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Author: nfltalk
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Drew Mestemaker commits to Oklahoma State: Former North Texas QB joins coach
North Texas quarterback transfer Drew Mestemaker has committed to Oklahoma State, a source tells CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer, giving the Cowboys a proven and highly coveted passer as he follows new coach Eric Morris to Stillwater from Denton.
Mestemaker arrives at Oklahoma State after one of the most productive quarterback seasons in the country. In his first full year as a starter, he led the FBS in passing yards (4,379) and passing touchdowns (34), anchoring a North Texas offense that ranked among the nation’s best in both yardage (512.4 yards per game) and scoring (45.1 points per game).
That breakout campaign quickly elevated Mestemaker’s profile in the transfer portal. He currently ranks as the No. 3 overall transfer of this cycle and the No. 3 quarterback, according to 247Sports. With three years of eligibility remaining, he offers Oklahoma State both immediate production and long-term upside at the position.
Oklahoma State represents a natural destination, as Morris was Mestemaker’s coach at North Texas and played a central role in his development. The established relationship should ease the transition as the Cowboys implement a new offensive system. Mestemaker will also reunite with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Sean Brophy, who previously coached him at North Texas as well.
Mestemaker entered the transfer portal shortly after closing the season with a win in the New Mexico Bowl, a fitting ending to a year that solidified his rise from unknown walk-on to national standout. He helped guide North Texas through a dominant season that included its first double-digit win campaign (12) in program history and a trip to the American Conference Championship Game.
His path to this point has been anything but conventional….
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The 49ers have been clawing uphill all season. The Seahawks made that trek much worse.
Brock Purdy was laid out.
It was late in the fourth quarter and the San Francisco 49ers quarterback had become origami on grass, rudely folded between a pair of Seattle Seahawks defenders and left staring at the sky from the flat of his back. The thumb on his throwing hand was bashed and bloody, a perfect representation of the 49ers’ playoff outlook. In a game that meant so much for the franchise’s never-ending uphill battle, a foothold was lost that was more important to San Francisco than any other postseason team.
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There would be no playoff bye week for the 49ers. Nor would there be home-field advantage that could have allowed San Francisco to awaken Sunday with the comfort of being settled into Levi’s Stadium through Super Bowl 60. Instead, sunrise will serve up a different reality: Both the 49ers and their postseason fortunes were thrashed by the Seahawks in a brutal 13-3 loss.
Denied the No. 1 seed in the NFC and dispatched all the way down to No. 5. And if the Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, San Francisco will be knocked down to the sixth seed. For the 49ers, that will mean the difference between playing their wild-card game on the road against either the Carolina Panthers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (both of whom finished with 8-9 records) or against the Philadelphia Eagles or Chicago Bears (both of whom enter Sunday 11-5).
“We’re ready for it,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the loss. “I mean, yeah, it would have been nice to have to have a home game here — or both home games and get a bye — but it is what it is. This team’s been through a lot this year. Now we got to do it the hard way, and we’ll embrace the s*** out of doing it the hard way and look forward to it.”
The Seahawks kept Brock Purdy and his 49ers out of the end zone on Saturday night. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Ezra Shaw via Getty Images)
It worth noting Shanahan’s 49ers just beat the Bears 42-38 in a fourth-quarter comeback…
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Buccaneers vs. Panthers where to watch, live stream, TV, kickoff time, pick, odds
Week 18 will kick off Saturday afternoon from Tampa where the Buccaneers (7-9) and Carolina Panthers (8-8) will square off with the NFC South division title and the conference’s No. 4 postseason seed on the line.
The host Buccaneers are seeking to become the first NFC team to win (but will still have to wait for Saints-Falcons result on Sunday) five consecutive division titles since the 1990s’ Dallas Cowboys dynasty (1992-1996), and in doing so, they would own the longest division title streak by any NFC South team since the 2022 divisional realignment. The visiting Panthers are seeking their first playoff appearance since 2017 and their first division title since 2015 when they won the NFC and played in Super Bowl 50.
Both squads enter the final week of the regular season stumbling into their division-deciding matchup. Tampa Bay is on a four-game losing streak and has lost seven of its last eight games after a 6-2 start. Meanwhile, Carolina has been a rollercoaster all season, going 10 consecutive games alternating a win and a loss, which is tied for the fourth-longest such streak of all time.
NFL Week 18 odds, predictions, expert picks: Can Panthers win NFC South? Who wins NFC West showdown?
Tyler Sullivan
It’s worth noting this game is only a win-and-in situation for the Panthers, who can clinch the division with a win or a tie. The Buccaneers need to win and have the New Orleans Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons in order to clinch the 2025 NFC South title. Even if Tampa Bay wins, should the Falcons win,…
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Penn State TE Andrew Olesh plans to enter NCAA transfer portal
Penn State tight end Andrew Olesh plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. He spent just one season in State College.
As a member of the Class of 2025, Olesh was a four-star recruit out of Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state, the No. 3 tight end in the class and the No. 46 overall prospect in the class.
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As his Penn State profile read, Olesh had his pick of the litter. He originally picked Penn State over Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame and Oregon. However, he did not suit this season, preserving all four years of eligibility.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
The transfer portal movement has begun at Penn State now that their bowl season is over and new coach Matt Campbell takes over. LB Keon Wylie already announced his intentions to enter the portal as well, right after Olesh.‘In 13 games this year, Wylie had 28 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one pass deflection. In his career, Wylie has 47 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and one pass deflection.
