It’s about that time, as the offseason winds down, and predictions start looming. Which teams are bound to make waves this college football season?

As Oregon returns plenty of production from their 2025 team and Indiana aims for a repeat title, the competition for conference championships and a national title are wide open. 

Here are Klatt’s predictions for every Power Four conference champion, 12-team bracket and his national champion prediction:

Conference Championship Game Predictions

Klatt’s thoughts: “I do think that the Big Ten is absolutely loaded at the top. I think all of us know that after all these preseason rankings have finally come out. We saw Ohio State at the top of the AP [Top 25 Poll]. Oregon was at the top of my preseason poll. And you still have Indiana, the defending national champion. You’ve got teams like USC, Penn State and Michigan, who will all be in there vying and trying to level up into that rarefied air of those top three teams in the Big Ten. 

“Ohio State’s schedule is going to be too difficult. … They’ve got to play at Iowa after opening on the road in Week 2 against Texas. They’ve got to play on the road several times against very difficult opponents. They’ve got to go to USC. They’ve got to go to Indiana. These are all very difficult places to play. That’s why I don’t think Ohio State will make it to Indianapolis.

“Oregon’s also got a difficult schedule, but I think they’re going to be prepared to handle it. I think Indiana gets back into that spot. … I’m going to take Dan Lanning and the Ducks.”

Kirby Smart and Steve Sarkisian have led their respective programs to plenty of success. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Klatt’s thoughts: “This is a very deep conference — we all know that. I think there are two, at least in this month, that are maybe better than the rest. We’ll see how it plays out, particularly with a team like LSU. But I really, really like Georgia and Texas. I really like Texas a lot. My wild card is LSU. 

“You start to wonder to yourself if [Texas coach Steve Sarkisian] can get over the hump. Let’s just say if Ohio State were to beat them early in the season, that could be a real defining moment for that program. For them to turn things around and break some of those barriers later in the season — one of those barriers being Georgia and Kirby Smart. I don’t want to bet against Georgia and Kirby Smart, but I don’t know if they’re going to have the firepower to keep up with what could be a very good offense in Texas.  

“I think Texas and Steve Sarkisian can get over that hump.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “This one’s pretty easy. Texas Tech is the most talented team in the league, and they’ve got a pretty soft schedule. They only have one ranked opponent on their schedule as it stands right now: Week 3 against Houston. 

“Who will Texas Tech face? I like Arizona a lot, but I just don’t love their schedule in the Big 12. They’ve got quarterback Noah Fifita coming back. I really like what they’ve done with their program. … You just look at these schedules and I just don’t love it for Arizona. They’ve got at BYU, at Texas Tech and home against Utah.

“I think the second spot goes to the winner of the Holy War, BYU and Utah. As was the case a year ago, I’m going to lean toward BYU. A lot of turnover at Utah. Meanwhile, BYU, they still have head coach Kelani Sitake, quarterback Bear Bachmaier and running back LJ Martin.

“Texas Tech is just at a different level in terms of the roster compilation against the other Big 12 schools.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Miami has a similar gap over the ACC. I don’t see them losing an ACC game this year. They might lose to Notre Dame. I’ll predict that they do lose to Notre Dame. But Miami is not going to have a large issue when it comes to the ACC schedule.

“The real question is who is Miami going to face? You start to throw out those teams you think might have the talent and schedule to get themselves into the ACC Championship Game. I have four teams I considered here: Clemson, Virginia Tech, SMU and Louisville. With Clemson and Virginia Tech, I just don’t know. … Louisville and SMU happen to play each other in a monster game in September. I’m going to go with SMU because they’re 14-2 in ACC play since joining the conference a year ago. 

“But SMU is not in Miami’s hemisphere, at least as it currently stands.”

The 12-Team Bracket

Klatt’s thoughts: “If Oregon were to win the Big Ten with only one loss, then I think the Ducks take the No. 1 seed. They’re rewarded for winning the Big Ten.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “I think Notre Dame goes undefeated, but their schedule is just not anywhere close to Oregon’s.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “With only one loss to an undefeated Notre Dame on the road, I think Miami gets the No. 3 seed. … They’re 12-1 with an ACC championship.”

