One of the most important series of the 2026 season will be played this week in Cleveland when the Guardians host the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox for three games at Progressive Field. The White Sox have stumbled of late, while the Guardians have gotten hot, much like they did last year when they stole the division title away from the Detroit Tigers.

Here are the AL Central standings headed into Monday’s slate:

1. White Sox: 76-73
2. Guardians: 76-74 (½ GB)
3. Twins: 70-79 (6 GB)
4. Tigers: 70-79 (6 GB)
5. Royals: 66-84 (10 ½ GB)

“It feels good,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said about his team’s recent play. “We’ve talked about it all along that we can only control what we can do. So we have an opportunity to come home which is very similar to last year. We know we have a big series starting (Monday).”

Here are the details for this week’s three-game series in Cleveland. Select games can be streamed on fubo (Try for free).

Newcomb will be an opener on Monday and righty Sean Burke is expected to follow as the bulk reliever. It will be Newcomb’s sixth start of the season. He got at least four outs in his first five starts and as many as nine outs. Chicago is likely to use another opener in the series finale on Wednesday. It could even be Newcomb again. Righty Erick Fedde lines up for bulk relief work.

Here now are three things to know about this week’s Guardians vs. White Sox series, with a prediction thrown in, because why not?

The season series to date

The White Sox showed impressive mettle against the Guardians back in early July. They played four games in Cleveland, lost the first two via heartbreaking walk-offs, then rallied to win the final two games to split the series. Overall, the White Sox lead the season series 6-4 over the Guardians, so one win clinches the season series and thus the tiebreaker.

Here are the possible outcomes this week:

The tiebreaker could be enormous. It could decide which team gets a Wild Card Series bye and which team has to go on the road in the Wild Card Series, or even misses the postseason entirely. It is not some longshot outcome either. The tiebreaker decided the AL East and the third AL wild-card spot last year, plus several other races in recent seasons.

Although their lead has dwindled to a half-game, the White Sox are in OK shape because they have the advantage in the season series. Basically, as long as they don’t get swept in Cleveland, the White Sox will be in solid enough position to win their first AL Central title since 2021. It also helps that they have one of the easiest remaining schedules, at least on paper.

The Blue Jays will be interested observers

The AL Central race is the primary focus this week, but there is potentially a wild-card spot on the line too. It’s entirely possible that only one of the White Sox or Guardians will reach the postseason, not both. You can’t bank on a wild-card spot as a safety net. Here are the AL wild-card standings as they stand on Monday:

1. Yankees: 86-63 (+10 ½ GB)
2. Red Sox: 82-68 (+ 6 GB)
3. Guardians: 76-74
   ———————————–
4. Blue Jays: 75-75 (1 GB)
5. Rangers: 75-76 (2 GB)

It’s actually a bad thing for the Blue Jays (and Rangers) that the Guardians and White Sox will play each other this week. One of those two teams is guaranteed to win these next three days, so Toronto has to win just to keep pace with the third wild-card spot, let alone gain ground with less than two weeks remaining in the season.

The Blue Jays won the season series against the Guardians (4-2) but lost it to the White Sox (1-5), so they have the tiebreaker over Cleveland but not Chicago. For the Blue Jays, the best possible outcome this week is a White Sox sweep. That would really hurt the Guardians, who lose the tiebreaker to Toronto, in the third wild-card race. (The Blue Jays host the Tigers this week.)

The AL West is feeble enough that the AL Central winner could get a Wild Card Series bye, yet the third wild-card race is so tight that the AL Central runner-up is not assured a wild-card berth. These three games in Cleveland are very high stakes.

Who’s hot, who’s not?

Baseball is a game of hot and cold streaks. Consistency is a myth. A .300 hitter doesn’t get three hits every 10 at-bats, or even hit .300 every single month. He hits .300 one month, .250 the next, .350 the month after that, etc. Naturally, some White Sox and Guardians players go into this week’s series swinging the bat better than others.

