Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

CFP, ​ESPN sign deal to expand ​to 24-team playoff with 2027 season

The ‌College Football ​Playoff will expand to 24 teams for the 2027 season, with ESPN signing a five-year rights deal worth nearly $1.7 billion ‌on Monday. That money is in addition to the six-year, $7.8 billion contract the two sides signed in March 2024 that cemented ESPN as the lone media rights holder through the 2031 ‌season. The new agreement will see ESPN pay an extra $345 million annually.

Report: Mauricio ‌Pochettino favored to be next Man U manager

United States men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino is the top candidate to be the next Manchester United manager, ESPN reported on Monday. Manchester United reportedly are considering ⁠firing ​manager Michael Carrick after ⁠the squad has slipped to 18th in the Premier League table with a 4-4 draw against Aston Villa ⁠on Sunday.

UCLA surges into top 10 of men's basketball poll

UCLA leaped 13 spots to No. ​9 in the first weekly update of the Associated Press Top 25 men's ⁠basketball poll on Monday after a season-opening 84-75 win over then-No. 5 Arizona. The Bruins (2-0) hold their highest ranking ⁠since ​the final poll of the 2022-23 season, when they were seventh. Arizona (1-1) fell seven spots to 12th.

Tennis-PTPA presses player fatigue concerns after Rybakina's WTA Finals withdrawal

The Professional Tennis ⁠Players Association (PTPA) reiterated its criticism of the tennis schedule on Monday, saying world number one Elena ⁠Rybakina withdrew from ⁠the season-ending WTA Finals as "her body had nothing left to give".

Defending champion Rybakina said on Saturday she was not physically ready to ‌compete at ‌the tournament, with organizers citing a viral illness ​for the Kazakh's withdrawal.