The past 15 years have been a transformative time for the college football postseason. A sport that had a single championship game between two teams as recently as 12 years ago now has a 12-team playoff that appears destined to expand in the coming years.

If the Big Ten has its way, the group of teams competing for a national championship would be quite large — to put it mildly.

The league, one of the two most powerful and influential conferences in college athletics, has floated the idea of a 24- or 28-team playoff, according to a report on Saturday, Aug. 16 from ESPN. NBC Sports, which confirmed the Big Ten’s potential plan, reported that it would be a 28-team event.

The idea, according to both outlets, is in the “very early stages.” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti ran the idea by the conference earlier this week and it has started to be shared by others, according to ESPN.

Big Ten’s College Football Playoff proposal

Under the proposal, conference championship games would be scrapped, and there would be a sizable chunk of automatic bids awarded to each of the Power Four conferences. In a 28-team model, according to ESPN, the Big Ten and SEC would each receive seven bids to the playoff, while the ACC and Big 12 would each get five. That would leave two spots for the non-power conferences, plus two at-large selections. The field would be seeded by the College Football Playoff committee, which would also be tasked with picking the at-large inclusions.

In that format, there would be 20 on-campus games. In the inaugural 12-team playoff last year, there were four on-campus games in the first round, a popular feature for fans across the country who enjoyed seeing postseason games inside storied venues at the home campuses of Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas and Penn State.

Big Ten College Football Playoff reactions

Playoff expansion proposals are generally poorly received from fans who often enjoy things the way they are, but even by that standard, the Big Ten’s idea was incredibly unpopular. Shortly after ESPN and NBC’s reports, fans and media members flooded social media to pan the suggestion:

A primary argument against a 24- or 28-team playoff would be the diminished importance of the regular season, with teams able to lose as many as four or five games and still be alive in the hunt for a national championship. Based on conference standings from the 2024 season, a 28-team playoff would have included 8-5 Iowa, 9-4 LSU, 9-4 Alabama, 8-5 Baylor, 9-4 Colorado and 9-4 Louisville.

As recently as 1997, college football had no postseason beyond bowl games, with human polls determining the national champions. The 2014 season marked the arrival of the first College Football Playoff, a four-team tournament that replaced the widely panned Bowl Championship Series.

After 10 years of the playoff being a four-team event, it tripled to 12 teams last season, with Ohio State, the playoff’s No. 8 seed, winning the national title.

For the second year in a row, Austin Dillon took the checkered flag at Richmond Raceway. This year, there was no controversy.

Dillon won the Cook Out 400 on Aug. 16 to clinch a berth in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. The Richard Childress Racing driver led 107 laps and held off Alex Bowman for his sixth career Cup win and his first since winning this same race one year ago.

Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet was clearly the class of the field, especially in the second half of the race, where both the speed and the setup kept him in command over multiple caution-free long runs. First Ryan Blaney then Bowman tried to chase Dillon down in the closing laps, but Dillon was able to cruise to victory by 2.471 seconds.

It was a far cry from the way this race ended last year.

That one involved an overtime shootout and Dillon initiating contact with both Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin to force his way to the front. On the final lap, Dillon hit Logano in the final turn, sending the Team Penske driver crashing into the wall before clipping Hamlin’s rear wheel, causing another crash and taking the Joe Gibbs Racing driver out of contention. While Dillon celebrated that victory, which seemed to lock him into the 2024 playoffs, NASCAR officials launched a review of the finish. Days later, NASCAR stripped Dillon of that playoff berth, deeming he not only violated a section of the rule book but crossed the line of good, hard racing.

Now, with his victory Saturday night, Dillon has a measure of redemption and a chance to compete for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship when the 16-driver, 10-race playoffs begin in two weeks.

“That feels good. I really wanted that one,” Dillon said after taking the checkered flag. “Last year hurt really bad, just going through the whole process. But this one feels so sweet. Man, I love Richmond.”

For Bowman, still winless this season, the runner-up finish was a bit of a glass-half-full, glass-half-empty scenario. His big points day keeps him as the 16th-ranked driver in the standings, above the playoff cutoff line. But a new winner in the regular-season finale next Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway would bump the Hendrick Motorsports driver out of the postseason.

Dillon, who ranked outside of the top 20 entering the Richmond race, was in must-win territory Saturday night. His performance on the Virginia track assured him of a stress-free drive at Daytona next weekend.

