Think of the college football postseason is more a marathon than a sprint. There’s 42 games running from the first series of matchups on Dec. 16 through the College Football Playoff championship game on Jan. 8.

The ending of a college football is bittersweet. It’s as the song goes ‘the most wonderful of time of the year’ but also the ending of another season for the sport until we see it again next August.

The College Football Playoff semifinals will be held on Jan. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The national title game is being held at NRG Stadium in Houston.

But there’s plenty of other intriguing games to watch. Here’s the entire lineup:

Myrtle Beach Bowl: Ohio 41, Georgia Southern 21

Rickey Hunt ran for 115 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bobcats to their fifth consecutive bowl game and second 10-win season in a row. The Eagles, who lost their fifth game in a row, committed five turnovers.

New Orleans Bowl: Jacksonville State 34, Louisiana-Lafayette 31 (OT)

The Gamecocks won their first bowl game on Garrison Rippa’s 27-yard field goal in overtime after they tied the game when on Zion Webb hit Perry Carter for an 18-yard touchdown to tie the game with 1:46 left in the fourth quarter.

Cure Bowl: Appalachian State 13, Miami (Ohio) 9

The Mountaineers got a third-quarter scoring run by quarterback Joey Aguilar for the decisive score in a game played in rainy conditions. The teams combined for 13 fumbles with the RedHawks losing three to offset 180 yards rushing by Rashad Amos.

New Mexico Bowl: Fresno State 37, New Mexico State 10

Mikey Keene completed his first 15 passes and finishing with a career-high 380 passing yards with three touchdown passes as the Bulldogs ended a three-game losing streak. They outgained the Aggies 491-200 and held New Mexico State quarterback Diego Pavia to just 58 yards passing.

LA Bowl: UCLA 35, Boise State 22

Ethan Garbers threw for 152 yards and two touchdowns after replacing the injured Collin Schlee as the Bruins dominated the second half after the Broncos took a 16-7 lead at intermission. UCLA scored touchdowns on its first three possessions in the third quarter.

Independence Bowl: Texas Tech 34, California 14

Behren Morton threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as the Red Raiders rallied from a slow start. They trailed 14-7 before holding the Golden Bears scores in the first three quarters while forcing California quarterback Fernando Mendoza into four turnovers.

Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35 (OT)

Western Kentucky redshirt freshman quarterback Caden Veltkamp came off the bench to throw for 383 yards and five touchdowns, Lucas Carneiro made a winning 29-yard field goal in overtime and Western Kentucky erased a 28-point deficit to beat Old Dominion.

Frisco Bowl: Texas-San Antonio 35, Marshall 17

Owen McCown stepped in for starting quarterback Frank Harris and threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Roadrunners to their first bowl victory. Robert Henry had the go-ahead score in the final minute of the second quarter and McCown extended the lead in the third quarter with a strike to David Amador as the Thundering Herd were held scoreless after intermission.

Boca Raton Bowl: South Florida 45, Syracuse 0

Byrum Brown threw for two touchdowns, and the Bulls returned two fumbles for touchdowns in the first half to win their first bowl game since 2017. The Orange struggled with quarterback Dan Villari throwing two interceptions and an offensive generating just 159 yards and succeeding on just 1 of 16 third-down conversions.

Gasparilla Bowl: Georgia Tech 30, Central Florida 17

Haynes King threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score and Georgia Tech overcame a 14-point deficit to beat UCF 30-17. King went 7 for 13 for 87 yards and ran for 89 yards on 12 carries. Jamal Haynes had 128 yards on 18 rushes to help Georgia Tech (7-6) to its first winning season since 2018. He became the Yellow Jackets’ first 1,000-yard runner since 2017. — AP

Birmingham Bowl: Duke vs. Troy

DETAILS: Dec. 23, Birmingham, Ala., ABC, noon

Camellia Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State

DETAILS: Dec. 23, Montgomery, Ala., ESPN, noon

Armed Forces Bowl: James Madison vs. Air Force

DETAILS: Dec. 23, Fort Worth, Texas, ABC, 3:30 p.m.

