Those College Football Playoff hopes for Notre Dame? 

They’re doing just fine.

The 15th-ranked Fighting Irish ensured their bid to get back to the national championship title game is far from over with their running game leading a 34-24 defeat of No. 21 Southern California in the 96th Battle of the Jeweled Shillelagh.

It was only the seventh game of the season for Notre Dame, but it was the one that would decide the fate of the rest of the campaign. It couldn’t afford another loss after opening with close defeats to Miami and Texas A&M.

The Fighting Irish played with the necessary urgency, running for 306 yards, led by a career day by Jeremiyah Love. The junior running back piled up a career-high 228 yards and one touchdown on the ground on just 24 carries for an average 9.5 yards per carry. It was the most rushing yards for a Notre Dame player in Notre Dame Stadium history.

‘We just played our butts off, and when the opportunity presented itself, we executed,’ Love said.

Love was complimented by 87 rushing yards from fellow back Jadarian Price, but his impact went beyond the running game. 

After USC rallied in the second half to take a 24-21 lead in the third quarter, Price took the ensuing kickoff 100-yards to the house and sent the Notre Dame faithful into a frenzy. Between Love and Price, the dynamic duo combined for 436 total yards.

‘It’s not very common in life to see two guys that are so talented that deserve the ball in their hand every snap, but choose to put the team in front of themselves and then make the most of their opportunities,’ Freeman said.

The strong performance from the running backs delivered what Freeman wanted in the rivalry matchup: a physical, ‘bloody’ performance. He believed which ever team proved its toughness at the line of scrimmage would emerge on top, and the steady rain in South Bend forced both teams to focus on the ground game.

On both sides, it all pointed to a Fighting Irish win. Not only did Notre Dame dominate on the ground, but it limited the Trojan rushing attack to 68 yards.

‘It was going to be one in the trenches,’ Freeman said. ‘We weren’t going to be able to throw up the ball a lot in the second half because of the moisture and the weather. That’s what we want.

‘That’s our edge. We got to be we got to play the game in a physical matter,’ he added.

Notre Dame has now won five consecutive games, but most importantly got its first ranked win of the season. Even if the Trojans fall out of the US LBM coaches poll, it’s a big resume booster that the Fighting Irish need to secure a spot in the playoff if they can win the rest of the games.

Costly mistakes dooms USC

The Trojans had a chance to reclaim the lead several times in the second half but were undone by too many mistakes. Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw an interception, but it was a failed trick play in the fourth quarter that really killed any momentum the Trojans had.

They attempted a reverse-pass play with receiver Makai Lemon, but he fumbled while looking to throw the ball. Notre Dame recovered for a key turning point in the game. It was one of three turnovers committed by USC. Notre Dame had just one.

It’s the failed trick play that was haunting Riley after the loss.

‘Stupid call, stupid call,’ he said.

Notre Dame was able to add another touchdown to make it a 10-point game and USC couldn’t cut the deficit, shut out in the final frame.

It’s a difficult loss for USC and Riley after showing signs of life in a win over Michigan last week. Although it wasn’t a conference win, the Trojans are 5-2 and the path to its first playoff appearance gets more difficult, especially with a road trip to Oregon later in the season.  

• Kalen DeBoer dressed in his black assassin’s hoodie, and Alabama zapped another ranked opponent. This time, Tennessee fell victim.
• If Ty Simpson keeps playing like this, he’ll be a Heisman Trophy finalist.
• Interception swings game to Alabama.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Must be the hoodie.

Couldn’t just be that Kalen DeBoer has become the best big-game coach in the country.

Seriously. Look it up. Peep his record against ranked opponents. It’s mind-bogglingly brilliant.

Couldn’t just be that DeBoer’s got Alabama playing like it intends to spend the first Saturday of December in Atlanta, competing for an SEC championship. And it couldn’t just be that he’s got his quarterback playing like he’ll be in New York City the following week.

Nah, it must be that “black hoodie of death.”

A mere seven weeks ago, Alabama and its coach were the butt of the joke.

Now, he’s Darth DeBoer. His No. 6 Crimson Tide just zapped a fourth straight ranked opponent, felling No. 11 Tennessee 37-20 at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Alabama fans were ready for a bloodletting after DeBoer’s second season as the GOAT’s heir started with a pathetic performance in a loss at Florida State.

Boosters were grumbling, and the mood was such that one fan played the Powerball with hopes of winning so she could personally cover DeBoer’s buyout that tops $60 million and run him out of town. Seriously.

Better save those shekels. If Alabama keeps this up, this season will include bonuses, not buyouts, for DeBoer.

