The New York Knicks will begin their defense of their NBA championship when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers to open the 2026-27 season on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at Madison Square Garden. 🔗: tinyurl.com/4hks33nk 📷: SportsLogos.Net

Draft season is here. Suddenly everyone's a GM. Get your edge from the experts covering the NFL around the clock. Better picks. Fewer regrets. 🔗: fantasy.usatoday.com/football/

The 'Magnificent Seven' was the first U.S. women's gymnastics team to win Olympic gold, and did it on home soil. They have advice for LA28 hopefuls. 🔗: tinyurl.com/4vf3w3ss 📷: Megan Mendoza/The Arizona Republic

North Carolina's Anna-Lynn Clark posted a complete game shutout in the Little League Softball World Series championship game for Johnston County Little League in a 2-0 win over Kentucky. 🔗: tinyurl.com/pyj7vdnh 📷: Courtesy of Little League Baseball and Softball

Don Nelson dies. Basketball Hall of Fame coach was 86. 🔗: tinyurl.com/47u684my 📷: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Call him polarizing or a lightning rod. Or worse. Aaron Rodgers is not fazed | Exclusive 🔗: tinyurl.com/mwejm6hz 📷: Joe Sargent/Getty Images

There are 272 regular-season NFL games. USA TODAY Sports' Nate Davis picked a winner for each one to arrive at his annual team-by-team record projections. 🔗: tinyurl.com/4mmskh9c

Brand names still get benefit of the doubt. Here are college football's most overrated teams based off US LBM preseason Coaches Poll. 🔗: tinyurl.com/87rs5xpm 📷: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images; Loodibee.com; SportsLogos.net

The college football preseason rankings are just projections, but these five teams deserved to start the season in the US LBM coaches poll. 🔗: tinyurl.com/yc6bkekz 📷: Andy Lyons/Getty Images, SportsLogos.net

The US LBM Coaches Poll is out and Ohio State starts at No. 1 for the first time since 2015 with the Big Ten and SEC dominating other top positions. 🔗: tinyurl.com/3haxrtdc 📷: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, SportsLogos.net

There's a new twist to the US LBM college football preseason coaches poll rollout. The USA TODAY Sports YouTube channel gets its first - so tune in at Noon on Tuesday, August 4 for the results. ⤵️ 🔗: tinyurl.com/yprcah3a

The start of the 2026 college football season is exactly one month away. That means the preseason US LBM Coaches poll is right around the corner. Here's everything to know about poll release. 🔗: tinyurl.com/y4unb79u 📷: USA TODAY Sports

His coach calls him Superman. He's twice been the highest-paid safety in the NFL, a position he helped redefine. But Derwin James wants something bigger. 🔗: tinyurl.com/mpmjz2yn 📷: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

What does NASCAR's Chase Elliott do when he's away from the track? Elliott trades horsepower for patience, swapping roaring engines for quiet rivers and fly-fishing adventures. 🔗: tinyurl.com/aa5t83u2 📷: Nicolas Banda

No one wanted Bill Belichick before UNC called. Disaster was inevitable | Opinion 🔗: tinyurl.com/4b2hf5yp 📷: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

UNC's power brokers bought the Bill Belichick hype. Everyone else is paying for it, writes USA TODAY Sports columnist Matt Hayes. 🔗: tinyurl.com/4b2hf5yp 📷: Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images

Jonquel Jones broke down in tears as she addressed reporters following her MVP win in the 2026 WNBA All-Star game. The reason wasn't one you'd expect. 🔗: tinyurl.com/39br7xtk 📷: Sage Zipeto/Getty Images

LeBron James is heading to Philadelphia, forming a new super team with All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown. bit.ly/3RyPKCK

Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes did not receive a red card for his actions after Sunday's World Cup final, FIFA has confirmed. 🔗: tinyurl.com/47mxmuae 📷: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

The USA TODAY Ad Meter Brand Spotlight: World Cup Edition came to a thrilling finish on Sunday, with thousands of fans weighing in on their favorite campaigns. When the final whistle blew, these brands stood at the front of the marketing pack. ⤵️ 🔗: tinyurl.com/yc2pznkk

The Cowboys entered the 2026 NFL offseason with one major goal: to fix their defense. Were they able to accomplish that mission? 🔗: tinyurl.com/2kuxz2r2 #NFL | #DallasCowboys

Lionel Messi said "the pain is huge" after Argentina's World Cup final defeat to Spain, but the legendary figure added he will cherish good memories from the competition. 🔗: tinyurl.com/msuz22za 📷: Patricia De Melo Moreira/AFP via Getty Images

France may have come up short of its goal, but for the second straight World Cup, Kylian Mbappe took home a valuable piece of individual hardware. 🔗: tinyurl.com/4f9vhn83 📷: Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A lot can change in four years, but we are looking into the World Cup 2030 crystal ball to see which teams will dominate in Spain, Portugal & Morocco. 🔗: tinyurl.com/35c7at72 📷: Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Donald Trump's comments about Lionel Messi before Argentina's loss revived speculation about the president cursing teams. Here are some examples ⤵️ 🔗: tinyurl.com/msk6y9j5 📷:Yannick Peterhans/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel will step down following the 2026-27 calendar year amid an outside investigation into the culture of the athletics department, the school announced on Monday. 🔗: tinyurl.com/2k5k5az2 📷: Kirthmon F. Dozier/Detroit Free Press

Leandro Paredes lost his head after the final whistle of Argentina's World Cup final loss to Spain, earning a straight red card after violently punching Spain's Eric Garcia in the throat. 🔗: tinyurl.com/bdcn7pyc 📷: Al Bello/Getty Images

Spain claimed its second World Cup title, defeating Lionel Messi and Argentina after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, crushing the defending champions’ dreams of a repeat. 📸 David Ramos, Carl Recine, Justin Setterfield, Elsa, Lars Baron/Getty Images; Odd ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

The emotions are hitting for Lionel Messi. Argentina's star had tears flowing down after his team lost the World Cup final against Spain on Sunday, July 19. 🔗: tinyurl.com/ym3r2ue9 📷: Mike Segar, Dylan Martinez, Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters; Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images

Spain claimed its second World Cup title, defeating Lionel Messi and Argentina 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. 🔗: tinyurl.com/yarnfynv 📷: Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images; Paul Ellis, Frederic J. Brown, Roberto Schmidt/ AFP via Getty Images