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CLEMSON — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has known Virginia Tech coach James Franklin for years. They'll finally go head-to-head in Week 8.

The Tigers (4-2, 2-1 ACC) host the Hokies (5-2, 2-2) on Oct. 24 (7 p.m., ESPN).

Swinney said it will be "just another game" vs Franklin, but he went into their relationship Oct. 20 at his weekly press conference.

Swinney said he first met Franklin when he was an assistant coach at Maryland in the 2000s, and that the two are good friends. Swinney said their wives, Kathleen Swinney and Fumi Franklin, are also very close with one another.

Swinney mostly talks with Franklin during Nike-sponsored coaching trips for the nation's top coaches each February. Swinney said he went to his first one at the same time Franklin did, and that the two have gotten to know each other better ever since.

"That's how I got to know him and spent a lot of time with him on those trips. They're a lot of fun," Swinney said. "He's a very good coach."

Franklin said "some tweaks" are coming to Virginia Tech's offense ahead of its game against Clemson. This is because Franklin knows Tigers defensive coordinator Tom Allen well, as Allen was Franklin's defensive coordinator at Penn State in 2024.

Swinney said that it won't matter too much, and that Clemson will be fine if the defense continues playing like it has this season. The Tigers have allowed 268.2 yards per game since giving up 644 yards against LSU in Week 1.

"It's still about players. I mean, players gotta make plays," Swinney said. "Teams know each other ... and coaches know each other. Still got to execute plays.

"You've got to be able to hang your hat on what you do and execute. Study what they do and try to figure out the best plan to pack it and have some answers. And obviously, you want to study yourself. What do they know about you? ... At the end of the day, man coverage is man coverage, technique is a technique, counter is a counter, zone read is a zone read, and you gotta execute well, so it's about the players."

Franklin is in his first season as Virginia Tech's coach after spending almost 12 years at Penn State, which fired him last October after a 3-3 start. Franklin won the 2016 Big Ten championship and reached the semifinals of the 2024 College Football Playoff.

Franklin was originally set to receive his first head coaching job at Maryland after returning to the Terrapins in 2008 as their offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting. However, he took Vanderbilt's head coaching job in 2010 instead.

MORE CLEMSON FOOTBALL: Dabo Swinney challenged Ashton Hampton to grow up. Now he's Clemson's top NFL prospect.

What Dabo Swinney said about the 24-team College Football Playoff?

The College Football Playoff and ESPN are nearing an agreement to expand the tournament field from 12 to 24 teams beginning next season, according to many reports. The move has been criticized by many college football fans, commentators and analysts, who all believe the expansion will have a negative effect on the sport.

Swinney said he isn't focused on it, but he did give some of his thoughts, saying he believes the move is financially driven.

"It'll be just like anything and everything that has happened in college football. There's unintended consequences," Swinney said. "It don't matter what you talk about. Don't matter what people say; sometimes it just has to happen before anybody will say, 'Well, yep, that's what we're dealing with.'

"I get it. I understand it. It's just all money, so that's where we're in."

Nick Coppola covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA Today Network. Email him at ncoppola@usatodayco.com, follow him on X @Nick_Coppola__ and like his Facebook page at Nick Coppola, Clemson Sports.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dabo Swinney explains close James Franklin friendship before Clemson vs Virginia Tech

Even after claiming the East's No. 1 seed and coming within a game of reaching the conference finals last season, the Detroit Pistons remain a sleeper going into the 2026-27 season. At sportsbooks, the Knicks, 76ers, Celtics, Raptors and Cavaliers all hold better odds to win the Eastern Conference, and even the Heat and Pacers are often mentioned by pundits before getting around to Detroit.

A quiet offseason is the biggest reason behind the lack of excitement -- the most notable thing to happen was a contract dispute with all-star center Jalen Duren. Especially in contrast to the splashy moves of teams like Philadelphia, Miami and Toronto. But at least one person is holding out hope that Detroit already has everything it needs to not only take a step forward, but power all the way through to the NBA Finals.

"I'm going with my guys," Pistons legend Richard Hamilton told FTW. "It was our first time there last year. We got beat up a little bit. Cade [Cunningham] was hurt. That's the thing people don't talk about. Cade came back at a time where most guys have their rhythm. If you watch that Orlando series, sometimes he would have more turnovers than assists. And that's just him getting his rhythm after missing so many games.

