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By Marc Lawrence
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Wednesday, Dec 31 |
Word has it that USC was close to agreeing to an extension to the rivalry, but after Notre Dame’s CFP deal came to light, the Trojans asked to change the schedule.
The greatest intersectional rivalry in college football history is coming to an end, and the College Football Playoff is a big part of the reason.
On Monday, Notre Dame announced it had filled its open date in 2026 with BYU, effectively ending any chance its rivalry with USC would continue next season. The two sides had been attempting to hash out a deal to keep the game going in the future, but couldn’t come to an agreement. In the end, Notre Dame’s future sweetheart deal with the College Football Playoff played a huge role in ending the series.
Except for three years during World War II and the 2020 pandemic season, the teams have alternated home games every season since 1926. Since 1961, they have played in South Bend in mid-October in odd years, and in Los Angeles in even years. USC wanted to change that schedule to accommodate its Big Ten schedule and the added travel that it brings.
The Trojans proposed playing earlier in the year, when the rest of the conference’s teams have their non-conference games. Notre Dame steadfastly refused, preferring to keep the current arrangement.
According to Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times, USC was ready to compromise and continue the rivalry as it was for the next two seasons before Notre Dame’s deal with the CFP came to light.
“But at the time USC officials were not aware Notre Dame reached an agreement with CFP officials that guaranteed the Irish a playoff spot if they finish in the top 12 of the final rankings starting in 2026, the person said. To USC officials the agreement felt like ‘a material advantage’ to the Irish, whose place as an independent and scheduling flexibility already afforded them a considerable edge in positioning for the playoff over other programs, like USC, that are tethered to a conference,” reported Kartje.
Yet another monster mess involving Notre Dame in the “amateur” world of college athletics.
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ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Here We Go Again
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the San Francisco 49ers will be a bit banged up heading into this weekend’s showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.
The winner of this Saturday’s game between the Seahawks and 49ers will claim the No. 1 seed in the NFC. There was some doubt the 49ers would be in this position, especially since Nick Bosa and Fred Warner suffered season-ending injuries.
And yet, Kyle Shanahan has his squad one win away from securing home-field advantage in the playoffs.
“It’s huge,” Shanahan said. “So proud of the guys throughout the whole year, proud of today. It’s a hell of a deal being able to have the opportunity to play for the 1-seed, and these guys have earned it.”
Unfortunately for the 49ers, they might not have some of their best offensive players for Week 18.
Shanahan revealed that All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey didn’t practice Tuesday due to back stiffness. Trent Williams also sat out due to a hamstring injury. He got hurt on the very first offensive snap of Week 17 against the Chicago Bears.
49ers tight end George Kittle, meanwhile, was limited at practice with an ankle sprain. The seven-time Pro Bowler has hauled in 52 passes for 599 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games this season.
As of now, Seattle is a slight favorite on the road against San Francisco. To be fair, the Seahawks are much healthier heading into this game.
When these two teams met in Week 1, the 49ers won thanks to a game-winning touchdown pass from Brock Purdy to Jake Tonges. |
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GRINDING OUT THE PROFITS
Let’s Go Bowling
RELIAQUEST BOWL
Iowa over Vanderbilt by 6
This should be fun. Vanderbilt, and especially quarterback Diego Pavia, has continued to shock opponents for a second straight year under SEC Coach of the Year Clark Lea. Pavia lost some followers when he expressed his disappointment after not winning this year’s Heisman Trophy by saying, “F--- all the voters, but family for life!” Needless to say, Diego quickly backtracked into major damage control mode, no doubt to save his spot in next year’s NFL Draft. It turns out Vandy will face an Iowa team that can best be described as the Non-Vandy – an unflashy offense that plods along until you see they’re up by 17 points, and one of the most consistently tough defensive units in the Big Ten. That unit held six foes to a season-low or second-lowest yards this year, and held five foes to season-low points. Then there’s head coach Kirk Ferentz, who has seen it all in his 27 years at the helm of Hawkeye football, and brings a 4-1 ATS record as a dog of more than 3 points versus the SEC. And while Iowa has been a bowl regular over the last ten seasons, Vandy will be playing in back-to-back bowls for the first time in a long time. The Hawkeyes also bring a 14-9-1 ATS mark in their last 24 bowl games (10-5-1 ATS as a dog of 2 or more points), opposed to the Commies’ 1-4 SUATS failure in bowl games when coming off a win of 7-plus points. In addition, the Reliaquest Bowl has favored underdogs of late, as they’re 6-2 ATS, including five outright wins. Vanderbilt’s Lea continues to weave his magic – 17-8 SU and 16-6-1 ATS the past two seasons – but this is only the eighth time in those games he’ll be laying points. Remember the Hawkeyes went 7-0 ATS this year against teams with a winning record, and finished 4-0 ATS as a dog. Iowa springs the upset.