NASCAR Richmond results: Cook Out 400

Full results from Saturday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway, with finishing position, starting position, driver, car number and make, laps completed, laps led

1. (11) Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet ….. 400 (107)
2. (9) Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet ….. 400
3. (20) Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford ….. 400 (39)
4. (38) Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford ….. 400
5. (13) Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford ….. 400 (2)
6. (30) Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet ….. 400 (9)
7. (21) Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet ….. 400 (1)
8. (17) Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford ….. 400
9. (6) Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford ….. 400 (2)
10. (4) Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota ….. 400
11. (29) Zane Smith, No. 38 Ford ….. 400
12. (14) William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet ….. 400
13. (19) Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota ….. 400
14. (27) Shane Van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet ….. 399
15. (15) Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet ….. 399 (10)
16. (28) Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet ….. 399
17. (10) Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet ….. 399 (6)
18. (23) Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota ….. 399
19. (33) Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet ….. 399
20. (16) Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet ….. 399
21. (8) Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota ….. 399
22. (3) AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet ….. 399
23. (36) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Chevrolet ….. 399
24. (24) Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford ….. 399
25. (31) Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford ….. 399
26. (18) Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota ….. 398
27. (22) Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford ….. 398
28. (7) Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota ….. 398 (123)
29. (32) Corey Heim, No. 67 Toyota ….. 398
30. (12) Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford ….. 398
31. (26) Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota ….. 398
32. (37) Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford ….. 397
33. (35) Jesse Love, No. 33 Chevrolet ….. 396
34. (2) Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota ….. 396 (41)
35. (1) Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford ….. 396 (60)
36. (34) John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota ….. 389
37. (25) Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet ….. 198
38. (5) Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet ….. 197

What time does the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond start?

The Cook Out 400 is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 16, at Richmond Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.

What TV channel is the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond?

The Cook Out 400 will be broadcast on USA Network. Pre-race coverage will start at 7 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond?

Yes, the Cook Out 400 can be streamed on HBO Max, Sling TV and Fubo, which is offering a free trial to new subscribers.

Watch the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond on Fubo

How many laps is the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond?

The Cook Out 400 is 400 laps around the 0.75-mile track for a total of 300 miles. The race will have three segments (laps per stage) — Stage 1: 70 laps; Stage 2: 160 laps; Stage 3: 170 laps.

Who won the NASCAR Cup race at Richmond last year?

In one of the more controversial finishes in 2024, Austin Dillon won the Cook Out 400 in overtime last year. The race of attrition turned into a two-lap shootout in overtime to decide the winner. On the final lap, Dillon turned Joey Logano in the final turn before clipping Hamlin’s rear wheel and taking him out of contention. He kept the win but NASCAR denied his playoff berth from it days later due to his actions.

What is the lineup for the Cook Out 400 at Richmond?

(Car number in parentheses)

1. (60) Ryan Preece, Ford
2. (45) Tyler Reddick, Toyota
3. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet
4. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota
5. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet
6. (6) Brad Keselowski, Ford
7. (23) Bubba Wallace, Toyota
8. (20) Christopher Bell, Toyota
9. (48) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet
10. (71) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet
11. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet
12. (17) Chris Buescher, Ford
13. (2) Austin Cindric, Ford
14. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet
15. (77) Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet
16. (10) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet
17. (21) Josh Berry, Ford
18. (43) Erik Jones, Toyota
19. (19) Chase Briscoe, Toyota
20. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford
21. (99) Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet
22. (4) Noah Gragson, Ford
23. (54) Ty Gibbs, Toyota
24. (41) Cole Custer, Ford
25. (7) Justin Haley, Chevrolet
26. (35) Riley Herbst, Toyota
27. (88) Shane Van Gisbergen, Chevrolet
28. (8) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet
29. (38) Zane Smith, Ford
30. (5) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet
31. (34) Todd Gilliland, Ford
32. (67) Corey Heim, Toyota
33. (1) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet
34. (42) John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota
35. (33) Jesse Love, Chevrolet
36. (47) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet
37. (51) Cody Ware, Ford
38. (22) Joey Logano, Ford

It’s not every day that a franchise legend’s son makes his first NFL catch.

The San Francisco 49ers traveled to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders today in their second preseason game. During the third quarter, wide receiver Terique Owens – son of Hall of Fame wideout Terrell Owens – hauled in a pass from quarterback Mac Jones for 17 yards.

That marks the first catch for Owens in his second preseason with the 49ers.

