A year ago, Ohio State and Texas collided in a massive Week 1 showdown, with the Buckeyes notching a 14-7 home victory. It was among the most-bet college games all season.

So oddsmakers know what to expect when these two teams meet again, in easily the biggest game on the college football Week 2 oddsboard.

“Both teams are public darlings,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said. “This game will take a significant amount of money. It will probably still be top-five by the end of the year.”

Bookmakers and sharp bettors serve up their insights on a handful of notable matchups, including the FOX Big Noon Kickoff pitting Oklahoma against Michigan.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Loving The Longhorns

Ohio State and Texas are both 1-0 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS), with easy Week 1 tune-ups. The Buckeyes drubbed Ball State 56-3 as monster 50.5-point home favorites, while the Longhorns (-29.5) smoked visiting Texas State 59-7.

In turn, Caesars Sports gave a very slight edge to Texas for Saturday’s 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. On Sunday, the Longhorns opened as 1.5-point home favorites, and that’s where the number sat Wednesday night.

“So far, we’re seeing two-way action. There’s a little bit more on the Longhorns and a little bit more on the Over,” Feazel said, noting a total that’s already climbed from 47.5 to 49.5. “I would not expect this total to keep getting higher.

“It may even go down. We may see some sharp action on the Under.”

As for the spread, Feazel doesn’t think two-way action will persist either.

“I think as we get closer to kickoff, we’re gonna see more Texas action,” he said. “The public is gonna come in on Texas late Friday and early Saturday.”

  College Football Rocks On FOX

Another SEC-Big Ten battle starts Saturday’s festivities, when No. 11 Oklahoma travels to the Big House to face fortuitous Michigan at noon ET on FOX.

As everyone knows by now, the Wolverines pulled a great escape in Week 1. Michigan was a 27.5-point home favorite, yet needed a Hail Mary — two, in fact — to edge Western Michigan 13-12.

On the flip side, Oklahoma blanked UTEP 51-0 as a 40.5-point home favorite.

On Sunday afternoon, Caesars opened Oklahoma as a 5.5-point road favorite and quickly got out to -6/-6.5. The line has been steady at Sooners -5.5 since Monday afternoon.

“Despite Michigan playing poorly and Oklahoma looking good, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this line go down to 4.5,” Feazel said, noting that before Week 1, the Oklahoma-Michigan lookahead line was Sooners -1.5. “Sharps tend to see some value in the overreaction.”

In fact, Michigan +6.5 drew sharp action. But come Saturday, there won’t be enough sharp money to overcome the public betting masses.

“It’s gonna be one-way traffic,” Feazel said. “The public is on the Sooners, with a lot bets written at -6.5 and more at -5.5. I don’t expect that to lighten up at all.”

Most of the action is on the Sooners ahead of their showdown with Michigan (Getty Images).

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On-Campus Sharp Side

College football betting expert Paul Stone is already involved with Oklahoma vs. Michigan. But he’s not looking at either side in this game.

Rather, he’s on the total, betting on Under 43.5.

That’s due in no small part to Michigan’s eyesore of a Week 1 showing. Stone noted that before the controversial 47-yard Hail Mary TD pass, Michigan had just 229 total yards.

“I believe Michigan is going to keep it tight for at least three quarters,” Stone said. “And if it’s close, it’s going to be a defensive slugfest, not an offensive track meet. Oklahoma has one of the nation’s top defenses, but still lacks playmakers on offense, outside of receiver Isaiah Sategna.

“First team to 21 wins.”

  Eliminator Game?

The Group of 6 will again have one team in the College Football Playoff. Memphis or Boise State could potentially be that team.

Memphis is already 2-0 SU and ATS, including a solid victory over UNLV in Week 0. The Tigers were 4.5-point road underdogs and won 27-21.

Boise State is 0-1 SU and ATS, but had second-ranked Oregon in big trouble last weekend. The Broncos were 24.5-point road underdogs and led 17-7 late in the second quarter.

Boise State stuck around throughout, but ultimately lost 34-27.

Feazel said this 6 p.m. ET kickoff could see quite a bit more action than you’d expect.

“It might be sneakily up there in handle,” Feazel said. “We’re at Boise State -8.5, that’s what we opened at, and that’s what they’re betting, too. There’s more on Boise State and more on the Over.”

The total opened at 54.5 and sits there on Wednesday night, though it poked up to 55.5 for several hours Sunday.

  Big 12 vs. B1G

Iowa and Iowa State renew their annual instate hostilities for a 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday start.

There are times in this series when neither team can put up 14 points. Or both. In 2022, Iowa State won a 10-7 snoozer on the road. Last year, the Cyclones won a 16-13 slog at home.

Yet this year, the No. 22 Hawkeyes (1-0 SU and ATS) are 14-point home favorites at Caesars. Oddsmakers seemed at least a little intrigued by Iowa’s 40-0 punchout of Northern Illinois last week, when the Hawkeyes were 29.5-point home favorites.

And bettors are interested in the Hawkeyes this week.

“We’re seeing more Iowa money coming in, and that’s to be expected,” Feazel said. “Fourteen points for a team that usually doesn’t score a lot is a lot to ask. But bettors feel it’s worth the squeeze on Iowa -14, and I don’t anticipate that changing.”

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As Week 1 is in the books, Week 2 of the college football season is set for a top-10 matchup and early conference competition. 

FOX Sports’ lead college football analyst Joel Klatt shared his picks ahead of the Week 2 slate on Thursday’s edition of “The Joel Klatt Show.”

  Ohio State 27, Texas 24

Klatt’s thoughts: “I could go either way. I really, really like both of these teams. This is going to be a different team for each of these head coaches than they brought into this matchup a year ago. You got experienced quarterback play now. This is no longer an unknown. I don’t expect this to be a low-scoring game…I think it’s going to be different this year. I could see both of these teams scoring in the twenties. I don’t anticipate one of these teams running away from the other… this is as heavyweight as heavyweights get. 

“Do we have bigger brands in college football than Ohio State and Texas? Do we have teams that are better equipped from a resource perspective? Do we have more talented rosters than Ohio State and Texas? Any time these two teams and programs go anywhere, they are the big dog. They finally play eye to eye, and they get to walk into this one and go ‘that looks like us,’ that’s why I love this game… this difference in this game is going to be the five guys in front. This is a dependent game… the defenses will have to adjust.”

Klatt’s pick: “I think Ohio State wins it. I think they kick a field goal in a tie ball game in walk off fashion. 27-24.”

  BYU 24, Arizona 20

Klatt’s thoughts: “These two teams played an absolute thriller last year. This year, the game is in Provo, which I think is a very formidable place to play. Noah Fifita is experienced enough not to be intimidated. From an Arizona perspective, that’s great. The question is can Arizona hold up against what I think is going to be a very physical, run-oriented offense for BYU, led by Bear Bachmeier and LJ Martin. LJ Martin was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year ago, and Bear is just… he’s a bear to deal with. There’s no doubt.

“Arizona is trying to replace a lot of guys, particularly on the secondary, from last year’s defense, which was very effective. Can Arizona move the ball? Probably. Are they going to score points? Yeah. At the end of the day. Is BYU better than they are? Probably. And they’re at home. To me it’s close. I think Fifita is too experienced, they’ve got enough on the outside. I really don’t know who is going to be their go-to guy. So can they run and hide from Arizona? No.”

