AI-assisted summary
• Four Power Four college football coaches were fired in September 2025.
• Florida’s Billy Napier and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze lead the list of coaches on the hot seat.
• Early-season firings are becoming more common due to the transfer portal and roster management.

There were four Power Four college football coaches fired in September alone, matching the total number of Power Four coaches fired in the immediate wake of last season.

Historically, early moves allowed programs to potentially salvage their seasons and cut to the front of the line in the upcoming hiring cycle. But firings at Virginia Tech, UCLA, Oklahoma State and Arkansas also show how the transfer portal and overall roster management have moved up the coaching-change calendar.

The next coach staring at a midseason dismissal is Florida’s Billy Napier, who after earning a surprising reprieve last November but finds himself back on the hot seat heading into Saturday’s matchup against No. 3 Miami.

Napier and Auburn’s Hugh Freeze lead USA TODAY Sports’ updated hot-seat rankings after the first month of the 2025 season:

Billy Napier, Florida

Napier’s tenure will go down as one of the most disappointing in program history given his losing record and the fanfare that came with his arrival from Louisiana-Lafayette. The former Nick Saban disciple has overseen the Gators’ drop down the SEC standings as rivals No. 15 Tennessee, No. 4 Mississippi and South Carolina have parlayed successful hires made in the same general timeframe into near-annual College Football Playoff contention. Based on his time in the Sun Belt, Napier is a very good coach who might be a better fit on the Group of Five level.

Trent Dilfer, Alabama-Birmingham

All the positive momentum UAB developed as a program under former coach Bill Clark has been erased during Dilfer’s miserable two-plus seasons. The former Super Bowl-winning quarterback had zero college experience before being hired by the Blazers, and it’s shown. UAB has been woeful offensively and even worse on defense throughout his tenure, resulting in a series of blowouts that have shown just ill-prepared Dilfer was for this opportunity.

Hugh Freeze, Auburn

Freeze’s seat is nearing Napier-like temperatures after Auburn dropped two in a row to open SEC play. Barring major improvements on offense, the Tigers could finish under .500 for the third year in a row and almost certainly be in the market for a new head coach for the third time in five years. Freeze was seen as a home-run hire when he arrived back in the SEC from Liberty but has been unable to scheme around a weak roster and unimpressive quarterback play.

Luke Fickell, Wisconsin

Fickell won seven games in 2023, five games last season and might top out at three or four this year, given how the Badgers have looked through four games and the remaining schedule in Big Ten play. After beating Miami (Ohio) and Middle Tennessee, the Badgers lost to No. 11 Alabama and Maryland by a combined 41 points and now head into a brutal eight-game stretch: No. 20 Michigan, Iowa, No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon, Washington, No. 9 Indiana, No. 22 Illinois and Minnesota. While Wisconsin might’ve sold another year for Fickell had a young roster eked out five or six wins against this schedule, anything less could force the school to fire the former Cincinnati coach after just three seasons.

Brent Brennan, Arizona

Big 12 play will decide whether Brennan gets another year. Arizona won three in a row to get started, ending with a 23-17 win against Big 12 cohort Kansas State that counted as a non-conference game. But the Wildcats were dominated by No. 12 Iowa State in last weekend’s 39-14 loss and have to rebound and beat Oklahoma State on Saturday to have a good shot at a postseason berth. There’s a chance Arizona goes into the finale at No. 24 Arizona State needing a rivalry win to reach bowl eligibility.

Scott Satterfield, Cincinnati

The odds that this is Satterfield’s last season at Cincinnati have dropped pretty significantly after a 3-1 start that includes a very close loss to Nebraska and a strong road win against Kansas to open Big 12 play. Satterfield has done a good job on offense by building around quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who’s been one of the nation’s most productive passers and a valuable weapon as a runner. But the bottom could always drop out again for the Bearcats, who lost five in a row to end last year and finished a game shy of bowl eligibility. Just getting to six or even seven wins might not be enough to ensure Satterfield’s return, though anything short of the postseason would definitely lead to an offseason coaching change.

