COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Notre Dame was picked Sunday over Texas A&M for the ultimate Faculty Soccer Playoff spot and can face No. 1 Alabama within the semifinals, whereas Clemson and Ohio State had been paired within the CFP for the third time.

The Combating Irish and Crimson Tide will meet Jan. 1 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after a late pandemic-related relocation from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Tigers and Buckeyes are set to play the identical day on the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

The nationwide champion is scheduled to be decided Jan. 11 at Onerous Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Trevor Lawrence had 412 yards of offense and three touchdowns, Travis Etienne ran for 124 yards and a rating and No. 4 Clemson dominated No. 2 Notre Dame 34-10 on Saturday to win its sixth straight Atlantic Coast Convention championship.

The Tigers (10-1) avenged a 47-40 double-overtime loss at Notre Dame (10-1) – with Lawrence sidelined due to the coronavirus – to lock up a spot within the Faculty Soccer Playoff for the sixth straight season.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Trey Sermon ran for a school-record 331 yards and two second-half touchdowns Saturday, serving to No. 3 Ohio State rally for a 22-10 victory over Northwestern for a fourth consecutive Large Ten championship.

It is the primary time Ohio State (6-0) has received 4 consecutive outright convention crowns.

Northwestern (6-2) heads into the bowl season with two losses in its final three video games and a second runner-up end to the Buckeyes in three years.

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Spencer Rattler threw a 45-yard landing to Marvin Mims and likewise ran for a rating as No. 12 Oklahoma received its sixth consecutive Large 12 title, holding on to beat No. 8 Iowa State 27-21 within the convention championship recreation Saturday.

Large 12 dashing chief Breece Corridor ran for 2 touchdowns for the Cyclones (8-3, No. 6 CFP) within the second half. The Sooners clinched the sport when Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy threw his third interception.

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The Sooners (8-2) will play in a New 12 months’s Six recreation, most likely again at AT&T Stadium, after successful their fourth Large 12 championship in a row because the title recreation was reinstated – with 4 completely different beginning quarterbacks.

ATLANTA (AP) – Najee Harris scored 5 touchdowns and No. 1 Alabama superior to the Faculty Soccer Playoff with an ideal file, holding off No. 11 Florida in a 52-46 shootout for the Southeastern Convention championship Saturday night time.

The Crimson Tide (11-0, No. 1 CFP) bought their hardest check in a season of blowouts, however Harris’ record-setting efficiency will ship coach Nick Saban to the playoff in the hunt for his seventh nationwide title.

CINCINNATI (AP) – Cole Smith made a 34-yard discipline purpose as time expired to provide No. 6 Cincinnati a 27-24 victory over No. 20 Tulsa on Saturday night time within the wet American Convention Championship recreation.

Alec Pierce had a career-high 146 yards receiving on 5 catches, Desmond Ridder handed for 269 yards and a landing and ran for a rating, and Jerome Ford added a 42-yard scoring run for the Bearcats (9-0).

Tulsa (6-2) reached the convention championship recreation following three straight dropping seasons. It was the Golden Hurricane’s first look within the AAC title recreation.

LAS VEGAS (AP) – Nick Starkel accomplished 32 of 52 passes for 453 yards and three touchdowns to guide No. 25 San Jose State to its first Mountain West Convention championship, 34-20 over Boise State on Saturday.

The Spartans (7-0) had misplaced all 14 earlier conferences with the Broncos (5-2).

Starkel broke former Fresno State star Derek Carr’s title-game file of 404 yards passing set in 2013 in a victory over Utah State.

CHAMPAIGN, Ailing. (AP) – Bret Bielema, who led Wisconsin to a few convention championships earlier than a disappointing run at Arkansas, is returning to the Large Ten and his residence state to teach Illinois.

The Illini employed Bielema to switch the fired Lovie Smith on Saturday, hoping he can flip round a program with 9 consecutive dropping seasons.

A local of western Illinois, Bielema is 97-58 in 12 years at Wisconsin and Arkansas.

NFL

DENVER (AP) – The Buffalo Payments captured their first AFC East title in a quarter-century Saturday when 24-year-old quarterback Josh Allen threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for 2 extra in a 48-19 rout of the Denver Broncos.

The Payments (11-3) scored twice in a 17-second span within the third quarter to ice their fourth straight victory that formally ended the New England Patriots’ 11-year reign atop the division.

