Jordan Love picks Panthers apart; Christian Watson's midgame hospital trip; top 50 MLB free agents

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🧀 Five things to know Friday

Jordan Love picked apart the Panthers on "Thursday Night Football." The Packers quarterback threw for 288 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-19 win over Carolina in primetime, and he got quite a bit of help from his defense, which sacked Bryce Young six times. While Green Bay still had trouble getting its run game moving, it did not matter in the bounce-back win. Love connected with Christian Watson eight times for 113 yards, and the standout wide receiver overcame a chest injury to return to the game after visiting a local hospital during the second quarter.

The Titans traded Jeffery Simmons to the Bears. Another seller emerged ahead of the NFL trade deadline when Tennessee shipped the four-time Pro Bowl DT to Chicago in exchange for two first-round picks and a Day 3 pick swap. It's a clear win for the Bears as they go all-in to win during Caleb Williams' rise to the ranks of elite quarterbacks and a disappointing admission for the Titans that they are poised to slip even further into a deep rebuild. There are a couple of recent blueprints the Titans can follow to use their immense amount of draft capital to expedite a rise to contention, but there is also no guarantee this trade pays off in the long run. With Simmons off the board, Daron Payne of the Commanders is the next best trade candidate at defensive tackle. Keep track of all the latest trade rumors, news and deals in our live blog.

The WNBA Finals are headed to Game 7. The afternoon tip-off in Game 6 was far from ideal, but Dream fans showed up in force, and the sold-out crowd helped to energize a team that needed a win to keep its season alive. Atlanta led by as many as 25 points in the first half, but the Valkyries surged late in the fourth quarter to threaten a series-ending comeback. It was too little, too late for Golden State, which received no scoring production from Finals MVP candidate Kiah Stokes. The final game of the WNBA season is set for Saturday at 8 p.m.

The Brewers are relishing in their historic World Series victory. The city of Milwaukee will celebrate with its championship-winning team this morning during a parade that will air live on television. This is a cathartic moment for a franchise and fanbase that waited 57 years for its first title and a rewarding one for the coaches and players who built a masterpiece of a championship season. It may not have been the most dramatic World Series of all time, but it was a landmark one nonetheless and should give hope to the four remaining teams without a title that, yes, it can be done. Except for the Rays, of course, who fell short in the series for the second time this decade. The biggest question left now for the Brewers is whether they can repeat in 2027.

College basketball tips off Sunday in Rome. The Notre Dame and Villanova men's and women's teams will get the 2026-27 season rolling with their trip to Italy, and from there, the road to the Final Four will be underway. Our picks for the men's season are in and feature national championship and conference title predictions, National Player of the Year candidates and more. And our first batch of women's college basketball power rankings is set with South Carolina taking the top spot to begin the year. The arrival of another season also brings with it the annual tradition of selecting the best team in each state.

⚾ Do not miss this: Top 50 MLB free agents this postseason

With the World Series complete and the book closed on the 2026 MLB season, it's just about time for the Hot Stove. This offseason will be defined by collective bargaining negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA, and the nearly certain lockout that seems destined to begin in December casts a ton of uncertainty over free agency. But players will move at one point or another. So who's on the market? We ranked the top 50 free agents.

The No. 1 available player is no secret. If you follow baseball even somewhat closely, you probably know that Tarik Skubal is the biggest prize. Expect the top World Series contenders to be in play for his services. Behind him is a mix of reigning stars and incoming international standouts. One of the players in that latter group you should know is Teruaki Sato, the NPB Triple Crown winner. Our Mike Axisa has the scouting report on the third baseman.

Axisa: "He will play the entire 2027 season at age 28 and is coming off a .306/.383/.609 slash line with 39 home runs, which won him Japan's first Triple Crown since Munetaka Murakami in 2022. Sato has a similar skill set but is not quite Murakami 2.0. He doesn't have quite as much power (but has plenty of it) and won't walk nearly as often, but he does swing and miss a bunch and is unlikely to remain at the hot corner long-term."

