Miami’s QB Loses Top Target Before Huge Notre Dame Clash

November 5, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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Malachi Toney will not play in Saturday’s game against Notre Dame. The Miami wide receiver suffered an ankle injury in practice on Wednesday and had surgery. He is expected to return later this season, but he will miss this key matchup. This changes everything for the top-ranked team as they head to South Bend.

The Hurricanes still hold the No. 1 spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. They earned that spot with a potent offense led by Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney. Now, Mensah must find another way to win without his best friend on the field. The pressure shifts entirely to Mensah to carry the load.

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A Bond Broken by Injury

Toney and Mensah have grown very close in just a few months. Toney and Mensah are more than teammates; they are friends who see each other off the field. Toney told reporters this week about a moment they shared right after Mensah committed to the school.

“We were just in the locker room just talking about how I saw him at [Prime 112 Restaurant] right after he committed. Just him getting adapted to Miami, we’ve grown so close,” Toney said, according to Yahoo Sports.

That connection was a major part of their success this season. Toney ranks first in catches with 73 and first in receiving touchdowns with 13. He also sits second in receiving yards with 1,027. Losing a player with those numbers is a massive blow to any offense. The timing could not be worse for Miami.

Mensah Must Step Up Now

Despite the loss, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal believes his team is ready. He pointed to Mensah as a leader who has proven himself since arriving at the school. The coach knows the quarterback is eager to take charge of the offense.

This week, “He’s eager to get the ball,” stated Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. “Enthusiasm, excited, doesn’t flinch, very focused. Just ready, prepared. It was a preparation to give him that kind of confidence. He’s ready to roll.”

Mensah has the stats to back up that confidence. He leads the nation in touchdown passes with 25. The NCAA single-season record would be shattered by over three points thanks to his 80.7% completion percentage. He has been the most impactful transfer in the sport this year. He arrived at Tulane as a three-star recruit but has turned into a star at Duke and now Miami.

This game is a huge opportunity for him to show NFL scouts what he can do without his top weapon. Scouts have been waiting to see him perform against an elite team in a primetime slot. The challenge is significant, but the talent is undeniable.

What the Numbers Say

The financial stakes for Mensah are also the highest in the sport. His NIL valuation at Miami stands at $6.5 million. This is the highest in men’s collegiate athletics, according to reports.

In 2024, he agreed to a two-year, $8 million contract with Duke prior to joining Miami. That was one of the biggest deals in college football at the time. A victory in the 2025 ACC championship game was also secured by him while at Duke. At Tulane, he helped the team to a 9-4 record in 2024.

Scoring at 46.7 points per game, Miami’s offense tops the nation. Only one ranked opponent, No. 16 Wake Forest, has faced them through eight games this season. Now they face a tough test against a Notre Dame team that is also fighting for playoff spots.

Coaches Poll No. 6 Notre Dame enters the game with some injuries of their own. Linebacker Drayk Bowen has a right-ankle injury. Still, the Irish need a win to help their playoff push.

The game is set for Saturday night in South Bend, Indiana. Jason Sudeikis will serve as the guest picker on “College GameDay.” He has deep family ties to the university. His grandfather graduated from Notre Dame, and his uncle George Wendt also attended the school.

“My grandfather was a graduate from Notre Dame.. My uncle George Wendt went to Notre Dame and dropped out after his junior year.. I went to the basketball camp there in the sixth grade,” Sudeikis said on the Pat McAfee Show, according to Yahoo Sports.

With Toney out, the game becomes a true test of Miami’s depth. Can they win without their top receiver? Can they handle the pressure of the No. 1 ranking on the road?

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Thinking Machines Lab is closing in on a new $5 billion funding round at a $40 billion valuation

November 6, 2026 · Business Insider

Mira Murati, chief executive of Thinking Machines Lab.

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Thinking Machines Lab is set to close a $5 billion round at a $40 billion valuation led by Accel.
The startup was founded by Mira Murati, OpenAI's former chief technology officer.
In the AI talent wars, TML has been losing key members of its founding teams to Meta and OpenAI

AI startup Thinking Machines Lab is set to close a fresh round of funding as soon as this week.

The startup is raising $5 billion at a $40 billion pre-money valuation, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. Accel is leading the round, according to the sources.

Previously, Thinking Machines Lab, which was founded by Mira Murati, was valued at more than $10 billion and raised a $2 billion seed round last year before launching a product.

This round would more than triple Thinking Machines' valuation from its last public round last year, showing that investors are still willing to place enormous bets on AI labs even as the industry's talent war intensifies. Last year, the company was seeking a new round at a $50 billion valuation, but talks were abandoned.

A representative for TML declined to comment. Accel did not respond to a request for comment.

It emerged from stealth last year as one of the highest-profile AI labs thanks to its leadership's deep ties to OpenAI. CEO Mira Murati previously served as OpenAI's chief technology officer, while other key figures helped train the early versions of ChatGPT.

The company's first tool, Tinker, is a system that enables users to more easily fine-tune large language AI models. TML released a new version of Tinker on Thursday, stating that the model has seen gains in AI coding.

The startup has attracted top talent like competitive coder Neal Wu. At the same time, the battle for AI talent has intensified, and Thinking Machines has lost many of its founding members, including Barret Zoph, Luke Metz, and Andrew Tulloch, to rival companies.

As Business Insider reported in May, about a third of its founding team has left Thinking Machines, driven by a mix of factors including huge pay packages offered by rival AI labs like Meta and OpenAI.

In September, The Information reported that Thinking Machines Lab was in talks to raise a new round of funding.

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LSU football’s Whit Weeks will miss must-win Alabama clash despite working back from leg fracture

November 6, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

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With the showdown between the LSU football team and the Alabama Crimson Tide coming this Saturday, the former has been dealing with a key injury for the last handful of weeks that could shift the prospects of the marquee matchup. However, while LSU football defensive star Whit Weeks was listed as doubtful for the Alabama game, the latest update puts his status to bed.

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According to college football insider Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, the Tigers are “expected to be without” Weeks for Saturday’s outing against the Crimson Tide. There was initially “hope” that Weeks could return, but the feeling could be that “he’s not ready to return yet.”

“LSU is expected to be without star linebacker Whit Weeks against Alabama Saturday as he continues to work back from his late September leg injury, sources tell [CBS Sports],” Zenitz wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “There had been hope he’d be able to get back for this matchup, but sounds like he’s not ready to return yet.”

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Weeks has missed the past four games of the LSU football program, suffering the leg fracture during Sept. 26’s win against the Texas A&M, 35-6. While Weeks missed the last four games, the star linebacker also got extra time with the Tigers’ bye week this past weekend, but the recovery process will still have to be completed for the senior to return to game action.

Playing in four games this season, Weeks has recorded 23 tackles, as one could argue that it makes sense for head coach Lane Kiffin and the rest of the LSU football team not to rush back a pivotal player with the chance of re-injury. At any rate, the next chance for Weeks to return will be on Nov. 14 against the Texas Longhorns.

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