From Penn State to LSU and lands in between, what opposing fan bases would give for a coach with DeBoer’s 19-3 career record against ranked opponents, or his now 14-2 record in that assassin’s hoodie. All other game-day attire has been retired. DeBoer ought to burn that red polo he wore against Florida State, but he protected the precious hoodie from cigar smoke while players enjoyed a puff, as is tradition after the Third Saturday in October rivalry.

‘I told the guys not to get any ashes on it,’ DeBoer quipped.

Alabama, Ty Simpson continue march toward SEC championship game

Inside the messy SEC, only Texas A&M remains undefeated, but who wants to take on Alabama? It’s toppled Georgia and halted the nation’s longest home winning streak. It regained its honor against Vanderbilt. It survived Missouri. It mauled Tennessee.

Nobody should take wins like these for granted in perilous times like these, inside this unforgiving conference, not when Texas needs overtime to survive Kentucky, and Texas A&M is pushed to the brink by Arkansas and LSU’s losing to Vanderbilt.

These aren’t the 2022 Vols, and their pass defense is especially vulnerable. Quarterback Ty Simpson took full advantage, deftly passing for 253 yards. Tennessee fits into that middle glob of SEC teams that are pretty good, but not great. Alabama’s established itself onto a higher tier.

No, I’m not declaring Alabama “back,” because what does that even mean? Nick Saban’s dynasty is finished. This six-game win streak doesn’t change that. What this does do is establish Alabama as a top playoff contender, maybe even the SEC’s best national championship contender.

Anyway, Alabama’s not winning with the joyless murderball style that became the hallmark of Saban’s peak. This is a quarterback-fueled uprising.

Simpson’s playing as well as any quarterback south of the Mason-Dixon Line, and his wide receivers are some of the finest this side of Columbus, Ohio.

On Alabama’s first drive, Simpson faced peril. Two pass rushers had him pinned in — or so it seemed. He danced in the end zone to buy time, then fired a strike to Josh Cuevas to move the chains on third down. That entire first drive — a 91-yard march — became a master class of quarterbacking by this veteran who sat behind Bryce Young, then Jalen Milroe, and waited his turn to become a star in a transfer age. He went from a preseason question mark to a midseason premier asset.

Tide turns to Alabama on pivotal interception

Good as he was, Simpson’s arm didn’t deliver this victory.

This one swung on a 14-point twist on the final play before halftime. Tennessee’s Joey Aguilar flipped a pass toward the end zone, where Miles Kitselman was running an out route toward the pylon.

If Aguilar’s pass had found its mark, the Vols would have gone to their locker room trailing by just two points, having stolen the momentum. Instead, Alabama cornerback Zabien Brown stole the football.

Aguilar’s pass lacked the required zip, and it sailed to Kitselman’s back shoulder instead of leading him. Brown jumped the route, pried the pigskin from the sky and won a 99-yard footrace to the opposite end zone. A would-be seven points for Tennessee became seven for Alabama.

And the Tide hooped and hollered on their way to the locker room, and their fans pumped their red and white pompoms, and Tennessee was toast.

“Love it,” DeBoer said in his radio interview on his way to the halftime locker room.

Keep beating rivals like this, wearing that black hoodie, and maybe these rabid fans in this football-crazed state will even learn to love him back.

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.

ATHENS, Ga. – It’s their own dang fault. They’ve set the bar so high, there’s only one way this could unfold. 

With the end of the boogeyman.

Structurally speaking, of course. Because even No. 7 Georgia’s 43-35 thrill-a-minute victory over No. 5 Ole Miss can’t hide the hideous truth. 

‘We weren’t dead,’ said Georgia defensive end Jordan Hall. ‘We just needed one stop.’

Said every Big 12 player and coach, ever. And here’s the crazy part: the architect of some of the greatest defenses of the modern era said it, too.

That was Georgia coach Kirby Smart, whose work as defensive coordinator at Alabama and head coach at Georgia over the past two decades redefined the art of stopping the other guy, standing at the podium in the aftermath of this epic volley of last man with the ball wins, struggling to comprehend and explain it all.

‘I always show confidence in our defense,’ Smart said. ‘Which is hard to do now.’

If you think that’s a shocking statement, consider this: but for Georgia’s typical meltdown last month against nemesis Alabama, the Bulldogs and their ungodly example of defense would be unbeaten.

The defense that gave up five touchdowns on Ole Miss’ first five drives, that didn’t force a punt until the fourth quarter, that last month gave up 41 points in a win over Tennessee, is still in position to play for the SEC championship and potentially earn a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff. 

