Sacrificial Pop-Tarts never tasted so good
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy New Year!
Our 2024 resolution is the same as it was: to continue leveling the playing field. So let’s start strong by catching up on all things NCAA — while you were chilling on the couch in a cheese-induced holiday coma, college sports were popping off.
— ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit on his golden retriever, Ben, a bone-afide celebrity who was named Chief Happiness Officer of Monday’s Rose Bowl game. His official credentials earned him booth access and belly rubs from the winners. A sports media icon.
Football
🏈 The final rose
The GIST: Monday’s College Football Playoff (CFP) games delivered the best semifinals in its 10-year history, officially dethroning the Pop-Tart Bowl celebration as the highlight of bowl season. Both of the back-to-back instant classics came down to the final nail-biting play. Welcome to college football at its finest.
No. 1 Michigan beats No. 4 Alabama 27–20 in the Rose Bowl: This wire-to-wire thriller saw two behemoths trading blows into overtime. Ultimately, the Wolverines maintained their poise better than Bama: Michigan star running back Blake Corum easily plowed in the go-ahead touchdown, and Alabama’s response fell short thanks to a boneheaded final play call.
No. 2 Washington holds off No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl: The Huskies dominated until the literal last minute, when Texas nearly bagged the comeback of the year in the final 69 seconds. Washington quarterback (QB) Michael Penix Jr. had an unreal game, but MVP honors go to cornerback Elijah Jackson, whose stunning save sealed the 37–31 Huskie dub.
Zooming out: Outside of the battles to make Monday’s natty, a debate about non–CFP bowl games’ meaning raged, stoked by No. 6 Georgia’s 63–3 evisceration of No. 5 Florida State in Saturday’s Orange Bowl. These squads’ vastly different responses to their CFP snubs — Georgia played at nearly full strength, while 29 opt-outs devastated FSU’s roster — essentially decided the game before kickoff.
- The uneven scoreline drew criticism of opt-out culture, where top players often skip non-CFP bowl games to avoid injury before entering the transfer portal or NFL Draft. Even Georgia head coach (HC) Kirby Smart said the trend is ruining the postseason.
- While next year’s new 12-team CFP will help address this issue by raising the stakes for all New Year’s Six games, more is needed to incentivize these postseason matchups — even if that means sacrificing hundreds of Pop-Tarts on live TV.
Season starts
⛷️🏐 Between two poles
The GIST: New year, new sports! Skiing and men’s volleyball are officially back this week, so brush up with our primers then fill the fall sports void with pancakes and fresh powder.
⛷️ Skiing: One of the NCAA’s few coed sports, collegiate skiing opened its season on yesterday’s Westminster Invitational slopes. Utah — the sport’s undisputed top squad — has the two-week contest’s early lead. With friend of The GIST HC Miles Havlick at the helm, the Utes have won five of the last six national titles and haven’t lost a single competition since 2021. Ice in their veins.
- Utah’s top foes? Both Colorado and Denver are worthy opponents, but up-and-comer Vermont is the dark horse to watch this season…as long as you don’t blink and miss ’em.
🏐 Men’s volleyball: Another season, another battle for dominance between reigning champ UCLA and Hawaii. These two squads have owned the sport’s upper echelons for years, earning UCLA nearly half of the national ’ships while Hawaii’s served in the last four straight title games. They don’t play each other in the regular season, but there’s always hope for a(nother) dramatic natty face-off.
- UCLA kicks off their season with a doubleheader against HBCUs Fort Valley State and Morehouse tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET and 10:30 p.m. ET, respectively, but insomniacs can catch Hawaii’s season opener against Loyola Chicago tonight at 12 a.m. ET.
Surf’sserve’s up.
🏀 Women’s basketball
Hoopers stayed busy over the holidays, and all that action sent No. 25 Syracuse — who capped 2023 with an 86–81 New Year’s Eve dub over No. 16 Notre Dame — into the poll for the first time since 2021.
- Now–No. 6 Baylor also gained momentum with Saturday’s 85–79 upset win over now–No. 10 Texas, handing the injury-hobbled Longhorns their first season loss and a harsh five-point poll drop on Monday. Oof.
🏀 Men’s basketball
The men’s rankings also started 2024 with a new look. Then–No. 4 Arizona, No. 7 Florida Atlantic, and No. 13 Gonzaga all lost to unranked teams, sending them plummeting 6, 10, and 11 spots, respectively, in Monday’s poll. Hey, who isn’t a zombie between Christmas and New Year’s?
🏐 Women’s volleyball
The transfer portal is shaking up rosters left and right, and a major move hit Monday: Minnesota outside hitter Taylor Landfair, a redshirt junior, is officially Nebraska-bound. The 2022 Big Ten Player of the Year will make the Cornhuskers, who could retain all of this year’s national runner-up roster, even more lethal.
🏒 Men’s ice hockey
Although NCAA play was pretty snoozy over the break, 22 college stars are currently crushing their way through the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship on Team USA. They’ll face Finland (and their two NCAA athletes) in tomorrow’s 1:30 p.m. ET semifinal on the NHL Network. Channeling Mr. Worldwide…
Here’s what has The GIST team currently hyped:
📺 What to check out
This is My Super Bowl. The name may be misleading, but this series, hosted by TikTok star Tefi, brings together influencers and creators for a fun chat about all things pop culture.
🎧 What to listen to
Yearbook. From the team behind Armchair Expert, the anthology podcast series focuses on different people who revisit the year that made them.
🎥 What to watch
Candace Parker: Unapologetic. The new documentary from the WNBA star shares an intimate look at her life, basketball career, and her next moves. A must-watch.
Today's email was brought to you by Katie Kehoe Foster, Ruth Lenzen, and Emma Fernandez. Editing by Lindsay Jost and Isabella Troia. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Lisa Minutillo and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Lauren Tuiskula, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Dee Lab. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.