The College Football Playoff entered its final phase this Tuesday, marking the last time the committee would release its projections ahead of Selection Sunday’s definitive rankings.

That is when we get the final bracket and clarity on the teams that will make up the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket.

Bowl season will look a great deal different this year, and Tuesday’s rankings reveal offered plenty of intrigue with upsetting losses this past weekend for the likes of Miami and Ohio State.

Here is everything that went down during the final CFP rankings release show.

CFP RANKINGS GRADES: How committee fared

CFP rankings: Week 5

*-projected first-round bye

No. 1 Oregon (12-0)*
No. 2 Texas (11-1)*
No. 3 Penn State (11-1)
No. 4 Notre Dame (11-1)
No. 5 Georgia (10-2)
No. 6 Ohio State (10-2)
No. 7 Tennessee (10-2)
No. 8 SMU (10-2)*
No. 9 Indiana (11-1)
No. 10 Boise State (11-1)*
No. 11 Alabama (9-3)
No. 12 Miami (10-2)
No. 13 Ole Miss (9-3)
No. 14 South Carolina (9-3)
No. 15 Arizona state (10-2) – would earn final spot in CFP as fifth-highest ranked projected champion
No. 16 Iowa State (10-2)
No. 17 Clemson (9-3)
No. 18 BYU (10-2)
No. 19 Missouri (9-3)
No. 20 UNLV (10-2)
No. 21 Illinois (9-3)
No. 22 Syracuse (9-3)
No. 23 Colorado (9-3)
No. 24 Army (10-1)
No. 25 Memphis (10-2)

CFP bracket, Week 5

Based on latest CFP rankings and projections.

First Round:

No. 12 Arizona State at No. 5 Penn State
No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State
No. 11 Alabama at No. 6 Notre Dame
No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Georgia

Quarterfinals:

(Winner of Arizona State vs. Penn State) vs. No. 4 Boise State
(Winner of Tennessee vs. Ohio State) vs. No. 1 Oregon
(Winner of Alabama vs. Notre Dame) vs. No. 3 SMU
(Winner of Indiana vs. Georgia) vs. No. 2 Texas

2024 College Football Playoff Bracket: First teams out

In the fifth and final rankings before Selection Sunday, the first teams out were Miami and Ole Miss. While both teams have a strong case for a playoff bid, neither team will be participating in their conference championship, meaning their seasons are likely done. It would take a massive collapse, injury, or something similar in order for any team with no more games on their schedule to be moved up in the rankings.

During the reveal show, a member of the CFP Rankings committee noted that Alabama (3-1 against currently ranked teams) has done better against ranked teams than Miami (0-1 against currently ranked teams), which ultimately gave them the edge in the rankings despite their three losses.

2024 CFP schedule

All times Eastern.

First Round:

Game 1: Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN
Game 2: Saturday, December 21 at 12 p.m. | TNT Sports
Game 3: Saturday, December 21 at 4 p.m. | TNT Sports
Game 4: Saturday, December 21 at 8 p.m. | ABC, ESPN

Playoff Quarterfinals Round:

Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Tuesday, December 31 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 1 p.m. | ESPN
Rose Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 5 p.m. | ESPN
Allstate Sugar Bowl: Wednesday, January 1 at 8:45 p.m. | ESPN

Playoff Semifinals Round:

Capital One Orange Bowl: Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Goodyear Cotton Bowl: Friday, January 10 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

National Championship:

National Championship: Monday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. | ESPN

How to watch CFP Rankings release show: Time, TV, streaming

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 3
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Stream: Fubo

Watch the CFP Rankings Show on ESPN with a Fubo subscription

College Football Playoff predictions 

Erick Smith, USA TODAY

Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
Texas (SEC champion)*
SMU (ACC champion)*
Arizona State (Big 12 champion)*
Notre Dame
Ohio State
Georgia
Penn State
Tennessee
Boise State**
Indiana
Alabama

*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bid

Bracket – first round games

No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Alabama
No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Indiana
No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Boise State
No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 9 Tennessee

