Having endured the mental and physical grind of making four title defenses over a two-year span as champion heading into his first meeting with Joshua Van last December at UFC 323, Alexandre Pantoja had envisioned a month’s long vacation as a reward to himself for all of his hard work and sacrifices. 

But Pantoja’s fifth defense of his 125-pound title didn’t exactly go as planned. The Brazilian legend suffered a freak dislocated elbow just 26 seconds into the fight after Van caught a high kick attempt and pushed him to the ground to cause the injury and a changing of the guard atop the division thanks to the TKO win. 

Instead of a vacation, the 36-year-old Pantoja quickly found himself back in the gym just two days later with one arm in a sling and a new mindset that has led him into Saturday’s rematch, when the pair of flyweights headline UFC 331 in Los Angeles (9 p.m. ET, Paramount+).

“I [went back] to the gym because I knew if I take too much time off, it’s going to be very tough to get back to my shape and this level,” Pantoja told CBS Sports during an August sitdown in Philadelphia before the UFC 331 introductory press conference. “Since my injury, I haven’t stopped. I was back to training with one arm in the gym and doing physical therapy. I think my right hand is very powerful now.”

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A native of Rio de Janeiro who elevated his career to the next level when he moved himself and his family to Florida in 2018 to train full-time at American Top Team, Pantoja (30-6) has taken umbrage with how quickly everyone has seemed to move on from everything he accomplished as flyweight champion. 

UFC 331 fight card — Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2: Five biggest storylines to follow in Los Angeles

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Despite not losing his title in the traditional way following the 26-second defeat due to injury, Pantoja was dropped from the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings despite previously reaching No. 4 thanks to an 8-fight win streak late in his career that elevated Pantoja from dangerous everyman to one of the most decorated champions in the promotional history. 

Part of that was due to the seemingly overnight success of Van (17-2), a 24-year-old native of Mynamar who fights out of Houston and has been quickly labeled as one of the breakout stars of the sport. Van rebounded from a 2024 knockout loss to Charles Johnson by winning seven consecutive fights over the next two years, including a Fight of the Year against Brandon Royval in 2025 and an all-action title defense against Tatsuro Taira in May that ended in a thrilling fifth-round TKO. 

“[Van] didn’t beat me, he didn’t beat me. It’s not about that. I lost for myself [due to the injury,]” Pantoja said. “I have 20 years of professional fighting, I never made a drill to push someone to break their arm like that. He didn’t beat me. I know, like an athlete, I lost the fight and I know I lost my belt. I’m not the champion anymore. But it’s not as if someone beat me.”

In 2020, Pantoja was a three-year UFC veteran with a record of just 6-3 inside the Octagon. But his eventual 8-fight win streak began with a 2021 win over Manel Kape and continued through an emotional 2023 title win over Brandon Moreno by split decision in which Pantoja traded punches with savage intent for five full rounds in a back-and-forth slugfest. 

Pantoja’s run to becoming UFC champion at age 33 was considered a feel-good story but few could’ve predicted he would go on the title reign that followed as “The Cannibal” proved the old adage true of becoming noticeably better as champion. Throughout four title defenses, Pantoja evolved into an efficient and technical finisher with a well-rounded game who was worthy of the P4P recognition he received by becoming the first men’s flyweight in UFC history to win a title bout after turning 35. 

“People maybe don’t give me the recognition,” Pantoja said. “I fought the best fighters in my division. I beat some guys three times. I had eight [wins] in a row with the best fighters. I beat Manel Kape, Brandon Royval, Brandon Moreno, Kai Kara-France. The [UFC] brought Kai Asakura from another promotion and I beat him this guy, too. 

“I don’t have a lot of recognition but, for me, it’s OK. What I want is to be the best fighter in the world. I try to be that guy everyday in my life because I’m training very hard and Joshua Van can be sure I want [the rematch] more than ever.” 

While Pantoja is likely too proud to blast boxing legend Roy Jones Jr.’s 2002 rap song “Y’all Must’ve Forgot” as his walkout music this weekend but it’s clear this humble warrior has a distinct chip on his shoulder and is motivated to remind everyone, even at 36, who he still is. 

