A Ducking legend
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy Friday!
Let today’s college sports news power you through the next few hours, then make like now-former Virginia men’s basketball head coach (HC) Tony Bennett and drop your job like it’s hot — at least until Monday morning, of course.
— Oregon women’s basketball HC Kelly Graves on the cold-blooded, game-winning deep three that Oregon alum Sabrina Ionescu drilled to lift her NY Liberty to a 2-1 series lead over Minnesota in the WNBA Finals on Wednesday. That NCAA–W connection is stronger than ever.
Football
🏈 Beefin’
The GIST: What’s in store for college football’s Week 8 tomorrow? A PGA megastar, SEC showdowns with major postseason implications, and some serious mascot, ahem, beef.
No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1) vs. No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers (5-1), 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC): Both teams fell hard in Week 6 and barely survived Week 7. But with two of the most formidable offenses around, tomorrow’s winner will add a high-quality dub to their College Football Playoff application, while the loser must run the table to make the bracket.
No. 24 Michigan Wolverines (4-2) vs. No. 22 Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1), 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS): The rebuilding Wolverines are riding a rollercoaster this year, but they’re still a Big Ten heavyweight — and the reigning national champ. It’ll be a program-defining dub should up-and-comer Illinois, led by quarterback (QB) Luke Altmyer, take them down.
No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs (5-1) vs. No. 1 Texas Longhorns (6-0), 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC): In the season’s chaotic first seven weeks, the Longhorns have proven to be the country’s most upset-proof team, destroying everyone in their path. That said, if anyone can halt the seemingly unstoppable ’Horns on their home field, it’s Georgia. Now loading: the season’s biggest QB battle…
Women's volleyball
🏐 What are the vibes?
The GIST: Now past the season’s halfway point, teams are planning their postseason pushes — and so is the national tournament selection committee, which will drop the ultimate vibe check with its first 2024 Top-16 reveal on Sunday.
Why it matters: A Top-16 shoutout doesn’t guarantee a natty bid — lots can change before the full 64-team bracket release on December 1st. But it does carry more weight than the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) weekly Top-25 poll.
- Unlike the AVCA’s compilation of coaches’ personal rankings, a Top-16 nod comes from the postseason’s decision-makers based on a host of crucial categories — marking teams as serious threats for the title.
What to watch: The committee will drop their list during the weekend’s biggest match: Sunday’s 3 p.m. ET showdown between No. 1 Pitt and No. 5 Stanford, where the country’s two best setters, Stanford’s Kami Miner and Pitt’s Rachel Fairbanks, will go head-to-head to earn an edge in the cutthroat ACC. Best of all, the battle snagged a prime broadcast slot on ESPN. Can’t freakin’ wait.
Together With The GIST
🤓 The buck stops here
The GIST: Hunting for a new job? The GIST’s job board is your one-stop shop for the best open gigs in sports. Submit those apps to GIST-approved opportunities and still have time to enjoy your day-to-day.
The details: If you’ve ever dreamed of working in sports, this is the resource for you. Our job board features roles in every discipline across the industry. There’s truly something for everyone.
The application: Inviting more women and non-binary folks into the industry is a surefire way to help level the playing field. Check out our job board today.
🏒 Women’s ice hockey: No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers (6-0-0) vs. No. 3 Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-1-1) — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET and tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET — B1G+ and BTN
- A border battle between two of the sport’s most prestigious programs never disappoints, but Wisconsin’s entering this one extra-hot: The Badgers are a verified offensive machine, rocking a league-best margin by outscoring opponents 46–6 (!!!) so far this season.
👟 Cross country: Wisconsin Pre-Nationals — Tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET — RunnerSpace
- It’s the final weekend of the regular season — aka a warm-up where teams get to take their first crack at various postseason championship courses. In this stacked meet, runners will be testing the November 23rd natty route. Ready to Run.
⚽ Men’s soccer: No. 4 Pitt Panthers (10-3-0) vs. No. 7 UNC Tar Heels (8-1-4) — Tomorrow at 6 p.m. ET — ACCNX
- Even in a sport where upsets are commonplace, Pitt’s two straight home losses to unranked teams stunned fans last weekend — particularly because they interrupted the Panthers’ seven-match win streak. Can they bounce back with a Top-10 dub?
⚽ Women’s soccer: No. 6 Stanford Cardinal (13-2-1) vs. No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-1-3) — Sunday at 2 p.m. ET — ACCN
- Cardinal forward Lumi Kostmayer’s literal last-second goal saved Stanford from drawing Louisville last night, keeping them near the top of the table in the cutthroat ACC. But the Irish have already doled out one Bay Area beatdown and remain undefeated in conference play.
Here’s what passed The GIST squad’s vibe check this week:
💪 Who to know
Tamara Walcott. The champion powerlifter and strongest woman in the world is making waves with major brands like Supreme.
🎧 What to listen to
The GIST of it. Hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz dive into current sports topics and how they intersect with society and pop culture, covering everything from season previews to calling out the sexist BS that’s rampant across the industry. Happy listening.
🎨 What to check out
Werner Bronkhorst’s art. The Australian brings miniature athletes and others to life in hyper-realistic paintings set against abstract backgrounds.
Today's email was brought to you by Katie Kehoe Foster and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Lindsay Jost. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Lisa Minutillo and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster and Alessandra Puccio. Managing edits by Molly Potter. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.