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NFL Week 13 takeaways: What should Ravens do with Justin Tucker? Have Eagles pulled even with Lions?

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Sunday’s Week 13 games followed some of the trends we saw on Thursday and Friday — favored teams making narrow escapes.

What to make of those oh-so-close victories, the Eagles’ continued ascension, and another low-scoring win for the Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers? The Athletic NFL writers Mike Jones, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on all of these storylines and more.

With the defense, despite some injuries, holding the Ravens in check in Baltimore for an eighth straight win, how much of a gap is there between the Eagles and Lions in the NFC?

Nguyen: There isn’t a gap. The Eagles got off to a slow start as they were learning Vic Fangio’s and Kellen Moore’s systems, but since their bye week they’ve been dominant, beating quality opponents like the Bengals, Commanders and Ravens. The Lions have been equally impressive. Maybe there’s a difference in perception because the vibes and expectations for the Lions were so high since last year while the Eagles were so disappointing at the end of last season. But these are two absolutely loaded rosters that are playing extremely well. Both teams are overwhelming at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Both quarterbacks aren’t quarterbacks you want to live with in the straight dropback game — Hurts gets helped out by the option game and Goff is as good as any quarterback throwing play-action. A potential playoff game between these two would be a physical battle and fun to watch for fans of great line play.

Jones: I don’t think there’s much of a gap, if any. Yes, the Lions are impressive and well-rounded. Their offense is electrifying and their defense is resilient. But the Eagles, who continue to ascend, look just as dominant in their own way. They too can attack in a variety of ways offensively, and have a defense that offers great support for their offense. Philadelphia boasts a more physical brand of football, and a number of their core players have the experience of having reached the Super Bowl to draw upon. So, in my eyes, the Eagles are equipped to compete with any elite team in the league. The Lions and Eagles are seemingly on a collision course for the NFC Championship game, and it would likely be a highly entertaining showdown.

Pompei: The Lions obviously have an edge in the competition for homefield advantage, but there is a lot of football to be played. As well as the Lions have performed, it’s fair to wonder if they can maintain their excellence with the number of significant injuries they have incurred on defense. The Eagles, conversely, seem to be building toward a peak. This is a team that is doing many things well. But both have been outstanding, and deserve to be on top of the NFC. A conference championship game between the Lions and Eagles would be a fitting way to determine the Super Bowl participant. Not much separates the two.


If you were John Harbaugh, what would you do about the suddenly — and stunningly — slumping Justin Tucker?

Pompei: Signing another kicker to compete with Tucker might be a good move. If Tucker kicks better in practice, he can earn the opportunity to continue kicking in games. If he is outperformed, the Ravens can give him a chance to get his mechanics and confidence back. Cutting him probably isn’t prudent, given that he could/should regain his form at some point and has a résumé as one of the most accurate kickers of all-time. But something needs to be done in the short term, because missed kicks will prevent the Ravens from getting to where they are capable of going.

Jones: It’s very difficult to watch a legendary player like Tucker struggle like this. He’s now had multiple crucial misses on either field goals or extra point attempts in four of the Ravens’ five losses. Harbaugh and the Ravens love Tucker, though, so they want to handle this situation with great care. But loyalty could wind up costing them, either down the stretch of this regular season or in the playoffs. They really have no other choice than to explore other options at kicker. I’m not saying cut Tucker, but it’s just smart to bring someone else in to at least compete with him and then evaluate the situation on a week-by-week basis.


Considering their style of play (and its relative success so far), do you buy the Chargers as a team that could move into AFC contender status when the weather gets ugly in January?

Jones: Strong defense and rushing attacks usually translate into success in the postseason. But until Sunday, the Chargers hadn’t beaten a team with a winning record; Atlanta was just a game above .500 and now drops to 6-6. But against the teams they’ll likely face in the postseason (Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Kansas City), the Chargers are 0-3, getting outscored by a combined 67-43 and giving up an average of 354 yards per game. The Chargers capitalized on Kirk Cousins making some really bad decisions on Sunday, which led to four crippling interceptions. They can’t expect Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson or even Josh Allen, who they don’t face this regular season, to be as reckless with the football. And 14.3 points per game (the Chargers’ scoring average against those AFC front-runners) won’t get the job done in the postseason. This is a great foundation that Jim Harbaugh and his players are laying, but they are not yet AFC contenders.

Nguyen: They are a team that will need dominant efforts from their defense every week, and although they were lights out against the Falcons, they’ve faltered against top offenses. Before this week, they gave up a combined 57 points to the Bengals and Ravens. Their offense has improved but they aren’t a unit that can win in a lot of shootouts. Their running game was explosive with J.K. Dobbins but very inefficient. Also, they have one of the worst interior offensive lines in the league and give up a lot of pressures. Their only receiver who can catch the ball consistently is Ladd McKonkey. If defenses could stop him, they just don’t have enough playmakers. How the defense performs against the Chiefs and Buccaneers in the next two weeks will tell us a lot more about how legitimate their defense is, and this team is as a playoff contender.

Pompei: The Chargers play the kind of football that translates well in ugly weather. They run the ball well. They can play the kind of defense that forces offensive mistakes. They have a quarterback who can win when the clock is ticking down. Their coach has been there before and has won big games. The Chargers have won five of six, and it’s possible they have not played their best football. Beating the Falcons on the road was a statement win, but their biggest challenge will be in Kansas City next Sunday night. A win over the Chiefs could make the Chargers believe they can beat any opponent.


Let’s get ahead of ourselves for a moment: Has free-agent-to-be Russell Wilson earned himself a multi-year commitment from the Steelers?

Pompei: What’s the definition of “multi-year”? Wilson is 36 years old, and the issue is how many more years he can perform the way he’s performing now. Given how Wilson has lifted his team, the Steelers certainly should want him to be their quarterback in 2025. In a perfect world, they could sign him for one more season and see how that goes. But Wilson will be looking for more of a commitment, and if the Steelers aren’t willing to make it, another team probably will be. A three-year deal might be a fair compromise, as long as the Steelers have a way to get out of it after two years.

Jones: We’re not talking five-year deal here, but a two-year deal — or maaaaybe a three-year deal with an out for the Steelers — feels realistic. Wilson looks comfortable in this offense, and that comfort would likely increase in Year 2 with the team. But he has physical limitations. The Steelers keep sprinkling in Justin Fields when they want the threat of a rushing quarterback because they understand the need to protect Wilson. I don’t think a lengthy contract for Wilson, who just turned 36, is likely.

Nguyen: A short term, team-friendly deal would make sense. Locking in Wilson with a huge contract at his age wouldn’t be wise. This team is still built around the defense and running game. Wilson has done a great job of supplementing the offense and distributing the ball, but if his cap hit on a potential extension hurts their ability to keep together a strong defense, that could lead to trouble down the road. Additionally, if his mobility ever takes the type of hit that Aaron Rodgers’ has, Wilson’s game could fall off a cliff. Injuries have to be taken into consideration with older quarterbacks who want to create outside of the pocket.


We saw likely playoff teams in the Chiefs (two points), Texans (three) and Vikings (one point) win narrowly as favorites again. Do you consider tight wins against shaky (or worse) opponents a cause for concern, or something to be encouraged by going into the postseason?

Nguyen: The Vikings beat a pretty good Cardinals team but as I’ve written in this column before, this Vikings team is shaky. If you sort out their blitzes — which is no easy task — that secondary can be exposed. Also, I’m not completely sold on Sam Darnold’s ability to perform in a pure passing game script just yet, though he played a pretty clean game today. The Chiefs have major issues in pass protection and they’re having a difficult time pressuring the quarterback, which is why they’ve played in so many close games. I would normally say a team that has won this many coin flips is fraudulent but we’ve seen the Chiefs flip the switch so many times before, they get the benefit of the doubt. The Texans are an extremely flawed team because their offensive line is so bad. I don’t know if I’m more concerned about any of these teams after this week. The issues that kept the games close have been the same ones that have plagued these teams throughout 2024.

