Sports
Novak Djokovic’s results against Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – a small part of a big problem
Almost two decades after the last time it happened, Novak Djokovic finds himself occupying a space in men’s tennis with which he is all too familiar. He is, by a distance, the third-best player in the world.
In the summer of 2007, soon after he turned 20, Djokovic made the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon, before reaching the final at the U.S. Open. He was No. 3 in the world for all of that July, dropped to No. 4 for a week in the August, and then stayed at No. 3 until… May. Of 2009.
In his way were Rafael Nadal, who beat him in those French Open and Wimbledon semis, and Roger Federer, who saw him off in straight sets in New York. With the exception of his 2008 Australian Open title, losses to Nadal and Federer defined Djokovic’s career from that summer until 2011. Both defeated him a couple more times each in the closing stages of majors between 2008 and 2010, with Djokovic posting two wins of his own against them at those events.
Now, as the 2024 season draws to a close, Djokovic has Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in front of him.
On Sunday, Sinner beat Djokovic in straight sets in the final of the Shanghai Masters — a tournament Djokovic has won four times, more than any other player, and where he has a 39-6 record. Sinner has now beaten him twice this year, three times in a row, and in four of their past five ATP meetings; in that time, Djokovic has also lost consecutive Wimbledon finals to Alcaraz. It makes Sinner only the sixth player to win three ATP-level matches in a row against Djokovic, according to Opta:
| Player | Season |
|---|---|
|
Roger Federer |
2006-07, 2010 |
|
Rafael Nadal |
2007-09, 2012-13 |
|
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
2008 |
|
Andy Murray |
2008-09 |
|
Andy Roddick |
2009 |
|
Jannik Sinner |
2024 |
Djokovic did beat Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) to win Olympic gold in August, but in his five matches against the top two this year, he has won just three sets. Two of those were in that Olympic final, the other came in his otherwise straightforward four-set loss to Sinner at the Australian Open.
Sinner and Alcaraz have also shared this year’s four Grand Slams between them, leaving him without a major in a calendar year for only the second time since 2010.
Djokovic reiterated on Sunday that Grand Slam titles are what motivate him to keep going at age 37, having won everything there is to win in the game. “Right now, it’s really about Slams and about still seeing how far I can push the bar for myself,” he said in a news conference.
The Serbian needs one more major to move clear of Margaret Court’s record of 24 — nine of which she won before tennis turned professional — which he equalled by winning the U.S. Open last year. For the rest of 2024, and into 2025, he will have to balance maintaining his level and fitness for those four majors with the knowledge that, without ranking points accrued in other events, his meetings with Sinner and Alcaraz at those majors will happen in earlier and earlier rounds.
Djokovic and Alcaraz have played two definitive Wimbledon finals in two years (Charlotte Wilson / Offside via Getty Images)
Djokovic’s semifinal loss to Sinner was his first defeat at the Australian Open — where he is a 10-time champion — in six years. For only the second time in his Grand Slam career, Djokovic failed to earn a break point and his 17.2 percent of points won on first-serve return was his third-worst tally of 2024.
In Shanghai on Sunday, perhaps the finest returner in the history of the sport had similar struggles, this time winning just 34.6 per cent of second-serve return points — again his third-worst showing of 2024. And while most opponents yield to Djokovic’s greater solidity in the crucial moments, Sinner did not. It was Djokovic, not Sinner, who coughed up a decisive error in the crucial first-set tiebreak.
Against Alcaraz at Wimbledon, an admittedly not-fully-fit Djokovic again returned poorly. He won 16.1 percent of first-serve return points, his second-lowest total of the year, and said after the match that he had never seen the young Spaniard serve so well.
Djokovic also had a dreadful day serving. He won 40 percent of points behind his second serve, his second-lowest figure of 2024 and way down on his average for the year of 55.9 percent. The 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) scoreline that day arguably flattered the beaten finalist, with Alcaraz obliterating Djokovic’s serve at 4-4 in the third set after largely coasting through the four previous service games played. To beat Alcaraz in the Olympic final, Djokovic played his best match of the year in the tournament that mattered most to him, raising his level in the two tiebreaks, especially the second. Alcaraz, who converted zero of eight break points in the match, dipped in both tiebreaks and on those break points.
