The Fighting Irish rallied twice for a dramatic win, await Buckeyes or Longhorns
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☘️ Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
It’s not the luck of the Irish. It’s the skill, the grit, the perseverance, the clutch factor. Notre Dame beat Penn State, 27-24, in the Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship.
- Leading 17-10 early in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame allowed a long touchdown drive, and Riley Leonard threw an interception on the very next play. Nicholas Singleton scored five plays later, and suddenly, Penn State led 24-17.
- But Leonard got right back into things and found a wide-open Jaden Greathouse for a 54-yard touchdown to tie the game at 24.
- Drew Allar made an ill-advised throw that was intercepted by a diving Christian Gray in Penn State territory late in the fourth quarter.
- Leonard found Greathouse for a big first down on the ensuing drive, and Mitch Jeter nailed a 41-yard field goal to win it.
Phew. What a battle. It was rarely pretty. It was often ugly. Leonard threw a pair of interceptions. Notre Dame averaged 2.8 yards per rush. But the Fighting Irish never stopped fighting. Not when they went down 10-0. Not when Leonard exited to be evaluated for a concussion — in fact, backup Steve Angeli came in and lead a field goal drive, not only important on the scoreboard, but important to show the offense could get things together. Not when Leonard’s second interception led to Penn State taking a late lead.
Credit Marcus Freeman — the fiirst Black coach to lead a team to the sport’s national championship game — for the skill and spirit his group has displayed all year. There was the stunning loss to Northern Illinois in September. There have been injuries all over the place. And yet this bunch is 60 minutes away from the program’s first national title since 1988.
👍 Honorable mentions
🏈 And not such a good morning for …
JAMES FRANKLIN AND THE PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
At the end of the day a loss is a loss, but each is devastating in its own way. Against top-five teams, Penn State is now only 1-15 under James Franklin since 2014. That’s unthinkably bad. Unacceptable, really. There are lots of programs — ones without the prestige the Nittany Lions supposedly have — who have more top-five wins than the one Franklin has, back in 2016 against Ohio State.
This one was particularly brutal given the stage, given how Penn State dominated early, given how many stars shined — stars who will move on to the NFL.
But the Nittany Lions faced a cold, hard truth: The lack of standout wide receivers — zero catches — came back to bite them, and Allar made the one mistake you can’t make at a juncture when any mistake of that magnitude can end your season. Brandon Marcello looked at what’s next, and one thing just may never change:
- Marcello: “It’s been the same ‘ol story for the Nittany Lions over the last decade. They look like national contenders, only to fold in the biggest games of the season — and it’s not always for the same reasons or poor performances by certain players. … Simply put, Franklin caved under the pressure and Penn State’s players subsequently followed his lead and collapsed. Players are a reflection of their coach. They look good on the field most of the time, but ‘close’ doesn’t win championships.”
👎 Not so honorable mentions
🏈 Ohio State-Texas Cotton Bowl preview, picks
So who will join Notre Dame in the national championship? We find out tonight when (8) Ohio State takes on (5) Texas in the Cotton Bowl, just their fourth meeting ever.
The Buckeyes are substantial favorites and have talent all over the place. But in assessing who has the edge at every position group, Will Backus likes the Longhorns in both trenches.
- Backus: “Kelvin Banks Jr. will be one of the first offensive linemen off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft, while Jake Majors is an extremely experienced center with a masterful understanding of Texas’ offense and blocking schemes. … Barryn Sorrell and Trey Moore are great rushing options off of the edge, not to mention superstar freshman Colin Simmons, who has game-breaking ability. Anthony Hill Jr. will be the best linebacker on the field, with the versatility to get after the passer and play in space. This is a very close call, but players like Hill give Texas a slight edge.”
Ohio State has advantages pretty much everywhere else, though, and that includes the skill position players. The Buckeyes churn out absolutely absurd wide receiver talent, with Jeremiah Smith being the latest. I loved Shehan Jeyarajah’s story on how all of Ohio State’s stars embrace their role, even if it’s as Robin, not Batman.
