COLLEGE STATION, TX – It ended with a smooch.

Mario Cristobal could’ve done without that smacker.

Moments after Miami upset Texas A&M 10-3 in a College Football Playoff game, former Hurricanes wide receiver Michael Irvin found Cristobal and kissed him on the cheek during his on-field postgame interview with ESPN.

“That,” Cristobal said, “was disgusting.”

Cristobal laughed in the moment, in response to Irvin’s hijinks, but upon further reflection …

“I couldn’t find enough wipeys to clean myself,” Cristobal joked.

Call it the cost of victory — and the realities of the effervescent Irvin being one of the program’s biggest supporters.

“That guy means so much to the program, to its fan base, to our community,” said Cristobal, himself a former Miami player. “The pride is returning to so many former players.”

Pucker up, because the Hurricanes are on to the CFP quarterfinals.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

The Green Bay Packers appeared to be well on their way to a win over the Chicago Bears in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season when they took a 10-point lead with about five minutes remaining in regulation.

Instead, the Bears came storming back thanks to an onside kick from Cairo Santos and heroics from Caleb Williams to earn a critical, 22-16 victory.

Chicago is now in firm control of the NFC North and can clinch a playoff berth if the Detroit Lions lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Even so, the divisional race is not over, and both the Packers and Lions will be hoping against hope they can make a last-ditch effort to challenge the Bears as they look to win a divisional title for the first time since Matt Nagy was the team’s head coach.

Here’s what to know about the NFC North standings after the result of the Bears vs. Packers Week 16 game.

NFC North standings

Below is a look at the pecking order in the NFC North after the Bears’ 22-16 win over the Packers:

1. Chicago Bears (11-4)
2. Green Bay Packers (9-5-1)
3. Detroit Lions (8-6)
4. Minnesota Vikings (6-8)

The Bears now hold a one-and-a-half game lead over the Packers atop the NFC North. As such, Chicago needs only to win one of its final two games to clinch the division title for the first time since 2018.

Chicago’s win over Green Bay also prevented the Packers from earning a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bears. That likely won’t be consequential, as the Packers’ tie made it unlikely they’d finish with an identical record to the Bears, but it will give Chicago just a modicum more flexibility in the unlikely event of another tie.

Meanwhile, the Bears’ win figures to make it difficult, but not impossible, for the Lions to win the division. Detroit would need to win out and have Chicago lose out to have a chance at winning the divisional crown.

The Lions’ best chance of making the playoffs is now to catch the Packers in the NFC standings. With a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16, Detroit can position itself to be a half-game back of Green Bay in the NFC North and wild-card standings.

That said, the Lions may have actually preferred a Bears loss. Why? Because Detroit still has a game remaining on the schedule against Chicago, which would have put the Lions in a better position to control their playoff chances. They would only have needed to be within one game of the Bears in the standings before their Week 18 matchup to have a potential win-and-in scenario.

Instead, the Lions will have less ground to make up on the Packers, but no control over Green Bay’s potential results. As such, the Lions will rely on a slip-up from the Packers or another NFC wild-card team down the stretch, while Detroit will also need to take care of business on its own end to mount an 11th-hour playoff push.

Bears remaining schedule

The Bears can clinch the NFC North with a win in one of their last two games. That won’t be an easy task, however, as Chicago is playing a couple of teams who are in the thick of the NFC playoff race to close the season.

Below is a look at the Bears’ remaining opponents:

• Week 17: at San Francisco 49ers (10-4)
• Week 18: vs. Detroit Lions (8-6)

Packers remaining schedule

Neither of the Packers’ two remaining opponents has a winning record entering Week 16. Below is a look at Green Bay’s schedule over the season’s final two weeks:

• Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens (7-7)
• Week 18: at Minnesota Vikings (6-8)

Lions remaining schedule

The Lions still have to play their Week 16 game against the Steelers. After that, they will hit the road for a couple of divisional contests, including what could prove to be a critical, Week 18 battle with the Bears, pending the shape of the NFC playoff picture.

Below is a look at the Lions’ remaining opponents:

• Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
• Week 17: at Minnesota Vikings
• Week 18: at Chicago Bears

NFC North division winner odds

The Bears’ win has established them as the clear-cut favorites to win the NFC North, according to odds from DraftKings Sportsbook. Below is a look at each team’s chances of winning the tightly packed division:

• Chicago Bears (-380)
• Green Bay Packers (+650)
• Detroit Lions (+750)

The push to bring the WNBA back to the city of Houston, where one of the league’s original franchises won four championships, is becoming more intense.

