The Sportsletter - Pop-Tarts & Power Rankings

BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 19, 2024 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Good Morning 👋

More bowl games and a run of late-night highlights dominate today’s penultimate edition of 2024. It’s a good time to stop and take stock of the NBA and NHL standings as they near the halfway point, too. And we can’t fully enter bowl season without playing the name game. Pop-tarts, anyone?

🗓️ Holiday Schedule: The Sportsletter Team will begin our holiday break after tomorrow's newsletter. There will be a few special editions — Look out for The 2024 Sports Rewind (Dec. 31). We’ll return to your inbox on Monday, Jan. 6.

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CFB

The Bowl Season Name Game

Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images

Bowl Season Has Begun — Let the Naming Rights Comedy Begin

Ah… 💤 The most nappable season in sports is here. Soak it up, team. There’s no better relaxing sports-watching experience than the holiday bowl schedule. Screaming fans and overpriced alcohol may be a staple at your favorite NFL stadium, but these commercialized holiday afternoons are where your recliner shines... Unless your alma mater has something to play for (unlikely). We had three bowl games in the past 36 hours — the Boca Raton Bowl, the Art of Sport LA Bowl, and the Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl — but the naming rights blunders won’t stop there.

What’s In A Name, Anyway?

I’m glad you asked. The intersection of sport and sponsorship can be beautiful. Sometimes, it can be disastrous, and college football bowl naming rights are a potential Category 4. Companies will pay millions to stamp their name on a high-profile event with a flashy halftime giveaway to increase visibility. It happens in every arena across the world. We've come to accept that commonplace strategy. But bowl game naming rights are uniquely strange...

These one-off events feature two random schools at a neutral site, often without some of their best players, coming together for a national TV ratings boom that's really a product of timing and circumstance. How many would tune in to watch UTSA vs. Coastal Carolina at 11 am on a Monday? That viewership increase is only due to most of America being off work and stuck inside for the winter. Enter the opportunists, like Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It, and yes, Snoop Dogg.

Top Bowl Names in 2024 (Our Favorites)

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Pop-Tarts Bowl
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl
Go Bowling Military Bowl
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl

To be fair, both the Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts bowls are some must-see games this year, but we’ll get to that tomorrow. Check back on Friday for our “Holiday Sports Primer” that includes all of the must-watch bowl games (among other sports) over the next few weeks. Happy viewing!

Yahoo! Sports: Ranking Every College Football Bowl Game From Worst to Best

NBA / NHL

The Pre-Holiday Standings 🎄

Photos: Boston Globe & Rich Graessle / Getty Images

NBA & NHL Mid-Season Standings Check — Who Holds the Edge at the End of 2024?

Every month or so throughout the NBA and NHL seasons — often on a slow news day — we like to dive into the standings and keep you up-to-date on the big-picture race taking shape in both leagues. Those 82-game seasons are hard to track over the course of six months, but we’re nearing the halfway mark. A lot can (and will) change while we're gone the next three weeks. Here’s where they stand:

NBA Standings 🏀

Eastern Conference

1. Cavaliers (23-4)

2. Celtics (21-5)

3. Knicks (16-10)

4. Magic (17-11)

5. Bucks (14-11)

6. Heat (13-11)

7. Hawks (14-13)

8. Pacers (12-15)

9. Bulls (12-15)

10. Pistons (11-16)

Others: 11. Nets (10-16), 12. 76ers (8-16), 13. Hornets (7-19), 14. Raptors (7-20), 15. Wizards (3-21)

Western Conference

1. Thunder (20-5)

2. Grizzlies (18-9)

3. Rockets (17-9)

4. Mavericks (17-9)

5. Nuggets (14-10)

6. Suns (14-11)

7. Timberwolves (14-11)

8. Warriors (14-11)

9. Clippers (15-12)

10. Lakers (14-12)

Others: 11. Spurs (13-13), 12. Kings (13-14), 13. Blazers (8-18), 14. Jazz (5-20), 15. Pelicans (5-22)