Jones: You’d definitely like to see contenders crush weak opponents. But the truth is, it’s way harder to win games in this league than we often care to acknowledge. There’s often a fine line between 7-5 and 5-7, and at times between 9-2 and 2-9, especially if it’s a divisional matchup like we saw between the Chiefs and Raiders and Texans and Jaguars. Yes, great teams at times light up scoreboards and deliver breathtaking plays. But other times, great teams simply manage to keep self-inflicted wounds — especially under pressure — to a minimum. We saw the Raiders burn themselves in high-pressure situations, and that’s why they’re the Raiders. I don’t at all fault the Vikings for not blowing out the Cardinals. Arizona is a good, well-rounded team with an offense that keeps defenses off balance, and a defense that keeps pressure on opposing offenses. The Vikings should be encouraged by the resilience they showed as they forced the Cardinals to settle for a field goal late rather than surrendering a touchdown in the red zone, and then marched downfield and scored on that Darnold touchdown pass to Aaron Jones to win the game.

Pompei: A dominating win always is preferable to a close win, but tight games are much more common in the NFL. That’s why the league is so unpredictable and so watchable. And every team has flaws. There is something to be said for knowing how to win and creating good luck; it separates the contenders from the pretenders every season. Victories create confidence, even flimsy victories. All three teams, but particularly the Chiefs and Vikings, should be confident in the final weeks. As long as they are winning, it really doesn’t matter how they are winning. But if there are consistent issues that are enabling inferior opponents to play it close (and there may be with all three), those issues could be fatal against more talented opponents.

(Top photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)





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Trevor Lawrence concussed after late hit as fight ensues between Texans, Jaguars

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence was carted off the field in the second quarter of Sunday’s matchup against the Houston Texans after linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair delivered a late, hard hit while Lawrence was sliding. The Jaguars later ruled Lawrence out of the game with a concussion.

After the hit, Jaguars tight end Evan Engram ran to Al-Shaair and shoved him while Lawrence remained on the ground. A scuffle between Jaguars and Texans players ensued while medical personnel attended to Lawrence.

Officials ejected Al-Shaair and Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones from the game for unnecessary roughness and Engram received a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness. Coaches and officials had to escort Al-Shaair off the field because he continued arguing with Jaguars players, notably offensive lineman Brandon Scherff.

As Al-Shaair walked off the field, he exchanged words with Jaguars fans, who were seen throwing objects and trash at the 27-year-old linebacker.

“(That hit) is not representative of us,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans told Fox Sports at halftime.

When asked for clarification on Al-Shaair and Jones’ ejections, referee Land Clark said Al-Shaair’s was for an illegal hit on Lawrence and Jones’ because he came off the bench and threw a punch at a player. Clark said Engram wasn’t ejected because his shove “didn’t warrant a disqualification, but it was unnecessary roughness.”

Engram said he pushed Al-Shaair because his instinct took over after he saw the hit on Lawrence and he wanted to stand up for the quarterback.

“It was a dirty hit,” Engram said. “Those hits are always in question. … I saw (Lawrence) sliding and then I saw the hit. Honestly, (instinct) took over. I just knew it was wrong. It was just a dirty play and you stick up for your guys.”


Trevor Lawrence slides ahead of Azeez Al-Shaair during the Jaguars-Texans matchup in Week 13. (Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said, “It was tough, man, to see Trev go out like that,” but defended Al-Shaair. “Azeez, I don’t think that’s his intent. … I know he didn’t intend to do that. He’s gotta be more careful.”

Sunday marked Lawrence’s first game back since Week 9 as he recovered from a shoulder injury. Before sustaining the concussion, Lawrence went 4-of-10 for 41 passing yards with an interception. Backup QB Mac Jones took Lawrence’s place and finished 20-of-32 for 235 yards and two touchdowns.

The Texans (8-5) beat the Jaguars (2-10) 23-20. After the game, Lawrence walked out of the locker room and toward the players’ exit with his wife, Marissa.

Al-Shaair’s ejection Sunday comes less than three months after the NFL fined him $11,817 for unnecessary roughness against the Chicago Bears. In the Week 2 meeting, Al-Shaair hit Caleb Williams near the sideline while the Bears quarterback ran out of bounds. Following the fight that ensued from that play, Al-Shaair threw a punch.

The NFL also penalized and later fined Al-Shaair $11,255 for a late hit against Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard last week, who Al-Shaair hit out of bounds.

Lawrence, 25, is in his fourth season with Jacksonville after being selected as the No. 1 pick in 2021. Through the Jaguars’ first nine games, Lawrence completed 61.3 percent of passes for 2,004 yards and 11 touchdowns against six interceptions. In each of his first three seasons, Lawrence played at least 16 games.

(Photo: Mike Carlson / Getty Images)





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Would Ohio State fire Ryan Day? A better question to ask: Would Day even want this job?

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s an image that will remain in Ohio State lore for many years to come: Head coach Ryan Day, minutes after his No. 2 Buckeyes lost, inexplicably, to unranked Michigan 13-10, in a daze as players from both teams fought at midfield. He asked a player returning to the sideline, “What happened?”

It’s a big-picture question that will remain in lore, too. Day is 66-10 and has had four top-five finishes in the coaches poll in five seasons as Ohio State’s full-time head coach. Ohio State is one of three teams to finish in the AP top 10 each of the past five years, along with Alabama and Georgia. The Buckeyes have the second-best win percentage since 2019, behind Georgia. Day has put his team in the College Football Playoff three times since 2019; he’s made a New Year’s Six bowl his other seasons, and that streak will continue this year. It is a truly remarkable record.

But Day is 1-4 against Michigan and the loser of four in a row in The Game. And at this moment, it feels like the only ones who actually want him remaining in Columbus are Michigan fans.

Losing to Michigan multiple times? “It’s one of the worst things that’s ever happened to me in my life, quite honestly, other than losing my father and a few other things,” Day said earlier in the week during his coach’s show, before Saturday’s loss. “And for my family, (it’s) the worst thing that’s happened. So, we can never have that happen again. Ever.”

And on Saturday, it wasn’t just losing that stung (Day’s first loss to an unranked team). It was the worst Michigan team the Buckeyes had faced in more than a decade. It was a Wolverines team with an inept offense, and without its best players: tight end Colston Loveland and cornerback Will Johnson.

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Meet 2024 Ohio State, the unhappiest Playoff team in college football history

The Buckeyes’ 10 points were their lowest output of the season. Their two elite tailbacks were unable to run the ball. Their special teams melted down. Their quarterback, Will Howard, threw two interceptions; quarterback play has been Day’s specialty and was what brought him to Columbus on Urban Meyer’s staff. Michigan, again, was the tougher team.

And then the damning postgame brawl erupted. Michigan players literally wanted to plant the Wolverines flag in the middle of The Shoe. Punches were thrown. Police got involved, pepper spraying those in and around the melee. And there was Day, frozen, instead of aggressively trying to settle things with his players. It was a horrible look at the end of a nightmarish day for the Buckeyes and especially Day.

It is impossible to truly know just what Day and his family have been dealing with, being on the wrong side of this rivalry and directly in the middle of it, suffocated by it.

Though Day seems to be having more fun behind the scenes this year than previously, people close to Day have talked privately about how emotionally hard this had been for his wife and young children. Coaches and their families often get the worst of being connected to proud programs with incredibly passionate fan bases. From what I’ve heard, this is all of that, times a million. And that was before Saturday’s disaster against Michigan — the most shocking outcome of a college football season of stunners.

Day, of course, is being compensated very well. He makes more than $10 million a year. Many, I’m sure, would love to have his problems. The Buckeyes have better resources than anyone in the sport; SEC blue bloods are in the same ballpark, but those half-dozen heavyweights are all jostling with each other. In the Big Ten, the Buckeyes stand alone. Michigan, Penn State and Oregon are not committed to football at the level Ohio State is. This year, after seeing how the Wolverines had surpassed Ohio State on the field under Jim Harbaugh, the Buckeyes pumped $20 million into the 2024 roster.

But against Michigan — a team that lost almost its entire offense and its defensive leaders, not to mention Harbaugh himself — Day’s team still couldn’t get the job done.

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Ryan Day went all in on beating Michigan — except when it mattered most

The Buckeyes’ season is far from over, though they will be at home watching the Big Ten Championship Game next Saturday rather than playing in it. Ohio State will make the Playoff, given that the Buckeyes beat top-five Penn State in Happy Valley and blew out top-10 Indiana. This is still an extremely talented team.

Day is a really good coach, and I wouldn’t be shocked if the Buckeyes ended up winning the national title. (This is after believing that they would win it all this year; I am skeptical now.) Two years ago, Ohio State also had a crushing defeat against Michigan in Columbus. But it then almost beat Georgia in the Playoff, coming within a last-second field goal, which then would have set Ohio State up against an undermanned TCU team in the title game.

