Buckeyes and Big Ten boast

If I don’t know the answer or have an opinion, I gathered the necessary intelligence – because your child has access

Quick links: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23 | Game picture | What you haven’t seen on TV | UGA finishes outside the top 5

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FIGHTING WORDS

Ohio State held on to beat Notre Dame for its first national title since 2014. Then his players said things like this:

🗣️ “The Big Ten prepared us for these playoffs. I think the Big Ten is the best conference in the country right now, and it showed throughout the playoffs.

🗣️ “It’s definitely the best conference in America.”

Right here in SEC country, no less!

It’s hard to argue, though, at least right now. The Buckeyes’ dominance-type victory gave the Big 10 two consecutive championships (and He exorcised some demons from Atlanta along the road).

What he said: Both the Buckeyes and the Irish (who are still looking for their first title since the 80s) will lose a lot of talent before next season, including their quarterbacks.

They’ll be fine, of course, but they enter next season with an even bigger target on their backs.

Reporter Gabriel Burns offers a look in which teams they could help the SEC regain regional advantage rights. Like Georgia, what it reached number 6 in the final AP rankings of the season:

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MORE ON TAP

Lest we forget, last night’s game started an impressive, years-long streak of great sporting events in Atlanta. To find out:

✅ Later this year: The NCAA Men’s Basketball South Regional, the MLB All-Star game and the FIFA Club World Cup.

✅ In 2026: A College Football Playoff semifinal and eight World Cup games.

✅ In 2028: The Super Bowl.

The AJC will speak with Atlanta Sports Council President Dan Corso later today (presumably to ask what the 2027 deal is). So stay tuned for that.

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CALLED COOPERSTOWN?

Around 6pm tonight, the folks at MLB Network will announce baseball’s newest Hall of Famers.

Mariners great Ichiro Suzuki will make the list, perhaps unanimously. Yankees starter CC Sabathia and closer Billy Wagner (a one-year Atlantan) appear destined to join him. Carlos Beltran is right on the sidelines.

But what about Andrew?

Braves great Andruw Jones — he of the 10 straight Gold Gloves and 434 home runs — is in the running for the eighth time this year. It started slowly but appeared on 61.6% of votes last yeargetting closer and closer to that 75% limit.

For what?

📈 Well, there is a natural moment at play. The Braves retiring his number in 2023 didn’t hurt, PR-wise. And the increase in defensive stats (however nerdy) helped better quantify his otherworldly acumen.

📈 Jones is the all-time leader in defensive runs saved and defensive wins over an outfielder.

Translation: The man could take it later. (So ​​what if he packed on a few LBs and hit the skids after turning 30? Who among us?)

However… people in the know didn’t expect him to succeed this time. One-year leaps like that are rare, especially when shoo-ins like Ichiro jump the line.

The good news is that he has two more attempts ahead. And the biggest names be added to the ballot in 2026 they are probably Cole Hamels and Ryan Braun.

Not exactly first-vote material.

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TRIVIA TIME

Who was the first person to play for the Atlanta Brave inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Reply to the bottom of the newsletter.

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HALF FALKS (ISH)

Monday afternoon 119–110 loss at Madison Square Garden put on the Hawks at 22-20 just over halfway through the season. They will be the sixth Eastern Conference playoff seed.

🤕 It could be worse, considering his early and ongoing injury problems. Blessed writer Lauren Williams recently revisited his keys to preseason success.

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HARD CROWD

Georgia Men’s Basketball left the AP Top 25 after just one week. It’s both understandable (back-to-back losses) and maybe a little harsh, given the competition (Tennessee and Auburn).

🏀 Up next for the 14-4 Bulldogs: At unranked Arkansas on Wednesday, at No. 5 Florida on Saturday.

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ALSO INTERESTING

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» Coco Gauff out at the Australian Open

» Photos: Atlanta United prepares for another season

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

AJC photographer Jason Getz caught Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, a Mill Creek High School grad, celebrating with fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I’m a little more disappointed with the selection committee for not picking Alabama for the College Football Playoff final, accepting inferior teams like SMU and Indiana. Really dark times in America.”

– Any guy who called on C-SPAN’s live coverage of the presidential inauguration.

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Thanks for reading to the bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.

Oh, and the trivia answer is Eddie Matthews (1978).