General Sports 24 Hours

Last updated: September 13, 2026, 7:41 AM ET

College Football: Texas Stuns Ohio State in Fourth-Quarter Collapse

No. 1 Ohio State controlled its marquee showdown with No. 4 Texas for more than three quarters, then watched a 20-point lead evaporate in a 24-23 defeat on Saturday night, leaving coach Ryan Day to admit "this one hurts." Hollywood Smothers leaped over the pile for a 1-yard touchdown run with 25 seconds left as the Longhorns rallied from 20 points down in the final period to shock the top-ranked Buckeyes. The result immediately reshuffled the playoff picture, and our latest CFP top-12 projection examines how far the selection committee could drop Ohio State after Week. Arch Manning delivered a signature win, while Texas, Michigan and Oklahoma State authored incredible turnarounds that defined the weekend's best moments. The Buckeyes' collapse headlined a Week 2 slate bookended by two great helmet games, with Ohio State-Texas and Oklahoma-Michigan delivering defensive battles worthy of the sport's biggest stages. Manning's dealings with fame have been a family affair since high school, and his also-famous grandfather's perspective offers context on the spotlight the Texas quarterback has navigated for years. Long before kickoff, a group of Texas students and alumni turned overnight stadium camp-outs into a tradition, holding their spots in line since Thursday night for the Longhorns' marquee matchup.

Oklahoma State Stuns Oregon, Michigan Edges Oklahoma

Oklahoma State ended a 21-game skid against FBS opponents by pulling off the first true stunner of the 2026 season, beating No. 6 Oregon 39-31 on Saturday. Michigan, meanwhile, won a physical defensive struggle with Oklahoma, and coach Kyle Whittingham clarified his remarks from last week by saying Bryce Underwood is solidified as the team's quarterback after leading the Wolverines to a 17-10 upset of the Sooners. The victory came at a cost for Oklahoma, as standout linebacker Kip Lewis will not return after sustaining an apparent right knee injury in the first quarter. The weekend also featured a full slate of SEC-Big Ten showdowns and five huge Big 12 games, all part of a challenging Week 2 that tested contenders across the country. Missouri's Border War win over Kansas produced plenty of trolling, with the Tigers jabbing at their rivals after the victory. Coach Eli Drinkwitz said he was "embarrassed" for the Jayhawks, ripping Kansas for leaning into the historic nature of the Border War hype after Friday night's game. Boston College honored Welles Crowther on the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with its annual Red Bandanna Game against Rutgers, and the commemorative Red Bandanna uniforms led the best looks of the weekend. In a quirkier corner of the sport, Akron let a season-ticket holder call a drive through its "Offensive Coordinator For A Day" contest, part of how the Group of 6 is staying relevant in 2026. The experiment ended sourly when contest winner Marty Whims saw his first drive end with a fumble by a receiver.

US Open: Rybakina Dethrones Sabalenka to Claim First Title

Elena Rybakina won her first US Open championship and punctuated her climb to the top of women's tennis by defeating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The victory capped a miraculous run for Rybakina, who arrived in New York unable to walk without pain after injuring her foot and leaves as US Open champion and the new world No. 1. Her path from a questionable injury status to the top ranking made for an unexpected title few could have predicted. Sabalenka, who lost her world No. 1 status during a trying year, smashed her racquet in frustration after another Grand Slam final near miss, admitting it is "tough to control emotions" after the defeat. The final was billed as a clash of big hitters, and our experts' picks broke down the matchup beforehand. In men's doubles, American Christian Harrison and British partner Neal Skupski won their second Grand Slam title of the year by defeating Germany's Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-4, 7-6 (6), claiming the men's doubles crown. Skupski said he was "still in shock" after securing his second Grand Slam title with Harrison. In wheelchair singles, Great Britain's Alfie Hewett beat Japanese top seed Tokito Oda to win a fifth US Open title and his 11th Grand Slam singles crown overall. Ben Shelton will carry the ultimate home-court pressure into Sunday's men's final against Alexander Zverev, where he can become the first American man in 23 years to win a major, a shot at history on the line.

Boxing: Garcia Demolishes Benn in Two Rounds

Ryan Garcia needed only two rounds to take out Conor Benn on Saturday night in Las Vegas, recording his fastest knockout in six years to retain his WBC title and defend his welterweight championship. The ruthless second-round stoppage was a world title mismatch, with Garcia crushing the Briton in emphatic fashion. Our round-by-round coverage tracked how Garcia demolished Benn in just two rounds. The statement win opened plenty of doors for the WBC welterweight champion, who now wants Teofimo Lopez next, with questions remaining about Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Gervonta "Tank" Davis, a crowded field of potential opponents. Garcia is now well positioned to become the face of boxing, using the one thing that has stopped many from taking him seriously as a potential star, a case for stardom that the sport will be watching closely.

