Sports · Sunday, 18 October 2026

01 Briefing what happened

No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Notre Dame both lose, and the Big 12 admits Notre Dame was wrongly denied a last play at BYU

BYU beat second-ranked Notre Dame 28-24 on Saturday night, and the Big 12 later said one second was still on the clock when the game was ended. Hours earlier top-ranked Georgia lost to unranked Auburn, on a day when five of US college football's top eight teams lost.

1 second

left on the clock when Notre Dame's last pass hit the ground

the Big 12 says its replay crew should have stopped the game and given Notre Dame one more play [1]

5 of 8

top-eight teams in the AP poll that lost on one Saturday

a first since the poll began in 1936, ESPN's researchers say [5]

98% to 85%

Notre Dame's chance of reaching the playoff, before and after the loss

The Athletic's estimate, made straight after the game [3]

games in a row Georgia had won against unranked teams before Auburn beat it

the longest such run still going, and the fifth-longest ever [6]

The lead story — what happened

Brigham Young University (BYU), ranked eighth in US college football, beat second-ranked Notre Dame 28-24 in Provo, Utah, on Saturday night. [3][4]
Notre Dame's last pass fell to the grass in the end zone from BYU's 8-yard line, and BYU's fans ran onto the field. [2][4]
Replays showed one second still on the clock when the ball hit the ground. [1] By the rules, Notre Dame should have had one more play. [1][2]
Late on Saturday the Big 12, the group of universities BYU plays in, said its replay officials had wrongly let the game end. [1][2]
The Big 12 said it will review how its officials end games before next week's matches. [1] Its statement admits the error and says nothing about changing the result. [1]
Mike Pereira, who explains the rules on Fox television, called the miss embarrassing for all officiating. [1] He said it had nothing to do with judgement. [1]
It is the season's second row over one second. [1] In the first week, officials put a second back for Michigan against Western Michigan, and Michigan won with a long last-play pass. [1][3]
Hours earlier, top-ranked Georgia lost 27-24 at home to unranked Auburn. [6] Alex McPherson kicked a 35-yard field goal with no time left. [6]
Georgia had been a near 20-point favourite and had won 53 games in a row against unranked teams. [6]
Auburn fell 14-0 behind early. [7] Before Saturday, unranked teams trailing the top team by 14 points or more had lost 195 games in a row, ESPN's researchers say. [7]
Texas, ranked first a week earlier, had lost to Oklahoma the Saturday before. [6] It is the first time since 2012 that the top team has lost in two weeks running. [6]
Five of the top eight teams in the AP poll lost on Saturday. [5] The AP poll is a weekly ranking voted by sportswriters, and this had never happened since it began in 1936. [5]
Notre Dame's chance of reaching the playoff fell from 98% to 85% straight after the game, by The Athletic's estimate. [3] It is not known how the committee that picks the playoff teams will weigh the clock error. [2]

0:01Clock when the ball landed

0:00Clock the game ended on

One second was left when Notre Dame's last pass hit the ground. The replay crew let the game end at zero, and the Big 12 says that was wrong.

Who is involved

Bear Bachmeier

BYU's quarterback, who moved from Stanford University; he threw the winning touchdown pass with 1:47 left
The Big 12

the group of US universities BYU plays its games in, whose officials ran the game; it admitted the error
Notre Dame

a private university in Indiana with one of US college football's most famous teams; it lost its unbeaten season
Auburn and its coach Alex Golesh

an Alabama university in its first season under Golesh; it beat the top team, Georgia

How it unfolded

Week 1 Officials add a second back for Michigan, who win with a last-play pass [1]
10 Oct Top-ranked Texas lose to Oklahoma [6]
Sat afternoon Unranked Auburn beat top-ranked Georgia 27-24 [6]
Sat night BYU beat Notre Dame 28-24 as the clock is wrongly run out [1][4]
Late Sat The Big 12 admits its replay crew got it wrong [1]
Next week The Big 12 reviews how its officials end games [1]

Where this points

Watch whether the Big 12's review changes how replay officials check the clock before next week's games, and how the playoff committee treats Notre Dame's loss when it ranks the teams. [1][2]

What is pushing on the whole day

The bar and the word are our reading of how hard each one is pushing today. The arrow is where it is heading. The evidence is in the stories below.

