College football turns upside down, but this final four is a collection of the sport's big programs

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College football turns upside down, but this final four is a collection of the sport's big programs

2025-01-04 23:27 Last Updated At：23:30

In the first round of the College Football Playoff, the teams seeded 5-8 all won.

In the second round, they all won again.

The moral of this story: who knows, other than something doesn't totally add up when not a single one of the top four teams, all of which received the advantage of a first-round bye, advances into college football's final four.

The semifinals are set: Next Thursday in the Orange Bowl, it will be No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 7 Notre Dame. Then, Friday in the Cotton Bowl, it will be No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State.

Appropriately enough considering the way the second round played out, it's the team with the worst seed, the Buckeyes, that are now the favorite — and fairly overwhelmingly at that — listed at 11-10 to win it all by the BetMGM Sportsbook.

These matchups ensure that a team with a long pedigree and a big name will carry the championship trophy when the first 12-team playoff concludes in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

Also, the Penn State-Notre Dame matchup guarantees either James Franklin or Marcus Freeman will have a chance to become the first Black coach to win the title at college football's highest level.

One thing this expanded tournament could still use: a well-played, truly great football game. Other than the two-overtime win by Texas over Arizona State on Wednesday, all these playoff games have been double-digit snoozefests.

A quick look at the four contenders.

The Story: The Longhorns are 0-2 against Georgia and don't have to worry about the Dawgs anymore. They are 13-0 against the rest of the country.

The Player: Receiver Matthew Golden had seven catches for 149 yards, a touchdown and a key two-point conversion in the second overtime in the win over Arizona State to help erase a lot of questionable stuff by his quarterback, Quinn Ewers.

Money Matters: The On3 NIL tracker has Arch Manning — nephew of Peyton and Eli — leading the country at $6.6 million in earnings. Not bad for a backup quarterback, though Manning stepped in capably, starting two games in place of the injured Ewers in September to guide the Longhorns to wins.

History's Mysteries: The program with the third-most bowl appearances hasn't won a national title since 2005.

He said it: “We’re not in awe that, ‘Hey, this is where we are.’ This is where we’re supposed to be.” — Coach Steve Sarkisian after the Arizona State win.

The Story: After a loss to Oregon in the Big Ten title game, Franklin's record against teams in the AP Top 10 dropped to 3-19. Oregon isn't playing anymore, Ohio State is and Franklin's record against the Buckeyes is 1-10.

The Player: Tyler Warren might have played himself into the top tight end on the NFL draft board this season. In the 31-14 win over Boise State, two of his six catches were for touchdowns.

Money Matters: Quarterback Drew Allar makes around $4 million. He has committed to returning for his senior season, though this strong playoff run might change the calculus.

History's Mysteries: The Nittany Lions and Notre Dame used to be the country's two most notable independents, so it made sense they played every year from 1981-1992. But their only bowl meeting was a little-noticed 20-9 Notre Dame win in the 1976 Gator Bowl.

He said it: “A lot of college coaches I saw this week were talking about, ‘This is a four-game season.’ It’s not. It’s a one-game season.” — Franklin, after a first-round win over SMU, on the week-to-week nature of the first 12-team college playoff.

The Story: When the Irish lost 16-14 at home to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7, Notre Dame's odds of winning the national title ballooned to 100-1. Twelve wins later, including two by double digits in the playoffs, and they are listed at 7-1.

The Player: Let's give this one to a coach. Marty Biagi is in charge of the special teams unit that returned a kickoff for a touchdown, kicked three field goals and baited Georgia into a key offside penalty in the fourth quarter by quickly subbing out its entire punt team for the offense on fourth-and-1.

Money Matters: QB Riley Leonard is thought to be making around $1 million after his move to the South Bend from Duke.

History's Mysteries: Until Thursday, Notre Dame hadn't won a big-time bowl game since Jan. 1, 1994, when it beat Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. The program that gave us everyone from The Gipper to Joe Montana seeks its first title since 1988.

He said it: “We’ve been here before. Now it’s time to get it fixed. We’ve got to get it fixed and get back to playing football the way we know how to play, we’ve played before, and we can, and we will.” — Freeman after the Sept. 7 loss to Northern Illinois.

The Story: After punctuating a fourth straight loss to Michigan by standing on the field looking lost while the Wolverines triggered a melee by planting the team flag at the 50-yard line, there was good reason to think coach Ryan Day could only keep his job by somehow rallying to win a national title that felt unlikely.

The Player: WR Jeremiah Smith has 290 yards and four touchdowns in the playoffs. He cradled in a pair of one-handed catches in an early season win over Michigan State that put the label “playmaker” all over this highly touted freshman.

Money Matters: Smith is thought to have around $3.7 million in NIL deals.

