• Friday Dec. 31st

#20 South Carolina (9-4)  vs #23 Florida State (9-4) – Chick-fil-A BOWL – (Georgia Dome -Atlanta, GA) 7:30 PM ET – ESPN The Old Ball Coach (Steve Spurrier) faces his old rivals from the Sunshine State but this time with a different coach on the Seminoles sideline – Jimbo Fisher.  This should be a good one between two solid teams.

• Saturday Jan. 1st

#16 Alabama (9-3) vs #9 Michigan State (11-1) – Capital One Bowl – (Citrus Bowl – Orlando, FL) 1:00 PM ET – ESPN Michigan State got snubbed by the BCS but wound up with an excellent match up in the Capital One Bowl with the Tide.   Saban has ties to the Spartans – used to coach there – and Mark Ingram is from The Great Lakes State.  Not to mention Bama is still the defending national champion. #5 Wisconsin (11-1) vs #3 TCU (12-0) – Rose Bowl  - (Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA) 4:30 PM ET – ESPN Photo via zimbio.com Wisconsin’s smash-mouth running game faces TCU’s quick, aggressive defense in Pasadena on New Years Day.   TCU will have another chance to win one for all the non-AQ teams in the country against the “big boys” but can they handle the Badgers brute strength up front?

• Monday Jan. 3rd

#4 Stanford (11-1) vs #13 Virginia Tech (11-2) – Discover Orange Bowl – (Sun Life Stadium – Miami, FL) 8:30 PM ET – ESPN Andrew Luck and the Cardinal travel across the country to face a Virginia Tech team that has rebounded with 11 straight wins after losing to Boise State and James Madison the opening week of the season.  Stanford’s only loss happens to be to the Pac-10 champion and National Championship game bound Oregon Ducks.  The game features two different but effective signal callers – Andrew Luck for Stanford and Tyrod Taylor for the Hokies.

• Saturday Jan. 1st

Blackpool (7-4-6 – 25 pts) @ Manchester City (11-5-4 – 38 pts) (City of Manchester Stadium – Manchester, England) 10:00 AM ET – Fox Soccer Channel Blackpool has been one of the surprises of the season after winning the Football League Championship playoff final earning a promotion to the top tier of football in England.  Man City will provide a stiff test – especially at home – but Blackpool plays an open, attacking style and are 2-0 in December. This could be an exciting match in Man City on Saturday morning. National Hockey League:

• Saturday Jan. 1st

Washington Capitals (22-12-5 – 49 pts) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (25-11-3 – 53 pts) – The Winter Classic – (Heinz Field – Pittsburgh, PA) 1:00 PM ET – NBC Photo via twitpic.com via Dave Lozo Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby face off against each other in The Winter Classic played outdoors at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh (photo of Pens practice above).  Check the start time and there there’s a possibility of “weather delays” with rain in the forecast. This is a can’t miss event. National Football League:

• Sunday Jan. 2nd

Chicago Bears (11-4) @ Green Bay Packers (9-6) (Lambeau Field – Green Bay, WI) 4:15 PM ET – FOX If Aaron Rodgers and the Packers win – they’re in the playoffs but I’m sure their longtime division rivals would love nothing more than to send them home without a playoff berth. The Bears visiting Lambeau field in late December with a playoff berth on the line? Yes, please. St. Louis Rams (7-8) @ Seattle Seahawks (6-9) (Quest Field – Seattle, WA) 8:20 PM ET – NBC Believe it or not, the winner of Sunday night’s clash clinches the NFC West and a playoff spot.  Sam Bradford leads the somewhat surprising Rams into one of the toughest and loudest stadiums in the league.  If the Seahawks win, I believe they will be the first 7-9 team to win their division and make the playoffs. Riveting stuff on Sunday night! What games will you be watching this weekend? Have a happy and safe New Year!