Pantoja, who was nearly a 3-to-1 betting favorite against Van last December, now finds himself as the betting underdog entering the rematch. And if former flyweight champion Henry Cejudo deserves credit for ultimately saving the 125-pound division in the aftermath of Demetrious Johnson’s legendary title reign, when UFC brass was considering folding it, Pantoja deserves the respect for bringing consistency to it following a memorable four-fight series between Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo when the belt constantly switched hands. 

“I sacrificed a lot about my life and I think I’m one of the best fighters in the world,” Pantoja said. “I have this opportunity right now against Joshua Van and you have a lot of new fans coming in with this deal with Paramount. It’s so good for everybody. This new generation of fans is so interactive on the internet, everybody supports Joshua Van so well. Everything has changed since my last fight.

“I have a champion to fight, I don’t have a challenger. Joshua Van is the champion and I have nothing to lose in this fight. I have had this position before. I’m not going to be afraid of excuses, I go to conquer.”

Who wins Van vs. Pantoja, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 2018, and find out.

Manchester United have made a slow start to this Premier League season, but Kobbie Mainoo has a case to be their standout performer so far and has been rewarded

Nine of the 26 players who represented England at this summer’s World Cup do not feature in the latest squad Thomas Tuchel has named for the country’s upcoming Nations League matches.

Dan Burn, Dean Henderson, Djed Spence, Ivan Toney, John Stones, Jordan Henderson, Noni Madueke, Ollie Watkins and Reece James are not involved for various reasons. However, despite infamously being the only Three Lions player to have played no minutes in North America, Kobbie Mainoo keeps his spot.

There are also recalls for various players who just missed the cut, including Alex Scott, Cole Palmer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jarrad Branthwaite, Jason Steele, Lewis Hall, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Rio Ngumoha and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Phil Foden, though, remains absent, six months after his last call-up.

Receiving a straight red card barely 20 minutes into last weekend’s Manchester derby will hardly have helped his case. Mainoo was one of the few positives for United from that defeat at Old Trafford, and the same can be said of their start to this season as a whole.

Twelve months on from Ruben Amorim only sporadically using the academy graduate as a substitute, Reds boss Michael Carrick has recently described him as “a real joy to have” and “a fantastic player”. Tuchel has also spoken highly of his conduct this summer.

“He didn’t put a foot wrong during the World Cup,” the England head coach said, “he was class in behaviour on the training pitch.”

Keep your schedule open in the fall of 2032 and 2033.

That’s because the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish announced on Wednesday morning that the two schools will take part in a college football home-and-home series in 2032 and 2033.

The Fighting Irish will travel to Lincoln to play Nebraska on Oct. 30, 2032, and the Cornhuskers will travel to South Bend to play Notre Dame on Oct. 29, 2033.

“The series with Notre Dame is the type of matchup that college football fans circle on their calendars years in advance,” Nebraska Director of Athletics Troy Dannen said in a statement. “Our fans have a tremendous appreciation for the history of college football and iconic venues. We are excited to welcome Notre Dame and their fans to Lincoln in 2032, and I know our fans will travel to South Bend in full force in 2033.”

The scheduled 2032 game will be the first time the two programs square off since the Cornhuskers beat the Fighting Irish in Nebraska on Sept. 8, 2001, 27-10, and just the third time since 1948. Nebraska is 8-7-1 all time against Notre Dame.

As for the present, both teams are 2-0 in the 2026 college football season, with the Cornhuskers getting home victories over the Ohio Bobcats (49-21) and Bowling Green Falcons (56-7) and the No. 3 AP-ranked Fighting Irish defeating the Wisconsin Badgers at Lambeau Field (41-13) and the Rice Owls at home (52-0).

Nebraska’s Big Ten season opener comes on the road against the Michigan State Spartans on Sept. 26, and it has four AP Top 25-ranked teams on its remaining schedule (Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State and Iowa). Meanwhile, Notre Dame has three AP Top-25 ranked teams on its remaining schedule: BYU, Miami and SMU.

