Tag: weekend sports

What to Watch This Weekend: CFP First Round, Packers-Bears on Saturday Night, and Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua

What to Watch This Weekend: CFP First Round, Packers-Bears on Saturday Night, and Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua

December Sports, Zero Downtime Edition

This is one of those weekends where the remote never stops moving and nobody apologizes for it. Rivalries, playoffs, heavyweight matchups, and one boxing spectacle nobody asked for but everyone will watch anyway.

Here’s the full slate — with times, channels, and zero fluff.

NFL

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Saturday — 8:20 PM ET
FOX

This rivalry survives quarterbacks, coaches, rebuilds, and common sense.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
Sunday — 1:00 PM ET
Fox

Because technically somebody has to win the NFC South.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos
Sunday — 4:05 PM ET
Fox

6 TDs last week for Trevor Lawrence, one of the best defenses in the NFL this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions
Sunday — 4:25 PM ET
CBS

Physical football. Loud stadium. Somebody wins ugly.

New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
Sunday — 8:20 PM ET
NBC / Peacock

Patriots need to rebound, Drake Maye with a standalone MVP opportunity, Ravens desperate for Ws.

NBA

Friday

Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
Friday — 7:30 PM ET
Prime

Two fanbases convinced the refs hate them equally.

Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
Friday — 9:30 PM ET
Prime

Young stars, athletic lineups, and a game that might turn serious very quickly.

Saturday

Houston Rockets at Denver Nuggets
Saturday — 5:00 PM ET
NBA TV

Denver controls games quietly. Houston tries to disrupt that plan loudly.

NHL

Friday

Carolina Hurricanes at Florida Panthers
Friday — 7:00 PM ET
ESPN+

Speed, pressure, and very little space to breathe.

Dallas Stars at Anaheim Ducks
Friday — 10:00 PM ET
ESPN+

Pair of underrated Western Conference contenders.

Saturday

Detroit Red Wings at Washington Capitals
Saturday — 12:30 PM ET
NHL Network

Youth movement meets veteran resistance.

Edmonton Oilers at Minnesota Wild
Saturday — 3:00 PM ET
ESPN+

Elite skill vs structured defense. Always worth your time.

Carolina Hurricanes at Tampa Bay Lightning
Saturday — 7:00 PM ET
ESPN+

Yes, again. No complaints.

Sunday

Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild
Sunday — 6:00 PM ET
ESPN+

Minnesota doesn’t get a break this weekend. Neither should you.

Soccer

Saturday

Tottenham vs Liverpool
Saturday — 12:30 PM ET
NBC / Peacock

Pace, pressure, and someone losing control of midfield early.

Stuttgart vs Hoffenheim
Saturday — 7:30 AM ET
ESPN+

Bundesliga chaos, fully endorsed.

RB Leipzig vs Bayer Leverkusen
Saturday — 10:30 AM ET
ESPN+

Fast, aggressive, and played at a volume most leagues avoid.

Juventus vs Roma
Saturday — 2:45 PM ET
Paramount+

Tactical tension. Somebody wins 1–0. Nobody is happy afterward.

Sunday

Villarreal vs Barcelona
Sunday — 10:15 AM ET
ESPN+

Barcelona road matches remain a weekly stress test.

NCAA Football

FBS Playoffs

Alabama vs Oklahoma
Friday — 6:00 PM ET
ABC/ESPN

Two brands that assume they belong here. Only one leaves satisfied.

Miami vs Texas A&M
Saturday — 12:00 PM ET
ABC/ESPN

Talent everywhere. Discipline negotiable.

Tulane vs Ole Miss
Saturday — 3:30 PM ET
TNT

How will no Lane Kiffin impact Ole Miss?

James Madison vs Oregon
Saturday — 7:30 PM ET
TNT

Belief vs depth. Speed vs confidence.

