The world of sports is big and busy. It is hard to cover everything as it happens. The AM Sports Rundown summarizes and analyzes the week’s biggest stories that the Sports Desk couldn’t cover. Written by a rotation of talented student sports journalists, a new AM Sports Rundown is published every Friday afternoon on the Annenberg Media website and the Annenberg Media Sports social media accounts.
Manchester United has a new head coach
Mauricio Pochettino is now Manchester United’s new head coach, replacing Michael Carrick, who was only 15 games into his new two-year contract. As of Nov. 13, United is 18th in standings with only one league win all season.
Pochettino was formerly the United States Men’s National Team head coach since September 2024. In the press conference, Pochettino was clearly emotional in his heartfelt goodbye, expressing his thankfulness and love for the passion of all the staff behind the team.
“It’s the most difficult decision of my career, but we need to move forward,” Pochettino said. “Not too many opportunities happen in your career like Manchester United. When it arrives, it’s difficult to turn down.”
According to ESPN, Pochettino was “the only candidate spoken to directly during the search for a successor to Carrick.” Pochettino’s leadership is expansive and his performance at a high level is what made him a sought-after candidate for United. During his coaching career, the Argentinian has achieved a club-record Premier league point tally in 2014, established Tottenham Hotspur as regular UEFA Champions League contenders and won the Ligue 1 title, the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions with Paris Saint-Germain. His most notable accomplishment is leading the USMNT to the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup.
Pochettino’s coaching debut with United will be on Nov. 22 when the team faces Liverpool on their pitch. As for the USMNT, JT Batson, the team’s CEO and secretary general, said “We are looking for a leader with the talent, experience and belief to match our ambition, build on the culture and pathway now in place and help the USMNT take the next step.”
NBC Sports broadcaster Dan Hicks dies at 64
On Nov. 12, longtime sports broadcaster Dan Hicks died from an acute illness at 64. Since 2000, Hicks has been the lead play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports’ PGA Tour coverage. But his colorful commentary was not limited to golf. Hicks also covered 16 Olympics and Notre Dame football.
If people don’t know Hicks for his work, they may know him through his wife, ESPN broadcaster Hannah Storm.
“He was a devoted husband of over 30 years, loving father to our three daughters and cherished friend to so many,” Storm said in a post to X. “There are simply no words to express how much he will be missed.”
NBC Sports president Rick Cordella, executive producer Sam Flood and executive producer Molly Solomon released a joint official statement about Hicks and the legacy he made in the sports industry.
“Dan’s blend of knowledge, style, enthusiasm and humor informed and entertained fans for decades. But far beyond his on-air excellence, Dan was a better person who welcomed teammates with a smile, a joke, or a word of encouragement, sometimes all three in the same sentence,” the statement said.
College Football Playoff extends to 24-team format
Effective at the start of the 2027 season, the College Football Playoff (CFP) will have 24 slots for teams to compete for the national championship. Currently, the CFP features 12 teams, making the chances to win the national title fairly slim.
“I just think there’s more to college football than the top six, eight, teams, whatever it may,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “I think the commissioner, one of his great points was it heightens interest in all games in November now across the country.”
Iowa has never made the CFP since its inception, so Ferentz’s support for the new format could reflect the views of other teams that have yet to reach the Playoff.
But the change does come with the removal of Power Four conference championship games. The championship game is a big deal for a lot of schools and fans may be frustrated with the outcome of the new format.
To make it in the new 24-team format, a team must be a Power Four conference champion, the highest-ranked team from Group of Six or be a part of the 19 teams selected based on the selection committee’s final ranking.
Women’s soccer head coach Jane Alukonis parts ways with USC
Even though this news was announced on Nov. 6, we thought it was necessary to cover.
USC women’s soccer head coach Jane Alukonis will no longer be a head coach for the program. Alukonis has coached the team for five years and led the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances, a Big Ten title and a run into the Elite Eight during her tenure.
However, the 2026 regular season for the Trojans was a mess. The Women of Troy’s record was 2-10-6 overall, and they placed 16th in the Big Ten standings, ahead of only Oregon and Indiana. Despite all her previous accomplishments at USC, after the performance that the team had this year, it seems those were not enough to salvage Alukonis’ return.
With the transfer portal being a very popular source for student-athletes who aren’t happy with their current program and coaches playing a large role in recruitment, the team’s future roster may be in the air. The University announced that a national search for the program’s next head coach will begin immediately.
Edited by Sammie Vassallo and Adriana Brady