Both Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule and Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman signed new contracts with their respective schools within the last year.

The Cornhuskers are a combined 21-19 under Rhule since 2023, while the Fighting Irish are a combined 45-12 under Freeman since he took over as head coach during the 2021 season, highlighted by reaching the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Keely Hodgkinson admitted she was a “little nervous” to walk out in her ninja-like new speedsuit in London but felt the all-female Athlos meet was the ideal place to debut the fashion-forward Nike ensemble.

Athlos made its international debut at the StoneX Stadium on Friday night after two stagings in New York City. Red carpets, DJs, fashion and music are all part of its entertainment and digital-first ethos.

The 24-year-old walked out to pyrotechnic plumes on a strobe-lit stage to thumping music from a DJ before dominating the 800 metres in sunglasses and an all-black, Catwoman-like, hooded, part-backless kit with a ponytail cutout and long sleeves.

“I’m honoured they let me put this on show,” said the Olympic 800m champion. “I was a little nervous, walking out. The shades helped me block out the noise, but it was really fun and it’s something I’ll remember forever.

“Honestly this has been like a year in the making with all the adjustments and fittings. It was a really fun process with the Nike innovation team. I think it’s a mixture of fashion, speed and science all coming together, for maybe the future of athletics potentially.

“It was a real honour for them to choose me to put this out first. We weren’t sure when we were going to wear it, but in hindsight an all-women’s event, which is all about the glitz and glamour and putting eyes on women, a bit of a moment was the perfect way to finish the season. So it’s really exciting.”

Hodgkinson believes the suit meets legal standards, and while aerodynamics were of the utmost importance, she did negotiate one critical compromise.

She revealed: “The science was like technically with the air drag you’re slower with your hair out, but I was like, ‘that’s a non-negotiable. My hair is staying out’. I’m very much ‘look good, feel good’ [and that] mental and physical balance.”

Asked if everyone will be wearing the style by the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, Hodgkinson said: “We might know some things that people don’t.

“It was a test out there. This is not something we haven’t seen before. Like Cathy Freeman and some other athletes from a while ago did something like this, and this is the updated new version, with the new technology.

“(Freeman) was before I was born, but I have seen the race and photos. It was really cool to draw inspiration from the past and make it your own as well. The style was a big thing for me.

“I wanted to be comfortable but I wanted to feel a little bit sexy, the back’s open and that makes it feel really cool. It feels like I’m wearing nothing to be honest. I trained in it in South Africa in 37-degree heat and it was OK.”

Hodgkinson won in one minute 56.40 seconds to claim 65,000 US dollars (£48,522) from the 1,057,000 million USD (£790,266) prize pot.

Man Utd U21s won 3-2 against Brentford on Friday night, but JJ Gabriel was absent from the squad following his request to leave

20:59, 18 Sep 2026

Followers of Manchester United’s academy were all chatting about JJ Gabriel before Friday’s game at Leigh Sports Village.

The fact that a 15-year-old has dominated headlines this week is surreal but Gabriel is a special talent, which is why the story has taken up column inches in newspapers and been put to Michael Carrick in two press conferences.

Speaking a few hours before the Under-21s’ game against Brentford, Carrick said of Gabriel: “The situation will work itself out, whatever way it’s going to work itself out. Making sure he’s okay is the important thing.”

Gabriel touched down in Barcelona on the same day as his teammates lined up for their final Premier League 2 game before the international break. The youngster’s camp will hold talks with Barcelona, who they have always admired, but Real Madrid have also made progress to sign him.

It was a case of business as usual for the academy at Leigh, though. Gabriel was naturally close to a few of his academy peers, but many of the players will have been motivated by this week’s events.

There was a hint of what Shea Lacey thought of the situation when he posted a photo of himself arriving at Old Trafford, accompanied by a love heart emoji, just hours after the news of Gabriel’s request initially broke.

