You survived the first full week of 2026

The GIST: Settle into your best RBF — the College Football Playoff (CFP) national title game is halfway set following last night’s heart-stopping semifinal, and one more squad will punch their ticket to the January 19th championship tonight. Here’s what you need to know ahead of the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

💙🌀 No. 10 Miami edges out No. 6 Ole Miss in instant classic: It was a battle to the literal final second, but the Hurricanes pulled off a wild 31–27 win thanks to the fourth-quarter heroics of quarterback (QB) Carson Beck and the Canes’ pass defense, which broke up a would-be game-winner from Rebels superstar QB Trinidad Chambliss. Truly down to the wire.

• The L was extra heartbreaking for an Ole Miss squad that lost its head coach (HC), Lane Kiffin, to rival LSU just weeks ago. But it’s especially impressive that Miami is heading to the ’ship after barely squeaking into the playoffs.

❤️🦆 No. 1 Indiana seeks to repeat October win over No. 5 Oregon: Fans started to really take the Hoosiers seriously as natty contenders following their mid-season 30–20 victory on the Ducks’ home field. Indiana’s been a juggernaut ever since, topping reigning national champ Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship and routing No. 9 Alabama in their New Year’s Day CFP quarter-final.

• That said, beating Oregon twice is no small task. Even Indiana HC Curt Cignetti’s famous composure was tested in that October matchup, and the Ducks are riding their own hot streak, eviscerating No. 12 James Madison and No. 4 Texas Tech in the first two rounds.

• Expect this one to be a high-octane QB duel: Oregon’s Dante Moore leads an aggressive offense that runs up the score every chance they get, while Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy for a reason. Friday night lights, loading.

The GIST: But wait, there’s even more high-stakes playoff football on deck: It’s also NFL Wild Card Weekend, giving us five straight days of touchdowns, tackles, and tension. We’ll preview Monday’s tilt between the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers in our next newsletter. Until then, here’s a two-minute drill on this weekend’s five games. That NFL bracket won’t pick itself, after all.

🐏 LA Rams vs. 🐈‍⬛ Carolina Panthers — Tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. ET: MVP candidate QB Matthew Stafford headlines a star-studded Rams roster that’s dressing for revenge after a 31–28 upset loss to signal caller Bryce Young and these very same Panthers in Week 13.

🧀 Green Bay Packers vs. 🐻 Chicago Bears — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET: These bitter NFC North rivals split a pair of games in the last four weeks, and both were decided by just one score. The only way to distinguish between these evenly matched foes? Cheeseheads and cheese graters.

🦬 Buffalo Bills vs. 🐆 Jacksonville Jaguars — Sunday at 1 p.m. ET: Bills QB Josh Allen’s path to his first career Super Bowl appearance has never been clearer, but the Jags are the hottest team in football, sporting an eight-game win streak. And that’s on doing the heavy lifting.

🔴 San Francisco 49ers vs. 🦅 Philadelphia Eagles — Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET: The injury-riddled Niners are as tough as nails, but their defense is especially banged up — cause for concern if Eagles running back Saquon Barkley can replicate last season’s playoff production.

⚡ LA Chargers vs. 💙 New England Patriots — Sunday at 8 p.m. ET: The Chargers’ top-five defense will be New England’s toughest test of the season to date, but that might not matter for a Patriots offense that’s absolutely thriving with MVP hopeful QB Drake Maye under center.

🤝 You deserve better basketball coverage. That’s why we’re popping into your inbox every Friday during the Unrivaled season to break down everything that makes this fast-paced league so electric.

• What can you expect? So glad you asked: We’ll recap clutch performances, chronicle the game’s brightest stars, and preview the league’s spiciest showdowns all season long.

💌 Consider it your weekly run-down of women’s hoops brilliance, perfectly timed before every weekend of action. Opt in now — your new fave read is waiting.

The GIST: The second League One Volleyball (LOVB, pronounced “love”) season is officially underway. Here’s what went down during Wednesday’s season-opening rematch between defending champ Austin and runner-up Nebraska, plus where to watch the NCAA-stars-turned-LOVB-rookies you know and love this weekend. Bump to it.

💪 Austin rallies to win epic five-setter: Much like in last year’s championship, Austin outside hitter Logan Eggleston and opposite Madisen Skinner set the tone on Wednesday, leading their squad’s electric offense back from dropping the first set. This connection runs deep — Eggleston and Skinner played one season together at Texas in their college years.

👀 Next up: Collegiate loyalties put to the test: Remember Texas A&M senior Logan Lednicky, who led her team to their first NCAA championship just three weeks ago? Well, she made her LOVB debut in Houston’s straight sets loss to Salt Lake last night, where she was pitted against her former NCAA partner in crime, Ifenna Cos-Okpalla.

• Now Cos-Okpalla’s Salt Lake takes on Madison tomorrow at 5 p.m. ET before Lednicky’s Houston faces Nebraska Sunday at 4 p.m. ET and Skinner’s Austin clashes with Atlanta at 7:30 p.m. ET. That’s a whole lot of aces.