Favourites losing High↑

Unranked Auburn beat top-ranked Georgia, which had been favoured by nearly 20 points. [6] Tonga, ranked fifth in rugby league, beat third-ranked England 30-12 at the Rugby League World Cup. [47] Sonay Kartal, ranked 170th, reached one of tennis's biggest finals. [57]

Officials' calls in dispute High↑

The Big 12 admitted its replay crew ended Notre Dame's game a second early. [1] In Las Vegas, boxing champion Sebastian Fundora won with a punch that appeared to land after the bell. [30] Florida State lost to Miami after a holding call and a disputed catch on the last two plays. [16]

Bodies wearing out Building↑

Several Manchester City players went off hurt in their fourth game in ten days. [32] Alexander Zverev, the world number two tennis player, said he lost in Shanghai with fatigue from back-to-back events. [59] Ohio State's quarterback Julian Sayin will miss several weeks after a hit. [17]

Money pulling back Building↑

Golf's Asian Tour postponed its $5m Saudi International after a missile strike on Riyadh's airport. [67] Illegal streams cost broadcasters about 700 million pounds a year, one estimate says. [69] Wigan's owner wants to sell the club and has found no buyer. [43]

The rest of the day

36 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

02
Texas lose again, and changing coach costs $50m

Texas lost 27-24 at home to unranked Florida, led by first-year coach Jon Sumrall. [8] Eight days earlier Texas had been ranked first, and it has now lost twice running. [8] Florida's backup quarterback, Tramell Jones Jr., was making his first start. [9] Coach Steve Sarkisian said everything would be evaluated, including his quarterback Arch Manning. [9] Sarkisian's contract pays him 85% of what is left if he is fired, so dismissing him after this season would cost about $50.15m. [10]

Why it matters — Universities have paid close to $1bn to fired coaches and their assistants since the playoff began in 2014, by Front Office Sports' count. [11] No top-level coach was fired before 1 October this year, the first such season since 2019, leaving aside 2020. [11]
03
Tennessee's new defence beats Alabama

Tennessee beat sixth-ranked Alabama 26-10 and held it to 201 yards. [12] Its defence was run by Jim Knowles, hired as defensive coordinator this year. [12] Knowles brought assistants with him from Penn State, and the team added several players through the transfer portal, the system that lets college players move to another school. [12] Tennessee gave up 293.7 yards a game before Saturday, against 396.9 last season. [12]

Why it matters — Paying players, sharing money with them and the transfer portal have made it easier than ever to change a team and win at once, CBS Sports writes. [13] Alabama has now lost twice running. [3]
04
Michigan bench their $10m quarterback

Michigan benched quarterback Bryce Underwood at half-time against Penn State after two interceptions and no points. [14][15] Freshman Tommy Carr came on and led Michigan to a 21-18 win. [14] Underwood joined Michigan in 2025 after a deal for the use of his name and image, worth at least $10m over four years and paid for by the billionaire Larry Ellison. [14] He switched to Michigan from LSU after that deal, and had been the top-ranked quarterback recruit. [14][15]

Why it matters — Coach Kyle Whittingham had been pressed all season to bench Underwood. [15] Underwood's name and image are still valued at $3m, tenth among college football players, by the website On3. [14]
05
Miami survive Florida State's last two throws

Third-ranked Miami beat Florida State 43-35 after two periods of extra time. [16] Florida State caught a long last-chance pass for what looked like a touchdown, but a holding penalty wiped it out. [16] On the next play another long pass was ruled an interception by Miami. [16] Replay officials said there was not enough evidence to overturn the call, and ESPN's rules analyst said they got it right. [16]

Why it matters — Holding is rarely called on desperate last plays, CBS Sports says, and Florida State's fans dispute it. [16] Miami were one of the few top-five teams to win on a day when Georgia, Notre Dame and Indiana lost. [3]
06
Ohio State win, but lose their quarterback