Klatt’s pick: “I like BYU to win this, I think they win 24-20.”

  Alabama 28, Kentucky 17

Klatt’s thoughts: “I think this one will be more interesting than a lot of us realize. Keelon Russell played pretty well for his debut at Alabama. I’m a little concerned that he had to scramble so much. That offensive line struggled a year ago for Alabama. They need to run the ball better, they need to protect the passer better, we all know that: 95% of those rush yards that Russell had came on the scramble. That’s worrisome for me. Although, he looked dynamic doing it… and now you know why he won that job for Kalen DeBoer.  

“Kentucky, they got a brand-new kind of everything. Will Stein comes in as the head coach, he was the former offensive coordinator at Oregon. What I think Will did a nice job of is he brought in some really experienced guys at coordinators, including Jay Bateman from Texas A&M a year ago. What Bateman did best was put pressure on the quarterback, rush the passer. They were not great against the run. Kenny Minchey transfers in from Notre Dame… Minchey had 300 yards and four touchdowns [last week]. Kentucky’s got the former Texas running back CJ Baxter, who I thought a lot of before he got injured.

“I just come down to this: the Bama defense was great.. the real strength of this team and the real identity of this team is the defense. I just don’t know if Kentucky is going to be able to move the ball and sustain enough drives to sit there and cover the 10.5 [spread].”

Klatt’s pick: “I got Bama on the road 28-17, Russell gets his first road win in the SEC.”

Can Alabama stay hot heading into SEC play?

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  Texas A&M 30, Arizona State 17

“This could be a really interesting one. Texas A&M is actually favored by 14.5. I think this has to do with the fact that there are so many transfers into Arizona State. Having to replace 18 starters, including Sam Leavitt who just set the world on fire at LSU, including Raleek Brown, who transferred to Texas… and Jordan Tyson, who went to the draft. So you’re replacing some very good football players. They did get a really nice start from his quarterback, Cutter Boley. He was a Kentucky transfer. Kenny Dillingham did a really nice job with their schematics. 

“On the A&M side… they were a bit slow in the first half against Missouri State, but they ended up winning it 50-0. They just have a third-year starting quarterback which I really like. Marcel Reed is in his third year as starting quarterback… they’re in college station. This comes down to, to me, Kenny Dillingham. I think he’s going to put pressure on the new coordinators at Texas A&M. He’s going to make them defend the entire field. I like what ASU has on the outside. I’m not going to pick them.”

Klatt’s pick: “I see A&M winning this ball game 30-17.”

  Boise State 35, Memphis 21

“Boise State is favored by 7.5… I think that this juncture in the year, these are two of the very few handfuls of teams that I think could actually be the Group of Six representatives for the College Football Playoff… I really like Charles Huff, the head coach at Memphis. I really do. There’s some buzz around Memphis right now, and they played like it [in Week 1].

“Meanwhile, Boise goes up there and goes toe-to-toe and throws haymakers with Oregon. Listen, say what you will about Oregon’s struggles in the first few weeks of the last couple of years. That’s a real roster. Boise hung in there. Is it easier for a Group of Six team to hang in there earlier in the season? Yes… that best effort was a very good effort. I love what Spencer Danielson has built there… it’s a continuation of everything that’s been built up there in Boise. They’ve shown they can play at the top Power Four level. 

“They have an experienced quarterback in Maddux Madsen. He played well against Oregon, he had three touchdowns. Quarterback from Memphis is Marcus Stokes… he played really well. They’ve got a running back, Jaylin Carter, coming off a huge game last week… The problem for Memphis is, what I saw from Boise against Oregon was just too impressive.”

Klatt’s pick: “I’ve got Boise winning this ball game… Beating Memphis at home 35-21.”

College Football Related Stories

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The 3,000 hit club is an exclusive one.

Consider: in the long, long history of Major League Baseball and the proto leagues that preceded it, over 20,000 players have suited up for at least one game. Of those, just 1,421 players reached 1,000 career hits. And merely 676 of those made it to 1,500 — there are more players than that on active rosters in MLB right now. All of 299 of those 676 players would then reach 2,000 career hits, 103 of those made it to 2,500, and all of 33 players that have ever played have crossed the 3,000-hit threshold.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is No. 103 in the 2,500 hits club, as of Sept. 9. That’s a seriously exclusive club to be in, but its exclusivity is nothing compared to that of the 3,000-hit one: as close as Altuve seems to 3,000 now, for instance, he’s maybe not that close.

His chances are far from nonexistent, however: it’s a distinct possibility that Altuve, despite his age and diminishing bat, still makes it to 3,000 before hanging up his cleats. But of all the incredible players to play in MLB, of the many, many Hall of Famers and stars, again, just 33 of them ever managed to pick up at least 3,000 hits. 

What about the rest of the active hit leaders, though? Let’s take a look at those with realistic chances of reaching this exclusive milestone – a list that includes Altuve as one of the closest to 3K. (Hit totals through Sept. 9.)

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ first baseman is the active hit leader, and doesn’t appear to be that far off from 3,000 hits. Freeman turns 37 before the 2026 postseason, though, and is still 413 hits away. He has 156 hits this year, and a three-year average of 157.7, so he would need three more years of production around this level to be able to pull it off.

Freddie Freeman is still a tough out, but will he be able to make it all the way to 3,000 hits? (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

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Which is not to say that Freeman can’t manage it. The major concerns are his health and how it’s tied to his age: Freeman continued to thrive despite some significant injuries that very easily could have derailed him, but as he gets older the small things feel like bigger things, and he’s already seen a dip in his power this year. Even if he becomes more of a singles hitter in his age-37, -38 and -39 campaigns, those knocks all count the same in the quest for 3,000. Freeman is the most likely to pull it off, not just because he’s the closest, but because he’s still really, really good despite entering his late-30s.

Altuve is a fascinating case, as his career took off back when he was a high-average guy racking up hits. Altuve led the American League in hits in four consecutive years, from 2014 through 2017, and also won batting titles in three of those seasons. He hasn’t come very close to those levels since: Altuve collected 1,189 hits in his first six full seasons in the bigs, and then 1,250 in his next nine, including his nearly complete 2026. Second basemen tend to age poorly, since they were at that position in the first place given they were missing something in their tool and skill sets that allowed them to play shortstop instead, but to this point, Altuve has held on strong. Mostly.

Altuve, who turned 36 in May, started the first few weeks of the season looking like the return to second base from the outfield had rejuvenated his bat, but has basically hovered around league-average since: Altuve is batting .244/.306/.397, 21 points of batting average lower than 2025’s already significantly lower than usual output. 

Altuve is 500 hits from 3,000, but from his age-33 season through his current age-36 campaign, he’s averaged 141 hits per year. At that pace, it would take four more seasons for Altuve to cross the 3,000-hit threshold: it’s possible, but he can’t afford to slip more than he already has since this hypothetical already requires that he plays into his 40s and gets another contract, too. Altuve’s current deal with the Astros runs out after 2029, when he turns 39.

Apologies to Andrew McCutchen and Paul Goldschmidt, who both rank ahead of Machado among the active hits leaders, but those two are 39 and 38, respectively – 3,000 is out of reach.