GO DEEPER
Tennis usually passes the torch. Carlos Alcaraz is running away with it
A problem for Djokovic is that Sinner and Alcaraz are performing at such a level that there is little he can do in the way of preparing for them with match practice that doesn’t involve playing meaningful matches against them. His relatively sparse schedule has allowed him to maintain his fitness while reliably easing into majors through the first week, getting himself match-ready by winning in the early rounds. He did it at this year’s French Open, falling only to the medial meniscus tear from which he recovered to reach the Wimbledon final. He did it at the U.S. Open, too, before meeting an inspired Alexei Popyrin and failing to lift his level to meet that challenge.
Djokovic has played 12 tournaments this year, compared to 14 for Sinner and 16 for Alcaraz (counting last month’s Davis Cup qualifiers as one event rather than two separate ties). Djokovic will probably end the year with 14 events, the same as in 2023 and two more than a year earlier when he missed the Australian swing because of his Covid-19 vaccination status. Djokovic played 13 events the year before that.
This very consistent approach has generally led to consistently brilliant results, but it’s his world ranking and his points accrued from consistently winning titles that have allowed him to do this without risking facing the best players before the final stages of events.
Sinner’s defeat of Djokovic in Melbourne proved a seminal moment in 2024 (Daniel Pockett / Getty Images)
That may be about to change.
Djokovic has accrued 3,910 ranking points so far in 2024, winning just one event and zero ATP titles — his lowest tally since 2005. That puts him at No. 6 in the ‘Race to Turin,’ the Italian city where the season-ending Tour Finals are held. He is currently No. 4 in the ATP world rankings, behind Alexander Zverev, who is ahead of Djokovic in points but not on-court quality. Djokovic is defending 1,000 of those points at the Paris Masters, which starts October 28, where he is the reigning champion. He is not expected to play any further events in 2024.
His results have also declined. He has won 80 percent of his matches in 2024 (37-9), down from 89 percent (56-7) last year. It is his lowest win percentage for a calendar year since 2010, in which he won 77 percent of matches — the final season before Djokovic donned his superhero cape and went stratospheric. His 2011, in which he won a staggering 92 percent (70-6) of matches, was one of the best years for an individual in men’s tennis history.
It feels unlikely that, at 37, Djokovic will want to tweak his volume of tournaments to try to be more match-tight for the majors, but without ranking points, his ranking will drop. If his ranking drops, his seeding for Grand Slams and Masters 1000 tournaments will drop. If his seedings for Grand Slams and Masters 1000 tournaments drop, he will be meeting Alcaraz or Sinner earlier and earlier in the events he most wants to win.
Even a seeding of five to eight at the Australian Open would currently mean a possible quarterfinal against one or the other, and he’d only have to drop one place from his current ranking of fourth to be facing that scenario.
Djokovic was phlegmatic about this latest defeat to Sinner at the weekend, saying: “As long as I perform the way I performed this week, and I think I can go toe-to-toe with the big guys. As long as that’s the case, I guess I’ll still feel the need to keep on competing, and motivation to be out there, and let’s see how long that’s going to last for.”
While the chance to reel in Sinner and Alcaraz — who were aged five and four respectively when Djokovic first became the world No. 3 — should be plenty of motivation, if losses to them become chronic, that would quickly become dispiriting. Much has been made over the past week of the retirement of Rafael Nadal and what that means for Djokovic as the last one of the sport’s Big Three standing, with Federer having hung up his racket in 2022.
After hearing the Nadal news, Djokovic said in an on-court interview in Shanghai, “I still enjoy competing, but part of me left with them, a big part of me.”
Djokovic will defend 1,000 ranking points when the Paris Masters begins in late October (Zhang Lintao / Getty Images)
It’s actually the third member of the group whose experience might be more pertinent.
Between Wimbledon in 2012 and the Australian Open in 2017, Federer didn’t win a Grand Slam title. For much of that period, he found himself in a similar position to where Djokovic is now — the world’s third-best player but with a pair of rivals a level above. One of those rivals was Djokovic, who beat Federer in three Grand Slam finals between Wimbledon in 2014 and the U.S. Open the following year. Nadal, meanwhile, beat him in the 2014 Australian Open semifinal. Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka were other complicating factors during these years.
