Category: Sports

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) — What was planned to be the last series of the day for Tua Tagovailoa ended in the final play of his season — and maybe his Alabama career.

The Crimson Tide’s star quarterback will miss the rest of the season after dislocating his right hip in the first half of No. 4 Alabama’s 38-7 victory over Mississippi State on Saturday.

Tagovailoa, the potential top pick in April’s NFL draft, was injured while being dragged down by two Bulldogs late in the first half, with the Tide up four touchdowns. He was flown by helicopter to the St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Hours later the school announced he has sustained a dislocated right hip.

“He is undergoing further testing to determine the best course of treatment,” Alabama team orthopedic surgeon Lyle Cain said in a statement. “He is expected to make a full recovery but will miss the remainder of the season.”

Tagovailoa had been nursing an ankle injury and Alabama was considering holding him out of this game. The junior needed surgery four weeks ago for a high ankle sprain on his right leg that caused him to miss a game and a half.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said the plan was to remove Tagovailoa from the game before the series when the quarterback was injury. Alabama was leading 35-7, but it was decided to let Tagovailoa play one more possession to get some work in the two-minute drill.

“We can second guess ourselves all we want,” Saban said. “We told Mac (Jones) to warm up and we were going to go 2-minute before the half. Tua wanted to play in the game and so I don’t really make a lot of decisions worrying if a guy is going to get hurt.”

Tagovailoa was 14 of 18 for 256 yards and two touchdown passes against Mississippi State, giving him 31 TD passes on the season. He was replaced by Jones, who went 7 for 11 for 94 yards.

“Thank you all for the prayers and well wishes,” Tagovailoa posted on Twitter. “God always has a plan.”

Jones led the Crimson Tide to an easy victory when he started against Arkansas last month. Alabama faces Western Carolina next week before finishing the season at No. 13 Auburn.

Tailback Najee Harris warned reporters that he wasn’t in the mood to answer questions, saying: “I’m just hurt about our quarterback, what happened to our quarterback.”

“He means a lot to our team, Harris said. “It’s our guy. I came here at the same time he did. Been friends with him since my freshman season. For him to go down like that really hurts.”

The Crimson Tide (9-1, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) were coming off a 46-41 loss to LSU that nudged it out of College Football Playoff position to fifth in the latest selection committee rankings. Now Alabama is facing the possibility of trying to impress the committee without Tagovailoa, the Heisman Trophy runner-up from last season.

Tagovailoa played well against LSU, passing for more than 400 yards, but he was gimpy at times, favoring his right ankle. Saban said Tagovailoa was a game-time decision against Mississippi State. He started and the Tide jumped out to a 14-0 lead on a touchdown run and a touchdown catch by Najee Harris, who finished with four TDs.

Mississippi State (4-6, 2-5) cut the lead to 14-7 on a 1-yard scoring run by Kylin Hill. But that was as close it got. Harris finished with 88 yards rushing and 51 yards receiving. Jerry Jeudy had seven catches for 114 yards receiving for Alabama.

TAKEAWAY

Alabama: Tide defensive tackle Raekwon Davis was also taken off the field with an apparent leg injury.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs’ struggles on offensive continued against Alabama. Mississippi State had just 270 yards of offense and had only 82 yards passing against the Crimson Tide. In the past two meetings with Alabama, the Bulldogs have mustered seven points.

“We knew against a team of Alabama’s caliber that we needed things to go our way,” Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead said. “But spotting them a 14-0 lead three minutes into the game didn’t help. We didn’t execute enough and we didn’t coach well enough to win today.”

Tommy Stevens was 12 of 21 passing for Mississippi State and had just 82 yards passing. Stevens did rush for 96 yards on 10 carries.

The Bulldogs must win out to be bowl eligible.

UP NEXT

Alabama: The Crimson Tide needs to beat Auburn and have LSU lose twice in its final two games to win the SEC West and reach the conference title game.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs continue their season-ending homestand and host Abilene Christian for homecoming.

