The LA Bowl, a lower-tier college football postseason game, has ceased operations.
While its closure was rumored for weeks, the game said no decision had been made until now
The LA Bowl was known for its unique naming rights, once being named after comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

College football is losing another lower-tier postseason bowl game. The LA Bowl confirmed Wednesday, Jan. 14 that it will cease operations after Washington beat Boise State, 38-10, in its final game last month at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

While the game’s demise was rumored for the past several weeks, its management said no decision had been made until recently.

“After five great years, the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium has come to an end,” the game’s management said in a statement.’ The event finished on a high note on December 13, 2025, with the Washington Huskies hoisting the final trophy in a victory over the Boise State Broncos. We thank all the fans and partners who supported this innovative bowl game.”

What the LA Bowl’s decision means

The decision comes as bowl games are trying to find their way in the evolving industry of college football. The 12-team College Football Playoff makes the lower-tier games less relevant for some teams such as Notre Dame, which declined to play in one this postseason after finishing the season 10-2. Iowa State and Kansas State also declined to play in bowl games, drawing a $500,000 fine from the Big 12 Conference for not helping the league fulfill its bowl game contracts.

The closing of a bowl game is nothing new, however. Bowl games have come and gone throughout college football history, each making a decision based on their market and business model. In the last decade, the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego and Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara, California have ceased operations. The Bahamas Bowl owned by ESPN Events was replaced by another game in Frisco, Texas – The Xbox Bowl.

There were 41 bowl games this past season in major college football, including six that are part of the playoff. Of those 41, 16 are owned by ESPN Events, a division of ESPN. Almost all the rest are owned by local nonprofit organizations except for three that are owned by pro teams or their owners. The LA Bowl was owned by Hollywood Park and Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke. The New York Yankees own the Pinstripe Bowl in New York. The Detroit Lions own the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit.

What set the LA Bowl apart

In the LA Bowl’s case, the announced attendance for its last game was 23,269, well short of the game’s record of 32,780 in 2023, when it hosted the hometown UCLA Bruins in a stadium that seats 70,000. The game was supposed to start in 2020 but was canceled then because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then it was known for its colorful sideshows and unusual reverse-naming rights sponsorships, which included being named after a comedian and hosted by former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski.

It was called the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl back in 2021, the first bowl game to be named after a person and not a weed eater, agricultural product or other corporate sponsor. (That doesn’t count the old John Hancock Bowl in El Paso, which was named after an insurance company sponsor and not the American Revolution leader with the big signature.) This year it was called the Bucked Up LA Bowl hosted by Gronk, named after a fitness supplement company.

But neither Kimmel nor Gronkowski paid to be in the game’s name, unlike other title or presenting sponsors for bowl games, as confirmed by the LA Bowl. It was to get attention in a crowded bowl field. And it worked to some degree until it didn’t, especially after the old Pac-12 Conference fell apart and left it without a western power conference as a future partner.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Mike Tomlin’s decision to step down might be the first of several major offseason changes for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

One day after Tomlin opted to end his 19-year run as the franchise’s coach, Steelers president Art Rooney II indicated that he believes quarterback Aaron Rodgers won’t be back with the team in 2026.

‘Aaron came here to play for Mike,’ Rooney said in a news conference. ‘So I think it will most likely affect his decision.’

Rodgers, 42, signed a one-year contract with the Steelers in June, citing Tomlin as a driving factor in his decision to link up with the team after a tumultuous two-year run with the New York Jets. The four-time NFL MVP said shortly after reaching his contract that he was ‘pretty sure’ that 2025 would be his final season, but in late December he left open the possibility of playing on – whether in Pittsburgh or elsewhere.

‘I’m thinking about this week, but obviously I’m 42 years old and I’m on a one-year deal,’ Rodgers said. ‘So you know what the situation is. Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent. So that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play. I mean, not a lot of options, but there’ll be options, I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still want to play.’

After a season-ending wild-card loss to the Houston Texans on Monday, Rodgers said he would take his time while weighing retirement against returning for a 22nd season.

‘I’m not going to make any emotional decisions at this point,’ Rodgers said. ‘Such a fun year. A lot of adversity, but a lot of fun. Been a great year overall in my life in the last year, and this is a really good part of that, coming here and being a part of this team. So it’s disappointing to be sitting here with the season over.’

The Steelers currently have Mason Rudolph and 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard as the only quarterbacks under contract with the team.

The NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA) has filed a formal grievance challenging the league’s High Impact Player rule.

The NWSL announced the new rule last month. The mechanism allows teams to exceed the NWSL’s salary cap by up to $1 million for certain ‘high-impact’ players, with the aim of keeping some of the league’s biggest stars from seeking out bigger paydays in Europe.

But the rule has proven controversial due to some of the criteria needed to be considered a high-impact player.