Idaho Potato Bowl: Utah State vs. Georgia State

DETAILS: Dec. 23, Boise, Idaho, ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

68 Ventures Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs. South Alabama

DETAILS: Dec. 23, Mobile, Ala., ESPN, 7 p.m.

Las Vegas Bowl: Northwestern vs. Utah

DETAILS: Dec. 23, Las Vegas, ABC, 7:30 p.m.

Hawaii Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State

DETAILS: Dec. 23, Honolulu, ESPN, 10:30 p.m.

Quick Lane Bowl: Bowling Green vs. Minnesota

DETAILS: Dec. 26, Detroit, ESPN, 2 p.m.

First Responder Bowl: Texas State vs. Rice

DETAILS: Dec. 26, Dallas, ESPN, 5:30 p.m.

Guaranteed Rate Bowl: Kansas vs. UNLV

DETAILS: Dec. 26, Phoenix, ESPN, 9 p.m.

Military Bowl: Tulane vs. Virginia Tech

DETAILS: Dec. 27, Annapolis, Md., ESPN, 2 p.m.

Duke’s Mayo Bowl: North Carolina vs. West Virginia

DETAILS: Dec. 27, Charlotte, N.C., ESPN, 5:30 p.m.

Holiday Bowl: Louisville vs. Southern California

DETAILS: Dec. 27, San Diego, Fox, 8 p.m.

Texas Bowl: Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M

DETAILS: Dec. 27, Houston, ESPN, 9 p.m.

Fenway Bowl: Boston College vs. SMU

DETAILS: Dec. 28, Boston, ESPN, 11 a.m.

Pinstripe Bowl: Miami (Fla.) vs. Rutgers

DETAILS: Dec. 28, Bronx, N.Y., ESPN, 2:15 p.m.

Pop-Tarts Bowl: North Carolina State vs. Kansas State

DETAILS: Dec. 28, Orlando, Fla., ESPN, 5:45 p.m.

Alamo Bowl: Oklahoma vs. Arizona

DETAILS: Dec. 28, San Antonio, ESPN, 9:15 p.m.

Gator Bowl: Clemson vs. Kentucky

DETAILS: Dec. 29, Jacksonville, Fla., ESPN, noon

Sun Bowl: Oregon State vs. Notre Dame

DETAILS: Dec. 29, El Paso, Texas, CBS, 2 p.m.

Liberty Bowl: Iowa State vs. Memphis

DETAILS: Dec. 29, Memphis, Tenn. ESPN, 3:30 p.m.

Cotton Bowl: Ohio State vs. Missouri

DETAILS: Dec. 29, Arlington, Texas, ESPN, 8 p.m.

Peach Bowl: Penn State vs. Mississippi

DETAILS: Dec. 30, Atlanta, ESPN, noon

Music City Bowl: Auburn vs. Maryland

DETAILS: Dec. 30, Nashville, Tenn., ABC, 2 p.m.

Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Georgia

DETAILS: Dec. 30, Miami Gardens, Fla., ESPN, 4 p.m.

Arizona Bowl: Toledo vs. Wyoming

DETAILS: Dec. 30, Tucson, Ariz., 4:30 p.m.

ReliaQuest Bowl: Wisconsin vs. LSU

DETAILS: Jan. 1, Tampa, Fla., ESPN2, noon

Citrus Bowl: Iowa vs. Tennessee

DETAILS: Jan. 1, Orlando, Fla., ABC, 1 p.m.

Fiesta Bowl: Oregon vs. Liberty

DETAILS: Jan. 1, Glendale, Ariz., ESPN, 1 p.m.

Rose Bowl: Michigan vs. Alabama

DETAILS: Jan. 1, Pasadena, Calif., ESPN, 5 p.m.

Sugar Bowl: Washington vs. Texas

DETAILS: Jan. 1, New Orleans, ESPN, 8:45 p.m.

College Football Playoff championship game

DETAILS: Jan. 8, Houston, ESPN, 8 p.m.

MATCHUP: College Football Playoff semifinal winners

Better Youth brought in a little over $50,000 through its fund-raising efforts last year. This year, the Los Angeles non-profit is up to $350,000.

And counting.

The difference? The Jrue and Lauren Holiday Fund.

“Talking to funders, (I can say), ‘If they’re investing in us, you should, too,’” said Syd Stewart, founder and executive director of Better Youth, which provides mentoring and media arts training to kids in the foster system and other at-risk youth.

“We’ve been able to just leverage it and say, ‘This is an investment and we’re worth it.’”

Grants from the JLH Fund can be a lifeline to Black business owners and Black-run nonprofits. Carla Briggs, owner of Viola’s Heritage Breads in New Orleans, isn’t sure she’d still be in business without the funding she received from the JLH Fund in 2021 after Hurricane Ida destroyed much of her operation.

But it is everything else the JLH Fund offers to grantees — weekly coaching sessions, software and technical assistance, access to other funding sources — that helps these businesses and nonprofits go from surviving to thriving.

And, often, providing a helping hand to others along the way.

“As a Black business and a woman-owned business, there’s a lot of education and support needed to cover some gaps when throwing money at it doesn’t fix it. It’s, ‘How do I use the funding to grow my business?’” Briggs said. “They do more than just write the check. They help you get the resources. They create a community.”

Jrue Holiday, an All-Star guard now with the Boston Celtics, and Lauren Holiday, a World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, started the JLH Fund in 2020. They were dismayed to see small businesses and organizations struggle, often unsuccessfully, to stay afloat during the height of the COVID pandemic, and devastated at the systemic racism that continues to plague our country.

What if they could do something to address both issues?

Using the $5.3 million Jrue Holiday earned in the NBA bubble, the JLH Fund began awarding grants in 2021. They selected Black-owned businesses and Black-run non-profits in their hometowns of Los Angeles and Indianapolis, as well as New Orleans and Milwaukee, cities where Jrue has played in the NBA.

They awarded additional grants in the four cities in 2022 and 2023.

Initially, the grants addressed immediate financial needs. But the Holidays soon realized the JLH Fund needed to go further. Black entrepreneurs, both in business and non-profits, often lack access to the capital, resources and networks readily available to their white counterparts.

In a survey released earlier this year by Intuit QuickBooks, 57% of Black business owners said they’d been denied a loan at least once — well above the 37% of white owners who reported the same. It also cost Black business owners about $5,000 more to start their business than it did white owners.

White-led nonprofits are more likely — 71% to 58% — to receive corporate donations than those led by people of color, according to the Nonprofit Finance Fund. The unrestricted net assets of Black-led nonprofits are 76% smaller than those of white-led nonprofits, according to Bridgespan Group and Echoing Green.

“What we’ve learned is a lot of businesses and nonprofits are facing a lot of the same struggles and same hurdles and a lot of systemic racism. They can’t get over that hump or they struggle to get over that hurdle,” Lauren Holiday said. “We wanted to create a community that uplifts and brings together in the same way, the things that they’re lacking.

“Jrue and I, we have full understanding we didn’t get here by ourselves. Our families are so supportive, but it’s taken a village outside of them to be able to support us, to pour into us, to get us to where we’ve been. How do we create that village for someone else?”

Grant recipients are required to attend weekly coaching sessions, which can cover everything from how to raise additional funding to creating a business plan. They are provided with computer software designed for businesses and IT support. They are given mobile phones with up-to-date technology, the lack of which can be a barrier for small business owners and nonprofits.

