During the first segment on the show’s premiere Monday night, Whitlock and Cowherd debated whether the cocky Warriors, holding a 3-1 series lead, were “disrespecting” LeBron James. With a nod toward Omar from his favorite show “The Wire,” Whitlock warned Klay Thompson and other trash-talking Warriors were making a big mistake with King James. MORE: ESPN fires back at Bill Simmons and his ‘conspiracy theories’ “You don’t dance on LeBron James’ grave before he’s dead....

Colin Cowherd had the same thought, except he works for the worldwide leader. On “The Herd,” Cowherd laid it on his employer for airing the tournament. He also made a declaration that he would never cover that and if he’s assigned to it, he’ll end his tenure with ESPN. MORE: Britt McHenry wants second chance | Keith Olbermann calls for Mayweather-Pacquiao boycott | Stephen A. Smith rips Tom Brady...

The Saturday Night Live co-stars announced on the show in January that along with investor Paul Italia, they’d bought the vessel that they called at the time “the windowless van of the sea.” Jost took a ride out on his investment on Monday with his dad and his 96-year-old grandfather. Davidson, whose personal life has been making headlines as he continues his relationship with Kim Kardashian, was absent from the voyage....

Boos rained down on the San Francisco 49ers quarterback during pre-game introductions at Hard Rock Stadium, a common occurrence at road games in the aftermath of season-long national anthem protests. Afterward, Kaepernick was asked to clear the air about a tense exchange with a reporter Wednesday in which he spoke favorably of some Cuban policies under Castro’s communist regime. “What I said was I agree with the investment into education,” he told reporters after a 31-24 loss to the Dolphins....

The meeting took place Thursday, according to multiple reports, but was first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Kaepernick’s 2016 base salary of $11.9 million became guaranteed on Thursday, meaning the Broncos would have to clear some cap space to consummate a trade. MORE: Ideal NFL Mock Draft | Eagles quarterback plans Thursday was reportedly at least the second time Elway has met with Kaepernick and a deal could be imminent, according to ESPN....

Don’t expect Kaepernick to take Russo’s words to heart; the 49ers quarterback has said plainly in the past he has no desire to connect with her. Russo joined the chorus of disapproval Saturday after Kaepernick sat for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to protest what he considers unjust treatment of African-Americans and other racial minorities in the United States. The New York Post unearthed her tweet Monday. MORE: The worst of the worst Kap hot takes...

Sources told Yahoo Kaepernick “wanted to showcase his commitment to getting back into the league, even if it took place under a warped timeline from the NFL.” There was some speculation during the week that Kaepernick could drop out due to the bizarre nature of how the workout came together. His representatives were also upset that the NFL reportedly backed out of its agreement to provide a list of attendees....

Miscreant NFL stars can get away with a lot of things and still play in the league, said ESPN’s Jemele Hill. But the Kaepernick saga may prove that an unpardonable sin for players is to be seen as “anti-American,” says the new co-host of ESPN’s 6 p.m. ET “SportsCenter” with Michael Smith. The NFL has given second chances to domestic abusers, drunken drivers and other criminal athletes, Hill tweeted. But an “un-American” player accused of singlehandely driving down the NFL’s formerly impregnable TV ratings?...

Don't remember? No problem: Although Peterson dazzled the Oklahoma faithful for three injury-plagued seasons, he didn't receive a penny. Whether to pay college athletes has never been a more controversial, discussed topic than it is today, and Peterson offered his opinion Wednesday. MORE: Northwestern against its own players’ union | Peterson’s recovery report "When I was in college, I know personally, as far as jersey sales and ticket sales, I helped make that university a lot of money," Peterson said during a conference call to promote Hyperice, a recovery icing device that he endorses....

On Monday, Trump’s reelection campaign paid a visit to the University of Akron, a public institution in Akron, Ohio, the first stop in its youth engagement program. A national initiative aptly dubbed, Make Campus Great Again, the program aimed to register voters and help secure supporters for Trump among a younger audience. Traditionally, the college-aged demographic has aligned with the Democratic Party and in response to the Trump campaign’s kickoff event, the College Democrats offered their own message....

Topping the receiver list is Purdue’s David Bell. The future NFL star might not grab your attention with his numbers from 2020, but with a solid 6-2, 205-pound frame and a reliable quarterback in Austin Burton, Bell is set to have a big-time breakout this season. He has tremendous upside on a pass-first offense and will no doubt get an opportunity to show the CFB world his full skillset....

The quarterback rolled his right ankle in the win over Tennessee in Week 8 and hobbled off the field after completing 11 of his 12 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Alabama coach Nick Saban confirmed the starting quarterback had undergone surgery to correct his high-ankle sprain and that he would miss the home game against the Razorbacks on Saturday, However, Saban admitted he did not have a schedule for Tagovailoa’s comeback....

This year is no different, as college football fans will be treated not only to fantastic matchups in high-stake games … but also bowls that make us say, “I didn’t know these teams were playing.” MORE: 2016 bowl pick ’em: Predictions for all 41 games So, for your viewing convenience, we’ve ranked the 41 bowl games — plus the plus-one — in order of how much you should watch them....

At stake are bowl bids, notably places in the Bowl Championship Series games. Dec. 6 MAC: Northern Illinois vs. Bowling Green (9-3), 8 p.m., Detroit Dec. 7C-USA: Marshall vs. Rice, 11 a.m., home field of highest-ranked BCS teamSEC: Auburn vs. Missouri, 4 p.m., AtlantaPac-12: Stanford vs. Arizona State, 7:45 p.m., Tempe, Ariz.ACC: Florida State vs. Duke, 8 p.m., Charlotte, N.C.Big Ten: Ohio State vs. Michigan State, 8 p.m., IndianapolisMountain West: Utah State at Fresno State, 10 p....

The 2018 season features several must-watch September games, but the College Football Playoff era has helped created even better matchups for the future. MORE: 18 predictions for 2018 Here’s a closer look at the best nonconference games throughout the 2022 season (Notre Dame’s best ACC matchups included): 2018 2019 MORE: CFP 2018: Five scenarios to make everyone mad 2020 2021 MORE: SN’s post-spring way-too-early top 25 2022

Four teams among the AP Top 25 will face off in primetime-worthy games on Saturday: No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Oklahoma; No. 3 Clemson vs. No. 13 Aubur; No. 6 USC vs. No. 14 Stanford; and No. 15 Georgia vs. No. 24 Notre Dame. That’s quite the slate. MORE: Week 2 picks against the spread Sporting News went 7-1 in its Week 1 college football picks, so we feel pretty confident heading into Week 2....

College football isn’t fair. That wasn’t going to change in a 2020 season played through unprecedented circumstances amid the COVID-19 pandemic: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Notre Dame will play in this year’s Playoff semifinal games. The Crimson Tide and Irish will meet in the relocated Rose Bowl at AT&T Stadium. The Buckeyes and Tigers will play in the Sugar Bowl....

Conference championship weekend had shakeups. No. 3 Alabama beat No. 1 Georgia 41-24 in the SEC championship game, which means both could see each other in a rematch in the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide will make the playoff for the seventh time, and the Bulldogs should follow based on a dominating unbeaten regular season. No. 9 Baylor upset No. 5 Oklahoma State 21-16 in the Big 12 championship game, which opened the door for No....