Your New Year’s Weekend Lineup

Ring out the old year, bring in the New Year. Hope you’re comfy in that new recliner and that your new OLED TV brings you joy and a 4K picture as well. You’re gonna need it. Starting now.

Our Weekend Six-Pack’s bowling tournament begins Saturday with the Cotton Bowl. No. 8 USC and No. 5 Ohio State – both 11-2 – try to put a topper on their seasons with a win. Both had hopes of making the College Football Playoffs, but you know how it is with hope. 8:40 p.m. ET, ESPN.

If you are partial to fierce college basketball rivalries, Louisville is at No. 16 Kentucky. All together now – “and these two teams just don’t like each other.” That’s Friday at 1 p.m. on CBS. Ditch work early or take a late lunch.

Another bowl matching CFP wannabes is the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday at 4 p.m., with ESPN doing the honors. No. 11 Washington (11-2) meets No. 9 Penn State (11-2).

Saturday night gives us the No. 10 University of Miami (10-2) in a “home” game at Hard Rock Stadium in the Orange Bowl against No. 6 Wisconsin (12-1). This will be a bowl game with an actual crowd and people in the seats. Do not faint at the sight of it. 8 p.m., ET.

The NFL shifted times on many of its games so that playoff contenders would be playing rather than watching scoreboards. Sunday’s 4:25 p.m. showdown between the Carolina Panthers (11-4) and Atlanta Falcons (9-5) will determine where the Panthers are seeded in the playoffs (or if they win the NFC South) and if the Falcons make it at all. Fox gets this one.

We’ll go with the Tennessee Titans (8-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (10-5) at 4:25 p.m. on CBS as our other pick. The Titans make the playoffs with a victory.
Set that heiner in the new recliner. Happy New Year!!!

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman