Yahoo Sports AM: The CFP's potential "3-3-2-2-1" model
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🚨 Headlines
🏀 Clark declares: Caitlin Clark has declared for the WNBA draft, forgoing her extra year of NCAA eligibility.
⚽️ Four-year doping ban: Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is facing a four-year ban from soccer for testing positive for testosterone.
🌭 No more Dollar Dogs: After a run of 27 years, the Phillies are discontinuing their popular "Dollar Dog Night" promotion, in part over unruly fan behavior.
🏈 Bettors love three-peat:Nearly 30% of the money bet on the winner of Super Bowl LIX is on the Chiefs (+750), despite the 49ers having the best odds (+650).
🏈 The 3-3-2-2-1 model
With the College Football Playoff possibly expanding to 14 teams, a new "3-3-2-2-1" format is being socialized among major conference administrators.
Details: Under this plan, first reported by Yahoo Sports, the Big Ten and SEC would each receive three automatic qualifiers into a 14-team field, with the ACC and Big 12 getting two each, and the Group of Five's best team qualifying as well.
Three at-large bids would go to the highest-ranked teams outside of the automatic qualifiers.
Champions of the SEC and Big Ten would hold exclusive rights on the two first-round byes, according to one version.
The format would start in 2026 as part of a new CFP television contract.
The bottom line: This model would create higher stakes for the regular season and make conference standings more important, as Power 4 schools jockey for automatic bids. But it would make conference championship games less relevant than ever.
🏀 Boston's historic dominance
The Celtics, the top team in our latest NBA power rankings, are having a historically dominant season.
Just how dominant? Boston is outscoring opponents by 10.43 points per game, which is on pace to be the 10th-best mark ever and puts them in elite company alongside some of the best teams in NBA history.
Six of the teams ahead of the Celtics won the championship that season.
Boston is currently the title favorite at BetMGM (+240), well ahead of the Nuggets (+450).
Further reading:Why Kristaps Porziņģis is the center of the Celtics' title hopes
⚽️ The Premier League's three-horse race
Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal are separated by just two points with 12 games left, setting up a rare three-team race for the Premier League title, Jeff writes.
Flashback: Barring a dramatic reshuffling, Liverpool (60 points), Manchester City (59) and Arsenal (58) could become just the fourth trio in Premier League history to finish within four points of each other at the top of the table.
2013-14: Manchester City (86), Liverpool (84), Chelsea (82)
2007-08: Manchester United (87), Chelsea (85), Arsenal (83)
1998-99: Manchester United (79), Arsenal (78), Chelsea (75)
Looking ahead: All three teams have similar remaining schedules, including tough fixtures against fourth-place Aston Villa and fifth-place Manchester United.
Arsenal have the easiest road left of the trio, with just six games against top-10 clubs.
City have the hardest road, with eight top-10 matchups, but also the biggest opportunity to create some distance: They face Liverpool next weekend and Arsenal at the end of March.
Dark horse: Aston Villa, which last won England's top flight in 1981, are within striking distance at eight points out of first. And they still have matches left against all three frontrunners.
🐊 In photos: The Florida Man Games
The inaugural "Florida Man Games" were held last weekend in St. Augustine, Florida, showcasing the best (or worst?) of what the Sunshine State has to offer, Jeff writes.
Inspired by the bizarre headlines involving Floridians finding unique ways to get in trouble with the law, the competition was the brainchild of local radio personality Pete Melfi. "We give a person an opportunity to live a day in the life of 'Florida Man' without ending up in a cop car," he told AP.
Events included sumo wrestling while holding a pitcher of beer, an "Evading Arrest Obstacle Course" featuring actual police officers, and a bike race (pictured above) where competitors had to get away after "stealing" a catalytic converter.
A true Florida Man got things kicked off when Jacksonville native Lane Pittman played the National Anthem. Since 2016, Pittman has made a habit of going out shirtless during hurricanes while head-banging and waving an American flag.
📆 Mar. 1, 1941: The NFL's first commish
83 years ago today, former Notre Dame football coach Elmer Layden was named the first commissioner of the NFL, Jeff writes.
The first of five: Layden, who was a member of Notre Dame's famed "Four Horsemen" during his playing days, is one of just five men to hold the position.
Layden (1941-46)
Bert Bell (1946–59)
Pete Rozelle (1960–89)
Paul Tagliabue (1989–2006)
Roger Goodell (2006–present)
⚾️ 1969: Mickey Mantle announced his retirement after an 18-year career that saw him win three MVPs and seven World Series, while also making an AL record 20* All-Star teams.
