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On the 10th anniversary of Nebraska‘s entrance into the Big Ten, interim athletic director Garrett Klassy officially began his term overseeing the Huskers’ program.

The irony isn’t lost on those who have lived through a jagged first decade in the conference.

Athletic director Bill Moos’ abrupt retirement last month isn’t the most surprising nor the most damaging thing Nebraska has absorbed since its celebrated Big Ten arrival on July 1, 2011. But Moos’ exit epitomizes the turbulence for a football program on its third coach, Scott Frost, and that is welcoming its fourth athletic director, Trev Alberts, since 2012. Alberts, a former All-America linebacker at Nebraska, officially begins his term Monday. But leadership instability has hurt Nebraska in a league, and especially a division, defined by long coaching and administrative tenures.

Other factors have contributed to the Huskers’ subpar results. The recruiting adjustment has been rocky at times. The Big Ten also is stronger than when Nebraska arrived, both financially and on the field.

Still, few expected Nebraska to complete its first Big Ten decade at 68-55, 43-41 in conference play. Since 2011, Nebraska ranks 54th nationally in win percentage (.553) and eighth among Big Ten teams. The Huskers have yet to win a league title (their last was in 1999). Their lone division championship came back in 2012, which preceded a 70-31 loss in the Big Ten championship game against Wisconsin, a team only in the game because both Ohio State and Penn State were ineligible.

The extended stretch of mediocrity is jarring for a Nebraska program that won five national titles between 1970 and 1997. From 1963 to 2001, the Huskers captured 22 conference championships (outright or shared) and logged 28 AP top-10 finishes and 22 seasons with 10 or more wins. During the span, Nebraska had only 11 seasons with three or more losses, none with more than four and none with more than three between 1969 and 2001.

The Huskers now have lost five or more games in five of the past six seasons.

“Nebraska is struggling to find its foothold from a leadership standpoint, a style standpoint, a recruiting standpoint,” said Damon Benning, a former Huskers I-back who played on national title teams in 1994 and 1995, and now hosts a daily sports talk radio show in Omaha. “Meanwhile, the conference just keeps getting better and better.

“A double whammy.”

The question is how much of Nebraska’s struggles can be attributed to joining the Big Ten, and how much can be tied to internal reasons. To find out, ESPN spoke to people in and around Nebraska’s program since the Big Ten arrival. Some were granted anonymity to speak freely about what they observed. Attempts to interview Frost and Moos were unsuccessful.

Those who spoke describe a program still searching for its identity in an improving conference. Nebraska is rightfully proud of its championship tradition but also somewhat hamstrung by the past, especially as the program navigates recruiting realities and other areas where it no longer holds clear advantages.

The Big Ten has provided the stability Nebraska needed, and the affiliation is still celebrated in academic circles. But others cling to Big Eight nostalgia and haven’t embraced Nebraska’s position in its newest league.

“You’ve got to have a plan, and the plan can’t be: ‘We’re going to win a national championship, we’re going to get back to national contention,” a source said. “The plan has to be: ‘Now that we are in the Big Ten, what are the challenges?’ I’m not saying temper expectations, but you have to get to: What are we all about, and how are we going to get there?”

Nebraska’s arrival in the Big Ten was greeted with excitement and exhales.

The Huskers needed a permanent home. The Big 12 had nearly been pillaged by the Pac-12, and teams such as Missouri and Colorado were looking to leave. Plus, the league had become increasingly Texas-centric.

“There was concern at the time as to whether the Big 12 would survive,” said Harvey Perlman, Nebraska’s chancellor from 2001 to 2016. “I wouldn’t call it desperation, but there was certainly some uneasiness about where Nebraska was going to find itself athletically. Finding a stable home in the Big Ten was certainly a relief.”

Nebraska’s academic community celebrated the move. The Big Ten’s Committee on Institutional Cooperation, an academic consortium between top research institutions, provided “a boost to our reputation,” Perlman said.

“On the academic side, it’s been great; there’s a lot of research and collaboration,” said Jo Potuto, a constitutional law professor at Nebraska and the faculty athletics representative since 1997. “On the athletic side, for everybody it has been a surprise Nebraska has not been more competitive, certainly not in football.”

The football struggles haven’t translated to other programs. Nebraska’s powerhouse volleyball team won national titles in 2015 and 2017, and owns three Big Ten titles. The baseball team has made five NCAA tournament appearances since 2014 and this spring won its second conference title.

Before the Big Ten move, Potuto attended a meeting athletic director Tom Osborne held with the school’s head coaches. Osborne, the Hall of Fame Huskers coach from 1973 to 1997, wanted the coaches’ input. Some mentioned recruiting and how it would change in a Midwest-based league. Ideally, they would have liked longer to prepare for the move. But none stated direct opposition, Potuto said.

Nebraska football entered the Big Ten following consecutive appearances in the Big 12 championship, losing second-half leads both times. The Huskers were 29-12 (17-7 Big 12) with two AP top-20 finishes under coach Bo Pelini. They didn’t dominate recruiting but had signed ESPN’s No. 17 class in 2011, and they did well in key talent areas such as Texas and California.

“We were pretty well into the Top 25 and went to a bowl game every year,” Osborne said. “We weren’t where we were in the ’90s, but we were in pretty good shape at that time.”

As a new Big Ten member, Nebraska received a smaller revenue share — $10 million-$11 million less than others for the first three years. This angered some key people around the university, sources said. But money never has been a major impediment at Nebraska. The football team, meanwhile, went 9-4 in its Big Ten debut season, finishing third in the Legends division and No. 24 in the AP poll.