For Machado, though, it’s still a possibility – but less of one that it was this time last year. Machado is playing in his age-33 season, but he’s already been 34 for a couple of months, and is going to finish this season at least 800 hits shy of 3K. The problem was a terrible first half, in which Machado still had power, but little else: in his 100th game of the season, his batting average finally got over .200 to stay, and he’s hit .277/.360/.429 since that point, swapping some power for better overall contact and more times on base.

Machado is still young enough that 3,000 isn’t out of reach, but a rough start to 2026 made things that much more difficult. (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)

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Combine that with the fact that the Padres’ third baseman plays his home games at Petco Park, which depresses offense. That issue isn’t as extreme as it once was, but it still leans pitcher-friendly, and little things like that can be the difference between finishing a career with 3,000 hits or falling just short.

Still, Machado has averaged 153 hits per season since 2021 even with his dreadful first half in ’26. If he could keep that pace, it would take him five more full seasons and part of another to reach 3,000. He probably won’t keep that pace, though, given how aging works and all, so he might have more of an outside shot at the club than Freeman or Altuve. He’s under contract with the Padres through 2033, his age-40 season, however, so he’ll at least get plenty of chances to make it work by then.

This is where things get real dicey. Harper ranks seventh among active hit leaders: directly in front of him is Nolan Arenado, who has too few hits for his age for real consideration, and behind Harper is Carlos Santana, who is already 40 and over 1,100 away. There is also Xander Bogaerts, who is the same age as his teammate, Machado, and around 200 hits behind his not-a-lock pace. 

Harper is an outside shot, too, but it feels like he shouldn’t be discounted – basically solely because he’s Bryce Harper. Health is his most pressing concern — on top of the pandemic-shortened 2020 that everyone else in his cohort suffered through statistically, he also missed 63 games in 2022 and 36 in 2023, and has cleared 150 games just three times in a career that began in 2012. He looks like he’ll make it a fourth time in 2026, though, and while he’s never going to bat .330 again like in his all-world 2015, if he can continue to average 140 knocks per season like he has over the last four, 3,000 is a possibility, but he’ll be playing into his 40s for that to happen.

If Harper can stay on the field, though, and if he can continue to be Bryce Harper in all the ways that matter, then maybe something magical could happen here, and he’ll surprise us all. He doesn’t have much wiggle room for decline, however, owing to all the missed time he’s already accrued that has him behind.

Betts won’t turn 34 until October, but a tough season with just 105 hits through Sept. 9 and a .249 batting average have him well off the pace now. Before 2026, Betts was already unlikely to reach 3,000 hits by the time he turned 40 years old, as it would have required an average level of production he saw in his late-20s. Now, he’s 1,128 hits shy and nearly wrapped his age-33 season: he would need 161 hits per season to get to 3,000 by the time he turns 40, and tha feels about as unrealistic as him sticking it out another eight years to drop the average to 141. 

All of this just highlights how difficult 3,000 hits is. Betts has been one of the most dynamic, exciting and unbelievably talented players to ever suit up for an MLB game. But just 33 players have ever reached 3,000 hits, and there are far, far more than 33 hitters enshrined in Cooperstown.

What could have been. Mike Trout would be a Hall of Famer if he retired right now, but like with Betts, that doesn’t mean 3,000 hits will happen. What’s frustrating about Trout’s case is that he had his first 1,380 hits by the end of the 2020 season, and managed to add just another 487 over the next six years due to incessant injuries.

Injuries and strikeouts have made 3,000 hits an impossibility for one of the greatest to ever do it. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)

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Trout has been relatively healthy the past two years, playing a combined 257 games, but it’s resulted in 219 hits. He’s a high-strikeout, low-contact player at this point, but one who can still drive the ball: of those 219 hits, 46 of them were homers and another 39 went for doubles. The volume just isn’t there for Trout, who turned 35 earlier this summer, but again: he’s already had an entire Hall of Fame career featuring one of the all-time great peaks. That’s a pretty good consolation prize. 

Another example of just how difficult it is to get to 3,000 hits is Mets’ superstar Juan Soto. On the active hits leaders list, there is arguably no one with a better shot than him at 3,000, beyond those players already mentioned.

Soto began his career when he was 19, and won’t turn 28 until the middle of this year’s World Series. He’s the highest-paid player in MLB, and it’s because he’s a tremendous, historic offensive force. And yet! He needs another 1,822 hits to get to 3,000 at this point, to some degree because his career included the pandemic-shortened 2020 as well as an injury-shortened ‘26. But it’s also because Soto is an elite drawer of walks.

MLB Related Stories

Soto has been on base 2,190 times in his career, and is the active leader in on-base percentage at .415. Just 20 players in the history of the game have reached base at least 2,000 times before turning 28; Soto ranks No. 7, behind Hall of Famers Mel Ott, Mickey Mantle, Jimmie Foxx and Ty Cobb, with Alex Rodriguez and Mike Trout ahead of him, as well. That’s some company, and it’s not difficult to envision Soto someday becoming just the 50th player to ever get on base 4,000 times in his career (Freeman is in line to become No. 49 in the next year).

As for hits, though? Soto needs to average 140 hits per year for the next 13 years – the remainder of his contract with the Mets – to get to 3,000. That’s certainly possible at his age, but so are a whole lot of other things like injuries or natural decline. The 3,000-hit club is an elite one for a reason. 

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Julian Sayin’s family group chat was blowing up.

A video of Sayin went viral after one of his classmates recorded him introducing himself during the discussion portion of an online sports marketing class in the first week of school. The students had been asked to share their wellness habits. Instead of identifying himself as Ohio State’s starting quarterback or a Heisman Trophy candidate, Sayin kept it as low-key as possible.

He tried to be a normal college student.

“My name is Julian Sayin, I just prefer Julian,” he began. “My major is sport industry. I wouldn’t really say I want to change too much about my physical activity — I feel like I have a pretty good routine, I’m pretty active, I play sports. And one interesting thing about me is I love to play golf and I love playing pickleball.”

The video spread quickly across social media, in part because of how casual Julian was, but his family wasn’t surprised by it.

“It’s very Julian,” his older brother, Aidan Sayin, told me with a chuckle. “He’s not going to give you much detail, but just be humble and to the point. We all had a good laugh.

“The ‘I prefer Julian’ line was hilarious, but that’s just him. We joke that [his humor is] similar to Larry David. We always watch ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ and say he sort of emulates that same character.”

Julian’s no-ego personality might be the opposite of what you’d expect from someone at the center of the college football universe. He tries to fly under the radar and never tells anybody who he is if they don’t already know. Fans loved the video and plenty of them flooded the comment section on the social media post.

“The video itself encapsulates a lot about him,” Aidan said. “He’s not concerned with the spotlight. To be honest, he doesn’t even like it. Whenever we’re out and about in Columbus, he keeps his hat on, his head down, and just wants to get his açaí bowl.”

Julian has been that way for as long as those closest to him can remember. It’s part of what makes him so effective on the field.

He’ll need to keep that level head as he enters his second season as a starter at Ohio State, where a talent-laden roster is chasing its second national championship in three years. The top-ranked Buckeyes have a challenging schedule ahead with their first major test coming Saturday when they visit Arch Manning and No. 4 Texas in one of the biggest games on the Week 2 slate.