Fourth-ranked Ohio State beat fifth-ranked Indiana 19-15 away, ending Indiana's 22-game winning run. [3][17] Quarterback Julian Sayin left late in the game after a big hit and came back with his right arm in a sling. [17] Coach Ryan Day said Sayin will miss several weeks. [17] Ohio State has a week off next, then plays at Southern California on 31 October. [17]

Why it matters — Ohio State now have a top-five win but may play their hardest games with freshman Luke Fahey or another backup. [17] It was Indiana's first defeat in 22 games. [3]
07
Valkyries win the first game of the WNBA Finals

The Golden State Valkyries beat the Atlanta Dream 68-64 in the first game of the WNBA Finals, the women's basketball title series. [18][19] Gabby Williams scored 26 points, including four free throws in the last 78 seconds. [18] The Valkyries shot only 32.1% and made 7 of 33 three-point shots. [18] The Dream made 4 of 25 three-pointers and missed five in the last two and a half minutes. [20]

Why it matters — The Valkyries are in only their second season, and the Dream were the league's newest team for 16 years before them. [21] The series is best of seven, with game two in San Francisco on Monday. [19]
08
WNBA's departing boss on her successor

Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA commissioner, gave what is expected to be her last press conference before she retires at the end of the year. [22] She said the next commissioner will need very thick skin. [22] The league has grown from 12 to 18 teams under her and its office from 12 staff to nearly 100. [22] A search firm is looking for her successor, and Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, has the final say. [23]

12WNBA teams, 2019
18WNBA teams, 2026
The league added six teams in Engelbert's seven years in charge.

Why it matters — Her successor takes over a league with record team values and its first millionaire players. [22] Players have criticised her management style, and she said not everyone was going to like her strategy. [22]
09
A Finals team's owner covers the Finals on TV

Renee Montgomery, a co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, is a studio analyst for USA Network, which shows four games of the WNBA Finals her team is playing in. [24] She says her 11 years as a player let her judge games without bias. [24] USA Network has set her no rules, a source there confirmed. [24] In American football, the NFL bars Tom Brady, a part-owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, from other teams' practices, though he calls games on Fox. [24]

Why it matters — Montgomery owns part of one of the two teams she is judging on air. [24] She says it would be different if she called games live from the court. [24]
10
ESPN producer says gambling stories went unmade

Nicole Noren, a former producer on ESPN's investigative programme Outside the Lines, said her pitches on gambling companies and addiction were never approved. [25] She left in 2023, after ESPN launched its own betting brand with Penn Entertainment. [25] DraftKings has been ESPN's official betting partner since 2025. [25] ESPN said its editorial decisions are guided by news judgement. [25]

Why it matters — In a poll released last April, 52% of US men aged 18 to 49 had a betting account, and they are the group that watches most sport. [25] A US group on problem gambling links a rise in problem gambling in New Jersey, Ohio and Indiana to legal betting. [25]
11
Dubois stops Wardley in two rounds

Daniel Dubois kept his WBO heavyweight title by stopping Fabio Wardley in the second round at the O2 Arena in London. [26][27] He knocked Wardley down after 17 seconds, and Wardley's trainer threw in the towel in round two. [28] Dubois had beaten him in 11 rounds in May after being knocked down twice himself. [27] The WBO is one of several bodies that each name their own world champion, alongside the WBC, the WBA and the IBF. [29]

Why it matters — Dubois now wants fights against other belt-holders. [29] But the IBF champion, Filip Hrgovic, must first fight his own ordered challenger, and Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua meet in December for a reported $100m each. [29]
12
A title kept with a punch after the bell

Sebastian Fundora kept his WBC super welterweight boxing title by stopping Ermal Hadribeaj in the 12th and last round in Las Vegas. [30] The punch that dropped Hadribeaj appeared to land after the bell. [30] Hadribeaj got up before the count of ten, but referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight anyway at 2:59 of the round. [30] Former champions Terence Crawford and Timothy Bradley said the referee got it wrong. [30]

