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ATLANTA — No major decisions were made regarding the future format of the 12-team College Football Playoff on Sunday, but “tweaks” to the 2025 season haven’t been ruled out, CFP executive director Rich Clark said.

Sunday’s annual meeting of the FBS commissioners and the presidents and chancellors who control the playoff wasn’t expected to produce any immediate course of action, but it was the first time that people with the power to change the playoff met in person to begin a review of the historic expanded bracket.

Clark said the group talked about “a lot of really important issues,” but the meeting at the Signia by Hilton set the stage for bigger decisions that need to be made “very soon.”

Commissioners would have to unanimously agree upon any changes to the 12-team format to implement them for the 2025 season.

“I would say it’s possible, but I don’t know if it’s going to happen or not,” Clark said on the eve of the College Football Playoff National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. “There’s probably some things that could happen in short order that might be tweaks to the 2025 season, but we haven’t determined that yet.”

A source with knowledge of the conversations said nobody at this time was pushing hard for a 14-team bracket, and there wasn’t an in-depth discussion of the seeding process, but talks were held about the value of having the four highest-ranked conference champions earn first-round byes.

Ultimately, the 11 presidents and chancellors who comprise the CFP’s board of managers will vote on any changes, and some university leaders said they liked rewarding those conference champions with byes because of the emphasis it placed on conference title games.

Mississippi State president Mark Keenum, the chair of the board of managers, said they didn’t talk about “what-ifs,” but they have tasked the commissioners to produce a plan for future governance and the format for 2026 and beyond.

Starting in 2026, any changes will no longer require unanimous approval, and the Big Ten and the SEC will have the bulk of control over the format — a power that was granted during the past CFP contract negotiation. The commissioners will again meet in person at their annual April meeting in Las Colinas, Texas, and the presidents and chancellors will have a videoconference or phone call on May 6.

“We’re extremely happy with where we are now,” Keenum said. “We’re looking towards the new contract, which is already in place with ESPN, our media provider, for the next six years through 2032. We’ve got to make that transition from the current structure that we’re in to the new structure we’ll have.”

Following Sunday’s meeting, sources continued to express skepticism that there will be unanimous agreement to make any significant changes for the 2025 season, but a more thorough review will continue in the following months.

“The commissioners and our athletic director from Notre Dame will look at everything across the board,” Clark said. “We’re going to tee them up so that they could really have a thorough look at the playoff looking back after this championship game is done … and then look back and figure out what is it that we need.”

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Astros’ Trammell won’t face discipline for bat

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Astros' Trammell won't face discipline for bat

ARLINGTON, Texas — Houston Astros outfielder Taylor Trammell is facing no discipline from Major League Baseball after umpires confiscated his two-color bat when New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone asked for it to be checked following a double.

Trammell said Friday, a day after the incident in the ninth inning of the Astros’ 8-4 loss to New York, that he had spoken with MLB officials. Trammell said he understood and appreciated their explanation of what happened because of some discoloration on the dark-colored barrel of the bat.

“We see it a lot with some guys who may have a wristband on or something like that, and just got to take it off. So, it’s nothing crazy, didn’t impact the ball or anything like that,” Trammell said before the American League West-leading Astros opened a series in Texas. “It was more so of an aesthetic of the eye, so that was basically the only thing.”

MLB regulations require a two-color bat to be divided into two sections, each of one solid color. That discoloration, while not likely to impact the performance, made it a nonconforming bat.

During the lengthy delay in the ninth inning Thursday night in Houston, both managers talked to plate umpire Adrian Johnson. The umpire then spoke with the replay office in New York before handing the bat to an official who was sitting near home plate.

Boone said Friday that he had asked umpires to check the bat only after it was brought to his attention that something didn’t look right about it.

“Frankly, that was something hard for me to do because I don’t think Taylor was up to anything. I really don’t,” Boone said. “In the moment, I felt like a duty to at least check in for my team. But, you know, I’m frankly satisfied with the ruling, the explanation.”

Trammell, who appeared in five games for the Yankees last season before going to Houston in November, said he wasn’t sure if he would get the bat back from MLB. But he would like to have it.

“I probably would just want it, to have it just because I can have a story to tell my grandkids about it. It’s kind of a cool, funny little story,” he said. “I don’t know if they’ll give it back. They put a sticker on it so it’s authenticated at least. … So, somebody is going to have it.”

Asked about his bats for the series against the playoff-chasing Rangers, Trammell held up the bat he had just used in batting practice.

“I’m making sure like there’s no chipping, there’s a little mark here,” he said, noting a small spot. “We’ve moved on. Like I said, respect for both organizations, and glad how everything kind of turned out.”

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Rangers’ Seager feels better, eyes return this year

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Rangers' Seager feels better, eyes return this year

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas shortstop Corey Seager is feeling better after having an appendectomy and still hopeful of playing again this season for the playoff-chasing Rangers, though the two-time World Series MVP is unsure if that will happen.

“I mean, I have to think it’s possible … or it won’t be,” Seager said Friday in his first public comments since the procedure Aug. 28 in Texas, the same day the Rangers left for a six-day road trip.

While Seager is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list Sunday, he said there’s no chance of that.

A little while later, the Rangers placed slugger Adolis García on the 10-day IL with a right quadriceps strain – prior to the opener of a three-game series against AL West-leading Houston. That move was retroactive to Tuesday.

Outfielder Dustin Harris was brought up from Triple-A Round Rock and right-hander Jon Gray (right shoulder nerve irritation) was transferred to the 60-day IL.

Seager has researched athletes who have come back to play after an appendectomy.

“I feel like I got very opposite ends of the spectrum,” he said. “It was either really fast or kind of wasn’t.”

Matt Holliday was with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011 when he had an appendectomy on April 1, and returned to their lineup as the designated hitter nine days later. Seager said he had also been told of some basketball players returning in three weeks.

“But it’s not rotating and stuff, so I don’t know if that changes it just because of where the incisions are,” Seager said. “So I really don’t know.”

Seager’s appendectomy came a day after he experienced abdominal pain during the Rangers’ previous home game, a 20-3 win in the finale of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Aug. 27. He hit his 21st homer of the season in that game, after also going deep the previous night.

Seager said he started feeling pain after the series opener against the Angels.

“Then it just kind of progressively got worse,” said Seager, adding doctors told him he was within 48 hours of his appendix rupturing.

“Which is a very different story,” he said.

Texas went into the series against the Astros five games behind the division leaders, and 1 1/2 games out of the final American League wild-card spot. Second baseman Marcus Semien (left foot) and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi (right rotator cuff strain) are among other injured Rangers.

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Dodgers’ Rushing fouls pitch off leg, awaits scan

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Dodgers' Rushing fouls pitch off leg, awaits scan

BALTIMORE — Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing left Friday’s 2-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles after fouling a pitch off his leg in the top of the sixth inning.

Rushing suffered a right lower leg contusion after he fouled off a pitch from Orioles right-hander Kade Strowd. Rushing was replaced by pinch-hitter Alex Call and then catcher Ben Rortvedt.

Starting catcher Will Smith is not available Saturday because of a right hand contusion.

Manager Dave Roberts said Rushing was in rough shape after the baseball hit the inside of his right knee. The catcher was seen on crutches in the clubhouse after the game.

“It got him pretty good,” Roberts said. “X-rays fortunately were negative. He’s going to get a CT scan tomorrow morning just to kind of dig a little deeper on it. He’s pretty banged up right now. I think until we know more, obviously he’s not going to be in there tomorrow. I guess it’s adding him to the day to day list.”

Roberts said Rortvedt will catch Saturday and the club will call up another catcher.

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