Oregon-Indiana headed for a rematch, Ole Miss to play Miami as college football’s final four is set
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — When Indiana met Oregon in October, the game served as the best test yet of whether the Hoosiers were a one-year wonder or a program that was here to stay. They met that challenge with a double-digit win that snapped Oregon’s 18-game home winning streak. Next week comes a rematch with a trip to the national title game at stake. A pair of Big Ten blowouts — Indiana 38, Alabama 3 and Oregon 23, Texas Tech 0 — set up Oregon-Indiana, Part 2 in the national semifinals at the Peach Bowl next Friday. Miami will play Ole Miss, a 39-34 winner over Georgia.
Right-hander Tatsuya Imai and Houston Astros agree to $54 million, 3-year contract, AP source says
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that right-hander Tatsuya Imai and the Houston Astros have agreed to a $54 million, three-year contract. Imai gets a $2 million signing bonus and salaries of $16 million this year and $18 million in each of the final two seasons. He can earn an additional $9 million in escalators based on innings. A 27-year-old righty, Imai went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA last season for the Pacific League’s Seibu Lions. He struck out 178 batters in 163 2/3 innings. He is a three-time All-Star.
LSU football coach Kiffin attends Tigers’ women’s hoop game as Ole Miss beats Georgia at Sugar Bowl
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — New LSU football coach Lane Kiffin attended the No. 5 Tigers’ women’s basketball game on Thursday night as his former team — Mississippi — was taking on Georgia in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Sugar Bowl. Kiffin and women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey emerged from the tunnel holding hands before the Tigers faced No. 11 Kentucky. Kiffin and Mulkey’s appearance on the court drew a roar from the crowd, and Mulkey raised her left hand to point at Kiffin while the pair responded by raising their joined hands in the air. Kiffin’s appearance at the LSU game came at just about the same time as his old team, Ole Miss, was kicking off its CFP game. LSU lost the game 80-78.
Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson says he’s playing Sunday at Pittsburgh: ‘A hundred percent’
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Lamar Jackson says he’s expecting to play when the Baltimore Ravens take on the Steelers in Pittsburgh for the AFC North title Sunday night. Jackson returned to practice Wednesday and was a full participant, but he didn’t talk with reporters at the podium until Thursday. He said he’s feeling good after missing last weekend’s game at Green Bay because of a back injury. That was the fourth game this season Jackson has missed, the first three because of hamstring problems. The Ravens need a win this weekend to make the playoffs after they entered the season as a popular Super Bowl pick.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson says a cracked rib sidelined him in 2nd half of blowout Rose Bowl loss
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson says a cracked rib sidelined him in the second half of the Crimson Tide’s 38-3 loss to top-seeded Indiana in the Rose Bowl. Simpson got hurt when an Indiana player’s helmet hit him in the torso and caused a fumble after he made a courageous scramble through the Hoosiers’ defense for a first down late in the first half. He had an X-ray at halftime that revealed the injury, Simpson said after the College Football Playoff quarterfinal ended. Simpson acknowledged that he might have tried to do too much on that play after he came up one yard short of a first down on an earlier run.
Wembanyama’s MRI shows no ligament damage in hyperextended knee; All-Star to miss Spurs-Pacers game
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs say an MRI showed center Victor Wembanyama sustained no ligament damage in his injured left knee, and their All-Star center will not play Friday in Indiana. The Spurs said Thursday that Wembanyama’s status is day-to-day. He did not travel with the team to Indiana, and instead will rehabilitate the injury in San Antonio. Wembanyama hyperextended his left knee with just under 11 minutes remaining in San Antonio’s 134-132 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Wembanyama said he felt fine after the game and expected to play Friday against the Pacers, but said San Antonio’s medical staff could decide otherwise depending on tests.
More campus games? Big 12 commish says ‘everything is on the table’ when it comes to playoff reboot
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — While fans trickled into the Orange Bowl stadium where tickets were going for as little as $39, the commissioner of the Big 12 said “everything is on the table” when it comes to rebooting the College Football Playoff, including potentially moving another round of games onto campus. The commissioners have until Jan. 23 to figure out what the playoff will look like next year. Expansion and automatic bids have been the two biggest headlines in that discussion, though attendance and travel schedules for this week’s quarterfinal games could play into the thinking, as well.