On Saturday, college football’s most prestigious individual honor will be handed out, with the Heisman Trophy being awarded to the young man deemed to be the most outstanding player in the sport.

While the winner won’t be announced until Dec. 13, the four players vying for the famed, 45-pound bronze trophy have been revealed.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love are the finalists for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, with ESPN announcing the group on Monday, Dec. 8.

Mendoza and Pavia are in line to make history for their respective programs, as neither Indiana nor Vanderbilt has ever produced a Heisman winner.

Twelve of the past 15 Heisman recipients have been quarterbacks, though only three of the past five. Last season, Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter took home the award.

Unlike Hunter, whose Buffaloes team went 9-3 in the 2024 regular season, each of the Heisman finalists played on teams that won at least 10 games, including Mendoza and Sayin, whose squads earned first-round byes in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Love had some history on his side, though. Since 1955, a running back or halfback has won the Heisman in every year that ends in a five, a trend that most recently saw Alabama running back and future NFL All-Pro Derrick Henry hoist the trophy.

In what has become an increasingly transient sport over the past several years, threeof the Heisman finalists are transfers. Mendoza is in his first season at Indiana after transferring from Cal, Pavia is in his second season at Vanderbilt after coming in from New Mexico State and Sayin was an early enrollee at Alabama who spent about a month with the Crimson Tide before transferring to Ohio State shortly after legendary coach Nick Saban’s retirement in Jan. 2024.

Who are the finalists for the Heisman Trophy?

Here’s a look at the four finalists for the 2025 Heisman Trophy:

• QB Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
• QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
• QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State
• RB Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame

Heisman Trophy ceremony date

The 2025 Heisman Trophy will be awarded during a ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. ET from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room in New York City.

The ceremony will air on ABC.

Fernando Mendoza stats

In his first season with the Hoosiers, Mendoza has completed 71.5% of his passes for 2,980 yards, 33 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has also rushed for 240 yards and six touchdowns. He led Indiana to a program-record 13 wins, the Hoosiers’ first Big Ten championship game victory and the program’s first undefeated regular season since 1945.

Mendoza had only thrown for a combined 30 touchdowns in his first two seasons of college football, both of which came at Cal.

Mendoza’s 33 touchdown passes are the most among FBS players. He’s tied for second nationally, along with Pavia, in yards per attempt (9.4) and is sixth in completion percentage.

Diego Pavia stats

Pavia improved upon what was already a stellar debut season for Vanderbilt, completing 71.2% of his passes for 3,192 yards, 27 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He added 826 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

He’s second among all FBS players in total yards per game, with 334.8, ranking him behind only South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown.

With Pavia at quarterback, the Commodores have gone 17-9 the past two seasons, including a 10-2 mark this season that set a program record for wins. Vanderbilt went just 12-45 in the four seasons before Pavia transferred there.

Julian Sayin stats

In his first season as a starter, Sayin has completed 78.4% of his passes for 3,323 yards, 31 touchdowns and six interceptions.

He’s tied for second among all FBS quarterbacks in touchdown passes, behind only Mendoza, and his completion percentage is currently an FBS single-season record.

Jeremiyah Love stats

The lone non-quarterback of the group, Love has rushed for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns this season while averaging 6.9 yards per carry. Love had been a receiving threat out of the backfield, too, with 27 catches for 280 yards and three touchdowns.

Love is third among all FBS players in rushing touchdowns and fourth in rushing yards.

The NBA Cup action continues with a full slate of quarterfinal games this week.

The Toronto Raptors will host the New York Knicks in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The Miami Heat travel to take on in-state rival Orlando Magic.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending NBA champions, will take on the Phoenix Suns in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader. That game will be followed by the San Antonio Spurs’ road game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The winner of those games will move on to the tournament’s semifinal.

LeBron James and the Lakers won the first NBA Cup in 2023. The Milwaukee Bucks won the tournament in 2024.

The in-season tournament team won a trophy, and each player on that team will share a portion of the $500,000 prize.

