Lions win high-scoring battle ahead of crucial Week 18; preview of College Football Playoff quarterfinals

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🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to ...

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS EVERYWHERE

It's here! Over the next 40 hours, sure to be filled with drama, the College Football Playoff field will shrink from eight teams to four. Here are the matchups:

Tonight: (6) Penn State vs. (3) Boise State (preview)
Tomorrow: (5) Texas vs. (4) Arizona State (preview)
Tomorrow: (8) Ohio State vs. (1) Oregon (preview)
Tomorrow: (7) Notre Dame vs. (2) Georgia (preview)

We talked about tonight's matchup yesterday, when Ashton Jeanty topped Shehan Jeyarajah's 24 most impactful players, though Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren isn't far behind on that list.

Then comes the Longhorns and the Sun Devils in a battle of former transfer quarterbacks. I loved Chris Hummer's look at how Quinn Ewers and Sam Leavitt ended up here.

Then comes the Granddaddy of them All, both literally and figuratively. The Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon is a rematch of a contest the Ducks won, 32-31, earlier this season. Will Howard still has nightmares of how that one ended. Oregon, meanwhile, is trying to become the first 16-0 team in FBS history, but they have to get to 14-0 first. Both teams have deep rosters and deep pockets, John Talty notes.

Dennis Dodd has picks for all four games, and in this one, he says ...

Dodd: "You shouldn't have to be told [Ohio State's] defense is the best (statistically) in the country. ... The Ducks have some of the best playmakers in the country on their own, though. Dillon Gabriel finished third in the Heisman voting playing for his third team in six years. Receiver Tez Johnson has gone for 2,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns combined the last two seasons. Watch defensive end Jordan Burch, who suffered a meniscus tear two days before the Ohio State game. ... The last time Ohio State lost twice to the same team in the same season was 1894. Pick: Ohio State 33, Oregon 32"

The general expectation is that Notre Dame-Georgia won't be as high-scoring, especially with Bulldogs starting quarterback Carson Beck done for the season. But backup Gunner Stockton has a great story, and in his best bets, Tom Fornelli expects a close one.

👍 Honorable mentions

On his 40th birthday, LeBron James said he could play at a high level for five to seven more years ... but he'll retire before that.
Tiger Woods turned 49 Monday. Here's what we can expect in 2025.
Arch Manning isn't leaving Texas.
We have New Year's resolutions for every NFL team.
The Jets have at least two interviews planned to fill their coaching vacancy. (Though Jets fans may not love these names.)
Clinch a playoff spot? Check. Get engaged? Check. Jeremy Reaves did it all Sunday night.
After acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton, could the Lakers make more trades?
Cade Klubnik is returning to Clemson.
Here are the men's basketball AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll and the women's basketball AP Top 25.
Isabel Gonzalez ranked the undefeated teams in women's college basketball.
The Kings World Cup Nations debuts tomorrow on YouTube and CBS Sports Golazo Network.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

Sauce Gardner says some Jets players "checked out" against the Bills. Interim coach Jeff Ulbrich disagrees.
Ja Morant (right shoulder sprain) is week-to-week.
De'Aaron Fox denied that there was a rift between him and now-fired coach Mike Brown. This split just gets uglier and uglier.
The Nets shouldn't be too greedy about the return in a potential Cam Johnson trade, Jasmyn Wimbish says.
Shane Steichen addressed his future after the Colts' awful Week 17 loss to the Giants. DeForest Buckner said, plainly, the team "shit the bed."
The FBI warned sports leagues about athletes' homes being burglary targets.
Ex-Florida State men's basketball players are suing Leonard Hamilton over unfulfilled NIL promises.

🏈 Lions rally past 49ers in high-scoring thriller

It may not have had many playoff standing implications, but don't tell the Lions this game didn't mean anything. That's not in their DNA. What is in their DNA is high-flying offense, play-making defense, boldness on both sides ... and winning. Detroit rallied for a 40-34 win over the 49ers. It's the only game since 1937 that featured at least 10 touchdowns and zero punts.

Jared Goff threw for 303 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and Jahmyr Gibbs had 163 yards from scrimmage and the game-sealing 30-yard touchdown.
Detroit became the first team to have two running backs (Gibbs, David Montgomery) and two wide receivers (Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams) reach 1,000 yards from scrimmage in a season. St. Brown and Williams both caught touchdowns from Goff, though Williams' came off a lateral from St. Brown. Because what can't this offense do?

But it was a defender, Kerby Joseph, who turned this game on its head. Detroit's depleted defense got shredded outside Joseph's two second-half interceptions, but Detroit outscored San Francisco 16-6 after Joseph's first pick. With so many injuries, Detroit needs splash plays to stay afloat defensively, and Joseph, with an NFL-high nine picks this season, keeps delivering.

The 14-2 Lions lead the NFC, but their playoff seed will come down to next week. Here's why ...

🏈 NFL playoff picture: Two spots, several seeds TBD

With one week to go, the NFL playoff picture has only two open spots, though there's plenty of seeding to play for. Let's start in the AFC.

Chiefs (15-1, clinched No. 1 seed)
Bills (13-3, clinched No. 2 seed)
Ravens (11-5, clinched playoff berth)
Texans (9-7, clinched No. 4 seed)
Steelers (10-6, clinched AFC South)
Chargers (10-6, clinched playoff berth)
Broncos (9-7)
Dolphins (8-8)
Bengals (8-8)

The Ravens will likely stick in that No. 3 spot, unless they somehow lose to the Browns and the Steelers beat the Bengals.