The Broncos (5-9) have their fourth consecutive dropping season for the primary time since that they had 10 straight sub-.500 campaigns from 1963-72.

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) – Russell Wilson and the Seahawks constructed a giant lead, and Seattle’s out of the blue opportunistic protection held on Sunday to beat Washington 20-15 and clinch a playoff spot.

Wilson threw for 121 yards and a 10-yard TD cross to Jacob Hollister and ran for 52 on six carries. Hyde’s 50-yard TD run was Seattle’s longest dashing play of the season. The Seahawks improved to 10-4.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – Sam Darnold handed for 207 yards and the New York Jets lastly earned the primary victory of their depressing season Sunday, holding on for a 23-20 win that erased the opportunity of the third winless 16-game season in NFL historical past.

The Jets (1-13) ended the longest dropping streak in franchise historical past with a powerful begin and a gritty end at SoFi Stadium.

Embattled coach Adam Gase bought his first win of the 12 months solely after New York blew most of a 17-point lead within the second half.

MLB

NEW YORK (AP) – Main League Baseball payrolls plunged to $1.75 billion through the pandemic-shortened season from $4.22 billion, and the World Collection champion Los Angeles Dodgers led with $98.6 million – the smallest for the highest spender in 20 years.

Base wages for 40-man rosters tumbled to $1.54 billion, in accordance with info despatched from Main League Baseball to groups on Friday night time and obtained by The Related Press. That was down from $3.99 billion in 2019.

Prorated parts of signing bonuses totaled $120.6 million, down barely from $122.8 million. Earned bonuses fell to $25 million from $26.9 million.

NHL

Hockey is about to return Jan. 13 after the NHL and gamers accomplished a deal Sunday to carry a 56-game season that would come with playoffs lasting into July to award the Stanley Cup.

The league’s Board of Governors voted to approve the settlement that was backed by the NHL Gamers’ Affiliation government board Friday night time. The common season is scheduled to go till Might 8 with a 16-team playoff to observe.

There might be 4 divisions – North, South, East and West – and all play might be inside them by the primary two rounds of the playoffs to reduce journey and the potential for the coronavirus to disrupt the season. The North Division accommodates solely the seven Canadian groups.

SOCCER

CHICAGO (AP) – Samantha Mewis is the 2020 U.S. Soccer Feminine Participant of the 12 months, U.S. Soccer introduced Saturday.

Mewis, a 6-foot midfielder, garnered 45% of the vote. Crystal Dunn completed second and Lindsey Horan third.

Mewis, 28, performed in eight of the 9 Staff USA video games this 12 months, with six begins. She scored 4 objectives on the 2020 CONCACAF Ladies’s Olympic Qualifying match.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Lionel Messi has one other particular person scoring milestone, however he positive would not have a staff that appears like a champion.

Messi equaled Pele’s all-time membership scoring tally on Saturday in a 2-2 draw with Valencia. His 643rd profession purpose for Barcelona since his 2004 debut matched Pele’s tally for Santos from 1957-74.

Messi is Barcelona’s and the Spanish league’s all-time main scorer.

WATFORD, England (AP) – Watford is in search of a tenth supervisor in 5 years after firing Vladimir Ivic following solely 4 months in cost.

The Serbian’s departure was introduced by the second-tier English membership after dropping at Huddersfield 2-0 within the Championship on Saturday.

A fourth league loss in 20 matches since being relegated from the Premier League left Watford fifth, 9 factors behind chief Norwich.

IDITAROD

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The 2021 Iditarod Path Sled Canine Race might be about 140 miles (225 kilometers) shorter than regular because of issues stemming from the coronavirus pandemic.

Race officers introduced Friday that groups will not embark on a 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) journey to Nome however as a substitute will take a roughly 860-mile (1,384-kilometer) loop that begins and ends in Willow.

AWARDS

LONDON (AP) – Seven-time Formulation One champion Lewis Hamilton capped one other profitable 12 months by claiming the BBC’s Sports activities Character of the 12 months prize on Sunday.

The 35-year-old driver, who final month equaled Michael Schumacher’s file of seven F1 titles, overcame Jordan Henderson and Hollie Doyle to win the British broadcaster’s prestigious prize in a public vote.

Hamilton additionally received the BBC prize in 2014.

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Extra AP sports activities: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports activities