Sports

USC receiver Zachariah Branch reacts after fellow receiver Duce Robinson scores against Nebraska. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) Hi, everyone! I’m Ryan Kartje, your USC beat writer at The Times, reporting to you in the aftermath of the first 12-team College Football Playoff bracket reveal. How Penn State, a team that probably should’ve lost … Read more

Matthew Stafford gets a pass off against the Bills in the fourth quarter. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news. Newsletter Go beyond the scoreboard Get the latest on L.A.’s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter. Enter email address Sign Me Up You … Read more

Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post A rumble shook New York City late Sunday night. There has been a major power shift on the baseball landscape. The Mets stole the Yankees’ prized possession, luring Juan Soto to Queens on a massive 15-year, $765 million contract, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported. The Yankees offered 16 years and $760 million. … Read more

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani holds the World Series trophy during the locker-room celebration following Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) The announcements came like a metronome at the start of last season, a steady stream of almost weekly news releases from the Dodgers announcing one Japanese sponsorship deal after the … Read more

The Chargers’ Troy Dye (43) reacts as the Chiefs’ Matthew Wright (49) is congratulated after his game-winning field goal. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press) Clanks for the memories. New kicker Matthew Wright lifted the Kansas City Chiefs to a 19-17 victory over the Chargers on Sunday night with a 31-yard field goal that miraculously ricocheted … Read more

The Rams’ Puka Nacua, who had a touchdown run and touchdown reception, celebrates a first down against the Bills in the second half. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 1 The Rams defeated the Buffalo Bills 44-42 on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium. What we learned from a victory that improved the Rams’ record to … Read more

Brent Fullwood, Auburn’s All-American tailback, doesn’t reveal much about himself. He was introverted while playing behind Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson for three years and although he has opened up a bit to reporters recently, he still is one who doesn’t readily share his thoughts. But his actions? That’s a different story. What he does … Read more

Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu is on the mend after she had a procedure last week. Ionescu underwent a procedure Friday to stabilize the ulnar collateral ligament in her right thumb, team sources confirmed to The Post. Ionescu’s operation, first reported by ESPN, was performed by surgeon Dr. Steven S. Shin in Los Angeles and considered … Read more

DALLAS — Now what? The Yankees learned Sunday night that their last and best offer — $760 million for 16 years — was not good enough to bring Juan Soto back to The Bronx. A player most often compared with Ted Williams, presuming a declined or nullified opt-out, will spend his next 15 seasons in … Read more

Dorian Finney-Smith made his return to the court Sunday, and to the Nets starting lineup. He had missed the prior four games with a sprained left ankle. The veteran power forward finished with nine points, four rebounds and was plus-2 in 30 minutes, often matched up with former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith … Read more