Will Howard threw two touchdown passes to freshman Jeremiah Smith and Ohio State routed Tennessee 42-17 on Saturday night in a first-round College Football Playoff game, setting up a New Year’s Day rematch with No. 1 Oregon at the Rose Bowl.

Will Richard scored a career-high 26 points, three teammates notched double-doubles and No. 7 Florida remained undefeated with a 99-45 victory over North Florida.

JuJu Watkins scored 25 points and No. 7 USC recovered from blowing a 18-point second half lead to beat Paige Bueckers and fourth-ranked UConn 72-70 on Saturday night.

Jaydon Blue ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns, the last a 77-yard burst in the fourth quarter, and Texas beat Clemson 38-24 on Saturday in the first round of the expanded College Football Playoff.

Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and Marlon Humphrey scored on a fourth-quarter interception return to help the Baltimore Ravens pull even with Pittsburgh atop the AFC North with a 34-17 victory over the Steelers.

Jeremiyah Love spent two weeks off battling a knee injury and an illness.

Baseball Hall of Famer and stolen base king Rickey Henderson has died.

Tiger Woods and his 15-year-old son Charlie are tied for the lead in the PNC Championship.

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and the New York Yankees agreed to a $12.5 million, one-year contract.

The final buzzer sounded, the South Bay Lakers had won a game and Bronny James seemed completely at ease.

Patrick Mahomes threw for 260 yards and a touchdown while running for a score on his ailing ankle, and the Kansas City Chiefs took a big step toward securing the No. 1 seed in the playoffs with a 27-19 victory over the Houston Texans.

Dominic DeLuca and Tony Rojas returned interceptions for touchdowns and Penn State toyed with mistake-prone SMU in a 38-10 victory in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

Texans wide receiver Tank Dell was taken to the University of Kansas Medical Center and will remain overnight after sustaining a severe left knee injury while making in a 30-yard touchdown catch in a 27-19 loss to the Chiefs.

Kon Knueppel scored 18 points, Cooper Flagg celebrated his 18th birthday by chipping in 13 and No. 5 Duke romped to an 82-56 victory over Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils improved to 10-2 and led by double figures much of the game against the 5-7 Yellow Jackets.

Joe Mazzulla’s Christmas greetings were costly.

Matt Rempe of the New York Rangers has been offered an in-person hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety to discuss his boarding and elbowing of Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen.

Players and coaches who will make history in Sunday’s NCAA volleyball championship still find it hard to believe that a female coach hasn’t won one already.

The Washington Commanders' path to returning to nation's capital is clear after an on-again, off-again saga in Congress ended with a late reprieve.

Manchester City’s stunning slump has deepened after losing at Aston Villa 2-1 in the Premier League.

Top soccer players have had enough.

Lindsey Vonn has finished 14th in a super-G to mark her return to World Cup skiing at age 40.

Joel Embiid is trying to believe in the good that can come from asking someone for help.

Jeremiyah Love tied the Notre Dame record with a 98-yard touchdown run, Riley Leonard added two more scores and the Fighting Irish shut down the highest-scoring team in the College Football Playoff, overwhelming Indiana 27-17 on Friday night.

Here’s how the last few days have gone for the Oklahoma City Thunder: Lose the NBA Cup final to Milwaukee in Las Vegas on Tuesday, spend time airborne over four different time zones on Wednesday, win in Orlando on Thursday, win in Miami on Friday.

Joel Embiid started for for the Philadelphia 76ers against Charlotte on Friday night after missing a game because of a sinus fracture.

A federal judge set a Jan. 8 hearing for NASCAR’s motion to throw out an antitrust lawsuit filed against the stock car series teams backed by Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports.

The Los Angeles Dodgers topped a record nine teams owing Major League Baseball’s luxury tax this year with an unprecedented $103 million penalty.

Tiger Woods turns 49 at the end of the year and he has one pressing goal.

A person familiar with the decision says Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was fined $5,628 by the NFL for wearing mismatched cleats that were not “constitutional team colors."

A a person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker and the Houston Astros have agreed to a $60 million, three-year contract.