Federer, who was in Shanghai for Sunday’s final, could offer Djokovic some advice on hanging in when younger rivals emerge — especially as he had to deal with the Big One becoming the Big Two and then the Big Three in the mid-to-late 2000s.
There have been no indications that Djokovic is yet thinking about the end.
“I don’t know what the future brings, I’ll just try to go with the flow to see how I feel in a given moment,” he said on Sunday. “I still plan to compete and play next season and, yeah, let’s see how far I go.”
Djokovic dismantled one duopoly to kickstart his career.
As he approaches his final act, he will have to repeat the trick to prolong it.
(Top photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
Sports
SJSU women's volleyball player praises Nevada team for raising concerns about playing vs trans opponent
San Jose State women’s volleyball player Brooke Slusser praised Nevada Wolf Pack players for speaking about competing against her team, which has a transgender athlete on its roster.
Slusser expressed her support on X.
Blaire Fleming, a redshirt senior at San Jose State University, plays as an outside and right-side hitter on the women’s volleyball team. (San Jose State University)
“Round of applause to the girls of the (Nevada Wolf Pack) volleyball team,” Slusser wrote on X. “Deciding to go against what the school was forcing on you as young women and taking a stand for what you believe takes courage! Another great step in the right direction for women’s sports!”
The issue for Nevada and several other schools is about going up against Blaire Fleming. The transgender female player has been seen spiking balls into the face of opponents during matches.
Nevada players initially said in a statement to OutKick on Monday they planned on forfeiting their match against the Spartans to “stand in solidarity” with Southern Utah, Boise State, Wyoming and Utah State, who have all pulled out of their matches against the Spartans.
“We demand that our right to safety and fair competition on the court be upheld,” the statement continued. “We refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes.”
However, the school said in a statement on Monday night the team would not forfeit the match.
San Jose State setter Brooke Slusser, left, celebrates after scoring a point with, from left, libero Randilyn Reeves, outside hitter Blaire Fleming and libero Alessia Buffagni during the Colorado State match, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in Fort Collins, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
OPINION: AS A FEMALE ATHLETE, I DO NOT CONSENT TO PLAYING ALONGSIDE MEN IN COLLEGIATE SPORTS
“The players’ decision and statement were made independently, and without consultation with the University or the athletic department. The players’ decision also does not represent the position of the University,” the statement read.
“The University and its athletic programs are governed by the Nevada Constitution and Nevada law, which strictly protect equality of rights under the law, and that equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged by this state or any of its subdivisions on account of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ancestry or national origin. The University is also governed by federal law as well as the rules and regulations of the NCAA and the Mountain West Conference, which include providing competition in an inclusive and supportive environment.
“The University intends to move forward with the match as scheduled, and the players may choose not to participate in the match on the day of the contest. No players will be subject to any team disciplinary action for their decision not to participate in the match.”
Slusser, who joined the team in 2023 after transferring from Alabama, joined in a lawsuit against the NCAA, headed by former college swimmer and OutKick contributor Riley Gaines, over the governing body’s current policies on gender identity.
The Nevada Wolfpack logo (Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
Slusser claimed that she had not been aware that Fleming was transgender, despite sharing rooms together on team trips, per the court documents. Slusser also expressed safety concerns for opponents playing against Fleming. Slusser’s complaint said that she and the other players on the team “could not fully protect themselves” from Fleming’s volleyball spikes.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
If there was any doubt the national soccer team was under new management it faded Saturday when fans arriving at Q2 Stadium for Mauricio Pochettino’s first game as coach were handed a poster bearing his face, the same face that stared out from a red banner behind the south goal.
“It was a massive shock for me,” said Pochettino, U.S. Soccer’s $6 million man, who also received a rousing ovation/welcome from the near-sellout crowd.
For much of the game that followed, however, Pochettino’s team played very much like the one that won just once in its final five matches under his predecessor, Gregg Berhalter. This time it did just enough to win, getting a goal from Yunus Musah four minutes into the second half and another from Ricardo Pepi four minutes into stoppage time to beat Panama 2-0.
So while the arrival of a coach who has enjoyed success in three of Europe’s top five leagues has inspired hope and energy — to say nothing of posters and banners — it must also be tempered with the knowledge that change doesn’t happen overnight. It certainly didn’t happen Saturday.
