Puppy Bowl XII 2016: Date, Starting Lineup, TV Schedule and More

Super Bowl Sunday is providing more than the NFL's biggest game of the year. On Sunday, Puppy Bowl XII will provide some pre-Super Bowl 50 fun for those who like their sports to come in the little fur-ball variety. 

Here's everything you need to know about the big game for your four-legged friends.

Date: Sunday, Feb. 7

Time (ET): 3 p.m.

Channel: Animal Planet (Check local listings)

With 49 puppies competing in this year's Puppy Bowl, here are the starting lineups for the game, via AnimalPlanet.com:

Name	Breed	Age	Team (If Available)
Atticus	Husky/Labrador	12 weeks	N/A
Bella	Rat Terrier	20 weeks	Ruff
Bijoux	Great Dane	12 weeks	Fluff
Boris	Havanese	16 weeks	N/A
Brooklyn	German Shepherd	13 weeks	N/A
Buttons	Shih Tzu	13 weeks	Fluff
Carolina	American Staffordshire	17 weeks	N/A
Charlie	Feist/Whippet	16 weeks	Fluff
ChiChi	Chihuahua	15 weeks	N/A
Clover	Basset Hound	18 weeks	N/A
Cooper	Great Pyrenees/Collie	15 weeks	Fluff
Countess	English Bulldog	19 weeks	Fluff
Darby	Jack Russell Terrier	15 weeks	Ruff
Dilly	Terrier Poodle	16 weeks	Ruff
Gordon	English Setter	18 weeks	Fluff
Gryffin	Old English Sheepdog	15 weeks	Fluff
Hailey	Wire Haired Terrier	13 weeks	Ruff
Hank	Yellow Labrador/Husky	12 weeks	N/A
Harper	Pit Bull	13 weeks	Ruff
Jimmy	Spaniel mix	12 weeks	N/A
Kevin	Schnauzer	13 weeks	Fluff
Leah	Rottweiler	15 weeks	Ruff
Magic	Chihuahua	16 weeks	Fluff
Marley	Labrador Retriever	14 weeks	Ruff
Miss Sassy	Boston Terrier	12 weeks	Fluff
Moose	Poodle	14 weeks	N/A
Otis	Bulldog	17 weeks	N/A
Piper	Border Terrier	19 weeks	Ruff
Posey	Shih Tzu	14 weeks	Fluff
Puddin Pop	Bulldog	14 weeks	N/A
Ranger	Springer Spaniel	16 weeks	N/A
Raphael	Pit Bull	13 weeks	Ruff
Roxy	French Bulldog mix	15 weeks	N/A
Rugby	Terrier	19 weeks	N/A
Sailor	Australian Cattle Dog	12 weeks	Fluff
Samoa	Husky/Shepherd	12 weeks	Fluff
Scout	Australian Shepherd	18 weeks	N/A
Shylah	Wired Haired Terrier	18 weeks	Fluff
Splash	Great Pyrenees	14 weeks	Fluff
Star	Chow Chow/Labrador	20 weeks	N/A
Stella	Dachshund/Chihuahua	15 weeks	Ruff
Timon	Terrier	13 weeks	Ruff
Toby	Maltese	18 weeks	Ruff
Tidley	Brussels Griffon	13 weeks	Ruff
Wrinkles	Shar-Pei	12 weeks	Fluff
Rixton	Shetland Sheepdog	15 weeks	Ruff
Timber	Labrador Retriever	14 weeks	Ruff
Andy Cohen	Havanese	16 weeks	Ruff
Tate	Beagle	14 weeks	Ruff

Instead of Broncos and Panthers, it's Ruff against Fluff in the Puppy Bowl as an arsenal of little critters will take to the gridiron and captivate an audience that might not be interested in football. 

The game helps round out the day for every member of the family—even those who feel that they are forced to sit through four hours of an actual football game that they might not understand. 

However, there is a much larger purpose to this event than just watching tiny dogs run around for an extended period of time, as Animal Planet explains:

"

This year, Animal Planet worked with 44 different animal shelters and rescue organizations from across the U.S. to fill the rosters of #TeamRuff and #TeamFluff with adoptable players for this epic matchup. The network also is partnering with the Pro Football Hall of Fame to introduce the Puppy Bowl Hall of Fame to honor legacy players throughout Puppy Bowl and promote the adoption of older "veteran" animals in addition to puppies and kittens.

"

So while you're probably squealing with delight at the adorable participants of this year's Puppy Bowl while preparing for Super Bowl 50, just know that you're rooting for animals that have been given a second chance at a good life.