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ATLANTA — After No. 8 Alabama ended two-time defending national champion Georgia‘s 29-game winning streak, 27-24 in Saturday’s SEC championship game, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart had a strong message for the College Football Playoff selection committee.

Smart has no doubt his No. 1-ranked Bulldogs are one of the four best teams in college football.

“Look, Bill Hancock said, ‘It’s not the most deserving,'” Smart said. “He said, simply, ‘it’s the best four teams.’ So you’re going to tell me somebody’s sitting in the committee room and doesn’t think that that Georgia team is not one of the best four teams?

“I’m not sure they’re in the right profession because it’s a really good football team, it’s a really talented football team, it’s a really balanced football team. They have to make that decision. But it’s the best four teams, and that’s critical.”

Smart was referring to the CFP executive director’s comments to reporters Tuesday, when Hancock dismissed the idea that the selection committee’s job is to pick the four most deserving teams, rather than the four best teams.

“I appreciate your asking that question,” Hancock said Tuesday. “It is best. Most deserving is not anything in the committee’s lexicon. They are to rank the best teams in order, and that’s what they do. Just keep that word in mind: best teams.”

For Smart, there’s no question the Bulldogs are among the four best teams. Georgia finished unbeaten in each of the past two regular seasons. It has won 45 of its past 47 games. This season, it defeated No. 9 Missouri 30-21 and No. 11 Ole Miss 52-17 at home and No. 21 Tennessee 38-10 on the road.

“I think it’s the eye test,” Smart said. “When you look at what we’ve done this season, to go on the road and the teams we beat and the teams that were in the top 20 that we were able to beat. I don’t know if this is right or not, but in the CFP era the team that goes in as (No. 1) I don’t think has fallen out of that.”

Smart is correct in that no No. 1 team in the penultimate CFP rankings fell out of the top four after losing on championship weekend.

“Not that history says anything, but when you talk about the four best teams, watch the game,” Smart said. “Go ask NFL talent evaluators. Go ask NFL scouts. It’s about the best teams, and I have no question that it’s not one of the four best teams, like 100 percent.”

Undoubtedly, Georgia is going to need help if it’s going to be picked by the CFP selection committee on Sunday. No. 3 Washington likely punched its playoff ticket by wrapping up a 13-0 season with a 34-31 victory against No. 5 Oregon in Friday night’s Pac-12 championship game.

No. 2 Michigan can also finish unbeaten by defeating No. 16 Iowa in Saturday night’s Big Ten championship game. The same goes for No. 4 Florida State, which is playing No. 14 Louisville in the ACC title game. An undefeated champion from a Power Five league has never been left out of the CFP.

If either the Wolverines or Seminoles fall, Georgia would have an argument as one of best one-loss teams. So would Alabama and Texas, which upset the Crimson Tide 34-24 on the road Sept. 9 and took down No. 18 Oklahoma State 49-21 in the Big 12 championship game. The Tide and Longhorns captured conference championships, which is something the Bulldogs’ didn’t win.

“I don’t know the history of the other years,” Smart said. “It seems like this is the year that it should be the four best teams because you can make a case for ‘deserving’ for everybody. It’s unfortunate that these kids who give so much and play so hard-and not just at Georgia, all these schools-they don’t get to decide it really on the field. It’s sitting back with a committee who is going to determine who the four best teams are. If it’s truly the four best teams then let’s put the four best teams in.”

The SEC has never been left out of the CFP. The Bulldogs and Crimson Tide have both made the playoff in two previous seasons in 2017 and 2021. Alabama beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime in the CFP National Championship after the 2017 season. The Bulldogs defeated the Tide 33-18 after the 2021 season to end a 41-year drought without a national championship.

“Look at our teams in the playoffs and look at what they’ve done,” Smart said. “Y’all tell me the record of the SEC teams in the playoffs. It’s pretty spectacular. I know twice that two of them ended up playing each other. Who are the best teams?”

Of course, Georgia could have ended the debate by beating the Tide on the field Saturday. The Bulldogs made too many mistakes, blowing a defensive assignment on Alabama’s first touchdown, missing a 49-yard field goal after a false-start penalty and losing a fumble at their own 11-yard line, which led to a Tide field goal.

“You go through an SEC schedule, 12 games, and to win each and every one, this is not something easy to do,” Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck said. “It’s not easy, but I’m proud of these guys. Obviously, to come into this game and not finish the way that we wanted to and kind of leave the destiny of our team in someone else’s hands rather than us handling it ourselves, that’s hard. I thought throughout the season we showed we were a really dominant team.”

But Georgia’s first loss in 728 days — it hadn’t fallen since losing to Alabama 41-24 in the 2021 SEC championship game — might end up pushing them out of the playoff.

“We didn’t win, so I mean that’s the bottom line,” Georgia center Sedrick Van Pran said. “We had our opportunity to make our case and we didn’t. We didn’t win the game. Whether or not they put us in is up to them. We’ll respect their decision either way.”

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Rockies closer Halvorsen (elbow strain) put on IL

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Rockies closer Halvorsen (elbow strain) put on IL

DENVER — The Colorado Rockies have put closer Seth Halvorsen on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain after he had to leave Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh.