Closing out the rankings is a tier of left-handed pitchers who should fill out the back end of whichever rotation they land in.

47. LHP Matthew Boyd
48. LHP David Peterson
49. LHP Robbie Ray
50. LHP Patrick Sandoval

☑️ College football Week 9 picks

Week 9 delivers another light slate with only two ranked matchups and no top 10 showdowns. That doesn't mean this week is a complete nothingburger, though. Every game for College Football Playoff hopefuls from this point forward is meaningful, and if last week taught us anything, it is that a lack of top 25 battles is the recipe for a number of upsets.

It's also that time of year when conference title races heat up. This far out from championship weekend, there are more scenarios than the mind can comprehend. But the permutations will decrease with each week, and some teams are bound to fall out of the hunt on Saturday.

One team that might not need to worry about losing to an unranked foe is No. 11 Texas. Tom Fornelli's Lock of the Week shows how the Longhorns might not need many points to defeat Mississippi State.

Fornelli: "Mississippi State put up 15 points against Oklahoma last week, but that was only because of a late touchdown that came after the game was over. Plus, that game was at home. This one is on the road against another great defense, and one that probably feels like it has a point to prove after it needed overtime to escape a near upset against this same Bulldogs team last season. The Pick: Mississippi State Team Total u14.5 (-125) at DraftKings"

Here are our picks for every key matchup:

No. 1 Miami at North Carolina

No. 2 Ohio State at USC

No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 17 Florida

Minnesota at No. 4 Indiana

No. 22 Arizona at No. 13 Texas Tech

🚨 NFL Week 8 upset alert

It's hard to say that Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen can ever truly upset one another, because they are arguably the two best quarterbacks in football, and their teams are always generally very good. But one side is a three-point favorite over the other in their Week 8 meeting, so if the Ravens go on the road and take down the Bills, it would qualify as an upset. And guess what? A bevy of our NFL experts think it will happen.

Tyler Sullivan would not be surprised if Jackson shows no rust in his return. The two-time MVP is expected to be in the lineup for the first time in a month after he missed three games with an ankle sprain, and if he is fully healthy, he could return to the same career-best form he showed early in the season. In their head-to-head picks column, both Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin projected the Ravens to not only cover the spread but also win outright.

Dajani: "The Ravens are a completely different team with Jackson under center, and this Bills defense allows too many points. Buffalo ranks third-worst in scoring defense (28.5 ppg), and has allowed at least 30 points in four of its five victories this season. Jackson is 10-5 SU and 13-2 ATS as an underdog in his career. He's statistically the best quarterback to bet on when listed as an underdog since 1970. … Prediction: Ravens 30, Bills 28"

The Bills are not the only team on upset alert.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

Nico Iamaleava signaled a decision on whether to return to UCLA in 2027, his agent told our Matt Zenitz.

The fantasy football Week 8 PPR Cheat Sheet outlines the toughest start/sit decisions, while our Dave Richard made his own calls on the toughest lineup questions.

Jaylen Brown continued to fuel the drama surrounding his trade when he pushed back on "false allegations" from Brian Scalabrine.

Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis was hospitalized following a medical emergency at the team facility.

An NFL-style scheduling model could be on its way to the Big Ten.

The Kelce brothers called out NFL officials for Cam Skattebo's controversial unnecessary roughness penalty in Week 7.

Sergio Garcia announced his new home after leaving LIV Golf.

How much does Canelo Alvarez have left in the tank? We'll find out when he challenges Christian Mbilli on Saturday for the WBC super middleweight title.

Caleb Williams plans to disobey NFL rules and continue wearing his unapproved cleats.

Victor Wembanyama explained on "60 Minutes" why the "villain" label did not bother him during the NBA Finals.

Jacobe Smith is no stranger to fighting more experienced opponents, and he will do so against Randy Brown at UFC Fight Night.

The Chiefs made a decision at kicker for Week 8 amid Harrison Butker's struggles.

LSU landed its first five-star commit of the 2027 college basketball recruiting cycle.

