MORE: Which sports figure does each candidate remind us of? Trump is speaking at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center tonight, and guess what. Guess what. Guess what. Trump, beyond a shadow of a doubt, knows Rex Ryan is alive. Last week in Pittsburgh, he left his stance on Joe Paterno’s status somewhat in doubt. Ryan, meanwhile, now finds himself in the tenuous position of appearing to back a candidate running a campaign fueled by racism, and agreeing with the Patriots....

Appropriately, the evening began with our national anthem. The lights dimmed. A single spotlight shone on a remarkably talented young man who proceeded to give a flawless a cappella rendition of ““The Star-Spangled Banner’’–replete with enough cadenzas, ornaments and gospel licks to do Patti LaBelle proud. As has become the custom at such events, the audience responded with loud cheers, beginning about four bars before the anthem’s end. The applause was clearly for the performance and not for the anthem or its country....

If you believe what you read, Mexican autoworkers are putting in overtime while workers in Michigan are losing their jobs. Ralph Nader’s Public Citizen lobby, which fought tooth and nail against the North American Free Trade Agreement two years ago, issued a blistering report on Labor Day condemning the pact. Jimmy Hoffa Jr. is betting that attacks on NAFTA will carry him to the presidency of the Teamsters union. Patrick Buchanan, a Republican aspirant in a different presidential race, wrote in The New York Times that “NAFTA should be canceled....

What got Brownback all hot and bothered? According to the Kansas senator’s campaign, an unnamed Romney aide apparently e-mailed a group of right-to-life leaders last week arguing that Romney’s conversion on abortion politics was no different than what Brownback had gone through. “Just like Sam Brownback, Mitt was once pro-choice but changed his views upon being elected to office,” the Romney aide wrote, according to the Brownback campaign. " When Brownback was elected to office, that is when he also had a conversion and voted with the pro-life movement....

The short-lived measure took effect on Nov. 24 and sparked protests from abortion-rights demonstrators who claimed it was unconstitutional. The council repealed the ordinance with a 6-1 vote on Monday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The passage of the measure was largely symbolic since Mason does not currently house any abortion clinics and has no plans to build any. There are also no clinics in the nearby city of Lebanon, which in May became the first city in Ohio to ban abortions....

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, one of 12 people who are responsible for 65 percent of vaccine disinformation on social media, testified before the Ohio House Health Committee on Tuesday. During her testimony, she raised concerns about vaccinated people putting unvaccinated people at risk, health complications from the vaccine, and the possibility Ohioans could lose their jobs if they aren’t vaccinated. Failure to pass the bill in question would put the responsibility on the legislators for all injuries and deaths that the COVID-19 vaccine causes, Tenpenny claimed....

During a news briefing on Thursday, DeWine said Ohians must refocus their efforts on the virus once the election is over. “It’s coming after all of us,” he said. That day, Ohio reported 4,961 new cases, after surpassing 4,000 for the first time on Tuesday. According to the Ohio Department of Health, a total of 235,170 cases have been reported in the state since the start of the pandemic, and 5,461 people have died....

For the youthful Buckeyes, this is the first real test of the season. For the Sooners, Saturday’s game is a chance to put a marquee win on its playoff resume. MORE: Week 3 TV schedule | Week 3 bowl projections Here’s how you can watch Ohio State at Oklahoma, and keys to victory for both teams. Ohio State at Oklahoma When: Saturday, Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. ETWhere: Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Okla....

It has happened before — 2005, to be exact — to a national championship-caliber Buckeyes team. On Saturday, No. 2 Ohio State blew a two-touchdown lead and gave up 17 fourth-quarter points in a 24-21 loss at Penn State. There’s a difference between this year’s loss and the 2005 one, however. That one cost the Buckeyes a chance at the BCS championship game. This one won’t cost Ohio State a chance at the four-team College Football Playoff....

MORE: Top 25 live updates Check out the highlight-reel play here: Nebraska will need to play better if it wants to come out of Columbus with a win.