Nebraska won the division the next year, and continued to compete. The Huskers had good to decent records against Penn State (3-0), Iowa (3-1), Michigan (2-1), Michigan State (2-2) and Ohio State (1-1) during their first four years in the Big Ten. They struggled with Wisconsin, going 1-3, including the drubbing in Indianapolis, but went 37-16 overall (22-10 Big Ten) with three top-25 finishes.

Was Nebraska a national contender? No. The team got blown out too often, and Pelini’s fiery nature got him in trouble, ultimately leading to his firing after the 2014 regular season. But these days, the Huskers likely would take those records in a heartbeat.

Why has Nebraska backslid so much since 2014, despite being in a division without any teams that match its championship tradition? The answer starts with recruiting.

Nebraska entered the Big Ten with some recruiting momentum, but Pelini had built his team for the Big 12, largely with players from the Big 12 footprint. The Huskers’ designed their two-gap defense to stop the spread offenses of the Big 12, not the bigger, power-based units of the Big Ten. Nebraska no longer was a national recruiting heavyweight, but the program still knew where to go to find the players it needed.

The Big Ten move has thrown Nebraska’s recruiting “out of whack,” a former assistant said. Nebraska has tried to pivot toward recruiting the Midwest and East Coast, but hasn’t achieved significant traction.

“There’s a little bit of a void in terms of a recruiting home,” he added. “Where are you located?”

When Mike Riley arrived at Nebraska from Oregon State to replace Pelini, he spent time studying “how to recruit for Nebraska in the world of the new conference.” Riley and his staff focused on a 500-mile radius from Lincoln, which included Big Ten hub markets such as Chicago and Minneapolis, but also Kansas City and Denver.

They also prioritized Texas, which Riley had recruited for years while at Oregon State.

“That part of it wasn’t the same because you didn’t have those yearly games down in Texas, where you could sell that to the parents,” Riley said. “The players are so great and there had been a history. But it’s hard to keep that history going when you don’t have that old connection.”

Coaches say Nebraska’s location, its conference and an accelerated recruiting cycle all have magnified obstacles. Nebraska isn’t the easiest campus to access, and most recruits make their college choices before taking official visits.

“They play in the Big Ten at [11 a.m. Central time]. If [a recruit] played on Friday night, how does he get there for kickoff?” a former assistant said. “You’re not flying into Lincoln directly. When you’re in the Big 12, you can recruit Texas and Oklahoma and get kids to come.”

The coach added that recruits based in areas with other Power 5 schools must elect to “fly over everybody” to reach Nebraska. There are recruiting challenges within the Big Ten, too, being located in the least populated of the league’s 11 states.

“You’re not going to out-recruit Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan,” another former assistant said. “You’re not going to out-recruit Michigan State. Minnesota has access to more kids faster because they have a national hub airport. Wisconsin is closer to more population bases.”

Riley, who went 9-4 in 2016, thought his recruiting strategy would pay off with Nebraska’s 2018 class, which initially included commitments from four-star prospects such as wide receiver Joshua Moore and cornerbacks Brendan Radley-Hiles, Mario Goodrich and Chase Williams. All four would decommit — they signed with Texas, Oklahoma, Clemson and USC, respectively — as Nebraska in 2017 endured its worst season (4-8) since 1961, leading to the ousting of athletic director Shawn Eichorst and then Riley.

New hope arrived with Frost, a native Nebraskan and a quarterback for Osborne’s final national championship team in 1997. Frost engineered a historic turnaround at UCF, which went 13-0 with a Peach Bowl victory in 2017, two years after going winless. He also had cut his teeth as an Oregon assistant under Chip Kelly. After spurning Florida to come home to Nebraska, Frost was widely seen as a potential program savior.

Many believed Frost could bridge what worked in the past with what Nebraska needs now, even though he hadn’t recruited the Big Ten region.

Frost has generated some recruiting wins. Nebraska signed ESPN top-25 classes in 2019 and 2020. But the Huskers have logged four consecutive losing seasons and three under Frost (12-20 overall), which seemed to impact the most recent class (39th nationally).

“What draws a kid there?” a former assistant said. “When’s the last time they won a conference championship? No kid in high school has any idea that they ever won.”

Before his time on local Nebraska sports radio, Benning played for Nebraska during the end of the Osborne glory era. He also has closely observed the program’s path ever since.

His conclusion: What Nebraska became from the early 1960s through the 1990s, capitalizing on two Hall of Fame coaches — Osborne and Bob Devaney — and some structural advantages to become a national force, was not sustainable.

“More of a geographic anomaly than built for the long haul as a blue blood,” Benning said. “Nebraska’s got a great fan base, they print money, they’ve got great facilities. They’ve got to evolve with the times. It’s been really hard for me to reconcile that in my head — what they once were versus what they’re capable of being. There’s a real fine line between understanding history and embracing it but not being held captive.

“Nebraska’s still held captive by the success they’ve had. They need to be comfortable in their own skin. They have to have peace with it.”

Nebraska undoubtedly can perform much better in the Big Ten. But part of the path toward future success is acknowledging realistic goals and adjusting to achieve them.

“At a place like Nebraska, you’re not going to beat Ohio State every year,” one source said. “You don’t have the same recruiting base. Iowa’s more of a model at Nebraska than Ohio State is, with where you’re located and where you’re recruiting. You’ve got to be realistic. At some point, you’ve got to not be delusional.”