Here are three White Sox hitters who’ve hit well over the last 14 days:

Hamstring and ankle injuries have limited Teel to only 28 games this season. He returned from the ankle earlier this month and has given the offense an immediate boost, mostly via on-base skills, similar to Antonacci. Grichuk will be an important player during this series. He’s an excellent right-handed platoon bat and Cleveland will start two lefties this week in Griffin and Messick.

On the other end of the spectrum, Andrew Benintendi (.152/.222/.242) and Munetaka Murakami (.109/.241/.239) have struggled badly the last 14 games. Murakami’s slump, in fact, goes back much further than the last two weeks. He’s hitting .137/.276/.315 with 70 strikeouts in 40 games since Aug. 1. More than 40% of his plate appearances ended with a strikeout during that time.

Here now are three Guardians hitters who have swung the bat well over the last 14 days:

Kwan has completely turned his season around. He bottomed out with a .567 OPS on June 21. Since then, he’s hit .346/.431/.436 with more walks (38) than strikeouts (29) in 70 games. Kwan’s resurgence, plus Martínez’s return from a fractured foot in late July and Bazzana’s rookie year emergence, have fueled Cleveland’s run up the standings the last few weeks.

The one Guardians hitter who has not pulled his weight the last two weeks is the guy who usually drives the bus: José Ramírez. Ramírez has hit .111/.149/.111 over the last 14 days and has been unable to drive the ball since returning from a broken hamate in late July. It’s hard to see the Guardians winning the AL Central without Ramírez making an impact these last two weeks.

Prediction

Let’s close with the prediction, shall we? The White Sox are stumbling, the Guardians are surging, the White Sox are inexperienced, the Guardians have been there and done that. All indications are it is advantage Guardians this series, so I’ll go against the grain and say the White Sox will win two of three. They’ll win Monday, the Guardians will win Tuesday, then the ChiSox will eke out a win in a nationally televised rubber game Wednesday afternoon. It has been foretold.

Online football betting is a growing industry and is a popular pastime for many fans who want a bit more entertainment when watching games.

Betting sites offer hundreds of different markets for punters to bet on and one of the most popular football bets is a BTTS bet.

BTTS stands for both teams to score and below we explain everything you need to know about the bet type, including how BTTS works, when to place a BTTS bet and how it compares to other bet types.

What does BTTS mean?

BTTS translates as both teams to score, a wager that pretty much does what it says on the tin. BTTS is a wager on whether or not both teams in a match will score or not.

It is a simple bet, one of the first bettors are likely to look at when learning how to bet on football and is not contingent on a result, amount of goals, specific players scoring or anything else.

A BTTS bet gives you a simple choice of yes or no. If you back yes, you are wagering on both teams to score in a game. A bet on no means you are banking on one or both teams failing to find the net.

Keep in mind that a BTTS only covers the traditional 90 minutes of a match. So, if you are betting on a game that could go to extra time and have bet on both teams to score, the bet will be a loser if they haven’t netted before the end of regulation time.

BTTS tips and advice

BTTS betting is all about predicting if both teams are likely to score at least one goal during a match. Punters only have to decide yes or no, making this bet one of the easiest to understand that you’re likely to come across on football betting sites.

When learning how to bet online, punters will quickly find out that research is the key to BTTS betting success. Before placing a bet, try to understand more about each of the teams involved in the game you want to bet on. Look out for their current form, how many goals they score/concede and how well they’ve done historically.

Head-to-head records can provide insight into how likely it is that teams will score against each other and knowing whether a team is better in attack or defence can determine which ‘yes’ or ‘no’ option you choose.

Going one step further, BTTS can be combined with other bets such as BTTS & win (when you must also decide the winner of the game), BTTS in both halves (when both teams must score at least one goal in each half of the game) and BTTS over/under (when you predict whether both teams will score and if the total goals in the match will be over or under a specific number). These types of bets usually come with higher odds, and in turn, higher payouts.

BTTS in-play betting

One popular BTTS betting strategy can be to wait for the match to start and then bet BTTS in-play. The rise of betting apps makes it easy to be able to wait until the action begins before you place a bet, and doing that has certain advantages for BTTS bets.