The chance to rub shoulders with quarterback Josh Allen and broaden the Buffalo Bills’ reach into Toronto wasn’t the only thing on the minds of former NBA stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady and soccer’s Jozy Altidore in purchasing a minority share of the franchise.

Penn State and SMU head into the College Football Playoff with the weight of history on their shoulders.

It's been a frustrating season for the Jaguars, but it's been equally as frustrating for the fans to watch. A die-hard fan says he's organizing a GoFundMe to place a billboard in Jacksonville asking the team to end the fanbase's frustrations by firing general manager Trent Baalke.

Thursday had a little of everything in the NBA.

Netflix has secured the U.S. broadcasting rights to the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031 as the streaming giant continues its push into live sports.

Patrick Mahomes threw a walk-off pass to win the Super Bowl.

How fast can she go.

Seven International Olympic Committee members are running as candidates to be the next president in its first election since 2013.

Jess Mruzik had 26 kills, Caroline Jurevicius had 20 and Penn State rallied from an 0-2 semifinal hole for a five-set victory over Nebraska to reach the NCAA championship.

Stephen Curry had a game like none other in his career.

Justin Herbert passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 19-yarder to Derius Davis early in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Chargers got closer to wrapping up a playoff spot by rallying past the Denver Broncos 34-27 on Thursday night.

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown took issue with back-to-back technical fouls called on coach Joe Mazzulla and himself late in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 117-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

Cameron Dicker of the Los Angeles Chargers made the first successful fair-catch kick in the NFL since 1976 on Thursday night.

Australian breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has tried to be a good sport about the jokes and criticism that poured in from around the globe after her controversial performance at the Paris Olympics.

Milwaukee guard Damian Lillard will sit out the Bucks’ game Friday night at Cleveland because of a strained right calf.

A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is no longer included in Congress’ short-term spending bill that lawmakers are racing to pass before a government shutdown.

Carmelo Anthony may go into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice next year.

The organization that represents European soccer leagues has rejected latest proposals for a breakaway super league.

The Philadelphia 76ers have won city council approval for a $1.3 billion downtown arena despite vocal opposition from nearby residents.

SMU's Kevin Jennings is the only quarterback starting for his hometown team in the 12-team College Football Playoff.

Sammy Sosa appeared to acknowledge using performance-enhancing drugs during a career in which he hit more than 600 home runs, and the Chicago Cubs said they were ready to welcome him back.

Karl-Anthony Towns needed some extra time to prepare for playing against the team he always figured he'd be with his whole career.

Cody Bellinger experienced a World Series title at old Yankee Stadium.

Washington Capitals and Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser and other area leaders celebrated the start of an $800 million downtown arena renovation Thursday.

U.S. women’s soccer team forward Trinity Rodman has opened up about her strained relationship with father Dennis Rodman, saying he is largely absent from her life.

NBC Sports makes its first foray into doing an NFL alternate broadcast on Saturday when it puts the matchup between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs into the realm of the Madden video game universe.

Lindsey Vonn didn’t just pop into the hospital one day for a new titanium knee and then decide on the way out that she wanted to return to downhill ski racing.

The rematch is days away.

The Texas-based Friedkin Group has completed its 98.8% purchase of Everton.

Formula 1 team Red Bull says Liam Lawson will be the partner for world champion Max Verstappen in 2025.

Hajj-Malik Williams passed for two touchdowns, Kylin James ran for another and No. 24 UNLV pulled away in the second half for a 24-13 victory over California in the LA Bowl on Wednesday night.

The setup for two Christmas Day games means two games on Saturday in Week 16.

A federal judge granted Diego Pavia’s request for a preliminary injunction allowing the quarterback to play the 2025 season and told the NCAA the organization cannot take any action against Vanderbilt or any other university that Pavia plays a fifth season for next year.

The brother of the late New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez has pleaded guilty to threatening to carry out a shooting at the University of Connecticut and to kill three people outside of the state last year.

After losing his job as the Atlanta Falcons' starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins is promising to support rookie Michael Penix Jr. Cousins threw nine interceptions with one touchdown in the past five games.