The philosophical shift remains difficult for some, especially after decades of competing nationally.

“A state of 1.8 million people, where they’re located, and you look at just the West [Division]. Where do you fit with Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern or Purdue?” one person said. “They didn’t want to judge themselves against that group. They wanted to judge themselves against Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State. The sky’s falling when you lose to Purdue.

“They have to get self-awareness as to who they are, where they fit.”

Osborne thinks Nebraska still can be distinctive, despite its new reality.

“We don’t have to be a copycat program,” he said. “If you continue to do what everybody else is doing, what the leaders in the league like Ohio State are doing, and you don’t have the same talent level, then it’s not going to work out well.”

The process unquestionably requires more continuity. Between 1962 and 1997, Nebraska had two football coaches and did not have a losing season, winning nine or more games in all but two seasons (1967 and 1968). Since 2002, Nebraska has had five (plus two interim). Pelini and Frank Solich were fired with a combined record of 125-46.

Between 1962 and 2002, the school had three athletic directors. Since 2003, Nebraska has had five (plus three interim).

“That’s not a reputation for stability,” Potuto said. “I’m pretty sure if I was a coach, it wouldn’t be a situation that gives me confidence in what I was doing. I don’t know that moving to the Big Ten Conference triggered any of that. I still think the conference was absolutely the right move.”

Nebraska’s frequent leadership changes stand out in a division where continuity is king. Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz is the longest-tenured coach in the FBS (1999), while Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald ranks seventh (2006). Iowa has had the same athletic director (Gary Barta) since 2006. Wisconsin just made its first athletic director hire since 2004, and Northwestern made its first since 2008.

“The West has the poster programs for stability,” said Big Ten Network analyst Gerry DiNardo, the former coach at Indiana, LSU and Vanderbilt. “Iowa, Wisconsin and Northwestern: What other three teams in any division of college football have that kind of stability? The SEC certainly doesn’t. I don’t think the Pac-12 does.”

DiNardo added of Nebraska: “Their identity right now is lack of stability.”

Nebraska’s fluctuation has coincided with improvement around the West Division. Big Ten television revenue has helped every school make facilities upgrades and invest in coaches and staff.

Since 2011, Wisconsin has logged six 10-win seasons and five AP top-13 finishes, while Iowa has posted four AP top-25 finishes in the past six years. Northwestern is enjoying its best post-World War II stretch (three 10-win seasons, two division titles, five AP top-25 finishes). Minnesota recently has posted two of its three highest wins totals — 11 in 2019, nine in 2016 — since 1905.

“That Western part, early on, before we got there, wasn’t really that strong of a division,” Riley said. “Now you look at that division, all those guys are great coaches. Every program has improved. The football gained a top-to-bottom competitiveness.

“It’s not easy to step in [at Nebraska] and say, ‘Let’s win like we did in the old Big Eight.’ It’s quite a chore.”

Nebraska’s Big Ten move affected recruiting and other areas of the program, but how much of the team’s performance is because it changed conferences?

“It’s been a bad thing,” a former assistant said.

Others don’t think the Big Ten factored nearly as much in the program’s downturn.

“Our football program was transitioning before we went to the Big Ten,” Perlman said. “We came off of an extraordinary period of time with an extraordinary head coach, and an environment that was amenable to Nebraska building a great program. We underestimate what a great coach Tom Osborne was. Also, the world has changed. Nebraska’s a small state. We’ve only got 1.8 million people, and with the change in eligibility, the change in number of scholarships, the other things that have impacted our program, I think it’s taken time to adjust.

“That would have happened regardless of what conference we were in.”

Another person described the Big Ten as “the least of their problems,” stressing a need for self-assessment and tackling present-day hurdles, rather than living in the past.

“Their struggles in the Big Ten are exacerbated by the strength of the Big Ten,” a former Big Ten athletic director said. “I think Nebraska could have continued to do a little bit better in the Big 12, but I don’t know if they would have done appreciably better.”

As Nebraska begins its second decade in the Big Ten, those familiar with the first say a refined plan is needed. Before Alberts’ hiring, Benning said the athletic director vacancy represents the school’s most important hire in 15 years, noting that Nebraska “needs to find stability in the message.” Benning and others say Nebraska must stop throwing money at its problems and instead outline a clear philosophy and commit to it.

“It has to be earned,” Alberts said at his introduction last week. “We’ll go to work. We’ve got great people. We can do this. But it isn’t going to be overnight, and it isn’t going to be easy, but we’re really going to focus on the fundamentals and mechanics of how we operate. Attention to detail. Work habits.”

Part of the shift could involve fully embracing Big Ten culture. Nebraska historically hasn’t been a program to bite its tongue, whether about Texas’ increasing influence in the Big 12 or the Big Ten’s initial decision to cancel the fall football season in 2020. Although Ohio State and other programs also voiced displeasure with the Big Ten last summer, Nebraska’s approach drew the most attention (and criticism). Frost floated playing as an independent before the Big Ten officially canceled, and Nebraska’s leadership then issued a joint statement expressing disappointment with the league’s decision. Eight parents of Nebraska players sued the Big Ten over the decision to cancel. When the Big Ten revived the fall season, Moos expressed frustration about a schedule front-loaded with Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

Longtime Omaha World-Herald columnist Tom Shatel calls this Nebraska’s “independent spirit,” borne from years in the Big Eight and Big 12. But the Big Ten historically has settled disputes internally and projected unity. A Big Ten coach said of Nebraska, “It’s almost like them against the world, everybody’s out to screw ’em.”

