📰🏟️ The rumor mill

Is Belichick leaving UNC?…

Kyle Nowak

09 Oct 2025 — 3 min read

Good afternoon. Ready for the top-five sports stories of today? Let’s dive in.

1) Blue Jays clinch first ALCS berth in nearly a decade

Toronto beat New York 5-2 last night to clinch a 3-1 ALDS victory, as star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued his scorching hot playoff run—and had a legendary post-game interview ft. Big Papi.

The Blue Jays’ ALCS opponent will be the winner of Game 5 between the Mariners and Tigers, which takes place tomorrow night in Seattle.
On the NL side, the Phillies and Cubs both won yesterday to stave off elimination and force a pair of Game 4s tonight against the Dodgers and Brewers, respectively.

See the full playoff picture

2) Football will be on TV for a month-and-a-half straight

Last night’s Conference USA action officially kicked off a 49-day stretch where there will be at least one D1 college football or NFL game broadcast every single day.

The next day without a college football or NFL game will be Wednesday, November 26, or the day before Thanksgiving.
While every fall has a similar stretch, it’s especially longer this year thanks to the length of the CFB season, an early Labor Day, and a late Thanksgiving.

Dive into 49 days of football heaven

3) UNC and Bill Belichick issue statements amid buyout rumors

Following multiple days of reports indicating troubles within North Carolina’s football program under Bill Belichick, both the school and legendary former NFL coach issued brief statements late Wednesday saying they remain committed to each other.

UNC has been blown out in all three of its games this season against FBS schools—but issues with the program reportedly go beyond the football field.
This week, reports surfaced of a “toxic environment” within the program, of alleged NCAA rules violations, and that Belichick has discussed contract buyout options with UNC.

Go inside the Chapel Bill drama

4) Heat’s Erik Spoelstra to become USA Basketball head coach

Spoelstra, a two-time NBA champion as a head coach with the Miami Heat, is expected to be hired as the next head coach of the USA Basketball men's national team, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

He would replace Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics with Spoelstra as lead assistant coach.
It would mark the fourth straight Olympics that Team USA has a different coach: Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski led the squad in 2016, followed by the Spurs’ Gregg Popovich and Kerr.

Read the report

5) Jersey patches are coming to college sports

College teams are currently prohibited from selling sponsored jersey patches like NBA, MLB, and NHL teams do. But under a new proposal introduced yesterday by the D1 Administrative Committee, schools would be allowed to place one commercial logo on athletic equipment.

LSU deputy AD Clay Harris says he’s “very confident” the measure will be approved, and that the school has already signed a deal for a yet-to-be-named sponsor.
The details of LSU’s deal aren’t public, but Harris says the Tigers and other top programs can “rival some of the top pro sports teams” in jersey patch dollars.

Explore why ads are in fashion

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