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AUSTIN -- The Texas Longhorns stand alone at the top of college football bowl history after a thrilling 39-31 double-overtime win over the Arizona State Sun Devils in Atlanta on Wednesday.
With the 39-31 win in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Peach Bowl, Texas became the first team to win all six New Year's Six Bowls.
The Longhorns now move to 32-26-2 all-time in bowl games with the win. Texas also advances to the Cotton Bowl for the CFP Semifinals on Friday, Jan. 10 and will face the winner of Oregon vs. Ohio State.
Texas has won the Cotton Bowl 11 times (last in 2003 vs. LSU), the Rose Bowl twice (last in 2006 vs. USC), the Sugar Bowl twice (last in 2019 vs. Georgia), the Fiesta Bowl once (2008 vs. Ohio State), the Orange Bowl twice (last in 1965 vs. Alabama), and now, the Peach Bowl.
The Longhorns will now play in their third NY6 bowl game in the Steve Sarkisian with this upcoming Cotton Bowl appearance. Texas lost 37-31 to the Washington Huskies in the CFP Semifinals at the Sugar Bowl last season.
Sarkisian talked about the team's culture and toughness after the win over Arizona State
"There's going to be plenty of stuff that we're going to look at this tape and say we gotta do better and be better, but the one thing I won't have to say is our toughness and fight doesn't need to be better," Sarkisian said. "And if there's one thing that you want as a calling card for your team is just that. So I think it's a tribute to these guys up here and their leadership and the culture that we have and their ability to stay calm through the storm and execute when like I said when our best was needed."
The Cotton Bowl will kick off at 6:30 p.m. CT on Jan. 10.
More must-reads:
- Big Ten's College Football Playoff expansion idea is 'absurd,' ESPN host says
- What five-star pledge means for South Carolina's 2026 class
- The 'Second-leading receiver by NFL team' quiz
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What five-star pledge means for South Carolina's 2026 class
South Carolina has its first five-star commitment in its 2026 recruiting class. Darius Gray, the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in the rising high school senior class according to 247Sports, has verbally pledged to the Gamecocks out of the Southeastern Conference, a massive recruiting win for head coach Shane Beamer and his program. Gray, an elite top-20 national prospect from Virginia, picked South Carolina over other finalists Clemson, Ohio State, LSU and Tennessee. Gray's recruitment ultimately was between the Gamecocks and LSU. "It came down to the final days this week," Gray said Rivals. "It was a very tough decision between LSU and South Carolina. LSU led this past year, and South Carolina led before that. It has been a battle between those two for a while. A lot of prayer went into it. It was my decision, but talking with family helped a lot too." The difference maker for South Carolina prevailing for the 6-foot-4, 280-pound Gray was Beamer, 247Sports reported. "When you look at how he handled Darius's recruitment, the personal touch and approach he took, especially when dealing with his mother, that was a huge factor that swung things in favor of the Gamecocks," a source told 247Sports. South Carolina's 2026 class is up to 15 verbal pledges and includes eight prospects who are rated four stars, per the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking. Gray, though, is the team's first five-star commit. With Gray on board, the Gamecocks' 2026 cycle has moved to No. 16 nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. Over at the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, South Carolina's 2026 class is No. 19 overall. Gray's highest 2026 ranking is from 247Sports, which has him at No. 16 nationwide, No. 1 at interior offensive lineman and No. 1 in Virginia. Both the 247Sports Composite and the Rivals Industry Ranking place Gray in the top 35 overall. He is a standout rising senior at the St. Christopher's School in Richmond, Va. In the 2024 campaign, as a junior, Gray tallied 50 total tackles, 17.5 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, according to 247Sports. Earlier this month, MaxPreps unveiled its 2025 preseason All-America teams in high school football. Gray was named to the MaxPreps All-America second team on offense. Gray will join a South Carolina program that went 9-4 last year and was No. 19 in the final Associated Press top-25 poll. The Gamecocks are No. 13 in the preseason AP top 25 ahead of the 2025 campaign.
