ATLANTA — It all lined up perfectly, the 32-year-old wunderkind taking over the program he knew inside and out, returning to the metropolitan area where he was born and raised, fulfilling his lifelong goal of becoming a head coach before most of his peers had even gotten their careers off the ground. 

But besides the paycheck, there were reasons to be skeptical about the task Kenny Dillingham was signing up for. Despite his relative inexperience and unbridled ambition, Dillingham knew the drill when it came to Arizona State football: Decades of unfulfilled potential, challenges getting the local community to support college sports in a pro-dominated market and the potential for NCAA penalties thanks to the mismanagement of his predecessor, Herm Edwards. 

If it didn’t work, Dillingham’s aspirations were probably not going to end up the way he envisioned,

“Usually you only get one opportunity to be a head coach,” Dillingham said. “When we took over, it was in a different place. I knew it was going to be difficult.”

Instead, the youngest coach in FBS has made it look easy. 

On Wednesday afternoon, Arizona State — a 3-9 team just one year ago, picked to finish last in the Big 12 six months ago — will take the field against Texas in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. 

Forget the fact that Arizona State is the biggest underdog in any of the remaining playoff matchups. Forget that this program hasn’t finished a season in the top 10 since 1996. Forget that Dillingham was a graduate assistant at Memphis a mere eight years ago while his counterpart, Steve Sarkisian, has a résumé that took him from one blue blood (Southern California) to another (Alabama) to yet one more (Texas) with a two-year NFL stint in between. 

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In a college football era defined by disruption, where season by season fortunes hinge on fine margins and a program’s relationship with its players feels more transactional than organic, Arizona State is here to show us what’s possible. And Dillingham is here to show us that the new normal doesn’t have to be so bad. 

“He just makes it about the players,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said. “It’s not the top-down model, the hierarchy that’s always been college football. I think a lot of people have a hard time adjusting and adapting. Kenny is different.” 

These are cynical times for college sports. When coaches aren’t complaining publicly about the recruiting environment or the transfer portal, most of them are doing it privately. Every time a coach walks away, even if they’re at the typical retirement age, it seems like a referendum on the industry’s struggle to manage name, image and likeness rules in an orderly manner. The NCAA seems feckless, unable to enforce its rules while it waits to be rescued by Congress. Even expanding the College Football Playoff to 12 teams has created detractors nitpicking the teams that were selected or the competitiveness of the first-round games a little more than a week ago. 

But at the end of the day, what’s better for the sport: the same five or six programs dominating everything, or a perennial mediocrity like Arizona State finally getting it right and being rewarded with relevance and hope? 

It’s an easy answer. Yes, college football needs the gravitas of its Texases and Ohio States. But for far too long, the Arizona States didn’t really have a place in this sport barring a massive, once-a-century type of fluke. 

Even a year ago, Arizona State would have gotten a pat on the head and a cool bowl trip for going 11-2 and winning the Big 12. That would have been a nice reward for the players, but it’s not validation. The new CFP has shown that every school is one good hire and a nice run in the transfer portal away from getting its chance to compete for a national title, even as unlikely as that might be.

And were not talking about Little Sisters of the Poor here. Arizona State has 57,000 in-person undergrads, sits adjacent to a top-15 media market and has one of the most attractive on-campus setups in the country when you consider the weather and scenery. 

If *that* school is doomed to be shut out of college football’s spoils because of decades-long structural disadvantages, you’re not maximizing what the sport can be and how it can touch all corners of the country. 

It’s uncertain what this run means for the future of Arizona State. But at least there’s a chance to ignite something that for too long felt unattainable — even for someone like Dillingham who went to high school half an hour from campus.  

“We compete against teams and fan bases that are obsessive,” Dillingham said. “We have to become an obsessive fan base, and if we can do that in (one of the largest cities) in the country where people go to retire, you’ve got something special. People have to see the joy, see the excitement. They have to see there’s no difference between winning for the city and how it creates winning for the local businesses and what winning does for a player when they reap benefits and are top-five in the Heisman vote. Everybody wins when you win, so why not get the entire state, the entire city behind a winner?”

And with Dillingham, you’re not going to have to search hard for the emotional connection. He cries in front of players. Sometimes he loses his cool and turns into an Internet meme. He simultaneously makes you believe he belongs in the upper echelon of college coaches while conveying a sense that there’s a true generational shift underway from the Nick Saban types to the Millennials like Dillingham or Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman who are now starting to get these jobs. 

That sense of inexperience and lack of seriousness — whether fair or not — has forever been the most significant barrier in college football for younger coaches. But as the sport’s longtime standard bearers find frustration in the sport’s new culture where relationships are year-to-year and there are no rules binding players to programs, youth may be an asset. 

“Intuition and thinking outside the box in this era is important, and he doesn’t have years of experience that ‘This is how I’ve always done it as a head coach,’” said Sarkisian, who was 35 when he took over his first head coaching job at Washington. “He has a little more of a blank canvas that he can shape in terms of how to manage the portal, manage NIL, manage conference realignment.

“I look back on it when I was 34 thinking, I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. But I had a ton of energy back then, and Kenny does too. The rapport with players is always helpful when you’re a little younger, and that energy is needed when you’re struggling in Year 1 so I have a ton of respect for the job he’s done.”

Energy is a word you’ll hear a lot around Dillingham, but it’s not just staying up late to make recruiting phone calls or doing a lot of interviews to give the appearance of working hard. More important is the locker room energy that he seeks when bringing people into the program. If a recruit doesn’t respond to his extroverted personality— or isn’t going to match his energy, as the kids say — it’s just not going to work. 

“He’s all about getting good people at our place,” said Hines Ward, the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers standout who joined Dillingham’s staff this year as receivers coach. “We’re not going to beg kids to come to Arizona State. We’re going to get kids that want to be a part of our program, that wants to get development and be a part of something special we’re building. It’s made it fun.” 

It’s always hard to know exactly what goes on behind closed doors in a football program, but it was notable that within a couple days of winning the Big 12 title Dillingham’s social media feed was amplifying announcements of Arizona State players who entered the transfer portal along with message of support like:

“Fired up to keep coaching you through the bowl/playoff!” he wrote about safety Kamari Wilson.
“Baller! He can flat out help somebody!” he wrote about receiver Kaleb Black.

Dillingham didn’t have to do that — not many coaches do. But in his mind, players shouldn’t have to choose between getting a better opportunity somewhere else and missing out on a potential once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Without everyone’s contributions from the starting quarterback to the scout team, Arizona State isn’t here. So where others complain, Dillingham adapts. 

But in the end, he insists what’s happened for the Sun Devils isn’t because he’s some genius. This may not have even happened at a different school, he said, where he doesn’t have the same history and institutional knowledge of the unique circumstances surrounding Arizona State. 

But now they’re here, getting ready to play a game that would have seemed impossible a couple years ago. Now the future looks limitless, and maybe Arizona State won’t even need to wait to ascend another level.

That’s what the 12-team College Football Playoff has done. And that’s what Dillingham’s infectious personality has gotten the Sun Devils to believe. 

“There’s no doubt we’re playing with house money,” he said. ‘Nobody expected us to be here. But our guys got to this point because they’re ultra competitors. I get asked all the time, ‘Have you reflected?’ No, I haven’t reflected. Right now it’s about doing whatever we can to be the best version of us today, tomorrow and the next day. But eventually I’ll probably look back and be like holy cow, look what we just did.’ 

The San Francisco 49ers couldn’t keep up with the Detroit Lions in their home finale on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 17. They lost 40-34, their 10th loss in an injury-riddled 2024 season and their sixth in the last seven games.

They can potentially add another injury to the list: quarterback Brock Purdy.

Purdy had a career-high 377 passing yards in the game but left late in the fourth quarter after a sack by Lions safety Brian Branch.

After the play, Purdy left the game and was replaced by Joshua Dobbs, who scored on a 7-yard touchdown run on the 49ers’ final drive of the game.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that Purdy’s status for Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals is up in the air due to a nerve issue in his elbow.

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Purdy will undergo more testing Tuesday.

At 6-10, the 49ers are out of playoff contention this season.

If he’s out, he’ll be the latest significant injury to the 49ers’ offense. San Francisco played Week 17’s game against the Lions without left tackle Trent Williams and left guard Aaron Banks.

Running back Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk have both missed significant time with injuries as well.

49ers QB depth chart

San Francisco went to Dobbs after Purdy’s injury. The team also has quarterback Brandon Allen on the active roster. Allen started for Purdy in Week 12 against the Green Bay Packers and struggled in a 38-10 loss.

It’s unclear whether Dobbs or Allen would start in Week 18 if Purdy is out.

The 49ers also have quarterback Tanner Mordecai signed to the practice squad.

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Timeout, Falcons.

That would have been simple enough in the waning seconds of regulation at Washington on Sunday night. And not just once.

You might think Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris – and his staff, too – would have learned from the bungled clock management at the end of the first half of a must-win game to control playoff destiny but apparently, they didn’t make the halftime adjustment.

So, here they go again.

They blew it.

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Squandered the opportunity to pull off an upset. Shot themselves in the foot. Dropped the ball. Laid an egg that left them embarrassed in prime time on national television.

In the end, in falling 30-24 in overtime against the Washington Commanders and dazzling rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, they were so, well, Falconesque.

Add another chapter of heartbreak for a franchise whose history is stained by blowing a 28-3 lead in a Super Bowl.

This latest setback, which left Atlanta (8-8) needing help to overtake the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South crown, might not have been as bad as succumbing to Tom Brady’s will with a Lombardi Trophy on the line because the stakes weren’t as high. But it was certainly a reminder of why it must be so painful to exist as a Falcons fan.

After finishing the first half with three timeouts in their pocket (settling for a field goal and 17-7 lead that should have been larger if a once-promising, last-minute didn’t fizzle), the Falcons were positioned at the end of the fourth quarter to stun Washington with a walk-off field goal.

By fumbling the clock, though, the Falcons ran out of time to run probably at least two more plays that would have given their fill-in kicker a better chance for a game-winning field goal. As it turned out, Riley Patterson’s 56-yard attempt landed several yards short as time expired in regulation…and Atlanta never touched the ball again.

The Falcons have no one to blame but themselves. Shoot, they got a gift with a quick three-and-out on the previous Commanders drive when former Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus had a third-down pass over the middle carom off his helmet.

Then they turned around and returned the favor. Like the same old Falcons.

After Michael Penix Jr., connected with Darnell Mooney on a deep out route – a beautiful laser throw for a 25-yard completion – to move the football to the Falcons’ 44-yard line, they wasted at least 16 seconds rather than calling for one of their two remaining timeouts. Just ridiculous.

What more could they ask for in that situation? With the game tied, the drive began at Atlanta’s 19-yard line with 40 seconds on the clock. When Mooney hauled in the pass, 33 seconds. It was a great way to jump-start a drive. But when they snapped the football again, just 17 seconds remained – along with the two timeouts.

Morris, in his second stint as a head coach and first year at the helm for the Falcons, should know better. This is not how to manage the clock in crunch time.

Why not take the timeout?

“Probably could have,” Morris explained – so unconvincingly, given the result – afterward. He thought they could get the next play off and save the timeout.

“In hindsight, could have been a good decision, a better decision, to take that timeout. But I wanted to have the opportunity to move up there. You can always second-guess things, second-guess the motives. You can always go back and see if you can snap it a little quicker. But I really believe we can get our operation time a little faster and be able to save that timeout.”

What a hard lesson to learn. An NBC graphic as this episode unfolded on “Sunday Night Football” provided the much-needed context. With a victory, the Falcons would have had a playoff probability of 79%. The loss dropped that chance to 15%.

In other words, the good teams seize such moments. The bad ones, as the Chicago Bears showed us in bungling the clock at Detroit on Thanksgiving, can’t seem to get out of their own way.

Atlanta is still just bad enough. To make the playoffs from here, the Falcons need some prayers answered for a holiday miracle – as in a victory against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday coupled with a loss by the Bucs (9-7) against the injury-depleted New Orleans Saints.

It’s too bad it has come down to this long shot for the Falcons, who only a few weeks ago looked like a lock to win the division title and make the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Since a 6-3 start, the Falcons have dropped five of seven games. The only two wins since early November came against the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, who are sporting records of 4-12 and 3-13, respectively.

No, this is not what was promised. The Falcons have turned into one big tease. Again.

Sure, Penix Jr. looks like the real deal, offering hope for the future after the Falcons made the big decision to accelerate the succession plan and supplant Kirk Cousins. Yet for all the detailed planning, the Falcons showed they are still the Falcons, failing to “rise up” and support their promising rookie quarterback with the best clock management in the clutch.

Barring a miracle, the Dirty Birds will be forced to take yet another timeout – from the NFL playoffs.

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell on X @JarrettBell.

If ruling the AFC North is the NFL’s version of being King in the North, then – as “Game of Thrones” has taught us – who in their right mind would want the honorific?

