Kirby Smart roasted Greg Sankey after Georgia’s SEC championship victory when he should have thanked the commissioner for a schedule that prepared the Bulldogs for the playoff.
Georgia forged its mental resilience from the fires of an SEC schedule that included three stiff road tests.
Georgia beat Texas in overtime, and now it’s off to a first-round CFP bye.

Follow along as the College Football Playoff rankings are unveiled.

ATLANTA – Kirby Smart stood on stage bathed in glory, while his players celebrated an SEC championship, but even in this moment marked for celebration, Georgia’s coach set his sights on a new adversary.

When Smart gets on a warpath, he spares no one.

Even if that someone is college sports’ most powerful figure, the SEC’s commissioner, standing just a few feet away from Smart.

Smart roasted Greg Sankey after Georgia’s 22-19 overtime win Saturday against Texas in the SEC championship game.

Georgia’s victory unlocked a first-round playoff bye. When ESPN’s Laura Rutledge asked Smart during an on-field interview what that bye means, Smart sharpened his tongue.

“It means rest for a team that Greg Sankey and his staff sent on the road, all year long. We get to take a little bit of a break and get ready for the College Football Playoff,” Smart said. “This team needs some rest.”

Georgia fans cheered Smart’s acerbic jab at the SEC’s boss, while a grim-faced Sankey listened.

Fun though it might be to come after “the man,” when you unpack Smart’s comment, you realize how zany it sounds.

Georgia played exactly four true road games all season. One of those came against Kentucky, the SEC’s second-worst team.

The Bulldogs also played neutral-site games against Clemson and Florida, but neither Sankey nor his staff determined the location of those games.

Why Kirby Smart came after SEC’s Greg Sankey

So, what’s Smart miffed about? Probably, that Georgia drew road games against Texas, Alabama and Mississippi, all of which are ranked in the top 15 of the latest CFP rankings.

Three stiff road tests. Georgia lost two and won one.

Undeniably, Georgia’s schedule qualifies as one of the nation’s toughest, but it compares to the schedules faced by Florida, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Mississippi State, LSU and Vanderbilt.

Want to compete in the SEC? That means playing some tough games.

Anyway, Smart should thank Sankey instead of complaining.

Thanks to Georgia’s SEC schedule draw, no team will enter the playoff more battle-tested than Smart’s Bulldogs.

Also, as Smart well knows, road-home sites will flip next season, so Georgia will host Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss in 2025, when it plays just three true SEC road games, one against Tennessee and two against conference bottom dwellers Mississippi State and Auburn.

Think Smart will complain about that?

Kirby Smart sets up a new villain for Georgia to prove wrong

Smart, a motivational maestro, excels at creating straw men and rallying the Bulldogs to unite to take them down. Remember when Georgia’s Nolan Smith said the 2022 Bulldogs became fueled by experts projecting they’d go 7-5? Yeah, nobody sane said or thought Georgia would finish 7-5.

Sankey being cast as Georgia’s nemesis becomes the new “everyone thought we’d go 7-5!”

While playing the schedule the SEC handed down, Georgia built persistence and a healthy résumé. The Bulldogs own four wins against playoff-bound teams, more than any team under CFP consideration.

This won’t go down as Smart’s best team. Inconsistency became the theme of Georgia’s regular season. But, say this for these Bulldogs: They don’t go quietly into the night, even when they’re outplayed for most of the game – as they were Saturday, and as they were last week in an eight-overtime win against Georgia Tech.

Georgia rallied in the SEC championship game behind backup quarterback Gunner Stockton after Carson Beck exited with a first-half injury.

“We never panic,” Georgia running back Trevor Etienne said. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It turns out being good for us. No matter what the situation is, no matter what happens, I believe in us.”

Georgia’s victory list includes a one-point escape against Kentucky, plus two overtime triumphs.

“Let’s find a way,” Etienne said of Georgia’s mentality. “That’s one of the best things about this team.”

Yes, indeed it is.

A lot of mental fortitude can be found within Georgia. It’s almost as if the Bulldogs were forged in the fires of playing difficult SEC opponents on the road.

‘I’ve had more physically tough (teams, and) I’ve had more physically talented,’ Smart said, ‘but I don’t know that I’ve ever had a more mentally tough team.

‘They just keep coming and keep coming, and they never say die.’

Thanks a lot, Sankey, for preparing Georgia for the playoff’s rigors so darn well.

After Smart landed his postgame dagger at the commissioner, Sankey wrapped his arm around the Georgia coach later during the celebration and engaged him in conversation.

Only those two could tell you what was said in that moment, but if I could fill in the speech bubble, it would go like this: “Kirby, you’re welcome.”

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

New York Giants fans let team owner John Mara know that they are fed up with the franchise’s recent performance ahead of his team’s Week 14 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Before the game, a plane was seen circling MetLife Stadium with a banner attached to the back of it. The message it displayed was loud and clear.