Frost, speaking last month during Nebraska’s Big Red Caravan event, said that while his views haven’t changed, he might not have been so bold in expressing them, saying, “It put the crosshairs on us.”

“You can tell the relationship is strained,” Benning said. “I don’t feel like Nebraska has a really firm seat at the table. It’s twofold: Nebraska has to do a better job of keeping in-house business in-house. When they have these conversations with the conference, they have to find the happy medium between personalizing what’s best for a university and not alienating the conference. It’s been quite the juggling act.”

Nebraska has plenty of work ahead, but a Big Ten breakthrough remains possible. DiNardo, who faced Nebraska in the Big Eight as a Colorado assistant, knows the program’s potential when properly aligned.

“It’s a big jump to go from Big Eight to Big 12 to Big Ten,” he said. “None of those historic, successful programs have gone through what Nebraska’s gone through. But at the end of the day, the right coach and right administration puts them in position to win the Big Ten, which gives them a chance to win nationally.”

Osborne, who helped recruit Frost back to Nebraska, attended several spring practices and likes what he sees: an experienced quarterback (Adrian Martinez), capable wide receivers and an ascending defense. He thinks areas that defined Nebraska’s dynasty, such as the walk-on program, will start paying off more.

“There’s always an ebb and a flow with programs, and we’ve gone through a difficult stretch, but the basics are pretty good,” he said. “We hope we can be long-term Big Ten, and we can be competitive. I don’t have a crystal ball. I can’t predict what’s going to happen five, 10 years from now, but I have a little bit of an idea of what’s going to happen this fall, and I think we’ll be improved.”

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Source: Surging Giants calling up top prospect

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September 15, 2025

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Source: Surging Giants calling up top prospect

  • Alden GonzalezSep 15, 2025, 02:21 PM ET

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      ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.

The San Francisco Giants, suddenly back in the playoff race with two weeks remaining in the regular season, are calling up top prospect Bryce Eldrige, a source confirmed to ESPN on Monday.

Eldridge, a 20-year-old first baseman who was No. 29 in the latest prospect rankings by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel, will seemingly take on the role vacated by fellow left-handed hitter Dominic Smith, who went on the injured list with a hamstring strain over the weekend.

The 16th overall pick out of high school in 2023, Eldridge surged in Double-A at the start of the season and was slashing .249/.322/.514 with 18 homers, 88 strikeouts and 28 walks for the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. His strikeout rate remained high of late, but his production improved over these past 17 games, during which he boasted a .294 batting average with 10 extra-base hits.

The Giants had been using Rafael Devers at both first base and designated hitter, with Smith and the right-handed-hitting Wilmer Flores essentially platooning at the other spot. Eldridge will seemingly take on Smith’s role for the stretch run, while hoping to push the Giants toward an unlikely playoff spot.

After acquiring Devers in the middle of June, the Giants went 13-22 heading into the trade deadline at the end of July, prompting the front office to deal veteran players. As of Aug. 22, the Giants were seven games below .500 and 7½ games out of the final wild-card spot, but they have since won 14 of 20 games and currently trail the slumping New York Mets by only 1½ games with 13 remaining.

The San Francisco Chronicle first reported Eldridge’s callup.

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What has gone wrong for the Mets? Breaking down their losing skid and second-half woes

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September 15, 2025

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What has gone wrong for the Mets? Breaking down their losing skid and second-half woes

  • David SchoenfieldSep 15, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

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    • Covers MLB for ESPN.com
    • Former deputy editor of Page 2
    • Been with ESPN.com since 1995

It wasn’t the biggest hit of Pete Alonso‘s career, but his walk-off, three-run homer in the 10th inning on Sunday was certainly the biggest for the New York Mets in their past nine games — and maybe their biggest of the campaign so far.

“He prolonged their season in 2024,” said Mets broadcaster Ron Darling, referring to Alonso’s ninth-inning home run to beat the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild-card series. “He might have saved their season in 2025.”

It didn’t sound like hyperbole, as the Mets had lost eight games in a row before securing Sunday’s 5-2 victory. They had watched the Philadelphia Phillies run out way ahead in a National League East division that the Mets once led and had watched their comfortable lead for the final wild-card spot shrink to half a game over the San Francisco Giants.

As only a die-hard Mets fan could understand — remember, this was a franchise that blew a seven-game lead with 17 games to play in 2007 to miss the playoffs — that eight-game skid was misery piled on top of more misery. The Mets lost twice to the Cincinnati Reds. They lost four in a row to Philadelphia, including a 1-0 decision and a blown 4-0 first-inning lead. On Friday, they lost to Jacob deGrom in his first game back at Citi Field since signing with the Texas Rangers. Then came the ultimate gut punch: They blew a 2-0 lead in the final two innings to the Rangers on Saturday, giving up two runs in the eighth and the winning run in the ninth. Eight losses in a row.

New York (77-73) insisted it wasn’t panicking, with Juan Soto saying after Saturday’s loss, “We have the energy. We have the guys. We have everything we need to go all the way.”

But do they? The Mets, featuring a $340 million payroll, the second highest in the game, have been among the worst teams in baseball since mid-June. On June 12, the Mets beat the Washington Nationals to improve to 45-24. They had the best record in the majors, led the Phillies by 5.5 games in the NL East and, according to FanGraphs, had a 75% chance of winning the division and a 96% chance of making the playoffs.

Since then, however, only the Colorado Rockies and the Minnesota Twins have had worse records, while the Nationals have matched the Mets at 32-49.

