We probably should have seen a slow start coming for Oregon.

The Ducks were a trendy national title pick before the season began, No. 2 in the preseason AP poll.

They have been one of the best recruiting teams in the country with Dan Lanning in charge, and according to a report from The Athletic this week, have one of the three highest-paid rosters in college football at somewhere between $48 and $54 million.

For some time now, people have thought Oregon would be the next college football program to win its first national title, an honor Indiana actually stole from the Ducks after beating them twice last season.

And they still are right on the doorstep. But this season, which has begun with a narrow win over Boise State and a loss at an Oklahoma State team that, while talented, lost to Tulsa the week before, doesn’t seem likely to be that breakthrough.

What Oregon’s slow start means for title expectations

To me, there’s one obvious reason that you can point to as to why Oregon hasn’t lived up to expectations.

It has two new coordinators this season, replacing outgoing offensive coordinator Will Stein (now the head coach at Kentucky) and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi (now the head coach at Cal) with internal hires.

In a season where it appeared the Ducks had a national championship-caliber roster, they haven’t remotely looked up to the job so far. The coordinator changes could certainly explain that.

Quarterback Dante Moore hasn’t been bad by any means (569 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions before annihilating Portland State), but the Oregon rushing attack, which lost its leading rusher but returned Nos. 2 and 3 in rushing from a season ago, was averaging just over half as many yards per game (104.5) as it did in 2025 (198.6) before taking it out on the FCS foe.

All in all, an offense loaded with future NFL talent ranked 80th in total offense (389.0 yards per game) before the mismatch this week.

The defensive stats were somehow even worse, with the Ducks ranking 117th out of 138 FBS teams in allowing 414.0 yards per game.

One could point that Oregon has played a tougher schedule than just about any other team through two weeks of the season, with many teams easing into things with cupcakes while the Ducks did not.

But that doesn’t explain this level of discrepancy, not when LSU is No. 3 in total offense and No. 1 in total defense and has also played a Power Four opponent (Clemson) and a Group of Six team (Louisiana Tech) through two games.

It’s entirely possible Oregon figures it out. The 2024 team started with a shockingly close win over an FCS team and a narrow home win over Boise State before finishing the regular season 12-0, winning the Big Ten in its first year in the league and earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

But it’s about time to flip that switch, especially since this Oregon squad has already squandered one of its few mulligans with a tough conference slate looming.

NEW DELHI: India’s medal campaign at the Asian Games 2026 will gather pace on Sunday, with several athletes and teams in action across different events.

Teqball: Two medal chances

Quimcy Joaquim Dsouza and Mohd Anas Imran Beg will be in action in the mixed doubles bronze-medal match. They will face Vietnam’s Gia Nghi Trinh and Hoang Minh Tan Nguyen.The Indian pair had lost to the Vietnamese duo in the quarter-finals and will now get another chance to finish on the podium.Quimcy will also have another medal opportunity in the individual event. She will face Japan’s Yuina Sakamoto in the individual bronze-medal match.

Cricket: India women face Bangladesh

The Indian women’s cricket team will take on Bangladesh in the semifinal.India will look to defend the gold medal they won at the 2023 Asian Games.

Shooting: India in 10m air rifle

The shooting range will also see Indian athletes in action.Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Vidarsa K Vinod will compete in the women’s 10m air rifle events as India look for another strong showing.

Hockey: India men and women begin campaigns

India’s hockey campaign will also begin on Sunday.The Indian men’s team, placed in Pool A, will face Indonesia in its opening match.The Indian women’s team, placed in Pool B, will also start its campaign against Uzbekistan.With medal events in teqball, a cricket semifinal, shooting action and the start of both hockey campaigns, Sunday will be an important day for the Indian contingent at the Asian Games 2026.

India’s complete schedule for today – September 20

WXV Global Series

England (19) 26

Tries: Moloney-MacDonald 2, Botterman, Field Cons: Harrison 3

Canada (19) 26

Tries: Gibson, Menin 2 Cons: De Goede 3

England’s remarkable 39-match winning run came to an end as they were held to a nail-biting 26-26 draw by Canada at Sandy Park.

The Red Roses were unable to escape the clutches of a relentless Canada, who they beat in last year’s World Cup final, with the two sides sharing four tries apiece in front of a raucous 14,573 crowd in Exeter.

Canada are the first team to avoid defeat against England since New Zealand beat them in the 2022 World Cup final, but John Mitchell’s side are now unbeaten in 40 Tests.

The draw also ended England’s 100% home record against Canada, having won each of their previous 13 home meetings.

