Tulane took down North Texas with ease in the American Conference championship game on Friday, Dec. 5 — and made program history in the process.

The No. 21 Green Wave (No. 20 in College Football Playoff rankings) defeated the No. 20 Mean Green (No. 24 CFP) 34-21 at home. The win puts Tulane in strong position to earn its first CFP appearance in program history.

The Green Wave rushed for 199 yards and three scores on 52 carries as a team. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff passed for 145 yards and rushed for 49 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Perhaps more impressively is the fact Tulane held star North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker in check, with the redshirt freshman completing 21 of 34 passes for 294 yards with two touchdowns to three interceptions. The Green Wave forced five turnovers, including a pick-6 by Chris Rodgers in the third quarter.

The question now is whether Tulane can leverage that win to reach the CFP with its conference championship win? Here’s a look at the Green Wave’s chances:

Tulane football rankings: Can Green Wave make CFP?

Tulane put itself in strong position to earn one of the five conference championship bids in the 12-team CFP bracket on Dec. 5.

North Texas and Tulane entered the matchup as the two highest-ranked non-Power Four teams in the CFP rankings, with No. 25 James Madison behind the two American programs. With Tulane picking up a ranked win in the American title game, it should have no issues staying ahead of the Dukes in the rankings.

James Madison could still make the CFP, although it likely needs Duke to beat Virginia in the ACC championship game. If JMU stays ranked higher than the Blue Devils, then two non-Power Four teams would make the CFP as the final two highest-ranked conference champions.

North Texas vs. Tulane was essentially a CFP play-in game, with the Green Wave likely moving on to compete for a national championship as the No. 11 or 12 seed.

Tulane football schedule 2025

• Saturday, Aug. 30: Tulane 23, Northwestern 3
• Saturday, Sept. 6: Tulane 33, South Alabama 31
• Saturday, Sept. 13: Tulane 34, Duke 27
• Saturday, Sept. 20: Mississippi 45, Tulane 10
• Saturday, Sept. 27: Tulane 31, Tulsa 14 *
• Saturday, Oct. 4: BYE
• Thursday, Oct. 9: Tulane 26, East Carolina 19 *
• Saturday, Oct. 18: Tulane 24, Army 17 *
• Saturday, Oct. 25: BYE
• Thursday, Oct. 30: UTSA 48, Tulane 26 *
• Friday, Nov. 7: Tulane 38, Memphis 32 *
• Saturday, Nov. 15: Tulane 35, Florida Atlantic 24 *
• Saturday, Nov. 22: Tulane 37, Temple 13 *
• Saturday, Nov. 29: Tulane 27, Charlotte 0 *
• Friday, Dec. 5: Tulane vs North Texas | ABC, 8 p.m. **

* indicates American Conference game

** indicates American Conference championship

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 getting underway:

NFC playoff picture

1. Chicago Bears (9-3), NFC North leaders: With back-to-back victories over winning adversaries − in conjunction with the Rams’ stunning Week 13 loss at Carolina − the Bears have now rocketed to the top of the conference. Chicago’s 6-2 record in NFC games sends L.A. (4-3) down a spot. But first place in the division and perhaps conference will be on the line Sunday at Lambeau Field. Remaining schedule: at Packers, vs. Browns, vs. Packers, at 49ers, vs. Lions

2. Los Angeles Rams (9-3), NFC West leaders: The Panthers snapped their NFC-high six-game winning streak in rainy Charlotte, a loss that dropped L.A. out of the conference’s top spot. But the Rams can reclaim it this weekend with a win and some help. Remaining schedule: at Cardinals, vs. Lions, at Seahawks, at Falcons, vs. Cardinals

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 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 (7-5), NFC South leaders: They narrowly beat Arizona to narrowly maintain their half-game lead over Carolina in the division. But the schedule is awfully forgiving the rest of the way aside from two meetings with those currently idle Panthers. Remaining schedule: vs. Saints, vs. Falcons, at Panthers, at Dolphins, vs. Panthers