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Duke found itself in a familiar position this week by reclaiming the top spot in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll.

The Blue Devils earned the top spot for the 143rd week to extend their all-time record after previous No. 1 Kentucky lost to unranked Evansville.

Duke’s reign at the top will be put to the test in what could be two tough games this week at the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden.

First up for the Blue Devils is California in the semifinals on Thursday. The Bears (3-0) are trying to rebuild under first-year coach Mark Fox but already have wins over Pepperdine and UNLV so far.

Get past Cal and Duke could face a stiff test against No. 22 Texas on Friday. The Longhorns (4-0) have to beat Georgetown first, but they already have a win against then-No. 23 Purdue on their resume and are playing lockdown defense early in the season.

“Expect the same from this team: being extremely hungry still,” guard Tre Jones said after scoring a career-high 31 points in a victory over Georgia State. “No matter what happens to start off the week (in the poll), just extremely hungry, we’re going up there with one goal in mind, to come back with two wins and continue to grow on defense and offense.”

CAVALIERS AND CATAMOUNTS

No. 7 Virginia has followed up last season’s national championship by turning up its already-stingy defense. The Cavaliers (3-0) held two of their first three opponents to 34 points — Syracuse was one — and is limiting teams to 25% shooting, 23% from 3-point range.

Virginia and its defense will get a big test Tuesday against Vermont.

The Catamounts are 4-0 for the first time since 1977-78 and have one of the nation’s best scorers in Anthony Lamb. Vermont also can play a little defense, holding teams to 34% shooting and 19% from the 3-point arc.

Even with Lamb on the court, this could be a low-scoring game in Charlottesville.

Virginia also plays UMass on Friday at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut, and will face Arizona State or St. John’s the following day.

AGGIES IN JAMAICA

No. 15 Utah State’s highest ranking since 1970-71 will be put to a big test in the Caribbean this weekend at the Mike’s Jamaica Classic.

The Aggies, who moved up two spots in this week’s AP Top 25, face LSU on Friday. The Tigers lost to Virginia Commonwealth last Wednesday but have a solid backcourt and one of the best freshmen in the country, 6-foot-9 Trendon Watford.

Watford against Utah State 7-footer Neemias Queta will be fun to watch. So will Aggies guard Sam Merrill, but that’s pretty much every game the dynamic senior plays.

WILDCATS BOUNCE BACK

Kentucky suffered the biggest upset of the early 2019-20 season, losing by three to Evansville at home last week. The loss sent the Wildcats careening down the AP Top 25, from No. 1 to No. 9.

Kentucky bounced back with an 82-74 win over Utah Valley on Monday night and will face Mount St. Mary’s on Friday during a stretch of five games against smaller-conference schools.

The Wildcats are expected to roll in those game, but they did lose to Evansville, so you never know.

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Patrick Corbin was an exception last offseason.

Amid a slow free agent market — some stars didn’t sign until after the start of spring training — Corbin’s search for a new home was over in December when he received a $140 million, six-year contract from Washington.

That worked out pretty well for both team and player. Corbin was a key part of the Nationals’ starting rotation this year, and he threw three scoreless innings in relief in Game 7 of the World Series, helping the team win its first World Series title.

Now, another offseason is in full swing. It’s hard to say whether teams will be more aggressive in pursuing free agents, hoping to land the next Corbin, but the Atlanta Braves already made a significant move, signing reliever Will Smith away from San Francisco.

Here’s a look at the top free agents still available, broken down by position. Players are listed with their most recent teams, with their ages in parentheses:

LEFT-HANDED STARTER

Hyun-Jin Ryu, Dodgers (32)

The runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award, Ryu went 14-5 with a 2.32 ERA — and he made 29 starts, nearly doubling his total from 2018.

