Cowboys defense comes through late in shootout win over Seahawks; Conference championship games are here.

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🏆 Good morning to everyone but especially …

COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

Trophies. Revenge. Drama. Sendoffs. Legacies. College Football Playoff berths. They’re all on the line as Championship Weekend kicks off tonight.

No. 5 Oregon and No. 3 Washington — both headed to the Big Ten next year — will play the final Pac-12 football game (at least we think). In case you missed their first matchup, I’m sorry. The Huskies won a 36-33 instant classic. Stars shined with Heisman Trophy candidate quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix combining for 639 yards and six touchdowns, while stud wide receivers Troy Franklin and Rome Odunze combined for 282 yards and three scores. The Ducks were thwarted three times on fourth down, the final effort setting up Washington’s go-ahead field goal; Oregon also missed a would-be game-tying field goal as time expired.

Since then, Oregon has dominated (26.0 average winning margin), while Washington has eked by (6.5 average winning margin).

This game should be another absolute dandy with the winner heading to the CFP. In The Six Pack, Tom Fornelli expects a little more defense.

• Fornelli: “In their first five games before the first Oregon game, the Huskies averaged 3.86 points per possession with a 55.3% success rate on offense. Those numbers have dropped to 2.50 and 44.0%, respectively, in the five games since Oregon. … Meanwhile, Oregon has looked like the second-best team in the country since the loss. I took the Ducks to win and cover the first game because I felt they were the more complete team then. I still feel that way now, but for my money the smarter play here is the under. If the Washington offense of old shows up, we could lose this bet before the third quarter ends, but I don’t believe it will. Pick: Under 66 (-110)“

Saturday, Alabama plays an unfamiliar role: underdog. And every underdog needs a protagonist. Jalen Milroe fills that role, writes Dennis Dodd.

• Dodd: “In the same season, Milroe has gone from being benched to being compared to a former NFL MVP. Beat Georgia, and don’t be surprised if he gets an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. … Watching him now compared to the beginning of the season, he is more outgoing, more comfortable in his own skin. … You’ve probably seen the viral video of The New Milroe. ‘Give me the Heisman,’ the quarterback shouted after beating Auburn. ‘Give me the motherf—er.'”

Dennis also made his championship game picks.

Here are previews for the biggest conference title games:

• Pac-12: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 3 Washington (preview)
• ACC: No. 14 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State (preview)
• Big 12: No. 7 Texas vs. No. 18 Oklahoma State (preview)
• Big Ten: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 16 Iowa (preview)
• SEC: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama (preview)
• AAC: SMU at No. 22 Tulane (preview)
• Conference USA: New Mexico State at No. 24 Liberty (preview)

Enjoy it all, and buckle up: It’s going to be a wild ride.

😃 Honorable mentions

😳 And not such a good morning for …

THE DETROIT PISTONS

After a 118-112 loss to the Knicks at MSG on Thursday night, the Pistons became the 13th team in NBA history to go winless for an entire calendar month. Detroit is currently on a 16-game losing streak with a tough schedule ahead.

Sam Quinn breaks down the team’s long November:

• Quinn: “In their winless month, the Pistons ranked 26th in the NBA in defense by allowing 120 points per 100 possessions, and they ranked 27th in offense by scoring just 107.9. Only the Spurs —who went 1-12 in November— managed a worse net rating at minus-13.4 points per 100 possessions.”

😣 Not so honorable mentions

🤠 Cowboys top Seahawks in Thursday night shootout

For a game that featured 76 points and over 800 yards of offense combined, perhaps it’s fitting that clutch defense made the difference. The Cowboys got three crucial fourth-quarter, fourth-down stops to complement another huge offensive outing in a 41-35 victory over the Seahawks.

• Seattle led 35-27 early in the fourth quarter thanks to Geno Smith‘s third touchdown pass to D.K. Metcalf of the evening.
• Dallas trimmed it to 35-30 and then got turnovers on downs on the final three drives: a huge DeMarcus Lawrence run stop on fourth and 1, which set up Dak Prescott‘s game-winning touchdown toss to Jake Ferguson, and a pair of incompletions, the final one set up by Micah Parsons‘ pressure to seal the win.
• Prescott continued his outstanding play with 299 yards passing and three touchdowns passing. He finished November with 16 touchdowns passing, tied for the fifth-most in a month in NFL history.
• This was also just the fifth game in NFL history with zero punts. An astonishing 19 combined penalties for 257 yards helped. The Seahawks are the first team to lose with 35-plus points and zero punts.
• Here are all of the crazy stats.

