Good Morning! Today is Thursday, January 2nd. Here’s what happened in the world of sports the last few days.

FIESTA BOWL

Penn State came into the Fiesta Bowl Tuesday night with one objective: contain Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. Although Jeanty managed 104 yards rushing, he was held to an average of 3.5 yards per carry, his lowest of the season. That proved to be a winning recipe for the Nittany Lions. This game was closer than the score would tell you– Penn State won 31-14, but mostly because the big plays went their direction. Boise State missed two field goals and turned the ball over four times. Up next? Penn State travels to the Orange Bowl to take on the winner of Georgia and Notre Dame.

PEACH BOWL

Without a doubt, the game of the playoffs so far. Texas sprinted out to a 14-3 lead and looked to be playing football in a different stratosphere than Arizona State. But as they’ve done all season, the Sun Devils fought back. Down 24-8 in the fourth quarter, superstar running back Cam Skattebo threw a trick-play touchdown pass, ASU intercepted Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, and then Skattebo ran for another score. Add in two successful two-point conversions, and this game was suddenly tied. Texas had two chances to win in regulation, but Bert Auburn missed two field goals. Arizona State may have had a chance to win the game in regulation, but this play was not called targeting… you be the judge on that one. With both teams missing opportunities, this one went to overtime. Eventually, the Longhorns escaped with a 39-31 victory. Hats off to coach Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils, who had a fantastic season and may have been the better team in this game. Against more experienced and more talented opponents (see Rose Bowl, below) Texas won’t be so lucky.

ROSE BOWL

Despite playing at one of the most beautiful settings in all of sports, this game got ugly real fast. Ohio State started this game about as well as any team has ever started a football game, racing out to a 34-0 lead. The Buckeyes dominated every aspect of their matchup against Oregon, absolutely rolling the Ducks on the away to a 41-21 victory. The difference maker was the Ohio State defense, a unit that recored eight sacks and held Oregon to -23 rushing yards. But the true star of the day was freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The next great Buckeye wideout had seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns. It’s a wildly disappointing ending to the season for the Ducks. Meanwhile, Ohio State has established themselves as the team to beat going forward.

WINTER CLASSIC

The St. Louis Blues took down the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 at Wrigley Field on Tuesday. As usual, the Winter Classic was a visually stunning ice hockey event, and a great way to ring in the new year. Did you know Chicago has never won a Winter Classic? This is despite playing in the game more than any other NHL team (five times).

COLLEGE SPORTS

Elsewhere in college sports–

• Michigan football ended their 2024 the same way they began the year– with a bowl game victory over Alabama. The short-handed Wolverines upset the heavily favored Crimson Tide 19-13.

• West Virginia basketball went on the road and upset (7) Kansas 62-61 on Tuesday. The Jayhawks are now 9-3 on the season.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

A big couple of days for the King– LeBron James turned 40 years old this week, and yesterday, his son Bryce announced his commitment to the University of Arizona. The youngest James son is a four-star prospect in the class of 2025.

With their playoff position and seed already locked in, the Philadelphia Eagles announced they will be resting key starters in this week’s game. That means Saquan Barkley will finish the year 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS; SUGAR BOWL: Georgia vs Notre Dame, 4 PM on ESPN

NBA:

• Celtics @ Timberwolves, 7:30 PM on TNT

• 76ers @ Warriors, 10 PM on TNT

TaxSlayer GATOR BOWL: Duke vs Ole Miss, 8 PM on ESPN

MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: (22) Illinois @ (9) Oregon, 10 PM on FS1

WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL: (5) Texas @ (9) Oklahoma, 9 PM on ESPN2

“It was personal for us… We wanted to make a statement and win this game,” –Lions quarterback Jared Goff after an entertaining win over the 49ers on Monday Night Football