That will be a question the Baltimore Ravens and, perhaps, Pittsburgh Steelers must ponder now that the league has flexed their Week 18 games into its upcoming Saturday doubleheader, the Ravens hosting the Cleveland Browns at 4:30 p.m. ET, while the Cincinnati Bengals visit the Steelers for the night game. The Ravens will clinch the division and the AFC’s No. 3 seed with a win. The Steelers wear the crown with a win plus a Baltimore loss. Whichever team gets the wild card will likely be the conference’s fifth seed (unless Pittsburgh loses and the Los Angeles Chargers win Sunday).

Generally speaking, NFL players and coaches will usually take the public tack of embracing whomever and whatever challenges the schedule serves up. However they’re far more reticent when the matter of potential manipulation of their itinerary arises. And, normally, beheading a few opponents south of the Wall (especially those like the Browns) on your way to a divisional coronation is an easy call, especially since it conveys at least a home date in the wild-card round. But this year? Particularly as it pertains to a Ravens squad that appears to be rounding into Super Bowl form, targeting that No. 5 seed and hitting the Kingsroad might be the savvier ploy for one reason …

… The Houston Texans.

In a season when the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers were all deservedly, spectacularly and repeatedly set alight by dragonfire, Houston has largely enjoyed a pass for being such a largely disappointing championship pretender. Yet for anyone who’s been paying attention, the Texans have been routinely stepping in it ever since their 34-10 divisional playoff loss to the Ravens 12 months ago.

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They traded a second-round draft pick for explosive receiver – and personality – Stefon Diggs in April. In fairness, Houston started 6-2 before he was lost to a torn ACL, though the competition to that point had been largely middling – a Week 5 victory over the Buffalo Bills the only one of note. And the decision to restructure Diggs’ contract means he will probably amount to an eight-game rental.

GM Nick Caserio also spent heavily to sign pass rusher Danielle Hunter and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair when he could have saved money by retaining popular Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman at those respective positions while simultaneously maintaining some of the chemistry from a 2023 team that has proven superior to the 2024 version. (Meanwhile, Greenard and Cashman were scooped up by the Minnesota Vikings, who have more than reaped the rewards of their additions.)

That’s not all.

Houston’s 2024 draft class has been a mixed bag at best so far, rookie corner Kamari Lassiter the only contributor of note. Caserio saw fit to chide the media while offering a largely bizarre defense of Al-Shaair – who may, in fact, be a good guy off the field but has a deserved and documented reputation as a shady player on it – after his egregious and illegal hit on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence both concussed the quarterback and ultimately ended his 2024 season. (Al-Shaair is due back from his three-game suspension this week.)

Worst of all, opponents seem to have deciphered offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s playbook; the O-line too often has trouble, well, blocking; and volatile running back Joe Mixon has consequently been running into walls (if not White Walkers) late in the season. All that has certainly contributed to what’s been a noticeable sophomore regression for quarterback C.J. Stroud, the 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year. (But don’t worry, Caserio recently added mercurial Diontae Johnson to the mix after Baltimore dumped the wideout following a midseason trade to acquire him decidedly didn’t pan out.)

NFL PLAYOFF PICTURE: Where things stand

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It’s a long way of summarizing this: Right now, you want to play the Texans, whom the Ravens just embarrassed 31-2 in front of Beyoncé, less-famous Houstonians and an international Christmas afternoon Netflix audience.

“That’s not who we are. That’s not what we represent,” coach DeMeco Ryans said after the loss. “What we put out there on the field, that’s not Texans football.”

Maybe not? Yet it must be noted that the victory against Buffalo nearly three months ago remains Houston’s only win against a team that’s currently above .500. The Texans are 3-5 since Diggs went down.

Without the weight of the divisional scepter, Baltimore would get a rematch at NRG Stadium since Houston rules the unenviable kingdom that is the AFC South – think the Iron Islands (or a Group of Five conference, if that helps) – but nevertheless get a wild-card home game. The likely alternate opponent for winning the AFC North is the Bolts, who are something of a mirror image of the Ravens.

Baltimore and Pittsburgh both won tight contests against the Chargers – a tough, physical, smart, mostly disciplined team that is going to try and bully the opposition on both sides of the ball – earlier this season and, perhaps not coincidentally, each lost their subsequent matchup … which would be suboptimal in January. The Chargers are also getting key players back and found a semblance of a passing game in Saturday’s 40-7 dissection of the New England Patriots.

Trying to finagle a matchup with Houston probably wouldn’t require the Ravens or Steelers to do more than rest important starters during Week 18, which also serves as an opportunity for a de facto bye for playoff entries that haven’t actually earned a wholesale week off. (And, yes, it’s also quite fair to ask how viable a Pittsburgh outfit that’s lost three in a row – by an average margin of 16.7 points – and hasn’t won during postseason in eight years truly is and whether Mike Tomlin’s team can afford to do anything other than attempt to get its mojo back Saturday.)

