The Sportsletter - Champ Week Incoming 🏈

BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 3, 2021  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

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Happy Friday 👋

Championship Week has finally arrived, and six games will determine the fates of conference champs and the College Football Playoff. Plus, the Memphis Grizzlies just made NBA history with the largest win, ever... Bring on the weekend.

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CFB

Champ Week Incoming 

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Every College Football Playoff Scenario Heading Into Championship Week

The final weekend of the college football season is upon us with six games to determine conference champions and decide the fate of the College Football Playoff. Teams 1-5 are in action, but #6 Notre Dame still has a path into the Top-4. Here’s a look at this weekend’s schedule, as well as our CFB Playoff scenario cheat sheet.

Conference Championships

Pac-12: #10 Oregon vs. #17 Utah (Fri. 8:00 pm)

Big 12: #9 Baylor vs. #5 Oklahoma State (Sat. Noon)

SEC: #1 Georgia vs. #3 Alabama (Sat. 4:00 pm)

AAC: #21 Houston vs. #4 Cincinnati (Sat. 4:00 pm)

Big Ten: #2 Michigan vs. #13 Iowa (Sat. 8:00 pm)

ACC: #15 Pittsburgh vs. #16 Wake Forest (Sat. 8:00 pm)

CFB Playoff Scenarios

The Top-4: Expect #1 Georgia, #2 Michigan and #4 Cincinnati all “in” with wins in their respective championship games. A win for #3 Alabama would secure a spot for the Crimson Tide, but it not push Georgia out of the Top-4.

#5 Oklahoma State: The Cowboys should crack the top-4 with a win against Baylor and a loss by either #2 Michigan, #3 Alabama or #4 Cincinnati. Their fate likely hinges on a victory and the outcome of the SEC title game.

#6 Notre Dame: The Irish aren’t in action this weekend, and they’ll need a golden dome prayer to move up. They’ll need at least two of the top-5 to lose, specifically #5 Oklahoma State and one of the teams seeded 2-4.

Teams 7-10: Miracles needed. Both #7 Ohio State and #8 Ole Miss are two-loss teams without the benefit of a conference championship, so they’re out. Consider #9 Baylor and #10 Oregon massive long shots, even if they blow out their opponents and look good doing it.

Additional Storylines

SI: College Football Expert Picks: Championship Week

CBS Sports: Paths for the 9 Remaining Contenders in the CFB Playoff

Yahoo! Sports: Picks Against the Spread for Conference Championship Week

NBA

Grizzlies Give a 73-Point Beatdown 🤯

Photo: Justin Ford / Getty Images

Grizzlies Break NBA Record Against Thunder With 73-Point Win (152-79)

Goodness, Grizzlies! The NBA saw a 30-year record shattered on Thursday night in Memphis when the Grizzlies throttled the Thunder by 73 points (152-79). And they did it without star PG Ja Morant. The previous record for the largest win in league history took place on Dec. 17, 1991, when the Cavs beat the Heat by 68. Memphis doubled up Oklahoma City by halftime (72-36), and they nearly did it again with the bench players in the second half (80-43). The Griz had a whopping nine players in double figures, including six guys off the bench. Jaren Jackson Jr. (27 points) led the way with six 3s on just seven attempts before the bench took over. Memphis also shot a franchise-record 62.5 percent from the field (52.8%, 3-pt) as they outscored OKC by 15-plus in every quarter.

The biggest rout in NBA history… Memphis, take a bow.

Watch: Grizzlies Destroy Thunder With Record-Setting Win

Other NBA Highlights

Suns Win 18th Straight: Another complete team effort from the Suns… Phoenix extended their franchise-best win streak to 18 straight games Thursday over the Pistons (114-103). Seven players scored in double figures but no one had more than 20.

DeRozan Delivers for Bulls: Chicago nearly blew a 20-point lead against the Knicks on Thursday, but the Bulls hung on (119-115) thanks to DeMar DeRozan’s 34, including Chicago’s final six points.

NFL

'Boys Get Back in the Win Column

Photo: Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images

Cowboys Beat Saints (27-17) as Defense Intercepts QB Tayson Hill 4 Times on TNF

No Mike McCarthy. No Alvin Kamara. No Jameis Winston. The Cowboys-Saints battle on Thursday Night Football was void of some big names, and QB Taysom Hill was in the spotlight for his first Saints start. It wasn’t pretty. Hill rushed for over 100 yards, but he threw four interceptions as the Cowboys defense became football thieves. The Cowboys (8-4) got back in the win column after dropping two in a row. Meanwhile, New Orleans (5-7) has now lost five straight after a 5-2 start, but they’re still alive in the NFC playoff hunt.