Green Bay Packers: Luke Musgrave’s Wife’s Stunned Reaction to Jordan Love’s Wife’s Personal Post
The Green Bay Packers are about to kick off their 2025 NFL regular season, so it feels like a good time for some of the players to look back at some of the key moments and experiences they’ve had in the offseason. For quarterback Jordan Love and tight end Luke Musgrave, the 2025 NFL offseason will always be one that they’ll cherish — and not just because of anything that’s football-related. Love and Musgrave both got married to their respective longtime girlfriends in the offseason. The signal-caller tied the knot with Ronika Stone in June, while Musgrave and Madi Weisner exchanged vows in July. Ronika Stone’s wedding lookback gets Green Bay tight end’s wife’s reactions Mrs. Love recently shared a post on Instagram that shows a series of snapshots from her wedding with the Packers’ signal caller. “Every detail was SPECTACULAR ,” Ronika wrote as a caption for the post. She clearly is still awed by how her wedding looked that day, with several beautiful flower arrangements adorning the special day. Ronika’s post drew plenty of comments, including one from Mrs. Musgrave, who wrote “UNREAL.” It’s great to see Packers players’ wives showing support for each other just as Love and Musgrave do on the field. For Musgrave, he is looking to have a big rebound in 2025 after only appearing in seven games and coming up with 45 receiving yards with zero touchdowns and only a couple of first downs on seven receptions and 10 targets. The Packers, who will play the Seattle Seahawks at home this Saturday for both teams’ 2025 NFL preseason finale, will face the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field in Week 1 of the 2025 regular season.
Dallas Stars lock up one of the league's best players with massive extension today in hockey history
Commanders fans receive hopeful Terry McLaurin update
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has suggested on multiple occasions that he is "one hundred percent" confident he will "be throwing some passes to" wide receiver Terry McLaurin during the 2025 season. It seems Daniels may have had some inside information. NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated revealed Friday that the situation involving the Commanders and McLaurin "is in a better spot than it’s been" since the 29-year-old requested a trade on July 31. "The sides started out pretty far apart," wrote Breer, "so there was a lot of ground to make up. Maybe the deadlines in the next couple of weeks will help push an agreement through." The "pretty far apart" line may be referencing a previous report that claimed "one person with knowledge of McLaurin’s contract negotiations" said he had "asked for more than" the average annual value attached to DK Metcalf's five-year, $150M deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That same story insinuated that Washington may be more comfortable paying McLaurin around $27M or $28M per season via a multiyear extension. Coming off their trip to this year's NFC Championship Game, the Commanders likely won't be trading McLaurin's rights anytime soon. At this point, Washington acquiring a suitable replacement for McLaurin and getting him familiar with the team's offense in time for the Commanders' Week 1 game against the New York Giants is unrealistic. For an article published on Aug. 18, ESPN's Ben Solak wrote that he believed the McLaurin-Commanders standoff would eventually end "with a compromise extension before Week 1." It's unclear what McLaurin will do if this does not occur before the Giants matchup on Sept. 7, but it sounds like the two sides could work something out.
Justin Verlander needs to listen to Father Time despite desire to keep pitching
San Francisco Giants pitcher Justin Verlander had another rough outing on Thursday. The future Hall of Famer allowed seven runs on seven hits and a walk over his 4.1 innings, striking out four as the Padres defeated the Giants 8-4. His outing ended a streak where Verlander had allowed one or fewer runs in four of his previous five outings. The 42-year-old Verlander has been inconsistent at best this season, posting a 4.64 ERA and a 1.437 WHIP over his 110.2 innings, striking out 99 batters with 37 walks. This follows an injury-plagued 2024 campaign where Verlander posted 5.48 ERA and a 1.384 WHIP in 90.1 innings. Verlander, meanwhile, insists that he is not done. John Shea of the San Francisco Standard reported that Verlander wants to pitch in 2026. That desire does have a caveat — if Verlander suffers a significant injury, he said he is not interested in a lengthy rehab process to get back on the mound. "The ball’s rolling in the right direction, and I would like to continue pitching. You never know. It’s a fickle game too, but I think the stuff is still there," Verlander said. Verlander had been a workhorse earlier in his career, pitching at least 180 innings in all but one season from 2006 through 2019. He came back from Tommy John surgery that cost him most of 2020 and all of the 2021 season, winning the AL Cy Young award with a major league-leading 1.75 ERA and a 0.829 WHIP over his 175 innings, striking out 185 batters with 25 walks in his age 39 season in 2022. Verlander is a nine-time All-Star, won three Cy Young awards and was named the 2011 AL MVP and the 2006 AL Rookie of the Year. Those innings have taken their toll on Verlander. He has battled injuries over the past few years and has been below replacement level since the start of 2024. While he may want to return in 2026, his body and performance are telling a different story.
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