COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
Field is set
UNDATED (AP) β The final four teams that will take part in the first-ever major college football playoff are Alabama as the top seed, followed by Oregon, Florida State and Ohio State.
In the national semifinals, Alabama will face Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl while Oregon will go against Florida State in the Rose Bowl.
Those games will take place on January first.
The fifth ranked team by the committee was Baylor followed by TCU.
T25 FOOTBALL-POLL
Final AP poll of the season
UNDATED (AP) β The top three teams in last week’s Associated Press football poll remain 1-2-3 in the final media poll of the regular season. Alabama is No. 1 followed by Florida State and then Oregon. TCU dropped out of the top five to sixth place with Baylor and Ohio State moving into the fourth and fifth spots.
TCU fell after defeating lowly Iowa State while Baylor and Ohio State moved up with wins over ranked schools.
The rest of the top 10 features Michigan State at seven, followed by Mississippi State, Mississippi and Georgia Tech.
NFL-SCHEDULE
Teams continue their push to the playoffs
UNDATED (AP) β The NFL game this evening has San Diego playing host to New England. The Chargers are 8-4, a game back of Denver in the AFC West, while the Patriots are 9-3, two games up on Miami in the AFC East.
A check of the early starts features two teams vying for an AFC playoff berth meeting in Cleveland. The Browns are one of three teams in the AFC Central tied at 7-5, while the Colts lead the AFC South with a record of 8-4.
One of the other teams tied with the Browns in the AFC Central is Pittsburgh and the Steelers are on the road for a divisional game with the Bengals. Cincinnati begins play in first with a record of 8-3-1.
The rest of the early starts include the Giants at Tennessee, the Saints at home to Carolina, New York’s Jets are at Minnesota, the Redskins are entertaining St. Louis, the Ravens are playing at Miami, Detroit is home to Tampa Bay and Houston is at Jacksonville.
In the second round of games today the marquee matchup has Seattle playing at Philadelphia. The defending league champion Seahawks are 8-4 while the Eagles lead the NFC East with a record of 9-3. Kansas City takes its 7-5 record today to Arizona to face the 9-3 Cardinals while Buffalo is at Denver and the 49ers are at Oakland.
NBA-SCHEDULE
Afternoon play in the NBA
UNDATED (AP) β There are two games this afternoon in the NBA. In Boston the Celtics, who have won two straight, are home to the Wizards. Washington comes into the game in first place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 13-5. The other game has the Hawks at home to the Denver Nuggets. The Hawks have won five in a row and are 12-6 on the season, while Denver is 9-10.
In play this evening Memphis, which has 15 wins in 19 games, is home to Miami. The Heat have lost three straight and are 9-10.
Portland starts the day in first place in the Northwest Division with a record of 15-4 and tonight the Blazers are in New York to face the Knicks.
The rest of the card has Oklahoma City playing at Detroit, Dallas home to Milwaukee and the Pelicans in L.A. against the Lakers.
T25 MEN’S BASKETBALL-SCHEDULE
UK leads the way
UNDATED (AP) β Kentucky, the top team in the men’s Associated Press Top-25 basketball poll, has another game today. The Wildcats, who are unbeaten in eight games, are home to Eastern Kentucky.
The remaining games today feature No. 12 North Carolina home to East Carolina, 13th-ranked San Diego State is at Washington, No. 16 West Virginia is on the road for a game at Northern Kentucky and 18th-ranked Arkansas is at Clemson.
NHL-SCHEDULE
Matinee action in the NHL
UNDATED (AP) β In the first game of the day on ice, the Winnipeg Jets are home to Anaheim. The Jets are putting an end to a three game home stand after winning the first two games. The Ducks start the day in first place in the Pacific Division, two points in front of Vancouver. The second-place Canucks are on the road tonight for a game against the Senators in Ottawa. The home team has dropped its last five games.
In the other day game, the Hurricanes are home to the Red Wings. Detroit has won its last two games.
In the final game of the night, the Edmonton Oilers are looking to put an end to an 11-game losing streak. They are playing host to the San Jose Sharks. A year ago the Sharks won four of the five games between the clubs.
GOLF-HERO WORLD CHALLENGE
Spieth is the man to beat
WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP) β The final round of the Hero World Challenge in golf is underway in Florida. The leader after three rounds was Justin Spieth (speeth) while Tiger Woods was dead last.
Spieth fired a 9-under 63 yesterday for a 20-under total, seven strokes ahead of Keegan Bradley and Henrik Stenson.
Woods shot a 3-under 69 to get to even par for the tournament, but he remains last in the 18-man field. Woods suffered nausea on the practice tee and during the round.
