’Tis the season for shakeups

The GIST: From the soon-to-be 14th WNBA team Toronto Tempo’s rather quick name drop, to tonight’s expansion draft, to major news in Seattle, the W offseason headlines are flying fast and furious. How’s that for pace?

Golden State Valkyries to take part in expansion draft tonight at 6:30 p.m. ET: The league’s 13th team will start to flesh out their roster tonight, choosing up to 12 non-protected players from the existing WNBA pool in preparation for the squad’s 2025 season debut.

• Prior to tonight’s draft, the W’s 12 existing teams had the opportunity to deem up to six athletes as “protected players,” which keeps them out of draft contention. All to say, don’t expect to see any of last season’s high-profile stars up for grabs.

• Furthermore, the Valkyries may not fill every roster spot tonight and could instead choose to leave space for free agency additions and their No. 5 pick in the 2025 draft. Just the beginning.

Jewell Loyd requests trade from Seattle Storm: A six-time All-Star, franchise leader, and the No. 1 overall 2015 draft pick, Loyd intends to leave the only WNBA team she’s ever played for following an open-and-closed investigation into Seattle’s coaching staff.

• According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Loyd filed a complaint in September alleging bullying and harassment by Storm coaches regarding player performance during the 2024 season. On Wednesday, Seattle said the investigation was over and that no violations were found.

• Loyd’s trade request reportedly came shortly after the news and notably on the heels of the two-year supermax extension she signed with the Storm just last year. Stay tuned.

The GIST: It’s officially conference championship time, and tomorrow’s games come with College Football Playoff (CFP) spots on the line. After teasing us all season, the selection committee will drop the official 12-team CFP field on Sunday. Here are the biggest games to watch this weekend.

🌪️ No. 16 Iowa State vs. 😈 No. 15 Arizona State — 12 p.m. ET — ABC: The Sun Devils are one of the hottest teams in the country with five straight wins, while Iowa State earned a spot in the Big 12 title game thanks to freshman quarterback (QB) Rocco Becht, who’s thrown for an impressive 3,021 yards this season. On the line? An automatic CFP bid. No pressure.

🐶 No. 5 Georgia vs. 🐮 No. 2 Texas — 4 p.m. ET — ABC: A rematch of an October matchup that Georgia won decisively thanks to its defense, the stakes are significantly higher this time around with the SEC Championship…and a likely first-round CFP bye up for grabs.

• Plus, while the Bulldogs were nearly upset last week, Texas has improved since their loss, posting ranked wins over then-No. 25 Vanderbilt and then-No. 20 Texas A&M.

🐱 No. 3 Penn State vs. 🦆 No. 1 Oregon — 8 p.m. ET — CBS: A clash of two high-powered titans, both teams are all but locks for the CFP, so they’ll be playing for seeding and a potential bye. Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel will have his hands full with a Penn State defense that allows just 267 yards per game — the fourth-best mark in the country.

🐯 No. 17 Clemson vs. 🐴 No. 8 SMU — 8 p.m. ET — ABC: This game brings all the drama. If SMU wins, three-loss No. 11 Alabama (who aren’t playing this weekend) will likely snag the final at-large CFP spot.

• But if Clemson wins, the Tigers will earn an auto-bid as ACC Champions, sparking a debate over whether SMU or Alabama deserves that final spot. Watch this space.

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The GIST: Some drivers are leaning into the brotherly love heading into this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season finale, while others are choosing a different way to express their feelings. The tea is hot, the beef is well done, and there’s plenty on the line as F1 prepares to cap off another dramatic season this Sunday at 8 a.m. ET.

World Constructors’ Championship (WCC) title up for grabs: It’s a two-car race for the team crown after last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix saw Ferrari cut McLaren’s lead to just 21. A first-place finish would net the race winner 25 points, second snags 19, and third garners 15 — needless to say, standing atop the podium at Yas Marina would go a long way in securing the WCC.

• As for the drivers to watch, it’ll be up to McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to bring the estimated $140M prize back to their garages. Vroom, vroom.

Sir Lewis Hamilton set to drive in final race for Mercedes: The iconic pairing of Hamilton and Mercedes set the racing world on fire for more than a decade, claiming six World Drivers’ Championship (WDC) titles and eight WCCs since Hamilton joined the team in 2012 — the longest and most successful driver-constructor tandem in F1 history.

• Hamilton, who won his first WDC with McLaren in 2008, will head to Ferrari next year to race alongside the aforementioned Leclerc. It’s the end of an era but the start of an age.

🎓🏐 NCAA women’s volleyball: Championship tournament — Ongoing — ESPN+

• The first round has already seen a handful of upsets, with the 64-team field being whittled down set by set. That said, No. 1 overall seed Pitt is expected to cruise through their opening match against Morehead State tonight at 7 p.m. ET, as they begin the quest for their first national title. Bumpin’ that.

🎓 ⚽ NCAA women’s soccer: Women’s College Cup — Today through Monday — ESPNU

• It’s an all-ACC semis with two spots in Monday’s championship game on the line. First, No. 2 seed Wake Forest, aka the new kid, takes on storied and 2023 runners-up No. 3 Stanford at 5 p.m. ET, followed by a forever foe showdown featuring No. 1 overall seed Duke and perennial power No. 2 seed UNC at 7:30 p.m. ET.

🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 22 Louisville — Tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET — FOX

• It’s another big weekend for ranked women’s basketball matchups, and the lights will certainly be bright at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, where redshirt senior Paige Bueckers’ Huskies are competing against the plucky Cardinals in the Women’s Championship Classic.

🏈 NFL: LA Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs — Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET — NBC

• Week 14 is already off and kicking, erm, running and it’ll culminate with this Sunday Night Football AFC West battle to remember.

• Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes says the 11-1 two-time defending Super Bowl champs have a “long way to go,” while QB Justin Herbert and the Chargers are looking to snap a six-game losing skid vs. their divisional foe.

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