It’s Friday night, where we’re just grooving to the beat. Here’s to this loaded weekend of high-leverage games, a lineup that can contend with the best “sports equinox.”

College football serves up ranked SEC and Big Ten pairings, under the lights and with College Football Playoff gravity. The NFL gives us the near-annual Lamar Jackson-Patrick Mahomes showcase, plus Micah Parsons’ return to Dallas on “Sunday Night Football.” Both WNBA semifinal series are knotted up entering Friday’s action, a fitting development for the league’s most-watched season ever. And the MLB playoff race is a certified banger — thank you, Cleveland.

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U.K. stakes to reach American screens include the Premier League’s sixth matchweek and a contentious Ryder Cup. There’s a lot going on, so hopefully this weekend compilation helps consolidate listings and set the hype up right.

All times ET, and all odds via BetMGM.

Weekend sports viewing guide

Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.

ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC are available for free over the air. In addition, CBS streams on Paramount+, Fox streams on Fox One and NBC/USA/Universo streams on Peacock. All ESPN network broadcasts also stream on ESPN Unlimited. Out-of-market viewers can stream NFL games with NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube TV.

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FridayTigers at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. on Apple TV+

Why you should watch: Detroit might be amid the single most disastrous collapse in the history of MLB, a league that’s existed across three centuries. So, how is this team combusting so furiously and with such synchronicity? Somehow, everyone on the team began glitching out, and late September is a supremely bad time for that to happen. The Tigers were in first place for 184 straight days, and led the Guardians by 9 1/2 games atop the AL Central at the start of the month. Detroit and Cleveland are now tied for first in the division.

The Tigers hit Kenmore Square in need of a flash reset. Time to burn the calendars, drink the detox and flip hats backward for a final weekend rally. There’s something romantic about Fenway Park on a fall night, and unlike their guests, the Red Sox have not incurred a precedent-setting falloff. They’ll try to laminate their wild-card spot while putting the “Mortal Kombat” finishing move on Detroit.

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Aces at Fever, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2

Why you should watch: Indiana is indestructible, surviving Caitlin Clark’s injury (and, like, four other backcourt injuries) to claw into the top eight. It then sealed a first-round upset of Atlanta by winning an elimination game, on the road and by two points. Now, the Fever have reclaimed home-court advantage after a dominant Game 1 showing in Las Vegas. The Aces are still favored, because they employ all-multiverse shotmaker and back-to-back MVP A’ja Wilson. But Indy’s Kelsey Mitchell is one of the WNBA’s best long-range ballers, and the Fever look unafraid after a trying past few months. Games 3 (Friday) and 4 (Sunday) are in the Fever’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Lynx at Mercury, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2

Why you should watch: The Lynx play exemplary basketball, leading the WNBA in both offensive and defensive ratings. Napheesa Collier is a two-way wrecking ball on the inside, and the “Stud Budz” are pugnacious around the perimeter. Minnesota is a model franchise and a year-to-year contender, and it has been forthcoming in its desire for sheer revenge after last year’s finals heartbreaker.

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Got it? Good. Now consider that the Mercury just erased a 20-point deficit in the Lynx’s den, tying the league record for biggest playoff road comeback. Consider that overtime was forced by an offensive rebound-turned-desperation 3. And consider that Phoenix’s mascot is a purple flame-throwing dinosaur named Scorch. Enough considering, it’s time to lock in. Games 3 and 4 are in the desert (they have air conditioning, though, just to clarify).

SaturdayBurnley at Manchester City, 10 a.m. on USA

Why you should watch: For Erling Haaland, point blank. He is prolific and inevitable and now has the “sucker-punch” finisher back in his toolkit. It’s an unbelievably deluxe toolkit, the kind with matte casing and fold-out compartments. Haaland is a week removed from setting a Champions League record, passing luminaries like Lionel Messi and Ruud van Nistelrooy as the fastest player to 50 UCL goals. The 25-year-old striker is an instant mood-booster, unless you’re from Lancashire.