‘Mr. Mara enough,’ the banner read. ‘Plz fix this dumpster fire.’

The Giants have been one of the NFL’s worst teams in 2024. They stumbled to a 2-10 record in the first 13 weeks of the season and are in the running to land the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

This bottom-barrel result comes amid an eight-year span during which the Giants have posted just one winning season. That came under Brian Daboll’s watch in 2022, but the coach’s struggles since then (8-21 record in 29 games) have led to questions surrounding whether he is the right man to lead New York moving forward.

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

Mara was steadfast earlier in the season that he wasn’t planning to fire Daboll or general manager Joe Schoen despite the team’s issues. He wants more consistency in leadership after cycling through four full-time coaches and one interim since 2017.

‘Obviously, we’re all very disappointed with where we are right now,’ Mara said on Oct. 27 at the debut of an NFL Films production about his father, Wellington Mara, per CBS Sports. ‘But I’m going to say one thing: We are not making any changes this season and I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason either.’

It isn’t clear whether Mara’s opinion has changed since then, but it will be interesting to see if Sunday’s plea from his fan base will sway him in a different direction.

DALLAS — It was 24 years ago that baseball’s Winter Meetings, in this same location, produced one of the wildest free-agent runs in history.

Alex Rodriguez received a staggering 10-year, $252 million contract, twice as much as the biggest contract in sports history, and more than the total value of 18 MLB franchises.

Mike Hampton signed the richest pitching contract in history, an eight-year, $121 million deal with the Colorado Rockies. The Boston Red Sox signed Manny Ramirez to the second-largest contract in history with an eight-year, $160 million deal.

There was a record $739 million spent on 25 free agents at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.

Now, nearly a quarter-century later, those meetings could look like a neighborhood bake sale with the amount of money that’s about to be distributed.

Follow every MLB game: Latest MLB scores, stats, schedules and standings.

Juan Soto is on the verge of signing a monstrous deal that will certainly exceed a record $700 million – perhaps even reach $750 million – two officials with direct knowledge of negotiations told USA TODAY Sports. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly comment.

Soto’s deal will eclipse Shohei Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million deal last winter with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and will pay Soto an average salary of at least $47 million a year for 14 or 15 years. And, oh yes, it will include opt-outs just in case it’s somehow undervalued in a few years.

The New York Mets remain the favorites, executives say, but officials caution that the Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox are all in the same $700+ million neighborhood. The deal certainly will be a blessing for teams with exorbitant contracts, suddenly making All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis’ 14-year, $340 million deal look like a bargain if the San Diego Padres ever decide to move him.

Free-agent starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried also are expected to receive deals exceeding $200 million at the meetings this week, and shortstop Willy Adames kicked off the meetings with a franchise-record seven-year, $182 million deal contract from the San Francisco Giants.

Baseball executives, scouts, managers, and agents are scheduled to descend upon Dallas on Sunday, and by the time they depart for their flights back home Wednesday afternoon, there could be nearly $1.5 billion spent on free agents.

Here at the five most intriguing free agents, top players who could be traded, and five teams to watch during the Winter Meetings:

Juan Soto, top free agents set to cash in

1. Juan Soto: The guy who turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract in 2022 will be laughing all the way to the bank. He made himself an extra $300 million by waiting. It took A-Rod nine years and a change of teams to win a World Series championship after his record contract. How long will it take for Soto to get that second ring – and will it be with the same team that signs him to this historic this contract?

2. Corbin Burnes and Max Fried: They haven’t thrown a pitch in more than two months, but their stocks have soared thanks to the contracts given to pitchers whose resumes pale in comparison. When Matthew Boyd receives a 2-year, $29 million contract without throwing more than 79 innings since 2019, when Luis Severino is getting $67 million over three years and Blake Snell is making an average annual salary of $36.4 million, Burnes and Fried should top $200 million. The San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox all lurk. The only drama is whether Fried goes ahead and signs before Burnes, or lets Burnes set the bar. Fried priced himself out of Atlanta, but is expected to sign with the Yankees or Red Sox. If Soto goes to the Mets, Fried could find himself in a nice bidding war between the Red Sox and Yankees.

3. Alex Bregman: Teams everywhere are being linked to Bregman, but the truth is that the Astros badly want him back, and the feeling is mutual. The trouble is that they are about $50 million apart. The Astros have a six-year deal worth $156 million sitting on the table – $5 million more than third baseman Matt Chapman received from the Giants but $26 million less than Adames – and Bregman is seeking in excess of $200 million. The Astros are expected to enhance their offer, but will it be enough to convince Bregman to stay?

4. Teoscar Hernández: Did the Dodgers meet with Soto and let people believe they actually are pursuing him just to help them sign Blake Snell, another Scott Boras client? Did they let the Soto rumors fester just to up the pressure on a Hernández reunin? Or did they jump into the original bidding to drive up the Soto price tag for everyone else? The truth is that the Dodgers should re-sign Hernandez to a three-year contract, with perhaps a fourth-year option, for somewhere in the $65-80 million range. The two sides have been seriously engaged in negotiations this week, but caution there’s still a gap.

