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Mitchell: 'We're just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world'
"We spoke about it after each Test match. We were trying to back it up, and I guess to finally do it here in Mumbai, on a completely different surface, one that would challenge us certainly with bat and ball - yeah, we're pretty happy," Latham said at the post-match presentation. "I think just being able to adapt to each ground [gives the most satisfaction]."
"We wanted to come over here and try to fire a few shots... and I certainly think we've done that," Latham said. "We've been a little bit more aggressive with the bat, tried to be a little bit more proactive, and again, with the ball, we've tried to keep things simple, understand how India play a little bit, and just try to do our best. The guys have chipped in at different times, which has been the most important thing, and really happy to be standing here in this position."
"Spin bowling's a little bit about rhythm, and sometimes when you're in rhythm, it's about making the most of it," Ajaz said after picking up the Player-of-the-Match award in Mumbai, the city of his birth. "And when the conditions present themselves to you, you have to take it by the horns and really do something for your team."
In Mumbai, Ajaz followed a haul of 5 for 103 in the first innings with 6 for 57 in the second. On Sunday, he wiped out most of India's line-up - from Nos. 3 to 8 - and said that the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium didn't turn as much in the morning session on day three, even though he had already dismissed Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Sarfaraz Khan and Ravindra Jadeja by lunch.
"In the period after lunch, it started turning a bit more, so that gave me a bit more confidence to toss it up and use my guile and, I guess, my shape in the air," Ajaz said. "So, yeah, that's all I tried to do - make sure I keep it simple, use my shape in the air, and then try and be ahead of the batters."
Despite wickets falling around him, Rishabh Pant kept attacking Ajaz from one end. That made Ajaz bowl much quicker to Pant in comparison to the other India batters, as Ajaz thought "outside the box for him a little bit more".
"I knew that if I just bowled good balls to him, he's probably going to send them out of the park," Ajaz said. "So I had to make sure I came up with a new plan and something a little bit different, and try and stay ahead of him."
"It's something you dream of, and to come over here and actually achieve it, it's pretty special against a world-class Indian team," Mitchell told the host broadcaster.
"I need to trust my defence, and at times, [it's about] just being really clear on where I wanted to score," Young said. "And do it for as long as I possibly can... If I know where I want to score and I can trust my defence, it makes the mind a lot clearer."
But it was Mitchell who summed it up succinctly, as New Zealand toasted the series win, not long after the women's team lifted the T20 World Cup in the UAE last month.
"We're just a bunch of Kiwis taking on the world, and very proud to represent our country," he said. "We know how good India are - they've got a number of world-class players - and for us, it's just [about] hanging in there, keep doing what Kiwis do, and yeah, very proud of this group today."
Rohit: I was not at my best as captain, and with the bat
Chasing 147 to get any possible WTC points from a series already conceded, India crashed and burned to 121 all out against the spin of Ajaz Patel and Glenn Phillips.
"Definitely, you know, something like this will be a very low point in my career, you know, having lost three games at home," Rohit said at the post-match press conference. "And, yes, we, I fully take the responsibility for that as a captain and as a leader as well. I have not been at the best of my abilities right from the start of the series. And yeah, with the bat as well, I've not been good enough."
"Right from the start, I said it. You know, I made a decision about batting first on that Bangalore pitch, which was not right," he said. "And certain tactical errors also, which didn't go my way. You obviously take chances with those decisions. Sometimes it comes off. Sometimes it doesn't. And this time around, it didn't come off, the certain decisions that I took. So, yeah, I was not at my best of my leadership. And probably cost us the series as well."
"New Zealand played better than us throughout the series," he said at the presentation. "There were lots of mistakes that we made throughout the series, and we have to accept it.
"The first and the second Test, we didn't put enough runs on the board in the first innings. And we were very much behind the game. This game, we got that 30 [28]-runs lead and we felt that we were a little bit ahead of the game. That target was chaseable. All we had to do was a little bit of application, which we failed to do as a unit."
In this chase in Mumbai, Rohit hit two fours in a run-a-ball 11, but fell when he couldn't get his favourite shot - the pull - right against Matt Henry.
"Look, when you're chasing a target like that, you want runs on the board as well. And that is something that was there in my mind," Rohit said. "It just didn't come off. When it doesn't come off, it doesn't look that great. There are certain ideas, certain methods that I go into bat with. Sometimes it doesn't come off, and this series it hasn't come off, which I am very disappointed with."
"There were lots of mistakes that we made throughout the series, and we have to accept it."
Rohit Sharma
"Obviously, it's [his and Kohli's lack of runs] a cause of concern without a doubt," Rohit said. "If the batters are not performing, that is a cause of concern. But what's done is done now. I think as a player, as a captain, as a team, we all have to look forward and see how we can correct what we didn't manage to achieve here. There is a good opportunity for us to go and do something really, really special in Australia.
"But right now, it's just trying to understand what we didn't do right [against New Zealand], what are the things that we need to do better as a team. We made a lot of mistakes, so I think those mistakes need to be addressed and something that we will talk about. And then moving forward, when you land in Australia, I think it's important to just focus on that particular series, the first Test match. You know, it's a five Test match series, so it's important to break down those Test series, those Test matches and focus on one Test and then just take it from there."
As always, there were positives. In the batting department as well, where the younger players - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and Washington Sundar showed, at various points, that runs could be scored on tough pitches.
