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  • UNLV QB to sit out season after agent says $100,000 promised for transfer has not been paid

    UNLV QB to sit out season after agent says $100,000 promised for transfer has not been paid

    The convoluted way college athletes are paid for the use of their name, image and likeness and a dispute between player and coaches over money appears to have cost an undefeated team its quarterback three games into the season.

    UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka has decided to sit out the rest of the season over a $100,000 NIL payment that was promised but never paid after he agreed to transfer to the Rebels from Holy Cross last winter, Sluka’s agent told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

    “I think there was some kind of breakdown in communication,” Bob Sluka, Matthew’s father, told AP.

    Sluka’s decision sent shockwaves throughout major college football, where the old rules of amateurism have fallen, leaving schools and the NCAA grappling with how to regulate the way players can be paid. Just how much regulation is part of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement agreement involving the NCAA and the nation’s top conferences that is before a federal judge in California.

    Sluka’s agent, Marcus Cromartie of Equity Sports, said Sluka was promised $100,000 by a UNLV assistant coach who recruited the quarterback last winter when he agreed to transfer in January.

    Both Cromartie and the company that runs UNLV’s NIL collective, which would be responsible for paying school athletes, acknowledge there was no signed agreement between the player and the organization for $100,000.

    UNLV issued a statement accusing Sluka’s representative of making “financial demands upon the university and its NIL collective in order to continue playing.”

    “UNLV athletics interpreted these demands as a violation of the NCAA pay-for-play rules, as well as Nevada state law,” the school said. “UNLV does not engage in such activity, nor does it respond to implied threats. UNLV has honored all previously agreed-upon scholarships for Matthew Sluka.”

    Bob Sluka and Cromartie insisted Matthew Sluka was not looking for anything more than was promised.

    UNLV (3-0) is scheduled to host Fresno State (3-1) in a big Mountain West game on Saturday, with both schools hoping a strong season could put them in consideration for a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Rebels have already beaten two power conference schools but now will proceed without their starting QB.

    Sluka’s transfer

    Equity Sports represents numerous NFL and college players, including Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. Bob Sluka told AP his son signed with Equity Sports when Matthew Sluka declared his intent to switch schools and entered the NCAA transfer portal in December.

    During a recruiting trip to UNLV with his son, Bob Sluka said a discussion about NIL payments came up with offensive coordinator Brennan Marion and the Slukas informed him those could be had with Equity.

    Cromartie said he spoke with the assistant coach by phone and a promise of $100,000 was made but because Sluka was still completing his degree at Holy Cross, the quarterback could not sign a contract with a collective until after he enrolled at UNLV. Sluka did not join the team until preseason practice in August.

    Friends of Unilv, the collective that works with UNLV athletes, does not sign deals with athletes until they are enrolled, said Bob Sine, whose company Blueprint Sports oversees and operates that collective and dozens others around the country.

    But, Sine said, it is not uncommon for representatives of athletes to open discussions with the collective about NIL opportunities before the athlete is enrolled. Sine said a payment of $3,000 was made to Sluka over the summer, but nothing else.

    Things fall apart

    “In July, there was no NIL payments. There was no $100,000, I guess you could say zero dollars. He was given a $3,000 relocation fee and that was it,” said Cromartie, who added head coach Barry Odom was not involved in the initial discussions.

    Sine said the first time they heard from Cromartie was on Aug. 29 via email, and on Sept. 19 there was another email communication during which the collective offered a potential deal that would pay Sluka $3,000 per month.

    Sine said Cromartie was not registered as an agent in Nevada or with the school. They informed him he needed to do that to move forward. Sluka’s father said Cromartie was directed to speak with Odom and director of player development Hunkie Cooper.

    Cromartie said he suggested payments of $10,000 a month over the next five months and even $5,000 per month and was declined.

    Cromartie said Sluka was offered $3,000 per month by Odom and Cooper in a phone call last week.

    “At that point I think Matt felt lied to. At that point he just wanted to stand up for himself,” Cromartie said.

    Bob Sluka said his son went to see Odom on Monday before practice and the coach refused to talk to Matthew about the NIL arrangement. Bob Sluka said Matthew returned to the coach’s office after practice, but Odom was gone. Odom declined to speak with reporters following practice Wednesday.

    “It’s just the tone that they took. It didn’t have to happen. All you had to do was give Matt a hug and say, ‘Hey, Matt, we’re going to work this out with you,’” said Bob Sluka, who lives in Locust Valley on New York’s Long Island. “You’re letting your starting quarterback walk out the door. And they didn’t care. Did Barry not call the collective and say, ‘Holy crap, I’m losing my kid.’ No, he said, ‘Take it or leave it.’”

    NCAA redshirt rules allow players to retain a year of eligibility if they play four or fewer games in a season. Sluka, who played four seasons (2020-23) at Holy Cross, still has one more year of eligibility that he could use at another school next season. NCAA rules do not allow players to play for two schools within the same season.

    “I committed to UNLV based on certain representations that were made to me, which were not upheld after I enrolled,” Matthew Sluka posted on X late Tuesday. “Despite discussions, it became clear that these commitments would not be fulfilled in the future. I wish my teammates the best of luck this season and hope for the continued success of the program.”

    NIL headaches

    The NCAA lifted its ban on athletes being compensated for things like endorsement and sponsorship deals in 2021, but had very few detailed rules on how schools can regulate payments beyond saying the compensation cannot come directly from the school.

    State laws have created different standards around the country, and college sports leaders, including NCAA President Charlie Baker, have been lobbying Congress for a federal law to help get a handle of an unruly system that lacks transparency. The NCAA settlement of multiple antitrust lawsuits includes a plan for a new revenue-sharing system, which would allow schools to begin making direct NIL payments to athletes as soon as next year.

    “The NCAA fully supports college athletes profiting from their NIL, but unfortunately there is little oversight or accountability in the NIL space and far too often promises made to student-athletes are broken,” NCAA senior vice president for external affairs Tim Buckley said in a statement. “Positive changes are underway at the NCAA to deliver more benefits to student-athletes but without clear legal authority granted by the courts or by Congress, the NCAA, conferences and schools have limited authority to regulate third parties involved in NIL transactions.”

    The current way this all works has caused headaches for everyone involved.

    Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada, who committed to play for Florida out of high school, is suing Gators coach Billy Napier and one of the school’s top boosters after a $14 million NIL deal fell through. Rashada never played for Florida. He was released from his scholarship agreement in 2023, transferred to Arizona State where he played last year and then transferred to Georgia this offseason.

    “They’re going to have to figure out a system, just like anything else — make sure contracts are signed, or the language is done the right way,” Mahomes, who has become involved in the NIL collective at Texas Tech, his alma mater, said Wednesday when asked about Sluka’s situation.

    What now?

    UNLV went 9-5 last season and played for the Mountain West Conference championship, but the quarterback who led that team to the program’s best season in nearly 40 years, Jayden Maiava, transferred to Southern California of the Big Ten.

    Sluka was one of the top quarterbacks playing in Division I’s second tier, known as the Football Championship Subdivision. Holy Cross reached the FCS playoffs in 2021 and ’22 with Sluka as the starter.

    After a coaching change at Holy Cross — head coach Bob Chesney left to take over at James Madison — Sluka also moved on. after setting a host of school records and rushing for an NCAA Division I quarterback record 330 yards in a loss to Lafayette in 2023. Sluka has completed 21 of 48 passes for 318 yards, six touchdowns and one interception for the Rebels this season. He has also rushed 39 times for 286 yards and a touchdown, helping the Rebels beat Kansas and Houston to go 2-0 against Big 12 teams.

    Neither Sluka’s father nor his agent completely ruled out the possibility of a resolution that could have Matthew Sluka back with UNLV, but neither voiced any optimism.

    “At the end of the day, $100,000 for a quarterback that’s in a Top 25 program is actually probably on the lower tier,” Cromartie said. “The fact that he hasn’t gotten that or anything in between just speaks to the point he’s getting done unjustly and unfairly.”

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    AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, and Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

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  • Aaron Hernandez ‘American Sports Story’ series wants to show a different view of the disgraced NFLer

    Aaron Hernandez ‘American Sports Story’ series wants to show a different view of the disgraced NFLer

    From a podcast to multiple documentaries, the rise and fall of the once revered NFL star Aaron Hernandez is certainly well documented. An FX limited series is latest to rehash the saga, attempting to go beyond the headlines and dig deeper into his story.

    “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” stars Josh Andrés Rivera as the New England Patriots tight end. It details Hernandez’s troubled childhood with an abusive father who demanded his son play football and project masculinity and toughness to the world. Secretly, Hernandez also struggled with his sexuality.

    He played college ball at the University of Florida and was drafted by the Patriots. Over time, the series shows how Hernandez’s behavior grew increasingly erratic. He was convicted of murder and died by suicide in 2017 while serving a life sentence. After his death, research showed Hernandez’s brain showed evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

    “What we tried to do with this show — is take a tabloid headline, take some story that you think you know about Aaron Hernandez … and go behind it and see what it’s like to walk in the shoes of all the people who are part of this,” said Brad Simpson, one of the series’ executive producers, in an interview.

    Hernandez’s life, crimes and death have been detailed before in long-form writing, documentaries including Netflix’s “Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez,” and the podcast “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.,” which is the basis for “American Sports Story.”