Mac Jones went bananas on Thursday night – literally and figuratively.

The San Francisco 49ers passer put on an appealing performance on ‘Thursday Night Football,’ with 342 passing yards and two touchdowns to down the Los Angeles Rams. But Jones’ dietary habits on the sideline may have grabbed more attention than his play.

The Prime Video broadcast showed Jones scarfing down a banana with 2:52 remaining in the matchup, with play-by-play man Al Michaels pointing out that Jones was nearing a dozen bananas consumed during the game; Jones was battling cramping, as well as a lingering knee injury.

‘He’s eaten about 11 bananas tonight,’ Michaels said.

That seems like an inordinate amount of bananas for a single person, let alone football player, to devour in such a finite period of time. During his postgame media availability, Jones set the record straight on whether he actually downed 11 bananas during the contest.

‘Eleven? That’s definitely wrong, but…,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I think I had three. Yeah, that (the banana figure) was incorrect, but they can believe whatever they want.’

With Brock Purdy recovering from a turf toe injury, the 49ers will hope that Jones’ touchdowns continue to come in bunches if their starter is unable to go.

AI-assisted summary
• Alex Pereira is set for a light heavyweight title rematch against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320.
• Pereira claims he was only at 40 percent health during his first fight, which he lost to Ankalaev.
• Despite losing the first match, Pereira remains a fan favorite over the current champion, Ankalaev.

Alex Pereira wore a purple suit without a shirt to the last news conference before UFC 320.

His biceps stretched the suit fabric as he sat near his upcoming opponent, Magomed Ankalaev, who beat Pereira and took his light heavyweight title in March in their first fight.

Periera’s expression was stone cold as the rematch drew near.

‘I think Alex right now is looking much better than last time,’ said Jiri Prochazkam, the former light heavyweight champion who is fighting on the undercard at UFC 320 on Saturday, Oct. 4 in Las Vegas.

Can Pereira display the dominance and striking power that has produced 10 knockouts in his 12 victories? Was his first fight against Ankalaev an anamoly? Or at 38 is he suddenly in decline?

At the news conference, two days before a shot at redemption, Pereira said, ‘all the questions will be answered.’

His looking better ahead of the rematch goes beyond the snazzy suit and bulging biceps, indicated Pereira, whose performance against Ankalaev was surprisingly lackluster.

‘I wasn’t feeling well that day and now I feel much better,’ Pereira said. ‘I feel much more prepared.’

Hobbled by an assortment of ailments, Periera said he was at 40 percent during the last fight. The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Ankalaev.

‘I was on my worst day,’ Pereira said, ‘and that’s all he could do.’

Pereira, the 38-year-old Brazilian, clearly lost that fight but hasn’t lost the fans. That was evident at the news conference Thursday, when they cheered him and booed Ankalaev, the 33-year-old Russian.

Neither fighter speaks English and neither is a natural showman. But they’ve kept the fans more entertained during the buildup to the rematch, with an assist from Ankalaev’s coach, Sukhrab Magomedov.

‘He’s an old kickboxer,’ Magomedov said of Periera on UFC Countdown. ‘He has no speed. Powerful punch? Alex, he has a punch, but not the kind that can really knock you out.

‘And I tell everyone: If Magomed opens up, he’ll surprise everyone. …’

But on Thursday, there was no Magomedov on the dais during the jawing between the two men who will fight with the light heavyweight title on the line.

‘Them booing … the reason is I keep beating their favorite fighters and they’re just mad at me,’ Ankalaev said. ‘I can’t do nothing about it.’

‘These people who are booing me, they’re really lighting me up so I’m very hype,’ he added. ‘And on Saturday I’m going to finish this man.’

This man, Pereira, had a few things to say, too.