“I didn’t feel too many changes,” Panamanian coach Thomas Christiansen said. “He will need time to adapt his ideas to the team.”
Time, however, is short. The World Cup is returning to the U.S. in less than two years and Pochettino is reportedly being paid $6 million — nearly double the record for an American soccer coach — to make the team competitive for that tournament. The win over Panama, he said, was “the first step to start to grow and be better.”
Pochettino took the USMNT job a month ago and said the goal of his first camp, which will end with Tuesday’s friendly against Mexico in Guadalajara, was to introduce himself and his staff to the players and to begin to implement a style of play. That’s why the coach scheduled individual meetings with each player and used training sessions to establish “a few principles, a few concepts.”
“We want to put our stamp on the team,” he said in a news conference that moved seamlessly from English to Spanish and back again.
Against Panama the new coach went with a new look, opening with a 4-2-3-1 formation that featured 22-year-old midfielders Gianluca Busio and Aiden Morris as a double pivot. And for the first 20 minutes it worked, with the U.S. dominating possession and creating three dangerous chances, yet failing to put a shot on goal.
But, Pochettino added, he won’t be a slave to any one approach. If his players can’t adapt to him, he’ll try to adapt to them.
“People sometimes say ‘that’s my philosophy, my idea and I’m going to die with my idea’,” he said. “No, I want to live. I want to be clever. Sometimes we need to find a different way to put our players in a comfortable zone.
“If a player doesn’t have the conditions to do something, why would you force him? It’s about creating the dynamic, the possibility.”
U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino calls over Malik Tillman before putting the midfielder into Saturday’s game against Panama.
(Rodolfo Gonzalez / Associated Press)
That adaptation is likely to remain a work in progress, especially since Pochettino is missing more than half his probable starters — defenders Sergiño Dest, Chris Richards and Cameron Carter-Vickers, midfielder Tyler Adams, forwards Tim Weah and Folarin Balogun and attacker Gio Reyna — who were left off this month’s roster because of injury.
Christian Pulisic was present, however, and the new coach went out of his way to lavish praise the AC Milan forward, calling him “one of the best offensive players in the world.”
Pulisic, who assisted on the first goal Saturday, returned the compliment, saying he enjoyed his first week with the new staff.
“The training has been real intense and good,” said Pulisic, whose five goals ranks third in Serie A. “A lot of work and a long time on the pitch to kind of show how we want to play and get some ideas across.”
One idea Pochettino has emphasized since taking over the USMNT is confidence. Captain Tim Ream said Saturday that message has gotten through.
“He’s been speaking about confidence all week,” he said. ”When he tells guys to go and be themselves, you know it’s a sign that he has confidence in you.
“Knowing the caliber of manager that he is, the caliber of players that he’s that he’s managed, for him to come in and give guys that license to be themselves, it allows guys to express themselves more and more and more. And be confident doing that.”
Another theme is to believe, a term he used repeatedly in his introductory news conference last month.
“’Believe’ for me is a word that is so powerful,” he said then. “In football you need to believe that all is possible.
“We need to really believe in big things. Believe that we can win not only a game, we can win the World Cup. We want players that show up and think big.”
“The potential is there. The talent is there,” he added. “It’s only to create the best platform for them to express themselves.”
It’s a theme he returned to last week when he again talked about the challenge of preparing for the fast-approaching World Cup, one that has the potential to change the sport’s trajectory in the U.S.
“That is our responsibility. It is a massive, massive responsibility,” he said. “We need to build that confidence and trust that we can arrive in two years and be really competitive and feel proud about a sport that maybe wasn’t born here, but starts to belong here.”
The countdown clock for that mission is already ticking. And Saturday’s win over Panama was a positive first step.
⚽ You have read the latest installment of On Soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and shines a spotlight on unique stories. Listen to Baxter on this week’s episode of the Corner of the Galaxy podcast.
Editor’s note: The Athletic 134 is a weekly ranking of all FBS college football teams.
If there’s one lesson to be learned from the first half of this college football season, it’s that the gap between the top teams and the middle-tier teams looks as small as it’s been in a very long time.
It’s a new week, and we have yet another new No. 1 in The Athletic 134. Welcome to the top, Oregon.