But this team feels much heavier. More gut punches at the hands of the Wolverines. More of the Buckeyes twisting themselves in knots. Stuck in a mind game they can’t seem to get out of. And if they don’t win the title this year, that seemingly excruciating pressure on Day will only get more suffocating.

Many are wondering if Ohio State would fire Day if the Buckeyes don’t win the title this year. Prominent alumni are loud about the Michigan losses and Ohio State hired a new athletic director this year. Day has a buyout of $38 million. Though Ohio State could figure out that sum, would it be justifiable just because he lost to Michigan again?

Moving on from Day would present its own challenges. Look around the sport and you’ll see a lot of big programs whose “home run” hires have fizzled out. Maybe Buckeyes great Mike Vrabel could be the answer. But would he want to become a college coach in this era of the sport? And if not him, then who?

A better question to me is this: If Day can’t rally the Buckeyes in the Playoff, does he still really want this job? Is it worth it to him and his young family now, given how hot the temperature is in Columbus?

At this point, it sure looks like it isn’t.

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(Photo: Aaron J. Thornton / Getty Images)





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Star skier Mikaela Shiffrin out indefinitely after injury while seeking 100th World Cup win

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Star U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin will be out indefinitely after sustaining an injury Saturday while vying for a historic win at a World Cup event in Killington, Vt.

Shiffrin, 29, was on the second run of the giant slalom competition when she lost control, tumbled to the snow, flipped and slid into the safety netting.

The U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team on Sunday shared an update from Shiffrin via X that said no ligament damage was found and that her bones and internal organs “look OK.”

“Her return to snow is TBD and more information will be forthcoming,” the team said.

After the incident, Shiffrin posted a video to social media showing her with an abrasion on her left hip.

“Not really too much cause for concern at this point,” she said in the video. “I just can’t move. I have a pretty good abrasion. Something stabbed me … and so I just can’t move. I’m so sorry to scare everybody.”

Earlier Saturday, Shiffrin had the fastest time in the first run of the giant slalom and was closing in on a victory when her ski caught and sent her tumbling. It would’ve been her 100th World Cup title.

The injury forced Shiffrin to miss Sunday’s slalom event — her best discipline, in which she’s won 62 of her 99 World Cup titles.

Mikaela Shiffrin


Mikaela Shiffrin is helped off the mountain after falling during the giant slalom at the World Cup event in Killington, Vt. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

Shiffrin, a three-time Olympic medalist, is already the all-time World Cup wins leader in alpine skiing. In March 2023, she passed Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark to move into first place with her 87th win, two months after surpassing fellow American star Lindsey Vonn’s mark of 82.

Shiffrin entered this season with 97 wins and picked up Nos. 98 and 99 in successive weeks in Europe last month, winning the slalom events in Levi, Finland, and Gurgl, Austria.

That set her up for a potential landmark 100th win on what is considered a home course for her. Shiffrin trained at Burke Mountain Academy, not far from Killington. She has won the slalom event there six times.

The next event on the women’s World Cup calendar — next weekend at Tremblant in Québec, Canada — was postponed due to poor snow conditions. The following weekend, Beaver Creek in Colorado — near Shiffrin’s hometown of Vail — hosts before the tour heads back to Europe.

Shiffrin won Olympic gold in the slalom in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, and in the giant slalom in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where she also won a silver in the combined event. At the Beijing Games in 2022, she competed in six events but skied out in both slalom disciplines and did not medal in any of them.

Women’s alpine skiing at the 2026 Olympics is scheduled to begin Feb. 8, 2026, in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

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(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)





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Chaotic F1 Qatar GP ends with Max Verstappen win, sets up season finale showdown

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Max Verstappen, fresh off of securing his fourth world championship, won the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri joined the Dutchman on the podium, drawing the constructors’ championship battle between McLaren and Ferrari closer heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

McLaren, which entered the race up 30 points on second-place Ferrari, stared down the possibility of winning its first constructors’ championship since 1998, needing to outscore Ferrari by 15 points on Sunday for it to be wrapped up in Qatar.

But with Lando Norris ending the day 10th after receiving a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, the gap now sits at 21 points between McLaren and Ferrari with one race to go on Dec. 8. Ferrari must out-score McLaren by 22 points at the Yas Marina Circuit to win its 17th constructors’ championship, most all-time in F1.

“Simply lovely, guys,” Verstappen said over the radio as he crossed the line. “What an unbelievable race again, that was really fun!”

The Qatar GP had a chaotic start, with a safety car coming out early after multiple collisions occurred. Franco Colapinto, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hülkenberg were involved in a Turn 1 incident, while Alex Albon and Lance Stroll had a separate moment. Stroll took a 10-second penalty, which he served, but the Aston Martin driver later retired from the race.

At the restart, Piastri got the jump on Leclerc, an important moment for the constructors’ championship. By Lap 19, Norris and Piastri were second and fourth, while Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sat fifth and sixth. That would mean McLaren would only outscore Ferrari by 12 points, assuming none of the four drivers secured the fastest lap.

Mercedes’ George Russell was the first front-runner to pit, and it was a very slow seven-second pit stop. McLaren opted to keep Piastri out, and clean air helped his pace improve.

But the race completely changed around Lap 34. Both Lewis Hamilton and Sainz suffered punctures, triggering another safety car. Piastri had pitted just before the safety car, which meant he lost out to Leclerc, who pitted (along with the rest of the leaders) during the safety car period. Debris needed to be cleaned up during this stretch as well, such as the broken mirror on the start/finish straight.

Verstappen was still in the lead when the safety car ended, with Norris second, Leclerc third, Piastri fourth, and Sainz down in seventh. Norris and Verstappen battled at the restart, but the race didn’t stay at full speed. Hülkenberg ended up in the gravel, and Pérez reported losing drive before the restart. A third safety car was called. The same order remained at the restart, but Piastri reported seeing sparks coming from one of his tires, feeling a vibration.

What changed the constructors’ championship was Norris’ penalty. The stewards handed him a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for “failing to slow under yellow flags.”

This initially knocked him out of the points, ruining the Briton’s race and throwing a wrench in the constructors’ battle. Norris recovered for a points finish and secured the fastest lap, though not as big of a haul as it once looked for his team.

Meanwhile, Hamilton sped in pit lane and was handed a drive-through penalty. All of the chaos allowed teams in the midfield to score crucial points. Pierre Gasly helped Alpine’s fight for P6 in the team standings with a fifth-place finish, while Kevin Magnussen ended his day ninth. Zhou Guanyu brought home the first points finish of the year for Sauber, finishing eighth.

Here is how the top 10 finished.

  1. Max Verstappen
  2. Charles Leclerc
  3. Oscar Piastri
  4. George Russell
  5. Pierre Gasly
  6. Carlos Sainz
  7. Fernando Alonso
  8. Zhou Guanyu
  9. Kevin Magnussen
  10. Lando Norris

Top photo: Giuseppe CACACE / AFP



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Mandel’s Final Thoughts: Kyle McCord outplays Will Howard, and more Ohio State woes

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And now, 20 Final Thoughts from college football’s Rivalry Weekend, where many of the teams fought for 60 minutes, and then fought some more.

1. On his weekly coach’s show last Monday, Ohio State coach Ryan Day described his team’s losing streak to Michigan in stark terms. “It’s one of the worst things that’s ever happened to me in my life, quite honestly, other than losing my father (at age 9) and a few other things,” he said. “And for my family, (it’s) the worst thing that’s happened. So, we can never have that happen again. Ever.”

It happened again, and this one was so much worse than those past three losses to top-five Michigan teams. This year’s Wolverines were 6-5 and three-touchdown underdogs, yet they still came to the Horseshoe and humiliated the second-ranked Buckeyes 13-10 in a mistake-strewn game. It ended with Michigan players attempting to plant their flag at midfield, fights breaking out, the police pepper spraying guys on both teams. Which Day watched unfold in front of him in an emotionless daze.

Whether by his own choice or his employer’s, it’s hard to imagine Day will be back in Columbus next season to try again, given the anguish he says the Michigan losses have caused him and his family. Perhaps he will take a cue from John Calipari, who read the room after Kentucky basketball’s unthinkable NCAA Tournament loss to Oakland last March and hatched his own exit plan to Arkansas.