5. Pete Alonso: Alonso says he loves the Mets and the Mets say they love Alonso, but something seems off. The Mets tried to sign him to an extension – seven years and $158 million, according to the New York Post – but it was flatly rejected. There’s no sign that the two sides have since talked, leaving everyone to wonder whether David Stearns, Mets president of baseball operations, even wants Alonso. He could easily turn to Christian Walker, the three-time Gold Glove first baseman, who should come at less than half the cost of Alonso. Alonso could be a perfect fit for the Seattle Mariners.

MLB trade rumors surround top players

1. Garrett Crochet, White Sox: No player will command as much on the trade market than Crochet, the ace of the Chicago White Sox. They are asking for team’s top prospects, and no one blames them. He’s young (25), he’s cheap (projected to earn $2.9 million by MLB Trade Rumors) and he’s a stud, striking out 209 batters in 146 innings last season. The White Sox have had serious talks with the Philadelphia Phillies, but rejected the concept of Alec Bohm and outfielder Justin Crawford. The San Diego Padres would love him, and have dealt plenty of prospects in the past, but told the White Sox they are hanging onto catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leodalis De Vries. The Red Sox lurk. In the end, the White Sox will trade him to the team that gives them the most prized prospects, and hope they never again experience anything like their embarrassing 41-121 season.

2. Cody Bellinger: He may make too much money. No one is going to assume the entire $52.5 million left in Bellinger’s contract (if he opts back in for 2026 at $25 million). The Cubs would love to dump the contract, even for a lesser return, but they’re finding precious little interest. Still, there’s got to be a team out there that is willing to bite the bullet on the cash, and realize he’ll be a significant upgrade. We’re talking about you, Mariners and Yankees. He’ll definitely be moved, but it may not be until later this winter or spring.

3. Jordan Montgomery, Diamondbacks: When your boss calls you one of the worst decisions in his baseball career and is angry that you opted back into your contract at $22.5 million, you don’t need a therapist to know that you’re not wanted. The Diamondbacks are shopping him everywhere. They tried to get the Cubs interested in a swap for Bellinger. So far, they’re striking out, but considering the soaring price of pitching, and the brilliance he showed on the Texas Rangers’ World Series championship team, there’s a better shot of snow flurries in Phoenix next summer than Montgomery wearing a D-backs uniform.

4. Alec Bohm, Phillies: The Phillies realize they can’t run it back with the same offense again in 2025. It can be the most explosive in baseball, but as they’ve learned in the postseason, their lineup can also be awfully easy to navigate for opposing pitchers. Something has got to change, and Bohm easily has the most trade value among Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and himself. If the Astros lose Alex Bregman in free agency, you can be assured that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski will be immediately on the phone offering Bohm for Astros reliever Ryan Pressly – who’s being extensively shopped.

5. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals: Let’s be honest, the Cardinals want him off the books and Arenado wants out of St. Louis if they’re not trying to win. He still has three years, $74 million left in his deal but if a team is willing to assume the entire contract, they’ll have to only send only a few Imo’s pizzas in return. Arenado has a full no-trade clause, but would be Ohtani’s personal driver if the Dodgers were willing to take him. The Red Sox could present a nice alternative, too. There are only a few suitors who have expressed the slightest of interest, but both sides know that if Arenado is still on the team when they report to Jupiter, Fla., the distractions of potential trade talks could be a nightmare for everyone.

Most intriguing teams at the Winter Meetings

New York Yankees: In case the Yankees are ready to drown their miseries if they don’t re-sign Soto, all they have to do is look at the Padres to give them a $700 million shot of confidence. The Padres had Soto the entire 2023 season. You know what happened? They missed the playoffs. They traded him to the Yankees in the offseason, and they got better. The Yankees, if they don’t land Soto, can easily sign free agent Christian Walker for first base, sign Bregman or trade for Arenado for third base, trade for Bellinger to play center, move Aaron Judge back to right field, and still sign a frontline starter. Losing out on Soto could turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

2. Boston Red Sox: They’ve talked a huge game all winter, and have been in strong pursuit of Soto. Yet, whether they land Soto or not, they can’t stop now. They have to sign Fried or Burnes, or even both. They could trade for Arenado too. The expectations are simply too high to sit back and tell everyone that they tried.

3. Baltimore Orioles: Yes, the days of losing 110 games a season are over. They’ve made the playoffs each of the past two seasons. But now much, much more is expected than just signing slugger Tyler O’Neill to a three-year, $49.5 million contract Saturday, especially with new ownership. The Orioles still have the best young players in the game, but if they’re not careful, that window will close in a hurry. Just ask the 2016 Cubs. If they don’t bring back Burnes, they better come up with a replacement. It’s also time to use those prized prospects as capital and Crochet should be in their sights.

