Game of the year
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
You made it!
It’s finally Friday, which means a college football fiesta is just hours away. Fluff those couch cushions, order your game-day snacks, and settle in with today’s college sports news.
— Paris Games gold medalist Hezly Rivera — Team USA’s youngest 2024 Olympian at 16 years old — on committing to LSU for her collegiate gymnastics career, which starts with the 2026–27 season. Feel old yet?
Football
🏈 Clash of the titans
The GIST: Tomorrow’s Week 5 battle between the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide could be the biggest showdown since Kendrick vs. Drake. With kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, consider your Saturday night booked.
The history: As modern college football’s dynasties, both squads expect to win, no matter the opponent, which creates an extremely spicy rivalry between these SEC powerhouses.
- In the past three seasons, Georgia has only lost two games — both to Alabama in the SEC championship. The Bulldogs defeated the Tide to claim the 2021 natty, but last year, Bama’s dub allowed them to steal Georgia’s College Football Playoff (CFP) spot.
The stakes: Alabama debuted a new look this season thanks to legendary head coach (HC) Nick Saban’s January retirement. Tomorrow will be the first true test for new HC Kalen DeBoer’s Tide, and it’s difficult to imagine a tougher SEC opener — even if Georgia looked distinctly un-Georgia-like in their narrow Week 3 win over Kentucky.
- While last year’s meeting catapulted one team over the other into the then-four-team CFP, this season’s expanded 12-squad bracket means tomorrow’s loser will still have a shot at the natty…but whoever wins will instantly become a favorite for the ’ship.
The stars: Both teams boast second-year starting quarterbacks (QB) who could feasibly win this season’s Heisman Trophy (college football’s MVP award). After the Dawgs’ Carson Beck struggled against Kentucky, the Crimson Tide’s Jalen Milroe leapfrogged Beck in the award’s watch list. But both are bonafide superstars, minting tomorrow’s tilt as a must-watch game.
Football
🏈 The best of the rest
The GIST: Georgia’s trip to Tuscaloosa isn’t the only high-stakes game hitting the gridiron in Week 5: Tomorrow offers even more Top-25 matchups, with major conference power struggles at play.
No. 20 Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) vs. No. 23 Kansas State Wildcats (3-1), 12 p.m. ET (ESPN): Both squads suffered tough losses in their Big 12 openers — especially Kansas State, who plummeted 10 spots in the poll after last week’s 38–9 thumping by then-unranked BYU. The winner could right the ship, but the loser will need a miracle to recover their season.
No. 15 Louisville Cardinals (3-0) vs. No. 16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1), 3:30 p.m. ET (Peacock): Louisville has transformed from ACC trap team to genuine threat over the last few seasons, most notably stunning a peaking ND last year. This one’s personal for the Irish, who can’t afford any more slip-ups if they want to remain anywhere near the CFP conversation.
No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini (4-0) vs. No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0), 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC): The Illini are on the rise thanks to QB Luke Altmyer’s breakout season, but Happy Valley will be Illinois’ ultimate vibe check. The Nittany Lions have been knocking on the door of the sport’s upper echelons for years, and a win here will be crucial to the resume as they shoot for a CFP berth.
🏛️ NCAA tries to settle House lawsuit a second time
Three weeks after Judge Claudia Wilken demanded changes to the potentially game-changing House v. NCAA settlement agreement, college sports’ governing body amended the terms yesterday in an attempt to gain her approval. However, experts say the changes don’t move the needle and are skeptical this new version will sway Wilken.
🤑 UNLV football QB opts to redshirt season over NIL dispute
After transferring from Holy Cross this offseason on the alleged promise of $100K in NIL money he claims he never received, fifth-year QB Matthew Sluka has benched himself with plans to hit the transfer portal ASAP. The move interrupts the Rebels’ undefeated season start and kicks off an ugly he-said-he-said war of words. Welcome to the NIL era’s new normal.
- Sluka’s timing is significant: According to redshirting rules, football players can appear in up to four games a season without burning a year of NCAA eligibility. By opting out now, Sluka maintains his final year of collegiate play…for whoever is willing to cut the check, apparently.
⚽ Top-10 women’s soccer teams struggle
Just a few days after securing the poll’s top spot for the first time ever, No. 1 Michigan State drew 2–2 with rising power No. 11 Ohio State last night…but their disappointment was way overshadowed by No. 8 Auburn’s 4–1 blowout loss to unranked Texas A&M. Yikes.
👟 Wisconsin hosts star-studded cross-country meet
The Nuttycombe Invitational is one of the NCAA cross country season’s most prestigious meets, where tons of the nation’s speediest squads will duke it out today starting at 1:20 p.m. ET. Fair warning: Monitoring the live stream and the leaderboard could make you self-conscious about your mile time.
Recs from our roster!
🎃 What to prep for
Halloween. Stumped? Why not go as your favorite athlete?
🎥 What to watch
The trailer for Starting 5. The Netflix series, which drops October 9th, promises courtside clips of LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, and other NBA stars from the 2023–24 season. Hoop yeah.
🐕 Who to know
Floki the footvolley dog. The 3-year-old border collie is taking Brazilian beaches by storm with his skills. Hey Google, what’s Air Bud in Portuguese?
Today's email was brought to you by Katie Kehoe Foster and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Lindsay Jost. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Lisa Minutillo and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Dee Lab. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.