But Houston has a problem. Several, in fact, and winter is coming for the Texans. All that’s left to learn is who will vanquish them on what could be a far more favorable path to the NFL’s awaiting Iron Throne in New Orleans this February.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

2024 is nearly complete, and with it goes a year of some of the most incredible sports moments in recent memory. From the Olympics to championship droughts ending to unforgettable upsets across multiple leagues and sports, 2024 was one of the best years for sports fans in a long while.

Just because it’s going by, though, doesn’t mean it must be forgotten. We have technology after all: videos and photographs allowing us to relive those memories time and time again. So, before we start looking forward to 2025, why don’t we take a look back at the past 365 days? Here are the best moments and highlights of the year.

Best sports moments of 2024

10) Chiefs win second consecutive Super Bowl

It had been a long while since we’d seen a back-to-back Super Bowl champion. In fact, we hadn’t seen one in two decades, but the Chiefs are an entirely different animal. They’ve dominated the league ever since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback. And last year, they earned their third title in five years after a thrilling overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

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9) Raygun’s remarkable breaking routine

The 2024 Paris Olympics were full of unforgettable moments. But the first year that breakdancing was introduced to the Olympics was also its last, because of a viral Australian dancer.

Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun, the female Australian breaking competitor, lost all three of her Olympic battles in epic fashion, yet stole the show and will forever be etched into Olympics history.

8) Jim Harbaugh leads Michigan to first national championship since 1997

Sign-stealing scandal aside, it’s hard to ignore just how quickly Jim Harbaugh turned the Michigan football program around. They were 5-7 the year prior to Harbaugh’s tenure. They won ten games his first year with the university, culminating in a Citrus Bowl victory.

It was only fitting that his tenure there would end with an undefeated season and Michigan’s first national championship of the 21st century. Even now, in Harbaugh’s absence, the Wolverines have been unable to match the magic they had during his tenure. Their 7-5 record ahead of the ReliaQuest Bowl is their worst regular season finish in a full season since…2014, the year before Harbaugh arrived.

7) Simone Biles overcomes ‘twisties’ to win four medals in Paris

Simone Biles is widely regarded as the greatest gymnast who ever lived, but her performance at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was marred with controversy, with some people considering her decision to step away unbecoming of such a fierce competitor. Regardless of her reasoning, it was great to see her back in action in 2024, and not just competing but dominating the competition, earning three golds (including an all-around championship) and a silver, adding to her already shining resume.

6) Shohei Ohtani becomes baseball’s first member of the 50-50 club

Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player on planet Earth. Even when he is unable to pitch, he is making history.

Coming into the 2024 season, some people were unsure how valuable Ohtani would be in his first year with the Dodgers. A change of scenery can devastate some players (even if it was just across town this time), and without Ohtani’s arm to back up his bat, would the first year of Ohtani’s massive $700 million contract be disappointing? Absolutely not.

He didn’t even need to play the field to win MVP. Why? Because he was too busy re-shaping the record books. With this home run against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani became the first baseball player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.

Oh, and in this very game, he went 6-for-6 with three homers, two stolen bases, and 10 RBI.

5) ‘This devil named Curry is hurting us’

Everyone expected the United States to dominate basketball at the 2024 Olympics. However, the U.S. men’s team faced a little more pushback than anticipated when they faced France in the gold medal game.

Coming off a narrow victory over Serbia, the Americans seemed mortal, and France was looking to take full advantage, trailing by only six entering the fourth quarter. The French had the opportunity to sway momentum in their favor, but one Mr. Wardell Stephen Curry had other plans, hitting four straight three-pointers in the final three minutes of the game, prompting the French announcers to say the iconic line: ‘le diable nommé Curry nous fait du mal,’ meaning ‘The devil named Curry is hurting us.’

4) Noah Lyles wins gold at the 100-meter

Unlike the men’s basketball event, there was a lot of talk about whether or not Noah Lyles could win gold for the United States in the 100-meter dash. The United States hadn’t won gold since 2004, but Lyles felt different. Something about his swagger, his pre-race finishes, and his confidence made Americans feel like their time of dominance on the track was coming again.

