NCAAFB – College Football – Bowl Season
Tuesday
Michigan 19, (11) Alabama 13 Reliaquest Bowl – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Michigan 19, Alabama 13 – Michigan defense pressures Milroe all day, Wolverines beat Alabama 19-13
Michigan’s defense sacked Jalen Milroe five times and forced three turnovers by the Alabama quarterback to lead the Wolverines to a 19-13 victory over the 11th-ranked Crimson Tide in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Dominic Zvada kicked four field goals and Davis Warren threw a first-half touchdown pass to Fredrick Moore for Michigan, which finished the season on a three-game winning streak that included back-to-back upsets of rival Ohio State and Alabama. Alabama’s season ended with a loss to Michigan for the second year in a row. The Wolverines and the Crimson Tide met in a College Football Playoff semifinal at last season’s Rose Bowl, with Michigan winning on the way to capturing the national championship.
College Football Playoffs
Tuesday
(6) Penn State 31, (3) Boise State 14 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium, Glendale,AZ
PSU 31, BSU 14 – No. 5 Penn State bottles up Jeanty, beats No. 8 Boise State 31-14 in Fiesta Bowl
Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes and No. 5 Penn State bottled up Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty for a 31-14 win over No. 8 Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, earning a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Nittany Lions opened their first CFP berth with a blowout win over SMU and appeared headed toward the latest lopsided win in the new 12-team format by jumping out to a 14-0 lead against the Broncos. Boise State fought back, pulling to 17-14 on Matt Lauter’s 53-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter. Penn State shut down the Broncos from there, earning a spot in the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl. Jeanty had 104 yards on 30 carries, leaving him 27 yards short of Barry Sanders’ single-season NCAA record.
Yesterday
(5) Texas 39, (4) Arizona State 31 – 2 OT Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
(8) Ohio State 41, (1) Oregon 21 Rose Bowl presented by Prudental, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
Texas 39, ASU 31 – 2 OT – Texas avoids huge upset, beats Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime at Peach Bowl
Texas avoided the first big upset of the College Football Playoff, hitting a fourth-and-long touchdown pass to keep the game going and beating Arizona State 39-31 in double overtime when an interception by Andrew Mukuba finally ended a Peach Bowl quarterfinal classic. The teams traded touchdowns on their first overtime possessions, and Quinn Ewers put Texas ahead with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Gunnar Helm, followed by a 2-point conversion pass to Matthew Golden. The fourth-ranked Longhorns finally put No. 10 Arizona State away when Mukuba picked off Sam Leavitt’s pass at the 3 to end the game. The Sun Devils were two-touchdown underdogs. Texas moves on to face Ohio State in the semifinals at the Cotton Bowl.
Ohio St. 41, Oregon 21 – No. 6 Ohio State routs top-ranked Oregon 41-21 in the Rose Bowl
No. 6 Ohio State roared into the College Football Playoff semifinals with a 41-21 victory over No. 1 Oregon in the 111th Rose Bowl. Jeremiah Smith caught two of Will Howard’s three long touchdown passes while Ohio State went ahead 34-0 in a sensational first half. Howard passed for 319 yards, Emeka Egbuka also caught a long TD pass and TreVeyon Henderson made a 66-yard touchdown run in a redemptive Rose Bowl for the Buckeyes, who emphatically blew out the CFP’s No. 1 seed. Ohio State is headed to the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 10 to face No. 4 Texas for a berth in the national title game.
Today
(7) Notre Dame vs. (2) Georgia, 4:00 p.m. Allstate Sugar Bowl, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
**Sports Radio 96.1/Sunny 101.5 3:00
NCAAFB – Sugar Bowl with Georgia and Notre Dame postponed after deadly truck attack
The College Football Playoff quarterfinal in New Orleans has been postponed a day after a truck plowed into a New Year’s crowd about a mile away from the site of the Sugar Bowl between Georgia and Notre Dame. Fifteen people were killed in the attack early Wednesday in the French Quarter. The game originally was scheduled for Wednesday night at the 70,000-seat Superdome. Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley says all parties agreed that it was in the best interest of public safety to push back the game. It’s now set for 3 p.m. CST on Thursday. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry says he’ll attend the Sugar Bowl and is confident the area in and around the stadium will be safe.
NCAAWBB – Women’s College Basketball
Yesterday
(1) UCLA 80, (24) Michigan 70
(21) Michigan State 77, Purdue 59
Western Michigan 65, Eastern Michigan 51
Buffalo 81, Central Michigan 55
UCLA 80, Michigan 70 – Rice’s double-double helps No. 1 UCLA beat Michigan 86-70
Kiki Rice scored 16 points to lead five players in double figures and No. 1 UCLA defeated 24th-ranked Michigan 86-70 to complete a sweep of its first Big Ten homestand. Rice had 10 assists and Lauren Betts had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Bruins. They improved to 14-0 overall and 3-0 in the league. Syla Swords led the Wolverines with a career-high 30 points in her return. The standout freshman from Canada didn’t play in a loss at No. 4 USC because of a lower left leg injury she sustained on Dec. 20 against Akron. The Wolverines fell to 10-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten.
