⚠️ Warning, Prepare For Big ‘𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜’ (September 20th)

Somebody cooked here ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Sports News   •   Edition #1371   •  Jan 07, 2026

Leveling The Playing Field

From The GIST Team

Hello!

Let's start this Wednesday by celebrating a win: big shoutout to Shani, who topped the leaderboard in our regular-season NFL Pick'Em Challenge. Want to get in the game yourself? There's still plenty of time to enter our NFL Playoffs Bracket Challenge. Hut, hut, hop to it, then get your scroll on.

Quote of The Day

	I want to be a role model for everyone…but specifically to be that role model for minorities and Black girls who just want to get into hockey.
	— Team USA women's hockey two-way player Laila Edwards, who just became the first Black woman to make the red, white, and blue's Olympic hockey roster. Want more from this star on the rise? Tune in to our full, subscriber-only convo by signing up for The GIST Plus.

The Latest

College Football Playoff 🎓🏈 The thrill of the fight Source: Geoff Burke/Imagn Images The GIST: And then there were four. The College Football Playoff (CFP) semis kick off with tomorrow's 7:30 p.m. ET Fiesta Bowl, featuring No. 6 Ole Miss and bracket-busting No. 10 Miami, followed by the Peach Bowl slated for Friday. We'll preview Friday's matchup between No. 1 Indiana and No. 5 Oregon in our next newsletter, but for now, here are all the spicy details about tomorrow's tilt. 💙 Quarterback (QB) Trinidad Chambliss leads high-flying Ole Miss offense: With a program-record 13 wins already in the books, if the Rebels punch a National Championship ticket, it'll almost certainly be because of Chambliss. The Division II transfer has been electric this postseason, highlighted by his 362-yard performance in Ole Miss' quarter-final comeback win over No. 3 Georgia. Even more remarkable though? The Rebels' resolve: They're one win away from their first-ever CFP title game despite former head coach Lane Kiffin leaving for the top job at archrival LSU mere weeks before the CFP began. The drama. 🌴 Miami glow-up hinges on defensive dominance: Consider any doubts surrounding the Hurricanes' CFP selection soundly dispelled. The U put on a defensive masterclass in their first two playoff games, holding defending champ No. 2 Ohio State and No. 7 Texas A&M to just 17 points combined. QBs hate to see defensive ends Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor coming. This historic program is hungry to return to its former glory, and it's so close head coach Marco Cristobal — who led his alma mater through arguably the most difficult path to the semis — can taste it. 📌 The bottom line: Between the high-stakes and the storylines, this showdown is must-watch television, airing on ESPN in the U.S. and TSN in Canada. Can Miami's stifling defense disrupt Ole Miss' dynamic offense? Scroll to the bottom to tell us what you think.

Volleyball 🏐 More pancakes than an IHOP Source: LOVB The GIST: It's officially pro women's volleyball season. Two leagues — League One Volleyball (LOVB) and Major League Volleyball (MLV) — will begin their second and third seasons, respectively, this week, so we're serving up a deep dive on the surging sport. 📚 The background: LOVB burst onto the scene with six teams last January, boasting a star-studded roster that included 75% of the most recent Team USA Olympic squad. And while the pro league launched in 2025, LOVB was first founded in 2020 as a network of youth volleyball clubs. From the ground up, baby. As for MLV, you might recognize the team names from what was previously the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF). In August 2025, the PVF merged with MLV, yet another new league poised to enter the already crowded market. Both LOVB and MLV will expand by three teams each in 2027. LOVB is adding squads in LA, Minnesota, and San Francisco, and MLV in Washington, D.C., Minnesota, and Northern California. Despite the overlap, there are currently no plans for the two leagues to merge. 👋 Defending champ LOVB Austin opens season with rematch against Nebraska: What do you get when you put reigning league MVP Madisen Skinner (Austin) against the GOAT (and friend of The GIST) Jordan Larson (Nebraska)? Fireworks. It all goes down tonight at 6 p.m. ET. ✌️ MLV begins season with a fiery doubleheader: There are two matches on tomorrow's opening slate: Columbus Fury vs. Atlanta Vibe at 7 p.m. ET and San Diego Mojo vs. Omaha Supernovas at 8 p.m ET. The late tilt features Team USA libero Morgan Hentz (Omaha), now a three-time MLV Preseason All-League pick. Diggin' it.

