Yahoo Sports AM: End of an era
Rivalry Week delivered as always, but with the College Football Playoff expanding and the Pac-12 disbanding, this annual tradition will never be the same.
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🚨 HEADLINES
🏈 Elko to the Aggies: Texas A&M is set to hire Duke's Mike Elko as their next head coach. Elko spent four seasons under Jimbo Fisher as the Aggies' DC from 2018-21.
⚽️ Gunners back on top: Arsenal overtook Manchester City atop the Premier League standings after they beat Brentford, 1-0, and Liverpool held City to a 1-1 draw.
🏀 Giddey investigation: The NBA is investigating allegations that Thunder guard Josh Giddey had an improper relationship with an underage girl.
🏈 Bowl-bound: James Madison's postseason ineligibility has been a storyline all season. Now, thanks to a shortage of six-win teams, the Dukes will play in a bowl game after all.
🇿🇦 Parole for Pistorius: Former Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius won his bid for parole nearly 11 years after he was convicted of killing his girlfriend. The South African sprinter will be released on Jan. 5.
🏈 THE END OF A COLLEGE FOOTBALL ERA
Rivalry Week delivered as always, capping the college football regular season with a weekend to remember. And do be sure to remember what Saturday was like: With the College Football Playoff expanding and the Pac-12 disbanding, this annual tradition will never be the same, Jeff and I write.
Highlights:
Michigan 30, Ohio State 24: "The Game" ended the same way it had the previous two years, with the Wolverines clinching a third consecutive victory in the series and all but locking up their third straight trip to the College Football Playoff.
Alabama 27, Auburn 24: The Tide looked destined to lose their first Iron Bowl since 2019. Then Jalen Milroe found Isaiah Bond on 4th-and-31 for a miraculous game-winning score to keep Alabama where they always seem to be this time of year: the playoff hunt.
Washington 24, Washington State 21: The Huskies escaped with a last-second victory to complete the program's second perfect regular season. It was a memorable day for Grady Gross, who kicked the game-winner and earned a scholarship.
Georgia 31, Georgia Tech 23: It was a much closer game than expected but the Bulldogs got past the Yellow Jackets to win their 29th straight game, passing Alabama for the longest winning streak in SEC history.
Florida State 24, Florida 15: In their first game since losing QB Jordan Travis, the Seminoles fought back from an early 12-0 hole to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Oklahoma State 40, BYU 34 (2OT): The Cowboys erased an 18-point deficit before winning in double overtime to advance to their second Big 12 title game in three years.
The end of an era: This is the final season of college football as we know it, with the 12-team playoff and new-look Power Four arriving in 2024. The goal is to create more high-stakes games, but Rivalry Week will be decidedly less so. From J. Brady McCollough of the Los Angeles Times:
A year from now … the [Michigan-Ohio State] loser would not feel the same level of devastation. … The teams would potentially meet again one week later in the Big Ten championship game, with the conference ditching divisions. Even if there was not a rematch, the loser would still make the new 12-team playoff.
A year from now, if Alabama's miracle wasn't granted, it possibly would still be invited to the 12-team playoff with a 10-2 record. A year from now, Washington's last-second field goal to beat Washington State and preserve its unbeaten record would not feel as existential. The Huskies would still be in position for the expanded playoff, win or lose. Heck, the "Apple Cup" won't even be a conference game.
Between the 12-team playoff and the end of the Pac-12, college football will never be the same. Both titanic shifts came for the same reason: the sport is the second-most compelling TV show in the country, behind the NFL, and the networks want more high-end episodes.
What the executives probably haven't thought through is they're trading regular-season matchups like Michigan-Ohio State the last three years that feel end-of-times level apocalyptic for eight more playoff games that might or might not be much better than some of the dud semifinals we've witnessed during the nine years of the four-team format.
Quick links:
Read: How will a wild weekend shake up the rankings? (Yahoo Sports)
Watch: Farewell to Pac-12 football (Pac-12 Network)
Listen: College Football Enquirer: Week 13 Overreaction (Yahoo Sports)
*Woah, that's weird: Iowa State's 42-35 win over Kansas State produced one of the weirdest box scores ever.
🏈 NFL SUNDAY: PHILLY'S FOURTH STRAIGHT COMEBACK
The Eagles stormed back to beat the Bills, 37-34 (OT), on Sunday in Philadelphia, becoming the fourth team in NFL history to win four straight games after trailing at halftime.
Kick of the year: Jake Elliott's 59-yard field goal in a cold, windy rain to tie the game late in the fourth quarter is as good as it gets.
Unlikely loss: The Bills are the 40th team since the 1970 merger to have 500 yards, 10 third down conversions and a positive turnover margin in a game. They are the first to lose that game, per ESPN.
More from Sunday:
AFC musical chairs: The Dolphins began Sunday in the AFC's top spot. Then the Jaguars won and overtook them. Then the Chiefs won and overtook them. And then the Ravens won the nightcap and overtook them.
Scorigami: The red-hot Broncos beat the Browns, 29-12, marking the 1,081st unique final score in NFL history.
Toilet Bowl: The Giants beat the Patriots, 10-7, in a game that was as ugly as expected. New England is 2-9 for the first time since 1992.
First-place Falcons: The Falcons beat the Saints, 24-15, to improve to 5-6. That's good enough for first place in the dreadful NFC South.
The drought is over: The Steelers topped 400 yards for the first time in 59 games in their 16-10 win over the Joe Burrow-less Bengals. It was Pittsburgh's first game since firing OC Matt Canada.
