The road to Super Bowl 60 is officially set — and it didn’t come without drama.

On today’s episode of Sports IQ with Larry Smith, we break down a wild Championship Weekend in the NFL, including two nail-biters that sent the Patriots and Seahawks to San Francisco for a Super Bowl rematch. Heavy.com’s Shane Shoemaker joins the show to analyze the conference title games, Sam Darnold’s career-defining run, the Patriots’ suffocating defense, and what this matchup says about the NFL’s evolving quarterback and salary-cap landscape.

We also dive into one of the biggest headlines of the week: Bill Belichick failing to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot, plus a flurry of coaching news across the league as teams scramble to fill vacancies in an increasingly offense-driven NFL.

On the college hardwood, ACC basketball takes center stage. Virginia is back in the national conversation, and Zach Carey of StreakingTheLawn.com explains how first-year head coach Ryan Odom has reshaped the Cavaliers with modern analytics, three-point shooting, and elite shot-blocking — all while ushering in a post-Tony Bennett era in Charlottesville.

We also cover:

• Nebraska’s first loss of the season and what it revealed about the Huskers

• Purdue’s skid and Big Ten shakeups

• Major results across college basketball

• Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers surging in the NBA

Plus, today’s Moment of Awe looks back at Olympic history as the Winter Games return to Italy — 70 years after the host nation’s only medals in 1956.

Smart analysis, big stories, and context beyond the scoreboard — that’s Sports IQ with Larry Smith.

🔍 Topics Discussed in This Episode

• Super Bowl 60 preview: Patriots vs. Seahawks

• Sam Darnold’s postseason rise and legacy shift

• Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame snub

• NFL coaching carousel and offensive trends

• Virginia basketball’s resurgence under Ryan Odom

• ACC depth and March Madness outlook

• Nebraska, Purdue, and Big Ten title implications

• NBA: Clippers surge behind Kawhi Leonard

• Moment of Awe: Italy’s Olympic history