It’s understandable if some players’ noses have been turned up at the situation with Gabriel because the message has always been consistent: get your head down and earn first-team opportunities.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if some of Gabriel’s teammates bristled at the opportunities he was promised. It’s known for a fact that some people connected to United academy players have felt the special treatment went too far.

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United will be fine if Gabriel departs. It will be a huge blow to lose such an exciting prospect, who Ryan Giggs recently described as a “generational talent”, but, ultimately, no player is bigger than the club.

United are still hopeful of finding a resolution, but the chances of keeping the teenager are very slim. Jason Wilcox has spearheaded the effort to persuade his camp to have a change of heart and he was given respite from the situation by attending the U21s’ match against Brentford.

Carrick did not attend the game, but Wilcox was spotted alongside Darren Fletcher and Stephen Torpey. Gabriel’s camp welcomed the appointment of the latter when he was appointed last year.

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So what does life for the U21s look like if Gabriel leaves? Samuel Lusale benefited from his absence against Brentford, coming into the side, and it opens the door for others to step up to become the team’s talisman.

Amir Ibragimov is a standout candidate to become the side’s driving force. He did not have the captain’s armband against Brentford (he wore it against Sabah’s youth team last week) but he still led by example.

Ibragimov came into the clash with a goal and two assists in three appearances this season. It was not a surprise to see him equalise against Brentford before half-time.

Yuel Helafu did brilliantly to burst down the left wing on the counter-attack, but more importantly, he picked out the right pass, making the switch to Ibragimov, who received the ball on the edge of the box.

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Ibragimov made his senior debut for Russia over the summer, which was a big milestone, but it’s understood he won’t join up with their national team during the September international break to focus on United.

United took the lead in the 63rd minute through Helafu, whose endeavour was rewarded with a stroke of luck for his goal. Shortly after that, Victor Musa extended the advantage. U21 manager Adam Lawrence celebrated both goals on the touchline by fist-pumping the air.

The win was a boost for the academy after a topsy-turvy week. United have had a homegrown player in every matchday squad since 30 October 1937 – and they are still one of the finest developers of young talent.

Dual Melbourne Cup champion Half Yours is set for a challenging campaign as weights for the 2026 race have been released.

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained stayer has been handed 59kg for this year’s Melbourne Cup, a significant 6kg rise from his winning weight 12 months ago.

Half Yours carried 52.5kg in the Caulfield Cup, and his weight for that event has now increased to 57.5kg, with Sir Delius assigned the topweight of 59kg.

Following consultations with industry groups, this year’s Cups will implement a minimum weight of 51kg, a 1kg increase on last year’s benchmark.

This 1kg rise also necessitates a 59kg minimum for the topweight when weights are initially announced.

While Sir Delius was the obvious topweight for the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained galloper was not entered for the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3.

This absence required an adjustment of 1.5kg to the Melbourne Cup weights to achieve the 59kg minimum topweight.

“Sir Delius, a three-time Group 1 winner, stands out as the best performed horse and natural topweight for this year’s Caulfield Cup, however his absence from the Melbourne Cup has necessitated two different sets of weights,” said David Hegan, Racing Victoria’s Head of Handicapping.

“Last year saw the introduction of a 1kg overall increase to the weight structure of both races where topweights must be assigned 59kg at the release of weights and the minimum weight for older horses is 51kg.

“Half Yours was the dominant Caulfield and Melbourne Cup champion in 2025 and has been weighted accordingly. He effectively rises 4.5kg from his Melbourne Cup performance before the additional 1.5kg was applied to ensure a 59kg topweight.”

“That increase applies to all Melbourne Cup entrants above the minimum weight.”

Hegan highlighted Highwayman, a recent winner of the English St Leger, as one of the more interesting contenders in the handicap.

Having achieved the same rating as the 2024 winner Jan Brueghel, Highwayman has been allocated 56.5kg under the new weight scale.

Last year’s Melbourne Cup runner-up, Goodie Two Shoes, will carry 55kg, an increase from the 51.5kg she shouldered in the previous year’s Cup.

