Sports Express | November 7, 2026: Notre Dame Faces Must-Win Game vs. Miami After First CFP Rankings

1. Notre Dame Faces Must-Win Game vs. Miami After First CFP Rankings

Source: Yahoo Sports

With the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings out, Miami sits at No. 1, Alabama landed in the top five despite two losses, and Georgia, Utah and Indiana complete the top five. That makes this Saturday's slate even more important.

No. 11 Notre Dame (7-1) needs to beat No. 1 Miami on Saturday to feel good about its playoff chances. The selection committee placed Marcus Freeman's team behind two-loss SEC teams such as Alabama and Texas, and a second loss now could knock the Irish out of contention. Notre Dame's remaining regular-season games are against Boston College, SMU and Syracuse.

Two other major programs are also short on margin. No. 14 LSU would gain plenty of confidence by beating No. 5 Alabama, but a loss would leave Lane Kiffin's team with almost no room for error, with No. 7 Texas and No. 13 Tennessee still to come. No. 12 Ohio State lost 30-18 to USC last weekend after quarterback Julian Sayin was injured; backup Luke Fahey did not have the offense firing, and a loss to No. 23 Oregon on Saturday would almost certainly end the Buckeyes' postseason hopes.

Source

2. LeBron Held to 8 Points as 76ers Fall 119-95 in Cleveland

Source: Sky Sports

LeBron James was held to eight points in his return to Cleveland as the Philadelphia 76ers lost 119-95 to the Cavaliers in an NBA Cup group-stage game. It was only the 10th time in 1,630 NBA regular-season games that James finished in single digits.

The 41-year-old Akron native chose to sign with Philadelphia in the offseason instead of returning to Cleveland for a third stint. He went 3 of 12 from the field, including 0 for 4 from three-point range, and committed six turnovers in 31 minutes. He heard a smattering of boos every time he touched the ball in the first half, and this time there was no video tribute.

'Definitely not feeling a good rhythm offensively,' James said. 'We didn't look like much offensively. We had a couple spurts, but too many turnovers on my behalf.' The Sixers came in with the NBA's best record but fell to 8-2. Coach Nick Nurse called the performance 'lacklustre' and said his team must bounce back Sunday at Chicago. James spent 11 seasons over two stints with the Cavs and won a title with Cleveland in 2016.

Source

3. Blue Jays Respond to Santander's Controversial Social Posts

Source: Yahoo Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays responded Friday to the social media firestorm created by outfielder Anthony Santander. Santander has since deleted the posts, but many were captured by users before they disappeared. According to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic, Santander shared posts that many considered Islamophobic on his Instagram story on Wednesday, shortly after the U.S. elections were completed.

One image showed Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, who was just elected a U.S. Senator for Michigan and will be the first Muslim Senator in history, with text that read 'America voted for Sharia Last Night!' Another post said 'Islam is not peaceful.'

Asked about the posts, the Blue Jays released a statement: 'Baseball is for everyone, and the Blue Jays have created an inclusive experience where all fans feel welcome at our ballpark. Individual comments do not represent our organization's values and beliefs.' Santander signed a five-year, $92.5 million deal with Toronto before the 2025 season. He has played only 54 games in two years with the club, hitting six home runs with 18 RBI. He did not play in 2026 after left labral surgery. He has three years left on his contract, and general manager Ross Atkins said earlier this offseason that Toronto sees him as part of its 2027 plan.

Source

4. Packers' Jordan Love Could Face $25,000 Fine Over Referee Costume

Source: Yahoo Sports

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love may end up paying for a Halloween costume. He and his wife, Ronika Stone, dressed as blind referees, complete with striped shirts, sunglasses, walking sticks and yellow penalty flags. Stone posted the video on TikTok, and it quickly went viral.

The NFL does not take kindly to players criticizing officials. After Green Bay's controversial Week 7 loss to Detroit, teammate Xavier McKinney said he was not a fan of the refs and was fined $25,000, the usual minimum for such comments. Love is likely facing the same amount. Rams receiver Puka Nacua was also fined $25,000 last year for criticizing officials on a podcast.

Coach Matt LaFleur was asked about the costume Thursday. 'He did send me the clip, and I thought it was pretty hilarious,' LaFleur said. 'But I probably should refrain from giving my two cents on that.' The article also noted that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dressed as a blind referee in 2022 and reportedly escaped a fine. Love wore the costume six days after Green Bay's 20-17 loss to the Lions on Oct. 25, a game in which referee Alex Moore's crew threw several questionable flags. Love was called for intentional grounding, while Lions safety Brian Branch appeared to go helmet-first into tight end Tucker Kraft with no flag.

Source

5. Mahomes Three TD Passes Away From First-10-Season Record

Source: Yahoo Sports

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is three touchdown passes away from the NFL record for the most in a player's first 10 seasons. In his 10th season, he has 325 career touchdown passes counting the playoffs; only Peyton Manning had more in his first 10 years, with 327.

Mahomes faces the Jets on Sunday. Two touchdown passes would tie Manning's record, and three would give him the record alone. As a rookie he played in only one game and threw no touchdown passes. In the eight and a half seasons since, he has 279 touchdown passes in the regular season and 46 in the playoffs.

Once Mahomes breaks the record, he is likely to own it for a long time. The only active quarterback closing in is Josh Allen, who is in his eighth season with 260 career touchdown passes.

Source

6. Antonio Brown Avoids Jail After Plea Deal in Miami Shooting

Source: CBS Sports

Former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown will not serve jail time after pleading guilty Friday to a lesser charge stemming from a shooting incident at a boxing event in Miami last year. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a firearm and received three years of probation.