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Rangers at Guardians, 7:15 p.m. on Fox

Why you should watch: Cleveland was 69-70 on Sept. 4. From there: 17 wins in 20 games, including two series victories over the Tigers, who had held the AL Central’s top spot for almost every waking moment of the 2025 season. With the divisional tiebreaker, the Guardians are now masters of their domain in this final weekend before the playoffs. The crowds are suitably buzzing. “Fun times in Cleveland today!”

No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC

Why you should watch: It’s college football’s game of the week (by AP rankings and statistical projections). Both programs were CFP quarterfinalists a year ago, and they both harbor national title aspirations this time around. According to Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings, a predictive model that adjusts for tempo and opponent, the Ducks-Nittany Lions matchup is separated by 0.4 points. Dante Moore is thriving as Oregon’s quarterback, and counterpart Drew Allar has NFL scouts studying his every dropback.

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No. 17 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia, 7:30 p.m. on ABC

Why you should watch: It’s college football’s game of the week (by tradition and historic animosities). The juggernauts’ rivalry dates back to 1895. The lower-ranked team has won the past four meetings, including the Bulldogs taking down the top-seeded Tide in the 2022 CFP National Championship Game. Kirby Smart’s 2025 squad has home-field advantage at Sanford Stadium and extra confidence after its blockbuster comeback against Tennessee. Kalen DeBoer will have a lot to answer for if his program loses twice before October.

SundayVikings vs. Steelers, 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network

Why you should watch: This is the first-ever regular-season football game in Ireland. It’s the second of seven international games splayed across the NFL schedule, and the first one (Chargers-Chiefs in Brazil) was a total bopper. Dublin’s Croke Park entertains a pair of 2-1 teams with large, ardent followings. What will Aaron Rodgers say from the Emerald Isle? Will he flagrantly misquote “Finnegans Wake,” or tout the hallucinogenic properties of colcannon? Tune in (early) to find out.

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Arsenal at Newcastle United, 11:30 a.m. on USA

Why you should watch: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was riled up after Newcastle slowed play down in a January 2023 draw (0-0). Then he was all-out apoplectic 10 months later, when Anthony Gordon’s lone goal match-winner survived three separate video reviews. The Gunners won the most recent meeting 1-0, and the scoring has typically been limited when these two sides tangle. Still, Arsenal’s high wattage makes it a must-watch Premier League offering, especially for American followers. Gabriel Martinelli, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard are among the international star names.

Ryder Cup (final round), noon on NBC

Why you should watch: It’s the United States (a country) versus Europe (a continent) for the 45th transatlantic head-to-head golf tournament. For the 2025 installment, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy leads the reigning champion Europeans onto the verdant greens of Bethpage Black on Long Island, New York. The Americans seek a vindication two years in the making. The hosts are captained by Keegan Bradley, the youngest golfer to hold the position since Arnold Palmer, and headlined by top-ranked player Scottie Scheffler.

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Ravens at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

Why you should watch: The fight sells itself. It’s disorienting enough that one of these perennial contenders will be 1-3 after Sunday. Since 2020, only five teams to start 1-3 or worse have made the postseason, per TruMedia. Last year’s Ravens-Chiefs game was also an automated chaos machine. It ended with Isaiah Likely’s end zone catch that was called a touchdown and then overturned by a fraction of a toe grazing the white chalk.

Despite the recent division titles and Lamar Jackson’s two MVP seasons, Baltimore has become the breeding lab for new, inventive and elaborate ways to lose football games. Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City have made a dynasty from eking out one-score thrillers. Mahomes is 5-1 in head-to-head meetings with Jackson, including a win in the playoffs. Five of those games were decided by seven points or fewer. Listen close and you’ll already hear Tony Romo, yelping and squawking with excitement.

Packers at Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. on CBS

Why you should watch: We wrap up with a vengeful version of “Sunday Night Football.” Green Bay brings Micah Parsons down to Dallas, where he had been a franchise staple since his first-round draft selection in 2021. Parsons and Cowboys owner/general manager/human mascot Jerry Jones went through protracted contract negotiations all offseason … all for the premier pass rusher to be traded seven days before the 2025 opener. Expect a spirited celebration if Parsons gets a sack of former teammate Dak Prescott, and expect bizarre postgame quotes if Jones’ team gets embarrassed in prime time.

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