In addition to accomplishments like earning NWSL Best XI or MVP honors, a player could also meet the threshold by being named to the SportsPro Media Top 150 Most Marketable Athletes list, or being selected on the short list for awards such as the Ballon d’Or.

The NWSLPA said in a statement that it ‘is seeking immediate rescission of the HIP rule.’

The union claims that the NWSL implemented the rule unilaterally in violation of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and federal labor law.

Rather than enacting the High Impact Player rule, the NWSLPA said that it has ‘proposed instead that the NWSL simply increase the salary cap by $1 million.’

“This was a unilateral decision by the league to change how a player’s fair market value is evaluated,” said Meghann Burke, executive director of the NWSLPA.

“We agree that increasing investment in player compensation is necessary to remain competitive in the global labor market. The solution is straightforward and collectively bargained by raising the salary cap. What the league cannot do is invent a parallel pay system outside the salary cap that was never negotiated, then limit access to compensation through league-controlled criteria that excludes some players.’

The NWSL is under increasing pressure from teams in Europe that don’t have to deal with a salary cap. Several prominent players have left for England over the past year including Naomi Girma, Alyssa Thompson and Sam Coffey.

Trinity Rodman, one of the most high-profile players in the NWSL, is currently a free agent after her Washington Spirit contract expired at the end of 2025. Several European clubs have shown an interest in the 23-year-old, who has yet to decide her future.

Josh Heupel is a skilled quarterback developer, but his inability to acquire transfers lurks as a liability.
Tennessee’s quarterback issue intensifies if Joey Aguilar does not get another season of eligibility.
Lane Kiffin revives past as Tennessee villain, boxing out Vols for Sam Leavitt.

Call it the Big Orange conundrum. The mystery of East Tennessee. The insoluble problem of Vols-ville.

Why can’t Josh Heupel land a transfer quarterback?

It defies logic, that this former Heisman runner-up, whose Tennessee offenses have never ranked outside of the top 20 nationally, cannot secure purchase of a transfer trigger.

It’s like Gordon Ramsay being unable to get his hands on a good cut of meat. Picasso can’t procure a paint brush.

The Vols’ empty pursuit of a transfer quarterback has become one of the top head-scratchers of the portal sweepstakes.

One of the nation’s most proven quarterback developers, coaching an SEC school with a national brand, can’t wrap his fingers around a prize.

Strange.

Unless outbound Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar wins his courtroom bid for another season of eligibility or a quarterback pops into the portal at the 11th hour, the Vols are going to find themselves in a bit of a pickle at a position of need.

How did it come to this for Tennessee?

Tennessee didn’t pounce quickly enough on Brendan Sorsby. The Vols watched as the Cincinnati transfer zipped to Texas Tech. Sorsby said last summer he’d like to play in Neyland Stadium. Tennessee couldn’t land him.

Ironically, for a coach who prides himself on warp-speed offense, Heupel and the Vols came off the line too slowly.

The Vols whiffed on Sam Leavitt. Old nemesis Lane Kiffin literally swooped into Knoxville and outdueled Heupel for the premier prize from Arizona State. Kiffin also scooped up Landen Clark, a big-armed FCS quarterback from Elon.

If you’re scoring at home, that’s Kiffin 2, Heupel 0.

Come to think of it, Kiffin nabbed edge rusher Jordan Ross off Tennessee’s squad, too.

Kiffin 3, Heupel 0.

While Tennessee fruitlessly pursued Leavitt, former Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula jumped aboard with Virginia.

Utah changed coaches, but its talented quarterback Devon Dampier announced he’s staying put. So much for that idea.

While programs from Missouri to Baylor to Northwestern secured quarterbacks with SEC or Big Ten experience, the coach who helped mold Sam Bradford, Drew Lock and Hendon Hooker keeps having sand slip between his fingers.

It’s curious, no?

As Heupel enters a pivotal sixth season at Tennessee, his best quarterback was signed by predecessor Jeremy Pruitt, a man who wouldn’t know how to operate a quarterback if it came with an instruction manual.

It’s as if Tennessee needs to bring back its former coach as a special adviser. Let Pruitt grab a few Chick-fil-A bags and do some shopping. Then, have Heupel coach them. Tennessee never looked better throughout this millennium than when Heupel cooked with Pruitt’s ingredients.

Pruitt wouldn’t have known what to do with Hooker, but Heupel found him stashed in the cupboard. Together, they took Tennessee on a joy ride.

Trouble is, Pruitt’s guys are gone now, and a head coach who’s got plenty of cred as a quarterback developer can’t coax a transfer into a competition that badly needs a veteran.

Josh Heupel not securing a transfer QB boggles the brain

Heupel’s just never had much juice in the portal. He almost brings to mind Dabo Swinney, another solid coach who’s a proven developer but is no slick operator in the portal.

It’s not as if Tennessee’s coffers are dry.

The Tuscaloosa News, citing a person close to Simpson, reported the Vols offered the Alabama quarterback $4 million if he’d transfer to Tennessee and put the NFL on hold for a season. Simpson passed.