"Those guys showed how to bat on these surfaces," Rohit said about the younger lot. "You have to be slightly ahead, and be proactive when you're playing on a pitch like that. Which we all know. Which we have discussed many a time in the last three or four years. We are aware of what we need to do. It's just that, this was an unfortunate series where it didn't come off. We tried to do certain things, it didn't come off. Which is why we lagged behind in the series."
Cartwright's ton, late wickets set up Western Australia victory push
Tasmania 317 and 10 for 2 trail Western Australia 460 for 9 dec (Cartwright 153, Goodwin 94, Agar 74, Fanning 68, Kuhnemann 5-100) lead by 133 runs
Cartwright, who survived a highly contentious caught-behind decision the previous evening on 38, struck 153 to lift WA to 460 for 9 dec for a first-innings lead of 143 on day three.
Tasmania were unable to survive six testing overs late on to be 10 for 2 at stumps on Sunday. Openers Jake Weatherald, sharply caught at mid-on from a pull, and Caleb Jewell, cleaned up by an excellent delivery from Joel Paris, both failed to survive after over five sessions in the field.
It was another grinding day for Tasmania's bowlers with WA failing to rise above three runs an over in an innings of 161 overs.
Kuhnemann slipped a looping delivery past Goodwin's hitherto impeccable defences to bowl the No. 3 and end a 202-ball stay at the crease.
Opening bowler Gabe Bell then briefly threatened to change the momentum of the contest with wickets in successive overs. Captain Ashton Turner was bowled for 1 before wicketkeeper Joel Curtis was trapped lbw for the same score as WA went to lunch at 293 for 5.
But Cartwright and Agar halted Tasmania's mini revival with a 158-run sixth wicket stand. Cartwright eventually edged to wicketkeeper Jake Doran off Kuhnemann, and the left-arm spinner then trapped Agar lbw for 74. Kuhnemann was eventually rewarded for his 43 overs of toil with 5 for 100.
WA went into the match on the back of a six-wicket win against Tasmania a fortnight ago and boasting a slim advantage at the top of the table after two rounds.
All-round Manenti gives South Australia chance of victory
Victoria 232 (Harper 89, Manenti 5-73, Conway 4-39) and 9 for 0 need 337 more runs to beat South Australia 307 and 270 for 8 (Manenti 62*, Lehmann 60, Siddle 4-63)
Victoria's openers got through six overs unscarred, requiring a further 337 runs for victory. South Australia were able to declare late in the day and set Victoria a challenging 346-run victory target thanks to some typically lusty hitting from Manenti.
Three huge sixes highlighted Manenti's 62 not out from 71 balls.Coming to the crease with the home side having lost 3 fpr 4 and looking wobbly at 176 for 6, Manenti top-scored for his side having also completed career-best bowling figures of 5 for 73 earlier in the day.
The wicketkeeper revived Victoria's innings on day two and, after resuming on 68, had reached 89 when trapped lbw by Conway. He earlier knocked over Peter Siddle and Manenti ended the innings by bowling Doug Warren to leave Victoria with a 75-run first innings deficit.
South Australia's turn at the crease began with Henry Hunt caught behind without scoring for a second successive second innings duck for the otherwise heavy-scoring opener.
Veteran paceman Siddle was the best of the Victorian bowlers for the second time in the match with 4 for 63, while rookie spinner Warren returned 3 for 74.
Best of Week 10: Ohio State's erratic win, Georgia survives and Pavia-Vandy dominance
In a season littered with unlikely twists, in a sport defined of late by overwhelming change, it's nice to know some things remain as steadfastly certain as the morning sunrise.
Well, unless you're a Penn State fan.
On the surface, we had a top-five showdown of Big Ten powers to headline Week 10, but it hardly felt like the Penn State-Ohio State matchups of old. This is, of course, a new-look Big Ten, and Ohio State had already suffered the consequences of expansion three weeks ago in a narrow loss to Oregon, as Will Howard slid too late and the clock ran out on any comeback bid. The Buckeyes arrived in Happy Valley as a case study in modern college football economics, too, sporting a roster valued at roughly the gross domestic product of Luxembourg. Penn State, too, was billed as a new-look version of its former self, one bolstered by a more creative offense led by new coordinator and Dairy Queen enthusiast Andy Kotelnicki, who promised to avoid the same malaise that had dogged the program in so many prior top-10 matchups and offer, instead, the occasional open receiver.
And yet, what we got -- an erratic, exhilarating, physical 20-13 Ohio State win -- looked just like old times, for better and for worse.
Never mind that the offensive line was patched together with duct tape and popsicle sticks, like some sort of HGTV rehab project property owners can't wait to flip. The front still won every consequential battle in the trenches, turning third-and-short into a near automatic first down again and again, devouring clock like it was Halloween candy, including an 11-play drive that began at the Buckeyes' 1 and soaked up the final 5:13 and included two critical third-and-short conversions. The defense, meanwhile, utterly flummoxed Penn State yet again, taking away any threat of a downfield attack and stonewalling the Nittany Lions at the goal line twice, including on four straight plays from inside the 3 late in the fourth quarter.