Arch Manning is entering his second season as Texas’ starting quarterback.(Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images)

Klatt’s thoughts: “The fourth spot is a tough call. I think it’ll come down to a team that did not play in their conference championship game, but beat a conference champion. Texas is going to get the fourth spot because the SEC championship, fresh off a win against Kirby Smart and Georgia, will help give Texas all the love that they want, and they’re going to be one spot ahead of a team that beat them: Ohio State.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Ohio State is going to be rated one spot ahead of the sixth-place team, Indiana, because in this prediction, I’ve got Ohio State with a win over Indiana. Ohio State would have wins over Texas and Indiana, but loses on the final bye seed because Texas has the SEC championship.”

Curt Cignetti is 27-2 at Indiana. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Klatt’s thoughts: “Indiana would have the sixth seed because of their loss to Ohio State as an 11-2 team.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Georgia would be No. 7 after the loss to Texas in the SEC Championship Game.” 

Klatt’s thoughts: “Texas Tech’s strength of schedule is not anywhere close. So, even as a conference champion, unless they were undefeated and beating everyone by 20 or 25 — I could see them losing a game in the Big 12 slate — I’ve got them as the eighth seed.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Now, it starts to get interesting. I think everyone can agree that the first eight teams are the best eight teams. Who in the world is going to play themselves into the final at-large spots? I’m bullish on [USC]. … I think USC is going to have a real fantastic year. I like what they’re doing at the line of scrimmage, both offensively and defensively. I love the fact that they’re going to run the football. I love the fact that they’re returning their starting quarterback. I’ve got them going 10-2 with loss to Oregon and Indiana, but they pick up a huge resume-building win against Ohio State.” 

Lane Kiffin enters his first year at LSU after a 55-19 tenure at Ole Miss. (Photo by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)

Klatt’s thoughts: “I just think LSU is going to come out and play very solid football. That doesn’t mean they’re going to win their conference. I don’t know if they’re going to go to that echelon. But I can certainly see them fixing what happened on the offensive side of the football. … Lane Kiffin’s going to have them generating 500 yards of offense, week in and week out. This idea that it’s somehow a question or anomaly of how this is going to come together with all these players from the transfer portal, let’s not act like Kiffin hasn’t done this before. … LSU is going to be a 10-2 team.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “I’ve got three teams going for the final at-large spot in the College Football Playoff: Penn State (they’re going to be 10-2), Alabama (at 10-2) and the winner of the Michigan-Oklahoma game. I think the winner of that game will go 9-3. So, they’re going to have a huge resume-building win out of conference, but they’re still 9-3. … I think Penn State gets thrown out right away because they won’t have a resume-building win. In this scenario, they would have lost to Michigan and USC and there’s not a marquee win on their schedule. Alabama would be 10-2 against either 9-3 Michigan or Oklahoma. 

“This team should be excellent on defense. … This is a team that I think can get back to that Alabama defensive identity.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Let’s just go with Boise State. Can anyone predict the Group of 5? These rosters turn over with such a huge degree. … I think Boise State will get rewarded with a tougher strength of schedule.”

First Round

Klatt’s thoughts: “Ohio State should win this game pretty handily.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Kalen DeBoer and company go up to Bloomington and guess what? They still can’t stop Indiana from running the football. Indiana might run it 55 times in the weather up there.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “Great year for Lane Kiffin. I do think they need to win a playoff game for them to reach their expectations. … But Georgia moves on.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “I don’t think Texas Tech, based on what we saw last year in the postseason when it got shut out by Oregon, will be up to par with a team like USC, who’ll be very tested by that point.”

Quarterfinals

Klatt’s thoughts: “I like USC a lot, but not in this game. Oregon’s my No. 1 overall seed for a reason.”

Gunnar Stockton and Georgia lost to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff two seasons ago. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Klatt’s thoughts: “I think Notre Dame is going to be incredible. They’re going to play against Georgia, and they’re going to win. Notre Dame is going to win that game for the second time in three years.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “I thought it was a coin flip… but Miami is just building something. I think Miami wins that game.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “This would be the fourth meeting in the last three years. I have to take Ohio State. I think they have something over Texas.”

Semifinals

Will Oregon get revenge over Ohio State for its loss in the 2025 Rose Bowl?(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Klatt’s thoughts: “I said that Oregon is super talented… at this point, who knows what the depth looks like for Ohio State?… Give me Oregon.”

