AP Sports

College football turns upside down, but this final four is a collection of the sport’s big programs

In the first round of the College Football Playoff, the teams seeded 5-8 all won. In the second round, they all won again. The moral of this story: Who knows, other than something doesn’t totally add up when not a single one of the top four teams, all of which received byes, advances into college football’s final four. The semifinals are set: Next Thursday in the Orange Bowl, it will be No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame. Then, Friday in the Cotton Bowl, it will be No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State.

Jets interviewing former Titans coach Mike Vrabel for their head coaching job, AP source says

A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that the New York Jets were scheduled to interview former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel for their head coaching vacancy. Vrabel will be the second known coaching candidate to meet with the Jets, who spoke to former Washington and Carolina coach Ron Rivera on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Friday because the team only announces meetings with candidates after interviews are completed. The Athletic first reported Vrabel would speak to the Jets. The 49-year-old Vrabel served in a consultant role with Cleveland this season, but his contract expired earlier this week.

CFP semifinals by the numbers: All four teams are members of the exclusive 900-win club

The College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams to get some new blood. The final four are decidedly blueblood. The semifinals match Penn State against Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 and Texas against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10. All four teams are among the eight programs with at least 900 all-time victories. Ohio State ranks second with 976 wins, Notre Dame and Texas are tied for fourth with 961 and Penn State is seventh with 943.

Rugby star Ilona Maher eyes Bristol debut as ticket sales break club record

BRISTOL, England (AP) — Ticket sales have broken a record ahead of U.S. rugby star Ilona Maher making her debut for the Bristol Bears women’s team. The Olympic bronze medalist won’t be in the starting lineup, however, when the Bears face defending champion Gloucester-Hartpury on Sunday in a Premiership Women’s Rugby match switched from a smaller venue to Ashton Gate to satisfy demand for seats. Bristol’s matchday lineup announced on Friday includes the 28-year-old Maher on the bench — the American only returned to England on New Year’s Day. Close to 8,000 fans are expected Sunday, blowing away the previous record for a Bristol women’s home match of 4,101 against Harlequins in 2022.

Noval Djokovic beaten by big-serving Reilly Opelka in quarterfinals of Brisbane International

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic was beaten 7-6 (6), 6-3 by big-serving Reilly Opelka in the Brisbane International quarterfinals. Opelka served 16 aces including one to finish off each set and earned one of the biggest wins of the American’s career. The 37-year-old Djokovic was playing his first tournament of the year. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is preparing for the Australian Open which starts on Jan. 12. New coach Andy Murray will join Djokovic in Melbourne. Opelka will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the semifinals. The other semifinal will feature Jiri Lehecka against Grigor Dimitrov.

Dolphins’ Tagovailoa ‘unlikely’ to play Sunday against Jets, Huntley in line for 2nd straight start

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to miss his second straight game when the Dolphins travel to face the New York Jets on Sunday, coach Mike McDaniel said. Backup quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley is again in line to start after leading Miami to a win in Tagovailoa’s place last week. Tagovailoa is still dealing with a right hip injury that he sustained at Houston on Dec. 15 and aggravated on a hit against San Francisco the next week. The Dolphins are still in the hunt for the last AFC wild-card spot. Miami needs to win Sunday and have Denver lose to Kansas City.

Jimmy Butler, when asked if he can find on-court joy again in Miami: ‘Probably not’

MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler says he needs to find joy again on the basketball court. And when asked if he can find that joy in Miami, he had a two-word answer. “Probably not,” he said. The relationship between Butler and the Heat — a talking point for weeks now — seems to have further deteriorated. The Heat lost to Indiana 128-115 on Thursday night, Butler scoring exactly nine points and playing exactly zero seconds in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive game. It also happened Wednesday in a win over New Orleans.

On Football: Baker Mayfield’s success in Tampa Bay has turned him into a coach-builder

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Baker Mayfield revived his career in Tampa Bay and became a coach-builder in the process. Mayfield’s success with the Buccaneers in 2023 helped Dave Canales become head coach of the Carolina Panthers after just one season as an offensive coordinator. Mayfield has played even better under Liam Coen, who will be among the top candidates for coaching vacancies this offseason. The Buccaneers need a victory over the Saints on Sunday to clinch their fourth straight NFC South title. At some point, Coen will get an opportunity to interview with other teams. The Jets, Saints and Bears are looking for new coaches with more openings to come next week.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart defends aggressive but ill-fated play calls in CFP loss to Notre Dame

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Georgia coach Kirby Smart says he doesn’t regret aggressive offensive play calls that backfired during the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. A decision to have inexperienced quarterback Gunner Stockton drop back to pass in the final minute of the first half went badly when he was sacked by Notre Dame’s RJ Oben and fumbled. Notre Dame recovered and scored a touchdown one play later. Smart’s bid for his third national title with the Bulldogs fell short as he was frequently outmaneuvered by Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.

Expansion-seeking PWHL ready to drop puck on 9-game neutral site Takeover Tour in Seattle

U.S. national team and Boston Fleet forward Hilary Knight finds it fitting to have the PWHL kicking off its nine-game neutral site slate of games in Seattle on Sunday. Not only is it close to Knight’s home in Idaho, it’s also the city where the four-time Olympian has one of her fondest memories. Knight excitedly reflected on the electric atmosphere a U.S.-Canada Rivalry Series record-crowd of 14,551 created inside the NHL Kraken’s arena two years ago. Dubbed the “Takeover Tour,” the PWHL will also hold games in cities ranging from Raleigh, North Carolina to Edmonton. The six-team league is in its second season and already considering expanding by as many as two teams in 2025-26.