AP Sports SummaryBrief at 7:02 p.m. EST

By The Associated Press

LPGA and USGA to require players to be assigned female at birth or transition before male puberty

The LPGA and the USGA have updated gender policies that will require players to be assigned female at birth or to have transitioned to female before going through male puberty. The policies begin in 2025 and follow more than a year of study. The groups concluded that going through male puberty allows for competitive advantages in golf. The USGA has seven championships for females next year. The new policies rule out eligibility for Hailey Davidson. She missed U.S. Women’s Open qualifying by one shot this year and tried LPGA Q-school. Davidson began hormone treatments when she was in her early 20s in 2015 and in 2021 underwent gender-affirming surgery, which was required under the LPGA’s previous gender policy.

Miami’s playoff hopes nosedive as Alabama rises in the latest College Football Playoff rankings

Miami’s playoff hopes took a nosedive while Alabama’s got a boost in the last rankings before the College Football Playoff bracket is set next weekend. The Hurricanes moved down six spots to No. 12 after suffering their second loss of the season. They are one spot behind the Crimson Tide, who won won last week and moved up two spots to No. 11. Alabama is projected as the last team in and the fourth from the Southeastern Conference. Oregon stayed at No. 1 for the fifth straight week and will head into Saturday’s Big Ten title game as the only undefeated team in big-time college football.

SEC and Big Ten powers lead the way on signing day as prospects finalize their college selections

Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State are bringing in the nation’s top recruiting class as high school prospects across the country finalize their college plans. The identity of the No. 1 class according to composite rankings of recruiting sites compiled by 247Sports may not be determined until Friday because of the uncertainty surrounding a couple of top-10 prospects. But most top recruits already committed to a school well before the signing period arrived Wednesday.

The CFP rankings — and ‘data points’ — have left Miami, Ole Miss and South Carolina puzzled

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Miami wants things reconsidered. So does South Carolina. The Big 12 is puzzled. And Mississippi coach Lane Kiffin turned toward social media to ask the College Football Playoff committee a question. “You guys actually meet for days and come up with these rankings??” Kiffin wrote. The fallout and, for some, anger stemming from the release of the latest CFP ranking — one that almost certainly means Miami (10-2), South Carolina (9-3) and Ole Miss (9-3) all have no chance of getting into the 12-team field — continued Wednesday as the schools on the outside looking in continued making their case, even though all hope for them seems to be gone.

Juan Soto starting to eliminate teams from negotiations, agent Scott Boras says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Juan Soto is starting to drop teams from negotiations ahead of baseball’s winter meetings next week. Likely to approach or set a record contract, the free agent slugger has met with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays. Soto’s agent, Scott Boras, says the outfielder has “begun the process of eliminating teams” but he doesn’t think a decision is “imminent” in the near future. A four-time All-Star, Soto finished third in AL MVP voting after hitting .288 with 41 homers, 109 RBIs and 129 walks this year to help the Yankees reach the World Series. He has a .285 career batting average with 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 769 walks.

Falcons QB Cousins is looking to avoid interceptions, have bounce-back game in Minnesota homecoming

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Kirk Cousins is set for his return on Sunday to Minnesota, his NFL home from 2018 through 2023. The homecoming comes as he is hearing speculation about his job security in Atlanta. Cousins has thrown six interceptions with no touchdowns in the Falcons’ three-game losing streak. That includes four picks in last week’s 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, his most in a decade. A vote of confidence from coach Raheem Morris can’t silence suggestions that it’s time to give rookie first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. a chance to jump-start the Falcons’ struggling offense.

Lindsey Vonn to make her comeback to downhill racing at age 40 this weekend

Lindsey Vonn is going to enter an official ski race for the first time in nearly six years this weekend at age 40. Vonn announced last month that she was coming out of retirement and she will race lower-level FIS downhills and super-Gs on Saturday and Sunday in Copper Mountain, Colorado. Vonn needs some decent results to improve her long-dormant ranking so she can enter World Cup races this season under a new wild card rule. U.S. Ski Team head coach Paul Kristofic says that “obviously her history speaks for itself and she’s definitely the most decorated speed skier out there.” He adds that “it will be really, really fun and interesting to see what she can do.”

Liverpool’s lead cut in Premier League and Man City ends slump. Chelsea and Arsenal win

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League was cut to seven points after a 3-3 draw with Newcastle. Chelsea moved up to second by thrashing last-place Southampton 5-1, while Arsenal is third after a 2-0 win over Manchester United. Fourth-place Manchester City ended its seven-game winless run with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. Liverpool’s result will give hope to its title rivals after Fabian Schar’s 90th-minute equalizer at St James’ Park. Arsenal inflicted a first loss on new Man United head coach Ruben Amorim.

Pro Picks: Falcons will upset the Vikings in Kirk Cousins’ return to Minnesota

Six division matchups and Kirk Cousins’ return to Minnesota highlight a lighter Week 14 schedule. Six teams aren’t playing as the NFL wraps up its final week of byes before going to a full slate over the last four weeks. Two games feature the top two teams in the division. The Seattle Seahawks (7-5) visit the Arizona Cardinals (6-6) on Sunday in a battle for a tight race in the NFC West. The Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) host the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) on “Sunday Night Football” with plenty of breathing room between the two teams in the AFC West.

College football picks: ‘Let’s play two’ a theme for handful of conference championship games

No football coach would tell you he’s excited about the prospect of having to beat the same team twice in the same season. That will be the task for four teams in Football Bowl Subdivision conference championship games. The FCS-level Southwestern Athletic Conference game also is a rematch. Western Kentucky, Boise State, Miami and Georgia will be going for sweeps. Sportradar reports there have been 78 same-season rematches in the FBS since 2000. There have been 43 sweeps and 35 splits.