Sports
Purdue tops preseason AP Top 25 poll for 1st time
Purdue is No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll for the first time.
The Boilermakers earned 35 of 61 first-place votes to top Monday’s poll to begin the 2025-26 season. That put Matt Painter’s squad ahead of the two teams that played in last year’s NCAA title game, with runner-up Houston at No. 2 and reigning champion Florida at No. 3.
“We are obviously excited to get the season going and being ranked No. 1 in the preseason is a great indicator of what we feel this team can accomplish,” Painter said. “But the goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the year. We’re thrilled that people think this highly of our team, but there is a long ways to go and a lot of work to do to reach that goal in April.”
Purdue started a season ranked as high as No. 2 once before, in 1987-88 under Gene Keady.
It’s another milestone for Painter, the former Keady player who has built his own successful program that is still looking for its NCAA title breakthrough as he enters his 21st season. Purdue had never been ranked No. 1 in any AP poll before the 2021-22 season, which marked the first of three straight seasons in which the Boilermakers have reached the top. The last was during the 2023-24 season behind two-time AP national player of the year Zach Edey in a run all the way to the national title game.
The Boilermakers reached last year’s Sweet 16 before falling to Houston on a last-second basket, but return a first-team AP All-American in point guard Braden Smith, scoring leader Trey Kaufman-Renn (20.1) and veteran guard Fletcher Loyer.
The top tier
Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars earned 16 first-place votes to match the program’s best-ever preseason AP ranking after last year’s run to the final. The other No. 2 appearance was by the 1967-68 team led by Elvin Hayes.
Todd Golden’s Gators earned eight first-place votes to start this year with their highest preseason ranking since the last time they entered a year as reigning champions in 2006-07, the start of a run to a second straight title.
UConn was next at No. 4 and earned the remaining two first-place votes. St. John’s was fifth, with Rick Pitino’s Red Storm surpassing the program’s previous best ranking in a preseason AP poll (No. 7 in 1984-85).
Duke was next at No. 6, followed by Michigan, BYU — which landed the nation’s No. 1 recruit in A.J. Dybantsa — Kentucky and Texas Tech to round out the top 10.
Quick transitions
It hasn’t taken long for Pat Kelsey to get Louisville back among the national elite, with the Cardinals checking in at No. 11 after a 27-win season to start his tenure. The Cardinals were 12-52 in the two seasons before his arrival.
Louisville is one of five programs with a second-year coach in the preseason poll, joining Michigan, BYU, Kentucky and No. 14 Arkansas with John Calipari.
Jayhawks lower
Kansas checked in at No. 19, the lowest preseason rank for Bill Self’s Jayhawks since starting at No. 24 in the 2008-09 season as the reigning national champion. Kansas had been ranked outside the top 10 only once since that year (No. 13 in 2011-12) while starting at No. 1 in 2019-20 as well as each of the last two seasons in that stretch.
Pearl’s debut
Auburn opens at No. 20 as it enters its first season since the unexpected retirement of coach Bruce Pearl following last year’s Final Four run.
Pearl stepped aside last month after 11 seasons, triggering a transition to his 38-year-old son Steven, who climbed his father’s staff through the elder Pearl’s Auburn tenure but has never been a head coach nor coached elsewhere in college.
Conference watch
The Southeastern Conference, Big Ten and Big 12 each had six ranked teams to make up 72% of the field. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East were next with three each, while the West Coast Conference had one with No. 21 Gonzaga. The Big 12 was the only league of that group to have three top-10 teams.
Watch list
Will Wade’s arrival at NC State and subsequent roster shakeup has the Wolfpack as the first team outside the poll, sitting just three points behind 25th-ranked rival North Carolina from the ACC. Oregon is lurking close behind entering its 16th year under Dana Altman.
The Seattle Mariners got off to a strong start in Game 2 of the American Champions League Series on Monday, courtesy of Julio Rodriguez.
The centerfielder smashed an 84 mph splitter off Trey Yesavage for a three-run homer in the top of the first inning. Yesavage’s splitter had never allowed an extra base hit before the home run, according to ESPN Research.
It marked Rodriguez’s second home run of the postseason, as Seattle looks to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
JULIO RODRÍGUEZ 3-RUN HOMER! #ALCS pic.twitter.com/LdnHOBG3P2
— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2025
The home run was Yesavage’s first career home run allowed in his fifth career start (regular season and playoffs). Entering Monday, he had only allowed two extra base hits in 19 and one-third innings pitched.
Seattle trailed 1-0 in the first inning in Game 1 before bouncing back to win 3-1 on Sunday. The series shifts to Seattle on Wednesday.
ESPN Research contributed to this report.
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The Tennessee Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan after a 1-5 start through the first six weeks of the 2025 season, the team announced on Monday.
The Titans lost Sunday to the Las Vegas Raiders, and their only win on the year came thanks to erratic mistakes by the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5. The Titans haven’t progressed since moving on from Mike Vrabel as Callahan was 4-19 in 23 games.
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Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan walks on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
He was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019 to 2023. With his guidance, the Bengals were able to reach the Super Bowl during the 2021 season. However, the Joe Burrow-led squad lost to the Los Angeles Rams.
Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker released a statement on Callahan’s dismissal.
