The Sportsletter - Turning the Tide

BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 6, 2021  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  BROWSER VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

We’ve got conference champions in college football and a first look at the CFB Playoff. Only one team ends the year undefeated. Kudos to Cincinnati… Your reward? A date with Alabama.

Letter Rip!

CFB

CFB Playoff: Turning the Tide

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

#1 Alabama, #2 Michigan, #3 Georgia & #4 Cincinnati Enter CFB Playoff

Championship Week in college football brought no change to the Top-4 teams in the College Football Playoff rankings, but a flip-flop between No. 1 and No. 3 took place after Alabama handed Georgia its first loss in the SEC title game. Bama and Georgia switched places, but No. 2 Michigan and No. 4 Cincinnati stayed put after winning easy in their conference championships. As we tie a bow on the college football season, here’s a quick look at the playoff format and the New Year’s 6 bowl games.

College Football Playoff Schedule

Orange Bowl: #2 Michigan vs. #3 Georgia (Dec. 31)

Cotton Bowl: #1 Alabama vs. #4 Cincinnati (Dec. 31)

CFP National Championship (Jan. 10)

Remaining New Year’s 6 Bowl Games

Peach Bowl: #10 Michigan State vs. #12 Pittsburgh (Dec. 30)

Fiesta Bowl: #5 Notre Dame vs. #9 Oklahoma State (Jan. 1)

Rose Bowl: #6 Ohio State vs. #11 Utah (Jan. 1)

Sugar Bowl: #7 Baylor vs. #8 Ole Miss (Jan. 1)

Final CFB Playoff Rankings

Conference Championship Highlights

Pac-12: #17 Utah def. #10 Oregon (38-10)

#9 Baylor def. #5 Oklahoma State (21-16)

#4 Cincinnati def. #21 Houston (35-20)

#3 Alabama def. #1 Georgia (41-24)

#15 Pittsburgh def. #16 Wake Forest (45-21)

#2 Michigan def. #13 Iowa (42-3)

Additional Storylines

Sporting News: Dates, Times Channels & More for Every FBS Bowl Game

DraftKings: Heisman Watch: There’s Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett & Everyone Else

SI: Orange Bowl Preview: Michigan & Georgia to Put Defense in the Spotlight

SI: Cotton Bowl Preview: Cincinnati Looks to Prove it Belongs Against SEC Powerhouse Alabama

NFL

Week 13: Lions... Finally

Photo: Nic Antaya / Getty Images

Lions Beat Vikings on Final Play to End 364-Day Winless Streak

Euphoria in Detroit! The Sunday highlights of Week 13 in the NFL featured plenty of storylines, but we’re showing love to the Lions after Detroit and head coach Dan Campbell got their first win of the season. The Lions beat the Vikings on a 4th-and-2 as time expired when Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown in the end zone for the win (29-27). The dramatic finish came after Detroit blew a 20-6 halftime lead. Detroit gets its first win of the season, and its first in 346 days.

Watch: Lions Beat Vikings on Game-Ending TD

NFL Week 13 Storylines

Steelers Hold Off Ravens: Baltimore scored a late touchdown against the Steelers to bring the game within one (19-20), but they bobbled the two-point conversion for the win.

Chiefs Win 5th Straight: Kansas City cruised past Denver in the Sunday night game (22-9) to claim their fifth consecutive victory. The Chiefs are now 8-4 and first in the AFC West.

Cards Get to 10: Arizona became the first team to 10 wins with a victory over the Bears (33-22). QB Kyler Murray tallied four TDs — two through the air and two on the ground.

Herbert’s High-Octane Chargers: Justin Herbert (26-35, 317 yards, 3 TDs) was sensational once again as the Chargers hung 41 on the Bengals (41-22).

WFT Wins 4th Straight: Washington won its fourth straight game by taking down the Raiders (17-15) on a field goal from new kicker Brian Johnson in the final minute. They’re now .500 (6-6).

