📰🏟️ 24-team CFP?

Good afternoon. Welcome back to another week of top sports stories in an easy-to-digest format. Let’s dive right in.

—Kyle

1) Texans beat Steelers, cementing Divisional Round matchups

The Texans cruised to a 30-6 victory over the Steelers last night, with Houston’s #1-ranked defense holding Pittsburgh QB Aaron Rodgers to just 146 yards passing, 0 TDs, and 1 INT in what could be the final game of the Hall-of-Famer’s career.

• It marked the Texans’ first road playoff victory in franchise history, while the Steelers have now lost seven consecutive playoff games (tied for most in NFL history).
• The Divisional Round matchups are now set: Saturday features the #1 Broncos v. #6 Bills followed by #1 Seahawks v. #6 49ers, while Sunday will see the #2 Patriots v. #5 Texans followed by #2 Bears v. #5 Rams.

See the full NFL playoff bracket

2) Viral pee-wee hockey brawl at AHL intermission was staged

Officials have launched multiple investigations into a major brawl between young hockey players during intermission of an AHL game in Hershey, PA, on Saturday.

• The U-8 players were participating in a “Mites on Ice” segment when a fight broke out that later went viral on social media.
• The mites, including goalies, rushed toward one another and traded punches, with officials letting players fight for over a minute as the crowd cheered them on.
• In a statement after the game, the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association called the intermission incident a “staged fight,” and promised disciplinary action against the team officials involved.

Read more

3) Big Ten reportedly pushing for a 24-team CFB playoff

The January 23 deadline for college football leaders to decide on a new CFP format is less than two weeks away—and negotiations are heating up like an egg on the sidewalk during an Arizona summer day, according to ESPN’s Heather Dinich.

• In a new report, Dinich said multiple sources told her there is significant momentum towards expanding the CFP to 16 teams starting as soon as 2026, but doing so would come with a catch.
• The Big Ten is reportedly willing to accept the SEC’s proposal for a 16-team field, on the condition that the SEC commits to expanding even further to 24 teams—with or without automatic qualifiers—after a few years.
• If no agreement is reached by the deadline, the CFP format will remain the same heading into next season.

Inside the CFP’s expansion plans

4) Nike signs first-ever deal with pickleball athlete

The apparel giant this morning announced an endorsement deal with 18-year-old pickleball star Anna Leigh Waters, the #1-ranked women’s player in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

• Waters’ pickleball career began in 2019, when she became the youngest pro pickleball player ever at the age of 12.
• She’s already won a record-high 181 pickleball events and achieved 39 triple crowns, a term for winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles at one event.
• Waters will serve as a global pickleball ambassador for Nike, in addition to wearing exclusively Nike gear at all of her events moving forward.

Dive into Nike’s landmark deal

5) PGA Tour takes direct shot at LIV Golf

The PGA Tour confirmed yesterday that Brooks Koepka, a five-time major champion, is welcome back for the 2026 season under a new Returning Member Program designed for top golfers on the LIV Golf tour.

• The program is a highly specific, one-time offer only available to Koepka and three other LIV golfers who’ve won recent PGA Tour majors: Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith (none of whom have indicated plans to leave LIV).
• The four golfers would be allowed to rejoin the PGA Tour in exchange for a $5M donation to charity, and forgoing access to bonus money, sponsor exemptions, and equity grants that add up to ~$85M/player over five years.

Why Koepka says PGA conditions “are meant to hurt”

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