Klatt’s thoughts: “A rematch of that game in South Bend this year. I think Notre Dame wins the first one, I think Notre Dame wins the second one. Notre Dame is that good.”

National Championship

Klatt’s thoughts: “It might be a curse to be the team that I pick as the national champ. Last year, I picked Clemson. 

“My national champ in my very first bracket prediction of the year is [drumroll please]: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.”

A significant amount of time and distance has elapsed since Skybird last visited the winner’s enclosure.

That last victory occurred on a rain-soaked Flemington track when the mare, prepared by Mitch Freedman, captured the Group 1 Lightning Stakes over 1000 metres.

Freedman is hoping for similar conditions as Skybird heads to Sandown on Saturday to contest the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m), a race that has been shifted from Moonee Valley due to the track’s ongoing transformation.

The Moir Stakes, now being staged at Sandown, offers a different dynamic compared to a 1000m race at Moonee Valley, a fact that Freedman is well aware of.

Skybird competed in the Moir last year, finishing sixth behind Baraqiel, a run where she encountered considerable traffic issues.

“Being at Sandown and not around The Valley, it changes the dynamics a bit, maybe not the field size and hopefully she can have a bit more luck than last year,” Freedman stated.

Following her Moir Stakes run, Skybird contested the Manikato Stakes, again at Moonee Valley. Her subsequent racing campaign was entirely interstate, taking in Adelaide, Brisbane, and Sydney.

Skybird’s most recent start was in the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm in May.

“She’s come off a Brisbane campaign which is not something the stable has done before, but it’s amazing how quickly she has come up,” Freedman explained.

“She’s had the one trial, worked really well, and went to Caulfield during the week for another trip away from home.

“She’ll go first-up into the Moir and hopefully undo some of the wrongs from last year.

“Hopefully there is a bit of rain about in the lead-up and we can see her perform up to her best, because at her best, she’s right up there with the top sprinters in the land.

“She’s been beaten just over three-quarters-of-a-length by two superstars in Joliestar and Giga Kick, so she’s certainly around the mark on her day.”

Freedman indicated that he would not hesitate to travel Skybird again during this campaign.

“We’ll keep an eye on what races are coming up and when,” Freedman said.

“We know Victoria and New South Wales like to run big races at the same time, so if we have to swing one way, we know travel doesn’t affect her.

“She relishes the travel, so we’ll monitor if there’s a race that looks a little bit softer or there’s some (bad) weather coming that might allow us to get those soft track conditions, then we might take those opportunities.

“She’s pretty versatile and ticks a lot of boxes as to the courses she can race on and we’ve got her narrowed down now to 1000 to 1200 (metres), that’s about her and any sting out of the ground, she gets through it better than most.”

Get involved in the 2026 Moir Stakes action by checking out the available betting sites and apps in Australia.

ATLANTA (AP) — Tarik Skubal knows he will feel emotions when he makes his return to Detroit on Friday night to pitch against the Tigers only four weeks after he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Skubal says he hopes to focus on representing the Dodgers instead of dwelling on his memories with the Tigers at Comerica Park. He acknowledged it may not be easy to keep his emotions in check.

“We’ll see, right?” Skubal told SI.com on Wednesday. “The whole process was emotional. I have a lot of respect for those guys over there. I’m just going to go play baseball.”

Overall this season, Skubal is 8-7 with a 2.91 ERA. In four starts for the Dodgers since the Aug. 1 trade, Skubal is 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA. He is coming off his first win for the Dodgers. The left-hander had 11 strikeouts in seven innings in a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

Skubal, 29, made his major league debut with Detroit in 2020 and had played for no other team before the trade. The deal sent the two-time defending AL Cy Young winner to the two-time defending World Series champions.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he believes Skubal has the right temperament to handle the emotions which will come with his Detroit homecoming.

“I think, you know, that whole ‘be where your feet are’ adage, I think that’s just who he is,” Roberts said Wednesday. “Some people have a hard time letting go, but I think that Tarik is a guy that, wherever he’s at, he’s all in.”

Roberts said he expects Skubal “is going to try to engage guys and immerse himself with coaches, with his teammates, the best he can. That’s a good trait. Like I said, I’ve only known him a short time, but I’m really, really fortunate we got him on our club. Not even just for the pitching, just beyond.”