‘(Ankalaev) became a champion is because I wasn’t there and now I’m here,’ Pereira said, referring to his lackluster performance in March. ‘I’m going to put a stamp on this on Saturday, beat him again and then all the questions will be answered.’

The Los Angeles Lakers will open the preseason tonight against the Phoenix Suns at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California.

While it’s unlikely that LeBron James and Luka Doncic will play, the game will serve as an opportunity for the Lakers’ younger players to get some time in, including second-year players Bronny James and Dalton Knecht.

The Suns added some new players to the roster this offseason, including Jalen Green. Green was acquired in a trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets. Green will not be available after suffering a low-grade hamstring strain during training camp.

Here’s what you need to know about the game:

What time is Suns vs. Lakers?

The Los Angeles Lakers will host the Phoenix Suns in a preseason game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. The game is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.

How to watch Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Lakers

• Time: 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
• Location: Acrisure Arena (Palm Desert, California)
• TV: NBA TV, Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles), Arizona’s Family 3TV (Phoenix)
• Stream: Fubo, Spectrum SportsNet+

The Los Angeles Rams offense was firing on all cylinders in the second half and into overtime of their ‘Thursday Night Football’ game against the San Francisco 49ers.

But on the biggest play of the game, the team couldn’t find a yard on fourth-and-1. San Francisco left SoFi Stadium with a 26-23 overtime win in a key matchup in the NFC West race.

That fourth-and-1 call was a run to the right by running back Kyren Williams. The Rams’ top back had 65 yards on 13 carries before then but the team had nearly 400 yards passing.

Los Angeles coach Sean McVay answered questions about his play call at the key point in the loss.

‘Bad call by me,’ he said during the Rams’ post-game press conference. ‘Thought about maybe trying to draw them offsides, I took one [timeout], they took the other and it was a poor decision by me right there.

‘I’m pretty sick right now. I’m sick of this spot I put our group in to end the game but hey, these are the tough beats you have to learn from and move forward and that’s what we’re going to to do.’

McVay quickly said no when asked if he had given any thought to kicking a field goal on that overtime drive. That would’ve tied the game with roughly five minutes left in the overtime period.

‘In hindsight, I wish I would’ve,’ he said. ‘We came in here to try to win the football game. It didn’t go down for us, that wasn’t even a thought. But the play selection was very poor, I’m sick right now because I put our players in a s—-y spot and I got to live with that.’

McVay said they did more to lose that game than win it but is taking this as a way to improve ahead of a Week 6 matchup on the road against the Baltimore Ravens.

‘This will certainly not make for a great weekend but it will offer an opportunity for us to continue to show that we’re made of the right stuff, which I have zero doubt,’ he said.

• Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler had the start of his life in winner-take-all game vs. Red Sox.
• A Massachusetts native, Schlittler said Boston fans crossed the line.
• Yankees start ALDS vs. Toronto Blue Jays on Oct. 4.

NEW YORK – Their chief rivals were vanquished, and a playoff-clinching victory was in hand, but the New York Yankees lined up in a regular handshake line, exchanging fives and smiles.

No dogs were piled by the mound, no victory laps taken. Inside their clubhouse, where they gathered for toasts and the de rigueur champagne showers after their 4-0 victory eliminated the Boston Red Sox in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card series, the revelry was cut short not long after they’d blasted through George Benson and The Game on their standard clubhouse playlist, and then calmly walked outside for a team photo.

By 11:30, the protective plastic wrap was off the lockers, the room silent. Yet the two bottles of Ace of Spades champagne resting in rookie pitcher Cam Schlittler’s chair at his locker spoke volumes.

Schlittler had already done his figurative talking, setting a franchise rookie record with 12 strikeouts over eight shutout innings. And the champagne had hardly started to flow when Schlittler, a Walpole, Mass. native, revealed his deep satisfaction beyond saving New York’s season: That unspecified Red Sox fans were talking, um, trash about him before the game, perhaps on social media.