When Penn State hired Kotelnicki this offseason, it was with the expressed purpose of scripting a new game plan for exactly this moment. Again and again under James Franklin, the Lions have come up short against the top teams in the Big Ten, including, now, a 1-10 record against Ohio State. In Greek mythology, Sisyphus is punished by the gods for tormenting guests to his kingdom, doomed to a life pushing a boulder up a hill, only to see it roll back down the other side, on through eternity. It would be an apt analogy for Franklin's career at Penn State, except the Nittany Lions are always so welcoming when Ohio State or Michigan come to town. The only explanation is that this is punishment for making Vanderbilt good in the 2010s, and someone should tell Clark Lea to cool it before he ends up going 9-3 at USC for a decade straight.
For Day, this wasn't the ultimate referendum on what has been a spectacular, though incomplete, résumé at Ohio State, but it was a needed win after the stumble at Oregon. His success is not measured by mere victories, but in how many of the tallest mountains he has scaled, and while Penn State is hardly his Everest, it wasn't a face-plant down a flight of stairs either.
It was a game between two quarterbacks who grew up dreaming of playing on the opposite sideline -- Ohio native Drew Allar for the Lions against Pennsylvania native Will Howard for the Buckeyes. Of course, all residents of Ohio and Pennsylvania ultimately hope to move to a condo in Boca Raton, but these guys at least hoped to stay close to home for college. Neither was spectacular Saturday, and each threw a critical interception -- Allar's on a wacky play at the back of the end zone and Howard's on a brutal pick-six throw that begged for the losing-contestant jingle from "The Price is Right" to be played over any subsequent replays -- but it was Howard who prevailed and, like in the Oregon game, scrambled and slid late to run out the clock. This time, a celebration followed the final ticks.
It was a game that, at least in practical terms, meant little for the Big Ten race or the College Football Playoff. Oregon and Indiana are now the league's lone undefeated teams, but Ohio State and Penn State still seem all but certain to land a bid in the playoff. And yet, each yard Saturday felt important, each play a chapter in an epic tome about two coaches hoping to avoid another pitfall and two teams looking to prove something significant -- to themselves as much as to the rest of the college football world.
Perhaps that's the real takeaway from Ohio State's performance Saturday. Yes, it felt in some ways like a cut-and-paste to games past, when the Buckeyes enforced their will and the Nittany Lions fought against the impending darkness; when Day proved once again why he's Ohio State's best chance at a national title and Franklin shoved that boulder a few more inches up the hill, knowing full well the abyss that awaited on the other side. It's a movie we've seen before, but it's always nice to rewatch the classics.
Jump to:
Five unbeatens left | Texas A&M gets trapped | Miami throttles Duke
Throwing Darts | Pavia 3-0 vs. Freeze | Georgia holds off Florida
Vibe shifts | Playoff check-in |Heisman five | Under the radar
And then there were five
Iowa State and Pitt both went down in Week 10, leaving just five remaining unbeaten teams in FBS.
The Cyclones had lived much of the season like your buddy who you leave broke at the casino only to find him at the breakfast buffet the next morning with a mile-high stack of waffles and a fistful of hundreds. On Saturday, their luck finally came to an end against Texas Tech. Rocco Becht led a touchdown drive to take a 22-17 lead with 2:11 to play, but the Red Raiders wouldn't go away, marching 71 yards in 1:47 to pull out the 23-22 win.
Pitt enjoyed no such drama. The Panthers' trip to SMU was an unmitigated disaster, with the ground game stifled, Eli Holstein struggling and not a single barbecue spot in Dallas that would put French fries on a brisket sandwich. Brashard Smith was the star of the game, carrying 23 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the 48-25 win.
With those two losses, Oregon, BYU, Miami, Army and Indiana are the last remaining teams without a defeat.
Army upended Air Force 20-3 on Saturday, despite playing without QB Bryson Daily. Instead, the Black Knights relied on tailback Kanye Udoh, who carried 22 times for 158 yards and two scores. Army still has not trailed in a game this season.
Indiana entered Week 10 without playing from behind either, but Michigan State jumped out to a 10-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. But Kurtis Rourke decided to start trying in the second quarter, and things got ugly from there. Rourke finished with 263 yards passing and four touchdowns and the Hoosiers rolled to a 47-10 win. Indiana is 8-0 and is winning by an average of 33 points per game.
South Carolina traps Texas A&M
Week 9 ended with Texas A&M establishing itself as a front-runner to make the SEC title game. Week 10 ended with the Aggies pancaked against a brick wall named LaNorris Sellers.
The Aggies defense got to Sellers often, but routinely bounced off the South Carolina QB like a toddler running into a blimp, and the Gamecocks turned those frustrations into a chorus of big plays. South Carolina didn't allow a sack, ran for 286 yards -- including 106 from Sellers -- and ran away with a 44-20 win.
Marcel Reed, who torched LSU last week with his legs, rushed for just 46 yards in the game, and the defense surrendered 530 yards to the Gamecocks -- 101 more than it had allowed in a game all year.
The result left Aggies fans stunned, trying desperately to figure out how this was Jimbo Fisher's fault, while Shane Beamer now has the Gamecocks at 5-3 and all but assured a bowl bid with FCS Wofford still on the slate.
Miami mauls Manny
With 13:51 to play in the game, Duke kicked a field goal to pull to within one of Miami. Eight minutes of game time later, the Canes were up 53-31, marking the second-most unpleasant thing Miami has done to Manny Diaz in the past three years.