‘It Always Came From Within’

Julian is the baby in a family of high achievers. He’s the starting quarterback on the No. 1 team in the country and is a front-runner to win the Heisman after finishing in fourth place last season. But he’s striving to be as accomplished as his three older siblings.

“I think he was always kind of scrappy and trying to follow along,” Sayin’s mom, Karen Brandenburg, told me. “I don’t know how to describe it — it’s kind of like, ‘Don’t think you’re all that.’”

Julian Sayin warms up before Ohio State’s Week 1 game against Ball State. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Julian’s eldest sister, Bailey, played soccer at the University of Chicago before attending the Cambridge School of Art in England. His sister Jocelyn attended the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where she earned a degree in data analytics. After returning to the United States, Jocelyn took an interest in her youngest brother’s career, joining him on several college visits to LSU and Ole Miss. Now, alongside their mom, Jocelyn helps manage Julian’s NIL and marketing deals. She also earned a master’s degree in sports management from Ohio State and is pursuing her doctorate.

Aidan played football at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with honors from Wharton. He went on to play for the Columbus Aviators of the UFL and is now considering continuing his football career in Japan or Europe.

When asked whether the household she and her husband, Dan, created while raising their children influenced their ambition, Brandenburg paused for a moment. She’s Type A; Dan is more laid back. Maybe, she thought, it started with Bailey, who from a young age was determined to play on the best soccer teams. That drive might have trickled down to the rest of the siblings.

“I don’t know,” Brandenburg said. “But it always came from within. We didn’t have to push. We never had to say, ‘You’ve gotta go to practice.’ They just always sought after things on their own, which made parenting really easy. We’ve been really lucky that they push each other.”

With success comes praise, and the Sayin kids aren’t particularly comfortablewith compliments or being celebrated. When Jocelyn was finishing her master’s program, Brandenburg suggested they attend her graduation. Her daughter immediately pushed back: “No, no. When I get my doctorate, we’ll go to graduation.”

Julian is much the same way. The only feedback he really wants to hear — positive or negative — comes from his coaches and teammates. Even an email from an Ohio State fan in Dayton simply wanting to tell Julian that he had played great didn’t feel right to him.

‘On To The Next’

Thadd MacNeal — who was both Julian and Aidan’s coach at Carlsbad High School outside of San Diego and is close with the Sayin family — was at Ohio State’s 38-14 win over Penn State last year and sat in on the post-game press conference. He remembers reporters asking Julian about his passing percentage — 87% on a near-perfect 20-of-23 passes — in addition to 316 yards and four touchdowns.

“And he literally said, ‘Well, that’s because I have great protection, because my receivers catch every ball, and they’re so productive,” MacNeal told me. “It’s always deflecting to other people. That’s just how he operates.”

When Julian won Elite 11 — a premier high school quarterback competition — in June 2023, his mom wanted to take him out to dinner. He had beaten out Dylan Raiola, the top-rated quarterback recruit in the 2024 class at the time. But Julian declined. There was a tournament about 30 minutes away, and he wanted to go play in it instead.

This story came up during one of Julian’s visits to Alabama while he and his family were sitting in Nick Saban’s office. Julian enrolled at Alabama early in January 2024, but on his first day of classes, Saban announced his retirement, prompting the quarterback to enter the transfer portal and head to Columbus. 

Sayin runs against Ball State in Week 1 to score a three-yard touchdown in the Buckeyes’ win. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

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“Nick [Saban] said, ‘Hey, I heard you won Elite 11,’” Brandenburg recalled. “And Julian’s like, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘I tried to take him out to dinner and celebrate.’”

“Nick just looked at Julian, and Julian goes, ‘On to the next thing.’ And Nick Saban’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s one thing. On to the next.’”

That attitude, Brandenburg said, is part of what makes Julian different.

“I don’t know what made him that way,” Brandenburg added. “But it’s good. It keeps us grounded, too. There’s always the next thing. 

“I’m really trying to learn from him.”

‘Calm And Locked In’

Those traits serve Julian well on the field. He’s calm in big moments and doesn’t let the stage get too big.

He’s already off to a fast start this season, completing 21-of-25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns before coming out midway through the third quarter in Ohio State’s season-opening 56-3 romp of Ball State. Julian also scored his first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career on a fourth-and-goal to make it 21-0 early in the second quarter.

“He seems even more relaxed and confident this year,” Brandenburg said. “He’s very calm and locked in.”

Last year, his first as a starter at Ohio State, Julian completed 77% of his passes and averaged 27.9 attempts per game, the best mark in the country. He threw for 3,610 yards with 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the Buckeyes to a 12-2 record and impressive wins over Texas and Michigan. They lost to eventual national champion Indiana in the Big Ten title game and runners-up Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

The year before, Julian played in four games as Will Howard’s backup, completing 5-of-12 passes with one touchdown on an Ohio State team that ultimately won the national championship.

Those experiences have helped Julian grow and develop into an even better player. Transforming his body during the offseason, he’s stronger, more poised, and Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this summer at Big Ten Media Days that he’s carrying himself with “a different look in his eye.” 

Ohio State offensive lineman Luke Montgomery, Sayin, running back Bo Jackson and offensive lineman Carson Hinzman celebrate after a touchdown against Ball State. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Buckeyes center Carson Hinzman has seen it too.

“I mean, that dude can roll now,” Hinzman told reporters last month. “When he’s talking in the huddle, the confidence he has. Being able to zip that ball, you hear it literally whistle behind your ear, and it gives us confidence to have a quarterback who can go out there and have a little bit of swagger about him.”

No matter what happens this season — whether Julian wins the Heisman, Ohio State falls to Texas on Saturday or the Buckeyes run the table — his mindset will remain the same. It always has.

“I think sometimes bravado or being the star quarterback works, too,” Aidan said. “But for the most part, teammates want to see someone who is about the team and isn’t all about themselves. He’s just about playing football. He doesn’t care what else goes along with it. He just wants to play football and do his best this week.”

MORE CFB STORIES

Joel Klatt on Michigan vs. Oklahoma, LSU, Can Texas beat Ohio State? | FULL INTERVIEW | The Herd

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Will Texas avenge last season’s loss to Ohio State? Can Michigan bounce back against Oklahoma after a shocking and controversial near-upset? Which teams will prove that their Week 1 performance wasn’t a fluke, but a trend to rely on? 

The college football season rolls on, and Week 2’s lineup is looking strong with some big cross-conference games, from Texas-Ohio State to Michigan-Oklahoma to Illinois-Duke and so many more.

So before Week 2 kicks off, we’ve got some picks of the week, along with answers to those questions and more. We’re breaking down our straight-up picks for Week 2 and which matchups to keep a close eye on this weekend.

Let’s get into it. 

	RJ Young	Laken Litman	Michael Cohen	Ben Portnoy
Week 1	10-0	8-2	9-1	7-3
Overall	10-0	8-2	9-1	7-3

  Kansas vs. No. 23 Missouri

Austin Simmons threw for 252 yards and four touchdowns in his debut for Missouri in Week 1. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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When: Friday, 8 p.m. ET (FOX)
Where: David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, Lawrence, Kansas
Line: Missouri -5.5

RJ Young: Missouri
The Tigers have the better quarterback, and their run game is still rather awesome even without Ahmad Hardy in the backfield.

