NFC Championship Game

The NFC Championship game occurred last Sunday in a noisy CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks hosted the Green Bay Packers, both well fairing teams for all of 2014’s season and both having some of the most loyal fan bases in the league. Unlike the AFC Championship game being an utter blowout, the NFC game was a very competitive one. So competitive in fact that it went into overtime. Ultimately, the Seahawks were victorious, finishing the game with a final score of 28-22.

The Packers got off to an early lead but Seattle was able to make a resilient comeback after halftime. The Seahawks were down 12 points with only 5 minutes of play remaining in the game. The team struggled with turnovers for a good portion of the game. Quarterback Russell Wilson scored a touchdown and then running back Marshawn Lynch scored too. The Packers kicked a field goal, tying the game and sending it to overtime. The game winning play occurred when Wilson connected a pass with wide receiver Jermaine Kearse for a Seahawks touchdown, less than 4 minutes into OT play.

Following the game on Sunday, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said he will likely think about this game for the rest of his career. He admitted this was a missed opportunity and was also reported to have said that the Packers were the better team in the game. With 5 Seattle turnovers and up until the 4th quarter, this was in fact true. Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes and has been playing with a calf injury throughout the playoffs.

The Super Bowl will be held a week from this Sunday at the University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks will face off against the New England Patriots. The New England Patriots have plenty of years of experience in the big game, however, Seattle is a generally young and hungry team, looking to go for a back-to-back championship reign. 34 players on Seattle’s 53-man roster were part of the Super Bowl team last year. With both teams playing hard in their respective conference championship games, this is likely to be another great matchup.

AFC Championship Game

Last Sunday, the New England Patriots hosted the Indianapolis Colts at Gillette Stadium for the AFC Championship game. The game was a blowout, with the Patriots dominating and finishing victorious with a final score of 45-7. This was the second largest blowout in history for an AFC game. The biggest blowout in AFC title history was in 1990, where Buffalo beat the Los Angeles Raiders, 51-3.

Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady completed 23 of 35 passes for 226 yards and was eventually replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo for the game’s remaining 3:20 minutes. Brady threw three touchdown passes. Running back LeGarrette Blount ran for 148 yards and three scores.

The Patriots led 17-7 at halftime. It appeared to still be a fairly competitive game at this point. New England then scored touchdowns on all four of their first possessions in the second half of the game, pulling away from the Colts quickly.

It was a tough game for Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who completed just 12 of 33 passes. Luck had no touchdowns and two interceptions in the game. This was the Colts third appearance in the AFC Championship game in three years. They last won the game in 2009 but were defeated by the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl.

Brady and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will break records as they enter the Super Bowl, for the most appearances in the game by a quarterback or a head coach.  This will be the duo’s sixth appearance in a Super Bowl, beating out John Elway and Don Shula’s records respectively. In 2001, which was Brady’s first year as a NFL starter, Brady led the Patriots to a Super Bowl win. This began a run of three championships in just four years.

The Patriots will face the NFC champions and reigning Super Bowl champs, Seattle Seahawks in the big game. Both teams finished 14-4 this season. The Super Bowl is on Sunday, February 1st in Glendale, Arizona.

College Football Playoff National Championship

It’s finally here! The long-awaited inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game is just days away. Oregon (No. 2) and Ohio State (No. 4) face off on Monday, January 12th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Both teams are 13-1 this season and both won their semi-final playoff games.

The Oregon Ducks smoked former national champions, the Florida State Seminoles, winning 59-20 in the Rose Bowl. The game remained competitive through the first half, however Oregon pulled away in the 3rd quarter, scoring 27 points. The Seminoles had 5 turnovers in 6 possessions and did not score in the 4th quarter. Heisman trophy winning Ducks quarterback, Marcus Mariota, threw for 338 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran for another TD. The Ducks had been hyped as a powerhouse team for speed this season and they did not disappoint in the Rose Bowl, living up to all the hype.