QB Comparison

D. Prescott (DAL): 26/40, 238 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

T. Hill (NO): 19/41, 264 yards, 2 TDs, 4 INTs (101 yards rushing)

Fun Fact: Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs nabbed his league-leading ninth interception of the season. One more and he’ll tie Xavien Howard with 10 (2020) for the second-most INTs in a single season. ‘Night Train’ Lane holds the top spot with 14 (1950).

Watch: Cowboys Stifle Saints on TNF (27-17)

Additional Storylines

FOX Sports: TNF Top Plays: Cowboys Dominate Saints

USA Today: Cowboys Put Rough November in Rearview by Taking Advantage of Interception-Prone Taysom Hill

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🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏒  NHL: Panthers Make Another Epic Rally

Just two nights after a four-goal comeback in the third period, the Florida Panthers reeled off six unanswered goals to smash the Sabres (7-4) for their second straight win. Sam Reinhart led the scoresheet with a goal and three assists while Aaron Ekblad and Anton Lundell

⚽️  EPL: Ronaldo Brace Saves Man. United

After a tumultuous start to the Premier League season, Manchester United got a much-needed win against Arsenal on Thursday (3-2) thanks to a pair of second-half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, including the decider on a penalty kick in the 70th minute.

⛳️  PGA: 3-Way Tie After 1st Round of Hero WC

Golf’s biggest stars returned to the course Thursday for Round 1 of the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club, and it’s all the big names atop the leaderboard. Rory McIlroy (-6), Abraham Ancer (-6) and Daniel Berger (-6) lead the way with names like Thomas, Koepka, Reed, Morikawa and DeChambeau within three strokes.

🏀  NCAAW: #2 NC State Holds Off #6 Indiana

A top-10 matchup in the women’s Big Ten/ACC Challenge saw NC State complete a second-half rally to top Indiana at Assembly Hall (66-58). The Wolfpack’s Diamond Johnson came off the bench to erupt for 19 points.

📰 THE HEADLINES

Bucs WR Antonio Brown Suspended for Misrepresenting COVID-19 Vaccination Status

(Bleacher Report)

Zion Williamson Suffers Minor Setback in Return From Foot Injury

(CBS Sports)

Virginia Football Coach Bronco Mendenhall Abruptly Steps Down

(SI)

UFC President Dana White Tests Positive for COVID-19

(ESPN)

Christian Eriksen Returns to Training 6 Months After Cardiac Arrest Incident

(Yahoo! Sports)

MLB Removes Player Photos From Websites as Lockout Begins

(USA Today)

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

College Football (Conference Championships)

#10 Oregon vs. #17 Utah (Fri. 8:00 pm)

#9 Baylor vs. #5 Oklahoma State (Sat. Noon)

#1 Georgia vs. #3 Alabama (Sat. 4:00 pm)

#21 Houston vs. #4 Cincinnati (Sat. 4:00 pm)

#2 Michigan vs. #13 Iowa (Sat. 8:00 pm)

#15 Pittsburgh vs. #16 Wake Forest (Sat. 8:00 pm)

NFL Week 13 (Sunday)

Chargers at Bengals (1:00 pm)

Bucs at Falcons (1:00 pm)

Ravens at Steelers (4:25 pm)

Broncos at Chiefs (8:20 pm)

Full NFL Schedule

MLS Cup Playoffs (Semifinals)

Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake (Sat. 6:30 pm)

Philadelphia Union vs. New York City FC (Sun. 3:00 pm)

NBA

Suns at Warriors (Fri. 10:00 pm)

Clippers at Lakers (Fri. 10:00 pm)

Bulls at Nets (Sat. 7:30 pm)

Heat at Bucks (Sat. 8:00 pm)

Full NBA Schedule

NHL

Lightning at Bruins (Sat. 7:00 pm)

Maple Leafs at Wild (Sat. 7:00 pm)

Flames at Golden Knights (Sun. 10:00 pm)

Full NHL Schedule

NCAA Basketball

M: #16 Alabama at #3 Gonzaga (Sat. 8:00 pm)

W: #24 Notre Dame at #2 UConn (Sun. Noon)

PGA Tour

Hero World Challenge (Friday-Sunday)

*All Times Eastern

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