Why it matters — Hadribeaj was the challenger the WBC had ordered Fundora to face, and he loses his unbeaten record on a disputed call. [30] Fundora was ahead and likely to win on the judges' cards anyway. [30]
13
City fans boo the league that found them guilty

Manchester City fans booed the Premier League anthem before their first home league game since the club was found guilty of breaking the league's money rules. [31] City are appealing the ruling on 114 breaches and deny wrongdoing. [32] They beat Ipswich 3-2 in front of a record 60,817 crowd. [31] Enzo Maresca is the first Premier League manager to win his first seven league games at a club. [33]

Why it matters — City lead the league by six points while they appeal. [31][32] Erling Haaland and three other players went off hurt, in City's fourth game in ten days. [32]
14
Liverpool beat Brentford's nine men

Liverpool came from behind to win 2-1 at Brentford after Brentford finished with nine players. [34] Yehor Yarmolyuk was sent off for butting an opponent just before half-time, with Brentford 1-0 up. [34] Vitaly Janelt later went off for a second yellow card. [34] Florian Wirtz, a 100 million pound signing, set up the equaliser, and Alexander Isak scored the winner. [34]

Why it matters — Brentford lost their unbeaten start and dropped out of the top four. [34] Liverpool's attack cost close to 400 million pounds, and it made the extra player count after half-time. [34]
15
Chelsea keeper breaks his jaw in a win

Chelsea won 2-0 at Everton with two goals from Pedro Neto. [35] Their goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, 34, was hurt in a collision with Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite and left on a stretcher. [36] He reportedly broke his jaw and had an operation, and he says he will be back in a few weeks. [36] Mike Penders, 21, signed from Genk for 17 million pounds in 2024, made his Premier League debut in his place. [36]

Why it matters — Penders is set to play at least Chelsea's next three games, against Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United. [36] Manager Xabi Alonso said the team must repeat the performance again and again to be sure of it. [35]
16
Fulham win at the seventh attempt

Fulham beat Hull 1-0 with a goal from Alex Iwobi, their first Premier League win of the season at the seventh attempt. [37] It lifted them off the bottom of the table. [37] Manager Alvaro Arbeloa, formerly in charge at Real Madrid, had faced a week of questions about his future. [37] Fulham missed several clear chances and finished with ten men after Ryan Sessegnon was sent off. [37]

Why it matters — The win eases the pressure on Arbeloa for now. [37] Hull have not won in five games. [37]
17
Arsenal's women go five without a win

Arsenal drew 1-1 at home with Birmingham in the Women's Super League, England's top women's division. [38] It is five league games without a win, the club's longest such run in the league's history. [38] Arsenal's fans booed at the final whistle. [38] Arsenal are eighth, nine points behind the leaders Manchester City, who have played a game fewer. [38]

Why it matters — The run adds to doubts over coach Renee Slegers's future. [38] Arsenal play Tottenham, their north London rivals, next week. [38]
18
Barcelona win their first nine league games

Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 in Seville for their ninth win in nine Spanish league games, and 39 goals. [39] It is 11 wins from 11 in all competitions this season. [40] Lamine Yamal scored the first goal, and a Betis player was sent off for butting him. [39] No other Spanish league team is within 20 goals of Barcelona's total. [40]

39Barcelona's league goals
19 or fewerAny other Spanish side
After nine games, no other team in the Spanish league has scored within 20 goals of Barcelona.

