Sports

By The Associated Press Lovie Smith makes another return to Soldier Field, and the Houston Texans try to pick up their first win when they visit the Chicago Bears. Smith led the Bears to an 81-63 record and a Super Bowl appearance from 2004-12. He is 0-2 against Chicago, with losses coaching Tampa Bay in

By The Associated Press The Carolina Panthers know they’ll need to win third downs against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday if they hope to snap a league-long nine-game losing streak. Carolina is converting a meager 26.1% of its third down conversions, which ranks 29th in the league. The Saints won’t make it easy. Their

By The Associated Press No. 3 Ohio State and Wisconsin kick off the Big Ten schedule on Saturday at Ohio Stadium. The Badgers are 2-1 after being upset in Week 2 by Washington State. The Buckeyes haven’t been in a close game since beating then-No. 5 Notre Dame in their opener. C.J. Stroud and the

By The Associated Press The New York Giants will try to open a season with three straight wins for the first time since 2009 when they host the Dallas Cowboys Monday night. Dallas will be without quarterback Dak Prescott again. Backup Cooper Rush led the team to a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer LONDON (AP) — Roger Federer says he was paying attention along with everybody else when Serena Williams played what is expected to be her last match three weeks ago at the U.S. Open. He wasn’t surprised she is moving on from her playing career, just as he is after

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer The head of McLaren Racing held a town hall at its IndyCar shop to introduce new hire Brian Barnhart and quell any concerns over this week’s sudden departure of the team president. Zak Brown did not give a title for Barnhart, an industry veteran who spent the past

By The Associated Press No. 2 Alabama and Vanderbilt are set to face off in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. The Crimson Tide have won 22 straight meetings against the Commodores. But Vandy has already won three games, one more than in Clark Lea’s debut season last year. The Commodores are expected to

By The Associated Press The Seminoles are seeking their first 4-0 start since 2015. Florida State coach Mike Norvell was 0-6 in September in his first two seasons in Tallahassee but now could go 3-0 in 2022 (the Seminoles also had a Week 0 rout of FCS Duquesne). Boston College has battled injuries along the

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United is set to reduce its activity in the transfer market in upcoming windows following an overhaul of the squad after the arrival of new manager Erik ten Hag. United was one of the biggest spenders in Europe in the summer transfer window with an outlay approaching $250 million on

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former director of Mississippi’s welfare agency pleaded guilty Thursday to new federal charges in a conspiracy to misspend tens of millions of dollars that were intended to help needy families in one of the poorest states in the U.S. — part of the largest

By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer LONDON (AP) — It was quite a collection of tennis luminaries sharing the black indoor hard court for a Laver Cup doubles practice session Thursday, 66 Grand Slam titles among them, a group collectively nicknamed the Big Four: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on one side of the net;

By The Associated Press Penn State opens a two-game homestand against Central Michigan of the Mid-American Conference before hosting Northwestern next week. The Nittany Lions want to stay sharp and healthy as a showdown at No. 4 Michigan looms on Oct. 15. Central Michigan is looking for its first win over an AP Top 25

By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A former director of Mississippi’s welfare agency is set to plead guilty Thursday to new federal charges in a conspiracy to misspend tens of millions of dollars that were intended to help needy families in one of the poorest states in the U.S. — part

By The Associated Press Auburn is trying to rebound from a blowout loss to Penn State when Missouri visits Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time. It’s the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Auburn lost 41-12 to the Nittany Lions. Missouri suffered a similar fate in its only other Power Five game, losing 40-12 at

Bowling Green (1-2) at Mississippi State (2-1), Saturday, noon ET (SEC Network) Line: Mississippi State by 30 1/2, according to FanDuel.com Sportsbook. Series: Mississippi State leads 1-0. WHAT’S AT STAKE Mississippi State looks to bounce back from its 31-16 loss at LSU in which it surrendered 21 straight points in the fourth quarter. Bowling Green

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Spain-based winger Awer Mabil scored his eighth goal in 29 appearances for Australia and the Socceroos beat New Zealand 1-0 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Australia midfielder Jackson Irvine poached the ball in New Zealand’s half and fed Mabil in the 32nd minute. The Cádiz players stepped around a defender and

By KAREL JANICEK and STEPHEN WHYNO Associated Press PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Foreign Ministry has told the NHL that Russian players are not welcome for season-opening games because of the invasion of Ukraine. The Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks are set to play regular-season games Oct. 7 and 8 in Prague’. Each team

By The Associated Press Northwestern remains in bounce-back mode with two straight losses heading into the game against Miami (Ohio). The Wildcats dropped a stunner to an FCS program last week when Southern Illinois beat them 31-24. They are also staring at a tough one-two punch to open Big Ten play. They visit No. 14