As the race started, though, many people felt weary. Lyles fell behind early, but in the blink of an eye, he was catching up. At the finish, everyone believed Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson had won, even the NBC cameraman. However, after a look at the replay, Lyles got his leg in just before Thompson, earning him the gold.

3) Caitlin Clark, Iowa get revenge on Angel Reese, LSU

2024 was the year of Caitlin Clark. Whether it was her winning WNBA Rookie of the Year by a near-unanimous vote, helping lead the Indiana Fever to a playoff berth, or being named the AP’s Athlete of the Year, Clark had many moments worthy of making this list. However, it was her performance in the NCAA quarterfinals, against Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers that topped them all.

A year after losing the national championship to LSU, Clark and the Hawkeyes got their revenge, knocking the Tigers out in the Elite Eight. Clark scored 41 points in the win, nearly twice as many as the next highest-scorer (LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, 23) to propel Iowa to the Final Four.

2) Florida Panthers win their first-ever Stanley Cup

The Edmonton Oilers boast arguably the two best hockey players in the world in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. That didn’t matter to the Florida Panthers, though. After barely squeaking out an Atlantic Division title and nearly blowing a 3-0 series lead in the Finals, the Panthers were able to win a close Game 7 and earn their franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup.

1) Freddie Freeman walks off Game 1 of the World Series with a grand slam

Yankees-Dodgers. There’s rarely a more iconic matchup than that in the World Series, and Game 1 was shaping up to be an instant classic.

After the Dodgers tied the game 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, extra innings were needed to determine a winner. It looked like the Yankees were going to emerge victorious after Jazz Chisholm scored in the top of the tenth. With two outs in the tenth and runners on second and third, the Yankees decided to intentionally walk Mookie Betts to bring up Freddie Freeman. The rest is history.

Freeman’s homer was the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history. He’d go on to win World Series MVP after slashing .300/.364/1.000 with four home runs, a triple, and twelve RBIs.

The main event of New Year’s week starts Tuesday night when the quarterfinal round of the new 12-team College Football Playoff gets underway with Penn State and Boise State meeting in the Fiesta Bowl. Before that, however, there’s a solid undercard to whet your appetite for the game that will ring in 2025.

Tuesday’s pre-playoff lineup features four bowl games, with the Sunshine and Lone Star States featured prominently. This foursome of contests involves plenty of name-brand football programs, though they’d all undoubtedly rather be playing later in the week.

Nevertheless, here’s a look at the teams on the slate that will help you plan your day of gridiron viewing.

ReliaQuest Bowl – No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan

Time/TV/location: Noon ET, ESPN, Tampa, Fla.

Why watch: It’s a juicy pairing from the standpoint of being a rematch of a playoff semifinal from a year ago, but it pretty much goes without saying that neither squad is delighted to be here. The Crimson Tide are likely the more disgruntled of the two having been the last team on the outside looking into the expanded field. The Wolverines showed some fight down the stretch by taking down Ohio State, but many of the players on both sides of the ball responsible for that won’t be taking part. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe will play, though whether he’ll be back next season remains the subject of speculation. Nevertheless, his presence here is good news for standout freshman WR Ryan Williams. Michigan’s top RBs Kalil Mullings and Donovan Edwards will be sitting out, which will limit QB Davis Warren’s options.

Why it could disappoint: Honestly, it probably will. Alabama was its own worst enemy in its losses this year, so as long as Milroe and Co. take care of the ball they should come up with more than enough points to overpower the offense-challenged Wolverines.

Sun Bowl – Louisville vs. Washington

Time/TV/location: 2 p.m. ET, CBS, El Paso, Texas.

Why watch: Oh what might have been for Louisville, which won at Clemson in dominant fashion and came within a touchdown of toppling Notre Dame but somehow let a win inexplicably get away at lowly Stanford. The Cardinals will now be shorthanded for this contest with QB Tyler Shough and WR Ja’Corey Brooks off to the draft. The offense will be in the hands of Harrison Bailey, who has made only mop-up appearances in 2024 but did complete all eight of his pass attempts. The Huskies had a few highlights in their first season in the Big Ten but for the most part didn’t enjoy life away from the west coast. Freshman Demond Williams took over QB duties late in the season and will keep the job in the bowl.

Why it could disappoint: A series of miscues by inexperienced hands could allow this one to get away for either squad. But it’s hard to discern a distinct talent advantage either way, so hopefully things will be competitive.

Citrus Bowl – No. 14 South Carolina vs. No. 21 Illinois

Time/TV/location: 3 p.m. ET, ABC, Orlando, Fla.

