Jon Batiste, Ledisi, Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle to perform during Super Bowl pregame (2024)

The NCAA’s yearslong efforts to get lawmakers to address myriad problems in college sports could pay off in the new, Republican-controlled Congress. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is set to take over as chair of the powerful Commerce Committee. He says a college sports bill will be a top priority, accusing Democrats of dragging their feet on needed reforms. But he still needs Democratic support for any bill to pass the necessary 60-vote threshold in the Senate, and that means some compromise with lawmakers who are more concerned about athlete welfare than giving the NCAA more authority.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says Lamine Yamal is ready to return after recovering from an injury to his right ankle. Flick says his young star will play when Barcelona hosts Las Palmas on Saturday either as a starter or a substitute. Yamal picked up his injury in a win at Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League three weeks ago. Barcelona struggled without Yamal. It lost 1-0 at Real Sociedad and drew 2-2 at Celta Vigo in the Spanish league. Yamal leads the Spanish league with seven assists for Barcelona. He has also scored five times in the domestic competition.

The former Wimbledon and French Open tennis champion Simona Halep has expressed dismay at the way Iga Swiatek’s doping case was handled compared to her own. Halep said there had been severe differences in how their cases were treated by tennis authorities. Halep says, “I sit and try to understand but it is really impossible for me to understand something like this." The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Thursday that the five-time major champion Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, a heart medication known as TMZ. Halep received a four-year suspension after testing positive for the banned drug Roxadustat at the 2022 U.S. Open.

Leicester’s interim coach says he is in the dark about reports of the imminent appointment of Ruud van Nistelrooy as the team’s next manager. British media are widely reporting that Van Nistelrooy has been lined up to replace Steve Cooper at Leicester. Van Nistelrooy recently had a brief spell in charge of Manchester United after Erik ten Hag’s departure. Cooper was fired on Sunday with the club 16th in the 20-team Premier League. First-team coach Ben Dawson will take charge against Brentford on Saturday and was asked if he could say anything on Van Nistelrooy. He told reporters, “Nothing at the moment. I was hoping you could shed some light on the situation."

The Professional Women's Hockey League opens its second season this weekend looking to build on the success it enjoyed during its first year. The league's six teams finally have logos and nicknames. There will be more games — 30 per team, up from 24 last year. There's been an influx of new talent with the additions of college graduates and Europeans making the jump to North America. And there's already talk of expansion, with the league seeking to add up to two more teams next year. The Minnesota Frost are the defending champions.

Matt Eberflus could be running out of time in Chicago after botching a timeout while a national audience watched on Thanksgiving. The clock is ticking on Brian Daboll in New York. Mike McDaniel isn’t on the hot seat but Miami won’t go anywhere if the Dolphins can’t win in the cold. Eberflus’ mistake was so egregious it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bears made a coaching change. The embattled third-year coach’s massive blunder overshadowed an impressive second-half performance by Caleb Williams after the rookie No. 1 pick rallied the Bears into position to potentially upset Detroit.

A look at key dates before and during the San Jose State women’s volleyball season. The Spartans are 14-6, plus six wins via forfeit by four schools in Mountain West Conference regular-season play. Some players cited fairness in women’s sports as a reason for not playing, with plaintiffs in a lawsuit earlier this year asserting there is a transgender player on the San Jose State team. Second-seeded San Jose State had been scheduled to play in Friday’s semifinals at the Mountain West Tournament against No. 6 seed Boise State, which announced hours after its win Wednesday over No. 3 Utah State that it would withdraw from the event in Las Vegas and forfeit the match even with an NCAA Tournament berth potentially at stake.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There’s a running back renaissance taking place in the NFL and Christian McCaffrey has yet to take part in it.

SAN DIEGO — The fallout for the Padres from two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell joining the Dodgers on a $182 million contract this week amounts to more of the same.

SAN FRANCISCO — From future Hall of Famers to dazzling young talents with untapped potential, the Bay Area’s new WNBA team is expected to have a diverse pool of players at its disposal when it begins to construct its roster next week.

DENVER — When the Browns needed Jerry Jeudy in last week’s game against the Steelers, he delivered.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers have seen an uptick in play from their second-year quarterback, Bryce Young, in recent weeks. Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, they’ve also seen an uptick in their speed out of the huddle on offense as well.

PITTSBURGH — One week ago, the Steelers played a 2-8 Browns team that had nothing to lose. They went for it on fourth down four times and converted all four opportunities in their 24-19 upset win.

PHILADELPHIA — When Rick Lovato walked into the Eagles locker room on Oct. 11, he received a round of applause. This is not how the long snapper is usually greeted by his teammates, but it was no ordinary day. A night earlier, his wife, Jordan, had given birth to their son, Freddie. They had…

Charlotte visits the Miami Hurricanes after Hayleigh Breland scored 30 points in the 49ers' 83-67 victory against the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs. Friday's meeting is the first this season for the two squads. Miami (FL) is 4-0 at home, and Charlotte is 1-1 on the road.

Jaylin Foster and the Texas State Bobcats play the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros. The teams play Saturday for the first time this season. UT Rio Grande Valley is 2-0 at home, and Texas State is 1-1 on the road.

The UMass Lowell River Hawks take on the UNC Wilmington Seahawks at Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Friday's meeting is the first of the season between the squads. UMass Lowell is 0-2 at home, and UNC Wilmington is 1-2 on the road.

