Wednesday's Report: Falcons/Penix, UGA-Notre Dame; The year 2024, CFB: playoffs, bowls, news, NFL, college hoops, NBA, WNBA, golf
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Around/About Georgia
Did Falcons wait too long to make the move to Michael Penix Jr.?
Falcons drafting Penix no longer a head-scratcher with rookie QB shining in place of benched Cousins
Smart, Freeman break down 'incredibly challenging' balancing act between portal, playoff prep
Carson Beck is done for season - can Georgia win the title without him?
The Year 2024
What we learned from an unprecedented year
Caitlin Clark wins AP Female Athlete of the Year
Games
Thursday
2 p.m.: Pittsburgh vs. Toledo, GameAbove Sports Bowl, ESPN
5:30 p.m.: Rutgers vs. Kansas State, Rate Bowl, ESPN
9 p.m.: Arkansas State vs. Bowling Green, 68 Ventures Bowl, ESPN
Friday
12 p.m.: Navy vs. Oklahoma, Armed Forces Bowl, ESPN
3:30 p.m.: Georgia Tech vs. Vanderbilt, Birmingham Bowl, ESPN
7 p.m.: Arkansas vs. Texas Tech, Liberty Bowl, ESPN
8 p.m.: Syracuse vs. Washington State, Holiday Bowl, FOX
10:30 p.m.: Southern Cal vs. Texas A&M, Las Vegas Bowl, ESPN
College Football/Playoffs
Boise State’s legacy includes winning coaches and championship moments
Penn State preparing for hard-charging Jeanty and Boise State
Texas, Arizona State to meet in clash of old vs. new Big 12 champs
No. 1 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State gear up for rematch of thriller won by Ducks
College Football/Bowls
USF beats SJSU in the Hawaii Bowl when Harris knocks down a pass in the 5th overtime
College football
NCAA appealing Pavia injunction as D-I board grants waiver to former JUCO players
Games
1 p.m.: Kansas City at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m., Netflix
4:30 p.m.: Baltimore at Houston, 4:30 p.m., Netflix
NFL/USFL/UFL/Football
Picks: Chiefs will beat the Steelers and Ravens will edge the Texans on Christmas Day
Will Netflix fumble football on Christmas Day? NFL fans are concerned
Houston’s Dell suffers the alphabet soup of knee injuries
Ravens visit Texans on Christmas Day, needing win to keep AFC North title hopes alive
Chiefs try to secure home-field advantage in the AFC when they visit Pittsburgh on Christmas
Texans get visit from longtime foe Derrick Henry when the Ravens visit on Christmas Day
Players have mixed feelings about being on the road on Christmas as NFL adds more holiday games
College Basketball/Women
USC’s JuJu Watkins is AP women’s basketball player of the week
College Basketball/Men
AP men’s player of the week: Broome remains dominant for No. 2 Auburn in Purdue romp
Tennessee and Auburn remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll featuring 10 SEC teams
TV ratings
The NFL, college playoff battle
NBA
Tempers flare with Celtics and Magic
Heat lose guard Smith for remainder of season with torn Achilles
Leaving Thunder, Bucks off the NBA’s Christmas game list has those teams feeling snubbed
WNBA
Eight new WNBA coaches now in place. In 2025, 7 women and 6 men will be in charge on the bench
Baseball/MLB
Red Sox finalize 2-year deal with left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who is recovering from elbow surgery
Infielder Ehire Adrianza retires at 35 after 12 major league seasons
McCutchen, confident he can be difference maker, returns to Pirates on $5M, 1-year deal
Golf
Gary Player is 89 and has a new girlfriend. Nelly Korda has dog sledding in her holiday plans
Tales from the tour in a year filled with medals and tears and a few digs
Boxing/MMA/UFC/WWE
MMA's weirdest, wildest (and sometimes straight-up dumbest) moments of 2024
Scoreboards