
College Football Power Rankings: Texas jumps to No. 3, Georgia drops 11 spots
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7 months agoon
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adminWhat a week it was for college football: There were numerous upsets, along with some very exciting endings for a couple of teams in our top 25.
After No. 3 Georgia took an early lead in the first quarter, No. 16 Ole Miss tied it up halfway through the first and kept that lead for the next three quarters, sending the Bulldogs home with their second conference loss of the season.
The Missouri Tigers pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback victory over Oklahoma, as we welcome them back to our list, along with Louisville and Tulane.
How did Saturday’s action affect our Power Rankings?
Here’s the latest top 25 from our college football experts, who provide their insight on each team’s Week 11 performance.
Previous ranking: 1
With only two games standing between the Ducks and an undefeated regular season after a 39-18 win over Maryland on Saturday, it’s difficult to see them falling out of the top 10 (let alone 25) even if they lose to either Wisconsin or Washington. The way Oregon is playing right now, no team has been able to match its level. The offense continues to get stronger behind quarterback Dillon Gabriel, while the defense remains as stingy as ever.
For the eighth game in a row, the Ducks scored 30 points or more while holding their opponent to fewer than 20. As the season has progressed, Dan Lanning’s team has only become more confident in its brand of football, and the results speak for themselves. During a season in which top teams are prone to losing on any given Saturday, Oregon has proved to be the opposite. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 3
Jeremiah Smith broke Cris Carter’s Ohio State true freshman receiving records, as the Buckeyes cruised to a 45-0 win over Purdue. Smith caught six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, propelling him past Carter’s 1984 mark for receptions and touchdown catches. Smith, who broke Carter’s receiving yards record the previous week, now has 45 catches for 765 yards and nine touchdowns.
Emeka Egbuka caught a touchdown as well against the Boilermakers, as he and Smith became the first FBS receiving duo to each haul in eight touchdowns this season. After struggling offensively two weeks ago against Nebraska, the Buckeyes, behind their revamped offensive line, are rolling again at the right time. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 5
The Longhorns have been stymied by a lack of explosive plays in recent weeks, but they found their groove against Florida. Quinn Ewers threw for 333 yards and five TDs in just over three quarters as the Longhorns blew out the Gators 49-17. Ewers became the third player in Texas history with five TDs and zero INTs while completing 70% of his throws in a game, joining Sam Ehlinger (2020 vs. UTEP) and James Brown (1994 vs. Baylor).
According to ESPN Research, Ewers entered Saturday averaging 5.4 air yards per attempt, ranking 122nd out of 123 FBS quarterbacks. But on Saturday, he averaged 8.7 air yards per throw, the most all season. A healthy Isaiah Bond returned after missing Texas’ win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 26 and made a difference: His 44-yard run on an end-around was the Longhorns’ longest in SEC play. He also caught three passes for 55 yards and a TD. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 9
The health of quarterback Nico Iamaleava looms large for the Volunteers with Tennessee chasing its first-ever playoff berth. The Volunteers rolled past Mississippi State Saturday, behind a career-best 149 rushing yards from Dylan Sampson, but the focus stayed on Iamaleava in the 33-14 victory after the second-year passer exited with an upper-body injury in the second quarter and did not return after halftime.
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel confirmed postgame that Iamaleava’s exit was a “cautionary measure,” telling reporters that he expects to have the former five-star passer back for the Volunteers’ Week 12 trip to Georgia next weekend. Sampson, the SEC’s leading rusher, helped Tennessee pull away from Mississippi State with his 33-yard, third-quarter score, and the junior running back was the key to the Volunteers’ 240-yard rushing effort, the program’s highest mark against an SEC opponent this fall. But Iamaleava’s status will remain the primary concern in Knoxville this week, particularly for an offense that has reached 30 points just once in SEC play. — Eli Lederman
Previous ranking: 6
The Hoosiers won their 10th game in a season for the first time in team history and improved to 10-0 overall after their first tight game of the season. The key is remaining in the College Football Playoff field until the very end. Indiana’s performance Nov. 23 at Ohio State ultimately will shape how many around the country will ultimately assess coach Curt Cignetti’s team. If the Hoosiers defend like they did Saturday against Michigan, allowing only one touchdown on a 34-yard drive and consistently stifling the run, they should hang with the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. If Indiana flat-lines on offense like it did in the second half against Michigan, when it produced only three points and 18 total yards, the Ohio State game likely will get ugly. Indiana needs to use its second open week to heal up and find the pass-run rhythm that helped the offense rise to No. 2 in scoring before Saturday’s struggles. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 8
The Nittany Lions’ path to CFP selection involves doing what they’ve done for most of coach James Franklin’s tenure — win the games they’re supposed to.
After another big-game disappointment last week against Ohio State, Penn State responded by pounding Washington 35-6 before a Whiteout crowd Saturday at Beaver Stadium. A Lions offense that did not score a touchdown against Ohio State had five Saturday, including on each of its first four possessions.
