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superph ph Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah has already found a new program in Duke, while Mississippi State's Michael Van Buren Jr., Wisconsin's Braedyn Locke and Cal's Fernando Mendoza are exploring changes of their own in the transfer portal. Mensah, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining, told ESPN on Wednesday he has transferred to Duke. He attended the Blue Devils men's basketball game against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils (9-3) will face Mississippi in the Gator Bowl, but without 2024 starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and backup Grayson Loftis, who also entered the portal. Mensah, viewed as one of the top players in the portal, threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns and completed 65.9% of his passes. He led the Green Wave to a 9-4 record and the American Athletic Conference championship game, where they lost 35-14 to Army. Tulane will play Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl on Sunday. Van Buren, Mendoza and Locke announced on social media they had entered the portal. Van Buren started eight games as a true freshmen for the Bulldogs. He threw for 1,886 yards on 55% passing with 16 total touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8 Southeastern Conference). He took over as the starter when Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a 45-28 loss to Florida on Sept. 21. Shapen has said he plans to return next season. Van Buren, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound passer from St. Frances Academy in Maryland, had two 300-yard performances for the Bulldogs, including 306 yards and three touchdown passes in a 41-31 road loss against Georgia. Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards in 2024 with 16 TDs, six interceptions and a 68.7 completion percentage. "For the sake of my football future this is the decision I have reached," he posted. Locke passed for 1,936 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Wisconsin this season. He said he will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan cornerback Will Johnson has joined defensive tackle Mason Graham in the NFL draft. Johnson declared for the draft on Wednesday, one day after Graham decided he would also skip his senior season with the Wolverines. Both preseason All-America players are expected to be first-round picks. Johnson was limited to six games this year due to an injury. He had two interceptions, returning them both for touchdowns to set a school record with three scores off interceptions. Johnson picked off nine passes in three seasons. Graham played in all 12 games this season, finishing with 3 1/2 sacks and seven tackles for losses. He had 18 tackles for losses, including nine sacks, in his three-year career. Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is The Associated Press offensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference and South Carolina defensive lineman Kyle Kennard is the top defensive player. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was voted the top newcomer on Wednesday while the Gamecocks' Shane Beamer is coach of the year in voting by the panel of 17 media members who cover the league. Sampson led the SEC and set school records by rushing for 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns. He is tied for third nationally in rushing touchdowns, recording the league's fifth-most in a season. Sampson was chosen on all but two ballots. Mississippi wide receiver Tre Harris and his quarterback, Jaxson Dart, each got a vote. Kennard led the SEC with 11-1/2 sacks and 15-1/2 tackles for loss. He also had 10 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles. Beamer led the Gamecocks to just their fifth nine-win season, including a school-record four wins over Top 25 opponents. They've won their last six games and ended the regular season with a win over eventual ACC champion Clemson. South Carolina plays Illinois on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Pavia helped lead Vandy to its first bowl game since 2018 after transferring from New Mexico State. He passed for 2,133 yards and 17 touchdowns with four interceptions. He ran for another 716 yards and six touchdowns, directing an upset of Alabama. AMES, Iowa — Matt Campbell, who led Iowa State to its first 10-win season and became the program's all-time leader in coaching victories, has agreed to an eight-year contract that would keep him with the Cyclones through 2032. University president Wendy Wintersteen and athletic director Jamie Pollard made the announcement Wednesday, four days after the Cyclones lost to Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game. “Given all the uncertainty currently facing college athletics, it was critical that we moved quickly to solidify the future of our football program,” Pollard said. “Matt is the perfect fit for Iowa State University and I am thrilled he wants to continue to lead our program. Leadership continuity is essential to any organization’s long-term success." The Cyclones won their first seven games for their best start since 1938 and are 10-3 heading into their game against Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 28. BRIEFLY FLAG PLANT: Ohio Republican state Rep. Josh Williams said Wednesday on social media he's introducing a bill to make flag planting in sports a felony in the state. His proposal comes after the Nov. 30 fight at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry football game when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 and then attempted to plant their flag at midfield. MALZAHN: Gus Malzahn, who resigned as UCF’s coach last month to become Mike Norvell’s offensive coordinator at Florida State, said he chose to return to his coaching roots rather than remain a head coach distracted by a myriad of responsibilities. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!Last week, UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death on a New York City sidewalk in what was clearly a thoroughly planned-out attack. Over the next few days, as authorities hunted for the killer, online progressives did not try hard to hide their delight that a millionaire health insurance executive like Thompson was killed. Social media was flooded with posts and videos—with different ranges of subtlety—suggesting that Thompson, at the very least, did not deserve to be mourned because of all the health care his company has denied to poor and working people. Progressives framed the shooting as an act of self-defense on behalf of the working class. Before the alleged killer was caught Monday, they promised not to snitch if they saw the shooter themselves and fantasized about a working-class jury nullifying all charges, leading to other CEOs getting gunned down with impunity if they oversaw price increases. The narrative that these online progressives clearly subscribe to and perpetuate is one where, in the United States, healthcare is a totally unfettered, unregulated industry; where—because of a total lack of government involvement—wealthy CEOs charge whatever prices they want and then refuse to provide customers what they already paid for without facing any bad consequences. The characterization of healthcare and health insurance companies charging absurdly high prices while treating their customers terribly without the risk of losing them is spot on. But the idea that what caused this was a lack of government involvement in the healthcare system is completely delusional. And this delusion conveniently removes all the responsibility progressives bear for the nightmare that is the US healthcare system. Today, healthcare is one of the most heavily government-regulated industries in the economy—right up there with the finance and energy sectors. Government agencies are involved in all parts of the process, from the research and production of drugs, the training and licensing of medical professionals, and the building of hospitals to the availability of health insurance, the makeup of insurance plans, and the complicated payment processes. And that is nothing new. The US government has been intervening heavily in the healthcare industry for over a century. And no group has done more to bring this about than the progressives. It really began, after all, during the Progressive Era, when the American Medical Association maneuvered its way into setting the official accreditation standards for the nation’s “unregulated” medical schools. The AMA wrote standards that excluded the medical approaches of their competitors, which forced half of the nation’s medical schools to close. The new shortage of trained doctors drove up the price of medical services—to the delight of the AMA and other government-recognized doctor’s groups—setting the familiar healthcare affordability crisis in motion. Around the same time, progressives successfully pushed for strict restrictions on the production of drugs and, shortly afterward, to grant drug producers monopoly privileges. After WWII, as healthcare grew more expensive, the government used the tax code to warp how Americans paid for healthcare. Under President Truman, the IRS made employer-provided health insurance tax deductible while continuing to tax other means of payment. It didn’t take long for employer plans to become the dominant arrangement and for health insurance to morph away from actual insurance into a general third-party payment system. These government interventions restricting the supply of medical care and privileging insurance over other payment methods created a real affordability problem for many Americans. But the crisis didn’t really start until the 1960s when Congress passed two of the progressive’s favorite government programs—Medicare and Medicaid. Initially, industry groups like the AMA opposed Medicare and Medicaid because they believed the government subsidies would deteriorate the quality of care. They were right about that, but what they clearly didn’t anticipate was how rich the programs would make them. Anyone who’s taken even a single introductory economics class could tell you that prices will rise if supply decreases or demand increases. The government was already keeping the supply of medical services artificially low—leading to artificially high prices. Medicare and Medicaid left those shortages in place and poured a ton of tax dollars into the healthcare sector—significantly increasing demand. The result was an easily predictable explosion in the cost of healthcare. Fewer and fewer people could afford healthcare at these rising prices, meaning more people required government assistance, which meant more demand, causing prices to grow faster and faster. Meanwhile, private health “insurance” providers were also benefiting from the mounting crisis. In a free market, insurance serves as a means to trade risk. Insurance works well for accidents and calamities that are hard to predict individually but relatively easy to predict in bulk, like car accidents, house fires, and unexpected family deaths. Health insurance providers were already being subsidized by all the taxes on competing means of payment, which allowed their plans to grow beyond the typical bounds of insurance and begin to cover easily-predictable occurrences like annual physicals. And, as the price of all of these services continued to shoot up, the costs of these routine procedures were becoming high enough to resemble the costs of emergencies—making consumers even more reliant on insurance. With progressives cheering on, the political class used government intervention to create a healthcare system that behaves as if its sole purpose is to move as much money as possible into the pockets of healthcare providers, drug companies, hospitals, health-related federal agencies, and insurance providers. But the party could not last forever. As the price of healthcare rose, the price of health insurance rose, too. Eventually, when insurance premiums grew too high, fewer employers or individual buyers were willing to buy insurance, and the flow of money into the healthcare system started to falter. The data suggests that that tipping point was reached in the early 2000s. For the first time since the cycle began back in the 1960s, the number of people with health insurance began to fall each year. Healthcare providers—who had seemingly assumed that the flow of money would never stop increasing—began to panic. Then came Barack Obama. Obama’s seminal legislative accomplishment—the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare—can best be understood as a ploy by healthcare providers and the government to keep the party going. Obamacare required all fifty million uninsured Americans to obtain insurance, and it greatly expanded what these “insurance” companies covered. Demand for healthcare shot back up, and the vicious cycle started back up again—which is why the bill enjoyed so much support from big corporations all across the healthcare industry. Before it was passed, economists were practically screaming that the Affordable Care Act would make care less affordable by raising premiums and healthcare prices while making shortages worse. Progressives dismissed such concerns as Reagan-era “free market fundamentalist” propaganda. But that is exactly what happened . Now, the affordability crisis is worse than ever as prices reach historic levels. And, because Obamacare brought American healthcare much closer to a single-payer system, the demand for healthcare far exceeds the supply of healthcare—leading to deadly shortages. There are literally not enough resources or available medical professionals to treat everyone who can pay for care. Also, the tax code and warped “insurance” market protect these providers from competition—making it almost impossible for people to switch to a different provider after their claims are unfairly denied. If it were simply greed, denying customers who already paid would be a feature in all industries. But it’s not. It requires the kind of policy protections progressives helped implement. And on top of all that, despite paying all this money, Americans are quickly becoming one of the sickest populations on Earth. This is one of the most pressing problems facing the country. A problem that requires immediate, radical change to solve. But it also requires an accurate and precise diagnosis—something that, this week, progressives demonstrated they are incapable of making. Related Articles Commentary | After so many years of failure, time’s up for California Democrats Commentary | Vince Fong: We don’t need Newsom to lecture us. We need him to listen to us. Commentary | Deregulation rather than fossil fuel controls needed to fix California insurance market Commentary | The FBI has been political from the start Commentary | A new Legislative session: Time for pocketbook pragmatism The American progressive movement is responsible for providing the political class the intellectual cover they needed to break the healthcare market and transform the entire system into a means to transfer wealth to people like Brian Thompson. Now, they want to sit back, pretend like they’ve never gotten their way, that the government has never done anything with the healthcare market, and that these healthcare executives just popped up and started doing this all on their own—all so they can celebrate him being gunned down in the street. It’s disgusting. Brian Thompson acted exactly like every economically literate person over the last fifty years has said health insurance CEOs would act if progressives got their way. If we’re ever going to see the end of this century-long nightmare, we need to start listening to the people who have gotten it right, not those who pretend they are blameless as they fantasize online about others starting a violent revolution. Connor O’Keeffe ( @ConnorMOKeeffe ) produces media and content at the Mises Institute. This commentary is republished with permission from the Mises Institute.

How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze. Stock market today: Wall Street drifts to a mixed close in thin trading following a holiday pause Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% Thursday, its first loss after three straight gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Gains by retailers and health care stocks helped temper the losses. Trading volume was lighter than usual as U.S. markets reopened following the Christmas holiday. The Labor Department reported that U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years. Treasury yields fell in the bond market. Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen has targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said Thursday's bombardment took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. At least three people were reported killed and dozens injured in the Sanaa airport strike. Holiday shoppers increased spending by 3.8% despite higher prices New data shows holiday sales rose this year even as Americans wrestled with still high prices in many grocery necessities and other financial worries. According to Mastercard SpendingPulse, holiday sales from the beginning of November through Christmas Eve climbed 3.8%, a faster pace than the 3.1% increase from a year earlier. The measure tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. This year, retailers were even more under the gun to get shoppers in to buy early and in bulk since there were five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Mastercard SpendingPulse says the last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending. Sales