5. Seattle Seahawks (9-3), wild card No. 1: All three of the ‘Hawks’ losses are against NFC opponents, including two in the division − defeats that won’t serve them well in the tiebreaker department. Long trip this weekend in what’s likely a bid to maintain their position. Remaining schedule: at Falcons, vs. Colts, vs. Rams, at Panthers, at 49ers

6. Green Bay Packers (8-3-1), wild card No. 2: They merely maintained their standing (for now) with their Thanksgiving win at Detroit, but a loss would have dropped them from the field entirely. A thin margin for the Pack to be sure … yet they remain just a half-game off the NFC North lead, too − and can rise to the top by beating Chicago on Sunday. Remaining schedule: vs. Bears, at Broncos, at Bears, vs. Ravens, at Vikings

7. San Francisco 49ers (9-4), wild card No. 3: They now have a 1½-game lead on their wild-card pursuers after winning at Cleveland, yet are only a half-game behind the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC West lead. Off this weekend, the Niners are in no danger of vacating the field. Remaining schedule: BYE, vs. Titans, at Colts, vs. Bears, vs. Seahawks

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 should help them in the division standings given either the Packers or Bears will lose Sunday. Remaining schedule: at Rams, vs. Steelers, at Vikings, at Bears

9. Carolina Panthers (7-6), in the hunt: The upset of the Rams reaffirmed the Panthers as an outfit to be reckoned with, though they didn’t gain any ground in the wild-card or divisional races. Though Carolina is off this week, it would move atop the NFC South if the Bucs lose to New Orleans. Remaining schedule: BYE, 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

AFC playoff picture

1. New England Patriots (11-2), AFC East leaders: The first team in the league to 11 wins thanks to Monday night’s rollover of the Giants, the Pats are in a very tight race with Denver, the teams’ airtight tiebreakers set to take effect once New England’s bye is over. Remaining schedule: BYE, vs. Bills, at Ravens, at Jets, vs. Dolphins

2. Denver Broncos (10-2), AFC West leaders: Denver held a one-game advantage in the common-games tiebreaker with New England − the difference being the Patriots’ Week 1 loss to the Raiders − before the Pats won Monday night. Remaining schedule: at Raiders, vs. Packers, vs. Jaguars, at Chiefs, vs. Chargers

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-4), AFC South leaders: Their Week 13 win in Nashville coupled with Indy’s loss moves the Jags into first place by virtue of the common-games played tiebreaker, which they own by a one-win advantage. Beat the Colts on Sunday, Jacksonville takes over first place outright. Slide back later, and victories over the Chiefs and Chargers could serve them well when it’s time to sort out tiebreakers. Remaining schedule: vs. Colts, vs. Jets, at Broncos, vs. Colts, at Titans

4. Baltimore Ravens (6-6), AFC North leaders: A sloppy performance against the Bengals briefly cost them first place in the division and a slot in the projected playoff field − but Pittsburgh’s loss Sunday conferred it back, the Ravens currently with one additional win over the Steelers in the common-games tiebreaker. Remaining schedule: vs. Steelers, at Bengals, vs. Patriots, at Packers, at Steelers

5. Los Angeles Chargers (8-4), wild card No. 1: They looked fairly fresh while taking out the Raiders in their return from the bye. But QB Justin Herbert got hurt. The Bolts’ 7-2 record in AFC games currently renders them the top-seeded wild card, and Philadelphia won’t affect that. Remaining schedule: vs. Eagles, at Chiefs, at Cowboys, vs. Texans, at Broncos

6. Indianapolis Colts (8-4), wild card No. 2: They’ve dropped three of their past four to fall off the conference pace … and have now ceded first place in the AFC South to Jacksonville after Sunday’s loss to Houston. But win in Duval County, and the Colts go back on top of the division. Though Indy beat the Chargers in Week 7, the three-way tiebreaker (conference record) currently takes precedence, and the Colts are 6-3 in those contests. The schedule doesn’t let up the rest of the way out. Remaining schedule: at Jaguars, at Seahawks, vs. 49ers, vs. Jaguars, at Texans