Laken Litman: Missouri
Mizzou takes down Kansas in an old rivalry game as former Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons lights up the Jayhawks with another multi-touchdown performance.

Michael Cohen: Missouri
As a new face in a new place, Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons gave the Tigers plenty to be excited about in Week 1 with four touchdowns and only two incompletions. He keeps it rolling against the Jayhawks. 

Ben Portnoy: Missouri
I’m in on Austin Simmons being a difference maker for the Tigers, even with a depleted run game. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz has largely handled business as a favorite during his tenure, and I think he does it again this week.

  Michigan vs. No. 11 Oklahoma

John Mateer (10) and Oklahoma defeated Michigan 24-13 in 2025. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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When: Saturday, noon ET (FOX)
Where: Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Line: Oklahoma -5.5

Young: Oklahoma 
The Sooners have the edge at quarterback, wide receiver and defensive line. This could get ugly for Michigan if Bryce Underwood doesn’t show a tremendous leap in development.

Litman: Oklahoma
The biggest question for me is how Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood will look after last week’s near disaster against Western Michigan. You know Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables will put together a defensive game plan that makes it as hard as possible for the young signal-caller to succeed. 

Cohen: Oklahoma
Maybe the Wolverines will bounce back a bit following last week’s controversial win over Western Michigan. But the safer bet is that Oklahoma’s terrific defense can cause even more problems for Bryce Underwood, whose time as the starter feels like it’s dwindling.

Portnoy: Oklahoma
Recency bias has me incredibly down on the Wolverines, but there’s nothing I saw in Saturday’s win (?) over Western Michigan that makes me think they can beat a team of Oklahoma’s caliber. I think the Sooners are a legit dark horse to win the SEC this year, and I love what a healthy John Mateer brings. Give me the Sooners, big.

  Oklahoma State vs. No. 6 Oregon

Dante Moore and Oregon beat Oklahoma State 69-3 in 2025. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

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When: Saturday, noon ET (ESPN)
Where: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Line: Oregon -22.5

Young: Oregon
Oregon is coming off of an embarrassing win, still has one of the best rosters in the sport and is about to play an Oklahoma State team that got beat by Tulsa, the smallest FBS school in the country. Name the number, Ducks.

Litman: Oregon
The Ducks had their “wake-up call” last week vs. Boise State, who could end up being the Group of Six College Football Playoff representative. While Stillwater is a tough place to play, Dan Lanning will have his team ready to go, while the Cowboys are in a transition year.

Cohen: Oregon
There will certainly be a response from Oregon’s defense after the highly-touted unit was gashed by Boise State in a surprisingly close opener. The Ducks should roll against an Oklahoma State team that looked quite rough in an upset loss to Tulsa. 

Portnoy: Oregon
Oregon got a scare from Boise State last week, but there’s no way that’s happening two weeks in a row. Oklahoma State looked atrocious last week in Eric Morris’ debut at Tulsa. I’d be shocked if the Ducks don’t roll in this one.

  No. 15 BYU vs. Arizona

Bear Bachmeier and BYU beat Arizona 33-27 in overtime in 2025.  (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
Where: LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, Utah
Line: BYU -7.5

Young: BYU
I trust the BYU defense more than I trust quarterback Noah Fifita and the Arizona offense.

Litman: BYU
Quarterback Bear Bachmeier and the Cougars have to win their first Big 12 game to keep pace with the likes of Texas Tech and Houston, and will take care of business against Arizona. 

Cohen: BYU
This is an important early-season mile marker for BYU in its quest to supplant Texas Tech in the Big 12 hierarchy. A controlled win over Arizona should give the Cougars plenty of confidence at the start of conference play.

Portnoy: BYU
If BYU is really going to challenge for the Big 12 title, this is the kind of game the Cougars need to win. Arizona was much improved last year and Noah Fifita is back, but I think BYU’s talent advantage outweighs that.

  Illinois vs. Duke

Nate Sheppard (20) rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns as Duke defeated Tulane 17-3 in Week 1. (Photo by Alex Halloway/Getty Images)

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When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (FS1)
Where: Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
Line: Illinois -5.5

Young: Duke
The defending ACC champs — Duke! — have a bona fide star at running back in Nate Sheppard and the Illinois defense gave up 24 first downs and 194 rushing yards to UAB in its opener.

Litman: Illinois
Quarterback Katin Houser builds on his four-TD performance against UAB in Week 1 against the Darian Mensah-less Duke Blue Devils.

Cohen: Illinois
How popular is Illinois football right now? Illinois sold out Memorial Stadium for this week’s non-conference tilt against Duke. A crowd like that should push head coach Bret Bielema’s squad to a win. 

Portnoy: Illinois
Katin Houser put up huge numbers at East Carolina and his Big Ten return is off to a nice start. I like what Bret Bielema and this staff did with Luke Altmyer and Houser feels like a nice replacement. Duke has some talent, but Illinois is the better team here. 

  Syracuse vs. Cal

Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for 271 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in Cal’s Week 1 loss to UCLA. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (USA Net)
Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, New York
Line: Syracuse -3.5

Young: Syracuse
Head coach Fran Brown has his quarterback in Steve Angeli, and his quarterback is healthy. Angeli can be as good as Kyle McCord was at ‘Cuse if he stays healthy, and I like this matchup for a veteran head coach against a rookie one, in Cal’s Tosh Lupoi, coming off a loss and traveling across three time zones.

Litman: Syracuse
An early season classic ACC matchup! Orange quarterback Steve Angeli keeps up momentum from a strong Week 1 performance as Cal falls to 0-2 in the Tosh Lupoi era.

Cohen: Cal
Fool me once (as the Bears did last week), shame on you. Fool me twice (as I back the Bears again this week), shame on me. They should bounce back with a win.

Portnoy: Cal
Tosh Lupoi’s team didn’t exactly help my case for the Golden Bears as potential ACC contenders with their loss to UCLA last week, but I’m riding with the “Calgorithm” again. Fran Brown’s team should be much improved with Steve Angeli, but I think Lupoi’s bunch bounce back after a tough opener.

  Boise State vs. Memphis

Maddux Madsen threw for three touchdowns as Boise State nearly upset Oregon in Week 1. (Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

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When: Saturday, 6 p.m. ET (USA Network)
Where: Albertsons Stadium, Boise, Idaho
Line: Boise State -8.5

Young: Boise State
I saw enough from the Broncos to believe they’re one of the two best teams in the Group of Six. Sadly, Memphis is not one of those two teams.

Litman: Boise State
Coming off an impressive performance from Week 1 where they almost knocked off then-No. 2 Oregon in Eugene, the Broncos get into the win column.

Cohen: Boise State
The Broncos played incredibly on the road at Oregon last week to establish themselves as legitimate CFP contenders from the Group of Six. Memphis wants to be viewed in that same category after knocking off UNLV in its season opener. Boise State is a cut above. 

Portnoy: Boise State
I’m rolling with the Broncos until proven otherwise. This team is as experienced as any in the Group of Six, and they looked the part last week at Oregon. Could there be a letdown? Sure, but I think Boise State will be able to run the ball more effectively against Memphis, and that gives the Broncos the edge.