Why it matters — Barcelona's summer signings are working, and they won without their injured forward Raphinha. [40] Betis have six wins from nine league games. [40]
19
Bayern, PSG and Inter go top in Europe

Bayern Munich beat RB Leipzig 6-1 to go top of Germany's Bundesliga, with a hat-trick from Luis Diaz. [39] Harry Kane scored once and set up two in his 100th Bundesliga game. [39] In France, Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to win 3-1 at Strasbourg and go top. [39] In Italy, Inter beat Bologna 3-1 to lead Serie A by three points. [39]

Why it matters — Bayern play Arsenal, England's champions, in the Champions League on Wednesday. [39] In Italy, Venezia beat Napoli for the first time since 1942, in their new coach Davide Nicola's first game. [39]
20
Rangers miss the chance to go top

Rangers drew 2-2 at Dundee after leading in the second half, ending a run of seven straight wins. [41][42] Dundee's equaliser came from a mishit back pass by Dan Neil. [42] Manager Derek McInnes said it felt like a balloon popping. [42] Rangers are one point behind Celtic, who play Hearts on Sunday. [41]

Why it matters — Celtic can go four points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership. [42] At the bottom, Kilmarnock won to leave Hibernian last. [41]
21
Wigan stay bottom while the owner seeks a buyer

Wigan beat Reading 1-0 but stayed bottom of League One, English football's third tier. [43] The club won the FA Cup in 2013, beating Manchester City in the final. [43] Owner Mike Danson saved the club from being closed down in 2023 and has run it on a tight budget. [43] He wants to sell, but has not found a buyer with money to spend. [43]

Why it matters — Without a buyer the manager, Gary Caldwell, has little to spend on players. [43] Crowds are falling and the club is losing money. [43]
22
Tonga beat England at the Rugby League World Cup

Tonga beat England 30-12 in Perth, Australia, in England's first game at the Rugby League World Cup. [44][47] It was Tonga's first win in seven meetings with England. [46] England, ranked third in the world against Tonga's fifth, had played no warm-up matches. [46][47] Isaiya Katoa, a half-back for the Dolphins, an Australian club, scored 14 points. [45]

Why it matters — In this smaller World Cup, six teams share one table, but each plays only three of the others, and the top two reach the semi-finals. [44][46] England now need Tonga to beat Samoa on 1 November to have a chance. [44][45]
23
New Zealand's women trail debutants Fiji

New Zealand's women came from behind to beat Fiji 18-12 at the Women's Rugby League World Cup in Newcastle, one of its Australian venues. [48][46] Fiji were playing in the tournament for the first time. [48] New Zealand trailed 12-10 at half-time, the first time they have ever been behind at half-time in a World Cup match. [48] They have reached the final of all six women's World Cups, winning the first three. [48]

Why it matters — Coach Ricky Henry called it a wake-up call. [48] New Zealand are seen as second favourites behind Australia. [48]
24
English clubs lose four in Europe

Bath, Sale, Bristol and Saracens all lost their first games in rugby union's Champions Cup, the top club competition in Europe. [49] Montpellier, mid-table in France, beat Bath 32-14. [50] Connacht scored seven tries to beat Saracens, three-time winners. [51] Glasgow won with a bonus point at Sale, where players and fans held a silence for former Sale player Hyron Andrews, who died on Friday. [52][53]

Why it matters — Bath had scored at least 33 points in each of their first three English league games, but did not do so here. [49] Leicester, Exeter and Northampton play on Sunday. [49]
25
All Blacks crush the Wallabies in Sydney

New Zealand beat Australia in the second Bledisloe Cup Test in Sydney, Australia's 13th defeat by New Zealand in a row. [54] New Zealand led 22-0 within about 20 minutes and 43-7 early in the second half. [54] Australia missed 21 tackles in the first half to New Zealand's one. [54] Australia had beaten South Africa, the world's top-ranked team, last month. [54]

Why it matters — Australia host the next men's Rugby World Cup, and Sydney's stadium will be one of its grounds. [54] Coach Les Kiss's team now tour England, Scotland and Wales. [54]
26
Morris wins three golds at the track worlds

Britain's Anna Morris won the women's madison with Erin Boothman at the Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai. [55] It was her third gold of the week, after the team pursuit and the omnium. [55] She is the first woman to win all three at one championships since the women's madison began in 2017. [55] Millie Couzens, 22, won the individual pursuit, beating her teammate Josie Knight by half a second. [55]

Why it matters — Britain lead the medal table. [55] The madison is a two-rider relay race, so Morris shared that gold with a 19-year-old. [55]
27
Ombudsman wins the Champion Stakes

