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College Football Playoff bracket predictions: The Athletic’s national championship picks

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College Football Playoff bracket predictions: The Athletic’s national championship picks

Who will win the first 12-team College Football Playoff? Six teams received at least one vote in our survey of 30 college football writers and editors at The Athletic, a big change from 10 years of postseason tournaments in which only four teams were in the field.

Though Oregon got a majority of the votes, plenty of variety emerged as our staff filled out their brackets ahead of the first round, which begins with Indiana at Notre Dame on Friday night. In fact, even No. 12 seed Clemson, which has three losses, got a national championship vote.

Here’s who we picked and how those predictions compare to Austin Mock’s projections model:

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First round

First round Staff Model

63.3%

71%

36.7%

29%

90.0%

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72%

10.0%

28%

90.0%

65%

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10.0%

35%

73.3%

67%

26.7%

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33%

Not surprisingly, the consensus of our 30 voters is chalk.

Per BetMGM, the better seed is favored by at least 7.5 points in every first-round game. Mock’s projections give each favorite at least a 65 percent chance to win, and our closest staff vote is Tennessee getting 11 votes to win at Ohio State in a matchup that undoubtedly presents challenges for the Buckeyes, especially after the way their offensive line played in the loss to Michigan.

Quarterfinals

Rose Bowl Staff Model

83.3%

53%

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16.7%

37%

0.0%

11%

Oregon ended up with a tough draw despite being the nation’s only unbeaten team, as it will head to the Rose Bowl to face the winner of Ohio State-Tennessee. Mock’s model gives the Ducks just a 53 percent chance of getting through. Ohio State would be a rematch, as Oregon beat the Buckeyes 32-31 in a thriller in Eugene in October.

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Still, 25 of our 30 voters picked Oregon to win the Rose Bowl, compared to just five for Ohio State and zero for Tennessee. Every person who picked the Buckeyes to beat Oregon also picked them to win the national title.

Peach Bowl

  

Staff

  

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Model

  

80.0%

60%

13.3%

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22%

6.7%

18%

Arizona State is seeded fourth as the Big 12 champion but ranked 12th in the CFP Top 25 — nine spots behind Texas and four spots ahead of Clemson. Texas is the overwhelming favorite to both beat Clemson and get through the Sun Devils in the Peach Bowl to advance to an in-state semifinal in the Cotton Bowl, with only four people choosing Arizona State to win and two picking Clemson.

Sugar Bowl

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Staff

  

Model

  

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53.3%

52%

46.7%

34%

0.0%

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14%

Only three of 30 voters picked Indiana to beat Notre Dame, and none had the Hoosiers pulling off two upsets and also taking down Georgia. The staff is split on a potential Georgia-Notre Dame Sugar Bowl, however: Fourteen of the 27 people to pick Notre Dame to beat Indiana also have the Fighting Irish toppling the Bulldogs.

Fiesta Bowl

  

Staff

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Model

  

53.3%

33%

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36.7%

48%

10.0%

19%

This is the least chalky part of the bracket. Most voters like Penn State to beat SMU at home, but our staff is fond of Boise State revitalizing its Cinderella status on New Year’s Eve in the Fiesta Bowl. Historically, both the Nittany Lions (7-0) and Broncos (3-0) are unbeaten in the Fiesta Bowl. Here, only half of the 22 voters who picked Penn State to beat SMU also picked the Nittany Lions to beat Boise State. In total, Boise State gets 16 votes to win the Fiesta Bowl to Penn State’s 12 and SMU’s two.

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Mock’s model disagrees, as it has Penn State beating both SMU and Boise State 48 percent of the time.

Semifinals

Cotton Bowl

  

Staff

  

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Model

  

66.7%

32%

16.7%

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25%

13.3%

29%

3.3%

5%

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0.0%

5%

0.0%

4%

Whoever emerges from the Oregon-Ohio State-Tennessee trio may end up with a tough draw in the semifinals in the Cotton Bowl against Texas, which would be playing close to home. Still, two-thirds of our staff likes Oregon to win the Cotton Bowl, while just five opted for Ohio State, four chose Texas and one rolled with a surprise run to the national title game by No. 12 seed Clemson.

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Orange Bowl

  

Staff

  

Model

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50.0%

29%

40.0%

20%

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6.7%

26%

3.3%

11%

0.0%

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8%

0.0%

6%

Though Mock’s model puts the chances of Georgia, Penn State and Notre Dame advancing to the national title game all between 20 and 29 percent, our staff has mostly rallied around either Georgia or Notre Dame. Georgia got 15 votes to win the Orange Bowl to Notre Dame’s 12, while Penn State got just two and Boise State got one.