R.J. Young, FOX Sports

Oregon (Big Ten champion)*
Texas (SEC champion)*
SMU (ACC champion)*
Arizona State (Big 12 champion)*
Notre Dame
Penn State
Indiana
Georgia
Ohio State
Tennessee
Alabama
Boise State**

*Receives first-round bye, automatic bid; **Receives automatic bid

Bracket – first round games

No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Boise State
No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 Alabama
No. 7 Indiana vs. No. 10 Tennessee
No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 Ohio State

CFP rankings projections

Blake Toppmeyer, USA Today

Oregon
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Georgia
Ohio State
Tennessee
SMU
Indiana
Boise State
Alabama
South Carolina
Arizona State

Heather Dinich, ESPN

Oregon
Texas
Penn State
Notre Dame
Georgia
Ohio State
Tennessee
SMU
Indiana
Boise State
Miami
Alabama
Ole Miss
South Carolina
Arizona State
Iowa State
Clemson
BYU
Missouri
UNLV
Colorado
Illinois
Syracuse
Memphis
Texas A&M

When do College Football Playoff rankings come out? 

The fifth College Football Playoff rankings of the 2024 season will be released Tuesday, Dec. 3. This is followed by a CFP selection show on Dec. 8 to announce the 12-team playoff field.

Here is the schedule for the College Football Playoff rankings show. All times are Eastern:

Ranking 5: Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7-7:30 p.m.
Selection Day: Sunday, Dec. 8, noon-4 p.m.

What time is CFP rankings show? 

The College Football Playoff rankings are released each week through a CFP rankings show broadcasted by ESPN every Tuesday, from Nov. 5 through Dec. 3. This week’s show is slated to air starting at 7 p.m. ET and ending at 8 p.m. ET.

How to watch College Football Playoff rankings show 

The College Football Playoff rankings show will air on ESPN, with the broadcast starting at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Fans can also stream the show on Fubo, which is offering a free trial.

CFP championship odds

As of Dec. 3, here are the latest College Football Playoff title odds from BetMGM:

Oregon (+350)
Georgia (+450)
Texas (+450)
Ohio State (+500)
Notre Dame (+900)
Penn State (+1000)
Tennessee (+1800)
Alabama (+1800)
SMU (+3000)
Clemson (+5000)
South Carolina (+5000)
Indiana (+5000)
Arizona State (+8000)
Boise State (+10,000)
Iowa State (+15,000)
Miami (+25,000)
BYU (+25,000)
UNLV (+25,000)
Ole Miss (+50,000)

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The 15-time PGA major champion has announced that he will not participate in this week’s Hero World Challenge, which he hosts in the Bahamas. Woods mentioned that he does not feel as sharp as he needs to be following his procedure and recognizes that he still has a long way to go before he can compete effectively with the world’s best golfers.

‘I’m still not there. And these are 20 of the best players in the world, and I’m not sharp enough to compete against them at this level,’ Woods said. ‘When I’m ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.’

Woods last competed in The Open Championship in July 2024 and did not specify a timeline for his recovery. He made it clear that, despite undergoing what is believed to be his sixth back surgery, his strong desire to compete for another title continues to motivate him during his recovery.

Woods’ focus is on taking it slow and putting his health first, stating, ‘I don’t want to have any setbacks. Just want to keep making progress and give myself the best chance going to next year as possible. I feel like I’m getting stronger, I’m getting more pliable, but I got a long way to go to be able to compete against these guys.’

Woods’ back surgery in September 2024

Tiger Woods announced that he underwent back surgery in September, his sixth following a car wreck in 2021 that severely injured his right leg and foot.

The PGA stated that Woods underwent microdecompression surgery on his lumbar spine to relieve nerve impingement in his lower back, aiming to reduce the pain and spasms he experienced.

When you can’t possibly imagine another sickeningly simplistic argument to make the College Football Playoff, Miami arrives to the party and we’re all worse for it. 

Temporarily, anyway.

