A board of university presidents voted unanimously on Friday to expand the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, possibly as early as the 2024 season.
An announcement on the College Football Playoff website stated the new format will begin in the 2026 campaign.
It was added, though, that the College Football Management Committee have been tasked with "assessing the possibility of beginning the expanded playoff in either the 2024 or 2025 regular season."
The Board of Managers – comprised of university presidents representing the 10 FBS conferences, plus Notre Dame – is hoping to implement expansion as soon as possible.
When Friday's meeting was announced, CBS Sports reported that universities had grown impatient with the commissioners' hesitancy to adopt a seemingly inevitable expansion and worried about missing revenue by keeping the playoff at four teams.
Media rights for a 12-team playoff could be worth double their current value, up to $1.2billion annually, CBS Sports also reported.
Friday's vote was the culmination of a process dating back to last June when the board of managers first heard a proposal for a 12-team playoff.
The confirmation on Friday laid out the new format, which will include "six conference champions ranked highest by the selection committee (no minimum ranking requirement), plus the six highest-ranked teams not included among the six highest-ranked conference champions."
It was also revealed the "four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye.
"The other eight teams will play in the first round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded institution."
President of Mississippi State and the chairman of the CFP Board of Managers, Mark Keenum, said: "This is an historic and exciting day for college football.
"More teams, more participation and more excitement are good for our fans, alumni, and student-athletes. I'm grateful to my colleagues on the board for their thoughtful approach to this issue and for their resolve to get expansion across the goal line and for the extensive work of the Management Committee that made this decision possible."
Among the crucial next steps include deciding who broadcasts the extra games.
While ESPN has television rights for the semi-final and championship games through 2026, first and second round games could be broadcast by multiple networks.
After her loss on Friday to Shericka Jackson in the 100m at the Allianz Memorial van Damme Diamond League meeting in Brussels, 2022 World 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is taking a wait-and-see approach as to whether she will compete at the Diamond League meeting in Zurich in four days’ time.
Fraser-Pryce, who complained of a tight hamstring prior to withdrawing from the 100m in Lausanne two weeks ago, ran 10.74 for second after she was edged at the line by Jackson who clocked a meet-record 10.73 for victory.
Afterwards, Fraser-Pryce, who admitted at the pre-race press conference on Thursday that she was not 100 per cent, said she did not suffer an injury during the race but was being cautious regarding her participation in Diamond League final next week.
“I feel okay about today´s race. It wasn´t anything spectacular but I felt good I do not have any injury so that is the most important part,” she said.
“I am not sure about Zurich I will have to wait and listen to my body but today was really amazing. I love running in Brussels.”
Meanwhile, Jackson was obviously pleased to be the only woman to defeat her imperious compatriot.
“It takes a lot of hard work to beat Shelley-Ann. She's a tough cookie to beat,” Jackson declared.
“So you need to keep working hard if you want to win. Tonight I had a good execution of my race, so I'm happy with that.”
Ons Jabeur has now made it to the second week in all four grand slams after her win over Shelby Rogers at the US Open.
Jabeur, the fifth seed at Flushing Meadows, had previously fallen short of making the second week in the season's final grand slam, having reached the third round in three successive years between 2019 and 2021.
But the Tunisian world number five ended that wait with a 4-6 6-4 6-3 defeat of American Rogers.
Jabeur reached the final at Wimbledon this year, her first appearance in a major showpiece match, but lost to Elena Rybakina.
She has made it to the fourth round of the grand slams six times, having managed quarter-final runs at Wimbledon (2021) and the Australian Open (2020).
Another US Open fourth-round debutant awaits Jabeur in the form of Veronika Kudermetova, who despatched Dalma Galfi 6-2 6-0.
Kudermetova's victory took just 46 minutes, making it the shortest match of the tournament.
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn ran a new meet record to win the 100m hurdles at the Allianz Memorial van Damme Diamond League meeting in Brussels on Friday.
Armando Broja has signed a new six-year deal with Chelsea, securing his future after a wealth of reported interest in the transfer window.
The 20-year-old caught the eye during a loan spell with Southampton last season, scoring six times in the Premier League, with Everton and West Ham reportedly keen on a similar deal in the recently closed window.
However, Broja remained with Thomas Tuchel's side, having featured off the bench three times in the opening five games of the Premier League season.
The signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona on Thursday led to queries on whether Broja would continue to earn first-team opportunities, but Chelsea have shown a strong commitment to the Albania international, with chairman Todd Boehly stating he is a "big part of our plans moving forward."
Broja said: "I'm lost for words really just thinking about it. It's the club I've dreamed of playing for my whole life, the club that I support and the club that I love.
"I've been here since I was a boy so it's a surreal feeling for me and my family."
Aubameyang is likely to compete with Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz to lead Chelsea's attack, but with Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner having both left Stamford Bridge, Broja should have plenty of chances to prove his worth in a congested season due to the upcoming Qatar World Cup.
Shericka Jackson ran a meet record to hand Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce her first defeat over 100m this season at the Allianz Memorial van Damme Diamond League meeting in Brussels on Friday.
Jackson, 28, the 2022 200m world champion ran 10.73 to edge Fraser-Pryce at the line. The 2022 100m world champion clocked 10.74 for second place.
Marie Josee Ta Lou from the Ivory Coast was third in 10.78.
Aleia Hobbs of the United States, who ran 10.81 to beat Jackson in Lausanne, two weeks ago, clocked 10.91 for fourth.
American Sha’carri Richardson who ran 11.29 to defeat Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah in Luzern, Switzerland on Tuesday was fifth in 10.93.
Boston Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari could miss most or all of the upcoming NBA season, according to reports, after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last week.
Gallinari was injured playing for Italy in a FIBA World Cup qualifying game against Georgia on Saturday. The Italian national team later announced the veteran sharpshooter sustained a torn meniscus, without providing further details.
ESPN reported on Friday that Gallinari was hopeful of returning late in the 2022-23 season. Typical recovery time for an ACL tear is anywhere from six to 12 months.
The Celtics confirmed on Twitter on Friday: "Danilo Gallinari has been diagnosed with a torn ACL in his left knee. Gallinari sustained the injury while playing for his home nation of Italy in a FIBA World Cup qualifier against Georgia on August 27. Further updates will be provided as appropriate."
Gallinari previously tore the ACL in the same knee while playing for the Denver Nuggets late in the 2012-13 season. That injury required an additional surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2013-14 campaign.
The 34-year-old signed a two-year, $13.3million contract with Boston in July, just days after being waived by San Antonio. Gallinari was acquired by the Spurs from Atlanta on June 30 as part of the trade that sent All-Star point guard Dejounte Murray to the Hawks.
Gallinari, who averaged 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 66 games with the Hawks last season, was being counted on to provide bench scoring for a Celtics team coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals.
He also took to Twitter on Friday to post a statement, saying: "This has been a tough week for me as I have learned the extent of my injury. This game means everything to me and not being able to be on the court with my Celtics teammates hurts.
"I plan to give everything I can to the Celtics organisation and my teammates as we hunt for a title. I will work tirelessly with the Celtics staff to return to the court as soon as I can and I appreciate the unwavering support from the fans, my teammates, and the entire NBA family."
The 13-year veteran is one of only six players to average at least 15 points per game and shoot 40 per cent or better from three-point range over the last four seasons (min. 100 games), along with 2022 All-Stars Stephen Curry and Karl Anthony-Towns, Kyrie Irving, T.J. Warren and Bojan Bogdanovic.
Remco Evenepoel kept his Vuelta a Espana lead firmly intact despite Primoz Roglic's efforts, as Mads Pedersen sprinted to victory on Friday.
Evenepoel had suffered a fall on Thursday but kept safely in the peloton in stage 13 to ensure history hunting Roglic – who crossed over the line in ninth on the uphill finish in Montilla – did not make a dent into his general classification lead.
A bunch sprint for the line was won by Pedersen, who recorded the first Vuelta stage win of his career, following on from a maiden individual success at the Tour de France earlier this year.
Pedersen, who already held the green points jersey, had to react sharply to an attack from Pascal Ackermann in the last 500 metres, but the Dane had too much power and had time to celebrate as he crossed.
Along with Kaden Groves and Bryan Coquard, Pedersen had previously reeled in a three-man breakaway of Julius van den Berg, Ander Okamika and Joan Bou.
Coquard had enough to overtake Ackermann, who just about held onto third place ahead of Fred Wright.
"It's super nice," Trek-Segafredo rider Pedersen told reporters after ensuring a Dane has won at least one stage at La Vuelta for four consecutive editions of the Grand Tour.
"We came here for a stage win and now we have won. We'll keep fighting to get one more.
"It's nice with a comfortable lead in the points jersey. We keep fighting for the stages and we'll see how it goes."
Evenepoel, meanwhile, has now held the red jersey for eight successive stages, the longest such streak for a Belgian at La Vuelta since Ferdi Van den Haute in 1978 (10 stages).
COVID not stopping Ayuso
A raft of positive COVID-19 cases have disrupted this year's race, but one rider who is able to carry on is Juan Ayuso.
The UAE Team Emirates youngster - who sits an impressive fifth returned a positive test result ahead of Friday's stage, and team doctor Adrian Rotunno confirmed the 19-year-old is fine to continue.
"As per our internal protocols Juan Ayuso was tested for COVID-19 and returned a positive result this morning. He is asymptomatic and analysing his PCR found he had a very low risk of infectivity, similar to cases such as we saw at this year's Tour de France," Rotunno confirmed to the media.
STAGE RESULT
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 3:46:01
2. Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) same time
3. Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) same time
4. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) same time
5. Danny van Poppel (BORA-Hansgrohe) same time
CLASSIFICATION STANDINGS
General Classification
1. Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) 48:11:10
2. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) +2:41
3. Enric Mas (Movistar) +3:03
Points Classification
1. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) 247
2. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 96
3. Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) 96
King of the Mountains
1. Jay Vine (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 40
2. Robert Stannard (Alpecin-Deceuninck) 21
3. Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) 20
Barcelona "made a tremendous effort" in the transfer window, according to head coach Xavi, who also confirmed the imminent signing of Marcos Alonso.
Barca recruited heavily during the transfer window, welcoming a wealth of major recruits from across Europe.
The club's well-documented financial troubles forced them to find creative solutions to register players such as Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde, while they also moved for several free transfers in the market.
Former academy player Hector Bellerín returned on Thursday following his release by Arsenal, while it is expected that Marcos Alonso will join by the end of Friday after his contract was terminated by Chelsea.
Ahead of his side's trip to Sevilla, Xavi expressed his delight with Barca's transfer progress at a press conference on Friday.
"The club has made a tremendous effort," he said. "We have a competitive squad, we need to prove it. We are very happy and satisfied with where we are.
"[It] has lacked some players, [but I am] happy and satisfied. [It has been] between the best and the intermediate [outcome]."
He also confirmed the expected arrival of Alonso, adding: "I wanted full-backs. What we needed more was a right-back. Bellerín is going to help us a lot, and Alonso too. I'm delighted with both signings.
"The registration of Alonso? Yes, we are optimistic that everything will be resolved today before midnight. We are convinced that he can be registered for the Champions League."
All eyes turn to one of the biggest derbies in world football this weekend, as Milan and Inter battle it out at the San Siro.
The two arch-rivals went toe-to-toe in the hunt for the Serie A title last season, with Milan emerging victorious on the final day to clinch the league crown for the first time since 2011.
Stefano Pioli's side have begun their title defence with an unbeaten start to the campaign, securing two wins and two draws, while Inter have won three of four, losing to Lazio last Friday.
Still early in the season, a single point separates the two and bragging rights are on the cards on Saturday, though neither side has a particularly good record against one another in recent years.
Milan seek to end poor derby return
A 2-1 victory over Inter in February, where Olivier Giroud netted a brace, puts Milan in hunt of consecutive league wins against Inter for the first time since 2011 – which were the first two league derbies played under Massimiliano Allegri.
While they were victorious in that particular clash, the two Coppa Italia semi-final ties in March and April saw Milan unable to score in either tie, meaning they could go three consecutive derbies without scoring for the first time since 1980.
Milan's last win as the designated host at San Siro against Inter came in Serie A back in January 2016, with Inter winning three and drawing three against the Rossoneri since then.
Inzaghi's unwanted record
Simone Inzaghi has only won one point in his first two derbies in Serie A since joining the Nerazzurri and is seeking a win to prevent an unwanted record, as failure to do so would see him become the first Inter coach not to win any of his first three matches against Milan in the top-flight since Osvaldo Bagnoli in 1993 (D2 L1).
In order to secure victory, Inter could turn to Joaquin Correa who has scored four goals in Serie A against Milan, more than any other side. The Argentine has also scored four goals in his last five appearances in the competition, having gone goalless in his previous 18.
Either way, there should be goals and a victor as Inter are the only team, excluding relegated and promoted sides, not to draw a Serie A match since last April.
During that sequence, Inter have 11 wins, at least three more than any other team, and two losses – one of which was the 3-1 defeat to Lazio last Friday.
Leao vs Lautaro
Having fended off transfer interest from Chelsea, Rafael Leao is set to make his 100th Serie A appearance in Saturday's game and the Brazilian's record sees him stand as one of the finest young players in the division.
Among players born since 1999, Leao has provided 16 Serie A assists, more than anyone else, and has scored 24 goals – putting him behind only Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic (55) and Inter's Andrea Pinamonti (25), who is on loan at Sassuolo.
With Romelu Lukaku absent through injury, Inter will turn to Lautaro Martinez to find the difference and the Argentine enters the tie in a fine vein of form.
Martinez has been involved in a goal in each of his first four appearances this season (three goals, one assist), only Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2007-08) and Nicolo Barella (2021-22) have had a hand in a goal in their first Serie A appearances in a second for Inter since 2004-05, when Opta started collecting assist data.
Pioli's perfect return
Though Milan's recent record against Inter does not make for pretty reading, their overall record heading into Saturday's derby is encouraging as they have won five consecutive home matches in Serie A.
A sixth in a row with victory against Inter would see Milan hit that tally for the first time since August 2014, under Clarence Seedorf and Filippo Inzaghi.
Milan's defence is also looking strong, having kept a clean sheet in their last two Serie A matches. A third this weekend would see Milan secure three clean sheets in the first five top-flight seasonal games in three campaigns in a row for the third time in their history (after 1952-23, 1953-54, 1954-55 and 1978-79, 1979-1980 and 1981-1982).
Paris Saint-Germain have been hit with a fine from UEFA that could rise to €65million after failing to comply with break-even rules put in place by European football's governing body.
The Ligue 1 champions were one of eight clubs served with financial fair play penalties, with Roma, Milan, Monaco, Besiktas, Inter, Juventus and Marseille the others affected.
UEFA said its Club Financial Control Body analysed the financial years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 for clubs that competed in its European competitions last season, with special measures applied for 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic's impact on football.
PSG have invested heavily in star players including the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma, while retaining the likes of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in their ranks.
They must pay €10m, with the remainder of their punishment suspended for now, payable only if they fail to meet future targets.
Given the wealth of PSG's Qatari owners, questions will be asked about how significantly any such fine might affect the French giants.
Italian club Roma were served with a €35m fine, but similarly to the PSG case, only €5m of that is unconditional. They will avoid paying the rest if they meet UEFA requirements in future. Roma, managed by Jose Mourinho, won last season's Europa Conference League.
Their Serie A rivals Inter, Juventus and Milan were hit with €26m, €23m and €15m punishments, but must pay only €4m, €3.5m and €2m initially.
Turkish outfit Besiktas were fined €4m, but will pay €600,000 for now, while PSG's domestic opponents Marseille and Monaco were each penalised €2m, required to pay just €300,000 if they toe the line.
UEFA said: "These eight clubs agreed to financial contributions of €172m.
"These amounts will be withheld from any revenues these clubs earn from participating in UEFA club competitions or paid directly.
"Of this amount, €26m (15 per cent) shall be paid in full while the remaining balance of €146m (85 per cent) is conditional depending on these clubs' compliance with the targets stated in the respective settlement agreement."
Those settlement agreements will span three or four years. Inter and Roma requested four-year terms, while all other clubs elected for three years.
UEFA said the clubs would "undertake to reach intermediate annual targets, and to the application of conditional financial and sporting measures should these targets not be met".
It added that 19 further clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Barcelona, Manchester City, Sevilla, Lazio, Napoli and West Ham, fulfilled the break-even requirement only "thanks to the application of the COVID-19 emergency measures and/or because they benefited from historical positive break-even results".
UEFA said these clubs would be "further asked for additional financial information and will be monitored closely in the upcoming period".
England will be without Jonny Bairstow for the Twenty20 World Cup after the batsman suffered a freak injury while playing golf.
Bairstow has been in stunning form for England in 2022 and was named in their T20 World Cup squad on Friday.
Yet he will now miss the series-deciding Test against South Africa and the tournament in Australia after sustaining what the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) described as a "lower limb injury".
England's statement confirmed Bairstow had suffered the injury while playing golf in Leeds on Friday, in what they labelled "a freak accident".
Bairstow will see a specialist next week but was immediately ruled out of action for the foreseeable future.
Ben Duckett has been called up in his place for the Test match against South Africa, while England will name a replacement in their World Cup squad in due course.