‘This business started from my savings account. Now it’s not in my savings account anymore. It has a real chance to grow and have some capacity building infrastructure behind me because of this fund,” said Gevonchai Hudnall-Vogel, whose Milwaukee-based Ghetto Mantras offers self-care products and in-person wellness events.  

“It’s better products for my customers, because now I’m able to purchase at a larger quantity and I can get more efficient pricing,” Hudnall-Vogel said. “I’m able to build more infrastructure, more marketing, more research. … This grant — everything that I’ve done, it’s just been amplified on every level.”

The Holidays also have given recipients entrée into a world that, likely, would otherwise be off-limits to them. At the Holiday Classic, the celebrity basketball game they organized earlier this year as a fundraiser for the JLH Fund, they invited the friends and contacts they’ve made throughout their high-profile careers and gave away gift bags featuring products sold by grant recipients.

Hudnall-Vogel told of meeting British rapper Estelle and making sure she saw “Ghetto Mantras with Friends,” a book of affirmations included in the gift bag. Later that night, Hudnall-Vogel received a bulk order for the books from Estelle. The singer now follows her on Instagram, too.

“Just because Jrue and Lauren put me in that room,” Hudnall-Vogel said.

It’s that community that might be the most valuable piece of the JLH Fund.

The weekly coaching calls have become a network in itself, a place where recipients can brainstorm, share resources and contacts and find people to lean on when they’re overwhelmed by the demands of getting, and keeping, a small business or non-profit running.

It might seem like a small thing, but having that safe space is invaluable.

Kionna Walker, who created Next Great Architects in Indianapolis to promote interest in architecture among kids, particularly children of color, said women and people of color often have to find non-traditional ways to build their businesses because of the barriers that exist to funding and support. But it’s not uncommon for those people to then have their ideas stolen or co-opted by the very people who are supposed to be helping them.

‘These are probably first-generation business owners. They don’t know what to do. They don’t know what route they need to take,” Walker said. ‘People like Jrue and Lauren Holiday, they give us the ability to keep our ideas and move them forward before someone else can come in and take it away.

“What they’re doing is literally setting the foundation.”

And not only for the grant recipients.

Better Youth can provide life-changing skills and opportunities for children who might otherwise find themselves trapped in the system, with few options to get ahead. A child who didn’t know anything about architecture — or design or engineering — might be inspired to pursue one of those careers because of Next Great Architect, and wind up creating a building or structure that will be talked about for generations to come.

Someone who finds themselves struggling through the long, dreary Wisconsin winter might find hope in Ghetto Mantra’s in-person event in February. The money Briggs spends on supplies and payroll will, in turn, lift up other people in New Orleans.

And on and on it goes, the ripple effect spreading far beyond from what Jrue and Lauren Holiday imagined a few years ago.

“The disparities that historically exist with Black businesses and getting funding, we know that it’s really going to take someone to step in in a big way to help create not only economic change, but equitable outcomes for Black businesses,” Hudnall-Vogel said.

“This is effective change that can last a lifetime,” she added. “We can transform generations.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame football’s offensive coordinator spot didn’t stay open very long.

Highly regarded play-caller Mike Denbrock is leaving LSU after two seasons to return for a third stint at Notre Dame, according to multiple reports. Although Denbrock has spent 16 seasons working for LSU coach Brian Kelly, the Homer, Michigan, native also got to know Irish coach Marcus Freeman during their four seasons in coordinator roles at Cincinnati (2017-20).

Kelly confirmed in a statement Friday that Denbrock would not coach the nation’s highest-scoring offense (46.4 average) in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Wisconsin on New Year’s Day. Instead, the LSU statement noted Denbrock had ‘departed the staff to take a position at another school.’

Denbrock reportedly agreed to a contract extension on Dec. 6 after overtures from Texas A&M, but the deal was never signed. The LSU Board of Supervisors did not discuss an extension for Denbrock at its quarterly meeting on Dec. 8, and the next meeting isn’t scheduled until Feb. 23.

