The Big Ten announced in a statement that Northwestern women’s basketball had elected not to travel to Los Angeles this upcoming week for games scheduled against No. 1 UCLA and No. 4 USC “due to concerns surrounding the ongoing wildfires affecting the greater Los Angeles area.”

The devastation across Southern California has been significant, with the Palisades fire — ravaging an area roughly 7 miles from UCLA’s campus — claiming more than 21,000 acres. Five people have died in the Palisades fire as of Friday evening.

The games likely won’t be canceled, but rescheduled, as the Big Ten said it was “looking into all possible rescheduling options.”

It will tweak the schedules of the two local powers, both in the midst of long win streaks and cementing themselves as two of the top programs in the country. UCLA was scheduled to play Northwestern on Sunday but now will regroup to host Penn State Jan. 15.

USC will now have seven days until its next contest, playing Penn State at home Jan. 12 and then traveling to Indiana for a game Jan. 19.

— Luca Evans

GOLF

Patrick Fishburn found some early momentum and Denny McCarthy overcame a sluggish start, both winding up in the same spot — a share of the lead in the Sony Open going into what figures to be a wide-open weekend at Waialae in Honolulu.

Fishburn ran off three straight birdies on the back nine at the start of his round and chipped in for birdie on the No. 5, closing with one last birdie for a 5-under 65.

McCarthy missed a pair of relatively short par putts by his standards early in his round. Once he rolled in a 25-foot birdie on the fifth hole, he was on his way to a 66. McCarthy, one of the better putters on the PGA Tour, missed an 8-foot birdie try on the closing hole.

SOCCER

U.S. Soccer announced next week’s U.S. Women’s National Team camp and the Futures Camp will be relocated from Los Angeles due to the ongoing fires.

Both camps, which were scheduled to begin Tuesday at Dignity Health Sports Park, will now move to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The camps will now run Jan. 17-23 at Inter Miami’s Florida Blue Training Center.

The combined camps feature 50 players.

Angel City keeper Angelina Anderson and midfielder Alyssa Thompson were called into the regular camp. Defender Giselle Thompson was called into the Futures Camp.

— Damian Calhoun

Robin Fraser was hired by Toronto, his third MLS head coaching job after Chivas USA and Colorado.

Fraser, 58, replaced John Herdman, who quit in November after about 14 months. Toronto missed the playoffs, finishing 11th in the 15-team Eastern Conference with 11 wins, 19 losses and four draws. Fraser agreed to a contract through the 2027 season.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Carson Beck is pushing his NFL plans back a year and has committed to play next season at Miami, multiple sources reported.

Beck, the now-former Georgia quarterback, signed a grant-in-aid agreement with the Hurricanes, the reports said.

The move means Beck — who is recovering from elbow surgery — is presumably taking over as Cam Ward’s replacement as Miami’s starter for the 2025 season. Beck originally declared for the NFL draft, then entered the transfer portal earlier this week.

Former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy is under investigation by Louisiana State Police in connection with a vehicle accident in December that killed a 78-year-old man in Lafourche Parish.

Lacy, who graduated from LSU in December and has declared for the NFL draft, allegedly was driving recklessly — speeding and passing in a no-passing zone — when a motorist swerving to avoid Lacy’s Dodge Charger crashed head-on into another vehicle.

Authorities with State Police Troop C in Gray, La., say Lacy, 24, fled the scene of the accident without his involvement or calling for aid. State Police have obtained an arrest warrant for the former Tigers star for negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle.

Herman Hall of Thibodaux, La., who was involved in the head-on crash with another vehicle, died after being transported to a hospital, the state police report said.

State police say they are speaking with Lacy’s legal representation regarding when Lacy might turn himself in.

Lacy, a Thibodaux native, was second for LSU in catches with 58 and yards receiving with 866 during the 2024 season and led the team in touchdowns receiving with nine in 12 games.

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord announced on social media that he is declaring for the NFL draft after one season with the Orange. McCord leads the nation with 4,779 yards passing this season, a total that broke Deshaun Watson’s Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record.

MLB

All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a $33 million, three-year contract.