2. The loss knocked Day’s team out of next week’s Big Ten Championship Game, which will now pit No. 1 Oregon (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) and No. 4 Penn State (11-1, 8-1). The Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2) will likely fall to No. 7 or No. 8, still safely in the 12-team Playoff field, but their berth will come with a pall hanging over the program. Ohio State has not lived up to the expectations that came with its $20 million roster. Held back by an injury-ravaged offensive line, the Buckeyes couldn’t run the ball on Michigan (77 yards on 26 carries), while quarterback Will Howard threw two costly picks and kicker Jayden Fielding missed 38- and 34-yard field goals.

The Buckeyes can still achieve their goal of a national championship. But their performance this season does not elicit much confidence they can pull that off.

3. Michigan, led by running back Kalel Mullings (32 carries for 116 yards), managed to beat the No. 2 team in the country despite quarterback Davis Warren going just 9 of 16 for 62 yards and two interceptions. It’s arguably the biggest upset in the history of the rivalry, even more so than the famed 1969 Bo-over-Woody game. (Michigan was a 17-point dog in that one.)

Coming on the heels of his Bryce Underwood recruiting coup, the win completely changes the story of Sherrone Moore’s first season as head coach.

4. In the three years since Texas accepted an invite to the SEC, coach Steve Sarkisian purposefully built his program along the lines of scrimmage. The third-ranked Longhorns (11-1, 7-1 SEC) flexed both in their 17-7 win over No. 20 Texas A&M (8-4, 5-3) in the rivalry’s long-awaited return after 13 years. Texas’ defense dominated from start to finish, with the Aggies’ only points coming on a pick six. Meanwhile, Texas running back Quintrevion Wisner ground out 186 rushing yards on 33 carries.

It’s no secret Texas A&M staunchly opposed allowing its hated nemesis to join the SEC, and now we see why. It took Texas one season to reach the conference championship game, where it gets a rematch with No. 7 Georgia. Whereas A&M, which joined the league in 2012 and has been selling that cachet in recruiting ever since, is yet to make its first trip to Atlanta.

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5. On the same day that Ohio State’s Howard played his worst game of the season, the guy he replaced, Kyle McCord, led Syracuse (9-3, 5-3 ACC) to its biggest win in years, a 42-38 upset of No. 6 Miami (10-2, 6-2 ACC). The loss knocked the Canes out of the ACC Championship Game, which will now be Clemson vs. SMU, and it could possibly cost Miami a CFP berth as well. A vindicated McCord (26 of 36 for 380 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions) outdueled Heisman candidate Cam Ward (25 of 46, 349 yards, two touchdowns) to lift the Orange to just their third nine-win season this century. Quite the debut for first-time head coach Fran Brown.

6. The best guess here is Miami will fall right behind No. 10 Indiana (11-1) and become the last at-large team as of now. The Canes would still likely need No. 9 SMU (11-1) to win next weekend and keep 9-3 Clemson from stealing a bid. You will also hear an 11th-hour lobbying push from the SEC to elevate 9-3 Alabama, which closed with a 28-14 Iron Bowl win over rival Auburn (5-7), above Miami and/or SMU. But this committee seems to care first and foremost about how many games you’ve lost. Not only do the Tide have three of them, two were to a pair of 6-6 teams, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma. Even SEC Network thinks that’s a tough sell.

7. South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers keeps outdoing himself. His 20-yard touchdown run with 1:08 remaining lifted the 15th-ranked Gamecocks (9-3) to a 17-14 win over rival Clemson, their sixth straight win following a 3-3 start. Per Pro Football Focus, Sellers (who finished with 16 carries for 166 yards and two TDs) forced 18 missed tackles, the most by a quarterback since the company began its tracking in 2014. Afterward, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer suggested Sellers should win the Heisman. That’s a stretch, but he’s very good.

Beamer also lobbied for a CFP at-large berth, and he has a case. South Carolina now boasts three Top 25 wins (Texas A&M, Missouri and Clemson) and no “bad” losses. But the committee would need to bump the Gamecocks above two 9-3 teams it lost to, Alabama and Ole Miss. Ironically, the team it just beat, Clemson, is win-and-in next week in Charlotte.

8. Georgia and Georgia Tech’s Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate snuck up on Black Friday and delivered an all-time classic. The Jackets (7-5), up 20-6 in the fourth quarter, appeared on the cusp of ending their rival’s 30-game home win streak, thanks to an epic performance from quarterback Haynes King (303 passing yards, 110 rushing yards, five total touchdowns). But Georgia safety Dan Jackson’s game-changing strip-sack of King — which looked to many like targeting — helped the Bulldogs (10-2) come back and eventually win 44-42 in eight(!) overtimes. Kirby Smart praised his team’s “resilience” afterward, but Georgia has no choice to be resilient when it allows 563 yards, the third-most of the Smart era.

The Bulldogs now face a Texas team they pummeled 30-15 in Austin on Oct. 19, but don’t assume that result was a precursor for this one. It depends on which of Georgia’s 27 identities this season shows up.

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9. In his first two-plus seasons, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman earned a stigma for losing games his team had no business losing. But following a Week 2 clunker against Northern Illinois, the fifth-ranked Irish (11-1) rolled off 10 consecutive wins, nearly all of them blowouts. USC (6-6) put up a fight for three-plus quarters Saturday before Notre Dame notched a 99- and 100-yard pick six within minutes of each other to pull away and win 49-35. The Irish, behind Jadarian Price (12 carries, 111 yards, one touchdown) and Jeremiyah Love (13 carries, 99 yards), ran for 258 yards.

Notre Dame is a lock to host a first-round CFP game and could even land the No. 5 seed if Penn State takes its second loss in the Big Ten title game. That would set up nicely for Notre Dame, now 31 years removed from its last major postseason win, to finally end that drought.

10. Next week will bring the first Big Ten Championship Game that involves no Midwestern schools. No. 1 Oregon (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) clinched its berth two weeks ago but added a 49-21 rout of rival Washington (6-6, 4-5) as the cherry on top. The door opened for No. 4 Penn State (11-1, 8-1) when Ohio State lost, and the Nittany Lions stormed through it with a 44-7 rout of Maryland (4-8, 1-8). It was another dazzling day for Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who had six catches for 68 yards, three carries for 32 yards and a 9-yard pass.

James Franklin returns to Indianapolis for the first time since winning the 2016 Big Ten title. Quite the turn of events since the Nittany Lions lost at home to Ohio State on Nov. 2.

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11. Iowa State has been stacking milestones throughout Matt Campbell’s nine-year tenure, and Saturday brought his most notable yet. The 18th-ranked Cyclones’ 29-21 win over No. 24 Kansas State (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) gave Iowa State its first-ever 10-win season, and now the Cyclones are headed to the Big 12 Championship Game to face Arizona State (10-2, 7-2). Iowa State did it with an on-brand performance, stuffing two fourth downs, notching a safety and blocking a field goal.

Should the Cyclones win next week, they’ll end a staggering 112-year conference championship drought. Unfortunately, there was no Playoff with automatic berths in 1912.

12. No. 16 Arizona State has surged from 3-9 in coach Kenny Dillingham’s first season to a conference championship game appearance in Year 2. Running back and soon-to-be All-American Cam Skattebo burst for 177 yards and three touchdowns as the Sun Devils drilled rival Arizona (4-8, 2-7) 49-7. It marked a complete 180 from last year’s Territorial Cup, when ex-coach Jedd Fisch’s Wildcats won 59-23 en route to a 10-3 record. Dillingham has stolen all the thunder in the Valley since Fisch left for Washington, and the buzz will grow only louder if he leads ASU to a conference championship.

13. Colorado (9-3, 7-2 Big 12) mercifully ended Oklahoma State’s (3-9, 0-9 Big 12) nightmare season with a 52-0 beatdown that ABC portrayed as a Heisman coronation for Travis Hunter. The remarkable two-way star notched his fourth interception of the season and caught 10 passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns. Playing at the exact same time, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty carried 37 times for 226 yards and a score —– his fifth 200-yard game this season — in the Broncos’ (11-1) 34-18 win over Oregon State (5-7).

Hunter, the sport’s most unique player in decades, is unquestionably the favorite to hoist the trophy, but Jeanty is himself having a transcendent season (2,288 yards, 28 TDs). And he’ll get one last showcase opportunity in front of likely his biggest audience of the season because …

14. After rising to No. 17 in the CFP rankings, Tulane (9-3, 7-1 AAC) fell 34-24 at home to Memphis on Thursday, ruining its chances of finishing as the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion. The Green Wave will still play for their conference championship on Friday, but they now have to travel to West Point to meet unranked Army (10-1, 8-0). All of which turns Friday’s Mountain West Championship Game between No. 11 Boise State and No. 22 UNLV on the blue turf into a de facto CFP play-in game.