Diaz, who coached at Miami, first as a defensive coordinator and then as head coach, from 2016 to 2021, made his return to South Florida with his 6-2 Duke team and, for three quarters at least, put up a good fight.
The problem? Cam Ward is a magician.
Just some more Cam Ward magic for your timeline
: ABC #GoCanes | #HE1SMAN pic.twitter.com/OpPUUF7iQX
Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) November 2, 2024
Ultimately, Ward threw for 400 yards and five touchdowns, pulled a live rabbit out of his helmet and sawed Mario Cristobal in half.
Miami's defense continues to be a concern, however. The Canes allowed 325 yards passing to Maalik Murphy, but also picked him off three times to escape trouble. That they didn't break out the turnover chain after each one to taunt their former coach did feel like a missed opportunity though.
Throwing Darts
For much of the season, Ole Miss had been the chief culprit in using fake injuries to gain an advantage in games, but last week, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a letter to schools alerting them the practice must stop immediate or there would be fines and, possibly, suspensions. And yet, not even that warning could stop Arkansas' defense from rolling over and playing dead Saturday.
Jaxson Dart threw for 515 yards and six touchdowns in Ole Miss's rollicking 63-31 win, becoming the first SEC player ever with six TDs, no picks and more than 500 passing yards, according to ESPN Research. The bulk of Dart's production was shared with receiver Jordan Watkins, who hauled in eight catches for 254 yards and five touchdowns.
After the game, Lane Kiffin praised his team's emphatic performance and warned Sam Pittman to avoid any airport tarmacs for a few days.
Pavia's sweet home
Diego Pavia threw for two touchdowns as Vanderbilt upended Auburn 17-7 on Saturday, Pavia's third win in as many years against Tigers' head coach Hugh Freeze.
At New Mexico State in 2022, Pavia was a 23-point underdog against Freeze's Liberty and won 49-14. In 2023, Pavia led the Aggies into Auburn, where Freeze had taken over as head coach, as a 25-point underdog and walked out with a 31-10 win. Then Saturday, Vandy was an 8.5-point underdog at Auburn and won again. Aside from Houston Nutt's lawyers, no one has caused more damage to Freeze's career than Pavia.
Pavia is also now 3-0 career against teams from the state of Alabama, and he became just the 13th QB in the past 20 years to pick up wins against Auburn and the Tide in the same season, joining stars like Joe Burrow, Johnny Manziel and Matthew Stafford and somehow also Mitch Mustain.
Vandy is now bowl-eligible for the first time since 2018 and has won four SEC games for the first time since 2013, when James Franklin was head coach. So, at least Franklin is being mentioned in something positive today.
Georgia survives Florida's upset bid
It would be easy enough to come away from Saturday's latest installment of the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party wondering what's wrong with Georgia. Certainly the offense has sputtered at times, and Carson Beck once again threw three picks, bringing his season tally to 11. The lackluster performance against Florida follows similar games against Kentucky and Mississippi State, along with a first half against Alabama so dismal it cost the Dawgs the game.
But the most logical explanation is Georgia wanted to toy with Billy Napier.
With a little more than 4 minutes to play, Florida was tied with Georgia at 20, and Napier was poised to save his job.
The Gators were riddled with injuries, losing QB DJ Lagway with a hamstring issue, and were forced to survive with a number of backups and a few of the guys working for the moving company who were packing up Napier's stuff in anticipation of a blowout loss. It wasn't always pretty.
Florida mishandles the field goal snap and Georgia recovers the ball in Florida territory.
Still, Florida kept hanging around. But this is how Georgia rolls. It toys with teams, gives them a false sense of confidence, then sneaks up behind them and pulls their underwear up over their head.
After Florida tied the score, Georgia engineered a 75-yard touchdown drive, picked off QB Aidan Warner one play later, then scored again to turn the close game into a blowout.
Week 10 vibe shifts
Each week, the college football landscape is reordered by surprising outcomes in big games. But many smaller shifts take place, too. We track them here.
Trending down: Big 12 preseason favorites
In the preseason Big 12 media poll, the top five were Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Arizona.
At least K-State looks good.
It's been a nightmare for the rest of the group, including Arizona's 56-12 dismantling by UCF and Oklahoma State's 42-21 loss to Arizona State on Saturday.
Along with Kansas and Utah, those four teams are now a combined 12-22 overall and just 3-18 in Big 12 play.
Trending down: Love for Lincoln
The Lincoln Riley-USC relationship appears to be destined to end in tragedy.
Miller Moss threw three picks, and USC lost for the fifth time in its past seven games, falling to Washington 26-21 on Saturday. The Trojans are now 4-5 overall and 2-5 in Big Ten play. Worse, USC is now 5-11 in its past 16 contests overall after Riley opened his tenure there by winning 17 of his first 20.
The remainder of the schedule -- vs. Nebraska, at UCLA and hosting Notre Dame -- makes a bowl bid a possibility but far from a certainty.
Riley has already cut off practice access to the media and he has cut back on player interviews, too. His next move is to cut back on players' screen time, have the media report all stories via Morse code and cancel Moss's birthday party. Sure, the deposit on the clown is nonrefundable, but drastic times call for drastic measures.
Trending up: Points for Iowa
Iowa trounced Wisconsin 42-10 on Saturday, crossing an unlikely threshold in the process.
