Yahoo Sports AM: All 41 bowl games, ranked

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🚨 HEADLINES

⚾️ Dodgers get Glasnow: The Dodgers followed up their Shohei Ohtani deal by trading for Tampa Bay's Tyler Glasnow, one of the best pitchers available.

🏈 Saban's chess move: Alabama has hired former Michigan linebackers coach George Helow ahead of the Rose Bowl, presumably to get intel on the Wolverines.

⚽️ $7.8 million: That's how much six of the seven jerseys worn by Lionel Messi during the 2022 World Cup sold for at auction.

🏀 LaVine seeks trade: Zach LaVine wants out of Chicago, and the Bulls want to trade the disgruntled star.

🏈 ALL 41 BOWL GAMES, RANKED

Bowl season has arrived, with the first six games kicking off tomorrow. To get you prepared and excited for the weeks ahead, Yahoo Sports' Nick Bromberg has ranked all 41 games.

1. Rose Bowl: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 Alabama (Jan. 1) … CFP semifinal

2. Sugar Bowl: No. 2 Washington vs. No. 3 Texas (Jan. 1) … CFP semifinal

3. Orange Bowl: No. 5 Florida State vs. No. 6 Georgia (Dec. 30) … New Year's Six

4. Cotton Bowl: No. 7 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Missouri (Dec. 29) … New Year's Six

5. Peach Bowl: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss (Dec. 30) … New Year's Six

6. Alamo Bowl: No. 12 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 Arizona (Dec. 28)

7. Citrus Bowl: No. 17 Iowa vs. No. 21 Tennessee (Jan. 1)

8. Fiesta Bowl: No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 23 Liberty (Jan. 1) … New Year's Six

9. Duke's Mayo Bowl: West Virginia vs. North Carolina (Dec. 27)

10. Sun Bowl: No. 16 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 Oregon State (Dec. 29)

11. Arizona Bowl: Toledo vs. Wyoming (Dec. 30)

12. Armed Forces Bowl: Air Force vs. James Madison (Dec. 23)

13. Pop-Tarts Bowl: No. 18 NC State vs. No. 25 Kansas State (Dec. 28)

14. Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas vs. UNLV (Dec. 26)

15. Holiday Bowl: No. 15 Louisville vs. USC (Dec. 27)

16. Cure Bowl: App State vs. Miami-Ohio (Dec. 16) … Tomorrow

17. ReliaQuest Bowl: No. 13 LSU vs. Wisconsin (Jan. 1)

18. Music City Bowl: Maryland vs. Auburn (Dec. 30)

19. Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs. Memphis (Dec. 29)

20. Gator Bowl: No. 22 Clemson vs. Kentucky (Dec. 29)

21. Texas Bowl: No. 20 Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M (Dec. 27)

22. LA Bowl: UCLA vs. Boise State (Dec. 16)

23. Birmingham Bowl: Duke vs. Troy (Dec. 23)

24. New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico State vs. Fresno State (Dec. 16)

25. Hawaii Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State (Dec. 23)

26. Independence Bowl: Texas Tech vs. Cal (Dec. 16)

27. Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Northwestern (Dec. 23)

28. Frisco Bowl: Marshall vs. UTSA (Dec. 19)

29. Pinstripe Bowl: Miami vs. Rutgers (Dec. 28)

30. First Responder Bowl: Texas State vs. Rice (Dec. 26)

31. Fenway Bowl: No. 24 SMU vs. Boston College (Dec. 28)

32. Military Bowl: Tulane vs. Virginia Tech (Dec. 27)

33. Myrtle Beach Bowl: Ohio vs. Georgia Southern (Dec. 16)

34. New Orleans Bowl: Louisiana vs. Jacksonville State (Dec. 16)

35. Gasparilla Bowl: UCF vs. Georgia Tech (Dec. 22)

36. Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky vs. Old Dominion (Dec. 18)

37. Camellia Bowl: Arkansas State vs. Northern Illinois (Dec. 23)

38. Potato Bowl: Georgia State vs. Utah State (Dec. 23)

39. 68 Ventures Bowl: South Alabama vs. Eastern Michigan (Dec. 23)

40. Boca Raton Bowl: South Florida vs. Syracuse (Dec. 21)

41. Quick Lane Bowl: Minnesota vs. Bowling Green (Dec. 26)

Looking ahead: The CFP National Championship is on Monday, Jan. 8 at Houston's NRG Stadium.

🏈 A QUARTERBACK AND A SCHOLAR

Chances are, you've never heard of John Matocha, quarterback for Colorado School of Mines and the NCAA's all-time touchdown leader. On the eve of the D-II national championship, it's about time you met him, Jeff writes.