History's Mysteries: With Urban Meyer coaching, Ohio State won the CFP's first playoff, the four-team affair that closed out the 2014 season. Since then, the Buckeyes are 3-4 over five playoff appearances.

He said it: “At the end of the day, we wanted to win a national championship, and the way that we got here wasn’t what we expected.” — Day after the win over Oregon.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Israeli helps former soldier leave Brazil over investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza

2025-01-06 00:27 Last Updated At：00:31

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has helped a former soldier leave Brazil after legal action was initiated against him by a group accusing Israelis of war crimes in the Gaza Strip based in part on soldiers' social media posts.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday said it had helped the former soldier safely leave Brazil on a commercial flight after what it described as “anti-Israel elements” sought an investigation last week. It warned Israelis against posting on social media about their military service.

The Hind Rajab Foundation, named for a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza, said Brazilian authorities had launched an investigation into the soldier after it filed a complaint based on video footage, geolocation data and photographs showing him taking part in the demolition of civilian homes.

The foundation described the move as a “pivotal step toward accountability for crimes committed in Gaza" during nearly 15 months of war.

There was no immediate comment from Brazilian authorities. Brazilian media reported Saturday that the investigation was ordered by an on-call federal judge in Brazil’s Federal District. The decision was issued on Dec. 30 but first reported over the weekend.

Israel has faced heavy international criticism over its war against Hamas in Gaza, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. The International Court of Justice is separately investigating genocide allegations.

The Brazil case raised the prospect that rank-and-file Israeli troops could also face prosecution while traveling abroad.

Israel adamantly rejects the international allegations, saying its forces in Gaza are acting in accordance with international law and that any violations are punished within its judicial systems. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths, saying the militant group conceals tunnels and other infrastructure in residential buildings, necessitating their demolition.

Throughout the war, Israeli soldiers have posted numerous videos from Gaza that appear to show them rummaging through homes and blowing up or burning residential buildings. In some, they chant racist slogans or boast about destroying the Palestinian territory.

The military has pledged to take disciplinary action in what it says are a handful of isolated cases.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead.

Israel’s offensive has killed over 45,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health officials. They say women and children make up over half the dead but do not distinguish between civilians and militants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed five people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza and four in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to health workers. Gaza's Health Ministry said at least 88 people had been killed in the past 24 hours.

The war has caused widespread destruction in Gaza and displaced around 90% of the population of 2.3 million people, with many forced to flee multiple times.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israeli forces killed a member of the Palestinian security services, calling him a wanted militant.

Israel's paramilitary Border Police said Sunday they carried out an operation in Meithaloun village overnight to arrest Hassan Rabaiya. They said he was killed in a shootout while trying to escape.

Israeli authorities released helmet-cam footage that showed the police shooting the suspect and blowing up what police said was an explosives lab in his home.

The Palestinian security services identified Rabaiya as a first lieutenant in its Preventive Security force, saying he was killed while “performing his national duty.”

Meithaloun is near the West Bank city of Jenin, an epicenter of Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent years. The Palestinian Authority has been waging a rare crackdown on militants in Jenin, angering many Palestinians.

The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank and cooperates with Israel on security matters. But Israel has long accused it of inciting violence and turning a blind eye to militants, while Palestinian critics view it as a corrupt and ineffective body that aids the occupation.

The West Bank has seen a surge of violence during the war in Gaza. Israel captured both Gaza and the West Bank, as well as east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want all three territories for their future state.

Israel's defense minister warned Sunday that the truce that ended more than a year of fighting with Lebanon's Hezbollah is at risk.

Israel Katz said the agreement requires Hezbollah to withdraw to the north of the Litani River and Lebanese troops to eliminate militant infrastructure in the buffer zone — “something that hasn’t happened yet.”

“If this condition is not met, there will be no agreement, and Israel will be forced to act on its own to ensure the safe return of the residents of (Israel's) north to their homes,” he said.

Both sides have accused the other of violating the ceasefire agreement. Israel has withdrawn from just two of the dozens of towns it holds in southern Lebanon. And it has continued striking what it calls Hezbollah targets, accusing the militant group of attempting to launch rockets and move weapons before they can be confiscated and destroyed.

The deal struck on Nov. 27 required Hezbollah to immediately lay down its arms in southern Lebanon. It gave Israel 60 days to withdraw its forces and hand over control to the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers.

Hezbollah, severely degraded after Israeli strikes, has threatened to resume fighting if Israel does not fully withdraw its forces by the 60-day deadline.

Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese in Rio de Janeiro contributed.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

College football turns upside down, but this final four is a collection of the sport's big programs

News

College football turns upside down, but this final four is a collection of the sport's big programs

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