Here’s everything to know heading into the knockout rounds, including matchups and schedule for the quarterfinals and the final standings after group play:

Final NBA Cup group play standings

*- indicates a team that advanced to the quarterfinals

East Group A

1. Toronto Raptors (4-0)*
2. Atlanta Hawks (2-2)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-2)
4. Indiana Pacers (1-3)
5. Washington Wizards (1-3)

East Group B

1. Orlando Magic (4-0)*
2. Boston Celtics (2-2)
3. Detroit Pistons (2-2)
4. Philadelphia 76ers (1-3)
5. Brooklyn Nets (1-3)

East Group C

1. New York Knicks (3-1)*
2. Miami Heat (3-1)*
3. Milwaukee Bucks (2-2)
4. Charlotte Hornets (1-3)
5. Chicago Bulls (1-3)

West Group A

1. Oklahoma City Thunder (4-0)*
2. Phoenix Suns (3-1)*
3. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2)
4. Utah Jazz (1-3)
5. Sacramento Kings (0-4)

West Group B

1. Los Angeles Lakers (4-0)*
2. Memphis Grizzlies (3-1)
3. Los Angeles Clippers (2-2)
4. Dallas Mavericks (1-3)
5. New Orleans Pelicans (0-4)

West Group C

1. San Antonio Spurs (3-1)*
2. Denver Nuggets (2-2)
3. Houston Rockets (2-2)
4. Portland Trail Blazers (2-2)
5. Golden State Warriors (1-3)

NBA Cup knockout stage schedule

*All knockout stage games will stream on Amazon Prime

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, Dec. 9

• Miami Heat at Orlando Magic, 6 p.m. ET
• New York Knicks at Toronto Raptors, 8:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, Dec. 10

• Phoenix Suns at Oklahoma City Thunder, 7:30 p.m. ET
• San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers, 10 p.m. ET

Semifinals

• Saturday, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET
• Saturday, Dec. 13 at 9 p.m. ET

Finals

• Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada

The UFC event at the White House on June 14 will feature eight or nine championship fights, President Donald Trump told reporters at the Kennedy Center Honors on Dec. 8.

“The biggest fights they’ve ever had,’’ Trump said. “Every one’s a championship fight. And every one’s a legendary type of fight.’’

Trump also said UFC CEO Dana White is holding back fights “right now’’ to save them for the White House. The UFC event will be held there to celebrate America’s 250^th anniversary.

An arena being built in front of the White House for the UFC event will have 5,000 to 6,000 seats, according to Trump, who said there will be 100,000 people in the back, where they’re putting up eight or 10 “very big screens.’’

“That’s going to be an exciting night,’’ Trump added. “So many people are asking for tickets.’’

Conor McGregor, the former UFC champion who hasn’t fought since 2021, has lobbied for a spot on the White House card. So has Jon Jones, arguably the greatest fighter in UFC history.

The Chicago White Sox have the best odds (27.73%) to land the No. 1 overall pick, followed by the Minnesota Twins (22.18%) and Pittsburgh Pirates (16.81%).

While the Colorado Rockies had MLB’s worst record (43-119), the team had a top-six lottery pick in each of the past two drafts, making them ineligible for a third.

This marks baseball’s fourth draft lottery and the previous teams to win the lottery had odds of 16.5% (2023 Pirates), 2.0% (2024 Guardians) and 10.2% (2025 Nationals).

Here’s what to know entering Tuesday’s draft lottery:

When is MLB draft lottery? How to watch, TV channel

• Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
• TV channel: MLB Network

MLB draft lottery odds 2026

• White Sox: 27.73%
• Twins: 22.18%
• Pirates: 16.81%
• Orioles: 9.24%
• Athletics: 6.55%
• Braves: 4.54%
• Rays: 3.03%
• Cardinals: 2.35%
• Marlins: 1.85%
• Diamondbacks: 1.51%
• Rangers: 1.34%
• Giants: 1.01%
• Royals: 0.84%
• Mets: 0.67%
• Astros: 0.34%
• Rockies: ineligible
• Nationals: ineligible
• Angels: ineligible

The Colorado Rockies had the worst record in baseball but are are ineligible for the lottery because a team can’t receive a top-six pick three years in a row, after the team had such picks in 2024 and 2025. The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels are also ineligible as ‘payor’ teams, unable to receive back-to-back lottery picks.

