This is the October edition of The Lineup, a newsletter recapping many of the most important developments in the world of sports.
Leading Off: Football Updates
NFL Early Super Bowl Favorites
The 2025 NFL season is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, as several unlikely teams have emerged as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The recent powerhouses have stumbled, opening the door for new franchises to control the spotlight.
The Indianapolis Colts, led by the revitalized quarterback Daniel Jones, are tied for the league’s best record at 5-1. Jones has reinvented himself after leaving the New York Giants, operating efficiently behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. His poise and production have elevated him into the MVP conversation while silencing any debate about quarterback Anthony Richardson reclaiming the starting role.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been defined by close games and quarterback Baker Mayfield’s heroics. Despite constant injuries to his offensive line and receiving corps, Mayfield has set an NFL record for early-season wins decided by three points or fewer. Rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka has been a breakout star amid the chaos—his 469 receiving yards are good for fourth in the entire league.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons boast the league’s top-ranked defense, allowing fewer than 300 total yards in every game. Offensively, running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London provide explosive balance, while second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. plays mistake-free football. A signature win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday night confirmed their legitimacy.
Finally, the Detroit Lions—the only preseason favorite of the bunch—have lived up to their expectations. With the league’s highest-scoring offense and a top-10 defense, Dan Campbell’s squad continues to thrive despite injuries. Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson anchors a relentless pass rush, keeping them firmly in the title race.
With no clear heavyweight, these four unlikely contenders have turned the 2024 season into must-watch television, and the race to the Super Bowl is wide open.
By Luca Di Rienzo
NFL’s Top Rookies
Over the past few NFL season, rookies have been making there mark more than ever in years past. This season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Emeka Egbuka out of Ohio State has made his presence known through the first six games this season. Scoring five touchdowns and recording 27 catches for 469 yards, Egbuka has made an impact on the Buccaneers offense.
Colts tight end Tyler Warren has been a key player for Daniel Jones through the early games. Warren has 370 receiving yards and three touchdowns this season, including a rushing touchdown. Warren is on pace to surpass 1,000 yards receiving at the end of the season, which is a strong showing for a rookie tight end in the NFL.
Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has also had a strong start, with 380 yards and two touchdowns, both coming vs the Cowboys in Week 6. As the top receiver for the Panthers, where their next highest in receiving yards is 254 yards behind him, Mcmillian has a lot of pressure and a huge role to start his career.
Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has started the last three games and has improved after each game, with four passing and two ground touchdowns. Along with Dart, Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo has five rushing touchdowns this season, including a three touchdown game against the Eagles on Thursday night.
Given the Raiders rocky start through the first few weeks, Ashton Jeanty continues to show up, with 424 yards and three touchdowns. Almost all of Jeanty’s yards this season have come after contact, allowing the opportunity for the Raiders to look into new techniques to open up the field for Jeanty in the coming games.
By James Giunco
Texas Upsets Oklahoma
Naturally, a lot of this week’s overreactions are bound to come from its biggest upset. Many people will jump to conclusions about the undervaluing of Texas after its victory over Oklahoma. This may be looking at the wrong piece of the picture. The country’s No. 6 team, carrying arguably the country’s best defense, took their first loss against an underperforming Texas team that has looked subpar in every remotely competitive matchup they’ve played this season.
Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, to put it simply, should not have played in this game. The worrying thing, however, was that the problem wasn’t his previously injured thumb. Mateer’s decision-making has been questionable at best all season, but it was largely ignored while the Sooners remained unbeaten. This week, it was downright atrocious, and this time it cost them.
Mateer threw three interceptions, a rough showing from the Heisman hopeful. Texas did not dominate; yes, Arch Manning played a decent game against a good defense, but let’s not pretend that most quarterbacks can’t create a 21-for-27, 166-yard passing performance while dumping the ball off for less than eight yards per completion against a strong defense. This performance does not make the Longhorns a top team.
Texas needs to show more with more consistency to regain that distinction. The Sooners, besides Mateer, played a good game, whatever may show on the scoreboard. They will fall, but they are certainly not out of the playoff picture.
By Dave Troeger
The Cleanup Spot: MLB Postseason
Aaron Judge Postseason: Then and Now
The 2025 Major League Baseball season has officially come to an end in the Bronx. Though Yankee fans still have something to be proud of. The organization has developed a player who some may consider the best baseball player ever, “The GOAT.”