7. Buffalo Bills (8-4), wild card No. 3: They got back into the win column at Pittsburgh, thus hanging on to the AFC’s final projected wild-card spot. A 5-3 record in conference games leaves Buffalo behind the Chargers and Colts in the wild-card seeding. Remaining schedule: vs. Bengals, at Patriots, at Browns, vs. Eagles, vs. Jets

8. Houston Texans (7-5), in the hunt: They’ve won five of six, including four in a row. If they want to win the AFC South for a third straight year, the Texans likely need to sweep the Colts − and they took their first step toward that with Sunday’s win − while continuing their surge. Remaining schedule: at Chiefs, vs. Cardinals, vs. Raiders, at Chargers, vs. Colts

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-6), in the hunt: They’re virtually tied with the Ravens … but won’t be after this weekend’s trip to Baltimore. A 5-3 record in AFC games does slot the Steelers ahead of K.C. (3-4) for now. Remaining schedule: at Ravens, vs. Dolphins, at Lions, at Browns, vs. Ravens

10. Kansas City Chiefs (6-6), in the hunt: Not only will they almost certainly not win the AFC West for the first time since 2015, they could 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 and Jags, who are all ahead of them. Remaining schedule: vs. Texans, vs. Chargers, at Titans, vs. Broncos, at Raiders

11. Miami Dolphins (5-7), in the hunt: They probably need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification. Remaining schedule: at Jets, at Steelers, vs. Bengals, vs. Buccaneers, at Patriots

12. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8), in the hunt: They probably need to win the remainder of their games to even have a shot at postseason qualification … though they have a better one than Miami by virtue of living in this year’s surprisingly subpar AFC North. Remaining schedule: at Bills, vs. Ravens, at Dolphins, vs. Cardinals, vs. Browns

NFL teams eliminated from playoff contention in 2025

The expanded 2026 World Cup will be the biggest in history featuring 48 countries – up from 32 – battling for soccer’s ultimate prize in North America.

There are 12 groups of four teams, with each playing the others once in a round-robin. Three points are awarded for a win and one for a draw, with the top two teams advancing directly to the knockout stage. In the World Cup’s new format, eight of the 12 group third-place winners also move on to the Round of 32.

The field is then whittled down again for the Round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals – with the World Cup final set for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Here’s the path to the World Cup final in 2026:

2026 FIFA World Cup bracket

Round of 32

• Match 73: Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group B – Los Angeles
• Match 74: Winner Group E vs Best 3rd place Group A/B/C/D/F – Boston
• Match 75: Winner Group F vs Runner-up Group C – Guadalupe, Mexico
• Match 76: Winner Group C vs Runner-up Group F – Houston
• Match 77: Winner Group I vs Best 3rd place Group C/D/F/G/H – New York-New Jersey
• Match 78: Runner-up Group E vs Runner-up Group I – Dallas
• Match 79: Winner Group A vs Best 3rd place Group C/E/F/H/I – Mexico City
• Match 80: Winner Group L vs Best 3rd place Group E/H/I/J/K – Atlanta
• Match 81: Winner Group D vs Best 3rd place Group B/E/F/I/J – San Francisco-Bay Area
• Match 82: Winner Group G vs Best 3rd place Group A/E/H/I/J – Seattle
• Match 83: Runner-up Group K vs Runner-up Group L – Toronto
• Match 84: Winner Group H vs Runner-up Group J – Los Angeles
• Match 85: Winner Group B vs Best 3rd place Group E/F/G/I/J – Vancouver
• Match 86: Winner Group J vs Runner-up Group H – Miami
• Match 87: Winner Group K vs Best 3rd place Group D/E/I/J/L – Kansas City
• Match 88: Runner-up Group D vs Runner-up Group G – Dallas

