Cole Hamels is the team’s most attractive trade chip, and the last thing the Phillies need is a red flag that might scare off a potential suitor. They might have a small one, though, after announcing Hamels won’t make his scheduled start Friday because of a “mild” right hamstring strain. There have been no indications of trouble through Hamels’ 14 starts this season. The left-hander has a 2.96 ERA and has struck out 103 batters in an NL-leading 94 1/3 innings....

A video surfaced Monday showing a Minneapolis police officer pressing his knee into Floyd’s neck near a squad car. (Officers were responding to a report of a suspected forgery at the time.) Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe, and at one point he stopped moving and appeared to be unconscious. Floyd later died at a local hospital. Floyd’s death has sparked national outrage, and social justice demonstrations turned violent this week in Minneapolis and beyond....

Officers from the Louisville Metro Police Department raided Taylor’s apartment during a narcotics investigation and shot dead the 26-year-old Black woman. It subsequently emerged the warrant used was connected to a suspect who did not live on the premises and no drugs were found in the apartment. On Wednesday, Jefferson County grand jury delivered its long-awaited verdict on the case and charged fired LMPD officer Brett Hankison with three counts of wanton endangerment for firing shots that went into another home with people inside....

That seemed to be the collective media strategy by the league’s national broadcast partners Sunday, as CBS, Fox, ESPN, and NFL Network stuffed Kaepernick, and the players who’ve followed his lead, right down the TV memory hole. MORE: Kaepernick protest in Charlotte falls on deaf ears The Kaepernick saga has dominated the sports world for the past three weeks. But when I watched the main national pregame shows — including “Fox NFL Sunday,” CBS’ “The NFL Today,” ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” and NBC’s “Football Night in America — there were no discussions of Kaepernick....

At the top of the rankings, you’ll notice familiar faces like Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Ohio State and Kayshon Boutte at LSU. We also have some major transfers that affect the landscape of college fantasy football, like Jermaine Burton at Alabama and Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison at USC. DOMINATE YOUR COLLEGE FANTASY DRAFT: Join CFBDynasty We also have some breakout candidates near the top of the rankings. You’ll be rewarded throughout the fantasy season if you’re able to land underrated players like Myles Price at Texas Tech or Tyrone Tracy at Purdue....

The No.3 ranked Bulldogs moved to 2-0 last weekend after dispatching Murray State 63-17 to follow up a 30-6 road win over Vanderbilt in Week 1. Beating an FCS—the second tier of college football—program such as Murray State might not be the most reliable indicator of progress, but Georgia nevertheless looked impressive. Jake Fromm went 10-for-11 for 166 yards and one touchdown, before coach Kirby Smart handed minutes to back-up quarterbacks Stetson Bennett and Nathan Priestley....

Fast forward to mid-September and that is no longer the case. The Tigers comfortably handled No. 12-ranked Texas A&M last week, winning 24-10 at home. Syracuse, their opponent on Saturday, was supposed to be the only other ranked team on Clemson’s schedule. The Orangemen arrived into Week 2 as the No. 21-ranked team but have since dropped out of the Top 25 after suffering a 63-20 shellacking at the hands of Maryland....

Highlights from the award show include the Maxwell Trophy (most outstanding player), the Doak Walker Award (best running back) and the Chuck Bednarik Award (best defensive player). MORE: Sporting News All-Americans Here are this year’s award winners: Disney Spirit Award Pittsburgh running back James Conner was the obvious choice for the Disney Spirit Award, not only for his incredible comeback from chemotherapy to treat his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but for the fact he rushed for 1,060 yards and 16 touchdowns this season....

“Talkin’ season” is upon us, and that’s OK. That means we can expand on the potential breakout players for 2017. It’s a fun exercise. Who had Lamar Jackson pegged as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate last season? Give us half credit on that one. There are a few players that might just fit that description on this list, however. Get to know the names before it happens. MORE: Post-spring Top 25...

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Johnny Avello, The Wynn’s Executive Director of Race & Sports Operations said in an interview with The Linemakers on Sporting News on Monday. “Miami O is just not a good football team. They played a couple of tough teams, maybe that’s why. They didn’t win a game last year. “They’re 0-4 this year, but the competition has been tough – Marshall, Michigan, Cincinnati....