During the 2024 season outfielder Aaron Judge faced multiple discomforts and injuries. Despite those setbacks he managed to bat .322 and pulled off a unanimous American League MVP award with 58 home runs.
Fans did not see what they had anticipated from Judge in the 2024 postseason. Not only dropping “the ball” in Game 5 of the World Series, he battled through a major slump when the Yankees needed him most, posting a .184 batting average with nine runs batted in during a 14-game postseason schedule.
Fast forward through the off-season and to this year, Judge has not only improved in October, but stepped up in clutch situations. He put up a .500 batting average and a .581 on-base percentage during the Yankees seven game postseason campaign.
In Game 3 of the American League Divisional series, Judge came up to bat in the fourth, where Blue Jays right-handed pitcher Louis Varland sent a 100-mph fastball inside. The captain cranked a three-run homer to tie the game and lead the Yankees to a win.
What changed for the righty power bat? Plate approach.
Compared to the 2024 postseason, Judge practically cut his stats in half, including his strikeout percentage. Though Judge and the Yankees’ season was cut short, fans alike can all agree that their superstar and captain has paved an encouraging path to a World Series title despite his 2024 postseason “slip-up.”
By James McTague
Analyzing MLB’s Division Series Exits
After reaching the World Series last year, hopes were high for the Yankees to get back, but a season-ending injury to Gerrit Cole before he even threw a pitch severely hurt their chances. New York eventually got eliminated from the playoffs by their AL East foes, the Toronto Blue Jays. Superstar Aaron Judge finally broke through this postseason, as he hit .500, but the pitching could not hold up and surrendered 34 runs in four games.
Nothing has gone right for the Philadelphia Phillies in the postseason since going up 2-0 in the 2023 NLCS, as they have been knocked out in the division series in back-to-back years now. This year was particularly brutal; The Dodgers walked off Philadelphia in Game 4 of the NLDS on an Orion Kerkering error with the bases loaded to end the season. Things will not get any easier for the Phillies, as slugger Kyle Schwarber will hit free agency this offseason.
Heartbreaking is the only way to describe the Detroit Tigers’ season. After having one of the best records in MLB and leading the division by 14 games, Detroit went under .500 in the second half of the season and lost the AL Central to Cleveland. They then beat Cleveland in a three-game wildcard to advance to the ALDS. There, Detroit battled hard, winning an exhilarating Game 4 to force the series to five. In the elimination game, they came up short, losing in 15 innings to Seattle. Detroit got two great starts in the series, including in Game 5 from likely Cy Young winner, Tarik Skubal, but lost both games.
After trading for star outfielder Kyle Tucker this past offseason, the Chicago Cubs had high hopes for this season. They got off to a hot start thanks to blooming star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, but the Cubs lost the division to the Milwaukee Brewers by August. The Cubs then faced off against the Brewers in the NLDS, where they went down 2-0 early. The Cubs showed life, however, and won two straight home games to force a Game 5. Unfortunately, the offense only mustered one run and their season came to a close.
By Jack Tomasi
Mid-Inning Relief: Stanley Cup Favorites
Florida Panthers
The back-to-back Stanley Cup champions should be the clear choice for best NHL team this season. After finishing last year with 98 points, the Florida Panthers are aiming to improve despite injuries to star forward Matthew Tkachuk, known for elevating his game in the playoffs, and three-time Selke Trophy winner and captain Andrew Barkov, both sidelined for extended periods.
Their absence has posed challenges for a team pursuing a fourth straight Stanley Cup Final appearance. Despite setbacks, the Panthers’ offensive firepower remains formidable. Perennial 30-goal scorer Sam Reinhart, two years removed from a 57-goal campaign in 2023-24, and Carter Verhaeghe, who has amassed 198 points in 238 games over the past three seasons, are expected to shoulder much of the scoring load. Late-season trade acquisition and first-ballot Hall of Famer Brad Marchand has had a strong start to this early campaign with five points in five games, including three goals.
These forwards bring strong two-way play, easing the burden on defenseman Aaron Ekblad, the first defenseman in Panthers history to reach 100 career goals. In net, two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky continues to anchor the team. Since joining Florida in 2019, Bobrovsky boasts a .907 save percentage, 2.74 goals-against average and 16 shutouts, including.
With top-six forwards and top-three defensemen signed through 2030, the Panthers are set up correctly to repeat their recent success and hoist the Stanley Cup once again.