With a defense that fits perfectly in the old Western Athletic Conference.

‘We just had to keep scoring points,’ said Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie, who caught three touchdown passes. ‘Every series, score points.’

The one saving grace for Georgia was the Ole Miss defense, which still can’t stop any legitimate offense in a big game — especially away from Oxford. So you get what we got on a perfect, sun-splashed day in the deep south. 

Points and touchdowns. All over the joint. 

Georgia’s nine drives: field goal, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, end of game.

Were it not for Georgia finally figuring it out defensively on the final three drives of the game for Ole Miss — or more to the point, Ole Miss simply missing plays that were there for the taking — the official end of Georgia’s defensive dominance would’ve included a devastating loss. 

This is the same Ole Miss offense that last week struggled to score 24 points on lowly Washington State. Then the Georgia defense stepped on the field, and it may as well have been one of those Mark Richt era Todd Grantham defenses of long ago, helpless to stop anything and anyone.

Ole Miss failed to score on the final drive of the game, a three-and-out (three drives, no scores) of the worst kind. That’s 11 plays for 13 yards, after torching the Georgia defense for whatever it wanted over the first five drives.

As strange as it sounds, the best friend of the Georgia defense was the Georgia offense, which chewed clock with extended drives that kept Ole Miss off the field. Imagine that, the worst possible scenario for Georgia was its defense on the field ― until it mattered most.

‘We just looked at each other and said, we gotta have it,’ said Georgia linebacker CJ Allen. ‘Just needed one stop.’

Somewhere, all over the NFL footprint, the stars of Georgia past just puked.

Nothing about this Georgia defense remotely resembles past iterations under Smart, defenses that controlled the front with four down linemen, played two safeties high and dared you to throw the ball.  

Defenses that set the tone by eliminating the run game, pressuring the quarterback and forcing turnovers. Defenses that made Georgia the boogeyman of college football. 

Now Georgia can’t get to the quarterback, and can’t cover a simple hitch throw. To be fair to the defense, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss was masterful at extending plays and finding open receivers.

But there’s no such thing as extending plays on Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, or Nolan Smith and Travon Walker, or Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker. And that’s kind of the point.

Those elite defenders Smart had stacked and packed on the roster like game day traffic on State Road 316, aren’t around anymore. Whether it’s recruiting misses, or development or players leaving for the transfer portal, this defense can’t dictate games ― much less control them.

The Bulldogs had eight sacks in six games before Ole Miss rolled into town, which is sort of like saying Lake Burton, the 2,800 acre playpen of the rich and famous (and Nick Saban) 90 minutes north of here, suddenly went dry.

If you think that’s bad, the Dawgs have forced six turnovers in seven games. Six.

The two areas that have defined the Georgia defense — and really, the Georgia program — under Smart are all but obsolete. The Dawgs aren’t getting to the quarterback, and aren’t forcing turnovers.

They’re just holding on for their very lives in big games.

At one point in the post-game news conference, an exasperated Smart was asked why the defense played so much man coverage if there were obvious problems in the secondary.

‘(Chambliss) was 12-for-12 against zone (coverage),’ Smart said. ‘I’d rather play man, and hope we can get to 2nd-and-10.’

That’s about as damning a statement as Smart could make. The Dawgs simply don’t have game-changing players on defense, which forces the offense — saved Saturday by tough, overachieving quarterback Gunner Stockton — to be nearly perfect. Or play a defense worse than their defense (see: Ole Miss). 

When Georgia isn’t perfect offensively, Tennessee blows a chance to beat the Dawgs for the first time since 2016. Alabama stops a bleed-out by beating Georgia (again), and Georgia needs some funky officiating to beat an Auburn team with a truly pitiful offense. 

It’s no secret how it got to this point, how the anchor of all things big, bad Georgia can’t find its footing. How the offense, with Gunner Stockton gutting it out despite an oblique injury and playing the best game of his brief career, now has to save the team in the fourth quarter.

There was a time when the Georgia defense salted away games long before that. When its very presence on the field intimidated everything and everyone.

The next thing you know, a quarterback (Chambliss) who was playing at Division II Ferris State last season, is running around and making plays ― and making the once feared Georgia defense look mighty average.

‘Our margins are small and tight,’ Smart said. ‘If we can run the ball and stop the run, we can win the game. It will just be holy hell to win it.’

Either way, the boogeyman is dead. Long live, the Georgia offense. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

University of Tennessee coach Tony Vitello has emerged as a frontrunner for the San Francisco Giants’ managerial opening, yet his hiring is not certain, according to a person familiar with the Giants’ managerial negotiations.

