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Last night, #9 Alabama and #8 Oklahoma played the first College Football Playoff game of the season, and the Tide is moving on to face #1 Indiana on New Year’s Day… How’d we get here?

Let’s start with how teams are ranked.
Starting in November, College Football Playoffs’ 13-member Selection Committee reveals a weekly top-25 list, culminating with the official playoff bracket after conference championships.

Rankings are based on strength of schedule, head-to-head results, outcomes against common opponents, and other factors, like injuries or coaching absences. Committee members review statistics and game film, then vote in seven rounds of secret ballots.

Who’s on the committee?
This year: former and current athletic directors, a sports journalist, and former coaches and players (see the roster). A member with a conflict of interest doesn’t participate in votes or deliberations about their team. Members are unpaid and serve one three-year term.

Who can get into the playoffs?
Any FBS team is eligible, there’s no limit on how many can come from one conference, and no team qualifies automatically without earning it on the field. (Visualize the process here.)

Final rankings must include the five highest-ranked conference champions plus the next seven highest-ranked teams.

Aren’t the playoffs new?
It’s the second year of the 12-team playoff. Before that, only four teams were bracketed. And before that—from 1998 to 2013—college football relied on polls and the controversial BCS system, which infamously snubbed undefeated teams (Boise State, Utah, Auburn) and heavily favored major conferences, making it nearly impossible for “mid-major” teams to rise.

When are the games played?
First-round games continue today. Quarterfinals kick off on New Year’s Eve, followed by semifinals, then the National Championship on Monday, January 19. (See the schedule.)

Want to hear more on the CFP, including this year’s controversy and how the Ivy League fits into all of this? Listen to today’s episode of the TPO Explains podcast to hear us dig a little deeper!

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ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Whether we’re college athletes, newsletter writers, business people, or teachers, we have an opportunity every day to honor God in our work with the gifts He’s given us, and to show the love of Christ to those around us as we do.

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 (CSB) (read full passage)

Not all AI is created equal. As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes how people learn and make decisions, one question matters more than ever: What values are built in?

Gloo is shaping AI as a force for good. They are building AI models that can be trusted by faith-based communities and organizations, designing them to be biblically grounded, theologically coherent, and values-aligned. 

Recently, Gloo launched the Flourishing AI (FAI) Benchmark—a research-based framework that evaluates how well leading AI models align with seven core dimensions of human flourishing. 

If you’re curious about what those benchmarks are, how today’s AI models stack up, and how AI can better serve your community, explore the latest Gloo research here!

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Winning this week’s Wordle.

This time-lapse of a Thai railway market...

A Bonus Quiz: Can you name the New Year’s Six Bowls based on their location?

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Top News Video: Heroic-but-scary footage of the Bondi Beach hero tackling and disarming one of the shooters

Top Christian Perspective: A prayer for comfort after the shootings in Australia and Rhode Island. (Download wallpapers of it here.)

Top Whipped Cream: Ya’ll really liked seeing some foot juggling.

What We’re Praying Through
A 30-Day Prayer Guide from Compassion International*

If you’ve been wanting to grow in the spiritual discipline of prayer but haven’t known where to start, here’s a gentle and purposeful on-ramp: a free 30-day guide from Compassion International.

Each day includes a short Scripture passage, a simple reflection, and guided prompts to help you pray for children facing poverty, insecurity, and hardship—“the least among us” that Jesus talks about in Matthew 25:40. It’s a chance to let God shape your heart as you pray.

Download your free 30-day prayer devotional and step into a rhythm of praying with purpose and compassion!

“Open our eyes and our hearts, O Lord, to your words and truth… Prepare our bodies for the demands of this day. Give us strength and health to complete them. Prepare our minds for the demands of this day. Grant us clarity, creativity, and discernment. Prepare our souls for those sorrows and joys and celebrations and disappointments we will encounter, that every circumstance would serve only to draw us nearer to You. May our words, our choices, and our actions today be offered as true expressions of worship.”
Every Moment Holy, Volume I, “The Hours: Daybreak”