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Wake Forest Really Kicked Some Ass
Wake Forest’s meteoric rise turns heads in the ACC. After a 9-4 season and a Mayo Bowl win in Jake Dickert’s debut, the Demon Deacons now sit 9-1, their sole loss to Miami. Over the past six weeks they have outscored opponents 313-38, highlighted by a 49-7 blowout of SMU where QB Gio Lopez threw for 201 yards and a TD and rushed for two more, while the ground game added 252 yards and four touchdowns. The surge fuels speculation that Wake Forest could be the next program to make a jump like Indiana’s.
Here’s The Latest Stupid Way That The NHL Is Messing With Its Broadcasts
The NHL’s newest alternate jerseys draw controversy, especially Tampa Bay Lightning’s skull‑center‑ice design. Marketed as a nod to Tampa’s Gasparilla pirate festival—a celebration with a fraught racial history—the logo looks unnervingly smooth, prompting fans to question its realism and relevance. A linked video shows players skating over the graphic, highlighting the odd visual effect. The piece examines whether the league’s branding gimmick crosses the line, sparking debate among fans and cultural critics.
Texas And LSU Had A Barnburner Of Dumbass Football
Texas rallies for a last‑second 22‑21 win over LSU on Nov. 14, 2026, thanks to quarterback Arch Manning’s clutch 12‑play, 58‑yard drive that ends with a 4‑yard TD pass to RB Raleek Brown. The game featured six interceptions – three by each side – and saw LSU lead 21‑10 late in the third quarter before Texas narrowed the gap. Manning finished with modest stats (174 yards, 19‑of‑35, three picks) but delivered the decisive score in the final two minutes, sparking a wild sideline celebration.
Did Ole Miss Simply Lack The Grit To Get To Their Game On Time?
A nationwide FAA ground stop on Friday forced Ole Miss’s football team to miss its scheduled flight from Tupelo, delaying their trip to Norman. With the stop beginning just before the 4 p.m. bus departure, the players gathered for a meeting at 8 p.m., but crew duty‑time limits and the lack of alternative transport meant they couldn’t travel that night. The SEC consequently pushed the No. 19 Rebels’ matchup against Oklahoma to Sunday afternoon. Ole Miss explained that rescreening, crew rest requirements, and an eight‑hour bus ride were infeasible, making Saturday the earliest possible departure.
Mauricio Pochettino Leaves The USMNT For An Even Bigger Mess
Manchester United announce that Mauricio Pochettino will leave the U.S. men’s national team on Nov. 18 to become the club’s new manager, ending a tumultuous spell that began in September 2024. After guiding the USMNT to a Group D topping and a Round of 32 win over Bosnia before a Round of 16 exit to Belgium at the 2026 World Cup, Pochettino departs for Old Trafford. His résumé includes a five‑year run at Tottenham, a Ligue 1 title with PSG, and a sixth‑place finish with Chelsea. United also part ways with interim coach Michael Carrick as they try to reverse their worst league start in four decades.
The Friday Chart: Is The Game About A Bucket?
Welcome to The Friday Chart , in which Defector contributor Harry Krinsky attempts to turn whatever’s been going on in his head lately into a chart.
Utah’s Superhero Keeper Will Face Washington’s Attacking Horde
In a stunning NWSL playoff upset, Utah Royals defeat San Diego Wave 1‑0 on Friday, despite being heavy underdogs. The second‑seeded Wave entered the match after a dominant run, earning 25 points in their last ten games, while Utah scraped only 11. San Diego outshot and possessed the ball, but keeper Mandy McGlynn kept a clean sheet, silencing the Wave's attacking onslaught. The article previews Utah’s next challenge against Washington, highlighting McGlynn’s heroics and the Royals’ unexpected surge.
Notre Dame Brings Havoc To The CFP Rankings
In the latest Defector College Football Watch Guide, hosts Israel Daramola and Ray Ratto break down the weekend’s top story: Notre Dame’s surge shakes up the College Football Playoff rankings. They note Georgia’s dominant 42-7 win over Ole Miss, the unbeaten streaks of UCLA and Utah, and Texas’s unexpected resurgence. The episode also mocks conference politics, Heisman odds, and coaching rumors, offering a witty snapshot of the shifting college football landscape.
Soccer Can Find Salvation In A Bag Of Tricks
The piece spotlights the revival of flashy football tricks—like the rabona and croqueta—highlighting Lamine Yamal’s improvisational rabona‑croqueta that helped Barcelona clinch a Champions League win over Galatasaray. It argues that such inventive flair can rejuvenate the sport, regardless of whether the moves are planned.
