January 11, 2026 5:56 am
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Matthew Stafford threw a 19-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 38 seconds to lift the Los Angeles Rams to a dramatic 34-31 wild-card round win over the Carolina Panthers in the opening game of the NFL playoffs. Stafford finished 24 of 42 for 304 yards with three touchdown passes, while Puka Nacua had 10 receptions for 111 yards and two total touchdowns as the Rams, who were 10 1/2-point favorites, advanced to the divisional round. Bryce Young threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score for Carolina, which finished the season losing four of its final five games.
January 11, 2026 6:18 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Donnie Freeman and JJ Starling combined for 41 points as Syracuse downed Pittsburgh 83-72. Freeman posted 22 points for the Orange (11-5, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) on 8-of-13 shooting to go with five rebounds in his third game back from a six-week absence with a foot injury. He’s scored a combined 57 points since returning. Starling added 19 points, going 7 of 11 and and 3 of 4 from behind the arc. The Orange shot 56% and 45% from behind the arc to 44% and 19% behind the arc for the Panthers.
January 10, 2026 4:34 am
ATLANTA (AP) — Undefeated Indiana’s already impressive march through the College Football Playoff gained momentum as its dominant defense created three first-half touchdowns with turnovers, Fernando Mendoza threw five scoring passes and the Hoosiers overwhelmed No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in the Peach Bowl semifinal. No. 1 Indiana will face No. 10 Miami on January 19 in the national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Miami beat Mississippi in the Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday night. Led by Mendoza and the defense, Indiana is making a case to be considered among the top teams in history.
January 10, 2026 4:35 am
The NCAA has denied Mississippi’s request to extend the eligibility of Trinidad Chambliss. The Rebels star quarterback finished his fifth year of college football in a 31-27 loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Thursday night. He had planned to return to Ole Miss for one more year. Ole Miss will appeal the decision. Chambliss took a redshirt his first season at Ferris State in 2021-22 and was held out his second season for medical reasons. He played two more seasons at the Division II school, and then transferred to Ole Miss. The Rebels filed the waiver request with the NCAA in November.
January 10, 2026 4:37 am
Brooks Koepka is taking the first step toward possibly rejoining the PGA Tour. The AP has confirmed Koepka has applied for reinstatement. This comes just two weeks after LIV Golf announced the five-time major champion was leaving the Saudi-funded league with one year remaining on his contract. The next step belongs to the PGA Tour. The tour and Koepka’s manager have declined to comment. Among the unknowns is what kind of discipline Koepka would face for defecting from the PGA Tour in June 2022. The tour typically does not disclose disciplinary matter. The one-year ban has applied only to nonmembers.
January 9, 2026 4:37 am
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Miami will head back home for a shot at its first national championship since 2001 after beating Mississippi 31-27 in an exhilarating College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl. Carson Beck scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown with 18 seconds left for the go-ahead score. He threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. Trinidad Chambliss had put Ole Miss ahead with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Dae’Quan Wright with 3:13 left. The 10th-ranked Hurricanes didn’t play in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game but proved they belong in the CFP. They will face either top-ranked Indiana or Oregon for the national title.
January 9, 2026 4:34 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal in his return from an upper-body injury and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Thursday night for their sixth straight victory. Erik Karlsson pushed his career-best home points streak to nine games with a goal, while Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte also scored for Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby extended his points streak to eight with two assists and surpassed Wayne Gretzky for the second-most assists with one franchise in NHL history. Stuart Skinner made 28 saves for the Penguins.
January 9, 2026 4:36 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith confirmed Thursday that the Tennessee Titans have reached out to interview him for their head coach opening. Smith said he’s only focused on his current job and the future is a distraction right now. Smith coached for the Titans from 2011 when he started as a quality control assistant up to offensive coordinator in 2019 under four different head coaches. He left after the 2020 season to be head coach of the Atlanta Falcons where he went 21-30 in three seasons. The Titans were the first NFL team to fire a coach in October and now are among eight looking for a new coach.
January 9, 2026 2:36 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn is a Pittsburgh Pirate. The veteran first baseman and outfielder has signed two-year deal with Pittsburgh worth $29 million. This is the Pirates’ first multi-year free agent agreement in nearly a decade. O’Hearn is coming off his best season, hitting .281 with 17 home runs and 63 RBIs in 2025. He made the All-Star team for the first time while playing for Baltimore and San Diego. This move follows Pittsburgh’s acquisition of two-time All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe from Tampa Bay as the Pirates try to build an offense to help out a pitching staff led by reigning Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.
January 8, 2026 4:30 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The NFL playoffs could see an unusual number of road favorites this weekend. As of Wednesday, four road teams are favored at BetMGM Sportsbook. Green Bay is a narrow favorite at Chicago, and the same is true for Buffalo at Jacksonville. That means there’s a chance those road teams won’t be favored by kickoff. The Los Angeles Rams are bigger favorites at Carolina, and Houston is favored at Pittsburgh. There were only three road favorites all of last postseason, according to Sportradar. And even in the games this weekend where the home team is favored, the lines aren’t that big.