"So I just feel as though with a healthy Cade Cunningham, it might just be my revenge -- even though I'm on the other side -- of Detroit versus San Antonio. And this time, we go to the River Walk and we come back with a championship."

It's a compelling argument by Hamilton, who was on the losing end of a Spurs-Pistons finals in 2005 as Detroit was seeking to go back-to-back. Even out of rhythm, Cunningham averaged 28.1 points and 7.5 assists. So, there's presumably another level the 25-year-old can take his game. We know Duren can play better, as his disappointing postseason was at the root of his holdout. Ausar Thompson is the other piece of that puzzle, as another young player on the roster with room to grow.

As for Hamilton's pick to win the West, the Spurs are less surprising after last year's run to the finals. But Hamilton said he was high on their potential even before then.

"I do have the Spurs. Because that unicorn they got over there, that alien they got over there, it's different."

This article originally appeared on For The Win: A totally unbiased Rip Hamilton made the least surprising 2027 NBA Finals prediction

IOWA CITY — Iowa football is aiming to keep the Floyd of Rosedale trophy for the third straight year as it heads to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota on Saturday, Oct. 24.

For quarterback Jeremy Hecklinski, the game marks a full-circle moment. His first touchdown in an Iowa uniform came against Minnesota last year, a 6-yard run in the fourth quarter in Iowa's 41-3 win over the Golden Gophers.

While the coaching staff has not yet named Hecklinski or Hank Brown as starting quarterback for the Oct. 24 game, Hecklinski is coming off a 41-24 win over Washington in his first career start, where he threw for three touchdowns on 14 of 19 passes for 202 yards.

"This is big," Hecklinski said of the rivalry with Minnesota. "It'll be good to go over there and play them at their place."

Hecklinski spoke to members of the media on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Here are the highlights of what he said.

Iowa football does not name starting QB

Hecklinski said he does not know who will start at quarterback against Minnesota, and that head coach Kirk Ferentz will decide later in the week. Hecklinski also said that Brown looks healthy in practice.

"He hasn't skipped a beat," Hecklinski said of Brown. "He looks great."

Hecklinski said he and Brown have again been rotating in practice as they await the decision.

"Whatever they decide is final," Hecklinski said. "We're going to continue to just practice every day and try to be our best selves. We just want to win games, and whoever they go with, that's ultimately what is going to happen."

Hecklinski's confidence rising following win over Washington

Hecklinski said he plays football "loose," and that energy showed in the win over Washington. He said he felt confident going into the game against the Huskies and credited the looks the Iowa defense gave him in the past couple of weeks for helping the offense get ready.

"Going against our defense, they're one of the best defenses in the nation," Hecklinski said. "It brings us confidence because we know they're such a good defense that we can go after them Friday night, Saturday afternoon and get what we want."

The run game was very successful against Washington. Kamari Moulton had two rushing touchdowns and ran for a career-high 208 yards. Hecklinski said the success on the ground helped him in the passing attack.

"It opens up a lot of stuff for me on the back end," Hecklinski said. "It makes it easier on me as a passer."

What Hecklinski is seeing against Minnesota

Hecklinski said Minnesota has some good athletes on its roster, and talked about edge rusher Anthony Smith, an All-Big Ten first-team selection last season.

"He's a good player," Hecklinski said. "I think we just got to play our game, and we'll walk out with a winner."

Every day in the weight room, Hecklinski and the team see the trophy they won last season when they beat the Golden Gophers. Hecklinski said he touches it every day when he walks through to remind himself what this game is about.

"Keeping the trophy," Hecklinski said about what this game means. "It's a trophy game. Keep it here."

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa football QB Jeremy Hecklinski talks Washington win, Minnesota prep

Fans watch sports to see something new, marvels we never thought possible. That's guaranteed to happen at the 2026 World Series when the Tampa Bay Rays face off against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Neither team has ever taken home the Commissioner's Trophy, awarded to the MLB champion every year since 1967. The Fall Classic stretches back a little farther, to 1903. The Rays and Brewers, who were established in 1998 and 1969, respectively, have played in just three of baseball's ultimate series between them.

It marks the first time since 1980 that the World Series will pit two teams that had never won the championship. That year, the Philadelphia Phillies took down the Kansas City Royals in six games for the franchise's first title in its 97-year history. Don't feel too bad for the Royals; they'd win it all a few years later in 1985.

This marks the second consecutive year that fans of the four major American sports will be guaranteed a first-time champ. In the 2025 NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder bested the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series to win the first title for the team that started as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1967 (the Pacers dropped to 0-2 in the NBA Finals, though they did win the ABA three times).

