ATLANTA (AP) — Jamaine Mann scored 19 points as Georgia State beat Middle Georgia State 79-53 on Thursday night. Mann added 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Panthers (5-3). Brenden Tucker added 17 points while finishing 7 of 11 from the floor, and he also had six rebounds. Evan Johnson shot 5 for 11, including 4 for 8 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points.

ATLANTA – Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will host the first college football national championship game under an expanded playoff format in 2025, the College Football Playoff’s Board of Managers announced Thursday. The two surviving teams in a 12-team field will play for the national title in downtown Atlanta on Jan. 20, 2025. The game will culminate the 2024-25 season. Starting in 2024, college football’s playoffs will expand from the current four-term format to include the six highest-ranked conference champions and the next six highest-ranked teams.

ATLANTA (AP) — The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs have their eyes on the biggest prize of all. Yet there's a gnawing desire to add another Southeastern Conference title to the trophy case. Undefeated Georgia heads into Saturday's SEC championship game against No. 11 LSU having surely done enough to earn a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff, no matter the outcome against the Tigers.

The College Football Playoff announced Thursday it will expand to a 12-team event starting in 2024, completing an 18-month process that was fraught with delays and disagreements. The announcement comes a day after the Rose Bowl agreed to amend its contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, which was the last hurdle CFP officials needed to clear to triple the size of what is now a four-team format.

GAFFNEY, S.C. (AP) — Baseball Hall of Famer and two-time Cy Young Award winner Gaylord Perry, a master of the spitball, died Thursday. He was 84. Perry died at his home in Gaffney at about 5 a.m. Thursday of natural causes, Cherokee County Coroner Dennis Fowler said. He did not provide additional details. Perry pitched for eight major-league teams, the Atlanta Braves among them, from 1962 until 1983.

STATESBORO, Ga. (AP) — Isaiah Thompson had 17 points in FGCU's 70-53 victory over Georgia Southern on Wednesday night. Thompson added three steals for the Eagles (6-2). Caleb Catto scored 13 points while going 6 of 8 (1 for 3 from distance). Zach Anderson was 3 of 5 shooting and 5 of 6 from the free throw line to finish with 11 points, while adding seven rebounds.

ATLANTA (AP) — Newly named Georgia Tech coach Brent Key announced Wednesday that three assistant coaches will not return next season. Key said offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Chip Long, wide receivers coach Del Alexander and strength and conditioning coach Lewis Caralla will not return.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Trae Young had 30 points and 14 assists and the Atlanta Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak with a 125-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. Dejounte Murray added 27 points and Clint Capela finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds after a dominating first quarter in which Atlanta built an 11-point lead.

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta United has signed free-agent midfielder Derrick Etienne, who scored a career-best nine goals for the Columbus Crew this past season. The three-year deal announced Wednesday includes options for 2026 and '27. Etienne has spent his entire professional career in Major League Soccer, the last three seasons with Columbus.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Braelen Bridges had 21 points and 16 rebounds, Terry Roberts added 16 points, and Georgia defeated Hampton 73-54 on Wednesday night. Bridges, a 6-foot-11 senior, made 9 of 13 shots, and was 3-for-3 from the free-throw line. Roberts added six rebounds and five assists for the Bulldogs (6-2) and reserve forward Jailyn Ingram scored 14 points, which included 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Justin Hill led Georgia with six assists.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Lionel Messi will grace the World Cup stage at least one more time. The Argentina great had a penalty saved but his team still beat Poland 2-0 after second-half goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez and advanced to the last 16. Argentina finished in first place in Group C to set up a match against surprise qualifier Australia. Poland also advanced despite the loss.

Rarely does a college football season enter the weekend of conference championship games with its playoff picture this clearly in focus. No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Michigan figure to have playoff bids locked up no matter how they fare this weekend. No. 3 TCU also is unbeaten and would have a pretty strong argument it belongs in the field even if it falls to No. 13 Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game. No. 4 Southern California's situation is a little trickier because the Trojans aren't undefeated.