“Award teams for winning football games,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal told Miami radio station WQAM. “We won 10 games this year, and not many teams have.”

Now we’re going down this road? OK, I’ll bite.

Army won 10 games. So did Memphis. So did Boise State and UNLV and Louisiana-Lafayette.

But, you say, those Group of Five conference schools have an easier road to 10 wins because of fortunate schedules.

Ding, ding, ding.

It is here where we introduce transitive property, because what’s used in one level of argument must be used at an increased level. In other words, power conference vs. power conference.  

Let’s begin with basic math: 13 Power Four teams have won at least 10 games, and there could be another if Clemson wins the ACC championship.

Because there are five automatic qualifying spots – likely the Power Four conference champions, and the highest-ranked Group of Five conference champion – that leaves seven playoff spots for nine 10-win teams (possibly 10, if Clemson wins).

How do you find seven from nine, you ask? Strength of schedule. 

And now you see how Miami and Indiana – two teams with 10 or more wins that played weak schedules – have backed themselves into a corner. The only way out is mental gymnastics.

Don’t believe what you see, believe what you’re told.

Because there’s only one logical way to determine seven from nine when head-to-head doesn’t figure into the conference vs. conference equation. Only strength of schedule does. 

Not “eye test” (whatever that means), not game control (what could that possibly have to do with wins and losses?), not average margin of victory against a clearly advantageous schedule. 

When the final poll arrives, it’s who did you play and who did you beat — especially when season victory totals are the same, or even one game difference. 

Now we move to the excuses. For the Miamis and Indianas of the world, the excuse is you can only play who’s on your schedule. 

For the nine-win teams in the SEC, the excuse is the road to 10 is more difficult in the SEC than any other conference. 

Let’s be very clear again: if we’re using the argument that you can only play who’s on your schedule, there’s no separation between Miami, Indiana and the other Group of Five schools with 10 wins. 

See where this is headed? You can’t have it both ways. 

If you’re Indiana and Miami and you’ve scoffed at the path to 10 wins for the Group of Five teams, what prevents the same standards to be placed on your road to 10 wins from the nine-win teams in the SEC (Alabama, South Carolina, Ole Miss)? 

Your entire argument is you have one more win with a significantly easier road to those wins. At some point, that argument dies.

Alabama has three wins against top 25 teams in the playoff rankings before Tuesday’s release. (No. 7 Georgia, No. 15 South Carolina, No. 21 Missouri). 

South Carolina has three wins against current ranked teams (No. 12 Clemson, No. 20 Texas A&M, No. 21 Missouri). 

Ole Miss has two wins against top 25 teams (No. 7 Georgia, No. 15 South Carolina). 

Miami and Indiana have no wins over ranked teams. 

So we’re supposed to believe that one more win through a fortunate schedule is the be-all, end-all in determining if a team is CFP worthy. That’s laughable on its face, and any other objective manner of evaluation. 

“The awards should go to the teams that are actually winning the games,” Cristobal said. “Not the ones that are politicking themselves out of losses.”

They’ve backed themselves into a circular argument, and the only way out is the 13-member CFP selection committee that will choose those 12 teams based on … who knows? 

Indiana is the No. 10 team in the CFP, and has played one game against a current top 25 teams. And lost by 23 points. 

There is no other tangible reason for Indiana to be ranked where it is, and to be awarded one of the 12 spots ― other than 13 people watching games think the Hoosiers are worthy.

Don’t believe what you see, everyone. Believe what you’re told. 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X @MattHayesCFB.

NFL power rankings entering Week 14 of the 2024 season (previous rank in parentheses):

1. Detroit Lions (1): Now 11-1 for the first time in club history after snapping a seven-game Thanksgiving skid, they’ll take aim at their first-ever 11-game winning streak this Thursday night. Two massive games ahead with the Packers and Bills coming to Ford Field and threatening Detroit’s very precarious perch atop the NFC standings … though hopefully they won’t discourage more pass attempts from 335-pound RT Penei Sewell, who was sacked during his only opportunity on Turkey Day.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (2): Should they be considered the league’s top team? They have a very strong case and will overtake the Lions atop the conference table this week if they beat the Panthers and Detroit loses. One unheralded aspect of Philly’s success has been the arrival – literally and figuratively – of Zack Baun, who seems to make impact plays every week and is ranked by the NFL analytics site PFF as the league’s No. 1 off-ball linebacker.