Brown was originally sought on one charge of attempted murder in May 2025 after a fight allegedly took place between him and several other people shortly after a celebrity boxing event. Videos of the altercation and pictures of Brown in handcuffs circulated on social media. Brown later posted that he was jumped by people trying to steal his jewelry.

'My client was facing 30 years in prison with a 20-year minimum mandatory, and he was given an offer he just couldn't refuse,' defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh told reporters. 'Probation was too good to turn down, and we're both very excited about the outcome.' Brown must undergo a mandatory psychological evaluation and may have to attend weekly counseling if mandated by a judge. He last played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021.

Source

7. Canada's Sport Integrity Agency Flags 'Major' Gaps in Safe Sport Rules

Source: CBC

More than six months after a report rang alarm bells about the prevalence of abuse and maltreatment in sport, the head of Canada's sport integrity agency still has 'major' concerns about regional gaps in safe sport rules. Sport Integrity Canada maintains a public registry that includes the names of more than 80 people sanctioned across more than two dozen sporting bodies.

The problem is that the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport is mandatory only for national sport organizations as a condition of federal funding. Most provincial and local organizations are not required to adopt it, so cases at those levels may never appear on the registry.

'We know that individuals who cause harm in this way can move from one sport to another sport, at one level to another level, where their names aren't being appropriately placed on a registry so people know about it,' said Jeremy Luke, president and CEO of Sport Integrity Canada. 'It's a major concern for us.' The final report of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission, released in March and led by former Ontario Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve, described a longstanding 'culture of silence' and called for a pan-Canadian safe sport program. The federal government has earmarked more than $1 billion over several years for the sport system, and Sport Canada is putting $17.3 million into Sport Integrity Canada in 2026-27, up from $12.6 million. Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden will gather sport leaders for a national summit in Ottawa next Monday and Tuesday.

Source

8. Curling Great Brad Gushue on His Memoir, Broomgate and Retirement

Source: Toronto Star

Canadian curling great Brad Gushue has published a memoir, 'Gushue: The making of a champion,' written with sportswriter Stephen Brunt and published by Penguin Random House. The book looks at how he turned elite men's curling from a party circuit into a more professional pursuit, and at the Broomgate scandal.

'When I first started curling, curling was in a different era. It was very much a social game,' the six-time Brier champion and Olympic gold medallist told the Star. 'It was a lot of parties, a lot of late nights, a lot of alcohol, a lot of dancing.' The St. John's native said he did not love being away from home and was not curling to party. 'We took a different approach... we got mocked for a couple of years. And then all of a sudden you have success and people are saying, What are they doing different?'

Gushue, now 46, arrived at the national level in 2003 and won six Brier titles, the most by a skip. The only Brier he missed was in 2006, when the timing conflicted with the Turin Olympics, where he won gold for Canada while his mother was battling cancer. He introduced directional sweeping and now says, 'I wish it went away. I feel guilty having brought it to the game.' He retired last year after losing the Brier semifinal in his hometown of St. John's and has not thrown a rock since. 'I don't intend to throw another rock,' he said. In May he accepted a high-performance director position with USA Curling, and he is giving broadcasting a try this season.

Source

9. Spain's Women's Flag Football Team Chases Olympic Berth as NFL Visits Madrid

Source: The Spec (AP)

Spain has long been trying to break into the elite level of women's flag football. Ranked among the top 10 in the world and a perennial contender in Europe, it still does not have a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where the sport will make its Olympic debut.

Having the NFL in the country this week is helping. The Cincinnati Bengals will play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the NFL's second regular-season game in Spain. The league has also launched school programs and youth competitions in Spain, and on Monday it and TMRW Sports unveiled Premier Flag, a professional league for men and women set to launch in the summer of 2027.

Spain, ranked seventh in the world, missed its first chance to qualify at the world championship in Germany in August. It rallied from 20-6 down to lead with about two minutes remaining before losing 27-26 to world No. 1 Mexico in the quarterfinals, and finished eighth. Mexico went on to finish third and secure the second and final Olympic spot from the tournament; Canada was the other team to qualify after reaching the final against the United States. Spain's second opportunity begins at next year's European championship, where the top two eligible teams advance to the Olympic Q-Series in June 2028.

Source

10. Victoria Sports Hall of Fame Inducts Class of 2026

Source: Times Colonist

The Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2026 on Saturday night at the Delta Ocean Pointe ballroom, with seven individuals and one club entering in the 32nd ceremony.

This year's inductees include goaltender Ron Grahame, who came out of the Esquimalt Minor Hockey Association to the NHL and WHA; diver Riley McCormick, who went from the Victoria Boardworks Club to two Olympic Games; Bruce Twamley, who went from Gorge FC to pro soccer and played for Canada in 1974 and 1978 World Cup qualifying; and Phil Mack, who went from the James Bay Athletic Association to the rugby World Cup. Former world X-Terra champion Melanie McQuaid, legendary UVic swimming coach Peter Vizsolyi and the late longtime local and international track and field official Keith Newell are also being inducted, and the Royal Victoria Yacht Club enters in the builders category.

Grahame recalled that after winning the BCHL title with the Victoria Cougars in 1969, University of Denver coach Murray Armstrong offered him an NCAA scholarship. He played in the NHL and WHA until 1981, won the 1975 Avco Cup with the Howes, and eventually spent more than 50 years in the athletics department at the University of Denver. The Hall of Fame was inaugurated in 1991; plaques honouring the Class of 2026 will join those of the 283 previous inductees on the concourse walls of Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

Source