Sports News Today: NFL Sunday Arrives, Texas Shocks No. 1 Ohio State, and Ben Shelton Plays for History
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Sunday has arrived with one of the busiest sports calendars of the young fall season.
The NFL takes over televisions across America, Texas is celebrating one of the biggest comebacks in college football history, Ben Shelton has a chance to end a 23-year American men's Grand Slam drought, Major League Baseball's playoff races are tightening, and the United States women's basketball team is playing France for a world championship.
Here are the major stories shaping sports today.
NFL Sunday Takes Center Stage
The first major Sunday slate of the 2026 NFL regular season is here, bringing a full afternoon and evening of games across the country.
Among the marquee matchups are Buffalo at Houston, Baltimore at Indianapolis, Tampa Bay at Cincinnati, Green Bay at Minnesota, Washington at Philadelphia, and the Dallas Cowboys visiting the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football.
For teams across the league, September is about much more than simply collecting an early win.
New coaches are beginning to reveal what their teams will actually look like, offseason roster moves are being tested under real pressure, and quarterbacks who spent months surrounded by predictions finally have to answer those questions between the lines.
The early weeks of an NFL season can be deceptive, but they also establish momentum quickly. A 1-0 start can create confidence. An 0-1 opening can immediately turn next week's game into something that feels much larger than Week 2.
Sunday's schedule should begin providing the first real clues about which preseason expectations were legitimate and which ones belonged in the recycling bin.
Texas Pulls Off Historic Comeback Against No. 1 Ohio State
College football delivered its first earthquake of the weekend Saturday night.
No. 4 Texas defeated No. 1 Ohio State 24-23 in Austin after entering the fourth quarter trailing 23-3.
The Longhorns scored three unanswered touchdowns in the final quarter, completing the largest fourth-quarter comeback ever recorded against an AP No. 1 team.
Quarterback Arch Manning endured a difficult start before finding his rhythm late. He connected with Ryan Wingo for a touchdown as Texas began its comeback, and Hollywood Smothers scored the eventual game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with only 25 seconds remaining.
The result is expected to completely reshape the national rankings.
Texas entered the weekend ranked fourth, while Ohio State held the No. 1 position. The victory puts the Longhorns in prime position to make a case for the top spot when the next AP Top 25 is released.
And Texas wasn't the weekend's only shocker.
Oklahoma State Stuns Oregon as College Football Chaos Arrives Early
Oklahoma State defeated No. 6 Oregon 39-31, snapping a remarkable run of futility against FBS competition.
The Cowboys had lost 21 consecutive games against FBS opponents before knocking off one of the nation's highest-ranked teams. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for 109 yards.
The upset ended Oregon coach Dan Lanning's unbeaten record against unranked teams.
Michigan added another major result by defeating No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10, while Georgia and Notre Dame remained unbeaten with dominant victories.
College football entered the weekend with an orderly top tier.
It left Saturday night looking considerably less orderly.
That's September football for you. The rankings arrive wearing a suit, then Saturday throws the suit into a wood chipper.
Ben Shelton Plays for American Tennis History
One of Sunday's biggest individual sporting events takes place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
American Ben Shelton faces Alexander Zverev in the U.S. Open men's singles final at 2 p.m. ET.
Shelton is attempting to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles championship since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003.
The 23-year-old defeated fellow American Frances Tiafoe in four sets in the semifinals after previously eliminating defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a marathon quarterfinal.
His run already carries historic significance.
Shelton is the first Black American man to reach the U.S. Open men's singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first Black American man to reach any men's Grand Slam final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.
But the final presents a serious challenge.
Top seed Zverev has won all five of his previous meetings with Shelton, although the two have never faced each other in a Grand Slam.
For Shelton, Sunday represents more than another tournament final.
An American men's tennis drought that has lasted nearly a quarter-century could end on home soil.
Rybakina Takes the Women's U.S. Open Crown
The men's championship follows another significant result from Flushing Meadows.
Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win the women's U.S. Open title Saturday.
The victory gave Rybakina her third Grand Slam championship and moved her to world No. 1.
Rybakina stopped Sabalenka's long winning streak at the tournament and prevented her from capturing a third consecutive U.S. Open championship.
That leaves Sunday's Shelton-Zverev battle as the final chapter of an eventful tournament in New York.
