The Sportsletter - 🍀 Invincible Irish & Super Wild Cards

BY JEFF YODER

JAN. 10, 2025 | SUBSCRIBE | WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 🙌

Night number one of our five-day playoff football binge was EPIC! Notre Dame and Penn State traded haymakers in a 12-round heavyweight fight. The Irish threw the knockout punch, and we’re just getting started with 96 straight hours of football mania. The Cotton Bowl is tonight with the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend to follow.

Letter Rip!

COLLEGE FOOTBALL 🏆

Invincible Irish! 🍀

Photo: Rich Storry / Getty Images

🍊 The Orange Bowl Odyssey: Notre Dame Rallies (Twice) to Beat Penn State (27-24) in CFP Instant Classic

The definition of an “odyssey” is an “adventurous journey or experience.” That’s exactly how I’d describe last night's heavyweight fight in Miami. Notre Dame and Penn State went punch-for-punch in the Orange Bowl before an unbelievable 4th-quarter finish. The Irish clawed back from a 10-0 deficit to knot the game at 10-all after three quarters. Then? Chaos. Notre Dame's first lead (17-10) was countered by a 14-point swing from Penn State (24-17) thanks two of RB Nicholas Singleton’s 3 TDs. The Irish responded again when QB Riley Leonard hit a 54-yard touchdown to Jaden Greathouse (24-24). Somehow, both heavyweights were still standing deep into Round 12.

Notre Dame’s Christian Gray made a diving interception in the final minute to set up kicker Mitch Jeter for the knockout — a 41-yard field goal with seven seconds left (27-24). Irish, invincible! 🍀

4Q Fun Facts: The 4th quarter of the Orange Bowl featured 31 points, three lead changes, two turnovers and almost 300 yards of offense.

Orange Bowl 4th Quarter Moments

14:07: Notre Dame TD (Love) — 17-10, ND

10:20: Penn State TD (Singleton) — 17-17

10:15: Penn State INT (Dennis-Sutton) — TO

7:55: Penn State TD (Singleton) — 24-17, PSU

4:38: Notre Dame TD (Greathouse) — 24-24

0:33: Notre Dame INT (Gray) — TO

0:07: Notre Dame FG (Jeter) — 27-24, ND

It was way back in early September when (then) 5th-ranked Notre Dame lost a shocker to Northern Illinois. They haven’t lost since (13 straight), and they’re now one win away from the program’s first national championship since 1988 (37 years). The luck of the Irish continues! They’ll await the winner of tonight’s Cotton Bowl clash between Ohio State and Texas.

Watch: Notre Dame Beats Penn State (27-24) in Wild 4th-Quarter

SI: Notre Dame Outlasts Penn State in Instant Classic Orange Bowl

CBS Sports: Notre Dame Edges Penn State in Wild Orange Bowl to Reach 1st Championship Game in 12 Years

SPORTS

L.A. Fires Upend Sports Schedules

Photo: Myung J. Chun / Getty Images

Major Sporting Events Postponed or Moved Due to Los Angeles Fires

By now you’ve likely seen the catastrophic damage from the fires in the Los Angeles area. Nearly 200,000 residents have been evacuated as mass structural damage and awful air quality have left the the city in turmoil. Many L.A. teams — Lakers, Clippers, Rams, Chargers, Ducks and Kings — are in season with games and schedules shifting by the day. College programs like USC and UCLA have scheduling challenges, too. Numerous players and coaches have also been directly impacted. Lakers and Kings games were postponed this week (with more to come).

The NFL announced that Monday night's Rams-Vikings Wild Card game will be played in Glendale, Arizona. The photo above shows the poor air quality outside Los Angeles's SoFi Stadium. We'll continue monitoring how the fires impact major sports and events into next week.

Read More (Live Updates)

NFL PLAYOFFS

The Super Wild Card Primer

Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images

12 Teams Begin Their Quest for Super Bowl LIX in Super Wild Card Weekend

It's coming. Super Bowl LIX (Feb. 9) is just 30 days away. One team will soon hoist the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans. For now, hope remains for 14 teams. The Lions (NFC) and Chiefs (AFC) have the 1-seed byes this weekend, but the other 12 face win-or-go-home scenarios over the next 96 hours. The NFL Playoff bracket is locked and loaded. So is our Super Wild Card Weekend preview.