Joseph O’Brien, trainer of two Cup winners, has 11 runners entered, including Sons And Lovers (57.5kg) and Defiantly (56.5kg), who are carrying significant weights.

Aeliana has been assigned 58kg for the Melbourne Cup and would have been the topweight, were it not for the 2kg weight-for-age allowance for mares.

The current Caulfield Cup favourite, Green Spaces, has been allocated 54.5kg following his Australian Derby victory at Randwick in the autumn, the same weight as European Group 3 winners Enfjaar and Wine Dark Sea.

Check out the latest racing odds for the Melbourne Cup with top online bookmakers.

Alejandro Tosti took off. 

On his Instagram story late Thursday afternoon, the Argentine pro posted videos of what looked like him aboard a two-seat seaplane flying over the mountains near Asheville, N.C. — a quick joy ride between the first and second rounds of the PGA Tour’s Biltmore Championship Asheville. There was a post of him about to board. Another showed his plane to the side of a commercial plane nearing take-off. Others showed him in the air, and one showed that his plane touched down in a lake.

All of that, though, preceded another departure. 

His caddie’s. 

On Thursday, Tosti and his looper, Cliff Ellis, started the Biltmore Championship on hole 10 at the Cliffs at Walnut Cove, played the back nine, then things got weird. As first reported by Golfweek’s Adam Schupak and then shown Friday on Golf Channel, Ellis stopped carrying Tosti’s bag — on his ninth hole. 

To that point, Tosti had parred his first eight holes, but, according to Schupak’s report, Tosti and Ellis had had a disagreement on Tuesday during a practice round, and it seemingly spilled over to Thursday. On Golf Channel, the two were seen going back and forth as they approached the 18th green, then Ellis dropped Tosti’s bag in the middle of the fairway, took off his caddie bib and walked away. In a text exchange, Tosti told Schupak that he thought Ellis on Thursday had gone to a restroom on the 18th hole. Schupak also reported that Tosti wrote: “He couldn’t keep up with eight pars in a row,” followed by laughing emojis. 

In his eight years as a pro, Tosti has made a few headlines, including one with a caddie in March — at the Tour’s Valspar Championship, caddies wear personalized bibs, and this year, the bib of Tosti’s caddie read: “Need a wife.” In 2023, Tosti was also forced to withdraw from a Korn Ferry Tour event for what was called “a disciplinary measure.” In 2024, Tosti and Tony Finau were at odds over their playing order at the PGA Tour’s Houston Open. 

On Thursday, Tosti shot a one-over 72 — and Golf Channel said he pulled a fan from the crowd to tote his bag for the back nine. As of this writing on Friday, Tosti was through seven holes in his second round and still at one over, four off the projected cutline. He also had new looper on his bag, Patrick Talledo.

Below is Golf Channel’s footage of what happened:

Week 2 of the college football season was nothing but thrilling. 

Oregon and Oklahoma faced massive upsets, Texas claimed the No. 1 spot in the rankings and Bob Chesney and UCLA are continuing to prove their offseason hype in the regular season. Notably, Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor defeated its first Big Ten opponent on the road for the first time since 1980. 

But after two weeks, where do some teams sit in terms of their outlook on the rest of the year?

On “The Joel Klatt Show,” FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt broke down teams that fall into three categories: Time to panic, stay calm and get excited. 

Time To Panic

Klatt’s thoughts: “If not for those two defensive scores, that is a route. A route! The film was alarming for Oregon. On both sides of the ball. I think it’s time to panic. It’s not just the result, now they’re dealing with some injury issues… Injuries are always going to happen, there’s no doubt, but you don’t want them to happen when you’re trying to right the ship.