Iowa has now scored 40+ points in a game 4 times in 2024.
It's the 1st time since 2016 the Hawkeyes have scored 40+ points in 4 games in a year.
It's also the 1st time since 2011 Iowa has scored 40+ points in 3 straight homes games.
Offensive explosion. pic.twitter.com/JTJFW05fdj
Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) November 3, 2024
Iowa has scored 277 points this year, or one-and-a-half Brian Ferentzes, if you're keeping track at home. More troubling, the Hawkeyes are averaging just four punts per game, which may be a violation of the Geneva Convention.
It should be noted, however, that Iowa has scored 111 more points through nine games than it did last year, but it has lost one more game than it had at this point last season. So let that be a lesson to you, Florida State. Be careful wishing for too much offense.
Trending up: Oklahoma's offense
Here's a fun fact: Oklahoma has averaged 36.5 points per game over its past two. Now, please don't dig any deeper into that statistic.
The Sooners got 203 yards and three touchdowns from Jovantae Barnes, while QB Jackson Arnold threw two touchdowns and went the entire game without splitting his pants or falling asleep in the huddle. In other words, it was an incredibly good day for Oklahoma's offense. Yes, it was against Maine, which is technically an FCS team, but there are only roughly 45 people who live in Maine, so we assume at least half its defense is just moose and bears, which can't be easy to run against.
Trending up: Boat rowing
After an ugly 2-3 start to the season, PJ Fleck has the Golden Gophers riding high. Minnesota knocked off No. 24 Illinois -- its second ranked win in four weeks -- 25-17 behind 131 yards and a touchdown from tailback Darius Taylor.
Minnesota lost on a late missed kick in the opener against North Carolina and lost by 3 to Michigan in a game it allowed just 241 yards early in the year, but the Gophers have rebounded by winning four straight and look like the clear-cut No. 5 team in the Big Ten, which is essentially the same as being the fifth-best member of Van Halen. Sure, most folks stop counting after Sammy Hagar, but nobody wants to be behind Gary Cherone.
Trending down: Nebraska's bowl hopes
The Huskers, once 5-1 and ranked in the top 25, have now lost three straight after falling 27-20 to lowly UCLA on Saturday.
Nebraska looked all but assured to make its first bowl game since 2016 this year, but suddenly the odds aren't quite so good. This was the Huskers' 36th one-possession loss since that last bowl game, seven more than any other FBS team and 13 more than the next Big Ten school.
The remaining slate -- at USC, vs. Wisconsin and at Iowa -- offers no easy wins, so it could be an uphill battle to snatch victory No. 6. On the plus side for Nebraska, no one there expects good things to happen to them anymore anyway.
Trending down: FSU's bragging rights
A quick refresher on Florida State's season: The Noles opened No. 10 nationally, lost in Ireland to Georgia Tech, lost later to Mike Norvell's former school, lost badly to rival Miami and lost for the first time in program history to Duke.
But at least there was still some positive history on FSU's side Saturday, as Mack Brown and North Carolina came to town. Brown is an FSU alum, but he has never beaten his alma mater, and certainly the Seminoles would be motivated to keep that streak alive and -- sorry, we're being told Omarion Hampton just scored again.
Indeed, Hampton and the Heels romped 35-11, handing Brown his first win against Florida State in 12 chances as a head coach dating to 1985. Next, Florida State plans to announce that "Smokey and the Bandit II" wasn't really that good, thus flushing yet another piece of its rich history down the drain.
No matter how many times we've assumed they've hit rock bottom, these Noles just keep digging. You really have to admire their determination.
Taking the temperature of the top 12
On Tuesday, we get our first College Football Playoff rankings. To prep you for this big event, let's take a deep dive into the biggest questions facing the committee as it meets in its secret lair behind Greg Sankey's pool house this week.
Is Oregon the clear-cut No. 1?
At this point, it seems tough to argue. Oregon is simply demoralizing opponents, as it did to Michigan on Saturday 38-17. Of course, Michigan has been demoralized plenty lately. The Wolverines QB carousel continued against the Ducks, with Davis Warren and Alex Orji subbing in and out, and neither finding much of a rhythm. This comes a week after former starter Jack Tuttle medically retired and several other members of the depth chart started a commune in Nicaragua in hopes of living off the grid.
The only real competition for the top spot might come from Georgia, whose lone loss came to Alabama in a game in which the Dawgs also erased a 28-point deficit. Still, the lackluster performance against Florida in Week 10 didn't provide much evidence the committee should overlook Oregon, even if Georgia's supposed struggles are really all part of Kirby Smart's diabolical plan to convince his team no one believes in it, thus motivating it to crush everyone in sight once the playoff starts. In fairness, his last scheme to sink most of eastern Georgia into the ocean so he can have beachfront property in Athens was mostly lifted from "Superman," and it didn't work for Lex Luthor either.
Should Boise State be a top-four seed?
The new 12-team playoff awards opening-round byes for the top four conference champions, and at this point, it might be fair to ask if Boise State could eclipse the winner of the Big 12.
The Broncos' lone loss came by 3 points to No. 1 Oregon in a game that came down to a go-ahead field goal as time expired. Boise State features, arguably, the best player in the country in Ashton Jeanty, and it demolished San Diego State 56-24 on Friday in spite of a relatively lackluster performance from the star back. Boise State also has solid (if unranked) wins against Washington State (6-1) and UNLV (5-2).
