AP – Sports
August 17, 2026
Ohio State and Oregon are 1-2 in the AP preseason Top 25, SEC leads conferences with 9 ranked teams
Ohio State and Oregon give the Big Ten Conference the top two teams in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason rankings for the first time in 65 years. The Buckeyes received 40 first-place votes in the poll of 69 media members. Oregon was No. 1 on 14 ballots. Ohio State is now tied with Alabama for second most preseason No. 1 rankings behind Oklahoma’s 10. Oregon has its highest preseason ranking in program history. Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas round out the top five. Defending national champion Indiana is No. 6 and followed by Miami, Texas A&M, Mississippi and Oklahoma.
Premier League is back and uncertainty pervades start of post-Guardiola era
The post-Pep Guardiola era is getting underway in English soccer and there’s uncertainty and upheaval not just at Manchester City but across the whole of the Premier League. Nine clubs have new permanent managers heading into the new top-flight season that begins Friday. That’s an unprecedented number at the start of an English top-flight campaign. The biggest vacuum needing to be filled is at City following the departure of Guardiola after 10 record-breaking years. Enzo Maresca is the new man in charge. Among the other top teams with new coaches are Liverpool with Andoni Iraola, Chelsea with Xabi Alonso and Newcastle with Matthias Jaissle. Arsenal is the defending champion and the title favorite with British oddsmakers.
Rodri set to arrive as Barcelona finalize transfer of Spain captain from Man City
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s World Cup-winning captain Rodri is set to arrive in Barcelona to seal his transfer from Manchester City to the Catalan club. Rodri is expected to undergo a medical as Barcelona and City exchange documentation to finalize the deal. Barcelona agreed to a deal worth $88.5 million, a person with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the transfer have not been made public. The 30-year-old midfielder Rodri helped Spain secure its second World Cup title last month and will join international teammates Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsí, Gavi and Pedri at the Catalan club.
‘This is probably my last year in football,’ says Cristiano Ronaldo
RIYADH (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo says this Saudi Pro League season is likely to be the last of his professional career. The 41-year-old superstar’s contract with Riyadh club Al-Nassr expires next June and he has told Vogue magazine that another is unlikely. Ronaldo says “This is probably my last year of football and I want to leave a spectacular legacy. The Portugal forward has scored 976 career goals. He married long-time partner Georgina Rodriguez earlier this month.
Von Miller is set to join his hometown Dallas Cowboys after agreeing to 1-year deal
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Von Miller is set to sign with his hometown Dallas Cowboys and doesn’t even want to wait a week for the team to get back from training camp in California before joining the club. The NFL’s active leader in sacks has agreed to a one-year contract for what will be his third team in three seasons. Miller is expected to arrive on the West Coast on Monday. Dallas has only have two full practices remaining in its annual three-week California excursion. Miller has 138 1/2 sacks over 14 seasons. He recorded nine with Washington last season.
AL wild-card race looks like a mess. It could be lots of fun
The American League playoff race is heating up with seven teams vying for the final wild-card spot, all with records below .500. As of Sunday, the Baltimore Orioles would make the playoffs with a 61-63 record. They’re closely followed by the Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners. The Houston Astros also are in the mix with a slight advantage in the AL West. Many of these teams were sellers at the trade deadline, but at least one might still play in October. Only three teams in MLB history have made the playoffs with a losing record and all of them came during shortened seasons.
PSG favorite to win another French title with spending power unmatched by rivals in Ligue 1
PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain hardly needed to bolster a squad good enough to win five consecutive Ligue 1 titles and two straight Champions Leagues. Yet that’s exactly what coach Luis Enrique did this offseason and it remains to be seen whether it was a wise move bringing in three new forwards. PSG will be odds-on to secure a record-extending 15th Ligue 1 title and first up is a home game against Rennes on Sunday. Lens beat PSG in the curtain-raising Trophée des Champions on Sunday and could again be its main rival. Marseille and Monaco must bounce back from disappointing seasons.
Clark praises Fever for being ‘super resilient’ in their hard-fought overtime win over Dream
ATLANTA (AP) — Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever looked playoff-ready in their 95-91 overtime win over the Atlanta Dream. The Fever showed impressive depth with four players scoring 18 or more points. Perhaps of more importance, Indiana responded to a major challenge from an Atlanta team that began the day one-half behind the Fever for the important fourth-place spot in the playoff standings. The top four teams receive home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta led 72-64 entering the fourth quarter. Indiana held the Dream to nine points in the final period of regulation.
Dave Roberts decries Dodgers’ inability to play ‘clean baseball’ after latest costly loss to Brewers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called out his struggling club after a 6-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday cost them a significant tiebreaker in the race for home-field advantage. The Dodgers lost three of four in the crucial series against the Brewers, who are three games ahead of Los Angeles in the chase for the National League’s best record and hold the head-to-head advantage for postseason seeding if the two teams end up deadlocked. Since July 1, the back-to-back World Series champions are 18-21.
Diana Taurasi inducted into the Mercury Ring of Honor as franchise celebrates 20 years of excellence
PHOENIX (AP) — Diana Taurasi is celebrated as the greatest player in WNBA history by Phoenix Mercury fans. On Sunday, the team inducted her into the Mercury Ring of Honor, retiring her No. 3 jersey during halftime of a game against the Portland Fire. Taurasi, who played for the Mercury from 2004 to 2024, is the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer and a three-time champion. She expressed gratitude for the support she received in Arizona. Thousands of fans gathered to honor her legacy, with tributes from sports stars and a playful “Goat Plush Toss” event. Taurasi’s impact on the franchise and community is undeniable.