Skubal said he is “sure it will be emotional there just because of the history.” The emotions will be fresh because he has had less than one month to adjust to his new Los Angeles home before making his return to Detroit.

“But at the end of the day, I’ve got to go play baseball,” Skubal said. “I’ve got to compete and do what I do well, what makes me a good pitcher. I’ll probably handle the emotions after.”

The Tigers are expected to have right-hander Drew Anderson (4-5, 4.09 ERA) face Skubal in the opener of the three-game series.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Cameron Norrie will have to console himself with a win at a padel tournament after his miserable summer at the grand slams ended in another first-round defeat.

Norrie, who did not make it past the opening round at the French Open or Wimbledon, was dumped out of the US Open by unheralded Frenchman Luca Van Assche.

It was a sorry Sunday for the 31-year-old, who woke up to find he had been overtaken as British number one by Arthur Fery following his run to the Winston-Salem final.

Norrie revealed beforehand that he won a padel competition among his friends while on his stag do in Ibiza last month.

It turns out that was the only victory he could savour after slipping to a 6-7 (6) 6-2 6-2 6-3 defeat.

Norrie pointedly shouted ‘allez’ on his way to securing a grind of a first set on a tie-break.

Whether that wound up Van Assche is unclear but the 22-year-old made no such mistake in the second to haul himself level.

Norrie, the 29th seed, then found himself in a New York nightmare as the match quickly got away from him.

“It was really tough,” he said. “I was pretty nervous and it showed in the beginning of the first set, and I did well to steal that first set.

“But I could never really maintain a good level of energy and momentum, and I’d play well for a little bit and then drop off a couple of games here and there.

“So that was super frustrating and pretty surprising. I felt like I lost to myself today.”

There was better news for Britain in the women’s draw as Katie Boulter came through a tough match against American wild card Carol Young Suh Lee.

British number one Boulter, 30, looked to be cruising through at a set and a break ahead, only for some costly double-faults to let Lee back in.

However Boulter, cheered on by new husband Alex De Minaur, gathered herself on a noisy, partisan Court Five to win 6-4 3-6 6-0.

A tricky assignment could await in round two, however, with a potential tie against this year’s Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova.

Novak Djokovic never likes to get eliminated early in a tournament. In this case, he is looking on the bright side.

The 39-year-old who holds the record with 24 Grand Slam titles goes into the U.S. Open fresh off losing his first match at the Cincinnati Open earlier this month. That was his first action since Wimbledon, but he is at peace with the outcome.

“It gave me time to be preparing for U.S. Open in a most adequate way,” Djokovic said Saturday. “I had almost few weeks, actually two weeks, to really train and get my body and mind into the right state, prepared for what’s coming up.” Seeded fourth, Djokovic begins his quest for a 25th Grand Slam championship – and fifth in Flushing Meadows – against 48th-ranked Mariano Navone on Sunday night inside Arthur Ashe Stadium. Despite being a sizable favorite, he is not looking past Navone.

“Let’s see how it goes,” Djokovic said. “The opening matches are always for me, particularly in the last few years, quite challenging. So, hopefully I can overcome the first hurdle and build from there.” Djokovic has played in just 16 tournaments this year, the fewest of anyone ranked in the top 95 on the ATP Tour. He reached the semifinals at Wimbledon before losing to Jannik Sinner, was out in the round of 32 at the French Open and made it to the Australian Open final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.

This will be Djokovic’s 20th appearance in the U.S. Open as he joins Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Feliciano Lopez as the only players to hit that milestone in men’s singles.

“I’m very proud of that,” Djokovic said. “Obviously, longevity was always one of the goals when I was younger: trying to have long career, trying to have more shots at Grand Slam and stay healthy long enough so that I can perform for as many years as possible.” The only one he has missed since debuting in 2005 was 2017 because of a right elbow injury. He won it in 2011, 15, ’18 and most recently in ’23.

Djokovic played his first U.S. Open match – a five-set marathon – against Gael Monfils, who is planning to retire but is also in the field at least one more time.

“Here we are 20 years later,” Djokovic said. “We’re both still grinding and representing the older generation.

Fighting hard in front of a foot-stomping, animated gallery, Gilas Pilipinas gained some breathing room as the fourth window of the Fiba World Cup Asian Qualifiers drew to a close on Sunday.

