Notre Dame No. 3 in playoff rankings
Unbeaten Notre Dame moved up one spot to No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.
Michigan moved into the fourth spot, behind Alabama, Clemson and Notre Dame.
Georgia was next at five, followed by Oklahoma.
The playoff picture cleared up after a weekend when several contenders asserted themselves. The top-four teams in the final rankings Dec. 2 will play in the national semifinals.
The Crimson Tide easily dispatched LSU from the top four, beating the Tigers 29-0. LSU, though, only dropped to No. 7 after its second loss.
With four weeks left in the season, nine of the top 10 teams are serious contenders. LSU is basically out because the Tigers have no chance to win a conference title.
Giants hire Zaidi away from Dodgers
Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi accepted a job as head of baseball operations for the Giants. Zaidi just completed his fourth year as GM for Los Angeles. His Dodgers won a sixth straight NL West title and reached the World Series each of the past two seasons. Four years ago, the Canadianborn Zaidi departed his job as assistant GM of the Oakland Athletics to lead the Dodgers under Andrew Friedman.
♦ Bryce Harper rejected a long-term “aggressive offer” from the Nationals on the last day of the 2018 season, according to the Washington Post. The offer included no optouts and was less than the $400 million it was speculated Harper could receive.
♦ The Yankees reached an agreement to bring back veteran pitcher CC Sabathia on a one-year, $8 million deal. The 38-year-old lefty has played the past 10 seasons of his 18-season career with the Yankees. Sabathia went 9-7 with a 3.65 ERA in 29 starts last year.
♦ Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. had Tommy John surgery on Tuesday and will miss the 2019 season. McCullers, who went 10-6 with a 3.18 ERA in 2018, is expected to make a full recovery, the Astros said.
♦ The Reds hired Turner Ward from the Dodgers as their hitting coach, their second big addition under new manager David Bell.
Lions cut Abdullah, sign RB, WR
The Lions released running back Ameer Abdullah, cutting ties with their seldomused second-round pick from the 2015 draft. Abdullah, who was the team’s leading rusher last season, had one carry, two catches and returned four kickoffs in three games this season.
The Lions also signed running back Zach Zenner and receiver Bruce Ellington.
♦ The Packers put receiver Geronimo Allison on injured reserve and continued to reshuffle their secondary by releasing safety Jermaine Whitehead and signing cornerback Will Redmond from the practice squad.
♦ The 49ers are sticking with Nick Mullens as their starting quarterback after his spectacular debut performance.
Lakers sign ex-Bulls center Chandler
Veteran center Tyson Chandler signed with the Lakers two days after reaching a buyout agreement with the Suns.
♦ Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving was fined $25,000 by the NBA for throwing a basketball into the stands after a loss Monday to the Nuggets.