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6. Pittsburgh Steelers (6): In the four games since he was acquired from the Jets, WR Mike Williams has been targeted once – his game-winning 32-yard TD catch at Washington. If volatile WR1 George Pickens goes off the rails at any point, this offense is in serious trouble.

7. Baltimore Ravens (7): Their five losses are by an average of 4.4 points, and they’re rolling with the league’s least-accurate kicker – in 2024 anyway. Justin Tucker’s 10 missed kicks are the most in the league after he misfired a career-worst three times (1 PAT, 2 FGAs) in Sunday’s five-point setback against Philly.

14. Houston Texans (12): Now that LB Azeez Al-Shaair has been hit with a three-game suspension for his brutal hit on Jags QB Trevor Lawrence, a defense that was already suspect at the second level could be in serious trouble against upcoming opponents (Dolphins, Chiefs, Ravens) that thrive while exploiting the middle of the field.

15. Atlanta Falcons (15): Maybe some (previous) home cooking will do Cousins some good. He averaged 266.1 yards and two TDs passing in his 44 appearances at Minnesota’s U.S. Bank Stadium, where he’s headed Sunday. Over the last three weeks, all losses, Cousins has averaged 241.3 yards and two picks with nary a TD pass.

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21. San Francisco 49ers (19): It’s legitimately been a tragic season, LT Trent Williams and CB Charvarius Ward both losing children in recent weeks. Between the lines, a sinking team’s most reliable play Sunday night was a Deebo Samuel Sr. kickoff return – which averaged 34.7 yards. The fact he had six of them tells you all you need to know about how the snow job in Buffalo went otherwise.

27. Cleveland Browns (26): Whether it’s Joe Flacco or Jameis Winston, amazing how wildly productive – and entertaining – this offense is when operated by veteran quarterbacks not named Deshaun Watson. Winston threw six touchdowns Monday night – four to his teammates and two to the Broncos.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (30): Need evidence that DE Maxx Crosby is unique? Per Next Gen Stats, he hasn’t missed a snap in six games. Talk about a unicorn.

This story has been updated with new information.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Javier Mascherano lived the joy and success Lionel Messi experienced in Barcelona, and the pain and heartbreak Messi experienced with Argentina before winning the 2022 World Cup.

Now, Mascherano is tasked with leading Messi — and their fellow former Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets — to new heights with Inter Miami in Major League Soccer.

‘For me, it’s fantastic. The chance to coaching [Messi] is a great chance for me. It’s a privilege,’ Mascherano told USA TODAY Sports after his introduction as the new Inter Miami coach Tuesday. ‘I will do my best to help him and the team to compete in all the competitions and try to win titles. This is the main thing.’

Mascherano’s coaching experience is limited. He led Argentine youth clubs in major tournaments, including Argentina’s quarterfinal finish at the Paris Olympics earlier this summer.

He’ll be a first-time MLS coach tasked with making Inter Miami an MLS Cup title contender; helping the club defend its Supporters’ Shield title won after finishing with the best regular-season record in league history; and competing in tournaments, such as the Concacaf Champions Cup, Leagues Cup and Club World Cup in 2025.

“I have the chance to coach Messi, to coach Inter Miami, with big competitions moving forward. For me, it was a fantastic chance to get,’ Mascherano said.

While Mascherano’s coaching experience is modest, his experience as a player is unquestioned. He was a Barcelona and Argentine captain, like Messi. He won Olympic gold twice with Argentina, in 2004 and with Messi in 2008. He won five LaLiga titles, two UEFA Champions League titles and two FIFA Club World Cup titles, among others with Messi, Suarez, Alba and Busquets in Barcelona.

