NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland -- The Los Angeles Dodgers wasted little time making news at the baseball winter meetings, using the first day of the annual gathering of agents, team officials and media to announce the expected three-year deal for free-agent pitcher Rich Hill.The deal, which was agreed to this past weekend but not announced, is worth $48 million, sources told ESPNs Buster Olney.Its just the fan base thats there in L.A. and the passion that they have; the intensity to win, thats something that we wanted and something that we wanted to come back to, Hill said, referencing his family. We want to be a part of that; we want to bring a championship to L.A.Hill, 36, was a boon to the Dodgers down the stretch in 2016 after he was acquired via trade from the Oakland Athletics at the non-waiver trade deadline on Aug. 1, along with outfielder Josh Reddick. The Dodgers gave up minor league pitchers Jharel Cotton, Frankie Montas and Grant Holmes to make the swap.Hill eventually made six starts for the Dodgers after recovering from blister issues on his left hand, posting a 1.83 ERA in 43? innings. He was not scored upon in his first three starts in a Dodgers uniform, even pitching seven perfect innings at Miami on Sept. 10, in a game he eventually left after 89 pitches as a precaution because of his blister issue.In three postseason starts, Hill went 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA, pitching in the deciding Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Washington, and beating the Chicago Cubs in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.I think anytime in free agency there are risks that you take, but so much of our confidence comes from knowing him, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. No matter how much work you do on a guy, its different once you experience it firsthand and be around it and see it. So having that chance and that opportunity for those three months is what gave us the confidence to bet on him in terms of the type of person he is, what kind of competitor, the work ethic, seeing that up close.Hill is expected to be the Dodgers No. 2 starter, behind staff ace Clayton Kershaw, putting a pair of left-handers atop the rotation.Rich is awesome; Im excited to have Rich Hill back, said Kershaw, who paid a brief visit to the winter meetings. He is so much fun to watch pitch with his competitiveness and fire. He cares and he wants to win and he wants to pitch well, and that is awesome to have. You really cant take that for granted. The guy he is off the field, in the clubhouse, I enjoy talking to him. Hes a fun guy. I consider him a friend, so were excited to have him back, for sure.Hill said working alongside Kershaw has been an inspiration and is one of the main reasons he wanted to return to the Dodgers.Being around the likes of Clayton Kershaw, watching the way the guy works, I bring him up specifically because of his intensity and his passion, Hill said. When he goes out there and pitches, its something that is contagious. Guys feed off that, and thats what you want. Thats what I hope every time that I go out there -- thats what I bring and hope that guys feed off of that.Hill was one of the three top in-house free agents the Dodgers were interested in retaining. He was considered one of the best starting pitchers available on the open market. The club continues to negotiate with the agents for third baseman Justin Turner and closer Kenley Jansen. Vlade Divac Lakers Jersey . 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The Big 12 better hope Texas is for real.The leagues College Football Playoff hopes are already dangling like a pinata after Arkansas, Houston and Central Michigan (with an asterisk) have taken their swings.Yes, its still early, but thats part of the problem -- the heart of the conference schedule hasnt even begun yet, and the Big 12s preseason favorites are already playing from behind.Oklahoma already has a loss to Houston -- and faces Ohio State next week before taking on TCU and Texas. TCU couldnt seal the deal in a double-overtime loss to Arkansas and once again faces a back-loaded schedule that includes November games against Baylor, Oklahoma State and Texas.The Longhorns? Theyre 2-0 and looking like one of the most improved teams in the country after a season-opening statement win over Notre Dame in double overtime. But Texas is entering a stretch against Cal, Oklahoma State and OU.Well be ready, Texas linebacker Malik Jefferson said of the upcoming road trip to Cal. It just takes preparation like we do every week, and we all have to be in our playbooks. We all have to be ready for this week because were going in as the big dogs.Or the lone wolf.As of right now, No. 11 Texas and No. 23 Baylor are the only undefeated, ranked teams in the Big 12. Its not that the CFP wont take a one-loss team -- six of the eight previous playoff teams, including Oklahoma in 2015, have each had a loss in the past two seasons, with Clemson (2015) and Florida State (2014) being the only undefeated teams to make the semifinals. But theres immense pressure to produce a one-loss champion in large part because the Big 12 still doesnt have its championship game to help compensate for another ink stain on the résumé. Not until 2017 will the Big 12 officially add its championship game.For one more season, the Big 12 faces a similar gamble to Notre Dames status as an independent -- it has to impress the committee with the 12 games on its schedule.Like I told them in there, theyve got 10 more chances, said TCU coach Gary Patterson. Youve got to feel positive. Weve got a lot of football to go. We havent played our best football yet.That much was clear after the Frogs loss to the Razorbacks, which followed a 59-41 season-opening win over FCS team South Dakotta State in which TCU struggled defensively.ddddddddddddOn the flip side, the front-runners from the Big Ten (Ohio State and Michigan), the SEC (Alabama and Georgia), ACC (Florida State and Clemson) and Pac-12 (Stanford and Washington) havent lost. Granted, Stanford was off this week and has a ho-hum win over K-State on its résumé, but thats an improvement from a year ago, when the Cardinal opened with a loss to Northwestern.The good news -- as Stanford can attest to -- is that now is the best time to lose because the Big 12 title is still up for grabs, and any team with a shot to win its league has a chance at the top four. The committee places a great emphasis on winning a conference championship and is directed by the CFP protocol to use league titles as one of its tiebreakers when two teams are similar.It will also factor in who they lost to, how and where. Oklahoma lost to a ranked opponent, and TCU lost to a respectable SEC team. The committee will also take into account the officiating gaffe that cost Oklahoma State its game against Central Michigan on the last play -- a play that never should have happened.The teams records will reflect the outcome of the game, said Bill?Hancock, executive director of the playoff. Of course, the committee members will be well aware of what happened on the field -- as they will about all the games that will comprise every teams body of work. That ability to comprehensively consider each game is one of the most significant benefits of the CFP protocol.The human element is what makes this system impossible to predict.None of the Big 12s top teams have been eliminated from the CFP (the committees first rankings dont even come out until Nov. 1), but its only going to become more difficult. In the Longhorns win over UTEP, Texas showed it can handle success. But heres the question: Can that continue into league play?Coach [Charlie Strong] was talking about how often teams look past an opponent like this after winning a huge game, Texas safety Kevin Vaccaro said. We started off slow, but we kept it together.The challenge now is for the rest of the league to do the same. ' ' '