College Football Playoff Semifinal - Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Miami v Ole Miss
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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Good morning and happy Friday! It's Carter Bahns at the keyboard to close out the week. Hopefully the first full week of 2026 treated you as well as it treated the Miami Hurricanes, who are set to play for the College Football Playoff National Championship after their wild win in the Fiesta Bowl over Ole Miss. As a college football diehard myself, and a longtime resident of Oregon, I'll be locked into tonight's semifinal showdown between Oregon and Indiana.

For the NFL fans here, don't worry, we've got you covered with playoff content of your own in today's newsletter. It's Wild Card Weekend, baby!

Let's talk about it.

🌀 Five things to know Friday

  1. Miami will play for the College Football Playoff National Championship. The No. 10 seed Hurricanes controlled the Fiesta Bowl at the point of attack, flexing their advantages on both the offensive and defensive lines in a 31-27 win over No. 6 Ole Miss with quarterback Carson Beck leading the winning drive. The victory sets Miami one step shy of its first national championship in more than two decades and stretched the SEC's CFP title game drought to three years. And because the title game is scheduled to unfold at Hard Rock Stadium, Mario Cristobal will get to coach in front of his home fans. Is The U back? It will be hard to argue with the sentiment if the Hurricanes get one more victory.
  2. The Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel, and the Buccaneers ditched five assistant coaches. It took longer than many expected, but a coaching change is underway in Miami. McDaniel is out after an up-and-down four-year tenure that soured with consecutive losing seasons and the benching of Tua Tagovailoa. What's next for the offensive guru? While he could bounce back running another team, many of the most logical landing spots would be interested in him as an offensive coordinator. As for his replacement, Miami will undoubtedly be in the mix to land John Harbaugh and other premier candidates. Meanwhile, just up the road, more coaching changes occurred in the Sunshine State with the Buccaneers firing five assistant coaches, including OC Josh Grizzard.
  3. Days after his controversial transfer portal announcement, Demond Williams Jr. is headed back to Washington. The Huskies' quarterback will remain in Seattle after all. For those keeping score, Williams signed a new deal with Washington, announced his intention to enter the portal, was threatened with potential legal action, hired a lawyer, got dropped by his agent and is now set to return to the Huskies. Got all that? It has been a whirlwind of a week for Williams and a rough chain of events for college football's image, which continues to take body blows as the portal reveals the sport's biggest issues.
  4. Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Gunnar Henderson are among the MLB stars to secure raises and avoid arbitration. The arbitration salary filing day has come and gone, and with it, a bevy of standouts locked up raises for the 2026 season. Randy Arozarena ($15.65 million), Taylor Ward ($12.175 million) and Jesus Luzardo ($11 million) are the arbitration-eligible players to secure the largest contracts for the upcoming campaign while Tarik Skubal is by far the most notable player set for a hearing.
  5. Chloe Kim's 2026 Winter Olympics status is uncertain after an injury. The two-time defending Olympic gold medalist in women's snowboard halfpipe dislocated her shoulder and said she does not yet know whether she will be able to participate in next month's Milano Cortina Games. Kim will undergo an MRI today which will reveal an initial timeline for her return. Positively, she noted that she has range of motion and is not in too much pain. The Winter Olympics begin on Feb. 6.

🍑 Do not miss this: College Football Playoff semifinals continue at the Peach Bowl

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One half of the national championship matchup is set. The other will be determined tonight in the Peach Bowl. Either No. 1 Indiana or No. 5 Oregon will meet Miami in the title game, but they must first duel in a rematch of the Hoosiers' regular-season win at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 11. The CFP semifinal showdown is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Here's how to watch.

For Oregon to avenge its only loss of the season and advance to the title game for the first time since 2014, it has to get quarterback Dante Moore going against the No. 2 scoring defense in the country. Indiana bottled him up in his worst outing of the year, and it made life difficult on Julian Sayin and Ty Simpson in its last two games. John Talty explained why this is the Ducks' biggest challenge.

  • Talty: "It'll be supremely important for Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein to find some early opportunities to get Moore comfortable and moving the ball. The run game is missing a critical piece in running back Jordon Davison, putting even more pressure on Moore to carry this offense."

On the Indiana side, Curt Cignetti -- who detailed why he always looks so stoic on the sideline -- has to overcome the "it's hard to beat a team twice" element. If his team keeps up the form that helped it win 14 consecutive games, including back-to-back victories over Ohio State and Alabama, he will dispel that mantra. Oh, and the Hoosiers' deep playoff run has not stopped them from making waves in the transfer portal, setting up another championship push in 2026.

🃏 The road to the Super Bowl opens with NFL's Wild Card Weekend

NFL: DEC 29 Rams at Falcons
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NFL Wild Card Weekend is here! Since we have six games on the slate as the playoffs get underway, I selected six different angles from our NFL staff to help give you a comprehensive preview.