Solheim Cup: Americans Even the Score Entering Final Day

Jennifer Kupcho rolled in two late birdie putts, one from 93 feet, to earn the Americans an unlikely point and tie the Solheim Cup at 8-8 after four sessions. Earlier, Team Europe finally took down the record-setting U.S. partnership of Nelly Korda and Allisen Corpuz, winning the morning foursomes to build a 7-5 lead after three sessions. Europe's stellar play from Stark and Grant powered the side early, but questions will surely be asked of captain Anna Nordqvist's faith in the Charley Hull and Lottie Woad pairing decision should Europe fail to reach the 14½ points required to win on Sunday.

Tennis and Athletics: Hodgkinson Denied Again, Ingebrigtsen Withdraws

Keely Hodgkinson was again denied a major prize by rival Audrey Werro, finishing second at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, but revealed she had to overcome a torn hamstring to make the start line. Melissa Jefferson-Wooden ran a world-leading 10.62 seconds in the 100 meters at the Ultimate Championship, one of the standout 100m titles claimed on Saturday alongside Bednarek's victory. Jakob Ingebrigtsen will not contest the men's 1500m final, putting his reunion with rival Josh Kerr on hold after his withdrawal from the showdown.

Golf: Lowry Surges, Kupcho's Heroics Highlight Weekend

Shane Lowry produced an inspired display on the greens to take a four-shot lead into the final round of the Irish Open, closing in on his first individual win since 2022 with a commanding position atop the leaderboard.

Rugby, Cricket and Cycling: South Africa, England and Mas Deliver

South Africa completed a 3-1 series win over New Zealand as the world champions' consistency, power and cohesion proved too much in the fourth Test in Baltimore, sealing a series victory over the All Blacks. England trailed at half-time but produced a dominant second-half performance to earn an emphatic 48-15 victory over Australia at Corp Acq Stadium in the opening game of the new WXV Global Series, with Mitchell calling worries an "absolute joke" after the response. Canada proved too strong for Scotland in their WXV Series opener in Edinburgh, scoring 10 tries in a resounding win. In cricket, England survived an almighty scare to eventually beat Pakistan by eight wickets and complete a 3-0 clean sweep in the third Test. Captain Joe Root said England are in a better place at the end of their tumultuous summer and praised how they handled the chaos. Our player ratings assess which batter played his most mature innings of the year and who has given the selectors food for thought. England's turbulent Test summer leaves more questions than answers, and our correspondent examines the positives and negatives of the campaign. At the Vuelta a Espana, Spanish cycling enjoyed a memorable day as veteran Mikel Landa won the penultimate stage and Enric Mas moved to the brink of the title.

Snooker, Football and Basketball: Williams, Swansea and FIBA Semifinals

Mark Williams pulled off a superb fightback to beat Shaun Murphy and book a spot against Ali Carter in Sunday's English Open final, completing a semi-final comeback. Vitor Matos believes Swansea City's bright start to the new season proves they are capable of competing with any team in the Championship, saying the Swans can beat anyone in the division. The FIBA Women's World Cup semifinal matchups are set, and our breakdown assesses how Team USA and France and the rest of the semifinalists stack up. The World Cup finale fans wanted is here, with Team USA and France meeting in a rematch of the Olympic gold medal game, though Les Bleues have been the better team so far in Berlin.

NFL, UFC and Soccer: Rodgers, Aspinall and Georgia Evans

Aaron Rodgers enters his 22nd NFL season chasing records, and ESPN will chronicle his "last rodeo" with the Steelers as he pursues milestones. Dana White says the UFC will discuss Tom Aspinall's continuing status as heavyweight champion, and the promotion could urge the British fighter to vacate the title after almost a year out with injury. Wales forward Georgia Evans will not forget 2026, having won a league title, got engaged, bought a house and started the process of having a family, a whirlwind year that included an IVF eye opener. Glentoran's struggling start in the Irish Premiership has raised questions about what is going wrong for a side that promised so much on paper, a disappointing campaign so far. Baylor has signed Ukrainian center Kate Koval several weeks after she left LSU because Tigers coach Kim Mulkey brought in a Russian player, a transfer move that drew national attention.