There is mounting pressure on Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti from football coaches to discipline Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh for an alleged sign-stealing scheme that has cast a cloud over the second-ranked Wolverines as the postseason approaches.

Coaches were angry and expressed frustration during a call with Petitti over a lack of action by the conference as mounting evidence supports allegations that a Michigan staffer sent people to games to do impermissible advanced scouting of opponents, according to two people with knowledge of Wednesday’s meeting, one who listened in on the call and another who participated.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity because the conference was not making its internal discussions public.

This week’s initial College Football Playoff rankings, where Michigan was ranked third, stoked coaches’ outrage over the inaction.

“They said it was an NCAA issue and not a CFP issue. It’s a football issue,” said the person who was on the call.

NFL

Steelers 20, Titans 16 >> Kenny Pickett threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson with 4:02 remaining and Pittsburgh slipped past Tennessee.

The Steelers (5-3) bounced back from a dismal loss to Jacksonville on Sunday by doing what they’ve done fairly regularly this season: hung around long enough to pull it out in the end. Four of Pittsburgh’s five wins have come in games they trailed entering the fourth quarter.

Pickett struggled at times while dealing with a rib injury but got it together late, completing 19 of 30 for 160 yards, including a 32-yard strike to Johnson down the right sideline on the go-ahead drive. Running back Jaylen Warren had 112 yards of total offense, including a 22-yard run down the sideline that helped set up the winning score.

Horse racing

Breeders’ Cup under intense scrutiny >> After horse deaths marred this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and two more occurred days ahead of the world championships, safety at the Breeders’ Cup is under intense scrutiny.

For the first time, all 14 Cup races this weekend at Santa Anita will be run under the sport’s new national uniform set of medication and safety rules. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, created by Congress under the oversight of the Federal Trade Commission, is charged with keeping horses and jockeys safe.

The most extensive reviews of horses’ veterinary and treatment records in the 40-year history of the Breeders’ Cup will continue up to race day, with contenders subject to random physical exams at any time.

NBA

Walter Davis, five-time NBA All-Star and North Carolina standout, dies at 69 >> Walter Davis, a five-time NBA All-Star who had his number retired by the Phoenix Suns, has died. He was 69.

Davis was star in college for North Carolina where he played for the late Dean Smith. It was North Carolina, where Davis’ nephew Hubert Davis is the Tar Heels’ basketball coach, which announced Walter Davis’ death Thursday.

The school’s release said Walter Davis died Thursday morning of natural causes while visiting family in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Walter Davis was drafted fifth overall by Phoenix in 1977 and became the NBA rookie of the year after averaging 24.2 points a game.

MLB

2023 World Series was the least-watched in TV history >> The Texas Rangers 5-0 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks for their first championship on Wednesday night drew the largest audience of this World Series. However, it was not enough to prevent the five-game series from being the least-watched Fall Classic in recorded TV history.

Nielsen and Fox said the World Series averaged 9.11 million viewers, less than the 9.79 million average from the 2020 series, when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in six games.

It was a 23% decline from last year’s series, when the Houston Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games and averaged 11.78 million.

Ohtani leads list of new free agents >> Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell and Aaron Nola were among the 130 players who became free agents as baseball’s business season began the day following the Rangers’ first World Series title.

Max Muncy, though, gave up a chance to go free and agreed to a $24 million, two-year contract with the Dodgers.

That free agent market also includes former A’s stars Matt Chapman and Sonny Gray, along with Josh Hader and J.D. Martinez.

At the start of the day, 61 additional players had the potential to go free by Monday, depending on decisions on options and opt outs.

Players may start negotiating with any team at 2 p.m. PST Monday, also the deadline for teams to make qualifying offers.

Cruz announces retirement >> Seven-time All-Star Nelson Cruz said he is retiring at age 43 after hitting 464 home runs in 19 seasons.

Cruz was released by San Diego on July 10 after batting .245 with five homers and 23 RBIs in 49 games.

Braves re-sign pitcher Jiménez to a $26M, three-year contract >> The Atlanta Braves have brought back another key member of their bullpen, re-signing right-hander Joe Jiménez to a $26 million, three-year contract.

Jiménez will make $8 million next season and $9 million in each of the final two years of the deal. He will donate 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.

The 28-year-old Jiménez went 0-3 with a career-best 3.04 ERA over 50 appearances in his first season with the Braves, who acquired him from the Detroit Tigers in a trade last December.