Conferences, ND agree on 6-year deal to continue CFP
The nine Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame reached an agreement Friday on a six-year deal to continue the College Football Playoff through the 2031 season, a significant step that establishes a revenue-sharing plan and allows the CFP to finalize a media rights agreement.
Executive Director Bill Hancock said the agreement doesn't lock in a format for the CFP for 2026 and beyond, but it guarantees at least a 12-team field and five conferences having annual access to the playoff through 2031.
The playoff is expanding this season from four teams to 12, with the five highest-ranked conference champions — regardless of league — and seven atlarge selections making up the field.
“Anything else regarding format is to be determined,” Hancock said.
The number of teams in the CFP could grow after the current contract with ESPN expires after the 2025 season, but for now there is no plan in place and no urgency to make a decision, Hancock said.
Golf
CLARK SETS A BIG TARGET AT PLAYERS >>
Scottie Scheffler had his 25th consecutive round under par Friday in The Players Championship, and this was hard work. He felt pain in his neck that required treatment on the course, and he struggled to swing and to stay within
range of Wyndham Clark.
Feeling fit or not, that turned out to be the goal for everyone.
Clark was playing in the group behind, oblivious to Scheffler's injury or anything else. He ran off four straight birdies on the front nine and finished with a 7-under 65, one shot short of the 36-hole record at the TPC Sawgrass.
He had a four-shot lead over Xander Schauffele (69) and Nick Taylor (68), who played in the afternoon and had to cope with warm, breezy conditions on greens that remained surprisingly soft on the Stadium Course.
Scheffler was simply happy to be done. He
felt something wrong on his fourth full swing of the day, a shot that went left on the par-5 11th that kept him from a good look at birdie. He got treatment before his tee shots on three straight holes and managed a 3-under 69.
The hope for Scheffler is he would have free range by the weekend. The concern is that he already was No. 1 in the world and appearing to hit another gear coming off his fiveshot victory last week at Bay Hill until this injury interruption.
Soccer
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS DRAW >> The winners of the last two
Champions Leagues, Real Madrid and Manchester City, will meet in the quarterfinals next month after Friday's draw set up another heavyweight clash between the only teams who are still unbeaten.
In their latest meeting, Madrid will host the first leg on April 9.
Kylian Mbappé's path to a first Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain in his farewell season there will next go through Barcelona. Arsenal was drawn to play the first leg at home against Bayern Munich. Atletico Madrid was paired with Borussia Dortmund in the other game.