Sammy Sosa and Cubs make up, Bulls upset the reigning champs and 12-team CFP arrives
Sports Friday, December 20, 2024 | | |
| | Good morning, Chicago. It took more than 100 years, a few billion dollars and the cold, hard realization that you can’t fight progress forever. And now, finally, college football has what the rest of sports have — a legitimate postseason tournament. The first 12-team College Football Playoff kicks off Friday and Saturday with four first-round games on campuses steeped in gridiron tradition: Texas (hosting Clemson), Penn State (SMU), Notre Dame (Indiana) and Ohio State (Tennessee). The winners advance to play over the New Year’s holiday — Arizona State, Boise State, Georgia and Oregon are waiting — and the tournament concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta. Stay connected with us all day: Sign up for our alerts and newsletters to get the latest news in your inbox. And you can follow us on social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads and Bluesky.
Not a Tribune subscriber? Here's our latest offer. | | Ben Johnson has a “burning desire” to be a head coach. The Detroit offensive coordinator is a compelling candidate for the Chicago Bears because of his intelligence and creativity. | | | The long and winding road to a Chicago Cubs “pardon” for Sammy Sosa came to an apparent end Thursday when Sosa apologized for making unspecified “mistakes.” | | | Zach LaVine hit six 3-pointers and scored 36 points Thursday night, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 117-108 upset of the defending champion Boston Celtics. | | | Linemates Tuevo Teräväinen and Ilya Mikheyev combined on two goals in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night for their third straight victory. | | | The 5.5% increase bumps up the regional sports fee to $20.25 per month for Comcast subscribers in Chicago and the suburbs. | | | How unusual will this environment be? It’s the first time Notre Dame has hosted a postseason game, the first time Notre Dame Stadium has hosted a Friday night game and the first time since 1990 that a Notre Dame home game will not be telecast by NBC. | | | The Chicago Cubs are welcoming Sammy Sosa back to the organization following the slugger’s public apology for past “mistakes.” | | | As two of the league’s top contributors to 3-point oversaturation square off, it raises a fair question: are teams like the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics ruining basketball? | | | |