San Francisco signed Owens as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft. He was put on injured reserve prior to the 2024 season before the team signed him to the practice squad for the season.

The 49ers kept him on the roster this offseason amid injuries to multiple starters. Ricky Pearsall’s worked his way back from a minor hamstring injury but Brandon Aiyuk will likely be out for multiple weeks as he works back from a major knee injury last season.

Veteran Demarcus Robinson is facing a possible suspension at the start of the season and Jauan Jennings is seeking a new contract.

Owens’ father Terrell had 592 catches for 8,572 yards and 81 touchdowns over eight years with the 49ers from 1996 to 2003. He’s got a ways to go to catch up with his Hall of Fame dad but today marks a start.

49ers WR depth chart

Amid these injuries and potential suspensions, the 49ers have a crowded wide receiver room. Here’s how the depth chart looks ahead of their preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers:

• Ricky Pearsall
• Jauan Jennings
• Jacob Cowing
• Demarcus Robinson
• Jordan Watkins
• Russell Gage Jr.
• Terique Owens
• Junior Bergen
• Isaiah Hodgins
• Robbie Chosen

There’s no stopping Robert MacIntyre so far at the 2025 BMW Championship. 

The Scottish lefthander backed up his first round 62 at the PGA Tour’s second FedEx Cup playoff event with a 64 in Friday’ second round at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. MacIntyre finished Thursday with a six-birdie flourish and then birdied his first hole in Round 2. He sits at 14-under for the tournament after 36 holes and will enter the weekend with a five-shot lead over tournament favorite and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (-9), who holds sole possession of second place after two rounds.

Ludvig Aberg (-8) and Hideki Matsuyama (-7) are also in contention ahead of Saturday’s third round after matching MacIntyre’s 6-under 64 for Round 2. Only the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings after Sunday’s final round qualify for The Tour Championship.

BMW Championship leaderboard

• 1. Robert MacIntyre: -14 (F)
• 2. Scottie Scheffler: -9 (F)
• 3: Ludvig Åberg: -8 (F)
• 4: Hideki Matsuyama: -7 (F)
• T5. Tommy Fleetwood: -6 (F)
• T5. Michael Kim: -6 (F)
• T5. Maverick McNealy: -6 (F)
• T8. Harry Hall: -5 (F)
• T8. Sam Burns: -5 (F)
• T8. Viktor Hovland: -5 (F)
• 11. Rory McIlroy -4 (F)
• T12. Russell Henley -3 (F)
• T12. Rickie Fowler -3 (F)

BMW CHAMPIONSHIP: Full leaderboard, updated tee times

Scottie Scheffler finishes Round 2 in second place

Scottie Scheffler recorded pars on the final six holes of the second round to card a 5-under 65 for the day. The No. 1 ranked golfer in the world sits at -9 for the tournament and in second place heading into the third round on Saturday, Aug. 16. Scheffler is five shots behind overall leader Robert MacIntyre, who is -14 through two rounds, and one shot ahead of Ludvig Aberg, who sits in third at -8.

Rickie Fowler (-2 through 17) and Jhonattan Vegas (+6 through 17) are the only two golfers still on the course.

Rory McIlroy nears top 10 after eagle

Rory McIlroy has suddenly worked his way back into the top 10 conversation on the BMW Championship leaderboard. He just got an eagle at No. 17 to move to 4-under for the tournament and 4-under for the round playing in a pairing with Scheffler again. McIlroy had a birdie at No. 1, a three-putt double bogey at No. 3, three-straight birdies starting at No. 9 and then this move on one of two par 5s on the course.

Scottie Scheffler takes sole possession of second

Scottie Scheffler followed up his birdie on the 11th hole with another one on Hole No. 12 to move to 5-under for the day and -9 for the tournament. After hitting a nearly perfect tee shot on the par-4, 506-yard hole, Scheffler’s approach shot left him 7 feet from the cup on his third shot. With the birdie, Scheffler moved pass Ludvig Aberg into sole possession of second place, five shots behind clubhouse leader Robert MacIntyre, who is -14 through two rounds.

Scottie Scheffler moves into tie for second

Scottie Scheffler nailed his approach shot on the 301-yard, par-4 11th hole, leaving him a two-foot putt. Scheffler collected the birdie to move to 4 under for the round and into a tie for second place with Ludvig Aberg at -8 for the tournament. Aberg is already in the clubhouse as is early leader Robert MacIntyre, who is sitting on a six-shot lead.