    Rivera, known for his supporting roles in the recent “Hunger Games” prequel and 2021’s “West Side Story,” said playing the former tight end was a “responsibility that you have to approach with a certain level of sensitivity.”

    Once he started learning more about Hernandez’s life, diving into recordings of phone calls he made from prison and watching clips from his interviews, Rivera said he began to see the layered intricacy of Hernandez’s life. And he only became more eager to play him.

    “To a lot of people, he was very charming and very charismatic and easy to get along with. There were not a small amount of people who felt that way, so that was interesting because you have to dissect the ‘why,’” Rivera said. “There’s clearly a magnetism there, disguising an inner life that’s very complex.”

    Rivera said he enjoyed the challenge of that character work, calling Hernandez “a chameleon.”

    “There was variations on the amount of tenderness and even the frankness, or the amount of swagger he would use from person to person, so I tried to incorporate that to a core essence,” he said.

    Transforming into Hernandez was also a physical commitment for Rivera, who described getting into NFL shape as “meathead summer,” where he increased his food intake and worked with trainers to build muscle. The hardest part, though, of the transformation for Rivera, was getting inked up.

    His mobility was often limited when filming to preserve the tattoos, which he said he initially found frustrating, but ultimately, the “oppressive feeling” of not being able to move freely was something he channeled into his character’s frustration.

    Rivera stars alongside Jaylen Barron as Hernandez’s high school sweetheart and later fiancé, Shayanna Jenkins, Lindsay Mendez as his cousin, Ean Castellanos as his brother and Tammy Blanchard as his mother. Patrick Schwarzenegger plays Hernandez’s college teammate Tim Tebow, Tony Yazbeck plays former Florida coach Urban Meyer and Norbert Leo Butz plays former Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

    With the first sports-focused season of the “American Story” franchise, producers said they are interested in dissecting the “American religion of football.” They also hope viewers question the preconceptions they had about people involved in stories that captured the nation, like that of Hernandez.

    “We can use this story to challenge certain perspectives or to just add a little bit of nuance for people who maybe don’t know much about it or have a fixed mindset about it,” Rivera said. “It’s an interesting opportunity.”

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  • Janet’s Kamala Escapade and ‘Evolution of the Black Quarterback’ With Michael Vick

    Janet’s Kamala Escapade and ‘Evolution of the Black Quarterback’ With Michael Vick

    Van and Rachel discuss Beyoncé’s exclusion from the CMAs (5:47) before reacting to the fallout from Janet Jackson’s questioning of Kamala Harris’s Blackness (25:28) and Chingy backing out of performing at a GOP event (36:19). Then NFL legend Michael Vick joins to talk about the new docuseries Evolution of the Black Quarterback (46:07) before discussing the way Jerry Jones talks about his players and what’s between their legs (1:16:28).

    Hosts: Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay
    Guest: Michael Vick
    Producer: Donnie Beacham Jr.

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher

    Van Lathan

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  • Dolphins turn focus to Skylar Thompson at QB with Tua out, heading West to face the 2-0 Seahawks

    Dolphins turn focus to Skylar Thompson at QB with Tua out, heading West to face the 2-0 Seahawks

    SEATTLE (AP) — Having spent the past two seasons as his teammate, Seattle center Connor Williams struggled to watch what happened to Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa.

    He’d much rather see Tagovailoa on the field Sunday when the Seahawks host the Dolphins than watch his former teammate deal with yet another concussion.

    “It was awful. I mean, you never wish for something like that, and definitely with his history,” Williams said. “Just prayers out to him and his family.”

    The latest concussion suffered by the Miami quarterback and his uncertain future has centered the storylines around the Week 3 matchup.

    Tagovailoa was injured last Thursday night in a loss to Buffalo, his third diagnosed concussion in the past two years. The Dolphins have spent the week trying to get Skylar Thompson ready to make his first start since the 2022 season while also answering unknowns about when Tagovailoa — who has been placed on injured reserve — will return.

    For now, Miami is placing its faith in Thompson.

    “When I tell you that the confidence that the team has for Skylar is real and it’s earned, and it’s based upon thousands of hours that as a backup quarterback most people don’t see,” Miami coach Mike McDaniel said.

    The last time Thompson started was the 2022 playoffs against Buffalo. He never saw the field last season and his limited career opportunities thus far make it difficult to get a read on what exactly may be different with Thompson under center.

    “It’s tough because it’s not a huge sample size to see, and it’s been a long time, and you’re talking about a couple of years of growth from when he started last in a playoff game, being in the system,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said. “So that’s where we’re at right now.”

    While it’s a bit of an unknown how Thompson will step in, the Dolphins still have a dangerous set of skill talent like Tyreek Hill and De’Von Achane.

    “One of my favorite parts about this game is going to play with the guys next to me. It’s been that way since I was a little kid, and I just find joy in going to battle with guys that I know have put so much into it to do their job,” Thompson said.

    In the backfield

    Seattle played last week without top running back Kenneth Walker III and his status against the Dolphins is uncertain due to an oblique injury. Whether it’s Walker or backup Zach Charbonnet carrying the load, Seattle’s offensive line must do better blocking up front.

    “We’ve got to move people. Right now we’re not moving them,” Macdonald said.

    The Seahawks had only 46 yards rushing and averaged 2.4 yards per rush against New England, which made the 103 yards Walker had in Week 1 against Denver that much more impressive.

    The guard spot has been the problem thus far and Seattle could continue to rotate at right guard where Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes split time against the Patriots.

    Bring the noise

    Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks knows how loud it can get inside Seattle’s home stadium after spending the first four years of his career as a Seahawk.

    Brooks said the best way for the Dolphins to quiet the noise from Seattle’s passionate fans is to stymie the Seahawks’ offense and for Thompson and the Dolphins’ offense to make big plays of their own.

    “It gets as loud as the team can make it,” Brooks said. “So if we’re stopping them, it won’t be that loud. If we don’t, it will be pretty loud.”

    Thompson also has experience playing in hostile environments. He started a road playoff game against the Buffalo Bills during the 2022 season.

    “For me, that’s what you want,” Thompson said. “That’s why football is such a great game, and being able to go on the road, having a road opportunity with the guys and get to go in there and go to battle with them in that environment is fun. We’re really excited for that opportunity.”

    The other QB

    Geno Smith is coming off one of the best games of his career, completing 75% of his passes and throwing for 327 yards in the win over the Patriots. Smith was 17 of 25 passing in the second half and overtime, and carried Seattle’s offense on a day there was no run game.

    “Y’all been calling this man underrated for three years, and when is it going to stop?” Seattle wide receiver DK Metcalf questioned. “But he’s not underrated by any means.”

    Homecoming

    There was a huge smile on Tyler Huntley’s face Wednesday when he described the feeling of playing football in Miami.

    Huntley, signed this week by Miami off the Ravens’ practice squad, was born in Dania Beach, Florida, about 20 miles north of Miami and attended high school in South Florida. He went to college in Utah before signing with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

    “Man, it’s just like a dream come true,” Huntley said. “As a little kid, you’re looking up seeing the NFL and your home team being right there, you just want to be a part of it. I get the chance to be a part of it.”

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    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Colts defense hoping to get a reprieve as Caleb Williams and Bears struggling offense visit Indy

    Colts defense hoping to get a reprieve as Caleb Williams and Bears struggling offense visit Indy

    Chicago (1-1) at Indianapolis (0-2)

    Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS

    BetMGM NFL Odds: Colts by 1

    Series record: Colts lead 24-19

    Against the spread: Chicago 1-0-1, Indianapolis 1-1

    Last meeting: Colts won 19-11 at Chicago on Oct. 4, 2020.

    Last week: Bears lost 19-13 at Houston; Colts lost 16-10 at Green Bay

    Bears offense: overall (31), rush (28), pass (32), scoring (18-T)

    Bears defense: overall (8), rush (13), pass (11), scoring (6-T)

    Colts offense: overall (14), rush (16), pass (17), scoring (18-T)

    Colts defense: overall (31), rush (32), pass (8), scoring (22-T)

    Turnover differential: Bears plus-1, Colts minus-3.

    Bears player to watch

    QB Caleb Williams. It’s been a rough start for the No. 1 overall draft pick. Only five QBs have a lower completion rate than Williams (56.1%) and the recently benched Bryce Young is the only starter averaging fewer yards per game than Williams’ 133.5. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner hasn’t thrown a TD pass, but has been sacked a league-high-tying nine times. Perhaps this will be the week he and the Bears turn things around.

    Colts player to watch

    WR Michael Pittman Jr. Indy’s top receiver showed his frustration following the Green Bay loss and it had nothing to do with his role in this offense. He’s been targeted a team-high 15 times and is second on the team with eight receptions. The previous time Pittman spoke out, in October 2023, he responded by catching 53 passes and helping Indy go 4-2 over the next six games.

    Key matchup

    Bears running game vs. Colts run defense. Williams isn’t the only one struggling in Chicago. The offense has just one offensive TD this season. Still, this could be a matchup that helps the Bears get jump-started. Indy is allowing a league-high 237.0 yards rushing per game, and until it stops the run consistently, teams will continue to test the Colts.