The Nationals got the job done before another packed crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena, as they shook off another flat start to beat Iran, 68-56 and narrow the gap in the race for spots in next year’s World Cup.

Kai Sotto had another mammoth game, Dwight Ramos and Juan Gomez de Liaño also came up big as the Philippines completed a sweep of the window and improved to an even 4-4 in the second round of qualification.

In beating Iran, as well as Jordan in a thrilling 82-81 overtime decision on Friday, Gilas is now just a game behind the two Middle Eastern countries in the race for top three berths that will earn main draw slots to the main event in Qatar next year.

“I’m extremely happy,” coach Tim Cone said. “[Before the window], I said that if we win these two games, I’d be the happiest guy in the world because [Jordan and Iran] are two high-level teams, Iran especially.”

Iran and Jordan fell to 5-3 after they both came up empty-handed in this window, sending them to a tie for third in Group E standings.

Swan song for JMF

Australia remains ahead of the pack with a perfect 8-0 record while New Zealand climbed up to second at 6-2. The Boomers routed Jordan, 126-93, prior to the Gilas win.

Team Philippines is trying to make the World Cup for the fourth straight time, and the next window in November could very well decide its chances.

The victory also allowed June Mar Fajardo to end his national team career on a winning note and getting a fitting tribute after the final buzzer when he was given the game ball while also getting chants of “MVP!”

Fajardo didn’t just go out victorious, he made sure he would help in the win. He finished with six points and two rebounds in seven minutes, but his three-minute stint in the second frame when Gilas rallied from an early deficit was big.

Fajardo came to international prominence when the Philippines first returned to the World Cup in 2014 in Seville, Spain. There, he established himself as one of the best in Asia.

He played a total of 13 years as a national full-time while shuffling duties as the franchise player of San Miguel Beer in the PBA.

Ramos and Gomez de Liaño shared scoring honors for the Philippines with 16 points apiece, while Sotto had 13 points, 16 rebounds plus three assists.

“I am just so blessed to have been able to play with the pioneers of Gilas and the present and future of the team,” Fajardo said in Filipino.

“He had such a great national team career,” Sotto said. “This win is dedicated to him.”

Like when it played Jordan three nights back, Gilas endured another flat start as Iran ended the first quarter with an 18-7 lead. In that period, the Philippines made just two of 13 attempts even as it was rocked by the sudden shooting exhibition from backup guard Mobin Sheikhi.

Sheikhi, who played just 10 minutes in Iran’s 93-91 overtime loss to New Zealand, fired triple after triple and finished with 21 points.

And like Jordan, Gilas was able to find ways to come back and would eventually go into halftime up 36-34. INQ

Bruno Fernandes produced a brilliant performance as Manchester United came from behind to beat Ipswich Town 5-2 at Old Trafford.

The skies turned dark and heavy rain fell over the stadium towards the end of the match, with thunder and lightning adding to the dramatic afternoon.

But what looked like a miserable day for United turned into a memorable one, thanks largely to their captain.

Fernandes scored a hat-trick to lead United to a convincing victory, with the result helping Michael Carrick’s side recover from a poor start.

Ipswich took the lead after United were caught out early, but Fernandes soon stepped up.

The Portugal midfielder scored a powerful equaliser after Marcelino Nunez slipped, allowing Matheus Cunha to break forward and set up his captain.

United then took control of the game, with Fernandes converting a penalty in front of the Stretford End to make it 3-1.

The penalty was particularly important for the 31-year-old after he had missed two spot-kicks during pre-season.

Fernandes completed his hat-trick just seven minutes later to put United firmly in control.

He even came close to scoring one of the goals of the season when he attempted a stunning 55-yard effort after Ipswich lost possession straight from the restart. Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen managed to watch the ball land on top of his net.

United eventually finished with five goals, while Ipswich managed a second to make the scoreline 5-2.

The match also marked a significant return for Marcus Rashford, who started his first Premier League game for Manchester United since December 2024. Kobbie Mainoo was also included in Carrick’s starting XI.

Fernandes’ performance came just days after he collected the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award following an outstanding campaign in which he helped United return to the Champions League.

He also set a Premier League record with 21 assists last season.

Before kick-off, Fernandes walked onto the pitch with the sons of PC Matthew Blades, who was tragically killed in a road crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough.

Carrick praised his captain after the match.