By Tommy Berry
Vegas Golden Knights
With Aleksander Barkov out and Matthew Tkachuk down for a few months for the Florida Panthers, it opens up an opportunity for another team to take the top spot. The Las Vegas Golden Knights are primed for that position.
The team with the third most points in the NHL last season added the league’s fifth highest point scorer in the fleece of the offseason, acquiring Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Nicolas Roy. Marner joins a borderline unfair first line alongside Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev, with strong depth in the secondary lines including Mark Stone, Brandon Saad and Tomas Hertl.
Goaltender Adin Hill is one of the best in the business, but will be looking to recover after a disappointing postseason performance resulting in a first-round exit due to a lower-body injury. He will have no shortage of help from the likes of Noah Hanifin, Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore.
Before the playoffs, he had a career-best regular season, winning 32 games and building on a 2023 postseason where he led all goalies in save percentage (.932) and GAA (2.09) en route to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup triumph. The Golden Knights have six points in four games and are ready to make another run.
By Dave Troeger
The Closer: UFC and U.S. Men’s Soccer
UFC
Following an uneventful September, UFC excited its fans during the past two weeks. On Oct. 4, Alex Pereira highlighted UFC 320 with a long-awaited rematch against Magomed Ankalaev.
Their previous matchup, UFC 313 on March 8, saw Ankalaev win by decision, ending Pereira’s five-fight win streak. Pereira attributed the loss to an injury sustained during training, increasing tensions between the two.
This time, Pereira flipped the script with a technical knockout in the first round with one minute and 20 seconds left. His aggression reclaimed the light heavyweight belt, highlighted by outstriking Ankalaev 28-4.
With an unclear next step, Pereira could move up for a second time and advance to the heavyweight division, or he could continue dominating the light heavyweight division.
Fellow light heavyweight Jiří Procházka also fought in UFC 320, knocking out Khalil Rountree. Though Pereira knocked him out in the last two bouts, Procházka wants a third fight. Some, however, believe he should fight Ankalaev first to prove himself.
In the co-main event, another fan favorite, Merab Dvalishvili, won his third title defense over Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision. The win captured his 14th consecutive win, tying him for fourth in history.
Fans will look forward to his long-awaited rematch against Petr Yan, whom Dvalishvili bested during a fight night in March 2023.
Charles “do Bronxs” Oliveira’s return highlighted UFC Rio fight night on Oct. 11. Last seen at the mercy of Ilia Topuria in hopes of the lightweight belt, fans felt skeptical of his age.
Proving them wrong, he submitted Mateusz Gamrot by a rear-naked choke hold in the second round. Dropping two of his last three, Gamrot hurt his chances of ever earning a shot at the title. With Oliveira challenging Max Holloway, who last fought in 2015, UFC fans have plenty to look forward to.
By Max Moughan
U.S. Men’s Soccer
The world’s 16th-ranked U.S. Men’s National Team wrapped up its international window featuring two friendlies, both on home soil. The U.S. hosted 24th-ranked Ecuador to a 1-1 draw, an impressive result against a side that entered the match on an 11-game unbeaten run, with 10 of those matches being shutouts.
Four days later, the U.S. earned a 2-1 win over 25th-ranked Australia, with forward Haji Wright scoring both goals. The stars and stripes went down early in both matches, but showed grit and resilience to earn positive results from this window. These two results give the U.S. a three-game unbeaten streak; The US defeated 19th-ranked Japan 2-0 back in September.
One of the key takeaways from this window is the striker position. Head coach Mauricio Pochettino now has a clear two-horse race for the starting striker role, with Wright and Folarin Balogun each scoring in the games they played. Balogun scored the leveler against Ecuador, finding the net in the 71st minute off a Malik Tillman assist.
One major concern this window was injuries: left back Antonee Robinson, a mainstay of the squad, missed both matches with a knee injury. Captain Christian Pulisic did not play in the first match and was subbed off 30 minutes into the second match after suffering a hamstring injury.
The U.S. hosts the World Cup in 11 different cities this summer, but first in November, the U.S hosts 37th-ranked Paraguay and 15th-ranked Uruguay. These matches, their last two of the calendar year, will serve as another massive window for Pochettino to gauge his squad.
By Ryan Eichem
Edited by Center Field Staff
Graphic by Cara Lacey
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