The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated first-ranked Alabama 42-35, in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes overcame a 21-6 deficit to defeat the Crimson Tide. This was Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones’ second career start. He has proven himself valuable and worthy to the Buckeyes after first and second string QBs, Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett suffered season-ending injuries earlier this year.

CBS Sports has reported the CFP National Championship Game tickets have a face value of $450 but are selling for an average ticket price of just over $1175 each. The game is sold out and the stadium’s capacity for this game is approximately 75,000 seats. With 2 teams who have played hard and fought on the field all season, it’d be hard to argue against either deserving their place in the big game.

The game is likely to be determined by Oregon’s offense vs. Ohio State’s defense. While the Buckeyes have proven themselves offensively, a key to victory for them will be stopping Mariota and the Ducks’ offense. In addition to both QBs, other players to watch include Ducks RB Royce Freeman, Buckeyes WR Devin Smith and Buckeyes RB Ezekiel Elliott who has an aggressive running style. With a national title on the line and a hunger for more victory, this matchup is sure to be a good one.

NCAA College Basketball

With college football winding down in early January, and the NFL wrapping up its season by early February, much of the attention of sports fans turns to college basketball. While the NCAA college basketball season begins in November, the sport takes center stage during late winter and early spring, as teams compete for a place in the “dance” of the tournament known as March Madness.

The competition narrows to the Sweet Sixteen which turns into the Elite Eight, the Final Four and then finally, the national championship game. In addition to determining the NCAA’s most supreme college basketball teams and ultimately, the champion, March Madness is known for its bracket. It is popular among die-hard and casual fans alike, as people try to guess winners, allow for upsets and predict the championship team. Regardless of who is playing, there’s rarely a dull moment and usually a few unaccounted for upsets.

Currently, the top 10 ranked basketball teams according to the AP Poll (in descending order) are: Kentucky, Duke, University of Virginia, Wisconsin. Louisville, Villanova, Gonzaga, Arizona, Iowa State and Utah. Kentucky is currently 13-0. Last year’s NCAA Tournament winner was the University of Connecticut Huskies, who defeated Kentucky, 60-54. The 2 teams were ranked number 7 and number 8 heading into the game. The women’s 2014 winner was also UConn, defeating Notre Dame, 79-58. This was the school’s 9th NCAA Women’s Basketball Title.

While fans are used to seeing traditional programs such as Duke, UConn and Syracuse often excel and advance, in recent years, there have been many surprises such as Florida Gulf Coast University advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013. On Saturday, Seton Hall shocked Villanova, beating the number 6 ranked team, 66-61 in OT. Villanova was previously undefeated. Cal (UC) also beat number 21, Washington 81-75 last Friday. With upsets like this, weeks before March, this year’s tournament is sure to be another interesting one, full of surprises in both rankings and matchups.

The tournament officially begins March 15, Selection Sunday, and progresses through early April with the Final Four games taking place on April 4th and the championship game occurring on April 6th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Florida State Seminoles

The Florida State Seminoles remained undefeated this year, closing out their season 13-0 after beating Georgia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Game last Saturday, 37-35. The game was not a runaway though, as Georgia Tech fought hard and the score was tied at multiple points throughout the game; however, Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 309 yards and 3 touchdowns, completing 21/30 passes. With this victory, Florida State proved that they belong at the top again this year.

While some of the Seminoles’ games were definite successes (beating NC State 56-41; Wake Forest 43-3 and Citadel 37-12) this season, the team faced many close calls throughout, including against opponents such as Clemson (23-17 in OT), Miami (30-26) and Boston College (20-17). Despite these battles and multiple off-field controversies surrounding Winston over the past year, the Seminoles remained resilient and victorious, continually fighting in the second half of games to win late and show why they were National Champions last year.