In a pulsating opening 25 minutes, England were twice required to come from behind, with tries from Claudia Moloney-MacDonald and Hannah Botterman cancelling out scores by Lizzie Gibson and DaLeaka Menin for Canada.

Exeter winger Moloney-MacDonald had a try disallowed before giving England the lead for the first time in the 32nd minute, getting on the end of a surging run from Sadia Kabeya for her second of the match.

However, Canada – who had earlier had a brilliant solo effort from Asia Hogan-Rochester chalked off for a forward pass – hit back on the stroke of half-time when Menin crashed over from close range.

England weathered 10 minutes of sustained pressure at the beginning of the second half before the two sides exchanged tries again, prop Bryony Field restoring the lead for the hosts before Canada scrum-half Olivia Apps scored under the posts after a dancing run from Sophie de Goede down the left wing.

England looked the most likely to steal the win in a chaotic final 10 minutes, including being held up over the line, but were left to a rue a turnover in front of the posts and a loose carry as Canada battled through for the draw.

UEFA and CONCACAF have called on FIFA to release at least $10 million to each of its 211 member associations from its cash reserves.

The request was made in a letter to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, signed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani.

The letter comes amid growing disagreement over Infantino’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), a plan that would have created a new company to manage the commercial and ticketing rights of FIFA competitions.

Under the proposal, 21% of the new company would have been sold to an investment company. However, the plan was withdrawn after four days following strong opposition from national football associations.

According to the letter, FIFA is expected to end the 2023-26 financial cycle with reserves of about $6 billion.

Ceferin and Montagliani argued that the amount is considerably more than FIFA needs to operate until the 2030 World Cup.

They called for at least $10 million to be made available to each of FIFA’s 211 member associations for the 2027-30 cycle.

The money, they said, should be used for football development and infrastructure.

The proposed one-off payment would cost FIFA about $2.11 billion and would come in addition to the regular funding already planned for the cycle.

The two confederation presidents also called for an independent review of FIFA’s finances, with full access to the figures and assumptions used in its financial planning.

They said FIFA’s accumulated reserves belong to football and should serve the interests of its member associations.

The letter also questioned whether the controversial FFE proposal was necessary to provide more resources to football.

When the FFE plan was first presented, Infantino told FIFA members they could receive up to $40 million if they supported it. A deadline of September 19 was also set for federations that wanted to access an initial $20 million.

A separate letter has been sent to the presidents of the other FIFA confederations in Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania, asking them to support the proposed release of funds.

The development comes a day after Football Association chair Debbie Hewitt wrote to Infantino and FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom, demanding the release of all documents linked to the FFE proposal.

Hewitt, who is also a FIFA vice-president, also asked FIFA to provide its Council with a written explanation over the cancellation of the suspension of United States forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup.

She wants the documents released before the next FIFA Council meeting scheduled for October 15.

Infantino, 56, is set to seek a fourth term as FIFA president in March 2027. Potential opponents have until November 18 to put forward an alternative candidate.

McCartney Kessler has called an end to her 2026 season after the US Open.

Kessler is a former top 30 player and has won three WTA titles in her career, but has faced a more difficult season in 2026.

The 27-year-old has only won 16 of her 35 matches on the main tour this year, with Kessler failing to reach the semi-finals of any WTA event.

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After Kessler lost her last three matches, including in the first round of the US Open, she has announced that she will be taking a step back from the WTA Tour until 2027.

McCartney Kessler releases statement after ending her season

Kessler was beaten by Ekaterina Alexandrova in the first round of the US Open, which is her only defeat in the opening round of any Grand Slam tournament this year.

The American has faced many physical struggles in 2026, perhaps most notably with Kessler suffering a back injury during USA’s Billie Jean King Cup defeat to Belgium.

Kessler has now taken to Instagram to confirm that she will be ending her season, despite stating that she did not want to make this decision.

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She wrote, “Grateful for the lessons this year taught me about trusting myself and listening to my body.

“That being said, this year has been physically demanding, and my team and I have decided it’s time to take a step back and let my body heal. It’s not what I wanted, but I know it’s what I need to give it my all on court. See you next year, healthier AND happier.”

Kessler’s post was liked by world number three Jessica Pegula, and she also received messages of support from the likes of Iva Jovic and Eva Lys.

While this is a decision Kessler did not want to make, she is not the only player who is currently taking a break from tennis, with Ajla Tomjlanovic, Lulu Sun, Marton Fucsovics and Beatriz Haddad Maia also announcing that they will be out for the rest of 2026.

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What will happen to McCartney Kessler’s ranking now?

As a result of Kessler’s struggle for form and fitness, she has dropped 42 places down from her ranking at the start of the season down to world number 73.

