Georgia's 8OT win likely secures CFP fate; Texas A&M vs. Texas tops slate of regular-season finales

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Good morning to all, but especially to ...

THE GEORGIA BULLDOGS

Despite being down 17-0 at halftime, No. 7 Georgia survived an eight-overtime game with rival Georgia Tech, 44-42, on Friday night, enabling the Bulldogs (10-2) to remain solidly in the mix for a spot at the 12-seat table that is the College Football Playoff.

The key moment in the Bulldogs' improbable victory came late in the fourth quarter when Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King fumbled in Georgia Tech territory with less than two minutes to play. The Bulldogs tied the game at 27, and the score was the capper on their 21-point fourth quarter. The teams traded scores in the first, second and fifth overtimes before Georgia Tech was denied in the eighth session and running back Nate Frazier ran it in from three yards out to finally end the contest.

The eight overtimes made for the second-longest game in FBS history since additional time was added in 1996. Illinois defeated Penn State in a nine-overtime game in 2021. The Bulldogs were previously 1-10 under Kirby Smart in games in which they trailed by 17.

Honorable mentions

The Chiefs are the first NFL team to clinch a playoff berth this season.
Saquon Barkley is experiencing "a different kind of happy" with Eagles.
In the latest top-five upset in women's college hoops, No. 17 TCU stuns No. 3 Notre Dame.

And not such a good morning for ...

THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS

At the start of the week, the Lakers had been 9-0 in in-season tournament play since the inception of the event last year. By the end of the week, the team had lost back-to-back NBA Cup games by a combined 35 points. So where does leave the Lakers, and their chance to repeat as tournament champions? Well, it would appear that fuzzy math is the only math that can make that formula work.

Teams need to come in second place in their pod in order to qualify for the one berth that exists in the conference, and with one night of group play remaining, a whole lot of stuff would appear to need to go right -- if it even can. Here's why: even if the 0-3 Jazz can beat the 2-1 Thunder by 43 points and there's similar Grand Canyon-style gulf in the final between the Spurs and Suns, the biggest problem to us seems to be that the 3-1 Mavericks (and their +41 differential) would need to fall to the 2-1 Grizzlies (-6) ... by 66 points. (But then, of course, that would give Memphis a 2-2 mark with a +60 differential, so how exactly are the Lakers still alive?)

But setting all that aside, the safer declaration here is that we won't see a bevy of lopsided results Tuesday, which means the NBA's second in-season tournament champion will be a new one.

Not so honorable mentions

Bears fire Matt Eberflus. (Here's who could replace him.)
Russell Westbrook was fined $35,000 for flipping off the Knicks bench.
Kyle Boone writes that Dan Hurley needs to rein in some of his antics.

🏈 Final college football Saturday features huge showdowns with CFP implications

The final full college football Saturday is upon us, and for many teams, this is their last shot to prove they belong in the next week's College Football Playoff Rankings.

No one has a better chance for a massive statement than No. 20 Texas A&M, which hosts No. 3 Texas. The Aggies are one of several three-loss SEC teams hoping that many upsets ahead of them loosens up the logjam, along with No. 13 Alabama, No. 14 Ole Miss, No. 15 South Carolina and No. 21 Missouri. But none of those get to take on the Longhorns, and if the Aggies win, not only would they get a huge resume boost, but they would go to the SEC Championship Game to face No. 7 Georgia for a shot to guarantee a bid.

In his SEC picks, Brandon Marcello says:

Marcello: "You couldn't have asked for a better stage for the Lonestar Showdown after a 13-year absence from the schedule. ... Texas has beaten most opponents by double digits, but its playoff resume is not strong because of a 15-point home loss to Georgia. Without a top-25 win to hang their 10-gallon hat, the Longhorns might be in a must-win situation Saturday night. Texas A&M is not great on the road but is solid at home, and the defensive line could be an issue for the Longhorns' offensive line. How healthy is quarterback Quinn Ewers' ankle? We'll find out Saturday night. Pick: Texas -6"

Don't sleep on Shane Beamer's South Carolina, either. The Gamecocks have won five straight, including a blowout over Texas A&M. Beamer won't make the CFP case yet, but he sure will if his team can take down No. 12 Clemson. This game, again, has huge implications for both sides, Dennis Dodd says.