Ombudsman, trained by John and Thady Gosden, won the Champion Stakes at Ascot by three and three-quarter lengths, beating Calandagan. [56] It completed a double for Godolphin, the racing operation that owns both winners of the day's two richest races. [56] The five-year-old may now retire to stud, as one of the top-rated horses in the world. [56] Gosden said he could also run once more in the US, at Keeneland. [56]

Why it matters — Ombudsman reversed last year's Champion Stakes, when Calandagan beat him. [56] In the trainers' title race, Andrew Balding is less than 80,000 pounds behind Aidan O'Brien. [56]
28
Kartal reaches a big final ranked 170th

Britain's Sonay Kartal beat Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 7-6 to reach the final of the Wuhan Open, a WTA 1000 event, among the biggest titles outside the four Grand Slams. [57][58] She saved six set points. [57] Kartal is playing only her third event since six months out with a back injury. [58] Ranked 170th, she is the lowest-ranked player to reach a final at this level. [57][58]

Why it matters — Kartal will rise into the world's top 50 and become Britain's number one. [57][58] She plays Maja Chwalinska, who beat Iga Swiatek, in the final on Sunday. [58]
29
Tired Zverev loses in Shanghai

World number two Alexander Zverev lost his Shanghai Masters semi-final to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 5-7 6-4 6-3. [59] Zverev said he carried an injury and fatigue after playing the US Open, the Laver Cup, Beijing and Shanghai with little rest. [59] He said he had overachieved by reaching the semi-final. [59] Davidovich Fokina, seeded 25th, reached his first final at this level since 2022. [59]

Why it matters — Zverev is already sure to end the season as world number one. [59] It was only Davidovich Fokina's second win in eight matches against him. [59]
30
Yin wins the LPGA's Shanghai event

China's Ruoning Yin won the LPGA Shanghai golf tournament by one shot with a short birdie putt on the 16th hole on Sunday. [60] It was her seventh LPGA win, after she won the same event in 2024. [60] South Korea's Hye-Jin Choi had led after each of the first three rounds. [60] Choi is still looking for her first LPGA win, after more than 100 events. [60]

Why it matters — The LPGA's run of Asian events moves to South Korea next week. [60] Jeeno Thitikul, last year's winner, finished well back at 3 under. [60]
31
US champion gymnast withdraws again

Hezly Rivera, the US gymnastics champion, withdrew from the World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam a day before the US women were due to compete. [61] She had trained with a heavily taped left ankle. [61] It is the second year in a row that she has missed the world championships through injury. [61] Dulcy Caylor, the travelling reserve, takes her place in the five-woman team. [61]

Why it matters — The US team loses its national champion for the team event. [61] Rivera plans to stay with the team on the floor during the championships. [61]
32
Rays level baseball's AL final at 2-2

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 to level baseball's American League final at two games each. [62][63] Because rain postponed game four, the series now has no rest days. [62] A seventh game would mean four games in four days, which is almost unheard of after the regular season. [62] The winner plays the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series from 23 October. [63]

Why it matters — The deciding games will test how much both teams' players have left. [62] The Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers, can rest and wait. [63]
33
Washington Spirit beat the champions

The Washington Spirit beat Gotham FC, the US women's league champions, 1-0 to reach the NWSL playoffs. [64] Lucia Di Guglielmo, an Italian signed this season, scored her first goal in the league. [64] Gotham top the table with 55 points but missed the chance to win the Shield, the prize for the best regular season. [64] It is the Spirit's third playoff place in a row since Michelle Kang bought the club in 2022. [64]

Why it matters — The race for first place goes into the final weekend. [64] Gotham are missing injured players, including the rookie Jordynn Dudley for the season. [64]
34
Hurts out for at least four weeks

The Philadelphia Eagles put quarterback Jalen Hurts on injured reserve with a blood clot in his calf. [65][66] He was hurt in a game on 4 October, and a scan in London found the clot before the Eagles' game there. [65] Team doctors let him play, and a later scan found the clot had moved. [66] Injured reserve means he misses at least four weeks, and Tanner McKee will start. [66]