🏀 1996: Lenny Wilkens became the first coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games. His career total of 1,332 wins now ranks third behind Gregg Popovich (1,378) and Don Nelson (1,335).
*One of four: Hank Aaron (25), Willie Mays (24) and Stan Musial (24) are the only other players named to at least 20 All-Star teams. Those three and Mantle were aided by the fact that there were two games each year from 1959-62.
📺 Watchlist: History on the line
Caitlin Clark will take the court on Sunday in Iowa City just 18 points shy of breaking Pete Maravich's NCAA scoring record, Jeff writes.
Clark has scored at least 20 points in every game this season, so it's a safe bet the record falls in the final regular-season game of her career.
Average tickets for the matchup between No. 6 Iowa and No. 2 Ohio State (1pm ET, Fox) cost $557, making it the most expensive women's basketball game ever, college or pro.
More to watch:
🎾 The Netflix Slam: Rafael Nadal vs. Carlos Alcaraz (Sun. 3:30pm, Netflix) … Exhibition match at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino In Las Vegas.
🏁 F1: Bahrain GP (Sat. 10am, ESPN) … First race of the 2024 season.
👟 Track & Field: World Indoor Championships (Fri-Sun, Peacock) … Glasgow, Scotland, hosts 651 competitors from 130 countries in 26 events.
⚽️ CONCACAF W Gold Cup: Quarterfinals (Sat-Sun, Paramount+) … The USWNT plays Colombia in the fourth and final game of the weekend (Sun. 8:15pm).
🏀 NBA: Mavericks at Celtics (Fri. 7:30pm, ESPN); Bucks at Bulls (Fri. 10pm, ESPN); Nuggets at Lakers* (Sat. 8:30pm, ABC); 76ers at Mavs (Sun. 1pm, ABC); Warriors at Celtics (Sun. 3:30pm, ABC); Knicks at Cavs (Sun. 7pm, ESPN); Thunder at Suns (Sun. 9:30pm, ESPN)
🏀 NCAAM: No. 24 Florida at No. 18 South Carolina (Sat. 12pm, ESPN); No. 7 Kansas at No. 15 Baylor (Sat. 1pm, ABC); No. 5 Marquette at No. 12 Creighton (Sat. 2:30pm, Fox); No. 4 Tennessee at No. 14 Alabama (Sat. 8pm, ESPN); No. 23 Gonzaga at No. 17 Saint Mary's (Sat. 10pm, ESPN)
🏀 NCAAW: Tennessee at No. 1 South Carolina (Sun. 12pm, ESPN); No. 22 Louisville at No. 17 Notre Dame (Sun. 2pm, ESPN)
⚽️ MLS: 14 games (Sat-Sun, Apple TV+) … Five are free, including Orlando vs. Miami vs. on Fox (Sat. 4:30pm).
⚽️ Premier League: Man City vs. Man United (Sun. 10:30am, Peacock) … The 192nd Manchester Derby.
🏈 NFL Combine: Days 2-4 (Fri-Sun, NFL) … QBs, WRs and RBs are on Saturday at 1pm.
🏒 NHL: Panthers at Red Wings (Sat. 3pm, ABC); Devils at Kings (Sun. 3:30pm, TNT/Max)
⛳️ PGA: Cognizant Classic (Fri-Sun, ESPN+/Golf)
⛳️ LIV: Jeddah (Fri-Sun, The CW) … Anthony Kim returns after a 12-year absence.
🏁 NASCAR: Las Vegas (Sun. 3:30pm, Fox)
🏒 PWHL: Toronto at Ottawa (Sat. 3:30pm, YouTube); Boston at Montreal (Sat. 4pm, YouTube); Minnesota at New York (Sun. 12:30pm, YouTube)
*Chasing 40K: LeBron James (39,991 career points) should inaugurate the 40,000-point club on Saturday.
🏎️ F1 trivia
Who was the last F1 champion not named Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen?
Nico Rosberg
Fernando Alonso
Sebastian Vettel
Kimi Räikkönen
Answer at the bottom.
🏈 No more chain gang?
The NFL has reportedly testedoptical technology to track first downs in multiple games, including at February's Super Bowl.
No more chain gang? If approved, the technology would replace the long outdated system of sideline chain crews that invites human error and guesswork into high-stakes first-down measurements.
Trivia answer: Nico Rosberg (2016 champion)
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