  No. 4 Texas vs. No. 1 Ohio State

Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State beat Texas 14-7 in 2025. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

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When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (FOX)
Where: DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
Line: Texas -1.5

Young: Ohio State
The Buckeyes’ weakness is on the offensive line. However, the cheat code exists. Quarterback Julian Sayin doesn’t have to punch up the “Konami code.” Just press four. Jeremiah Smith will beat the game.

Litman: Texas
Arch Manning and the Texas defense aren’t about to let Ohio State beat them a third straight time in less than two years.

Cohen: Ohio State
A year ago, new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia put the clamps on Texas’ offense. This time, new Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will unleash a few wrinkles the Longhorns aren’t ready for. The Buckeyes get it done. 

Portnoy: Texas
If not now, when? That’s how I feel about Texas and its national title aspirations. Saturday’s game is a chance to cement the Longhorns as the top team in the country. I’m still skeptical of Arch Manning, but I think the talent drain on Ohio State’s defense shows up in Austin, and the home team gets a major résumé boost.

MORE CFB STORIES

Week 2 College Football Picks: Ohio St-Texas, Oklahoma-Michigan & more!

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Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham did not recruit Bryce Underwood. He wasn’t involved in the massive NIL deal that brought Underwood to Ann Arbor. And he certainly wasn’t the coach who named the former No. 1 overall recruit the starting quarterback as a true freshman.

That could make what happens next between Whittingham and Underwood — who struggled in the Wolverines’ narrow Week 1 win over in-state foe Western Michigan — particularly interesting.

“Kyle Whittingham is not tied to Bryce Underwood,” FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt said Wednesday on “The Herd.” “It was not Kyle’s decision to give Bryce Underwood the NIL deal. He’s not as tied to Underwood as the previous coaching staff.” 

That dynamic could come into focus quickly Saturday, when Michigan hosts No. 11 Oklahoma in one of the most intriguing games of Week 2.

Underwood’s first game under Whittingham didn’t exactly go according to plan. The sophomore quarterback — recruited to Michigan by former head coach Sherrone Moore and his staff — completed just 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and two turnovers in the win.

Earlier this week, Whittingham made it clear that Underwood’s status as Michigan’s starting quarterback isn’t necessarily permanent.

“He’s our QB right now, and it’s not something that’s infinite,” Whittingham said. “At some point, we’ve got to turn a corner.”

Underwood appeared surprised Wednesday when a reporter asked him about his coach’s comments.

“There were comments about that?” Underwood said. “That’s cool. I didn’t see that. It’s cool.”

So, how will this all play out when Underwood and the Wolverines go up against one of the top defenses in the country Saturday afternoon in Ann Arbor?

“I think that makes this week interesting,” Klatt said. “How effective is he? How long does he stay in the game if he is ineffective? That’s a question.”

This is new territory for Whittingham, who arrived at Michigan after 20 seasons at Utah, where he became the winningest coach in program history. He inherited Underwood and the rest of the Wolverines’ roster when he took over in Ann Arbor.

Klatt believes that distinction matters, as Whittingham isn’t simply tasked with deciding whether Underwood is talented enough to be Michigan’s starting quarterback. He’s tasked with figuring out how to put him in the best possible position to succeed.

“I’m a firm believer that the best coaches put their players in the best position to be successful,” Klatt said. “So you’ve got to decide: What can our guy do well … and now let’s build a system around what he can do well.”

Bryce Underwood completed 12 of 22 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and added two turnovers in Michigan’s Week 1 win. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

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That is where Michigan appeared to struggle in Week 1.

“What it looked like against Western Michigan was oil and water,” Klatt said. “You have a quarterback running a system that just didn’t look like it was gelling.”

That will need to change on Saturday as Michigan won’t have the luxury of easing its way into its Week 2 matchup against standout quarterback John Mateer and the No. 11-ranked Sooners.

If Underwood struggles again, the question Klatt raised becomes increasingly relevant: 

How much patience does Whittingham have?

Week 2 College Football Picks: Ohio St-Texas, Oklahoma-Michigan & more!

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Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest Thursday to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property stemming from a May altercation with his girlfriend during which she said he threw her to the ground.

Jacobs must pay a $1,000 fine plus court costs for the battery charge. Under an agreement with prosecutors, the criminal damage charge can be dismissed in a year if he fulfills terms that include staying out of trouble, avoiding the victim in this case, submitting to supervision, completing counseling and paying restitution to the victim.

“I fully understand the seriousness of the situation, and I take full responsibility,” Jacobs said during an appearance in a Brown County court.

Jacobs was arrested on May 26, three days after Hobart-Lawrence police officers came to his Wisconsin home to investigate a disturbance. According to police, the woman told them that Jacobs grabbed her and threw her to the ground as she was trying to exit a garage door, causing her to hit her head. Police said Jacobs also took her phone from her while she was on the ground.

Police said they noticed redness on her face and neck and could feel a bump on the back of her head.

According to a criminal complaint, the woman’s statement was corroborated by surveillance footage from the camera system in the garage where the incident occurred.

Jacobs was charged in late August and the NFL subsequently placed him on the commissioner’s exempt list, which prevents the three-time Pro Bowl running back from playing or practicing but allows him to keep receiving a paycheck. Players on the commissioner’s exempt list may be allowed at team facilities for meetings, individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation and other non-football activities.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Thursday that the league is monitoring the case, which is being reviewed under the league personal conduct policy, and Jacobs remains on the exempt list. The Packers had no immediate comment.

Jacobs could face a league suspension.

David Chesnoff, one of the lawyers representing Jacobs, said the running back already has begun counseling.

“This plea reflects Josh’s acknowledgement of his actions and his acceptance of responsibility for these actions,” Chesnoff said. “There are significant consequences for Josh, and he intends to meet all the requirements the court imposes under these negotiations.”

According to the criminal complaint, Jacobs’ girlfriend told police she had been looking through Jacobs’ phone and saw he was talking to other women, and that she threw his phone in anger without breaking it. She told police that Jacobs had her phone and she told him he could look through it.

Josh Jacobs, a 2022 All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler, is entering his third season with the Packers. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

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Police said the woman indicated she tried to retrieve her phone from Jacobs, but he grabbed her arm. They left the home in separate vehicles but eventually returned, and the woman later grabbed a second phone from a duffle bag. That led to the events in which she was trying to exit a garage door.

Jacobs entered his plea three days before the Packers open the season at Minnesota.

He is coming off a 2025 season during which he rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns. That followed a 2024 season in which he ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns while earning his third Pro Bowl selection.

Green Bay has no other running backs who rushed for more than 106 yards last season.

The only other running backs currently on Green Bay’s 53-man roster are MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson. The Packers acquired Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers the day that Jacobs was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list.

Lloyd is a 2024 third-round pick who has played just one game over the last two seasons due to a variety of injuries, but he is healthy now.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — In the hours after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens, John Harbaugh knew he’d have options to coach again. He also knew not all of those options would be good. So, he had a shopping list of things he would need from his next NFL organization.

One item was clearly at the top.

