 | Powered by  Edition #1171 Dec 20, 2024 |
| From The GIST Team |
It's Friday!Just like Santa and his elves, sports never stop — today's newsletter has your complete guide to a holly jolly weekend of action ahead. Take a break from that last-minute holiday shopping and scroll on. |
| Quote of The Day |
 | When I get home, she's my biggest fan…She's just the best. |
 | — Buffalo Bills quarterback (QB) Josh Allen, sharing how his fiancée Hailee Steinfeld's unwavering support has supercharged his MVP-caliber season. Turns out, love is all you need. |
| The Latest |
🎓🏈 Hut hut, here we go Source: NCAA Football The GIST: At long last, the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) makes its debut this weekend, with first-round games kicking off tonight and tomorrow. Four squads earned byes straight to the second round and await the winners of these initial clashes. Let's do this. No. 10 Indiana at No. 7 Notre Dame — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET: Friday night lights will shine bright for this intrastate battle between the Hoosiers and The Fighting Irish. Notre Dame has all the football history with 11 national titles, while the 10-1 Hoosiers burst onto the scene this season thanks to AP Coach of the Year Curt Cignetti. These opponents are as evenly matched as they come — truly anything could happen. No. 11 SMU at No. 6 Penn State — Tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET: SMU snuck into the CFP as the last team to earn a bid, and they'll need to prove they belong against powerhouse Penn State. Not to mention, the Nittany Lions boast senior tight end Tyler Warren, who won the Mackey Award (given to the nation's best tight end) after tallying 1,062 receiving yards on the season. No. 12 Clemson at No. 5 Texas — Tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET: Despite their three regular-season losses, Clemson made the CFP by winning the ACC Championship. The Tigers are playing with house money, but they'll have to go all in to defeat Texas and junior QB Quinn Ewers. No. 9 Tennessee at No. 8 Ohio State — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET: The Buckeyes allow a mere 10.9 points per game, the best mark in the country. Can the Vols, led by junior running back Dylan Sampson and his ninth-most rushing yards in the country, overcome that stout D and sprint their way to the second round? P.S. Did you know we have a three-times weekly college sports newsletter? Subscribe here to stay in the know on everything NCAA. |
| Quick Hits |
🎓🏐 Powerhouse Louisville will battle fearsome Penn State in Sunday's 3 p.m. ET NCAA volleyball national championshipNo. 1 seed Louisville will compete for the natty for the second time in program history after taking down ACC foe and No. 1 overall seed Pitt in four sets during yesterday's semi. Their opponent? Fellow No. 1 seed Penn State, a legendary Big Ten volleyball school that boasts seven championships.
|
🏈 Playoff berths up for grabs in NFL Week 16There's three weeks of regular-season action to go and eight postseason spots left to lock in. One of those playoff hopefuls? The LA Chargers, who topped the Denver Broncos 34–27 on Thursday Night Football, meaning if the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts lose on Sunday, QB Justin Herbert's squad will be playing postseason football for just the second time since 2019.
|
🏎️ Sergio Pérez and Red Bull officially part ways ahead of 2025 Formula 1 seasonThe Mexican driver announced his departure from Red Bull on Wednesday despite inking a two-year extension with the team in June. Notably, this marked a less-than-ideal turning point for Pérez, who didn't finish inside the top-five of any race in the second half of the season, while his teammate Max Verstappen drove to a fourth straight World Drivers' Championship.
|
⚽ NJ/NY Gotham FC reportedly trades Lynn Williams to Seattle ReignThe all-time leading NWSL goal scorer will reportedly head west in 2025, a move sources say was made at the USWNT star's request. The California kid reportedly wanted to close out her career on the West Coast, dealing superteam Gotham (who also just saw veteran defender Kelley O'Hara retire) a devastating blow just over a year after Williams led their 2023 championship run. |
| Together With e.l.f. 💋XO, Santa's best helper Source: e.l.f. Feeling overwhelmed as we head into prime holiday shopping season? Same. Thankfully, e.l.f. is here to simplify your gift list with their Game Face Beauty Quiz, perfect for deciding if you or your loved one is…
Snag the best of beauty without busting your budget. Check out e.l.f.'s best sellers and stock up on stocking stuffers today. Game face, incoming. |
| Together With NIL Store  Source: NIL Store Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is the player to watch during the upcoming CFP — the Heisman Trophy finalist scored 30 (!!!) touchdowns in the regular season alone. And we know the perfect place to cop his merch: NIL Store, the nation's leader in officially-licensed NIL apparel.
|
| Weekend Watching |
 Source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images 🏒 NHL: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — ESPN+
🏀 NBA: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — NBA TV
🏒 PWHL: Montréal Victoire vs. Toronto Sceptres — Tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET — YouTube
🎓🏀 NCAA women's basketball: No. 7 USC vs. No. 4 UConn — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — Fox
|
| The GIST's Bracket Challenge 🏈 Touchdown! Enter The GIST's free College Football Playoff bracket challenge Source: The GIST The GIST: Twelve teams will compete in the College Football Playoff (CFP), but you can get in the game by choosing your winner and making a free bracket (March Madness style) with The GIST. What's on the line: The top three brackets will win Ticketmaster gift cards: $300 for first, $200 for second, and $100 for third — perfect for snagging seats at a sporting event or concert. How to play: Sign up for free and we'll remind you to lock in your picks before the CFP officially begins tonight. Touchdown, call the amateurs. |
| The GIST's Picks |
Peep our squad's MVPs (Most Valuable Picks):
✈️ What to use your PTO onA trip to watch your favorite team play. Skyscanner predicts hitting the road for a game will be among the top seven travel trends of 2025. Start searching for cheap flights with Skyscanner today.* 🏀 What to read up onThe new NBA All-Star Game format, which will feature four eight-player teams and a three-game mini tournament. Keeping us on our toes. 🧘 What to downloadCalm. Just in time for the holidays, de-stress like a champ with their meditations. *P.S. This is a sponsored post. Grab your passport. |
| Fun & Games |
Question of the DayYou've probably heard the age-old question: "Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?" But of the borderline holiday movies listed below, which one do you love watching most? |
 | |||||
|
Today's email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Marga Sison, Megan Murray, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Emily Ohman, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Marga Sison. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.
| You are receiving this email because you subscribed to the GIST at our website: https://www.thegistsports.com | You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. |
Post a Comment
Post a Comment