AP Sports

Bills will face Chiefs in AFC title game; Eagles will host the Commanders in NFC championship game

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game in their fourth playoff matchup in five years. Allen ran for two touchdowns and the Bills beat Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens 27-25 in a divisional game Sunday. Mark Andrews dropped a pass from Jackson on a 2-point conversion that would’ve tied it with 1:33 remaining and Buffalo held on for the victory. The Chiefs have defeated the Bills three straight times in the playoffs, including the conference title game four years ago in Kansas City. It’ll be Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles hosting Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.

National championship game on tap as Notre Dame and Ohio State close a long, strange football season

ATLANTA (AP) — The curtain comes down Monday night on the longest, strangest college football season anyone has ever seen. About the only thing that feels normal about it are the teams playing for the title: Ohio State and Notre Dame. Two of the country’s most storied programs meet in a title game that wraps up the sport’s first 12-team playoff. The Jan. 20 finish is seven days later than the previous latest finish in history. This marks Game No. 16 for both teams — a practically unheard of number for a sport that for decades wrapped things up after 11 or 12 games on or around New Year’s Day.

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman seeks breakthrough for Black coaches on a historic day in America

ATLANTA (AP) — It’s hard to ignore the connections between Marcus Freeman’s fate as he tries to make history on Monday night and all that’s happening in America on the day of the big game. With a Notre Dame win over Ohio State, Freeman would become the first African American head football coach to capture a college title at the highest level in America’s favorite sport. Monday is national-title day but also the day the United States celebrates Martin Luther King Jr., and inaugurates Donald Trump to his second term as president. Freeman arrives at this moment on a day when America celebrates the man whose life was devoted to inclusion and equality, while diversity initiatives are increasingly under scrutiny on college campuses.

Auburn a unanimous No. 1, Duke now No. 2; Michigan St into top 10, Louisville ends AP Top 25 drought

Auburn is a unanimous No. 1 following a chaotic week in the men’s AP Top 25. Duke, Iowa State, Alabama and Florida round out the top five following a week in which 19 ranked teams lost at least once — including seven of the top 10. Only three teams — Alabama, Florida and No. 6 Tennessee — held the same spot from a week ago. No. 25 Louisville has won eight straight games and is ranked for the first time since 2021. No. 20 St. John’s and No. 22 Missouri also moved into this week’s poll.

South Carolina gains a first-place vote as UCLA, Gamecocks, Notre Dame top women’s AP Top 25

No. 2 South Carolina has picked up a first-place ballot in the women’s AP Top 25 college basketball poll after cruising through the first three games of a five-game stretch against ranked teams. UCLA received 27 first-place ballots from the national media panel and remains the top-ranked team. No. 3 Notre Dame garnered the other two. USC And LSU are fourth and fifth. Michigan and Baylor re-entered the Top 25 while Oklahoma State and Utah dropped out.

Anthony Santander agrees to a $92.5M, 5-year deal with the Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have finally landed a high-profile free agent, agreeing to a $92.5 million, five-year contract with Anthony Santander. The agreement includes an opt out and a 2030 team option with escalators that could increase the value to $110 million over six seasons, according to his agency, the Beverly Hills Sports Council. Toronto made a play for Shohei Ohtani last year and was in the mix for Juan Soto before he joined the New York Mets in December. The Blue Jays also were reportedly one of the finalists for Roki Sasaki.

Josh Allen advances while Lamar Jackson goes home, carrying the burden of another playoff loss

Either Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen had to lose. Allen played a cleaner game, so he’s advancing with the Buffalo Bills to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game. Turnovers were the difference in both divisional playoff games on Sunday. The Bills had none in a 27-25 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Philadelphia Eagles also didn’t have any in a 28-22 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Allen was efficient, ran for two scores and made sure he protected the ball in tough, winter conditions. Jackson had multiple giveaways for the first time this season, with an interception and fumble.

Winter storm forces Houston basketball to postpone men’s game, alter women’s schedule

HOUSTON (AP) — No. 7 Houston’s game against Utah scheduled for Tuesday night has been pushed back to Wednesday because of severe weather forecast for the Houston area. The Cougars, who have won 10 games in a row, will face Utah at 5 p.m. CST Wednesday. The postponement also impacted the Houston women’s game. They were scheduled to play Wednesday night but their game against Texas Tech has been moved up to 1 p.m. to accommodate the doubleheader.

Spurs, Pacers make their way to Paris, for a week where all eyes will be on Victor Wembanyama

NANTERRE, France (AP) — Officially, Indiana will be the home team on the scoreboard when it plays San Antonio in Paris on Thursday. The Pacers know better. The upcoming NBA Paris Games are this week, with Indiana vs. San Antonio on Thursday and Saturday. The Pacers are the designated home team for the first matchup and the Spurs getting that distinction for the second game. The week is essentially going to be a weeklong celebration of France’s own Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio’s reigning NBA rookie of the year who likely will be an All-Star this season for the first time.

Novak Djokovic gets his apologies and is ready to focus on Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Novak Djokovic has received the apologies he wanted from the Australian Open’s local broadcaster and its employee who insulted him on the air. And so, according to the tournament, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is ready to concentrate on his quarterfinal showdown with Carlos Alcaraz. After winning at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday evening to set up the contest against Alcaraz, Djokovic declined to do the customary post-match on court TV interview, but didn’t immediately say why, eliciting some jeering from spectators. Only later that night, at his news conference, did Djokovic explain that he was taking a stand to protest comments made by Tony Jones on Channel 9 last Friday.