NCAAFB – College Football Bowls
Yesterday
CFP National Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential
(1) Michigan 27, (4) Alabama 20 – OT
Michigan 27, Alabama 20 – OT – Harbaugh’s Wolverines to play for title after stopping Alabama 27-20 in OT
Jalen Milroe caught a low snap on fourth down in overtime at the Rose Bowl and ran straight ahead into wall of blue and maize. Alabama’s quarterback went nowhere. The Wolverines are going to Houston. Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the second snap of overtime, and top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first CFP championship game with a 27-20 victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday night. Harbaugh’s Wolverines (14-0) will play for their school’s first national title since 1997 against Washington on Jan. 8 — but only after a fourth-quarter comeback and a hair-raising finish when the two winningest programs in college football history played just the second overtime game in the 110 editions of the Granddaddy of Them All. Roman Wilson made a 4-yard TD catch with 1:34 left in regulation for the Wolverines, who hadn’t scored in the second half until that gritty 75-yard drive led by J.J. McCarthy.
Corum, who caught an early TD pass and rushed for 83 yards, needed only two snaps to score in the first overtime period, breaking tackles and spinning wildly into the end zone.
CFP National Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl
(2) Washington 37, (3) Texas 31
Washington 37, Texas 31 – Michael Penix Jr. leads Washington to 37-31 victory over Texas and spot in title game
Michael Penix Jr. passed for 430 yards and two touchdowns as No. 2 Washington beat No. 3 Texas 37-31 in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff championship game, earning the beleaguered Pac-12 one more game this season. The unbeaten Huskies will face No. 1 Michigan next Monday night in Houston, looking for their first national championship since 1991 and the Pac-12’s first since Southern California in 2004. Washington is one of 10 schools fleeing the Pac-12 for other Power 5 conferences next year, with the Huskies headed to join Michigan in the Big Ten.
Yesterday’s Other Bowl Games
Vrbo Fiesta Bowl – State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
(8) Oregon 45, (23) Liberty 6
Reliaquest Bowl – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
(13) LSU 35, Wisconsin 31
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl – Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL
(21) Tennessee 35, (17) Iowa 0
NCAAFB – Milroe nearly rallies Alabama back, but falls 2 yards short in OT
Jalen Milroe helped rally Alabama with his legs and put the fourth-ranked Crimson Tide on the verge of its seventh appearance in the College Football Playoff championship game. The dynamic quarterback was denied at the very end. With the Crimson Tide needing a touchdown and facing fourth-and-goal from the Michigan 3-yard line in overtime, Milroe tried to go up the middle on a draw, but was stopped by Josaiah Stewart for a 1-yard gain, giving the top-ranked Wolverines a 27-20 victory in the 110th Rose Bowl. Milroe finished with 63 yards on 21 carries despite being sacked six times, but most of those yards came after halftime.
NCAAFB – CFP matches Penix’s prolific passing against Michigan’s best-in-nation defense
Michael Penix Jr. hasn’t faced a defense like Michigan’s and the Wolverines certainly haven’t faced a quarterback like the Heisman Trophy runner-up from Washington. The matchup will be the most intriguing in the College Football Playoff championship game in Houston on Jan. 8. That much was assured after the performances of Penix and Michigan’s best-in-the-nation defense in the CFP semifinals. Penix threw for 430 yards and two touchdowns in the Huskies’ dramatic 37-31 win over Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Michigan stopped Jalen Milroe short on fourth-and-goal at the 3 to finish a 27-20 overtime win in the Rose Bowl. Michigan beat Washington in the Rose Bowl in 1997 when Michigan last won a National Championship. Michigan and Washington will have a rematch next season when the Wolverines visit Washinton in early October in Big Ten Conference play.
Next Monday 1/8
CFP National Championship presented by AT&T – NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
(1) Michigan vs. (2) Washington, 7:30 p.m. News/Talk/Sports 94.9 WSJM 6:30 p.m.
NBA – National Basketball Association
Last Night
Houston Rockets 136, Detroit Pistons 113
Indiana Pacers 122, Milwaukee Bucks 113
Rockets 136, Pistons 113 – Pistons fall to Rockets 136-113 in first game since end of 28-game skid
Two nights after their NBA record-tying 28-game losing streak ended, the Detroit Pistons were blown out 136-113 on Monday night by the Houston Rockets. Detroit, which beat Toronto on Saturday, failed to win consecutive games for the second time this season. Alperen Sengun had 26 points and nine assists and Jalen Green scored 22 points for the Rockets, who snapped a three-game skid. Alec Burks scored 21 points, Jaden Ivey added 19 and Bojan Bogdanovic had 14 for the Pistons, who fell to 3-30.
Pacers 122, Bucks 113 – Haliburton gets help from reserves as Pacers win 122-113, end Bucks’ home win streak
Tyrese Haliburton had 26 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, and the Indiana Pacers beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee 122-113, stopping the Bucks’ 15-game home winning streak. Bennedict Mathurin added 25 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for Indiana, and Isaiah Jackson had 18 points and nine assists. Antetokounmpo had 30 points, 18 rebounds and 11 assists for his 38th career triple-double, and third this season.
Tonight
Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:00 p.m.
NHL – National Hockey League
Tonight
Chicago Blackhawks at Nashville Predators, 8:00 p.m.
Detroit Red Wings at San Jose Sharks, 10:30 p.m.
NFL – Fired-up Lions coach Campbell insists he’s moved on from controversial loss
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell says he has moved on from a disputed call at Dallas that led to a loss and took away a shot at the top seed in the NFC. Campbell said in his weekly news conference Monday that he has “controlled fury” and he’s channeling it as the Lions prepare for their regular-season finale against NFC North rival Minnesota. Because of the call that negated a winning 2-point conversion against the Cowboys, the Lions have less to play for in their final game. They can hope to improve their playoff seeding. Campbell says he plans to play his starters.
NCAAMBB – Purdue remains No. 1 in AP Top 25, Gonzaga falls to No. 24
Purdue remained atop the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the third straight week while Gonzaga dropped to No. 24 after a loss to San Diego State but managed to keep alive its streak of 142 consecutive weeks in the poll. The Boilermakers picked up three first-place votes and had 49 of 63 from the national panel of voters. Kansas was second with five first-place votes and Houston remained third with the other nine first-place votes. UConn and Tennessee each moved up one spot to round out the top five following Arizona’s loss to Stanford on Sunday. The Wildcats are 10th.
NCAAMBB – Men’s College Basketball
Tonight
Western Michigan at Miami (OH), 7:00 p.m.
Buffalo at Central Michigan, 7:00 p.m.
Eastern Michigan at Bowling Green, 7:00 p.m.
NCAAWBB – South Carolina still No. 1 in AP women’s basketball poll, Syracuse enters Top 25
South Carolina started the new year where it finished off 2023 — atop The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Gamecocks received 34 of the 35 first-place votes from a national media panel Monday. They had been unanimous the previous six weeks. UCLA got the other No. 1 vote after beating then-No. 6 USC in a Los Angeles showdown. Syracuse entered the poll at No. 25, marking its first appearance since Jan. 18, 2021. No. 3 North Carolina State and Iowa followed UCLA. Colorado moved up three spots to No. 5 after a win over then-No. 12 Utah.
NCAAWBB – Women’s College Basketball
Tonight
Michigan State at (4) Iowa, 9:00 p.m.
MHSAA – Michigan High School Athletic Association
Tonight
Girls Basketball
Hart at Brandywine, 5:00 p.m
