Alabama and West Virginia mutually agreed to cancel their home-and-home series that had been scheduled for 2026 and 2027.

Alabama said it was adjusting its nonconference schedule in response to last week’s announcement that the Southeastern Conference would go from playing eight to nine league games starting in 2026. West Virginia said it wanted to align with the scheduling philosophy followed by many teams contending for a College Football Playoff berth.

Alabama will now play East Carolina on Sept. 5, 2026, and West Virginia will play Coastal Carolina on the same date.

Masters will mix things up

The Masters is moving away from inviting PGA Tour fall winners and now will invite the winners of six national opens around the world. Augusta National and the R&A have collaborated to identify the national opens that will create a path to the Masters and the British Open.

The R&A has been using such a model for several years. But it’s a big change for the Masters, which has invited winners of weaker fall events since the PGA Tour went to a wraparound season in 2013.

Starting this year, Masters invitations will go to the winners of the Spanish Open, Japan Open, Hong Kong Open, Australian Open, South African Open and Scottish Open.

The Associated Press