That’s right. Either Boise State, which had two undefeated teams under Chris Petersen that never got to play for a national championship, or UNLV, until recently one of the most downtrodden programs in the sport, will become the first team to officially clinch an automatic berth. What a time to be alive.

15. No. 10 Indiana (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) brushed off last week’s Ohio State loss to mangle rival Purdue 66-0, the most lopsided score in the 125-year history of the Old Oaken Bucket. Indiana scored nearly as many points as its opponent gained yards (67). “It was the worst performance offensively that I’ve ever seen,” Boilermakers coach Ryan Walters said of his team, which had previously suffered top-10 losses to Notre Dame (66-7), Oregon (35-0), Ohio State (45-0) and Penn State (49-10).

16. Imagine being a Kansas City Chiefs/Nebraska Cornhuskers fan. It must be bittersweet to root for one team that seemingly can’t lose a close game and another that can’t win one.

Nebraska outgained Iowa 334-164, gained 20 first downs to the Hawkeyes’ five … and lost 13-10 after Dylan Raiola fumbled with 22 seconds left and Iowa’s Drew Stevens nailed a walk-off 53-yard field goal. Amazingly, it marked the second straight year, and fourth time in seven seasons, that Iowa (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) has defeated Nebraska (6-6, 3-6) on a last-second field goal. The Huskers are still going bowling for the first time since 2016, but Matt Rhule’s second season ultimately did not feel much different from the previous seven.

17. It was a no-fun week for Mack Brown. On Tuesday, North Carolina fired its Hall of Fame coach, who had said only a day earlier he intended to return for a seventh season. Then on Saturday, NC State (6-6, 3-5 ACC) drove 75 yards in the final two minutes for a 35-30 win over the Tar Heels (6-6, 3-5), the Wolfpack’s fourth straight win in the rivalry. Afterward, Brown, 73, told reporters he would not coach UNC in a bowl. Presumably, he has coached his last game.

In his second stint at the school, the former national champion took the Heels to the 2022 ACC Championship Game but lost at least five games in all but one season. North Carolina AD Bubba Cunningham was justified in opting to start anew.

18. For the first time in the 28-year history of the MAC Championship Game, arch-rivals Ohio (9-3, 7-1 MAC) and Miami of Ohio (8-4, 7-1) will meet for the title. (They were previously in the same division.) The RedHawks, defending league champs, mounted quite a surge after starting the season 1-4, knocking off Bowling Green 28-12 to get back to Detroit. The Bobcats will be making their sixth championship game appearance, still looking for their first win. Their last MAC title came in 1968.

19. UConn (8-4) reached eight wins for the first time since 2010 with a 47-42 win at UMass (2-10). Then came a bizarre subplot. A UMass collective recently announced the creation of a new trophy for the rivalry, the Southwick Jug, but that collective, Midnight Ride, is no longer recognized by the university. UConn coach Jim Mora tweeted after the game that “I specifically asked for the trophy at the end of the game and was told point blank you folks weren’t giving it up.”

UConn racks up all sorts of hardware in basketball. Why won’t anyone let it have one lousy football trophy?

20. Finally, a word about the onslaught of postgame skirmishes that permeated the sport Saturday, from Columbus to Tuscaloosa to Tucson to Tallahassee. No tsk-tsk lecture about sportsmanship here. Over the past 15 years, conferences and their TV partners have killed off some of the sport’s best rivalries in the pursuit of more dollars. Meanwhile, many feared the Playoff would deaden their stakes.

Turns out, the coaches and players still really, really care about their rivals — especially those who attempt to plant flags on their home fields.

(Photo: Jason Mowry / Getty Images)





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NFL Week 13 top storylines: Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry battle in Eagles-Ravens; NFC West drama

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Week 13 of the NFL season is in full swing following four games on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

The Detroit Lions survived a thrilling second-half charge by the Bears to win 23-20 and improve to 11-1, a game that proved to be the last for Chicago coach Matt Eberflus, who was fired Friday. The Dallas Cowboys topped the New York Giants 27-20 to string together their first two-game win streak in more than a month. The Green Bay Packers rolled to a 30-17 win over the Miami Dolphins to finish Thursday night. And on Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs survived (again) to beat the Las Vegas Raiders 19-17 and also improve to 11-1.

Sunday’s slate features seven games in the early time slot, three in the late afternoon and a nightcap between the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills. The Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos cap it all off Monday night.

Here’s a look at five of the most compelling storylines from the remainder of this weekend’s games. (Find the full Week 13 schedule here.)

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1. Pittsburgh Steelers’ response to loss

Russell Wilson’s perfect mark as Steelers starting quarterback ended last week as the Browns handed their AFC North rivals their first loss since Week 5, snapping Pittsburgh’s five-game win streak. Now 8-3, the Steelers cling to a slim division lead over the Baltimore Ravens (8-4). A victory Sunday over the host Cincinnati Bengals would go a long way toward helping the Steelers remain in control of the division.

Wilson and the Steelers struggled on a snowy night to capitalize on opportunities against Cleveland. They converted just one of three fourth-down attempts and missed a field goal. The offense ventured into the red zone just twice and came away with only one touchdown. The 19 points scored also represented the second-lowest output of Wilson’s stead as starter. This week, the quarterback and his unit need to figure out how to regain their explosiveness. After averaging 30 points per game in Wilson’s first three starts, the Steelers scored just 18 and 19 points against Baltimore and Cleveland, respectively. Will the Bengals, whose porous defense has given up 26.9 points per game, be the get-right opponent for Pittsburgh?

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That problematic defense is one of the biggest reasons Cincinnati, coming off its bye this week, is 4-7 and appears likely to miss the playoffs. Joe Burrow and the offense certainly can score with the best of them (averaging 27 points per game) despite injuries at wide receiver. But an inability to get stops on third down and to generate turnovers has proved costly.

After Sunday, Pittsburgh (1-1 in the division) has a rematch with Cleveland and games against contenders Philadelphia, Baltimore and Kansas City before a season finale against the Bengals. A loss Sunday could come back to haunt the Steelers. (Steelers at Bengals, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)

2. Hot NFC West race

Arizona and Seattle — the leaders of the ever-intriguing NFC West — find themselves in high-pressure situations as they jockey for position in this final stretch of the regular season. Both 6-5, the Seahawks and Cardinals have little margin for error. The Seahawks look to extend their win streak to three games Sunday as they take on the hapless New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Meanwhile, the Cardinals aim to rebound from last week’s loss to Seattle as they go on the road to face a tough Minnesota Vikings team.

Seattle appears to have shaken off a midseason slump, earning hard-fought wins over San Francisco and Arizona in the last two weeks. A previously struggling defense held the 49ers and Cardinals to a combined 23 points while also proving stingy on third downs. Can Mike Macdonald’s team continue to build momentum, or is facing the Jets the perfect trap game?

Arizona needs a strong rebound from Kyler Murray and an offense that had averaged 26.3 points per game during a four-game win streak, only to muster six points against Seattle. The Cardinals converted only three of 12 third downs and went 0 of 2 in the red zone against the Seahawks. Fending off Minnesota’s aggressive pass rushers will rank high on the Cardinals’ list of priorities, but that’s no easy task, especially for a team that has beaten only one opponent with a record over .500 this season. A win over 9-2 Minnesota could provide much-needed momentum for Arizona. A loss could put the Cardinals in an undesirable position entering next week’s crucial rematch with Seattle. (Seahawks at Jets, Cardinals at Vikings, both at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)


Baker Mayfield and the Bucs are trying to keep pace in the NFC South. (Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)

3. Can Bucs get back on playoff track?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ three-year streak as NFC South champions is in danger of ending. After a strong start to the season, injuries impacted the Buccaneers in late October and early November. A four-game losing streak dropped the Bucs below .500 and behind 6-5 Atlanta in the division standings. The healthy return of wide receiver Mike Evans and a blowout win over the New York Giants last week helped Tampa Bay end the skid, and now it’s trying to mount a charge that will keep its postseason hopes alive.