MSU 77, Purdue 59 – No. 21 Michigan State women dominate first half, defeat Purdue 77-59
Jocelyn Tate scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Julia Ayrault also had a double-double and No. 21 Michigan State dominated the first half for a 77-59 win. Ayrault had 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans, who had 18 steals and scored 23 points off 25 turnovers. Destini Lombard and Lana McCarthy both scored 10 points for the Boilermakers. Tate had 13 points and Sotelo 11 at halftime as the Spartans took a 48-21 lead. Sotelo made all four of her shots for nine points in the first quarter as the Spartans hit four 3-pointers and 6 of 9 free throws to take a 30-18 lead. Then they outscored the Boilermakers 18-3 in the second quarter, scoring the last 16 points with Tate getting 10.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Detroit Red Wings at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7:00 p.m.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Detroit Pistons 105, Orlando Magic 96
Washington Wizards 125, Chicago Bulls 107
Pistons 105, Magic 96 – Jaden Ivey injures leg in 4th quarter in Pistons’ victory over the Magic
Jaden Ivey sustained what appeared to be a serious leg injury after scoring 22 points in the Detroit Pistons’ 105-96 victory over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. With 10:07 to play and Detroit leading 84-79, Ivey and Orlando’s Cole Anthony were going for the ball when Anthony slipped and fell. His momentum carried him into Ivey’s planted leg, and the 22-year-old immediately fell to the floor, grabbing his left shin in obvious agony. After a lengthy delay, Ivey was placed on a stretcher and wheeled off the floor. Cade Cunningham added 19 points and nine assists for the Pistons. They have won four of five. Jalen Suggs had 24 points for Orlando. The Magic have lost six of nine.
Wizards 125, Bulls 107 – Poole scores 30 as Wizards beat Bulls 125-107
Jordan Poole scored 30 points to continue his strongest stretch in Washington uniform as the Wizards beat the Chicago Bulls 125-107. Poole — who joined Washington from Golden State prior to the 2023-24 season — made six 3-pointers and topped 25 points for a fifth straight game, the first such stretch of his career. Rookie Alex Sarr added 11 points and 10 rebounds as one of seven players in double figures to help the last-place Wizards to their largest win of the season. Zach LaVine scored 32 points for the Bulls after he sat out Monday’s win in Charlotte with toe soreness.
Today
Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m.
NFL – Lions’ Alex Anzalone moves closer to playing vs. Vikings, from broken forearm
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone has participated in a walkthrough practice as he makes his way back from a broken forearm. Coach Dan Campbell said Thursday is going to be a "big day" for Anzalone to show he can play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night. Anzalone has been out since breaking his left forearm on Nov. 17 in a win over Jacksonville. He has 56 tackles this season, ranking fourth on the team after leading the franchise in tackles in each of the previous two years. The Lions listed Anzalone as limited.
NFL – Williams puts in good word for Kingsbury, says next coach must challenge team
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has praised Kliff Kingsbury, who may be a candidate for the Bears’ coaching job this offseason. Kingsbury is the offensive coordinator of the playoff-bound Washington Commanders. He worked with Williams when he was an offensive analyst at Southern California in 2023. Williams said Wednesday that Kingsbury is a “competitor” who would “challenge” the team to improve. The No. 1 overall draft pick added that he’d be happy to provide input into the Bears’ coaching search, but only if he’s asked by management.
NFL – Dominant season for the NFC North will leave a 14-win team as a wild card
This weekend’s NFC North matchup between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will make for a playoff situation like never before in the NFL. Both teams are 14-2 and the winner will get the division title while the loser will drop to the fifth seed in the playoffs and become the first 14-2 wild-card team in NFL history. The previous high came in 1999 when Tennessee went 13-3 and lost the AFC Central to Jacksonville. The NFC North is set to be the winningest division since the NFL realigned to eight divisions of four teams each in 2002, with 43 wins for the four division teams with two head-to-head games remaining.
NFL – Packers CB Jaire Alexander’s knee injury is expected to sideline him for the season
The Green Bay Packers apparently will have to make their entire postseason run without two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander. Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that Alexander is undergoing surgery to repair the knee injury that has kept the 2018 first-round pick from playing for most of the past two months. Alexander’s absence creates a major hurdle for the Packers in their bid to make a Super Bowl run as a wild card.
NFL – Colts QB Anthony Richardson hopeful of returning in season finale against Jaguars
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson says he’s hopeful of returning for Sunday’s season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Richardson missed last weekend’s playoff-eliminating loss to the New York Giants because of back spasms he says were so severe he could hardly walk. The Colts were scheduled to have a walkthrough Wednesday and coach Shane Steichen wouldn’t say whether Richardson might have worked out if it was a full practice.
Carter reflected on 1980 Olympic boycott: ‘A bad decision’
It was a decision that robbed hundreds of athletes of their once-in-a-lifetime chance at Olympic glory. For more than four decades, that decision weighed heavily on the man who made it — Jimmy Carter. Carter’s passing has unearthed memories from his presidency that ran from 1977-81. Somewhere between his greatest foreign-policy success and his greatest failure sits the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Carter who called for that boycott to illustrate America’s disdain for the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviets stayed in Afghanistan for another nine years and retaliated by boycotting the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Carter later came to admit that the boycott had been ineffective. He told wrestler Jeff Blatnick ‘That was a bad decision.’
AHL – American Hockey League
Tonight
Grand Rapids Griffins at Cleveland Monsters, 7:00 p.m.
Iowa Wild at Chicago Wolves, 8:00 p.m.
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Today
Boys Basketball
Howardsville Christian vs. Battle Creek St. Philip, 12:00 p.m. at Cornerstone Univ. GR
Girls Basketball
Mendon at Sturgis, 6:30 p.m.