CFP picks in Ohio State-Miami; Nikola Jokić out one month; 49ers climb in Pete Prisco's NFL Power Rankings
Plus, revealing (and ranking) the Top 25 sports stories of 2025
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7 min read
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 New Year's Eve! It's Austin greeting you on the last day of 2025, and I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. As we all know, this is a great time of year to be a sports fan. The College Football Playoff resumes tonight, but there is also plenty of news from around the NFL, NBA and college basketball. Plus we took a little time to put a bow on 2025 with the Top 25 sports stories of the year, ranked.
Let's dive right in, shall we?
🤕 Five things to know Wednesday
- Nuggets star Nikola Jokić set to miss four weeks with knee injury. Well, the news wasn't great for the Nuggets, but it could have been worse. Jokić is sidelined for roughly a month after hyperextending his left knee. With Jokić expected to miss significant time, that opens the door for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to make his move in the MVP race, and it even clears the runway for a dark horse to emerge.
- Patriots WR Stefon Diggs is charged with strangulation and assault. The alleged incident occurred on Dec. 2, and Diggs is accused of assaulting his personal chef during a dispute over money. In a statement, the Patriots said that Diggs "categorically denies" the allegations. Diggs is scheduled to be in court for his arraignment on Jan. 23, which is just two days before the AFC Championship Game.
- The Cowboys waived CB Trevon Diggs after six seasons. Just one week prior to the end of the regular season, the Cowboys waived Diggs in a surprising move. He leaves Dallas with 20 interceptions and 63 passed defended. Given that Diggs still has term left on his $97 million contract, it seems unlikely he gets claimed. If and when Diggs does hit free agency, a few Super Bowl contenders could be in the mix to sign him.
- Duke basketball lands top 2026 signing class with Deron Rippey Jr. commitment. The Blue Devils really needed some help on the hardwood, and they finally got it. A four-star point guard, Rippey chose Duke over NC State, Miami, Tennessee and Texas. The highly-touted prospect lifted the Blue Devils' 2026 signing class, formerly No. 5 in the nation, over Purdue, Maryland, Kansas and Michigan State.
- Northwestern hires Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator. Just one month after the Raiders fired Kelly as offensive coordinator, he joins Northwestern in the same role as part of David Braun's coaching staff. Kelly's tenure in Las Vegas left a lot to be desired -- including a meager 14.2 points per game. However, his last stop at the college level was in 2024 when Kelly engineered a national championship offense at Ohio State.
🏈 Do not miss this: Top 25 sports stories of 2025, ranked
In a few hours we usher in 2026, but before that, we thought we'd take one last look and marvel at the strange year that was. Depending on your rooting interests, this was the year that the NHL's unbreakable record was broken and Alex Ovechkin passed Wayne Gretzky with career goal No. 895. Or perhaps you still recalling the highs and lows (more highs than lows, obviously) experienced by Rory McIlroy. From finally achieving the "Rory slam" to backing up his Ryder Cup guarantee, those were some intense moments. And then there was Luka Dončić and NBA trade that was heard 'round the world that made basketball fans say ... Wait! What? ... We understand that the reactions were -- shall we say -- bigger in Texas.
Beyond that there were repeat champions (Los Angeles Dodgers and Florida Panthers), teams getting back to the mountain top (Philadelphia Eagles, Las Vegas Aces, Ohio State football, Florida men's basketball and UConn women's basketball), and multiple winning it all for the first time (Oklahoma City Thunder and Inter Miami). Shedeur Sanders and Cooper Flagg became pros. Aaron Rodgers and Micah Parsons suited up for different teams. Torpedo bats were a thing. And college football coaches -- so many coaches -- were on the move.
Anyway, the team at CBS Sports came up with a list of items, my colleagues and I wrote a synopsis of 25 of them, which were then ranked by our editors, and that's how we came up the Top 25 sports stories of 2025! Enjoy!
🏈 College Football Playoff quarterfinal expert picks
The College Football Playoff resumes tonight as No. 10 Miami meets No. 2 Ohio State to begin the quarterfinals at the Cotton Bowl. Before this round kicks off, be sure to check out our expert picks, both straight up and against the spread.
While each matchup offers plenty of entertainment value, very little daylight separates No. 5 Oregon and No. 4 Texas Tech, two teams that will square off in the Orange Bowl. Five of our nine experts picked the Red Raiders straight up, and six of them chose Texas Tech to cover the 2.5-point spread.
One of the three who picked the Ducks to cover, Chip Patterson, simply trusts Oregon quarterback Dante Moore more than his Texas Tech counterpart, Behren Morton.
- Patterson: "It's a chess match that will be fascinating to watch play out and likely set up a close game deep into the second half. It's just at some point we're going to need a quarterback to make a game-saving or game-winning play and right now I'd rather side with Dante Moore in that discussion. He's made some huge throws late in games this season and I like his odds more to be able and do so again."
When the quarterfinal ends on Jan. 1, the college football action will only be getting started. The two-week transfer portal window opens up on Jan. 2, and it will be quite the frenzy. As programs around the country spend to upgrade their roster, here's some insight into the price tag of each position.
📈 Pete Prisco's NFL Power Rankings: 49ers defying the odds
Despite the fact that the 49ers' training room has been one of the most crowded in the NFL, they are in position to win the NFC West if they beat the Seahawks. That caught the eye of Pete Prisco, who has San Francisco on the rise in his latest NFL Power Rankings.
The 49ers are now a top-five team, and they can climb even higher in the final week of the regular season.
- Prisco: "For now, though, they are up to No. 5 in my Power Rankings with a chance to move up even higher by beating the Seahawks Saturday. If that happens, it's truly an all-time great coaching job by Kyle Shanahan. It might be what propels him to his first Coach of the Year award. Let's not forget that Brock Purdy also missed eight games due to injury."
Here's a little peek at the top 10:
6. Rams (-1)
7. Bears (-3)
8. Texans (--)
9. Bills (--)
10. Eagles (--)
Shanahan certainly has San Francisco rolling at the right time of year. And with Super Bowl LX taking place in the 49ers' house, if the 'Niners did get the one-seed they wouldn't have to travel in the playoffs, setting them up to end their 30-year Super Bowl drought.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- Even at the age of 41, LeBron James is still proving something on the court.
- Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald are among the 15 finalists for the 2026 Hall of Fame class.
- Speaking of Brees, he helped Saints rookie Tyler Shough prepare for his role as the starter.
- Indiana coach Curt Cignetti isn't buying into the "mystique" around Alabama.
- Trinidad Chambliss is focused on Georgia, but his Ole Miss future is very much up in the air.
- Steve Sarkisian has had it with irrational agents running the show in college football.
- There are still some notable MLB free agents left on the board, and here's where they could wind up.
- In a lengthy tirade, John Calipari shredded NCAA eligibility rules.
- As Cal was blasting the NCAA, its president addressed the controversy around James Nnaji and Baylor.
- UConn's hot start has the Huskies holding down the top spot in our latest WBB Power Rankings.
📺 What we're watching Wednesday
🏈 No. 23 Iowa vs. No. 14 Vanderbilt, 12 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Warriors at Hornets, 1 p.m on NBA TV
🏈 Arizona State vs. Duke, 2 p.m. on CBS
🏀 No. 21 Virginia at Virginia Tech (M), 2 p.m. on ACC Network
🏈 No. 18 Michigan vs. No. 13 Texas, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Suns at Cavaliers, 3:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Nebraska vs. No. 15 Utah, 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Knicks at Spurs, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 CFP quarterfinal -- Cotton Bowl: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 2 Ohio State, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