Other options: Would you believe Madison Bumgarner just turned 30 this August? You could make a case that he’s the top lefty available, but he just posted a career-worst ERA of 3.90, and he received a qualifying offer from San Francisco, which could depress the market for the former World Series MVP. Dallas Keuchel knows all about that after his free agency last offseason dragged all the way until June. He eventually signed a one-year deal with Atlanta and went 8-8 with a 3.75 ERA. Injury-prone Rich Hill is still effective when he can take the mound, but that happened only 13 times this year, and he turns 40 in 2020.

LEFT-HANDED RELIEVER

Drew Pomeranz, Brewers (30)

Pomeranz went 2-10 with a 4.85 ERA this year, but that included 18 starts. As a reliever, he posted a 1.88 ERA in 28 appearances.

Other options: Jerry Blevins? Francisco Liriano? There’s not a lot to choose from among lefty relievers after Smith signed with Atlanta.

RIGHT-HANDED STARTER

Gerrit Cole, Astros (29)

The top picks from the 2011 and 2009 drafts are both available this offseason. Cole gets the nod over Stephen Strasburg because he’s two years younger. Both of them were terrific in 2019 — in the regular season and the postseason.

Other options: Cole and Strasburg are Nos. 1 and 1a among righty starters, but keep an eye on Zack Wheeler, who went 11-8 with a 3.96 ERA in 31 starts for the Mets. He doesn’t turn 30 until May.

RIGHT-HANDED RELIEVER

Will Harris, Astros (35)

It didn’t work out, but there was a reason Houston went to Harris in a big spot in Game 7 of the World Series: He was one of the best relievers in the game this year. Harris went 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA in 2019, and he was great in the postseason too before faltering in the final two games.

Other options: Steve Cishek has posted an ERA under 3.00 for four straight seasons, and Cubs teammate Brandon Kintzler can be effective as well. Dellin Betances has 621 strikeouts in 381 2/3 career innings, but injury problems kept him out almost all of this season, and now he’s recovering from a partially torn Achilles tendon.

CATCHER

Yasmani Grandal, Brewers (31)

Grandal turned down a qualifying offer from the Dodgers last year, signed with the Brewers, hit a career-high 28 home runs, then turned down a mutual option with Milwaukee and will try free agency again.

Other options: Robinson Chirinos supplied his usual power at the catcher position for the AL champion Astros. Travis d’Arnaud played for three different teams this season, finally ending up with Tampa Bay and doing solid work for the Rays. He’s still only 30.

FIRST BASE

Justin Smoak, Blue Jays (32)

Slim pickings here after José Abreu decided to stay with the White Sox. Smoak has declined sharply since hitting 38 homers in 2017, but he still has power, and he did manage a .342 on-base percentage this year despite batting .208.

Other options: Howie Kendrick can still hit the ball hard at age 36 — just ask any of the Nationals’ postseason opponents. He can play multiple positions too. Mitch Moreland was limited to 91 games this year for Boston, but he managed 19 home runs.

SECOND BASE

Jonathan Schoop, Twins (28)

Schoop was part of a Minnesota team that slugged its way to the AL Central title, and he contributed a .256 average and 23 homers. He won’t turn 29 until next October.

Other options: Brian Dozier didn’t have a big role during Washington’s postseason run, but he did hit 20 homers for a sixth straight year. Starlin Castro hit .270 with 22 homers while playing all 162 games for Miami.

THIRD BASE

Anthony Rendon, Nationals (29)

An MVP finalist and a World Series champion, Rendon is clearly the crown jewel of this free agent class among position players — although it’s a reasonably strong group at third base this year.

Other options: Mike Moustakas hits the market at age 31, fresh off a 35-homer season with Milwaukee. Josh Donaldson turns 34 next month, but he showed he could stay healthy with the Braves this year, hitting 37 homers and playing in 155 games.

SHORTSTOP

Didi Gregorius, Yankees (29)

New York did not make a qualifying offer to Gregorius, so that might make him more appealing for teams needing a shortstop. Gregorius played 82 games after Tommy John surgery and finished with a woeful on-base percentage of .276.