    Key injuries

    Chicago WR Keenan Allen (heel) missed last weekend’s game and was one of four players who did not practice Wednesday. The others were fullback Khari Blasingame (hand and knee), offensive tackle Teven Jenkins (thigh) and defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (groin). Offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (quadricep), defensive tackle Andrew Billings (groin), guard Nate Davis (groin), rookie receiver Rome Odunze (knee) and defensive ends Montez Sweat (elbow) and DeMarcus Walker (foot) were all limited Wednesday. … The Colts already have two defensive starters — three-time Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner (sprained ankle) and starting CB JuJu Brents (knee) — on injured reserve. Starting safety Julian Blackmon (shoulder) and WR Josh Downs (ankle) practiced Wednesday and are hopeful of returning, but kicker Matt Gay (quadricep) and rookie DE Laiatu Latu (hip) did not practice Wednesday.

    Series notes

    Indianapolis has won two straight and four of the past six in a series featuring two foes that moved into separate conferences as part of 1970 AFL-NFL merger. … Indy won the only postseason contest, beating the Bears 29-17 to win Super Bowl 41. … Chicago won the first NFL regular-season game played at Lucas Oil Stadium, 29-13 in the 2008 season opener. … Colts owner Jim Irsay grew up in Chicago.

    Stats and stuff

    The Bears have won five of their past eight games overall, but have lost eight of their past 10 on the road. … Chicago opened this season with three straight non-division games, the first time that’s happened since 2002. … Williams and backup QB Tyson Bagent are the only Bears rookies to win their first career starts over the past two decades. … WR D.J. Moore leads all players from the 2018 rookie class in yards receiving with 6,654. … Chicago has allowed 117 sacks since the start of the 2022 season. … The Bears defense has allowed just three points and just 169 yards in the second halves of the first two games. … Chicago is tied with San Francisco for most interceptions (24) since the start of the 2023 season. … Matt Eberflus served as Indy’s defensive coordinator from 2018-2021 before taking the Bears head coaching job. … The Colts are trying to avoid starting a second straight season by losing its first two home games. … Indy averages 6.68 yards per play, the third highest in the NFL, but have finished each of its first two games with 20 or fewer minutes of possession time. … Second-year QB Anthony Richardson has run for five TDs in his first six starts as a pro but owns a 2-4 record. … RB Jonathan Taylor had his first 100-yard game of the season last week and needs two TD runs to pass Marshall Faulk (42) for fourth in franchise history. … WR Alec Pierce is one of four NFL players with two catches of 50 or more yards this season. Both came in the Week 1 loss to Houston. … LB Zaire Franklin has had 22 games with at least 10 tackles and needs one more to break a tie with Gary Brackett for No. 2 in Colts history. … P Rigoberto Sanchez is tied for the league lead with a net average of 48.8 yards. … Indy’s six sacks through weeks puts the Colts on pace to match last year’s single-season franchise record (51).

    Fantasy tip

    Taylor is always a safe play, but against a stingy Bears defense, Pittman may be the best bet in what could be a low-scoring game.

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    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Panthers QB Bryce Young says he was surprised to learn he’d been benched, needs to get better

    Panthers QB Bryce Young says he was surprised to learn he’d been benched, needs to get better

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young said he was surprised to learn from head coach Dave Canales that he’d been benched and accepted blame for the team’s struggles on the field.

    “It was not something that I was necessarily expecting,” Young said following Thursday’s practice. “Obviously not something that was great to hear. But I respect coach Canales and the organization.”

    Young is 2-16 as an NFL starter since he arrived in Carolina amid high expectations after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft.

    The Panthers are 0-2 this season and have not been competitive in either game. They have been outscored 73-13, including 53-3 in the first half, and have scored just one touchdown. Young has not thrown a TD pass in his last four starts dating back to last season.

    The 36-year-old Andy Dalton will start on Sunday at Las Vegas.

    Young placed the blame for the demotion on his own shoulders, saying he needs to be more productive.

    “Last year and these first two games for the most part every snap has hit my hands and I didn’t do enough with it at the end of the day,” Young said. “I take accountability for that. There are plays and a long list of things that I wish I was better at and I’m going to continue to work and grow and be better at them. I’m always going to look in the mirror.”

    He added, “If I went out there and played better, and we won games, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

    Young is the first quarterback selected No. 1 overall in the common draft era starting in 1967 to be benched for noninjury reasons in his second season.

    But the QB said he has hasn’t lost confidence in his own ability, even though the demotion raises questions about his future in Carolina.

    Canales tried to cushion the blow on Wednesday, saying he still thinks Young can be a franchise quarterback and that the team has no plans to trade him.

    As for whether he still views himself as the franchise quarterback in Carolina, Young sidestepped the question by saying “really right now, I am a day-by-day type of person. Big picture stuff, that’s out of my hands. That’s in God’s hands. Organizational stuff, that is with the people upstairs” in the front office.

    Young said he’s been grateful for the support of his teammates and will continue to approach the game in the same way.

    “I’m a competitor and it’s not what you dream of or what you think is going to happen, but I trust in the Lord,” Young said. “I know that he is in control of everything and I am super blessed. It’s not something that is ideal but at the end of day, it is what it is. I have to focus on what I can do now to get better.”

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    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Where to Get Jewish Food for the High Holidays in Chicago

    Where to Get Jewish Food for the High Holidays in Chicago

    Jewish families love to pass along legends of selfless bubbes who have spent countless early fall afternoons in the kitchen, kneading challah dough, chopping carrots for tsimmes, and stirring steaming pots of chicken soup. How those women suffered to prepare the high holiday meals! How they wanted their children and grandchildren to know of their suffering!

    Luckily you can deliver a Rosh Hashanah feast without all that work and guilt by perusing Eater Chicago’s list of restaurants, delis, and bakeries in and around Chicago with full meals and soup, sides, and challah. There are options to dine out and cater in for the Jewish New Year and break fast platters loaded with lox and bagels for Yom Kippur break fast. Just be sure to order well in advance to avoid any kvetching.

    Aba: Aba in Fulton Market offers a Mediterranean inflection on holiday favorites — customers can order verjus-braised chicken, charred beef brisket, sumac-roasted baby turnips with mini carrots, and apple kataifi tart tatin for takeout. Orders are open until 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 29 via Tock. Dine-in patrons can count on special dishes such as shaved brussels sprouts salad from Wednesday, October 2 through Saturday, October 5.

    Beatrix Fulton Market, River North, and Streeterville: The Beatrix Rosh Hashanah meal serves up all the classics: gefilte fish (typically for Passover), chopped liver, matzo ball soup, burnt honey chicken, slow-braised short ribs, potato pancakes (see: Hanukkah), apples and honey, and two kinds of cake — lemon olive oil and chocolate. The family-style package is available to order until noon on Tuesday, October 1 for pickup or delivery on Wednesday, October 2, and Thursday, October 3. Order online.

    Bistronomic: The Gold Coast French restaurant offers a three-course dinner Wednesday, October 2, and Thursday, October 3 including housemade chicken liver mousse, seared salmon with eggplant puree and apple & honey challah bread pudding. Make a reservation through OpenTable.

    Ema: Aba’s River North sibling offers a Rosh Hashanah dinner for two, or for 8-10 for those feeding a group, that includes shaved brussels sprout salad, braised lamb daube, miso-maple tzimmes and apple kataifi tarte tartin. Orders can be placed on Tock through noon Monday, September 30 for carryout or delivery Wednesday, October 2, and Thursday, October 3. Some of the dishes are also available on those days as dine-in specials.

    The Goddess and Grocer: Chef Debbie Sharpe’s mini-chain has a variety of options. Choose from family-sized portions of appetizers, salads, entrees, and desserts; dinner packages for two or more; and Yom Kippur platters of bagels and lox or vegetarian frittatas. Preorders for Rosh Hashanah must be in by noon on Tuesday, September 24, and Yom Kippur by noon on Monday, October 7. Peruse the menus and place orders online.

    The Goddess and Grocer

    Helfeld’s Deli: The Wicker Park Jewish deli offers a Rosh Hashanah catering menu Wednesday, October 2 through Friday, October 4 featuring whole roasted chicken, tzimmes, chopped liver, round challah, and noodle kugel. Pastrami, hand-cut nova lox, pickles, and cream cheese are also available by the pound.

    Lure Fishbar: New York import Lure Fishbar will mark the High Holidays with a dine-in menu of matzo ball soup, Autumn harvest salad, oven-roasted chicken, baked whitefish, an apple and hot honey sushi roll, and ricotta doughnut with apple cider glaze for dessert. The lineup is available for Rosh Hashanah from Wednesday, October 2 through Saturday, October 5.

    Manny’s Deli: For a traditional feast, order from Manny’s Deli, a family-run spot that has which has been serving Ashkenazi Jewish fare for more than 80 years. Their Rosh Hashanah menu includes chopped liver, matzo ball soup by the quart, four types of brisket, sweet noodle kugel, and round raisin challah. For dessert, add on apple honey cake or cookies shaped like a shofar. They also supply everything needed for Yom Kipper break fast, with trays of lox, tuna salad, and deli meats. Place an order by Friday, September 27 for Rosh Hashanah or Wednesday, October 9 for Yom Kippur.

    Max and Benny’s: The beloved Northbrook deli will be open on both Rosh Hashanah (dine-in and takeout) and Yom Kippur (takeout only) and also has a full catering menu available, with chicken, brisket, fish, chicken soup, bagel-and-lox platters, and more. Order online by Sunday, September 29 for Rosh Hashanah or Wednesday, October 9 for Yom Kippur for pre-holiday pickup.