Do-it-all tight end Tyler Warren had two rushing touchdowns while Kaytron Allen had 98 rushing yards and a score and freshman Corey Smith recorded a 78-yard run, as Penn State started to show its big-play prowess again. If a defense that played well enough against Ohio State and held Washington to 193 yards continues to shine, Penn State should be punching its CFP ticket. The Lions close the regular season with Purdue (road), Minnesota (road) and Maryland (home). — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 7
Twice late in the fourth quarter against rival Utah on Saturday, it appeared the Cougars suffered their first defeat of the season. But on both occasions, there was a lifeline, giving BYU a chance to put together a last-minute drive to win on a 44-yard field goal, 22-21. With the win, BYU inches closer to locking up a spot in the Big 12 championship game and remains on course for a College Football Playoff appearance. The performance against Utah wasn’t convincing, but the Cougars will take the win after trailing 21-10 at halftime. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 13
The Crimson Tide have looked like a far more complete team in their past two games — big wins over Missouri (34-0) and LSU (42-13) and should be favored in their final three games against Mercer, Oklahoma and Auburn. Alabama will need to keep building off its recent improvements, starting with its defense. After giving up way too many explosive plays earlier in the year, Alabama has given up a total of 13 points in its past two games.
The longest completion Garrett Nussmeier had on Saturday night was for 28 yards. The Tide also continues to be aggressive in taking away the ball, with five interceptions in the past two games. Meanwhile, the running game has shown up in a big way in the past two wins, as the Tide have rushed for over 200 yards in each game. Jalen Milroe has been a key reason. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 4
Miami’s defense had been a disaster waiting to happen for much of the season, and the dam finally broke against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets ran for 271 yards and converted 9 of 14 third-down tries, while chewing up clock in a 28-23 win. Cam Ward and Miami’s offense couldn’t stay on the field (3-of-10 on third down, 1-of-4 on fourth) and Ward fumbled away a chance at a come-from-behind win late. Where does this leave the Canes? Right about where they started. They’re still the favorite to win the ACC, still in line for a top-four seed in the playoff, and still with big questions about whether the defense can get enough stops to allow Ward to work his magic. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 14
The Rebels and Lane Kiffin were looking for their first “signature” win of the season and really of Kiffin’s tenure in Oxford. They got it thanks to a 28-10 beatdown Saturday of Georgia in a game that was never close. What was most impressive about the win for Ole Miss (8-2, 4-2) was the way it controlled the line of scrimmage and relentlessly pressured Georgia quarterback Carson Beck.
The Rebels are playing their best football and have won three straight games by double digits. They lost a tough overtime game to LSU last month and blew a home game to Kentucky in September, but the win over Georgia puts Ole Miss right back into the playoff race. The Rebels also get a week off before traveling to face Florida on Nov. 23, which should help them get star receiver Tre Harris III back from an injury. — Chris Low
Previous ranking: 10
The Irish have not been tested since they played Louisville at the end of September, having beaten their past four opponents handily – including hapless Florida State 52-3 on Saturday night. Notre Dame has relied on a strong running game to power through to victories, but if there is one area where it has to improve to not only stay ranked but have a shot in the playoff is the passing game. Riley Leonard has not had to do much here – he actually leads the team in rushing – but in the only loss of the season to Northern Illinois, he struggled and threw two interceptions. On the season, he only has nine touchdown passes, and only twice in nine games has the longest completion of the game been more than 40 yards. — Adelson
Previous ranking: 11
It might be simple, but the Broncos’ strategy for success this season remains the same: give the ball to Ashton Jeanty and get out of the way. On Saturday against Nevada, Boise State found itself in a game where they needed more than the norm from Jeanty and he delivered. On 33 carries, Jeanty ran for 209 yards and added three more rushing touchdowns to his season tally (now at 23) on his way to leading No. 12 Boise to a 28-21 victory.
Every win counts for Boise, whose only loss is to Oregon at Autzen, as it tries not only to make the College Football Playoff, but perhaps secure a first-round bye. Getting the 12th spot in the first rankings bodes well for the perception of the Broncos as a team that nearly took down one of the remaining undefeated top teams in the country and belongs in the playoff. The margin of error is slim for a Group of 5 team and Boise can’t lose another game. But should the Broncos simply keep giving the ball to Jeanty, good things will ensue. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 2
All of a sudden, Georgia has two SEC losses after Saturday’s 28-10 setback to Ole Miss on the road, and the Bulldogs (7-2, 5-2) have another tough game looming this coming weekend against Tennessee at home. SEC teams have beaten up on each other this season, so Georgia is still very much in the playoff picture, especially with the road win at Texas last month. What was so alarming about the loss to Ole Miss was the way Georgia was beaten up physically on the line of scrimmage. The Bulldogs couldn’t protect quarterback Carson Beck, who was sacked five times.
The other recurring issue is that Beck continues to turn the ball over. He has had multiple turnovers in five of his past six games. The Bulldogs don’t have the playmakers at the skill positions they’ve had on offense in recent seasons when they were in the midst of a 29-game winning streak. More of the pressure has been on Beck. Kirby Smart’s teams have almost always responded to adversity. Their backs are to the wall now. Another loss would likely kill their playoff chances. — Low
Previous ranking: 12
Staring down end-of-season matchups with Boston College, Virginia and Cal with their highest CFP ranking in program history, the Mustangs simply need to hold serve down the stretch.
SMU was off Saturday following its 48-25 rout of Pitt in Week 10. And given that the Mustangs’ lone loss came in September to unbeaten BYU, perhaps no program should have felt more snubbed by the committee’s initial playoff rankings than 8-1 SMU, which came in at No. 13 earlier this week, two spots behind two-loss Alabama.
But the Mustangs have figured out how to move the ball (446.1 yards per game) and they’re stopping the run as well as any team across the county this fall (90.0 opposing rushing yards per game). With the ACC’s eighth-toughest remaining schedule, SMU has a clear path to the ACC title game and playoff contention all the way to championship weekend if it can handle its business over the next three Saturdays. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 17
Army extended its nation’s-best 13-game winning streak with a 14-3 defeat of North Texas in Denton on Saturday. After missing last week’s game with injury, Army quarterback Bryson Daily was sharp, rushing for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while the Black Knights’ defense held UNT to 283 total yards and two turnovers.
With Daily hobbled, Army has proven it can win without 100% explosiveness on offense, but the Black Knights’ season will come down to whether or not they can take down Notre Dame in two weeks. Win, and they could zoom past Boise State in the College Football Playoff rankings; lose, and they’ll likely fall just short. Pulling an upset will likely come down to whether Daily is sharp, as he was on Saturday night, or downright awesome, as he has been for most of 2024. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 19
After falling behind 13-0 in the first quarter to Texas Tech, Colorado roared back to win, 41-27, behind another big game from quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Sanders completed 30 of 43 passes for 291 yards with three touchdowns as the Buffaloes overcame a poor night running the ball (they rushed for 60 yards on 27 carries). Next week’s game against Utah should provide a good test for the offense as the two former Pac-12 schools meet in Boulder. With four two-loss teams behind CU in the Big 12 standings, it has no margin for error the rest of the way. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 15
After their best (a 15-point win over LSU) and worst (a 24-point loss to South Carolina) performances of the season, Texas A&M regrouped with a bye in Week 11. At 14th in the College Football Playoff rankings, the Aggies are in solid shape as far as the playoff is concerned, but they’ll have to win out to make it, which will require defeating Texas in Week 14. The most important thing they needed to search for in their off week is explosiveness.
Opponents make more big plays than they do — 6.2% of their snaps have gained 20-plus yards (92nd in FBS), while 6.8% of opponents’ plays gain that much (78th) — and when that’s the case it forces you to dominate from the perspective of efficiency and turnovers. South Carolina pulled away with big plays, and it can’t happen again over the final three weeks. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 21
The Cougars’ 49-28 win against Utah State was never in jeopardy as they improved to 8-1, and with New Mexico, Oregon State and Wyoming remaining on the schedule, things are falling into place for their first 11-win regular season in school history. QB John Mateer had an efficient night against the Aggies, completing 18 of 24 passes for 179 yards and four touchdowns.
Wayshawn Parker led the Cougars with 149 yards rushing on 11 carries as the Cougs rushed 303 yards as a team on 45 attempts. Their strength of schedule will likely prevent the Cougars from being a serious contender for a playoff spot, but it has been an impressive season, either way, for the Cougars as they’ve navigated the collapse of the Pac-12. — Bonagura
Previous ranking: 20
At halftime against Virginia Tech, Clemson was scoreless and trailing by a touchdown thanks to yet another blocked kick. It might’ve been a recipe for disaster, but Cade Klubnik finally found a spark in the second half, finishing the game by throwing for 211 yards and three touchdowns.
Phil Mafah ran for 128 yards, too, and the defense — much maligned after a dismal performance against Louisville — put together its best game of the year, holding the Hokies to just 40 yards rushing in a 24-14 win. The Tigers are playing to an inside straight, but with Miami’s Week 11 loss, the door is still cracked open for Clemson to make a run at the ACC title game. — Hale
Previous ranking: 24
South Carolina remained one of the hottest teams in college football with a 28-7 win over Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Gamecocks’ defense completely shut down Diego Pavia and the Commodores’ offense, allowing just 274 total yards, while both quarterback LaNorris Sellers (17 yards per completion) and Raheim Sanders (8.4 yards per carry) provided more than enough big plays to cruise to an easy win.
Since a frustrating 27-3 loss to Ole Miss in Week 6, South Carolina has been fantastic, nearly beating Alabama in Tuscaloosa and then winning three SEC games in a row by an average score of 36-12. To keep up this hot streak in upcoming games against Missouri and Clemson, the Gamecocks will have to keep making big plays on offense. The defense is disruptive and fun, but the offense is inconsistent and relatively inefficient. Keep showing signs of consistency, and they’ll have a shot at a 9-3 finish. — Connelly
Previous ranking: NR
Louisville is coming off a bye week and its remaining schedule is setting up nicely for a strong finish to get to 9-3. A road trip out to face Stanford – yes, Cardinal vs. Cardinals – is up next followed by games against Pittsburgh and Kentucky, which are both struggling at the moment. It’s tough to see a path to the conference title game, barring an extreme amount of chaos in the league race. But this team has an opportunity to achieve another 10-win season and continue building momentum to become a serious ACC contender year after year. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 23
The Wildcats had the week off, but have been focused on rekindling their rushing attack. In an upset loss at Houston in the rain, Kansas State could not get its ground game going against a solid defense, rushing for 89 yards, fewest this season. Junior DJ Giddens had just 50 yards in that game, averaged 2.9 yards per carry, and had a long of 10 yards, an all season low. In the season’s first six games, he had four 100-yard games, including topping 180 against Colorado and Oklahoma State. But in the two games before Houston, he rushed for 57 against West Virginia and 102 (with a 54-yard run) against Kansas. Arizona State up next, allows 3.6 yards per carry, so this will be another test for the Wildcats. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 16
Brian Kelly repeatedly said after a 42-13 loss to Alabama that he has to do a better job getting his team ready to play, and that has to start on defense, where the Tigers have been unable to slow down running quarterbacks in their past two games – losses that have all but eliminated their playoff hopes. So making improvements defensively is where the Tigers have to start if they want to remain ranked in the Top 25 with games left against Florida, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.