Harbaugh would not take any job if the team did not have a franchise quarterback in place — one he believed could help him win another Super Bowl championship. And it didn’t take Harbaugh long to be sold on the promise of Jaxson Dart. 

“I liked the way he played the game, but I feel like we think the same way, generally speaking, about football,” Harbaugh told me on a recent visit to his first training camp with the New York Giants. “I like the way he thinks. I like how competitive he is.

“And probably more than anything, I love how important football is to him. The word I would use is probably ‘obsession.’ I think he’s obsessed with football, and being the best he can be and all the things he wants to accomplish. That’s his obsession.”

That’s good because the Giants are obsessed, too, with fixing a franchise that has been mostly broken for more than a decade. They traded back into the first round to land Dart in the 2025 draft, then spent $100 million and upended their organizational structure to land Harbaugh back in January. They see the Harbaugh-Dart duo as their salvation, the way Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning were 22 years ago.

Jaxson Dart showed enough promise in his rookie season, scoring 24 total TDs in 14 games and providing Giants fans hope. (Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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They’ve invested everything they could in this pairing they believe is the future of their franchise.

So yes, this better work.

‘That’s Not His Main Thing. Football Is.’

On paper, it’s a mismatch. The 63-year-old coach with a somewhat stoic, all-football demeanor and the flashy 23-year-old who seems to love everything that comes with being a celebrity in New York. Dart is a showman, whether it’s on Instagram, at parties or on celebrity row. Harbaugh, on the other hand, seems more at home in a film room with the lights down low.

But what Harbaugh quickly learned was that Dart’s appearance was deceiving. The old coach spent hours talking with the young quarterback before he took the Giants job. That’s where he first learned of Dart’s “obsession” with the details, with becoming a better quarterback, and with the hard work he knew he had to put in to get there. And just in case he wasn’t convinced, he took calls from former Giants coach Brian Daboll, Eli Manning, and several others raving about Dart’s football acumen and work ethic, too.

And that’s really what Harbaugh cared about most. All the flash and trappings of celebrity are fine with him, as long as the substance is there.

“Right. That’s how I see it with him,” Harbaugh told me. “And he’s great about it. That’s not his main thing. Football is.”

Jaxson Dart attended several events over the offseason, such as World Cup matches and Fanatics Fest. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

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Dart’s teammates saw that clearly when they reported for Harbaugh’s first practices in the spring. There was a learning curve for all of them as they got their first real look at Harbaugh’s plan and the offensive system he’d be running with new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. They had to decipher a new language and adopt a new philosophy. 

Of course, there were going to be early mistakes. But the learning curve for Dart seemed smaller. He had spent months preparing, learning, and getting ready to become the leader Harbaugh needed him to be. So he was ready for everything when training camp opened in West Virginia. And when his teammates were still making those mistakes in the first few days, Dart’s tolerance was extremely low.

“I would say he was pretty pissed off with a couple of things at the beginning,” Giants receiver Darnell Mooney said about two weeks into training camp. “A lot of guys were trying to figure out everything. We were trying to learn the playbook. Now that the guys know the playbook, everything’s running a little bit smoother.  He’s calming down more so that he can just play quarterback. He doesn’t have to help out everybody so much.”

‘He Has All Those Kinds of Tools.’

Harbaugh didn’t know a lot about Dart’s leadership when he was still coaching in Baltimore, but he was familiar with his game. He liked his skills, his toughness, and his moxie. He was impressed by what Dart did last season, when he started 12 games in his rookie year.

“I liked his talent,” Harbaugh told me. “I liked the way he played. I thought he had good feel for the game, good pocket presence, could move a little bit. I thought he made throws off-schedule as well. All the things I think most of the great quarterbacks are doing nowadays, he has all those kinds of tools.”

Harbaugh had a quarterback like that in Baltimore, too. He spent eight years with Lamar Jackson and helped him win two NFL MVP awards and finish second in the voting for a third. Together, they went 76-31 and went to the playoffs five times, though they never got past the AFC Championship Game.

They had a good relationship by all accounts, despite reports of a growing rift near the end of last season. Harbaugh built his entire approach around Jackson’s unique, dual-threat skills.

One big thing Harbaugh learned during his years with Jackson, though, was this: The franchise quarterback can’t help if he’s hurt. Jackson hurt his hamstring in Week 4 last season, missed three games and clearly wasn’t the same player when he returned. In his first three starts, even though the Ravens were 1-2, Jackson had thrown for 722 yards with nine touchdowns and no interceptions, and ran for 118 yards and a touchdown too. He never played close to that again.

John Harbaugh is taking the lessons he used coaching Lamar Jackson with the Ravens and applying them to how he’ll manage Jaxson Dart. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

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It’s possible that had he stayed healthy and on the field, the Ravens would have won the AFC North, which they ended up losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a missed 44-yard field goal by Tyler Loop with no time remaining in the final game of the season. A healthy Jackson could have changed history for Harbaugh, who might be preparing for Year 19 in Baltimore right now instead of taking on a new job.

So yes, Harbaugh and the Giants are well aware that Dart displayed a somewhat reckless style when he scrambled last season, showing in his 86 runs for 487 yards and nine touchdowns that he’s unafraid to put his body in harm’s way. In some ways that’s good. As Giants quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan said, “He proved to all his teammates and everybody in this league that he’s a really tough player.”

But the flip side is Dart was pulled off the field five times for concussion checks during his 14 starts. He actually suffered a diagnosed concussion in an early November game in Chicago and missed the next two weeks. He was even pulled out for a concussion check once during this preseason, even though he only played two drives all summer long.

The result of all that has been an endless, nearly year-long debate in New York about whether the Giants coaches should rein Dart in or ride him like the unbroken thoroughbred he is. It’s been a debate inside the organization and the meeting rooms, too.

“Guys that can use their feet in this league are weapons,” Callahan said. “His running ability is something that makes him unique, makes him hard to prepare for, makes him hard to defend. That’s always going to be a part of his game. I think there’s an awareness of when to put yourself at risk, when to get out of bounds, when to get down on the ground and not take a hit, and when to be smart with the football too.

“But I never want to take away that ability to affect the game with his legs, because it’s something that makes him a really dangerous player in the league.”

The Giants and Harbaugh are counting on that.

‘He Wants To Be Perfect Every Play.’

If Dart can stay on the field, there will be unavoidable comparisons. Harbaugh had Jackson for eight years, and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy put in five years with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City — two of the best mobile quarterbacks in this generation in the league. Dart’s résumé is obviously far shorter than both, but the similarities of style and multi-dimensional skill set are clearly there.

“He’s Jaxson Dart. He’s not Patrick Mahomes,” Nagy said. “But we can use that [comparison] for routines and maybe how we did things. I know how much respect that Jaxson has for Patrick. We’ve talked a little bit about the process and what he’s been through. But we’ve also made it clear: ‘You have to be Jaxson Dart.’”

Which also means he can’t be Eli Manning, who is still the standard by which every quarterback for the Giants is judged. Just ask Daniel Jones, who was Manning’s direct successor and — at least when it came to his stoic, business-like demeanor — something of a Manning clone. It’s not just that Manning won two Super Bowls that made him the franchise’s model quarterback. It’s the way he became the perfect face of the franchise — a true professional who never courted any kind of trouble, an Iron Man who never let injuries stop him, and a polished corporate spokesman who sounded like he was all-football all the time.

