Notre Dame, Ohio State set for unprecedented Playoff finale. Plus, NFL watch guide

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Good morning! Reminder to keep an eye on the Australian Open schedule and follow our coverage today.

No time to waste amid a packed football weekend.

Notes from the start of the NFL postseason yesterday: First, the Texans defense carried the team to a 32-12 upset win over the Chargers as Justin Herbert stumbled through possibly the worst game of his career.

L.A.s quarterback threw four interceptions, one more than he had over the entire regular season.

"JUST LIKE THEY DREW IT UP!" C.J.

Stroud makes things happen after the bad snap : #LACvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+ : Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/II2oMnkbM1 NFL (@NFL) January 11, 2025 In the late game, the Steelers defense which is the highest-paid unit in the league couldnt contain the Ravens run game .

Derrick Henry exploded for 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Lamar Jackson rushed for 81 yards (with 175 yards and two touchdowns through the air).

Onward: Throughout college football history, to even compete for an FBS championship has required first being clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the country.

In a lot of ways, the 12-team College Football Playoff was guaranteed to change what it means to be a champ.

But who expected this much change right away? As of now, theres no argument that any other team is one of the two best.

(Apologies to Northern Illinois.) Thats true even though neither of these finalists wouldve made a four-team CFP .

In a way, this season has cooperated perfectly with the new format.

If this had played out like 2018, when Alabama and Clemson were virtually fated to meet at the end, adding games to the CFP couldve felt like delaying the inevitable.

But thanks to this season, no matter what happens on Jan.

20, future coaches can credibly tell their players they aint out of it yet.

More: We are not even halfway through this fantastic weekend of football.

Quick previews for todays slate, along with some Good Bets, a vain attempt to save face on my part (odds via BetMGM ): Broncos (10-7) at Bills (13-4) 1 p.m.

ET on CBS Buffalo is a huge favorite here for good reason.

There may be no scarier offense than the Bills unit thus far, and as long as Josh Allen is alive and well its hard to see anyone holding them under 24 points.

Rookie Denver quarterback Bo Nix will have to have his best game in order to snatch a road win here.

I just dont see it, but Ive been wrong plenty.

The Athletic Football Show crew says this might be a better game than people think , though, which is influencing my pick.

Advertisement Good Bet: Broncos (+9).

Just a huge line for a playoff game.

Packers (11-6) at Eagles (14-3) 4:30 p.m.

ET on Fox Both Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love should play, which is a relief for fans wanting a good game.

Both of these teams also run the ball extremely well, and Im curious to see if Saquon Barkley has any pent-up energy after sitting out Week 18 with the NFL yardage record in play.

Its tempting to pick Philly in a romp here, but I cant rule out this Green Bay team which our data shows to be the best underdog Super Bowl candidate and its prowess to make hay on the road during the postseason.

This will be close.

Good Bet: Eagles (-5.5).

Birds escape with a cover late.

Commanders (12-5) at Buccaneers (10-7) 8 p.m.

ET on NBC Washington has had a dream season, while Tampa Bay just won enough to top a bad NFC South.

This makes for an interesting mix as the playoff format mandates wild-card teams, no matter the record, to play on the road against a division champ with a lesser record.

Ben Fawkes piece on home-field advantage in the postseason came into play here for me, but even with the home-field boost, I think the Bucs are too flawed in this one.

Give me Jayden Daniels winning this one late, again.

Good Bet: Commanders (+140).

Pulse bets record overall: 28-42-1 MLB bans fans who interfered The two Yankees fans who pried open Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts glove during Game 4 of the World Series are indefinitely banned from attending any MLB games.

They are now subject to arrest if found to be in attendance at any MLB property or event.

In a letter, MLB wrote that the fans conduct posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior.

Full details here .

More news From Friday, yet quite relevant: James Franklins seemingly harmless comments before the Orange Bowl may have provided Notre Dame some extra juice to win the game.

I fully believe it.

Fred Katz has an interesting notebook on NBA trends hes noticing.

Memphis is making significant yet quiet progress on the offensive end.

We have an early look at fantasy football rankings for 2025 .

JaMarr Chase is your No.

1 pick.

4 Nations rosters were announced last week, but Chris Johnston highlighted some notable snubs who could be motivated to make a case as injury subs over the next month.

Jim Bowden graded every MLB teams offseason so far.

Times running out.

Most-clicked in Fridays newsletter : Our feature on the car-shipping company built by baseball players wives .

So smart.

Most-read on the website yesterday : The Texans-Chargers live blog .

Try todays Connections: Sports Edition beta .

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(Top photo: Matthew Pearce / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).

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