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Alabama watched its hopes of playing for a third straight national championship fade away on the final play of the regular season, so it’s not a stretch to wonder if the third-ranked Crimson Tide can get it done against No. 11 Oklahoma in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on Jan.2, in New Orleans.
The 100th edition of the annual Rose Bowl game gets underway on Wednesday night with No. 5 Stanford taking on No. 4 Michigan who appears in the game for the first time in nearly three decades.
Settling for a middling finish after running the table during the 2012 regular season, Notre Dame is hoping that the New Era Pinstripe Bowl can give their senior class a shot at going out in a blaze of glory.
A pair of teams with skilled offenses will square off with each other on Monday, when Georgia Tech meets Mississippi in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl in Nashville.
The news from this year’s Chick-fil-A bowl has not been about how the teams to players will match up, but rather how they won’t.
Heisman Trophy finalist Jordan Lynch will play the final game of his college career on Thursday, when No. 23 Northern Illinois faces Utah State in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.
Needing to win out, the Chargers will play host to their bitter division rival Oakland who arrive in San Diego on Sunday in the midst of a four-game losing skid, but no less determined to sweep this year’s series.
When: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013 at 4:25 p.m. EST
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
TV: CBS
LINE: -10 (Chargers), O/U 50.5
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Oakland (4-10) handed the Chargers a 27-17 defeat at Oakland on Oct. 6, a game in which the Raiders capitalized on five San Diego turnovers.
But since then, the Raiders have lost seven of nine, including last week’s 56-31 pummeling by Kansas City in which they set a franchise record for most points allowed in a game.
The Raiders defense is mired in a major tailspin, allowing around 41 points in the last three games. And the offense isn’t any better. Quarterback Matt McGloin turned in his worst performance of the season last week, throwing four interceptions against the Chiefs
Nevertheless, there is some optimism for the Raiders, who could return Darren McFadden back in time for their trip to San Diego.
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With McFadden out, backup running back Rashad Jennings has done a solid job, rushing for 91 yards last week, while notching his second straight two-touchdown game.
Defensively, the Raiders are ranked 24th against the pass and are tied for the second-fewest interceptions in the league. Not good news as they face San Diego’s Philip Rivers, who has compiled a 28-6 career mark in the month of December.
Needing to win out and have Miami and Baltimore each drop their final two games to secure the AFC’s final playoff slot, the Chargers (7-7) postseason hopes appear distant.
Still, they will enter Sunday’s contest with lots of hope and momentum after a surprising 27-20 upset in Denver last week.
Rivers threw a pair of touchdown passes, while running back Ryan Mathews tied his season high with 127 yards and went over 100 yards for the fifth time in the past nine games against the Broncos.
Meanwhile the defense held the Broncos to only 18 rushing yards on 11 attempts and came up with a key fourth-quarter interception to hand Denver its first home loss of the season.
The Raiders are a mess, and San Diego seems to be surging towards a desperate attempt at a playoff spot.
If the same Chargers’ defense that held Denver in check shows up to this one, the party’s over for Oakland an may be just getting started in San Diego.
Chargers 28, Raiders 21
If Matthew Safford and the Detroit Lions want any shot at the playoffs, they will need a big win over the struggling New York Giants on Sunday.
Green Bay will aim to extend its string of 13 consecutive regular-season home game wins in December or January, when they host the Steelers on Sunday at Lambeau Field.
When: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013 at 4:25 p.m. EST
Where: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
TV: CBS
LINE: -7 (Packers), O/U 44.5
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It will be the first meeting between the Packers and Steelers since Green Bay’s 31-25 victory in Super Bowl XLV three years ago.
The Steelers (6-8) haven’t been eliminated from the postseason yet, and after a second half season surge, find themselves just two games out of the final AFC playoff spot.
Despite its sub .500 record, Pittsburgh has played well, losing four games by a touchdown or less, including a 34-28 defeat to Miami two weeks ago. However, the Steelers rebounded to kept their playoff hopes alive with a 30-20 win over division rival Cincinnati last week.
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Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger needs just 85 passing yards to reach 4,000 for the third time in his career, and has played well against Green Bay, throwing for a career-best 503 yards and three TDs in his only previous regular-season meeting with the Packers.
Defensively, Pittsburgh has been unpredictable, but was excellent last week, holding the Bengals to 279 total yards. They will however, be tested by the Packers, who despite being without quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who broke his collarbone in Week 9, have rode a steady wave of rookie running back Eddie Lacy all the way to a chance at the NFC North title.
Lacy, who has rushed for 1,028 yards and eight scores, will be a huge factor in this matchup, as Rodgers’ status is still yet to be determined for Sunday’s contest.
In the meantime, Green Bay (7-6-1) has soldiered on without their captain, bouncing back from a 26-3 halftime deficit to beat Dallas last week behind a solid effort from backup quarterback Matt Flynn, who threw four touchdown passes against the Cowboys.
Nevertheless, if Green Bay wants to stamp its title ticket, it will need an appearance from the defense that shut down Dallas last week.
The Packers have won their final regular-season home game in eight straight seasons and 20 of the last 21 and in one of the biggest games of the year for both teams, I expect them to get it done at home with a steady dose of Lacy, and maybe a slim possibility of a shot or two of Rodgers.
Regardless, Green Bay gets it done.
Packers 28, Steelers 24
In what was originally billed during preseason as the AFC matchup of the year, the Denver Broncos will travel to Houston on Sunday to take on the Texans who are looking to avoid their 13th consecutive defeat.
Settling for a middling finish after running the table during the 2012 regular season, Notre Dame is hoping that the New Era Pinstripe Bowl can give their senior class a shot at going out in a blaze of glory.
The Tennessee Titans are looking to steer clear of a five-game home losing skid, when they host the surging Arizona Cardinals whose only loss in the past two months was at Philadelphia on Dec. 1.
A stingy Carolina defensive unit will look to help its team get back on the rails after its eight-game winning streak was snapped by New Orleans last week.
The Green Bay Packers will head to Arlington on Sunday to play for the first time at AT&T Stadium since their Super Bowl win over Pittsburgh back in 2011.
Looking to clinch their first playoff berth in three seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs can inch a little closer to winning the AFC West with a huge road win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon.
The Houston Rockets arrive in Oakland on Friday, leading the NBA in scoring and looking to beat the Warriors for the second time this season.