Presented By Unrivaled Source: Unrivaled 💌 The hoops intel you need, straight to your inbox. It's Unrivaled coverage that's, well, unrivaled. Every Friday, we'll take you inside the highlights, the heat checks, and the history being made. It's where the stat sheet meets group chat takes. This isn't just basketball analysis — it's a hoops-fueled adrenaline rush, powered by our pals at Unrivaled. Leveling up your fandom has never been easier. OPT IN TO OUR WEEKLY UNRIVALED NEWSLETTER

Quick Hits

🏈 Baltimore Ravens fire head coach (HC) John Harbaugh after 18 seasons

The NFL's second-longest tenured bench boss was axed yesterday after the Ravens missed the postseason with a disappointing 8-9 record. The Harbaugh era included a 2013 Super Bowl victory and the most road wins in NFL playoff history, but that success hasn't translated for two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson: The Ravens have won just three playoff games in Jackson's eight seasons. And Harbaugh wasn't the only coach handed a pink slip in the last 48 hours. Four other HCs have been fired since Sunday's regular-season finale, leaving seven franchises in search of replacements this offseason. That's a lot of LinkedIn updates.

🏀 Breeze BC's Paige Bueckers drops game-high 24 points in Unrivaled debut

In what was unquestionably the most exciting game of Monday's season-opening slate, Bueckers led the youthful Breeze to a hard-fought 69–62 victory over Phantom BC. Rickea Jackson knocked down the game-winner, but it was the deadly combo of Bueckers and fellow Unrivaled rookie Dominique Malonga (17 points) that stole the spotlight. These kids are more than alright.

🎓🏀 UConn women's basketball remains No. 1 in latest AP Poll

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the undefeated and defending champ Huskies continued their reign of dominance in this week's rankings. Led by the dynamic duo of sophomore Sarah Strong and grad student Azzi Fudd, 15-0 UConn's off to its best start since 2018. As for the biggest movement, then-No. 24 Michigan State rose nine spots to No. 15 after snapping Illinois' 11-game win streak, while then-No. 5 LSU fell seven spots to No. 12 after back-to-back weekend losses.

Source: The GIST 🏈 The NFL postseason is so on — are you ready to put some skin in the game? Whether you've been a Pick'ems Princess all season long or are just tuning into the action on the gridiron, you're going to love our NFL Playoffs Bracket Challenge. 🤔 Why you should play: 📣 Rooting for your favorite team takes on a whole new meaning. 🤗 Be a part of The GIST's one-of-a-kind community and compete against friends. 💰 There are some bragging rights (and prizes) on the line. 👏 Trust us, it's even more fun to watch the postseason when you're in on the action…and when you're watching with thousands of fellow GISTers. You have until Saturday, January 10th at 4:29 p.m. ET to submit up to three brackets — may the odds be ever in your favor. ENTER OUR NFL PLAYOFFS BRACKET CHALLENGE

The GIST's Picks

👀 Who's serving up financial tools Chase, the new founding partner of League One Volleyball (LOVB), where athletes are now learning financial skills that will set them up for life — because success can't just be on the court.*

⛳ Who's shaking up the green TMRW Sports, who are partnering with the LPGA to launch a women's edition of Tomorrow's Golf League (TGL) later this year. Much like the men's version, the simulator team golf league will feature the best women golfers in the game. Fore!

❄️ What to shop J. Crew's 26-item capsule collection with U.S. Ski & Snowboard ahead of the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Featuring the après ski knitwear of your dreams, all items drop tomorrow, January 8th. *P.S. This is a sponsored post. Talk about an ace.

Fun & Games

Take Your Pick
No. 10 Miami Hurricanes	vs	No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
Now that you're well-versed on the CFP's first semifinal, we want to know: Are you fighting with the Rebels, or rolling with the Hurricanes?
No. 10 Miami Hurricanes No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels

Today's email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Grace DePaull. Editing by Katie Kehoe Foster. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.

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