Why it matters — Hurts misses at least four games, three of them against teams in the Eagles' own division. [66] The Eagles say doctors in London had concluded he could safely play. [65]
35
Missile strikes cancel Saudi golf and cycling

Golf's Asian Tour has postponed the Saudi International indefinitely, and cycling's Urban World Championships in Riyadh have been cancelled. [67] It follows a missile strike on Riyadh's airport, claimed by Yemen's Houthi movement, that killed at least 12 people. [67] The 2034 football World Cup host's state wealth fund is also cutting what it spends on sport abroad. [68] Saudi Arabia's organisers say January's Asian Cup is still on schedule. [67]

Why it matters — The Asian Cup has 24 teams, and Asia's football chief has said it could move to 2028. [67] Newcastle United, owned by the same fund, are expected to keep their money, one expert told the Guardian. [68]
36
Half of UK sports fans admit to pirate streams

About half of British sports fans admit watching paywalled sport through illegal streams, research firm Ampere Analysis says, and over 70% of those aged 18 to 34. [69] Watching every Premier League game legally needs both Sky Sports and TNT Sports. [69] A keen fan can pay 80 to 100 pounds a month. [69] Illegal streams cost broadcasters about 700 million pounds a year, one study estimates. [69]

Why it matters — When DAZN, a streaming company, left France's football league, the league's TV income fell from about 700 million euros a year to 412 million. [69] Angers, a smaller French club, said it lost 30 million euros. [69]
37
A $3m kick on College GameDay

Carter Smith, a BYU student and former Iowa high school soccer player, kicked a 33-yard field goal worth $3m on ESPN's College GameDay show. [70] The show's kicking contest usually pays $100,000. [70] Ryan Smith, who owns the Utah Jazz basketball team, and his business partner each added $1m. [70] Smith, wearing a Spider-Man costume, missed his first try and made the second. [70]

Why it matters — Hours later Smith watched BYU beat Notre Dame. [70] The prize was 30 times the usual one, paid by two businessmen in the crowd. [70]

02 Lesson why it matters

Why a college team can be rebuilt in one summer

College players can now be paid and can switch schools through the transfer portal, so a school with money can put a strong team together in months.

The twist

A college team that once took years to grow can now be put together in one summer. That is how first-year coaches at Auburn and Florida beat two of the top seven teams on one Saturday.

The picture

396.9 yardsTennessee, 2025

293.7 yardsTennessee, 2026

Yards Tennessee's defence gave up per game. A new defensive coach and players from the transfer portal cut it by about 100 yards within seven weeks.

How it works

College players can now be paid and can switch schools through the transfer portal
A school with money fills its gaps with players already proven somewhere else
A new coach brings his own staff and transfers in one off-season
So a team changes in months, not the years it took to grow players from school
And last season's top teams keep their place for less time

The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.

Tennessee's new defence beats Alabama

A coordinator hired this year, his old assistants and transfer players turned one of the country's weaker defences into a strong one within seven weeks.
Texas lose again

Florida's first-year coach and a backup quarterback making his first start beat a team that was ranked first eight days earlier.
Michigan bench their $10m quarterback

A deal worth at least $10m moved the top quarterback recruit from LSU to Michigan, so money, not the slow work of recruiting, decided where he played.

Where you've seen this

New companies

A start-up hires a working team from rivals instead of training graduates for years

Restaurant kitchens

A new restaurant takes a chef's whole kitchen staff from another one and opens strong

Election campaigns

A candidate hires an experienced team for one race, and it scatters when the race ends

The catch

A team put together in one summer can leave in one summer, because the same rules let its best players move on. And Texas, ranked first a week earlier, lost twice anyway.

And the whole of it

A player looking for a bigger deal, a donor paying for it and a fan who liked a team that grew its own players are all inside this market. Each sees one season from one seat, and none of them wrote the rules alone.