Denbrock, 59, was due to make $1.5 million in 2024 in the final year of a three-year deal. According to published reports, Denbrock’s buyout should be $375,000, or 25% of his remaining salary at LSU.

The buyout would have been 50% of his remaining salary had Denbrock left for another SEC school or an FBS program more than 500 miles from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Notre Dame’s campus is approximately 975 miles away from LSU.

South Bend is also about 80 miles from Homer, Michigan, where Denbrock’s roots run deep.

From 2002-04 Denbrock coached offensive tackles and tight ends for Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham. He returned to South Bend from 2010-16 with Kelly, handling a variety of roles, including offensive coordinator in 2014.

Kelly and Denbrock first worked together in 1987 as graduate assistants at Grand Valley State, where Denbrock played tight end from 1982-85. Denbrock later worked seven seasons (1992-98) for Kelly at the Division II power in Allendale, Mich.

Denbrock replaces Gerad Parker, Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach who was hired Monday as head coach at Sun Belt Conference power Troy in Alabama.

Friday’s news reunites Denbrock with several former colleagues from Cincinnati, including quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Gino Guidugli and newly hired wide receivers coach Mike Brown.

Last offseason, Freeman brought up Denbrock’s name in a discussion of how an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach must work in concert when the role is typically combined.

“I was around it for four years, my first four years at Cincinnati, where Mike Denbrock, who we all know, was the offensive coordinator and coached the tight ends and Gino Guidugli was the quarterbacks coach,” Freeman said in February. “They have to have a great relationship. There has to be a trust.

“There has to be a very clear understanding of what is expected out of that quarterback position but the quarterbacks know exactly how the coordinator is thinking. It’s very important for those two to be on the same page as well as the offensive coordinator and the quarterbacks.”

Under Denbrock’s tutelage, Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels blossomed at LSU over the past two seasons, winning the Heisman Trophy earlier this month. Notre Dame recently added Duke transfer Riley Leonard, who, like Daniels, is a dual-threat quarterback.

Four-star signee CJ Carr of Saline, Michigan, has already enrolled at Notre Dame and is practicing with the Irish ahead of the Dec. 29 Sun Bowl against Oregon State.

Denbrock becomes the third offensive coordinator in three seasons for Freeman at Notre Dame. Tommy Rees, who held the role from 2020-22, left for the same role at Alabama, accepting a three-year, $6 million deal in February.  

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for NDInsider.com and is on social media @MikeBerardino.

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is out of the concussion protocol following the hit from Pittsburgh safety Damontae Kazee that left Pittman on the ground for several minutes Saturday. He needed just six days to clear the concussion protocol after suffering a brain injury.

But the moments after the hit were dicey.

‘It’s by the pure grace of God that I was able to get up and walk,’ Pittman said. ‘That was a scary hit. Going through my head at the point was nothing. I wasn’t thinking nothing. I didn’t know where I was at.’

When Pittman got to the locker room, he saw his wife, Kianna, and daughter, Mila, arrive in tears.

‘That’s the first time when I was like, ‘Maybe this was bad,” Pittman said.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

But he didn’t feel symptoms, and by Wednesday, he was ready to suit up for a non-contact practice, but the team held a walkthrough. He moved through the week smoothly and had a full practice Friday before an independent neurologist cleared him.

The league came down hard on Kazee by suspending him for the remaining three games of the regular season. Kazee had five fines prior to Saturday’s hit, and the league noted his extensive history of infractions in a letter explaining the punishment.

‘I do think that they were head-hunting, but I don’t think he meant to impose life-changing injury,’ Pittman said. ‘I don’t think any player has that in them. You never want to see guys lose games and lose that much money. I don’t think he was trying to do that. He has a family, too. I know that’s a hefty fine. He’s going to miss out on a lot of money that he was counting on. So you never want to see that.’