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan, right, greets free safety Xavier Woods (25) before an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
“After extended conversations with our owner and general manager, we met with Brian Callahan this morning to tell him we are making a change at head coach,” Brinker said. “These decisions are never easy, and they become more difficult when they involve people of great character. We are grateful for Brian’s investment in the Titans and Tennessee community during his tenure as head coach. We thank him and his family for being exemplary ambassadors of the Tennessee Titans.
“While we are committed to a patient and strategic plan to build a sustainable, winning football program, we have not demonstrated sufficient growth. Our players, fans, and community deserve a football team that achieves a standard we are not currently meeting, and we are committed to making the hard decisions necessary to reach and maintain that standard.”
Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan talks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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The Titans will go up against Vrabel and the New England Patriots in Week 7. Vrabel has the Patriots at 4-2 so far.
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Week 7 gets underway with a matchup of AFC North rivals, as the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the Cincinnati Bengals on “Thursday Night Football.”
Sunday’s slate begins with the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars meeting at Wembley Stadium in London, and the Indianapolis Colts visit the Los Angeles Chargers in the late afternoon window of games.
Monday features a doubleheader, leading off with Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions getting together in a battle of offensive juggernauts, and the night wraps up with the Houston Texans visiting the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s a bye week for a pair of teams, as the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens are off.
Here’s a look at the odds for every Week 7 game.
Odds as of publication time. For the most current odds, visit ESPN BET.
Jump to:
PIT-CIN | LAR-JAX | NO-CHI | LV-KC
MIA-CLE | PHI-MIN | CAR-NYJ | NE-TEN
NYG-DEN | IND-LAC | WSH-DAL | GB-ARI
ATL-SF | TB-DET | HOU-SEA |
Pittsburgh Steelers -5.5 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Thursday, 8:15 p.m., Prime Video
Money Line: Steelers (-260); Bengals (+215)
Total: 42.5; Opened: 42.5
FPI favorite: Steelers by 5.7 with a 65.6% probability to win the game outright
Los Angeles Rams -3.5 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Sunday, 9:30 a.m., NFL Net, NFL+
Money Line: Rams (-165); Jaguars (+140)
Total: 45.5; Opened: 45.5
FPI favorite: Rams by 3.3 with a 57.73% probability to win the game outright
New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears -5.5
Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX
Money Line: Saints (+200); Bears (-240)
Total: 45.5; Opened: 45.5
FPI favorite: Bears by 6 with a 65.68% probability to win the game outright
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs -10.5
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
Money Line: Raiders (+500); Chiefs (-800)
Total: 46.5; Opened: 45.5
FPI favorite: Chiefs by 12 with a 79.53% probability to win the game outright
Miami Dolphins vs. Cleveland Browns -2.5
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
Money Line: Dolphins (+125); Browns (-145)
Total: 40.5; Opened: 40.5
FPI favorite: Dolphins by 0.6 with a 51.53% probability to win the game outright
Philadelphia Eagles -2.5 vs. Minnesota Vikings
Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX
Money Line: Eagles (-140); Vikings (+120)
Total: 42.5; Opened: 43.5
FPI favorite: Eagles by 2.9 with a 57.87% probability to win the game outright
Carolina Panthers -1.5 vs. New York Jets
Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX
Line movement: Opened Jets -1.5
Money Line: Panthers (-110); Jets (-110)
Total: 43.5; Opened: 44.5
FPI favorite: Panthers by 0.7 with a 52.8% probability to win the game outright
New England Patriots -7.5 vs. Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
Money Line: Patriots (-320); Titans (+260)
Total: 42.5; Opened: 41.5
FPI favorite: Patriots by 6.4 with a 65.47% probability to win the game outright
New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos -6.5
Sunday, 4:05 p.m., CBS
Money Line: Giants (+270); Broncos (-340)
Total: 40.5; Opened: 42.5
FPI favorite: Broncos by 6.2 with a 66.53% probability to win the game outright
Indianapolis Colts vs. Los Angeles Chargers -1.5
Sunday, 4:05 p.m., CBS
Money Line: Colts (+100); Chargers (-120)
Total: 48.5; Opened: 48.5
FPI favorite: Chargers by 0.5 with a 51.53% probability to win the game outright
Washington Commanders -2.5 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX
Money Line: Commanders (-135); Cowboys (+115)
Total: 53.5; Opened: 53.5
FPI favorite: Commanders by 0.6 with a 50.5% probability to win the game outright
Green Bay Packers -6.5 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., FOX
Money Line: Packers (-290); Cardinals (+240)
Total: 44.5; Opened: 43.5
FPI favorite: Packers by 4.4 with a 61.4% probability to win the game outright
Atlanta Falcons vs. San Francisco 49ers -3.5
Sunday, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Money Line: Falcons (+145); 49ers (-170)
Total: 45.5; Opened: 44.5
FPI favorite: 49ers by 5.4 with a 63.78% probability to win the game outright
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions -5.5
Sunday, 7 p.m., ABC
Money Line: Buccaneers (+195); Lions (-230)
Total: 52.5; Opened: 53.5
FPI favorite: Lions by 4.7 with a 61.93% probability to win the game outright
Houston Texans vs. Seattle Seahawks -3.5
Sunday, 10 p.m., ESPN
Money Line: Texans (+145); Seahawks (-170)
Total: 41.5; Opened: 42.5
FPI favorite: Seahawks by 0.6 with a 51.73% probability to win the game outright
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