🔥 L.A. wildfires update: Monday's Rams-Vikings playoff game has been moved to Arizona, and the NBA postponed Thursday's Lakers-Hornets game.
🏒 Crosby climbs scoring list: With a goal and two assists, Sidney Crosby passed Joe Sakic for ninth on the NHL's all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,643 points.
🏈 Hurts trending towards playing: Jalen Hurts was elevated to a full practice participant on Thursday after missing the last two weeks with a concussion.
🏀 McCain out for year: 76ers guard Jared McCain was on his way to being Rookie of the Year. Now, his season is over (torn meniscus).
🏈 Beck enters portal: Georgia QB Carson Beck, who'd previously declared for the NFL draft, will instead enter the transfer portal and play one more college season.
Frantic finish: Both teams combined for 31 points in the fourth quarter after scoring just 20 in the first three quarters.
Wild stat: Prior to Jeter's game-winning field goal, kickers were 0-4 in CFP history on go-ahead field goals in the fourth quarter.
The losing side: Will James Franklin and Penn State ever get over the hump? (Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports)
James Franklin seemed destined to break the skid: 12 consecutive losses to top-five opponents, a miserable eight-year drought.
But the 11th-year Penn State coach was on the way to snapping that streak. He was en route to ending the nasty stretch, to quieting the critics, to shutting down the talk.
Here in South Florida, inside Hard Rock Stadium against, of all teams, one of the biggest brands in the sport, Franklin's skid seemed over and done with.
His team led 10-0 in the second quarter, 24-17 in the fourth quarter and held offensive possession in the final seconds of a tied game.
And then, in a nightmare of a play, his quarterback threw one of the most costly interceptions in College Football Playoff history. Skid continues. Streak extended.
What's next: Notre Dame will face the winner of tonight's Cotton Bowl (Texas vs. Ohio State) in the CFP championship game on Monday, Jan. 20 at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
With the playoffs now set, we know all 49 possible matchups for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans -- and Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee ranked them all.
The first Grand Slam of the year begins on Sunday in Melbourne (Saturday night in the states), as 256 players begin their quest to win the 2025 Australian Open.
Storylines:
*Djoker's up-and-down year: Djokovic also failed to win any ATP Tour titles last year for the first time since 2005, but it wasn't all bad: He finally captured that elusive Olympic gold medal in Paris in his fifth Summer Games.
The Pistons are making noise in the East again, and star point guard Cade Cunningham, their undisputed leader, is touching team records only reached by two men, Isiah Thomas and Grant Hill.
From Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill:
It's been 22 years since the Pistons' last true resurgence, and Cunningham being drafted No. 1 in 2021 could be the start of another one -- even if there have been some fits and bursts.
His six triple-doubles this season trail only LeBron James' eight and Nikola Jokić's 14. He's currently on the doorstep of being the 18th player in NBA history to average 23 points, nine assists and seven rebounds; the other 17 instances were All-Stars, a who's who of greats -- Oscar Robertson, James, Jokić, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Luka Dončić, etc.
Cunningham hasn't shied away from his ambitions. His demeanor is soft-spoken and low-key, but the clarity belies his youth. He wants to win in Detroit.
The Pistons, NBA royalty with their championships, defined play with periods of contention from previous decades but haven't won a playoff game since May 26, 2008. It was the back end of a championship run guided by Chauncey Billups, a man whom Cunningham shares a birthday with -- as Cunningham will point out.
"I would watch his clips. To see that team, the history of the organization," Cunningham said of Billups. "I would love to have my own chapter."
Read the full story.
Football fans, rejoice: We've got six playoff games across college and the NFL in the next three days, starting with a heavyweight clash tonight at Jerry World.
More to watch:
*Homefield advantage: The Cotton Bowl is basically a home game for Texas, which will have traveled just 1,128 miles during the playoffs by week's end. That's by far the fewest of the semifinalists: Notre Dame (2,290 miles), Ohio State (3,302), Penn State (3,458).
Donovan Mitchell (22.9 ppg) is on pace to become the fifth player this century to average at least 20 points per game in each of his first eight seasons.
The Ravens have won the Super Bowl every 12 years this century (2001, 2013), and both title-winning teams were led by 28-year-old QBs (Trent Dilfer, Joe Flacco). Well, it's been 12 years since Baltimore hoisted the Lombardi Trophy... and Lamar Jackson is 28.
Trivia answer: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Joel Embiid