With 99 catches for 1,062 yards, Pittman is leading the Colts in receiving for a third straight season, putting him in line to sign a major contract extension this spring. Hits like Saturday’s can pose a risk to a player’s ability to cash in.

He’s technically questionable for Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury that he suffered on the play. But he practiced the full week, and coach Shane Steichen said he expects to have him back.

‘He’s OK from that hit and we’re happy to have him back,’ Steichen said.

The game will be a game on Christmas Eve, and his wife, daughter and newborn son will get to watch him suit up again.

‘I’m just blessed to be able to walk away from that,’ Pittman said.

Contact Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com.Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

Jonathan Owens and Simone Biles have become Wisconsin’s adopted sports power couple in 2023.

They’ve shared tender moments in the snow and at games and have supported each other through their athletic achievements. But how did this love story start?

Biles, the gymnastics legend, can tell you in a few words. She shot her shot.

‘I know what I like, and I know what I want,’ Biles said. ‘Period.’

The Green Bay Packers safety and Olympic gymnast discussed in detail how they got together, as well as the importance of taking care of your mental health during their recent appearance on The Pivot podcast, which is hosted by retired NFL players Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder Jr. and Fred Taylor.

NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.

They’ve told the story before about how they connected during the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the way they open up in a light-heartened moment is something that peels back the curtain in a way you don’t always see with pro athletes.

Jonathan Owens didn’t know who Simone Biles was when they connected on a dating app

Owens, who went undrafted out of NCAA Division II Missouri Western, suffered a serious injury his first season in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and then spent much of the second year on the Houston Texans practice squad.

Given all that, and looking to find his place in the NFL, the then-bachelor Owens said he wasn’t really looking for a relationship. But he relented when one of his buddies recommended he get on a dating app in early 2020.

‘I literally had the app for a couple days and she pops up,’ Owens recounts.

‘She’ would be Biles, who was the face of U.S. gymnastics, having won four gold medals at the previous Olympics, 19 world championships and already was considered the greatest gymnast ever.

‘I never really paid any attention to gymnastics,’ Owens admitted, saying he didn’t watch the 2016 Olympics when Biles was one of the brightest stars of the Summer Games. ‘It piqued my curiosity.’

But Owens still was a bit cautious.

‘I still waited and I come back to my phone and she messaged me on the app,’ Owens told the hosts.

‘This gotta be fake,’ he added. ‘I didn’t know who she was at the time. The first thing I saw is that she just had a bunch of followers.’

It was in fact Biles, who lived in the Houston area.

Simone Biles-Jonathan Owens relationship: ‘It happened when we least expected it’

Biles said she was the first to message.

‘As soon as I clicked ‘ooh I like him,” Biles said, they matched.

‘I wasn’t scared,’ Biles confidently said.

Owens said he was initially ‘fighting it’ because he was afraid to commit.

‘It happened when we least expected it,’ Owens said. ‘We laughed the whole night.’

And as Owens says, the rest is history.

Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens have supported each other this year

Biles made her triumphant return to competitive gymnastics this summer where she won her record eighth U.S. gymnastics all-around championship and then became the most decorated gymnast of all time in October at the world championships.

Owens, meanwhile, made the Packers roster and then has flourished in the second half of the season, becoming a reliable presence in Green Bay’s secondary by making hard-hitting and game-changing plays.

Biles, 26, offers her public support to Owens, 28, no matter where she is, and has also attended several Packers games this season when her schedule allows. Owens always celebrates Biles’ achievements as well.

Jonathan Owens says being with Simone Biles made him realize it’s OK to talk about mental health

Owens also talked about how Biles has helped him with mental health. During the Olympics in 2021, Biles’ mental health was at the forefront of the conversation after she withdrew from several events.

‘The pressure gets to everyone, even the best, so you have to make sure you take care of your mental,’ Owens said. ‘But going through it with her made me realize how important it is. She made it OK to talk about it because I never knew people that went to therapy. She was the first one I ever seen so she opened that door to me to do it, too.”