The reasoning is straightforward: The Ducks are undefeated and have one of the two best wins of the season after beating Ohio State 32-31 in a thriller in Eugene. It was the first win over a team in the AP poll’s top two in Oregon history and the program’s first real big win under coach Dan Lanning, one that was desperately needed. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel played one of the best games of his career, receiver Evan Stewart looked like the five-star talent he entered college football as, and the defense made enough plays.
The win puts the Ducks in the driver’s seat to reach the Big Ten championship game and get a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. And given the surprises we’ve seen so far this season, having a bye could be massive.
Oregon needed to come back late to beat Boise State and struggled with FCS program Idaho early in the season. Perhaps the gap between No. 1 Oregon and No. 16 Boise State is not that far. Perhaps the gap between Alabama and Vanderbilt is not far. Even Georgia couldn’t bury a Mississippi State team that was plastered by Toledo a few weeks ago. Who are the great, elite teams? I’m not sure there is one this season.
Whether that uncertainty is a product of NIL, transfers, coaching changes or a combination of it all, this has been one of the most fun and unexpected college football seasons in a long time. We’re in store for many more exciting Saturdays, and then perhaps a postseason that will be more open than we initially envisioned.
GO DEEPER
College Football Playoff 2024 projections: Texas, Oregon at top; Indiana moves into bracket
Here is this week’s Athletic 134.
1-10
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
6-0 |
5 |
|
|
2 |
6-0 |
1 |
|
|
3 |
5-1 |
4 |
|
|
4 |
6-0 |
6 |
|
|
5 |
5-1 |
2 |
|
|
6 |
6-0 |
7 |
|
|
7 |
5-1 |
3 |
|
|
8 |
6-0 |
8 |
|
|
9 |
5-1 |
10 |
|
|
10 |
6-0 |
11 |
Aside from Oregon’s elevation to No. 1, the big move here is Alabama dropping from No. 3 to No. 7. I got a lot of heat for keeping Alabama in the top three after its loss to Vanderbilt. My reasoning was that Alabama and Georgia were still on the same tier, and their head-to-head result informed that ranking. Not anymore. After barely hanging on for a 27-25 win against South Carolina, Alabama is tumbling. The Crimson Tide have now played five consecutive halves of bad football since halftime against Georgia. This team is going in the wrong direction.
You could flip No. 4 Penn State and No. 3 Georgia, as the polls have, and I wouldn’t argue with you. Both teams have one win against a team with a winning record. Georgia’s is No. 9 Clemson, while Penn State’s is a No. 27 Illinois team that nearly lost to Purdue this weekend. Georgia has played two top-10 teams; Penn State hasn’t played a team in my top 25. Both have close wins against .500 teams (Kentucky, USC), and both struggled a bit against weak competition (Mississippi State, Bowling Green).
Ohio State drops to No. 5 because although the Oregon game came down to the final seconds, the rest of the Buckeyes’ resume doesn’t have anything else that jumps out like Georgia’s has. The gap between these top five teams is incredibly small, and we’ve got Texas-Georgia and Ohio State-Penn State coming up in the next few weeks to shake it up again.
GO DEEPER
Oregon’s epic win a testament to Dan Lanning’s elite talent-stacking
11-25
Tennessee falls out of the top 10 to No. 12 after needing overtime to beat Florida at home. The Volunteers’ only notable win came against an Oklahoma team that is struggling. It’s clear the Vols offense is not what we thought it was early in the season. Boise State jumps up to No. 16 after a win at Hawaii, mostly thanks to Oregon’s elevation to No. 1 and Washington State’s move up to No. 24. To follow some transitive property tiebreakers here, Arizona State’s win against Utah moves the Sun Devils up, but Texas Tech beat Arizona State, and Wazzu beat Texas Tech.
Undefeated Pitt moves into the top 25, up to No. 20 after a 17-15 win against Cal. Vanderbilt’s 20-13 win at Kentucky moves the Commodores up to No. 21.