As a member of the Class of 2022, Wylie was a three-star recruit out of Philadelphia (Pa.) Imhotep Institute, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 15 overall prospect in the state, the No. 50 linebacker prospect in the class and the No. 520 overall prospect in the class.
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It’s an interesting move considering new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is reportedly coming in for 2026. But, Wylie could look elsewhere, including Virginia Tech under former Nittany Lion coach James Franklin.
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Raiders will play everybody, in game that earns them first overall pick if they lose
NFL teams always insist that they would never tank to get a better draft pick. But teams with a high draft pick on the line can and do choose to give plenty of playing time to inexperienced backups, and that’s exactly what the Raiders will do on Sunday, with the first pick in the draft on the line.
If the Raiders lose to the Chiefs, they will pick first overall in the 2026 NFL draft. Raiders coach Pete Carroll said he plans to give playing time to everyone on the active roster, including both backup quarterbacks, Aidan O’Connell and Kenny Pickett.
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“Everybody’s gonna play and I’m hoping it works out well,” Carroll said. “It doesn’t always, good plans don’t always come through, but we’ve got plans for these guys to get in there and get their playing time. Really excited to see them. Excited to see them play.”
Among the Raiders who won’t play are starting quarterback Geno Smith, and the Raiders’ two best players, defensive end Maxx Crosby and tight end Brock Bowers. They’re out with injuries, although Crosby has made clear that he wants to play through his knee injury and the Raiders shut him down against his will. If there’s one player on the team who would play to win in any game, it’s Crosby. But the Raiders won’t let him play.
As long as the draft is ordered by giving the highest pick to the team with the worst record, teams will be incentivized to lose. If the NFL wanted to, it could change the draft order in ways that would incentivize teams out of the playoff race continuing to win. For example, the non-playoff teams that ended the regular season with the longest winning streaks could get the highest picks. That would generate plenty of interest in Sunday’s Saints-Falcons game: Both teams are out of playoff contention, but the Saints are on a four-game winning streak and the Falcons are on a three-game winning streak. Reward teams with high picks if they keep playing hard after they’re out of the playoff race, and the NFL would both eliminate…
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Where to watch Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest: TV channel, stream, odds, prediction, pick for Duke’s Mayo Bowl
One of the final non-College Football Playoff bowl games of the 2025 season will take place on Friday night in Charlotte when Mississippi State faces Wake Forest in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Jan. 2 will feature four bowl games (Mayo, Armed Forces, Liberty and Holiday) to close out bowl season.
Despite going 5-7 in the regular season, Mississippi State received a bowl game invite due to its high Academic Progress Rate (APR). With other teams opting out of bowl games, it paved the way for the Bulldogs to play an additional game, despite not clearing the six-win mark typically needed to become bowl-eligible.
The Bulldogs lost their final three SEC games, with the lone win against a conference opponent coming against Arkansas earlier in the year.
Wake Forest went 8-4 in Year 1 of the Jake Dickert era. The Demon Deacons went 6-2 down the stretch after starting 2-2 with losses to Georgia Tech and NC State. With a win, Wake Forest can reach the nine-win mark for the first time since 2021.
Where to watch Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest live
Date: Friday, Jan. 2 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Bank of America Stadium — Charlotte, North Carolina
TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest: Need to know for Duke’s Mayo Bowl
Year 2 of the Jeff Lebby era could end in style: In Year 1 of his tenure at Mississippi State, Lebby led his team to a 2-10 record. The Bulldogs opened the 2024 campaign with a win over Eastern Kentucky but lost 10 of their final 11 games to finish with just two wins. Mississippi State also went winless (0-8) against SEC opponents. This season was a clear sign of growth despite the record. Mississippi State recorded a dramatic win over Arizona State earlier in the year and beat Arkansas for…
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NFL Week 18 injury report: Updates on Josh Allen, De’Von Achane, T.J. Watt and more
The final week of the 2025 NFL regular season is finally here. There are two games on Saturday and a full slate of 14 games the following afternoon and evening.
Because it’s the final week of the season, there is more to detail than usual when it comes to injury reporting. Teams that have either clinched the playoffs or locked in their draft positioning will often rest key players for the last game of the year, and this year appears to be no different.
With that and more in mind, in the space below, we’ll dive into the final injury reports across the league and detail who is in, out, and whose status is up in the air.
The Panthers have some issues to contend with defensively, especially if Wharton is out in addition to Cherelus. Hunt’s potential absence would hurt the running game as well.
Dean’s absence could affect Tampa’s efforts to cover Tetairoa McMillan. Kancey could be on the verge of a return from his pectoral injury after upgrading to a full practice on Thursday.
Cross’ absence will affect the protection in front of Sam Darnold, while Bryant potentially missing the game would affect the coverage on the back end of the defense.
George Kittle seems on the verge of a return for San Francisco. Pearsall played last week despite his injuries. White is one of San Francisco’s top pass rushers in the wake of all the injuries the Niners have been dealing with and his potential absence could be a blow on that front.
The Saints will be without their top two offensive playmakers for the regular season finale. They could also be without one of their top defenders in Davis, who was limited throughout the week.
Kirk Cousins could be without each of his top three passing game weapons if if none of London, Pitts or Mooney can suit up. They were all limited in practice throughout the week.
The Browns will be down a pair of star rookies on Sunday, and both of their top…
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