    Mensch’s Deli: Evanston’s new Jewish deli offers a special catering menu from Tuesday, October 1 through Sunday, October 13 including matzo ball soup, roasted beet salad, honey harissa-glazed roast chicken, carrot tzimmes, and challah bread pudding. Challah, potato kugel, and vegetarian stuffed cabbage are available to add on. Mench’s regular menu of lox, bagels, pastries, and fruit trays is available to break the Yom Kippur fast. Place an order online 24 hours in advance.

    Prairie Grass Cafe: Suburban Northbrook’s Prairie Grass Cafe is offering holiday brisket dinners for two that include salad, barbecue brisket, roasted cauliflower, and warm sticky toffee date cake from James Beard Award winner Sarah Stegner. Add-ons include chicken noodle soup, tzimmes, and chopped chicken liver. Call (847) 205-4433 by Monday, September 30 to order; pickup is 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, October 3.

    Schneider Deli: The Jewish deli within Chicago’s iconic mid-century Ohio House Motel is offering brisket, oven-roasted turkey breast, matzo ball soup, honey cake, and a smattering of sides including garlic roasted broccoli and latkes with sour cream and applesauce. Orders can be placed through Toast for Wednesday, October 2 through Sunday, October 6. The deli’s standard bagel and lox platters are available for Yom Kippur Friday, October 11, and Saturday, October 12.

    Steingold’s of Chicago: Chef, owner, and bagel specialist Aaron Steingold has tons of Rosh Hashanah offerings available from Tuesday, October 1 through Friday, October 4 this year, including beef brisket, apple cider roast chicken, and honey apple cake for four to six. Options available through Oct. 13 include smoked trout salad, chicken schnitzel, rugelach, and lox platters perfect for breaking the fast after Yom Kippur. Order online via Toast.

    Summer House Santa Monica

    Summer House Santa Monica: The Lincoln Park restaurant offers a four-course dinner from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday, October 2 and Thursday, October 3 start with a spread of challah, apples with honey, chopped liver, and gefilte fish with beet horseradish. Polish off a bowl of matzo ball soup before a choice of wood-grilled salmon or slow-braised beef short rib served with potato pancakes and tzimmes, with an apple galette for dessert. Reservations are available through OpenTable though those who prefer to dine at home can preorder the meal by noon on Friday, September 27 via Tock.

    834 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL 60607

    Samantha Nelson

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  • Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Daisies Partner on a Pickle Pastry Called ‘Dill-Co’

    Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Daisies Partner on a Pickle Pastry Called ‘Dill-Co’

    Concertgoers love an encore. Daisies set a standard in January with its croissant collaboration with Wieners Circle, as the Logan Square pasta power created a croissant filled with the familiar toppings of a Chicago hot dog. Partner and pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky has since teamed with the Chicago Blackhawks on a limited-time offering.

    Daisies found an unlikely collaborator with Wilco, the Chicago-based alt-country band passionate about supporting small businesses. Starting on Friday, September 20 Daisies will sell a limited edition croissant that celebrates the band’s 30th anniversary and all things pickles. Tweedy and Omilinsky take Wilco fans on a nostalgic journey on social media using song references while Tweedy provides his rationale.

    “Every song I’ve ever written is about pickles,” Tweedy deadpans in an Instagram video posted on Wednesday, September 18 announcing the croissant.

    While the Daisies/Wieners Circle croissant included a pickle, nothing matches the pickled prowess of Daisies’ newest creation, called Dill-Co. The croissant will be available for a limited time and launch in conjunction with Tweedy’s upcoming appearance on Saturday, September 21 at Navy Pier, part of Chicago Live!, a free festival featuring more than 100 performances. Sales from the croissant will benefit the former Lakeview Pantry, now known as Nourishing Hope.

    Daisies has long celebrated pickling and fermenting techniques in its food and drink, so pickles weren’t an odd request for Omilinsky. While the world of pickles is vast, Tweedy and his camp wanted pickled cucumbers. Knowing that Omilinsky needed something to hold the pastry together, and turned to Jewish delis for inspiration, opting for a dill cream cheese. She adds chopped pickles, giardiniera, dill, and dehydrated pickle powder.

    This isn’t Wilco’s first food collaboration. They also partnered with Foxtrot in 2022 as the chain produced a snack mix with the band’s branding.

    Omilinsky has spent the last few weeks at Green City Market in Lincoln Park, selling pastries on Wednesdays and Fridays. While they won’t sell the Dill-Co pastry at the farmers market, she says it wasn’t hard convincing Tweedy to collaborate: “People are pretty cool, and I think that’s a good thing to remember in this day and age,” she says. “All you have to do is ask.”

    She adds she was taken aback filming the video at the Loft, the legendary practice space turned studio. Omilinsky says Tweedy had stories for every trinket inside.

    Daisies co-owner Scott Goldstein and his brother-in-law, Dave Yakir, were again in charge of putting the video together, as their company Streeterville Productions specializes in such content. Goldstein says coming up with the pickle jokes was a challenge, but once he fixated on Wilco’s song, She’s a Jar, the floodgates opened. Goldstein was also very complimentary of Tweedy’s acting talents.

    “It’s a crime we can’t play guitar and sing as well as he can tell jokes,” Goldstein says.

    Dill-Co at Daisies, starting on Friday, September 20.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Hawksmoor’s Sunday Roast and Four New Brunches to Try Around Chicago

    Hawksmoor’s Sunday Roast and Four New Brunches to Try Around Chicago

    It’s September and students are back to school and the colors have started to change. As the seasons turn, five notable restaurants have launched new weekend brunch services. Here’s a rundown on what to expect.

    Daisies

    The popular Logan Square restaurant was a brunch paradise at its original location. But chef Joe Frillman’s crew have been reluctant to bring brunch back at their larger space, preferring to focus on dinner, the daytime pastry and coffee program, and weekday lunch. But, with the blessing of GM and pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky, they’ve launched Sunday brunch, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with reservations via OpenTable. The menu includes whole-wheat pancakes, Frillman’s signature Overpriced Tomato (get it while tomato season lasts), a brunchy pasta with runny egg — carbonara cavatelli — and salmon gravlax. Omilinsky’s pastries are also available.

    Goose Island Salt Shed Pub

    Brunch is now served on Saturday and Sunday at Goose Island’s Salt Shed Pub.
    Goose Island Beer

    After relocating from their home of more than three decades in Lincoln Park, Goose Island Beer has set up shop next to the Salt Shed music venue with a pub neighboring the Chicago River — there’s even patio seating. Brunch is served at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and reservations are available via Resy at 1221 W. Blackhawk Street. The menu includes French toast with a Bourbon County Stout caramel sauce, a green eggs and ham croissant sandwich, cornmeal biscuits & gravy, and more.

    Hawksmoor

    In River North, Hawksmoor has been open since late June inside the former Michael Jordan’s at 500 N. LaSalle Drive. The English steakhouse also has a location in New York. On Sunday, September 29, they’ll introduce their Chicago location to the British tradition of the Sunday roast, a meal typically eaten after attending church. Steak is usually the centerpiece of a roast, and at Hawksmoor, they’ll feature dry-aged roast beef rump with potatoes roasted in beef fat with bone marrow gravy. There’s also Yorkshire pudding (Sunday Roasts originated in the 15th century in the English city), Brussels sprouts, and carrots. Hawksmoor also serves bone marrow stuffing and cauliflower cheese. Reservations are available via OpenTable.

    Minyoli

    A sliced egg crepe with two sauces.

    Minyoli’s dan bing.
    Minyoli

    In Andersonville, Minyoli, 5420 N. Clark Street, has been serving Taiwanese noodles since May. Chef Rich Wang’s restaurant now offers Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The brunch menu — which is also available for carryout — includes Taiwanese breakfast rice rolls called fan tuan. They’re served with youtiao, a type of savory doughnut. There’s also a Taiwanese egg crepe, dan bing with scallion as well as sweet soy and hai shan (soy paste). Finally, don’t forget the flatbread sandwich. Shaobing comes customizable with options including Taiwanese fried chicken, sliced beef shank, and pork floss. Reservations are available online.

    Skylark

    One of the best dives in Chicago has been offering Sunday brunch since September with a rotating crew of talented chefs, and that’s drawn attention from North Siders who aren’t always open to visiting neighborhoods south of Roosevelt. At Skylar, 2149 S. Halsted, brunch is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Sunday, September 22, they’ll feature Morgan Street Snacks, the operation that took up residency next to Kimski/Maria’s Community Liquors in fall 2022. The Reader published a nice profile of Morgan Street’s leader, Ryan Cofrancesco, last week. On Sunday, September 29 the Skylark will serve something many Chicagoans have tasted: Thai brunch. Puan Bahn Thai Brunch will be served by chef Fred Noinaj, most recently of Lost Lake. Be on the lookout on Skylark’s social media channels for future brunch pop-ups.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Chicago’s Best Cheese Dishes

    Chicago’s Best Cheese Dishes

    It’s hard to think of any food Chicagoans agree upon more than cheese. They argue about hot dogs, beefs, tavern pizza, and tacos. But when cheese enters the conversation, locals become soothed like an angry tiger tamed by a trainer. They eat “cheese” on nachos in plastic batting helmets (no matter which team is playing), scarf-flaming saganaki, fried cheese curds, and gooey quesabirria, and are tantalized by the cheese pull from a pan of deep dish.

