Sports Guide

Before we get to the cornucopia of weekend sports television viewing, let’s make a few notes about the NFL’s Thursday night football game.

First, stop with the insane uniforms. The Jacksonville Jaguars looked like huge mustard stains as they defeated the Tennessee Titans 19-13 in a miserable game. The Jaguars are now 4-6 and, sadly, in the race for the AFC South title. No AFC South team has at least a .500 record; the Titans are last at 2-8.
And now, pop the top with me on some better viewing ahead …

NASCAR

This is it. The Chase for the Sprint Cup championship concludes on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The drivers competing for the crown in the Ford EcoBoost 400 are Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. Gordon is a sentimental favorite as he is retiring as a driver.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

No. 9 Michigan State (9-1) at No. 3 Ohio State (10-0): The Buckeyes have won 23 straight but need this one as they seek another appearance in the Big Ten championship game (and they have Michigan next). Everyone seems to doubt OSU, but as offensive tackle Taylor Decker said: “If we perform well (Saturday), it will show everybody we’re for real because people are questioning how good we really are.”

No. 10 Baylor (8-1) at No. 6 Oklahoma State (10-0): The unbeaten Cowboys have designs on the College Football Playoffs. They’ve won 11 in a row at home against the Bears. The Big 12 has no championship game, so the Cowboys must win out to get into the final four.

NFL

Cincinnati Bengals (8-1) at Arizona Cardinals (7-2): The Bengals need to bounce back after a dreadful 10-6 loss to the Houston Texans. Their old quarterback, Carson Palmer, has had a terrific season for the Cards.

Denver Broncos (7-2) at Chicago Bears (4-5): The Bears are showing some life with back-to-back wins. The Broncos have lost their last two and an injured Peyton Manning will sit while Brock Osweiler quarterbacks the club.

Green Bay Packers (6-3) at Minnesota Vikings (7-2): This could help decide the NFC North and the teams have been going in opposite directions. The Vikings own a five-game winning streak while the Packers have lost their last three.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .