The Fiesta Bowl is the College Football Playoff semifinal that features two teams that have pulled off the biggest upsets of the postseason.

No. 10 seed Miami first traveled to No. 3 Texas A&M and used an outstanding defense to knock off the Aggies. The Hurricanes followed that with an even bigger surprise by knocking off No. 2 Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

No. 6 seed Mississippi opened up its run with an easy defeat of Tulane before getting some revenge against No. 3 Georgia with a dramatic defeat in the Sugar Bowl. All of this run is being done with uncertainty about its coaching staff after Lane Kiffin departed to LSU.

The matchup in the semifinals guarantees one of the these two surprise teams will be moving on to the national title game on Jan. 19. Which one keeps its run going? Our experts make their picks.

Miami vs. Mississippi predictions for CFP semifinals at Fiesta Bowl

Matt Hayes

The Miami line of scrimmage takes over (on both sides of the ball) in the second half, and the offense grinds out a late, game-winning drive to secure a trip home for the national championship game. The Ole Miss run defense, which has struggled at times this season, will be exposed by Miami’s physical offensive line. Miami 31, Mississippi 27.

Jordan Mendoza

It’s been really impressive watching Miami’s defense keep offenses from finding any rhythm this postseason. The Rebels will give the Hurricanes another stiff test as Ole Miss has been moving the ball exceptionally this postseason. If one has to give, it will be Ole Miss. The Rebels aren’t able to crack the Miami puzzle and Carson Beck leads a late fourth-quarter score to get the Hurricanes back in the national championship game. Miami 27, Mississippi 23.

Paul Myerberg

Ole Miss should be able to repackage a chunk of its game plan against Georgia to combat Miami’s physical defensive line and edge rushers. Whether the Rebels can loosen things up on the ground will be a huge factor. Miami has to play error-free football on offense and rival the Rebels’ explosiveness. Mississippi 31, Miami 27.

Erick Smith

The matchup of the Miami defense – especially its front – and the Mississippi offense will be one of the best in the playoff. Both groups should have their moments. Which brings us to where the game will be won. Can Carson Beck avoid critical mistakes against a Rebels unit that has been up and down? It shapes up to be a tight, low-scoring affair and the advantage of Mississippi having kicker Lucas Carneiro will be decisive. Mississippi 21, Miami 19.

Eddie Timanus

Having already dispatched Texas A&M and Ohio State, Miami won’t lack confidence entering a matchup with Mississippi. But the Rebels have shown incredible resolve amid all the chaos with the coaching staff with Trinidad Chambliss leading the way on offense. They won’t let the ride end here and will head to Florida one win away from a first national title. Mississippi 34, Miami 27.

Blake Toppmeyer

All the intangibles point to Miami having an advantage. Ole Miss is down a couple of assistants who are busy with their new duties at LSU. Offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. is juggling multiple jobs.

And yet we’ve seen the Rebels overcome hurdles and distraction for months now. Miami’s defense is incredibly disruptive. Expect it to put pressure on the Ole Miss offensive line, but I’m beyond doubting Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Miami hasn’t faced an offense like the Ole Miss attack. Chambliss’ magic act pushed Ole Miss past Georgia, and I think he can do it one more time in the Fiesta Bowl. Mississippi 27, Miami 24.

The New York Sirens will be hitting the ice at Madison Square Garden for the first time, the Professional Women’s Hockey League franchise announced on Thursday.

The Sirens will host the Seattle Torrent at the Garden on at 8 p.m. ET on April 4, marking the PWHL’s first match at the iconic New York venue, which is home to the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers. The Sirens normally play home games at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, less than 15 miles away.

“Madison Square Garden has a storied women’s sports history, and on April 4, the New York Sirens will add their own chapter at The World’s Most Famous Arena, as fans get the chance to attend professional women’s hockey at the Garden for the first time,” Sirens GM Pascal Daoust said. “Playing at the Garden is an honor and sharing it with our dedicated fans will make it even more special.’

The Sirens are second in the PWHL standings with 18 points. New York’s Kristýna Kaltounková leads the team with seven goals, second in the league. The Torrent, which kicked off its inaugural season as the PWHL’s eighth team and second expansion team, are sixth in the standings with 12 points. Julia Gosling has a team-high eight points for the Torrent, while Hilary Knight’s six assists rank third in the league.

The Madison Square Garden matchup will be the third of the season between the Sirens and Torrent. Seattle won the Dec. 3 matchup, 2-1, at Climate Pledge Arena following goals from Knight and Alex Carpenter. The Sirens took the second game, 4-3, on Dec. 28 at American Airlines Center behind Casey O’Brien’s hat trick.

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ST. LOUIS — The 2026 U.S. figure skating championship push on with another day of action on Thursday. 

The pairs and women opened Day 1 of the event, and next up are the men and ice dance pairs. It’s another chance to see phenom Ilia Malinin on his way to his first Olympics, as the “Quad God” is the favorite to take home the gold in Milano Cortina. Also, Jason Brown leads the rest of the crop trying to claim the last two Olympic spots for the men. Madison Chock and Evan Bates have dominated the ice dance and the married pair are back to go for their fifth straight U.S. title. 

Here’s the full schedule for the national championships on Thursday, Jan. 8.

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U.S. figure skating championships schedule today

All times Eastern.

• Rhythm dance: 5 p.m.
• Men’s short program: 8:15 p.m.

U.S. figure skating championships lineup today

All times Eastern.

Rhythm dance

• 5:09 p.m.: Isabella Flores and Linus Colmor Jepsen 
• 5:16 p.m.: Vanessa Pham and Anton Spiridonov
• 5:22 p.m.: Raffaella Koncius and Alexey Shchepetov
• 5:29 p.m.: Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani  
• 5:35 p.m.: Amy Cui and Jonathan Rogers
• 5:48 p.m.: Elliana Peal and Ethan Peal
• 5:55 p.m.: Eva Pate and Logan Bye  
• 6:01 p.m.: Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville
• 6:08 p.m.: Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski
• 6:14 p.m.: Oona Brown and Gage Brown
• 6:42 p.m.: Leah Neset and Artem Markelov  
• 6:49 p.m.: Caroline Green and Michael Parsons
• 6:55 p.m.: Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik 
• 7:02 p.m.: Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko  
• 7:08 p.m.: Madison Chock and Evan Bates 

Men’s short program

• 8:25 p.m.: Emmanuel Savary
• 8:32 p.m.: Ken Mikawa
• 8:38 p.m.: Will Annis
• 8:45 p.m.: Kai Ovar
• 8:51 p.m.: Samuel Mindra
• 8:58 p.m.: Lorenzo Elano
• 9:12 p.m.: Goku Endo
• 9:18 p.m.: Lucius Kazanecki
• 9:25 p.m.: Liam Kapeikis
• 9:31 p.m.: Michael Xie
• 9:38 p.m.: Maxim Naumov
• 9:44 p.m.: Daniel Martynov
• 10:13 p.m.: Jimmy Ma
• 10:20 p.m.: Tomoki Hiwatashi
• 10:26 p.m.: Andrew Torgashev
• 10:33 p.m.: Jacob Sanchez
• 10:39 p.m.: Jason Brown
• 10:46 p.m.: Ilia Malinin

Where to watch 2026 U.S. figure skating championships today

• Date: Jan. 8
• Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
• TV: USA Network
• Livestream: Peacock

Day 2 of the 2026 U.S. figure skating championships will stream in its entirety on Peacock. The men’s short program will also air on USA Network.

The Kansas City Chiefs said in a statement on Jan. 7 that they are aware of allegations circulating on social media alleging domestic violence by Rashee Rice.

It comes following allegations made in a public Instagram post by Rice’s ex-girlfriend on Jan. 7.

The post and the Chiefs’ statement did not name Rice.

‘The club is aware of the allegations on social media and is in communication with the National Football League,’ the Chiefs said in a statement. ‘We have no further comment at this time.’

Rice was suspended for the first six games of the 2025 NFL regular season for his involvement in a high-speed car crash in March 2024.

Rice hasn’t been charged in connection with the woman’s allegations.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text ‘START’ to 88788.

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was once a perennial, top defender in the NBA and has the tape to show why he’s arguably one of the best of all-time on that side of the ball.

And he believes that’s still the case, today.

He had the task of guarding Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in the Warriors’ 120-113 victory on Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Chase Center. Antetokounmpo scored 34 points on 15-of-22 shooting.

Green told reporters after the game that he takes a lot of pride in defense, especially being matched up with some of the games best players.

‘It’s an honor to play against great players in this league,’ Green said. ‘Giannis is one of the all-time greats in this league and at my position. Anytime you have an opportunity, for myself, I love that challenge.’

Green recognized that great players, such as Antetokounmpo, will have good nights offensively.

‘Sometimes you’re going to get absolutely annihilated and it’s okay,’ Green said to reporters. ‘Sometimes I’ll get the better of him, sometimes he’ll get the better of me. But most importantly there’s respect. There’s an appreciation for the competition that’s brought to the floor.’

Green added: ‘It’s an honor, I don’t take those matchups lightly. In my 14th year, I don’t think I’m at the end but you never (know) when this thing will change or that’s it. Anytime I get an opportunity to match up against like Giannis it’s always an honor.’

Throughout his 14-year NBA career, Green has captured one Defensive Player of the Year Award, has made the NBA All-Defensive nine times (five-time first-team, four-time second-team) and has been the heart and soul that has helped the Warriors become a four-time NBA champion.

Green, who will turn 36 in March, told USA TODAY Sports that he still views himself among the best in the Association when it comes to being a defender.

‘I think that’d be an understatement,’ Green said. ‘Top 10 seems a little low, but top 10 gets me on an all-defensive team so I’ll take that.’

He added: ‘I think, you know, I can still compete at the highest of levels, I believe. I think my knowledge and understanding of the game helps me out quite a bit. I can kind of be a step ahead of guys, most of the time. So yeah, top five.’

Green was all jokes when actually ranking himself amongst today’s defenders.

‘One, two, maybe three or two. Possibly, one,’ he said before cracking a smile. ‘Nah, I’m just playing.’

Draymond Green defensive stats

So far this season, Green is averaging a steal per game and 0.7 blocks at his 6-foot-6 frame. His defensive rating is at the highest its been at 112.2.

He’s compiled 1,211 steals and 911 blocks in his career, as of the Bucks game. He’s pulled down 6,266 rebounds, including 5,279 defensive rebounds, for what it’s worth.

Some might say his numbers aren’t staggering but Green told reporters after Wednesday’s game that he doesn’t get ‘caught up’ statistics.

‘I judge off the eye test,’ Green said. ‘We have a lot of numbers in this league. Some of them can be a bit deceiving. Some of the worst defenders in history have led the league in steals. It’s just the nature of the game that we play. I know who’s a good defender, I know who’s a bad defender. I know how to exploit the defender.’

He added: ‘The stats just don’t always tell the story so I don’t get caught up in them. … I really don’t get off into them and I don’t know many of them, other than my good ol’ eye.’

Warriors’ next five games

• Jan. 9 vs. Sacramento Kings
• Jan. 11 vs. Atlanta Hawks
• Jan. 13 vs. Portland Trail Blazers
• Jan. 15 vs. New York Knicks
• Jan. 17 vs. Charlotte Hornets

The College Football Playoff resumes Thursday at the Fiesta Bowl. It is perhaps not the semifinal matchup most observers anticipated, but it nevertheless features plenty of intrigue and subplots.

Mississippi finds itself halfway to duplicating the feat of the 1989 Michigan men’s basketball team, winning a national championship after its head coach left for another job. Up next for the Rebels is a date with Miami, fresh off sending the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes packing on its own redemption arc seeking the program’s first football crown since 2001 – and maybe even the opportunity to do it in its home stadium in 11 days.

Here’s a look at the particulars.

Fiesta Bowl: No. 6 Mississippi vs. No. 10 Miami (Fla.)

Time/TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN in Glendale, Ariz.

Why watch: Rebels QB Trinidad Chambliss, approaching legendary status in Oxford after not even being the starter on opening day, will next face the fierce Miami pass rush led by DEs Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor. His own evasiveness should serve Chambliss well, but he’ll also need help from steady RB Kewan Lacy. WRs Harrison Wallace III and De’Zhaun Stribling lead a deep Ole Miss group of pass catchers who will challenge the equally formidable Miami secondary, featuring DBs Jakobe Thomas and Bryce Fitzgerald. Hurricanes QB Carson Beck is somewhat familiar with Ole Miss, though his last encounter with them when he played for Georgia didn’t go well in a 28-10 road loss in the 2024 season. Several of those Rebels’ defenders are still around, including DL Zxavian Harris and LB T.J. Dottery, but Beck’s unit this year might be better equipped to stretch the field. WR Malachi Toney can be utilized in a variety of ways, and RB Mark Fletcher has been extremely valuable during the ‘Canes’ playoff run. Lucas Carneiro, who delivered three clutch field goals, including a pair from beyond 50 yards in the Sugar Bowl win against Georgia last week, could again give Ole Miss the edge in the kicking game.

Why it could disappoint: It shouldn’t, given the number of nail-biters we’ve already seen involving Ole Miss. But the Miami defense is the one unit that could conceivably turn the game into a romp.