The Davidson Wildcats square off against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Cypress Lake, Florida. The teams match up Friday for the first time this season. Davidson is 3-0 at home, and Virginia Tech is 0-0 on the road.

No. 1 Kansas aims to extend its six-game win streak with a victory against Furman. The teams play Saturday for the first time this season. Kansas is 4-0 at home, and Furman is 2-0 on the road.

The Indiana State Sycamores square off against the Arkansas State Red Wolves at Baha Mar Convention Center in Nassau, Bahamas. The teams meet Friday for the first time this season. Indiana State is 2-1 at home, and Arkansas State is 0-1 on the road.

Samford hosts the West Georgia Wolves after Jaden Brownell scored 22 points in Samford's 84-76 victory against the Utah Valley Wolverines. The teams play Friday for the first time this season. Samford is 5-0 at home, and West Georgia is 0-5 on the road.

Merrimack plays the Troy Trojans after Adam Clark scored 28 points in the Warriors' 76-74 loss to the UTSA Roadrunners. The teams meet Friday for the first time this season. Troy is 2-0 at home, and Merrimack is 0-4 on the road.

DePaul plays the Valparaiso Beacons after Layden Blocker scored 21 points in DePaul's 98-52 victory against the Northern Illinois Huskies. Friday's matchup is the first this season between the squads. DePaul is 6-0 at home, and Valparaiso is 0-0 on the road.

George Mason visits the James Madison Dukes after Woody Newton scored 26 points in the Patriots' 100-55 win over the Ferrum Panthers. Friday's matchup is the first this season between the teams. James Madison is 2-0 at home, and George Mason is 0-2 on the road.

Mississippi Valley State faces the UCSB Gauchos after Arthur Tate scored 23 points in the Delta Devils' 94-48 loss to the Utah Utes. The teams meet Friday for the first time this season. UCSB is 3-1 at home, and Mississippi Valley State is 0-6 on the road.

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons play the Minnesota Golden Gophers at State Farm Field House in Orlando, Florida. Friday's matchup is the first of the season for the teams. Wake Forest is 5-0 at home, and Minnesota is 0-0 on the road.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights face the No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The teams match up Saturday for the first time this season. Rutgers is 4-0 at home, and Texas A&M is 0-1 on the road.

Central Arkansas visits the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets after Elias Cato scored 23 points in the Bears' 92-83 overtime victory over the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. Saturday's matchup is the first of the season between the two squads. Georgia Tech is 3-3 at home, and Central Arkansas is 0-3 on the road.

Charleston Southern visits the Miami Hurricanes after Taje' Kelly scored 20 points in the Buccaneers' 91-67 loss to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Saturday's matchup is the first this season between the squads. Miami (FL) is 3-0 at home, and Charleston Southern is 0-4 on the road.

The BYU Cougars play the NC State Wolfpack at LionTree Arena in San Diego, California. Friday's matchup is the first this season between the squads. BYU is 5-0 at home, and NC State is 0-0 on the road.

Michael Rataj and the Oregon State will play host to Ty Johnson and the UC Davis Aggies. Saturday's matchup is the first of the season for the two squads. Oregon State is 4-1 at home, and UC Davis is 2-2 on the road.

Lafayette hosts the Long Island Sharks after Alex Chaikin scored 21 points in Lafayette's 91-45 win over the Rosemont Ravens. Friday's matchup is the first this season between the two squads. Lafayette is 2-0 at home, and LIU is 2-3 on the road.

Gardner-Webb visits the Belmont Bruins after Anthony Selden scored 29 points in the Runnin' Bulldogs' 79-64 victory against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. The teams play Friday for the first time this season. Belmont is 2-1 at home, and Gardner-Webb is 1-3 on the road.

Lehigh takes on the Marist Red Foxes after Tyler Whitney-Sidney scored 21 points in Lehigh's 88-78 loss to the Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash. Saturday's meeting is the first of the season between the two squads. Lehigh is 1-0 at home, and Marist is 1-1 on the road.

La Salle hosts the Temple Owls after Corey McKeithan scored 27 points in La Salle's 92-77 win over the Stetson Hatters. Saturday's meeting is the first of the season between the squads. La Salle is 3-0 at home, and Temple is 0-1 on the road.

The SE Louisiana Lions take on the Quinnipiac Bobcats at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida. Friday's meeting is the first of the season between the two squads. SE Louisiana is 2-0 at home, and Quinnipiac is 2-0 on the road.

Morehead State takes on the South Carolina Upstate Spartans after Aileen Marquez scored 20 points in the Eagles' 107-70 loss to the Louisville Cardinals. The teams match up Friday for the first time this season. South Carolina Upstate is 1-2 at home, and Morehead State is 0-3 on the road.

The Colorado State Rams take on the TCU Horned Frogs at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California. The teams match up Friday for the first time this season. Colorado State is 3-1 at home, and TCU is 0-1 on the road.

The Georgia Southern Eagles take on the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey. Friday's meeting is the first this season between the teams. Georgia Southern is 2-0 at home, and Maryland-Eastern Shore is 0-1 on the road.

Louisiana aims to break its five-game skid when the Ragin' Cajuns play Nicholls State. The teams square off Saturday for the first time this season. Louisiana is 1-2 at home, and Nicholls State is 1-2 on the road.