Saints-Panthers, College Bowls, Free NBA League Pass and More to Watch This Week

Must Watch: Week Full of Football

Holiday parties? Family gatherings? Or how about watching football every night this week? With a crucial divisional matchup in the NFL and the first midweek games of the bowl season on deck, your holiday plans are set.

The action begins on Monday night with the 11-2 New Orleans Saints taking on the 6-7 Carolina Panthers in an NFC South showdown. New Orleans looks to keep the top spot in the NFC, as it currently owns the tiebreaker against the 11-2 Los Angeles Rams (complete NFL standings).

Meanwhile, the Panthers are right behind the Minnesota Vikings for the final Wild Card spot. Carolina is a 6.5-point underdog per OddsShark. The Panthers have to find a way to stop Drew Brees, who has grabbed plenty of attention with his play this season. Watch at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Three bowl games on ESPN highlight the rest of the week's football action. Here's everything you need to know (all times ET, odds via OddsShark): 

Tuesday

Boca Raton Bowl: Northern Illinois vs. UAB (-2.5), 7 p.m.

UAB is a bit of a sentimental favorite in this one, reaching a bowl game just two seasons after restarting its entire program. However, Northern Illinois is a MAC powerhouse that's used to getting this far.

Wednesday

Frisco Bowl: San Diego State vs. Ohio (-3), 8 p.m.

After winning six straight games, SDSU looked like it was going to waltz through the Mountain West Conference before losing three of its last four. The Aztecs will have extra motivation going up against one of the best offenses in the country in Ohio, which has scored at least 40 points in seven games.

Thursday

Gasparilla Bowl: Marshall (-2.5) vs. South Florida, 8 p.m.

Charlie Strong's USF team started the season 7-0 but lost five straight to end its season. Marshall, on the other hand, won five of its last seven behind a stout defense and balanced offense.

Check out the complete bowl schedule here.

Watch This: Free NBA League Pass

You can catch every NBA League Pass game for free until Thursday right here on B/R Live, including the Toronto Raptors vs. the Indiana Pacers in a matchup of top-three Eastern Conference teams on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET (watch here). The Raptors beat a healthy Golden State Warriors team last week without Kawhi Leonard, and they let them know about it.

Later that night, two MVP candidates in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis go head-to-head as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the New Orleans Pelicans (Watch here), and the Golden State Warriors face off against a Utah Jazz (Watch here) squad looking to add another win in a tight Western Conference. Tipoffs for those games are 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively.

Here's how to sign up to watch on B/R Live and here's the full NBA schedule.

Three more things to watch

1. Zion Williamson and the rest of No. 2 Duke's loaded freshman class host undefeated No. 11 Texas Tech on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The four Blue Devil freshmen have come to play through 10 games, averaging nearly 68 points per game and accounting for over 70 percent of Duke's scoring. The Cameron Crazies have plenty of reasons to be excited.

2. The Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins add another page to their rivalry on Wednesday, as Alex Ovechkin continues to defy Father Time. Watch at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Is this just an excuse to show a video of Ovi celebrating the Capitals' Stanley Cup again? Yes. Yes, it is. Enjoy.

3. A week of soccer is highlighted by the FIFA Club World Cup Semifinals, Bundesliga action, and England's League Cup. Here's how you can watch all the action (all times ET).

Tuesday

Club World Cup: River Plate vs. Al-Ain, 11:30 a.m. on FS2

Bundesliga: Fortuna Dusseldorf vs. Borussia Dortmund, 2:30 p.m. on FS1

League Cup: Leicester City vs. Manchester City, 2:45 p.m. on ESPN+

Wednesday

Club World Cup: Kashima Antlers vs. Real Madrid, 11:30 a.m. on FS2

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig, 2:30 p.m. on FS1

League Cup: Arsenal vs. Tottenham, 2:45 p.m. on ESPN+

League Cup: Chelsea vs. Bournemouth, 2:45 p.m. on ESPN+

Quick Catch Up

1. The UEFA Champions League and Europa League draws are set, and there are some tasty matchups in the knockout stages. The biggest headlines include Liverpool and former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp facing an old foe in Bayern Munich. Also, Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Spain as Juventus take on Atletico Madrid.

In the UEL, Arsenal and Chelsea will be licking their chops after drawing BATE Borisov and Malmo, respectively. Here are the full draw results for both competitions:

2. LeBron James and Lonzo Ball became the first Lakers teammates since Magic Johnson and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar to each get a triple-double in the same game. Somewhere in the world, Lavar Ball is telling people he was right about his boy:

3. Valdosta State defeated Ferris State 49-47 on Saturday night to win the Division II National Championship, but everyone was talking about this, um, defensive decision? At least Valdosta State can laugh about it now. Well, maybe not the coach:

4. Trevor Ariza was traded to the Washington Wizards, but it wasn't as straightforward as you might've expected it to be. Here's the full rundown: