Week 5 takeaways: Revved for Red River, ACC’s Notre Dame problem
With Week 5 of the college football season in the books, we’re seeing some intriguing storylines beyond the Big Two conferences of the SEC and Big Ten.
The Red River Rivalry is lined up to be one of the biggest games in the series’ recent history, West Virginia has emerged as a surprise in the Big 12 and Louisville is experiencing a resurgence in the ACC. (But can the Cardinals slay Notre Dame?)
Here’s a look at our reporters’ key takeaways from this weekend’s action.
Texas-Oklahoma could be a return to its classic form
The Longhorns and Sooners are heading to Dallas for a matchup that feels, on paper, more like their legendary early 2000s heavyweight fights.
In 2009, No. 3 Texas versus No. 20 Oklahoma rumbled to a 16-13 Longhorns win that then-Texas coach Mack Brown said “was more like a fight” a year after Texas’ 45-35 victory.
This year, following a historic 49-0 blowout of the Sooners, No. 3 Texas faces No. 12 Oklahoma in a matchup that will mark just the third time both teams are at least 5-0 (2008 and 2002).
Last year, Oklahoma fell to 6-7 after allowing 461 yards and 30 points per game. The Sooners signed seven ESPN 300 defensive recruits, their most since the rankings began in 2006. One of those signees, safety Peyton Bowen, the No. 17 overall player in the class, leads Oklahoma with four passes broken up and has blocked two punts. OU has allowed just 54 points this season, fewest by a Big 12 team over the first five games since … 2009, when Oklahoma and Nebraska both did it.
Texas, meanwhile, is 5-0 for the first time since 2009, the last time it won the Big 12. The Longhorns beat No. 24 Kansas by 26 points on Saturday, their largest win in an AP-ranked matchup since 2009 against Oklahoma State.
The two offenses had huge days this past weekend. Oklahoma lit up Iowa State with 523 yards, while Texas had 661 yards, its most in a conference game since the Big 12 began in 1996. Oklahoma has scored 50 or more points in three of its first five games of a season for the first time since 2008.
It looks like a fitting throwback matchup for the teams’ final Big 12 version of their historic rivalry, once again with massive implications: According to the Allstate Playoff Predictor, the winner of the 2023 edition will have better than a 70% chance to reach the College Football Playoff, while the loser will have about a 30% chance. — Dave Wilson
West Virginia heats up, cooling off Neal Brown’s seat
So much for preseason polls and coaching hot seat lists. Neal Brown and West Virginia have deposited both in the rubbish bin with a 4-1 start, capped by an impressive road win on Saturday at TCU. West Virginia was picked last in the Big 12 preseason media poll, a forecast that Brown duly noted, saying in July, “Looking forward to proving everybody wrong on that front. We won’t finish there.”
Brown certainly faced pressure to win, and a seemingly daunting September schedule included Penn State, Pitt, Texas Tech and TCU. But many forget that even though last season didn’t go well overall, West Virginia swept the Oklahoma schools and beat defending Big 12 champion Baylor. The Mountaineers returned some experienced players, especially on defense. Brown told me last week that he especially likes his defensive front, which includes junior Sean Martin and promising redshirt freshman Tomiwa Durojaiye. WVU’s defense has shined during its start, allowing only 19 points per game and 3.3 yards per rush. Although Brown has a background on offense, a unit that has struggled for much of his tenure, he has found ways to generate wins and positive vibes.
The Mountaineers get a well-timed open week — they emerged from the TCU outing fairly banged up — before facing struggling Houston and Oklahoma State. They miss Texas on the schedule, so a solid bounce-back season and some stability for Brown seem well within reach. — Adam Rittenberg
Football moves to the forefront in the Bluegrass State
For the first time, Kentucky and Louisville are both 5-0 to start the season. (No, we’re not talking hoops.) Both teams are also about to get a much better test of how good they really are.
Kentucky, coming off a 33-14 beatdown of Florida on Saturday at home, will travel to No. 1 Georgia. Louisville, which slipped past host NC State 13-10 on Friday, will return home to face Notre Dame.
The Kentucky program is as healthy as it’s been under Mark Stoops, who is in his 11th season. Winning three in a row over Florida would have sounded like a fairy tale during the Wildcats’ 31-game losing streak in the series from 1987 to 2007. But Stoops has stayed the course, made adjustments (such as getting Liam Coen back as offensive coordinator and plugging in key transfers such as QB Devin Leary, RB Ray Davis, WR Tayvion Robinson, OT Marques Cox, S Zion Childress and PK Alex Raynor) and maintained a tough, blue-collar approach that has served this team well. The Wildcats are averaging 6.5 yards per rush and holding their opponents to only 2.5 yards per rush.
The Cardinals, in Jeff Brohm’s first season back at his alma mater, are 3-0 in conference play for the first time as an ACC member. They’ve teetered at times against their Power 5 opponents and squeaked past NC State thanks to a 53-yard field goal by Brock Travelstead in the final six minutes. But they’ve also found different ways to win. Louisville averaged 237 rushing yards in its first four games, but with the running game stuffed last week, it leaned on its defense. The Cardinals held the Wolfpack scoreless in the second half and forced two turnovers.
Louisville has only two road games remaining on its schedule. Kentucky has four road dates left, including three of its last four contests. It’s a stretch to think either of these teams is going to contend for a playoff berth, but their season-ending clash on Nov. 25 could be the most anticipated in years, with the winner potentially having a chance to win nine-plus games. — Chris Low
Will anybody in the ACC beat Notre Dame? Ever?
Speaking of Louisville, the Cardinals have a chance to do something no other ACC team has done in the regular season since Miami in 2017: Beat Notre Dame.
Duke was two minutes away from doing it Saturday night. Its defense then gave up two big plays on the final drive, Notre Dame scored the winning touchdown with 31 seconds left and a long winning streak was extended. The Fighting Irish have won 30 straight regular-season ACC games, passing Florida State (1992 to 1995) for the longest such streak.
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Audric Estime stuns Duke crowd with 30-yard go-ahead TD
Notre Dame takes a lead on Audric Estime’s 30-yard touchdown against Duke with 31 seconds left.
There are two key differences here: (1) Nobody will ever confuse the Notre Dame teams of the past five years with those dominant Florida State teams (no offense Irish, these are just facts) and (2) unlike Florida State, Notre Dame is not actually an ACC member in football, which is the biggest gut punch of all for the league.
The ACC literally asked for this when the Irish joined the league for the 2013-14 season in all sports but football and men’s hockey. A football scheduling partnership — in which Notre Dame would play five or six ACC teams annually — seemed like a win-win decision at the time. Notre Dame would get help filling out its schedule; the ACC would get help by boosting its nonconference scheduling and creating more attractive matchups for TV.
But this has been a losing proposition in recent years. Though Clemson did defeat Notre Dame in the 2020 ACC championship game and has previously beaten the Irish both in the regular season and the College Football Playoff, nobody else has had close to the same success. That speaks more to the state out of the league outside Clemson, as the ACC works to enhance its football teams.
This year has been a much better start, with six undefeated teams through the first four weeks. But even undefeated Duke could not get the job done. Undefeated Louisville is up next. The rest of Notre Dame’s ACC schedule for this season? Pitt, at Clemson and Wake Forest. Someone in the ACC has to find a way to step up and end the streak once and for all, for the good of the conference. — Andrea Adelson
With the Pac-12 home to four of the top six offenses nationally (Washington, Oregon, USC and Washington State), Utah knew its quest for a three-peat would be a daunting one. Friday’s performance at Oregon State, where Utah couldn’t crack 200 total yards in a 21-7 loss, only strengthens the fact that the Utes need Cameron Rising back fast.
Utah’s offense ranks last in the conference (297.6 yards per game), and Rising would provide some much-needed stability to a unit that went five straight quarters without scoring prior to tight end Thomas Yassmin‘s TD reception in the fourth against the Beavers. The schedule is about to get amped up to another gear, with two of Utah’s next three games following a bye week coming against USC and Oregon. If Rising (18-7 career record with 45 touchdown passes) can make his 2023 season debut on Oct. 14 against California and get his feet wet for the stretch run, the Utes’ quest to keep the Pac-12 title in Salt Lake City for another year will receive a serious boost. — Blake Baumgartner
Alabama’s progress was noticeable
In a decisive win over Mississippi State, quarterback Jalen Milroe was efficient, the Crimson Tide got its running game going and the defense had four sacks. This is all a positive push toward Alabama reasserting itself on the national stage, but as coach Nick Saban said after the game, the team isn’t where it wants to be or needs to be.
Milroe throws a nice deep ball, but nobody is going to mistake him for the nation’s most prolific passer — especially when he only threw it 12 times on Saturday. If this is Bama’s identity, though, then embrace it and continue to make it better. No two-loss team has been to the CFP, which makes this Saturday’s game between Alabama and Texas A&M critical. They each have a nonconference loss and are squarely in the mix to win the SEC West. The winner will have a huge edge. — Heather Dinich
The first day of the 2025 MLB draft is complete! The Washington Nationals selected Eli Willits with the No. 1 pick, opting for the prep shortstop — who might be more likely to sign below slot — in a draft with no clear-cut top prospect. And there were plenty of other intriguing selections as the first three rounds unfolded Sunday night.
The Seattle Mariners had to have been thrilled to have Kiley McDaniel’s No. 1-ranked prospect, Kade Anderson, fall to them at No. 3, and Ethan Holliday was selected at No. 4 by his famous father’s former squad the Colorado Rockies.
We asked ESPN baseball insiders Alden Gonzalez, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield to break down their favorite and most head-scratching moves of the draft’s first night, as well as to predict which players will bring the most to their new teams in the long term.
A lot of us were thrown for a loop by the first two selections. What do you make of the Nationals taking Ethan Willits at No. 1 and the Angels picking Tyler Bremner at No. 2?
Gonzalez: I was stunned on both accounts. Though there was definitely some uncertainty around the Nationals’ approach, especially since the firing of GM Mike Rizzo, I didn’t see anybody, anywhere, projecting Willits to be their choice at No. 1 overall. But the Angels drafting Bremner was an even bigger risk. Kiley had him 18th in his latest ranking. Six pitchers were ranked ahead of him. But Bremner might be someone who can rise and impact their major league roster quickly, and the Angels are always looking for that.
Rogers: The first two picks really summed up the uncertainty of the entire draft. The Nationals’ faith in a 17-year-old will be tested over the coming years, but the pick will likely save them some money for later in this draft and give Willits time to grow. The same can be said of many of the top picks: They’re going to need time. There are far fewer sure things this year — though Bremner could be the exception. The Angles love to graduate their players quickly, and as a college arm, he could see the majors sooner rather than later. Like Willits, this could also be a cost-saving move for later spending.
Schoenfield: In a draft that not only lacked a sure-thing No. 1 overall pick but was viewed as weaker at the top than those of recent years, it’s perhaps not a huge surprise that the Nationals and Angels used their picks to strike likely underslot deals with Willits and Bremner, giving them money to spend later in the draft — which they can use on high school prospects who might have slipped, trying to buy them out from going to college. It’s a strategy teams have used with success over the years, so the drafts for the Nationals and Angels will have to be viewed in their totality and not just focused on these two players.
What was your favorite pick of the night — and which one had you scratching your head?
Gonzalez: The Rockies have done a lot of things wrong over these last few … uh, decades. But it was really cool to see them take Ethan Holliday at No. 4 after his father, Matt, starred in Colorado for so long. Outside of the top two picks, Ethan Conrad going 17th to the Cubs was my biggest surprise of the night. Kiley had him ranked 30th; others had him falling out of the first round entirely. There’s uncertainty coming off shoulder surgery. But Conrad, 21, put up a 1.238 OPS in 97 plate appearances before his season ended prematurely in March. And the dearth of college bats probably influenced a slight reach here.
