Quick Hits

• A Cleveland Browns tight end tried to become the first active NFL player to go back to college ball — and college sports' two most powerful conferences just slammed the door. The Big Ten and SEC both passed rules banning players who've appeared in the pros, with the SEC going further to include NBA and WNBA players too. Full story below.
• The WNBA playoff field is locked: Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings beat the Portland Fire 96-78 Tuesday night to claim the eighth and final postseason spot.
• The Twins rolled past the Athletics 9-6 in West Sacramento — their starting pitcher was nails for seven innings.
• Angel Reese pulled down 26 rebounds Monday night — a WNBA single-game record — and broke the league's season rebounding record in the same game, as Atlanta beat Los Angeles 78-71.
• College football is (basically) back: "Week 0" kicks off Saturday with eight games, headlined by UNC–TCU, plus season openers for USC and Florida State.

Minnesota Teams

Twins: Nice road win Monday, 9-6 over the A's. Starter Zebby Matthews gave up just one run on six hits over seven innings, and Josh Bell drove in three. The kind of game where you just enjoy the box score.

Vikings: Receiver Jeshaun Jones was suspended three games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy; he can finish the preseason, with the suspension starting Aug. 30 — right as the regular season begins. On a lighter note: CBS ranked the eight new Nike "Rivalries" uniforms rolling out this year (the NFC North's included) and put the Vikings near the top of the list — and the division-rival Lions near the bottom, if you enjoy that sort of thing.

Lynx: ESPN ran a feature on why Minnesota believes this is the year to end a nine-year title drought, anchored by Napheesa Collier's return from multiple injuries ("She elevates us," per the team). One caution flag from ESPN's power rankings: expansion Golden State just beat the Lynx for the first time in franchise history, and the Valkyries are closing in on hosting playoff games.

Quiet day for the Wolves, Wild, and United.

NFL

The story everyone's arguing about: Browns tight end Dae'Quan Wright last week became the first active NFL player to enter college football's transfer portal (the system players use to switch schools). LSU coach Lane Kiffin — whom CBS describes as not caring what you think — is pursuing him, and is also expected to land ex-Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris after his own NFL stint. The response was swift: the Big Ten barred players who've played in the NFL from returning to the conference (CBS wonders if that hard line could backfire), and the SEC followed suit while also banning NBA and WNBA returners, with suspensions and fines on the table for schools that try. Former NFL running back Damien Harris called Wright's move "embarrassing" and "elementary."

Elsewhere: CBS's injury roundup says Ashton Jeanty avoided a major injury, though several running backs are questionable for opening week. And Commissioner Roger Goodell says there's "no doubt" the NFL will one day have teams outside the U.S. — ESPN polled execs on candidates like Mexico City, London, Toronto, and Berlin.

NBA

The WNBA playoffs start soon, and the headliner this week was Angel Reese: her 26-rebound night Monday set the league's single-game mark and pushed her past the season record in the same game. Both CBS and ESPN moved her Dream up in their power rankings — CBS even calls Atlanta a title contender again — while ESPN dropped Indiana three spots.

Also worth knowing: 39-year-old veteran DeWanna Bonner is leaving Phoenix now that the Mercury are out of the playoff race, and CBS sizes up three contenders who could sign her. And in the basketball cousin of that NFL eligibility fight: a Louisiana judge granted RJ Luis Jr. — the 2025 Big East Player of the Year — a temporary injunction to play at LSU this season despite having signed multiple NBA contracts. The NBA itself is still months away; ESPN's expert panel has already published its preseason picks for MVP, Rookie of the Year, and the 2027 champion if you like to plan ahead.

MLB

The Kansas City Royals are the hottest team in the American League with eight straight wins, though CBS's picks crew labeled the surge "too little, too late" and predicted it might end Tuesday in Toronto against a Blue Jays team riding a streak of its own. Tonight's national headliner, per CBS's newsletter: Astros–Yankees.

Off the field, ESPN has a moving piece on MLB's Venezuelan stars — fresh off the joy of the World Baseball Classic, they've shifted focus to earthquake relief efforts back home ("It's really hard to go to sleep," one player said).

College Sports

Football season kicks off Saturday with "Week 0" — eight games involving top-level teams, headlined by UNC vs. TCU, with USC and Florida State also opening their seasons. ESPN also published its top-100 players for 2026, topped by the likes of Jeremiah Smith and Leonard Moore.

Two stories behind the scenes: CBS reports the Big Ten's money gap is widening, with a $40 million roster now "simply the cost of admission" and the conference splitting into financial tiers. And in a genuinely wild saga, Victory Vaka — who lost his Western Kentucky scholarship while grieving his mother's death — has landed at Middle Tennessee after a legal challenge backed by rapper Lil Wayne.

Other Sports

Golf: The PGA Tour is overhauling its postseason, bringing match play (head-to-head, lose-and-go-home) back to the Tour Championship starting in 2028. CBS says the changes finally create real stakes, and Rory McIlroy praised the "big swing" while suggesting dream venues.

Soccer: The Premier League season opened with surprises. CBS's power rankings have Chelsea thriving under new manager Xabi Alonso, while Manchester United and Tottenham were flat-out "woeful." With the transfer window closing, CBS says Liverpool still need reinforcements and Arsenal's coveted striker may have to wait.