Our experts have made their picks, and in his best bets, Tom Fornelli says …
- Fornelli: “I’m not going to beat around the bush. I think Ohio State wins this game and does so comfortably. … We have a Texas defense that seemed to wear down late against Arizona State going against an explosive Ohio State offense that’s one of the best at finishing drives in the country. Then, we have a Texas offense that struggles to finish drives (73rd nationally in points per red zone trip) against the best red zone defense … in the country. Even if Texas’ defense slows the Buckeyes down, I don’t trust Texas’ offense to keep up. The Pick: Ohio State -6 (-110)“
Here’s more:
🏈 NFL Wild Card Weekend preview, picks
Wild Card Weekend is here. It’s loaded. I’m pumped. You should be, too.
Steelers-Ravens is a big one. I was never super high on Pittsburgh, even when it was winning, and now that it’s losing, I feel better about that initial inkling. But weird things happen when these two teams play. Really weird. Strange turnovers, dumb penalties, special teams miscues, Lamar Jackson looking human … the list goes on.
These rivals have met 58 times in the regular season but just four times in the playoffs, most recently in 2015. Tyler Sullivan predicts …
- Sullivan: “Most people will point to Jackson and his production as the page now turns to the playoffs as the central storyline for this game. While the two-time (maybe soon-to-be three-time) MVP will certainly have his fingerprints all over this game, I see this as a showcase for Derrick Henry. THIS is why he’s in Baltimore. … Meanwhile, Baltimore’s defense is sneakily playing great. Projected score: Ravens 33, Steelers 17 | The pick: Ravens -9.5“
Sunday, Commanders-Buccaneers figures to be tons of fun and tons of points. Pete Prisco says …
- Prisco: “This is the first playoff game for Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has been special this season. Tampa Bay’s defense is banged up, so I look for Daniels to have success throwing it. But the Bucs can score. They will also get some big plays from Baker Mayfield and then have Bucky Irving close it out with some tough running late. Pick: Bucs 35, Commanders 30“
Here are our experts’ picks/best bets:
Pete Prisco (and his playoff bracket) | Will Brinson (and his playoff bracket) | John Breech’s bracket | Tyler Sullivan (and his top prop bets) | Jordan Dajani
Here’s more:
The CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter went 34-13 this season, so I hope you tailed. Here’s who we like this weekend:
- Texans over Chargers
- Ravens over Steelers
- Bills over Broncos
- Eagles over Packers
- Buccaneers over Commanders
California wildfires: Lakers game postponed, Vikings-Rams moved to Arizona
As of Thursday, California wildfires had scorched more than 55 square miles, with at least 10 people dead and roughly 179,000 people under evacuation orders. The Palisades Fire, one of five blazes in the area, has destroyed over 10,000 structures alone, officials estimated.
- The Lakers‘ home game against the Hornets, scheduled for last night, was postponed.
- JJ Redick‘s house, which he said his family evacuated, burned down. Steve Kerr said his childhood home in Pacific Palisades burned down.
- Monday’s Vikings-Rams wild card game has been moved to State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
- The Chargers donated $200,000 to relief efforts and set up supply drives.
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
🏈 CFP semifinal: Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: (8) Ohio State vs. (5) Texas, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Thunder at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 No. 22 UCLA at Maryland, 8 p.m. on Fox
Saturday
🏀 Notre Dame at No. 4 Duke (M), noon on ESPN
🏀 No. 2 Auburn at South Carolina (M), 1 p.m. on SEC Network
🏒 Bruins at Panthers, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 3 Iowa State at Texas Tech (M), 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 9 UConn at Georgetown (M), 2 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 8 Florida at Arkansas (M), 4 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Chargers at Texans, 4:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 No. 1 Tennessee at Texas (M), 6 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Steelers at Ravens, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 No. 5 Alabama at No. 10 Texas A&M (M), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 6 Kentucky at No. 14 Mississippi State (M), 8:30 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Boise State at No. 25 Utah State (M), 8:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
Sunday
🏈 Broncos at Bills, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 No. 5 Texas at No. 2 South Carolina (W), 1 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Packers at Eagles, 4:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Commanders at Buccaneers, 8 p.m. on NBC