The Bucs travel to Charlotte on Sunday, where they face the improved Carolina Panthers . Second-year quarterback Bryce Young and his teammates came close to upsetting Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs last week but now seek their third win in four games. Can Young continue to ascend, or can Todd Bowles’ defense and Baker Mayfield, who had a brief stint with the Panthers in 2022, deal their division foes another setback? A victory would improve Tampa Bay’s record to 6-6 and 2-2 in the division. Before their kickoff, however, the Bucs will root for the Chargers, who can help Tampa Bay’s cause by beating Atlanta in a game that begins at 1 p.m. ET. (Buccaneers at Panthers, 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday.)

4. Star RBs Barkley, Henry on display

In a potential Super Bowl preview, the Eagles travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. There are many similarities between these teams. Dual-threat quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts direct well-rounded units that boast big-play ability, and workhorse backs Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley are having impressive seasons. Philadelphia’s Barkley and Baltimore’s Henry have led the NFL in rushing for the entire season. Last week, Barkley charged ahead of Henry in his quest for the rushing title. Barkley has rushed for 1,392 yards (first place) while Henry trails narrowly with 1,325. Henry, however, still leads the NFL with 13 rushing touchdowns while Barkley trails with 10. Not to be outdone, Hurts is tied for second in the NFL with 11 rushing touchdowns.

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Defensively, Baltimore and Philadelphia both endured offseason change with new coordinator hires and the departures of leading players. The Eagles appear to have rounded into form, holding their last three opponents to 20 points or fewer. The Ravens, meanwhile, have had their bright spots but still seek consistency.

Philadelphia is on a hot streak, winning its last seven games to cement itself as the NFC East’s leader and one of the best teams in the conference. Baltimore, meanwhile, remains one of the top teams in the AFC but has work to do to overtake Pittsburgh for the division lead. (Eagles at Ravens, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)

5. 49ers’ Super Bowl return in jeopardy

Entering the season, Sunday night’s showdown between Buffalo and San Francisco looked like a possible Super Bowl preview. But the 49ers have encountered calamity of every kind this season, and their quest to return to the Super Bowl is in great jeopardy. Back-to-back losses (versus Seattle, at Green Bay) have the 5-6 49ers in a desperate position as they travel to Buffalo.

The injuries that have plagued the 49ers for much of the season reached quarterback Brock Purdy last week. He is on track to start Sunday after a shoulder issue forced him to miss last week’s loss to the Packers but obviously won’t be 100 percent. That will make it tough to match blows with Josh Allen and the Bills, winners of six straight and fresh off their bye, especially with 49ers left tackle Trent Williams out again with a bone bruise in his heel. Left guard Aaron Banks didn’t practice at this week and remains in the concussion protocol. Defensive end Nick Bosa and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir won’t play, either. And there may be snow to contend with as well.

A loss Sunday could essentially kill San Francisco’s hopes of a late-season surge and deep playoff march. All four NFC West teams remain separated by only a game, but a San Francisco loss and wins by Seattle and/or Arizona could keep both just beyond the Niners, who are last in the division. (49ers at Bills, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)

(Top photo of Derrick Henry: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)



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What we learned about the College Football Playoff: Who’s in? Who’s safe? Who’s on bubble?

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We have seen college football teams back into the College Football Playoff, losing their last regular-season or conference title game and still earning a spot in the four-team field.

This happened to Alabama in 2017 after losing the Iron Bowl and to Ohio State after it lost to Michigan in 2022. That was the same season TCU of the Big 12 became the first team to lose its conference championship game (to Kansas State) and still get in. In all those cases, that loss was the team’s only loss.

Now with a 12-team CFP, backing into the Playoff has a whole new meaning. Looking at you, Ohio State (10-2). Miami (10-2), too.

What we learned about the College Football Playoff in the last full weekend of the regular season is we have a pretty good idea of who will be in the College Football Playoff heading into championship weekend.

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Playing for a bye

No. 2 Ohio State’s faceplant against Michigan opened the door for No. 4 Penn State to reach the Big Ten Championship Game against No. 1 Oregon. Side note: Congratulations to the Ducks (12-0) for being the only FBS team to get through 12 games unscathed.

The Nittany Lions (11-1) and Ducks look to be safely into the bracket, with the winner getting a bye. Worst case for the Ducks is hosting a first-round game. Penn State could fall all the way out of a hosting spot, depending on how other championship games work out.

The SEC has a similar situation with No. 7 Georgia (10-2) facing No. 3 Texas (11-1), which clinched a spot after beating rival Texas A&M. We doubt the committee will punish Georgia for reaching the championship game, though it would be in the Bulldogs’ best interest to not get blown out by the Longhorns.

Coming off that great escape against Georgia Tech on Friday night in eight OTs, Georgia doesn’t want to give the selection committee any reason to reconsider Alabama or Mississippi, both of which beat the Bulldogs.

Winner gets in, loser goes home

A wild Big 12 race ended somewhat routinely. All the favorites won this weekend, putting No. 18 Iowa State (10-2) and No. 16 Arizona State (10-2) in the conference title game. We’ll see what the penultimate rankings say Tuesday, but the committee has not been overly kind to the Big 12, which means only the winner will make the field as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions.

Same goes for the Mountain West, where No. 11 Boise State hosts No. 22 UNLV on Friday night. The American Athletic Conference will argue for Army (10-1) if it beats Tulane in that title game, but the Cadets failed their Notre Dame test badly and played one of the weakest schedules in the country.

An interesting race has developed between the Mountain West and Big 12 for the No. 4 seed and bye.

Ashton Jeanty and the Broncos (11-1) have held that spot in the last two rankings, comfortably ahead of the highest-ranked Big 12 team. How much the Big 12 can close the gap — if at all — is something to watch Tuesday.

The Broncos beat Oregon State 34-18 on Friday. On Saturday, Iowa State knocked off No. 24 Kansas State 29-21 and Arizona State thumped Arizona 49-7.

UNLV also being ranked — with two victories against Big 12 teams — makes it seem unlikely that the Big 12 title game winner will slingshot past Boise State if the Broncos win. And the Rebels will probably have a good case to make a big leap forward if they win on the Blue Turf.

Bid-stealer

Clemson had a weird day.

The Tigers lost 17-14 to rival South Carolina, with Cade Klubnik throwing a brutal interception in the waning moments when Clemson (9-3) was in position to tie it with a short field goal.

But the Tigers did get the help they needed to earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game when Syracuse rallied from 21-0 down in the first half to beat No. 6 Miami 42-38.

“Hey, Dabo Swinney, congrats. I got you in, baby!” Orange coach Fran Brown said.

The Tigers will face No. 9 SMU (11-1). The Mustangs appear safely in the field no matter what happens in Charlotte, N.C. Win the conference, earn a bye. Easy.

Clemson has no path with a loss but shouldn’t have a problem being one of the five highest-ranked conference champions if it wins the ACC. Whether that’s good enough to get a top-four seed and a bye is iffy.

But if Clemson is in along with SMU, then another team looking good for an at-large spot right now is getting bumped.

Safe

Ohio State’s latest loss to Michigan was the worst one yet during this four-game skid in The Game.

Still, the second-ranked Buckeyes (10-2) are in a group that looks safely into the bracket even though they won’t play championship weekend.

No. 5 Notre Dame (11-1) closed the season with 10 straight victories. The Fighting Irish can’t earn a bye because they’re not in a conference but should have no trouble getting the first-round home game that they have been pointing toward since the end of last season.

Whether the Irish are seeded No. 5, 6 or 7 will be determined by the conference title games.

No. 8 Tennessee (10-2) wiped out an early deficit and beat Vanderbilt 36-23 on Saturday, giving the Volunteers a fairly stress-free week of waiting to find out if they will go on the road or host a first-round game.

As for the Buckeyes, being in position to back into the Playoff seemed to be no consolation for losing to Michigan again.

“I’m not there right now, quite honestly,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said when asked about resetting for a possible playoff run. “Still trying to digest everything that just happened, and I got a locker room full of guys who are just devastated.”

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Kinda safe

As we said, if Clemson wins somebody is getting bumped.

Who will be that someone?

How about Miami? The Hurricanes already handed the Tigers their spot in the ACC title game. The Canes had several great escapes early in the season but closed the year losing two of four. On the bright side, losing one-score games to Georgia Tech (7-5) with Haynes King and at Syracuse (9-3) is nothing to be ashamed of.

The Canes don’t have a bunch of wins against highly ranked teams, but the resume looks better than expected with Tech, Louisville (8-4), Duke (9-3) and Florida (7-5) all closing well.

“This team won 10 football games against some really good teams,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal told reporters after the loss to Syracuse.

What about Indiana?