What happened? Let’s look at three main components of their game — the rotation, the bullpen and the offense — to see what has gone wrong.

1. The starting pitching got worse

Through June 12: 2.79 ERA (first in majors)
Since June 12: 5.09 ERA (24th)

Things got so desperate that the Mets are now featuring three rookies in their rotation in Nolan McLean (who made his MLB debut on Aug. 16), Jonah Tong (debuted Aug. 29) and Brandon Sproat (debuted Sept. 7). Needless to say, no team has won a World Series with three rookie starters in its rotation. It’s either an act of brazen confidence in inexperienced starters or the worst decision by the Mets since then-manager Terry Collins left Matt Harvey in to blow a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series.

So far, however, the results have been acceptable, especially from McLean. He started on Sunday and pitched six scoreless innings, exiting with a 2-0 lead — which the Mets’ bullpen promptly blew. McLean is 4-1 with a 1.19 ERA in his six starts, has allowed one home run in 37⅓ innings and, if the Mets do make the playoffs, is the starter they should want out there in Game 1.

Sproat allowed three runs in six innings in his debut but followed that up with six scoreless innings against the Rangers on Saturday. Only Tong, who led the minor leagues in ERA and strikeouts when he was recalled, has scuffled, including a miserable outing on Friday when he had no fastball command and gave up six runs without escaping the first inning.

Still, the Mets can’t rely only on the youngsters. David Peterson and Clay Holmes have each exceeded career highs in innings and have been much less effective. Peterson had a 3.06 ERA at the All-Star break but 5.23 since; Holmes had a 3.31 ERA at the break but 4.72 since. Sean Manaea is 0-2 with a 7.71 ERA since the beginning of August and has now been demoted to the bullpen, where he will piggyback with Holmes. Kodai Senga, so good early in the season, got sent down to Triple-A after going 0-3 with an ERA over 6.00 in August.

Right now, even with McLean on a roll, this is not a championship rotation.

2. The bullpen has been worse … much worse

Through June 12: 2.82 ERA (second in majors)
Since June 12: 5.04 ERA (26th)

While the starters were pitching well during the first two months, they weren’t going deep into games. So, manager Carlos Mendoza relied heavily on his bullpen, running his top relievers other than closer Edwin Diaz into the ground. President of baseball operations David Stearns added reinforcements at the trade deadline, most notably hard-throwing St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley.

Helsley, to put it bluntly, has been one of the worst trade acquisitions of all time. Not hyperbole. With the Mets, he is 0-3 with four blown saves and a 10.29 ERA in 17 appearances. He has allowed 20 runs and a .354 average. He throws 100 mph, and the ball comes back off the bat at 110 mph. He was expected to be Diaz’s top setup guy down the stretch, but Helsley has now been relegated to mop-up duty as he tries to figure things out.

The pen remains an issue. On Saturday, Mets play-by-plan man Gary Cohen described the circle of trust as just Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers and Diaz. Rogers and Diaz promptly blew Saturday’s game. On Sunday, Raley blew the 2-0 lead and Diaz escaped a jam in the ninth when the Rangers lined into a double play with a runner on third and the infield pulled in. It took Ryne Stanek to rescue the day in the 10th inning when he escaped a first-and-third situation with a strikeout and a popout.

Right now, this does not look like a championship bullpen.

3. The offense has been inconsistent

Through June 12: .248/.332/.427, 4.6 runs per game
Since June 12: .250/.323/.425, 4.8 runs per game

It certainly wasn’t good during the eight-game losing streak, hitting .211 and scoring just 20 runs. But the Mets have had other stretches like this: an 0-7 skid in early August when they hit .203 and an 0-7 spell in June when they hit .205. Yep, that’s three different losing streaks of at least seven games. Rarely have Francisco Lindor, Soto and Alonso all been clicking at the same time.

This could be a championship-level offense, but it hasn’t been. The Mets are 11th in the majors in runs scored.

The Giants lost on Sunday, so the Mets’ lead for that final wild card is back to 1.5 games (and two games over the Arizona Diamondbacks, 2.5 on Cincinnati). The Mets also hold the tiebreaker over the Giants, so San Francisco will have to finish with the better record to make it to October.

“That win felt like a deep breath,” Stanek said after Sunday’s dramatic triumph.

Mets fans would agree. After eight days of agony, Citi Field exploded with joy as Alonso flipped his helmet and rounded the bases, reaching home plate with a bath of Dubble Bubble gum from his teammates. Baseball was fun again, the losing streak over.

But there are still 12 games to go — 12 games for the Mets to prove themselves worthy of joining the postseason tournament.

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College football Power Rankings: Big wins and early breakout stars following Week 3

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September 15, 2025

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College football Power Rankings: Big wins and early breakout stars following Week 3

Sep 15, 2025, 07:30 AM ET

With three full weeks of action in the books and conference play underway, the 2025 college football landscape is taking shape and so is the sport’s new crop of breakout stars.

Big Ten powers Ohio State (Julian Sayin), Penn State (Trebor Pena) and Oregon (Dante Moore) all took care of business with help from their early standouts in Week 3. Georgia Tech toppled Clemson with help from Florida International transfer Eric Rivers. Georgia and Tennessee leaned on their new starting quarterbacks in an overtime classic at Neyland Stadium. And at Notre Dame, Texas A&M passer Marcel Reed and Mississippi State transfer receiver Mario Craver were the stars in the Aggies’ last-minute victory over the Irish.

