Is it kickoff time yet?

The GIST: It all comes down to this: After battling through the 64-team bracket, No. 1 seeds Louisville and Penn State will play for the national title Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.

• Last season’s title game saw a 58% increase in viewership from the season prior, and those numbers are likely going to spike once again. Allow us to set the scene.

How they got here: After losing to Pitt twice during the regular season, Louisville got revenge in last night’s semis, advancing to the title game with a four-set victory. This is the Cardinals’ second championship appearance in the last three years after falling to Texas in 2022.

• As for the other semi, Penn State clawed back from dropping the first two sets, rallying in five sets behind 26 kills from Jess Mruzik. The Nittany Lions now have a chance to roar for their eighth national title.

Previewing Sunday’s championship: Louisville is led by graduate student Anna DeBeer, who notched 14 kills and nine digs before suffering a scary injury in the win over Pitt, and senior libero Elena Scott, a newly minted first-team All-American. The Cardinals will be out to avenge their regular-season loss to Penn State when it matters most.

• On the opposite side of the net, AVCA National Freshman of the Year Izzy Starck and aforementioned fifth-year outside hitter Jess Mruzik are the ones to watch for Penn State. Birds vs. Cats — who ya got?

The GIST: At long last, the expanded 12-team CFP makes its debut this weekend, with first-round games kicking off tonight and tomorrow. Four squads earned byes straight to the second round and await the winners of these initial clashes. Let’s do this.

No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET — ABC: Friday night lights will shine bright for this in-state battle between the Hoosiers and the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has all the football history with 11 national titles, while the 10-1 Hoosiers burst onto the scene this season thanks to AP Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti. These opponents are as evenly matched as they come — truly anything could happen.

No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State — Tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET — TNT: SMU snuck into the CFP as the last team to earn a bid, and they’ll need to prove they belong against powerhouse Penn State — and the cold Pennsylvania weather. Not to mention, the Nittany Lions boast one of the country’s top tight ends in senior Tyler Warren, who has 1,062 receiving yards on the season.

No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas — Tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET — TNT: Despite their three regular-season losses, Clemson made the CFP by winning the ACC Championship. Plus, they’ve lost only once in December under HC Dabo Swinney (!!!). The Tigers are playing with house money, but they’ll have to go all in to defeat Texas and junior QB Quinn Ewers.

No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — ABC: The Buckeyes allow a mere 10.9 points per game, the best mark in the country. Can the Vols, led by junior running back Dylan Sampson and his ninth-most rushing yards in the country, overcome that stout D and sprint their way to the second round?

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is the player to watch during the upcoming CFP — the Heisman Trophy finalist scored 30 (!!!) touchdowns in the regular season alone. And we know the perfect place to cop his merch: NIL Store, the nation’s leader in officially-licensed NIL apparel.

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The GIST: Several top-25 basketball games are on tap this weekend, but none bigger than Paige Bueckers’ No. 4 UConn taking on JuJu Watkins’ No. 7 USC tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. The definition of can’t-miss.

UConn remains resilient through injuries: The Huskies are led by sensational senior Bueckers and her 20.6 average points per game, but she’s not the only Husky to keep an eye on. Sarah “Freshman of the Year favorite” Strong is posting eye-popping numbers of her own while picking up the slack as grad student Azzi Fudd battles injuries.

• Oh, and legendary HC Geno Auriemma said Strong is like three players in one. High praise.

USC building around local star: The Trojans have their own dynamic duo in reigning Freshman of the Year Watkins and forward Kiki Iriafen. Watkins averages 24.7 points per game, and both she and Iriafen are preseason All-Americans.

• After a 39-year Final Four drought, the Women of Troy are so back — and this could be the season, but first, they need to withstand this top-10 test.

The history: Adding even more drama to an already spicy matchup, these squads met in the Elite Eight last season. UConn got the better of USC, winning 80–73. Who’s it going to be this time around?