“I was on a deep dive in both last year’s film from Oregon, and this year against Boise State, and what did I find? Oregon has run-pass tells in their offense, and this is a devastating deal… but the film was also alarming on the defensive side.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Oklahoma doesn’t have an offensive line and they cannot run the football. And in order to move the ball, John Mateer has to be Superman, or they’ve got to create explosive plays. And they couldn’t do either of those things against Michigan last week. Can you really rely on splash explosive plays the entire season? I don’t think you can, it’s ultimately what their Achilles heel was a year ago.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Washington barely snuck out a win against Utah State, 16-14 last week. The offense has not clicked, and that’s where Jed Fish’s experience and expertise lies. And yeah they’re 2-0, but I’m sitting here looking at their schedule and I’m like, ‘Oh I don’t know about this.’ 

“The offense has been hit by a ton of injuries right now. They lost their top two running backs. They lost wide receiver Christian Moss to a leg injury. Starting wide receiver Rashid Williams, he’s week to week… they’re banged up right now.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Does ‘panic’ encapsulate Florida State? I don’t think it does. Fired their athletic director on Monday – by the way that was the same guy who gave Mike Norvell his extension, so handwriting is on the wall there. The athletic department finished the 2025 fiscal year with $437 million of debt. Yikes.

Florida State enters Week 3 on the road at Alabama. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

“The debt thing is a big deal, because if you fire Mike Norvell in the middle of the year you’re going to owe him $50 million… it would be roughly $800,000 a month until 2031… I bring all of that up because this roster is limited, reportedly it’s in the bottom half of the ACC as far as funding goes. They’re 3-14 in their last 17 ACC games. And look at their next four games against Power 4 opponents – this is like panic, panic, panic: at Alabama this weekend in Tuscaloosa; Virginia, which is a good team, they’re ranked; Louisville, which is a very good team, almost beat Ole Miss; and at Miami, who we think is one of the best teams in the country.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Time to panic. They were 8-0 last year at one point behind Haynes King. Now all of a sudden, they’ve lost six of their last seven. Their only win was a fourth quarter comeback against Boston College. I don’t love that. I don’t love the trajectory that’s going on at Georgia Tech. I just don’t. It’s time to panic there.”

Stay Calm

Klatt’s thoughts: “I think it would be easy to get excited based on the way that Colorado ran the ball against Georgia Tech, the way that they threw the ball last week against, granted, FCS Weber State, but this looks different. This looks a lot more real than any of the versions of Colorado. You see their nine-win team with Travis Hunter, Heisman trophy winner and Shedeur Sanders at quarterback – they largely just had elite, upper-level skill position players, and then got by everywhere else. This looks a lot more fundamentally sound.

“They changed their philosophy over the offseason. They went from trying to go after splash recruiting and roster building to production over potential roster building, and it shows. They’re a lot tougher on the line of scrimmage, their defense can actually play up front, they’re committed to the run – they do it with a tight end and a fullback at times, which I really love that physical aspect of the run game.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Let’s all relax about Ohio State. Would they have liked to win that game? Obviously. Were they in position to win that game? Yes… Let’s just take a bit of a chill pill, can we? I mean this is a team that was dominating Texas in their building for three quarters, basically. 

Are they going to be ok? Yes, they are going to be ok. Mainly, the one they’ve got to get fixed is the fact that their defense was exposed late to volume. That’s what happened… What killed Ohio State was the fact that their defense was on the field for the entire fourth quarter and part of the third. So what’s the fix? Well. you’ve got to figure out the red zone. They’re going to have to find a run game in the red zone, and find ways to execute better in the red zone.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Cautiously optimistic about BYU. I think that they are very good, but what we don’t know is can they level up? We’ve seen this before. I know Bear Bachmeier is a grinder and he’s a good player. I know LJ Martin is a good player. I know you’re going to play solid defense. I know all these things – I know you’re going to beat teams that are at your level or below.

“I don’t know what to make of BYU at that level until they play Notre Dame, until they play a Texas Tech.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “I’m going to stay calm. Let’s let Keelon Russell get good at quarterback. I wanted to get excited about them, and not because of Russell and not even because their defense was dominant against Kentucky… this other element showed up in the second half against Kentucky…they stayed committed to the run game…and they ran for over 150 yards. Now that’s a blueprint, a blueprint that allows you to keep the pressure off of your young quarterback. He’s going to continue to get better. 

