| | | | | | | Presented By SiriusXM | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker · Jan 10, 2023 | | 👋 Good morning! Georgia's pretty good, huh? ❤️ Hamlin update: Damar Hamlin was released from the hospital and returned home to Buffalo on Monday, one week after he collapsed on the field and suffered a cardiac arrest. Today's word count: 1,732 words (6½ minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 🏆 A historic beatdown |  | | | Stetson Bennett. College football legend. Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images | | | | Georgia destroyed TCU, 65-7, last night to become the first back-to-back champions of the College Football Playoff era — and just the eighth in the history of the sport. Wild stat: Georgia's 58-point win is not only the biggest blowout in national championship game history — it's the largest margin of victory in any bowl game ever. The big picture: The Bulldogs (15-0) have solidified themselves as an all-time college football dynasty, winning 29 of 30 games and two national titles over the past 16 months, while outscoring opponents 1,163-364. - The average final score of a Georgia football game over the past two seasons was 39-12.
- They surrendered seven or fewer points in 12 of 30 games; they gave up 20+ points just six times.
Star of the night: Stetson Bennett added to his legacy in his final college game, accounting for six touchdowns (four rushing, two passing) and improving to 29-3 as a starter at Georgia. - Bennett, 25, is older than five starting QBs of NFL playoff teams and probably won't get drafted until the sixth or seventh round — if at all — in the upcoming NFL draft.
- But the former walk-on left an indelible mark on the college game, joining Matt Leinart (USC) and A.J. McCarron (Alabama) as the only QBs to win back-to-back national titles in the 21st century.
Kirby Smart hoists the trophy. Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Between the lines: Georgia's consecutive titles come on the heels of significant investment by the university. Head coach Kirby Smart signed a record 10-year, $112 million extension in July, two months after the school unveiled an $80 million renovation to the team's training facility. The intrigue: Georgia is the first back-to-back champ since Alabama in 2011 and 2012, when Smart was Nick Saban's defensive coordinator. A decade later, the apprentice has become the master. - Smart is 81-15 with two national titles in his first seven seasons at Georgia.
- Saban was 79-15 with three national titles in his first seven seasons at Alabama.
What they're saying: "They've taken over college football," ESPN analyst (and former Bulldog) David Pollack said of Georgia during halftime last night — with Saban sitting feet away. The other side: Shoutout to TCU. Tough way to end the season, but what a dream season it was. They went 5-7 a year ago and were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12. Instead, they made the national title game. So cool. Looking ahead: Georgia is the favorite (+375, per Caesars) to win a third straight national championship next season, followed by Alabama (+550) and Ohio State (+650). Go deeper: |     | | | | | | 2. 🏈 Stat du jour: 69 starting QBs |  | | | Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios | | | | 69 different quarterbacks started NFL games this season, breaking the previous non-strike-season record of 64. Wild stat: Just 10 teams had one starter all season, while 13 teams had at least three. All 69 starting QBs: - Bears: Justin Fields (15 starts), Trevor Siemian (1), Nathan Peterman (1)
- Bengals: Joe Burrow (17)
- Bills: Josh Allen (17)
- Broncos: Russell Wilson (15), Brett Rypien (2)
- Browns: Jacoby Brissett (11), Deshaun Watson (6)
- Buccaneers: Tom Brady (17)
- Cardinals: Kyler Murray (11), Colt McCoy (3), David Blough (2), Trace McSorley (1)
- Chargers: Justin Herbert (17)
- Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes (17)
- Colts: Matt Ryan (12), Sam Ehlinger (3), Nick Foles (2)
- Commanders: Taylor Heinicke (9), Carson Wentz (7), Sam Howell (1)
- Cowboys: Dak Prescott (12), Cooper Rush (5)
- Dolphins: Tua Tagovailoa (13), Teddy Bridgewater (2), Skylar Thompson (2)
- Eagles: Jalen Hurts (15), Gardner Minshew (2)
- Falcons: Marcus Mariota (13), Desmond Ridder (4)
- 49ers: Jimmy Garoppolo (10), Brock Purdy (5), Trey Lance (2)
- Giants: Daniel Jones (16), Davis Webb (1)
- Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence (17)
- Jets: Zach Wilson (9), Mike White (4), Joe Flacco (4)
- Lions: Jared Goff (17)
- Packers: Aaron Rodgers (17)
- Panthers: Baker Mayfield (6), Sam Darnold (6), P.J. Walker (5)
- Patriots: Mac Jones (14), Bailey Zappe (2), Brian Hoyer (1)
- Raiders: Derek Carr (15), Jarrett Stidham (2)
- Rams: Matthew Stafford (9), Baker Mayfield (4), John Wolford (3), Bryce Perkins (1)
- Ravens: Lamar Jackson (12), Tyler Huntley (4), Anthony Brown (1)
- Saints: Andy Dalton (14), Jameis Winston (3)
- Seahawks: Geno Smith (17)
- Steelers: Kenny Pickett (12), Mitchell Trubisky (5)
- Texans: Davis Mills (15), Kyle Allen (2), Jeff Driskel (1)*
- Titans: Ryan Tannehill (12), Malik Willis (3), Joshua Dobbs (2)
- Vikings: Kirk Cousins (17)
*Allen and Driskel co-started in Week 15 | | | | | | | | 3. 📺 TV's tough trajectory |  Data: YCharts; Chart: Tory Lysik/Axios Visuals 2022 was one of the hardest years ever for traditional TV companies, and it's only expected to get worse as the ad market continues to slow and cord cutting accelerates, Axios' Sara Fischer writes. State of play: Most challenges plaguing TV giants today stem from the false assumption that streaming would make up for linear TV losses. - Media giants like Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and Comcast don't expect their standalone streaming offerings to break even until at least 2024 or 2025.
- In the interim, not only is cord-cutting accelerating faster than expected, but so are drops in linear TV viewing broadly.
By the numbers: Today, roughly 66% of U.S. households pay for a cable, satellite or fiber TV subscription, down from 79% in 2017 and 85% in 2007. Between the lines: Media giants are having a particularly tough time convincing Wall Street that their streaming bets will eventually pay off. - Despite surpassing expectations for new subscribers, Disney's stock cratered to its lowest level in 21 years last quarter, thanks to widening losses in its streaming division.
- The few companies that have opted not to enter the subscription streaming wars, like Fox Corp., have fared better among investors.
What to watch: The migration of the country's biggest sports rights packages from linear to streaming will expedite the inevitable collapse of the cable bundle. Take the NFL, for example: - Google will pay roughly $2 billion a year for the NFL's Sunday Ticket package starting next season, up from the roughly $1.5 billion that DirecTV currently pays.
- Amazon is paying roughly $1 billion annually for "Thursday Night Football," up from the $650 million per year that Fox previously paid.
Looking ahead: Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal are all expected to sell or combine with other media entities in the next few years, in order to compete with Amazon, Netflix and Google. | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Get free access to music, sports, news and more | | |  | | | | Subscribe to SiriusXM Streaming and get access to 3 months of free: - Expertly curated ad-free music.
- Pandora artist stations.
- Live sports.
- Celebrity hosts, comedians and newscasters.
- Howard Stern and more.
More info: Listen on your phone, at home and more with the SXM App. See offer details. | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round |  | | | Kliff Kingsbury. Photo: Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images | | | | 🏈 Bonkers stat: The Cardinals fired Kliff Kingsbury yesterday. They've still never had a head coach last longer than six years — and they've been around since the NFL's inaugural campaign (103 seasons)!!! ⚽️ Banned for life: Four former NWSL coaches — Paul Riley, Christy Holly, Rory Dames and Richie Burke — have been permanently banned from the NWSL following the league's sexual harassment investigation. 🏈 Hall of Fame: Reggie Bush and Tim Tebow are among the 18 players in the latest College Football Hall of Fame class, announced yesterday. | | | | | | | | 5. 🏀 Men's poll: Kansas State on the rise |  Chart: Axios Visuals Houston is back at No. 1 in this week's AP men's basketball poll, while Kansas State jumped from unranked to the verge of the top 10. - Rising: Kansas State, picked to finish last in the Big 12, jumped to No. 11 following road wins over No. 10 Texas and Baylor. No. 14 Iowa State climbed nine spots after road wins over Oklahoma and No. 17 TCU.
