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It was a week of upheaval in the Associated Press college football poll, with Texas returning to No. 1 on Sunday after a one-week absence following Vanderbilt‘s monumental upset of Alabama.

The Commodores’ win as more than three-touchdown underdogs caused the Crimson Tide to drop from No. 1 to No. 7. The last top-ranked team to fall so far was Ohio State, which plunged to No. 11 in 2010 after an October loss to Wisconsin.

Texas, which had an open date, received 52 out of 61 first-place votes and became the first team in two years to bounce in and out of the top spot in a span of three polls. The Longhorns also were just the third team since 2008 to be voted No. 1 after not playing the day before.

Ohio State beat Iowa for its fourth straight easy win, received nine first-place votes and moved up a spot to No. 2.

Oregon and Penn State each rose three spots, with the Ducks up to No. 3 and the Nittany Lions fourth. Georgia remained No. 5.

Miami, which came back from a 25-point second-half deficit to beat California 39-38, rose two spots to No. 6.

The mayhem wasn’t limited to Alabama.

Six of the 18 AP Top 25 teams that played lost to unranked opponents (33%), the highest mark since six of 16 (38%) lost the first week of October 2020.

The Crimson Tide were among four teams in the top 11 to lose to unranked opponents — the first time that has happened since October 2016.

Tennessee lost to Arkansas and went from No. 4 to No. 8. Michigan lost at Washington and went from No. 10 to No. 24. USC lost at Minnesota and went from No. 11 to out of the Top 25. The Trojans were first among teams also receiving votes.

Texas A&M soundly beat Missouri at home in the only Top 25 matchup. That earned the Aggies a promotion from a tie for No. 25 to No. 15 and the Tigers a demotion from No. 9 to No. 21.

POLL POINTS

The Big Ten dominates the top five, but the SEC maintains its grip on the top 10. No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 Penn State are bookended by the SEC’s Texas and Georgia. The SEC also has Alabama, Tennessee and Ole Miss in the top 10.

Double-digit drops by Missouri, Michigan and USC mark the first time since Nov. 13, 2016, that three teams fell 10 or more spots in the same poll. That week it happened to Auburn (8 to 18), Texas A&M (10 to 23) and North Carolina (15 to receiving votes).

The biggest upward movers were Texas A&M (25 to 15), Clemson (15 to 10) and Iowa State (16 to 11).

WHO’S IN; WHO’S OUT

SMU (5-1) was rewarded for knocking off Louisville on the road and enters the rankings at No. 25. The Mustangs have appeared in the Top 25 all but one season (2022) since 2019. Louisville (3-2) has lost two of three and dropped out.

Pittsburgh won at North Carolina to start 5-0 for the first time since 1991 and enters the rankings at No. 22 for its first appearance in two years.

USC (3-2) has lost two of its first three Big Ten games and is out, as is UNLV, whose first-ever Top 25 appearance was spoiled by an overtime home loss to Syracuse.

CONFERENCE CALL

SEC: 9 (Nos. 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, T-18, 21)
Big Ten: 6 (Nos. 2, 3, 4, T-18, 23, 24)
Big 12: 4 (Nos. T-11, 14, 16, T-18)
ACC: 4 (Nos. 6, 10, 22, 25)
Mountain West: 1 (No. 17)
Independent: 1 (No. T-11)

RANKED VS. RANKED

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma (at Dallas): It’s their first head-to-head SEC meeting, and it’s a Top 25 matchup for the sixth time in eight games. The Sooners scored with 15 seconds left last season to hand Texas its only regular-season loss. Both teams are coming off open dates.

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon: Entering the season, this was billed as a midseason preview of the Big Ten championship game. It still could be. The Buckeyes have won nine of 10 previous meetings, the only loss coming in the most recent one (2021).

No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU: Huge College Football Playoff implications here. The Rebels and Jaxson Dart prevailed 55-49 last year in a dizzying matchup with Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.

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White Abarrio wins $3 million Pegasus World Cup

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White Abarrio wins  million Pegasus World Cup

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — White Abarrio won the $3 million Pegasus World Cup with a dominant performance at Gulfstream on Saturday.

He ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.05 under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who earned his third career Pegasus victory.

Sent off as the 5-2 favorite, White Abarrio paid $7.60, $3.80 and $3.

Locked returned $3.20 and $2.40, while Skippylongstocking paid $4.40.

White Abarrio hit the apex of his career in 2023, when he won the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic as well as the Whitney at Saratoga for trainer Rick Dutrow. The horse won the Florida Derby at Gulfstream in 2022.

The horse had been transferred when his Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was barred from racing at Churchill Downs and in New York after two of his horses died suddenly 48 hours apart in races at Churchill in the weeks leading up to the 2023 Kentucky Derby.

White Abarrio’s owners wanted to run him in the Met Mile at Belmont, so they chose the New York-based Dutrow to oversee him. The horse went back to Joseph’s barn in June 2024.

“Today he was spectacular,” a teary-eyed Joseph said. “I’m just thankful.”

In the $1 million Pegasus Turf, Spirit of St Louis edged Integration by a neck.

The 6-year-old gelding ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:44.50, just off the track record of 1:44.45 set by last year’s winner Warm Heart. He paid $17.80 to win at 7-1 odds.

Spirit of St Louis was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione and trained by Chad Brown, who won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding trainer earlier in the week.

Chasing the Crown was third.

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Sanders unsure if he will throw at NFL combine

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Sanders unsure if he will throw at NFL combine

FRISCO, Texas — Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders said Saturday he is unsure if he will throw at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis next month.

