AP Sports

Jim Harbaugh delivers a national title. Corum scores 2 TDs, Michigan overpowers Washington 34-13

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.

Ja Morant’s season is over because of a shoulder injury. The Grizzlies say he needs surgery

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.

Tiger Woods, Nike end partnership after more than 27 years

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.”

Analysis: More NFL teams could make coaching changes if they stumble early in the playoffs

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.

Analysis: Bills, Cowboys were the NFL’s biggest winners in Week 18, securing the No. 2 seeds

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.

Analysis: Victory formation was never meant for the kind of trickery the Saints used against Atlanta

The New Orleans Saints players defied their coaches’ orders and ran for a touchdown out of victory formation against the unsuspecting Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Led by backup quarterback Jameis Winston the players decided to ignore the call and get running back Jamaal Williams into the end zone for the first time all season. That left coach Dennis Allen to get chewed out by his counterpart Arthur Smith on the field after the game and led Allen to apologize for his rogue players afterward. The move added unnecessary risk and embarrassment to the Saints’ blowout of their NFC South rival.

Will Johnson, Mike Sainristil and Michigan’s stingy D clamps down on Washington’s deep passing game

HOUSTON (AP) — Will Johnson, Mike Sainristil and No. 1 Michigan’s smothering defense held Michael Penix Jr. and the prolific Washington offense to one touchdown in a 34-13 victory in the College Football Playoff national championship game. The Wolverines came into the game first in yards allowed per game and points allowed per game, but had never faced a dynamic, deep passing game like Washington’s. They turned the Huskies into a dink-and-dunk attack and came up with two key interceptions. Penix, the Heisman runner-up, passed for 255 yards on 51 attempts.

What’s next for Jim Harbaugh? Michigan coach faces decision on whether to stay or go back to NFL

HOUSTON (AP) — Michigan’s three-year climb to the summit of college football ended with its 34-13 over Washington in the College Football Playoff championship game. Now the Wolverines and their fans wait and see if Jim Harbaugh stays or goes. Harbaugh deflected all questions about his future, but decision time is drawing near as NFL franchises begin or consider searching for new coaches. Harbaugh looked into NFL jobs the last two years before deciding to stay at Michigan. It’s possible he won’t this time.

For Saints coach Dennis Allen, players’ decision to score late vs. Atlanta was no mutiny

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.

‘It’s going to get crazy’ – What life is like as the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25

There have been 61 schools to reach No. 1 in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll. Duke has spent 145 weeks there, more than any other program. UCLA once spent 46 weeks in a row at No. 1. Others have made history by spending a single week as the best team in the land, such as Saint Joseph’s, which ascended to the top spot in 2004 and was promptly beaten by Xavier. So what is life like at No. 1? It is full of attention, for the team and the entire school.