What has to be particularly frustrating for Kelly is the fact he overhauled his defensive staff in the offseason in an effort to improve the defense. But the same issues keep cropping up for a unit that has struggled to shut teams down. Though Garrett Nussmeier has had a good season, LSU has been unable to run the ball consistently and his mistakes have piled up. The Tigers have six turnovers in their past two games. — Adelson
Previous ranking: NR
The Tigers maintained their spot in the top 25 through Zion Young‘s scoop and score with 17 seconds remaining Saturday night, one of four touchdowns in the final 3:18 of Missouri’s 30-23 win over Oklahoma. The narrow victory came without starting quarterback Brady Cook, and despite Drew Pyne‘s second-half heroics, it’s clear that the Tigers will need Cook back under center in order to close strong this fall ahead of a final stretch that features trips to South Carolina and Mississippi State before a home finale with Arkansas.
If Cook can get healthy — along with Nate Noel, Mookie Cooper and Cayden Green — Missouri should have the firepower it needs to secure back-to-back 10-win seasons for only the third time in program history. — Lederman
Previous ranking: NR
Coach Jon Sumrall’s team isn’t generating as much attention as other Group of 5 CFP contenders, but none has been as consistently dominant since entering conference play as the Green Wave. After shellacking Temple52-6 on Saturday, Tulane has outscored its past seven opponents by a combined score of (312-119) during its win streak. Sumrall’s teams are known for defense and Tulane has really clamped down, allowing 10 points or fewer in three of its past five games.
To remain comfortably in the top 25 and on the fringes of CFP contention, Tulane simply must maintain its trajectory, as it prepares to face its two toughest AAC opponents in Navy (Nov. 16) and Memphis (Nov. 28). Makhi Hughes, who had 153 rushing yards and two touchdowns against Temple, is one of the nation’s most consistently productive running backs, and quarterback Darian Mensah continues to connect with Mario Williams and others. — Rittenberg
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Sports
Panthers win Game 5, move on to Cup Final: Grades, takeaways for both teams
Published
6 hours agoon
May 29, 2025By
admin
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
May 28, 2025, 11:30 PM ET
Just when it looked as if the Carolina Hurricanes were going to force a Game 6 after scoring a pair of first-period goals, the Florida Panthers scored the three in the second. And when it looked as if the Hurricanes were going to at least force overtime with a third-period goal from Seth Jarvis? That’s when the defending Stanley Cup champions put an end to the discussion, with captain Aleksander Barkov using his strength to fend off Dmitry Orlov to set up Carter Verhaeghe for the series-clinching goal in their 5-3 win Wednesday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Returning to the Stanley Cup Final to defend their crown is only the start for the Panthers. This is now the 11th time in the past 12 years in which a Sun Belt team has played in the Stanley Cup Final, a distinction that began in 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings and was interrupted in 2019 when the Boston Bruins faced the St. Louis Blues.
Also, a team from Florida (the Tampa Bay Lightning is the other) has won the East in six straight seasons, which is also the same length of the current streak of Sun Belt teams to reach the Cup Final. Furthermore, the Panthers are also the third South Florida professional team to reach the title game or title series in their respective sport for three straight years, joining the Miami Dolphins from 1971 to 1973 and the Miami Heat from 2010 to 2014.
Although they avoided being swept, the Hurricanes were eliminated in the conference finals for the second time in the past three seasons. They’ll now enter an offseason in which they’ll face questions about their roster, and what must be done to get beyond the penultimate round of the playoffs.
Ryan S. Clark and Kristen Shilton look back at what happened in Game 5, along with what lies ahead for each franchise.
Florida was well-positioned for a victory Wednesday. The Panthers had their injured skaters back — Sam Reinhart, Niko Mikkola and A.J. Greer had all been impact players in some form — and they should have added a spark. But it didn’t look as if the Panthers were benefiting from their return early, as the team looked slow out of the gate. Gustav Forsling‘s turnover sent Sebastian Aho on a breakaway that he turned into a 1-0 lead for Carolina.
Florida also couldn’t capitalize on its power plays, which was not great — especially considering Aho’s second goal of the period gave the Hurricanes a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes.