That seventh spot could get tricky. The easiest resolution is the Broncos beating the Chiefs, who will rest several starters. But if that doesn't happen, the Dolphins and Bengals are very alive:

The Dolphins need to beat the Jets and the Chiefs to beat the Broncos.
The Bengals need to beat the Steelers, the Jets to beat the Dolphins and the Chiefs to beat the Broncos.

Again, if Denver beats Carson Wentz-led Kansas City, those bullet points are null and void, and Denver will be in the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade.

In the NFC ...

Lions (14-2, clinched playoff berth)
Eagles (13-3, clinched No. 2 seed)
Rams (10-6, clinched NFC West)
Buccaneers (9-7, lead NFC South)
Vikings (14-2, clinched playoff berth)
Commanders (11-5, clinched playoff berth)
Packers (11-5, clinched playoff berth)
Seahawks (9-7, eliminated)
Falcons (8-8)

The No. 1 seed will be decided in Sunday night's Vikings-Lions showdown, an incredible season finale. The loser falls to the fifth seed despite having the conference's second-best record. Sleep on the Vikings at your own peril, write both Will Brinson and Cody Benjamin.

The Buccaneers need only a win over the Saints or a Falcons loss to the Panthers to clinch the NFC South.

Here are the clinching scenarios.

⚾ MLB All-2020s team (so far)

Today not only marks the end of 2024, but -- believe it not -- the end of the first half of the 2020s, and my goodness does that make me feel old. On a professional note, though, I loved Dayn Perry taking a look at the All-2020s team (so far). Guys such as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge were obvious calls. Starting pitcher wasn't so immediately obvious.

Perry: "Zack Wheeler -- Wheeler has been the dominant pitcher of the 2020s to date, and it's not really that close. For the decade, he has an ERA of 2.92 (142 ERA+) and an FIP of 2.96, and across those five seasons he's struck out 27.1% of opposing hitters. Corbin Burnes -- It's tough to pick between Burnes and Gerrit Cole, but Burnes' innings advantage – 816⅔ to Cole's 759 – helps tilt the scales. That's also the case for Burnes' edge in ERA+ over Cole by a margin of 142 to 134. ... He won the Cy Young in 2021, and he finished in the top 10 of the balloting in every other season of the 2020s."

⚽ Top five USWNT moments of 2024

It was a splendid year for the USWNT, which won Olympic gold under new coach Emma Hayes, a huge rebound a year after the team's worst World Cup ever. Hayes unlocked the potential of a bunch of youngsters, but Pardeep Cattry astutely noted the contributions of a legend.

Cattry: "Longtime goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher called time on her international career. Though she built her reputation by being a quiet and constantly reliable shot-stopper, Naeher matched that with equal amounts of entertainment value in her final year with the USWNT and earned herself a fitting and memorable sendoff. ... [She] outdid herself in the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals against Canada in March. Not only did she save three penalties, she also converted her own spotkick."

🥊 Best of boxing in 2024: Oleksandr Usyk earns Fighter of the Year

(Can you tell we love "Best of" lists?) What a year 2024 was for the sweet science of boxing, and no one mastered it better than Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian heavyweight is CBS Sports' Fighter of the Year after defeating previously unbeaten Tyson Fury twice. Let Brian Campbell explain:

Campbell: "In their May 18 meeting to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four-belt era, Usyk scored a ninth-round knockdown of Fury to score a thrilling upset via split decision. ... Despite giving up six inches in height, eight inches in reach and an astounding 55 pounds in their second bout, the 6-foot-3 southpaw Usyk was masterful once again behind his sublime footwork and a crazy, 12-round pace which wore Fury down for the second time. Usyk took Fury's best punches in both fights and kept pushing forward."

Three very, very good fighters earned honorable mention, and we also awarded Fight of the Year.

📺 What we're watching Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday

🏈 ReliaQuest Bowl: No. 11 Alabama vs. Michigan, noon on ESPN
🏈 Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: Louisville vs. Washington, 2 p.m. on CBS
🏈 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl: No. 15 South Carolina vs. No. 20 Illinois, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Kinder's Texas Bowl: Baylor vs. LSU, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Virginia Tech at No. 4 Duke (M), 4:30 p.m. on ACC Network
🏒 Winter Classic: Blues at Blackhawks, 5 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 No. 8 Marquette at Providence (M), 6 p.m. on FS1
🏈 CFP quarterfinal -- Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: (6) Penn State vs. (3) Boise State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Timberwolves at Thunder, 8 p.m. on NBA TV

Wednesday

🏈 CFP quarterfinal -- Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: (5) Texas vs. (4) Arizona State, 1 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 11 UConn vs. DePaul (M), 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Nebraska at No. 4 USC (W), 3 p.m. on BTN
🏈 CFP Quarterfinal -- Rose Bowl presented by Prudential: (8) Ohio State vs. (1) Oregon, 5 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 24 Michigan at No. 1 UCLA (W), 5 p.m. on BTN
🏈 CFP Quarterfinal -- Allstate Sugar Bowl: (7) Notre Dame vs. (2) Georgia, 8:45 p.m. on ESPN