With five turnovers on ‘Monday Night Football,’ Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts helped sink his team during a 19-16 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers — and he fell just short of matching an NFL record.

The league record for turnovers by a in a single game is six, according to StatMuse. The record is shared by nine players, including two Hall of Famer quarterbacks — Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner.

Hurts almost joined the six-turnover club, in excruciating fashion.

Hurts even accomplished the rare feat of fumbling twice on one play. His final turnover, an interception, came off a tipped pass at the 1-yard line and ended the game in overtime.

The final tally: four interceptions, one lost fumble and turnover trauma for a lifetime.

Remarkably, Warner had six turnovers in a single game twice, both as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. He had three interceptions and three lost fumbles on Sept. 28, 2008 in a 56-35 loss to the New York Jets and on Nov. 1, 2009 had five interceptions and one lost fumble in a 34-21 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Manning’s turnover-fest took place Nov. 11, 2007, when he threw six interceptions in a 23-21 loss to the San Diego Chargers. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie intercepted Manning three times, including a one-handed pick.

Warner coughed up three interceptions and three fumbles Nov. 1, 2009

Rex Grossman earned a share of the record when, as quarterback for the Chicago Bears on Oct. 16, 2006, he had four interceptions and two lost fumbles. Yet incredibly enough, the Bears beat the Arizona Cardinals, 24-23.

‘I’ve never played so bad and won a game like that,’ Grossman said after the game. ‘It was unbelievable.’

Surely Hurts would have liked to know that feeling.

The other players who had six turnovers in a single game are Jameis Winston, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Phillip Rivers, Gus Frerotte, Tony Romo and Chris Chandler.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones recently had a five-turnover game in a 27-20 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 9.

Most turnovers in a single game

• 1 (tie). 6 — Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Carolina Panthers on Oct. 13, 2019): 1 fumble, 5 INTs
• 1 (tie). 6 — Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets (vs. Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 25, 2016): 6 INTs
• 1 (tie). 6 — Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (vs. Denver Broncos on Oct. 15, 2012): 2 fumbles, 4 INTs
• 1 (tie). 6 — Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Carolina Panthers on Nov. 1, 2009): 1 fumble, 5 INTs
• 1 (tie). 6 — Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals (vs. New York Jets on Sept. 28, 2008): 3 fumbles, 3 INTs
• 1 (tie) 6 — Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts (vs. San Diego Chargers on Nov. 11, 2007): 6 INTs
• 1 (tie). 6 — Gus Frerotte, St. Louis Rams (vs. Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 14, 2007): 1 fumble, 5 INTs
• 1 (tie). 6 — Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Buffalo Bills on Oct. 8, 2007): 1 fumble, 5 INTs
• 1 (tie). 6 — Rex Grossman, Chicago Bears (vs. Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 16, 2006): 2 fumbles, 4 INTs
• 1 (tie). 6 — Chris Chandler, St. Louis Rams (vs. Carolina Panthers on Dec. 12, 2004): 6 INTs

Every week for the duration of the 2025 regular season, USA TODAY Sports will provide timely updates to the NFL’s ever-evolving playoff picture − typically starting Sunday afternoon and then moving forward for the remainder of the week (through Monday’s and Thursday’s games or Saturday’s, if applicable. And, when the holidays roll around, we’ll be watching then, too).

What just happened? What does it mean? What are the pertinent factors (and, perhaps, tiebreakers) prominently in play as each conference’s seven-team bracket begins to crystallize? All will be explained and analyzed up to the point when the postseason field is finalized on Sunday, Jan. 4.