It’s an unfair bar for anyone to be measured against. It’s also clearly not Dart’s style. He already feels like more of a disciple of the way Joe Namath once took on New York and became one of the city’s biggest stars, with flash and fashion and a desire to be seen. That’s never been the Giants way.

But it could be, because there is at least one trait that Harbaugh sees that Dart absolutely shares with Manning.

“He wants to be perfect every play,” Harbaugh said.

John Harbaugh compared Jaxson Dart’s strive for perection to Eli Manning, who quarterbacked the Giants to two Super Bowls. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

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Harbaugh needed to see that desire from Dart before he took the Giants job. That’s part of what those get-to-know-you calls were all about. And that’s where Dart learned Harbaugh had the same desire — or obsession — to be perfect, too.

“I love Harbs,” Dart said at the start of camp. “Just his intensity, his love for the game, his leadership. There are a lot of things that stand out as to why he’s been so successful in this league.”

‘He’s Got A Chip On His Shoulder.’

It’s still very early in the Dart-Harbaugh era, of course, and it’s important to remember that. Coughlin went 6-10 in his first season with the Giants, including 1-6 with Manning, then a rookie, at quarterback. In Year 4, Coughlin was about to be fired and fans were burning Manning jerseys in the parking lot in late November, before they turned everything around and went on a Super Bowl run that New York will never forget.

For Harbaugh, that kind of run isn’t just the goal, it’s the expectation. And he’s not the only one who has set his expectations high.

“I don’t hope we win this year,” Giants co-owner Chris Mara said in a recent radio interview. “I expect it. I think everybody else does too.”

The fate of the Giants’ 2026 season largely lies on John Harbaugh and Jaxson Dart’s shoulders. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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That’s because the Giants remember what it’s like to have the right coach and the right quarterback in place, staring at a future that looks and feels like it’ll be so much better than their recent past. It’s a feeling they haven’t had in a very long time.

“Heck yeah. People want to win,” Harbaugh told me. “People want to win everywhere. Every single team, every single city is desperate to win. So I don’t think it’s unusual to feel that way. But I do think these players are determined to do what is required to become good enough, to earn the right to have a chance to win a football game.”

“Ultimately, he just wants to win,” Dart said. “He’s got a chip on his shoulder.”

So does the quarterback. But that isn’t the only weight they’re carrying. Harbaugh and Dart hold the hopes of this once-great franchise sitting square on their shoulders, too.

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MLB might have expanded the postseason in the last few years, but there are still far more teams that don’t make it to meaningful October baseball than do. 

Teams have already been eliminated from postseason contention with baseball left to play in 2026, and we’ll keep track of those clubs as their seasons effectively end.

Here is which teams have already been eliminated from postseason contention through Sept. 9.

Athletics

There was hope for a time, when the Athletics were three games over .500 on May 9, and then again deep into the month: it’s difficult to remember now, but the A’s spent 45 days in first place in the AL West, but last on May 26. Fast-forward to Sept. 9, and the A’s were the fourth team eliminated from postseason contention after going 32-60 since.

The Athletics can hit, but they hit much better when healthy. And this team was not healthy nearly long enough to make a difference in the final outcome. Nick Kurtz, 2025 AL Rookie of the Year and the league-leader in on-base percentage deep into the season, played in 99 games thanks to a thumb strain. Catcher Shea Langeliers needed a meniscus repair in late-July, ending his season. DH Brent Rookier also underwent knee surgery, left fielder Tyler Soderstrom saw his campaign end with hip surgery and shortstop Jacob Wilson dealt with a bad shoulder that eventually ended his 2026, too.

Three of the four players in this image had season-ending injuries that helped to doom the A’s; Luis Severino was above-average, though. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images)

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Throw in all those holes in the lineup and mix them with a rotation that can’t get it done in a ballpark that makes it difficult to succeed, and you get the current, eliminated Athletics.

San Francisco Giants

The Giants had higher hopes for 2026 than this. A new manager, Tony Vitello, was supposed to bring his high-energy collegiate style straight to the majors and find success. At least, that was what San Francisco was expecting. What it got instead was a manager who seemed in over his head regularly, and a team full of average or worse players, with a few exceptions.

One of those exceptions is a major one: first baseman and designated hitter Rafael Devers. He had a terrible April, but from May 3 through Sept. 9, the 29-year-old hit an astounding .273/.365/.585 over 113 games. He’s bashed 35 homers on the season and is also leading the majors in doubles, with 36 – all in a ballpark designed to stop lefties from generating offense. That’s a good sign going forward, with Devers signed through 2033 at over $30 million per year for the rest of his deal.

Rafael Devers crushed it for the Giants this season. Everyone else, well… (Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images)

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The bad signs are most of the rest of the roster. Rookie DH Bryce Eldridge has been a bright spot, with the 21-year-old batting .268/.362/.459 with 37 extra-base hits in 101 games. The rest of the Giants’ hitters? Average at best, including third baseman Matt Chapman. The pitching staff has the same issue: Robbie Ray was the only one doing better than just average, and he was dealt to the Padres at the deadline. This is a team in need of some major changes to get out of its current funk.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels being eliminated early makes sense – this is a team that was selling what it could at the trade deadline, knowing that the focus should be on the future. It’s a shame, though, that Mike Trout was once again mostly healthy and very productive, even if it wasn’t at superstar levels, and the team went nowhere.

The 2026 games haven’t mattered to L.A. for some time now, though, not since that trade deadline, and not since longtime owner Arte Moreno agreed to sell the team. As FOX Sports’ Rowan Kavner heard from Trout himself, it’s a “fresh start” for the organization under new owner Stan Kroenke.

Arjun Nimmala gives Angels fans a prospect to be excited about. (Photo by Emma Bair/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)

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Also helping with the fresh start? Using the deadline to bring in prospects like shortstop Arjun Nimmala, who the second he joined the organization became its top position player prospect. Some patience is needed, but with a new owner and new purpose, it should be easier to be patient in Los Angeles in 2027.

Colorado Rockies

Here’s the good news: the Rockies were never expected to make the postseason in 2026. After all, this is a team that lost 101, 103 and 119 games in each of the past three seasons: that Colorado might not lose 100 games in 2026 after just missing tying or breaking the new modern loss record a year ago is an achievement unto itself.

That might sound like a backhanded compliment or condescending, but it’s true: the 2025 Rockies were a dismal, historically terrible club. The 2026 edition? Just not a good baseball team. That’s a significant step up for the organization in its first season under new general manager Josh Byrnes and team president Paul Depodesta, even if it doesn’t feel like it to an outsider. Rockies fans who have stuck with the team – and plenty have, as Colorado once again pulled in over two million fans at home this season – can surely tell the difference between these two flavors of failure.

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First baseman TJ Rumfield has been one of the National League’s top rookies, with nearly four wins above replacement and a .297/.389/.457 slash line through Sept. 9. Another rookie, outfielder Cole Carrigg, has been better than league-average offensively since his call-up in June. Catcher Hunter Goodman has bashed 37 home runs, and the 26-year-old won’t be a free agent until 2030. There are some fascinating young players on this roster, and the next step will be trying to build around them to get out of this hole for good.

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