We are the champions, we are the champions, no time for the losers ’cause we are the champions of the world… wait, who is? No, this isn’t the Mighty Ducks 2 hockey championship — but there are ducks involved and the tune still fits! Get ready Team SQ — it’s championship ball night! Tonight at 8:30pm, Oregon will face Ohio State for the rights to call themselves the college football playoff champion of the world. Don’t miss out!

 

QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK

NFL

Okay so the Divisional NFL match-ups certainly lived up to the hype…

In the AFC, the New England Patriots rallied past the Baltimore Ravens 35-31 in a game that was nothing short of intense. And on Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts looked strong in a big 24-13 win over the Denver Broncos in Denver.

Now let’s talk about the NFC Divisional games.  On Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks got a big game from Kam Chancellor and Russell Wilson to roll past the Carolina Panthers 31-17. They will head back to the NFC Conference Championships next weekend and face the Green Bay Packers who defeated the Dallas Cowboys 26-21 after a slow start and some play reversal on Sunday night.

What’s NEXT — Conference Championships

• AFC: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots on Sunday, January 18 at 6:40pm ET
• NFC: Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, January 18 at 3:05pm ET

College Football

As we mentioned in our intro, championship night is here. #2 Oregon (13-1) will take on #4 Ohio State (13-1) in the first ever college football playoff national championship game.

Seven Key Names:

• Urban Meyer – Head Coach, Ohio State (2 titles at Florida)
• Marcus Mariota – QB, Oregon (2015 Heisman winner)
• Cardale Jones – QB, Ohio State (3rd string backup)
• Ezekiel Elliott – RB, Ohio State (See: Alabama game)
• Darren Carrington – WR, Oregon (Ineligible/failed drug test)
• Mark Helfrich – Head Coach, Oregon (A legacy after Chip)
• Defense – Both Oregon and Ohio State (Who will step up?)

Logistics: (Today) Monday, January 12 at 8:30pm in Arlington, Texas — watch the game on ESPN!

Prediction: Ohio State

NBA

It was a big week of trades this past week in the NBA. Early last week, the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder completed a 3-team trade that sent J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavs, Dion Waiters to the Thunder and Alex Kirk, Lou Amundson and Lance Thomas to the Knicks.

As of Sunday night, sources say that a trade involving the New Orleans Pelicans, Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies will likely end up with Jeff Green headed to the Grizzlies.

Oh, and talk about a big performance as Pau Gasol picked up a career high 46 points and 18 rebounds as his Chicago Bulls defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday evening. Klay Thompson of the league’s best Golden State Warriors also had a career game last week with 40 points to show why he’s one of the best shooting guards in the NBA this season.

On Thursday, the New York Knicks will face off against the Milwaukee Bucks in London as part of the Global Games.

Speaking of the Knicks, Phil Jackson took full credit for the team’s rough start (5-35) to the season…

College Basketball

Much to discuss in college hoops after this weekend. On the men’s side, #2 Duke lost on the road to unranked N.C. State, #1 Kentucky beat Texas A&M in 2OT, #2 UVA rallied past #13 Notre Dame in South Bend, Rutgers upset #4 Wisconsin and #5 Louisville fell to #18 UNC at the Dean Dome.

In women’s hoops, #3 Texas lost on the road to Iowa State in a close 59-57 game.

So what’s on deck this week? #2 Duke will play at #5 Louisville next Saturday in what should be a very good game.

Hockey

The roster is set for the NHL All-Star Game which takes places in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, January 25.

No ruling has been set for the concussion suit filed by former NHL players against the league. U.S. District Judge Susan Nelson has heard from both sides and gave no indication as to when she would make a decision.

Who is leading the way in the NHL? The Nashville Predators hold the league best record at 28-9 and showed their stuff on Saturday night in a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild that gave them a league best 60 points.

Other

Our hearts are with France. On Friday night, the Washington Wizards’ Kevin Seraphin wore a “Je Suis Charlie” shirt during pre-game warmups to honor his country after a week of tragedy. He was joined by Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers who wore a similar shirt prior to his Thursday game. Players in the NBA were not the only ones showing solidarity, as the Montreal Canadiens showed their support by playing the French national anthem on Saturday night before their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

In baseball news, after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery, Jayson Werth of the Washington Nationals will be out on recovery for roughly 2-3 months.

Morgan Brian of UVA is the back-to-back winner of the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top players in women’s college soccer. She is the 5th woman to win the trophy more than once.

 

JUST FOR FUN

Katy + Lenny
Are you ready for Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show?

Chef Curry
Could Riley Curry (daughter of Steph and Ayesha) be any cuter???

STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE

What’s in Cardale’s future?
We’re wondering if the Ohio State QB will be forgotten, or go down in history as a star
At this rate, the backup backup quarterback will be the favorite forever… but we’ll see if he can handle the heat tonight!

Boston 2024
Whaddya wanna know?
After presenting a $4.5 billion proposal to the USOC, Boston was selected as the US bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics

Next
Ball to the Future
Breaking down why the future of pro hoops looks a lot like James Harden

Internal Review
No true resolution in sight when it comes to the Ray Rice scandal
We’re still asking questions and wondering about the NFL’s decision making going forward

Our obsession with barre extends to the NFL
The Dallas Cowboys work on their knowledge of ballet
Before the on-field stretches, they use ballerina barres to stretch and loosen their muscles — it’s a whole new dynamic warm up, and it seems like it’s working well!

Man, can he swim!
Rob Konrad of the Miami Dolphins fell off his boat
…and swam 9 miles to shore (which is the equivalent of swimming 290 lengths of an Olympic-size swimming pool)