Keelon Russell led the Crimson Tide to a 45-17 win over Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

“I’m cautiously optimistic about Alabama… I think they’ve got real high potential, a high ceiling if they can run it, bring their quarterback along, and allow him to be explosive both in the pass game and in the run game down the stretch. 

Klatt’s thoughts: “The freshman are really good, I love what they’ve got going out there. At wide receiver, Trent Mosley is a star, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt is very good. Their tight end, Mark Bowman, he’s excellent. Luke Wafle, their defensive end, is one of the better freshmen defensive ends that I’ve seen in a long time – he creates havoc in the backfield. And this is looking like what Lincoln Riley told us about over the course of the offseason.

“But I’m going to be cautious with this one, and the reason is I still want to see it from a defensive perspective against better competition. I still need to see them play well, get after the quarterback and more specifically stop the run in a big matchup-style game.”

Get Excited

Klatt’s thoughts: “I’m excited about UCLA. Now, this doesn’t mean I think they’re going to the playoff. This means that, if I’m a UCLA fan, I am thrilled with how this season has started. You’ve got an experienced quarterback in Nico Iamaleava…Wayne Knight has been tremendous…

(Bob) Chesney knows what he’s doing. He brought that entire staff, he brought all that core of players, this is a team that I think is going to knock somebody off in the Big Ten that we don’t expect them to knock off in the Big Ten. That’s a real team.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “I am absolutely thrilled and excited about Miami. I think they’re better than they were a year ago. Here’s the thing that I’m going to hang my hat on: Darian Mensah looks like an upgrade at quarterback from Carson Beck. He looks dynamic, and that’s scary because they’re still dominating at the offensive line level.

“They’re still dominating at the defensive line. That’s the DNA of their program, they’ve recruited very well… the one thing that gets me the most excited: Malachi Toney. Malachi Toney is an absolute cheat code. He is phenomenal, you can get him the ball anywhere and he can dominate a game.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Yeah it was sloppy for Texas, but I’m excited about Texas. If I’m a Longhorn fan today, I am fired up. Why? Because the ceiling has now been lifted off of my program. [Coach Steve] Sarkisian said it himself in the postgame presser: ‘Now we know we can.’ That was the most important comment, from any coach, across America on Saturday.

Arch Manning and Texas are the new No. 1 team in the nation after upsetting Ohio State 24-23. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

“What’s more dangerous than a talented team? A talented team that believes. And now Texas believes. It wasn’t pretty. In fact, they’re watching the film thinking to themselves, ‘We should have won that by more.’ … I’m excited about those backs. Woo! Those backs can run, man.” 

Klatt’s thoughts: “You could tell me, ‘No, no, no, Joel, you need to stay calm.’ I’m not going to stay calm, I’m going to get excited about Michigan. And here’s the reason why: they won Kyle Whittingham’s way. His DNA was all over that field. He won the tug of war.

“New coaches have to go in and win the culture of that locker room. And to win the locker room over, you’ve got to be more steadfast than the locker room. And that’s what that win did for them against Oklahoma. They did it with man coverage – that’s Kyle Whittingham. They did it with great pass rush. That’s Kyle Whittingham. And they did it running the quarterback, being rugged on offense. That’s. Kyle. Whittingham.”

Kamario Taylor and Mississippi State defeated Minnesota on the road 38-13. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Klatt’s thoughts: “I am excited about Mississippi State, and I think you should be too. They’re quietly out there. They went up there and hammered Minnesota, and that’s not a bad Minnesota team… That’s a really good win for Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State. I love their quarterback, Kamario Taylor. He’s the new star on the block. This kid can throw it, he’s athletic. He’s big, 6-foot-4, 230 pounds. He’s mobile, he’s got an absolute cannon. This kid executes this system really well. 

“They will beat someone that raises your eyebrows in the SEC this year. I’m excited about Mississippi State this year. I really like them. Defense is playing well. In particular, last week didn’t allow an offensive touchdown against Minnesota.”