4. San Diego Padres: The Padres, about to be hit with massive pay raises for Manny Machado, Tatis and Xander Bogaerts, could lose starters Dylan Cease and Michael King in free agency after the year. They need to win. And they need to win now. They’ve traded away a dozen prospects to become one of baseball’s most powerful teams, but painfully realize this could be their final year to compete for a title without taking a step back. They need at least one frontline starter, if not two starters, with Joe Musgrove out for the year and questions about how many starts Yu Darvish can make this season. Their dream scenario is landing Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki. He may be more essential to the Padres’ future than any team in baseball.

5.Atlanta: Come on, you know GM Alex Anthopoulos has some tricks up his sleeve after spending the first month creatively trimming about $38 million in payroll by trading Jorge Soler, letting catcher Travis d’Arnaud leave and restructuring two deals. They need at least one starting pitcher, if not two, with veteran starters Charlie Morton and Fried likely out the door. They also need a closer with Joe Jimenez expected to miss most of the season after undergoing knee surgery. They could also use a corner outfielder with Ronald Acuña expected to be out at least until late May. Keep an eye on Anthopoulos, who pulled off coups last winter by acquiring Chris Sale from the Red Sox and signing Reynaldo Lopez.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This college football postseason will be unlike any other in the sport’s history. With the first year of the expanded playoff format, the season will run through the third week of January. Along the way, there will be 11 games that decide the national champion with contests being played on campus for the first time and including the six major bowls.

Those first-round games will take place Dec. 20 and 21 and are followed by the quarterfinals on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The semifinals will be played at the Cotton Bowl and Orange Bowl on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, respectively. The national championship game will be held Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

But there’s also more than just the chase for the national championship. A full lineup of bowl games will kickoff on Dec. 14 and run concurrently with the playoff until the Bahamas Bowl on Jan. 4.

UP AND DOWNS: Winners and losers from the playoff reveal

BOWL PROJECTIONS: Forecasting the entire postseason lineup

A look at the entire 46-game postseason schedule with dates, times and television details along with all the matchups that will take you through the holiday season and beyond:

Salute to Veterans Bowl

MATCHUP: South Alabama vs. Western Michigan

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 14, Montgomery, Ala., 9 p.m., ESPN

Buy Salute to Veterans Bowl tickets on StubHub

Frisco Bowl

MATCHUP: Memphis vs. West Virginia

DETAILS: Tuesday, Dec. 17, Frisco, Texas, 9 p.m., ESPN

Buy Frisco Bowl tickets on StubHub

Boca Raton Bowl

MATCHUP: James Madison vs. Western Kentucky

DETAILS: Wednesday, Dec. 18, Boca Raton, Fla., 5:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Boca Raton Bowl tickets on StubHub

LA Bowl

MATCHUP: Mountain West vs. Pac-12

DETAILS: Wednesday, Dec. 18, Inglewood, Calif., 9 p.m., ESPN

Buy LA Bowl tickets on StubHub

New Orleans Bowl

MATCHUP: Georgia Southern vs. Sam Houston State

DETAILS: Thursday, Dec. 19, New Orleans, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Buy New Orleans Bowl tickets on StubHub

Cure Bowl

MATCHUP: Ohio vs. Jacksonville State

DETAILS: Friday, Dec. 20, Orlando, Fla., noon, ESPN

Buy Cure Bowl tickets on StubHub

Gasparilla Bowl

MATCHUP: American, ACC or SEC

DETAILS: Friday, Dec. 20, Tampa, Fla., 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Gasparilla Bowl tickets on StubHub

College Football Playoff

MATCHUP: Indiana at Notre Dame

DETAILS: Friday, Dec. 20, campus site, 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN

Buy Indiana vs. Notre Dame tickets on StubHub

College Football Playoff

MATCHUP: SMU at Penn State

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 21, campus site, noon, TNT

Buy Penn State vs. SMU tickets on StubHub

College Football Playoff

MATCHUP: Clemson at Texas

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 21, campus site, 4 p.m., TNT

Buy Clemson vs. Texas tickets on StubHub

College Football Playoff

MATCHUP: Tennessee at Ohio State

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 21, campus site, 8 p.m., ABC/ESPN

Buy Tennessee vs. Ohio State tickets on StubHub

Myrtle Beach Bowl

MATCHUP: American, MAC or Sun Belt

DETAILS: Monday, Dec. 23, Conway, S.C., 11 a.m., ESPN

Buy Myrtle Beach Bowl tickets on StubHub

Idaho Potato Bowl

MATCHUP: MAC vs. Mountain West

DETAILS: Monday, Dec. 23, Boise, Idaho, 2:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Idaho Potato Bowl tickets on StubHub