03 Truth what's really going on

What is really going on

The Big 12 admitted its own replay crew ended BYU's win over Notre Dame with a second still on the clock, and the result stands. [1][2] Five of US college football's top eight teams lost on the same day, so the committee that picks the playoff field now has to rank teams whose losses came from a fumble, a last kick and an officials' mistake. [1][5]

Why it works on us — A last-second finish with fans on the field is replayed as drama, which makes it easy to forget that one of its key moments was a mistake by named officials.

Who gains

BYU — It keeps a win over the second-ranked team and a 6-0 record, even though its own conference says Notre Dame was owed one more play. [1][4]
Tonga's rugby league team — It beat England for the first time in seven meetings, before thousands of its own fans in Perth, and England now need Tonga to win again. [46][44]
The Golden State Valkyries — In only their second season they lead the WNBA Finals 1-0, and they top Sportico's team values at $850m. [18][22]
Godolphin — The racing operation won the two richest races at Ascot's Champions Day, and its winner Ombudsman may now go to stud. [56]
Pirate streaming sites — Half of British sports fans say they use them, and the UK's Intellectual Property Office says high prices for legal services are a main reason. [69]

Who pays

Notre Dame — It lost its unbeaten season and saw its playoff chance fall from 98% to 85% on a game its opponent's conference says ended a second early. [1][3]
Texas's donors — If the school fires coach Steve Sarkisian after the season, his contract means paying him about $50.15m, money CBS Sports says would come from the school's boosters. [10]
Smaller French football clubs — When DAZN left France's league, the league's TV income fell by about 288 million euros a year, and Angers said it lost 30 million euros. [69]
Golfers on the Asian Tour — Their $5m flagship event, the Saudi International, has been postponed indefinitely after the Riyadh missile strike. [67]
England's rugby league players — One defeat leaves them needing another team's result, and they may go home before the semi-finals for the first time. [44]

What nobody knows yet

Open questions from across today’s stories — ours included.

01

How the playoff committee will treat Notre Dame's loss.

The Big 12 admitted the error, but nobody has said whether the people who pick the playoff field will take it into account. [2]
02

What the Big 12's review will change, and whether any official is disciplined.

Its statement promises a complete review of how games end, and names no person and no penalty. [1]
03

How badly Erling Haaland is hurt.

He went straight down the tunnel limping, and Manchester City's manager said he had no news on him or the other injured players. [32]
04

Whether January's Asian Cup goes ahead in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia's organisers say it is on schedule, while Asia's football chief has said it could move to 2028. [67] Reuters counted at least 12 dead in the airport strike and the Guardian 13, and both are early counts. [67][68]
05

How big the WNBA's television deal is.

Sportico puts its media rights at more than $2bn, while Front Office Sports says more than $3bn, and neither report gives the league's own figure. [22][23]
06

Since when Sonay Kartal is the lowest-ranked player to reach a final at this level.

The Guardian counts from 2009, when the current top tier of women's events began, and the BBC from 1990. [57][58]
07

Whether England's Rugby League World Cup is already over.

Each team in the six-team table plays only three others, so England's chance depends on Tonga beating Samoa on 1 November. [44][45]
08

How many people watching pirate streams would pay if the streams stopped.

Broadcasters put the cost at about 700 million pounds a year, but even the BBC's report says nobody can promise illegal viewers would take out paid subscriptions. [69]
09

When Jalen Hurts can play again.

He is eligible from 22 November, but his doctors decide, and a second scan found the clot had moved. [66]

04 Hope carry this

Sonay Kartal started this week ranked 170th in the world, after six months out with a back injury. She is now in the final of the Wuhan Open, and on Monday she becomes Britain's number one.

Also true today

Anna Morris won three gold medals at the Track Cycling World Championships in Shanghai. She is the first woman to win the team pursuit, the omnium and the madison at one championships since the women's madison began in 2017.
When Cathy Engelbert took over the WNBA in 2019, the league was close to broke. It now has 18 teams, up from 12, and this year it had its first players earning more than a million dollars.
Carter Smith, a BYU student in a Spider-Man costume, kicked a 33-yard field goal on College GameDay at his second try and won $3m.