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.

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.

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