Here’s where things stand with Week 14 nearly complete:

AFC playoff picture

1. Denver Broncos (11-2), AFC West leaders: They beat the Raiders on Sunday, winning their 10th in a row, matching New England’s victory total and overtaking the Patriots for possession of the top seed by virtue of a conference record (7-2) that is a half-game better. Remaining schedule: vs. Packers, vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers

2. New England Patriots (11-2), AFC East leaders: The first team in the league to reach 11 wins thanks to Monday night’s rollover of the Giants, the Pats remain in a very tight race with Denver, the teams’ airtight tiebreakers now in effect with the Broncos playing their 13th game Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Bills, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4), AFC South leaders: They claimed first place outright by smashing the depleted Colts on Sunday in Duval County. Remaining schedule: vs. Jets, at Broncos, vs. Colts, at Titans

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6), AFC North leaders: They jumped up nine spots, from out of the field back into the division lead by winning at Baltimore on Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens

5. Buffalo Bills (9-4), wild card No. 1: Massive win over Cincinnati solidifies their playoff standing heading into a notable showdown at Foxborough in Week 15 to face the AFC East-leading Pats. Remaining schedule: at Patriots, at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets

6. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4), wild card No. 2: Facing the NFC’s Eagles on Monday night basically won’t serve them well in tiebreaker department even if Bolts win. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Chiefs, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos

7. Houston Texans (8-5), wild card No. 3: They’ve won six of seven, including five in a row. Beating the Chiefs at Arrowhead moved Houston into a wild-card slot by virtue of their Week 13 defeat of Indianapolis. Remaining schedule: vs. Cardinals, vs. Raiders, at Chargers, vs. Colts

8. Indianapolis Colts (8-5), in the hunt: They’ve dropped four of their past five and lost QB Daniel Jones to an Achilles injury Sunday in Jacksonville. Houston’s win Sunday night dropped Indy from the projected field entirely. And the schedule doesn’t let up the rest of the way. Remaining schedule: at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans

9. Baltimore Ravens (6-7), in the hunt: Consecutive losses − and to AFC North foes (Bengals, Steelers) − has them on the outside looking in. A 4-5 record in AFC games places them ahead of K.C. and Miami. Remaining schedule: at Bengals, vs. Patriots, at Packers, at Steelers

10. Kansas City Chiefs (6-7), in the hunt: Their chances to win a 10th straight AFC West title are officially null and void. And Sunday night’s loss to Houston means they’ll likely miss the postseason for the first time since 2014 − Andy Reid’s second year in K.C. And don’t forget they’ve lost to the Broncos, Chargers, Bills, Texans and Jags, who are all ahead of them. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, at Titans, vs. Broncos, at Raiders

11. Miami Dolphins (6-7), in the hunt: They probably need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification but notched another one Sunday in New York. Remaining schedule: at Steelers, vs. Bengals, vs. Buccaneers, at Patriots

12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-9), in the hunt: They basically need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification … though they probably have a better one than Miami by virtue of living in this year’s surprisingly subpar AFC North. Remaining schedule: vs. Ravens, at Dolphins, vs. Cardinals, vs. Browns

NFC playoff picture

1. Los Angeles Rams (10-3), NFC West leaders: They regained the inside track for home-field advantage and a first-round bye by demolishing the Cardinals and benefiting from Chicago’s loss to Green Bay. The Rams’ Week 11 defeat of Seattle remains pivotal. Remaining schedule: vs. Lions, at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals

2. Green Bay Packers (9-3-1), NFC North leaders: They got the best of the archrival Bears, consequential win that put the Pack back on top of the division and just a half-game off the conference pace. Remaining schedule: at Broncos, at Bears, vs. Ravens, at Vikings

3. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4), NFC East leaders: Two losses in a row not only mean a lot more scrutiny but − beware − a team that could still fall into the Cowboys’ clutches in the division if it’s not careful. Remaining schedule: at Chargers, vs. Raiders, at Commanders, at Bills, vs. Commanders

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6), NFC South leaders: They remain in first place despite a damaging loss to New Orleans. The Bucs currently have a one-game lead over Carolina in the common-games tiebreaker department. Remaining schedule: vs. Falcons, at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers

5. Seattle Seahawks (10-3), wild card No. 1: Sunday’s rout of Falcons moved them atop the conference … for a few hours. But the Rams’ win at Arizona pushed Seattle back to the wild-card echelon. All three of the ‘Hawks’ losses are against NFC opponents, including two in the division − defeats that don’t serve them well in the tiebreaker department. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers

6. San Francisco 49ers (9-4), wild card No. 2: They’re in a precarious spot given their pursuers, yet are just behind the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC West lead. Off this weekend, the Niners were in no danger of vacating the field. Remaining schedule: vs. Titans, at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks

7. Chicago Bears (9-4), wild card No. 3: How tightly packed is the NFC? One narrow loss dropped the Bears from first place in the conference to seventh, just a game ahead of the division rival Lions. Remaining schedule: vs. Browns, vs. Packers, at 49ers, vs. Lions

8. Detroit Lions (8-5), in the hunt: Huge win over Dallas on Thursday night. It brought the Lions within a game of the NFC’s final wild card and helped them in the division standings given Chicago’s Sunday reversal. Remaining schedule: at Rams, vs. Steelers, at Vikings, at Bears

9. Carolina Panthers (7-6), in the hunt: Though Carolina is off this week, the Panthers basically pulled even atop the NFC South. Remaining schedule: at Saints, vs. Buccaneers, vs. Seahawks, at Buccaneers

10. Dallas Cowboys (6-6-1), in the hunt: Crippling loss Thursday in Motown. Dallas’ best bet now is probably to hope the Eagles continue to struggle and leave the NFC East in play. Remaining schedule: vs. Vikings, vs. Chargers, at Commanders, at Giants

NFL teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2025

The football seemingly bounced the Kansas City Chiefs’ way all of last season as they won 11 one-score games. The football is continuously bouncing in the opposite direction this year.

Kansas City’s 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans was emblematic of their season.

Whether it’s a 43-yard Harrison Butker field goal that doinked off the upright, a football that slipped through Rashee Rice’s hands on fourth down or a Travis Kelce drop that lands in the hands of Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

The Chiefs aren’t the recipients of footballs bouncing their way in 2025.  

Chiefs pass catchers had six drops in their loss to Houston. Six drops factored into Patrick Mahomes passing for a season-low 160 yards.

“They are upset. They put it all out there and it didn’t work out for them,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters postgame. “The guys that had some mishaps, they are upset. These guys take responsibility for things.”

Injuries have also hurt Kansas City.

The Chiefs were down three starting offensive linemen (Josh Simmons, Trey Smith and Jawaan Taylor) in Week 14. Their banged up offensive line took another hit when tackle Wanya Morris injured his knee on the very first snap of Sunday night’s game and was ruled out for the rest of the contest.

Mahomes was under pressure on 50% of his dropbacks versus Houston, according to Pro Football Focus. He finished with a career-worst 19.8 passer rating.

Standout cornerback Trent McDuffie sustained a knee injury after he gave up a long 46-yard reception to Texans wideout Nico Collins in the first quarter and didn’t return.

Collins tallied a game-high 121 receiving yards on four catches.

When “mishaps” as Reid labeled it and injuries start to mount, one must wonder if it’s just not the Chiefs’ year.

Kansas City’s playoff probability decreased to 15% following its Week 14 defeat, per Next Gen Stats. They are in the 10th position in the AFC.

The Chiefs (6-7) have appeared in five Super Bowls over the past six seasons, including three Super Bowl victories. They’ve won the AFC West title for nine consecutive seasons during their dynasty. But the Chiefs’ latest loss could be a sign that their reign is beginning to falter.

If the Chiefs want to preserve their dynasty, they definitely need to undergo a retooling around Mahomes during an offseason that appears to have a start date earlier than expected.

“We know the (playoff) chances are getting lower and lower,” Mahomes said. “But I know the guys on this team are going to give everything they have every opportunity we get.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.