Kessler ending her season means that she will only drop further, having played four more tournaments in Asia in the latter stages of the 2025 season.

During the Asian swing last year, Kessler earned a total of 298 ranking points, which will now all drop from her ranking. This would currently place Kessler at world number 119 in the live WTA rankings.

This is significant for Kessler, as it means that she will not receive direct entry for the Australian Open next year and will have to compete in qualifying instead.

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The last time Kessler competed in the qualifying draw at a Grand Slam tournament was at Wimbledon in 2024, when she successfully advanced to the main draw.

The most embarrassing playoff race in Major League Baseball history (Homer Simpson voice: “The most embarrassing playoff race in Major League Baseball history SO FAR”) is taking place in the American League, where half the field will be lucky to get to the postseason with a winning record.

But the greatest testament to MLB’s hubris is in the National League, where the expansion of the postseason has ensured there’s no wild card race at all.

Not only are the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres all tied for the three NL wild card berths at 85-69 entering play today, they are five games clear of the free-falling Arizona Diamondbacks, who have lost six of eight.

Barring a historical collapse by one of the three tri-leaders, the only suspense over the final eight days of the season will be about seeding and three-way tiebreaker scenarios, the latter of which I’m not going to worry about until at least next Thursday.

And while there’s certainly value in earning the fourth seed and home field in the wild card round as well as avoiding falling to the six seed and facing the Atlanta Braves in a best-of-three series, it’s not nearly as compelling as the Phillies, Cubs and Padres battling for one or two berths. 

Imagine the theatre and the scoreboard-watching around the country if at least one of the three NL wild card teams was going to have to head home for the potentially endless winter next Sunday.

The most memorable final day of a season in recent memory — Sept. 28, 2011 — was born out of the knowledge that either the Boston Red Sox or Tampa Bay Rays were not going to make the playoffs as the AL wild card team. The Red Sox were left out when they were walked off by the last-place Baltimore Orioles shortly before Dan Johnson hit the most memorable homer of his life to give the Rays a walk-off 11-inning win over the New York Yankees.

There will be none of that a week from Sunday, which will be another reminder one wild card per league was the perfect arrangement. But of course the playoffs had to be expanded because there was more money to be made, more devaluing of what was once the greatest regular season in sports and more randomness to infuse into the postseason.

Don’t worry, though. At some point following the impending never-ending lockout, Major League Baseball will expand to 32 teams, because what a sport with not enough pitching and too many billionaires crying poverty needs is MORE teams.

And when Major League Baseball goes to 32 teams, the playoffs will expand to 16 teams and there’ll be eight playoff teams in each league. And that will solve the lack of suspense in the NL wild card race!

If there was a 16-team format right now, the Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates (77-77) would be “leading” the race for the final two NL wild card spots, with the Miami Marlins (76-78) and St. Louis Cardinals (75-79) in something resembling hot pursuit. And thus some year soon, we’ll be pining for the good ol’ days of 2026, when only one league had playoff teams threatening to squeak in at .500 or worse.

A father and son who built their legacy in hammer throw shared one of the biggest moments of the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday.Japan’s Shigenobu Murofushi and his son Koji Murofushi jointly lit the cauldron at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, bringing the torch relay to a memorable end.Both Shigenobu and Koji are former Asian Games champions in hammer throw. The duo climbed the stairs to the podium together before lighting the cauldron.The ceremony featured dance, music and fireworks as the Asian Games officially opened in Aichi-Nagoya.

From Olympic champion to father-son moment

The cauldron lighting was the final part of a relay involving some of Japan’s biggest sporting names.Women’s wrestler Fujinami Akari brought the torch into the stadium before passing it to four-time Olympic swimming champion Kitajima Kosuke.The torch then went to Ito Koji, a three-time gold medallist in athletics at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. Takahashi Ayaka, the 2016 Rio Olympics badminton women’s doubles champion, was next.

The torch was then handed to Koji Murofushi, the 2004 Athens Olympics hammer throw champion.The final torchbearer was his father, Shigenobu Murofushi, who won the Asian Games hammer throw title five times in a row.The two then came together to light the cauldron, which had a metallic design inspired by the shape of a heart.

Who is Shigenobu Murofushi?

Shigenobu Murofushi is one of Japan’s most successful hammer throwers. He competed at three Olympic Games — Munich 1972, Montreal 1976 and Los Angeles 1984.He also served as Japan’s flag-bearer at the 1984 Olympics.Murofushi initially tried sumo and shot put before taking up hammer throw. In 1984, he set a Japanese record of 75.96m. That mark remained the national record until his son Koji broke it in 1998.Shigenobu won the Asian Games hammer throw gold medal in 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982 and 1986. He also won silver in 1966.His Asian Games medal record includes five gold medals and one silver.He also won gold at the 1979 and 1981 Asian Championships.

