U.S./World Sports category, Page 59

DETROIT — Rashad Amos ran for two touchdowns, Graham Nicholson kicked three field goals and Miami (Ohio) upset No. 23 Toledo, 23-14, in the Mid-American Conference championship game Saturday. The RedHawks (11-2) last won the MAC title in 2019 when they beat Central Michigan. It is the first time Miami...

LAS VEGAS — Michael Penix Jr. passed for 319 yards and a touchdown, Dillon Johnson ran for 152 yards and two TDs and No. 3 Washington wrapped up a spot in the College Football Playoff, beating No. 5 Oregon, 34-31, on Friday night in the Pac-12 Championship. The game was...

NASSAU, Bahamas — Tiger Woods opened with four birdies in seven holes. The closing stretch was another struggle Friday in the Hero World Challenge, which included a putt that went off the green and into the bunker. It added to a 2-under-par 70 that left Woods 10 shots behind Scottie...

Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West announced a football scheduling agreement Friday for the 2024 season that gives the two remaining Pac-12 schools six opponents each and positions them to operate as a two-team conference for at least a year. All 12 Mountain West schools will be involved,...

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas won the championship game in the Big 12’s inaugural 1996 season and now will try to bid farewell to the conference with a bookend title. On the way out, the seventh-ranked Longhorns (11-1, No. 7 CFP) are the league’s last hope for the four-team College Football...

ATLANTA — When Kirby Smart returned to his alma mater as head coach, Alabama was the top dog. Now, the roles are reversed. The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs are the two-time defending national champions and haven’t lost a game in nearly two years. Everyone is chasing them. Alabama included. “To...

LAS VEGAS — For a conference just about on its last legs, the Pac-12 is having a heck of a final kick. No. 3 Washington (12-0) and No. 5 Oregon (11-1), two of the four conference teams ranked in the AP Top 25, meet Friday for an almost certain spot...

INDIANAPOLIS — Iowa defensive end Joe Evans spent six years defying the odds. After one season as a walk-on linebacker, he switched positions, earned a scholarship in 2020, shared the team lead for sacks in 2021 and 2022, returned this year as a team captain and wound up earning third-team...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Florida State wasn’t dominant against its archrival, but the No. 4 Seminoles were effective enough to remain unbeaten — and to pop back into the College Football Playoff’s top four. The No. 4 Seminoles are tabling those playoff talks for now with No. 15 Louisville on the...

Pittsburgh native Curt Cignetti learned the coaching profession from his College Football Hall of Fame father. Now, like his father, he’s about to get his chance on the big stage. The Indiana Hoosiers hired Curt Cignetti as their new coach, school officials announced Thursday. Shortly after the announcement, James Madison...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It was 3:42 a.m. in North Carolina as Bubba Wallace’s best friend celebrated winning his first NASCAR championship across the country in Arizona. Wallace could have stuck around and partied with Ryan Blaney, but he instead flew directly home to sit alone in the dark. Wallace was...

DENVER — Deion Sanders reinvigorated a fanbase and put a downtrodden football program back on the map in his first season at Colorado. For that, the Buffaloes coach was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated. It was a roller-coaster inaugural season as Sanders took over a 1-11 Colorado...

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has entered into an agreement to sell a majority stake in the NBA franchise to the family that runs the Las Vegas Sands casino company, it was announced Wednesday. The deal could be completed in the coming weeks. The agreement would be in the valuation...

On this episode of “Next on the Tee,” host Chris Mascaro is joined by top instructor Tom Patri, Pittsburgh sports talk radio host Paul Alexander, Wisconsin golf hall-of-famer Gary D’Amoto, and U.S. Kids Top 50 master professional Chris Knobloch. Patri offers golf conspiracy theories about Jon Rahm leaving for LIV,...

Rory McIlroy and his teammates wanted it. The European tour wanted it. And, after some reflection, Luke Donald wanted it, too. Emboldened by seemingly unanimous backing, Donald accepted an offer to stay on as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain for its defense of the 17-inch golden trophy in 2025 at Bethpage...

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is working on a deal to sell a majority stake in the NBA franchise to the family that runs the Las Vegas Sands casino company, a person with knowledge of the talks said Tuesday night. The agreement would be in the valuation range of $3.5...

The four-team College Football Playoff is going out with the most crowded field of contenders and the most consequential championship weekend in the 10-year history of the system. Eight teams have at least a glimmer of hope to make the field. Yes, that means you, too, Ohio State. The penultimate...

Texas A&M is working on a deal to hire Duke coach Mike Elko, replacing Jimbo Fisher with his former defensive coordinator for four years in College Station, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity...

MINNEAPOLIS — Football Bowl Subdivision newcomers James Madison and Jacksonville State along with five-win Minnesota are bound for bowls because of a shortage of eligible teams. Those three teams round out the 82 available spots because only 79 teams achieved the six wins necessary for bowl eligibility. James Madison (11-1)...

No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Oregon all moved up a spot in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday, giving the Pac-12 two top-five teams for the first time since the final ranking of the 2016 season. Georgia remained No. 1 as the two-time defending...

HOUSTON — The Houston Cougars fired football coach Dana Holgorsen on Sunday, a day after finishing his third losing season in five years, according to a person familiar with the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the firing hadn’t been announced. The Cougars...