Puppy Bowl XI 2015: Date, Starting Lineup, TV Schedule and More

An irresistible counterpart to the NFL's drama-filled Super Bowl XLIX, Puppy Bowl XI promises to be the best iteration of the annual event to date.

There are no deflated footballs or hefty fines for lack of communication here, folks.

Instead, there is actual point-scoring, fantasy football with puppies and a halftime performance by "Katty Furry."

If that doesn't scream—or bark—a good time before the New England Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks, nothing will.

With more than 50 dogs in action for Team Fluff vs. Team Ruff, the family-friendly showcase is an event to watch.

When: Sunday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. EST

TV: Animal Planet

Starting Lineups

Team Fluff	Breed	Team Ruff	Breed
Aaron	Boxer mix	Aria	Labrador Retriever mix
Bailey	Labrador Retriever	Blue	Schnauzer Poodle mix
Sniffles	Shih Tzu	Boomer	German Shepard mix
Cara	Shih Tzu	Bowser	Pekingese mix
Cheyenne	Chihuahua mix	Bryan Adams	Labrador Retriever mix
Chicklet	Australian Shepard mix	Bubba	Chihuahua mix
Crimson	Jack Russell Terrier mix	Coveia	Australian Cattledog Mix
Donnie	German Shepard Mix	Enzo	Yorkshire Terrier
Dougie	Labrador Retriever mix	Falcor	Clumber Spaniel
Drew Carey	Cocker Spaniel	Faulkner	Great Pyrenees mix
Freckles	Hound mix	Henry	English Springer Spaniel mix
Fritz	Mini Schnauzer	Kiaria	Japanese Chin
Hemingway	Great Pyrenees mix	Lance	Terrier mix
Izzy	Australian Shepard mix	Lee	Boxer mix
Jamison	Pit Bull Terrier mix	Lewis	Shar Pei
Keno	Terrier mix	Lorelai	Maltese Poodle mix
Kojak	Beagle mix	Marley	Labrador Retriever mix
Maggie	Beagle mix	Penelope	Pug
Maxwell	Labrador Retriever mix	Pudge	Chihuahua mix
Miss. Martian	Coonhound mix	Scarlet	Doberman Pinscher
Mr. Fantastic	Terrier mix	Starlight	Labrador Retriever mix
Oscar Marcus	Shih Tzu mix	Steve	Chihuahua mix
Panda	Pomeranian	Titan	American Bulldog
Papi	Corgi mix	Zane	Corgi mix
Pepper	Boston Terrier mix
Roscoe	Labrador Retriever mix
Rosie	Havanese
Sassy	Mini Poodle mix
Savannah	Shih Tzu
Smudge	Havanese mix
USS Maloy	Australian Shepard mix

Preview

Last year's fantasy implementation took the Puppy Bowl to new heights, as Loren, a 14-week-old Brittany spaniel mix, scored four touchdowns and took home the Most Valuable Pup award.

To help keep track of all of the stats this year, the event will implement a new scoreboard that provides observers with updates.

Of course, the usual suspects will attend, including rufferee Dan Schachner and sideline reporter "Meep the Bird" (he of more than 29,000 Twitter followers), who already sounds pretty excited about the event:

Along with those names and Katty Furry, the contest will also feature goat cheerleaders to hype the action.

The competitors themselves are feel-good stories from rescue shelters around the country. After a rigorous selection process, the organizers selected more than 50 dogs to act as starters as well as others to be backups.

Heather Brannon, Buzz Community Program Director, spoke recently about what it meant that three puppies from Asheville, North Carolina, were selected for the spectacle, via WLOS.com:

"

We were really excited. Just because you get to go up there and film doesn't mean that you will be selected for the final line-up. Out of all the puppies they sent up, they only chose about 50 that will be in The Puppy Bowl, and we're really excited because all three of our Asheville Humane Society dogs made it.

"

Plenty of names stick out when one peruses the list of lineups, including Drew Carey, a cocker spaniel, and Miss. Martian, a coonhound mix.

The heartwarming, genius event that capitalizes on the family nature of the Super Bowl sounds ready to entertain once more and promote a good cause in one neat package.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, after a very scientific experiment, the puppies set to take the field Sunday have predicted that the Seahawks will take down the Patriots.

This, of course, frees up observers around the globe to keep it locked on the furrier of the two events throughout the day.

Info via AnimalPlanet.com unless otherwise specified.