NHL Standings 🏒

Atlantic Division

1. Maple Leafs (42 pts)

2. Panthers (42 pts)

3. Bruins (37 pts)

4. Lightning (36 pts)

Others: 5. Senators (34 pts), 6. Red Wings (30 pts), 7. Canadiens (27 pts), 8. Sabres (26 pts)

Metropolitan Division

1. Devils (45 pts)

2. Capitals (44 pts)

3. Hurricanes (41 pts)

4. Penguins (33 pts)

Others: 5. Flyers (32 pts), 6. Rangers (31 pts), 7. Islanders (31 pts), 8. Blue Jackets (29 pts)

Central Division

1. Jets (47 pts)

2. Wild (44 pts)

3. Stars (38 pts)

4. Avalanche (36 pts)

Others: 5. Utah HC (35 pts), 6. Blues (33 pts), 7. Blackhawks (24 pts), 8. Predators (24 pts)

Pacific Division

1. Golden Knights (43 pts)

2. Kings (40 pts)

3. Oilers (38 pts)

4. Canucks (38 pts)

Others: 5. Flames (36 pts), 6. Kraken (32 pts), 7. Ducks (28 pts), 8. Sharks (27 pts)

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏒 NHL

Red Wings def. Flyers (6-4)

Maple Leafs def. Stars (5-3)

Panthers def. Wild (6-1)

Utah HC def. Canucks (3-2, OT)

Ducks def. Jets (3-2)

⚽️ English Carabao Cup

Liverpool def. Southampton (2-1)

Newcastle Utd. def. Brentford (3-1)

Arsenal def. Crystal Palace (3-2)

Gabriel Jesus Nets Hat Trick

🏈 College Football

Boca Raton Bowl

James Madison def. W. Kentucky (27-17)

JMU’s 1st Bowl Victory in Program History

Art of Sport LA Bowl

#24 UNLV def. California (24-13)

UNLV’s 1st Bowl Victory Since 2000

🏀 NCAA Basketball

M: #9 Marquette def. Butler (80-70)

M: #14 Oklahoma def. #24 Michigan (87-86)

M: #21 Memphis def. Virginia (64-62)

W: #19 N. Carolina def. Florida (77-57)

W: #18 Tennessee def. Memphis (90-75)

STORYLINES

📺 Netflix’s Next Sports Doc

Netflix has made a swift move into the world of sports documentaries in the past few years. The streaming giant is set to release a college football series that followed the 2024 SEC season. (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 The NBA Cup Exit Survey

“It’s still not really a thing. Certainly, it exists, and absolutely, sometimes it’s even fun, but it isn’t cool yet.” Our NBA writers examine the future of the Cup after the Bucks beat the Thunder. (The Ringer)

🏒 NHL Power Rankings

A swift return for the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, the Maple Leafs advancing past Round 2 and a new name for Utah HC are some holiday wishes in this week's NHL power rankings. (The Hockey News)

NEWS 📰

🏈 Oklahoma Secures Top Transfer Portal QB John Mateer (ESPN)

🏒 Kraken Acquire Former No. 2 Pick Kaapo Kakko From Rangers (NHL)

🏈 Colorado Lands Former Liberty QB Kaidon Salter in Transfer Portal (CBS Sports)

🏀 Iowa Set to Retire Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 Jersey on Feb. 2 Against USC (B/R)

⚾️ Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado Blocks Potential Trade to Astros (ABC News)

🏈 Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill Makes Cryptic Post: “Time for Me to Go Coach” (B/R)

🏈 Wake Forest Hires Washington State’s Jake Dickert as Next Head Coach (NBC Sports)

📺 Charles Barkley is Keeping His Options Open Amid ‘Inside the NBA’ Move to ESPN (SI)

SCHEDULE 🗓️

Tonight's Must-Watch List

🏈 College Football