of clothing, electronics and Jewelry rose. Finland stops Russia-linked vessel over damaged undersea power cable in Baltic Sea FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Finnish police say authorities detained a ship linked to neighboring Russia as they investigate whether it damaged a Baltic Sea power cable and several data cables. It was the latest incident involving disruption of key infrastructure. Police and border guards boarded the Eagle S and took control as they investigate damage to the Estlink-2 undersea power cable. The cable brings electricity from Finland to Estonia across the Baltic Sea. The cable went down on Wednesday. The incident follows damage to two data cables and the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Both have been termed sabotage. Russian ship that sank in the Mediterranean was attacked, owner says MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian operator of a cargo ship that sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria says it has been hit by a series of explosions in an act of sabotage. Oboronlogistica is a state-controlled company that operated the Ursa Major freighter. The company said the vessel was wrecked by three powerful explosions just above the water line in what it described as a “terrorist attack” that caused it to sink on Monday. The company said in a statement carried by Russia’s state RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday that the explosions left a hole in the ship’s starboard and filled the engine room with acrid smoke. That hampered the crew’s attempts to access it. Undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia hit by outage, prompting investigation FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Finland’s prime minister says authorities are investigating an interruption in a power cable under the Baltic Sea between his country and Estonia. Petteri Orpo said on X that power transmission through the Estlink-2 cable suffered an outage Wednesday. Authorities have been on edge about undersea infrastructure in the Baltic after two international data cables were severed in November and the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany were blown up in September 2022. Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese government panel has largely supported a draft energy policy calling for bolstering renewables up to half of Japanese electricity needs by 2040. It also recommends maximizing the use of nuclear power to accommodate the growing demand for power in the era of AI while meeting decarbonization targets. Cabinet is expected to formally approve the plan by March following a period of public consultation. The policy says nuclear energy should account for 20% of Japan’s energy supply in 2040, with renewables expanded to 40-50% and coal-fired power reduced to 30-40%. Working Well: Returning to the office can disrupt life. Here are some tips to navigate the changes NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of workers are facing an unsettling reality heading into 2025. After years of working from the comfort of home, they're being told it’s time to return to the office full-time for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. That can bring a host of challenges, including losing time with family. Workers at Amazon, AT&T and other companies have been called back to the office five days a week. Experts have advice to share about how to navigate the changes when an employer calls you back to the office. Workers can convey what they need, seek flexibility and if all else fails, consider other options. FDA proposes new testing rules to ensure cosmetics are asbestos-free WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is proposing a rule that cosmetic companies would have to take extra steps to ensure that any products containing talc are free of asbestos. The rule was proposed Thursday and is intended to reassure consumers about the safety of makeup, baby powder and other personal care products. The rule follows years of lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson and other companies alleging links between talc-based baby powder and cancer. Research has found mixed evidence of a potential link between cancer and talc, although the possibility has been recognized for decades because of how it is mined.Hegseth meets with moderate Sen. Collins as he lobbies for key votes in the SenateOn Tuesday night, group play for this season’s NBA Cup continues, with the Los Angeles Lakers traveling to Phoenix to face the struggling Suns. The biggest news surrounding this game is the return of All-Star Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, who both began the season on fire before suffering minor injuries that have sidelined them for the past few weeks. Can the Suns shake off their recent play now that Durant and Beal are back in the mix and secure a win against the Lake Show? Keep reading our Lakers vs. Suns preview and check out the best Pennsylvania sportsbooks. Durant and Beal Set To Return The Phoenix Suns’ season thus far has been a roller coaster, and the main talking point around this team has been their performance with and without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Without Durant, the Suns have a 1-6 record and a net rating of -10.2. Their sole win in that stretch came against the 4-12 Utah Jazz. With Beal also sidelined, Phoenix has dropped five consecutive games. Durant was lighting it up before his calf injury, averaging 27.