According to a new ESPN report, the Houston Rockets ownership group is in ‘substantive’ talks with the Connecticut Sun to purchase and relocate the franchise. Talks have been described as ‘positive,’ while Rockets ownership works on a purchase offer that is acceptable to the Sun. While an exclusivity agreement has not been signed, and a decision has not been made on the franchise’s, a formal offer has been discussed.

USA TODAY has reached out to the WNBA for comment.

News of the Rockets’ offer comes almost six months after WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert specifically called out Houston during a June 30 expansion team announcement for Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia. Houston did not receive a bid at the time after entering into the picture later in the process.

‘There are a variety of cities that obviously bid, and one of those I wanted to shout out because they have such a strong history in this league and they are a great ownership group, is Houston,’ Engelbert said at the time.’

Over the last several months, the Sun have explored options to ‘strategically invest in the team,’ including a potential sale. In August, reports surfaced that a group led by Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca had reached a deal to buy the Sun for a record $325 million and relocate the franchise to Boston. However, the WNBA reportedly blocked the deal, saying cities that applied for expansion first ‘have priority over Boston.’

Sun ownership then attempted to present multiple options to the WNBA in an attempt to salvage a deal to sell the team, including a plan that would allow the state of Connecticut to buy a stake in the team to keep the Sun there. According to the latest report from ESPN, there is a growing hope that Connecticut’s future can be determined before the start of the 2026 free agency period.

However, the date of free agency remains to be seen and cannot move forward until a new league CBA is in place. The WNBA and WNBA Players Association agreed to a January 9 deadline, but a recent vote to strike should talks continue as they are could further complicate negotiations.

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Longtime NASCAR star Brad Keselowski broke his leg Thursday while on a family ski trip, his RFK Racing team said in a statement.

‘Keselowski has successfully completed routine surgery, and doctors expect a quick and full recovery,’ RFK Racing said.

In a statement, the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion said he was ‘grateful for the medical team who took great care of me and for the support system around me.

‘My attention now is fully on recovery. I’m motivated to get back to full strength as quickly as possible and will work relentlessly to be ready for Daytona,’ Keselowski said.

Keselowski, 41, subsequently took to his own social media channel and posted a photo of himself in the hospital in a hospital gown surrounded by his family, an X-ray of his leg showing screws going into it, and a video of himself walking down a hospital hallway while using a walker.

In his post he said he is ‘focused on Daytona’ and cracked that he is ‘now bionic.’

The 2026 Daytona 500 is scheduled for Feb. 15, giving Keselowski less than two months of recovery time before NASCAR’s most famous race.

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Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua are just moments away from their highly anticipated bout, which means they’re that much closer to a hefty payday.

Paul, a YouTube influencer-turned-professional boxer, has made a name for himself in the boxing world despite facing criticism for the quality of opponents he faced, which includes mixed martial arts fighters, retired or out-of-their-prime boxers and former NBA slam dunk champion Nate Robinson.

‘They say I’m unproven,’ Paul says. ‘Untested. That I talk big and fight small. Well, surprise, b—-.’

Joshua, a former two-time heavyweight champion, dismissed the perceived criticism from the fight with Paul, telling reporters during the final prefight news conference on Wednesday that he’s more focused on ‘people talking about the fight’.

‘I’m not worried about what people think about the integrity side,’ Joshua said. ‘I’m more worried about are they talking? As long as they are, then we’re doing a good job.’

For what it’s worth, as Paul looks to gain more credibility in boxing, Joshua said Paul is someone he would’ve fought early in his career.

Paul, 28, originally planned to fight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, who held the World Boxing Association lightweight title since 2023, but the fight fell through following legal issues Davis faced, causing Paul to search for another opponent, handpicking Joshua, who is eight years older than Paul.

Joshua, 36, stands at a massive 6-foot-6, about five inches taller than Paul’s 6-foot-1 frame, and weighs 245 pounds, compared to Paul, who is 216 pounds.

How much will Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua make from their fight?

Although an exact number has not yet been confirmed, the fighters are expected to earn a pretty penny for their match.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Daily Mail and former UFC champion Michael Bisping, the purse is worth $184 million, where Paul and Joshua will make $92 million apiece for the fight. But that sum could be undervalued as Paul took to X, formerly Twitter, in November to presumably contend that number.

‘Stop asking me,’ Paul wrote in a X post. ‘$267 million.’

However, that figure has not been confirmed.

How much did each make in their previous fights?

No matter the exact figure, one thing is certain: this fight will rake in exponentially more dollars than each respective fighter’s last bout.