  • Fatal flaws: Nobody is safe when the playoffs roll around. Even the top seeds have imperfections that could send them packing early. Is Bo Nix consistent enough for the Broncos to live up to their billing as the AFC's No. 1 squad? Will the turnover bug bite the NFC-favorite Seahawks at the wrong time?
  • Coach rankings: The Rams and 49ers are in a tier of their own with the best coaching staffs in the playoffs. A few teams, on the other hand, have little to no postseason experience. Where does your team's staff rank?
  • Rookie rankings: Some teams were more reliant on their rookies this season than others. None of the postseason teams got more out of their rookie class than the Bears, who saw Colston Loveland, Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo and Kyle Monangai hit their stride in the second half of the campaign.
  • Incentives: While the Vince Lombardi Trophy is the ultimate goal, players also have financial reasons to give their best effort in the playoffs. A number of performance bonuses are on the line over the next few weeks. Aaron Rodgers has the most to gain with $4.35 million in playoff incentives. And Justin Herbert and Sam Darnold could each pocket another $2.5 million.
  • History lesson: Monday will mark the fourth time the Steelers have played a Houston-based team in the playoffs. First, it was the Oilers. Now, it is the Texans. Bryan DeArdo gave a written history of the postseason rivalry.
  • Expert picks: As they have done all year, our terrific tandem of Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin went head-to-head in picking the winners of this week's games. Both foresee the Rams blowing out the Panthers and covering a 10.5-point spread. See the rest of their predictions, and take a look at our staff's early Super Bowl picks.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

Charlotte Hornets v Milwaukee Bucks
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📺 What we're watching this weekend

Friday

⚽ Borussia Dortmund at Eintracht Frankfurt, 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 CFP semifinal -- Peach Bowl: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 1 Indiana, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Thunder at Grizzlies, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Blues at Mammoth, 9 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 Bucks at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV

Saturday

⚽ FA Cup, third round: Sunderland at Everton, 7 a.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Boston College at No. 20 Louisville (M), Noon on The CW
🏀 No. 22 Kansas at West Virginia (M), Noon on Fox
🏀 No. 10 Nebraska at Indiana (M), Noon on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 21 Tennessee at Florida (M), Noon on ESPN
🏀 DePaul at No. 4 UConn (M), 12:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Timberwolves at Cavaliers, 1 p.m. on Prime Video
🏒 Rangers at Bruins, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 7 Houston at Baylor (M), 1 p.m. on NBC Sports Network
🏀 LSU at No. 11 Vanderbilt (M), 1 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Wisconsin at No. 2 Michigan (M), 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 Navy All-American Bowl, 1 p.m. on NBC
🏀 No. 18 Georgia at South Carolina (M), 2 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Penn State at No. 5 Purdue (M), 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 23 SMU at No. 6 Duke (M), 2 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Samford at No. 23 Virginia (M), 2:15 p.m. on The CW
🏀 No. 1 Arizona at TCU (M), 4 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Oklahoma State at No. 3 Iowa State (M), 4 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 NFL playoffs: Rams at Panthers, 4:30 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 15 Arkansas at Auburn (M), 6 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Wake Forest at No. 17 North Carolina (M), 6 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 No. 14 Texas Tech at Colorado (M), 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏈 NFL playoffs: Packers at Bears, 8 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 Texas at No. 13 Alabama (M), 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 9 BYU at Utah (M), 10 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

⚽ FA Cup, third round: Arsenal at Portsmouth, 8:30 a.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 16 Illinois at No. 19 Iowa (M), Noon on Fox
🏈 NFL playoffs: Bills at Jaguars, 1 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 No. 22 North Carolina at Notre Dame (W), 1 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Devils at Jets, 2 p.m. on NHL Network
🏀 Georgia at No. 3 South Carolina (W), 2 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 Pittsburgh at No. 10 Louisville (W), 2 p.m. on The CW
🏀 No. 1 Uconn at Creighton (W), 2 p.m. on truTV
⚽ Supercopa de España, final: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, 2 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 2 Texas at No. 12 LSU (W), 3 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 19 Ohio State at No. 8 Maryland (W), 4 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 No. 5 Oklahoma at No. 6 Kentucky (W), 4 p.m. on SEC Network
🏈 NFL playoffs: 49ers at Eagles, 4:30 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Cincinnati at No. 25 UCF (M), 5 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 14 Iowa at Indiana (W), 5 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 Mississippi State at No. 18 Ole Miss (W), 6 p.m. on SEC Network
🏀 No. 4 UCLA at No. 25 Nebraska (W), 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏒 Golden Knights at Sharks, 8 p.m. on NHL Network
🏈 NFL playoffs: Chargers at Patriots, 8 p.m. on NBC