JuJu really do be ballin’

The GIST: You may still be recovering from last week’s upsets, but Week 7 is coming in hot. We’re now halfway through the regular season, and a Top-5 matchup between new conference rivals isn’t the only game with sky-high stakes tomorrow.

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) vs. No. 3 Oregon Ducks (5-0), 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC): The Buckeyes started the season with astronomical hype, but their weak schedule has made it hard to prove themselves. That all changes tomorrow when they visit the Ducks — led by Heisman candidate quarterback (QB) Dillon Gabriel — for a matchup with major postseason implications.

No. 1 Texas Longhorns (5-0) vs. No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners (4-1), 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC): The Red River Rivalry looks a little different this year as both teams bailed on the Big 12 to join the SEC this season. Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers is officially back from a Week 3 abdominal injury and is hungry to reenter the Heisman conversation.

No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0) vs. USC Trojans (3-2), 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS): Don’t be fooled by the Trojans’ shocking last-minute loss to Minnesota last week — this could still be tricky for the visiting Nittany Lions. Penn State’s offense is absolutely cooking, but they haven’t taken their show on the road in over a month, and USC rarely lets teams push them around in the Coliseum.

No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels (5-1) vs. No. 13 LSU Tigers (4-1), 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC): This should be a shootout between two of the nation’s most explosive offenses, helmed by elite QBs in the Rebels’ Jaxson Dart and the Tigers’ Garrett Nussmeier. Expect touchdowns on touchdowns as these squads duke it out for the upper hand in the cutthroat SEC.

The GIST: Now stop, collaborate, and listen: NCAA men’s hockey is back with a brand-new edition! Some teams started their season early with low-stakes matchups last weekend, but the whole crew returns tonight to open the 2024–25 campaign.

The frontrunners: The title currently belongs to No. 1 Denver, who won their second natty in three seasons last April. However, the city of Boston runs the show these days, with 2023 Frozen Four contenders No. 2 Boston College (BC) and No. 3 Boston University looking to repeat last year’s dominant performances.

• BC should be especially lethal with a stacked roster of future pros, including the 2025 No. 1 NHL prospect, freshman forward James Hagens.

The challengers: Denver’s conference, the NCHC, is the nation’s most competitive: Out of nine members, eight are either in or hovering just below the Top 20. The road to the ’ship almost certainly runs through this group — unless the Big Ten’s resident powerhouses, No. 4 Michigan State and No. 5 Minnesota, have something to say about it.

• Michigan State has a particularly exciting opportunity to open this season with a bang: They host Boston College for a weekend series starting tonight at 6 p.m. ET on BTN. Gotta beat the best to be the best, eh?

The changes: This week, the NCAA Division I Council began opening the door for athletes who participate in the Canadian Hockey League — technically a “professional” elite junior league — to retain NCAA eligibility. As an amateur league, the NCAA currently bans players who profit from sports participation (see: tennis players turning down tournament winnings to stay eligible).

• But with the NIL era calling this “amateurism” into question, hockey players are pushing back — and if the Council approves the update in November, they could see a repeal as soon as next season.

It takes a village to level the playing field, but turns out, our village is 1 million GISTers strong — so it’s time to celebrate. To commemorate reaching the 1 million subscriber mark, we’ve launched a limited edition “Bet on Women” t-shirt collection that honors power, strength, and resilience.

• Click here to pre-order your shirts and let the world know: When you bet on women, everyone wins.

🏐 Women’s volleyball: No. 10 Purdue Boilermakers (12-3) vs. No. 2 Nebraska Cornhuskers (14-1) — Today at 8:30 p.m. ET — BTN

• Last year’s bout between these Big Ten baddies was an absolute thriller, and this year should be no different. Prep for a block party: The Huskers are known for having lockdown defense, while Boilermakers middle blocker Raven Colvin is second in the nation in stuffs per set.

⚽ Women’s soccer: No. 2 UNC Tar Heels (13-1) vs. No. 7 Stanford Cardinal (11-2-1) — Sunday at 4 p.m. ET — ACCNX

• The Heels opened their California road trip with a 1–0 dub over No. 17 Cal last night, and No. 1 Duke also brought the Carolina heat to the Bay Area with a 4–1 win over Stanford. If UNC bags another road win here, there’ll be no mistaking it: The East Coasters run the ACC.

🏒 Women’s ice hockey: No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (3-1-0) vs. No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (4-0-0) — Tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET and Sunday at 3 p.m. ET — B1G+

• The ambitious Bulldogs opened their season by sweeping then–No. 1 Ohio State and splitting their series with No. 7 Colgate. But a visit to the Badgers — who’ve outscored opponents 34–2 so far — in front of sold-out crowds will be UMD’s toughest challenge yet.

🏑 Field hockey: No. 9 Harvard Crimson (9-1) vs. No. 2 Northwestern Wildcats (12-0) — Sunday at 12 p.m. ET — B1G+

• Northwestern has seen hardly a hiccup so far and are looking particularly strong at home, where they’ve outscored seven visitors by a whopping 28–3. But Harvard boasts a high-powered offense of their own, making for an action-heavy matchup.

If you love The GIST’s newsletters, you’re going to love our twice-weekly podcast, The GIST of It. Hosted by besties Ellen Hyslop and Stephanie Rotz, it’s the women-produced and -hosted sports pod you’ve been waiting for. Talk about a golazo.

El and Steph dive into current sports topics and how they intersect with society and pop culture. They cover everything from season previews to calling out the sexist BS that’s rampant across the industry.

Join the conversation by subscribing to The GIST of It wherever you tune into podcasts. Happy listening.