Elsewhere, from LSU (Davhon Keys) to Miami (Carson Beck) to Missouri (Ahmad Hardy), college football’s breakout stars were on display this past weekend. Here’s our take on the Top 25 after Week 3. — Eli Lederman

Previous ranking: 1

Out of the Buckeyes’ running back by-committee approach, freshman Bo Jackson has emerged in a big way. The Cleveland native is averaging 12.1 yards per carry with 217 rushing yards, showing he has the potential to be Ohio State’s next great running back. Jackson didn’t get a carry in the season-opening win over Texas and figures to continue sharing carries with CJ Donaldson and James Peoples in the coming weeks. But if he keeps reeling off big plays — like his 64-yard scamper in Saturday’s 37-9 victory over the Ohio Bobcats — he will warrant more opportunities. — Jake Trotter

Previous ranking: 4

It was another ho-hum performance for Dan Lanning’s team as it traveled to Northwestern and didn’t let the Wildcats score until the fourth quarter in the 34-14 win that took them to 3-0. Though the Ducks remain balanced on offense, sophomore quarterback Dante Moore and freshman wideout Dakorien Moore deserve praise. Dakorien Moore has 144 receiving yards and a touchdown, and he is also averaging 16 yards per catch this season. A special chemistry is already brewing between the two young players who are supercharging the Ducks’ potent offense. As Dante Moore gets more comfortable in Will Stein’s offense throughout the season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dakorien Moore be his top target and Oregon’s leading wideout. — Paolo Uggetti

Previous ranking: 5

Coaches raved about true freshman receiver Malachi Toney all offseason, and through three games, it is easy to see why. Toney has been electric for a revamped receiver corps, leading Miami with 18 catches for 228 yards and a score. Coach Mario Cristobal has praised Toney for his approach, saying he practices and prepares like an NFL veteran. Toney has six catches in each of his first three games. He finished with 66 yards in a 49-12 win over South Florida on Saturday. True freshman Josh Moore had two touchdown catches in the win, also earning praise. Miami lost its top four receivers from a year ago, but with Toney, Moore and transfer CJ Daniels emerging, this group has not missed a beat. — Andrea Adelson

Previous ranking: 2

The Tigers got a big boost from sophomore Dashawn Spears, who grabbed his first two career interceptions against Florida QB DJ Lagway, and returned one 58 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers some breathing room in a 20-10 slugfest Saturday. The defense never let Lagway get comfortable, but the offense couldn’t take advantage of five interceptions, and Brian Kelly was fiery in his defense of his team’s style points. He has a point: If you have a championship-level defense, you don’t want to force your offense to make risky plays, so it’s a work in progress. But at the same time, 116 of the Tigers’ 322 yards came on two plays — a Caden Durham run on third-and-1, and a catch and run by tight end Bauer Sharp. Kelly knows the offensive line is struggling and wants quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to get rolling. But for now, the Tigers are leaning on the defense. — Dave Wilson

Previous ranking: 6

There were plenty of doubts about whether new quarterback Gunner Stockton had enough arm and willingness to throw the ball down the field, and he more than answered those questions in a 44-41 victory at Tennessee in overtime. Stockton completed 23 of 31 passes for 304 yards with 2 touchdowns and one more rushing. He showed plenty of toughness in the pocket, taking several shots as the Volunteers tried to bring heat in the second half. Stockton’s best throw of his short career came on fourth down with about 2 ½ minutes remaining, completing a 28-yard touchdown pass to London Humphreys that helped tie the score. Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Stockton grew up Saturday, and though he wants his quarterback to use his legs, he wants Stockton to keep his eyes down the field when he runs. — Mark Schlabach

Previous ranking: 12

The Aggies have teased us before, and were far from perfect at Notre Dame Stadium. But their talent and resilience showed in the most critical moments, and they have a new star in wide receiver Mario Craver. The 165-pound transfer from Mississippi State torched a celebrated Notre Dame secondary for 207 receiving yards on seven catches, including an 86-yard touchdown dash where he miraculously stayed along the sideline. Craver, who had 368 receiving yards last season in Starkville, Mississippi, has eclipsed 100 receiving yards in each of his first three games with the Aggies. Quarterback Marcel Reed also is quieting the doubts about his passing ability, as he averaged 21.2 yards per completion against Notre Dame. Defensive end Cashius Howell has anchored the pass rush with three sacks and four tackles for loss. — Adam Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 3

Tyler Warren, who broke tight end receiving records last season before becoming an All-American and first-round draft pick, is gone. But sophomore Luke Reynolds has stepped up in his place with a productive start to the season. After catching only nine passes in 2024, Reynolds already has 13 receptions for 142 yards through three games and seems to have a rapport with quarterback Drew Allar. After three easy wins against non-Power 4 competition, Penn State’s season really begins Sept. 27 when Oregon travels to State College. With Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the Nittany Lions already had a dynamite rushing attack. Reynolds’ emergence, combined with the strong start of transfer receivers Trebor Pena and Kyron Hudson, could give Allar what he needs in the passing game, too. — Trotter

Previous ranking: 9

Though the 2-0 Seminoles had an open date in Week 3, Earl Little Jr. has been the unquestioned leader on a revamped defense. Little transferred to the Seminoles last season from Alabama but played out of position for large swaths of the season. New defensive coordinator Tony White moved Little to the rover safety position, and it feels tailor-made for him. Little leads Florida State with 11 tackles, including a sack, and his physicality has set the tone. Perhaps White summed it up best when he recently said, “He is trying to hit somebody’s soul out of their body.” — Adelson