The professional mixed with personal. Missions accomplished.

“I didn’t like some of the things they said today,” says Schlittler, who converted his family to Yankee fans once he donned pinstripes. “I’m not going to get into it, but there’s a line I think they crossed a little bit. Again, I’m a competitor and I’m going to go out there and make sure I shut them down.

“We’re aggressive back home and we’re going to try to get under people’s skins.

“They just picked the wrong guy to do it to. And the wrong team to do it to.”

ASK US ANYTHING: Get your burning MLB questions answered

Indeed, these Yankees stared down their seasonal mortality the past two nights, making history by becoming the first of 16 teams to drop Game 1 of these best-of-three shootouts, only to come back the next two nights to beat Boston.

And sure, the accomplishment itself was modest: The Yankees essentially played their way into the field of eight, and they were due to pack onto a plane for Toronto and a Division Series clash with the Blue Jays, who won the AL East and the playoff’s top seed and a week off while New York squabbled with Boston.

Yet what the Yankees gained by taking the field can’t be measured: The bravado that comes with playoff survival and advancing to face a foe far more flawed than the last time they met.

And the knowledge that the trash-talking, 100-mph throwing rookie they trusted with their playoff lives earned their postgame championship belt by absolutely suplexing the Red Sox, setting a franchise rookie record with 12 strikeouts over eight scoreless innings.

The Blue Jays? Without franchise shortstop Bo Bichette and hoping their own rookie, Trey Yesavage, can bail out their wobbling pitching staff.

The Mariners? Their own ace, Bryan Woo, may not be available for their ALDS.

The Tigers? Their de facto AL Central title claimed in their wild-card series against Cleveland was nice, but the potency of Tarik Skubal is watered down when it comes time for five- and seven-game tussles.

No, this is why the Yankees believe more than ever that the pennant they won in 2024 can be defended.

“It’s ours to lose,” veteran DH Giancarlo Stanton tells USA TODAY Sports. “We just gotta come out and play crisp baseball. That’s what it’s about.

“Anyone can go out in three games. But it’s about showing up when you need to. There’s a lot of good, positive things about these three days.”

None bigger than the 6-6 Schlittler, who debuted July 9, posted a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts and earned this Game 3 nod down the stretch.

He’s a massive, strong dude and it’s the year 2025 so of course, he throws gas. Yet he’d never hit 100 mph six times in the first inning, as he did in Game 3. Never threw more than 100 pitches in his career – until tossing 107.

Never did complete more than seven innings in the big leagues – until Game 3, when Aaron Boone kept fist-bumping him after his dominant innings, rather than shaking his hand, a silent and symbolic go-ahead to get back out there and continue mowing down the Red Sox.

No, Schlittler did not quit until he’d completed eight innings and handed the game right to closer David Bednar, taking the volatility of set-up relief out of the equation.

And the Red Sox out of the playoffs.

“Definitely a dream to play Boston in the playoffs,” says Schlittler, “and end their season.”

Oh?

“It’s personal for me playing Boston,” he says. “I was locked in. People from Boston had a lot to say before the game. For me, just being a silent killer and being able to go out there and shut them down.”

It would be hard to blame the Yankees if they created a phalanx of social media bots from Ontario and points beyond in the Great White North, the better to get Schlittler juiced for a Game 4 ALDS assignment against the Blue Jays.

Now, though, he can take a number and watch, probably, Luis Gil in Game 1, followed by the Yankees’ lefty aces in Max Fried and Carlos Rodón.

Oh, they’re far from flawless. Boston’s lefty starters Garrett Crochet and Connelly Early largely suppressed their left-handed hitters, with Cody Bellinger finding good fortune and a patch of grass on a leadoff fourth-inning double struck at 77 mph – yet potent enough to spark a four-run rally.