Of course, the more appealing option might be for Boise State to finish somewhere in the No. 5 through 8 range because nothing would ring in this new era of the 12-team playoff better than playing the first game on the blue turf.
What do we make of the SEC?
Every team in the league has at least one conference loss now. Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Ole Miss all have multiple losses. Georgia has scuffled regularly, Tennessee has flirted with disaster in multiple games as it struggles to find a consistent passing game and Texas has been startlingly bereft of Arch Manning snaps of late.
Saturday's slate only reinforced the concerns. The Aggies still are searching for an offensive identity. Kentucky benched starting QB Brock Vandagriff, who now will return to his full-time job as a roadie for Ted Nugent, but still were within striking distance until late in the fourth quarter against the up-and-down Vols. Georgia may be the best team in the country, but it only plays like it for about six minutes per game, and Ole Miss is ridiculously explosive but also entirely erratic.
In other words, the SEC is basically just the old Pac-12, only without the shame or consequences.
So, is the SEC still a four-bid league? It's getting tougher to see four championship-caliber teams here, but that's the joy of a 12-team playoff. Half of those teams probably never had a shot at winning it all anyway.
Is the ACC a two-bid league?
Miami has taken care of business this season, in spite of a secondary that's mostly involved asking politely for receivers not to catch the football. With games at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and at Syracuse remaining, the Canes still look like an obvious playoff team, barring a remarkable collapse, which would almost certainly be overturned by ACC officials anyway.
But could the ACC be in line for a second playoff team, too?
Clemson looked the part after roughing up six straight bad teams -- none ranked in the top 70 of ESPN's FPI -- but Louisville put a wrinkle in those plans Saturday. The Tigers sleepwalked through the first three quarters, and the Cardinals romped to a 33-21 win.
Isaac Brown does the "Night Night" celebration in front of the Clemson crowd after his 45-yard run pads Louisville's lead.
Dabo Swinney, ever the optimist, followed the loss by wanting to focus on the positives, such as the fact that none of his players were mauled by sharks, and he has some takeout from Smoking Pig in the fridge when he gets home.
SMU now looks like the clear-cut No. 2 in the league after demolishing previously undefeated Pitt. The Mustangs lone loss came by three against undefeated BYU in a game when they had the ball inside the Cougars' 30 six times and managed just nine points. They'll face Boston College, visit Virginia and host Cal before the season ends, with an inside track on an ACC title game appearance.
So, would Miami and SMU both be in if they win out? Could a 10-2 Clemson be in the mix, too?
Sankey would like to counter this notion by doubling over in laughter before dismissively asking, "Oh, were you serious about that?"
Where does the Big 12 fit in?
Iowa State's loss leaves BYU as the front-runner, but the rest of the league is a mess of possibilities. The Cyclones and Colorado are each 4-1 in conference, though the tiebreaker rule that prioritizes Instagram likes would seem to favor the Buffaloes. Kansas State and Texas Tech are both 4-2 in conference play, and four other teams still have two or fewer league losses, setting up a potential for chaos and -- should one of those less-than-ideal teams manage to win the Big 12 title game -- possibly knock the league out of a top-four seed.
Ultimately, there's a simple enough solution here: The committee should enforce the "2023 Florida State doctrine" and simply give Colorado the ACC's spot in the playoff regardless, because TV ratings are what keeps the committee's meeting room stocked with Cuban cigars, French champagne and all the Mountain Dew Baja Blast Jim Grobe can drink.
Will there be any surprises?
We've been pretty certain what the playoff will look like all along: Five conference champs, at least five wild cards from the SEC and Big Ten, Notre Dame snags its bid and one more wild card comes from either the ACC or Big 12.
But, what if Washington State gets into the mix? The Cougars are 7-1 and will be favored in each of their last four. Could they sneak into the top 12 if they keep winning? Or how about Army? The Black Knights get Notre Dame in three weeks in a game that could send shock waves through the playoff. And then there's Kentucky. The Wildcats are just 3-6, but with all six defeats coming in SEC play, no one has more quality losses, which we know the committee loves.
Heisman five
The favorites held serve in the Heisman race this week, and it's increasingly looking like a four-man race, but we'd nevertheless like to offer some Heisman love to Duke offensive lineman Micah Sahakian for providing us with the best chyron of the season.
Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) November 2, 2024
Believe it or not, Saturday's win over Duke was Ward's first time this season with at least 400 yards passing and four touchdowns. He had 400 yards twice before, and this was his fourth time with at least four touchdown passes, but they had never overlapped in the same game. This was basically Ward's KFC Double Down game, where the big plays are both the bread and the meat.
2. Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
On Friday, San Diego State's defensive scheme basically amounted to putting eight players, a set of road flares and a few of those inflatable waving arm guys in the box to stop Jeanty at any cost. Turns out, the cost was QB Maddux Madsen throwing for 307 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-24 win. Oh, and Jeanty still had 149 yards rushing (plus 31 receiving) and two touchdowns.
3. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter
Colorado was off in Week 10, which begs the question of why anyone even bothered to watch games. Still, Hunter remains the most dynamic player in the country, playing 858 snaps already this year despite missing the better part of two games and having to constantly fend off DJ Khaled on the sideline constantly pushing for them to leave the game early and hit up White Castle.
4. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel
Gabriel threw for a touchdown and ran for another in Oregon's 38-17 win over Michigan, but honestly, it's really not even fun to watch the Ducks demolish opponents anymore. Gabriel and tailback Jordan James should have to tie their legs together before each snap like some sort of potato sack race just to make Oregon's games more interesting.
5. Spot reserved for Army QB Bryson Daily
Daily missed Army's 20-3 win over Air Force with an undisclosed injury. Or perhaps he was on a top-secret mission to infiltrate a top military target, or battling Hugo Drax's henchmen on an international space station before they wipe out humanity. Either way, we hope he's back soon.
Under-the-radar play of the week
Louisiana-Monroe's hot start has come to a screeching halt, with the Warhawks dropping back-to-back games, including Saturday's 28-23 defeat at the hands of Marshall.
Perhaps the symbolic low point for ULM came just ahead of a fourth-and-1 play with 11:43 to go in the third, when offensive lineman Drew Hutchinson offhandedly suggested that Taylor Swift's "Tortured Poet's Department" was meandering and self-indulgent, to which O-line coach Cameron Blankenship strongly disagreed.
Check out ULM's assistant coach Cameron Blankenship going absolutely ballistic in the face of his own player, offensive lineman Drew Hutchinson.
In fairness, you really shouldn't mess with Swifties.
Under-the-radar game of the week
Baylor rallied from down 7 in the fourth quarter, blew a 7-point lead with less than 2 minutes to play, then beat TCU 37-34 on a 33-yard field goal as time expired.
Baylor wins as time expires behind a game-winning field goal to top TCU in Big 12 action.
The win came 10 years after Baylor also beat TCU by 3 in a game that ultimately kept both teams out of the inaugural College Football Playoff, opening the door for Ohio State to win it all in 2014.
The stakes were a bit lower for this one, but the Bears are now in need of just one win in their past three -- at West Virginia, at Houston, home to Kansas -- to earn a bowl bid and possibly save Dave Aranda's job.
For TCU, however, the loss is yet another bit of frustrating in a season chock full of it, and it's the second loss of the year on a field goal inside of a minute to play. It's also TCU's sixth one-possession loss since going to the national title game in 2022. Regression to the mean is not pleasant.
Pat Cummins, and Pakistan: welcome back to ODI cricket
Big picture: Pakistan's year-long gap amid chaos
Australia's top-order bat-off in Tests is front and centre. But before India arrive for the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the men's international season begins with a white-ball tour by Pakistan. That includes three ODIs and T20Is each, and starts in Melbourne on Monday.
For the hosts, this provides the majority of their preparation for the Champions Trophy, with just a one-off game in Sri Lanka to follow in February. They remain largely settled in the format, barring the retirement of David Warner since the ODI World Cup, and are coming off a 3-2 victory in England in September.
Form guide
(Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: WLLWW
Pakistan: LWWLL
In the spotlight: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Kamran Ghulam
Team news: Hardie included
Cummins confirmed his first team of the season. Josh Hazlewood (Sheffield Shield) and Cooper Connolly (Australia A) are not available for the opening match. Lance Morris has been added as fast-bowling cover. Aaron Hardie impressed in England, and may have earned an opportunity slightly higher in the order.
Australia: 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Josh Inglis (wk), 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Sean Abbott, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Adam Zampa
Given the long absence from the format, the coach and captain changes, and some new faces, it's hard to pin down what Pakistan's XI might look like. A team was expected to be confirmed later on Sunday, although Faisal Akram, a 21-year-old left-arm wristspinner, is an interesting prospect.
Pakistan (likely): 1 Saim Ayub, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Kamran Ghulam, 5 Salman Agha, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), 7 Aamer Jamal, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Mohammad Hasnain, 11 Faisal Akram
Pitch and conditions
The pitch for the Sheffield Shield match last month had considerable help for the quicks, and it's still relatively early season in Melbourne. The forecast is for a cool and an overcast day, but it's due to stay dry.
Stats and trivia
Quotes
"It's a great way to kind of kick into the summer. Some of the young guys, seeing what they're made of as they're kind of starting out their international careers. And then in the longer-term context, we've got Champions Trophy coming up, which always has a good link into that."
Pat Cummins ahead of the start of the home summer
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
Jadeja bags 10 for the match, India need 147 to avoid whitewash
Source: Love, Jacobs expected to play for Pack
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is expected to start in Sunday's NFC North showdown against the Detroit Lions, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Love's status had been a question mark ahead of the game after he suffered a groin injury in last weekend's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was held out of practice on Wednesday, then was limited Thursday and Friday and drew a questionable tag for the game.
Also expected to play for Green Bay is running back Josh Jacobs, a source told Schefter.
Jacobs has been dealing with an ankle injury, and, like Love, also sat out Wednesday's practice before returning in a limited fashion Thursday and Friday.
At 6-1, the Lions are off to their best start since 1956 and have won their past two games at Lambeau Field.
The Packers, meanwhile, have won four straight and sit at 6-2, but are 0-1 in the division.
NBA reopening investigation into Lakers' Hayes
The NBA is reopening an investigation into a 2021 incident involving Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes after TMZ posted a video Saturday of the altercation between him and his then-girlfriend.
