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ATLANTA — As the clock ticks on a Dec. 1 deadline to determine a format for the College Football Playoff in 2026 and beyond, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey reiterated the possibility it could stay at 12 teams if his league and the Big Ten can’t agree on what model would be best.

Sankey said he and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti spoke four out of five days last week and acknowledged the SEC’s “different view” coming out of its spring meetings in Destin, Florida. While the Big Ten has favored a model that rewards conferences with guaranteed spots and play-in games to determine them, the SEC coaches most recently said they would now prefer a 16-team format that includes the five highest-ranked conference champions and 11 at-large bids.

“The Big Ten has a different view,” Sankey said following his opening remarks on the first day of SEC media days at the College Football Hall of Fame. “That’s fine. We have a 12-team playoff, five conference champions. That can stay if we can’t agree.”

Before agreeing to a new media rights deal with ESPN in March 2024, the nine FBS commissioners and Notre Dame leadership had to first sign a memorandum of understanding that outlined in broad terms what the next contract would look like. Sankey said the document gives the Big Ten and the SEC the bulk of control over the playoff’s future format. It’s an agreement some have privately questioned, but Sankey emphasized the role the Big Ten and SEC have in the room.

“Unless you’re going to tear up the MOU — which maybe other people want to do because of their concerns about the decision-making authority,” Sankey said, “but very clearly in that memorandum of understanding is [the authority] granted to the combination of the SEC and Big Ten ultimately we have to use that authority with great wisdom and discretion.”

That doesn’t mean they will agree.

“I think there’s this notion that there has to be some magic moment, and something has to happen with expansion, and it has to be forced,” Sankey said. “When you’re given authority, you want to be responsible using that authority. I think both of us are prepared to do so. … We don’t need unanimity, and ultimately, if not, there’s a level of authority granted to the Big Ten and SEC together. But there’s a lot to that. It’s not you just show up and pound your fist and something happens. I hope that type of narrative can be reduced, but we’ll keep talking.”

The SEC will also continue to keep talking about its 2026 schedule, and whether to move from eight to nine league games — also a key component in the CFP discussions, as multiple sources in the Big Ten have said they wouldn’t consider a 5+11 model unless the SEC and the ACC both move to nine league games. Sankey said every team in the SEC played at least nine games against Power opponents, and several played 10 of their 12 games against Power opponents. And the same will be true this fall.

“I don’t believe there’s anyone looking to swap their conference schedule and its opponents with the opponents played by the Southeastern Conference teams in our conference schedule, be it eight or nine,” Sankey said. “There is a rigor here that is unique.”

Sankey said once they make a decision on their schedule, the conference office is “pretty ready to go.”

“It won’t linger terribly much longer,” Sankey said. “We have to make decisions about the ’26 season and adjust if we’re going to go to nine games, and there have to be games removed or rescheduled, and if we stay at eight, probably a little bit easier on that part of the logistics.”

Sankey addressed a wide range of topics on Monday, saying he doesn’t think college athletics has experienced so much change in the past 100 years as it faces now.

“Let me be clear,” he said, “from my perspective, college athletics is not broken. It is under stress. It is strained.”

As the House settlement begins to put a new financial burden on campuses, Sankey said the SEC has also considered “outside financing ideas” as late as last week. He said the SEC’s stance on private equity hasn’t changed, and it’s not the right move for the league at this time.

“We have been probably 2½, 3 years into visits with banks, private equity, with venture capital,” he said. “You can go down the range, private capital is another phrase that’s been used. That’s not been the right direction for us. We’ve not seen the concept that works. That doesn’t mean we won’t consider opportunities. If there are opportunities for mutual benefit, those would peak our interest, but the notion of just jumping to something because there’s a pot of money there seems an uninformed direction and simply taking propositions where there’s not the kind of clarity around what if you don’t meet your high-end predictions, what’s left then? Those are things that continue to weigh heavily on our mind.”

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Yelich fuels rally, Brewers extend win streak to 13

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Yelich fuels rally, Brewers extend win streak to 13

CINCINNATI — Christian Yelich had two homers among his four hits and drove in five runs as the Milwaukee Brewers overcame a seven-run deficit to beat the Cincinnati Reds 10-8 Friday night for their club record-tying 13th straight victory.

The Brewers became the first team in 94 years to extend a double-digit win streak with a comeback win of seven or more runs, according to ESPN Research.

The Reds chased Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski – making his first start since July 28 – with a seven-run seventh inning to take an 8-1 lead.

Yelich homered leading off the second against Nick Martinez for Milwaukee’s first run. He had an RBI double in the third before Andrew Vaughn hit his 14th homer – a three-run shot – and Brice Turang‘s RBI double to cut it to 8-6. Yelich had a two-run single in the fourth to tie it at 8-all and then hit his 26th homer – a one-out, solo shot off Scott Barlow (6-1) in the sixth to give the Brewers the lead.