Hawaii Bowl

MATCHUP: South Florida vs. San Jose State

DETAILS: Tuesday, Dec. 24, Honolulu, 8 p.m., ESPN

Buy Hawaii Bowl tickets on StubHub

GameAbove Sports Bowl

MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. MAC

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

Buy GameAbove Sports Bowl tickets on StubHub

Rate Bowl

MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. Big Ten

DETAILS: Thursday, Dec. 26, Phoenix, 5:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Rate Bowl tickets on StubHub

68 Ventures Bowl

MATCHUP: Sun Belt, Conference USA or MAC

DETAILS: Thursday, Dec. 26, Mobile, Ala., 9 p.m., ESPN

Buy 68 Ventures Bowl tickets on StubHub

Birmingham Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC, SEC or American

DETAILS: Friday, Dec. 27, Birmingham, Ala., noon or 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Birmingham Bowl tickets on StubHub

Armed Forces Bowl

MATCHUP: American vs. Conference USA

DETAILS: Friday, Dec. 27, Fort Worth, Texas, noon or 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Armed Forces Bowl tickets on StubHub

Liberty Bowl

MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. SEC

DETAILS: Friday, Dec. 27, Memphis, Tenn., 7 p.m., ESPN

Buy Liberty Bowl tickets on StubHub

Holiday Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC vs. Pac-12

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

Buy Holiday Bowl tickets on StubHub

Las Vegas Bowl

MATCHUP: Pac-12 vs. SEC

DETAILS: Friday, Dec. 27, Las Vegas, 10:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Las Vegas Bowl tickets on StubHub

Fenway Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC vs. American

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

Buy Fenway Bowl tickets on StubHub

Pinstripe Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC vs. Big Ten

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 28, New York, noon, ABC

Buy Pinstripe Bowl tickets on StubHub

New Mexico Bowl

MATCHUP: Mountain West vs. Group of Five

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 28, Albuquerque, 2:15 p.m., ESPN

Buy New Mexico Bowl tickets on StubHub

Pop-Tarts Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC vs. Big 12

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 28, Orlando, Fla., 3:30 p.m., ABC

Buy Pop-Tarts Bowl tickets on StubHub

Arizona Bowl

MATCHUP: MAC vs. Mountain West

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 28, Tucson, Ariz., 4:30 p.m., CW

Buy Arizona Bowl tickets on StubHub

Military Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC vs. American

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 28, Annapolis, Md., 5:45 p.m., ESPN

Buy Military Bowl tickets on StubHub

Alamo Bowl

MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. Pac-12

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 28, San Antonio, 7:30 p.m., ABC

Buy Alamo Bowl tickets on StubHub

Independence Bowl

MATCHUP: American vs. Pac-12

DETAILS: Saturday, Dec. 28, Shreveport, La., 9:15 p.m., ESPN

Buy Independence Bowl tickets on StubHub

Music City Bowl

MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. SEC

DETAILS: Monday, Dec. 30, Nashville, Tenn., 2:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Music City Bowl tickets on StubHub

ReliaQuest Bowl

MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. SEC

DETAILS: Tuesday, Dec. 31, Tampa, Fla., noon, ESPN

Buy ReliaQuest Bowl tickets on StubHub

Sun Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC vs. Pac-12

DETAILS: Tuesday, Dec. 31, El Paso, Texas, 2 p.m., CBS

Buy Sun Bowl tickets on StubHub

Citrus Bowl

MATCHUP: Big Ten vs. SEC

DETAILS: Tuesday, Dec. 31, Orlando, Fla., 3 p.m., ABC

Buy Citrus Bowl tickets on StubHub

Texas Bowl

MATCHUP: Big 12 vs. SEC

DETAILS: Tuesday, Dec. 31, Houston, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Texas Bowl tickets on StubHub

Fiesta Bowl

MATCHUP: Boise State vs. Penn State-SMU winner

DETAILS: Tuesday, Dec. 31, Glendale, Ariz., 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Fiesta Bowl tickets on StubHub

Peach Bowl

MATCHUP: Arizona State vs. Texas-Clemson winner

DETAILS: Wednesday, Jan. 1, Atlanta, 1 p.m., ESPN

Buy Peach Bowl tickets on StubHub

Rose Bowl

MATCHUP: Oregon vs. Ohio State-Tennessee winner

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

Buy Rose Bowl tickets on StubHub

Sugar Bowl

MATCHUP: Georgia vs. Notre Dame-Indiana winner

DETAILS: Wednesday, Jan. 1, New Orleans, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Sugar Bowl tickets on StubHub

Gator Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC vs. SEC

DETAILS: Thursday, Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Fla., 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Gator Bowl tickets on StubHub

First Responder Bowl

MATCHUP: American, ACC or Big 12

DETAILS: Friday, Jan. 3, Dallas, 4 p.m., ESPN

Buy First Responder Bowl tickets on StubHub

Duke’s Mayo Bowl

MATCHUP: ACC vs. Big Ten

DETAILS: Friday, Jan. 3, Charlotte, N.C., 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Duke’s Mayo Bowl tickets on StubHub

