Auburn football landed its next quarterback on Saturday, as the program announced former Oklahoma signal caller Jackson Arnold has signed with the Tigers.

Arnold, one of the top-ranked players in the transfer portal, left the Sooners after two seasons after they hired Washington State’s Ben Arbuckle as their new offensive coordinator. Arnold is set to replace Payton Thorne, who struggled at times across two seasons as Auburn’s starter.

“The fit he is for our offense and for Auburn, I couldn’t be more excited,” Auburn coach Hugh Freeze said in the announcement. “He’s a dual-threat guy who understands the RPO system extremely well and throws the deep ball extremely well.”

Arnold started nine games for Oklahoma after briefly losing the job after its 25-15 loss to Tennessee in its SEC opener. He completed 154 of 246 passes (62.6%) for 1,421 yards with 12 touchdowns to six interceptions this season, adding 444 yards with three touchdowns on the ground.

Auburn hopes Arnold’s struggles in 2024 were an anomaly, as he was one of the most highly regarded recruits out of high school and was the Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2022-23. In Arnold’s defense, Oklahoma had one of the worst offenses in Power Four this season, with numerous receivers injured and a patchwork offensive line that mostly struggled to protect the talented quarterback.

The Denton, Texas, native did, however, have a fantastic performance in Oklahoma’s 24-3 upset win over Alabama this season, rushing 25 times for 131 yards along with completing 9 of 11 passes for 68 yards. It was the Sooners’ best performance offensively of the season, and helped them keep their bowl eligibility streak alive, which has lasted since 1999.

The 6-foot-1 quarterback was the No. 8-ranked player nationally and No. 4 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class, and Auburn will hope to help him regain his form as its likely starting quarterback in 2025.

Arnold ultimately chose Auburn over Mississippi State, where the offensive coordinator who recruited him, Jeff Lebby, is now the head coach.

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid fell to the floor in pain after he was hit in the face during a 121-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.

Embiid had scored 12 points and had five assists and four rebounds in 17½ minutes before leaving in the second quarter. He did not return to the game.

The 76ers announced after the game that he’d suffered a sinus fracture and will receive a further evaluation this weekend.

The situation creates a level of concern considering Embiid’s medical history and what has already been an injury-plagued season in Philadelphia.

Embiid has played in just six of the 76ers’ 23 games to start the season.

All things Sixers: Latest Philadelphia 76ers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

What happened to Joel Embiid vs. Pacers?

Embiid suffered a sinus fracture when Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin’s hand hit the 76ers’ center in the final seconds before halftime. Mathurin was collecting an offensive rebound and attempting to lay the ball back up.

What is Joel Embiid’s status?

Embiid suffered a sinus fracture and will receive a further evaluation this weekend, per the team.

Earlier, coach Nick Nurse did not provide many specifics other than saying the star player is expected to undergo further tests.

What is Joel Embiid’s injury history?

Embiid has dealt with facial injuries before. He suffered a left orbital fracture in 2018 and a right orbital fracture in 2022.

He suffered a significant foot injury in August 2014 that delayed his NBA debut two full seasons. He’s dealt with knee injuries throughout his career, including a left knee injury in January that derailed a potential MVP season.

It’s already been an eventful 2024-25 season for Embiid off the court. It started with the NBA fining the Sixers $100,000 due statements made about Embiid’s health. 

Embiid also was suspended for three games without pay after he shoved a columnist in the locker room during a confrontation over something the columnist wrote.

In the past, there was usually a break of a week or two between the conclusion of the regular season in college football and the start of the seemingly endless parade of bowl games. This year, the hiatus will be a mere matter of hours.

Once Army and Navy put the final bow on the regularly scheduled portion of the campaign Saturday, the bowl season gets going later in the evening. Sure, it’s a couple of .500 teams from non-power conferences, but it’s a start.

Here’s a look at the participants as the postseason gets underway, with plenty more on the horizon.

Salute to Veterans Bowl

South Alabama (6-6) vs. Western Michigan (6-6)

Time/TV/location: Saturday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN, Montgomery, Ala.

Why watch: As we said, it’s the official kickoff of the postseason so it should at least whet the appetite for the buffet of postseason contests to come over the next few weeks. Obviously it’s much closer to home for the Jaguars, but just how much of a crowd edge they’ll have remains to be seen. South Alabama did lose its only regular-season date against MAC competition, falling to eventual champion Ohio by a touchdown on the road in September. Coincidentally, the Broncos also lost on the road to eventual Sun Belt champion Marshall by the same 27-20 score. Western Michigan needed a win in its regular-season finale against Eastern Michigan to earn this bowl trip and should give a strong effort. The top South Alabama weapon is WR Jamaal Pritchett, who has 91 catches for 1,127 yards with nine TDs and an additional score via punt return. QB Gio Lopez also gets plenty of ground support, split almost evenly between RBs Fluff Bothwell and Kentrel Bullock, who will keep Western Michigan LB Donald Willis and DB Tate Hallock busy. The Broncos’ solid offensive line features C Jacob Gideon, a finalist for the Rimington Trophy. His group paves the way for RB Jaden Nixon and provides protection for QB Hayden Wolff. They must beware of Jaguars DB Jaden Voisin, who has five of South Alabama’s 15 interceptions this season.

Why it could disappoint: In terms of competitiveness it probably won’t. We understand these are not programs with huge fan followings, but it still should be worth a look.

Army-Navy, the 125th meeting in the most storied series in college football, will officially conclude the 2024 regular season. In addition to the usual pageantry this game provides, it’s also nearly always a highly entertaining affair. Eight of the past 10 meetings have been one-score contests, including last year’s 17-11 Army victory that ended in a goal-line stand and the double-OT affair two seasons ago also won by the Black Knights.

Add the fact that both academy squads are enjoying successful seasons, and the fact that this meeting will determine the outright winner of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, not to mention that the academies are a combined 15 games above .500, and it should be appointment viewing.

Here’s a quick look at the particulars.

No. 18 Army (11-1) vs. Navy (8-3)

Time/TV: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, CBS.

Why watch: See above. This year the game takes place at the venue currently known as Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, much closer to Navy’s backyard but still a neutral site with both academies sure to be well represented in the crowd. The Midshipmen took the only prior encounter on this field in 2011, but the Black Knights have claimed five of the past seven series meetings. They are also fresh off winning the American Athletic Conference title in their first year in the league. The Midshipmen were in contention for the league title before a losing spell after beginning the season 6-0, but they did claim a victory at bowl-bound East Carolina in their most recent outing. Both teams also defeated Air Force earlier in the year, so an additional piece of hardware is on the line along with the usual bragging rights at the Pentagon.

Army QB Bryson Daily is having a tremendous season, entering this contest with 1,480 rushing yards and 29 TDs with an additional 877 yards passing with eight scores. When he doesn’t keep the ball, it most often ends up in the hands of RB Kanye Udoh, SB Noah Short or WR Casey Reynolds. The Navy defense, of course, will be quite familiar with the Black Knights’ formations. Expect LBs Colin Ramos and Kyle Jacob to be in the vicinity of the point of attack often. Navy starting QB Blake Horvath was injured early in the loss to Tulane and sat out the East Carolina win but is expected to return for this one. His backup Braxton Woodson has taken plenty of meaningful snaps and will be ready if needed. FB Alex Tecza and SB Eli Heidenreich can help keep the ball moving. The main stoppers along the Army front are LBs Andon Thomas and Kalib Fortner.

Why it could disappoint: It won’t. It can’t. Navy’s 31-7 triumph in 2019 was the last truly one-sided contest, but even on the rare occasions when that happens there are still plenty of big moments. This game is truly a celebration of the sport. Enjoy.

Former Washington State head football coach Nick Rolovich is returning to major college football for the first time in three years after being fired for refusing to comply with the Washington state vaccine mandate in 2021.

Cal Berkeley announced his hiring Friday, saying he is being added to the staff as a senior offensive assistant for the Cal football program.

Cal also has COVID-19 policy requirements for faculty, staff and students, but they can opt out of vaccination and submit a declination statement despite the university’s recommendation that they stay up to date on vaccination.

Rolovich, 45, sought a religious exemption from the mandate at Washington State but was terminated after the athletics department determined it couldn’t accommodate his unvaccinated status.

He then sued Washington State in 2022, accusing the university of discriminating against his religious beliefs. Part of his lawsuit was dismissed last year by a federal judge, but the case remains active and pending in federal court in Spokane, Washington.

A spokesperson for Cal football didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment. An attorney for Rolovich, 45, also didn’t immediately respond.

What was the religious issue?

Rolovich is Catholic.

Pope Francis and other Catholic organizations have supported COVID-19 vaccines. However, some conservative Catholics have opposed them on religious grounds, believing they are tied to abortion, which they oppose. 

No aborted fetal cells are in those vaccines. The cell lines that were used to develop or test them were derived from fetal tissue from decades ago and have been used to develop other medicine as well.

Rolovich’s lawsuit stated that before his firing, he was ‘uncomfortable because he did not know how WSU would react to him sharing his religious opposition to medical research based on aborted fetal tissue, given that WSU professors have in the past publicly defended such research.’

In response, attorneys for the WSU defendants said Rolovich’s objections were a crock based on junk science, conspiracy theories and secular opinions instead of ‘any truly religious beliefs.’ They said he never claimed a religious reason for his refusal to get vaccinated until he applied for a religious exemption and accommodation less than one week before the deadline.

