KSR Today: CFP National Championship, John Welch, Jasper Johnson, and More

Good morning, KSR readers, and thank you for spending some of your free time on the internet with us again today. We appreciate it anytime you stop by. I have yet another Monday morning rundown of notes for you, although this one is busier than some of the past. We have a new SEC basketball game to get ready for and a weekend to recap. But we’ll start with the biggest story of the day, the final game of the 2023 college football season. A new national champion gets crowned tonight.

Michigan or Washington?

At 7:30 p.m. tonight, Michigan and Washington kick off in the College Football Playoff National Championship in Houston. Michigan is a 4.5-point favorite in the desert, but Washington has been proving the desert wrong all season with Michael Penix Jr. and the nation’s best-passing offense. How will the Huskies perform against our nation’s second-best passing defense?

We’ll find out together tonight in the rare championship game without an SEC team. I took Washington and the points, hoping we get a thriller with a close outcome. It’s each team’s first appearance in the game since the 1990s, so both programs and their fan bases are fired up and hungry for new hardware.

Sadly, this means the college football season is over by midnight tonight.

Open spots in KSBar’s Hero Bowl Challenge

Second to Houston’s NRG Stadium, KSBar and Grille is the place to be for tonight’s national championship, as the Hero Bowl Challenge will determine its $5,000 champion. For the last several weeks, KSBar took score predictions for every bowl game on the schedule, and tonight, the winning picker from each bowl game will come together to watch tonight’s national championship with $5K on the line to whoever guesses the outcome of tonight’s game. And because three contestants cannot attend, KSR will give away the last three spots on today’s show, so tune in at 10 a.m. for your shot at a place in the contest.

Kentucky hosting Missouri in SEC home opener tomorrow

Kentucky Basketball enjoyed the weekend in Florida, winning a sixth straight game over the Gators in the O’Dome. Tomorrow, the Wildcats return to Rupp Arena to host Missouri in the first SEC home game of the season. The Tigers need a win to erase last Saturday’s home loss to Georgia, while the Cats aim to remain unbeaten in the early conference slate. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN.

The opening line on the game will drop later today. KenPom projects a 14-point win for Kentucky; ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Mizzou an 11.8 percent shot at the upset.

John Welch to preview the Cats and Tigers

Before Mizzou comes to town, UK assistant coach John Welch will hold his first press conference on campus to preview that game. The conversation will be Welch’s first pregame interview as a member of the Wildcats’ staff, so we are excited to hear his thoughts on the team and what is ahead in conference play.

If you’re still getting familiar with Welch, KSR’s Jack Pilgrim wrote a great preview of the new hire before the season began. You can see today’s press conference on KSR’s YouTube channel. Subscribe now to stay up to date.

New AP Poll coming soon

Shortly after John Welch answers questions, the Associated Press will announce its new Top 25. A winter Monday tradition, the new poll will drop around lunchtime with updates to the pecking order in college basketball.

Last week, Kentucky climbed from a No. 8 to a No. 6 ranking. This week, the five teams ahead of the Wildcats remained unbeaten, so another move forward is unlikely. Those five are Purdue (12-1), Kansas (12-1), Houston (13-0), UConn (11-2), and Tennessee (9-3).

Kentucky WBB lost in Knoxville

Kentucky Women’s Basketball got off to a good start in Knoxville on Sunday, leading for most of the first half against the Lady Vols, including a 17-point lead with three minutes to go in the second quarter. However, Tennessee came back after halftime to run away with the second game of SEC play, winning 87-69.

Kentucky returns home to host Vanderbilt at Rupp Arena this Thursday night.

Jasper Johnson put on a show for Calipari and the Wildcats

Last night, Woodford County High School hosted the Court XIV Classic, a high-profile high school basketball doubleheader in memory of the late Alvis Johnson, a longtime high school coach in Kentucky. The event was headlined by Alvis’ grandson, Jasper Johnson, playing for his new school, Link Academy (Missouri), against Huntington Prep (West Virginia) and its star junior, Darryn Peterson. Peterson is the No. 1 shooting guard in the 2025 class; Johnson is the No. 1 combo guard.

In attendance to see the matchup, John Calipari, some of UK’s assistants, and several of the current Kentucky Wildcats made the trip out Versailles Road to witness the Kentucky targets in action. North Carolina’s Hubert Davis and Missouri’s Dennis Gates brought members from their coaching staffs, too.

On the floor, Jasper Johnson shined in his old Woodford County gym, where he played his first two seasons of high school basketball. Johnson hit 10 three-pointers and scored 37 points to take MVP honors in the game as Link Academy won the main event, 90-52. Woodford County beat Tates Creek in the opener, 73-57.

To read more about Sunday in WoCo, Zack Geoghegan has lots more from his seat in the gym, plus KSR’s highlight reel is now up on the YouTube Channel.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

NFL Playoff Schedule is final

Also Sunday night, the NFL regular season concluded, setting up the playoff bracket and the road to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

Here is the official schedule for Wild Card Weekend:

Conference	Matchup	Date & Time	TV
AFC	(5) Cleveland Browns at (4) Houston Texans	Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET	NBC
AFC	(6) Miami Dolphins at (3) Kansas City Chiefs	Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET	Peacock
AFC	(7) Pittsburgh Steelers at (2) Buffalo Bills	Sunday, 1 p.m. ET	CBS
NFC	(7) Green Bay Packers at (2) Dallas Cowboys	Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET	Fox
NFC	(6) Los Angeles Rams at (3) Detroit Lions	Sunday, 8:15 p.m. ET	NBC
NFC	(5) Philadelphia Eagles at (4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Monday, 8 p.m. ET	ESPN/ABC

The NFL draft order for the non-playoff teams was also determined on Sunday.

1. Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers)
2. Washington Commanders
3. New England Patriots
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Los Angeles Chargers
6. New York Giants
7. Tennessee Titans
8. Atlanta Falcon
9. Chicago Bears
10. New York Jets
11. Minnesota Vikings
12. Denver Broncos
13. Las Vegas Raiders
14. New Orleans Saints
15. Indianapolis Colts
16. Seattle Seahawks
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
18. Cincinnati Bengals

Hopefully, the Titans will get Will Levis a franchise offensive tackle with the seventh pick.