AP Sports Summary for December 21st, 2024:
Notre Dame protects home field in new postseason era with 1st playoff win, 27-17 over Indiana
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Jeremiyah Love tied the Notre Dame record with a 98-yard touchdown run, Riley Leonard added two more scores and the Fighting Irish shut down the highest-scoring team in the College Football Playoff, overwhelming Indiana 27-17 on Friday night. The seventh-seeded Fighting Irish (12-1) won their 11th straight — and their first playoff victory. They'll face second-seeded Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. Tenth-seeded Indiana (11-2) completed a magical season by finishing with its second fewest points this season on a cold, brisk night in the first CFP game ever played on a campus site. Both of the Hoosiers' losses came to top-five opponents. Indiana hasn't won at Notre Dame since 1898.
Penn State and SMU carry the weight of history into their CFP debuts. They're both trying to shed it
Penn State and SMU head into the College Football Playoff with the weight of history on their shoulders. This is the Nittany Lions' best shot at making a run at a national title since the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal tarnished the program 13 years ago. SMU is still perhaps best known for being given the death penalty by the NCAA in the 1980s for illegally paying players. Former Nittany Lions give coach James Franklin credit for bringing the program back to prominence. Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee says the work to restore SMU's reputation began long before he arrived in 2022.
World Series champion Dodgers top MLB luxury tax at $103 million as record 9 teams owe penalty
NEW YORK (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers topped a record nine teams owing Major League Baseball's luxury tax this year with an unprecedented $103 million penalty. The New York Mets owe $97.1 million that raises their tax total under high-spending owner Steve Cohen to nearly $229 million. The World Series champion Dodgers will pay a tax for the fourth year in a row. The Dodgers' tax payroll of $353 million included $1,032,454 in non-cash compensation for Shohei Ohtani, whose contract calls for use of a suite for games at Dodger Stadium and an interpreter. The Yankees owe $62.5 million, followed by Philadelphia at $14.4 million, Atlanta at $14 million and Texas at $10.8 million.
Lindsey Vonn finishes 14th in a super-G to mark her return to World Cup skiing at age 40
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn has finished 14th in a super-G to mark her return to World Cup skiing at age 40. Vonn crossed the line 1.18 seconds behind Austrian winner Cornelia Huetter. It's the American standout's first World Cup race after nearly six years of retirement. Vonn says it was "the perfect start" to her comeback as she just wanted "a solid result." She is planning to race another super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday. Vonn had to cut her career short in 2019 due to a series of crashes and injuries but then she had knee replacement surgery in April and decided to come back.
Soccer's top players have had enough, as FIFA's new super-sized tournament sparks a revolt
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Top soccer players have had enough. Legal challenges have been mounted and the possibility of strike action hangs over the most popular sport in the world. A newly-expanded Club World Cup, held in the United States next year, has proved the tipping point. Players say they are "at breaking point, that they are at the limit, that it's actually too much," Alexander Bielefeld, from global players' union FIFPRO, told The Associated Press. The Club World Cup has been increased from seven teams to 32, will be staged every four years and has been crammed into an already congested match calendar.
'Front-row seats to something amazing': In 2024, the sports world, again, had unforgettable moments
Patrick Mahomes threw a walk-off pass to win the Super Bowl. Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam to win a World Series game. Stephen Curry said "nuit, nuit" to win an Olympic basketball title in Paris, Noah Lyles won 100-meter gold by about the smallest margin possible, and Sabrina Ionescu won a WNBA Finals game with a 30-foot heave. Sports is a collection of moments. This year, many moments were — once again — spectacular.
Tiger Woods' immediate goal: Keep his son from beating him in golf for 18 holes
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tiger Woods turns 49 at the end of the year and he has one pressing goal. That's to keep his 15-year-old son, Charlie, from beating him in golf over 18 holes. Word is out that Charlie already beat his 15-time major champion father for nine holes. They will be playing with, and not against, each other in the PNC Championship. The event pairs major champions with family members and Woods wouldn't want to miss it. He says he had his sixth back surgery in September with hopes of recovering in time to play with Charlie in the PNC Championship.