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is done for the season because of a knee injury. Coach Arthur Smith updated Pitts’ status after the second-year player revealed on social media that he had a procedure on his right knee. Pitts was hurt in a Nov. 20 win over the Bears and placed on injured reserve amid reports that he sustained a torn MCL.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Kris Murray had career highs of 31 points and 20 rebounds and Iowa defeated Georgia Tech 81-65 on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Murray was 11-of-18 shooting, including 4 of 8 on 3-point attempts. Filip Rebraca added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Ohio State was No. 5 in the second-to-last College Football Playoff rankings, positioned to possibly take advantage if one of the top four slips up on championship weekend. Georgia was No. 1 again. No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU both moved up a spot, and Southern California (11-1) climbed two spots into the fourth slot. The Buckeyes dropped three spots after losing 45-23 to the rival Wolverines on Saturday at home. Alabama moved up a spot to No. 6 and was followed by Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee, which beat the Crimson Tide in October.

Georgia Tech has promoted interim coach Brent Key to head coach. Key led the Yellow Jackets to a 4-4 record after Geoff Collins was fired in September. The 44-year-old Key is a former Georgia Tech player. He had been assistant head coach, run game coordinator and offensive line coach before Collins was fired. The Yellow Jackets' improvement under Key earned him the chance to take over the full-time leadership of the team.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Christian Pulisic scored while crashing headfirst into the goalkeeper late in the 38th minute and the United States advanced to the knockout rounds of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Iran in a politically charged rematch of their famous meeting a quarter-century ago. Pulisic sprawled on the field and was replaced at the start of the second half.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid sank the go-ahead 14-footer with 18.6 seconds left and scored 30 points in his return from a sprained left foot to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 104-101 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid scored seven points in the final minute as the Sixers rallied.

ATLANTA (AP) — Following a 19-13 loss at Washington, the Atlanta Falcons are 4-5 in one-possession games after going 7-2 in such situations last year. Even so, and despite a pedestrian passing attack, Atlanta is 5-7 and still in the hunt for the NFC South title. The team's latest collapse came when Marcus Mariota was intercepted in the end zone and second-and-goal from the 4 in the final minute on a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s recent frustrations in the Southeastern Conference championship game are providing extra motivation for the Bulldogs to remain focused this week. Saturday’s matchup against No. 11 LSU in Atlanta will be No. 1 Georgia’s fifth SEC championship game in the last six seasons under coach Kirby Smart. The Bulldogs’ only SEC title in that span came in 2017.

Michigan moved up to No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll, with Texas Christian University at No. 3 and Southern California at No. 4 behind top-ranked Georgia after four top-10 teams lost on the final day of regular-season games. The Bulldogs are No. 1 for the eighth straight week and 11th time this season in the AP Top 25. Georgia received 58 first-place votes and Michigan received the other five.

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Taylor Heinicke threw for two touchdown passes in a run-heavy game in the rain to help the Washington Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons 19-13 for their fifth win in six games since he took over as starting quarterback. Kendall Fuller intercepted Marcus Mariota in the end zone with 58 seconds left to help the Commanders improve to 7-5.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Morocco pulled off another shock at the World Cup by beating Belgium 2-0 and leaving Kevin de Bruyne and the 2018 semifinalists in peril of a group-stage exit. Morocco captain Romain Saiss gave his team the lead with a barely noticeable deflection off his hip after a free kick from Abdelhamid Sabiri in the 73rd minute.

AL KHOR, Qatar (AP) — Germany forward Niclas Füllkrug salvaged a 1-1 draw against Spain at the World Cup. The Germans still need to win their last group match to have a chance of advancing to the knockout stage. The four-time champions were eliminated in the group stage four years ago in Russia.

ATLANTA (AP) — Deivon Smith led a balanced attack with 16 points and Georgia Tech breezed to an 80-61 victory over North Alabama on Saturday.