And he hopes his overall experience is enough to raise more trophies alongside Messi in the first club coaching job of his career.

‘You have to be brave. When you see an opportunity, you have to take it,’ Mascherano said. ‘I’m very optimistic things will go well.’

Mascherano replaces former Inter Miami coach Tata Martino, who surprisingly resigned Nov. 19 for personal reasons.

Messi and Martino helped Inter Miami win the 2023 Leagues Cup title, the franchise’s first championship. Inter Miami was the favorite to win MLS Cup this season, after producing a record 74 points from 22 wins, eight draws and just four losses during the regular season.

But Inter Miami was bounced from the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs in upset fashion by Atlanta United Nov. 9.

Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas said he quickly began his coaching search after Martino resigned, consulting with Messi about Mascherano and recalling his first meeting with Mascherano in August 2019.

Mas wanted to sign Mascherano as a player for the club’s inaugural season in 2020, then have him transition as a coach for Inter Miami’s academy.

‘I always thought he would be an amazing mentor,’ Mas said. ‘Five years later, he’s here. It’s fate.”

One week after Martino resigned, Mascherano agreed to a two-year deal to be Inter Miami’s coach through the 2026 season.

Messi, under contract through 2025, is expected to extend his contract through 2026. Suarez and Busquets are under contract next season, while Inter Miami is expected to exercise next year’s contract option on Alba this week.

“We want to improve the club is every aspect. We had a regular season that was extraordinary. The playoffs were a great blow for the club. But we have to go forward,” Mas said. “That’s why for us, it was important to bring Javi in as soon as possible.”

Added Mascherano: “We need to be prepared. We need to be ready to compete at the best level we can, and try to help the club progress every single day. This is the mentality that we must have.”

The NCAA doesn’t actually call it National Signing Day anymore because it isn’t just one day. College football’s modern version of this annual rite of passage, conducted mostly by fax machine not long ago, is the early signing period. And it begins Wednesday.

This is when most of the best high school football recruits in the country will make their college choice official.

The dynamic, of course, changed in recent years with the huge emphasis placed on the transfer portal and the introduction of name, image and likeness benefits for players. But there’s an excitement to the end of another recruiting cycle, with commitments and recruiting flips serving as another method to take stock of where programs stand as the College Football Playoff and college football’s offseason calendar collide.

There’s a slew of top prospects set to announce decisions on Wednesday, as well as potential movement by top prospects who re-opened their recruitment late this year. Here’s what to know about the start of the early signing period in college football:

When is early national signing day?

There is not a singular National Signing Day in college football anymore. The three-day early signing period will run from Wednesday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 6, one day before the Power Four conferences hold their league championship games.

It’s more than two weeks earlier this year when compared to 2023. There had been widespread criticism from college coaches about how condensed the sport’s calendar had become with the early signing period, the opening of the transfer portal, and bowl prep occurring simultaneously in December.

College football recruiting dates 2024-25

Here’s a look at the key college football recruiting dates for the 2024-2025 offseason:

Early Signing Period: Wednesday, Dec. 4 through Friday, Dec. 6
Transfer Portal: Opens Monday, Dec. 9, closes Saturday, Dec. 28
Traditional Signing Period: Wednesday, Feb. 5 through Tuesday, April 1.

Top 2025 football recruits: Undecided players

Here’s a look at some of the top 2025 uncommitted football prospects planning to announce their college plans during the early signing period, according to 247 Sports and Rivals.