    As the weather cools, Eater Chicago collected five examples of excellent cheesy dishes around town that will charm every savage beast.

    La Serre’s French onion fondue

    La Serre has been packing the house since they opened this past summer in the crosshairs of the Fulton Market restaurant zone. Every Emily-in-Paris-in-Chicago has been clamoring for a table full of St. Tropez Spritzes, angel hair with caviar, and duck Chinois, plus the best mussels this side of northwest France’s Brittany region. Naturally, there’s plenty on the French-ish menu to choose from for the cheese-loving set, but the French onion fondue is truly not to be missed. Gobs of wine-soaked caramelized onions served topped with melted gruyere cheese for spreading on grilled sourdough, baguette, or frite without annoying soup to water down the experience.

    Nettare’s cheese plate

    This isn’t a sad wine bar’s cheese plate at Nettare.
    Nettare

    When Conner O’Byrne, owner of West Town’s Nettare, asked chef John Dahlstrom to add a Midwest cheese plate to his menu, he worried if his boss “wanted a quintessential phoned-in wine bar menu.” O’Byrne pushed hard, inspired by Wisconsin’s epic rep in award-winning cheese production. Dahlstrom accepted the challenge and made O’Byrne and Nettare’s customers happy. Dahlstrom is proud of a rotating selection of the Midwest’s cheese bounty, including Black Goat from Prairie Fruits Farm in Champaign, Dirt Lover from Kansas City’s Green Dirt Farm, and many more. Guests can select one, two, or three options and add a house-made charcuterie item. Dahlstrom throws in tahini crackers, local honey and jam, and a handful of smoked and candied black walnuts. This takes this cheese plate far higher than just a pedestrian wine bar menu.

    Maxwells Trading’s Loaf Lounge marble rye with stracciatella

    A slice of bread with cheese.

    Maxwells Trading showcases marble rye from Logan Square’s Loaf Lounge.
    Wade Hall

    The menu changes frequently at Maxwells Trading, but the local love-child vibe stays true to its delicious Chicago roots. That vibe includes featuring friends like Sarah Mispagel and Ben Lustbader and their magnificent Loaf Lounge marble rye sourdough bread and neighbors like rooftop basil and cherry tomatoes which, according to executive chef Chris Jung are amplified using a soak of Japanese flavors like shiro dashi and united by a tasty cloak of fresh stracciatella cheese from Caputo Cheese in Melrose Park. Because honestly, what brings folks (and other ingredients) together better than cheese? Stracciatella is poised to topple the reign of cheese terror previously held by the beloved burrata ball for almost a decade. Made up of torn bits of mozzarella dressed in cream (like what you’ll find in the center of that burrata), stracciatella’s milky, spoonable richness deserves the star turn it has been taking lately.

    Mano a Mano’s eggplant cutlet

    A breaded piece of eggplant with mozzarella, basil and a dollop of tomato sauce.

    Mano a Mano’s eggplant cutlet is memorable.
    Mano a Mano

    The menu at Logan Square’s Mano a Mano is loaded with stracciatella and other Italian-style cheeses — like zucchini flowers stuffed with fior de latte mozzarella and fresh buffalo milk ricotta, the tiny ravioletti filled with taleggio and black truffle, and — just like at nonna’s — you’ll get a bowl of grated cheese to sprinkle on your dinner at will. Your server will advise you to order the eggplant cutlet, and order it you must. Chef Doug Psaltis’s take on eggplant parm is a young farm eggplant, crisped up and served with a spicy tomato sauce, with that delicious stracciatella schmeared on top. Says Psaltis: “I fell in love with it after first tasting it on a trip to Puglia. Stracciatella’s wonderful creaminess and fresh cream flavor make it a perfect pair for the spicy Diavolo sauce of our eggplant cutlet.”

    Beautiful Rind’s chevre sundae

    An ice cream sundae with red, borwn, and black toppings.

    Ice cream and cheese create a great combo at Beautiful Rind.
    Beautiful Rind

    You already know that Beautiful Rind is one of the city’s best cheese shops. You might even know that they offer an exciting dine-in or takeout cheese board menu complete with imaginative, housemade, choose-your-own-adventure accompaniments, plus gooey sandwiches, charcuterie, and fried cheese curds. But did you know that you can order a chevre sundae, consisting of three scoops of fresh Wisconsin goat cheese plus seasonal sauces and crushed marcona almonds, and no one will judge you? “We’ve always scooped fresh goat cheese with an ice cream scoop to help showcase the fluffy, light texture of fresh, hand-ladled cheese,” says owner Randall Felts. The next step was serving it sundae style in a cut glass dish, obviously, with toppings like salted stout chocolate ganache, strawberry amaro jam, and pineapple jam spiked with Aleppo chiles. “We want people to have fun with cheese and see our shop as a more adult version of a candy shop… full of delicious treats of the cheese variety,” Felt adds.

    Lisa Futterman

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  • Taylor Swift, fresh off the VMAs, back at Arrowhead to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Chiefs

    Taylor Swift, fresh off the VMAs, back at Arrowhead to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Chiefs

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Taylor Swift capped a headline-grabbing week that included her endorsement of Kamala Harris for president and seven trophies from the MTV Video Music Awards by showing up at Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

    Swift arrived about 90 minutes before kickoff to see her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and the two-time defending Super Bowl champions play the Cincinnati Bengals in a rematch of two of the past three AFC championship games.

    Swift has become close friends with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany, over the past year. And that led to some controversy this week after the 14-time Grammy winner said she supported Harris over Donald Trump in the November election.

    Trump has been referencing Brittany Mahomes in interviews and speeches since last month, after she liked — and then unliked — an Instagram post by the Republican presidential nominee outlining the “2024 GOP platform.” Trump posted soon afterward on Truth Social: “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me.”

    Swift’s endorsement of Harris led Trump to say in a phone interview with Fox News this week: “I actually like Mrs. Mahomes much better, if you want to know the truth. She’s a big Trump fan. I like Brittany. I think Brittany is great.”

    Trump went even further Sunday, posting on Truth Social in call caps: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”

    Patrick Mahomes declined to endorse anyone when asked about the situation, instead urging people to register to vote.

    “I don’t want my place and my platform to be used to endorse a candidate or do whatever, either way,” the two-time NFL MVP said before practice Wednesday. “I think my place is to inform people to get registered to vote. It’s to inform people to do their own research and then make the best decision for them and their family.”

    Brittany Mahomes has since stayed out of the political spotlight except to respond to critics on social media, saying in a post: “To be a hater as an adult, you have to have some deep rooted issues you refuse to heal from childhood.”

    Some critics thought politics may have caused a rift between her and Swift two weeks ago, when they did not sit together for the Chiefs’ season-opening win over Ravens. But they were back together that weekend in New York for the U.S. Open.

    On Wednesday night, Swift pushed her total of MTV Video Music Awards to 30, tying Beyonce for the record among all artists. Her hefty haul included the night’s biggest trophy for video of the year, for which she thanked her “boyfriend Travis” for being on set for the “Fortnight” music video and cheering her on.

    “Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic,” Swift said, before again using her platform to encourage fans over 18 to register to vote for the 2024 presidential election.

    The popular songstress began her high-profile romance with Kelce last season, when he invited Swift to watch him play a game at Arrowhead. The “Anti-Hero” singer took him up on the offer for a September matchup with the Bears.

    Since then, Swift and the four-time All-Pro tight end have spent plenty of time together, often with the cameras following their every move. Swift has become a regular at Chiefs games whenever she is on a break from her Eras Tour, and Kelce accompanied her to several performances during the offseason, even making an onstage cameo at Wembley Stadium in London.

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    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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  • Longtime Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione announces retirement following 42 seasons

    Longtime Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione announces retirement following 42 seasons

    NEW YORK (AP) — Boston Red Sox radio broadcaster Joe Castiglione said Sunday he is retiring at the end of the season, his 42nd calling the team’s games.

    Castiglione, 77, made the announcement on the WEEI broadcast as the Red Sox batted in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees.

    “For him to be part of our family is amazing. For him to spend more time with his family is great,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said after a 5-2 loss. “We talked a little bit yesterday about it. I think everybody here and everybody in the (Red Sox) nation we know what he means to this organization.”

    Castiglione will remain with the team in an honorary ambassador role. The Red Sox will honor him before their regular-season finale on Sept. 29 against Tampa Bay.

    Castiglione joined Boston’s broadcast crew in 1983 during the final season for Hall of Fame outfielder Carl Yastrzemski and is the longest tenured play-by-play announcer in team history. He was on the air when the Red Sox ended an 86-year title drought by sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004 and called three more championships in 2007, 2013 and 2018.

    Castiglione received the Hall of Fame’s Ford. C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting last July. He was inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2014 along with Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and Nomar Garciaparra, and in 2022 the home radio booth at Fenway Park was named the Joe Castiglione Booth.

    “After 42 seasons with the Red Sox and more than 6,500 games, I have decided it’s time to retire from a regular broadcast schedule,” Castiglione said in a statement released by the team. “While I feel I am at the pinnacle of my career … it’s time to spend more time with Jan, my bride of almost 53 years, my kids, and grandkids.”

    Castiglione began his broadcasting career at WFMJ-TV in Youngstown, Ohio, before calling big league games for Cleveland (1979, 1982) and Milwaukee (1981). He also broadcast games for the Cleveland Cavaliers and college basketball on NESN.