The Buckeyes will wear black uniforms for the first time ever Oct. 17 against Penn State. Putting the scarlet numbers and gray outline on a black background gives Ohio State a simple, yet slick new take on a classic look. MORE: Best Buckeyes of all time | Five things to watch Saturday This new alternate will be sure to turn the heads of a few recruits. The Big Ten battle between the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions kicks off at 8 p....

Should Ohio State fans have a beef with the SEC officiating crew? Yes. Were the refs the only reason why the Buckeyes lost? No. Ohio State can blame itself for several reasons, too. That’s the best way to approach Ohio State’s latest Playoff experience, even if the lead topic of conversation for the foreseeable future will be that series of questionable calls by the referees. MORE: Takeaways from Clemson’s Fiesta Bowl win...

These teams met in the Big Ten title game last December in Indianapolis, with Michigan State winning 34-24 as 5.5-point dogs. The Buckeyes have had more success in their recent visits to East Lansing, going 4-0 SU and ATS since 2004. The Line: Michigan State -3.5, Total: 58 Line movement: The Spartans opened as 3-point favorites Sunday at The Wynn, but bettors laid the points and pushed the line to -3....

No. 6 Ohio State meets No. 9 Washington in the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual on Jan. 1. It’s a classic matchup between the Big Ten and Pac-12 champions, and Meyer’s final game before retirement will be the dominant storyline in Pasadena, Calif. NY6 PREVIEWS: Peach | Sugar | Fiesta Ohio State (12-1) fell short of the College Football Playoff but still capped off its third Big Ten championship season under Meyer, who started the year on a three-game suspension....

Oilers coach Dallas Eakins said Hall was cleared by the team medical staff and was in the lineup for Thursday night's game at Tampa Bay. "We've got one of the best left wingers' coming back," Eakins said after the Oilers' morning skate Thursday. "The thing I like about Hallsie early was, he's always in the fight. He competes hard. He wants to be the best player on the ice." Hall, the first overall pick in the 2010 draft, was hurt during a game Oct....

It's Seguin's first game against the team that drafted him in 2010, developed and extended him in 2012 and traded him in 2013. You'll hear more about it over the next two days or so. What it boils down to, as told by general manager Peter Chiarelli in a lengthy interview with WEEI's D.J. Bean, is that the Bruins needed to clear space to re-sign Tuukka Rask and replace Nathan Horton, and Seguin's lack of physicality wasn't a match for Boston's system....

The Fraternal Order of the Police’s Norman, Oklahoma chapter said the Norman City Council made its decision in violation of both the state’s open meeting law and a tax law that was designed to financially support public safety efforts throughout Norman, according to The Oklahoman. A petition obtained by the paper said the officers represented by the FOP in Norman “are being deprived of these funds and the citizenry is being denied the full complement of law enforcement officers....

The redshirt sophomore running back told ESPN.com Thursday he will skip his junior season at Oklahoma after the Sooners thumped Auburn in the Sugar Bowl 35-19. MORE: NFL Mock Draft 2017 In that victory, Mixon rushed for 180 yards and scored two touchdowns. Mixon has become a controversial figure in college football. In June 2014 he punched a woman in the face at a late-night restaurant and was suspended for the entire 2014 season....

If there’s a bright side, OU’s schedule after Saturday’s game at high-scoring Texas Tech (3-3, 1-2 in the Big 12) gets considerably easier, with Kansas (1-5, 0-3) and Iowa State (1-6, 0-4) up after that. This weekend, Joe Mixon and freshman Abdul Adams are the only scholarship running backs available. MORE: Sooners are the Big 12 team to beat “Obviously, Joe will have more of a workload (at Texas Tech),” Stoops said, “but knowing him he’ll like that....

MORE: Week 3 college football takeaways Normally, such a play would be the defining moment of the game, especially considering the third-ranked Sooners narrowly beat the Cornhuskers, 23-16. And, in a way, it was — but not in the way Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley would have preferred. The interception occured on fourth down, meaning the more heads-up play would have been for Graham to knock the ball down. “I might have been the first coach in history to challenge a play we got an interception on,” Riley said (via ESPN)....