Other option: Jose Iglesias hit .288 with a career-high 11 home runs for Cincinnati.

OUTFIELD

Marcell Ozuna, Cardinals (29)

Yasiel Puig, Indians (28)

Nicholas Castellanos, Cubs (27)

Ozuna was an All-Star with the Marlins in 2016 and 2017, then had a couple productive seasons with St. Louis. Puig brings consistency at the plate (he’s hit between .255 and .267 each of the past five seasons) along with power and speed. Castellanos does not have a good reputation defensively, but after 27 homers and 58 doubles in 2019, you do what you have to do to get his bat in the lineup.

Other options: Brett Gardner hit a career-high 28 homers this year at age 36. Corey Dickerson hit .304 but played in only 78 games and finished the season shelved with a broken foot. Kole Calhoun hit a career-high 33 homers for the Angels. Avisaíl Garcia hasn’t been able to repeat his impressive 2017 season with the bat, but he hit .282 with 20 homers this year and doesn’t turn 29 until June.

DESIGNATED HITTER

Edwin Encarnación, Yankees (36)

Encarnación hit 34 home runs in 109 games, but the Yankees declined a 2020 option on him after he was limited by oblique problems down the stretch. Given the paucity of first basemen on the market, Encarnación’s ability to play there could help his value. But he has to be healthy enough.

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Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ___

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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU coach Ed Orgeron said he’s taking a hard look in the mirror after the No. 1 Tigers’ defense gave up a season-high 614 yards — not to mention 37 points — in their most recent victory at Mississippi.

“The first thing I do is look at myself because I coach the defensive linemen,” Orgeron said Monday at his weekly press conference. “What did we show them at practice last week; what did we not show them?”

The defense got a boost Monday when senior linebacker Michael Divinity returned to the team and participated in practice. But that’s no panacea; some of LSU’s struggles predated Divinity’s initial departure from the team. The game at Ole Miss marked the fourth time this season the Tigers had given up at least 450 yards and 37 points.

Nationally, they’re 44th in scoring defense and 47th in total defense.

None of the other CFP contenders are ranked anywhere near that far down in those categories.

Right after Saturday night’s victory, Orgeron had made a point of not being overly critical of the Tigers’ defense.

After all, his offense had 714 yards — second most in school history — and 48 points, this coming in a Southeastern Conference road game against an old rival with the Tigers’ No. 1 ranking on the line.

But Monday is “Tell the Truth” day at LSU’s football operation building, and Orgeron’s message was decidedly more urgent, especially if the Tigers (10-0, 6-0 SEC), who host Arkansas on Saturday, want to contend for a national championship.

Still, he deflected some blame away from the players.

“I look at how as coaches what we can do to get better. I think yesterday we spent three hours looking at four plays,” Orgeron said. “We give them the right things to do at the right time, and then it’s obviously up to them.”

LSU defensive players, meanwhile, sought to hold themselves accountable.

“We just needed to stay disciplined. And when you do make corrections, play as one instead of trying to play hero ball,” safety Jacoby Stevens said. “We just got caught trying to knock it out ourselves.”

Injuries to some key defensive players have been a concern. Preseason All-America safety Grant Delpit has been playing through pain most of the season. Top defensive linemen Rashard Lawrence and Glen Logan each have missed a few games. Divinity’s temporary departure only exacerbated the lack of lineup continuity.

But Oregon sounded less worried about personnel issues than the fact that defensive schemes simply have not worked out at times — particularly the plan to contain Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, who broke loose for 212 rushing yards Saturday.

“We were trying to be a little too aggressive,” Orgeron said. “We had a couple of guys out of position.”

LSU’s defense aims to show improvement this week, but measuring that could be tricky against the woebegone opponent coming up Saturday night. Arkansas (2-8, 0-6) is at the bottom of the conference, having already fired coach Chad Morris before the end of his second season. It’s the Razorbacks’ first game under interim coach Barry Lunney after an open date last week.