Watch: Marissa Kasch Breaks Down Super Wild Card Picks (Video)

Super Wild Card Previews

Chargers @ Texans (Sat. 4:30 pm ET, CBS)

The 5-seed Chargers (11-6) kick things off on the road against the 4-seed Texans (10-7) Saturday afternoon. Houston has the lowest-scoring offense among all 14 playoff teams while the Chargers enter the postseason averaging 36 points per game during a season-ending three-game win streak. Chargers QB Justin Herbert has been clutch during the recent three-game run (911 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT). Spread: Chargers (-3)

Steelers @ Ravens (Sat. 8:00 pm ET, PRIME)

The 6-seed Steelers (10-7) travel east to face the 3-seed Ravens (12-5) Saturday night for a classic AFC North slugfest. QB Lamar Jackson is hungry to right the wrongs of playoffs past. Pittsburgh has lost four straight to end the season. The teams split their in-season head-to-head (1-1), but the Ravens won the most recent meeting by 17. Spread: Ravens (-9.5)

Broncos @ Bills (Sun. 1:00 pm ET, CBS)

The 7-seed Broncos (10-7) start Sunday’s slate against the 2-seed Bills (13-4) for a cold one at Orchard Park. Denver was the last team to sneak into the postseason, but the likely MVP is waiting on the other sideline. Bills QB Josh Allen (4,262 yards, 40 TDs, 6 INTs) is at the top of his game, and Buffalo leads the NFL (by far) in turnover differential (+24). Spread: Bills (-8.5)

Packers @ Eagles (Sun. 4:30 pm ET, FOX)

The 7-seed Packers (11-6) get another shot at the high-flying 2-seed Eagles (14-3) Saturday afternoon at the Linc. It’s a rematch of the Week 1 opener in Brazil. The Eagles won that game (34-29). The Packers are dealing with injuries across the roster, but Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is active for Sunday. The Birds also have a 2,000-yard rusher in Saquon Barkley and the No. 1 defense. Spread: Eagles (-4.5)

Commanders @ Bucs (Sun. 8:00 pm ET, NBC)

The 6-seed Commanders (12-5) fly south to face the 3-seed Bucs (10-7) on Sunday night. It’s Washington's first playoff appearance in four years. Their rookie QB Jayden Daniels has been masterful, but Bucs QB Baker Mayfield has moxie, experience and healthy receivers. It’s the 3rd-ranked passing offense (Bucs) against the 3rd-ranked passing defense (Commanders). Spread: Bucs (-3)

Vikings @ Rams (Mon. 8:00 pm ET, ESPN)

The 5-seed Vikings (14-3) are en route to face the 4-seed Rams (10-7) on Monday night, but this game will be played in Arizona due to the L.A. wildfires. Minnesota and QB Sam Darnold are the feel-good story of the year after the Vikings won a surprising 14 games. Thanks to the Lions, Minnesota still has to go on the road in Round 1. The Rams finished the season winning five of their last six, so they're hot. Spread: Vikings (-1.5)

Ready for football? Let's get wild.

Read More

The Ringer: How to Spot an NFL Playoff Fraud

CBS Sports: NFL Wild-Card Best Bets: Road Trips & Upset Potential

B/R: Bleacher Report’s 2025 NFL Wild Card Weekend Playoff Picks

HIGHLIGHTS 🎥

🏀 NBA

Cavaliers def. Raptors (132-126)

Darius Garland (40 pts), CLE Wins 12th Straight

Suns def. Hawks (123-115)

Bradley Beal (25 pts) Big Again Off the Bench

Full NBA Scoreboard

🏒 NHL

Rangers def. Devils (3-2, OT)

Sam Carrick Notches OT Winner

Hurricanes def. Maple Leafs (6-3)

Jordan Staal (3G) Nets 4th Career Hat Trick

Full NHL Scoreboard

⚽️ Spanish Supercopa (Semifinals)

Real Madrid def. Mallorca (3-0)

Madrid Scores 3G in 2nd Half, Set Up Final Against Barcelona

🏀 NCAA Women's Basketball

#6 LSU def. #16 Tennessee (89-87)

LSU’s Aneesah Morrow (23 pts, 21 rebs)

#19 UNC def. #14 Duke (53-46, OT)

‘W’ Tobacco Road Rivalry Has Crazy Finish

STORYLINES

🎾 2025 Australian Open Mega-Preview

Gauff, Alcaraz, Djokovic and more. The Australian Open might have snuck up on tennis fans. Here’s the full-service guide to the season’s first Grand Slam. (ESPN)

🏈 Ranking NFL Playoff Coaching Staffs

Who can you trust in the postseason? And who can’t you? In these NFL Playoffs, 14 very different coaching staffs put their game plans to the test. (CBS Sports)

NEWS 📰

🏈 Georgia QB Carson Beck Enters Transfer Portal (NBC Sports)

🏀 NBA Postpones Lakers-Hornets as J.J. Redick Loses Home in LA Fires (ESPN)

⚽️ Angel City Defender Ali Riley’s Home Destroyed in L.A. Fires (SI)

🏈 Bears to Interview Pete Carroll for Head Coaching Job (B/R)

🏈 Raiders Fire GM Tom Telesco 2 Days After Firing Antonio Pierce (Yahoo! Sports)

🏀 76ers’ Jared McCain to Miss Rest of Rookie Season After Knee Surgery (B/R)

🏈 NFL Moves Vikings-Rams Playoff Game to Arizona Due to L.A. Fires (NBC Sports)

SCHEDULE 🗓️

The Weekend Must-Watch List

🏈 CFP Semifinal (Cotton Bowl)

#5 Texas vs. #8 Ohio State (Fri. 7:30 pm, ESPN)