The Cowboys are really good.

🏈 NFL Week 13 picks: 49ers-Eagles in the spotlight

College football isn’t having all of the fun this weekend. There’s a great NFL slate, but nothing compares to 49ers-Eagles. San Francisco is favored heading to Philadelphia, which even Kyle Shanahan doesn’t understand, and there’s been plenty of trash talk … from both sides.

The last time these teams met, Brock Purdy got injured early, and the Eagles cruised to the NFC title. Is (slight) revenge in the cards? Will Brinson says …

• Brinson: “The Niners have been extremely dominant in every single game where Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel were available and not so much when they didn’t have them on the field. I do NOT like laying -2.5 on the road against the team with the best record in football, but the Niners are coming off a mini bye courtesy of playing on Thanksgiving night, the Eagles defense was on the field for 92 plays against the Bills last week in an emotionally taxing win and Philly is dealing with several key injuries, Lane Johnson and Fletcher Cox most notably. 49ers (-2.5)“

Here are our experts’ picks:

 Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Jordan Dajani | Tyler Sullivan

🐅 Tiger Woods looks healthy in return to golf

On Thursday, Tiger Woods played his first round of competitive golf since the 2023 Masters. The result, numbers-wise: 75. Not great. The result, health-wise: terrific.

• Woods, who had a subtalar fusion procedure, was actually playing very well through 14 holes at 1 under. However, his final four holes featured a double bogey and two bogeys.
• Woods admitted he was “rusty” and said he struggled with his “feels” and “a lack of commitment.” That’s to be expected. What’s far more encouraging and important is that he looked healthy. “Frankly, he looked like a normal professional golfer, which is a win for him at this point,” wrote Kyle Porter.
• The round wasn’t without highlights, either. He piped a 326-yard drive on the opening hole and made birdie putts from 22, 28 and 48 feet.
• Tony Finau and Brian Harman share the lead at 5 under.

🏈 Von Miller arrested on assault charge, released on bail

Bills linebacker Von Miller turned himself in Thursday afternoon after an arrest warrant was issued for Miller allegedly assaulting a pregnant woman, according to police. He was released on a $5,000 bond.

• Miller’s longtime girlfriend accused him of assaulting her at their Dallas home Wednesday. The charge of assaulting a pregnant person is a third-degree felony.
• A preliminary investigation determined Miller and the victim got in a verbal argument before the assault. Miller then left the scene. The victim was treated for minor injuries.
• The Bills released a statement saying they are aware of the incident and gathering more information.

Miller, 34, is in his second season with Buffalo. The Bills are on their bye.

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏈 CUSA Championship: New Mexico State at No. 24 Liberty, 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 76ers at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Pac-12 Championship: No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 3 Washington, 8 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Nuggets at Suns, 10 p.m. on ESPN

Saturday

🏈 Big 12 Championship: No. 19 Oklahoma State vs. No. 7 Texas, noon on ABC
🏈 SEC Championship: No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 8 Alabama, 4 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+
🏈 AAC Championship: SMU at No. 22 Tulane, 4 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Big Ten Championship: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 16 Iowa, 8 p.m. on Fox
🏈 ACC Championship: No. 14 Louisville vs. No. 4 Florida State, 8 p.m. on ABC
🏀 No. 4 UConn at No. 5 Kansas, 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 1 Purdue at Northwestern, 9 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 Nuggets at Kings, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 USC vs. No. 11 Gonzaga, 10 p.m. on ESPN

Sunday

🏈 Broncos at Texans, 1 p.m. on CBS, Paramount+
🏈 Lions at Saints, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 1 South Carolina at Duke, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Oregon at No. 13 Baylor, 2 p.m. on FS1
🏀 No. 11 UConn at No. 10 Texas, 3 p.m. on ABC
🏈 49ers at Eagles, 4:25 p.m. on Fox
🏀 No. 16 Ohio State at No. 20 Tennessee, 5 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Chiefs at Packers, 8:20 p.m. on NBC