National championship

Going undefeated is difficult, but 17 of our 30 voters believe Oregon can run the table for a 15-0 record to become the first new national champion since Florida in 1996. It’s a big step up from the Ducks earning 10.7 percent of our preseason vote and 6.7 percent of the midseason vote.

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Only four teams received votes to win the national title in the preseason: Ohio State (57.1 percent), Georgia (28.6 percent), Oregon (10.7 percent) and Alabama (3.6 percent). That number expanded to five by midseason: Texas (50 percent), Ohio State (36.7 percent), Oregon (6.7 percent), Georgia (3.3 percent) and Clemson (3.3 percent).

Now, the field of possible national champions has been narrowed to just 12, but six teams received at least one vote to win it all. Here is a case for each of those six teams:

Oregon: Every other team has a weakness that’s been exposed at some point. The teams that present the biggest threats to Oregon — Ohio State, Texas and Georgia — looked vulnerable the last time they took the field. Oregon’s defense showed some cracks against Penn State, but the Ducks have shown they can win a shootout if they have to. And Dillon Gabriel is the quarterback I’d want if I could pick one Playoff QB to lead a deep run. — Austin Meek

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Ohio State: Ohio State put together a horrific game plan against Michigan and it cost the Buckeyes dearly. I anticipate Ohio State will play much looser and put a premium on getting the nation’s best set of skill-position players into the right spots and maximizing potential mismatches to its advantage. — Scott Dochterman

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Texas: The Longhorns have the best and deepest roster. For all the attention on the quarterbacks and Texas’ offensive-minded head coach, it’s the defense that has carried the Longhorns: They allow just one point per drive, lowest in the FBS. And when the offense gets going, it makes Texas hard to beat. — Sam Khan Jr.

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Texas will go as far as Quinn Ewers takes it, for better or worse

Georgia: Georgia is talented, extremely battle tested (six games vs. top-16 teams), and, most importantly, will be at its healthiest all season — except for quarterback Carson Beck, of course. Also, the title game is in Atlanta. — Stewart Mandel

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Notre Dame: Notre Dame’s defense will get the job done. I love how this team responded to the loss to Northern Illinois, and that will carry over into the Playoff. The Irish were written off after that loss, and Marcus Freeman’s group showed an impressive determination to move past that. — Daniel Shirley

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Clemson: Quinn Ewers has not looked 100 percent since September, Arizona State has to fly all the way to Atlanta for its quarterfinal and the winner of the Rose Bowl may be running on fumes by the semis. Ten years of CFP history have taught me that if something good can happen for Clemson in late December, it usually will. Cade Klubnik has been just clutch enough, Bryant Wesco Jr. is on a Justyn Ross-like late-season trajectory and I can’t help but assume Dabo Swinney has the perfect mentality for tournament football. — Eric Single

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So what matchup will we see for the national championship on Jan. 20 in Atlanta?

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Matchup Votes

Oregon-Georgia

10

Oregon-Notre Dame

8

Ohio State-Georgia

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3

Oregon-Penn State

2

Texas-Georgia

2

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Texas-Notre Dame

2

Ohio State-Notre Dame

2

Clemson-Boise State

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1

Stewart Mandel ranked all 36 possibilities after the bracket was revealed. Our 30 voters came up with eight matchups, with No. 1 Oregon vs. No. 2 Georgia the most common at one-third of the vote. Twenty-seven of the 30 had at least one of Oregon, Ohio State or Georgia, including two who picked Georgia meeting Texas for the third time this season.

Special shout out to our one voter who went for the chaos bracket choice of Clemson vs. Boise State.

(Photo of Jalon Walker and Dillon Gabriel: Tim Warner, Ali Gradischer / Getty Images)

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NFL Week 7 scores: Eagles, Broncos get impressive victories

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NFL Week 7 scores: Eagles, Broncos get impressive victories

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The dust has nearly settled in the seventh week of the 2025 NFL season and there were some massive games on the docket that saw Super Bowl contenders pick up huge victories.

Two teams that came to mind were the Philadelphia Eagles and the Denver Broncos. The two matched up a couple of weeks ago but entered Week 7 with victory on the mind.

The Eagles saw Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown on the right page as they hooked up for two touchdowns in their win over the Minnesota Vikings. The Broncos needed to score 33 points in the fourth quarter but somehow pulled off a victory against the New York Giants.

Read below for the rest of the scoreboard for this week.