    “Joe is one of the greatest in baseball broadcasting,” Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a statement. “His recognition by the Hall of Fame in July punctuated a career of vivid storytelling that has brought the game to life for generations of listeners.”

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    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

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  • The Big Winners and Losers of the 2024 Emmys. Plus, ‘Industry’ S3E6.

    The Big Winners and Losers of the 2024 Emmys. Plus, ‘Industry’ S3E6.

    Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

    Chris and Ryan also dive into the debate on categories at the Emmys

    Chris and Andy recap last night’s Emmys ceremony, discussing how they felt about the overall broadcast itself (1:00) and whether or not it really matters whether The Bear runs in the comedy category (16:28). Then they break down the latest episode of Industry, talking about Harper and Yasmin’s face-off and Eric’s continued downward spiral (40:18).

    Hosts: Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald
    Producer: Kaya McMullen

    Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts

    Chris Ryan

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  • Does Chicago’s Only Lebanese Tasting Menu Restaurant Match Michelin’s Hype?

    Does Chicago’s Only Lebanese Tasting Menu Restaurant Match Michelin’s Hype?

    Welcome to the Scene Report, a new column in which Eater Chicago captures the vibe of a notable Chicago restaurant at a specific moment in time.

    Checking out Beity, a Fulton Market restaurant from chef Ryan Fakih, was meant to be the highlight of my week, for good reason. The Michelin Guide recently recognized the Lebanese gastronomic experience, which opened in early August after two years of anticipation in a food scene with few Middle Eastern fine dining options. The 16-course tasting menu ($165 per person) is called “Teta’s Tasting” after Fakih’s grandmother, who sends him personalized cooking videos from her home in Lebanon. And Beity means “my home” in Arabic. That’s what Fakih is trying to evoke here, the feeling of being at a loved one’s home.

    The vibe: Aesthetically, Fakih’s goal of creating a homey space has been accomplished. The building used to house Michelin Bib Gourmand wine bar called Joe’s Imports. The chic 60-seat restaurant has stone walls, warm lighting supplied by brass fixtures, and archways reminiscent of classic Levantine architecture. Old classic Middle Eastern music like Palestinian Fairuz, Egyptian Amr Diab, and Western Saharan singer Mariem Hassan played in the background; it truly did feel intimate and exciting.

    My friend and I went to Beity the day after Labor Day as people tried to cling to the long weekend. The 15-seat bar was packed with groups of friends and a couple lone diners, all drinking and snacking. We were the only ones in the main dining room — there’s another in the basement that gives an even more cozy, grandma’s house vibe with a fireplace — but around 7:00 p.m., the other tasting menu diners started to trickle in until the main dining room had a decent but small crowd. Around 8:15 p.m., it started to slow down, with not many customers coming in (the last seating is at 9:30 p.m.) and the bar folks beginning to leave.

    The wait: Around 11:00 a.m. that same day, I tried to make a reservation and was dismayed to see Beity use Google’s reservation system — my arch-nemesis. Google told me they weren’t able to contact the restaurant to confirm my reservation and I called a couple times that afternoon with no answer.

    But we decided to risk it and just show up. Thankfully, they had space for us to try their tasting menu; the night was nowhere near booked. Fortunately, Beity also uses Tock.

    The drinks: I’m Muslim and don’t drink, so I asked about non-alcoholic cocktails and was disappointed that they only had two to choose from — the Jallab Spritz, with pomegranate molasses, pine nuts, soda water and rose water and the Apricot About It, with orange and rose blossom and apricot syrup, Seedlip 94 and egg white.

    It’s already difficult to find non-alcoholic options, and I had hoped a Middle Eastern restaurant might be a bit more accommodating to Muslim non-drinkers. I ordered the Apricot About It, which was floral and yummy, but not very exciting. In fairness, it’s hard for me to get excited about most non-alcoholic cocktails except for the ones at Esmé, which rarely let me down, particularly this coconut vanilla cream soda with white miso foam and an accompanying umami explosion, or FRE Sparkling Brut with the alcohol centrifuged out of it, and smoked black teas that curiously smell of bacon.

    The stone walls and warm lighting help the ambience.
    Beity/Nick Podraza

    People who drink alcohol would likely have a different experience than me. Everyone at the bar seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was clear the cocktail menu and wine list were a huge draw here. My friend ordered the Clothed and Unknown; she loved it. “It’s a typical mezcal sour with added spice from the Aleppo pepper, which you taste at the end,” she described it to me. “This is my ideal sour.” On Wednesday, September 11 Michelin added Beity to its guide and described the bar as “ever-busy” and offering “a casual experience with a limited selection of snacks and thoughtful cocktails made with the likes of arak, Aleppo, and tahini.”

    Most of the tasting menu diners also got a wine pairing, and they frequently told their servers how much they enjoyed the wine selection. Beity offers two wine pairings; the Beity pairing is $75 and highlights wines from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Their Global pairing is $90 and highlights wine regions across the world, focusing on organic, biodynamic winemaking from female or family-owned winemakers.

    Mezze with sausage.

    The mezze is a star.
    Nylah Iqbal Muhammad/Eater Chicago

    The highlights: For the food, the mezze was absolutely the star of the night. The fresh baked pita was just a revelation, and I was in complete contentment swirling it in the parsley hummus with lamb and pine nuts, and slathering za’atar crusted labneh on the bread. I’m not alone in the assessment; Michelin concurs. “Drawing on his Lebanese heritage and on family recipes, [Fakih] makes a strong impression with a mezze of parsley hummus with lamb, falafel in yogurt sauce, and generously charred pita. Such a spread shows both heart and refinement.”

    Every dish was plated stunningly, and the service was impeccable. The staff gave detailed explanations of each dish and its meaning in Lebanese society and to Fakih and his family, infusing the meal with that cultural experience I had come here for. The sayadieh (a minimalist take on a fish rice dish traditionally cooked in a clay pot) was good. I liked the burst of acidity from the sumac crust on the branzino. Sayadieh is one of my favorite meals, so I was almost humming with excitement waiting for it and my main complaint was perhaps just wanting more. The koussa — stuffed squash with bulgur — was homey and delicious, with a lovely tomato broth and a delightful addition of crispy leeks on the top. And the shish barak (lamb and beef dumpling served with yogurt sauce) was dry again, with a yogurt sauce that was much too thick, but the flavors made up for it.

    There were brighter spots at dessert. I loved the lemon frozen yogurt with agrumato extra virgin olive oil. The day before, I had made a plum olive oil cake with olive oil from the family farm of Hisham Khalifeh, owner of Middle East Bakery in Andersonville, in ‘Arura, Palestine, so I was feeling obsessed with olive oil desserts. This one did not disappoint, and I could have taken home a carton of it. The frozen yogurt came with a Lebanese 7 spice (a Middle Eastern blend often called baharat, meaning “seven” in Arabic) digestive cookie with chocolate and caviar. It was nice to have another burst of salt from the caviar with the ice cream.

    A plate of hummus.

    Chicago doesn’t have many fine dining restaurants that serve Middle Eastern food.
    Nylah Iqbal Muhammad/Eater Chicago

    The lowlights: I wanted to love Beity’s food, I really did. Overall, though, it was much more underwhelming. than I’d anticipated.

    The a la carte menu (dishes ranging from $5 to $20) is really just six bar snacks and two desserts, a small offering compared to other places in the city and a deviation from the Beity’s description of it as “a more casual dining experience.” You would not be able to get a full meal from this menu without ordering at least three dishes per person, which would be fine if there were more options. We ordered makanek, a Lebanese beef and lamb sausage with pomegranate molasses. As a lifelong seafood fiend, I also wanted the samak bizri, fried sardines with finger limes and lemon tarator (a Lebanese tahini sauce) tartar, but they were out that night.

    The makanek was flavorful but much too dry. Without dipping each bite into pomegranate molasses, I couldn’t have enjoyed them very much, and I firmly believe that when a sausage requires a dipping sauce to taste good, then it’s not a good sausage.

    The moghrabieh, Fakih’s deconstructed take on a Lebanese stew of semolina dough pearls of the same name, chickpeas, onions, and chicken was also incredibly dry and my least favorite dish of the night. The chicken had every bit of juice that once existed cooked out of it, and was stuffed into a pastry that was visibly cracking from lack of moisture and fat. The best part of that course was the charred onion and the cinnamon jus, but I only ate a couple bites of the chicken-filled pastry.

    Even on after Labor Day weekend, Beity had diners.
    Nylah Iqbal Muhammad/Eater Chicago

    The verdict: Beity’s presence on the Chicago food scene is culturally necessary; we need more fine dining options from Middle Eastern countries — honestly, almost every place that’s not Western European is grossly underrepresented in the fine dining scene. Maman Zari in Albany Park, which serves a Persian tasting menu, opened in 2023. It felt incredible to eat the Levantine dishes I love surrounded by vibrant music in a beautiful space with a calm vibe.The bar vibes are so immaculate, I would go back in a heartbeat to have a non-alcoholic cocktail, that heavenly fresh pita and labneh, and to try the samak bizri. I’ve got a feeling I would have gobbled those sardines down at a frightening speed.

    However, I wouldn’t do the tasting menu again. At $165 per person (not including the automatically added 20 percent gratuity and 3 percent service charge), it was simply too expensive for the quality of food we received. The elements of a stunning Lebanese tasting menu are all there, but the execution wasn’t what I was expecting.

