National Sports

By ANDREW SELIGMAN – AP Sports Writer LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears plan to have Caleb Williams make one more start rather than hold their prized rookie quarterback out of the season finale at Green Bay. Interim coach Thomas Brown shot down the idea of having Williams sit out Sunday’s game at

By JOHN MARSHALL – AP Sports Writer GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Boise State has taken that long-awaited next step, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff for the first time, 17 years after a program-shifting win. Awaiting the No. 8 Broncos in the desert is another team that made a breakthrough. No. 5 Penn

By AP WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Hall of Famer Lydia Ko has been made a Dame in the New Year’s honors list in New Zealand for her services to golf. A damehood is the female equivalent of a knighthood and she’s become Dame Lydia Ko after receiving one of New Zealand’s highest civil honors

By TERESA M. WALKER – AP Pro Football Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Titans are living through a repeat of their worst season since the franchise left Texas in 1997. Only this is much worse. The 2014 team went 2-14 in Ken Whisenhunt ‘s first season as head coach. If these Titans (3-13)

By PHILIP ROSSMAN-REICH – Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — After a shaky 3-3 start, South Carolina had to win out to get here. They did just that. The No. 14 Gamecocks had Alabama on the ropes on their home field in October. Trailing by eight with two minutes to play, quarterback LaNorris Sellers led

By AP BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona will need to have another financial lever approved by the Spanish league in order to register playmaker Dani Olmo for the rest of the season after a judge ruled against the club on Monday. It was the second consecutive court setback against Barcelona as it tries to register

By AP ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr. will undergo surgery for a broken bone in his right hand. Nance was injured Saturday in a victory over the Miami Heat. The team announced that imaging confirmed a fractured fourth metacarpal bone in his right hand. Surgery has been scheduled for Thursday. A

By CHARLES ODUM – AP Sports Writer ATLANTA (AP) — Quinn Ewers showed off his diplomatic skills on Monday when the Texas quarterback was asked about a verbal challenge from Arizona State counterpart Sam Leavitt leading up to their College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup. Ewers, after all, has good experience in letting his play on

By The Associated Press No. 8 Boise State (12-1, CFP No. 3 seed) vs. No. 5 Penn State (12-2, CFP No. 6 seed), Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST (ESPN) BetMGM College Football Odds: Penn State by 11. Series record: First meeting. What’s at stake? A spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals is on the line

By DAVE SKRETTA – AP Sports Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs coach Andy Reid is planning to give running back Isiah Pacheco most of the week off to rest his sore ribs. Reid hasn’t decided who else will get time off before their regular-season finale in Denver. The Chiefs (15-1) already have clinched

By STEPHEN WHYNO – AP Sports Writer LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Jayden Daniels is running all over opponents and away with the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. His legs are arguably as big a reason the Washington Commanders are heading to the playoffs as his right, throwing arm. “That guy’s an absolute beast,”

By STEVE REED – AP Sports Writer CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Two years ago, the Carolina Panthers had Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold on their roster. They deemed neither player good enough to be their franchise QB. The Panthers cut Mayfield late in the 2022 season and Darnold was allowed to walk in free agency

By AP PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers and their struggling defense could be at full strength for the regular-season finale against Cincinnati. Coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that he is hopeful cornerback Joey Porter Jr. will be available when the Steelers (10-6) host the Bengals (8-8) on Saturday night. Porter missed a 29-10 loss

By AP OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — James Hagens watched Macklin Celebrini closely last season as the player eventually picked No. 1 at the NHL Draft went about his business on the ice in impressive fashion. Hagens was perhaps even more focused on how Celebrini stayed sharp amid all the attention. “Never let anything affect him,”

By KRISTIE RIEKEN – AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — When Baylor and LSU face off in the Texas Bowl on Tuesday, it will be the first meeting between the teams since the 1985 Liberty Bowl. But they do have some familiarity with one another. Baylor coach Dave Aranda spent 2016-19 on the LSU staff,

By DAN GELSTON – AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — At some point this week, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni will decide if he’s going for it or punting — will Saquon Barkley get his shot at breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL season rushing record, or will Philadelphia’s star running back sit out a meaningless finale and

By DOUG FEINBERG – AP Basketball Writer UConn coach Geno Auriemma moved into a tie with Tara VanDerveer for the most appearances with one school in the women’s basketball AP Top 25 as the Huskies remained seventh in the poll Monday. Auriemma has now led UConn to 627 appearances in the poll in his 40

By AP LONDON (AP) — Referees will make in-stadium announcements on the outcome of video reviews in the semifinals of this season’s English League Cup, the organizers said on Monday. It will be the first time such a system is used in English soccer. Arsenal faces Newcastle and Tottenham plays Liverpool next month in the

By CURT RALLO – Associated Press SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — When quarterback Riley Leonard transferred from Duke to Notre Dame for the 2024 season, he immediately went to work building chemistry with his new teammates. He brought six Fighting Irish receivers to his home in Fairhope, Ala., to get to know each other and

By ROB MAADDI – AP Pro Football Writer The New York Giants lost by winning. A rare victory — 45-33 over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday — knocked the Giants out of control for the coveted No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. So much for Shedeur Sanders’ Giants-themed cleats unless New York trades

By AP EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Harrison Bailey is expected to start at quarterback for Louisville in the Sun Bowl against Washington, which means there won’t be a final trip to Texas for Tyler Shough before he pursues an NFL career. Before his final college season with the Cardinals (8-4), Shough spent three injury-plagued

By DAN GELSTON – AP Sports Writer PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley is down to his final game to try to break Eric Dickerson’s season rushing record. Can Barkley actually topple the 40-year-old mark of 2,105 yards set by the Los Angeles Rams great? Absolutely — if he plays. The Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC

By AP BERLIN (AP) — Union Berlin is bringing former club favorite Steffen Baumgart back as coach to take over from the fired Bo Svensson after its lackluster start to the Bundesliga season. The Köpenick-based club said Monday that Baumgart, a former forward who scored 22 goals in two seasons at Union, will take charge

By AP MILAN (AP) — AC Milan hired Sérgio Conceição as its new coach on Monday, hours after the Serie A club fired Portuguese compatriot Paulo Fonseca. The 50-year-old Conceição has been given an 18-month contract. Conceição, who played in Serie A with Lazio, Parma and Inter Milan, coached Porto for six seasons before stepping

By BETH HARRIS – AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — JuJu Watkins scored 31 points, making 13 of 14 free throws, and No. 4 Southern California beat No. 23 Michigan 78-58 on Sunday night in the Trojans’ Big Ten home opener. Watkins had five rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three blocks. Kiki Iriafen

By DANIELLA MATAR – AP Sports Writer BORMIO, Italy (AP) — The weekend’s ski racing in Bormio showed precisely why the men’s downhill for the 2026 Olympics will be one of the toughest in the past 30 years. American skier Bryce Bennett says he has “trauma” from racing down the fearsome Stelvio slope, while Italian