Sports
Top Ten Biggest Sporting Events in November 2024
Sep 21, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) talks with head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game against Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images You can make arguments for both March and April, but we really should acknowledge that the best month on the sports calendar is October, and this year’s was a doozy.
OK, the Dodgers-Yankees World Series fizzled out before Halloween and won’t be remembered as a classic series, apart from Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1. Even so, baseball had a memorable month, feeding our annual appetite for NFL, college football and the start of the NBA season.
November, by contrast, is a bumpy ride. There’s an uneven NBA slate (no games on Election Day or Thanksgiving) and not many marquee NFL matchups.
Thank you, college football, our saving grace taking four of the top 10 spots in this indisputable ranking of the biggest sporting events of November 2024:
10. Penguins at Capitals, NHL, Nov. 8
Oct 31, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) reacts after scoring the game winning goal against Anaheim Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal (1) in overtime at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images The NHL isn’t doing much for me this month. The best team resides in sunny Winnipeg. There’s a Panthers-Stars series in Finland today and tomorrow if you like daytime hockey.
But I can always go for Sidney Crosby vs. Alex Ovechkin, and they don’t have many rivalry battles left. Ovechkin is fewer than 40 goals away from passing Wayne Gretzky for the all-time record.
9. Notre Dame at USC, women’s basketball, Nov. 23
Nov 15, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) dribbles in the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at the Purcell Pavilion. credits: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports No, not the Trojans-Irish football game, because Lincoln Riley seems hellbent on giving USC a losing record and blaming anyone but himself.
It’s not quite Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese, but USC’s JuJu Watkins is the next face of women’s hoops, and she’s got a perfect rival in Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo. Trust me, make some time for this game between the preseason No. 3 and 6 teams.
Oct 12, 2024; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck (15) passes the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images This November will be different than all those before it for one simple reason: It’s our first build-up to a 12-team College Football Playoff, meaning far more games this time of year will carry postseason seeding implications.
Both Tennessee and Georgia are very much alive in the SEC title race, and each just grabbed a marquee win (over Alabama and Texas, respectively). But the Dawgs have owned the series with the Vols since 2016.
7. Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics, NBA, Nov. 6
Jun 21, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics player Jayson Tatum on a duck boat during the Boston Celtics championship parade. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports I thought about putting Chiefs-Bills in Week 11 here, but the Chiefs might be the worst 7-0 NFL team in history, and Patrick Mahomes has tossed more picks than TDs (seriously! Look it up!).
Instead, you can’t go wrong with this rivalry and rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals. Unsurprisingly, Golden State and Boston have been two of the best teams in the early going, and they’ll collide less than a week from now.
Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) throws during the NCAA football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. Ohio State won 52-6. New Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is a hell of a lot of fun. And he has the Hoosiers, of all teams, tied with Oregon atop the Big Ten standings.
A few things have to go right in the next few weeks — see my No. 2 item below — but this game in Columbus could have massive implications in the Big Ten and CFP races.
5. Alabama vs. Houston and Kansas vs. Duke, college basketball, Nov. 26
Oct 4, 2024; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Cooper Flagg (2) dribbles the ball against forward Mason Gillis (18) with the ball during Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images Get the remote ready, or set up two screens. Two of the best nonconference games of the college hoops season are slated for the same day, in the same city (Las Vegas), tipping off one hour apart as part of different events.
This is No. 2 vs. No. 4 and No. 1 vs. No. 7 in the preseason poll. And freshman Cooper Flagg might have the Blue Devils higher than seventh when this game rolls around.
4. Dallas Mavericks at Warriors, NBA, Nov. 12
Oct 24, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) and guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrate during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Klay Thompson returns to the Bay with his new buddy Luka Doncic (and Dereck Lively) as the Western Conference champion Mavericks take on Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
This also marks the first day of Emirates NBA Cup action, and I have a sneaking suspicion the league scheduled this game for their nascent in-season tournament on purpose.
3. Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions, NFL, Nov. 28
Oct 20, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) reacts with wide receiver Jameson Williams (9) after catching a 35 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff (not pictured) against the Minnesota Vikings the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images This will be the best Thanksgiving Day game by a mile; you can let the turkey tryptophan kick in for Giants-Cowboys and Dolphins-Packers.
The Lions and Jared Goff are the top contenders in a stacked NFC North, and the Bears and Caleb Williams should still be in the playoff race by this point.
Oct 26, 2024; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Beau Pribula (9) celebrates after earning a first down during the fourth quarter against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images No. 4 visits No. 3 in Happy Valley on Saturday. The Big Ten race gets vastly more interesting if one-loss Ohio State takes down undefeated Penn State here. The stakes of that Hoosiers-Buckeyes matchup would skyrocket.
Penn State, this is your chance to get your first win over Big Ten bully Ohio State since Saquon Barkley was on campus and finally shed the label of conference also-ran.