In the inaugural season of the College Football Playoff, Florida State ranks number 3 in the final four teams, and will face off against the number 2 ranked Oregon Ducks on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. Oregon is considered an offensive powerhouse team this season, winning their last 8 games by 42 or more points. Ducks’ quarterback Marcus Mariota is one of the finalists for the Heisman trophy this year. Winston was the Heisman winner in 2013, becoming the youngest winner in history of the prestigious football award. While Oregon is known for rerouting their opponents’ game plans by breaking out with an early lead, Florida State is known for being a closer in high-pressure, down to the wire games, so this should provide for an exciting matchup.


The winner of the Rose Bowl will face off against the winner of the Sugar Bowl (Ohio State (4) vs. Alabama (1)), in the National Championship Game in Dallas, Texas on Monday, January 12th.

Alabama Crimson Tide

The number one ranked Alabama Crimson Tide Football team will face off against number four Ohio State on Thursday, January 1, 2015 in the AllState Sugar Bowl. This will bring the nation one step closer to determining who will play in the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game.

The Crimson Tide smoked the Mizzou Tigers 42-13 in the SEC Championship game two weekends ago, making it clear they were ranked number one for a reason. The team finished its regular season 12-1, including 7-1 in SEC games. Alabama’s only loss came in early October, as the team fell 23-17 to Ole Miss, who finished the season ranked 11th overall.

Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper was one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy. The winner (Oregon’s Marcus Mariota) announcement and award presentation was made last Saturday in New York. Cooper was named the SEC Player of the Year by the Associated Press and also leads the nation in receiving yards at 1656.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is known for not only being a mind full disciplinarian, but also a defensive guru. Saban has been Alabama’s football coach since 2007 and led the team to national championship victories in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Ohio State’s Urban Myer has been credited with offensive expertise. Watching these two coaches who together have 5 national championship titles, face off against one another again should be an exciting matchup.

There is insurmountable pressure to attaining the rank of number one, and once you have it, keeping it. The Crimson Tide had last week off from football and players commented that Saban had the team’s best interest in mind, knowing they needed to recharge. The team headed back to practice Tuesday, December 16th. The team will focus on fundamentals this week, getting back into the right mindset and regaining the intensity they had which led to eight consecutive victories to close their regular season.

The Sugar Bowl is sure to be an entertaining matchup regardless of who you’re rooting for. Two teams with historic college football programs and two successful and decorated coaches, with nationwide loyal fans, will face off to seek entry into the first CFP championship game, looking for college football’s most coveted title.

Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks will compete against the Florida State Seminoles on New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks are ranked number two and the Seminoles are ranked number three. The winner of this game will face off against the Sugar Bowl’s winner in the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship game on January 12th.

The Ducks finished their regular season 12-1, only suffering one loss to Arizona back in early October. The Ducks went on to dominate the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Championship game in the first week of December. Oregon got out to an early start and continued to climb from the second quarter through the game’s completion. The score was 44-7 before the 4th quarter began and Arizona’s quarterback Jerrard Randall managed to score another touchdown, for a final score of 51-13, Oregon.

Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota received the Heisman Trophy last Saturday in New York. Mariota is considered a complete quarterback and versatile enough to fit any playing system. While he is not one of the most vocal players of the game, Mariota is described by sports reporters and other media as polite, humble and sincere.

Not only will the Ducks face off against the Seminoles, but Mariota will compete against FSU quarterback, Jameis Winston, who was the 2013 Heisman winner. Both quarterbacks while drastically different on and off the field, are considered to be the top two quarterback prospects for the 2015 NFL Draft. Neither has yet declared for the draft although it is widely predicted both will after college playoffs conclude.

While Oregon has continued to get off to an early lead and a fast start throughout the season, FSU has shown repeatedly that they’re capable of delivering in high-pressure situations, as they’ve struggled to fend off some of their lesser opponents, yet managed to remain victorious and undefeated all season. This matchup is expected to be fast-paced and high action.