New year, same goal

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: We are totally flipping out because the NCAA gymnastics season officially starts today. There’s a whole lot of floor routines, gravity defying tricks, and balance beaming to come between now and the national championship in April — here’s what you need to know about this year’s top contenders.

🐯 Can the defending champs do it again?: After a narrow title victory in 2024, No. 2 LSU is looking to roar to the repeat. And with last season’s all-around champion and reigning SEC Gymnast of the Year Haleigh Bryant back for a fifth year, the Tigers could certainly stand at the top once again.

🐻 Cal looking to avenge last year’s title loss: The preseason No. 4 Golden Bears, who were just a half a point away from defeating LSU in the championship last season, return most of their roster and are adding star freshman Ondine Achampong, a member of the British Senior National Team. So stacked.

🔴 Don’t forget about Oklahoma: You can’t talk gymnastics without mentioning the dynastic Sooners, who have six titles since 2014. Is it time for a seventh? This squad sure thinks so as they start the season ranked No. 1 overall with the return of two individual national champions, graduate student Audrey Davis and junior Faith Torrez.

🥇 Olympians return to the collegiate mat: Fan favorites and Team USA stars Jordan Chiles (UCLA) and Jade Carey (Oregon State University) will also be in action this season.

🏒 Men’s hockey: No. 6 Denver vs. No. 7 Maine — Tonight at 6 p.m. ET — ESPNU

• Defending natty champs Denver are set to face Maine for the first time since 2022, when the Pios skated away with a 3–1 victory. Maine, meanwhile, is fresh off a shocking 4–2 loss to Bentley, meaning the Black Bears will certainly be hungry for a top-10 win. Can’t miss this.

🏒 Women’s hockey: No. 5 Colgate vs. No. 10 St. Lawrence — Tonight at 6 p.m. ET — ESPN+

• The last meeting between these top-10 teams came last season and ended in a 3–2 OT Colgate win — expect another tight one as the season really picks up to start the new year.

🏀 Men’s basketball: No. 6 Florida vs. No. 10 Kentucky — Tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET — ESPN

• The undefeated Gators are chompin’ with momentum heading into this matchup with two-loss Kentucky. Senior Florida guard Will Richard is on an absolute tear, and he’s the one to watch in this one after shooting over 75% (!!!) in his last three games.

🏀 Women’s basketball: No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Tennessee — Sunday at 3 p.m. ET — ESPN

• The Volunteers’ unblemished record is about to get tested big time as they prepare to contend with one of the top centers in the country in Oklahoma junior Raegan Beers and her Sooners. Can’t wait.