But then the Panthers did what they do best: pounce. Matthew Tkachuk‘s power-play goal cut the deficit in half and Evan Rodrigues had the score tied 30 seconds later. Then it was Anton Lundell giving Florida the lead. That’s just how the Panthers roll — deep. Rodrigues was the Panthers’ 19th different goal scorer in the postseason.
Even though Sergei Bobrovsky looked shakier than usual in the first period, he responded with a strong finish through the final 40 minutes. And Florida’s penalty kill stepped up to stifle the Hurricanes’ power play (which was 0-for-4). The Panthers tightened up and stayed that way through the third period to deny Carolina a chance to force a Game 6.
Florida was not flawless — giving up a goal to Jarvis midway through the third was a bad look — but Verhaeghe scored the winner (off a brilliant assist from Barkov) to make Florida’s just-enough effort sufficient to snuff out the Hurricanes’ flame. And Sam Bennett‘s empty-netter ensured it was three straight Eastern Conference titles for the Panthers. — Shilton
0:53
Verhaeghe puts Panthers back in front
Carter Verhaeghe fires home a big-time goal to give the Panthers a lead late in the third period.
Everything the Canes did in the first period of Game 5 was an extension of how they operated in Game 4. They had a plan, and it was a course of action that saw them take advantage of mistakes such as the ones that led to Aho scoring the goals that staked Carolina to its 2-0 lead. There was something else too, specifically in the way the Hurricanes defended themselves in the midst of a scrum with about five minutes left that showed a fight that wasn’t always seen in the series.
A two-goal lead after one period for a team that was 6-0 this postseason when they scored first was a good sign. The Hurricanes’ defensive identity carried over from their season-saving Game 4 performance. It was enough to suggest for at least an intermission that a Game 6 could be in play. Then came the quick back-to-back goals from Tkachuk and Rodrigues in the second period before Lundell scored a little more than four minutes later to put Carolina behind.
Those goals — coupled with the fact the Panthers limited the Hurricanes to only two shots on goal in the first 10 minutes of the final period — initially made it seem as if the series was over. That’s until Jarvis scored a tying goal and reignited some pushback from the Canes. Or rather, it did until Barkov showed what makes him one of the game’s premier players by holding off Orlov and creating the space to set up Verhaeghe for the winning goal. — Clark
Big questions
Can the Panthers use rest as a refresher?
Florida hasn’t had consecutive days off at this point since early in their second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. And the Panthers are ailing to some degree. All those injured skaters clearly aren’t fully healthy; Eetu Luostarinen left Wednesday’s game after a cross-check from William Carrier, and you know plenty of guys who have been in the lineup every night are craving some downtime.
The Panthers have an opportunity to breathe and reboot after a long string of games, and that could be invaluable in how they show up to the Cup Final. They could know their next opponent as soon as Thursday, but it might also be a few more days before the Western Conference finals is settled.
Florida will have a slight edge either way in the rest department, and capitalizing on it could be a game-changer. The Panthers remember the toll it takes on the body to travel long distances (like from Fort Lauderdale to Edmonton?) in a Final. It’s critical to take advantage of, well, every advantage. Even if it means being Dallas Stars fans for a spell — and hoping the two potential foes can tire each other out for another few games. — Shilton
How aggressive are the Canes going to get this summer, knowing next year might be their strongest chance to strike?
Possessing more than $28 million in cap space, per PuckPedia, presents the idea that the Hurricanes could be a major player in free agency. It’s a level of flexibility that championship contenders covet because it’s so hard to attain once they have several members of their core under long-term contracts.
That’s a problem the Hurricanes don’t have — at least not yet.
They have seven players signed to deals longer than three seasons. It’s a group that includes core members such as Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jaccob Slavin, Andrei Svechnikov, Aho and Jarvis. But there are considerations to make given that Jackson Blake, Scott Morrow, Alexander Nikishin and Logan Stankoven are all going to be pending restricted free agents after the 2025-26 season, who will then be in need of new deals.
Though there’s a need for the Hurricanes to try to win now, this is also a franchise that has made a point of building large portions of its roster through the draft. Now, the Canes must balance an approach that has allowed them to be a championship contender with one that sees them take the next step, and that will dictate how their front office handles this offseason. — Clark
Sports
The 5 most astounding stats behind the 100-game stretch when the Tigers have ruled MLB
Published
7 hours agoon
May 29, 2025By
admin
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David SchoenfieldMay 28, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Close- Covers MLB for ESPN.com
- Former deputy editor of Page 2
- Been with ESPN.com since 1995
The Detroit Tigers were going nowhere on Aug. 10, 2024, headed for another losing season, which would have been their eighth in a row, and their 10th consecutive non-playoff season. They were 55-63, 10 games out of the third wild-card spot and behind five other teams in the wild-card standings. They had dealt starting pitcher Jack Flaherty at the July trade deadline, and their lineup in a 3-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants that day featured Akil Baddoo batting leadoff (hitting .125), Gio Urshela at cleanup (.605 OPS) and Bligh Madris playing first base and batting fifth (career OPS in the majors of .560). The bottom four hitters all finished the game hitting under .200.
FanGraphs pegged Detroit’s playoff odds at 0.2%, which seemed generous.