*Star ratings based on 247 Sports Composite rankings

5-star DL Justus Terry (Manchester, Georgia): Georgia, Alabama and Auburn are among top choices.
5-star DL Jahkeem Stewart (New Orleans): USC, Oregon, LSU and Ohio State are among top choices.
4-star LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (Manassas, Virginia): Michigan and Colorado are among top choices.
4-star LB Madden Faraimo (San Juan Capistrano, California): Considering USC, Notre Dame, Texas, Washington and Ohio State
4-star DL Isaiah Campbell (Durham, North Carolina): Tennessee and North Carolina are among top choices
4-star DL Javion Hilson (Cocoa, Florida): Michigan, Texas, Texas A&M, Syracuse and Pitt among top choices
4-star ATH Michael Terry III (San Antonio): Texas, Oregon and Nebraska are among top choices.
4-star RB Anthony Rogers (Montgomery, Alabama): Georgia, Ohio State, Ole Miss and Auburn among top choices
4-star WR Donovan Murph (Columbia, South Carolina): South Carolina and Clemson are among top choices

Top recruits who could flip

*Star ratings based on 247 Sports Composite rankings

5-star OL Michael Carroll (Doylestown, Pennsylvania): Alabama commit. Also considering Colorado.
5-star OL David Sanders (Charlotte, North Carolina): Tennessee commit. Also considering Ohio State.
5-star OL Solomon Thomas (Jacksonville, Florida): Florida State commit. Also considering LSU and Florida.
4-star TE Linkon Cure (Goodland, Kansas): Kansas State commit. Also considering Oregon.
4-star LB Tavion Wallace (Baxley, Georgia): Arkansas commit. Also considering Georgia and Florida State.

College football recruiting rankings

*247 Sports’ 2025 team rankings as of Dec. 3

Georgia
Alabama
Ohio State
Texas
Auburn
Oregon
Michigan
LSU
Texas A&M
Tennessee
Florida
Notre Dame
Miami
Oklahoma
Mississippi

Longtime college football coach Dana Dimel, most recently an assistant at the University of Illinois, died Tuesday at the age of 62, his family announced.

After an All-America playing career as an offensive tackle at Kansas State, Dimel enjoyed a 35-year coaching career – which included stints as the head coach at Wyoming (1997-99), Houston (2000-02) and Texas-El Paso (2018-23).

After leaving UTEP, Dimel joined the Illinois staff this season as senior offensive assistant under coach Bret Bielema.

‘Today is a difficult day for college football and our Illini famILLy,’ Bielema said in a statement released by the university. ‘Dana was an exceptional person, husband, father, friend, and football coach. He affected the lives of countless coaches, players, and staff members for more than three decades in college football. His influence on our program was incredible to witness and be a part of. His infectious positive energy had a major impact on me, our players, and everyone in our building every day.’

Dimel worked under legendary Kansas State coach Bill Snyder three different times, serving as offensive coordinator from 2011-2017 during the Wildcats’ run of eight consecutive bowl appearances.

As a head coach, Dimel went 22-13 over three seasons at Wyoming, 8-26 in three years at Houston and 20-49 – including one bowl appearance – over six seasons at UTEP.

Ohio State will drop at least four and as many as six spots in Tuesday night’s College Football Playoff rankings following Saturday’s shocking loss at home to rival Michigan.

The argument for falling only to No. 6 rests on wins against Penn State and Indiana, two teams that should be in the top 10. Few teams can match the quality of these two victories: Oregon beat Boise State and the Buckeyes while Georgia has wins against Clemson, Texas and Tennessee.

At a minimum, Ohio State is a playoff lock with a very good chance of hosting an opponent in the opening round.

One thing to watch on Tuesday night is whether the Buckeyes come in at No. 8, behind Tennessee and SMU. If so, Ohio State could be sent on the road to open the playoff should SMU win the ACC and Boise State lose the Mountain West championship game. That would result in the Pac-12 champion be placed in the top four, bumping the Buckeyes to the No. 9 seed in the bracket.

Here’s how the top 10 of the penultimate playoff rankings should look:

1. Oregon (12-0)

After beating Washington to move to 12-0 for the second time in program history, Oregon is guaranteed to finish no lower than No. 5 in the final rankings. Losing to Penn State in the Big Ten title game would push the Nittany Lions to No. 2 or even No. 1 while the Ducks would be the top-ranked at-large team. Oregon would then meet the Pac-12 champion or Clemson in the opening round and potentially have a rematch with Boise State in the quarterfinals.

