Basketball: Some Top 25 losses including Maui and Phil Knight Invites.
Football-NCAAF: Rivalry week saw 9 losses in Top 25 and some with dire CFP consequences. HC carousel.
Football-NFL: 9 tight games. OBJ taken off a plane.
Olympic Sports: Winter Olympic sports updates. Debut of WC bobsled races. Gut wins first GS in 6 years. Malinin sweeps GP.
Soccer: USA needs to win against Iran to move on.
Basketball:
- Thanksgiving week results:
- The Maui Invitational saw a lot of good ranked games. #10 Creighton pulled away from #21 Texas Tech in the 2H to win by 11 on Monday at the Maui Invitational. The Bluejays then beat #9 Arkansas the very next day in a close one. #21 Texas Tech also lost to unranked Ohio St. Then in HI, #14 Arizona had a 50 point 2H to beat #17 San Diego St. The Aztecs had a rough week, losing to #9 Arkansas the next day. #14 Arizona was the champion of the Maui Invitational beating #10 Creighton for the title in a thriller.
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- On Thanksgiving, the Phil Knight Invitational began. #18 Alabama started the ball rolling with an upset of #12 Michigan St. Iowa St then beat #1 UNC on Friday by 5. #22 Tennessee handed #3 Kansas their first loss after the Jayhawks only scored 50 points all game. #24 Purdue thwomped #6 Gonzaga by 18 and then beat #8 Duke the next day. The upsets continued. #20 UConn beat #18 Alabama by 15. But the Tide rallied to hand #1 UNC their 2nd straight loss in 4OT.
- #25 Iowa fell to TCU in the Emerald Coast Classic final.
Football-NCAA:
- Rivalry Week gave us 9 losses in the Top 25:
- Georgia had not allowed a TD in the first quarter in 15 games. Georgia Tech scored the first drive and took less than 5 minutes to do it. The Dawgs won handily but it was still a funny start!
- The Game was where GameDay was and for the first time since 2006 both teams are 11-0, only second time ever. #2 Ohio St vs #3 Michigan was this weekend and man was it crazy. Michigan wins for the first time in Columbus since 2000. Michigan 45-23 without their best player, Corum.
- #4 TCU absolutely humiliated Iowa St winning 62-14 before heading to the Big 12 championship game (against K St).
- #5 LSU frankly looked like they didn’t want to be there against Texas A&M. the Aggies also got their best player Achane back and it showed. They scored over 30 points for the first time since before Halloween last year.
- South Carolina strikes again this time beating #8 Clemson by 1! That also snaps the Tiger’s 40 home game winning streak!
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- The civil war of #9 Oregon vs #21 Oregon state was a great game. Oregon was up by 21 points late in the 3Q but that wasn’t enough against Oregon St’s run game. They literally did not throw the ball on the their last 4 possessions and scored on all of them. Beavs win by 4.
- #6 USC and QB Caleb Williams made a Heisman statement beating #15 Notre Dame by double digits
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- The end of NC St vs #17 UNC was crazy! UNC scored a last minute TD, got it called back and then went and did it again with no time left on the clock. So then we went to 2OT before the Tar Heels pulled a 36 yard FG to lose. They lost their last 2 games after being guaranteed a spot in the ACC champ game.
- #20 Ole Miss has now lost 3 in a row and to their in state rival Miss St on Thanksgiving
- #19 Tulane beat #23 Cincinnati by a FG to get a spot in the American champ game.
- Finally unranked Kentucky played #25 Louisville. They beat the Cardinals by 13.
- That is the final regular season week of college football
- HC carousel:
- Nebraska has hired former Panthers HC (and Baylor HC) Matt Rhule. He signed a 8-year $74MM contract.
- Auburn has hired Hugh Freeze from Liberty. He signed a 6 year $6.5MM/ year contract. Freeze was the HC of Ole Miss from 2012-2016.
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- Wisconsin hired Cincinnati HC Luke Fickell. He has gone 57-18 in his 6 years at the Ohio school. This was a bit of a surprise as Fickell has been very picky on where he would take a job over Cinci.
