and Milwaukee rolled to a 4-1 win that concluded with the sweet taste of champagne. As good as Misiorowski was in his breakout 2026 season, the best is yet to come for the budding star. As a whole, the Brewers were a team of destiny as they passed every test on their World Series journey. As the Rays watched the Brewers celebrate from the other dugout, they were left to contemplate what's next after a magical run.
- Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has been sidelined with a hamstring strain. It's a bad time to be a star player in the NBA. They're dropping like flies, and Haliburton is the latest to go down with a significant injury. Haliburton is listed as week-to-week with a hamstring strain. That's not good news for a player who missed the entire 2025-26 campaign with an Achilles tear. The Thunder are also dealing with a slew of injuries, but a reunion with a former star could bring reinforcements.
- The college football coaching carousel is picking up steam. November is just a few days away, and that means leaves are falling, the air is cooling and hot seats are getting warmer. There are already three Power Four coaching vacancies, but our team of experts gathered intel on the job security of Mike Norvell, Kyle Whittingham and a few more big-name coaches. Another coach feeling the heat is Lincoln Riley, and he's already fielding questions about his future with the program.
- Eight-time All-Pro kicker Justin Tucker signed with the Chiefs. With Harrison Butker off to a miserable start in 2026, the Chiefs are looking at other options on the kicking market. That led them to sign Tucker, who joined the practice squad. Tucker hasn't kicked in an NFL game since 2024 because of accusations of sexual misconduct from more than a dozen massage therapists. Tucker has since worked out for several teams but hasn't joined an active roster.
- The Big Ten is implementing a cap for NIL spending. In hopes of tapping the brakes on NIL and the transfer portal, the Big Ten has adopted a new $49 million cap on NIL spending for its member institutions. The new policy is designed to mirror the guidelines laid out in the Protect College Sports Act, which is awaiting a vote in the House of Representatives. One key point of the new policy is that it limits third-party NIL spending to $27.5 million per school, which is on top of the revenue sharing created by the House settlement.
🏈 Do not miss this: NFL Week 8 picks, predictions
We're nearing the midway point of the NFL season, and there are some heavyweight matchups in Week 8. Fortunately for all of you, our own Pete Prisco has revealed his exact score prediction for every sgame.
As it just so happens, one of Sunday's most highly anticipated games is on CBS, America's most-watched network. The Bills will do battle against the Ravens in a clash of AFC juggernauts. It sounds like Lamar Jackson should return from injury, and that means there could be fireworks with Josh Allen on the other side.
Prisco sees a high-scoring game, which would be a treat for all of us, and he has a hard time picking against Allen under those circumstances.
- Prisco: "Lamar Jackson could be back for the Ravens, but how much will his injured ankle impact his ability to move? The Bills are coming off a bye, so they will be rested. Baltimore's defense was bad in the loss to the Bengals last week, but Buffalo's defense has been awful. Look for a shootout here with Josh Allen getting the best of it. Pick -- Bills 35, Ravens 30"
You can see all of Pricso's picks here, but he's not the only one who takes part in this exercise. John Breech has logged his Week 8 predictions, and I'll give you a taste of what he sees happening this weekend.
- Bengals 24, Titans 17
- Raiders 20, Jets 17
- Rams 31, Chargers 20
- Patriots 31, Dolphins 17
With so many divisional games this weekend, a couple fan bases will be treated to new uniforms. The Jaguars and Lions will each debut their "Rivalries" uniforms on Sunday.
🚀 NBA Power Rankings: Rockets blast off
There's a long way to go, but can we all admit that Kevin Durant and the Rockets look like real contenders after a handful of games?
Houston is now 5-0 after last night's action, and Fred VanVleet has made a world of difference. Throw in the high-level play of Alperen Sengun, and the Rockets have a case to be the favorites to win the West, especially with the Thunder suffering a laundry list of injuries.
That has the Rockets up to No. 1 in the latest NBA Power Rankings, and our own Brad Botkin explains what has been so impressive about this red-hot start.
- Botkin: "The Rockets are 4-0 with two wins over a good Atlanta team and a takedown of the Spurs on the strength of Amen Thompson erasing Victor Wembanyama's potential game-tying shot at the rim in what may hold up as the play of the year. Alperen Sengun and Kevin Durant have been extraordinary. The presence of Fred VanVleet at point has slotted everyone into their most comfortable positions, and it shows."
Check out the full rankings here, but here's a quick peek at the teams furthest away from Houston:
21. Jazz (-4)
22. Pelicans (+4)
23. Heat (-12)
24. Warriors (--)
25. Suns (-5)
The Celtics are holding strong in the top 10, and Jayson Tatum has a lot to do with that. A year and a half removed from his torn Achilles, Tatum is finally feeling like himself again. That's great news for Boston and terrible news for the other 29 teams.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- With the Colts' fire sale underway, WR Josh Downs has submitted his trade request.
- Lane Kiffin throws shade at the SEC over the kickoff time for LSU vs. Alabama.
- Georgia will be the ultimate measuring stick for first-year Florida coach Jon Sumrall.
- It's only been a week, but is Luka Dončić the clear frontrunner for the 2027 NBA MVP?
- The Devils are looking awfully scary with Connor Hellebuyck in our latest NHL Power Rankings.
- Bill Belichick could reshape the future at North Carolina by hiring the right GM.
- What if the BCS still existed? Here's what the top 25 would look like under the old formula.
- The legendary Ernie Johnson announced plans to retire from "Inside the NBA" after this season.
- The return of JuJu Watkins made USC one of the biggest offseason winners in women's hoops.
- Five-star center Lewis Uvwo chose Providence over Kentucky in an emotional commitment ceremony.
- The legendary Harry Kane is "still processing" his first Ballon d'Or win.
📺 What we're watching Thursday
🏀 WNBA Finals Game 6: Valkyries at Dream, 12:30 p.m. on USA Network
🏈 FAU at North Texas, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Troy at JMU, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Cavaliers at Hawks, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Panthers at Packers, 8:15 p.m. on Prime Video