Round of 16

• Match 74 winner vs. Match 77 winner – Philadelphia: Match 89
• Match 73 winner vs. Match 75 winner – Houston: Match 90
• Match 76 winner vs. Match 78 winner – New York-New Jersey: Match 91
• Match 79 winner vs. Match 80 winner – Mexico City: Match 92
• March 83 winner vs. Match 84 winner – Dallas: Match 93
• Match 81 winner vs. Match 82 winner – Seattle: Match 94
• Match 86 winner vs. Match 88 winner – Atlanta: Match 95
• Match 85 winner vs. Match 87 winner – Vancouver: Match 96

Quarterfinals

• Match 89 winner vs. Match 90 winner – Boston: Match 97
• Match 93 winner vs. Match 94 winner – Los Angeles: Match 98
• Match 91 winner vs March 92 winner – Miami: Match 99
• Match 95 winner vs. Match 96 winner – Kansas City: Match 100

Semifinals

Winner 97 vs. Winner 98 – Dallas

Winner 99 vs. Winner 100 – Atlanta

Third place

• July 18, 2026: Semifinal losers – Miami

2026 World Cup final

• July 19, 2026: Semifinal winners at MetLife Stadium

2026 World Cup schedule

• Group stage: June 11-June 27
• Round of 32: June 28-July 3
• Round of 16: July 4-July 7
• Quarterfinals: July 9-July 11
• Semifinals: July 14-15 – AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas) and Mecedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
• Third-place match: July 18 – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
• World Cup final: July 19 – MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Kalani Sitake was rumored to be Penn State’s top target for its coaching job.
• After seeing reports, Crumbl Cookies CEO Jason McGowan stepped in and used fan support and money to convince Sitake not to leave.

With its signature pink box, Crumbl is a dessert chain founded in Utah known for making big cookies and desserts.

It’s also now known for its big influence in Brigham Young football.

It was a wild week in Provo, Utah, with Cougars coach Kalani Sitake reportedly at the top of Penn State’s long coaching search. The Nittany Lions were pushing hard to hire him, causing panic for a program that is one win away from their first College Football Playoff appearance.

That was until some big-time donor decided to “get off the sidelines’ and get to work. That was Crumbl co-founder and CEO Jason McGowan, who got BYU to rally around its coach by baking up a sweet treat with a heavy dose of love and financial commitment. 

The finished product out of the oven? A long-term extension for Sitake that keeps him at his alma mater – and Penn State still searching.

“Sometimes, you just got to get off the sidelines in life and just try your best to see what you can do to make a difference,” McGowan told USA TODAY Sports. “Every once in a while, it pans out.”

Crumbl helps BYU keep Kalani Sitake

It makes sense Sitake eventually got on Penn State’s radar. The Cougars have thrived in the Big 12 under him, going 11-2 last season and reaching this season’s conference championship game. He’s won double-digit games in four of the past six seasons. Penn State felt confident it had found its man.

The idea of Sitake leaving BYU was “gut-wreching” for McGowan, so he got to work. He posted a cryptic yet obvious message on X that he was going to do whatever he could to keep Sitake at BYU.

Not long after, he made another post that called for Cougars fans to show how much Sitake meant to the school and show him love and respect. He called it a love bomb, believing there would be a tremendous response. Just to incentivize it, McGowan said he’d give away four 50-yard line seats and airfare to the Big 12 championship game in Arlington, Texas, for the best responses. 

“I wanted to remind Kalani just how much everyone loves him,” McGowan said. “I knew he would get a tremendous response.”

Maybe the prize helped, but It clearly had an impact. BYU fans flooded social media, and as McGowan put it, “it turned Kalani’s heart.” Sitake was emotional during the press conference announcing his extension as he recalled all the messages directed toward him.

“It was an amazing feeling of appreciation from everybody,” Sitake said. “I don’t know how you can leave that, man. I just don’t know how you can walk away from it.”

Love is a great way to convince someone, but ultimately, money does do quite a bit of talking. Luckily, McGowan is just one of several major donors for the Cougars with his company that made over $1 billion in sales in 2023, according to Forbes. After BYU beat Utah, he offered to cover the fine for rushing the field, and when the Cougars weren’t penalized, he ended up donating to the NIL fund and paying lunch debt in the nearby school districts.