Paul has a 12-1 professional boxing record after 13 fights, including seven knockouts. His last fight was in June against Julio César Chávez Jr. at Honda Center in Anaheim. Paul was dubbed the winner of that bout by unanimous decision. Many reports said, according to the California State Athletic Commission, Paul’s guaranteed purse was $300,000, not including pay-per-view shares or what his company, Most Valuable Promotions, paid him. Chavez Jr. received $750,000.

Joshua has 28 wins and four losses in his 32-fight boxing career, 25 wins came by way of knockout. However, in his last fight, Joshua was on the receiving end of a knockout, losing to Daniel DuBois in the fifth round, ultimately relinquishing the International Boxing Federation championship in 2024 at Wembley Stadium in London. Multiple reports stated Joshua made nearly $8 million from the fight, while DuBois netted approximately $4.6 million.

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs managed to get the best of the Atlanta Hawks in a 126-98 victory on the road Friday Dec. 19.

Wembanyama produced a double-double performance, leading the team in points and rebounds, and he did that coming off the Spurs’ bench. In fact, the MVP candidate actually tallied more points than minutes played in the contest.

San Antonio utilized nearly every player on its roster after jumping out to a 24-point halftime lead, allowing the Spurs to limit Wembanyama’s time on the court. But the limited minutes did nothing to slow the big man down.

The Spurs improved to 20-7 and won back-to-back games after coming up short against the New York Knicks in the NBA Cup final.

Here’s the latest on Wembanyama’s performance:

Victor Wembanyama stats tonight vs. Hawks

• Points: 26
• FG: 10-for-15 (2-for-4 3pts)
• Free Throws: 4-for-7
• Rebounds: 12
• Assists: 3
• Steals: 1
• Blocks: 2
• Turnovers: 2
• Fouls: 1
• Minutes: 21
• Plus/Minus: +29

It’s been over a week since former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was fired and subsequently arrested, and it remains the biggest storyline in college football.

The topic arose on the Friday, Dec. 19 edition of ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ ahead of Oklahoma-Alabama in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Kirk Herbstreit applauded the Wolverines and interim head coach Biff Poggi for how they’ve handled the aftermath of the situation from a parents’ standpoint. Herbstreit’s son, Chase, is a freshman quarterback on Michigan’s roster.

‘It’s been interesting. I’ve been on a bunch of Zooms with the rest of the parents, listening in and trying to watch Biff Poggi try to navigate these uncharted waters,’ Herbstreit said on ‘College GameDay.’ ‘It’s been obviously a very difficult set of circumstances, something that not only Biff but the entire staff didn’t expect this, didn’t ask for this, and now they’re put in this situation.

‘I’ll just say, as a parent, I’ve been blown away by Biff Poggi and what he’s done. … Not necessarily surprised by that, but this is a difficult set of circumstances outside of Schembechler Hall. But what he’s done to be able to pull this team together (is) almost like a father figure to me. And the staff, these guys, a lot of these guys, who knows who the next head coach is gonna be. Maybe some will stay, maybe some are gonna be looking for other jobs. Meanwhile, they’re trying to continue to get ready for Texas.

‘So, I just want to say, as a parent, I salute the University of Michigan for how they’ve been able to try to keep this thing together, especially Biff, the entire staff, the coordinators. Dez (‘College GameDay’ analyst and former Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard), I know you’d be very proud of what’s going on there. And now they got to go, like I said, get ready. These players are trying to lock in and block out all that noise. 
So, I tip my cap to them, and see how that’s looking forward to seeing how they play against Texas.’

The Wolverines announced on Wednesday, Dec. 10 that it Moore had been fired for cause after a university investigation found ‘credible evidence’ of him having been ‘engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.’

Moore was detained and booked later that day by police after the Pittsfield Township Police Department responded to an incident ‘for the purposes of investigating an alleged assault.’ He was officially charged two days later on Dec. 12 with third-degree felony home invasion and two misdemeanors of stalking related to a domestic relationship and breaking and entering-illegal entry without the owner’s permission.

Herbstreit wasn’t the only member of the ‘College GameDay’ desk to give Poggi credit for how he has stepped in since Moore’s firing and arrest. Poggi will serve as the Wolverines’ interim head coach in the Citrus Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 31 against Texas.

‘When you represent a university, we’re very much in a fishbowl. I mean the visibility is total 100%. We all have a responsibility and obligation to hold up that standard,’ former Alabama coach Nick Saban said. ‘You (Desmond Howard) went to a great university. The University of Michigan is a great place.

‘I think Biff has done a marvelous job in the way he’s handled this because he’s put the focus on the players and stayed with the players to get the players to come together. Michigan’s a first-class institution, and I know that they’ll come out of this in some kind of positive way, but I hope that we all learn something.’

Moore is set to return to court on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 9 a.m. ET.

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