Bahamas Bowl

MATCHUP: Liberty vs. Buffalo

DETAILS: Saturday, Jan. 4, Nassau, Bahamas, 11 a.m., ESPN2

Orange Bowl

MATCHUP: College Football Playoff semifinal

DETAILS: Thursday, Jan. 9, Miami Gardens, Fla., 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Orange Bowl tickets on StubHub

Cotton Bowl

MATCHUP: College Football Playoff semifinal

DETAILS: Friday, Jan. 10, Arlington, Texas, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy Cotton Bowl tickets on StubHub

College Football Playoff championship game

MATCHUP: CFP semifinal winners

DETAILS: Monday, Jan. 20, Atlanta, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Buy CFP title game tickets on StubHub

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

(This story has been updated to change a video and add a gallery.)

If you tune into Dan Orlovsky on ESPN, you’ll get a hot take on what’s going on in college football or the NFL. If you speak to him about kids’ sports, you’re likely to get one, too.

“I think youth sports are completely broken,” he says. “I think the emphasis on ego from the coaches has completely overwhelmed youth sports. I think the emphasis on winning and losing has completely overwhelmed youth sports. I think the lack of commitment to development has completely overwhelmed youth sports. Obviously, there’s a lot of money attached to it nowadays. We have lost sight of why kids play sports.”

To negotiate a world of pay-for-play teams and  “professionalization” from young ages, we need to constantly check in with our athletes, and with ourselves, to make sure we are giving them a positive experience.

It’s especially tough when we take our kids to their games, and they are under constant pressure – from us or elsewhere – to be successful.

Orlovsky, 41, was an elite college football player at Connecticut and an NFL quarterback from 2005 to 2015. Today, he’s all over ESPN as a football analyst.

He’s also a father of four: Daughter Lennon (9) and triplet sons Madden, Hunter and Noah, who will turn 13 later this month.

“The unfortunate card that they got dealt is every game that they go to, there’s expectations,” he tells USA TODAY Sports.

He reaches out for help. He is a spokesman for a fatherhood program called All Pro Dad, which provides feedback and support from a community of fathers through workshops and encouragement. He helps host events, along with other sports celebrities, in which he speaks with dads and their kids.

It’s an interactive experience, like parenting needs to be.

“Probably being a dad for me is not even close to being the most important thing I’ll ever do in my life,” he says. “I don’t think that I was naturally born with elite dad skills.”

Here are four insights for parents of young athletes he has gained from his program and from interacting with other parents.

(Questions and responses are edited for length and clarity.)

1. Our parents give us a model, but we can be intentional about how we approach our kids

Dan Orlovsky Sr. played football at the University of Bridgeport (Connecticut). He drove his son hard through sports.

Young Dan played football, baseball and basketball. Baseball was far and away what he was best at but he quit during his sophomore year at Shelton (Connecticut) High.

He had found a greater love in football, but also a game that became a terribly serious matter in his home. Everyone was happy when Dan played well, but when he didn’t, the opposite was true.

It’s a feeling he wanted to change.

USA TODAY: There’s certain parents that are pretty intense at sports games. Seeing them, has that shaped you at all as a sports dad?

Dan Orlovsky: Oh, for sure. So candidly, I’ve experienced it a little bit as a kid myself. My dad did a lot of amazing stuff for me when it came to sports. My dad taught me a competitiveness and work ethic that is a main reason why I’m here today. But I do recall moments where I wish things were done differently, and so I’ve kind of made the promise to myself where I wasn’t gonna do those things. I was gonna be better and not have those interactions, because I think that started to build a wall that I had between my father and I.

I’ve watched some dads, and some friends of mine, and I’ve tried to have conversations with them, because I know how it ends up. I know how that’s gonna end up for you as a father, and I’ve tried to just share the experience and the wisdom of, “Hey, I know that you’re a super intense dad. You want the very best for your son. I get it. But just let me show you what she’s probably thinking right now when you’re doing that or talking to him that way.”

Coach Steve: Some parents need to rethink how they talk to their child athletes

2. ‘What do you need from me?’ Your sports experience isn’t the same as your kids’ sports experience

Orlovsky and his wife Tiffany started their sons at organized sports at 9 or 10. They weren’t nearly as good as other kids.

“It was harder at first, because they felt inadequate,” he says. “But they’re starting to take off, and that was the whole goal.” 

USA TODAY: That’s so counter to what parents do these days. How have you found that that’s worked out?

Orlovsky: I didn’t want them to feel that dad did it so you have to. What we’ve found out is, I think they’re way more in love with sports now than some of their friends who have been playing for nine, 10 years. I didn’t want the overwhelming burnout to happen because they’ve been playing intense sports since they were 3 or 4 years old. We probably haven’t even started the intense sports and so I think that they’re just starting to fall in love with it, starting to fall in love with the work of it, starting to understand it. And I do think that they have multiple friends that are starting to fall out of love with it, because of the demand of their childhood, I guess.