Stevens said LSU defensive players had an “emotional” meeting on Monday.

“I was disappointed in how we played. I expect so much from this defense,” said Stevens, who also was highly critical of LSU’s defense after the game on Saturday night. “We didn’t perform in a positive way. I felt like I needed to kind of light a fire. I felt like I did. Now that we’ve got everything on the table we’ll definitely be focused and ready to go for Arkansas.”

Arkansas ranks 11th in the SEC in scoring (22.3 points per game) and 12th in total offense (353.5). The Razorbacks have lost their last four games by an average of 49.5-15, capped off by the 45-19 loss to Western Kentucky that spurred Morris’ firing before the end of this season.

Orgeron, who himself has twice been an interim coach — at USC in 2013 and at LSU in 2015 — pointed out that a coaching change can give a team a lift. Each time Orgeron was appointed interim coach, his teams won the first time out with him in charge.

Arkansas will “come out on fire,” Orgeron predicted. “You change things up some and they respond to that.

“My first day at USC I brought cookies for everybody and they really responded to that. I’m sure they’ll have something cooked up for us.”

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Even with cornerback Marshon Lattimore injured and unavailable, the New Orleans Saints’ defense again demonstrated its ability to stuff the run, make quarterbacks uncomfortable and tip the balance of a game.

The Saints haven’t lost two straight games since the first two weeks of the 2017 season, and their improvement on defense is a big reason why.

On Sunday at Tampa Bay, the Saints were looking to bounce back from an uncharacteristically woeful loss to Atlanta in which New Orleans was held without a touchdown at home — something that had never happened when Drew Brees was at quarterback.

Brees and the offense were better at Tampa Bay, but didn’t have to be great because the defense was in a 34-17 triumph, intercepting Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston four times, sacking him twice, and harassing him most of the game.

“You are not going to lose many games when you get four takeaways like that,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “We affected the quarterback, moving him off his spot. I thought that was important, and guys competed. It is a real good group of receivers (on Tampa Bay’s roster) and I thought we really competed.”

After the Saints saw two promising possessions inside the Tampa Bay 30 ended with field goals, their first touchdown on a 16-yard pass from Brees to Michael Thomas was set up by linebacker Demario Davis’ interception of a ball that was floating in front of him after safety Marcus Williams had helped break up a pass.

The Saints’ final touchdown, which virtually sealed the victory, came on Williams’ 55-yard interception return.

“We always do our takeaway drills and it paid off,” Williams said.

Payton sounds pleased by the resurgence of Williams, who has four interceptions this season, matching his career high in 2017, when he was a rookie.

“He’s got real good ball skills. He’s smart. He’s got very good instincts,” said Payton, who also credited the defensive front for Winston’s inaccurate pass, which sailed over the intended receiver and into Williams’ arms.

“When we’re winning up front and getting the quarterback off his spot, it’s kind of a complementary, back and forth, chicken or the egg. The secondary’s play gets enhanced, their ability to break on balls, all of that.”

The Saints woke up Monday tied for fifth in the NFL in total defense and ranked third against the run.

So while the Payton-Brees era has been known mostly for prolific offense since it began in 2006, what had made the Saints tough to beat this season is a defense that was dominant enough to carry the club to five straight wins even when Brees was sidelined by a thumb injury.

WHAT’S WORKING

The offensive line and running game got back on track after an anemic showing against Atlanta that saw Brees sacked six times.

The Saints allowed only one sack and rushed for 109 yards against a Tampa Bay front that ranks second against the run.

“That Atlanta game was not what we’re about and something we weren’t proud of at all. There was a lot of bad stuff that happened in that game and we looked at that film and corrected it,” Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk said. “Two of the most important things are keeping Drew protected, keeping him clean, and then being able to open up the run game. So week to week that’s something we take a lot of pride in.”

WHAT NEEDS HELP

Penalties — including some untimely ones — continue to plague the offense. Brees was particularly unhappy with a holding call that wiped out an Alvin Kamara touchdown.