Previous ranking: 11

The Sooners traveled to Philadelphia for the second time in program history and notched a 39-point win at Temple. As Oklahoma works to identify a lead running back, it has freshman Tory Blaylock — ahead of Cal transfer Jaydn Ott and veteran Jovantae Barnes — making the case to lead the rushing attack in next weekend’s SEC opener against Auburn. ESPN’s No. 210 recruit in the 2025 class, Blaylock paced the Sooners with 100 yards and two rushing scores on a team-high 14 carries against the Owls. Linebacker-to-tight end convert Jaren Kanak has been a surprise volume target for transfer quarterback John Mateer, and Kanak hauled in another four passes for 86 yards at Temple. In the secondary, freshman Courtland Guillory made his third consecutive start Saturday and will face his toughest challenge yet against a talented Auburn wide receiver corps in Week 4. — Lederman

Previous ranking: 7

What to make of this Texas offense? Arch Manning‘s struggles continued this week, CJ Baxter left because of an injury on the first play of the game, and the Longhorns fans, starting to worry, booed their heroes at halftime. The Longhorns weren’t taking UTEP lightly, but they struggled to put up 341 total yards, just 114 of those passing, with Manning going 11-of-25 with a touchdown and an interception in the end zone. Ryan Wingo, who was expected to be a breakout star this year, caught his first touchdown of the season, but he has just nine catches for 97 yards in three games. The good news is, like LSU, the Longhorns’ defense is elite, allowing just four touchdowns this year. Texas gets one more tuneup against 0-3 Sam Houston before the SEC grind begins. — Wilson

Previous ranking: 13

Hank Beatty proved he can be an All-Big Ten performer as a return man last season, but the 5-foot-11, 185-pound wideout has taken his game to another level as a senior. Luke Altmyer‘s go-to receiver has 289 receiving yards on 19 catches and ranks third in the FBS in all-purpose yards with 466 through three games. Beatty caught his first touchdown pass of the year in Illinois’ 38-0 win over Western Michigan on Saturday — it was just the second of his career. He has already scored rushing and punt return touchdowns as well. NFL scouts are paying attention with big tests ahead against Indiana and USC. — Max Olson

Previous ranking: 18

The Rebels did an excellent job, as usual, at reloading on offense during portal season. Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy is proving he’s ready to be a true No. 1 back with 334 total yards and five TDs through three games, but it was Harrison Wallace III who stood out yet again in Ole Miss’ 41-35 win over Arkansas on Saturday. Wallace, who had just one 100-yard performance over his three seasons at Penn State, is thriving as the Rebels’ go-to receiver. After catching six passes for 92 yards and a TD to help beat the Razorbacks, Wallace ranks third in the FBS with 339 receiving yards. — Olson

Previous ranking: 10

Iowa State’s 24-16 win against Arkansas State wasn’t a performance that inspires optimism. It’s a win and the Cyclones get to move on, but to be in a competitive game with the Red Wolves late into the fourth quarter isn’t a sign of a team ready to win the Big 12. One bright spot was Carson Hansen, who set a career high with 116 yards rushing on 18 attempts (it was his first 100-yard game). But the offense needs more explosive plays as conference play ramps up this week against Arizona, which is 3-0. — Kyle Bonagura

Previous ranking: 17

The Utes have looked like a complete team this season, but after taking down Wyoming 31-6 Saturday, quarterback Devon Dampier is their obvious breakout player. The New Mexico transfer already has 826 all-purpose yards through three games, as well as eight total touchdowns. Dampier is completing 74% of his passes, averaging over 6 yards per carry and hasn’t turned the ball over. He has had a carry of at least 14 yards in each game and a completion of at least 24 yards in every contest. Dampier isn’t just running Utah’s offense; he is Utah’s offense. — Uggetti

Previous ranking: 20

Since a frustrating season opener against Florida State, Alabama’s Ty Simpson has completed 41 of 46 passes for 608 yards, seven touchdowns and no picks. He had 382 of those yards and four of those scores in a 38-14 win over Wisconsin on Saturday. It was 28-0 just 15 seconds into the second half after a 75-yard Simpson-to-Ryan Williams score. Bama shifted into cruise control from there. Williams finished with 5 catches for 165 and 2 scores, a breakout performance after a poor game against Florida State and a week in concussion protocol. The Crimson Tide defense allowed just 118 yards in the first three quarters and 209 for the game as Bray Hubbard picked off two passes, and four defenders had sacks. It was the second straight comprehensive blowout for Bama. — Bill Connelly

Previous ranking: 15

After losing their top three wide receivers from 2024, the Volunteers desperately needed someone to step up early this season. Former Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell II has more than answered the call so far. He caught 3 touchdowns on 6 catches for 177 yards against the Bulldogs, including TDs of 72 and 56 yards. Brazzell was the first UT receiver with more than 150 receiving yards in a game since Jalin Hyatt had 207 against Alabama in 2022. At 6-feet-5 and 200 pounds, Brazzell twice beat UGA defensive backs for 50/50 balls. He already has 20 catches for 364 yards with 5 scores in three games, and has been quarterback Joey Aguilar‘s most reliable option. Last season, Brazzell had 29 receptions for 333 yards with 2 scores. — Schlabach