A guaranteed new champ has happened twice in the past 10 years in the NHL, most recently with the Vegas Golden Knights beating the Florida Panthers in five games in 2023 (Florida would win the next two Stanley Cups). There's been a much longer wait in the NFL: The St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl 34 after the 1999 season, capping a dream season for "The Greatest Show on Turf."

When is the last time the Rays were in the World Series?

Tampa has been to the Fall Classic twice before, most recently in the 2020 COVID season. The Rays finished with the best record in the AL at 40-20 (which would equate to a 108-54 record over a standard season) with Brandon Lowe, Willy Adames and Randy Arozarena leading the offense and Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Ryan Yarborough spearheading the pitching staff. They swept the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 in the wild-card series (installed for the shortened season before it was made permanent in 2022), then went the distance in a five-game ALDS against the New York Yankees and the seven-game ALCS against the Houston Astros.

Played at the newly built Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, the Rays faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, losing in six games. The teams split the first four games with Brett Philips hitting a chaotic walk-off single off Kenley Jensen to win Game 4. The Dodgers won Game 5 wire to wire, then Rays manager Kevin Cash made a still-controversial decision to pull Snell with a one-run lead in the sixth inning after just 73 pitches. Tampa instantly coughed up the lead and went on to lose 3-1.

The other time the Rays made the World Series, they lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. Under manager Joe Maddon with an offense headed by Carlos Peña and Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria, Tampa went from 66-96 the year before to 97-65 to reach the franchise's first postseason. After a 3-1 ALDS win over the Chicago White Sox and a seven-game thriller over the defending champion Boston Red Sox, the Rays split the first two games against the Phillies at Tropicana Field before an hourslong rain delay led to a Game 3 walk-off loss in Philly. Facing elimination in Game 5, Peña tied the game in the top of the sixth before the game was suspended by rain. Two days later, play resumed with Jayson Werth giving the Phils the lead back, then Rocco Baldelli tying it again with a home run only for Pedro Feliz to single home the game- and series-winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

When is the last time the Brewers were in the World Series?

The last time Milwaukee reached the Fall Classic, they were part of the American League. Behind an MVP 1982 season from Robin Yount and with Paul Molitor and Gorman Thomas leading the majors in runs and homers, respectively, the Brewers won their second straight AL East title with a 95-67 record. They dropped the first two games in the ALCS to the California Angels before winning the final three, with Cecil Cooper delivering the deciding runs of a 4-3 win in Game 5 on a bases-loaded single.

In the 1982 World Series, the Brewers faced the St. Louis Cardinals, opening with a statement in a 10-0 win in which Molitor and Yount went a combined 9 for 12 with a run and two RBIs apiece. St. Louis took Games 2 and 3 then got their revenge in Game 6 with a 13-1 demolition to force Game 7. A Molitor single and Cooper sacrifice fly gave Milwaukee the lead in the top of the sixth, but with the bases loaded in the home half, Keith Hernandez and George Hendrick hit back-to-back singles to give the Cardinals the lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Which teams haven't won the World Series?

It might surprise some baseball fans to learn that some of the worst teams this season — the Los Angeles Angels, the San Francisco Giants and the Athletics, for instance — do have World Series titles in their trophy case. There are five teams still searching for their first championship. Only one, the Seattle Mariners, has never even been there. Here's a look at the teams without a title, including when they began play and the times they came closest:

• Tampa Bay Rays (1998): 2020 (lost to LA Dodgers 4-2) and 2008 (lost to Philadelphia 4-1)
• Colorado Rockies (1993): 2007 (lost to Boston 4-0)
• San Diego Padres (1969): 1998 (lost to NY Yankees 4-0) and 1984 (lost to Detroit 4-1)
• Milwaukee Brewers (1969): 1982 (lost to St. Louis 4-3)
• Seattle Mariners (1977): reached ALCS four times in 1995, 2000, 2001 and 2025

Rays vs Brewers World Series schedule

All 2026 World Series games will be broadcast on Fox. Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.

• Game 1: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 | American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• Game 2: 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 | American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• Game 3: 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
• Game 4: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
• Game 5*: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
• Game 6*: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 | American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• Game 7*: 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 | American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

*- if necessary

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Have the Tampa Bay Rays ever won the World Series? MLB gets rare gift

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The Rays and their low payroll and small-ball style are heading to the World Series seeking the first championship in franchise history.