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Good morning! I hope your favorite team starts 1-0 today.
College Football: Another consequential spitting incident
The No. 13 Florida Gators are right back where they were last September, before 2024’s late-season surge led by then-freshman QB DJ Lagway: with head coach Billy Napier on the hot seat.
Late in yesterday’s in-state battle against USF (and two days after Eagles DT Jalen Carter got baited into spitting on Dak Prescott to open the NFL season), Florida DL Brendan Bett hocked one on an opponent’s face, right in front of an official, turning the Bulls’ second-and-long deep in their own territory into a first down near midfield with two minutes to go.
The 18-point underdogs didn’t squander the slobbery boost, turning it into a Nico Gramatica chip shot as time expired — and thus an 18-16 upset in Gainesville. (Son of fellow Tampa kicking great Martin, yes.) And considering last week’s blowout of Boise State, USF is now a favorite for a CFP bid.
For Florida, the most immediate fear is this: USF was supposed to merely be the warmup before a schedule that had already looked like the country’s hardest, per some metrics. The Gators’ next four: at No. 3 LSU, at No. 5 Miami, against No. 7 Texas and at No. 19 Texas A&M.
Napier is 20-20 as Florida’s head coach, and it’s possible this year’s team is 1-5 in mid-October. 🔥
Elsewhere in college football yesterday:
This was a brief version of the weekend roundup in our free college football newsletter, headed out to subscribers’ inboxes soon.
News to Know
Sabalenka claims U.S. Open crown
In a match that was closer than the scoreline suggests, No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka took down No. 8 seed Amanda Anisimova in the U.S. Open final yesterday. Sabalenka, who has folded in pressure situations previously, kept her cool against the hard-hitting American to win her fourth Grand Slam. Anisimova once again found herself on the wrong end of the hardest thing in sports: the loser’s speech.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will play for the men’s title this afternoon. A new wrinkle: The United States Tennis Association asked broadcasters to censor any protests or reaction to President Trump’s appearance at the match, The Athletic reported last night.
Phillies fan steals ball from child
A Phillies fan went viral Friday night for taking away a home-run ball from a child. The woman confronted the boy’s father and demanded he give her the ball, which he ultimately did. It was bizarre, and also eerily similar to a story earlier this week, when a Polish CEO found himself in hot water after snatching a player’s hat from a child. Rest assured, the young Phillies fan got a chance to meet Harrison Bader after the game and the team gave him a signed bat. Justice served.
A flurry of NFL deals
On the eve of NFL Sunday, the Steelers agreed to a restructured contractwith defensive end Cameron Heyward, who is expected to play today. Earlier yesterday, the Browns officially signed second-round pick Quinshon Judkins, the last unsigned draft pick. Judkins, however, will not play today and is still under league investigation related to a July arrest. And to close out the night, the Lions signed wide receiver Jameson Williams to a massive three-year deal. Now let’s play some football.
More news:
Yoshinobu Yamamoto blew a no-hitter with two outs in the ninth last night. Then the Dodgers proceeded to implode.
The USMNT lost its friendly against South Korea, 2-0, in front of a largely pro-Korea crowd in New Jersey. Yikes on all fronts.
Nikola Jokić’s Serbia suffered a stunning defeat to Finland in the 2025 Eurobasket tournament yesterday. It’s a historic upset over the tournament favorites.
The fastest lap in Formula 1 history now belongs to Max Verstappen, who set the record to claim pole position at this morning’s Italian Grand Prix.
Watch Guide
📺 NFL: Steelers at Jets | 1 p.m. ET on CBS
The main national game of the early window. The Jets will lose to Aaron Rodgers, or Rodgers will lose to the Jets. Either way, you, the impartial viewer, will win.
📺 Tennis: U.S. Open men’s singles final | 2 p.m. ET on ESPN
Carlos Alcaraz. Jannik Sinner. You get it. Relive the 2022 U.S. Open matchupthat launched this epic rivalry.
📺 NFL: Lions at Packers | 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS
Micah Parsons debuts for Green Bay. The NFC North could be extremely tight at the top, making this perhaps the most critical game of Week 1.
📺 NFL: Ravens at Bills | 8:20 p.m. ET on CBS
A worthy nightcap. Executives polled by Mike Sando are pretty much dead split on which of these two is the best team in the AFC entering the year.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Just in case you missed them earlier this week: We have 32 NFL team-specific Connections: Sports Editions boards to kick off the season. Our beat writers helped create them!
If you need a new football dip to spice up your spread, try pimento cheese. I like to add pickled jalapenos. — Chris Branch
I’m also whipping up this quick and easy skillet cookie to add a sprinkle of whimsy to my football snacking lineup today. (That’s a gift link!) — Torrey Hart
Grillo’s Pickle de Gallo. On everything. Trust me! — Jill Thaw
In a strong column, Sabreena Merchant argues Angel Reese’s half-game suspension by the Chicago Sky for critical comments about the team only exposes deeper franchise issues.
You will continue to see stories on the nexus of AI and mental health, some of which have devastating consequences. This is a tough but necessary read by Kashmir Hill on a 16-year-old who used ChatGPT for schoolwork, but then started discussing plans to end his life. — Richard Deitsch
We’re 15 years into iPhone cases but sue me (🤷) because I love this one. This Casekoo has a sturdy little stand that actually works. Your phone is a killer no-hands screen instantly. — Chris Sprow
A couple weeks ago, I recommended Octavia E. Butler’s two-part series “Parable of the Sower” and “Parable of the Talents.” They were so great that I started (and have almost finished) her 1979 time-traveling novel “Kindred” — and it is every bit as good. I think I’ll probably end up working through her whole body of work eventually. — Levi Weaver
Just in time for the Basketball Hall of Fame’s induction weekend, Mike Vorkunov took a look at which current and recently retired players could also be headed there some day.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Chargers-Chiefs takeaways.
Most-read on the website yesterday: There were other Micah Parsons suitors. Dianna Russini has the details.
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(Top photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images)