From last place to the playoffs, the Union pulled off the most stunning turnaround in MLS.

The football world mourns the loss of June Jones, who pioneered the run-and-shoot offense.

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

⚽ Paris Saint-Germain at Le Havre, 2 p.m. on beIN Sports
⚽ Lens at Lille, 4 p.m. on beIN Sports
🏒 Devils at Golden Knights, 6 p.m. on NFL Network
🏈 Tulane at Charlotte, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 NBA Cup: Knicks at 76ers, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 Baylor at UCF, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 NBA Cup: Lakers at Warriors, 10 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 Kent State at Sacramento State, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2

Saturday

⚽ Manchester United at Chelsea, 8:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Atlético Madrid at Levante, 9 a.m. on ESPN+
⚽ Brighton & Hove Albion at Manchester City, 11 a.m. on Peacock
🏈 No. 22 Arizona at No. 13 Texas Tech, noon on ESPN
🏈 No. 5 Notre Dame vs. Navy (in Foxborough, Mass.), noon on ABC
🏈 No. 19 SMU at Syracuse, noon on ESPN2
🏈 No. 25 Wisconsin at Iowa, noon on Fox
🥊 WBC super middleweight title: Mbilli vs. Alvarez, noon ET on DAZN
🏈 Auburn at No. 12 Ole Miss, 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network
⚽ Roma at Udinese, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Orlando City at Charlotte, 1 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Borussia Dortmund at Bayern Munich, 1:30 p.m. on CNBC
⚽ Union at Cincinnati, 2 p.m. on Apple TV
🏈 Arizona State at No. 8 BYU, 3:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 17 Florida vs. No. 3 Georgia (in Atlanta), 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Minnesota at No. 4 Indiana, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 20 Northwestern at Oregon, 3:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏈 No. 6 Utah at Cincinnati, 3:45 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Virginia at No. 14 Wake Forest, 3:45 p.m. on ESPN2
⚽ Inter Milan at AC Milan, 3:45 p.m. on Paramount+
🏈 Nevada at No. 7 UCLA, 4:15 p.m. on Big Ten Network
👊 UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Nolan, 5 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Real Salt Lake at Earthquakes, 5 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 76ers at Hornets, 6 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 No. 24 Oklahoma State at Iowa State, 7 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 1 Miami at North Carolina, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Mississippi State at No. 11 Texas, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 2 Ohio State at USC, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 23 Missouri at Arkansas, 7:45 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Game 7: Dream at Valkyries, 8 p.m. on USA Network
🏀 Thunder at Rockets, 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV
⚽ Fire at Rapids, 9:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏈 Texas State at No. 20 Boise State, 10 p.m. on The CW

Sunday

⚽ Venezia at Como, 6:30 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Sevilla at Getafe, 8 a.m. on ESPN+
⚽ Cagliari at Lazio, 9 a.m. on Paramount+
🏀 (M) Notre Dame vs. Villanova (in Rome), 9:30 a.m. on Fox
⚽ Real Madrid at Racing Santander, 10:15 a.m. on ESPN+
⚽ Arsenal at Liverpool, 11:30 a.m. on Peacock
🏀 (W) No. 13 Notre Dame vs. Villanova (in Rome), noon on FS1
⚽ Valencia at Elche, 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+
🏈 Ravens at Bills, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Vikings at Lions, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏒 Jets at Hurricanes, 1 p.m. on NHL Network
🏁 NASCAR at Martinsville, 2 p.m. on NBC
⚽ Napoli at Juventus, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
🏈 Chargers at Rams, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Chiefs at Broncos, 4:25 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
⚽ Sounders at Whitecaps, 4:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Royals at Gotham, 5 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ NWSL Decision Day whiparound, 5 p.m. on ESPN2
🏒 Oilers at Rangers, 6 p.m. on NHL Network
⚽ Inter Miami at Revolution, 7 p.m. on Apple TV
🏈 Eagles at Commanders, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
⚽ Dynamo at Timbers, 9:15 p.m. on FS1

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Christian Watson returns to field after hospital trip

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