Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge earn MVP honors; NFL, college football previews; NBA rookie rankings

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Good morning and happy Friday! Carter Bahns here with a look ahead to an absolutely loaded weekend of football. College Football Playoff hopefuls aim to stay alive in the postseason race with Saturday’s stacked slate of top-25 matchups, while MVP candidates and Super Bowl contenders square off against each other in Sunday’s NFL action.

But first, it’s award season in baseball, and the American League and National League MVPs have finally been selected. Let’s start there.

🏆 Five things to know Friday

1. Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are the 2025 MLB MVPs. Not only did Ohtani match Barry Bonds as the second player in MLB history to win four MVP honors, but the two-way superstar did so in unanimous fashion. It is his second NL MVP victory in as many years since joining the Dodgers. The AL award, meanwhile, went to Judge after an epic season-long battle with Cal Raleigh. Judge, who led baseball in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in a remarkable year with the Yankees, is now a three-time winner with his second consecutive honor.
2. Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades is stepping down as College Football Playoff chair. Rhoades is under scrutiny for a sideline incident that reportedly occurred between him and Baylor tight end Michael Trigg, and the university received new allegations on Monday related to a separate situation. To fill the vacancy on the CFP selection committee, Arkansas’ Hunter Yurachek will take over as chair and Utah’s Mark Harlan will join the group. As for what Rhoades’ absence means for Baylor, coach Dave Aranda’s future just got a whole lot more complicated.
3. The Patriots are winners of eight straight after their “Thursday Night Football” victory. TreVeyon Henderson scored three touchdowns in the first three quarters to pace New England to its eighth consecutive win, a 27-14 triumph over the Jets. The Patriots are on their longest winning streak since 2019 and remain in control of the AFC East. The Jets, on the other hand, reside at the bottom of the division and saw their brief two-game winning streak come to an end with another subpar offensive performance.
4. Former champions seek titles in new divisions at UFC 322. Islam Makhachev will move up from lightweight to welterweight when he challenges Jack Della Maddalena, and Weili Zhang will move from strawweight to flyweight when she faces Valentina Shevchenko. The co-main event makes for a loaded fight card at Madison Square Garden. We have these superfights covered from every angle. Get up to speed with the five biggest storylines and take a look at our predictions and best bets.
5. UConn tops our debut women’s college basketball power rankings. The Huskies won each of their first three games by double digits and look poised to contend for a second consecutive national championship. There were a couple of surprises elsewhere over the first two weeks of the season, and the most pleasant of them is USC, which climbed to No. 6 in our power rankings after holding the No. 17 spot in the preseason. The Trojans battle our No. 2 team, South Carolina, on Saturday in one of the biggest non-conference games of the year.

🏀 Do not miss this: NBA rookie rankings

Every prospect at the top of the 2025 NBA Draft class boasted star potential, and as the season nears the end of its first month, the most highly touted rookies have lived up to the hype. Former Duke stars Cooper Flagg (15.1 ppg) and Kon Knueppel (16.6 ppg) have been scoring weapons out of the gate, but the best first-year player thus far, according to Jasmyn Wimbish, is one Cedric Coward.

Here are the top five rookies, minus Dylan Harper, whose injury could keep him on the shelf for multiple weeks:

1. Cedric Coward, Grizzlies
2. VJ Edgecombe, 76ers
3. Kon Knueppel, Hornets
4. Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
5. Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans

✅ Week 11 NFL picks

The Week 11 NFL schedule is a treat. From the battle of MVP contenders in Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield to the showdown between Super Bowl hopefuls in the Lions and Eagles, the best players and top teams will prove themselves against each other on a loaded Sunday.

Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin weighed in with their picks for the biggest games on this marquee matchup-filled schedule. Spoiler alert: there’s not a whole lot of disagreement. Below are their prognostications for the four most colossal battles. Check out the full slate of predictions.

Buccaneers at Bills

• Dajani (Buccaneers +5.5): Bills 29, Buccaneers 27
• Dubin (Buccaneers +5.5): Bills 26, Buccaneers 23

Seahawks at Rams

• Dajani (Rams -3): Rams 30, Seahawks 24
• Dubin (Rams -3): Rams 26, Seahawks 21

Chiefs at Broncos

• Dajani (Broncos +3.5): Chiefs 24, Broncos 21
• Dubin (Broncos +3.5): Chiefs 21, Broncos 20

Lions at Eagles

• Dajani (Lions +2.5): Lions 33, Eagles 28
• Dubin (Lions +2.5): Lions 30, Eagles 26

🏈 Week 12 college football preview

Every game from here on out is of monstrous importance for teams in the CFP race. That is, unless you’re No. 22 Pittsburgh going up against No. 9 Notre Dame in a contest Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi said does not matter one bit. The point is, conference championship pictures are tightening and the number of legitimate playoff candidates dwindles by the week, and teams have no more than three more chances to boost their stock in the regular season.

It is a huge week in the SEC, in particular. The conference accounts for what could prove to be de facto playoff elimination games with No. 11 Oklahoma attempting to take down No. 4 Alabama in Tuscaloosa and No. 10 Texas seeking a road win of its own at No. 5 Georgia. Elsewhere on the CFP bubble, Notre Dame needs a win over Pittsburgh while dark horse squads in No. 21 Iowa and No. 17 USC hope to stay alive.