Not only will you have seen the line ups and therefore know who is in and out of the teams, but waiting until the game starts will give you an idea of how the two managers have set up their sides. Have they gone ultra-defensive, or picked a team likely to score?

The longer you wait, the more time you’ll have to assess the game and how the players are performing. However, if an early goal is scored, you won’t be able to bet on both teams to score.

BTTS vs other football bets

When compared to some of the other football bets, BTTS is a favourable option. That is usually reflected in lower odds for BTTS bets compared with other football bets like total goals, where punters must predict whether the amount of goals scored will be more or less than a specified number.

Other bets include exact goals, where you try to predict the exact number of goals in the game, and goalscorer markets, which sees you wager on one player to score in a game, either first, last or at any time.

BTTS accumulator bets

A traditional football accumulator sees punters pick the result of a collection of games and put them all together into an acca. A BTTS acca follows the same principles, only you are wagering on whether or not you think both teams will score, rather than the final result.

It’s just a different way to have an accumulator bet and only having two options might make it more appealing to those punters who are a little more risk adverse.

Certain accumulator betting sites also offer free bets or profit boosts for successful accas, and a BTTS acca is a way to take advantage of those promotions.

Remember to gamble responsibly

Customers must ensure they follow responsible gambling practices from the second they sign up for a new bookmaker or new UK casino.

Betting is not a way to make money online and should only ever be considered a form of entertainment. Customers should always remain in control of their budget and never chase losses.

When using gambling sites, be aware that they can be addictive so please take steps to remain in control of your time and budget.

The same applies whether you’re using slot sites, casino sites, or any other gambling medium.

Should you wish to seek help for gambling-related issues, there are multiple charities and healthcare providers who offer support and information:

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Manchester United were angry at the decision to allow Erling Haaland’s goal to stand in the Manchester derby and received an apology from Pro Refs.

Manchester United anger over a VAR breakdown that allowed Erling Haaland’s winning goal at Old Trafford to stand won’t be eased by the fact that the refereeing body has been in this position before.

Pro Refs released a statement hours after the final whistle of the 199th Manchester derby, confirming an error had been made in the process that saw Haaland’s goal awarded, when it had been ruled out on the field for an offside.

The decision centred on whether Enzo Fernandez was interfering with play in trying to reach Josko Gvardiol’s cross before Haaland turned it home at the back post.

A Pro Ref spokesperson said: “Following the incident in the 60th minute of Sunday’s Premier League fixture between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, we can provide clarification regarding Erling Haaland’s awarded goal.

“The on-field decision was offside against Erling Haaland – that was checked by VAR and he was found to be in an onside position. In the same attack, it was established that Enzo Fernandez did not play the ball and therefore that makes any offside offence subjective, however, on this occasion, the VAR did not recognise the likely impact of his position and should have recommended an on-field review.

“Contact has been made with Manchester United this evening to acknowledge what we deem is an error of judgement. A review of the incident will take place.”

But it isn’t the first time match officials and VAR have made a mistake for a similar incident. Manchester City benefitred in September 2023 when a Nathan Ake header in a 5-1 win against Fulham was given, despite Manuel Akanji attempting to play the ball from an offside position.

“It’s a clear situation of offside,” referees’ chief Howard Webb told Match Officials: Mic’d Up.

“From the outset I think this should have been disallowed. It certainly appears Akanji has an impact on the goalkeeper who seems to hesitate.”

In December 2024 an Everton goal against Wolves was also awarded, the last in a 4-0 win, only for Key Match Incidents Panel to later say the officials had got it wrong.

Abdoulaye Doucoure was in an offside position as he challenged Wolves centre-back Craig Dawson, who turned the ball past his own goalkeeper.

The KMI panel said: “The offside attacker’s actions clearly impact the defender’s ability to challenge for or play the ball. The panel concluded that both the on-field decision (4:1) and the VAR’s decision not to intervene (4:1) was incorrect.”