Sanders is attending the East-West Shrine Bowl but will not participate in practice or in the game Thursday. He was at the West team’s first practice at the University of North Texas on Saturday morning but stood on the field, watching the other prospects.

While Sanders won’t conduct any on-field work at the Shrine Bowl, he reiterated his belief that he’s worthy of being the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft. He has been training in the Dallas area with former Miami‘s Cam Ward, another top quarterback prospect in this year’s draft.

“We changed the program at Jackson [State University],” Sanders said. “We went to Colorado, changed the program. And we did everything people didn’t think we were able to do. So, that’s why I know I’m the most guaranteed risk you can take.”

Sanders met with multiple teams Friday, including the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, who hold the first three picks in the draft, respectively. The Titans met with Sanders for 45 minutes.

“I like that I’m able to get in the forefront of everything and they’re able to understand me and ask me whatever questions they want,” Sanders said. “I’m not ducking. I ain’t hiding. I’m right here, live in the flesh and able to answer whatever questions are out there.”

While Sanders is confident in his worthiness as the first overall pick, he said he would be “thankful for whatever situation and whoever drafts me. I know I’ll be able to change their program.”

Asked what he will bring to a team, Sanders smiled and said, “A lot of wins.”

Shedeur’s older brother Shilo, a safety, is also in Texas for the game. Colorado is also represented by wide receivers Will Sheppard, LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr. and cornerback Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig.

ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.

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Mets’ Cohen: Alonso negotiations ‘exhausting’

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Mets' Cohen: Alonso negotiations 'exhausting'

NEW YORK — The New York Mets held their first winter event for fans in five years at Citi Field on Saturday, and there was one notable absence. Pete Alonso wasn’t in attendance because, for the first time since the 2016 draft, he isn’t a member of the Mets’ organization.

The homegrown star first baseman remains a free agent and, though a reunion remains possible, he might have played his last game as a Met.

Owner Steve Cohen bluntly said as much Saturday after taking the stage for a fireside chat with fans to chants of “We want Pete!”

“Personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation,” Cohen explained. “I mean, [Juan Soto’s negotiation] was tough. This is worse. A lot of it is, we’ve made a significant offer. I don’t like the structures that are being presented back to us. I think it’s highly asymmetric against us and I feel strongly about it.”

Alonso, along with third baseman Alex Bregman, is one of the two best position players left on the free agent market. The first baseman, who is represented by Scott Boras, originally sought a long-term deal, but he is open to returning to the Mets on a three-year contract and the Mets have been open to such a deal, according to a source. The obstacle has been money.

“I will never say no,” Cohen said. “There’s always the possibility. But the reality is we’re moving forward and we continue to bring in players. As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have and that’s where we are.

“I’m being brutally honest. I don’t like the negotiations. I don’t like what’s being presented to us. Maybe that changes. I’ll always stay flexible. But if it stays this way, I think we’re going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have.”

The Mets recently re-signed outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker to a one-year, $7.5 million contract and added left-handed reliever A.J. Minter on a two-year, $22 million deal. They’ve also signed Soto (15 years, $765 million), Sean Manaea (three years, $75 million), Clay Holmes (three years, $38 million), and Frankie Montas (two years, $34 million), among other moves, this winter.

Preparing for life without Alonso, the Mets recently instructed third basemen Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to work out at first base. Vientos and Baty both confirmed the organization’s request Saturday.

“We all love Pete, and we’ve said that many times,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “And I think, as we’ve gone through this process, we’ve continued to express that. We also understand that this is a business and Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right and earned the privilege, really, to see what’s out there. We also feel really good about the young players who are coming through our system who have the ability to play at the major-league level.”

Vientos, 25, enjoyed a breakout season as one of the best hitters in the National League after solidifying himself as the Mets’ every-day third baseman in May and helping fuel the team’s run to the NL Championship Series. Baty, a former top prospect, was the club’s opening day third baseman last season. He struggled after a hot start before he was demoted to Triple-A and didn’t return to the majors.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza also named veterans Jared Young and Joey Meneses, both of whom signed this winter, as other options at first base if Alonso doesn’t return.

“Pete’s been here since I’ve been here,” said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has starred for the franchise since 2021. “He was here before me. So, yeah, it would be different if he goes somewhere else. Yeah, it would be different. But I think he should take his time. I think he should make the best decision for himself and not feel that he’s rushed.”

Alonso, 30, became a fan favorite while becoming a franchise cornerstone over his six seasons in Queens. He’s hit 226 home runs since making his major-league debut — the second-highest total in baseball behind only Aaron Judge. His 53 home runs in 2019 set a rookie record. He’s been a reliable everyday presence; he’s never missed more than nine games in a season and played in all 178 games, postseason included, in 2024. He’s made four All-Star teams and won the Home Run Derby twice.

But he rates as a poor defender and baserunner whose offensive production has declined over the last three seasons, creating a free-agent market that hasn’t been as fruitful as projected when he declined a seven-year, $158 million contract extension in 2023.

“Listen, he’s a special player,” Hall of Famer and former Mets catcher Mike Piazza said Saturday. “Guys that can hit 40 home runs are not walking on the street. So when he’s really in his game, he’s a special player. I hope, from a personal standpoint, I hope they work something out.”

Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the longest-tenured player on the roster after debuting in 2016, signed an eight-year, $162 million contract to remain with the Mets two offseasons ago. Like Alonso, Boras is his agent. Unlike Alonso, he reached a resolution in December, not with spring training around the corner.

“I would love to see Pete back with us, but I also understand that I don’t make those decisions,” Nimmo said. “And that’s between Pete and our front office and David [Stearns] and Steve [Cohen]. And from what I understand, there’s been a lot of talks between them. I’m still hopeful that we’ll sign him.”

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