A legendary career: The computer science grad student has accounted for an NCAA-record 190 TDs (161 passing, 28 rushing, 1 receiving) at the academically rigorous school outside Denver, where he's gone 50-6 in four years as the starter.

• He broke the record last month, passing Houston's Case Keenum (2007-11) and Blaine Hawkins of D-III Central College (2017-21), who were tied with 178.

• The reigning Harlon Hill Trophy winner (D-II Heisman) has led the Orediggers (14-0) to their second straight title game and is a finalist once again for this year's award, which will be announced today.

Who is John Matocha? The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Texas native erupted for 3,441 yards and 53 TDs as a high school senior. But his only scholarship offer — and a partial one at that — came from Mines, which he chose despite receiving a few walk-on invitations from Group of 5 schools.

• Matocha built computers as a kid and was drawn to Mines for its STEM-focused curriculum. His 3.65 GPA and newly-minted honor as the conference's academic player of the year suggests he's made the most of his studies.

• Academics are so important at Colorado School of Mines that players display their major on the back of their helmet. "Studying together, learning together, that bond really carries on throughout the experiences at Mines," Matocha told The Montgomery County Courier.

Saturday's matchup: Mines takes on Harding (Arkansas) tomorrow (1pm ET, ESPNU) in a game that certainly appears to be pitting the two best teams against each other. Mines has the nation's No. 2 offense and No. 3 defense, while Harding has the No. 2 defense and No. 3 offense.

What's next: Matocha has a job lined up as a software engineer but isn't ready to give up on football quite yet. "I've talked to a couple teams and I think I might have a chance to put myself out there," he told WSJ ($). "I'll work my butt off to try and make it a reality."

🇺🇸 AMERICA IN PHOTOS

Las Vegas — The Raiders embarrassed the Chargers on "Thursday Night Football." They were up 42-0 at halftime and went on to win, 63-21. Head coach Brandon Staley's seat could not be hotter.

Los Angeles — The Dodgers introduced Shohei Ohtani at Chavez Ravine, formally kicking off the "Sho-Time" era at Dodger Stadium.

Tampa — Defending champion Texas is back in the volleyball national title game after taking down Wisconsin. They'll play Nebraska on Sunday.

🌎 GOING GLOBAL

North America's major sports leagues continue to expand their global footprint, with two set to make their debuts in new countries next year, Jeff writes.

• The NFL announced Wednesday that it will play a 2024 regular-season game in São Paulo, Brazil, to go along with three London games and one in Munich. The league also approved a massive expansion of international play starting in 2025.

• MLB's 2024 season will open in Seoul, with Shohei Ohtani making his Dodgers debut against the Padres in the league's first regular-season trip to South Korea. There will also be series in Mexico City (Astros vs. Rockies) and London (Mets vs. Phillies).

The big picture: The first "Big Four" regular-season game outside North America came 33 years ago, when the Jazz and Suns split a two-game series in Tokyo. Since then, they've played 155 more games in 10 foreign countries (including Canada for the NFL) and four continents.

• 🏈 NFL (50 games): England (36), Canada (6), Mexico (5), Germany (3) … First game: Mexico in 2005 (Cardinals 31, 49ers 14).

• 🏒 NHL (42 games): Sweden (17), Finland (9), Czech Republic (7), Japan (6), England (2), Germany (1) … First game: Japan in 1997 (Canucks 3, Ducks 2).

• 🏀 NBA (36 games): Mexico (13), Japan (12), England (9), France (2) … First game: Japan in 1990 (Suns 119, Jazz 96).

• ⚾️ MLB (29 games): Mexico (13), Japan (10), England (4), Australia (2) … First game: Mexico in 1996 (Padres 15, Mets 10).

Coming up: The next international game is less than a month away, when the Nets take on the Cavaliers in Paris on Jan. 11, 2024.

⛳️ THIS WEEKEND, GOLF IS A FAMILY AFFAIR

Tiger and Charlie Woods are among the 20 teams competing in this weekend's PNC Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf/Peacock/NBC) at Orlando's Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Jeff writes.

How it works: The 36-hole scramble* (plus Friday's pro-am) features pros playing alongside family members. Tiger and Charlie, 14, finished second to John Daly and John Daly II in 2021. Vijay Singh and his son, Qass, won last year.