Would You Get Stoned With The Scythians?
A new Science paper confirms that the Scythians—nomadic warriors of 800 B.C. in the Uyuk Valley—were smoking cannabis for its psychoactive effects. Led by University of Bern archaeologist Gino Caspari, the study provides the earliest definitive evidence of human marijuana use, pushing back the timeline beyond the previously known 2,500‑year‑old Sogdian examples in western China. The research also traces cannabis’s origins to the Tibetan Plateau, noting its 28‑million‑year evolution and early Chinese cultivation for rope, cloth, and paper. The findings spark a vivid “what‑if” scenario: would you accept a joint from a Scythian king?
Horny Nvidia CEO No Longer CEO, Possibly Still Horny
Nvidia co‑founder Jensen Huang, worth over $100 billion, resigns as CEO after an emergency board meeting linked to alleged affairs, including one with a suspected Chinese spy. His unusual, Huang‑centric management structure complicates succession, so interim CEO Colette Kress, the former CFO with deep financial and Wall Street expertise, steps in. The article recaps Nvidia’s $4 trillion market‑cap rise as the AI hardware leader and its tangled role in the U.S.–China tech rivalry, noting how Chinese firms circumvent export bans via Southeast Asian channels.
How I Succumbed To Reef Madness And Came To Love A Slowly Sinking Ship
The historic SS United States, a 990‑foot liner that once outpaced the Titanic, finally sank in the Gulf of Mexico at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday. After three decades moored in Philadelphia and failed conversion attempts, Okaloosa County, Florida, funded a $10 million artificial‑reef project, submerging the ship 22 miles off Fort Walton Beach—coinciding with the 51st anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s loss. A 10‑hour livestream captured the dramatic descent, offering viewers a poignant conclusion to the vessel’s legacy. The reef aims to boost the Redneck Riviera’s fishing and scuba‑diving appeal, turning the once‑obsolete ocean liner into an underwater attraction.
Enhanced Replay Is The Future
In a tongue‑in‑cheek piece for Defector, Drew Magary (aka the Thursday Afternoon NFL Dick Joke Jamboree) critiques college football officiating, highlighting missed calls and odd penalties that even the NFL struggles with. He argues that while college refs often falter, the sport does have a surprising advantage over the pros in one specific area—enhanced replay. The article teases this edge and invites readers to explore how replay technology could reshape college football governance.
‘Mario Vargas Llosa: A Life’ Is Dishy And Definitive
The new biography *Mario Vargas Llosa: A Life* (812 pages) finally arrives after the writer’s 2025 death, offering a sweeping look at the Peruvian novelist’s tumultuous personal and political saga. Gerald Martin spent 25 years interviewing Vargas Llosa, his family and colleagues, revealing scandals such as an early elopement with his aunt, a marriage to his cousin, and a later affair with Isabel Preysler. The book also details his failed 1990 presidential bid against Alberto Fujimori and his 2010 Nobel Prize win, while dissecting his literary output. It promises a definitive, breezy yet rigorous portrait of one of Latin America’s most controversial figures.
New House Minority Leader Still Faces Old Questions On Ohio State Sexual Abuse
House Republicans elect Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their new minority leader, winning 106-73 on a secret ballot. Jordan, a vocal Donald Trump ally and former Freedom Caucus chair, previously failed three Speaker bids in 2023 amid accusations of bullying and threats. While his leadership ascent draws attention, lingering concerns remain over his ties to the Ohio State sexual abuse scandal, where a 2018 investigation revealed former team doctor Richard Strauss abused at least 177 male wrestlers from the 1970s to 1998. The article revisits those questions as Jordan assumes his new role.
The Oilers Are A Bunch Of Squirts And A Couple Of Gods
The Oilers edge the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2, with a decisive power‑play goal in the second period that showcases Connor McDavid’s playmaking. While serving a two‑minute penalty, McDavid darts into the offensive zone, draws the defense, and threads a precise centering pass to Zach Hyman, who slips the puck under goalie Dan Vladar for the game’s second goal. The tally puts McDavid 15 assists ahead of the next leader and 12 points clear overall, with the next two top point‑scorers also coming from Edmonton. The play highlights why the Oilers’ offense is considered the league’s best.
Why Do People Keep Cheating At Marathons?
