Just circling back

The GIST: The first expanded College Football Playoff (CFP) is in full swing, with the 12-team field already whittled down to four: No. 5 seed Texas, No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Notre Dame, and No. 8 Ohio State are still fighting for the trophy after a holiday break full of upsets and thrilling gridiron action. Here’s how it happened.

Notre Dame defeats No. 2 Georgia 23–10 in an emotional Sugar Bowl: After the game was postponed due to a horrific New Year’s Day terrorist attack in New Orleans, the Fighting Irish ultimately emerged victorious yesterday, shocking the 2022 champs and clinching the semis berth.

• The highlight of the game came in the opening seconds of the second half, when senior wide receiver Jayden Harrison returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown (TD) — just the second kick return TD in CFP history. Casual.

• Notre Dame’s next opponent? Penn State, who dismantled No. 3 Boise State 31–14 in Tuesday's Fiesta Bowl behind three TDs and 171 passing yards from junior quarterback (QB) Drew Allar.

Texas and Ohio State to meet in Cotton Bowl: No. 4 Arizona State gave Texas all it could handle in a 39–31 double-overtime (OT) instant classic on Wednesday. The Sun Devils scorched back from a 16-point deficit to force OT, but Texas scored early in extra time before senior safety Andrew Mukuba clinched the win with an interception — a massive break for the Longhorns after a game laden with mistakes.

• As for the other quarter-final, it was essentially over after the first quarter. Ohio State dominated previously unbeaten No. 1 seed Oregon 41–21 in Wednesday’s Rose Bowl, putting up 500 yards of total offense.

• The Cotton Bowl doesn’t kick off until one week from today, but the spice factor is already high: Texas QB Quinn Ewers started his career at Ohio State before transferring and swapping his uni for burnt orange. The drama.

The GIST: Seventeen weeks, countless Minnesota Vikings’ TD celebrations, and a Pro Bowl roster later, it all comes down to this. Prepare for the inevitable snubs because there are plenty of postseason implications heading into the final weekend of regular-season NFL action.

Three divisional titles up for grabs: The NFC North, NFC South, and AFC North still need to crown a champ. While tomorrow’s all–AFC North slate will decide that division’s winner, the Baltimore Ravens control their own destiny — a win over the Cleveland Browns would lock in the title for QB Lamar Jackson’s flock.

• As for the other divisional races, either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Atlanta Falcons will take the NFC South, with the winner clinching the NFC’s final postseason berth while the other team misses the playoffs entirely. Oof.

• But the crème de la crème is the 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday Night Football NFC North showdown between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, where the winner snags the conference’s top spot and a coveted first-round bye.

Three teams in the mix for the final AFC playoff spot: The Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, and Miami Dolphins are all vying for the AFC’s No. 7 seed. If the rookie QB Bo Nix–led Broncos upend the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, they’ll notch their first playoff appearance since 2015. If not, everything becomes a little more complicated.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to sit out: The superstar’s quest to topple the league’s single-season rushing record is sadly over. It’s common for teams to rest their stars ahead of the postseason — the Birds have already secured the NFC’s No. 2 seed — but that also means Barkley won’t have a chance to cement his place in the history books. Darn.

New England Patriots have clear path to No. 1 pick in 2025 NFL Draft: Sometimes winning isn’t everything, especially for the bottom-dwelling Pats, who can snag the top pick in April’s draft with a Week 18 loss to the playoff-bound Buffalo Bills. Someone should probably tell them that though.

⛳ PGA: The Sentry — Today through Sunday — Golf Channel

• The first event of the 2025 PGA Tour season is underway from Kapalua, Hawaii, but world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is not competing after suffering a hand injury that required surgery over the holidays.

• With the top dog and reigning PGA Player of the Year sitting out, all eyes turn to No. 2 Xander Schauffele amid a crowded champion-laded field.

🏀 NBA: San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets — Tonight at 9 p.m. ET — NBA League Pass

• It’s a battle between the old dog and the new trick as three-time MVP Nikola Jokić’s Nuggets take on sophomore stud Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs.

• Whether he’s on offense or defense, the league’s brightest young alien Wemby is firing on all cylinders, while the Joker is balling at a nearly untouchable level.

🏒 NHL: NY Rangers vs. Washington Capitals — Tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET — ABC

• Capitals legend Alex Ovechkin picked up right where he left off, notching three goals in four games since returning from a broken leg late last month. And there could be more where that came from with star Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin hitting the injured reserve with an upper-body injury.

🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 17 UNC — Sunday 1 p.m. ET — ESPN

• Thanks to the continued dominance of sophomore Hannah Hidalgo, the Fighting Irish are riding a six-game win streak heading into their first ranked matchup since upsetting then–No. 2 (now–No. 7) UConn on December 12th. But much like the Huskies, expect the surging Tar Heels and senior Maria Gakdeng to put up a strong fight in this ACC showdown.