The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of negotiations.

Vitello is the highest-paid coach in collegiate baseball, at more than $3 million a season, and it’s believed he’d have to take a pay cut to manage in the major leagues, where first-time managers earn significantly less.

Posey has interviewed multiple candidates, including Nick Hundley, his former backup catcher with the Giants. They’ve reportedly interviewed former Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and Kansas City Royals bench coach Vance Wilson.

While many managers still struggle to make $1 million a season at the entry level, the top end of the market has gone up in recent years with Craig Counsell’s five-year, $40 million contract to shift from the Milwaukee Brewers dugout to the Chicago Cubs, and Dave Roberts’ $8.1 million annual salary with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the past five years, the pay scales have made a move from the pro ranks to the colleges more likely, with coaches such as former Minnesota Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson moving on to the same job at LSU before taking the head position at Georgia.

Posey meeting Vitello’s market would pose some risk for the second-year baseball chief, with the fiery Volunteers coach having to adjust to both the pro game and professional personalities. Posey made significant changes to the Giants roster this past winter, yet the club finished 81-81, the fourth consecutive season the club finished between 79 and 81 wins.

The Athletic first reported that Vitello and the Giants were in advanced discussions about the managerial opening.

MLS players gathered around each other, watching iPhones and stadium scoreboards, waiting for final whistles to blow on Decision Day, Oct. 18.

Some were celebrating with pride. Others left the pitch disappointed as their seasons came to an end.

The Philadelphia Union won the 2025 Supporters’ Shield. They’ve clinched home-pitch advantage in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs.

FC Cincinnati and Inter Miami each finished one point behind them in the standings. All three clubs finished with higher point totals than any of their counterparts in the West.

The East well could host the West in the MLS Cup final on Dec. 6.

Expansion side San Diego FC won the Western Conference ahead of Vancouver. They’ve secured the most points by any expansion club in MLS history.

Messi wins MLS Golden Boot, could win MVP

• Lionel Messi scored a hat trick with an assist to help Inter Miami beat Nashville SC 5-2. He finishes with 29 goals and 19 assists to finish with 48 goal contributions in 2025.
• Anders Dreyer had two goals and an assist in a 3-0 win at Portland, finishing with 19 goals and 19 assists.
• Denis Bouanga was held scoreless, finishing the season with 24 goals and nine assists.
• Nashville’s Sam Surridge scored against Inter Miami, finishing with 24 goals and five assists.
• Cincinnati’s Evander had a goal and assist against Montreal, finishing with 18 goals and 15 assists.

Final Eastern Conference standings

1. Philadelphia Union (66 points)
2. FC Cincinnati (65)
3. Inter Miami CF (65)
4. Charlotte FC (59)
5. New York City FC (56)
6. Nashville SC (54)
7. Columbus Crew (54)
8. Chicago Fire (53)
9. Orlando City SC (53)

Eastern Conference playoff matchups

Wild-card matchup:

• Chicago Fire (No. 8) vs. Orlando City (9)

Round 1 (best-of-three series):

• Philadelphia Union (1) vs. Chicago Fire-Orlando City (8/9 winner)
• FC Cincinnati (2) vs. Columbus Crew (7)
• Inter Miami CF (3) vs. Nashville SC (6)
• Charlotte FC (4) vs. New York City FC (5)

Final Western Conference standings

1. San Diego FC (63 points)
2. Vancouver Whitecaps (63)
3. Los Angeles FC (60)
4. Minnesota United (58)
5. Seattle Sounders (55)
6. Austin FC (47)
7. FC Dallas (44)
8. Portland Timbers (44)
9. Real Salt Lake (41)

Western Conference playoff matchups

Wild-card matchup:

• Portland Timbers (No. 8) vs. Real Salt Lake (No. 9)

Round 1 (best-of-three series):

• San Diego FC (1) vs. Portland Timbers/Real Salt Lake (8/9 winner)
• Vancouver Whitecaps (2) vs. FC Dallas (7)
• LAFC (3) vs. Austin FC (6)
• Minnesota United (4) vs. Seattle Sounders (5)

When do the MLS playoffs start?

Here is the playoff schedule:

• Oct. 22: Wild-card matches (single-elimination matches)
  • Chicago Fire vs. Orlando City (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass)
  • Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass)
• Oct. 24-Nov. 9: Round 1 (best-of-three series)
• Nov. 22-23: Conference semifinals (single-elimination matches)
• Nov. 29-30: Conference finals (single-elimination matches)
• Dec. 6: MLS Cup (single winner-take-all match)