But Toronto – and, should they advance, Seattle – will come at New York with almost all right-handers, giving Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm and Bellinger optimal chances to take their hacks. The great Skubal can only start so many games should Detroit get through.

No, the field is opening up for the defending pennant winners – especially when new heroes are emerging.

“That’s what you need. You need guys to step up,” says slugger and MVP co-favoriet Aaron Judge. “Especially with the Yankees – we’re gonna go out and trade for guys. We’re gonna go out and get the big free agents.

“But if you’re able to develop and get a guy like Cam through your minor-league system, it’s special.”

Judge is relishing the Blue Jays series, if only because “Toronto will be rocking. The Bronx is gonna be rocking. It’s gonna be fun.”

Another month of opportunity awaits. The chance for the franchise’s 28^th title and first since 2009 is still very much in play. History is hard to make in pinstripes, with thousands of players who came before this current bunch.

Yet Schlittler, still just 24, did just that. And definitely proved he’s not a dude to be messed with.

“Cam went out and attacked with all his pitches,” says Judge, “and did something really special.”

• Arch Manning better fasten his seat bealt, because his legacy will take shape in the SEC’s fast lane.
• Arch Manning and DJ Lagway look overrated. Billy Napier looks underwater.
• Playoff awaits Texas if Arch Manning ignites.

Seat belts on, everyone, because San Jose State is in the rearview mirror, and Texas and Arch Manning must shift into the fast lane, where you either drive 90 mph, or you get run off the road.

“Everybody better buckle up,” coach Steve Sarkisian said of the team’s stretch of eight consecutive SEC games. 

That’s right, no more Texas-El Paso and Sam Houston State. Texas’ journey to the College Football Playoff either begins this weekend in The Swamp — or it swerves into the ditch.

A month from now, nobody will be talking about how Arch Manning looked against UTEP, because, really, who cares? He played poorly, the bloom fell off the rose, but Texas won.

A week later, Manning taunted winless Sam Houston. Try that in the SEC, and he’ll need a stretcher.

Manning will begin writing his Texas legacy against Florida. You’re remembered by how you perform in high-stakes conference games, not what you do in glorified exhibitions against Conference USA opponents.

Texas enjoyed an open date before the curtain lifts on its SEC schedule. If Manning looks the same in Act II as he did in Act I, the Longhorns’ playoff hopes are going to go poof.

Sarkisian acknowledged Manning’s September “growing pains,” as he played in the fishbowl of unrelenting media spotlight. Manning looked jittery in a season-opening loss to the Buckeyes, and his mechanics were out of whack throughout the first few games.

Will he return from the open date looking more settled in, or is this simply the case of an overrated quarterback, whose recruiting profile was inflated because of his surname?

“He can get back to being the player that he wants to be,” Sarkisian said.

Texas needs that to happen. Its defense looks the part of a playoff team. Its offense, well, not really.

The Longhorns will play four games in a row this month away from Austin, including the annual rivalry clash with Oklahoma in Dallas.

Four ranked opponents remain on the schedule.

The Longhorns can afford one more loss and make the playoff with relative ease. Nobody’s going to penalize them too harshly for losing at Ohio State in the season opener. With two more losses, Texas would be left on the bubble, hoping to become the first three-loss team in playoff history. Three more losses, and forget about it.

If Texas endured some glitches in the season’s first month, then Florida encountered a total system meltdown, complete with a costly loogie, an offense that stubbornly won’t ignite and its own quarterback who’s struggling.

DJ Lagway can compare notes with Manning on what it’s like to be overhyped.

Last call for Florida coach Billy Napier

It’s nearly closing time on Gators coach Billy Napier, while he sits on a scalding stool at the last chance tavern. He’s Florida’s worst coach since World War II, but he vowed earlier this season that his Gators are “close to being pretty dangerous.” Days later, Florida lost again.

Napier has perfectly positioned himself to join a long list of fired coaches who came close to winning more games. He stubbornly retained play-calling duties throughout his tenure, and that’s been good for a grand total of 33 points throughout Florida’s three consecutive losses.