Jalen Hurts fined for wearing mismatched cleats during Eagles' win over Steelers, AP source says
A person familiar with the decision says Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was fined $5,628 by the NFL for wearing mismatched cleats that were not "constitutional team colors." The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the league had not disclosed the fine, which stemmed from Hurts wearing Air Jordan cleats in two different shades of green during the Eagles' 27-13 victory over the Steelers on Sunday. The Nike subsidiary behind the shoes indicated on social media that it would pay Hurts' fine. Jordan Brand said on X: "We're paying the fine. You can't ban greatness."
The Thunder should have been quite tired. They went 2-0 in Florida anyway, pushing record to 22-5
MIAMI (AP) — Here's how the last few days have gone for the Oklahoma City Thunder: Lose the NBA Cup final to Milwaukee in Las Vegas on Tuesday, spend time airborne over four different time zones on Wednesday, win in Orlando on Thursday, win in Miami on Friday. It was, even by NBA standards, a ridiculous schedule. The Thunder never complained. They just played and won. They expected nothing less. The Western Conference's best team is 22-5 after beating the Heat 104-97 on Friday night.
Former NFL star Michael Vick officially hired by Norfolk State on Friday
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Norfolk State has officially named Michael Vick its head football coach, the latest hire of a talented NFL player with no college coaching experience to lead an HBCU program. Vick's addition was unanimously approved by the school's board of visitors, Norfolk State athletic director Melody Webb said in a release from the university. Vick said he was humbled by the opportunity to take over and revive the football program. The school will introduce Vick on campus Monday. It's release never mentioned Vick's time in federal prison after pleading guilty to his involvement in a dogfighting ring.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Philadelphia 108 Charlotte 98
Final Cleveland 124 Milwaukee 101
Final Oklahoma City 104 Miami 97
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Toronto 6 Buffalo 3
Final Montreal 4 Detroit 3
Final OT Florida 2 St. Louis 1
Final Washington 3 Carolina 1
Final Utah 2 Minnesota 1
Final N-Y Rangers 3 Dallas 1
Final Colorado 4 Anaheim 2
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (3)Notre Dame 27 (9)Indiana 17
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (12)Texas A&M 77 Houston Christian 45
Final (19)Cincinnati 66 (22)Dayton 59
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
L.A. Lakers at Sacramento 6 p.m.
Miami at Orlando 7 p.m.
Memphis at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Utah at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Chicago 8 p.m.
Golden State at Minnesota 8 p.m.
New York at New Orleans 8 p.m.
Philadelphia at Cleveland 8 p.m.
Washington at Milwaukee 8 p.m.
L.A. Clippers at Dallas 8:30 p.m.
Portland at San Antonio 8:30 p.m.
Detroit at Phoenix 9 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Los Angeles at Nashville 1:30 p.m.
Chicago at Calgary 4 p.m.
San Jose at Edmonton 4 p.m.
Buffalo at Boston 7 p.m.
Columbus at Philadelphia 7 p.m.
Detroit at Montreal 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Winnipeg 7 p.m.
N-Y Islanders at Toronto 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh at New Jersey 7 p.m.
Ottawa at Vancouver 10 p.m.
Seattle at Vegas 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Houston at Kansas City 1 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Baltimore 4:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(7)Tennessee at (6)Ohio St. 8 p.m.
(12)SMU at (5)Penn St. 12 p.m.
(13)Clemson at (4)Texas 4 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(16)Purdue at (2)Auburn 4:30 p.m.
Ohio St. at (4)Kentucky 5:30 p.m.
(5)Duke at Georgia Tech 12 p.m.
North Florida at (7)Florida 12 p.m.
(9)Marquette at Xavier 12 p.m.
(10)Oregon at Stanford 8 p.m.
(11)UConn at Butler 12 p.m.
Bucknell at (13)Gonzaga 9 p.m.
Texas A&M-CC at (15)Houston 2 p.m.
Queens (NC) at (17)Mississippi 5 p.m.
(18)UCLA at North Carolina 3 p.m.
FAU at (20)Michigan St. 2 p.m.
Mississippi St. at (21)Memphis 12:30 p.m.
California at (23)San Diego St. 10:30 p.m.
Wake Forest at (25)Clemson 2 p.m.
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