Good Morning! Today is Monday, December 22. Here’s what happened over the weekend in the world of sports.

NCAA FOTBALL

Playoffs! It wasn’t the most exciting action, but it was still the playoffs! Let’s run through the scores:

• Alabama stormed back from an early 17-0 deficit to take down Oklahoma 34-24. The Crimson Tide avenge their loss from earlier in the season and set up a Rose Bowl matchup against top-seeded Indiana.

• Miami and Texas A&M were tied 0-0 at halftime. It was 3-3 until under two minutes in the fourth quarter. Finally, Malachi Toney broke through and scored a touchdown, sending the Hurricanes through to the second round with a 10-3 victory. Miami takes on Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

• Ole Miss destroyed Tulane 41-10. They’ll rematch against Georgia at the Sugar Bowl.

• James Madison actually put up a decent fight, but the Dukes got crushed 51-34 by Oregon. The Ducks are rolling ahead of the Orange Bowl, where they’ll face Texas Tech.

NFL

It was quite a weekend on the gridiron… time for some results in the professional ranks:

• The Eagles clinched a playoff spot with a win over Washington on Saturday afternoon. And the Bears did the same with an incredible comeback victory against their rivals on Saturday night. Check out this game-winning throw and catch by Chicago in overtime:

• The Chargers beat the Cowboys and the Jaguars beat the Broncos… all of a sudden, LA is just one game behind Denver in the AFC West!

• Speaking of the Jaguars, Jacksonville is 11-4 and in first place in the AFC South. Trevor Lawrence sparkled with four touchdowns in the 34-20 win over Denver. Houston held serve, however, narrowly defeating Vegas 23-21. The Texans are just one game back.

• Carolina stand up! Bryce Young and the Panthers are in control of the NFC South and their playoff destiny after taking down Tampa Bay 23-20. Ryan Fitzgerald kicked the game-winning field goal with 2:20 remaining before the Carolina defense sealed the win with an interception:

• The Lions are likely going to miss the playoffs. Detroit needed a win badly yesterday against Pittsburgh, but a furious fourth quarter comeback came up just short. The Steelers won a big one 29-24 after one of the stranger game-ending plays you’ll see:

• And finally, Lamar Jackson left Sunday Night Football early with a back injury– Baltimore just cannot catch a break this season. Even still, the Ravens kept this one close until the very end against New England. Rhamondre Stevenson and the Patriots won 28-24, however, keeping pace with Buffalo and holding onto their slim one-game in the AFC East. A playoff spot clinched by Drake Maye and New England, a playoff spot slipping away for Baltimore.

NHL

Congratulations to Sidney Crosby, the new all-time points leader in Pittsburgh Penguins history!

NOTEWORTHY

They’ve done it again– the Cardinals are trading a veteran to the Red Sox for the second time this offseason. Yesterday, Boston acquired catcher/first baseman Willson Contreras for second-year starter Hunter Dobbins and a pair of prospects. Contreras provides the Sox with a strong and dependable power bat to slot into the middle of their lineup. Meanwhile, the rebuild is well under way in STL.

The Chicago White Sox signed Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami to a two-year deal. It’s a prove-it contract for the 25-year-old Murakami, who chose to take the shorter-term deal and show the world he can handle Major League pitching before potentially becoming a free agent again at age 27. Meanwhile, the rebuilding White Sox take a flyer on a potential home-run machine with a high-strike out rate.

Georgetown has suspended head coach Ed Cooley for one game after a water bottle he threw out of frustration struck a child watching the game.

THIS WEEK’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

MONDAY:

• FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL: Washington State vs Utah State, 2 PM on ESPN

• Mizzou @ (18) Illinois, 8 PM on FS1

• 49ers @ Colts, 8:15 PM on ESPN

TUESDAY:

• BOCA RATON BOWL: Toledo vs Louisville, 2 PM on ESPN

• NEW ORLEANS BOWL: Western Kentucky vs Southern Miss, 5:30 PM on ESPN

• FRISCO BOWL: UNLV vs Ohio, 9 PM on ESPN

WEDNESDAY:

• HAWAII BOWL: Cal @ Hawaii, 8 PM on ESPN

I sincerely appreciate all the messages and well-wishes after last week’s announcement that the Remix is coming to an end next week. Hearing from you all reminded me of something important, that this special community is what it is because of your incredible support! With that in mind, I’m opening up the final few issues to all of you; write in your favorite Remix moments, your 2026 predictions, your fantasy football championship questions. Anything you want to say, and I’ll do my best to work it in. I want to finish this thing strong, and the best way to do that is by doing it together.

Reply to this email or reach out directly. Look forward to hearing from you! See you on Thursday