Marcus Freeman stepped to the podium beneath Notre Dame Stadium on Friday night, a grin cresting on his face as a slew of Fighting Irish dignitaries shuffled into the space to hear their fearless leader debrief a 27-17 College Football Playoff-opening throttling of Indiana.

But before the usual postgame proceedings could begin, a pair of greying, blue-jacketed representatives from the Sugar Bowl stepped forward to the dais armed with a ceremonial ball and proposition for the 38-year-old Notre Dame head coach.

“We’d like to officially invite you to play in the 2024 Sugar Bowl,” one of the reps said, handing Freeman the football.

“I haven’t talked to my boss,” Freeman quipped, shooting a playful glance at Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua seated on left the side of the room, “but we definitely accept.”

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College football “delivered spectacular history to millions across the country” with the first on-campus playoff games. YAHOO SPORTS' Ross Dellenger wrote this is "where college football’s postseason belongs” (YAHOO SPORTS 12/21). ESPN.com's Bill Connelly wrote the atmospheres were “overwhelming," though fans "didn't get any actually thrilling games." But is was college football at its "most intense and distilled," and it was an "enlightening experience” (ESPN.com, 12/21). ESPN’s Dave Pasch said, “Even though the first two games weren’t competitive ... this is, I think, a big win for college football, having these first-round games (on campus). I’d love to see at some point even the quarterfinals go in that direction” ( “Clemson-Texas,” TNT, 12/21).

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian was “raving about the atmosphere" at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium for the team's win over Clemson. Sarkisian said, “I mean it’s amazing. You know, this is great for college football. I watched those other games last night and earlier today and for us to have this environment today, I think it’s amazing for college football" (USA TODAY, 12/21). Penn State coach James Franklin “spoke glowingly of the crowd” at Beaver Stadium after the win against SMU. Franklin said, “I want to thank the fans; it was phenomenal. The environment was phenomenal. The turnout was unbelievable" (CENTRE DAILY TIMES, 12/21).

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The first 12-team CFP debuted with four opening-round games decided by a combined 77 points in a weekend that “wasn’t an instant-classic." After "coming under fire" for making SMU the final at-large playoff team over three SEC contenders, the playoff committee will “face another round of controversy” following lopsided losses by SMU and Indiana. What unfolded in the opening round is a “nightmare for the committee,” since the series of double-digit losses “threaten to define the new format” (USA TODAY, 12/22). The 28-point loss to Penn State at Beaver Stadium "didn't help SMU's argument" that they belonged and “only made it easier” for Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin and his SEC counterparts to “double down” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 12/21).

Kiffin on social media criticized the CFP selection committee after back-to-back blowouts in the first round with Notre Dame beating Indiana 27-17 and Penn State handling SMU 38-10. Kiffin on X after Indiana’s loss said, "Really exciting competitive game @CFBPlayoff. Great job!!" During the Penn State-SMU game, Kiffin said, "Way to keep us on the edge of our seats Committee. ... Riveting.” Kiffin has been “active and vocal about the playoff selection” after his Ole Miss squad was left out (CBSSPORTS.com, 12/21).

THE ATHLETIC’s Bruce Feldman wrote "no one who didn’t make the 12-team Playoff earned their way into it.” Whatever happens on the field over the next month “won’t change the fact that the teams that didn’t get picked simply didn’t do enough to get in” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/21).

The U.S. Senate passed legislation around 1:15am ET Saturday to "allow D.C. to redevelop the RFK Stadium site and potentially bring" the Commanders back to the city. The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act was passed via “unanimous consent,” meaning all 100 senators "were on board." It was a “shocking twist to cap a remarkable run of tense negotiations over the RFK provision.” The team can now “formally negotiate” with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has “made redeveloping the waterfront site a top economic goal and bringing back the Commanders a top legacy project” (WASHINGTON POST, 12/21). The legislation “doesn’t include any funds for a new stadium.” Instead, it “transfers administrative control from the federal government to city officials.” It does include "some restrictions, such as reserving at least 30% of the site for parks and open spaces and barring construction directly on the Anacostia River waterfront” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 12/21).

John Seidler, the brother of late Padres owner Peter Seidler, has been “tabbed to become the team’s control person," according to Kevin Acee of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. John Seidler, 65, has been part of the ownership group since 2012 and “frequently attends games at Petco Park.” Members of Peter Seidler’s family hold what is “believed to be a 45% stake in the team.” Seidler Equity founding partner Eric Kutsenda took over as the franchise’s interim control person shortly after Peter’s death in November 2023. Kutsenda will “maintain a role within the organization," while the rest of the team’s senior leadership, including CEO Erik Greupner and President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller, are "also remaining." A source said that the Seidlers “intend to own the team for ‘a long time’ and called this move ‘the ultimate continuity’” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 12/21).

The Dodgers “topped a record nine teams" owing MLB’s luxury tax this year with an “unprecedented” $103M penalty, their fourth year in a row paying a tax. The Yankees have the second-highest bill, owing $62.5M. The total tax of $311.3M between nine teams across the league “topped the previous high” of $209.8M last year, when eight teams paid. For the third straight year, the Mets, Dodgers, Yankees and Phillies will all pay, while the Braves and Rangers owe tax for the second year in a row. The Astros are paying tax for the first time. The Giants are paying for the first time since 2017 and the Cubs for the first time since 2019 (AP, 12/20).

FC Barcelona members ratified the club’s new long-term agreement with Nike at an “emergency assembly” on Saturday with President Joan Laporta "claiming the deal is the biggest of its kind ever signed.” There were 419 votes in favor of the deal with Nike and 27 against, while 22 people abstained from voting. Barcelona has not disclosed the full details of the agreement, but sources said that it is worth more than $104.2M “annually before bonuses are taken into account.” The multiyear agreement with Nike will “help to further alleviate the Catalan club's financial problems.” Barcelona and Nike have worked together since 1998 (ESPN.com, 12/21).