The Tigers won the next day, beating the Giants 5-4. Maybe the biggest win of their season came on Aug. 15, though, when Javier Baez hit a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning off tough Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz to lift the Tigers to a 2-1 victory. The Tigers would go on to an improbable 31-13 run to finish the season at 86-76 and capture a wild card — one win more than Seattle — before eventually being eliminated in the American League Division Series.
The winning has carried over into 2025 as the Tigers are 36-20, the best record in the American League. Tuesday was their 100th game since the transformation began Aug. 11, and they have the best record in the majors since that date:
Detroit Tigers: 67-33, .670
Los Angeles Dodgers: 64-36, .640
New York Mets: 62-38, .620
Philadelphia Phillies: 61-38, .616
What has led to this dominance? Let’s break down some of the numbers behind Detroit’s astounding turnaround over the past 100 games.
1. Tarik Skubal is 10-2 with a 2.22 ERA, 149 strikeouts and just 14 walks
The 2024 AL Cy Young winner dominated down the stretch in 2024 and has apparently raised his game to an even higher level. This season, Skubal boasts a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 92-to-7, or 13.14 K’s for every walk — which would be the best ever for a qualified pitcher:
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Skubal, 2025: 13.14
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Phil Hughes, 2014: 11.63
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Bret Saberhagen, 1994: 11.00
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Cliff Lee, 2010: 10.28
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Curt Schilling, 2002: 9.58
Skubal shut out the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, allowing just two hits and striking out 13, registering a game score of 96, the highest game score since Domingo German also scored a 96 in his perfect game in 2023. Skubal’s final pitch: a blazing 102.6 mph fastball to strike out Gabriel Arias, the fastest strikeout pitch by a starting pitcher of the pitch-tracking era.
That pitch capped a historic performance for Skubal. Not only was it his first career complete game, but he did it throwing just 94 pitches. A shutout with fewer than 100 pitches is known as a Maddux, in honor of Hall of Famer and king of efficiency Greg Maddux (who had 13 Madduxes in his career). But Maddux never had a game quite like this one: Since pitch counts began in 1988, Skubal is the first pitcher to throw a shutout with fewer than 100 pitches and at least 13 strikeouts.
As he walked out to the mound for the ninth inning, he received a standing ovation from the home crowd chanting his name.
“Little teary-eyed out there, honestly, before the inning started,” Skubal said after the game. “It was pretty cool. I just thought to myself 12-year-old me wouldn’t believe that was an opportunity to have the fan base support you the way it does and be in that moment.”
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt called him the best pitcher in baseball. It’s hard to argue with that description.
2. A major-league-leading 2.78 bullpen ERA
Let’s break down the Tigers’ relief pitching over the past two seasons:
Start of 2024 season through Aug. 10: 4.16 ERA (20th in majors)
Aug. 11 to end of season: 2.35 ERA (second in majors)
2025: 3.31 ERA (seventh in majors)
The bullpen hasn’t been quite as dominant as it was those final seven weeks of 2024, but it has been effective enough. Manager A.J. Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter deserve a lot of credit for mixing and matching here. Changeup specialist Tommy Kahnle, signed as a free agent, has split closer duties with Will Vest, with Kahnle recording six saves and the hard-throwing Vest locking up four wins and seven saves.
This has been the result of necessity more than some master plan. Jason Foley led the team with 28 saves in 2024 but was sent down to Triple-A to begin this season after struggling in spring training. In mid-April, Foley talked to the Detroit News about his shock and frustration in getting sent down, but after allowing one hit over 6⅔ scoreless innings in five games for Toledo, Foley was placed on the injured list before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this month.
This could be an area in which the Tigers eventually look to add some depth. Kahnle has succeeded in throwing changeups 84% of the time but also hasn’t pitched 50 innings in a season since 2019. Beau Brieske had a 3.18 ERA a season ago as a reliever but is at 5.29 in 2025 with just 12 strikeouts in 17 innings. Overall, the pen ranks just 22nd in the majors in strikeout rate, so it is more of a pitch-to-contact pen.
3. A .726 OPS that ranks top 10 in the majors
Let’s break this down into the same three splits:
Start of 2024 season through Aug. 10: .674 OPS (27th in majors, 4.12 runs per game)
Aug. 11 to end of season: .714 OPS (13th in majors, 4.45 runs per game)
2025: .736 OPS (eighth in majors, 5.07 runs per game)
For the first four-plus months of 2024, the Detroit offense was bad — much like it had been for each season since 2017. In those years, the Tigers ranked 10th or worse in the AL in runs, consistently ranking near the bottom in both on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The offense perked up down the hot stretch to finish 2024 but has been even better this season — Detroit last averaged at least 5.0 runs per game for an entire season in 2008.
The Tigers have also improved their OBP from .300 last season to .325 so far in 2025. Two keys here: Free agent Gleyber Torres and 2020 No. 1 pick Spencer Torkelson. Torres, signed to a one-year, $15 million contract, has a .380 OBP, well above his career mark of .334 entering the season. There’s reason to believe he might keep this going as he ranks in the 99th percentile in chase rate, continuing a two-year improvement from a 25.9% chase rate in 2023 to 21.4% in 2024 to 16.0% in 2025. That has helped him to more walks than strikeouts and a solid .277 average.