Tom Fornelli likes the under 45.5 in the battle between the Sooners and Crimson Tide. He’s also on the first-half under 23.5 in Texas vs. Georgia. And for his Lock of the Week, he’s dialed in on New Mexico to cover a 14.5-point spread against Colorado State.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• Brock Purdy, who has not played since Week 4 because of a toe injury, will make his long-awaited return to the 49ers’ starting lineup on Sunday against the Cardinals.
• C.J. Stroud will miss another game with his concussion, and Davis Mills is set to make his second consecutive start for the Texans.
• Colorado athletic director Rick George will step down next summer. Here’s what it could mean for Deion Sanders’ future with the Buffaloes.
• The Knicks avoided a major injury issue as Jalen Brunson will be evaluated on a day-to-day basis with his ankle sprain.
• Lamar Jackson returned to practice on Thursday, easing concerns after he missed Wednesday’s session with a knee injury.
• Emmanuel Clase joined Luis L. Ortiz in pleading not guilty in the Guardians pitchers’ betting scandal.
• The Jets placed Garrett Wilson on IR, officially sidelining him for at least four weeks with his knee injury.
• Christian Pulisic went in-depth with Paramount+ on his hamstring injury and opened up about missing the U.S. men’s national team’s November friendlies.
• The NFL filed a grievance against the NFLPA over its annual team report cards, alleging that the survey violates the collective bargaining agreement.
• The Seidler family, which owns the Padres, announced that it will explore strategic options including the sale of the franchise.
• Amid the betting scandals in other leagues, the NFL reminded its teams in a memo that it is taking steps to limit and even prohibit prop bets.
• MLS will adopt a new schedule format beginning in 2027 which runs from summer-to-spring rather than spring-to-winter.
• Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson faces a lawsuit over an alleged non-consensual video which prompted his 2024 suspension.
• The Cowboys returned to practice for the first time since Marshawn Kneeland’s death, and the late edge rusher’s teammates said they aim to honor him in Monday’s game against the Raiders.
• Justin Tucker’s 10-game NFL suspension is over. Here are four possible landing spots for the former All-Pro kicker.
• Cardi B and Patriots WR Stefon Diggs welcomed their first child together.

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏒 NHL Global Series: Penguins vs. Predators, 2 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 NBA Cup group play: Heat at Knicks, 7 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Indiana State at No. 4 Duke (M), 7 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 Greenbrier Tip-Off: No. 15 Duke vs. West Virginia (W), 7 p.m. on ESPNU
🏈 Clemson at No. 20 Louisville, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Maryland Eastern Shore at No. 23 Creighton (M), 8 p.m. on Peacock
🏈 Minnesota at No. 8 Oregon, 9 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 6 Michigan at TCU (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 North Carolina Central at No. 18 North Carolina (M), 9 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 NBA Cup group play: Warriors at Spurs, 9:30 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 No. 7 Baylor at UNLV, 9:30 p.m. on Mountain West Network
🏀 Hall of Fame Series: No. 5 Arizona vs. No. 15 UCLA (M), 10 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 19 Gonzaga at Arizona State (M), 11 p.m. on ESPN2

Saturday

🏈 Arizona at No. 25 Cincinnati, noon on FS1
🏈 No. 18 Michigan at Northwestern, noon on Fox
🏈 No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 22 Pittsburgh, noon on ABC
🏈 South Carolina at No. 3 Texas A&M, noon on ESPN
🏈 No. 24 South Florida at Navy, noon on ESPN2
🏈 Wisconsin at No. 2 Indiana, noon on Big Ten Network
🏀 Ohio at No. 12 Louisville (M), noon on The CW
⚽ NWSL semifinals: Washington Spirit at Portland Thorns, noon on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 16 Georgia Tech at Boston College, 3:30 p.m. on ACC Network
🏈 No. 21 Iowa at No. 17 USC, 3:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏈 NC State at No. 15 Miami, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 11 Oklahoma at No. 4 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Penn State at Michigan State, 3:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 UCF at No. 6 Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 19 Virginia at Duke, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 18 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Michigan (W), 4 p.m. on NBC
🏈 New Mexico State at No. 23 Tennessee, 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Grizzlies at Cavaliers, 5 p.m. on NBA TV
⚽ Men’s International Friendly: United States vs. Paraguay, 5 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 William & Mary at No. 13 St. John’s (M), 6 p.m. on truTV
🏈 Florida at No. 7 Ole Miss, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 No. 13 Utah at Baylor, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
🏒 Bruins at Canadiens, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 Hall of Fame Series: No. 3 UConn vs. No. 7 BYU (M), 7 p.m. on Fox
🏈 No. 10 Texas at No. 5 Georgia, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 UCLA at No. 1 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Lakers at Bucks, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 No. 8 USC vs. No. 2 South Carolina (W), 9 p.m. on Fox
🥊 UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs. Makhachev, 10 p.m. on ESPN+ PPV
🏈 TCU at No. 12 BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

🏒 NHL Global Series: Predators vs. Penguins, 9 a.m. on NHL Network
🏈 NFL International Series: Commanders vs. Dolphins, 9:30 a.m. on NFL Network
🏀 Ohio State at No. 1 UConn (W), noon on Peacock
🏈 Bengals at Steelers, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Chargers at Jaguars, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Buccaneers at Bills, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Panthers at Falcons, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Bears at Vikings, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Packers at Giants, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Texans at Titans, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 17 TCU at No. 10 NC State (W), 1 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 The Battleground 2K25: No. 1 Houston vs. No. 22 Auburn (M), 3 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 22 Louisville at Clemson (W), 3 p.m. on ESPN2
⚽ NWSL semifinals: Orlando Pride at Gotham FC, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏈 49ers at Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Seahawks at Rams, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Ravens at Browns, 4:25 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Chiefs at Broncos, 4:25 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 112th Grey Cup: Alouettes vs. Roughriders, 6 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏒 Red Wings at Rangers, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 Akron at No. 2 Purdue (M), 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏈 Lions at Eagles, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
🏀 GEICO Hoops Showdown: Miami vs. No. 10 Florida (M), 8:30 p.m. on ESPN