Welcome back after the long holiday weekend and the NBA’s display of Christmas Day games. They may not have been the most competitive games but the two biggest stars, Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, each put on great displays. Ultimately, Lebron came up with the win. Then the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts decided to not take the pursuit of perfection seriously and lost so there are no more undefeated teams going into the final regular season games this week.
This is the beginning of the end of the NFL with these games being the last of the regular season. Like most years, the majority of the games played this week mean nothing. Most playoff spots are wrapped up and teams not wanting to risk injury in a game that has a meaningless outcome. But unlike recent years, there are actually some meaningful games being played this week.
Fear not football fans. This week brings us New Year and that means only one thing in the world of sports; College Football Bowl Games. The Championship game doesn’t get played for another week but most often these bowls contain the most drama. For example, the 2007 Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma State will go down in history as one of the best college football games ever played. When smaller schools get a chance to play in big games on TV under the national spotlight they make the most of it and play with all their hearts. The results can mean exciting memories for years and sometimes generations to come.
So here are my picks for this week. It is football heavy but with all levels wrapping up in the coming weeks, there won’t be much watch to watch soon. Enjoy it all while you can because these games will be the ones talked about for a long time.
Top Picks
1. College Football – #5 Florida Gators vs. #4 Cincinnati Bearcats, Sugar Bowl – Jan. 1 @ 8:30 pm
Not only will this be Tim Tebow’s final game in college but with all the coaching controversy surrounding each of these teams recently, this game brings a lot of intrigue. Over this last weekend Florida coach Urban Meyer shocked the college football world when he announced he would be resigning for health reasons. Then the next day he said he would only be taking an indefinite leave. He will be coaching this game but what he does afterwards is completely in the dark. I think his health will be swayed by a win or a loss. Cincinnati recently lost their head coach Brian Kelly when he opted to take the recently open Notre Dame job. so they will be coached by an assistant and not by the man who lead them the last few years. This will be a major driving force for the Cincinnati players. They have a chance to show their former coach that he made the wrong decision and that they don’t need him to win. Tim Tebow is the golden child of college football and with this being his last game look for him to try and do everything he can to put a shining star on the finale his college career while winning it for his ailing coach. Both sides have so much to play for and with that much invested emotion, no lead will be safe and anything could happen until the final whistle. Be sure to watch.
2. College Football – #8 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #7 Oregon Ducks, Rose Bowl – Jan. 1 @ 4:30 pm
The Buckeyes under coach Jim Tressel have been a presence at the top of the college football world for a long time. This year they have amassed a 10-2 overall record with a 7-1 record in the Big Ten Conference to earn a trip to “the grandfather of ‘em all” the Rose Bowl. Oregon surged to the top of the Pacific 10 Conference with their high powered offense led by quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and coach Chip Kelly. They are also 10-2 overall with an 8-1 conference record and earned their spot in the Rose Bowl by beating the powerhouse USC Trojans who have sat on top of the Pac-10 for the last seven years. Both of these teams want to prove they can play among the best in the country and want to secure a top ranking next year so they will play with every last ounce of determination they can. Masoli will put the high scoring Oregon offense on display and try to match quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes’ running attack. Look for a high scoring game with big plays that will make this game something to remember.
3. NFL – Cincinnati Bengals at New York Jets – Jan.3 @ 8:30 pm
One of the two games that actually have ramifications, this game means everything to the Jets. If they can win this game then they can earn a playoff berth. If not then they are done for the season. The Bengals have secured their playoff spot and while they want to preserve and keep their guys healthy, they don’t simply want to roll over for the Jets. Another interesting quirk to this game is that if the Jets do win they would probably end up playing the Bengals again the following week in the first round of the playoffs. So neither team will want to give up too much information on how they would play the other. But pride, motivation and momentum are strong factors and the Bengals will put up a fight. Mark Sanchez is the Jet’s rookie quarterback and it will be interesting to see how he will handle the pressure of this; the biggest game of his professional career….so far.
Quick Picks
- NFL - Baltimore Ravens at Oakland Raiders – Jan. 3 @ 4:15 pm – If you aren’t in the mood for college football or the games are bad, watch this game. The Ravens can make the playoffs if they can pull out a win. The Raiders would love to play spoiler though and make Ravens fans cry by crushing their playoff hopes.
- NBA – Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns – Dec. 28 @ 9 pm – My one non-football game for the week. The two top teams in the Western conference square off to show who’s boss. What’s not to like?
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