The expansion of the College Football Playoff from four to 12 teams, a move effective for the 2024 season, could force some of the bluebloods in college football to reshape longtime scheduling conventions.

The expanded field was a hit topic at the three-day Big Ten Media Day event in Indianapolis, with Northwestern coach David Braun gushing that the extended chance at a playoff spot was “pretty special.”

But it may also mean fewer titanic nonconference clashes, as programs like USC grapple with the implications of playing nine conference games in a loaded Big Ten – and trying to design a schedule that avoids losses for a better shot at the CFP.

As Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley pointed out, that is as good an argument as any to avoiding heavyweight nonconference bouts like the yearly showdown with bitter independent rival Notre Dame, a program that’s been ranked in the top 20 of the final AP poll every season since 2016.

“Our schedule’s already going to be so good, at some point, you’re like, ‘All right, are we getting – is the juice worth the squeeze, right, in terms of playing these games?’” Riley said Wednesday, commenting on the future of matchups like USC’s Week 1 game with LSU.

The annual matchup with Notre Dame has been as sure as death and taxes -- for a century these rivals have been scheduled yearly since the days of the Great Depression.

When asked about preserving the rivalry with Notre Dame, Riley stated that he’d love to. Twice. But USC’s coach left the door wide open to a future where the Trojans and the Fighting Irish do not meet.

“I know it means a lot to a lot of people, and so, again the purist in you, no doubt,” Riley said. “Now, if you get in a position where you gotta make a decision on what’s best for SC to help us win a national championship versus keeping that?

“Shoot. Then, you gotta look at that.”

— Luca Evans

Redlands’ Diehl onto Jr. Amateur quarters

Redlands native Matthew Diehl continued his strong run at the U.S. Junior Amateur Golf Championship in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, winning a pair of matches Thursday to advance to the quarterfinal round.

Diehl attended Loma Linda Academy as a freshman before transitioning to the Enlightium Academy, an online homeschooling program. Diehl will begin his freshman year at Grand Canyon University in the fall.

Diehl cruised to victory in his Round of 32 match against Davis Hartwell of Klamath Falls, Oregon, on Thursday morning at Oakland Hills Country Club. Hartwell was 1 up following six holes, but Diehl surged ahead with birdies at No. 7 and No. 9. Diehl capped off his 4-and-3 victory with another birdie on No. 15.

Later in the afternoon, Diehl squared off against Luke Colton of Frisco, Texas, in the Round of 16. Diehl trailed early after Colton birdied the opening hole, but Diehl leveled the match with a birdie of his own at No. 6. Colton birdied No. 7 to regain the lead, but Diehl won the next two holes and led 1 up at the turn.

Colton tied things up with a birdie at No. 12, but Diehl quickly answered back with a birdie at No. 13 to regain the advantage. Diehl won the 16th hole to double his lead and finished with a 2-and-1 victory after both golfers parred the 17th hole.

This morning, Diehl (No. 26 seed) will square off against Tyler Watts (No. 2 seed) in the quarterfinals.

Diehl qualified for bracket play earlier in the week by finishing among the top 64 golfers after two rounds of stroke play. Diehl fired rounds of 69 (1 under) and 72 (2 over) to finish tied for 25th in the standings.

Diehl faced Gerardo Gomez of Mexico in the Round of 64 on Wednesday. That match was level after 12 holes, but Diehl registered pars on No. 13 and 16 to take the lead and ultimately secured a 1-up win.

— Eric-Paul Johnson

Liga MX All-Stars top Messi-less MLS stars

Juan Brunetta and Maximiliano Meza scored a minute apart in the second half, and Mexico’s Liga MX All-Stars beat the Major League Soccer All-Stars 4-1 in the MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday night.

Brunetta (Tigres) scored in transition in the 68th minute to make it 3-1 and set up Meza (Monterrey) soon after in front of a record crowd of 20,931 at Lower.com Field.

It was the first MLS All-Star Game victory for Liga MX in three tries. The MLS All-Stars won in 2022 and won on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw a year earlier.

There were plenty of big names on the field, but the absence of the brightest and biggest one took some luster out of the event. The league announced Monday that Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi was unable to play because of ligament damage in his right ankle.

The 2022 World Cup champion was injured while playing for Argentina in its victory over Colombia in the Copa America final on July 14.

MLS had two chances to tie it in the 63rd when Riqui Puig (Galaxy) hit the crossbar and on the follow, Luca Orellano (Cincinnati) was denied on a goal-line clearance by Unai Bilbao (Tijuana).

Minutes later, Liga MX put the game out of reach.

• MLS and Liga MX continue the rivalry with the start of the Leagues Cup on today. All 47 teams will compete in a World Cup-style format, with the championship match on Aug. 25.

Oilers hire Bowman as GM; Kings sign goalie

The Edmonton Oilers hired Stan Bowman as general manager and executive vice president of hockey operations, making him the first former Chicago Blackhawks executive re-hired by an NHL team since the team’s 2010 sexual assault scandal came to light in recent years.

The league reinstated Bowman, coach Joel Quenneville and Al MacIsaac, who also worked in Chicago’s front office, earlier this month. Bowman resigned as Chicago’s GM in 2021 after an independent investigation found the organization mishandled the allegations made by player Kyle Beach that he was sexually assaulted by video coach Brad Aldridge.

Bowman, 51, ran the Blackhawks when they won the Stanley Cup in ‘10, ‘13 and ’15.

• The Kings signed goaltender and 2024 second-round pick Carter George to a three-year, entry-level contract with an annual average value of up to $875,000 the team announced. George, 18, will return to his Ontario Hockey League club for next season.

— Andrew Knoll