2026 Super Bowl bold predictions for Patriots vs. Seahawks; Top UFC 325 storylines

Plus we look at who the Broncos and Rams will target in our latest NFL mock draft

By Brent Brookhouse

Jan 27, 2026 at 8:40 am ET • 5 min read

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Happy Tuesday, everyone. Brent Brookhouse here, feeling conflicted as a lifelong Bills fan who married a born and raised New Englander who is celebrating the Patriots return to the Super Bowl.

As any true sports fan knows, the future is always brighter, so I will lick my wounds and be happy for my wife getting to -- yet again -- celebrate the success of her favorite team while guiding you through all the news you need to know to get your day going.

Let's get into it.

🏈 Five things to know Tuesday

Looking ahead to the NFL Draft. With the Super Bowl LX matchup set, all but two teams know where they will pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. In our latest mock draft, we're looking at the Rams to draft Matthew Stafford's successor at quarterback. We also have a look at which college teams have been hit hardest by early entries.
Shedeur Sanders named to Pro Bowl. Despite a 3-4 record as a starter and 10 interceptions to seven touchdowns on the season, Sanders was named to the Pro Bowl. With Drake Maye in the Super Bowl, it left at least one spot open to be filled, and Sanders got the call.
Arizona continues to lock down the college basketball rankings. At 20-0, Arizona has a firm grip on the No. 1 slot across the men's college basketball rankings. Arizona holds the No. 1 slot in the AP Top 25, the Coaches Poll and the Top 25 And 1 rankings. For the women, the SEC made history with 10 teams in the AP Top 25.
Bill Belichick gets a "D" in first year at North Carolina. It's never easy for a new coach to take the reins of a college team, and that proved true even for a coach as accomplished as Belichick, who received a "D" in our grades of first-year college coaches.
Reevaluating Giannis Antetokounmpo's trade value. Despite suffering a calf injury that will sideline him for four to six weeks, Antetokounmpo is still coveted by many teams as the trade deadline approaches. Check out the latest on Antetokounmpo and more in our newest NBA trade rumor s.

🏈 Do not miss this: Super Bowl hype is in full effect

The Patriots and Seahawks are set to face off in Super Bowl LX. While there's still plenty of time before the NFL season culminates with the crowning of a champion, CBS Sports analyzes the most interesting angles. Among our five bold Super Bowl predictions is Drake Maye becoming the most sacked quarterback in a single postseason. Maye has already been sacked 15 times, the second most in postseason history, behind Joe Burrow's 19 in the 2022 postseason.

Jordan Dajani also identified 10 crazy facts you need to know about this season's Super Bowl. Among those facts is New England becoming the most improved team in NFL history.

Dajani: "If someone told you they knew the Patriots would be in the Super Bowl before the start of this year, they're lying. New England finished 4-13 in 2024, and fired Jerod Mayo for Mike Vrabel. That was clearly a good decision, as the Patriots just surpassed the 1999 Rams in being the most improved team in NFL history. The Pats went from 4-13 to 17-3 -- a difference of 13 wins including playoffs! The Patriots are also the first team to reach the Super Bowl after a 13-loss season."

After a record-breaking debut for UFC 324, UFC's first card on Paramount+, there's a quick turnaround for the promotion's next numbered event. UFC 325 goes down Saturday in Australia. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski will make the first defense of his second reign as welterweight champion when he faces Diego Lopes in a rematch of their UFC 314 clash.

CBS Sports combat sports expert Brian Campbell broke down the five biggest storylines you need to know before the second UFC event to stream live on Paramount+, including how much longer Volkanovski can remain champion.

Campbell: "At 37, the two-time featherweight champion is considered by many as the greatest 145-pound fighter in UFC history thanks to victories over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Max Holloway (three times), Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez. And his hard-fought decision win over Lopes last August at UFC 314 awarded Volkanovski the vacant title and a bit of much-needed resurgence following consecutive knockout losses and a skid of three defeats in four fights. Granted, those defeats all came against the current top two fighters in the world (Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria) and two of those came at lightweight. But with Topuria having moved up to 155 pounds, Volkanovski remains the class of the division and sits just two title defenses away from equaling the UFC featherweight record of seven by Aldo. Few fighters have maintained their elite status in the smaller weight classes this deep into their careers and Volkanovski appears as if he still has enough left to add a few more accomplishments to his Hall-of-fame resume entering the Lopes rematch. Even though Volkanovski was dropped in Round 4 of their first fight and visibly hurt twice, he bent but never broke."

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

CFP runner-up Miami's defense could be even better next season, according to departing pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr.
After a surprising interview, Philip Rivers withdrew from the Bills' coaching search.
The 2026 ACC football schedule is out and the conference championship game moved to Saturday afternoon.
Japan is loaded again heading into the WBC, and the team is only looking stronger after Yoshinobu Yamamoto officially joined the roster.
The internet loves a conspiracy theory, and a graphic from Week 1 of the NFL season sent some people spiraling.
After a disappointing season in Colorado, Deion Sanders is cracking down with new team rules and fines.
The Giants and free agent outfielder Harrison Bader have agreed to a two-year contract.
NFL down under? A game between the Seahawks and Rams could take place in Australia later this year.
We have identified 10 players who could sign contract extensions prior to MLB Opening Day.
Which teams that made it to the NFL playoffs have the best chances to win the Super Bowl in February 2027?

📺 What we're watching Tuesday

🏀 No. 7 Michigan State at Rutgers (M), 6:30 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 5 Nebraska at No. 3 Michigan (M), 7 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Providence at No. 2 UConn (M), 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Bucks at 76ers, 8 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Clippers at Jazz, 10 p.m. on NBC
⚽ USWNT vs. Chile, 10 p.m. on TBS