Mexico City is “preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with plans to increase investment in mobility and security next year.” The city’s proposed mobility budget, which includes "initiatives to make it easier for fans to enter and exit the iconic Azteca stadium, will increase to nearly” $348M, representing 186% "more than the 2024 allocation.” Mexico City also is proposing a "record high budget for its subway system.” Finance Minister Juan Pablo de Botton said, “The challenge is for people to be able to enter and leave on time and move around the city freely, feeling happy and safe.” Mexico City will host the opening match for the 2026 World Cup, which will also be hosted by the U.S. and Canada. Azteca stadium is “separately undergoing renovations to expand seating to 87,000” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 12/20).

President Biden's administration on Friday "withdrew a pending regulation governing transgender athletes, abandoning an effort to provide some protections for transgender students that the incoming Trump administration has said it opposes.” The proposal involved "amending Title IX." The Education Department said that it received “more than 150,000 public comments during a 30-day comment period that 'offered a broad spectrum of opinions.'" It also noted that there are “several ongoing lawsuits related to the application of Title IX in the context of gender identity,” including several “challenging a companion regulation the administration finalized in April that more broadly protects gay and transgender students.” The proposal would have “prohibited policies that categorically ban transgender student-athletes from participating on sports teams that match their gender identity" but would have “still allowed schools to enforce some restrictions, particularly in competitive sports” (THE HILL, 12/20).

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta to "become the next U.S. ambassador to Italy." If approved, Fertitta "wouldn't be the first sports team owner to be named as an ambassador," as Jets owner Woody Johnson was the ambassador to the U.K. during Trump's first term. He also "isn't the only person with sports ties to be nominated by Trump as an ambassador," with former NFLer Herschel Walker the nominee to be ambassador to the Bahamas (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 12/21). It is not yet known what Fertitta's appointment would mean for the Rockets.

Baseball HOFer Rickey Henderson died Saturday at 65 and tributes are pouring in. The San Jose MERCURY NEWS went with, “‘ The Greatest’ -- Rickey Henderson’s death is the true end of baseball in Oakland.” Henderson played 25 seasons after breaking in with the A’s in 1979, winning two World Series championships in 1989 with the A's and 1993 with the Blue Jays. Henderson was the “Man of Steal,” who "appropriately told the world after setting baseball’s stolen base record that he was 'the greatest of all time.'" There are "plenty of players with great stats," but “few players who could capture your attention with his style both on and off the field.” Henderson "wasn't always beloved," but the baseball world eventually "saw the error of its ways -- they realized that what Henderson provided the game was everything it needed -- and so much of what it lacks today -- and celebrated him as such."

More tributes:

• Rickey being Rickey: Henderson was the ultimate showman, a Bay Area original.

• Rickey Henderson was a one-of-a-kind Superman.

• There will only ever be one Rickey Henderson.

• Why no leadoff hitter will ever top Rickey Henderson.

U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth D. Bell set a Jan. 8 hearing to hear NASCAR’s motion to "throw out an antitrust lawsuit filed against the stock car series" by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. The teams are suing NASCAR and were "granted a preliminary injunction Wednesday that will allow them to compete as chartered teams in 2025" (AP, 12/20).

The Bucks unveiled their championship banner for winning the Emirates NBA Cup on Saturday before their game against Wizards, an "acknowledgment of the team's championship win over Oklahoma City in Las Vegas on Tuesday." The "simple white banner" honored "NBA Cup champions" and "matches the gesture" that the Lakers performed last year after they won the inaugural event (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/21).

FanDuel Sports Network Detroit's John Keating announced on social media early Friday morning that he will "retire following the Red Wings' season, capping a 45-year career in broadcasting." He "made the final decision over the summer" (DETROIT NEWS, 12/20).

Jim Ellis, who's called Mississippi State baseball games on the radio since 1979, "announced his retirement" on Wednesday. Ellis' replacement was not announced (MISSISSIPPI CLARION LEDGER, 12/18).

"It'll be written, should we be in or did we belong? That's fine. You're welcome to write it. We didn't play good today. But this is a quality team. We had a good team. We deserve to be here. We earned the right to be here. I'm disappointed we didn't play to the level that validates that" -- SMU coach Rhett Lashlee, on criticism of the team's selection to the CFP following its 38-10 loss to Penn State in the opening round (ESPN.com, 12/21).

The N.Y. DAILY NEWS goes with, "The right bet on sports gambling: National regulation makes sense." Sports betting, which has "exploded in America in recent years" is "finally getting the thorough inspection it deserves from Congress." May the "heightened scrutiny lead to smart new laws making it harder to take advantage of compulsive bettors who have trouble on their own finding the line between fun and dangerous obsession." In the last quarter alone, Americans bet more than $30B on sports. In-game bets, in which people "bet second to second on what might happen next, are up, as are all kinds of bizarre, exotic prop bets." The National Council on Problem Gambling estimates that 2.5 million people per year "struggle with compulsive gambling; there were nearly 15,000 bets per second placed online in the last Super Bowl." There need to be "robust controls that make it harder for people, and especially vulnerable people, to get sucked into the vortex."

Also:

• Monica McNutt dives into navigating ‘subjective’ business that landed MSG career.

• Relax NFL, you're doing very well.

• Why college football is becoming harder to love.

• Sammy Sosa-Chicago Cubs reunion is another Christmas miracle -- ending the slugger’s 20-year exile.