by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/16/2026 Photo Credits to Robert Gauthier via Getty Images Nation GP Pts GF GA United States 1 3 4 1 Australia 1 3 2 0 Turkiye 1 0 0 2 Paraguay 1 0 1 4 United States Looking Good The United States stormed into the 2026 World Cup on Friday with a dominant 4-1 victory against Paraguay. The match took place in California in front of a raucous United States crowd and the Americans took full advantage of their home field with goal after goal incl

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation Photo Credits to Chris Unger via Zuffa LLC Justin Gaethje vs Arman Tsarukyan Zak Drapeau - Captain America Justin Gaethje just had what some fans would honestly call, the greatest moment in UFC history. One of the most beloved and exciting fighters in UFC history finally became Undisputed Champion after putting on one of the overall best fights of the year and maybe in UFC history. Gaethje’s moment and era of UFC Champion is already

by Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 6/16/2026 Photo: Jared Slizewski-Getty With the NBA Finals officially wrapped, the league has wasted no time turning the page toward the future. The offseason is here, and with it comes one of the most unpredictable stretches on the basketball calendar: free agency. Every summer brings the same questions. Who is staying home? Who is chasing a bigger role? Who is ready to join a contender? And which team is willing to hand over the contract that c

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 6/16/2026 Photo Credits to Jeff Roberson/AP Photo On a chilly April afternoon in Denver, with the Colorado Rockies looking to complete a sweep of the Houston Astros, one fan decided to take matters into his own hands. Shirtless and waving his jersey above his head from Section 329 at Coors Field, the fan launched what has become one of baseball's most unexpected fan-driven movements, “Tarps Off”. The tradition traces its roots to an Oklahom

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/14/2026 Photo Credits to Eric Hartline via Imagn Images 80. Jalen Hurts Eagles Quarterback Last Year's Rank: 35 The Eagles offense is under transition after the departure of A.J. Brown and the replacement of Kevin Patullo for the new OC Sean Mannion. Hurts had a statistical better season in passing the ball but all around some what of a disappointment as the team's offense severely regressed from the 2024 Super Bowl group. Hurts has shown tha

By William Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 6/13/2026 Photo Credits to Brandon Sloter/Getty Images As summer begins to heat up, the MLB trade deadline stove is getting hotter. This year could be especially active, with back‑to‑back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal potentially on the block. Skubal opened the 2026 season strong, posting a 2.70 ERA in seven starts before being shut down because of a loose body in his left elbow. He underwent surgery May sixth and is se

Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant-Getty The New York Knicks are one win away from history. After taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, New York enters Game 5 with a chance to do what no Knicks team has done since 1973: bring a championship back to Madison Square Garden. For a franchise that has spent decades chasing ghosts, enduring several season tanks and patiently waiting for the right group to finally break through, this team now stands on th

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/12/2026 Graphic Credits to UFC via mmamania.com In our FN Muhammad v Bonfim, which you can find here: Zak went 3-3 in picks with 2 method for 5 points. Matt went 2-4 in picks with 1 methods right for 3 points. Points To Date: Zak: 99 (68-42) Matt: 100 (66-44) All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 6/10 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ CIlia Topuria vs ICJustin Gaethje Lightweight Championship (Topuria -600) Zak Dra

by Zak Drapeau 1. Favorites Part 1 Spain France Portugal England Photo Credits to Irina R. Hipolito/Europa Press via Getty Images I decided to split the "Favorites" group into two parts to show the teams I full expect to be competing for a spot in the Finals in Part 1, and the teams that are among the best squads in the world but I see having a hiccup somewhere along the way. All of the teams in "Part 1" are the top teams in terms of odds to win the World Cup. Spain is the co

by Zak Drapeau, Matt Hylen, Joel Piton and Will Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 6/10/2026 Photo Credits to ESPN Illustrations Zak Drapeau - So if you've seen my World Cup Group Stage Predictions article, you know I am extremely high on a few teams. Those teams include France, England, Spain, Portugal, and Japan. I believe they'll all walk out of the Group Stages as their group's winner and move on to the knockout stage, where the real fun begins. The 2026 edition of the World Cup kn

