The College Football Playoff bracket is set to be revealed, with Indiana expected to enter at No. 1. The selection committee faces tough decisions, particularly between Alabama, Notre Dame, and Miami, as only two of these teams will likely secure spots in the 12-team bracket. Alabama's loss to Georgia complicates matters. Duke and James Madison are also in contention. The top four seeds will receive first-round byes, and the final is scheduled for January 19 outside Miami.
McLaren driver Lando Norris has clinched his first Formula 1 title at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Red Bull driver and defending champion Max Verstappen won the race with Norris placing third behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in second. It allowed Norris to finish two points ahead of Verstappen. Piastri was also in contention for his first F1 title and finished third in the standings, 13 points behind Norris. The 26-year-old Norris became the first British champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2020, and he also denied Verstappen a fifth straight title. Norris entered the three-way battle 12 points ahead of Verstappen and 16 ahead of Piastri.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Duke's overtime win against No. 16 Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game attracted its share of curious onlookers, given the league's uncertain footing for College Football Playoff bids. The five-loss Blue Devils are unranked in the CFP. That raises at least the potential that the ACC could get shut out of the 12-team playoff. Sun Belt champion James Madison could secure the last automatic bid that goes to the five highest-ranked conference champions. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips had said this week that his league deserved two bids: one for No. 12 Miami as an at-large team and one for Saturday's title-game winner.
Here’s a look at some key moments which helped to decide an incident-packed championship fight after McLaren driver Lando Norris clinched his first Formula 1 title at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday. Defending champion Max Verstappen won the race from pole position for Red Bull but Norris held his nerve to finish in third spot. Having entered the race with a 12-point lead on Verstappen, Norris did enough to beat Verstappen by two points overall in the standings and to finish 13 points ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in third. Piastri looked the strongest of the three earlier in the season.
DALLAS (AP) — Tom Hicks, the Texas businessman and philanthropist who owned two Dallas-area professional sports franchises and an English Premier League soccer team, died Saturday. He was 79. Spokesperson Lisa LeMaster said in statement that Hicks died peacefully in Dallas surrounded by family. Hicks owned the NHL’s Dallas Stars from 1995–2011, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999. He also owned baseball’s Texas Rangers from 1998–2010, leading them to three American West Division titles and a World Series appearance. In 2007, he acquired a 50% stake in Liverpool. Hicks co-founded Hicks & Haas in 1984 and Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst in 1989, helping reshape private equity and investing strategy. He served on the University of Texas’s Board of Regents from 1994 to 1999.
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen has won the Australian Open for his first major professional title. On Sunday, he secured victory with a par on the final hole, defeating hometown favorite Cam Smith. Both players were tied at 15-under going into the last hole. Neergaard-Petersen managed a tricky par, while Smith missed his putt, handing Neergaard-Petersen a one-shot victory. Smith, the 2022 British Open champion, was seeking his first win in over two years. Rory McIlroy struggled with 11 bogeys over four days, including a mishap involving a banana peel, which kept him out of contention.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi and Inter Miami have won their first MLS Cup, defeating the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 on Saturday. Messi, who joined the team 2 1/2 years ago, set up the winning goal with a 72nd-minute assist. This victory marks Inter Miami as the 16th franchise to win an MLS title in the league's 30-year history. The win also adds to Messi's impressive record, making it his 47th trophy for club and country. David Beckham, part of Inter Miami's ownership, expressed pride in the team's journey. Messi's arrival has transformed the team from last place to champions.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden moved into 10th place on the NBA’s career scoring list Saturday, passing Carmelo Anthony in a game against Minnesota. Harden was 20 points behind Anthony’s 28,289 career points entering the game. Harden hit a pair of free throws in the third quarter to move ahead of the Hall of Famer. The 17-year veteran is averaging 26.5 points this season, his highest average since he led the league with 34.3 per game for the Houston Rockets in the 2019-20 season. Next on the list ahead of Harden is Shaquille O’Neal, who scored 28,596 points during his Hall of Fame career.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — From the moment Curt Cignetti took Indiana’s head coaching job, he made it clear this would be a different program. He refused to tolerate any moral victories or close calls and instead expected to win, to win big and win immediately. In just 737 days, he turned what had been the Football Bowl Subdivision’s losingest program into the nation’s No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs, a legitimate championship contender and a Big Ten champion for the first time since 1967.
ATLANTA (AP) — No. 3 Georgia has solidified its position for a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff by beating Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship game for the first time. The Bulldogs pounded the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide 28-7 on Saturday behind three touchdown passes from Gunner Stockton. Georgia had been 0-4 against Alabama in the SEC title game and 1-7 against the Crimson Tide under coach Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs earned their fourth SEC title under Smart and 16th overall. The lopsided loss means Alabama will have to worry about its standing with the College Football Playoff committee.
Finals
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Colorado 3 N-Y Rangers 2
Final OT Florida 7 Columbus 6
Final N-Y Islanders 2 Tampa Bay 0
Final Boston 4 New Jersey 1
Final Calgary 2 Utah 0
Final Carolina 6 Nashville 3
Final St. Louis 2 Ottawa 1
Final SO Montreal 2 Toronto 1
Final Los Angeles 6 Chicago 0
Final Edmonton 6 Winnipeg 2
Final Detroit 4 Seattle 3
Final Vancouver 4 Minnesota 2
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (2)Indiana 13 (1)Ohio St. 10
Final (3)Georgia 28 (10)Alabama 7
Final (5)Texas Tech 34 (11)BYU 7
Final Duke 27 (16)Virginia 20