Interim manager Warren Schaeffer said at the time the injury didn’t look good — following the right-hander’s exit after throwing five pitches in the ninth inning. Halvorsen leads the Rockies with 11 saves.

Colorado also recalled right-hander Nick Anderson and catcher Braxton Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday, and the Rockies optioned infielder Michael Toglia to Albuquerque.

The 25-year-old Halvorsen is 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA this year. He made his big league debut in August of 2024.

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Brewers’ Miz scratched from start, placed on IL

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Brewers' Miz scratched from start, placed on IL

Milwaukee Brewers All-Star rookie Jacob Misiorowski was placed on the injured list with a left tibia contusion prior to his scheduled start against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Misiorowski told reporters that he anticipates missing about two starts and being ready to go after the 15 days. The IL move is retroactive to Thursday.

The right-hander took a liner to the shin off the bat of the Chicago CubsSeiya Suzuki in the first inning of his last start Monday. Later in the inning, after fielding a dribbler in front of the mound, Misiorowski’s knee buckled as he threw wildly to first and two runners scored.

The 23-year-old Misiorowski stayed in the game, pitching three more innings before coming out after 80 pitches.

Misiorowski is 4-1 with 47 strikeouts in 33⅓ innings this season.

In a related move, the Brewers recalled right-hander Logan Henderson from Triple-A Nashville, and he is expected to start against the Nationals on Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Braves-Reds showcase at Bristol stalled by rain

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Braves-Reds showcase at Bristol stalled by rain

BRISTOL, Tenn. — It was a red flag for Major League Baseball at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

The Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds was suspended in the first inning because of rain, soaking a record-breaking crowd for the first regular-season game in Tennessee. The plan is to resume the game on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

The first delay at the historic bullring of a racetrack came after the ceremonial first pitch featuring a pair of Hall of Famers in Johnny Bench and Chipper Jones, joined by NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott. The second with one out in the bottom of the first led to the game being pushed back a day.

Fans who stuck out the first delay of 2 hours, 17 minutes started heading toward the exits before the game was postponed with the Reds holding a 1-0 lead.

It was an unwelcome detour for the long-planned event mixing baseball and NASCAR.

“We’re going to suspend tonight’s game. … We are optimistic for a better weather forecast for tomorrow,” Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations, told Fox.

The rain made life difficult on the players before the suspension. A bat flew out of TJ Friedl‘s hands as he led off for the Reds. A pitcher seemed to catch his footing going to cover first base.

The Speedway Classic was announced nearly a year ago as part of commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to places where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the “Field of Dreams” movie site in Iowa in 2021 and 2022. Games have been held in Alabama and North Carolina too.

Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott showed up Saturday afternoon at Bristol wearing a cutoff version of a NASCAR race suit. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Abbott said he wanted something to wear in for a special game.

“I grew up around NASCAR,” Abbott said. “Just went on eBay and found a couple options, and luckily that was the one that arrived in time. I had a couple of backups. I know who Rusty Wallace is too, so I actually do know the backstory behind it.”

Long before the fans departed in the rain, they were entertained by a 110-foot Ferris wheel along with food trucks, live music, pitching tunnels and batting cages. Fans also had a chance for photos with the Commissioner’s Trophy and Clydesdales outside the historic racetrack.

Inside, star Tim McGraw performed and was joined by Pitbull.

Before the weather moved over the area, players stood in the back of pickup trucks with their numbers emblazoned on the side and rode around the half-mile racetrack. Some used their phones to document the moment. For introductions, the Braves and Reds walked between a pair of cars decked out in Atlanta and Cincinnati colors.

Then the tarp came out as rain that had been falling around Bristol much of Saturday turned heavy and delayed the start.

The first delay led to the Braves switching starting pitchers. Spencer Strider, who grew up in nearby Knoxville, got a bigger ovation than Reds starter Chase Burns, who is from Hendersonville and played at the University of Tennessee. The Reds stuck with Burns despite the delay.

Strider warmed up. The Braves chose not to risk his third start in this situation coming off a second elbow surgery and turned to Austin Cox.

The rain stopped long enough to take off the tarp and start the game.

Michael Waltrip, who raced plenty at Bristol, restarted the festivities by quoting his brother Darrell: “Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let’s play baseball, boys!”

Atlanta went down in order in the top of the first inning. But there was another rain delay after Austin Hays hit an RBI single for Cincinnati in the bottom half.

MLB didn’t try to sell every ticket inside the speedway that drew 156,990 for the Battle of Bristol college football game in 2016. The track with a racing capacity of 146,000 could host 90,000 or more even with sections blocked off.

Officials announced Monday that more than 85,000 tickets had been sold, topping the previous paid attendance of 84,587 set Sept. 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees.

A batter has to clear 400 feet to hit anything out of center field, 375 in the alleys and 330 down each baseline. Pulling a ball down the line raises the prospect of a ball bouncing off the racetrack beyond the outfield wall.

“Honestly, my first thought: I can’t believe they did all this for one game,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said of his first visit to Bristol. “To be able to set all this up, get a playing surface ready, set the stands up in order to have the proper viewing, it’s pretty incredible.”

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