‘Tis The Season

It’s beginning to look a lot like … football! Jingle bowls, jingle bowls, jingle all the way.

Sure, the really good ones are a couple of weeks away. But the college bowls begin on Saturday.

Before we get there, we can warm up on Friday night with the NCAA Division III championship game between Mount Union and defending champ Mary Hardin-Baylor. Mount Union has won the title 12 times, the most in any division. Both teams are 14-0. ESPNU shows this at 7 p.m. ET.

Lots more football in your Weekend TV Six-Pack. But first … college hoops. No. 6 Miami has a 5-foot-7, 160-pound whiz of a guard named Chris Lykes and he makes things happen when he comes off the bench. Miami (8-0) meets George Washington (5-5) at noon on CBS Sports Network.

OK, now football. The first of the bowls is the Celebration Bowl, matching North Carolina A&T (11-0) and Grambling State (11-1). ABC, noon. You could also opt later for the Las Vegas Bowl, pitting Boise State (10-3) against Oregon (7-5) on ABC at 3:30 p.m.

The NFL has a doubleheader on Saturday, available only on NFL Network. The Chicago Bears (4-9) and Detroit Lions (7-6) at 4:30 p.m. pales next to San Diego Chargers-Kansas City Chiefs at 8:30 p.m. in a matchup of AFC West title seekers. They’re both 7-6.

The Green Bay Packers (7-6) get quarterback Aaron Rodgers back when they play the Carolina Panthers (9-4) on Sunday. That’s on Fox at 1 p.m. And the biggie follows, with the New England Patriots (10-3) looking to shake off their hideous loss to the Miami Dolphins against the Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2). Home field in the AFC playoffs could ride on this one at 4:25 p.m. on CBS. A Steelers win clinches a first-round bye. The Pats secure the AFC East title with a victory.

There should be no reason your heiner leaves the recliner. This is where the fun is.

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