USA TODAY: How would you describe yourself as a sports dad?

Orlovsky: I ask my kids, ‘What do you want from me to be your best?’ I have no clue. Just because I played this sport doesn’t mean I know how they feel about how they’re playing, or the feelings that they’re having. I know when I’m at a game I cast a shadow. I have no idea what that feels like. I need to know from them, individually, like, ‘Do I need to shut up? Do I need to talk to you about what you’re doing good? Do you want me to fire you up? Do you need less? Do you need more?’ I need them to be able to tell me.

My daughter has said, ‘If I’m not playing the way that you think I can, whistle and, when I look over, take your finger and kind of like make the circle motion. (But) you only get to do it one time in a game.’ My boys don’t want to hear me, so I just sit there and, occasionally I’ll be very positive, like “Yo, good job.” I’ll do a whistle with a thumbs up, but I’m pretty intense when it comes to how much I enjoy it but I am not on those sidelines yelling and screaming and whatnot. After the game, I try to find the positives.

3. ‘What was your favorite part of the game?’ We can’t expect each kid’s sports experience to be the same, either

Most of the work as a sports parent comes between games and practices. We learn to foster emotions, nudge and encourage.  

But we also can empower our kids to help figure things out, which can benefit us, too.

“I have one kid who’s not into sports,” Orlovsky says. “And he’s made me an exponentially better father than I could ever imagine, because he’s forced me to get interested in the things that I’m not naturally interested in.”

USA TODAY: One of the things you’ve probably learned as a sports dad is that every kid’s experience is different, right?

Orlovsky: Yeah, big time. My daughter is a superstar athlete, and she’s got every box that you could ever imagine needing to be checked for sports. But what I’ve learned in spending time with other sport dads is with her (is that) I want to constantly encourage her, but not to the point where she thinks that, ‘Oh my gosh, sports is the only thing that matters, and the only way my dad will love me or I’m so much better than everybody.’ And then I have a son who’s unbelievably talented, has no self-confidence, and he’s had a coach at football that’s completely destroyed his confidence. I gotta talk to him differently than I have to talk to her. And then I have a son who’s talented, not overly competitive, and he’s not overly confident. But he doesn’t have severe doubt as the other one.

USA TODAY: What have you learned to say to your son who has lost his confidence?

Orlovsky: Talk to yourself rather than listen to yourself. Some of the All Pro Dad stuff is how I talk to him in the car after a game, because he might go to a game and have a touchdown catch, an interception and three tackles, and the coach will yell at him because he breathed the wrong way, so he focuses on that one moment and he thinks the whole game’s bad. So, “Hey, what was the part of the game that was the most fun for you?” So trying to rewire his mindset of what his experience was or trying to find a play instead of focusing on the result. I constantly say, “I don’t care what you did in the game, I care how you did it.” So having a touchdown catch is great. That’s for you. I liked how you blocked for your teammate better. I liked how when coach called timeout, you jogged to the sideline and then back onto the field.

I don’t engage the coach. I take every moment as a learning moment for him. You don’t control the coach. You control how do you go to practice, how hard you practice, where you are in the line, how you are with your teammates. Do you take advantage of every opportunity? I’m a big believer in you got to go earn what you get.

Coach Steve: How do I deal with a bad coach? Here are three steps

4. ‘Winning and losing is for the kids. It’s not for the adults and parents’

We have all gotten things wrong as parents.

“How much time you got?” Orlovsky said when I asked him what he has.

It’s stuff we’ve all done: Getting impatient, yelling a little too much, having unrealistic expectations for our kids and saying things that we regret.

“All of those things that are making me a human being,” he says.

He has learned that a misstep here or there won’t erase all the good things we have done. Our kids’ sports experience, with its ups and downs, can work the same way.

USA TODAY: Has it been hard to convey the message to your kids about failure and losing, which obviously are very important lessons in sports?

Orlovsky: Of course. I think the generation of kids nowadays, it’s hard no matter who your parents are, because their life is immediate. It’s not their fault. It’s just the world that they’re growing up in. Sports doesn’t work like that. Very little is immediate. I don’t want to say we embrace losing; we chase success. My daughter’s playing basketball, you shoot, there’s one of two things that are going to happen. I think this is a Coach K thing. You’re not a perfect person, so you’re gonna miss. So who cares? Shoot.

My sons are playing lacrosse. Guess what, guys: You’re gonna to get whupped. I hate to tell it to you. And when you’re playing football, you’re gonna get embarrassed at times. I don’t want them ever to be fearful of mistakes. I will not be disappointed if you get embarrassed, but I will if you don’t try.

USA TODAY: What are your observations about youth sports as a whole and where do you see it going?