This committee seems unlikely to turn away an 11-1 team, with its only loss at Ohio State, but the fact remains that outside of the Buckeyes, the only team the Hoosiers played that finished above .500 was Michigan (7-5).

Hey, Ohio State couldn’t beat the Wolverines at home and Indiana did. So that’s something.

Both the Hoosiers and Hurricanes should become big SMU fans.

SEC on the bubble

The committee hasn’t shown much interest in giving these three-loss SEC teams the benefit of a doubt, but the company line is every week the group starts with a blank sheet of paper, so we should be open-minded to a big shift.

The hot team is No. 15 South Carolina, which closed the season with six straight victories.

“If the committee’s job is to pick the 12 best teams, you tell me?” South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said.

Ironically, South Carolina’s case gets even better if Clemson wins the ACC, but Clemson winning the ACC also clutters the list of at-large teams by adding SMU.

The other issue South Carolina has is losses to the two teams ranked directly ahead of it: No. 13 Alabama and No. 14 Mississippi.

“Well, I think everyone’s aware of our schedule, and I don’t know the exact stats, but I know we beat four Top-25 teams throughout the year. And I don’t know how many, if anyone, has done that,” Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer said.

It’s actually three since LSU dropped out. Still, victories against Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina are nice. Those losses to Oklahoma and Vanderbilt? Both finished 6-6.

Surely, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey will have something to say about it, but his opinion doesn’t count.

(Photo of South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers running the ball against Clemson’s T.J. Parker: Isaiah Vazquez / Getty Images)





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Rivalry games emotional enough without planting flags. Winners must act with class, too

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The most activity Raheem Anderson and Tavierre Dunlap enjoyed Saturday occurred after The Game, when the two teammates joined together to plant their giant Michigan flag in the center of Ohio Stadium.

The reaction from Ohio State players was predictable, inciting a type of ugly brawl rarely seen in the 127-year history of this great series.

If Ohio State and Michigan have been two of the standard bearers across college football for generations, then so they were again this weekend in ways no one should be proud to watch.

The Disease of Me, the social media generation of young adults trying to go viral spread to football fields across the country this weekend.

Disrespecting an opponent’s logo certainly isn’t new, but to watch at least four of them occur on the same day within hours of each other on rivalry weekend cannot be a coincidence.

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The nation watched Anderson and Dunlap plant the Michigan flag after the Wolverines’ stunning 13-10 upset in the biggest of all the rivalry games.

Hours later, Arizona State’s Jacob Kongaika, a former Arizona defensive end before transferring, planted the Sun Devils’ spear in the center of Arizona’s logo.

Why? The Sun Devils entered as 9-point favorites and won by 42. Since when do the Globetrotters throw parades for beating the Washington Generals?

Florida’s George Gumbs Jr. planted the flag on Florida State’s field after the Gators won 31-11, igniting another fight. Florida State coach Mike Norvell was the one to tear the flag out of the ground.

North Carolina State entered as a slight underdog on the road at North Carolina and celebrated its 35-30 win with an attempted flag plant at midfield. It ended similarly to Ohio State-Michigan with a brawl between the two teams.

There was little at stake, other than NC State’s becoming bowl-eligible. Part of the heightened emotions might have been because it was Mack Brown’s final home game at North Carolina, so Tar Heels players did not appreciate the show of disrespect on an important day.

Even Texas players headed toward the logo at Texas A&M after beating the Aggies 17-7. Safety Andrew Mukuba got a few stomps in before Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian rerouted his players back toward the end zone. And again, police were standing by to protect midfield.

There is a simple solution to all of this. The NCAA can fine teams and suspend any players who attempt to denigrate the logo, emblem or property of an opposing team.

Is it heavy-handed and childish? Perhaps. But so are the actions that led us here.

There certainly have been other moments similar to this in the Ohio State-Michigan series — Ohio State players tore down Michigan’s banner in 1973, David Boston and Charles Woodson scuffled on the opening series in 1997 — but none of the previous incidents involved police and pepper spray.

Talk about being heavy-handed. Police on the field began spraying players from both teams as things escalated, a wild overreaction and unnecessary use of force. Next time, let the coaches handle it. Coaches have been breaking up fights between teams for decades.

Ohio State police issued a statement confirming officers from Ohio and Michigan deployed pepper spray against the players. Just incredible.

There was a time when former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel spoke frequently about the respect Ohio State and Michigan shared for each other. It was a fierce rivalry, but it was usually clean. Fights and cheap shots were rarely part of it. Until now.

The Buckeyes had 60 minutes to fight on the field and chose to wait until after the game to throw their best punch. An embarrassing loss to a mediocre Michigan team Saturday officially stamps OSU coach Ryan Day as the new John Cooper — a good coach and an excellent recruiter who couldn’t beat his biggest rival. It also turned this rivalry to a degree we haven’t witnessed in 30 years.

Michigan won the last three games in this series with excellent teams that competed for national championships (and won one). This Wolverines team didn’t have a quarterback capable of throwing for even 100 yards — and it still won the game. Ohio State seniors who returned to school for the expressed purpose of winning this game now depart campus with nothing but a few more college credits.

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Ryan Day went all in on beating Michigan — except when it mattered most

“For such a great game, you hate to see stuff like that after the game,” Michigan running back Kalel Mullings told the Fox broadcast crew moments after the players were separated. “It’s just bad for the sport, bad for college football. But at the end of the day, some people gotta learn how to lose, man. You can’t be fighting just because you lost the game.”

His Wolverines teammates could use a tutorial on how to win, too.

I’ll give Mullings the benefit of the doubt. In that moment, maybe he didn’t realize all the problems Anderson and Dunlap created for everybody else. Both are seniors who rarely play outside of special teams. Both are also Academic All-Big Ten selections, but the choice to take the flag to midfield and plant it after already winning the game and dominating this rivalry wasn’t exactly a dean’s list decision.

There is class in losing. There is class in winning, too.

“These guys are looking to put a flag on our field and our guys were not going to let that happen,” Day said. “This is our field and certainly we’re embarrassed at the fact we lost the game, but there’s some prideful guys on this team that weren’t going to just let that happen.”

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College Football Playoff 2024 projections: What now for Ohio State after Michigan upset?

Logos and emblems are sacred across sports. Denigrating them has been an instant firestarter for years.

Jackson State and Southern engaged in a similar fight three years ago when Jackson State players planted their flag on Southern’s logo after a win.

Michigan linebacker Devin Bush ran to midfield at Michigan State in 2018 and began stomping on the “S” while trying to tear out the turf with his cleats before a rivalry game.

Baker Mayfield planted Oklahoma’s giant flag at midfield of Ohio Stadium after a Sooners upset at Ohio State. Buckeyes players were already back in the locker room when Mayfield did it. They were on the field singing the alma mater when Michigan did it Saturday.

A healthy level of dislike between teams doesn’t have to be a bad thing. The professional levels have become too sanitized. Only a few genuine rivalries are left, and most are in college sports.

But certain actions immediately lead to fights. Flag planting is one of them.

“I had said two years ago that (flag planting) was disrespectful,” Brown said on his final night as North Carolina’s coach. “I said all week you need to compete, but you need to do it with composure. So it’s another learning experience. You can’t fight, but you’ve got to win the game.”

Sometimes, it’s up to the winners to act with composure, too.

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Holiday gift guide 2024: What to get the sports fan who already has everything

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Shopping for sports fans can be harder than one might think. Chances are the fan in your life already has a variety of hats, jerseys and who knows what else to rep their favorite teams and players. But there’s a massive array of sports related items out there that the person on your list may not even know about. So to help you find that perfect gift, we’ve enlisted help from around The Athletic’s newsroom to put together a list of ideas and recommendations to consider. Happy holidays!

—Brooks Peck and David Betancourt, The Athletic’s memorabilia and collectibles editors 

(Updated 11/28 with additional items.)

Starting small

Riddell mini football helmets 

Riddell has an extensive selection of mini helmets of both NFL and NCAA teams (the University of Colorado section alone is pretty impressive). There are current looks, alternative styles (such as the Washington Commanders’ Hail Mary Black helmets) and throwbacks (the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ creamsicle helmets are always a good look). 