The inconsistencies around the rule were on show in the Carabao Cup semi-finals last season. Antoine Semenyo had a goal for City away at Newcastle chalked off because Haaland was deemed to be blocking a defender on the line.

But Ben White’s header for Arsenal against Chelsea was given, despite Viktor Gyokeres being in an offside position, while he also blocked a defender on the line.

A growing catalogue of incidents suggests match officials and those in the VAR room aren’t themselves sure of the rules. It shouldn’t be difficult to work out who is interfering with play, and if an attacker is trying to get to a ball in the six-yard box, or is involved in a tussle with a defender on the goalline, it looks a fairly simple decision to make.

Football administrator and entrepreneur Ranjit Bajaj has moved the court seeking directions to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to immediately notify the schedule for elections to its Executive Committee and complete the process within a time-bound period.

In his writ petition, Bajaj has sought a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate direction requiring the AIFF to conduct its elections strictly in accordance with its Constitution and the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

Bajaj has also sought directions for completion of the entire electoral process, including declaration of results, within a timeframe to be fixed by the court.

The petitioner has further sought an interim restraint on the present AIFF Executive Committee from taking policy decisions or decisions having long-term, financial or otherwise irreversible consequences in relation to the federation’s affairs until the elections are completed.

The petition also seeks any other order that the court may deem fit in the interest of justice.

Bajaj’s plea comes against the backdrop of the AIFF’s decision to defer its elections as it transitions to the new electoral framework under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025.

In his petition, Bajaj has contended that the AIFF has already adopted an NSGA-compliant Constitution and completed its constitutional alignment, and therefore there is no justification for any further deferment of its elections.

He has also relied on the court’s July 17, 2026 order in the All India Tennis Association case, arguing that compliance by state associations cannot be treated as a pre-condition for holding elections to the national federation.

According to Bajaj’s plea, the alignment of state associations should be undertaken by the newly elected Executive Committee after the national federation’s elections, rather than being used as a reason to postpone the electoral process.

The petitioner has accordingly urged the court to direct the AIFF to initiate and complete the election process at the earliest.

All eyes will be on Oxford, Miss., during the Week 3 college football schedule as Lane Kiffin returns to The Grove. His former team in No. 8 Ole Miss will host Kiffin’s new squad in seventh-ranked LSU, as the Tigers are 3-point road favorites per the Week 3 college football odds. This is the lone top 10 matchup one can make college football bets on this week, and each of their last six meetings have been won by the home team. Claim the latest Polymarket promo code CBSSPORTS to get a $50 bonus after $10 in trades:

Elsewhere, there is an eclectic mix of games to target with Week 3 college football bets, including several schools beginning conference play such as No. 2 Georgia vs. Arkansas (+25) and No. 12 USC vs. Rutgers (+24.5). There are also non-conference battles like No. 10 Alabama vs. Florida State (+20.5) and No. 25 Virginia vs. West Virginia (+10), plus the early-season staple of powerhouse programs facing Group of 6 teams like the newly top-ranked Texas Longhorns 30-point favorites over UTSA. Before locking in any Week 3 college football picks, be sure to see the latest college football predictions from SportsLine’s proven model.

The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. It is on a 33-21 run on top-rated CFB money-line picks on betting sites since the 2024 season, and it has been upgraded for the 2026 season to even better factor in the transfer portal. Anybody following its college football betting picks could have seen strong returns. 

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest college football odds for Week 3 and locked in picks for every FBS matchup. Head here to see every pick.

