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Juan Soto agrees to record $765 million, 15-year contract with Mets, AP source says

DALLAS (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press that star outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets have agreed to a record $765 million, 15-year contract. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement, first reported by the New York Post, was subject to a successful physical. Soto’s deal is the largest and longest in Major League Baseball history, topping Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fernando Tatis Jr.’s $340 million, 14-year contract with San Diego. Soto’s deal does not include deferred money, the person said.

College Football Playoff’s first 12-team bracket is set with Oregon No. 1 and SMU in, Alabama out

SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs, losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama of the SEC but one fewer loss. The inaugural 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta.

Alabama left out of playoff as committee rewards SMU’s wins over Crimson Tide’s strong schedule

The College Football Playoff committee took wins over strength of schedule, taking SMU over Alabama for the final at-large spot in the field. The field was expanded from four to 12 teams this season, but that didn’t save the committee from controversy. SMU showed it could compete against a traditional power, losing to Clemson 34-31 on a 56-yard field goal in the ACC title game on Saturday. Alabama had some ups and downs in its first season under coach Kalen DeBoer. The Crimson Tide had quality wins against Georgia and South Carolina, but lost at Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

Big Ten wins playoff selection derby, followed by SEC despite notable Alabama omission

College football’s conference shakeup left concerns about two super conferences dominating the playoff field. They weren’t totally unfounded, or 100% born out. The Big Ten, not the Southeastern Conference, was the biggest winner. The ACC scored, too. The Big Ten led the initial 12-team playoff field with four making the cut, topped by a No. 1 Oregon team that was part of the Pac-12 exodus. Then came the SEC — and one notable omission. ACC runner-up SMU got the nod over college football blue-blood Alabama, another blemish in Kalen DeBoer’s first season as Nick Saban’s championship-or-bust successor.

Allen sets NFL mark with 3 TD passes and 3 TD runs, but Stafford’s Rams hold off Bills 44-42

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams overcame Josh Allen’s record six-touchdown performance to snap the Buffalo Bills’ seven-game winning streak with a 44-42 victory. Matthew Stafford passed for 320 yards and hit Puka Nacua for a 19-yard touchdown with 1:54 to play for the Rams, who have won six of eight. Allen passed for 342 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 82 yards and three more scores for the Bills. Allen became the first player in NFL history with three passing TDs and three rushing TDs in a game. He capped Buffalo’s third touchdown drive of the fourth quarter by scoring on a 1-yard dive with 1:00 left.

Juan Soto’s $765M deal with the Mets is the largest in MLB history. Here’s who he passed

Juan Soto and the New York Mets agreed to a record $765 million, 15-year contract Sunday night, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agreement hadn’t been announced and was subject to the completion of a successful physical. Soto’s deal easily surpassed Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million agreement from the prior winter for what’s believed to be the biggest in sports history, and Soto’s contract doesn’t include any deferred payments.

LeBron James misses 1st game this season, sidelined versus Portland due to left foot soreness

LOS ANGELES (AP) — LeBron James will sit out Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to left foot soreness, the NBA career scoring leader’s first missed game of the season. The 39-year-old James had been upgraded to probable early Sunday before being downgraded to doubtful less than two hours before tipoff. He officially was ruled out about 30 minutes before gametime. James has played in the Lakers’ first 23 games of the season, averaging 23.0 points with 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds.

Darnold delivers for Vikings with career-high 347 yards and 5 TDs to beat Falcons, Cousins 42-21

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 347 yards and five touchdowns, both career highs, and the Minnesota Vikings pulled away from Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons 42-21 for their sixth straight victory. Darnold added another highlight to his brilliant first season with the Vikings following Cousins’ departure in free agency to Atlanta with a 22-for-28 performance and no turnover-worthy plays despite heavy first-half pressure. Jordan Addison had eight catches for 133 yards and three scores and Justin Jefferson racked up seven receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins threw two more interceptions without a touchdown in his return to Minnesota.

Saquon Barkley sets Eagles season rushing record and has Dickerson’s NFL mark in his sights

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Saquon Barkley has broken LeSean McCoy’s Eagles franchise record for rushing yards in a season. Barkley has 1,623 yards. He surpassed McCoy’s mark of 1,607 yards with a 9-yard run in Sunday’s 22-16 win over Carolina. Barkley finished the game with 124 yards, within a yard of his season average. He has four games left and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old NFL record of 2,105 yards. Dickerson set that record in a 16-game season and Barkley has one more game. Eagles fans serenaded Barkley with “MVP!” chants and McCoy congratulated him on social media.

Josh Allen’s record day not enough as Bills’ 7-game winning streak is snapped by Rams

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Josh Allen became the first player to have three touchdown passes and three rushing TDs in the same game. It was a play during which the Buffalo quarterback didn’t reach the end zone that was the most discussed after the Bills 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams Sunday. Trailing by nine late in the fourth quarter, Allen was stopped for no gain on a sneak up the middle on first-and-goal from the Rams 1. Buffalo had to use the first of its three timeouts before Allen scored on a run on the next play. The Bills then had to try an onside kick and the Rams recovered.