Shigenobu’s Olympic journey

While Shigenobu dominated the Asian Games, an Olympic medal remained out of reach.He finished eighth at the 1972 Munich Olympics, 11th at Montreal 1976 and 15th at Los Angeles 1984.His son would later achieve what he could not at the Olympics.

Koji Murofushi followed his father’s footsteps

Koji started hammer throw at the age of 10 under the guidance of his father.He went on to become one of the leading hammer throwers in the world. Koji won the silver medal at the 2001 World Championships before claiming bronze in 2003.His biggest Olympic moment came at the 2004 Athens Games, where he won the hammer throw gold medal.He added an Olympic bronze at the 2012 London Games.Koji also became world champion in 2011 in Daegu.

Koji’s Asian Games medal record

Koji continued his family’s success at the Asian Games.He won gold in hammer throw at Bangkok in 1998 and Busan in 2002. He had earlier won silver at Hiroshima in 1994.His Asian Games record therefore includes two gold medals and one silver.Koji also won gold at the 2002 Asian Championships and three silver medals at the continental championships in 1993, 1995 and 1998.

A family legacy comes full circle

The Murofushis have now added another special chapter to their long sporting legacy.Shigenobu dominated the Asian Games in the 1970s and 1980s. Koji followed him into the event and later became an Olympic and world champion.On Saturday, the father and son stood together at the centre of the Asian Games opening ceremony — not to compete, but to light the flame that officially began the Games.

Glittering opening ceremony

The 20th Asian Games officially began in Nagoya with a two-hour opening ceremony at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium. Japan’s Emperor Naruhito officially declared the Games open. Empress Masako, members of the Japanese imperial family, Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani and International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry were also present at the ceremony.The event started with the Japanese national anthem and the raising of the national flag. Nine members of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces carried the flag to the stage before it was hoisted.The stadium was then turned dark, with a spotlight focused on the Japanese flag.The ceremony was followed by the parade of athletes. Teams from 45 nations and regions took part, along with the OCA Refugee Team, taking the total number of participating delegations to 46.

After a strong offseason and training camp, the Baltimore Ravens will be without rookie star wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane in the coming weeks. According to CBS Sports, Lane is expected to undergo surgery to repair a fractured wrist.

Lane could reportedly undergo surgery as early as Wednesday and is expected to miss nearly a month of action. While the Ravens have not yet assigned an official injury designation, placing him on injured reserve has yet to be ruled out.

Injuries to both Lane and Zay Flowers (hamstring) have quickly tested Baltimore’s revamped receiving depth. As the Ravens prepare for Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints, Rashod Bateman, Chris Moore, and Elijah Sarratt are next in line on the depth chart at wide receiver. 

Lane had lined up as a running mate with Flowers in Week 1, lining up at the Z position. With his 6-foot-4 frame, he was set to become a prime red zone target for quarterback Lamar Jackson.

The 21-year-old receiver arrived in Baltimore as a third-round pick out of USC, where he was one of the youngest prospects in his draft class. Lane built an impressive three-season résumé with the Trojans, hauling in 99 receptions for 1,363 yards and 18 touchdowns,

Lane’s debut was cut short in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts, exiting with a wrist injury after catching one of three targets for 11 yards. Following high expectations for his rookie season, all eyes now shift toward his timeline to get back on the field.

A one-month timeline could force Lane to miss games against the Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. 

England vs Sri Lanka, 3rd T20I Live Score: England won the toss and elected to field first in the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka in Manchester, with the hosts already having secured the series 2-0. England captain Harry Brook said his side were comfortable chasing on a surface that looked good for batting, while expecting the strong wind and unusual ground dimensions to play a role.

“We’re going to have a bowl tonight. We fancy a chase. It looks like a good surface, and hopefully we can restrict them to a low score,” Brook said.

Brook also stressed the importance of adapting to the conditions, saying England would look to make the wind work in their favour while trying to take early wickets. The visitors, meanwhile, made one change, with Nuwan Thushara coming in for the rested Dushmantha Chameera.

Asalanka said he would also have opted to bowl first had he won the toss. He identified batting as an area Sri Lanka needed to improve, particularly by building on their strong powerplay in the second T20I and avoiding wickets at regular intervals.

For Sri Lanka, adapting quickly remains a major challenge at a venue with different dimensions and conditions. England, meanwhile, are aiming to finish the series with another win after dominating the first two matches.