- Deion Sanders has been offered the Colorado job. He has not accepted yet!
- Stanford HC quits.
- Tulsa, Western Michigan, Texas St and UNLV both fired their HC as well.
Football – NFL:
- Week 12: 9 games were within a TD or less and 2 went to OT and 2 were decided on 2 point conversations. We had 3 games on Thanksgiving and the biggest win margin was 8 (Cowboys over the Giants).
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- The ending to the Bills/Lions game was crazy! The Lions scored the typing FG with 23 seconds left and we all thought we were headed to OT. Then we (those of us in Houston anyway) had a weather update interrupt the game and in 21 seconds the Bills scored the game winning 45-yard FG. The Patriots looked to have their game in control winning 26-23 in the 4Q but the Vikings came back scoring 10 to win by 7. The Dolphins came out in the 1H ready to go scoring 30 points on the Texans and that was all they needed. The Browns upset the Buccaneers in OT, scoring a TD to beat Brady’s team. The Bengals/Titans game was close as expected with both teams having the same record. The Bengals took the W by 3.
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- The Jets got an offensive spark from new QB Mike White to beat the Bears 31-10. White went to Western Kentucky and was drafted in 2018 and already has been on 3 different teams. The Chargers scored a TD with 12 seconds to go in the game and could’ve taken the game to OT but went for the 2 point conversion at the end of the game. It was successful and the Chargers slip by the Cardinals by 1. Similarly the Jags scored with 15 seconds left and got their 2 point conversion to beat the Ravens. The Raiders won on a walk-off 86 yard TD in OT over the Seahawks. RB Jacobs was the one who ran that TD in and hit a single-game franchise record for all-purpose yards (303). The Saints were shutout by the 49ers.
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- QB Aaron Rodgers left the game with a rib injury in the Packers/Eagles game. Jordan Love stepped in as the replacement (almost exactly 15 years after Rodgers did the same thing for Favre) but the Green Bay team still lost 40-33.
- Odell Beckham Jr was taken off a flight from Miami to LA after he was in and out of consciousness and then refused to leave the plane. American Airlines operated the flight in question and OBJ said he had never experienced this type of treatment before. The flight was delayed by 2 hours after returning to the gate due to a ‘passenger failing to follow crew instructions and refusing to fasten their seatbelt.’ OBJ claims the incident was completely unnecessary.
Olympic Sports:
- Although GER took gold at the first World Cup race of the season, the USA Kallie Humphries and Emily Renna took 3rd. This was Renna’s World Cup debut while Humphries has 58 medals.
- SUI Lara Gut-Behrami finally took her first World Cup giant slalom title in 6 years. Gut-Behrami last won in Oct 2016. Shiffrin took 13th.
- USA Figure Skater Ilia Malinin swept the Grand Prix events after taking gold on Saturday. This is all ahead of the GP Final in Turin, ITA on December 8th.
Soccer:
- We are just days away from the end of group play and moving onto the Round of 16. Team USA has to win tomorrow to move onto the group stage after drawing both Wales and England. Admittedly the ENG tie felt more like a win but the Wales tie hit the team hard. USA scored first in the 36th minute and dominated the first half. However Wales fought back and scored the tying goal with 8 minutes before the end of regulation.
- Other team upsets and updates:
- Saudi beat ARG in a huge upset. Before that loss, ARG had gone 36 games unbeaten in international play. That record was 1 shy of the record set by Italy.
- Ronaldo scored in their game vs GHA. He’s the first male player to score in 5 different world cups.
- BRA star player Neymar exited their game on Thurs against SER with ankle injury. He will not return until the Round of 16.
- Who is already qualified as of Monday night for the Round of 16: FRA, BRA, POR,
- Out: CAN and QAT
- US Soccer Federation posted a picture of the Iran flag without the Muslim emblem in the middle due to the protests going on in the country right now. The players were not involved in the decision but Iran is asking that the USA be thrown out of the World Cup. Oh and also they play tomorrow…
What to watch this week
Basketball – NBA:
- Tues 11/29
- Warriors at Mavericks @ 6:30pm on TNT
- Clippers at Trail Blazers @ 9pm on TNT
- Fri 12/2
- Lakers at Bucks @ 6:30pm on ESPN
- Bulls at Warriors @ 9pm on ESPN
Basketball – NCAA:
- Mon 11/28
- Troy at 11. Arkansas @ 7pm on SEC
- Tues 11/29
- Bellarmie at 19. Kentucky @ 6pm on SEC
- Maryland at Louisville @ 6pm on ESPN2
- Syracuse at 16. Illinois @ 6:30pm on ESPN
- Baylor at Marquette @ 7:30pm on FS1
- UVA vs Michigan @ 8:30pm on ESPN
- Wed 11/30
- Purdue at Florida St @ 6:15pm on ESPN2
- McNesse at 13. Tennessee @ 6:15pm on SEC
- Ohio St at 17. Duke @ 6:15pm on ESPN
- UNC at 10. Indiana @ 8:15pm on ESPN
- Michigan St at Notre Dame @ 8:15pm on ESPN2
- Thurs 12/1
- Oklahoma St at 8. UConn @ 5:30pm on FS1
- Creighton at 2. Texas @ 6pm on ESPN
- Arizona at Utah @ 7:30pm on Pac12
- Seton Hall at 9. Kansas @ 8pm on ESPN
- UCLA at Stanford @ 9:30pm on ESPN2
- Fri 12/2
- Baylor at 14. Gonzaga @ 7pm
- Colgate at 15. Auburn @ 7pm on SEC
- Illinois at 22. Maryland @ 8pm on BTN
- Sat 12/3
- Francis at 25. Ohio St @ 11am on BTN
- Florida St at 3. UVA @ 1pm on ESPN2
- Indiana at Rutgers @ 3pm on BTN
- San Jose St at 11. Arkansas @ 3pm on SEC
- Boston College at 17. Duke @ 3pm on ACC
- South Dakota St at 11. Alabama @ 7:30pm on SEC
- Saint Mary’s at 1. Houston @ 8:30pm on ESPN2
- Sun 12/4
- Michigan at 19. Kentucky @ 12pm on ABC
- UNC at VTech @ 2pm on ACC
- John’s 23. Iowa St @ 2pm on ESPN2
- Nebraska at 7. Creighton @ 3:30pm on FS1
- Cal at 4. Arizona @ 4pm on Pac12
- Minnesota at 5. Purdue @ 4pm on BTN
- Oregon at 21. UCLA @ 4pm on ESPN
- Alcorn St at 13. Tennessee @ 5pm on SEC
- Northwestern at 20. Michigan St @ 6pm on BTN
Football-NCAAF:
| Week 14 – Championship Week | |||||||
| Conference | Visitor | Home | Day | Time (CT) | TV | Stadium | Line |
| Conference USA Championship | UNT | 23. UTSA | Fri 12/2 | 6:30 PM | CBSSN | Alamodome (TX) | +8.5 |
| Pac 12 Championship | 12. Utah | 4. USC | Fri 12/2 | 7:00 PM | FOX | Allegiant Stadium (NV) | +3 |
| Big 12 Championship | 13. Kansas St | 3. TCU | Sat 12/3 | 11:00 AM | ABC | AT&T (TX) | +2.5 |
| MAC Championship | Toledo | Ohio | Sat 12/3 | 12:00 PM | Ford Field (MI) | -1.5 | |
| Sun Belt Championship | Coastal Carolina | Troy | Sat 12/3 | 2:30 PM | ESPN | Veteran Memorial Stadium (AL) | +10 |
| SEC Championship | 11. LSU | 1 Georgia | Sat 12/3 | 3:00 PM | CBS | Mercedes-Benz (GA) | +17.5 |
| American Athletic Championship | 22. UCF | 18. Tulane | Sat 12/3 | 3:00 PM | ABC | Yulman Stadium (LA) | +3 |
| Mountain West Championship | Fresno St | Boise St | Sat 12/3 | 3:00 PM | FOX | Albertsons Stadium (ID) | +3.5 |
| Big 10 Championship | Purdue | 2. Michigan | Sat 12/3 | 7:00 PM | FOX | Lucas Oil (IN) | +16 |
| ACC Championship | 10. Clemson | 24. UNC | Sat 12/3 | 7:00 PM | ABC | BoA (NC) | -7.5 |
| *GameDay indicated in bold* | |||||||
- Sun 12/4
- CFP Final Ranking @ 11am on ESPN
As a note, these rankings are from the AP poll as the CFP does not come out until Tuesday night. You can find a full list of the Top 25 games every week with updated rankings on Wednesday morning, HERE.
Football – NFL:
- Mon 11/28
- Steelers at Colts @ 7:15pm on ESPN
- Thurs 12/1
- Bills at Patriots @ 7:15pm on Prime
- Sun 12/4
- 8 games at 12pm on FOX/CBS
- FOX:
- Packers at Bears
- Jaguars at Lions
- Commanders at Giants
- Titans at Eagles
- CBS:
- Steelers at Falcons
- Jets at Vikings
- Broncos at Ravens
- Browns at Texans
- FOX:
- Seahawks at Rams – or – Dolphins at 49ers @ 3:05pm on FOX
- Chiefs at Bengals – or – Chargers at Raiders @ 3:25pm on CBS
- Colts at Cowboys @ 7:20pm on NBC
- 8 games at 12pm on FOX/CBS
- Mon 12/5
- Saints at Buccaneers @ 7:15pm on ESPN
Golf:
- Thurs 12/1
- Hero World Challenge – Round 1 @ 12:30pm on Golf Channel
- Fri 12/2
- Hero World Challenge – Round 2 @ 12:30pm on Golf Channel
- Sat 12/3
- Hero World Challenge – Round 3
- @ 11am on Golf Channel
- @ 1:30pm on NBC
- Hero World Challenge – Round 3
- Sun 12/4
- Hero World Challenge – Final Round
- @ 11am on Golf Channel
- @ 1:30pm on NBC
- Hero World Challenge – Final Round
Hockey:
- Tues 11/29
- Islanders at Flyers @ 6:30pm on hulu
- Wed 11/30
- Sabres at Red Wings @ 6pm on TNT
- Oilers at Blackhawks @ 8:30pm on TNT
- Thurs 12/1
- Oilers at Wild @ 7pm on hulu
- Fri 12/2
- Predators at Islanders @ 6:30pm on hulu
Soccer – World Cup:
- Mon 11/28
- CAM vs SER @ 4am on FS1
- KOR vs GHA @ 7am on FS1
- BRA vs SUI @ 10am on FOX
- POR vs URU @ 1pm on FOX
- Tues 11/29
- NED vs QAR @ 9am on FOX
- ECU vs SEN @ 9am on FS1
- WAL vs ENG @ 1pm on FS1
- IRN vs USA @ 1pm on FOX
- Wed 11/30
- TUN vs FRA @ 9am on FOX
- AUS vs DEN @ 9am on FS1
- KSA vs MEX @ 1pm on FS1
- POL vs ARG @ 1pm on FOX
- Thurs 12/1
- CRO vs BEL @ 9am on FOX
- CAN vs MOR @ 9am on FS1
- JPN vs ESP @ 1pm on FOX
- CRC vs GER @ 1pm on FS1
- Fri 12/2
- KOR vs POR @ 9am on FOX
- GHA vs URU @ 9am on FS1
- SER vs SUI @ 1pm on FS1
- CAM vs BRA @ 1pm on FOX
- Sat 12/3 – Round of 16
- Group A Winner vs Group B Runner Up @ 9am on FOX
- Group C Winner vs Group D Runner Up @ 1pm on FOX
- Sun 12/4
- Group D Winner vs Group C Runner Up @ 9am on FOX
- Group B Winner vs Group A Runner Up @ 1pm on FOX
- Mon 12/5
- Group E Winner vs Group F Runner Up @ 9am on FOX
- Group G Winner vs Group H Runner Up @ 1pm on FOX
- Tues 12/6
- Group F Winner vs Group E Runner Up @ 9am on FOX
- Group H Winner vs Group G Runner Up @ 1pm on FOX