Quick links: Scoreboard | Winners and losers
⚽️ MLS CUP PLAYOFFS: FOUR TEAMS LEFT
The MLS Cup Playoffs began on Oct. 25 with 18 teams. A month later, four remain.
Final Four: Cincinnati will host Columbus in Saturday's East Final, while LAFC hosts Houston in the West Final.
Weekend recap: After a best-of-three format in Round One, play resumed with the single-elimination Conference Semifinals.
Cincinnati 1, Philadelphia 0: A controversial goal kept top-seeded FC Cincinnati's dream season alive.
Houston 1, Kansas City 0: Speaking of controversy, the Dynamo appear to have gotten away with a handball in the box.
LAFC 1, Seattle 0: The reigning champs handed the Sounders their first home playoff loss in 10 years (19 straight wins).
Columbus 2, Orlando City 0: The Crew scored two stoppage time goals against 10-man Orlando to advance.
Back from the break: If it feels like the MLS Cup Playoffs have been going on forever, it's because they have been. Thanks to an ill-timed international break, there were two whole weeks between Round One and the Conference Semifinals.
🇺🇸 PHOTOS ACROSS AMERICA
Columbia, South Carolina — Former President Trump used Williams-Brice Stadium as a campaign venue on Saturday night, attending Clemson-South Carolina alongside Governor Henry McMaster.
Provo, Utah — BYU scored three goals in the final 10 minutes to stun UNC, 4-3, on Friday and advance to the Women's College Cup (Final Four) alongside Stanford, FSU and Clemson.
Milwaukee — The Bucks erased an 81-55 deficit on Sunday to beat the Trail Blazers 108-102. The 26-point comeback is the largest in the NBA this season.
🌎 PHOTOS AROUND THE WORLD
Málaga, Spain — Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic twice in one day (singles and doubles) en route to leading Italy to its second Davis Cup title, and first since 1976.
Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. — Max Verstappen won the final race of the Formula 1 season, capping his third consecutive title campaign with his 19th victory in 22 races.
Ruka, Finland — The Cross-Country World Cup season kicked off this weekend, with skiers battling sub-zero temperatures and one of the most challenging trails on tour.
📆 NOV. 27, 1966: "THE DAY THE SKY RAINED FOOTBALLS"
57 years ago today, the Redskins beat the Giants, 72-41, in the highest scoring game in NFL history, Jeff writes.
Fun fact: 14 footballs wound up in the stands — 13 on extra points (there were no nets back then) and one courtesy of Washington safety Brig Owens, who heaved the ball into the crowd after a fumble return. At a value of $22.50 per ball, the tab came to $315.
Highest-scoring games:
113 points: Redskins 72, Giants 41 (Nov. 27, 1966)
106 points: Bengals 58, Browns 48 (Nov. 28, 2004)
105 points: Rams 54, Chiefs 51 (Nov. 19, 2018)
101 points: Saints 52, Giants 49 (Nov. 1, 2015)
101 points: Raiders 52, Oilers 49 (Dec. 22, 1963)
⚾️ 1947: Joe DiMaggio beat Ted Williams by one vote to win his third MVP award, joining Jimmie Foxx as the only three-time winners. Since then, nine more players have joined them*.
⛳️ 2013: Tiger Woods was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year for the 11th and (likely) final time. No other golfer has won more than three times (Rory McIlroy).
*Three-time MVPs: Barry Bonds has won a record seven times, while 10 others have won exactly three times: DiMaggio, Foxx, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols and Mike Trout.
📺 WATCHLIST: VIKINGS-BEARS
Josh Dobbs and the Vikings host Justin Fields and the Bears tonight (8:15pm ET, ABC/ESPN) as Minnesota's once-unlikely playoff push continues, Jeff writes.
Where it stands: The Vikings (6-5) currently occupy the second NFC Wild Card spot. Not bad for a team that started 1-4 and lost its starting QB to a season-ending injury* in Week 8.
More to watch:
🏀 NBA: Lakers at 76ers (7pm, NBA); Nuggets at Clippers (10:30pm, NBA)
🏒 NHL: Lightning at Avalanche (9pm, ESPN+)
🏀 NCAAM: New Hampshire at No. 5 UConn (7pm, CBSSN)
*Speaking of injuries: Vikings All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson, who has missed six straight games with a hamstring injury, is unlikely to play tonight but is nearing a return. Minnesota's Week 13 bye will give him an additional two weeks to fully recover.
🏈 NFL TRIVIA
Since the start of last year, only two QBs have beaten Jalen Hurts in the regular season.
Question: Can you name them?
Hint: Neither one is currently a starter.
Answer at the bottom.
🍿 BAKER'S DOZEN: TOP 13 PLAYS OF THE WEEKEND
Alejandro Garnacho's wonder goal headlines this week's edition of Baker's Dozen, featuring the 13 best highlights from Thanksgiving Weekend (Thursday-Sunday).
⚽️ Goal of the year
🏈 Incredible INT
🏈 The Milroe Miracle
🏈 What a grab
🏈 Lays out for it
⚽️ Ronaldo!
🏈 Kick of the year
🏀 Acrobatic finish
🏈 Look ma, one hand
🏈 One-handed pick
🏈 Grown man TD
🏀 Jaylen Brown!
🏒 Filthy finish
For your viewing pleasure: Watch all 13 plays on Yahoo Sports
___
Trivia answer: Zach Wilson (Jets this year) and Taylor Heinicke (Commanders last year)
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