The battle for the Little Brown Jug is one of four games between ranked teams this week. No. 23 North Carolina State travels to No. 15 North Carolina at noon, No. 17 Iowa State meets No. 6 Oklahoma State at 3:30 p.m. and No. 9 Cincinnati travels to No. 16 SMU at 9 p.m. MORE: Updated Top 25, Coaches polls The Mountain West Conference also returns this weekend, and it’s the fullest college football Saturday to this point....

The Iron Bowl is here, and it’s massive. MORE: Ranking top 25 games of Rivalry Week No. 1 Alabama will have its work cut out for it when it visits Jordan-Hare Stadium to take on No. 6 Auburn. Jarrett Stidham is looking exactly like the type of quarterback the Tigers hoped he’d be. Meanwhile, the Tigers defense is playing at a high level, while the Tide will have to overcome some injuries on both sides of the ball....

Losses by No. 1 Georgia and No. 5 Ohio State should make it an easy job for the selection committee. The final four teams that make up the playoff were clear: No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Cincinnati. MORE: SN’s final College Football Playoff picture There’s more to the top 25 than just the College Football Playoff, however. Rankings will weigh heavily on bowl tie-ins and contractual obligations....

No. 1 Tennessee, No. 4 Clemson and No. 6 Alabama lost on Saturday, throwing the rankings for Week 11 completely out of focus. Georgia is the unquestioned No. 1 team after the Bulldogs’ 27-13 demolition of Tennessee. The remainder of the top four are Ohio State, Michigan and TCU, the last of the undefeated Power 5 teams this season. As for the other two teams that lost on Saturday, their CFP fates are much more dire than Tennessee, which dropped to No....

Seven different teams are vying for one of four Playoff spots, and anything can happen during conference championship weekend. Here’s everything to know about the selection process, including betting odds and how to tune into the broadcast on Sunday. MORE: Plotting Playoff paths, from chalk to chaos College Football Playoff top six No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Clemson and No. 4 Georgia are in win-and-in situations regarding their respective Playoff spots....

Two more top-10 teams went down in Week 4, with No. 7 Texas A&M losing a 20-10 stunner to No. 16 Arkansas in Arlington. At least that was a ranked loss; No. 9 Clemson can’t make that claim in a 27-21 double overtime loss to unranked N.C. State, a defeat that completely drops the Tigers from Playoff consideration, if past precedent tells us anything. Even No. 4 Oklahoma — which fielded boos and calls for backup quarterback Caleb Plant to play — needed a last-second field goal over West Virginia to beat the Mountaineers 16-13....

Michigan fell four spots in both the AP and Coaches Polls after getting blown out by a final of 62-39 against Ohio State. Washington State is No. 12 in the AP Poll and No. 13 in the Coaches Poll following a rivalry loss to Washington on Friday. A similar fall appears likely in the College Football Playoff rankings. Meanwhile, Georgia entered the top four, making its showdown with Alabama next Saturday in the SEC championship game even more important....

That was true after the top-ranked Crimson Tide lost a stunner to unranked Texas A&M on Saturday, falling 41-38 in College Station to lose their first game since the 2019 regular season. It ended several longstanding Alabama streaks, including 100 straight victories over unranked opponents and 24 Nick Saban victories over former assistants. More importantly, Alabama’s loss will create a significant shakeup in the latest college football rankings. Although the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll often vote differently on their respective top 25 teams, it’s likely we can pinpoint how Alabama’s loss will affect other teams vying for a College Football Playoff spot....

No. 5 Oklahoma State was the first big victim of said chaos on Saturday, losing 21-16 to No. 9 Baylor in the Big 12 championship game — the last remaining team between the Cowboys and their first ever College Football Playoff berth. MORE: 10 College Football Playoff scenarios, from chalk to complete two-loss chaos The loss has to be devastating for Mike Gundy and Co., considering it came a week after the Cowboys beat rival Oklahoma for the first time since 2014....

A record 84 teams were bowl-eligible this season, and thanks to the creation of the Frisco Classic they’re all postseason-bound. This is the first time every team that finished 6-6 or better is in a bowl. The 2021-22 bowl season is historic for other reasons as well. Cincinnati became the first Group of 5 school to make the College Football Playoff while Michigan will be making its first appearance in the CFP....