Nick Rolovich’s record

Rolovich coached 11 games at WSU, including the shortened season of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. His records there was 5-6.

He previously served as head coach at Hawaii for three seasons, where he compiled a 28-27 record.

After his firing at Washington State, he resurfaced as an assistant at San Marin High School in Novato, California.

At Cal, he joins the staff of head coach Justin Wilcox and will work under new offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, the former coach at Boise State and Auburn.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Perhaps the most recognizable hardware in sports is the Heisman Memorial Trophy, given to the most outstanding college football player each season.

The bronze trophy, made through the ‘lost wax process,’ depicts a player carrying a football in his left hand and extending his right arm to ward off defenders via the stiff arm.

New York City’s Downtown Athletic Club, which presented the Heisman Trophy for 66 years, commissioned Frank Eliscu to create the trophy and used New York University running back Ed Smith as his model.

The lost wax process is essentially taking a duplicate sculpture, in this case, a bronze one, and pouring liquefied materials over the model.

How much does the Heisman Trophy weigh?

The completed trophy weighs 45 pounds and is 14 inches long, 13 inches high, and 6 inches wide. Since 2005, MTM Recognition, a Del City, Oklahoma company, has produced the Heisman and ships the trophy to New York before the ceremony. A generic nameplate goes along with the trophy and is replaced after the winner is announced and before the news conference later that night.

Two Heisman Trophies are given out: one goes to the player and another to the player’s school.

How to watch the 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony

The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 14. It can be streamed on ESPN+.

Who are the 2024 Heisman Trophy finalists?

This year’s Heisman finalists are as follows:

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel
Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
Miami QB Cam Ward

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The Heisman Memorial Trophy will be handed out on Dec. 14 in New York City and is awarded to the ‘outstanding college football player in the United States whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.’

This has recently been a quarterback-dominated award, as there have been 20 winners at that position since the turn of the century, including the past three winners, Bryce Young of Alabama, Southern California’s Caleb Williams, and Jayden Daniels of LSU.

Who votes for the Heisman Trophy?

This year, the voting for the Heisman Trophy, presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust, consists of 928 votes: 145 media votes from each of the six voting regions, totaling 870, with 57 coming from former Heisman winners (who are not obligated to cast a ballot) and one fan vote.

The six voting regions are:

Far West: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming
Mid Atlantic: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia
Midwest: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin
Northeast: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York City, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont
South: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee
Southwest: Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

Each voter can choose up to three players on their ballot for the Heisman. The first choice is worth three points in the final tabulation, the second choice is worth two points, and the third choice gets one point.

Representatives from the accounting firm Deloitte count the votes, and the four highest vote-getters are announced as finalists before the player with the highest vote total is awarded the trophy on Dec. 14.

How to watch the 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony

The 2024 Heisman Trophy ceremony will air on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 14. It can be streamed on ESPN+.

Who are the 2024 Heisman Trophy finalists?

This year’s Heisman finalists are as follows:

Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel
Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty
Miami QB Cam Ward

One of the most anticipated weekend slates of the college basketball season has arrived.

With college football in its bye week between the conference championship games and the start of the College Football Playoff, 16 teams of the USA TODAY Coaches Poll are in action putting college basketball at the center of the sports world.

Headlining Saturday’s slate is a top 20 heavy-weight showdown at The Garden between No. 9 Gonzaga and No. 20 UConn in the Hall of Fame Series at 8 p.m. ET. Following a disastrous 0-3 trip to the Maui Invitational, Dan Hurley’s Huskies have seemed to found their identity again after picking up wins over then-No. 15 Baylor and Texas.

Four other matchups on Saturday will take part in doubleheader neutral sites games. No. 18 Texas A&M will face No. 11 Purdue and No. 22 Wisconsin will face Butler in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Ohio State will face No. 2 Auburn in Atlanta at State Farm Arena in the Holiday Hoopsgiving classic, as will Arizona State and No. 7 Florida.

An old Pac-12 rivalry between No. 21 UCLA and Arizona is renewed in The Valley at the Footprint Center at 3 p.m. ET. It’s the first matchup between the Bruins and Wildcats since they left for the Big Ten and Big 12 respectively.

Speaking of rivalries, Pat Kelsey and Louisville take the 90-minute drive across I-64 to Rupp Arena to face Mark Pope and No. 5 Kentucky. The Wildcats have won each of the last two meetings in the rivalry series.

No. 4 Marquette pays a visit to UD Arena to face Dayton at 7 p.m. ET for a big-time conference matchup. An intriguing matchup in Saturday’s game between the Golden Eagles and Flyers is Kam Jones vs. Enoch Cheeks. Jones, who has led Marquette in scoring the last three seasons, has played like a leading candidate for National Player of the Year level to start the season: 20.3 points, 6.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Closing out the night is a potential late March Madness matchup with Creighton traveling down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to face No. 8 Alabama at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s slate of college basketball games, including who’s playing, TV channel and streaming information, results and more:

College basketball games on today

Games held to top 25 teams in USA TODAY Coaches Poll and listed chronologically. All times Eastern.