“We shot ourselves in the foot with some penalties,” Brees said. “Self-inflicted wounds, unforced errors — we got to clean that up. If we want to be as good as I think we can be, you have to be better in that area.”

STOCK UP

Nick Easton, a free agent acquisition who was unable to beat out rookie Erik McCoy at starting center and wound up being inactive several games, got his first start at left guard in place of injured 2018 Pro Bowl selection Andrus Peat.

“Nick did a great job filling in for Peat, so we’ll look to continue that this next week,” Ramczyk said. “We’ve always had a ton of confidence in our backups. So Nick, we knew he’d be able to step in there and play a solid game.”

STOCK DOWN

Second-year receiver Tre’Quan Smith did not have a catch and his offensive pass interference penalty wiped out Kamara’s 18-yard gain on a catch-and-run out of the backfield.

INJURIES

Tight end Josh Hill went out with a concussion. Hill is a regular in both the offense and special teams and it’s unclear when he’ll be back. The Saints also are hoping Lattimore’s return from a hamstring injury will be sooner than later, but his timeline also remains unclear.

KEY NUMBER

36 — The number of consecutive games, including playoffs, in which the Saints defense has prevented an opposing rusher from gaining 100 yards.

NEXT STEPS

The Saints host the Panthers with a chance to take a four-game lead in the NFC South, then have a quick turnaround at Atlanta on Thanksgiving night. Also on the horizon are what looks like a significant matchup for top seeding in the NFC playoffs when San Francisco visits on Dec. 8.

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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Carmelo Anthony is now with the Portland Trail Blazers and starting over with jersey No. 00.

Word that the 10-time All-Star had joined the team broke Thursday night, but the agreement was not formalized until Tuesday when he signed a nonguaranteed contract that goes through January. If he stays, the contract becomes guaranteed for the rest of the season.

It was not immediately clear when he would start practicing or playing with the team. Portland was at New Orleans on Tuesday night.

Anthony hasn’t played since a 10-game stint with the Houston Rockets ended a little more than a year ago. But the Blazers hope there is enough game left in the 35-year-old forward to help them overcome a 5-9 start.

“Carmelo is an established star in this league that will provide a respected presence in our locker room and a skill set at a position of need on the floor,” Neil Olshey, Portland’s president of basketball operations, said in a statement.

Anthony struggled at the end of his recent stops in Oklahoma City and Houston following 6½ seasons in New York. He continued to work out with NBA players, and his many friends and supporters insisted he was still good enough to play in the league.

Now he will get a chance to prove it. Anthony posted a video on his YouTube channel explaining his decision.

“I always kept an eye on Portland,” he said. “It just didn’t work out at other times, but now it seems like it’s a perfect opportunity.”

Anthony was acquired by the Chicago Bulls from Houston on Jan. 21, with the intention of trading him before the deadline or letting him go. He averaged 13.4 points in 10 games with the Rockets last season, but the team quickly decided Anthony wasn’t the right fit with the system they play under Mike D’Antoni.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist can still score — he ranks among the top 20 on the NBA’s career list — but his preferred style of doing it has been replaced by a faster game that exposes his defensive weaknesses.

Anthony was traded by Oklahoma City to Atlanta in July 2018, a move that preceded the Hawks releasing him to sign with the Rockets. The Bulls, technically, were his fourth franchise in seven months.

Eight of Anthony’s 10 appearances for the Rockets came off the bench after the No. 3 pick in the 2003 draft had started all 1,054 games he’d played in his first 15 NBA seasons. He has averaged 24 points in 16 seasons.

Anthony fills a need for the Blazers, who are short-handed at forward. Zach Collins recently had shoulder surgery that is expected to keep him out for at least four months. Rodney Hood was bothered by back spasms.

Center Jusuf Nurkic broke his leg last March and isn’t expected back until after the new year. Pau Gasol was signed by the Blazers in the offseason and is still rehabbing from foot surgery.

