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Georgia, Michigan, TCU and USC are all poised to make the College Football Playoff with wins in their conference championship games this weekend after the selection committee unveiled its penultimate rankings Tuesday night.

There was no change at the top, as Georgia (12-0) remained No. 1. But after Michigan (12-0) beat Ohio State 45-23 on Saturday, the Wolverines jumped one spot to No. 2. TCU (12-0) stayed at No. 3, and USC (11-1) made its first appearance in the top four after the Buckeyes and LSU lost.

“A lot of conversations about the top four,” CFP committee chair Boo Corrigan, the athletic director at NC State, said on ESPN’s rankings release show. “We didn’t see any reason to move Georgia out of the top spot.”

Ohio State dropped to No. 5, and now must hope for upsets and chaos in the upcoming title games to potentially get an opportunity to make it back into the playoff mix. But much of that will depend on not only the results, but how the committee would view an undefeated team that loses in the conference title game, because Ohio State will not be playing an extra game. Alabama landed just behind the Buckeyes at No. 6.

“It was a tough decision,” Corrigan said regarding the call to put Ohio State ahead of Alabama. “There’s four teams in front of them, and there’s plenty of games that still need to be played this weekend.”

Conference championship weekend could provide little drama if the top four teams win. It all begins Friday night when No. 11 Utah (9-3) and USC play in the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas. Utah handed USC its only loss of the season in October, 43-42, when quarterback Cam Rising ran for a 1-yard touchdown and converted the 2-point conversion attempt with 48 seconds left.

On Saturday, Georgia plays No. 14 LSU (9-3) in the SEC championship game; TCU plays No. 10 Kansas State (9-3) in the Big 12 championship game; and Michigan plays Purdue (8-4) in the Big Ten championship game. The top four CFP teams are favored to win.

If one or more teams lose, the committee might have tougher decisions to make. But consider this: Beyond the top five, every other ranked team has two or more losses, and no two-loss team ever has made the College Football Playoff.

“College football always delivers,” Corrigan said when previewing the weekend. “As a group, we’re excited to have the opportunity to get together and watch these games. We look forward to evaluating all of it.”

The highest ranked among the two-loss teams is Alabama, followed by Tennessee at No. 7. Penn State at No. 8, Clemson at No. 9 and Kansas State at No. 10 round out the top 10. Clemson plays No. 23 North Carolina (9-3) in the ACC championship game Saturday as well, but after the Tigers lost to South Carolina 31-30 last Saturday, they were essentially eliminated from playoff contention.

That win over Clemson helped South Carolina (8-4) go from unranked to the No. 19 spot this week. In addition to beating Clemson, the Gamecocks beat Tennessee 63-38 the previous week — becoming the first unranked team to win consecutive games against AP Top 10 opponents since Auburn in 2003.

Tulane (10-2) is just ahead of South Carolina at No. 18 and hosts No. 22 UCF (9-3) on Saturday in the American Athletic Conference championship game. The winner would almost assuredly be the highest ranked Group of 5 team, and earn a spot in a New Year’s Six game.

The final rankings will be released Sunday, followed by bowl announcements for the teams that don’t make it.

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Tigers’ Vierling (shoulder) to miss Opening Day

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Tigers' Vierling (shoulder) to miss Opening Day

Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling is nursing a strained right rotator cuff and will not be ready by Opening Day, manager A.J. Hinch said Friday.

The team announced that Vierling, 28, will complete a period of rest before being reevaluated for baseball activities.

Vierling batted .257 with career highs in homers (16), doubles (28), RBIs (57) and runs (80) in 144 games with the Tigers in 2024.

He is a career .259 hitter with 34 homers and 139 RBIs in 429 games with the Philadelphia Phillies (2021-22) and Tigers.

Detroit opens the season with a three-game road series against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers from March 27 to March 29.

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Phillies’ Harper back in lineup 2 days after HBP

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Phillies' Harper back in lineup 2 days after HBP

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Bryce Harper returned to the Philadelphia Phillies‘ lineup Friday, two days after getting hit on the arm by a pitch.

Harper hit second and went 2-for-3 with a strikeout while playing in his usual spot at first base against the Boston Red Sox in a 7-5 victory.

Harper had a bruise on his right arm after getting hit by a 92 mph pitch from Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Richard Lovelady. Manager Rob Thomson said that Harper had a scheduled day off Thursday and that the team was “not really overconcerned at all.”

Thomson told reporters the team’s initial diagnosis was a bruised right triceps.

The two-time National League MVP had entered play Friday still looking for his first hit of the spring. Harper was 0-for-2 with a walk in his three plate appearances in Grapefruit League play before Friday.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Mets’ Madrigal might miss season due to injury

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Mets' Madrigal might miss season due to injury

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — New York Mets infielder Nick Madrigal could miss the entire 2025 season with a fractured left shoulder.

Manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters Friday that Madrigal needs surgery to repair his non-throwing shoulder, which the player dislocated Sunday when he fell to the ground after throwing a ball to first base against the Washington Nationals.

An MRI on Monday revealed the extent of the injury, with Mendoza saying at the time that Madrigal would likely be out for an extended period. The club immediately placed Madrigal on the 60-day injured list and acquired Alexander Canario from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.

Madrigal was looking for a fresh start with the Mets, who signed him to a one-year deal in January after he was non-tendered by the Cubs following a season in which he hit just .221 in 51 games.

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