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2. Texas (11-1)

Texas overcame a sloppy second half against Texas A&M to score a 17-7 win in the rekindled rivalry. That made the Longhorns a playoff lock regardless of what happens against Georgia in the SEC championship. Beating the Bulldogs to avenge this year’s one loss might paint Texas as the favorite to win it all, however.

3. Penn State (11-1)

Illinois continues to be the only ranked win on Penn State’s schedule. But the Nittany Lions did beat six bowl teams during the regular season, including road wins against West Virginia, Southern California and Minnesota. Beating the Gophers on the road is more impressive than that win against the Illini.

4. Notre Dame (11-1)

The Fighting Irish’s 10-game winning streak since losing to Northern Illinois in September is the best stretch of coach Marcus Freeman’s tenure. The only game during this span decided by fewer than 14 points was a 31-24 win against Louisville.

5. Georgia (10-2)

Beating Georgia Tech in eight overtimes was huge for a long list of reasons, beginning with bragging rights. But a loss to the Yellow Jackets would’ve forced Georgia to beat Texas to earn a playoff bid; the Bulldogs weren’t going to finish in the top 12 of the rankings at 9-4.

6. Ohio State (10-2)

The committee can put the Buckeyes ahead of Tennessee because wins against Indiana and Penn State top the Volunteers’ two best wins against Alabama and Florida. Another reason? The Buckeyes also have better losses: Oregon and Michigan will be seen more favorably than losses to Georgia and Arkansas.

7. Tennessee (10-2)

This is the floor for the Volunteers, who are unlikely to be passed by SMU after both closed November with wins against 6-6 teams. But coming in ahead of Ohio State would put Tennessee in position to be at home in the first round. Those odds drop dramatically if the Buckeyes are in front with both teams done for the regular season.

8. SMU (11-1)

There’s no guarantee that SMU earns an at-large spot with a loss to Clemson in the ACC title game. But the chances are still pretty good the Mustangs can survive a loss on Saturday given how the second tier of the SEC imploded in November. SMU has six wins against bowl teams, led by TCU, Louisville and Duke.

9. Indiana (11-1)

The Hoosiers’ 66-0 win against Purdue put an exclamation point on the best regular season in program history. It also sealed the deal for Indiana to be an at-large team. As with SMU, the Hoosiers are able to overcome an average strength of schedule because teams such as Alabama and Mississippi fell out of the playoff picture.

10. Boise State (11-1)

Boise has already won 11 games for the first time since 2019 and could end up winning more than 12 games for the first time since 2009. The Broncos will be one of the top four seeds and earn a bye into the quarterfinals by beating UNLV to win the Mountain West.

The Boston Red Sox began what they hope is a winter of extensive upgrades by agreeing to a one-year, $10.75 million contract with lefty reliever Aroldis Chapman.

A person familiar with the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Chapman and Boston were in agreement. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not yet been announced.

The club has met with superstar free agent slugger Juan Soto and for now remains in the derby for his services, and is expected to bid for at least one of the top remaining free agent pitching options.

But the build-back will begin with Chapman, who turns 36 in February and struck out 98 batters in 61 ⅔ innings of work with Pittsburgh last season. Chapman, who pitched seven seasons for the division rival Yankees, was part of the Texas Rangers’ World Series-winning bullpen after a 2023 trade from Kansas City.

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ESPN first reported that Boston and Chapman were in agreement on a deal.

Boston has finished in last place in the American League East in three of the past five years and has made just one playoff appearance since winning the 2018 World Series, despite the expanded postseason format.

While his 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings remains elite, Chapman has posted the highest ERAs of his career in two of the past three seasons – 3.79 in 68 appearances for the Pirates last season and 4.46 in 43 games with the Yankees in 2022.

With Liam Hendriks expected to be available by Opening Day after spending all of 2024 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, Chapman will be expected to assume a set-up role in a Boston bullpen that must replace closer Kenley Jansen and late-inning stalwart Chris Martin.

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