Torkelson, meanwhile, is hitting .238/.351/.513 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs — a big improvement from last year’s .219/.295/.374 line that led to a two-month demotion to Triple-A. He hit 31 home runs in 2023, so he has produced power numbers before, but this time he’s doing it with fewer strikeouts and more walks. His timing has been better, especially as he has pulled more balls in the air (and fewer on the ground). His defensive metrics are also much improved. So far, this is a much better player than we saw even in 2023, let alone 2024.
4. Javier Baez is hitting .280/.315/.459 in 2025
Hinch has done a terrific job of mixing up his lineups, especially since Matt Vierling, who was second to Riley Greene in WAR among position players in 2024, just returned for his first action of 2025. The Tigers have also been without outfielders Parker Meadows and Wenceel Perez all season. With Vierling and Meadows both injured, they were left without a center fielder. The initial plan featured light-hitting infielder Ryan Kreidler plus a little Greene, but Kreidler didn’t hit and Greene is best suited for a corner position.
So the Tigers got creative — with Baez, of all players. Despite that key home run against the Mariners, Baez was one of the worst players in the majors in 2024, hitting .184/.221/.294 with minus-1.1 WAR. They made their late run last year mostly without Baez, who played his last game on Aug. 22. With three years and $73 million left on his contract and the Tigers looking to give the shortstop job to rookie Trey Sweeney, they appeared stuck with one utility infielder on an expensive contract.
After working out in center field in spring training, Baez got his first start there April 22.
“One of the things that Javy has always been invested in is winning,” Hinch said at the time. “And he asked what he needed to do to help this team win. You can go to adjustments at the plate, play clean defense, the baserunning that he brings. But the reality is, the biggest message was: We’re going to need you at multiple positions. And he was all-in, and I think he’s taken it in stride because he saw that our team was winning.”
Baez’s offense had gone downhill in his three seasons with the Tigers, so he’s finally producing at the plate for the first time since 2021. His defense in center has been more than acceptable. Can he keep it going? Probably not. He’s the same ultra-aggressive hitter, with a chase rate that’s still over 40%. His hard-hit rates remain well below where they were during his best seasons with the Chicago Cubs. Meadows has just started a rehab assignment and will likely take over in center when he returns, but Baez has at least shown he can help out as a utility player.
Throw in Vierling — another player who can play all over the field — and suddenly Detroit’s lineup is not only versatile, but deep from one to nine with a good bench.
5. Casey Mize and Jackson Jobe are a combined 10-2 with a 3.23 ERA in 2025
The continued success of Mize and Jobe might be the key to whether the Tigers run away in the AL Central and keep this win pace going over 162 games. Mize is 6-1 with a 2.45 ERA but has a 3.90 FIP, as he has allowed a .215 average and .255 OBP despite averaging a below-average 7.7 K’s per nine innings. Jobe is 4-1 with a 4.03 ERA but a 5.02 FIP as he has a poor 35-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Despite the difference between their ERA and FIP, there is reason to believe in both pitchers. In Mize’s case, he throws strikes (with just 10 walks in nine starts), and his expected stats show a .208 average and .369 slugging percentage, almost a perfect match for his actual results — so he has done a good job of limiting hard contact and inducing an above-average groundball rate.
For Jobe, it’s all about projection improvement. We’ve seen that in his past three starts, as the highly rated rookie starter induced a few more swing-and-misses — 14, 11 and 11, respectively, after not reaching double figures in his first six starts. His changeup has been effective, giving him a nice weapon against left-handed batters. The issue is that his four-seam fastball, while averaging 96.6 mph, doesn’t miss a lot of bats. Since he doesn’t get much extension in his delivery, his “effective” velocity is just 93.0 mph, so it plays down a bit despite a fairly high spin rate (81st percentile). Bottom line: He’s nine starts into his career and has shown the potential that made him a top prospect.
And the bottom line for the Tigers overall? They’re clearly for real, with improved offensive depth, a dominant No. 1 starter and a top manager who knows how to use his roster. Detroit also has a strong farm system — No. 3 on ESPN’s preseason ranking — that will allow it to be one of the teams most likely to add significant help at the trade deadline.
The Tigers haven’t won 100 games since 1984, which happens to be the last time they won the World Series. This team has the roster to make you believe both of those things could happen again in 2025.
Sports
Panthers to Cup Final: ‘This year, it’s all business’
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7 hours agoon
May 29, 2025By
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Greg WyshynskiMay 28, 2025, 11:10 PM ET
Close- Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
RALEIGH, N.C. — For the Carolina Hurricanes, it was a Game 5 loss in the Eastern Conference final that ended their season. For the Florida Panthers, it was Wednesday.
The Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final with a 5-3 victory that saw them rally from a 2-0 first-period deficit, have Carter Verhaeghe score the game-winning goal with 7:39 left in regulation, and kill off a Hurricanes power play with three minutes left and Carolina’s goalie pulled.
It was a thrilling and intense playoff game, one that coach Paul Maurice said had “all the elements that make our sport great.” But the celebration was business as usual for the defending Stanley Cup champions.