Here's more:

Big Ten picks | SEC picks | Tom Fornelli's Six Pack | Jerry Palm's best bets
CFP bubble watch
Conference championship game scenarios
Ryan Day is still tormented by previous losses to Michigan.
What will the 2025 transfer portal quarterback cycle look like?

🏈 NFL Week 13 picks: Can 49ers save season at Bills? Ravens-Eagles clash

One day after the college football regular season wraps up, we flip the calendar to December and have a marvelous Sunday of NFL action. There's no time like the present for teams to make a move, and no one needs to make one more than the 49ers, who sit at 5-6 on the season and head to a potentially extremely snowy, windy and cold Buffalo to take on the Bills.

The Bills are made for this. Josh Allen powers through the snow like a snowplow (with a souped-up right arm), while James Cook and a bevy of good supporting characters dash through like a snowmobile. I love how this team has played in adverse conditions before. We're going to find out if the 49ers are made to play in the elements and what they're made of, period. San Francisco is still only a game back in the NFC West, but it can't afford to let things slip much further.

Earlier in the day, the Ravens face the Eagles (on CBS and Paramount+) in a potential Super Bowl preview ... and a meeting of superstar runners Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, each in their first year with their new team. I loved Jared Dubin's look at what's made Barkley and Henry such perfect fits. As for who wins this one, Pete Prisco goes with ...

Prisco: "This is the game of the week, featuring two dynamic offenses that both have outstanding running games. But the edge at quarterback goes to Lamar Jackson, which will be the difference in this game. He will make some big-time plays with his legs and his right arm to pull out a shootout victory for the Ravens. Pick: Ravens 34, Eagles 30"

And don't sleep on the early slate, either. Chargers-Falcons (on CBS and Paramount+) is a big one. Tyler Sullivan says ...

Sullivan: "After taking on a physical Ravens team on Monday night, the Chargers are playing on a short week and needing to travel across the country to take on a Falcons club that is coming off their bye week. ... This could prove to be a game where Atlanta looks to lean on its backfield tandem of Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier as the Chargers are allowing 4.8 yards per carry this season. That's tied for the fourth-highest in the league. Projected score: Falcons 24, Chargers 21 | The pick: Falcons +1"

Here are all of our expert picks/best bets:

Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Tyler Sullivan | Jordan Dajani

We here at the CBS Sports HQ AM newsletter took last week off after a tough stretch, but we're still 20-10 this season. We're back this week with ...

Vikings over Cardinals
Colts over Patriots
Rams over Saints
Bills over 49ers

📺 What we're watching this weekend

Saturday

🏈 Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State, noon on Fox
🏈 No. 8 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, noon on ABC
🏈 No. 15 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson, noon on ESPN
🏈 Kansas at Baylor, noon on ESPN2
🏈 Maryland at No. 4 Penn State, 3:30 p.m. on BTN
🏈 No. 5 Notre Dame at USC, 3:30 p.m. on CBS
🏈 No. 6 Miami at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Cal at No. 9 SMU, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Auburn at No. 13 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 16 Arizona State at Arizona, 3:30 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Purdue at No. 10 Indiana, 7 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Washington at No. 1 Oregon, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 3 Texas at Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 24 Kansas State at No. 18 Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Warriors at Suns, 9 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Houston at No. 19 BYU, 10:15 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

🏈 Chargers at Falcons, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Steelers at Bengals, 1 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Cardinals at Vikings, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Rams at Saints, 4:05 p.m. on Fox
🏈 Eagles at Ravens, 4:25 p.m. on CBS
🏀 Celtics at Cavaliers, 6 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 49ers at Bills, 8:20 p.m. on NBC