It’s a bold strategy, Cotton
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
It’s Friday!
Just like Santa and his elves, sports never stop — today’s newsletter has your complete guide to a holly jolly weekend of action ahead. Take a break from that last-minute holiday shopping and scroll on.
— Buffalo Bills quarterback (QB) Josh Allen, sharing how his fiancée Hailee Steinfeld’s unwavering support has supercharged his MVP-caliber season. Turns out, love is all you need.
College Football Playoff
🎓🏈 Hut hut, here we go
The GIST: At long last, the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff (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: Friday night lights will shine bright for this intrastate 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: 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. Not to mention, the Nittany Lions boast senior tight end Tyler Warren, who won the Mackey Award (given to the nation’s best tight end) after tallying 1,062 receiving yards on the season.
No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas — Tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET: Despite their three regular-season losses, Clemson made the CFP by winning the ACC Championship. 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: 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?
P.S. Did you know we have a three-times weekly college sports newsletter? Subscribe here to stay in the know on everything NCAA.🎓🏐 Powerhouse Louisville will battle fearsome Penn State in Sunday’s 3 p.m. ET NCAA volleyball national championship
No. 1 seed Louisville will compete for the natty for the second time in program history after taking down ACC foe and No. 1 overall seed Pitt in four sets during yesterday’s semi. Their opponent? Fellow No. 1 seed Penn State, a legendary Big Ten volleyball school that boasts seven championships.
- No matter who hoists the trophy, this has been a tourney to remember, with more people tuning into the regional rounds than ever before. And with these top dogs in the final, Sunday’s ’ship could break the 2023 record for most watched women’s college volleyball match. Interest spiked, indeed.
🏈 Playoff berths up for grabs in NFL Week 16
There’s three weeks of regular-season action to go and eight postseason spots left to lock in. One of those playoff hopefuls? The LA Chargers, who topped the Denver Broncos 34–27 on Thursday Night Football, meaning if the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts lose on Sunday, QB Justin Herbert’s squad will be playing postseason football for just the second time since 2019.
- Week 16 also features a pair of Saturday games: First, QB Patrick Mahomes, who suffered an ankle injury last week, and the Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans at 1 p.m. ET before a 4:30 p.m. ET AFC North showdown between two playoff-contending teams: the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- As if that wasn’t enough high-stakes football, the highlight of Sunday’s 12-game slate is the 1 p.m. ET matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders, where the NFC East banner is on the line. Feeling all toasty inside.
🏎️ Sergio Pérez and Red Bull officially part ways ahead of 2025 Formula 1 season
The Mexican driver announced his departure from Red Bull on Wednesday despite inking a two-year extension with the team in June. Notably, this marked a less-than-ideal turning point for Pérez, who didn’t finish inside the top-five of any race in the second half of the season, while his teammate Max Verstappen drove to a fourth straight World Drivers’ Championship.
- Liam Lawson, a member of the Red Bull Junior Team since 2019, will take Pérez’s place in 2025 after driving for Red Bull’s sister team RB in six races this season. A bold strategy, Cotton, but let’s see if it pays off for them.
⚽ NJ/NY Gotham FC reportedly trades Lynn Williams to Seattle Reign
The all-time leading NWSL goal scorer will reportedly head west in 2025, a move sources say was made at the USWNT star’s request. The California kid reportedly wanted to close out her career on the West Coast, dealing superteam Gotham (who also just saw veteran defender Kelley O’Hara retire) a devastating blow just over a year after Williams led their 2023 championship run.
🏀 NBA: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- This is the second meeting of the season between the NBA Cup champion Bucks and the league-best Cavs — and if their tightly contested two-point November game is any indication, we’re in for another thriller. Hoopsmas came early.
🏒 PWHL: Montréal Victoire vs. Toronto Sceptres — Tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET — CBC
- Toronto had Montréal’s number last season, topping their fellow Canadian squad in five consecutive meetings, but oh, how the times have changed.
- The Sceptres are currently on a three-game losing skid and sit at the bottom of the league, while the Victoire will be well-rested in their first game back from the international break.
🏒 NHL: Minnesota Wild vs. Winnipeg Jets — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- The top two teams in the Central Division are gearing up for their third rivalry clash of the season. Jets ’tendy Connor Hellebuyck stole the show in Winnipeg’s two wins, but expect Wild left winger and leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov to give him some trouble.
🎓🏀 NCAA women’s basketball: No. 7 USC vs. No. 4 UConn — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — FuboTV
- ABBA’s been on repeat since we saw this titillating tilt on the schedule. This top-10 matchup features two of the best college hoopers in the game in USC sophomore star JuJu Watkins and UConn’s sensational senior Paige Bueckers. How lucky are we?
Peep our squad’s MVPs (Most Valuable Picks):
👯 What’s trending
Look-alike contests. Philadelphia recently embraced the trend with an Eagles QB Jalen Hurts-themed competition complete with prizes like game tickets and free coffee for a year. Incredible.
🏀 What to read up on
The new NBA All-Star Game format, which will feature four eight-player teams and a three-game mini tournament. Keeping us on our toes.
🧘 What to download
Calm. Just in time for the holidays, de-stress like a champ with their meditations.
Question of the Day
You’ve probably heard the age-old question: “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” But of the borderline holiday movies listed below, which one do you love watching most?
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