COLLEGE FOOTBALL=
The College Football Playoff semifinals began with an instant
classic as No. 3 Georgia rallied in the second half before beating
No. 2 Oklahoma 54-48 in double overtime in the Rose Bowl. The
Sooners took a 31-17 lead into halftime, but the Bulldogs came back
and went ahead 38-31 early in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma then
scored the next 14 points, but Georgia tied it at 45 with 55
seconds remaining. After the teams traded field goals in the first
overtime, the Bulldogs blocked a field goal and pulled out the win
on Sony Michel’s 27-yard touchdown run. Michel and Nick Chubb
combined for 326 rushing yards and six total TDs to help put
Georgia in the national championship game.
In the other semifinal, No. 4 Alabama was in complete control
throughout en route to a 24-6 victory over top-ranked Clemson in
the Sugar Bowl to give coach Nick Saban another shot at his record
sixth national title. This was the third consecutive year these
teams met in the playoffs, but this game was a dud compared to
their previous two meetings, both high-scoring classics with the
national championship on the line. The Crimson Tide broke it open
with two touchdowns in 13 seconds in the third quarter. Da’Ron
Payne, a 308-pound defensive lineman, hauled in a 1-yard touchdown
pass to put Alabama ahead 17-6, and Mack Wilson returned Kelly
Bryant’s deflected pass 18 yards for a score on the next play.
McKenzie Milton passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as
No. 10 Central Florida finished 13-0 in coach Scott Frost’s last
game with the Knights, holding on for a 34-27 victory over No. 7
Auburn in the 50th Peach Bowl. UCF was the only unbeaten FCS team,
but the American Athletic Conference champion got little respect in
the CFP rankings. Frost, who turned around UCF in just two seasons,
is leaving to coach his alma mater at Nebraska.
Miles Boykin turned a one-handed sideline catch into a 55-yard
touchdown pass from Ian Book with 1:28 left and 10-3 Notre Dame
pulled out a 21-17 victory over 9-4 LSU in the Citrus Bowl. Boykin
earned the game’s MVP honors after finishing with three receptions
for 102 yards. Book replaced Brandon Wimbush late in the first half
and completed 14 of 19 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
Derrius Guice ran for 98 yards and scored both of LSU’s touchdowns
on short passes from Danny Etling.
Michigan couldn’t hold on to a 19-3 third-quarter lead, turning the
ball over five times in the second half as South Carolina rallied
for a 26-19 victory in the Outback Bowl. The 9-4 Gamecocks
recovered a Wolverines fumble at their 4-yard line to stop one
drive, then scored three straight touchdowns to take the lead
behind quarterback Jake Bentley, voted as the bowl’s MVP. Michigan
lost three straight games, including to top-10 teams Wisconsin and
Ohio State to finish 8-5.
NFL=
Bruce Arians has announced his retirement after going 8-8 in his
fifth season with the Cardinals. Arians is a two-time NFL Coach of
the Year recipient, capturing the honor in 2012 with the Colts and
2014 with the Cardinals. His health has been an issue during his
time in Arizona, including on two occasions when he was rushed to
the hospital during the 2016 season. NFL Network Insider Ian
Rapoport reported that the Cardinals have put in a request to
interview Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur for the
coaching vacancy.
Two coaching firings were announced the morning after the end of
the regular season with the Bears getting rid of John Fox and the
Lions parting ways with Jim Caldwell. The Bears finished in last
place in the NFC North for the third consecutive season under Fox,
who was hired in January 2015 after a four-year stint as Broncos
coach. Fox coached Denver to a 46-18 record but went just 14-34 in
Chicago. In 2017, they were 0-6 vs. the NFC North, marking the
franchise’s first winless season in its division in nearly 50
years. Caldwell is out less than one year after he signed an
extension. He posted winning seasons in three of his four years as
coach of the Lions, however, the team missed the playoffs twice in
the last three seasons – including this year following a 9-7 mark.
Hue Jackson, on the other hand, survived Black Monday in Cleveland
despite a historic, losing season. Jackson is grateful to be
returning to the Browns after going 0-16 this year and 1-31 in the
past two seasons. Jackson apologized for the team’s performance a
day after it lost in Pittsburgh and joined the 2008 Lions as the
only clubs in NFL history to lose all 16 games.
Vance Joseph will also return to coach the Broncos. Team president
John Elway took to social media to announce the news, one day after
the Broncos finished with a 5-11 mark in Joseph’s first season as
an NFL head coach. One report by ESPN, prior to the Broncos’
season-ending 27-24 loss to Kansas City, indicated it was unlikely
that Joseph would be back. The 45-year-old admitted he was aware of
the report on Sunday, but remained optimistic and said that the
team is headed in the right direction.
Nothing has been settled in Cincinnati. Marvin Lewis has talked to
owner Mike Brown about his future with the Bengals, but they have
not reached a decision and plan to meet again. Lewis’ contract is
ending after his 15th year in Cincinnati, none of which included a
playoff victory.
NBA=
James Harden will be sidelined for at least two weeks after
suffering a grade 2 left hamstring strain in the Rockets’ 148-142
double-overtime win over the Lakers on Sunday. The NBA leader with
32.3 points per game, Harden has missed just two games since the
2014-15 season. He’s also averaging 9.1 assists and 5 rebounds this
season for the Rockets, who at 26-9 own the second-best record in
the Western Conference.
DeMar DeRozan scored eight of his franchise-record 52 points in
overtime and the Raptors won their 12th straight home game with a
131-127 victory over the Bucks. DeRozan shot 17 of 29 from the
field and was 13 of 13 at the free-throw line to join Vince Carter
and Terrence Ross as the only Toronto players to score 50 or more
in a game.
Isaiah Thomas will make his long-awaited season and team debut for
the Cavaliers against Portland. Thomas, acquired by the Cavs in
part of the blockbuster deal including Kyrie Irving, had been
dealing with a right hip injury sustained in last year’s Eastern
Conference finals while playing for the Celtics. There will be no
return matchup with his former team this week, however, as the Cavs
have already ruled he won’t play the second half of a back-to-back
Wednesday in Boston.
COLLLEGE BASKETBALL=
Michigan State has moved atop the AP poll, receiving 43 of 65
first-place votes following previously top-ranked Villanova’s loss
to Butler on Saturday. Duke is up two spots to No. 2, while
Villanova dropped to third and Arizona State moved down one spot to
No. 4 after losing to No. 14 Arizona. No. 5 Xavier, West Virginia,
Oklahoma, Virginia, Wichita State and Kansas round out the top 10.