All Week 13 Scores & Highlights

Cowboys def. Saints (27-17) | Dolphins def. Giants (20-9) | Colts def. Texans (31-0) | Lions def. Vikings (29-27) | Eagles def. Jets (33-18) | Cardinals def. Bears (33-22) | Chargers def. Bengals (41-22) | Buccaneers def. Falcons (30-17) | Rams def. Jaguars (37-7) | Washington def. Raiders (17-15) | Steelers def. Ravens (20-19) | Seahawks def. 49ers (30-23) | Chiefs def. Broncos (22-9)

Monday Night Football

Patriots at Bills (8:15 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

B/R: NFL MVP Race Has Never Been More Wide Open

CBS Sports: Week 13 Report Cards: Grades for Every Team

MLS

The Cup Finals Are Set

Photo: Ira L. Black - Corbis / Getty Images

Portland Timbers & New York City FC to Meet in MLS Cup Final

The finals are set! The Portland Timbers and New York City FC are heading to the MLS Cup finale next Saturday. It’s the third finals appearance for Portland and the first trip to the finals for NYCFC. Portland won it all in 2015 before finishing runner-ups in 2018. They’ve never hosted the final, but the kings of the west will have home-field advantage on Saturday. Here’s how both clubs captured their conference finals over the weekend:

#4 Portland Timbers def. #7 Real Salt Lake (2-0)

Portland jump on Salt Lake early in Saturday’s western conference final thanks to an early goal from Felipe Mora (5’). Santiago Moreno (61’) tallied the insurance strike early in the second half en route to the shutout. Real Salt Lake was the underdog story of the playoffs, but it’s another trip to the finals for Portland.

#4 New York City FC def. #2 Philadelphia Union (2-1)

Sunday’s eastern conference final saw New York City FC make more history with the club’s first trip to the Cup Finals. NYCFC needed a second-half comeback after trailing 1-0. Maximiliano Moralez (65’) knotted things up before Talles Magno (88’) struck the decider in the final minutes. Five years after joining the MLS as the league’s 20th expansion team, NYCFC has a shot at glory.

MLS Cup Finals

Portland Timbers vs. New York City FC

Saturday, Dec. 11 (3:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Portland Timbers’ MLS Dream Becomes a Reality

MLS: 3 Takeaways From NYCFC’s Historic Win to Reach 1st-Ever MLS Cup

🎥 OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Warriors Snap Suns Streak

The streak ends at 18. The Warriors toppled the Suns on Friday (118-96) to end Phoenix’s 18-game win streak. Steph Curry (23 points) had six 3s in a bounce-back performance.

🏒 NHL: Wild Beat Leafs in S/O for 6th Straight

The Minnesota Wild are riding a league-best six-game win streak after holding off the Maple Leafs in a shootout Saturday (4-3, S/O). Jason Spezza scored twice while Kirill Kaprizov netted the winner.

⛳️ PGA: Hovland Steals Hero World Challenge

Collin Morikawa blew a five-stroke lead in a three-hole collapse that allowed Viktor Hovland (-18) to come from behind and capture the Hero World Challenge at Albany Golf Club. Scott Scheffler (-17) finished second.

🏀 NCAAM: Gonzaga Goes Down Again

#16 Alabama pulled the upset against #3 Gonzaga (92-81) Saturday night to give the Zags their second loss in as many weeks. Alabama’s Jaden Shackelford erupted for 28 points and 9 rebounds as the Crimson Tide.

🏀 NCAAW: UConn Routs Notre Dame

#2 UConn handled rival #24 Notre Dame Sunday in Connecticut (73-54) behind 22 points from Paige Bueckers, but it wasn’t all good news for the Huskies. Bueckers left the game with a non-contact knee injury.

📰 THE HEADLINES

UConn Basketball Star Paige Bueckers Carried Off Court With Leg Injury

(Yahoo! Sports)

Maryland Basketball Coach Mark Turgeon Steps Down After 10 Seasons

(ESPN)

Ole Miss Extends Head Coach Lane Kiffin Amid Miami Coaching Rumors

(Bleacher Report)

LaMelo Ball Among 4 Hornets Players in COVID-19 Protocols

(SI)

Ben Roethlisberger Expects 2021 to be Final Season With Steelers

(CBS Sports)

Oklahoma Nearing Deal to Name Clemson Defensive Coordinator Brent Venables Next Head Coach

(USA Today)

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