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Top college football predictions for Week 3

One of the top Week 3 college football picks the model is recommending for best betting apps: South Carolina (-3.5, 58.5) covers at home versus Mississippi State at 4:15 p.m. ET in nearly 60% simulations. The Gamecocks have defeated the Bulldogs in eight of their last nine meetings as this is one of the SEC’s most lopsided series over recent matchups. SC’s LaNorris Sellers has shown off his dual abilities with 270 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air in Week 1, followed by 119 yards and a score on the ground last week. South Carolina’s defense has allowed just one touchdown on the year, while Mississippi State’s defense has yet to force a turnover. With Norris having less of a deterrence than Bulldogs QB Kamario Taylor, the former is projected to have more total yards and total touchdowns than Taylor. Additionally, the model has the Under hitting over 50% of the time

Another Week 3 prediction: No. 3 Notre Dame (-29.5, 52.5) covers the massive line versus Michigan State at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Irish have won 12 straight games, all coming by double digits, which is the longest streak by any team since 2019. Meanwhile, MSU has lost 12 straight versus AP top-5 teams, with nearly all of them coming in blowout fashion. Each of the last nine of those defeats have been by 22-plus points, as the Spartans’ average margin of defeat during these dozen games is 29.3 points. Additionally, Notre Dame is undefeated both straight up (7-0) and against the spread (6-0-1) versus unranked Big Ten squads over the last 10 seasons. The Fighting Irish are forecasted to cover in almost 60% of simulations. See which other picks the model likes here.

How to make college football picks for Week 3

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every Week 3 college football game, including an underdog of nearly a touchdown who wins outright in one of the week’s biggest games. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So what college football picks can you make with confidence, and which underdog pulls off a shocking upset? Check out the latest college football odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that is on a 33-21 run, and find out.

College football odds for Week 3 notable games

See full Week 3 college football picks, odds, predictions here
(odds subject to change)

Thursday, Sep. 17
Syracuse at Pittsburgh (-10, 51.5)

Friday, Sep. 18
Miami at Wake Forest (+22.5, 55.5)
Houston at Texas Tech (-9.5, 53.5)

Saturday, Sep. 19
North Carolina at Clemson (-3.5, 44.5)
Georgia at Arkansas (+24.5, 54.5)
SMU at Louisville (-1.5, 59.5)
USC at Rutgers (+24.5, 57.5)
Florida State at Alabama (-20.5, 49.5)
Florida at Auburn (+2.5, 52.5)
Michigan State at Notre Dame (-29.5, 52.5)
West Virginia at Virginia (+10, 54.5)
LSU at Ole Miss (+3, 58.5)

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland felt the need to apologise for action following his side’s Manchester derby triumph in the Premier League

Erling Haaland jokingly apologised to the Premier League after crashing their broadcast when taking a selfie after the Manchester derby. The Norwegian striker scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half but it arrived in controversial fashion.

The linesman initially flagged Haaland offside after he turned home Josko Gvardiol’s cross. However, VAR recommended the goal be given after discovering that he was actually behind Patrick Dorgu and that Enzo Fernandez, who was in an offside position, did not impact the play.

United push for an equaliser and forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a superb save from Bryan Mbeumo but City held on to claim three points over their local rivals.

After the game, once he had completed all of his post-match media commitments, Haaland captured a moment when on the Old Trafford pitch by himself. He uploaded the photo to his Instagram with the caption: “Nice.”

While it looked as though Haaland was alone, he was actually in the background of Premier League TV analysing the game with Owen Hargreaves. Their official social media account made Haaland aware of this which saw the City striker respond in the comments by simply responding, “sorry”.

Haaland was a little less apologetic when describing how he saw his goal elapse while also praising the players for their determination following Phil Foden’s early red card.

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He said on Sky Sports: “I thought there may have been a flick because normally I don’t go offside. I said to Michael Oliver that I took personal that he thought I was offside.

“I looked over at Enzo [Maresca] and he , like, give me a thumb up, and then I kind of knew that it was a goal. So I kind of prepared myself to go and celebrate.

“I think, honestly, this is one of the better, because the occasion and everything, ten men and everything. Of course, it’s always nice to win football games, never take that for granted, but especially at this, you know, ten men for, I don’t know, almost 60 minutes or something.”

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While City have been commended for the effort shown to win the game, the big talking point coming out of the derby is that Haaland’s goal should have been disallowed.

Pro Ref have acknowledged the mistake and reached out to United on Sunday evening, admitting to an “error of judgment” in their official statement.

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