Former Texas wide receiver Parker Livingstone crossed a Red River Rivalry line this week, committing to Oklahoma via the 2026 college football transfer portal. Livingstone, who roomed with quarterback Arch Manning and became one of his favorite targets during the 2025 season, ranked No. 3 on the Longhorns with 516 receiving yards and No. 2 with six touchdown receptions.

247Sports college football and transfer portal analysts Chris Hummer and Cooper Petagna provided insights into the breakup between Manning and Livingstone, detailing how NIL money and agent involvement played a significant role in the decision.

“It’s a surprising situation,” Hummer said Wednesday on CBSSports HQ.

Mark Cuban reportedly made a donation to Indiana football for the 2026 transfer portal cycle, according to Alex Schiffer of Front Office Sports. The billionaire most known for his time as the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks is a 1981 graduate of the school.

“Already committed for this portal,” Cuban wrote to FOS in an email. “Let’s just say they are happier this year than last year.”

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Indiana already made splashes in the transfer portal, such as TCU QB Josh Hoover committing for the 2026 season. They also landed Michigan State WR Nick Marsh and Boston College RB Turbo Richard. That’s only the tip of the iceberg and Indiana is still playing in the College Football Playoff!

Cuban reportedly gave a “big number” to the Indiana athletic department in the past, as he told CBS Sports in October. He cited his connection with head coach Curt Cignetti as the biggest factor.

Cuban is also no stranger to donating to his alma mater. In 2015, he gave the school around $5 million for a sports media center and gave $6 million to fund Indiana’s rugby club.

But first thing’s first, Cuban will be watching Indiana play Oregon in the Peach Bowl in the CFP semifinals. It’s all about what’s in front of them and nothing’s changed for Cignetti and IU.

“Yeah, excited to be a part of the Peach Bowl,” Cignetti said. “Playing a great opponent in Oregon, Coach Lanning. Like I said so before we played earlier in the year, one of the young superstars you know in the coaching profession. I think they’re 26-2 the last two years.

“And, you know, really an excellent football team, offense, defense, and special teams. Do a great job of coaching. Be a big challenge. We were fortunate, you know, to win the game out in Eugene. It’s hard to beat a great team twice. You know, very difficult. So, edge to Oregon there. But tough to be a great team twice. Looking forward to the challenge.”

Indiana and Oregon are set to square off Friday night in the Peach Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the winner will play for the College Football Playoff National Championship.

ESPN predicted the outcomes of both College Football Playoff semifinal games coming Thursday and Friday. Now down to the final four teams, we are that much closer to crowning this year’s national champion.

Miami, Ole Miss, Indiana and Oregon are the last teams standing following two rounds of competitive and dominant football. But what do ESPN’s metrics say, specifically their SP+ projections?

Putting player rankings, strength of schedule, game projection and everything else under the sun together, ESPN put out its College Football Playoff predictions for the semifinals. Let’s start at the Fiesta Bowl.

No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 Miami (Fiesta Bowl)

SP+ Projection: Ole Miss 28.1, Miami 25.2

Ole Miss seemingly has the quarterback advantage with Trinidad Chambliss over Carson Beck in this one. He’s played at a different level over the last two weeks and found a new gear in the upset over Georgia. With Kewan Lacy helping the cause at running back, Ole Miss has a dynamic offense to deal with.

But defense wins championships, right? At least that is what Miami hopes for in this College Football Playoff. They stifled explosive offenses in Texas A&M and Ohio State to get to this point. Mario Cristobal will look for his team to grind it out. But ESPN projects Pete Golding and crew to get to the national title game.

No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oregon (Peach Bowl)

SP+ Projection: Indiana 26.7, Oregon 23.7

Indiana keeps winning, make sure you Google it. Curt Cignetti and crew learned from last year’s College Football Playoff mistakes and dominated Alabama in the Rose Bowl, 38-3. The Hoosiers are two wins away from the program’s first national title and have a Heisman QB in Fernando Mendoza to boot. On paper, especially with a win over the Ducks already, Indiana is rightly favored.

But Oregon is coming in guns blazing. Dan Lanning, like Cignetti, preaches toughness and grittiness. That’s exactly what Oregon is going to do and it has a pretty darn good quarterback, too, in Dante Moore. Which Nick Saban disciple is going to end up on top? The metrics say Indiana, again, by a hair.

Based on ESPN’s SP+ projections, No. 1 Indiana and No. 6 Ole Miss will square off for the College Football Playoff national championship. The game is scheduled for January 19th in Miami.

The annual NHL Winter Classic game is a favorite of hockey fans.

The marquee game of the NHL’s regular season is coming to Salt Lake City next year.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman joined Utah Mammoth owners Ryan and Ashley Smith on Wednesday in announcing that the 2027 Winter Classic will be held outdoors at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Mammoth will play the current NHL leaders, the Colorado Avalanche. The game will take place at the beginning of next January.