Previous ranking: 21

Sophomore running back J’Koby Williams had more receiving yards (116) Saturday than his entire freshman year (100), including a 30-yard TD catch. The Red Raiders still haven’t allowed a point in the first three quarters of any game this season, led 45-0 through that point of this one, and put up 513 yards to Oregon State’s 282. The Red Raiders muddled through their second extended weather delay (90 minutes in the first game, 2½ hours in this one) in three games. Behren Morton lit up the Beavers for 442 yards and four TDs, and the Red Raiders are on fire rolling into Big 12 play, with a huge showdown Saturday at Utah. — Wilson

Previous ranking: NR

Brent Key said before Saturday’s game his team had grown tired of the underdog label. Yes, it has suited Georgia Tech, which now has seven wins as an underdog against ranked ACC foes under Key, but it’s a label that suggests low expectations. This team, he said, is ready for something bigger. The Yellow Jackets proved the point with a 24-21 win over Clemson in Week 3, riding Haynes King and Eric Rivers to a program-defining victory. Rivers, a transfer from Florida International, has quickly become a favorite target for King. He had three catches for 72 yards Saturday, and his downfield explosiveness has offered Georgia Tech an opportunity to force defenders out of the box, opening options in the run game, too. The Jackets’ next three games are against struggling teams — Temple, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech — giving King and the offense a chance to pad some stats and keep building a new narrative that Georgia Tech is a legitimate playoff contender. — David Hale

Previous ranking: 25

After rushing for 172 yards against Louisiana in 2024 when he was with UL Monroe, Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy topped himself Saturday, carrying 22 times for 250 yards and 3 scores in a 52-10 win. Mizzou rushed for 427 yards and scored TDs on five of its first six drives, and quarterback Beau Pribula (15-for-22 for 174 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT) didn’t have much to do. The Tigers’ defense gave up 84 yards on a long Zylan Perry touchdown run, but 35 other Ragin’ Cajun snaps netted just 37 yards as end Zion Young and linebacker Josiah Trotter each made a pair of tackles for loss. Mizzou was 9-for-13 on third down, Louisiana 1-for-11. Ahead of next week’s big SEC opener against South Carolina, this one was an easy tuneup. — Connelly

Previous ranking: 22

The Hoosiers dominated the final two games of an insipid nonleague schedule, and received breakout performances from outside their usual sources. After three players eclipsed 150 rushing yards during the first two contests, wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. grabbed the spotlight Friday in a 73-0 win against Indiana State, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and 4 touchdowns. He tied a team record for single-game touchdown receptions and became just the fifth Big Ten player to reach 200 receiving yards and four touchdowns in a game. Junior linebacker Isaiah Jones starred for Indiana’s defense with a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss, as the Hoosiers held Indiana State to five first downs and 77 total yards, and recorded their second-largest margin of victory in the AP Poll era. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 24

True freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood is living up to the hype. The former No. 1-ranked recruit in the country struggled in Michigan’s Week 2 loss at Oklahoma. But Underwood bounced back with a dominant performance in the Wolverines’ 63-3 victory Saturday over Central Michigan. He passed for 235 yards and rushed for 114, totaling 3 touchdowns while posting a sterling QBR of 97.1. Said interim coach Biff Poggi: “I have a Labrador retriever who could coach that guy.” Despite the loss in Norman, Underwood clearly has the talent to keep Michigan on the fringe of the playoff conversation. — Trotter

Previous ranking: NR

Quarterback Diego Pavia remains the face of Vanderbilt’s recent surge, injecting the team with swagger and belief, as well as excellent production (73.5% completions, 645 passing yards, 7 touchdowns). But others have contributed to the Commodores’ 3-0 start, including running backs Sedrick Alexander and Makhilyn Young, who are averaging a combined 6.5 yards per carry, and Jamezell Lassiter, who has scored on his first two carries of the season. Alexander has scored in each of the first three games for the second straight season. Senior linebacker Nick Rinaldi was solid last season, but already looks like one of the SEC’s best defenders with five tackles for loss and two sacks in the first three games. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: NR

South Alabama made Auburn put in a full shift, but the Tigers were never in serious danger, racing to an early 21-3 lead and eventually prevailing 31-15. Jackson Arnold was hit-or-miss in the passing game, completing 13 of 24 passes for 142 yards and a TD, but Jeremiah Cobb rushed for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Arnold staked out the early lead with two touchdown runs and an early TD pass to Cam Coleman. South Alabama put together three long drives in the second half but scored on only one of them, thanks to a fumble recovery by Xavier Atkins and a turnover on downs. The win moved the Tigers to 3-0 and set up an enormous visit to fellow unbeaten Oklahoma next Saturday. — Connelly

Previous ranking: 8

An 0-2 start might have removed Notre Dame from the CFP picture by mid-September, but there have been some individual bright spots. Eli Raridon looks like the next great Fighting Irish tight end, as he leads the team in receptions (9) and receiving yards (182) after recording just 16 total receptions in his first two college seasons. Jadarian Price continues to show that he’s an excellent complement to Jeremiyah Love, averaging 6.3 yards per carry despite limited opportunities in the first two games. Quarterback CJ Carr also has displayed tremendous promise for a young player, and had the highest passing total (293 yards) for a Notre Dame player making his first career home start since Terry Hanratty had 304 against Purdue in 1966. — Rittenberg

Previous ranking: 23

Let’s not try to read too much into a 42-21 win against Abilene Christian. TCU got its ticket sales, its easy win and moved on. This week’s game against SMU is much more interesting with the Iron Skillet up for grabs as coach Sonny Dykes goes up against his former program. It’s the last scheduled game in this rivalry (a shame), which adds to the stakes a bit as both teams wrap up nonconference play. — Bonagura

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