NFL Playoffs, College Basketball Conference Play and More to Watch This Weekend

Must Watch: NFL Playoffs 🏈

Wild Card Weekend starts the NFL playoffs with four games as the road to Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta begins.

Here are the matchups, with all times Eastern:

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans (-1.5) Saturday, 4:35 p.m., ESPN/ABC: After starting the season 0-3, the Texans won 11 of their final 13 games to take the AFC South over the Colts. Indianapolis defeated the Tennessee Titans in Week 17 to clinch their wild-card spot in the playoffs. The teams split divisional meetings this season, each winning on the road by just 3 points.

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys (-1.5) Saturday, 8:15 p.m., Fox: NFC East winner Dallas takes on a Seahawks team that has flown a bit under the radar this season in the same division as the high-powered Los Angeles Rams. These teams met early in the regular season in Seattle, a matchup the Seahawks won 24-13. Seattle has played in the Super Bowl twice, winning once, since Dallas last won a playoff game.

Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens (-3) Sunday, 1:05 p.m., CBS: This game initially appears to be the most intriguing of the weekend. The Chargers tied for the best record in the AFC but lost the tiebreaker in their division to the Kansas City Chiefs, forcing LA into the wild-card round and a road game even at 12-4. MVP candidate Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense will face a difficult challenge against the Ravens, who held them to their lowest point total of the year in a 22-10 Baltimore win in Week 16. Ravens rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson looks to continue his remarkable first season in the NFL with a postseason win.

Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears (-6) Sunday, 4:40 p.m., NBC: In the only game this weekend that doesn’t feature a rematch from the regular season, the defending Super Bowl champs, the Eagles, travel to Chicago, where the forecast predicts it won’t be a normal freezing January afternoon but will be windy, which should have some impact on the game. The Bears used a dynamic, stingy, and turnover-forcing machine of a defense lead by Khalil Mack to a 12-4 record and division title. That unit will be a lot to go up against for whoever plays quarterback on Sunday for the Eagles. Nick Foles once again takes the reigns for injured starter Carson Wentz, and for Philadelphia to have a shot, he’ll have to minimize his mistakes against the Bears defense that led the league in interceptions this season.

Full Wild Card Weekend odds and predictions

Watch This: College Basketball Conference Play 🏀

Things are about to get real for the college basketball season. The cupcake games are over, and the exotic beach tournaments are done. The first full weekend of conference play is bringing the goods:

No. 8 Michigan State at No. 14 Ohio State (Saturday, 12 p.m., Fox)

No. 15 North Carolina at Pittsburgh (Saturday, 12 p.m., WatchESPN)

Syracuse at Notre Dame (Saturday, 12 p.m., WatchESPN)

No. 13 Kentucky at Alabama (Saturday, 1 p.m., ESPN)

Villanova at Providence (Saturday, 2 p.m., FS1)

Oklahoma State at No. 23 Oklahoma (Saturday, 2 p.m., Fox Sports Southwest)

No. 9 Florida State at No. 4 Virginia (Saturday, 3 p.m., ESPN2)

Georgia at No. 3 Tennessee (Saturday, 3 p.m., SEC Network)

Clemson at No. 1 Duke (Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPN)

No. 6 Nevada at New Mexico (Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPNU)

Santa Clara at No. 7 Gonzaga (Saturday, 9 p.m., Root Sports)

No. 21 Indiana at No. 2 Michigan (Sunday, 4:30 p.m., CBS)

No. 24 Nebraska at No. 25 Iowa (Sunday, 5:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

3 More Things to Watch This Weekend 👀

1. NBA League Pass on B/R Live

There will be no shortage of NBA League Pass hoops this weekend, with eight games Friday night, seven Saturday, and six Sunday. They include the Warriors, the Lakers twice, Dallas against one of the East's top teams in Philadelphia, Houston against Portland for those who love great guard play, and another stop in the Dwyane Wade farewell tour as he plays his last game in Atlanta. All of that, all this weekend on B/R Live. Watch every out-of-market game here.

NBA League Pass Pricing:

$28.99 per month
$6.99 per game
$1.99 4th quarter price drop per game

2. NLL on B/R Live

The National Lacrosse League also brings a packed schedule to this weekend, with games Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Watch every game here.

Also with your NLL subscription, get access to the weekly Inside the NLL, featuring highlights, analysis, and chipped teeth.

NLL on B/R Live pricing is $2.99 per game, $7.99 per month, or $30.99 for the season. Sign up here.

3. Spanish Soccer Sunday

La Liga returns from winter break this weekend, and a triple-header of Spanish heavyweights is on the Sunday schedule, with each game available to watch on beIN Sports.

Sevilla vs. Atletico Madrid, 10:15 a.m. ET

Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad, 12:30 p.m. ET

Getafe vs. Barcelona, 2:45 p.m. ET

Full La Liga standings

Quick Catch-Up

1. Harden stays hot

It was a Western Conference Finals rematch last night, with the Houston Rockets edging the Golden State Warriors 135-134 in overtime on this winner from James Harden:

Harden had 44 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists, his second triple-double in a row and his 11th straight game with at least 30 points. The Rockets have won 11 out of their past 12 games.

2. Manchester City beats Liverpool

In the biggest game of the Premier League season so far, Manchester City closed the gap on first-place Liverpool with an intense 2-1 win at home.

3. Sugar not so sweet

The Sugar Bowl was not kind to the Georgia Bulldogs, the football team or the actual animal.

The Texas Longhorns dominated on the field, winning 28-21 (although the game was never really that close), humbling the Georgia fans and players who thought they were one of the best four teams in the country and deserved to be in the College Football Playoff. Remember rule No. 1, kids: Never tweet.

4. Undefeated no more

In the Fiesta Bowl, LSU ended UCF’s 25-game winning streak despite starting the game without multiple starters and losing a handful of defensive backs to injury and/or ejection during the game.

5. Nurkic's historic night

In the Portland Trail Blazers’ New Year’s overtime win over the Sacramento Kings, center Jusuf Nurkic had one of the greatest stat lines in NBA history: 24 points, 23 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 blocks, and 5 steals.

6. NHL Winter Classic

The Boston Bruins beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 in the NHL’s annual Winter Classic outdoor showcase game, this year played at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.

After the game, the NHL announced details for future outdoor games, including the 2019 Heritage Classic to be played between the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. Twitter users were quick to point out that the heritage these two teams share has a distinctly southern flavor.