It’s unknown how much McGowan, other donors and BYU offered up to keep Sitake. As a private school backed by Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, BYU doesn’t have to make its finances public.

But there was a bigger financial commitment. Athletic director Brian Santiago said Sitake didn’t talk much about his own compensation, but he wanted to take care of the people around him – assists, team staff and players.

“It’s not really about the money, but there is an opportunity for me to take care of my players and my staff and make sure that we’re all headed in the right direction of what we want to accomplish,” Sitake said.

Whatever the price was, it was right enough to slam the door shut on the Nittany Lions. Sitake proclaimed it was time to “quit all the drama” because “I’m here.”

With university and donor back, Santiago said it was a significant investment to “make sure that we do everything we can to retain Kalani Sitake.”

“I think Penn State offered some tremendous support,” McGowan said. “I think that was appealing to him, but I think we showed Kalani that we equally – BYU especially – and us donors in our small little way, to help out.

“We’ve got all these amazing donors behind us that just says we’re here. We’re all committed on BYU, too. It wasn’t just me. It was everyone just saying, ‘Yep, we’re here for you.’”

Why BYU wanted Kalani Sitake to stay

The week has revealed how greatly Sitake is viewed at BYU: a highly respected individual with love for the university and its fans. In McGowan’s eyes, there was no one else that could be in charge of the Cougars.

“Finding a coach who can help us win, that’s replaceable,” McGowan said. “Finding someone who can help us win, but also the character and the person he is and the values he’s trying to share, I had a hard time imagining anyone else that could come in and do what he did.

“We love him and we want him here, and you can see that.”

As if the Nittany Lions coaching search couldn’t get worse, salt was rubbed in the wound when Virginia Tech and its former coach James Franklin had Crumbl cookies at its signing day ceremony. It made sense to assume McGowan was involved in it, but don’t blame him.

“I didn’t have any part of it,” McGowan said with a laugh. “Seeing that happen, I laughed and thought it was really, really funny. I think we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously.”

Now that BYU has its guy, it can focus on trying to make the playoff. McGowan said to expect another version of love bombing, this time aimed at the playoff selection committee to remind them it belongs in the field.

There’s no better proof than teams coming up to bat for Sitake – and all striking out − thanks to the pink box.

“You know what else believes it?” McGowan added. “Penn State, and so does everyone else because they want our coach, right?’

This NBA season isn’t going the way Ja Morant wanted.

He initially clashed in the locker room with the Memphis Grizzlies new coaching staff. Then, he clashed with Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson. He’s been the subject of constant trade rumors. He hasn’t played all that well. And he’s injured again.

On that last front, though, the narrative could be changing soon. After missing more than two weeks of action due to a right calf strain, Morant appears to inching closer to a return. The Grizzlies offered an encouraging update on the status of their star point guard on Thursday, Dec. 4.

Memphis went 5-3 in the eight games Morant missed since leaving their Nov. 15 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first quarter. The team is 5-5 overall this season when Morant doesn’t play.

Here’s the latest on Morant’s injury situation and whether he’s slated to return to the court when the Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Clippers at FedEx Forum on Friday, Dec. 5:

Is Ja Morant playing today?

No, Morant was listed as out on the Grizzlies injury report for the ninth consecutive game after suffering a right calf strain in a Nov. 15 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He will be out of the lineup when the Grizzlies host the Clippers tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

Ja Morant injury update

Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo told reporters in Memphis after a practice on Thursday, Dec. 4 that Morant was ‘day-to-day,’ according to The Commercial Appeal, part of the USA TODAY Network. The team initially said it would re-evaluate the point guard after two weeks. Morant was seen shooting during the practice, and Iisalo noted he had been participating in non-full speed and non-contact drills.

‘He’s already moving and able to do some things with the team, so looking positive,’ Iisalo said on Thursday.

Ja Morant stats

Morant’s numbers are down across the board this season. He’s averaging 17.9 points, which would be his lowest scoring output since his rookie season in 2019-20, and dishing out 7.6 assists per game. Morant is also shooting a career-worst 35.9% from the field and 16.7% from 3-point range in 12 games this season.