Bairstow has been England's standout performer this year, scoring 1,344 runs across all formats, hitting five Test centuries in the process.
Stefano Pioli is set to unleash Rafael Leao on Inter in Saturday's Milan derby after keeping suitors at bay before the transfer window closed.
The exciting Portuguese forward was thought to be a target for Chelsea but remains with Milan and is poised to make his 100th Serie A appearance against the Nerazzurri.
Up to this point, Leao has started in 69 of his 99 league games, and among players born from 1999 onwards he has provided the most assists (16) in the competition.
In terms of goals scored among that age group, the 23-year-old stands third on the list with 24, behind only Dusan Vlahovic (55) and Andrea Pinamonti (25).
Pioli never believed he would lose Leao before the shutters went up on the market on Thursday, but the finality will have come as a relief to many associated with the club.
"I have never been worried about the possible departure of Leao, I have always seen him fully involved and determined," Pioli said on Friday.
Milan won the last league derby, a 2-1 victory in February when Olivier Giroud's double saw the Rossoneri come from behind to take the points, an important result on the way to a first Scudetto since 2010-11, dethroning Inter in the process.
It means Milan will be looking to win consecutive league games against their city rivals for the first time since 2011, although Inter got the better of the two-leg Coppa Italia semi-final between the teams in March and April.
Pioli said Giroud had "a crucial role" to play in Saturday's game, and stressed Milan have prepared "down to the smallest detail".
"I expect a vibrant contest: the derby is the derby and so it will be an even contest," Pioli said. "We must not lose focus for even a second, we'll have to move hard and fast. Effort, aggression and sacrifice will all be required."
The transfer window has been an inevitable distraction despite Pioli's best efforts to focus on Inter. Milan look to have traded prudently in its closing stages, agreeing loan deals for Barcelona's American full-back Sergino Dest and Wolfsburg's teenage Belgian midfielder Aster Vranckx, while also signing Schalke's young centre-back Malick Thiaw.
Pioli described the newcomers as "important players with ample room for improvement".
Dest arrives in the wake of Milan losing right-back Alessandro Florenzi to a leg muscle injury that will reportedly sideline him for around eight weeks.
"We are gutted for Florenzi's injury," said Pioli, quoted on Milan's official website. "He is a leader on and off the pitch. We're still evaluating how to proceed in order to manage his recovery in the best possible way."
Assessing what Dest brings, Pioli said: "He has quality and pace, we got him to play the full-back position but he has the right characteristics to play in other roles too."
Simone Inzaghi admits Romelu Lukaku's recovery will take some time but the Inter boss still feels his side can "make a difference" without their forward when they face Milan in the Derby della Madonnina.
The two local rivals meet at San Siro this weekend for the first time since the Nerazzurri defeated Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-finals last term.
However, the Rossoneri prevailed in the pair's battle for the Serie A title, with Inter missing the pinpoint power of forward Lukaku following his move to Chelsea.
An underwhelming season back in the Premier League led to the Belgian's return to Inter on loan, but a thigh injury means he will miss their biggest match of the season to date.
Inzaghi insists his team will cope without Lukaku, saying at his pre-match press conference: "The hope is for [Lukaku] to recover before the international break. It will take some time, but the medical staff is working on his recovery. We must prepare for these eventualities.
Inzaghi discussed his various selection dilemmas for the derby, with centre-back Alessandro Bastoni missing the midweek 3-1 win against Cremonese with a fever.
"He was not 100 per cent already before the Cremonese game with a fever, and in these two days he still was not well," he said. "I will decide as soon as I get him back in the group in training, as well as for the attack where I can choose between three players and figure out who to support Lautaro [Martinez].
"On Tuesday, [Joaquin] Correa did very well and scored, [Edin] Dzeko did a great job.
"I also have to choose in the wide positions. [Robin] Gosens has been stationary for six months. Right now I'm preferring to let him enter the race. In the derby I will decide between him, [Federico] Dimarco and [Matteo] Darmian."
The former Lazio boss understands what the game means, both locally and in the wider title picture, and called on his players to show "nastiness and determination" on Saturday.
"Last year, we played many derbies and the last one allowed us to win a trophy," he said. "A derby is loaded on its own - two strong teams face each other and the matches are balanced, decided by individual episodes.
"We need to make a difference. We know it's an important match. It needs to be a tour-de-force between now and November - it will take nastiness and determination."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