The resumption of a dormant, extremely bitter rivalry game? At Kyle Field on the last day of the regular season? With two top-10 teams slugging it out for SEC supremacy? Do I need to explain any more?
Sports
Bobby Witt Jr. put on 10-day IL, likely sealing Royals' seller status
Jul 18, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. (7) makes a diving stop during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. landed on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday due to tightness in his lower back.
A starter for the American League in the All-Star Game last week, Witt left the Royals’ 4-3 win against the San Francisco Giants on Monday with back spasms. The roster move is retroactive to Tuesday.
Being without their best player for any length of time is likely the crowning blow for the Royals, who at 42-60 have a better record than only the Los Angeles Angels (41-60) and Colorado Rockies (41-61) heading into play Wednesday.
Because of the relative weakness of the AL Central, the Royals are 12 games behind the division-leading Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians. But with a little more than two months to play and a dozen games to make up, Witt’s injury should insure the Royals will be sellers at the trade deadline on Aug. 3.
Veteran starting pitchers Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha are projected to be coveted by contenders, though the Royals have said they are not inclined to move either right-hander.
In 94 games this season, Witt is batting .289 with 13 homers and 39 RBIs. He has 103 hits and 22 doubles, scoring 51 runs.
His 30 stolen bases lead the major leagues.
Witt is a three-time All-Star and the winner of two Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. He won the AL batting title in 2024 when he led the majors with a .332 average.
Kansas City’s shortstop since 2022, Witt has a career average of .288 with 118 home runs, 412 RBIs and 178 stolen bases in 720 games.
In a corresponding move, the Royals promoted 32-year-old Andrew Velazquez from Triple-A Omaha. He is a well-traveled utility infielder who has not played in the major leagues since 2023.
He and Tyler Tolbert, a 28-year-old infielder hitting .328 in 38 games this year, are expected to share duties at shortstop.
The Royals also transferred right-hander Stephen Kolek to the 60-day injured list, designated center fielder Kameron Misner for assignment and traded right-hander Nate Pearson to the Houston Astros in exchange for right-hander Max Martin.
–Field Level Media
Sports
O's place rookie C Samuel Basallo (shoulder) on 10-day IL
Jul 12, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (29) throws to first for an out during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images Already without injured starter Adley Rutschman, the Baltimore Orioles placed rookie catcher Samuel Basallo on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation on Wednesday.
The roster move is retroactive to Monday. In a corresponding move, the Orioles recalled right fielder Johnathan Rodriguez from Triple-A Norfolk.
Basallo, 21, is enjoying a solid first full season in the majors, posting 16 homers and 46 RBIs to go along with a .241 batting average in 86 games. He left Sunday’s game at the Houston Astros with right shoulder discomfort and did not play in Monday’s series opener at the Boston Red Sox.
Sam Huff started Monday and also was behind the plate Wednesday afternoon in the opener of a day-night doubleheader against Boston. Tuesday night’s game was rained out.
Rodriguez, 26, is 0-for-7 with an RBI in five games this season with Baltimore. He played 44 games for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024-25, hitting .176 with two home runs and 15 RBIs.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza, Raiders at odds over bonus
Jun 9, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko (left) talks with quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza (15) and Kirk Cousins (8) during minicamp at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images What’s the deal with Fernando Mendoza as the Raiders begin training camp with rookies due in Las Vegas on Thursday?
The franchise might be without the No. 1 overall pick, and the cause of his absence is a clause in his unsigned rookie deal.
The Heisman Trophy winner is locked into the four-year, $57.2 million contract parameters set by the collective bargaining agreement, with a $38.11 million signing bonus.
Representatives for Mendoza, according to multiple reports, are asking for the entire signing bonus at the time the rookie puts pen to paper on his first pro deal. Fact is, the lump sum bonus for No. 1 picks has become a matter of course since the Cincinnati Bengals decided to pay Joe Burrow, the top pick in the 2020 draft, his full signing bonus before ever taking a snap. After some posturing and public consternation, the Jacksonville Jaguars followed suit in 2021 (Trevor Lawrence) and 2022 (Travon Walker).
Rookies report for the first day of training camp with the Raiders on Thursday and veterans join next week, including backup quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins could start the season as the No. 1 quarterback even if Mendoza decides to sign.
But he’s not the only quarterback giving the stiff-arm to his rookie contract at the moment. A line formed behind Mendoza with Rams rookie first-round pick Ty Simpson (13th overall) waiting to see whether any precedent is established with the only quarterback drafted ahead of him. Carson Beck (65th overall by the Arizona Cardinals) and Drew Allar (76th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers) were in the same holding pattern as of Wednesday afternoon.
–Field Level Media
Bobby Witt Jr. put on 10-day IL, likely sealing Royals' seller status
O's place rookie C Samuel Basallo (shoulder) on 10-day IL