The teams:

• Steve Stricker and Izzi Stricker (daughter)

• Justin Leonard and Luke Leonard (son)

• Nick Faldo and Matthew Faldo (son)

• Nelly Korda and Petr Korda (dad)

• Stewart Cink and Regan Cink (son)

• Tiger Woods and Charlie Woods (son)

• Justin Thomas and Mike Thomas (dad)

• Lee Trevino and Daniel Trevino (son)

• Annika Sorenstam and Will McGee (son)

• Vijay Singh and Qass Singh (son)

• Nick Price and Greg Price (son)

• Mark O'Meara and Shaun O'Meara (son)

• Tom Lehman and Sean Lehman (son)

• Bernhard Langer and Jason Langer (son)

• Matt Kuchar and Cameron Kuchar (son)

• Padraig Harrington and Ciaran Harrington (son)

• Retief Goosen and Leo Goosen (son)

• Jim Furyk and Tanner Furyk (son)

• David Duval and Brady Duval (son)

• John Daly and John Daly II (son)

*Scramble, explained: Each member of the team tees off (from varying tees based on age) and they pick the best drive. That continues for every shot, including putts, and one score is recorded for the hole.

📆 DEC. 15, 1974: THE FIRST FREE AGENT

49 years ago today, an arbitrator ruled that Jim "Catfish" Hunter's contract with the A's had been violated. As a result, he was free to sign with any team, making him MLB's first free agent, Jeff writes.

By the numbers: Hunter, the reigning Cy Young winner coming off three straight World Series titles, signed a five-year contract with the Yankees worth a then-record $3.25 million… slightly less than the $700 million deal Shohei Ohtani signed this week.

More on this day:

• 🏈 1962: Oregon State QB Terry Baker became the first West Coast player to win the Heisman. A few months later, he made more history* as a dual-sport star.

• 🏀 1973: Tennessee beat Temple, 11-6, in the lowest scoring college basketball game ever, and one that ESPN later deemed the worst sporting event of the 20th century.

*One and only: Baker led Oregon State to the 1963 Final Four, becoming the first and only Heisman winner to play in basketball's national semifinals. 1993 Heisman winner Charlie Ward came close, but FSU only reached the Elite Eight.

📺 WATCHLIST: TWO FLAVORS OF FOOTBALL

Saturday's football slate comes in two different flavors: College and pro.

• Six bowl games: Georgia Southern vs. Ohio (11am ET, ESPN); Jax State vs. Louisiana (12:15pm, ESPN); Miami-Ohio vs. App State (3:30pm, ABC); NMSU vs. Fresno State (5:45pm, ESPN); UCLA vs. Boise State (7:30pm, ABC); Cal vs. Texas Tech (9:15pm, ESPN)

• Three NFL games: Vikings at Bengals (1pm, NFL); Steelers at Colts (4:30pm, NFL); Broncos at Lions (8:15pm, NFL) … 11 games follow on Sunday.

More to watch:

• 🏐 Volleyball Championship: No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 2 Texas (Sun. 3pm, ABC) … The Huskers are eyeing their sixth title, the Longhorns are eyeing their fourth.

• 🏀 NCAAM: No. 5 UConn at No. 10 Gonzaga (Fri. 10pm, ESPN2); No. 1 Arizona at No. 3 Purdue (Sat. 4:30pm, Peacock); No. 9 UNC at No. 14 Kentucky (Sat. 5:30pm, CBS)

• 🏀 NCAAW: No. 18 Louisville at No. 17 UConn (Sat. 12pm, Fox); No. 24 Miami at No. 10 Baylor (Sat. 5pm, ESPN+)

• ⛳️ Golf: PNC Championship (Fri-Sun, Golf/Peacock/NBC)

• 🏈 FCS Final Four: No. 5 Albany at No. 1 SDSU (Fri. 7pm, ESPN2); NDSU at No. 2 Montana (Sat. 4:30pm, ESPN2)

• 🏈 D-II Championship: Colorado School of Mines vs. Harding (Sat. 1pm, ESPNU)

• 🏀 NBA: Lakers at Spurs* (Fri. 7:30pm, ESPN); Knicks at Suns (Fri. 10pm, ESPN)

• 🏒 NHL: Rangers at Bruins (Sat. 7pm, ESPN+); Capitals at Hurricanes (Sun. 6pm, NHL)

• ⚽️ Premier League: Liverpool vs. Manchester United (Sun. 11:30am, NBC)

• 🏒 Women's hockey: USA vs. Canada (Sat. 5pm, NHL)

• 🥊 UFC 296: Las Vegas (Sat. 10pm, ESPN+ PPV)

*Generational matchup: LeBron James vs. Victor Wembanyama. James sat out their previous matchup this week but is expected to play tonight.

🏀 COLLEGE HOOPS TRIVIA

Five schools have won national championships in both men's and women's Division I basketball. How many can you name?

• Hint: Three are state schools.

• Submitted by: Jake (Seattle)

Answer at the bottom.

🏀 HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT

Luka Dončić casually backheeled an alley oop to Dwight Powell before last night's game. Looks like he picked up some soccer skills during his time at Real Madrid.

___

Trivia answer: UConn, North Carolina, Baylor, Stanford, Maryland

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