It’s Finally Super Bowl Weekend

At last, at long last, the Super Bowl has arrived. The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots battle for the NFL’s championship on Sunday in Minneapolis (indoors, thankfully) at approximately 6:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Many folks who are not football fans watch for the TV commercials and entertainers who take part in pregame and halftime festivities. That lineup will include Pink singing the national anthem, a performance by Carrie Underwood before the game and Justin Timberlake at halftime.

Folks who do watch for the football will see the Eagles shooting for the first NFL title since 1960 against an NFL dynasty seeking its sixth, including consecutive championships and a third in four years.

Saturday night brings the NFL Honors Show, where the new Hall of Fame class is introduced, along with the league’s MVP and Coach of the Year. NBC does the honors at 9 p.m.

If you are just dying to say, “Aw, how cute,” you can watch Puppy Bowl 14 on Animal Planet on Sunday at 3 p.m. This apparently has something to do with dogs. Just a guess.

The PGA Tour’s Waste Management Phoenix Open wraps up on Sunday, with the final round on Golf Channel from 1-2:30 p.m. and then on CBS from 3-6 p.m. Barring a playoff, this is over before the Super Bowl. … Key note here: Rickie Fowler will be wearing recyclable hats during the tournament. Nicely done.

There are no games matching two ranked teams this weekend, so the pickings in college basketball are just a tad sparse. No. 1 Villanova plays Seton Hall, which has been ranked this season, on Sunday at noon on Fox, and the Wildcats are fun to watch. That’s another option that will spare you all of the pregame Super Bowl noise. The best of Saturday’s fun may be No. 9 Arizona at Washington on the Pac-12 Network at 10:30 p.m.

Heiner? Check. Recliner? Check. Settle in, settle down and enjoy.

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