Why watch: On its face, this presents as a solid matchup of power conference contenders with identical records. It might unfold that way, but the Gamecocks come in as favorites after finishing as one of the hottest teams in the SEC. They’ll hope for another strong outing from dynamic freshman QB LaNorris Sellers to get a jump start on next season. Unfortunately, he will not have draft-eligible RB Raheim Sanders with him in the backfield one more time, but WRs Mazeo Bennett and Nyck Harbor could be utilized often. Fighting Illini QB Luke Altmyer is a go, but his top target WR Pat Bryant is opting out. That will likely mean frequent targets for WR Zakhari Franklin.

Why it could disappoint: The Gamecocks fared much better against the top tier of their conference, while the Illini won their share of games in the Big Ten but weren’t particularly close to knocking off Penn State or Oregon. That may or may not be a harbinger here, but if there is a mismatch it would figure to go South Carolina’s way.

Texas Bowl – Baylor vs. LSU

Time/TV/location: 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Houston

Why watch: Dave Aranda’s chair in Waco was starting to feel a wee bit warm as Baylor began the campaign 2-4 but cooled considerably as the Bears ran off six consecutive wins to close the regular season. Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson and RB Bryson Washington put up big scores during the run and hope to keep the momentum going. The temperature trended the other way at LSU, where a three-game skid after the season’s midpoint derailed the Tigers’ SEC title hopes. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier announced he’d be back next year, in theory a positive development despite his occasionally incurring the wrath of fans. He’ll be short-handed here, however, with top WR Kyren Lacy and key OT Will Campbell headed to the draft.

Why it could disappoint: Baylor probably needs to make this a shootout, but given both teams’ regular struggles on defense that could very well be how things unfold. If that is indeed the case, we could have a fun one leading into the first quarterfinal.

Fiesta Bowl – No. 3 Boise State vs. No. 6 Penn State

Time/TV/location: Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, Glendale, Ariz.

Why watch: The first quarterfinal pits the rested Broncos with their Heisman runner-up against the tough Nittany Lions defense that passed its first postseason test with flying colors. Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty brings his 2,497 yards and 29 rushing TDs into State Farm Stadium. He’ll be opposed by Penn State LB Kobe King, who will probably also get secondary support from DB Jaylen Reed. Broncos QB Maddux Madsen is more than capable of providing air cover for Jeanty and has only been picked three times this season, a number that must not increase since the Nittany Lions have amply demonstrated they know what to do with errant passes. Penn State can run the ball a little in its own right, with the platoon of RBs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combining for 1,820 yards themselves. The Broncos also deploy their secondary in ground support frequently, with sure tacklers like Ty Benefield and Seyi Oladipo often providing the finish. But QB Drew Allar’s ultimate weapon, TE Tyler Warren, will test Boise’s coverage schemes.

Why it could disappoint: If the Nittany Lions’ defense once again has its way in the game’s first few series, we might be in for another suspense-free contest. A Broncos’ rout seems less likely, but the turnover bug might bite Penn State with the pressure on.

The Chicago Blackhawks are back in the outdoor Winter Classic after a five-year absence and they’re playing at the site of their first appearance.

Wrigley Field hosted the NHL’s second Winter Classic in 2009, and the Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues will play at the Chicago Cubs’ stadium Tuesday on New Year’s Eve (5 p.m. ET, TNT).

The Blackhawks had made four previous appearances in the annual outdoor game as one of the NHL’s top franchises with Stanley Cup wins in 2010, 2013 and 2015. But they have fallen on hard times recently and the rebuilding team has one playoff appearance since 2017.

The draw this year is Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 draft and last season’s rookie of the year.

The Blues will be making their third appearance and beat the Blackhawks in the 2017 game at St. Louis’ Busch Stadium.

What to know about the Winter Classic:

What time is Blackhawks vs. Blues Winter Classic?

The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues will play at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local time) on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. The game is usually played on New Year’s Day but there are three College Football Playoff quarterfinals on Jan. 1.

What channel is Blackhawks vs. Blues Winter Classic?

The game will be broadcast nationally on TNT and truTV. A pregame show will air at 4 p.m. ET.

How to stream Blackhawks vs. Blues Winter Classic

The game can be streamed on Sling and on Max.

Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues Winter Classic: Time, TV, streaming for Tuesday

Date: Tuesday, Dec. 31
Time: 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local)
TV: TNT, truTV
Streaming: Sling, Max
Location: Wrigley Field (Chicago)

Winter Classic weather forecast

There could be snow showers leading up to the game. The forecast calls for 38 degrees and cloudy at the start of the game, with temperatures dropping to 35.