In the first 10 days after Juan Soto spurned the Yankees for a record $765 million, 15-year contract with the Mets, the Yankees signed left-hander Max Fried to a $218 million, eight-year contract, acquired closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers and Bellinger, a former NL MVP, from the Chicago Cubs.

A man accused of stalking and harassing UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers has pleaded guilty to a stalking charge.

Fred Lorenzen, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and the 1965 Daytona champion, died Wednesday.

American professional tennis player Jenson Brooksby tells The Associated Press he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was nonverbal at about 2 1/2 years old.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Indiana coach Curt Cignetti are football junkies at heart.

The two teams suing NASCAR over an antitrust complaint were granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday that allowed them to compete as chartered teams in the 2025 season.

Lamar Jackson will finally have help he’s never enjoyed before against Pittsburgh.

Formula 1 team Red Bull has dropped Sergio Perez after months of poor results.

Caitlin Clark's No. 22 will be retired in a ceremony Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.

The Ivy League has announced its football programs will compete in the FCS playoffs beginning next season.

Besides first-round games at on-campus sites, the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff also serves up something now for this postseason: cold-weather northern venues as opposed to bowl games in warm, sunny climates.

Wake Forest has hired Washington State’s Jake Dickert to become the Demon Deacons’ next football coach.

The ATP men’s tennis tour is paying out $1.3 million to a total of 26 players in 2024 under a new financial program called Baseline that guarantees minimum annual incomes for players ranked in the top 250.

The group behind a breakaway European soccer competition to rival the Champions League has resurfaced.

Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo stood side-by-side during the postgame celebration after the NBA Cup final.

There might by more intrigue in the race for the No. 1 pick than in the race to make the playoffs in the final three weeks.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti pursued Kurtis Rourke in the transfer portal because he wanted a proven winner.

Auburn standout center Johni Broome left Tuesday's win over Georgia State after injuring his right shoulder while going for a defensive rebound in the first three minutes of the eventual 100-59 victory.

The Atlanta Falcons are turning to rookie Michael Penix Jr. as their starting quarterback and benching veteran Kirk Cousins as they fight for their first playoff berth since 2017.

Max Cobb, the secretary general of the International Biathlon Union, apologized to any athlete who was mistreated during his tenure at U.S. Biathlon during a 90-minute meeting focused on concerns about athlete safety brought to light by multiple Associated Press reports.

The Washington Commanders are another step closer to the possibility of returning to the franchise’s old home in the nation’s capital.

SMU coach Rhett Lashlee took a moment while preparing his team for the College Football Playoff to address the ever-growing concern over the open transfer portal window.

Patrick Mahomes is battling another ankle injury.

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press the New York Yankees have agreed to acquire outfielder Cody Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs for right-hander Cody Poteet.

The fishing trips have been put on hold and the award-show excursions wrapped up.

The College Football Playoff gets started this week with four games on college campuses.

A yearlong study by Major League Baseball has concluded rising velocities, pitch shaping and emphasis on maximum effort are the likely causes of the vast increase in pitcher injuries and recommended exploring rules changes to address the problem.

The NBA’s All-Star Game is going to be an All-Star tournament this season, with the league announcing that it has finalized plans to use a different format for the upcoming midseason showcase in San Francisco.

Becky Sauerbrunn, a former captain of the U.S. women’s team who played in three Olympics and three Women’s World Cups, announced her retirement Tuesday from professional soccer after a 16-year international career.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is preparing to play against Houston on Saturday.

Southern California wide receiver Zachariah Branch and his older brother, Trojans safety Zion Branch, have announced they are entering the transfer portal.

Rafael Nadal says in an essay posted online that he thought about taking a mental health break from tennis a few years ago.

Curt Cignetti of Indiana has been named The Associated Press Coach of the Year in college football.

Dave Clawson choked back tears multiple times as he explained why it was the right time for him to step down as Wake Forest’s coach amid a time of landscape-altering changes in college athletics.

Left-hander Max Fried and the New York Yankees have finalized a $218 million, eight-year contract.