This ain't Texas, ain't no hold 'em

The GIST: With a 28–14 win over No. 5 Texas in Friday’s Cotton Bowl, No. 8 Ohio State punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff (CFP) championship game, where they’ll face No. 7 Notre Dame. But questions about the college football landscape still linger ahead of January 20th’s title game. Let’s dig in.

🤠 What’s next for Texas and its quarterbacks? For the second straight season, the Longhorns came up short in the CFP semis with redshirt junior Quinn Ewers at quarterback. Following the loss to Ohio State, Ewers was cagey about his next move, sparking speculation that he might declare for the NFL Draft or hit the ever-popular transfer portal.

• With Ewers out of Texas’ picture, it’s time to say “howdy” to Arch Manning — yes, the nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning — who’s set to take the reins next season. Welcome to the Manning Era.

❓ Did the new playoff format work? The first year of the 12-team expanded CFP has received mixed reviews. While total viewership increased thanks to more games, average viewership (through the quarters) is down. Evidently, driving appointment viewing for an entire month is much more difficult than driving it for one week.

• Conversely, the dip in average viewership could be a direct result of inconsistent game quality. The first round, for example, provided serious duds — like No. 6 Penn State’s 38–10 shellacking of No. 11 SMU.

• While the on-field product improved in the second round, all four top seeds who received byes were eliminated. But remember — this is only the first attempt at a brand-new format, so don’t be surprised if the committee considers updating the way the bye works.

• Notably, if this season operated with the four-team CFP format of years past, championship contenders Ohio State and Notre Dame — who both suffered early-season losses — wouldn’t be playing in the natty. And wouldn’t that be a shame?

The GIST: No. 1 Oklahoma cemented its status as the country’s top team by defeating No. 2 LSU, No. 4 Utah, and No. 6 Cal in this weekend’s star-studded Sprouts Collegiate Quad. Oklahoma has been the most dominant team in college gymnastics with six national titles in the last decade, and after this weekend’s showing, they look poised to win another.

How it works: Before we get into the Sooners’ dominance, here’s a quick refresher on NCAA gymnastics. Gymnastics competes in a “meet system” where each team participates in 10-12 competitions per season, primarily against conference opponents.

• At the end of the season, the top 36 teams qualify for regionals based on National Qualifying Scores (NQS), which are calculated using each team’s top six scores of the season, including at least three from away meets. The top two teams from each regional then advance to nationals.

Sprouts Collegiate Quad details: Oklahoma really is that girl. As mentioned, the Sooners topped three other ranked opponents in what many in the gymnastics world are calling the “meet of the year.”

• OU’s Jordan Bowers claimed the all-around title while defending national champion, fellow Sooner, and beam queen, Faith Torrez took first in her signature event.

• The Sooners will look to maintain their momentum heading into an SEC meet with Missouri next weekend.

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