Quick Hits

• The NFL season kicked off Wednesday night with the Patriots visiting the Seahawks — only the second Wednesday opener in 107 years, per CBS Sports. The reason for the odd weeknight slot: the league cleared Thursday for a game in Melbourne, Australia.
• The Michigan clock controversy keeps growing. After Michigan beat Western Michigan on a final play granted with a second the TV clock said didn't exist, the NCAA issued a new "standard timing protocol," and the MAC is now formally asking the CFP and NCAA to declare Western Michigan the winner.
• Barry Melrose died at 70. The former NHL player and coach became one of hockey's most familiar TV voices as a longtime ESPN analyst.
• Champions League soccer returned: Liverpool beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 and Arsenal won 1-0 at Napoli, while Manchester United made its return to the competition.
• Baseball tonight: Diamondbacks pitcher Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young winner, makes his first start of 2026 in Kansas City with Arizona chasing a playoff spot.

Minnesota Teams

A quiet stretch on the hometown beat — the biggest Vikings news this week is fashion. ESPN flagged Minnesota's throwback uniforms among the best looks of NFL Week 1, so expect the classic kits when they take the field. The Packers-Vikings opener is also drawing betting-market attention: CBS Sports notes prediction platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket are active on the game, with SportsLine's model running 10,000 simulations. Nothing headline-worthy from the Twins, Wolves, Wild, Lynx or Gophers in today's feed.

NFL

The season started Wednesday night in Seattle with New England in town — a rare midweek opener the league scheduled to make room for Thursday night's Rams-49ers game in Melbourne, Australia, an unusual travel destination for a regular-season game. The full Week 1 slate follows this weekend (including that Packers-Vikings game). One thing watchers are buzzing about: CBS Sports put five favored teams on "upset alert" for their openers — meaning they could plausibly lose — including the Chiefs and Bears.

NBA

Basketball news is mostly about the future right now. The WNBA playoff field is set, and the league's biggest story is that commissioner Cathy Engelbert is retiring — ESPN reports candidates to replace her include executives from the WNBA, NBA and Nike. On the NBA side, opening night is about six weeks away, and ESPN stacked all 30 teams into eight tiers from contenders to rebuilding, with the Knicks, Spurs, Lakers, Warriors, 76ers and Celtics among the clubs in the contender conversation.

MLB

With the playoffs approaching, Arizona gets a boost tonight: Corbin Burnes, a former Cy Young winner (baseball's best-pitcher award), makes his long-awaited first start of the2026 season in Kansas City — CBS Sports says he could be exactly what the Diamondbacks need for their postseason push. Meanwhile, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports front offices are already eyeing the offseason, with the big questions being how much star pitcher Skubal could command in free agency and who tops the hitter market (Jazz Chisholm and Luis Arraez are names in the mix). ESPN also ranked every team's "core" of star talent under contract through 2028, with the Dodgers-vs-Brewers and Red Sox-vs-Yankees comparisons stealing the show.

NHL

Sad news for hockey fans: Barry Melrose, a former NHL player and coach who became a beloved fixture on ESPN's hockey coverage, has died at 70, his wife Cindy confirmed to ESPN's Steve Levy. On the ice, training camps are opening across the league, and ESPN laid out the biggest question facing each of the 32 teams — including what the future holds for Quinn Hughes, whether the Sharks can make a playoff leap, and how the Panthers' new faces fit in.

College Sports

The strangest story of the young season: Michigan beat Western Michigan on Saturday thanks to a final play awarded with an extra second — even though the broadcast clock showed zeros. The fallout is real: the NCAA has issued a new "standard timing protocol" for late-game situations, and the MAC released a statement criticizing the Big Ten's replay process and urging the CFP and NCAA to recognize Western Michigan as the rightful winner. Separately, the College Football Playoff has opened a 30-day exclusive window to negotiate an expansion from its current field to 24 teams, with a Dec. 1 deadline to make changes for the 2027 season. In basketball, dozens of college rosters are stuck in wait-and-see mode over unresolved eligibility cases — ESPN ranked the 25 best players whose status is in limbo.

Other Sports

The Champions League — European club soccer's biggest tournament — kicked off its "league phase" this week, and the results had drama. Liverpool trailed Atlético Madrid early at Anfield before winning 2-1, and Arsenal escaped Napoli with a 1-0 win despite star striker Viktor Gyokeres failing to register a single shot, which CBS Sports flags as a worrying trend for the marquee signing. Manchester United, now managed by Michael Carrick, marked its return to the competition against Azerbaijani club Sabah while juggling injuries ahead of the Manchester Derby (the heated crosstown clash with rivals Manchester City).