“He means a lot. I mean, he’s the captain. He’s been here for a good number of years now and experienced a whole load of different emotions.”

The United boss added that Fernandes showed his quality when the team needed someone to make the difference.

“Times like today, when you’re looking towards certain players to give us that little bit of something else, he did particularly well.”

For United, what threatened to be another difficult afternoon at Old Trafford ended as a celebration of their captain’s quality and leadership.

Following their final preseason game on Friday against the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings have now gone through the process of trimming down their roster.

By 5 p.m. on Sunday, the Vikings had to cut their roster from 91 players down to their final 53. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from that Vikings roster cutdown process.

Zavier Scott the Odd Man Out at RB

The Minnesota Vikings came into training camp with a jam-packed running back room after they selected Demond Claiborne in the sixth round of this spring’s draft, meaning they would have to part ways with at least one talented player at the position.

Well, we now know that Zavier Scott was the odd man out among the group, leaving Claiborne, Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and Max Bredeson left in the backfield. The Vikings also opted to part ways with Jermar Jefferson, who was waived with an injury designation.

Scott finished the preseason with 10 carries for 36 yards along with three receptions for 18 yards. It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see him back with the purple team on the practice squad.

The Punter Surprise

With the Vikings losing Ryan Wright to the New Orleans Saints this offseason, they have been in need of a new punter. When they brought in Johnny Hekker this March, it seemed that he would be destined to take on the role, but Sunday brought one of the biggest surprises when Minnesota terminated his contract.

As a result, Brett Thorson, an undrafted free agent out of Georgia, will be taking the job heading into the fall. It’s not without valid reasoning, either.

Thorson was a menace punting the ball throughout preseason with four of his five punts landing inside the opponent’s 20. He also averaged 47.8 yards per punt, including a 58-yard boot.

The undrafted rookie showed plenty of talent as a punter throughout his collegiate career as well, winning the Ray Guy Award, which honors the best punter during the season, with the Bulldogs in 2025.

Edge Rusher Depth Remains a Major Concern

Somewhat unrelated to roster cuts, the Vikings got some very bad news regarding their group of edge rushers on Sunday. It was confirmed that Tyler Batty tore his ACL during the final preseason game against the Broncos, and he will be out for the season.

Batty had shown some promise during the summer as a rotational piece in the defense, but now, he will be a non-factor for the Vikings this season.

The Vikings now have just four outside linebackers on their final roster: starters Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel along with backups Bo Richter and Chaz Chambliss. It’s not a very deep group right now, and that could cause some problems.

All Four QBs Make the Cut

Perhaps the biggest news of the day was the fact that the Vikings opted to dedicate four roster spots to the quarterback position, meaning all of Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer made the final roster.

It’s not a very common move for a team to keep four quarterbacks around, so it should be expected that a move will be made at the position in the coming days. One of two things seem the most likely:

• Max Brosmer will be waived in the coming days
• A J.J. McCarthy trade is on the way

An injured reserve stint for J.J. McCarthy cannot be ruled out at this point either given he missed five games last year with a high ankle sprain, and he missed the final preseason game due to an ankle injury this past Friday. Of course, nothing of the sort has been confirmed yet, but it’s something to keep an eye on over the coming days.

The Full 53-Man Roster

With the dust now settled, here is a first look at the Vikings’ full initial 53-man roster for 2026.

Offense

Quarterback (4)

• Kyler Murray
• J.J. McCarthy
• Carson Wentz
• Max Brosmer

Running Back (3)

• Aaron Jones
• Jordan Mason
• Demond Claiborne

Fullback (1)

Wide Receiver (6)

• Justin Jefferson
• Jordan Addison
• Jauan Jennings
• Tai Felton
• Myles Price
• Dillon Bell

Tight End (4)

• T.J. Hockenson
• Josh Oliver
• Ben Yurosek
• Gavin Bartholomew

Offensive Line (8)

• LT Christian Darrisaw
• LG Donovan Jackson
• C Blake Brandel
• RG Will Fries
• RT Brian O’Neill
• T Ryan Van Demark
• T Caleb Tiernan
• G Joe Huber

Defense

Defensive Line (6)

• Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
• Jalen Redmond
• Levi Drake Rodriguez
• Caleb Banks
• Domonique Orange
• Elijah Williams

Outside Linebacker (4)

• Dallas Turner
• Andrew Van Ginkel
• Bo Richter
• Chaz Chambliss

Inside Linebacker (4)

• Blake Cashman
• Eric Wilson
• Jake Golday
• Ivan Pace

Cornerback (5)

• Byron Murphy Jr.
• Isaiah Rodgers
• Chuck Demmings
• James Pierre
• Zemaiah Vaughn

Safety (5)

• Josh Metellus
• Jay Ward
• Theo Jackson
• Jakobe Thomas
• Jacob Thomas

Special Teams

Kicker (1)

Punter

Long Snapper

Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.