The Blazers were reportedly interested in Anthony in the summer of 2017. Portland guard CJ McCollum tried to woo him with a photoshopped Instagram post that showed the future Hall of Famer in a Blazers jersey.

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This story has been corrected to show that Nurkic broke his leg in March, not October.

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AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in New York contributed to this report.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins released suspended running back Mark Walton on Tuesday, hours after he was arrested on charges of punching his pregnant girlfriend in the head.

Police in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Davie said in a report that officers went to a home at 4:15 a.m. Tuesday, where Walton’s girlfriend told them he had pushed her against the wall and punched her several times in the face and head, leaving her with a swollen left eye.

The woman told officers she is five weeks pregnant with the couple’s child and had told Walton about the pregnancy on Sunday. Walton, 22, was charged with aggravated battery on a pregnant person, a felony with a 15-year maximum sentence. It was his fourth arrest in less than a year.

Because this is a domestic violence charge, Walton will have to appear before a judge before he can be released and he was not listed on the court’s Tuesday afternoon calendar.

His defense attorney, Michael A. Gottlieb, declined comment and his contract representatives, First Round Management, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The Dolphins announced Walton’s release less than seven hours after his arrest. The second-year player had served two games of a four-game suspension for violating NFL conduct and substance abuse policies following three arrests last offseason in his hometown of Miami.

“We were made aware of a police matter earlier this morning regarding Mark Walton. We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously. We will have no further comment at this time,” General Manager Chris Grier said in a statement.

The Dolphins signed Walton in May, one month after the Cincinnati Bengals released him because of the earlier arrests.

“I think people deserve a second chance,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said then. “I don’t want to judge people based on one incident, two incidents.”

The Bengals had drafted him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft out of Miami. As a high schooler, Walton starred at Miami powerhouse Booker T. Washington.

A Florida court sentenced Walton in August to six months’ probation after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor weapons charge. Other charges, including marijuana possession and reckless driving, were dismissed.

The NFL suspended Walton two weeks ago and he had been eligible to return Dec. 2. The suspension had been expected when the Dolphins signed him. Flores said at the time that Walton “has done everything we have asked of him both on and off the field.”

In seven games with the Dolphins this season, Walton rushed 53 times for 201 yards, an average of 3.8 yards per carry. He also had 15 receptions for 89 yards.

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An earlier version of this report had an incorrect first name for attorney Michael A. Gottlieb.

The starting positions have been set for the College Football Playoff race. They will get an immediate makeover this weekend.

For the first time in college football history, there will be two games matching teams that are at least 8-0 on the same day, according to ESPN researchers.

Top-ranked LSU visits Alabama to play the first regular-season game matching AP Nos. 1 and 2 since 2011 — when No. 1 LSU beat No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime. The CFP selection committee has LSU and Alabama ranked second and third, respectively, this week, but what fun is that? The Crimson Tide has won eight straight meetings since the last Game of Century in ’11.

Regardless of the numbers, the winner is likely to be (almost) everybody’s No. 1 next week, while the loser will be No. 2 — in the SEC West.

The other big game nobody would have seen coming back in September, when No. 13 Minnesota was barely scraping by against South Dakota State, Georgia Southern and Fresno State. The Gophers, 8-0 for the first time since 1941, host No. 5 Penn State.

The selection committee wasn’t so impressed with Minnesota and ranked the Gophers 17th on Tuesday night, well behind the Nittany Lions (No. 4 CFP).

In a twist, you’ll be able to watch both big games, have a late dinner and still be asleep by 11 p.m. on the East Coast. The Big Ten game is at noon and, for the first time since 2010, LSU-Alabama is an afternoon game, kicking at 3:30 p.m.

Score one for the early to bed, early to rise crowd. The picks:

No. 1 LSU (plus 6) at No. 2 Alabama

Only once since 2007 have the Tigers and Tide combined to reach the 50-point mark; They come into this game averaging a combined 95 points … ALABAMA 35-28.