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/10/2026 Strongest Groups 1. Group K Portugal, Columbia, Uzbekistan, DR Congo Photo Credits to Octavio Passos via Getty Images No other group in the World Cup has 2 stronger sides than Group K and Portugal and Colombia. Both teams could be considered Top-15 in the entire tournament with high hopes of going far including Portugal having the 4th best odds to win it all. Uzbekistan and DR Congo are clearly the weaker sides of the group but neither

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/10/2026 Photo by Nam Y. Huh via Associated Press The United States soccer team has never been one of the World's powers and the 2026 edition of the World Cup tournament is no different. Being one of the home countries will give them a lot of coverage and hopefully some game time heroism but overall, the Americans are not expected to be one of the last teams standing. That doesn't mean we can't hope the boys have a good showing. Group Stage The

by Zak Drapeau and Matt Hylen Sportz Nation - 6/9/2026 Photo by Chris Unger/ Zuffa LLC Gabriel Bonfim vs Michael Morales Matt Hylen - If this were to happen, it would be must-see TV. With Gabriel Bonfim’s win over Belal Muhammad, it propels him right into that top-7 range that could definitely warrant a fight against a legit contender. With the welterweight division so crowded at the top, it is safe to say that both Bonfim and Michael Morales need one more fight before making

Sportz Nation - 6/9/2026 Photo: James Bernard-Getty The NBA Finals are officially here. Legacies are about to get stamped, and some of the league's brightest stars are ready to either make history or fold underneath the brightest lights. With the Knicks and Spurs giving us a Finals matchup that has everyone talking, it only feels right to look back at the players who owned this stage before them. Since 2000, we’ve seen everything. Stars carrying franchises on their backs. Und

by William Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 6/9/2026 Photo Credits to Cary Edmondson/Imagn Images Back-to-back American League MVP Aaron Judge is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his first right rib. Judge underwent X-rays, a CT scan and an MRI this week as the New York Yankees worked to identify the injury. Judge is expected to avoid baseball activities for four to six weeks before undergoing additional imaging. He is expected to begin ramping up baseball activities in mid

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/7/26 90. Cedric Gray Titans Linebacker Last Year's Rank: Not Ranked Gray is one of the most underrated players coming into the season and likely one of the least known. His reputation has definitely been hindered by being in Tennessee but the work speaks for itself. After a shoulder injury caused him to miss the first 10 games of his 2024 rookie season, he was never 100% until the offseason. When he came back healthy for 2025, he instantly be

Photo graphic by Marcelo Kananie Marmo/Behance Round 6 of the 2026 F1 season is underway in Monaco. The pinnacle of motorsport, Monaco is always circled on the calendars of teams, drivers, and fans alike. This iconic street circuit, known for its tight and slow corners and narrow width, is known to be the toughest test for the drivers throughout the entire season. With overtaking so challenging around this circuit, qualifying is everything. Coming into qualifying, it seemed a

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/5/2026 Graphic Credits to UFC via mmajunkie.usatoday.com In our FN Allen vs Costa Predictions, which you can find here: Zak went 4-1 (1NC) in picks with 1 method for 5 points. Matt went 3-2 (1 NC) in picks with 2 methods right for 3 points. Points To Date: Zak: 94 (65-39) Matt: 97 (64-40) All odds courtesy of Caesar's Sportsbook on 6/4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 5Belal Muhammad vs 11Gabriel Bonfim (Muhammad -120) Zak Drapeau - In

by William Gilhooly Sportz Nation - 6/4/2026 Photo Credits to Matt Dirsken/Getty Images Everyone has seen the video by now. On July 29, 2024, Miguel Vargas was traded from the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the Chicago White Sox, who would go on to set the modern MLB record with 121 losses. When Vargas joined the White Sox, the club was already in the midst of a 15-game losing streak. In his first five games with Chicago, he struggled at the plate, reco

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 6/4/2026 Photo Credits to Til Buergy/ Keystone via Associated Press World Cup 2026's New Format The new format to the World Cup will be the knockout stages moving to 32 teams instead of 16 in years' past, and now 48 nations being part of the World Cup's group stage. The Group stage will see 12 Groups of 4 nations all compete against each other so each nation has 3 matches. In Group Play, a win is worth 3 points, a draw is 1 point and a loss is 0