Josh Frey is a senior writer at both PurplePTSD.com and VikingsTerritory.com, with a fascination for the NFL Draft. To … More about Josh Frey

Tottenham’s remarkable $400 million summer spending spree isn’t translating to any on-field success so far in the Premier League.

Big-spending Spurs are still searching for their first goal of the campaign after being beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle on Saturday, a week on from being ripped apart in a 3-0 loss at Brentford.

Five of Tottenham’s slew of new signings started the game – including Sandro Tonali, whose every touch was booed by the visiting fans after his $133 million departure from Newcastle, and Omar Marmoush, whose loan move from Manchester City was only finalized on Thursday.

They made little impact as Tottenham was picked off in the second half, with Anthony Elanga swiveling in the penalty area and bending in a shot off the post in the 62nd minute and Yoane Wissa hooking home a clever finish from close range in the 72nd.

For Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi, creating the right mentality in a club coming off back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the 20-team Premier League is the “biggest challenge.” “Unfortunately,” the Italian said, “you can’t buy the mentality in the transfer market.” Spurs are one of three teams to have lost both of their games so far and it looks like it will take time for so many new players to gel. One of them, Savio, wasn’t in the squad for Saturday because of a muscle injury.

Not since the 1974-75 season has Tottenham lost its two opening matches of a league campaign without scoring.

“I am sorry to the fans for the environment,” De Zerbi said. “Because after two defeats, maybe somebody can think it’s the same story, the same as the last two seasons. I have no doubt it’s not like this.” Another draw for Liverpool The Andoni Iraola era is yet to catch fire at Liverpool.

For the second straight weekend, Liverpool needed a late equalizer to rescue a point in the Premier League as summer signing Victor Munoz ‘s 82nd-minute strike earned a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

The Reds also drew 2-2 last week in Iraola’s first league match in charge – and on that occasion a stoppage-time penalty by Dominik Szoboszlai denied Newcastle.

There might be teething problems early in Iraola’s tenure – notably in defense, where Liverpool continue to look shaky – but at least there has been some fighting spirit.

Liverpool twice came from behind against Forest, with Alexander Isak scoring Liverpool’s first equalizer in the 60th to cancel out Dan Ndoye’s first-half goal.

Then, after Morgan Gibbs-White converted a penalty to regain the lead for the visitors, Munoz smashed in a shot off the crossbar after running onto a through-ball from Florian Wirtz.

New investor Bhatia in attendance The Liverpool match was attended by Amit Bhatia, the leader of an investor group – also containing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin – that has reached an agreement to buy a minority stake in the club for a reported estimated figure of $2.2 billion.

Bhatia posed for photos with Liverpool owner John Henry on the field ahead of the game against Forest, which was also preceded by news that the Reds have agreed to a $166 million deal to buy Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain.

Disappointment for Coventry The CBS Arena became the Premier League’s latest new stadium as Coventry hosted a top-flight game for the first time since 2001 – when the club was playing at Highfield Road.

A big occasion for Frank Lampard’s team was spoiled by losing 1-0 to fellow promoted team Hull, which is on a maximum six points after stunning Manchester United last weekend with a 2-0 home win.

Liam Miller scored the 82nd-minute winner for Hull, which started the season as the big favorite for relegation.

Bournemouth concedes late again Another weekend, another painful stoppage-time concession by Bournemouth.

James Tarkowski’s goal in the first minute of added-on time secured Everton a 1-1 draw and came a week after Bournemouth lost 2-1 at Manchester City thanks to Josko Gvardiol’s goal in the same minute.

Everton, which is unbeaten after opening with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, started Iliman Ndiaye – a winger who is reportedly of interest to Man City.

First Published: Aug 30 2026 | 10:53 AM IST