Tennessee’s best additions this offseason came on defense after Heupel had the good sense to hire coordinator Jim Knowles from Penn State.  

Now, if only a coach who specializes in quarterbacks could secure a quarterback.

This is no small problem. Transfers pave the roadway to glory.

Six of the eight quarterbacks to start in College Football Playoff semifinal games since the format expanded to 12 teams were transfers.

What would Heupel achieve with a proven four- or five-star transfer, someone like Josh Hoover? Tennessee fans would love to know but might never find out. Hoover rebuffed Tennessee’s pursuits last spring before transferring to Indiana from TCU after this season.

Meanwhile, Heupel plies his craft squeezing juice out of project players like Joe Milton and Aguilar, who led the nation in interceptions at Appalachian State before improving under Heupel.

While SEC peers LSU, Auburn, Missouri and Kentucky made quarterback upgrades via portal acquisitions, Tennessee’s options consist of five-star true freshman Faizon Brandon and rising redshirt freshman George MacIntyre.

Brandon will be a newbie at a position that favors veterans. Heupel last started a true freshman while UCF’s coach in 2019.

MacIntyre barely played as a freshman. His arm is capable, but his bean-pole build looks susceptible to a breeze. Never mind an SEC pass rusher. You have to wonder about his durability.

Tennessee’s interest in a transfer quarterback tells you the staff realizes it needs help in 2026. A peek at the portal rankings tells you nearly all of the top quarterback options are off the board.

So, Tennessee’s predicament lingers.

There are few coaches I’d trust more than Heupel to develop a transfer quarterback, but top transfers sure don’t seem too eager to play for him.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

The No. 2-ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team will have a new addition when it takes on No. 4 Texas on Thursday night.

Midseason add Alicia Tournebize will be available to play, coach Dawn Staley confirmed in a media availability on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-7 forward played professionally in France for a few years before announcing she would join the Gamecocks in December. Tournebize, 18, arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, on Jan. 1 and has been practicing since Jan. 6, according to the Greenville News. She warmed up with South Carolina before they beat Georgia 65-43 on Sunday, but didn’t take the court.

‘She looked good,’ Staley told reporters Wednesday. ‘She’ll play, she’ll definitely play.’

Tournebize, who hails from Vichy, France, averaged 12.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in the 2025 U18 EuroBasket Tournament for her country. She has also garnered attention for effortlessly throwing down one-handed dunks.

Since joining South Carolina, she’s impressed her teammates with not only her skills, but basketball IQ.

‘She’s smart like she catches on things fast,’ Gamecocks sophomore Joyce Edwards told reporters. ‘Her defense is great. Offensively she can shoot, she can space the floor out. I feel like nobody has played her so it’s going to be hard to scout against her and I’m just excited to see her out there playing.’

Tournebize is part of a wave of international players with professional experience coming into women’s college basketball. Belgian forward Nastja Claessens — who was drafted by the WNBA’s Washington Mystics in 2024 but never signed a contract with them — joined Kansas State this season and is averaging 11.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Liza Astakhova played professionally in Russia before signing with North Carolina this season.

The NFL’s divisional round has a lot to live up to after a thrilling start to the playoffs during wild-card action. The opening four games all came down to a final possession, with fourth-quarter heroics needed by the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers in order to advance.

The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks join the fray this week after receiving byes as the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, with the New England Patriots and Houston Texans also winning last week to be among the final eight teams in pursuit of a Super Bowl title.

Here’s a look at the complete NFL playoff bracket updated ahead of the divisional round games, as well as the postseason schedule leading into Super Bowl 60 next month:

Printable NFL playoff bracket

Get your very own playoff bracket to fill out and prognosticate accordingly.

Printable NFL bracket: Click here to download a PDF of the 2026 bracket

NFL playoff schedule: Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 17:

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos: 4:30 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+, NFL+, Fubo
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks: 8 p.m. ET on FOX, NFL+, Fubo

Sunday, Jan. 18:

Houston Texans at New England Patriots: 3 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN Unlimited, NFL+, Fubo
Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears: 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, NFL+, Fubo

Watch the NFL playoffs with Fubo

Conference championships

The NFC and AFC championship games will take place on Sunday, Jan. 25. The highest remaining seeds from the divisional rounds will receive home-field advantage.

When is Super Bowl 2026?

Super Bowl LX will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Feb. 8, 2026.

NFL playoff schedule: Wild-card round results

Saturday, Jan. 10:

Los Angeles Rams 34, Carolina Panthers 31
Chicago Bears 31, Green Bay Packers 27

Sunday, Jan. 11:

Buffalo Bills 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 24
San Francisco 49ers 23, Philadelphia Eagles 19
New England Patriots 16, Los Angeles Chargers 3

Monday, Jan. 12:

Houston Texans 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 6