By retaining Napier and not firing him a year ago, Florida knew it could hold onto Lagway. The Gators would have been better off changing coaches and taking their chances with a transfer quarterback, brought in by a new coach.

This game offers a get-right opportunity for Lagway and Manning, a test of which quarterback will return from the open date playing better.

Arch Manning’s Texas legacy begins to take shape against Florida

For Manning, his modest performance in September might strangely help in the long run, because it dimmed the spotlight on him. Nobody’s talking about Manning being the Heisman Trophy front-runner anymore. Nobody’s comparing him to Tim Tebow.

The most anyone should expect from Manning at this point would be for him to improve as the season progresses, to the extent that he helps Texas earn a playoff bid. Perhaps, that would have been a more appropriate expectation of Manning all along.

Sarkisian, himself a former quarterback who played at Brigham Young, knows he can’t compare his college experience to what Manning has encountered.

“The two biggest things that happened to me (as BYU’s quarterback) were USA TODAY wrote an article about me, and I was on the cover of TV Guide,” Sarkisian said.

“Times have changed a little bit for what Arch is going through, comparatively.”

Here’s what hasn’t changed: Quarterbacks are remembered much more for how they play against teams like Florida and Oklahoma than for their stat lines against UTEP.

So, fasten that seat belt, Arch, and put on the blinker, because it’s time to shift into the fast lane, where legacies take shape.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

The Las Vegas Aces are on the verge of a dynasty.

The No. 2 seed Aces are set to make their fourth WNBA Finals appearance in six years and are four wins away from winning the franchise’s third WNBA championship in four years. Unlike their previous years of domination, however, the Aces had to dig themselves out of a big hole to get her after starting the season with a 9-11 record.

“This season was completely different. We lost a lot of games early on. It took a lot of grit and toughness to get here, just being resilient,’ said Aces guard Jackie Young, who dropped 32 points and 10 assists in Las Vegas’ Game 5 overtime win over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday to advance to the championship series. ‘In the past, we were probably (a) top three (team) all season. This year, it was different. We really had to fight to get where we wanted to be in the playoff standings.”

The No. 4 seed Phoenix Mercury stand in their way.

RANKING WNBA FINALS ROSTERS: Who’s at the top of the list?

PREDICTIONS: Who will win the WNBA Finals? Experts make their picks

The Mercury wrapped up their semifinal series over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday behind a dominant Game 4 performance from Alyssa Thomas, who finished with 23 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. This marks Thomas’ first Finals appearance sine 2022, when she and the Connecticut Sun lost to Wilson and the Aces.

‘It’s disappointing to get to the Finals and lose. It’s even extremely harder to get back,’ Thomas said on Sept. 28. ‘We’re excited. We believe in each other and are Finals bound. One more to go.’

Here’s everything you need to know about Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

What time is Game 1 of WNBA Finals?

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the No. 2 seed Las Vegas Aces and No. 4 seed Phoenix Mercury tips off at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on Friday, Oct. 3 at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

When does the WNBA Finals start?

The WNBA Finals gets underway on Friday, Oct. 3 with Game 1 in Las Vegas, followed by Game 2 on Sunday, Oct. 5. The championship series then shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Oct. 8 and Game 4 on Oct. 10. If necessary, Game 5 will be in Las Vegas on Oct. 12, Game 6 will be in Phoenix on Oct. 15 and Game 7 would be played in Las Vegas on Oct. 17.

How to watch Mercury vs. Aces in WNBA Finals: TV, streaming for Game 1

• Date: Friday, Oct. 3
• Time: 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
• Location: Michelob Ultra Arena (Las Vegas)
• TV: ESPN
• Stream: Fubo, ESPN Unlimited

Stream Mercury-Aces series on Fubo (free trial)

2025 WNBA Finals schedule

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