GO DEEPER
AP Top 25: Texas still No. 1 as Oregon jumps to No. 2
26-50
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev |
|---|---|---|---|
|
26 |
5-1 |
30 |
|
|
27 |
5-1 |
24 |
|
|
28 |
4-2 |
32 |
|
|
29 |
4-2 |
25 |
|
|
30 |
5-1 |
26 |
|
|
31 |
4-2 |
22 |
|
|
32 |
4-2 |
21 |
|
|
33 |
4-2 |
34 |
|
|
34 |
5-1 |
35 |
|
|
35 |
5-1 |
36 |
|
|
36 |
4-2 |
37 |
|
|
37 |
3-3 |
40 |
|
|
38 |
5-1 |
42 |
|
|
39 |
3-3 |
33 |
|
|
40 |
4-2 |
65 |
|
|
41 |
5-2 |
47 |
|
|
42 |
3-3 |
41 |
|
|
43 |
3-3 |
38 |
|
|
44 |
4-2 |
39 |
|
|
45 |
4-3 |
43 |
|
|
46 |
4-2 |
44 |
|
|
47 |
4-2 |
46 |
|
|
48 |
3-3 |
45 |
|
|
49 |
4-2 |
48 |
|
|
50 |
6-0 |
57 |
I really wanted to get Arizona State into the top 25, but the Texas Tech and Washington State situation explained above kept the Sun Devils one spot out. Michigan dropped to No. 29 and was jumped by Iowa due to the last two Washington results (Iowa beat the Huskies 40-16 one week after the Huskies beat Michigan). No. 31 Oklahoma and No. 32 Nebraska also dropped out of the top 25.
No. 39 USC continues to fall. One play in any of those three losses could’ve changed the outcomes, but the Trojans are also 5-8 in their last 13 games. Wisconsin jumps up to No. 40 after a stunning 42-7 win against Rutgers.
Army moves up to No. 50 and is now No. 23 in the AP Poll. I got some criticism about where I had the Black Knights last week. They haven’t trailed all season, but their six wins have come against five teams with one or two wins, plus an FCS team. Navy, meanwhile, has a win against 5-1 Memphis (plus three one-win teams and an FCS team). That’s the difference. The good news is Army still has 5-1 North Texas, Notre Dame and Navy on the schedule, and it’s well-positioned to make the AAC title game. There will be opportunities for good wins.
GO DEEPER
Arizona State’s surprising surge continues, capped by an all-time postgame interview
51-75
Cincinnati jumps up to No. 54 after a 19-13 win at UCF. No. 56 Louisiana-Monroe is now 5-1 after beating Southern Miss. Liberty needed overtime to beat FIU, so the Flames slip to No. 61, but the path to an undefeated season is still very open.
Texas State moves up to No. 66 after beating Arkansas State, and Louisiana is up to No. 67 after beating App State. The two Sun Belt West leaders will play right before Halloween. Oregon State drops to No. 70 after a loss to Nevada, while Northwestern jumps to No. 72 after beating Maryland 37-10. North Texas is up to No. 75 after coming back to beat FAU.
GO DEEPER
Group of 5 mailbag: Where will the Pac-12 and Mountain West look next?
76-100
No. 77 Buffalo has wins against Northern Illinois and Toledo, but the Bulls’ 47-3 loss to UConn two weeks ago helps move the idle Huskies up to No. 76. San Jose State slips to No. 81 after losing to Colorado State.
The three lowest-ranked Power 4 teams all put in solid performances this week. UCLA led Minnesota at halftime and lost in the final seconds; Mississippi State stayed within arm’s length of Georgia in a 41-31 loss; Purdue took Illinois to overtime. They all move up and now sit just behind Florida State, Kansas and Baylor.
In the wildest comeback of the season, No. 82 Georgia Southern overcame a 23-3 deficit with seven minutes left to beat Marshall 24-23.
GO DEEPER
Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Dillon Gabriel’s legend grows, and more from Week 7
101-134
We had a lot of matchups within this group.
Rice beat UTSA in the final seconds, sending Rice up to No. 117 and UTSA down to No. 118. No. 120 Louisiana Tech got a 48-21 win against No. 127 Middle Tennessee, No. 111 San Diego State beat No. 122 Wyoming, No. 114 Jacksonville State beat No. 124 New Mexico State, No. 115 New Mexico beat No. 123 Air Force, and No. 113 Western Michigan beat No. 131 Akron.
Kent State played Ball State close but ultimately remains at the bottom.
The Athletic 134 series is part of a partnership with Allstate. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo: Ali Gradischer / Getty Images)
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