    It doesn’t make me feel great that I didn’t fall head over heels with Beity’s tasting menu. I love Arab food, and it’s hard when people put their culture, their family, their soul into a curated experience menu and it doesn’t stun you. I wanted to be entranced by everything, but instead I found most of the dishes to be lackluster, especially for the price.

    Although I was let down by the tasting menu, I have grace and high hopes for the future of Beity. Its bar program seems incredible, and the mezze (especially the pita) is delicious. It only opened a mere month ago, so I’m hoping that with more time, the tasting menu will mature to tell the story it wants to tell. They already have a clarity of mission, values, and culture. The food just needs to catch up.

    Beity, 813 W. Fulton Street, open 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, reservations via Tock

    Nylah Iqbal Muhammad

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  • Inside This South Loop Supper Club With Food From a French Laundry Alum

    Inside This South Loop Supper Club With Food From a French Laundry Alum

    Two years ago, Entree introduced itself to Chicago, taking over the South Loop space where the city’s only Michelin-starred restaurant south of Roosevelt stood. Entree delivered meal kits, searching for a sweet spot for folks fed up with fees and mistakes from third-party couriers and restaurant customers who missed eating out during the pandemic. As the business grew, its owners knew they had an asset in their dining room. They threw pop-ups and opened the bar area earlier this year while unveiling a new name for on-premise dining, Oliver’s.

    In late August the time finally arrived as Oliver’s dining room finally debuted. The added real estate will give Oliver’s chef Alex Carnovale more room to play. He’s already established a menu of favorites including roast chicken, a burger, and diver scallops. The French Laundry alum has shown his ambitions while developing the menus for Entree’s delivery side. With Oliver’s, Carnovale no longer has to worry about whether his food will survive a car ride.

    The space is warmer, with a supper club feeling that presents a departure from the modern vibe of the previous tenant. Specifically, Oliver’s was going for a 1930s speakeasy feel. It’s a comfy place to enjoy truffle gnocchi or tomato risotto. As the bar opened first, the drink program had time to mature under the leadership of Luke DeYoung who worked a Sepia and Scofflaw. A gin martini is garnished with caviar-stuffed olive. There are non-alcoholic options, and a deep wine list, too. Happy hour specials have already launched, and bar snacks include Italian beef popcorn, cheddar fries, and beef-fat griddled sourdough from Publican Quality Bread. The latter is served with whipped parmesan and steak sauce.

    Walk through the space below. Oliver’s dining room is now open.

    Oliver’s, 1930 S. Wabash Avenue, open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, reservations via Tock.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Banged-up Rams lose WR Puka Nacua with knee injury against Lions

    Banged-up Rams lose WR Puka Nacua with knee injury against Lions

    DETROIT (AP) — Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua had a knee injury in the first half against the Detroit Lions and was ruled out.

    Nacua had four catches for 35 yards on Sunday night before he was hurt. He was a record-setting rookie last season, earning Pro Bowl recognition.

    The Rams were banged up on the offensive line entering the game and the position group took more hits in the Motor City.

    Left tackle Joe Noteboom was taken from the sideline to the locker room in a cart in the second quarter with an ankle injury. He was starting the game in place of Alaric Jackson, who is serving a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

    Left guard Steve Avila later departed with a knee injury, forcing the Rams to shuffle their line even more and put A.J. Arcuri at left tackle after elevating him from the practice squad.

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    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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  • North Carolina Courage defeats San Diego Wave 4-1 in Alex Morgan’s final professional soccer match

    North Carolina Courage defeats San Diego Wave 4-1 in Alex Morgan’s final professional soccer match

    Defender Malia Berkely had three assists as the North Carolina Courage earned a 4-1 road win against the San Diego Wave on Sunday evening in the National Women’s Soccer League.

    The Courage (10-8-1) came away with their second road win this season and played spoliers on a special evening, as 26,516 fans filled the stands at Snapdragon Stadium to witness Alex Morgan’s last professional soccer game.

    Morgan announced earlier this week that Sunday’s game would be her last, as she is retiring and pregnant with her second child. The longtime U.S. women’s national team forward retires with two World Cup titles, one Olympic gold medal and a bronze medal. She also won the NWSL Shield with San Diego in 2023 and helped fight for equal pay and to bring light to abuse in the NWSL.

    All three opening goals came off corner kicks.

    In the 4th minute, North Carolina’s Haley Hopkins headed in Berkely’s corner kick.

    Morgan had one final chance to add to her goal tally with a penalty kick, but Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy saved the attempt. Shortly after, Wave teammate Kennedy Wesley got her head on a corner kick to tie the score.

    In the 13th minute, in honor of her jersey number, Morgan subbed out of the match for a final time to a thunderous applause.

    Felicitas Rauch rose up to head in another corner from Berkley in the 21st minute, while Bianca St-Georges scored off Berkley’s pass just before halftime.

    Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan received a red card in the 61st minute for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.

    Meredith Speck finished Olivia Wingate’s cross to give the Courage an insurance goal in the 94th minute.

    The Wave (3-9-7) are winless in 12 straight games.

    GOTHAM 2, DASH 1

    Esther González scored in the 93rd minute to give Gotham a 2-1 home win over the Houston Dash.

    The forward got the ball with her back to the goal, turned and fired into the left corner to seal the win at Red Bull Arena.

    Lynn Williams, in her first match back from the Paris Olympics, assisted the goal.

    Yazmeen Ryan opened the scoring for Gotham (11-4-4) in the 10th minute, dribbling into the box and shooting into the left corner.

    Diana Ordóñez headed in Avery Patterson’s cross to bring the match level in the 17th minute.

    Houston (3-11-5) have lost five straight games and finished the weekend in last place.

    PRIDE 1, RED STARS 0

    Marta’s first-half goal gave the Orlando Pride a 1-0 win on the road against the Chicago Red Stars.

    Orlando (14-0-5) is now undefeated in a league record 20 straight games, dating back to last year.

    In the 37th minute, Marta whipped a left-footed shot into the far post to put Orlando ahead.

    Chicago (7-10-2) was held to just three shots and has lost three straight games.

    ___

    AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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  • Alyssa Thomas has 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as Sun beat Sparks 79-67

    Alyssa Thomas has 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds as Sun beat Sparks 79-67

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brionna Jones scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds, DiJonai Carrington added 19 points and Alyssa Thomas recorded her third triple-double of the season Sunday night to help the Connecticut Sun beat the Los Angeles Sparks 79-67.

    Thomas finished with 12 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds and has a WNBA-leading three triple-doubles this season and her 11 career in the regular season are the most in league history.

    DeWanna Bonner scored 14 points and Marina Mabrey added 10 for Connecticut (25-10), which had lost back-to-back games for the second time this season.

    Mabrey hit a 3-pointer with 6:26 to play that gave Connecticut its first lead since 22-20 early in the second quarter and Carrington followed with an alley-oop layup to cap a 10-3 spurt that made it 69-66 about 30 seconds later and the Sun led the rest of the way.

    Neither team scored until Rickea Jackson made 1 of 2 free throws to make it a two-point game with 3:36 remaining but the Sparks went scoreless from there, shooting 0 for 5 from the field and committing seven turnovers over the final 6 1/2 minutes.

    Los Angeles (7-28), which has lost four in a row and 11 of its last 12, became the first WNBA team eliminated from playoff contention after a 92-78 loss to the Chicago Sky on Friday night.

    Jackson led the Sparks with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting. Odyssey Sims and Dearica Hamby added 10 points apiece.

    Connecticut has won 13 consecutive games against the Sparks, dating to an 80-76 home loss on Aug. 28, 2020.

    The Sun scored their first 14 points in the paint before Mabrey hit a 3-pointer to make it 17-11 before Jackson capped a 7-0 spurt to give the Sparks a 20-19 lead early in the second quarter.

    Jackson scored 11 points and Hamby added 10 in the first half before Kia Nurse hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Los Angeles a 45-39 lead at the intermission.

    ___

    AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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  • A Palestinian team in Chile offers soccer with a heavy dose of protest

    A Palestinian team in Chile offers soccer with a heavy dose of protest

    SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Arms raised high. Banners denouncing the war in Gaza. Crowds united in song and wrapped in keffiyehs, the black-and-white checkered scarves that have become a badge of Palestinian identity.

    It could have been any other pro-Palestinian rally erupting over the Israel-Hamas war if it weren’t for the fact that these thousands of protesters were actually soccer fans at a league match in Santiago, the capital of Chile.

    Club Palestino supporters watch a local league match against Santiago Wanderers at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

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    A Club Palestino fan wears a keffiyeh during a local league soccer match against Santiago Wanderers at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

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    Club Palestino soccer team fans watch their team’s game with Santiago Wanderers at a local league match at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

    Although the players darting across the field had names like José and Antonio and grew up in a Spanish-speaking South American nation, their fervor for the Palestinian cause and red, white, black and green-colored jerseys underscored how Chile’s storied soccer club serves as an entry point for the world’s largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East to connect with an ancestral home thousands of miles away.

    “It’s more than just a club, it takes you into the history of the Palestinians,” said Bryan Carrasco, captain of Chile’s legendary Club Deportivo Palestino.

    As the bloodiest war in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict rages in the Gaza Strip, the club’s electric game atmosphere, viewing parties and pre-match political stunts have increasingly tapped into a sense of collective Palestinian grief in this new era of war and displacement.