Rogers: I’m loving Billy Carlson to the White Sox at No. 10. Though they lost 121 games last season, Chicago couldn’t pick higher than this spot per CBA rules — but the Sox might have gotten a top-five player. Carlson’s defense will play extremely well behind a sneaky good and young pitching staff that should keep the ball on the ground in the long term. Meanwhile, with the pick of the litter when it came to hitters — college outfielders and high school kids as well — the Pirates took a high school pitcher at No. 6. Seth Hernandez could be great, but they need hitting. A lot of it.
Schoenfield: The Mariners reportedly wanted LSU left-hander Kade Anderson all along, but they certainly couldn’t have been expecting to get him with the third pick. (Keep in mind that the Mariners were lucky in the first place to land the third pick in the lottery, so they added some good fortune on top of good luck.) They get the most polished college pitcher in the draft, one who should move quickly — and perhaps make it a little easier for Jerry Dipoto to dip into his farm system and upgrade the big league roster at the trade deadline. Even though I understand why the Angels did it, Bremner still seems a little questionable. With the second pick, you want to go for a home run, and the consensus is that Holliday or even Anderson is more likely to be a more impactful major leaguer. Bremner’s lack of a third plus pitch is an issue, and you have to wonder if the Angels are relying too much on his control — which, yes, should allow him to get to the majors — and ignoring the possible lack of upside.
Who is the one player you’d like to plant your flag on as the biggest steal of this draft?
Gonzalez: Seth Hernandez, who went sixth to the Pirates and should someday share a rotation with Paul Skenes and Jared Jones. High school pitchers are incredibly risky, especially when taken so early in the draft. But Hernandez is a great athlete who already throws hard, boasts a plus changeup and showed improvement with his breaking ball this spring. He’ll go the Hunter Greene route, from standout high school pitcher to major league ace.
Rogers: Jamie Arnold will look like a steal at No. 11, especially when he debuts in the majors well before many of the players taken around him. I’m not worried about the innings drop in 2025 — not when he was striking out 119 hitters and walking just 27. The A’s need to polish him up but will be pleased by how consistent he’ll be. You can’t go wrong with a college lefty from an ACC school — at least, the A’s didn’t.
Schoenfield: I’m going with Billy Carlson with the 10th pick — with the admitted caveat that the White Sox haven’t exactly been stellar at developing hitters. But Carlson looks like an elite defensive shortstop with plus power, and that alone can make him a valuable major leaguer. If the hit tool comes along, we’re looking at a potential star. OK, he’s Bobby Witt Jr. lite? That’s still an All-Star player.
What’s your biggest takeaway from Day 1 of this draft?
Gonzalez: The Nationals throwing a wrench into the proceedings by selecting Willits. It was a surprising choice, but in their minds an easy one. Interim general manager Mike DeBartolo called Willits the best hitter and best fielder available. And in a draft devoid of can’t-miss, high-impact talent, Willits is no doubt a solid pick — a polished hitter who should stick at shortstop and might consistently hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases at a premium position. He also might come under slot, allowing flexibility later in the draft. But his selection is what allowed Anderson to reach the Mariners at No. 3 and prompted the Rockies to draft Holliday at No. 4, among other dominoes. It set a really interesting tone.
Rogers: Things change quickly in baseball. Whereas college hitters are usually the safest bets early in the draft, this year high school position players dominated. (And they all play shortstop, at least for now.) Athleticism has returned to baseball, and draft rooms are acting accordingly.
Schoenfield: I’m agreeing with Jesse. The selection of that many prep shortstops stood out — and they all seem to hit left-handed and run well, and some of them have big power potential and a cannon for an arm. Look, the hit tool is the most important and the hardest to scout and project, so not all these kids are going to make it, but their potential is exciting and, to Jesse’s point, their wide range of tools is showing that baseball is still drawing top athletes to the sport.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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