20-11 on ALL SIDES this season!
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TRENDING TODAY
Grim Decision
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This isn’t Stefon Diggs’ first legal rodeo.
Diggs has been charged with strangulation while fighting multiple lawsuits.
The NFL star has been fighting multiple lawsuits over the past year. His ex-girlfriend, Mulan Hernandez, sued him for alleged assault, seeking between $250,000 and $1 million in damages. Hernandez claimed Diggs attacked her from behind during an altercation at his apartment.
Diggs fired back with his own lawsuit against Hernandez and another woman, Brianna “Brii” Mack.
He accused them of extortion, assault and trespassing. Court documents show Diggs claimed Hernandez punched him several times and damaged his expensive watch during the incident.
The legal drama got messier when social media influencer Christopher Blake Griffith made sexual assault allegations against Diggs online. Diggs sued Griffith for defamation in Maryland federal court, calling the claims “fabricated” and demanding damages for the damage to his reputation.
Now Diggs faces fresh criticism from fans of his girlfriend Cardi B, whose baby he fathered. The rapper had to defend their relationship after fans dragged her for days about dating the NFL player.
“Y’all need to calm down,” Cardi said in the video. “I can’t change sht. I can’t go back in time. I already had a baby. Y’all want me to put my baby back in my p####?”
The timing couldn’t be worse for Diggs and the Patriots. New England just won their first AFC East division title since 2019 and could secure a first-round playoff bye with a win over Miami this weekend.
Aah. The Hip Hop World. It's right where you don’t want to be. |
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BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW
40 Is Just A Number
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While he is showing some signs of slowing down, James is still poised to be the best 41-year-old in NBA history.
LeBron James is set to join another exclusive club. Today is James’s 41st birthday, which means that when the Lakers host the Pistons at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBC, James will become just the 12th player in NBA history to appear in a game at age 41 or older.
James has been so consistently excellent for the past 23 years that it’s easy to take his presence for granted. But his birthday is a great opportunity to step back and appreciate what he’s doing. Playing past age 40 is not unprecedented in the NBA, but no one at that age has performed as well as LeBron has.
James played 56 games as a 40-year-old and averaged 23.9 points per game, the most of any 40-year-old ever. He scored at least 20 points in 39 of his 56 games as a 40-year-old, joining Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as one of only three players in NBA history with double-digit 20-point games after turning 40.
There have been several players who’ve stayed on the court well into their 40s, but none have played as significant a role as James has. The oldest player to play in an NBA game is Nat Hickey, who logged two games for the Providence Steamrollers in 1948, just days before his 46th birthday. (Hickey was the team’s coach, and the Steamrollers finished the season at 6–42.) The modern record belongs to Kevin Willis (44 years, 224 days), who played five games for the Mavericks in the final weeks of the 2006–07 season. Robert Parish and Vince Carter are the only other players to appear in a game after their 43rd birthday.
It’s truly amazing that LeBron has been as dominant as he has been for so many years, but he needed a teammate like Dončić to take charge and allow him to catch his breath every once in a while. The thing that makes LeBron special, though, is that a reduced role still means playing 30-plus minutes per game and averaging 20 points for a 23rd year in a row. |
STAT OF THE DAY
0-8 |
The record of head coach Matt Rhule
at Nebraska vs. Top 25 ranked opponents.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY |
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"Sacred cows make
the best hamburger."
- Mark Twain |
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