MacIntyre finishes round, increases lead

Robert MacIntyre is halfway to the BMW Championship after finishing his round with 6-under 64. He sits at 14-under for the tournament, seven shots ahead of Hideki Matsuyama, who also completed his round at 6-under. Scottie Scheffler is also seven shots back after three birdies in his first five holes of play.

MacIntyre is on fire

Robert MacIntyre continues to excel as he birdies No. 14, extending his lead to 13-under as he approaches the final three holes of the round.

Fleetwood birdies on No. 9

Tommy Fleetwood is now three strokes behind after making a birdie at the 9th hole, bringing his total to 8-under par, while Robert MacIntyre leads at 11-under.

Fleetwood attempts to narrow the lead

Tommy Fleetwood is now at 7-under as he approaches the No. 7 hole, reducing the gap to four strokes behind leader Robert MacIntyre.

MacIntyre extends his lead

Robert MacIntyre has extended his lead to 10 under par after making a birdie on the fourth hole. He currently leads Tommy Fleetwood, who is in second place at five under, by five strokes as the second round continues.

Daniel Berger seizes first birdie

After a plethora of pars and bogeys, Daniel Berger birdied the first hole of his second round. Berger is at even-par for the tournament.

Par for the course

Four golfers have taken the course, and all four are even. After Harry Hall and Jason Day posted a par on hole No. 1, Matt Fitzpatrick and Si Woo Kim followed suit. Brian Campbell and Denny McCarthy have just teed off to start their second round.

BMW Championship Round 2 is underway

The second round has started at Caves Valley Golf Club with Harry Hall and Jason Day on the course.

What time is BMW Championship?

The second round of the 2025 BMW Championship starts at 9:21 a.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 15.

How to watch BMW Championship: TV channel, streaming

The 2025 BMW Championship, the second event of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, will be televised nationally on the Golf Channel and NBC. It can be live streamed via ESPN+, Peacock and Fubo depending on the time. Here’s the full broadcast schedule for all four rounds:

All times Eastern

Friday, Aug. 15

• 9:15 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+
• 2-6 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo

Saturday, Aug. 16

• 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+
• 1-3 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo
• 3-6 p.m. on NBC, Peacock

Sunday, Aug. 17

• 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on ESPN+
• Noon-2 p.m. on Golf Channel, Fubo
• 2-6 p.m. on NBC, Peacock

BMW Championship tee times, pairings

Second Round – Friday

All times ET.

• 9:21 a.m. — Harry Hall, Jason Day
• 9:32 a.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Si Woo Kim
• 9:43 a.m. — Brian Campbell, Denny McCarthy
• 9:54 a.m. — Ryan Gerard, Daniel Berger
• 10:05 a.m. — Chris Gotterup, Jacob Bridgeman
• 10:16 a.m. — Sam Burns, Sungjae Im
• 10:27 a.m. — Hideski Matsuyama, Robert MacIntyre
• 10:43 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Corey Conners
• 10:54 a.m. — Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood
• 11:05 a.m. — Justin Rose, J.J. Spaun
• 11:16 a.m. — Cameron Young, Ludvig Aberg
• 11:27 a.m. — Tom Hoge, Bud Cauley
• 11:38 a.m. — J.T. Poston
• 11:54 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, Michael Kim
• 12:05 p.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Thomas Detry
• 12:16 p.m. — Ryan Fox, Taylor Pendrith
• 12:27 p.m. — Lucas Glover, Sam Stevens
• 12:38 p.m. — Viktor Hovland, Akshay Bhatia
• 12:49 p.m. — Nick Taylor, Shane Lowry
• 1:05 p.m. — Brian Harman, Patrick Cantlay
• 1:16 p.m. — Keegan Bradley, Maverick McNealy
• 1:27 p.m. — Ben Griffin, Russell Henley
• 1:38 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy
• 1:49 p.m. — Andrew Novak, Harris English
• 2 p.m. — Jhonattan Vegas, Rickie Fowler

FedEx Cup standings

Listed below is the top 10 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings. These are the golfers that have qualified for the BMW Championship this weekend. For a full list of standings, click here.