The latest episode of the "Only If You Get Caught" podcast explores why marathon cheating persists despite tighter detection and minimal rewards. Host examines the psychology behind runners who hitch rides—like the September incident where a Berlin Marathon influencer was caught on a bike with a 4:53:46 finish—and argues that the act often stems from a raw desire to break rules rather than a rational cost‑benefit calculation. The discussion features insights from Dennis Young of Front Office Sports, offering a deeper look at this puzzling behavior.
Call Her Petty
The article traces the rise of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast from its 2018 debut with Alexandra Cooper and Sofia Franklyn, through a volatile contract fallout with Barstool Sports in 2020, to Cooper’s solo takeover and multimillion‑dollar deals—$60 million with Spotify in 2021 and $125 million with Sirius XM in 2024. While the early show centered on sex, drugs, and drama, it has transformed into a mainstream platform featuring guests like Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama and Kim Kardashian. The piece highlights the legal battle, the disappearance of the original episodes, and the podcast’s evolution into a polished, high‑profile media brand.
Dianna Russini’s Return To Sports Media Was A Bit Of A Disaster
Dianna Russulini attempts a comeback after a scandal involving Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, starting with a soft‑focus People profile that frames her six‑month exile as a “nightmare” and a lesson for women. Her new venture, “The Russini Report,” a one‑hour weekly NFL show on BetUS TV—a controversial offshore sportsbook—premiered Wednesday and, according to the author, falls short of professional standards. The piece critiques the show’s execution and the odd lineup that preceded it, highlighting the challenges Russini faces in restoring her media reputation.
An Expert And A Noob Play ‘Final Fantasy Resonance’
Defector reviews the new spin‑off Final Fantasy Resonance, a 30‑40‑hour turn‑based RPG that revisits the series’ classic combat roots. While Square Enix has shifted recent mainline titles toward action‑heavy systems, Resonance offers a fully packaged, non‑gacha experience using assets from the mobile game Brave Exvius. The article argues that after years of evolving combat styles, this title satisfies fans yearning for traditional turn‑based gameplay and provides a nostalgic tour through Final Fantasy history.
The Blob
On Election Day the author visits a Manhattan doctor to finally have a decade‑long chest cyst—referred to as "the blob"—removed. The half‑hour procedure becomes a backdrop for chat about the Knicks' championship run, with the surgeon praising Jalen Brunson's small stature and team chemistry. As the cyst is excised and stitched, the piece sits on gauze like a grotesque quail egg, turning a routine medical fix into a vivid metaphor for ignored problems. The piece blends personal health, sports commentary, and reflections on bureaucratic bloat.
Paul George Has Turned Out To Be The Ur-Celtic
In a standout Celtics‑Sixers game on Nov. 10, Paul George, the former Sixers wing acquired in the Jaylen Brown trade, drops 36 points as Boston thunders to a 123‑101 victory. George’s efficient, methodical play starkly contrasts with Brown’s foul‑prone, erratic outing, highlighting why the Celtics’ roster feels like a perfect fit for his timeless style. The piece also revisits the trade’s background—Brown’s All‑NBA second‑team season versus George’s injury‑marred two years in Philadelphia—and notes the Sixers added draft picks to balance the deal.
Two Hard-Up Vikings Fans “Celebrate” The Return Of Kirk Cousins
Three years after the Vikings released quarterback Kirk Cousins, the team announces his surprising return ahead of the trade deadline. The article humorously reflects on the fanbase’s mixed feelings—regret, embarrassment, and reluctant excitement—as they watch Cousins re‑join Minnesota. It ties the comeback to a special Trade Deadline edition of the All Ball podcast, linking to the episode for a deeper dive.
Look Who Came Crawling Back To Kirk Cousins
The Vikings shock the NFL by trading quarterback Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota on Tuesday, a move few predicted but many now applaud. After a chaotic offseason that saw the team flirt with J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray, a ham‑string‑injured Murray, Carson Wentz, and even rejected Max Brosmer, Minnesota’s quarterback room turned into a "radioactive dump" and forced the club to rehiring Cousins. The trade, initially rumored when Cousins headed to the Raiders, finally materializes as the Vikings admit they need a proven starter, ending a six‑year roller coaster of speculation and disappointment.
Am I Cursed To Listen To Nothing But Awful Children’s Music For The Rest Of Time?
Welcome back to Minor Dilemmas , where a member of Defector's Parents Council will answer your questions on surviving family life. Have a question? Email us at [email protected] . This week, Giri offers suggestions on how to avoid the pitfalls of the Toddler Music Industrial Complex.
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