Maryland (plus 42½) at No. 3 Ohio State

Can Buckeyes DE Chase Young build on his Heisman momentum against an overmatched opponent the way offensive players can? … OHIO STATE 56-10.

No. 4 Clemson (minus 32½) at North Carolina State

Defending national champion Tigers, fifth in the CFP rankings, might be a little ticked … CLEMSON 45-10.

No. 5 Penn State (minus 6½) at No. 13 Minnesota

It is really hard to run against the Nittany Lions; No team in the Big Ten runs more and passes less than the Gophers … PENN STATE 23-17.

Vanderbilt (plus 26½) at No. 6 Florida

Gators are 27-1 against the Commodores dating to 1989 … FLORIDA 42-14.

Missouri (plus 17) at No. 8 Georgia

Tigers QB Kelly Bryant (left leg) is uncertain against the SEC’s No. 1 defense … GEORGIA 28-13.

Iowa State (plus 14½) at No. 10 Oklahoma

Sooners have already taken their almost annual upset as a double-digit favorite. Another one would be devastating … IOWA STATE 35-34, UPSET SPECIAL.

No. 12 Baylor (minus 2) at TCU

Horned Frogs have won four straight in an underrated, old Southwest Conference rivalry … BAYLOR 31-27.

No. 15 Notre Dame (minus 8) at Duke

Blue Devils’ offense is last in the ACC in yards per play at 4.84 … NOTRE DAME 24-13.

No. 18 Iowa (plus 9½) at No. 16 Wisconsin

Hawkeyes are averaging 18.2 points in Big Ten games and that includes 30 against Rutgers … WISCONSIN 16-9.

UConn (plus 35) at No. 17 Cincinnati

Bearcats needed a late rally to escape last week at East Carolina. Shouldn’t be a problem this week … CINCINNATI 45-7.

East Carolina (plus 21) at No. 15 SMU

Pirates have shown some fight, but still have lost four straight … SMU 48-21.

Wyoming (plus 13) at No. 21 Boise State

Cowboys turn to backup QB Tyler Vader Waal after a season-ending injury to Sean Chambers … BOISE STATE 28-17.

No. 22 Kansas State (plus 7) at Texas

A loss here and a 6-6 season becomes a very real possibility for the Longhorns … TEXAS 35-30.

No. 23 Wake Forest (minus 2) at Virginia Tech

Demon Deacons victory sets up a first-place showdown at Clemson next week. How about that? … WAKE FOREST 31-27.

Nevada (plus 17½) at No. 24 San Diego State

Another Rocky Long coached Aztecs team winning with stingy defense … SAN DIEGO STATE 34-13.

TWITTER REQUESTS

Tennessee (minus 1) at Kentucky — @JeffMuirBP

Wildcats WR-turned-QB Lynn Bowden Jr. has run for 499 yards in last three games and has not thrown an interception in 33 attempts … TENNESSEE 21-17.

Appalachian State (plus 5) at South Carolina — @JacksonFrancoi3

Mountaineers go for Carolina sweep after beating North Carolina in September … APPALACHIAN STATE 23-20.

Southern California (plus 1½) at Arizona State — @walkerRcarey

Going to Tempe as USC coach has not always guaranteed returning to campus as USC coach … USC 27-24.

Louisville (plus 6½) at Miami — @laruerobinson

Hurricanes were an unlucky team early in the season and could still finish strong … MIAMI 28-20.

Illinois (plus 15) at Michigan State — @GARandall

One of these teams is on a three-game winning streak and the other on a three-game losing streak, but you wouldn’t know which by the point spread … MICHIGAN STATE 28-17.

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Last week: 14-6 straight; 9-10 against the spread.

Season: 172-51 straight; 118-97-6 against the spread.

Upset specials: 3-7 (straight up).

Best bets: 3-6-1 (against the spread).

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/

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More AP college football: https://apnews.com/APTop25CollegeFootballPoll and https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25