• Scottie Scheffler: 5,456 points
• Rory McIlroy: 3,444 points
• J.J. Spaun: 3,344 points
• Justin Rose: 3,220 points
• Sepp Straka: 2,783 points
• Russell Henley: 2,579 points
• Ben Griffin: 2,555 points
• Tommy Fleetwood: 2,433 points
• Justin Thomas: 2,395 points
• Harris English: 2,269 points

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The 2025-26 Premier League season is here, and Liverpool returns as the reigning title-holders.

Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea rounded out the top four last season. Are there any other clubs that can break into the top four?

Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton were relegated. Promoted from the Championship were Burnley, Leeds United and Sunderland. What are those clubs’ chances of staying up in the Premier League?

Last season, Liverpool’s Mo Salah won the Golden Boot with 29 goals; Erling Haaland won the Golden Boot in the two seasons prior. Which player is the favorite to be the Premiership’s top goal scorer this season?

Here are USA TODAY Sports’ experts’ predictions for the upcoming Premier League season:

Premier League 2025-26 top four finishers

Premier League 2025-26 relegated teams

Premier League 2025-26 Golden Boot winner

AI-assisted summary
• Michigan received four-year probation and hefty fines for its sign-stealing scandal.
• The NCAA decided against handing Michigan a postseason ban, citing it would unfairly punish current players for actions of former staff.
• Michigan’s 2023 national championship was not vacated.

Michigan football received several punishments and fines by the NCAA for its sign-stealing scandal, but one thing the Wolverines did avoid was a postseason ban.

The penalties, announced on Aug. 15, included a four-year probation for the program, as well as various fines that in total, are expected to be around $30 million. Also included are show-cause orders to coach Sherrone Moore, former off-field analyst Connor Stalions and former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.

Yet, one thing the college football world awaited was whether a postseason ban would be placed, given the severity of the violations and it being done to other programs before. The NCAA did state there were ‘sufficient grounds’ to impose a postseason ban, so why wasn’t one placed?

Why didn’t Michigan football get a postseason ban?

The NCAA noted in its 74-page report that since Michigan was a ‘repeat violator,’ a postseason ban was required in the case, and a multi-year ban was appropriate.

However, the NCAA determined any type of postseason ban ‘would unfairly penalize student-athletes for the actions of coaches and staff who are no longer associated with the Michigan football program.’

‘Thus, a more appropriate penalty is an offsetting financial penalty,’ the report reads.

Instead, Michigan will have a ‘fine equivalent to the anticipated loss of all postseason competition revenue sharing associated with the 2025 and 2026 football seasons.’ 

COI representatives Kay Norton and Norman Bay were asked if a postseason ban been issued if Harbaugh was still coaching the Wolverines, and they declined to answer on the grounds it would be speculative.

Was Michigan’s national championship vacated?

No. The Wolverine did not vacate the 2023 national championship they won that season, and no wins were stripped.

Hours after the NCAA handed Michigan football numerous penalties for its role in a sign-stealing scandal led by former staffer Connor Stalions, the university announced it would appeal the ruling.

‘We will appeal this decision to ensure a fair result, and we will consider all other options,’ the university said in a statement.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions handed numerous financial penalties to the football program, including an institution fine of $50,000 plus 10% of Michigan’s football budget. It also included a fine equivalent to anticipated loss of postseason revenue for 2025 and 2026, 10% of scholarships, 14-week prohibition on recruiting communications during the four-year probation period and a 25% reduction in official visits during the 2025-26 season.

Coach Sherrone Moore was also given another one-game suspension, which will take place in Week 1 of the 2026 season. Moore is already set to serve a two-game suspension for Week 3 and 4 of the 2025 season, as part of a self-imposed suspension from the school, which was accepted by the NCAA.

‘We appreciate the work of the Committee on Infractions,’ Michigan stated. ‘But, respectfully, in a number of instances the decision makes fundamental errors in interpreting NCAA bylaws; and it includes a number of conclusions that are directly contrary to the evidence – or lack of evidence – in the record.’

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel also supported Michigan’s decision to appeal the ruling.

‘It is never our intent to be in a position where we are accused of any rules violations,’ Manuel said in the statement. ‘I fully support Coach Sherrone Moore, our student-athletes and staff as they prepare for the season ahead. I appreciate Coach Moore’s continued commitment to ensuring his program operates in compliance with applicable rules.

‘I acknowledge the Committee on Infractions’ decision to not penalize our current student-athletes by eliminating postseason opportunities; however, a postseason ban should never have been a consideration in this case. I fully support the university’s decision to pursue an appeal. Coach Moore and I will not have any further comment.’