Ohio State received top billing in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season, followed by Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama. The top three head into the final four weeks of the regular season undefeated. Another team with no losses, BYU of the Big 12, was ranked seventh. At No. 5 was Georgia, followed by Mississippi. All of the top six came from either the Big Ten or Southeastern Conference — a dose of business as usual despite a season that has been anything but predictable.
Sauce Gardner went from last place to first and teammate Quinnen Williams also is on the move in separate blockbuster trades. The stunning deals by the New York Jets highlighted a flurry of activity ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline on Tuesday. Gardner, a two-time All-Pro cornerback, was sent to the Indianapolis Colts for two first-round draft picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. The Jets will receive the Colts’ first-round selection in 2026 and in 2027. Williams heads to the Dallas Cowboys for a second-round pick in 2026, a first-round pick in 2027 and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 30 points and 12 assists and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder extended their season-opening winning streak to eight games with a 126-107 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night. Isaiah Joe added 22 points to help the Thunder overcame an early surge by the Clippers to set a franchise record for consecutive victories to start a season. Gilgeous-Alexander, who played for the Clippers in his rookie season before he was traded to the Thunder, was 9 of 14 from the floor and 4 of 5 from 3-point range. James Harden scored 25 points and John Collins added 17 for the Clippers. They were without Kawhi Leonard (ankle) and Bradley Beal (knee) on the second night of a home back-to-back.
Saudi Arabia's wealth fund now has a deal with an American golf league. The LPGA Tour has announced it will co-sanction a PIF Global Series event with the Ladies European Tour. The Aramco Championship will be played the first week in April at prestigious Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas. The purse will be $4 million. Aramco has been a big supporter of the Ladies European Tour for the last five years, and several LPGA players have been competing in those events. Nelly Korda is a two-time winner. New LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler says the event ticks every box.
Bayern Munich has handed Paris Saint-Germain a first loss in its Champions League title defense while Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1-0 in another blockbuster matchup. Luis Diaz scored twice for Bayern before getting a red card in first-half stoppage time for a reckless lunge on Achraf Hakimi that forced the PSG defender off injured. PSG had already seen Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé come off with an injury and reduced the deficit through Joao Neves but Bayern held on a 2-1 win. The German champions joined Arsenal on a maximum 12 points. Arsenal won 3-0 at Slavia Prague. At Anfield, Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois produced save after save to defy Liverpool but was finally beaten by Alexis Mac Allister.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Tennis great Venus Williams is planning to play for a 33rd straight season on the WTA Tour starting in Auckland in January. Organizers of the ASB Classic in New Zealand say the 45-year-old Williams will feature at their Jan. 5-11 event. It suggests the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion is preparing for the Australian Open later that month. She has never won the Australian Open though was twice a beaten finalist. Williams last played in singles at the U.S. Open in August, losing in three sets to 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova in the first round.
NEW YORK (AP) — Boston third baseman Alex Bregman and right-hander Lucas Giolito, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz and New York Yankees outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger were among the players who turned down player options or exercised opt outs and became free agents. San Diego pitcher Robert Suarez also turned down his option and went free on the third day of the five-day free agent window. A total of 153 players have become free agents following the end of the World Series and several dozen more potentially can go free through Thursday, depending on whether team, player and mutual options are exercised.
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys have traded for star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams of the Jets in a major move to try to improve one of the NFL’s worst defenses. The deal for Williams on trade deadline day came after the lower-profile addition of linebacker Logan Wilson from Cincinnati. The Cowboys are giving a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2026 second-rounder and underperforming defensive tackle Mazi Smith to the Jets. The Cowboys gained first-round picks in the next two drafts in another blockbuster. That was the trade that sent star pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers a week before the season.
NFL coaches are facing scrutiny for leaving star players in games during the waning minutes of blowouts. Washington's Dan Quinn admits it was a mistake to keep franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels on the field Sunday night. Daniels dislocated his left elbow late in a 38-14 loss to Seattle. Quinn acknowledges the error, saying he should have avoided the risk. A week earlier, Denver's Marvin Mims Jr. suffered a concussion in a similar situation. Broncos coach Sean Payton also admits a mistake in player management. These incidents highlight the risks of keeping key players in games when the outcome is already decided.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Rory McIlroy has described LIV Golf’s decision to expand its events to 72 holes as “peculiar.” The Saudi-funded breakaway circuit will align itself more with golf’s traditional tours by moving from three rounds to four next year. The format switch could boost LIV’s bid to be recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. That is critical because the four majors use the ranking to help determine their fields. McIlroy has been outspoken about LIV so was asked for his view of the change to 72 holes. He says “I think it’s a peculiar move ... I don’t think three rounds vs. four rounds is what was holding them back."
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Utah 2 Buffalo 1
Final Carolina 3 N-Y Rangers 0
Final SO Boston 4 N-Y Islanders 3
Final SO Philadelphia 5 Montreal 4
Final OT Minnesota 3 Nashville 2
Final SO Dallas 4 Edmonton 3
Final Colorado 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final Vegas 1 Detroit 0
Final Anaheim 7 Florida 3
Final Los Angeles 3 Winnipeg 0
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)Purdue 82 Evansville 51
Final (6)Duke 75 Texas 60
Final (9)Kentucky 77 Nicholls State 51
Final (10)Texas Tech 98 Lindenwood 60