MLB Playoff Races Turn Up the Heat
Baseball's regular season has reached the point where every series can move October's bracket.
The Seattle Mariners crushed the Athletics 19-1 Saturday, producing the largest margin of victory in Mariners franchise history.
Seattle collected season highs in both runs and hits, while Cole Young and Randy Arozarena combined for nine RBIs. Rookie Michael Arroyo also hit his first major league home run.
Elsewhere, the New York Mets defeated the Yankees 12-2, Milwaukee beat Cincinnati 13-9, and Miami ended the Dodgers' eight-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory.
The Atlanta Braves delivered one of Saturday's most important results in the National League race.
Atlanta defeated Philadelphia 12-2, erupting for eight runs in the fourth inning and extending its NL East lead to six games. The victory lowered Atlanta's magic number for winning the division to seven.
With only weeks remaining in the regular season, the comfortable part of the baseball calendar is over.
Every bullpen decision, blown save, late home run and divisional matchup now carries October consequences.
Team USA Faces France for Women's Basketball World Championship
Another world title is on the line Sunday.
The United States women's national basketball team faces France in the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup final at 2 p.m. ET in Berlin.
The matchup is a rematch of the dramatic 2024 Olympic gold-medal game, which the United States won 67-66.
Team USA reached Sunday's championship game by defeating Spain 76-66 in Saturday's semifinal.
Breanna Stewart scored 16 points as the Americans broke open a 58-58 game with a strong fourth quarter. The victory extended the United States' World Cup winning streak to 35 games, dating back to 2006.
France advanced by defeating host Germany 86-64 and is seeking its first Women's World Cup championship.
The United States is chasing a fifth consecutive World Cup title.
A Sunday Built for Sports Fans
This is one of those days where the remote control may need overtime.
The NFL begins its Sunday rhythm. College football is still processing a night of massive upsets. Major League Baseball is running toward October. American tennis could celebrate a breakthrough that has been 23 years in the making. And Team USA has another world championship within reach.
By Sunday night, several seasons may look considerably different than they did when the weekend began.
That's what makes September fascinating.
Football is revealing contenders. Baseball is eliminating margin for error. Tennis history is sitting one match away. And international basketball gold is on the line.
The fall sports calendar has officially hit full speed.
Sources
Associated Press: Texas defeats No. 1 Ohio State 24-23
https://apnews.com/article/b77928703d2e378f57773efb464f23c8
Associated Press: Texas, Oklahoma State and the college football weekend
https://apnews.com/article/c1ad5adbf317ecbee2c0ed668fd918cd
NCAA: College Football Week 2 scores and highlights
https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/football/fbs/college-football-week-2-live-updates-schedule-scores-highlights
Reuters: College Football Top 25 roundup
https://www.reuters.com/sports/top-25-roundup-oklahoma-state-stuns-no-6-oregon-end-skid--flm-2026-09-13/
U.S. Open: 2026 men's final, Zverev vs. Shelton
https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2026-09-12/2026_us_open_mens_final_breakdown.html
Reuters: Shelton advances to U.S. Open final
https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/shelton-takes-down-tiafoe-seal-zverev-showdown-us-open-final-2026-09-12/
Reuters: Shelton-Zverev U.S. Open final
https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/ticket-prices-shelton-zverev-us-open-final-down-27--flm-2026-09-13/
Associated Press: Elena Rybakina wins U.S. Open
https://apnews.com/article/521adac24c4f6350c07bdd914cd83b97
Reuters: Rybakina defeats Sabalenka
https://www.reuters.com/sports/tennis/rybakina-beats-sabalenka-first-us-open-title-2026-09-12/
Reuters: MLB roundup, Mariners' historic 19-1 victory and playoff race
https://www.reuters.com/sports/mlb-roundup-mariners-clobber-as-by-franchise-record-18-runs--flm-2026-09-13/
Reuters: Braves defeat Phillies 12-2
https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/braves-erupt-8-runs-fourth-overwhelm-phillies--flm-2026-09-13/
Reuters: U.S. women defeat Spain to reach World Cup final
https://www.reuters.com/sports/holders-us-battle-past-spain-reach-womens-world-cup-final-2026-09-12/
NBC Sports: USA vs. France Women's World Cup final
https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/how-to-watch-fiba-womens-basketball-world-cup-final-usa-france