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on ridiculous efficiency; he had knocked down 55.3% of his field goal attempts and 42.9% of his 3-point shots. Beal also posted 17.8 points per game on a 48/38/81 shooting split before he was forced to miss some time. During their first nine games, the Suns appeared to be a legitimate Finals-contending team, holding an 8-1 record and a net rating of +3.4. Talk about a drastic difference when they have Beal and Durant available. The Suns enter this group play matchup against Los Angeles as 3.5-point favorites despite losing six of their past seven outings. Phoenix holds a horrendous 5-11 record against the spread, while the Lakers are only slightly better, covering seven of their 16 games (7-9) thus far. Oddsmakers also expect a high-scoring affair, with the total resting at 231.5 points. Both teams have an over record above .500, as the Lakers are 9-7 on the over, while the Suns are 10-6. Lakers Stumble In Back-to-Back Losses The Lakers have performed better than many predicted through the first chunk of the 2024-25 regular season, holding a 10-6 overall record. However, they had an even more impressive 10-4 record before a 30-foot 3-pointer from young Magic star Franz Wagner at Crypto handed them their fifth loss of the season. In the following game, the Lake Show were outscored by 31 points in the second half en route to a double-digit blowout loss against the Nuggets. Anthony Davis, who currently has the sixth-highest MVP odds, had one of his worst games of the season against Denver, finishing with just 14 points on 6-for-19 shooting from the floor. Davis will be in a solid position for a bounce-back game against a Suns team that is undersized in the frontcourt. Where: bet365 Sportsbook Why: Anthony Davis has been a monster for the Lakers this season, averaging 30.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game on close to 56% shooting from the field and 41% from behind the arc. But Davis’s dominance isn’t relegated to just one end of the floor. He is also a force on defense, recording more than three “stocks” (steals and blocks) per game so far this season. Historically, AD has been terrific against the Suns. In fact, he has logged two or more blocks in seven of his past seven games against them. As mentioned above, Davis should have a significant advantage over an undersized Phoenix team on both ends of the floor, and he should be motivated after the Lakers’ blowout loss to Denver. Bet This: Anthony Davis Over 1.5 Blocks -125 Lakers vs. Suns Prediction The Suns are 5-0 at home with a +5.5 net rating when Kevin Durant is on the floor. That has to mean something. The team’s shot making, ball movement, and offensive fluidity are noticeably improved when Durant is available. His gravity offensively alleviates pressure from other players, including Tyus Jones, Jusuf Nurkic, Devin Booker, and Beal. Phoenix will have a roller-coaster season simply because it lacks depth, and any minor injury to one of its key players will derail any positive momentum. However, the Suns have their starters healthy tonight, and that should be enough to hold off a Lakers team that has the third-worst defensive rating in the league on the road. Pick: Suns -3.5 (-110, DraftKings Sportsbook )

Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah has already found a new program in Duke, while Mississippi State's Michael Van Buren Jr., Wisconsin's Braedyn Locke and Cal's Fernando Mendoza are exploring changes of their own in the transfer portal. Mensah, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining, told ESPN on Wednesday he has transferred to Duke. He attended the Blue Devils men's basketball game against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils (9-3) will face Mississippi in the Gator Bowl, but without 2024 starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and backup Grayson Loftis, who also entered the portal. Mensah, viewed as one of the top players in the portal, threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns and completed 65.9% of his passes. He led the Green Wave to a 9-4 record and the American Athletic Conference championship game, where they lost 35-14 to Army. Tulane will play Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl on Sunday. Van Buren, Mendoza and Locke announced on social media they had entered the portal. Van Buren started eight games as a true freshmen for the Bulldogs. He threw for 1,886 yards on 55% passing with 16 total touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8 Southeastern Conference). He took over as the starter when Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a 45-28 loss to Florida on Sept. 21. Shapen has said he plans to return next season. Van Buren, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound passer from St. Frances Academy in Maryland, had two 300-yard performances for the Bulldogs, including 306 yards and three touchdown passes in a 41-31 road loss against Georgia. Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards in 2024 with 16 TDs, six interceptions and a 68.7 completion percentage. "For the sake of my football future this is the decision I have reached," he posted. Locke passed for 1,936 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Wisconsin this season. He said he will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school. ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan cornerback Will Johnson has joined defensive tackle Mason Graham in the NFL draft. Johnson declared for the draft on Wednesday, one day after Graham decided he would also skip his senior season with the Wolverines. Both preseason All-America players are expected to be first-round picks. Johnson was limited to six games this year due to an injury. He had two interceptions, returning them both for touchdowns to set a school record with three scores off interceptions. Johnson picked off nine passes in three seasons. Graham played in all 12 games this season, finishing with 3 1/2 sacks and seven tackles for losses. He had 18 tackles for losses, including nine sacks, in his three-year career. Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is The Associated Press offensive player of the year in the Southeastern Conference and South Carolina defensive lineman Kyle Kennard is the top defensive player. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was voted the top newcomer on Wednesday while the Gamecocks' Shane Beamer is coach of the year in voting by the panel of 17 media members who cover the league. Sampson led the SEC and set school records by rushing for 1,485 yards and 22 touchdowns. He is tied for third nationally in rushing touchdowns, recording the league's fifth-most in a season. Sampson was chosen on all but two ballots. Mississippi wide receiver Tre Harris and his quarterback, Jaxson Dart, each got a vote. Kennard led the SEC with 11-1/2 sacks and 15-1/2 tackles for loss. He also had 10 quarterback hurries and forced three fumbles. Beamer led the Gamecocks to just their fifth nine-win season, including a school-record four wins over Top 25 opponents. They've won their last six games and ended the regular season with a win over eventual ACC champion Clemson. South Carolina plays Illinois on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Pavia helped lead Vandy to its first bowl game since 2018 after transferring from New Mexico State. He passed for 2,133 yards and 17 touchdowns with four interceptions. He ran for another 716 yards and six touchdowns, directing an upset of Alabama. AMES, Iowa — Matt Campbell, who led Iowa State to its first 10-win season and became the program's all-time leader in coaching victories, has agreed to an eight-year contract that would keep him with the Cyclones through 2032. University president Wendy Wintersteen and athletic director Jamie Pollard made the announcement Wednesday, four days after the Cyclones lost to Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game. “Given all the uncertainty currently facing college athletics, it was critical that we moved quickly to solidify the future of our football program,” Pollard said. “Matt is the perfect fit for Iowa State University and I am thrilled he wants to continue to lead our program. Leadership continuity is essential to any organization’s long-term success." The Cyclones won their first seven games for their best start since 1938 and are 10-3 heading into their game against Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on Dec. 28. BRIEFLY FLAG PLANT: Ohio Republican state Rep. Josh Williams said Wednesday on social media he's introducing a bill to make flag planting in sports a felony in the state. His proposal comes after the Nov. 30 fight at the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry football game when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes 13-10 and then attempted to plant their flag at midfield. MALZAHN: Gus Malzahn, who resigned as UCF’s coach last month to become Mike Norvell’s offensive coordinator at Florida State, said he chose to return to his coaching roots rather than remain a head coach distracted by a myriad of responsibilities. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Police recover hostages without paying ransom in Rahimyar Khan

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has berated former Rivers State Governor, Celestine Omehia, and the ex-National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, over their recent remarks during the commissioning of projects in Rivers State. Wike, speaking at the Ahoada East and Ahoada West PDP end-of-year thanksgiving held in Ochigba, Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday, criticised Omehia for questioning his contributions to the state as FCT Minister. He also dismissed Secondus’ comments, accusing him of hypocrisy, and alleged that Secondus once tried to impose his cousin as governor of Rivers State. Reacting to Omehia’s remarks during the project inauguration, Wike said, “I overheard one, Celestine Omehia, saying they should ask me what I have done for Rivers State as Minister. Let me educate him: I am not a minister of Rivers State; I am the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. “When I was Minister of Education, I brought a Faculty of Law to the University of Port Harcourt, provided grants to Ken Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, and renovated Federal Government College, Port Harcourt, among others. These are tangible contributions he should focus on, not unfounded allegations.” Wike also fired back at Secondus, who allegedly labeled him an “enemy of the state.” He accused Secondus of working against Governor Siminalayi Fubara’s emergence and questioned his newfound alliance with the governor. Related News Yuletide: Wike urges residents to obey God’s commandments FCT doctors issue Wike ultimatum, threaten "deadliest shutdown" Rivers community hails Fubara on education “Secondus wanted his cousin, Tele Ikuru, to be governor. He was against Fubara. Today, he claims to be the governor’s friend while calling me an enemy. The records are clear; I removed Secondus as PDP chairman because of his actions,” Wike said. Highlighting the political appointments secured for Rivers State under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, Wike declared, “There is no governor in Rivers’ history that has attracted more political appointments than me. By the grace of Mr. President, Rivers State has the highest number of appointees in Tinubu’s government.” Wike said most completed projects, including the Ring Road, were initiated during his tenure as governor. “I awarded and paid 50% for the projects being commissioned today. The essence was to ensure continuity, but I’m disappointed to see some projects canceled,” Wike added. The event host and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Prince Chibudum Nwuche, commended Wike for his contributions to Rivers State and Abuja. “Wike has proven that his achievements in Rivers were no fluke. Abuja is now being transformed into a world-class city under his leadership,” Nwuche said.

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