Other minis: Rawlings MLB mini batting helmets, Franklin NHL mini goalie helmets, PWHL mini sticks, NBA mini retro basketballs

Sports art


Landing Pond by Jacob Trouba

Jacob Trouba’s hockey art

There’s beauty in the physicality of hockey. New York Rangers defenseman and captain Jacob Trouba knows that more than most. Trouba, known for his hard hits, is also an artist. But he doesn’t use a paint brush. Instead, he slathers paint all over himself — in his hockey equipment — and charges toward a canvas. The collision results in paintings that portray power and dynamic movement. A small print of some of Trouba’s works can be purchased directly from his website for $150. Larger, signed prints go for $1,000 apiece. —Alex Iniguez, NHL Senior Editor

go-deeper

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How Jacob Trouba, one of the NHL’s most vicious open-ice hitters, found his artistic side

Other sports art: John Battalgazi’s circular athletes, The Golden Hexagon: Where basketball meets geography, Literally Balling: Very fancy basketball, Shelton Art Company, Triple Play Design Company’s retro prints and more

Sports books

The Basketball 100

A comprehensive look at the greatest players, past and present, in NBA history. From a surprising choice at No. 100 to a sprint to the finish at the top of the list by LeBron James and Michael Jordan, “The Basketball 100” features 100 full-length profiles of the game’s greats. Written by David Aldridge and John Hollinger with The Athletic’s NBA staff and a foreword by Charles Barkley, “The Basketball 100” is “guaaar-uuunnn-teeeed!” to satisfy the basketball fan in your life this holiday season. —Rob Peterson, NBA Deputy Managing Editor

The Basketball 100

The Basketball 100

The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.

The story of the greatest plays in NBA history.

BuyBuy The Basketball 100

Other sports books from The Athletic and its writers: The Football 100 by Mike Sando, Dan Pompei and The NFL Staff; Undeniable: The Kansas City Chiefs’ remarkable 2023 championship season; Garden Party: Inside the Boston Celtics’ run to the 2023-24 NBA Championship; Caitlin Clark: Raising the Game; Extra Time Beckons, Penalties Loom by Adam Hurrey; Who Owns Football? by Nick Miller; The Franchise: The Business of Building Winning Teams by Craig Custance

Throwbacks

Homage x Starter jackets

The satin bombers represents ’80s sideline sophistication while the pullovers were the coolest thing on the playground in the ’90s. Nostalgia never goes out of style, right?

Other throwbacks: Ebbets Field Flannels, Mitchell and Ness, Classic Football Shirts

Lionel Messi Inter Miami Archive Jersey

On any given day in any given elementary school there are seemingly dozens of kids wearing the pink and black of Inter Miami with Messi’s name and No. 10 on the back. There is no doubt Messi’s move to MLS has an outsized impact on youth fashion, but the next level look is the minty retro third kit that dropped midway through this season. (The only thing more ubiquitous among kids these days might be Stanley cups, and they have a new Messi “Goat” Collection releasing Dec. 3 — complete with mate mug)

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Five MLS clubs get retro third kits for the remainder of 2024

 

 

San Diego Wave Home Jersey

It was the most popular NWSL jersey in the U.S. this year and it’s a design that will still be talked about for years to come.

Other gifts for kids: Shohei Ohtani T-shirt, Little People NFL sets, Lego Formula 1 sets, Future Fans — teach kids about sports in a creative new way

Gifts for WNBA fans

Wilson x Caitlin Clark basketballs

The WNBA surged in popularity this year, bringing in a slew of new fans who are likely still getting up to speed in the gear department. Wilson has had a hard time keeping Caitlin Clark’s signature basketball collection in stock, but if you can snag one it would make a good gift for anyone looking to emulate the WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Other gifts for WNBA fans: Reebok Angel Reese Collection, Kate Martin socks, Playa Society x WNBA

Sports…scents?

For the tennis obsessive in your life — or even the friend who can’t stop talking about Challengers — this is a luxury candle that even the pickiest person will fall in love with. Vacation’s Ball Boy candle combines the sweet smells of uncanned tennis balls with sunscreen and cotton sweatbands. And Otherland’s Matchpoint candle takes you straight to Wimbledon with cut grass and cucumber scents. —Jordan Cohen, Executive Director of External Communications

Cool baseball gear

Victus Pencil Bats

The Pencil Bat became a sensation last year when the Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryson Stott used it in an MLB game and remains a wildly popular twist on the standard baseball bat (it’s available in a variety of sizes for different levels of play). But if that’s not colorful enough, Victus also has a collection of Crayon Bats too.

ARiA Sliding Mitts

Sliding mitts have become a regular part of baseball equipment at this point, and Absolutely Ridiculous has turned something that was frankly rather silly looking into an item on the cutting edge of baseball creativity. Their imaginative designs are enough to make you want to lean into a fastball just so you can get on base and put one on.

For sports/movie fans

Grays Sports Almanac prop replic

OK, so Back to the Future Part II isn’t exactly a sports movie, but the Grays Sports Almanac is an iconic cinematic sports items. This prop replica is filled with actual scores and stats from 1950-2000 (which, sadly, is now the distant past) and comes with a futuristic receipt and shopping bag, just like the one Marty McFly pulled it out of after making his purchase in 2015. It even has the dust jacket!

Other sports movie gifts: Penfold Golf: James Bond’s ball of choice in Goldfinger, The Sandlot Babe Ruth Replica Autograph Baseball (after Hercules got to it)

Home decor

25-layer StadiumView lighted end table 

Available for a variety of college and processional stadiums and arenas, these end tables provide a unique way to bring home a favorite team’s home. The tables cost several hundred dollars, but there are also five-layer wall art and 3D coasters available from the same company (YouTheFan) at lower price points.

Other home decor gifts: Golf pencil display cases, NASCAR car hood wall signs

Pickup by Gameflo

If you like Marvel Snap, you will like this. Basketball strategy and chance, as you look to win matchups against your opponent’s weaknesses.

Philters

Non-alcoholic liquor, which we used for cooking, but I’m sure others can find tons of uses for, even just to enjoy alcohol free mixed drinks.

Zora’s Best

Slow-roasted and freeze-dried dog treats. Barkley goes crazy for them, and they’re super nutritious and healthy.

A Very Kelce Christmas

A Philly Special Christmas

Hugely popular among fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Taylor Swift, the New Heights podcast, television commercials, breakfast cereal and a dizzying array of other things, the Kelce brothers are everywhere. Perhaps their most endearing endeavor has been Jason’s series of holiday albums that benefit a variety of Philadelphia charities and includes a surprising mix of notable musicians alongside his former Eagles teammates, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. This year’s edition is the third and supposedly final one they’ll produce and it includes a Jason Kelce and Stevie Nicks duet!

Other Kelce related gifts: McFarlane Toys Super Bowl LVII Kelce brothers figures, Garage Beer Employee of the Month shirtless Jason Kelce chugging T-shirt

eBay insights

The four athletes who were among the 10 most searched on eBay every month so far this year:

So gifts relating to those four should be decent bets.

Other athletes who saw big jumps in searches this year:

  • Anthony Edwards card” had a 1,850 percent increase in searches in May compared to the start of that NBA season as he led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals.
  • Paul Skenes searches increased 620 percent in July, when he was named an MLB All-Star Game starter, compared to when he was called up in April. He remains a hot commodity after being named NL Rookie of the Year and with the Pittsburgh Pirates offering a unique bounty for his Topps Debut Patch card.
  • Searches for Freddie Freeman increased almost 1,500 percent the day after his walk-off grand slam to win Game 1 of the World Series for the LA Dodgers on his way to becoming series MVP.

Also, “PSA 10” searches increased 30 percent in October compared to the same time last year, perhaps showing a growing focus for trading card collectors on cards deemed to be in gem-mint condition by the industry largest grading company.

Offbeat sports gifts: 


A patron holds a Masters Gnome during the first round of the 2024 Masters Tournament. (Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

Interest in The Masters annual garden gnome continues to grow — the only item in the official Masters gift shop to carry a purchase limit. The only place to buy them at their retail price of $50 is on site at the tournament each year, but on eBay the full-size 2024 edition is selling for around $250-$300.

Searches for vintage NFL gear spiked after Taylor Swift wore an old Chiefs jacket that was bought on eBay to a game in early November.

The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and Decoy bobblehead giveaway was arguably one of the most coveted (and cutest) sports-related items of the year — the day after the giveaway eBay users searched for “Shohei Ohtani bobblehead” at a rate of more than 1,750 times per hour. There’s even a rare gold variation.

The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.

Follow our sports memorabilia and collectibles coverage for more gift ideas (even if they’re gifts for yourself). 

(Top photo: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images)





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