HOUSTON (AP) — Jim Harbaugh and No. 1 Michigan completed a three-year climb to a national championship by beating No. 2 Washington 34-13 Monday night in the College Football Playoff title game. Blake Corum ran for 134 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Wolverines. Michigan was undeterred by suspensions and a sign-stealing case that shadowed the program much of the season. The Wolverines sealed their first national title since 1997 when Corum blasted in from the 1-yard line with 3:37 left. Harbaugh delivered the title so many expected when he took over a struggling powerhouse in 2015.
UNDATED (AP) — Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald are among 19 players and three coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame class announced Monday. Warrick Dunn of Florida State, Toby Gerhart of Stanford, Julius Peppers of North Carolina and Danny Woodhead of Division II Chadron State also were elected to the Atlanta-based hall by the National Football Foundation. Coaches elected were Frank Solich of Nebraska and Ohio, Mark Dantonio of Cincinnati and Michigan State and Danny Hale of Division II West Chester and Bloomsburg.
HOUSTON (AP) — Michigan was voted a unanimous No. 1 in the final Associated Press college football poll of the season after the Wolverines beat Washington to win their first national title in 26 years. The Wolverines received all 61 first-place votes. Washington was second, the Huskies’ best final ranking since finishing No. 2 in 1991. That year, Washington was No. 1 in the final coaches’ poll to claim its only national title. Texas, Georgia and Alabama rounded out the top five. Florida State, left out of the playoff after a perfect regular season, finished tied with Oregon for sixth.
UNDATED (AP) — The College Football Playoff has delayed changing the 12-team format to decrease the number of spots reserved for conference champions from six to five. The head of the board that needs to approve the move said he would be shocked if the change is not made for next season. CFP officials say the Pac-12 asked for the delay. The change would guarantee five spots in the playoff for conference champions and have seven at-large berths available.
UNDATED (AP) — Purdue is still atop the AP Top 25 but Houston has jumped Kansas into second place as the last unbeaten team in Division I men’s college basketball. The Boilermakers picked up five more first-place votes and has 54 of the 63 available. The Cougars received seven first-place votes after improving to 14-0 for the third time in school history. Kansas had the other two first-place nods but fell to third. Defending national champ UConn and Tennessee rounded out the top five. San Diego State, Utah State and Creighton are ranked at the expense of Ole Miss, James Madison and Providence.
UNDATED (AP) — It was a slow “Black Monday” across the NFL while everyone waits on Bill Belichick’s future with the New England Patriots. The Washington Commanders, as expected, fired coach Ron Rivera after his fourth straight losing season. The Carolina Panthers fired general manager Scott Fitterer after finishing an NFL-worst 2-15. The Atlanta Falcons didn’t even wait until Monday to fire Arthur Smith, releasing him late Sunday night, hours after a dismal 48-17 loss at New Orleans on a day that began with a division title still within grasp if Tampa Bay had lost. The Commanders and Falcons join the Panthers, Raiders and Chargers in a search for a new head coach. Whether the Patriots join that list is the big question.
UNDATED (AP) — Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys made sure they’ll start the playoffs at home, where they’re undefeated. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills are going home with a division title instead of heading back to Miami for a rematch. The NFL playoff field is set. Fourteen teams will compete for a trip to Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas next month. The postseason starts with six games across three days over wild-card weekend. The Bills rallied for a 21-14 win over the Dolphins to clinch their fourth straight AFC East title and the No. 2 seed. The Packers and Buccaneers got in with wins earlier in the day. The Steelers secured their spot when the Jaguars collapsed in Tennessee.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints coach Dennis Allen is taking a nuanced view of his players’ decision to go against coaches' wishes by orchestrating a 1-yard touchdown run by Jamaal Williams in the final minute of a season-ending 48-17 victory over Atlanta. Allen stuck by his comments immediately after Sunday’s game that players were wrong to overrule coaches. But he also painted his players’ conduct in that moment as an isolated incident stemming from an opportunity to help Williams score his only touchdown this season. Allen says he judges the staff's relationship with players more by the effort he witnessed in the Saints' four convincing victories in their last five games.
UNDATED (AP) — Ja Morant’s season is over, with the Memphis Grizzlies announcing that their star guard needs surgery to repair a tear in his right shoulder. Morant got hurt in practice on Saturday, the Grizzlies said. He was in a sling for the Grizzlies’ game against Phoenix on Sunday, and then the news came a day later about how serious the issue us. Morant missed the first 25 games of the season while serving an NBA suspension for displaying a gun on social media. He returned and averaged 25.1 points in nine games, with the Grizzlies going 6-3 in those contests.
UNDATED (AP) — Tiger Woods is no longer a Nike athlete after 27 years, ending a partnership between the swoosh and golf’s biggest star and raising questions about the future of both in the sport. Woods in a social media post thanked Nike co-founder Phil Knight for his “passion and vision” that brought Nike and the Nike Golf partnership with Woods together. Mark Steinberg, his agent at Excel Sports, confirmed the end of the deal that began in 1996. Nike also posted to social media, saying in a photo, “It was a hell of a round, Tiger.”
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco has been released from a jail in the Dominican Republic amid an ongoing investigation into allegations he had a relationship with a 14-year-old girl. Franco paid 2 million Dominican pesos ($34,000) as a type of deposit required by a judge who on Friday ordered his conditional release. While Franco is free to leave the Dominican Republic, he was ordered to appear monthly before authorities as the investigation continues. The 22-year-old All-Star who was released Monday is accused of commercial sexual exploitation and money laundering. Prosecutors allege he paid the teen’s mother thousands of dollars and gave her a car in exchange for her consent.
MONDAY SCORES
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (1)Michigan 34 (2)Washington 13
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Oklahoma City 136 Washington 128
Final OT Chicago 119 Charlotte 112
Final Indiana 133 Boston 131
Final Miami 120 Houston 113
Final Utah 132 Milwaukee 116
Final L.A. Clippers 138 Phoenix 111
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Vancouver 6 N-Y Rangers 3
Final Pittsburgh 4 Philadelphia 1
Final Dallas 4 Minnesota 0
Final SO Colorado 4 Boston 3