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Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) celebrate a touchdown with tight end Cincinnati Bengals tight end Noah Fant (86) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cincinnati Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.  (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

  • Cincinnati Bengals 33, Pittsburgh Steelers 31

Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025

  • Los Angeles Rams 35, Jacksonville Jaguars 7
  • Chicago Bears 26, New Orleans Saints 14
  • Cleveland Browns 31, Miami Dolphins 6
  • New England Patriots 31, Tennessee Titans 13
  • Kansas City Chiefs 31, Las Vegas Raiders 0
Jalen Hurts stiff arms a defender

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) tries to avoid a tackle from Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson (55) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, in Minneapolis.  (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

PATRIOTS’ DRAKE MAYE MATCHES TOM BRADY FEAT IN WIN OVER TITANS

  • Philadelphia Eagles 28, Minnesota Vikings 22
  • Carolina Panthers 13, New York Jets 6
  • Denver Broncos 33, New York Giants 32
  • Indianapolis Colts 38, Los Angeles Chargers 24
  • Dallas Cowboys 44, Washington Commanders 22
  • Green Bay Packers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23
  • San Francisco 49ers 20, Atlanta Falcons 10
Will Lutz celebrates a victory

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz (3) celebrates after kicking the game winning field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Denver, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025.  (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Monday, Oct. 20, 2025

  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Detroit Lions
  • Houston Texans @ Seattle Seahawks

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Justin Herbert and Chargers can’t catch up to Jonathan Taylor and Colts in loss

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Justin Herbert and Chargers can’t catch up to Jonathan Taylor and Colts in loss

The Chargers had the look. All-gold uniforms. Retro logos. Powder-blue end zones with script from the nostalgic days of Dan Fouts and Don Coryell.

But their defense?

As dead as disco when it counted most.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, the NFL’s leading rusher, trampled the Chargers on Sunday with touchdowns of 23, eight and 19 yards in a 38-24 victory at SoFi Stadium.

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Sam Farmer breaks down what went wrong for the Chargers in their 38-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

“Until we get it fixed, until we put that fire out…” Chargers All-Pro safety Derwin James Jr. said. “The last two, three games, we haven’t been ourselves on defense.”

The Chargers have lost three of their past four games and need some quick-drying cement to patch the holes with Minnesota coming to town for a Thursday night game.

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“Short week,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “We didn’t play our best in any phase, but now it’s time to regroup, refit and get ready.”

If Harbaugh has any answers, he wasn’t sharing them outside the locker room Sunday. He stood in front of the media, gripped the lectern and stared into the distance.

“It wasn’t our best day, but do I have confidence in my team? Yes,” he said. “Do I believe they’re fighting? Yeah. And that’s all you can really ask for as a coach.”

It was just another Sunday for Taylor who came into Week 7 leading the league in rushing yards and touchdowns, and averaged 5.9 yards per carry against a Chargers defense that had been respectable to this point. That defense allowed an average of 20.8 points in the six previous games.

That helped open the passing lanes for Colts quarterback Daniel Jones, who threw a pair of touchdowns and again made an early-season case for Comeback Player of the Year after his career had seemingly flamed out with the New York Giants.

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Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is tackled by Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is tackled by Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh during the first half of the Chargers’ 38-24 loss Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

It was the second trip to Los Angeles in four weeks for the Colts, who lost to the Rams here in Week 4.

The Chargers, whose distinctive look was a nod to the 1970s, were sleepwalking in the first half before coming to life in the second.

Justin Herbert kept the home team somewhat in the game with three touchdown passes after halftime but found himself trying to dig out of a deep hole all day.

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The Chargers actually outgained the Colts, 445 yards to 401, and held the ball for nine minutes longer, but Indianapolis was more efficient with its possessions, better in the red zone, and took advantage of its opportunities.

He saw two of his passes intercepted in the first half. The first was batted high in the air at the line of scrimmage and plucked by 314-pound defensive tackle Grover Stewart. The second pick came in the red zone, when safety Nick Cross slipped in front of Quentin Johnston in the end zone to intercept an eight-yard pass.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert slides while scrambling during the second half Sunday.

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert slides while scrambling during the second half Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

The Chargers, who trailed at halftime, 23-3, clawed their way back into the game with touchdown passes to Johnston, Keenan Allen and Oronde Gadsden II.

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It has been a rollercoaster of a season for the Chargers, who ran the table against the AFC West in the first three weeks, then lost back-to-back games to the Giants and Washington Commanders, before rebounding with a come-from-behind win at Miami.

Denver came from behind Sunday to beat the Giants, 33-32, knocking the Chargers out of the top spot in the division. Meanwhile, Kansas City stomped Las Vegas, 31-0, and could be gathering some of that familiar momentum. It isn’t getting any easier for the Chargers.

Herbert was hit 15 times by the Colts — three times more than the Chargers hit Jones — and sacked three times. More punishment for a quarterback who has been under intense pressure all season.

“That’s football,” he said. “That’s part of the job. We threw the ball a lot today and that’s going to happen. The offensive line is doing an incredible job battling and I can always get the ball out quicker.”

Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin breaks up a pass intended for Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the end zone.

Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin breaks up a pass intended for Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey in the end zone during the fourth quarter Sunday.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

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Against the Colts, the troubles began early for the Chargers. After the home team’s first snap, Chargers left tackle Austin Deculus lay face down on the turf. He was the team’s fourth player to line up as Herbert’s blindside protector.

It was an ankle injury that felled Deculus — he wound up returning in the second quarter with a bulky brace — and the Chargers turned to the lightly experienced Foster Sarell, who suddenly held one of the most important positions on the field.

Just more offensive line insanity for the Chargers, who have cycled through six tackles so far. Their line was once considered an area of strength.

The Chargers are shedding the “university gold” uniforms and replacing them Thursday with familiar navy ones. They need to make more than superficial changes, however.

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James, for one, is happy the next game is coming so soon.

“Yes, sir,” he said with the slightest glint of optimism. “I can’t wait to get this taste out of my mouth.”

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WNBA star Angel Reese says she’d rather pay a fine than speak to reporters sometimes

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WNBA star Angel Reese says she’d rather pay a fine than speak to reporters sometimes

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WNBA star Angel Reese opened up on her fear of the media and claimed she would rather just pay a fine than speak with reporters. 

The Chicago Sky player and archrival of Caitlin Clark spoke about her thoughts on interacting with the media in the latest episode of her podcast “Unapologetically Angel,” this week. 

“Even before the game, I’m terrified of what the media is about to ask. Because it could be the nicest question, but it’s going to get flipped or put into a different light or a different perspective. It’s like, ‘Are you here intentionally to start a mess, or are you intentionally here to ask a question?’ And it’s really tough for me in the media. Like, I don’t want to do an interview with anybody,” Reese said.

“Seriously, I’d rather take the fine sometimes than talking to the media because it always gets flipped. And I think that’s where media has gotten these days. You could literally post ‘the sky is blue,’ and Angel said, ‘It’s too dark.’ Stuff like that, you know. So, I think, it’s just, for me, the media is really scary.” 

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The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese heads to the locker room after being ejected from a game against the New York Liberty June 4, 2024, in Chicago.  (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Reese has been the subject of intense media attention dating back to the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball national championship game, when her LSU Tigers beat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes, and Reese taunted Clark by pointing to her ring finger at the end of the game. 

Reese has become arguably the most controversial figure in women’s basketball since then. Many of Reese’s quotes and statements have often been at the center of controversy in the sport. 

Toward the end of the 2025 WNBA season in September, Reese prompted backlash for comments made to a Chicago Tribune reporter, in which the star called out her team for a last-place finish and 10-34 record. 

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“I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year,” Reese told The Chicago Tribune. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me. I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason. So, it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.

“I am very vocal about what we need and what I want. I’d like to be here for my career, but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me. But while I am here, I’m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.”

Reese later apologized for the comments but claims the quotes were taken out of context. 

INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE’S IMPACT ON MEN’S BASKETBALL

“I probably am frustrated [with] myself right now,” Reese said at a postgame news conference Sept. 4. “I think the language is taken out of context. I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year. They’ve busted their ass, just like I’ve busted my ass. They’ve showed up for me through thick and thin and in the locker room when nobody could see anything.

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“So, I want to apologize to my teammates, which I already have about the article and how it was misconstrued about what was said. And I just have to be better with my language. Because I know it’s not the message, it’s the messenger. And understanding what I say can be taken any kind of way. So, I just have to really be better and grow from this.”

Reese was then suspended for the first half of a game later that week for “statements detrimental to the team.”

In May, Reese was at the center of a WNBA investigation into “hateful” comments made against her during the Sky’s season opener against Clark’s Connecticut Fever. 

Reese was asked if she was able to provide the WNBA with details about the incident. She did not offer specifics on whether she had done so, saying, “That’s not a me question.” She also did not reveal what type of comments were made or any other specifics about what prompted the investigation.

However, moments earlier, in that same news conference with reporters, Reese said she was receiving widespread support from across the league because of the alleged incident.

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“Obviously, there’s no place in this league for that,” Reese said at that time. “I think the WNBA and our team and our organization has done a great job supporting me. … Going through this whole process, if it can happen to me. It can happen to anyone.”

Then, after the investigation ended the following week, the league did not find sufficient evidence to validate the allegations. 

Reese has previously accused Clark’s fans of racism and even alleged they created explicit AI-generated images of the Sky star and sent them to her family members. 

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) dribbles against the Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Target Center.

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese dribbles against the Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Target Center.  (Brad Rempel/Imagn Images)

“I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully. But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it,” Reese said in the first episode of her podcast in early September. 

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“Multiple occasions, people have made AI images of me naked. They have sent it to my family members. My family members are like uncles, sending it to me like, ‘Are you naked on Instagram?’

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