Yelich did his damage with a bat honoring the late Bob Uecker. It had the home run call of the former catcher and longtime Brewers’ announcer written on it.

This was also Yelich’s third career game with four hits and two home runs, tying Ryan Braun and Willy Adames for most in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.

Brandon Lockridge went 3 for 5 and doubled off Sam Moll with two outs in the seventh before scoring on a wild pitch for an insurance run.

Misiorowski loaded the bases with one out in the second on a hit batter and two walks and left after walking Spencer Steer to force in a run. Elly De La Cruz had the first hit in the inning – a two-run double off DL Hall for a 4-1 lead. Four straight singles increased the lead to 8-1.

Misiorowski was charged with five runs on four hits and three walks in 1 1/3 innings hours after coming off the injured list. Nick Mears (4-3) pitched a scoreless fifth. Trevor Megill struck out two in the ninth for his 29th save. Six relievers combined to retire the final 23 Reds in order.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Slumping Dodgers lose 3B Muncy (oblique) to IL

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Slumping Dodgers lose 3B Muncy (oblique) to IL

LOS ANGELES — Third baseman Max Muncy was diagnosed with a Grade 1 oblique strain and landed on the injured list Friday, a major blow to a Los Angeles Dodgers team that finds itself fading in the standings.

Muncy was originally a late scratch from Wednesday’s lineup after feeling soreness in his right side during pregame batting practice. The Dodgers’ hope was that sitting out for the finale from Angel Stadium, then getting extra rest during the Thursday off day, would allow Muncy to return for a critical series against the division-rival San Diego Padres, who have taken a one-game lead in the National League West.

But Muncy will miss this weekend’s series from Dodger Stadium, as well as the following series from San Diego’s Petco Park next weekend.

“I don’t think anyone expects it to be season-ending,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “but hopefully it’s sooner than later.”

Roberts doesn’t believe the current oblique injury is as bad as the one that forced Muncy to miss about two months last year, but even in a best-case scenario, the Dodgers might be without their third baseman and left-handed power hitter until around mid-September.

Muncy got off to a bad start this year before turning it on in the middle of May, slashing .312/.438/.616 with 11 home runs in a stretch of 41 games. Muncy then injured his left knee during a scary collision at third base and wound up missing most of July. He returned Aug. 4, went 8-for-23 with four home runs over the course of eight games, and now he’s out again — at a time when the reigning World Series champs could really use some reinforcements.

The Dodgers held a nine-game lead in the NL West as of July 3 and have since gone 12-21 to fall a game back of a surging Padres team that arrived in L.A. on the heels of a five-game winning streak. As many as six high-leverage relievers reside on the Dodgers’ IL, though three of them — Michael Kopech, Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott — are nearing returns. The offense, meanwhile, has been mostly unproductive over the past six weeks, posting an 0.708 OPS that ranks 22nd in the major leagues.

During Muncy’s absence, the Dodgers will use Alex Freeland, a switch-hitting rookie who’s batting .176 in his first 12 games, and Buddy Kennedy, a right-handed-hitting journeyman with a career .193 batting average. Other potential reinforcements like Tommy Edman, Hyeseong Kim and Enrique Hernandez remain on the IL and aren’t close enough to a return.

“It’s certainly a tough loss,” Roberts said. “I think it’s just guys got to continue to perform to their abilities. It’s hard to kind of backfill Max, what he means, as far as the plate discipline, the slug, the on-base, all that stuff. I feel good about our lineup, the guys that we have, and they just have to go out there and take good at-bats. That’s all we can do right now.”

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Phils’ Duran takes liner off foot; X-rays negative

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Phils' Duran takes liner off foot; X-rays negative

WASHINGTON — Philadelphia Phillies closer Jhoan Duran was carted off the field after he took a comebacker off his right foot in the ninth inning of a 6-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.

The Phillies said that initial X-rays were negative and that Duran would be evaluated further Saturday.

Pitching in a non-save situation after four days off, Duran began the ninth by facing Paul DeJong, who hit a sharp grounder to the mound on his fourth pitch. The ball deflected off Duran’s foot and into foul territory for a single.

Duran ran toward the ball but began limping as he approached the foul line. After a lengthy visit by team trainers, he took a seat in the Nationals’ bullpen cart and was driven off the field.

“He ran like a shot to retrieve the ball, and once he got there, I think the adrenaline wore off and the pain set in,” Thomson said. “But before the cart came out, he said, ‘I actually feel better, I think I can walk over to the dugout.’ But we got all these steps up here, so we just wanted to use the cart and take him all the way around, so he didn’t have to go up the steps.”

Acquired from Minnesota at the trade deadline, Duran is 4-for-4 in save opportunities with the Phillies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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