- Falling: No. 24 Duke fell eight spots after a blowout loss at NC State and a narrow win at Boston College. No. 9 Arizona, No. 10 Texas, No. 16 Miami and No. 18 Wisconsin all fell four spots.
Conference call: The Big 12 and SEC each have five ranked teams, followed by the Big East (4), ACC (3), Big Ten (2) and Pac-12 (2). The American, West Coast, Mountain West and Colonial each have one. Go deeper: Could the entire Big 12 make the NCAA Tournament? (The Athletic) | | | | | | | | 6. 🏀 Women's poll: Illinois returns |  Chart: Axios Visuals Illinois has returned to the AP women's basketball Top 25 for the first time in 23 years. - Rising: The Illini (14-3) are off to an impressive start under first-year coach Shauna Green. They went 7-20 (1-13 Big Ten) last season and haven't had a winning season since 2012-13.
- Staying put: South Carolina garnered all 28 votes to remain at No. 1 for the 29th consecutive week. Their next ranked opponent is No. 4 UConn on Feb. 5.
Of note: No. 1 South Carolina, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 5 LSU are the only unbeaten teams left in women's college hoops. On the men's side, there are zero. Go deeper: Ranking the best 2022-23 high school teams (ESPN) | | | | | | | | 7. 🌎 The world in photos | | Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images VAL DI FIEMME, Italy — Cross-country skiing is no joke. Rashidi Ellis is punched by Roiman Villa. Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images WASHINGTON, D.C. — Neither is boxing. Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images SYDNEY — Spectators play cricket in a rain delay during a test match between Australia and South Africa. | | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: Return of the fab four |  | | | Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images | | | | The Warriors host the Suns tonight (10pm ET, TNT) in what could be Steph Curry's return from an 11-game absence due to a shoulder injury. - Why it matters: If Curry (probable) does return, it would be the first regular-season game since 2019 in which he, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala share the floor.
- State of play: Golden State (20-20) and Phoenix (20-21) — last year's champion and No. 1 seed, respectively — have both underachieved so far this season.
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. 🏈 NFL trivia |  Table: Axios Visuals A record five NFL head coaches in their first season with their respective teams made the playoffs. - Question: Can you name all five?
- Hint: Three are rookie head coaches.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 💵 1 Gronk thing: "Kick of Destiny" |  | | | Photo: Courtesy of FanDuel | | | | Rob Gronkowski is teaming up with FanDuel for a Super Bowl commercial that will see him attempt a 25-yard field goal — live. How it works: Gronk will attempt the "Kick of Destiny" during the third quarter of Super Bowl LVII. If he makes it, anyone who bet $5 on the game on FanDuel will receive a share of $10 million in free bets. "I'm not at the top of my game right now, but I actually have two training sessions coming up this week. ... I don't want to disappoint America." | | | | | | | | A message from SiriusXM | | Stream SiriusXM now and get 3 months for free | | |  | | | | Stream more than 425 channels on your devices for free on the SXM App, including expertly curated ad-free music, live sports, personalized stations and more. Next steps: Sign up now to get 3 months free. Cancel anytime. Learn more about the offer and start streaming. See offer details. | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "John Williams does it again" Baker Trivia answer: Brian Daboll (Giants), Kevin O'Connell (Vikings), Mike McDaniel (Dolphins), Doug Pederson (Jaguars), Todd Bowles (Buccaneers) 🙏 Have a great day! Follow us for more (@kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy). Friends can sign up here. Thanks to Sheryl Miller for copy edits. |  | | Are you a fan of this email format? Your essential communications — to staff, clients and other stakeholders — can have the same style. Axios HQ, a powerful platform, will help you do it. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters.
Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. Axios, 3100 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington VA 22201 | | | You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Axios.
To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. | | | Was this email forwarded to you?
Sign up now to get Axios in your inbox. | | | | Follow Axios on social media:    | | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment