Enemies to lovers

The GIST: It’s NCAA football conference championship weekend, aka teams’ last chance to show the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee that they belong in the 12-team hunt for the national championship before Sunday’s 12 p.m. ET selection show.

• We’re launching our bracket challenge soon after the CFP field is announced, so prepare with today’s full scouting report on this weekend’s crucial slate. Oh, it is so on.

👀 The matchups to watch: You’re in for a top-notch Saturday, starting with No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 BYU in the 12 p.m. ET Big 12 Championship, followed by yet another SEC Championship between No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Alabama — their fifth title-game showdown in 10 years — at 4 p.m. ET.

• Then, the headliner: The reigning national champ No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes, who run the sport’s best defense, face the No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers, the sport’s second-best offense, for the Big Ten Championship at 8 p.m. ET. Told you this was going to be good.

🏆 The stakes: For some, they couldn’t be higher. The five highest-ranked conference champs earn an automatic CFP bid, and the selection committee will be watching to determine which bubble teams snag an at-large berth.

• Even for squads that will likely make it despite a loss this weekend, there’s a lot on the line because all-important seeding will decide their paths to the championship. The top four seeds earn a first-round bye, a massive advantage.

💨 The Heisman Trophy candidates: The race for college football’s MVP award is essentially a three-man race between Indiana quarterback (QB) Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, and Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia (with Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love in a distant fourth).

• Pavia and Love don’t play this weekend, giving Mendoza and Sayin the chance to shine…and adding even more consequence to their already-massive matchup. No pressure, fellas.

The GIST: Fasten your seatbelts because for the first time since 2010, three drivers are in contention for the coveted World Drivers’ Championship (WDC) crown ahead of Sunday’s 8 a.m. ET season finale. Let’s set the stage before the lights go out at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

👀 How we got here: McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri dominated the first half of the season, winning 11 of 14 races. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen once trailed then–WDC leader Piastri by a whopping 104 points. But Verstappen put on a masterclass in the second half, finishing on the podium in every race.

• And McLaren didn’t help themselves: In an effort to keep things level between their title-contending drivers, the constructor often made strategy calls that were fair, instead of ones that were right…like last weekend in Qatar, a race Piastri arguably should have won.

🏆 Which driver has the edge?: That would be current WDC leader Norris, who sits 12 points clear of Verstappen and 16 ahead of Piastri. A top-three finish garners 25, 18, and 15 points, respectively, so as long as Norris secures a podium, he’ll win his first WDC. But count four-time defending champ Verstappen, who won in Abu Dhabi four straight times from 2020 to 2023, out at your own peril.

Every major men’s league had its messy beginnings. Now, we’re seeing that same origin story play out…this time for women’s sports.

Welcome to She’s Not Next, She’s Now, The GIST of It’s new eight-part podcast series spotlighting the game-changers building the next generation of sports leagues.

In this week’s episode, The GIST co-founder Ellen Hyslop and Associate Managing Editor Lauren Tuiskula break down the incredible growth of women's indoor pro volleyball, making sense of a crowded landscape across North America. Bump, set, sound on.

⚽ Soccer star Croix Bethune’s story is one of pure grit. The NWSL standout has bounced back from countless injuries, but still she rises, redefining resilience on and off the pitch with a stellar smile on her face.

• Bethune knows purposeful transformation requires small steps along the way — that’s why she’s an Invisalign® Game Changer, investing in her own smile so she can feel her best.

Click here to learn more about why Bethune trusts Invisalign clear aligners to level up her smile and boost her oral health. Shining bright.

🎓🏐 NCAA volleyball: National tournament — Ongoing — ESPN+

• The first round continues, with three of the four No. 1 seeds taking the court tonight: Pittsburgh (6:30 p.m. ET), undefeated Nebraska (8 p.m. ET), and Texas (8 p.m. ET). Aces.

🎓⚽ NCAA Women’s College Cup: Final Four — Starting tonight at 6 p.m. ET — ESPNU

• Friday night plans? Cancel ’em. The national tourney semis are tonight, with No. 3 seed Florida State taking on No. 2 TCU at 6 p.m. ET followed by No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 Duke at 8:45 p.m. ET. Winners advance to Monday’s title game.

🏆⚽ MLS Cup Final: Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Inter Miami CF — Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. ET — FOX

• Miami enters with home-field advantage and a little someone named Lionel Messi on their side, but underdog Vancouver knows how to dismantle a star-studded squad, as they did in their semis win over LAFC. Either way, a first-time champ will be crowned tomorrow.

🏈 NFL: Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs — Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET — NBC/Peacock

• Two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes and KC battling for their postseason lives against the NFL’s best defense? Consider us Reality Hot Seat-ed.