Quick Hits

• LIV Golf files for bankruptcy. The breakaway pro golf circuit filed for Chapter 11 protection after its financial backers walked away, per CBS Sports — and superstars Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, reportedly owed millions as the league's largest creditors, are free to leave.
• Football is back. The NFL's 2026 season kicks off tonight (a rare Wednesday opener) with a rematch of Super Bowl LX: the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks facing the New England Patriots.
• A scoreboard fight in college football. The Mid-American Conference formally asked the College Football Playoff and NCAA to recognize Western Michigan as the winner of Saturday's game at Michigan after a controversial ending in Ann Arbor.
• A bigger playoff may be coming. The CFP opened an exclusive 30-day window to negotiate expanding to a 24-team field, with a Dec. 1 deadline to enact changes for the 2027 season.
• WNBA leadership change. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert is retiring, and ESPN reports potential successors include executives from the WNBA, NBA and Nike.

Minnesota Teams

A quiet day on the local wire — no Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, Lynx or Gophers headlines made today's cut. The big local note: Vikings football returns this week as the NFL opens its season league-wide tonight, and baseball's stretch run is heating up with Labor Day in the books. We'll have Minnesota scores and standings as the week's games roll in.

NFL

• The opener: Seattle begins defense of its championship against New England tonight in a rematch of February's Super Bowl LX. CBS Sports' Pete Prisco picks the Seahawks to dominate once again, and also likes the Bills to end their losing streak against Houston and the Chiefs — behind Patrick Mahomes — to beat Denver.
• Early award chatter: Sportsbooks make Cincinnati's Joe Burrow a "runaway" favorite for MVP, per CBS Sports, which also recommends a bet on defensive star Will Anderson Jr. for Defensive Player of the Year.
• Prisco's first Power Rankings of the year cast a skeptical eye on the star-studded Rams — he calls their "super team" possibly too good to be true — while saying the Jaguars and Cowboys deserve more attention than they're getting.
• Off the field: Steelers first-round rookie Max Iheanachor had up to $200,000 in property stolen during a home invasion, the latest in a string of burglaries targeting NFL players.

NBA

It's the quiet season for basketball, but ESPN has a handy guide to the superstar injury returns worth watching in 2026-27: Tyrese Haliburton, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard are among the big names working their way back. Translation for casual fans: next season should feel much more star-studded than the one just finished.

MLB

• Tonight's pitching story: Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young Award winner (the prize for baseball's best pitcher), makes his long-awaited 2026 debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks in Kansas City — CBS Sports thinks he could be exactly the boost Arizona's postseason push needs.
• Who's built to win for years? ESPN ranked teams by the star talent locked up through 2028, framing the debate as Dodgers-or-Brewers and Red Sox-or-Yankees, with the Braves also in the conversation.
• League getting bigger? ESPN's Jeff Passan reports that once MLB's next labor deal is signed, an expansion committee won't be far behind — with Salt Lake City, Nashville, Montreal and Raleigh among the cities in the running for new teams.

College Sports

• The call heard 'round the weekend: After Saturday's controversial finish in Michigan's game against Western Michigan, the MAC (Western's conference) issued a statement urging the CFP and NCAA to recognize the Broncos as the winner and calling out the Big Ten's replay review process. CBS Sports, for context, rounded up the most controversial finishes in college football history — Michigan has been involved in more than a few.
• Playoff expansion, formally in motion: The College Football Playoff has triggered a 30-day exclusive window to weigh offers on growing to a 24-team field. Any change would take effect for the 2027 season, with a Dec. 1 deadline to decide.
• The $427 saga gets a happy twist: Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter, suspended for Week 1 for accepting $427 from an agent, is turning the episode into a fundraising drive for cancer charities — what he calls making a negative into a positive.

Other Sports

• Golf's civil war takes a turn: LIV Golf's Chapter 11 filing (which lets a business reorganize while it keeps operating) follows the exit of its financial backers. Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau are reportedly the circuit's largest creditors, owed millions, and are now free to leave — a striking collapse for a league that upended men's golf by throwing enormous money at its stars.
• Champions League is back: European club soccer's biggest competition began its "league phase" Tuesday, running through late January. Marquee Matchday 1 fixtures include Real Madrid vs. Inter and Liverpool vs. Atlético Madrid, with Liverpool and Arsenal both in action Wednesday — CBS Sports' experts have picks if you're so inclined.