The nine Bowl Subdivision conferences and Notre Dame reached an agreement Friday on a six-year deal to continue the College Football Playoff through the 2031 season, a significant step that establishes a revenue-sharing plan and allows the CFP to finalize a media rights agreement.

Executive Director Bill Hancock said the agreement doesn’t lock in a format for the CFP for 2026 and beyond, but it guarantees at least a 12-team field and five conferences having annual access to the playoff through 2031.

The playoff is expanding this season from four teams to 12, with the five highest-ranked conference champions — regardless of league — and seven at-large selections making up the field.

“Anything else regarding format is to be determined,” Hancock said.

The number of teams in the CFP could grow after the current contract with ESPN expires after the 2025 season, but for now there is no plan in place and no urgency to make a decision, Hancock said.

Hancock said the conference commissioners who manage the CFP might want to let the coming season play out and evaluate the first iteration of the 12-team model.

MLB

Giants rained out for third time this spring >> An hour and a half after A’s starter Paul Blackburn threw the first pitch of their Cactus League exhibition Friday afternoon, Jorge Soler watched strike three go by to finally bring an end to the first inning.

Two batters into the game, play was interrupted by an hourlong rain delay. Upon resuming play, they got in only slightly more action — two innings, or about 45 minutes — before the skies opened again, and the Giants had their third game this spring spoiled by rain.

Jordan Hicks was scheduled to make his fourth start of the spring but got his work in on the side instead, going four innings, manager Bob Melvin said. The upside to getting in the two innings they did was that Luke Jackson and Camilo Doval were able to pitch, the two relievers Melvin hoped to see Friday.

NFL

Donald announces his retirement after a standout 10-year career >> Aaron Donald spent 10 years flattening quarterbacks, crushing ball-carriers, fighting through perpetual double-teams and generally wrecking NFL offenses. He was relentless, reliable and infinitely resourceful while he led the Los Angeles Rams all the way to a Super Bowl championship.

And on Friday, Donald decided a decade of dominance was enough.

The most accomplished defensive lineman of his generation has retired after a stellar 10-year career.

The three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year made his somewhat surprising announcement on social media. The 32-year-old Donald spent his entire career with the Rams, who drafted him in the first round in 2014 out of Pitt.

Rams sign Garoppolo to back up Stafford >> Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has signed with the Los Angeles Rams as the backup to Matthew Stafford.

Garoppolo was released Wednesday by the Las Vegas Raiders after one disappointing season. He is best known to Rams fans from his years with the archrival San Francisco 49ers from 2017-22, during which he went 8-0 as a starter against Los Angeles in the regular season.

Rams coach Sean McVay has spoken admiringly of the 32-year-old Garoppolo for years, and now the veteran passer will be the primary backup to Stafford. The Super Bowl-winning star is returning for his 16th NFL season after a strong bounce-back performance in 2023.

Steelers trade QB Pickett to Eagles >> The Steelers are trading quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, multiple sources told The Associated Press. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not official.

Pittsburgh will receive a third-round pick in this year’s NFL draft and two seventh-round choices in the 2025 draft in exchange for Pickett and Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick this year.

The trade comes just hours after the Steelers signed nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson to a one-year deal to compete with Pickett for the starting job.

College basketball

Michigan fires Howard, the former Fab Five star, after five seasons >> Michigan fired coach Juwan Howard after five seasons, parting ways with the former Fab Five star whose return to his alma mater included a Big Ten title and advancing in two NCAA Tournaments before closing with two straight disappointing seasons.

Howard finished with an 82-67 record with the Wolverines, reaching some highs and lows. He won a conference regular season championship and was a win away from the Final Four in 2021, when he was named The Associated Press coach of the year.

He lost a school-record 24 games this season as Michigan plummeted to a last-place finish in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967.

Golf

Clark sets a big target at Players >> Scottie Scheffler had his 25th consecutive round under par in The Players Championship, and this was hard work. He felt pain in his neck that required treatment on the course, and he struggled to swing and to stay within range of Wyndham Clark.

Clark was playing in the group behind, oblivious to Scheffler’s injury or anything else. He ran off four straight birdies on the front nine and finished with a 7-under 65, one shot short of the 36-hole record at the TPC Sawgrass.

He had a five-shot lead as Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele set out in a hot, breezy afternoon to try to catch him.

Soccer

Champions League quarterfinals draw >> The winners of the last two Champions Leagues, Real Madrid and Manchester City, will meet in the quarterfinals next month after Friday’s draw set up another heavyweight clash between the only teams who are still unbeaten.

In their latest meeting, Madrid will host the first leg on April 9.

Kylian Mbappé’s path to a first Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain in his farewell season there will next go through Barcelona. Arsenal was drawn to play the first leg at home against Bayern Munich. Atletico Madrid was paired with Borussia Dortmund in the other game.