“I think this venue is going to be incredible,” Ryan Smith said. “This is a dream.”

The NHL selected Rice-Eccles Stadium as the venue over competition from BYU’s Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo and several other markets around the NHL that wanted to host the event.

“I wanted it here in Salt Lake. This is right,” Smith, a BYU alum, said. “I mean, I do enough down there. This is my NIL donation here. It’s a good one.”

And unlike at University of Utah football games, the stadium will sell alcohol for the event, university director of auxiliary services Collin Simmons told reporters. “We’re able to sell beer and seltzer for all private events,” he explained. “This is a private event.”

The exact date for the event has yet to be selected, as the NHL experiments with different dates at the beginning of January that conflict least with the NFL and college football. The game has traditionally taken place on either Jan. 1 or Jan 2.

The Winter Classic began in 2008, as the NHL sought to bring new fans to its games by returning to its roots in outdoor pond hockey. Since then, Winter Classic games have occurred annually with limited exceptions and have proven to be extremely popular with fans and players alike. Fans also enjoy that teams typically wear special-edition uniforms for the event, which Bettman said have not yet been designed.

The 2025 edition of the game took place at Wrigley Field between the Chicago Blackhawks and the St. Louis Blues. This year, the game moved to sunny Miami, Florida, as the Panthers played the Rangers in a matchup that drew significant criticism from hockey fans. Choosing Salt Lake City as the 2027 hosts reflects a league return to a cold-weather site.

League officials toured Rice-Eccles Stadium in recent months to determine its suitability for the game. It will be the fourth time the Winter Classic has been held at a college football stadium, with Michigan Stadium (2014), Notre Dame Stadium (2019), and the Cotton Bowl (2020) the previous three hosts.

“This stadium sets up very well. From a sightline perspective, there’s an intimacy here. We expect to have 50,000 plus here. We’re not anticipating any problems,” NHL commissioner Bettman said. “And the Governor” — Spencer Cox, who attended Wednesday’s announcement — “has promised me that the weather will be perfect.”

The Avalanche should prove formidable opposition to the Mammoth; through 42 games this season, they have suffered just four regulation losses against 31 wins. Team stars Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar have pushed the Avs to one of the greatest starts to a regular season in NHL history this season, and should provide additional juice to the matchup.

The Mammoth, meanwhile, are led by team captain Clayton Keller and newly-extended Logan Cooley, who provided a player’s perspective at the announcement.

“Being outside, it’s a whole different experience,” Cooley said, while noting the last time he played outdoors was when he was 4 or 5 years old. “That whole experience will be a challenge. And as players, as competitors, we like those.”

“Just being outside, you see the mountains in the background. As a player, I hope it’s pretty cold and there’s a lot of snow,” he said.

Alabama finished the 2025 season 11–4 (7–1 SEC) under head coach Kalen DeBoer, winning the SEC West, falling to Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, and qualifying for the College Football Playoff.

Despite optimism that the Tide could make a postseason run, Alabama was routed 38–3 by No. 1 Indiana in the CFP quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl, a loss that ended the season and marked the program’s worst-ever playoff defeat.

The lopsided loss triggered immediate offseason fallout, including significant roster turnover and early transfer portal activity.

On Monday, reports emerged that Alabama outside/edge linebacker Qua Russaw had entered the NCAA transfer portal after three seasons with the Crimson Tide, adding an experienced SEC defender to an already active transfer market.

By Wednesday, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Russaw had scheduled transfer visits, with three programs quickly emerging as leading contenders: Ohio State, LSU, and Tennessee.

Russaw was a five-star high school recruit in the 2023 cycle, ranked as the No. 3 linebacker prospect and No. 27 overall player nationally by On3, committing to Alabama over more than 20 offers, including Auburn, Georgia, Florida, and Clemson.

He spent three seasons with the Crimson Tide (2023–2025) after redshirting his first year, appearing in 22 career games and totaling 50 combined tackles (21 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

Russaw played in 13 games in 2024, posting 36 tackles, 2.5 TFL, one sack, two interceptions, and a forced fumble, before injuries limited him to nine games and 14 tackles in 2025.

Still, at 6’2″, 243 pounds, the former five-star remains a high-upside, power-athletic edge defender with clear projection in a new system.

All three programs linked to Russaw align with his profile as an experienced SEC defender with pass-rush ability and immediate rotational or starting potential.

LSU is actively retooling its roster under new head coach Lane Kiffin and is seeking defensive reinforcements through the transfer portal after more than two dozen offseason departures.

Tennessee has also experienced roster turnover following the 2025 season, targeting portal additions to bolster linebacker depth and add physical playmakers as part of its defensive reset.

Ohio State’s linebacker room, meanwhile, lacks established FBS starters for 2026, prompting the Buckeyes to prioritize veteran transfers to add proven experience.

Media reports indicate visits are being scheduled immediately, and with the January transfer window underway, a commitment could come within days or a few weeks.

Read More at College Football HQ

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