How have the Blackhawks and Blues fared in outdoor games?

The Blackhawks are 0-4 in the Winter Classic (2009, 2015, 2017 and 2019) and 1-1 in Stadium Series games. The Blues are 2-0 in the Winter Classic (2017, 2022), their only outdoor games.

Winter Classic players to watch

Chicago’s Connor Bedard: He was voted the top rookie of 2023-24 after recording 61 points in 68 games. He got off to a slow start this season but has 17 points in his last 16 games and a team-best 32 points.

St. Louis’ Jordan Kyrou: The forward had two goals and two assists in the Blues’ 2022 Winter Classic win in Minnesota, a record output. The record for most career points in a Winter Classic is seven. Kyrou is the Blues’ leading scorer with 31 points.

St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington: He will be one of Team Canada’s goalies during the 4 Nations Face-Off. He stopped 29 of 33 shots to win the 2022 game.

Winter Classic coaches are in-season replacements

Neither coach was behind their respective bench at the start of the season. Chicago interim coach Anders Sorensen, the NHL’s first Swedish-born head coach, replaced Luke Richardson on Dec. 5. The Blues hired Jim Montgomery on Nov. 24 to replace Drew Bannister. Montgomery had been fired by the Boston Bruins five days earlier. It’s the first time the Winter Classic has featured two in-season replacement coaches.

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Penn State’s defense made a statement in a 38-10 win against SMU in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

The offense was relegated to backup status as the Nittany Lions scored twice on interception returns and set up another short field that led to a touchdown late in the first half. Ahead 28-0 at the break, Penn State cruised into the quarterfinals against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

This same defense is the reason why the Nittany Lions are favored to advance into the national semifinals and potentially capture the program’s first national championship since 1986.

But the offense will have to show up eventually. While the running game carried the load against SMU, quarterback Drew Allar will have to step up his game if the Nittany Lions hope to beat teams such as Oregon, Ohio State, Notre Dame or Texas.

Boise State’s recipe for an upset calls for more and more of star running back Ashton Jeanty, who finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting after a memorable junior season.

Here are the keys to the Fiesta Bowl:

Can Penn State stop Ashton Jeanty?

No one has, though Penn State has the pieces to slow down one of the most prolific backs in Bowl Subdivision history.

Jeanty heads into the postseason with an FBS-best 2,497 yards, within striking distance of Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record. He’s cracked the 200-yard mark six times, including in each of the past two games, and has gained at least 128 yards in every game against Bowl Subdivision competition.

In one game that parallels the Fiesta Bowl, Jeanty ran for 192 yards and three scores on 7.7 yards per carry in the Broncos’ 37-34 loss to Oregon in non-conference play.

Five opponents have gone over 100 rushing yards against Penn State, led by Southern California’s 189 yards and a score in the Nittany Lions’ narrow win back in October. PSU ranks seventh nationally in yards allowed per game and is tied for third in allowing just seven scores on the ground.

Can Boise make Allar do it all?

The Broncos’ run defense is one of the best in the Group of Five. Against the Ducks, the Broncos gave up just 109 yards and a score on 3.1 yards per carry. The only team to run the ball effectively on Boise was UNLV, in fact, which went for a combined 405 yards in the two matchups between the pair during the regular season – accounting for more than a quarter of the Broncos’ total rushing yardage allowed.

From a defensive perspective, Boise’s clearest path to an upset is to slow down the Nittany Lions’ passing game and force Allar to carry the weight on offense.

This could easily backfire; Allar can be unpredictable, but he’s an all-conference talent with the arm strength and pocket presence to play at the next level. He’s also struggling to get his production back on track: Allar is a combined 50 of 87 for 524 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions in the Nittany Lions’ past three games.

BIG STAKES: Penn State, James Franklin need win to end narrative

BAD CALL: Cam Ward’s decision to sit second half of bowl is bad look

Can Penn State’s pass rush be stopped?

The Nittany Lions’ run defense ranks near the top of the FBS despite a lack of beefy interior linemen. Instead, you can give more credit to the scheme and a consistent approach along the defensive front for this group’s success.

But there is speed to burn on the edges, where standouts such as All-America defensive lineman Abdul Carter could make things very difficult for Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen. Again, though, this is something the Broncos do well: Boise is tied for first with Ohio State among all playoff teams in allowing only 12 sacks.