Ryder Cup anchors jam-packed American sports weekend spanning golf, football and baseball

A jam-packed weekend of American sports is underway as the Ryder Cup anchors a four-day stretch that also features NFL Week 4 games, a slate of top college football matchups and a late-season push in Major League Baseball for playoff spots.

Ryder Cup organizers set the stage on Long Island, with Bethpage State Park’s Black Course hosting Team Europe and Team USA in golf’s premier team competition. The venue, which has hosted major championships in the past, has built expansive grandstands as fans prepare for a spirited showdown that could tilt the cup one way or another. The Americans are aiming to reclaim the trophy after a setback at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome last year, and the event is shaping up as one of the most anticipated weekends in U.S. sport. Controversy over payments to American players participating in the event has added an extra layer of intensity to the week, crystallizing how much is on the line for both sides.

The American lineup features a blend of veteran experience and rising talent. Captain Keegan Bradley named a roster that includes Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, Cameron Young, Patrick Cantlay, and Sam Burns, joined by automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, JJ Spaun, Xander Schauffele, Russell Henley, Harris English and Bryson DeChambeau. European captain Luke Donald counters with Ryder Cup veteran Jon Rahm, alongside Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka, Ludvig Åberg, Viktor Hovland and Matt Fitzpatrick, with auto-qualifiers Rory McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Rasmus Hojgaard and Tyrrell Hatton also in the fold. Competition begins Friday with morning foursomes and an afternoon four-ball, continues Saturday in a mirror format, and culminates Sunday with singles matches as the race for the cup comes down to the wire. The Ryder Cup’s return to U.S. soil has fans dreaming of a home victory streak, even as European hopes remain high.

Meanwhile, NFL Week 4 brings a slate of marquee games that could reshape early-season narratives. Thursday Night Football features the Seattle Seahawks visiting the Arizona Cardinals in a matchup of two competitive NFC West squads. On Sunday, Dublin hosts an early game between the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers, a nod to the league’s international footprint. In the 1 p.m. window, the defending-champion Philadelphia Eagles travel to Florida to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Indianapolis Colts visit the Los Angeles Rams in a meeting of two teams aiming to solidify their seasons.

The weekend’s biggest on-field storylines come in the late afternoon and evening, with the Baltimore Ravens traveling to Kansas City to challenge the high-powered Chiefs. Both teams entered the season with championship potential but have faced early struggles, meaning the outcome could redefine the 2024 campaign’s trajectory for two of the NFL’s most-waced-to-market offenses. Sunday night will see a high-profile reunion as pass rusher Micah Parsons makes his return to Dallas after being traded to Green Bay, a subplot that adds extra intrigue to the primetime showcase amid a schedule filled with potential playoff implications.

College football fans will also be treated to a Saturday slate that features several top-25 showdowns and rivalry renewals. No. 21 USC meets No. 23 Illinois in a high-profile noon kickoff, while No. 22 Notre Dame travels to Arkansas. In the mid-afternoon, No. 1 Ohio State heads west to face Washington, No. 11 Indiana visits Iowa, and Auburn travels to No. 9 Texas A&M. The afternoon’s marquee moment could well be the Magnolia Bowl, as No. 4 LSU visits No. 13 Ole Miss in a clash that often helps define the SEC’s pecking order.

Two storied programs collide under the lights as Alabama visits Georgia in a rematch of last season’s dramatic finish, while Oregon heads to Happy Valley to play No. 3 Penn State in front of a raucous 109,000-seat white-out crowd that has become a defining moment of collegiate football Saturdays. The day also features a mid-afternoon rivalry game when LSU and Ole Miss renew hosts a hard-fought rivalry. Fans may need two televisions to keep tabs on both Alabama-Georgia and Oregon-Penn State as kickoff times overlap in a way that has become a hallmark of the sport’s most thrilling Saturdays.

The Major League Baseball postseason push also occupies the radar as the league’s final three-game series of the regular season unfold. In the American League, the wild-card race remains wide open, with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays already locked into playoff contention and hosting critical matchups as they chase the best possible postseason positioning. The Yankees welcome the Baltimore Orioles for a pivotal three-game set, while the Blue Jays host the Tampa Bay Rays in a test of who will emerge as the most dangerous division and wild-card path. Boston, sitting a breath behind the top of the clutter, needs only one win in its final four games to clinch a postseason berth, leaving four teams still in play for the final wild-card spot.

In the Central, the Detroit Tigers’ late-season skid has altered the landscape, costing them a division lead to the Cleveland Guardians. The Tigers enter a crucial make-or-break weekend tied to their fate, while Houston looks to secure the American League’s other wildcard path with a final series against the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels are playing spoiler in the season’s closing days, complicating the AL West chase for the Dodgers, who sit in the driver’s seat in the National League.

The National League landscape adds its own layer of drama. The East and Central divisions are largely settled, the Dodgers holding the West lead, and the wild-card race proving to be chaotic. The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres have already clinched spots, but several other teams remain in the hunt for the final berth, including the New York Mets, who hold one of the league’s most talented rosters but linger on the wrong side of the line as they chase a late surge. The Mets’ path could hinge on outcomes across a trio of chase teams, including the Reds and Diamondbacks, who are fighting to climb into the final postseason spot. The Mets’ cross-town rivals in St. Louis remain in contention as they try to string together the wins needed to leapfrog the pack.

Across the country, fans will be treated to a weekend where golf, football and baseball collide in a way that underscores the breadth of American sports. From the resonant crowds at Bethpage Black, to the stadiums and arenas that host NFL’s best, to college towns pulsing with tradition, and to ballparks where every game matters in the race to October, this weekend offers a snapshot of American sport at its busiest and most hopeful. The four days ahead are expected to test stamina, nerves and depth in ways that only a true sports marathon can.