    “We’re united in the face of the war,” said Diego Khamis, director of the country’s Palestinian community. “It’s daily suffering.”

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    Club Palestino soccer team fans celebrate their second goal against Santiago Wanderers at a local league match at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

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    A Club Palestino player wears socks with an outline of territory Palestinians claim as theirs during a local league soccer match against Santiago Wanderers at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

    In a sport where authorities penalize athletes for flaunting political positions, particularly on such explosive issues as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Club Palestino is an unabashed exception that wears its pro-Palestinian politics on its sleeve — and on its torso, stadium seats and anywhere else it can find.

    The club’s brazen gestures have caused offense before. Chile’s Football Federation fined the club in 2014 after the number “1” on the back of their shirts was shaped as a map of Palestine before Israel’s creation in 1948.

    But players’ fierce pride in their Palestinian identity has otherwise caused little controversy in this country of 19 million, home to 500,000 ethnic Palestinians.

    “It’s our roots and it feels like home,” said Jaime Barakat, a Palestino fan and shawarma vendor.

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    Club Palestino soccer team fans watch their team play Santiago Wanderers at a local league match at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

    Leftist President Gabriel Boric, who called Israel a “genocidal, murderous state” on the campaign trail in 2021, has harshly criticized Israel’s campaign in Gaza. His government recalled the Israeli ambassador and joined South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide in the International Court of Justice — allegations that Israel denies.

    Israel has pushed back, castigating Chile for what it sees as an insufficient response to Hamas’ brutal Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 people and led to the abduction of 250 others.

    The country’s small Jewish population of 16,000 is unsettled. “Boric, who frequently speaks of peace, has imported the Middle East conflict to Chile,” the Jewish Community of Chile said in a statement.

    Chile’s Palestinians say the Mideast conflict was imported decades before Boric, spurring waves of displacement that forged the surprising history of Arab immigration to this Pacific coast nation from the late 1800s as the Ottoman Empire crumbled and the Zionist movement took root.

    In 1920, the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine, unleashing tensions over Britain’s Balfour Declaration that promised historic Palestine as a homeland for the Jewish people. More Palestinians crossed the Atlantic and braved treks across the Andes by mule to reach far-flung Chile. That same year, Club Palestino was created by a group of Palestinian soccer enthusiasts who gathered one winter day in Chile’s southern city of Osorno.

    “My father told me they came here because there were more possibilities,” said 90-year-old Juan Sabaj Dhimes in Patronato, a historically Palestinian neighborhood in the capital, with its coffee shops and hookah bars splashed in the colors of the Palestinian national flag and plastered with Palestino club crests.

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    A Club Palestino fan waves a Palestinian flag during a local league soccer match against Santiago Wanderers at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

    Chile’s Palestinian community exploded after the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation — in which more than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were pushed from their homes in what Arabs call the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” and dispersed all over the world.

    Chile was then an upwardly mobile nation among poorer neighbors seeking to attract migrants to populate the country. Palestinian descendants say the arid land, coastal desert and fresh figs and olives conjured an earlier generation’s nostalgia for historic Palestine.

    “The climate is one of the things that most captivated the Palestinians who arrived,” said Mauricio Abu-Ghosh, former president of Chile’s Palestinian Federation.

    The scrappy soccer club went professional in 1947, becoming the pride of the community. Rocketing to Chile’s top division and clinching five official titles, its appeal soon stretched to the Middle East, where the descendants of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan still congregate in camps and cafes to catch Palestino matches broadcast by satellite network Al Jazeera.

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    Club Palestino’s Nicolas Linares plays in a local league soccer match against Santiago Wanderers at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

    The team’s political message also won supporters across Chile — a soccer-crazed country with a spirit of social activism and an ex-protest leader as president — and beyond.

    Despite of being a small soccer club, with an average of only about 2,000 spectators per game, Deportivo Palestino — winner of five official titles and a regular fixture in continental tournaments — is the third most followed Chilean club on Instagram, with more than 741,000 followers, only behind eternal rivals Universidad de Chile (791,000) and Colo-Colo (2.3 million).

    “They tell us about the violence suffered by their people,” said 20-year-old Chilean fan Luis Torres at Palestino’s home stadium in Santiago. “It makes me angry, sad, so we’re here to bring a bit of joy.”

    Joy has been harder to come by in the Palestinian diaspora since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack triggered Israel’s bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians and spawned a humanitarian catastrophe.

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    Club Palestino soccer team fans celebrate their second goal against Santiago Wanderers at a local league match at La Cisterna stadium in Santiago, Chile, Friday, July 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Basualdo)

    Palestinians streaming out of church in Patronato on a recent Sunday said they had prayed for the safety of their families in Gaza. “We all have cousins, siblings, grandparents who still live there,” said Khamis.

    The war has wrenched Palestino, forcing the club’s training school in Gaza to shut down and disrupting programs it supports across the occupied West Bank.

    But within Chile it has breathed new life into players and fans. Before kickoff, the team now rushes the pitch clad in keffiyehs, brandishing anti-war banners and taking a knee.

    In May the team abandoned one little pre-match ritual of emerging on the field holding hands with child mascots. Instead, players extended their arms to the side, grasping at empty space.

    It was a subtle gesture — a tribute to the “invisible children” killed in Gaza, the team later explained — that could have been lost entirely on ordinary soccer fans.

    This crowd, however, went wild. ___

    Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

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  • USA TODAY SPORTS/US LBM COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES POLL

    USA TODAY SPORTS/US LBM COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES POLL

    The US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 with team’s records THROUGH SATURDAY in parentheses, total points based on 25 for first place through one point for 25th, ranking in last week’s poll and first-place votes received.

    Rank School (record) Points Last Week’s Rank First-Place Votes
    1 Georgia (2-0) 1,346 1 50
    2 Ohio State (2-0) 1,281 2 3
    3 Texas (2-0) 1,259 3 1
    4 Alabama (2-0) 1,157 4 0
    5 Mississippi (2-0) 1,136 5 0
    6 Oregon (2-0) 987 6 0
    7 Penn State (2-0) 956 8 0
    8 Missouri (2-0) 955 10 0
    9 Tennessee (2-0) 930 12 0
    10 Utah (2-0) 871 11 0
    11 Southern California (2-0) 803 14 0
    12 Miami (Fla.) (2-0) 798 15 0
    13 Oklahoma (2-0) 700 13 0
    14 Oklahoma State (2-0) 588 17 0
    15 Kansas State (2-0) 578 16 0
    16 Michigan (1-1) 501 9 0
    17 LSU (1-1) 410 19 0
    18 Arizona (2-0) 399 18 0
    19 Notre Dame (1-1) 388 7 0
    20 Clemson (1-1) 326 22 0
    21 Louisville (2-0) 288 24 0
    22 Washington (2-0) 176 25 0
    23 Iowa State (2-0) 157 NR 0
    24 Nebraska (2-0) 91 NR 0
    25 Memphis (2-0) 85 NR 0

    Dropped out: No. 20 Kansas (1-1); No. 21 Iowa (1-1); No. 23 North Carolina State (1-1).

    Others receiving votes: Texas A&M (1-1) 68; Boston College (2-0) 36; Illinois (2-0) 33; Syracuse (2-0) 33; Northern Illinois (2-0) 30; Wisconsin (2-0) 28; South Carolina (2-0) 25; Boise State (1-1) 20; UNLV (2-0) 19; Iowa (1-1) 17; Kansas (1-1) 14; Central Florida (2-0) 12; North Carolina State (1-1) 10; Texas State (2-0) 8; TCU (2-0) 6; California (2-0) 5; North Carolina (2-0) 5; Liberty (2-0) 4; Brigham Young (2-0) 2; Michigan State (2-0) 2; Pittsburgh (2-0) 2; Arizona State (2-0) 2; Indiana (2-0) 1; James Madison (2-0) 1; Tulane (1-1) 1.

    The US LBM Coaches Poll Top 25 with team’s records THROUGH SATURDAY in parentheses, total points based on 25 for first place through one point for 25th, ranking in last week’s poll and first-place votes received.

    Rank School (record) Points Last Week’s Rank First-Place Votes
    1 Georgia (2-0) 1,346 1 50
    2 Ohio State (2-0) 1,281 2 3
    3 Texas (2-0) 1,259 3 1
    4 Alabama (2-0) 1,157 4 0
    5 Mississippi (2-0) 1,136 5 0
    6 Oregon (2-0) 987 6 0
    7 Penn State (2-0) 956 8 0
    8 Missouri (2-0) 955 10 0
    9 Tennessee (2-0) 930 12 0
    10 Utah (2-0) 871 11 0
    11 Southern California (2-0) 803 14 0
    12 Miami (Fla.) (2-0) 798 15 0
    13 Oklahoma (2-0) 700 13 0
    14 Oklahoma State (2-0) 588 17 0
    15 Kansas State (2-0) 578 16 0
    16 Michigan (1-1) 501 9 0
    17 LSU (1-1) 410 19 0
    18 Arizona (2-0) 399 18 0
    19 Notre Dame (1-1) 388 7 0
    20 Clemson (1-1) 326 22 0
    21 Louisville (2-0) 288 24 0
    22 Washington (2-0) 176 25 0
    23 Iowa State (2-0) 157 NR 0
    24 Nebraska (2-0) 91 NR 0
    25 Memphis (2-0) 85 NR 0

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