FCS Playoffs

Montana vs Montana State
Saturday — 2:00 PM ET
ABC
Brawl of the Wild rematch. If you skip this, that’s on you.

Illinois State vs Villanova
Saturday — 5:30 PM ET
ESPN2

Clean football. No gimmicks. Real stakes.

NCAA Women’s Volleyball

National Championship Match
Sunday — 3:00 PM ET
ABC

Elite execution, real pressure, and one of the best championship environments in college sports.

Boxing

Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua
Saturday — 8:00 PM ET
Netflix

Yes, it’s ridiculous.
Yes, you’ll check the result.
Yes, many of you will watch live.

What to Watch This Weekend: August 22-24

What to Watch This Weekend: August 22-24

Every Friday, we’re cutting through the clutter and telling you what’s actually worth your eyeballs this weekend. Big stage, small stage, and the stuff hiding in the corner that you’ll be glad you found. Let’s roll.

Football

Forget the fake preseason stuff—real football is here. Week 0 drops Saturday with FBS and FCS action, and it’s juicier than usual.

  • Iowa State vs. Kansas State — Dublin, Ireland (Sat, Noon ET, ESPN)
    This isn’t your sleepy Week 0 cupcake. Two ranked Big 12 teams, two future NFL quarterbacks in Rocco Becht (Iowa State) and Avery Johnson (K-State), and playoff stakes already in the air. Add in the novelty of Irish pints before kickoff—this one’s appointment viewing.
  • Incarnate Word @ Nicholls (Sat, 1 PM ET, ESPN2)
    Don’t sleep on the FCS. Southland rivals, a Top-5 squad in UIW, and a Nicholls team trying to bounce back from a flop season. Should be spicy down in Thibodaux.
  • Stanford @ Hawaii (Sat, 7:30 PM ET, CBS)
    Normally, this is perfect midnight-on-the-mainland Rainbow Warrior chaos. Instead, we’re stuck with a standard kickoff. Still, plenty to watch: Andrew Luck is running Stanford’s GM chair, Frank Reich is on the sideline, and transfer QB Ben Gulbranson just beat out freshman Elijah Brown for the starting gig. New era vibes for the Cardinal.

Baseball

Rivalry weekend, full blast.

  • Red Sox at Yankees (capped by Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN) — two clubs fighting for positioning in the Wild Card standings
  • Dodgers at Padres — San Diego gets another swing at the reigning champs of the NL West.
  • Mets at Braves — Braves fans haven’t had a ton to cheer for this season, but they always get up to root against the Mets.

And don’t forget: Little League World Series Championship hits Sunday (1 PM ET, ABC). U.S. vs. International, bragging rights for life.

Golf

The Tour Championship is live from East Lake, with $40M on the line. Scottie Scheffler has the inside track, but there are plenty ready to wreck his repeat bid.

Rugby

The Women’s Rugby World Cup kicks off in England. The U.S. opens against the hosts at the Stadium of Light (CBS Sports, late Friday night/early Saturday morning stateside). Pour one more and root for the Eagles.

Soccer

Europe’s back in full swing, and there are some tasty matchups to keep on your radar this weekend:

Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig (Fri, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/ESPN+)
Bundesliga action from the Allianz Arena. Bayern usually dominates Leipzig, but Leipzig loves a statement game.

West Ham vs. Chelsea (Fri, 3:00 p.m. ET, USA Network/Universo)
West Ham hosts Chelsea at London Stadium in a clash that could set the tone for the rest of the season. Expect drama, late tackles, and maybe a surprise upset.

Manchester City vs. Tottenham (Sat, 7:30 a.m. ET, USA Network/Universo)
Early bird gets the goals. Pep’s squad at home, Spurs looking to prove a point. It’s a Premier League heavyweight bout that kicks off bright and early stateside. Coffee mandatory.

Sure, there’s more. But these are the headliners, the sneaky gems, and the built-in excuses not to mow the lawn. The couch is calling—answer it.