Orlovsky: I think what parents and coaches have done with youth sports, and I’m not saying this is for all of them − I obviously haven’t observed all of them − I think it’s broken. Kids should be playing youth sports to be running around outside with their friends, and then it grows into learning what it’s like to be on a team, and then it grows into learning what it means to be physically tough, and learning what it means to be mentally tough, and then learning what hard work is, and then learning what commitment is, and learning what it takes to win rather than winning, and all the steps along the way.

Boys should walk off the football field feeling like a superhero because they’ve done something that’s hard. Not because they’ve won or lost. Winning and losing is for the kids. It’s not for the adults and the parents. I think youth sports and the overwhelming social attachment of parents, we’ve eroded a lot of the reason why we should have them.

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

Purdue is targeting Barry Odom to be its next head football coach, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told USA TODAY Sports on Sunday.

The deal is not finalized, but the parties are working toward an agreement, the person said.

Odom, 48, is 44-33 in six seasons as a head coach, including four at Missouri and the past two at UNLV. He led the Rebels to the Mountain West Conference championship game, where they lost to Boise State on Friday. Had UNLV won, it would have been in the running to reach the College Football Playoff.

Odom would replace Ryan Walters, who was fired Dec. 1 after going 5-19 in two seasons with the Boilermakers.

The push to jump-start the Purdue program comes during college football’s rapidly changing landscape, including the dawn of the first CFP bracket reveal Sunday. Indiana, Purdue’s longstanding rival, is expected to be in the bracket under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, despite being a longshot to reach this field before the season. And the chasm between the programs couldn’t seem bigger: Indiana beat Purdue 66-0 on Nov. 30, one day before Walters fired.

Odom earned his first FBS head-coaching job at his alma mater Missouri from 2016-19. He finished 25-25 but only had one losing season. The Tigers made two bowl appearances under his watch and were 6-6 in his final season in 2019. Odom’s past stints also include defensive coordinator stops at Memphis, Missouri and Arkansas.

After a tense weekend of conference championship games made things even tougher, the College Football Playoff committee has rendered its decision on which 12 teams will continue their quest for a national title.

The top four seeds were given to conference champions Oregon of the Big Ten, Georgia of the SEC, Boise State of the Mountain West and Arizona State of the Big 12. Those schools will receive first-round byes, allowing them to watch whatever chaos unfolds and take advantage of an extra week of rest before they play again.

Following much deliberation, here’s who else the committee chose to round out this year’s playoff field:

College Football Playoff matchups, schedule

All first-round games will take place at the home field of the higher-seeded team and will be played on either Friday, Dec. 20 or Saturday, Dec. 21.

No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson

at Darrel K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
Winner to play No. 4 Arizona State in quarterfinals

No. 6 Penn State vs. No. 11 SMU

at Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania
Winner to play No. 3 Boise State in quarterfinals

No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Indiana

at Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana
Winner to play No. 2 Georgia in quarterfinals

No. 8 Ohio State vs. No. 9 Tennessee

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio, 8 p.m. ET
Winner to play No. 1 Oregon in quarterfinals

CFP championship bracket

National semifinal 1

Orange Bowl, Thursday, Jan. 9

National semifinal 2

Cotton Bowl, Friday, Jan. 10

CFP national championship game

At Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia.
Monday, Jan. 20

It took some dramatic finishes and some blowouts for the smoke to clear on championship weekend and also clarify the situation for the College Football Playoff.

So who is making the 12-team field? Before we get to that, a reminder that this is a projection of how the committee will decide the field, not how it should look.

Let’s start with the easy part. Oregon, Georgia, Boise State and Arizona State will be the four conference champions earning byes. Clemson will be the No. 12 seed.

The first-round hosts also are easy to forecast with some seeding combination of Penn State, Notre Dame and Texas followed by Ohio State. Tennessee and Indiana locked in next.

Which brings us to the big question. Is SMU or Alabama the final team in?

We’ve been here before with the playoff. Trying to balance records and strength of schedule always is a challenge. And this year is more difficult because the expanded field forcing comparisons between teams playing in conference championship games and those sitting at home.

The Mustangs clearly have the better losses. They dropped two games against top 20 teams by a combined five points. They also lack high-end quality wins. That’s something the Crimson Tide have with defeats of Georgia, South Carolina and Missouri. They also have losses to a pair of 6-6 teams, including an ugly loss to Oklahoma just two weeks ago.

Conspiracy theorists will point to the power of the SEC and the brand of Alabama as deciding factors. How could the committee turn down the lure of the Crimson Tide facing Notre Dame or Penn State?

However, that’s not on their agenda. So the bet here is that the committee tries to protect a team that went unbeaten in its Power Four league and was three spots ahead in the most-recent rankings. It won’t want to set the precedent of having a three-loss team jump a team that lost its last game on a 56-yard field goal on the final play.

But we’ll see. And we’ll all be holding our breath until the announcement is made.

Notes: Legacy Pac-12 teams will fill the Pac-12 spots. Some conferences may not fulfill their bowl allotment. Asterisks denote a replacement pick. Bold indicates a team that has accepted a berth.