They congratulated goalie Sergei Bobrovsky but bypassed any raucous on-ice jubilation. The most celebratory thing the Panthers did was wear their conference champion hats — although Verhaeghe joked that if they were to win a fourth straight conference title next season, they might just keep their helmets on.
“I remember a few years ago it felt like such an accomplishment,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said. “This year, it’s all business.”
The Panthers also refused to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy for the second straight season after lifting it in 2023. They lost in the Stanley Cup Final that year to the Vegas Golden Knights, before defeating the Edmonton Oilers for their first Cup in 2024.
“I mean, last year it worked. So this year, same thing,” captain Aleksander Barkov said. “This is the place you want to be as a hockey player. You want to play for the Stanley Cup, and once again, we’re here third year in a row. That’s a great achievement, but we all know we’re here to win the bigger things.”
The Panthers’ business-like mindset helped them overcome a disastrous start to the game that saw Carolina take a 2-0 lead on a pair of Sebastian Aho goals. Carolina was 6-0 in the postseason when scoring first, having done so in Game 4 to push the series back to Raleigh.
“They’re all over us and we’re serving up pizzas. We don’t look like we should have made the playoffs. And then the next thing you know, we look pretty good,” Maurice said.
Carolina couldn’t capitalize on an early second-period power play to extend the lead and then watched center Jesperi Kotkaniemi take an ill-advised offensive zone holding penalty behind the play. Tkachuk tipped home an Aaron Ekblad shot just 16 seconds into the ensuing power play to cut the lead in half. It was the Panthers’ first power-play goal in 11 opportunities over the past three games.
As usual with the Panthers, one goal led to multiple goals. Evan Rodrigues scored his first of the playoffs 30 seconds after Tkachuk’s tally. Tkachuk fed the puck to Sam Bennett while taking a hit along the boards near the benches. Rodrigues got inside Carolina rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin to poke the puck through Frederik Andersen to tie the game.
“The message in between periods was just that if we got one, we felt pretty good that we had a good chance of coming back,” said Rodrigues, who was moved back to a line with Tkachuk and Bennett during the game. “There was no stress. The room wasn’t quiet. It was, ‘Get one and see where this takes us.'”
It took Florida to its first lead of the game. Just 4:06 after Rodrigues’ goal, center Anton Lundell got inside position on Aho to give Brad Marchand a target with his pass from the wing. Lundell tipped it home, and the Panthers were up 3-2.
“We’re comfortable in these situations. When you’ve been through it before and you’ve gone all the way, you see the different way that momentum swings can happen throughout a game and how you can take advantage of that,” Marchand said. “Even when they got that goal in the third, it didn’t phase us at all. We just kept pushing.”
The Hurricanes got the break they needed at 8:30 of the third period. Both Gustav Forsling and Sam Reinhart failed to clear the puck, and a great forecheck by Andrei Svechnikov sent a bouncing disc to an on-rushing Seth Jarvis, who flipped the puck past Bobrovsky to tie the game 3-3 and reignite the crowd.
But the Florida captain made his best offensive play of the series. Barkov held the puck in the attacking zone with Carolina defenseman Dmitry Orlov all over him. He deked around forward Eric Robinson and slid the puck to Verhaeghe, who did what he does best in the playoffs: Score the game-winning goal.
It was Verhaeghe’s 12th career game-winning goal in the playoffs, twice as many as the next-closest player in Panthers history (Tkachuk with six). It was the third series-clinching goal of his career.
“He’s got that clutch gene. Big goals at big times. It’s who he is,” Rodrigues said.
“Great goal, huge goal. Eastern Conference winning goal, so pretty big deal there,” said Tkachuk.
But the Panthers still needed a little bit more heroism, this time from their penalty kill. Bennett took a slashing penalty with three minutes left and Florida leading 4-3. The Panthers PK, led by Bobrovsky, managed to keep the puck out of the net with Carolina having pulled Andersen, until Bennett emerged from the penalty box to score the clinching goal.
The Hurricanes’ power play went 0-for-6 in the game.
“That was the killer. When you look back on this game, that’ll be a couple of lost moments for sure,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said.
Bobrovsky, who made 20 saves, said it’s a “privilege” to be back in the Stanley Cup Final for a third straight season.
“We appreciate that and we value that. But again, the most important step is ahead of us. It’s going to be a challenge,” he said.
The Panthers will await the winner of the Western Conference, where the Edmonton Oilers have a 3-1 series lead on the Dallas Stars. Whoever they face, the series will begin on the road — which might be exactly where Florida wants to be.
The Panthers have won five straight games on the road, outscoring opponents 27-7 and scoring at least five goals in each game.
In series-clinching opportunities in this postseason, the Panthers are now 0-2 at home and 3-0 on the road. The Panthers join the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins as the only teams to go winless in multiple home clinching opportunities en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. Since the Stanley Cup playoffs expanded to four full rounds in 1980, there have been four teams to win the Stanley Cup without clinching any series on their home ice.
Wherever and whenever they start the next round, it’ll be business as usual for the Panthers.
“It was really different two years ago. It was so new to us,” Tkachuk said. “Whoever we play, we’ll be very prepared for them. It’s not our first rodeo with this.”
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