Memphis at No. 16 Clemson | 11 a.m. ET | ESPN2 (Fubo)
No. 18 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Purdue | noon ET | CBS (Fubo)
Ohio State vs. No. 2 Auburn | 1 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
Xavier at No. 23 Cincinnati | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
No. 22 Wisconsin vs. Butler | 2:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)
No. 21 UCLA vs. Arizona | 3 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
Arizona State vs. No. 7 Florida | 3:30 p.m. | SEC Network (Fubo)
Southern Miss at No. 15 Ole Miss | 4 p.m. | SECNetwork+ (ESPN+)
Louisville at No. 5 Kentucky | 5:15 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
No. 1 Tennessee at Illinois | 5:30 p.m. | Fox (Fubo)
No. 4 Marquette at Dayton | 7 p.m. | CBS Sports Network (Fubo)
No. 9 Gonzaga vs. No. 20 UConn | 8 p.m. | Fox (Fubo)
Oklahoma State at No. 17 Oklahoma | 8 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
Creighton at No. 8 Alabama | 8:30 p.m. | SEC Network (Fubo)

Watch Gonzaga vs UConn basketball live with Fubo (free trial)

How to watch UConn vs Gonzaga basketball today?

TV channel: Fox
Livestreaming: Fox Sports Go app | Fubo (free trial)

Saturday’s meeting of UConn and Gonzaga at Madison Square Garden in the Hall of Fame Series will be broadcast nationally on Fox. Jason Benetti and Jim Jackson will have the call of the game on Fox.

Streaming options include the Fox Sports Go app (by logging in with your TV provider credentials) or Fubo, which carries Fox and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Watch select college basketball games live with Fubo (free trial)

How to watch college basketball games today?

TV channels: CBS | Fox | ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPNU | CBS Sports Network | Big Ten Network | SEC Network
Streaming options: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)

Saturday’s slate of top 25 college basketball games will be broadcast nationally across an assortment of channels. You can stream 12 of the 14 games going on Saturday on Fubo, which carries CBS, Fox, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS Sports Network, Big Ten Network and SEC Network and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Two games going on Saturday won’t be broadcast on TV or available on Fubo, as they are being streamed exclusively on ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service. These games include Xavier at No. 23 Cincinnati and Southern Miss at No. 15 Ole Miss.

Watch select college basketball games live with Fubo (free trial)

College basketball scores from Saturday

This section will be updated as games become finalized on Saturday

Memphis at No. 16 Clemson | 11 a.m. ET
No. 18 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 Purdue | noon ET
Ohio State vs. No. 2 Auburn | 1 p.m. ET
Xavier at No. 23 Cincinnati | 2 p.m. ET
No. 22 Wisconsin vs. Butler | 2:30 p.m. ET
No. 21 UCLA vs. Arizona | 3 p.m. ET
Arizona State vs. No. 7 Florida | 3:30 p.m. ET
Southern Miss at No. 15 Ole Miss | 4 p.m. ET
Louisville at No. 5 Kentucky | 5:15 p.m. ET
No. 1 Tennessee at Illinois | 5:30 p.m. ET
No. 4 Marquette at Dayton | 7 p.m. ET
No. 9 Gonzaga vs. No. 20 UConn | 8 p.m. ET
Oklahoma State at No. 17 Oklahoma | 8 p.m. ET
Creighton at No. 8 Alabama | 8:30 p.m. ET

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How long will the Los Angeles Lakers be without LeBron James?

Time will tell. JJ Redick will not.

James has been away from the Lakers since Wednesday for what Redick has called personal reasons. James missed their game in Minnesota – another loss – on Friday night for soreness in his left foot. He missed last Sundays game – a win against Portland – with the same ailment.

When asked before the Timberwolves game if he knew when James would return, Redick replied: No.

James, who turns 40 on Dec. 30, has missed two of 25 games after saying before the season that one of his goals was playing in all 82 regular-season games. The Lakers are scheduled to play again Sunday, at home against Memphis. They are 13-12 and have dropped eight of their past 11 games.

All things Lakers: Latest Los Angeles Lakers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

In James’ 23 starts, the Lakers are 12-11. He has registered 13 double-doubles, seven triple-doubles and averages 23 points, 8 rebounds and 9.1 assists.

Meanwhile, his son Bronny is playing in the G League and scored a career-high 30 points in his first road game with the South Bay Lakers on Thursday.

Earlier this season, LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son combo to play in the NBA at the same time.