"As a result of the media report and video posted this morning, we are reopening our investigation," NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN in a statement.
TMZ posted 5 minutes of security camera footage from the 2021 incident showing Hayes -- then a member of the New Orleans Pelicans -- arguing with Sofia Jamora, his then-girlfriend. The video shows Hayes appearing to pull Jamora out of a doorway while she can be heard saying, "Stop. Let go of me." Hayes can be heard replying, "What the f--- is wrong with you?"
The Ring.com footage is time stamped as July 28, 2021, starting at 1:35 a.m.
Hayes and Jamora then are shown leaving the residence and continuing their argument in the driveway. "I'm not going to let you hit me anymore," Jamora can be heard saying in the video. "What the f--- do I look like, a punching bag?"
Not long after that comment, the video shows Hayes walking away from Jamora and then turning his head back to spit in her direction.
The Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene in Woodland Hills, California, after a domestic disturbance call, and Hayes was arrested. In June 2022, he was sentenced to three years of probation, 450 hours of community service and a year of weekly domestic violence classes.
The NBA did not discipline Hayes following its initial investigation into the arrest.
"There has already been an extensive investigation that we cooperated with the league on, and as that investigation reopens, we will continue to do so," a spokesperson for Hayes told ESPN on Saturday.
Hayes also was ordered to pay restitution at the time, according to Los Angeles City Attorney's Office spokesman Rob Wilcox.
Police body camera video showed Hayes scuffling with officers and being hit twice with an electronic stun gun after they ordered him out of the home while they sought to question a woman inside. Hayes told officers the woman was his girlfriend and that she had been "throwing some stuff" at him while they argued.
Hayes was treated at a hospital after the altercation. An officer thrown against a wall by Hayes was treated for an elbow injury.
Although more than three years have passed since the incident, there was new litigation this week.
A lawsuit filed Tuesday by attorneys representing Jamora and obtained by ESPN alleges that Robert T. Tamate, the officer whom Hayes scuffled with, had "previously met with Hayes's attorneys and was compensated monetarily by Hayes for unknown reasons."
"We understand that the NBA has a no-tolerance policy against domestic violence, and therefore the victim welcomes any further investigation into Hayes' actions and will cooperate with said investigation," a spokesperson for Jamora told ESPN.
Hayes signed a two-year, $4.6 million contract with the Lakers in the summer of 2023.
"I think the most important thing is we take those things very seriously and do a full vetting process," Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka told reporters when asked about the Hayes signing at the time. "Jaxson has been very sincere [with] his apologies around handling that and has moved beyond it to where he's had a year or two in the NBA playing after it. It was something that we felt like he owned, took responsibility for it, and is going to be a better person on the other side of it."
A Lakers spokesperson contacted Saturday night told ESPN, "We are cooperating with the league."
Hayes, 24, is averaging 5.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game for the Lakers through their 4-2 start to the season.
ESPN's Baxter Holmes and information from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Embiid confronts, shoves Philadelphia columnist
PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid was involved in an altercation with a local columnist in the locker room after the 76ers' 124-107 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, shouting at him during an exchange of words before eventually shoving him.
"We are aware of reports of an incident in the Sixers locker room this evening and are commencing an investigation," an NBA spokesman said in a statement.
Embiid took issue with a recent column by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. In it, Hayes mentioned Embiid's son and late brother -- both named Arthur -- while questioning Embiid's professionalism and effort to stay in shape.
As reporters entered the locker room to talk to players, Embiid stood and confronted Hayes.
"The next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I'm going to do to you and I'm going to have to ... live with the consequences," Embiid said to Hayes.
Embiid continued, with several instances of profanity. Hayes offered an apology, which Embiid did not want. "That's not the f---ing first time." Embiid said.
Embiid later said he doesn't care what reporters say. "But you do," Hayes answered.
Embiid appeared to get louder at that point, and not long afterward pushed Hayes on the shoulder while the team's public relations chief got between them. Another team official moved Tyrese Maxey's interview to the hallway outside the locker room, trying to clear reporters.
At the same time, a team security person asked reporters not to report on what had happened. Embiid yelled over the security guard.
"They can do whatever they want," Embiid said. "I don't give a s---."
76ers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told ESPN's Tim Bontemps the team was aware of the incident.
"We take the situation very seriously and are investigating, and have already spoken to the NBA," Morey said in a statement.
Embiid didn't play in Saturday's game, the fifth consecutive game he has missed to begin the season because of left knee injury management. Both he and Paul George, who sustained a bone bruise in his left knee when stepping awkwardly in a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 14, have yet to play this season for the 76ers (1-4).
Speaking to reporters after practice Friday for the first time in a few weeks at the team's practice facility, Embiid expressed frustration with the concept that he doesn't want to play.
"Everybody has been on the same page," Embiid said of his recovery plan. "If your body doesn't react well, and if your body tells you one thing [sit out]. I've done it. From what I can tell you, I've broken my face twice, I came back early with the risk of losing my vision. I have broken fingers. I still came back. When I see people say, 'He doesn't want to play,' I've done way too much for this city, putting myself at risk, for people to be saying that."
Embiid had surgery on his left knee after sustaining an injury back in January, limiting him to 39 games last season. He then returned in April, playing in Philadelphia's six-game first-round series loss to the New York Knicks, and then helping Team USA win gold at the Paris Olympics this summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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