Catch That Friday Feeling

The first work week of the 2018 is coming to a close but not without that Last Night’s Game Friday feeling.

Spirit fingers,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS - This Friday's Tailgate Treat is an easy one that even our team can make. Break out the slow cooker and the chicken wings because it's going to be a party. 

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Tennis

If you’ve ever spoken too soon. We were so excited for Serena Williams’ return to the Australian Open, one year after she won it while pregnant. Yesterday we found out she’s not ready yet and she withdrew from the tournament. Another one of tennis’ best, Andy Murray also dropped out of the tournament this week with a bum right hip. Crikey!

NFL (National Football League)

When you're rewarded for your hard work. The NFL playoffs start this weekend with the ultimate goal of reaching the Super Bowl on February 4. We'll see playoff action in Los Angeles for the first time since 1986 as the L.A. Rams host the Atlanta Falcons. PLAYOFF PREVIEW

Overtime

Get that #FridayFeeling this morning with more cuteness than one should see in a week. The starting lineup for this year’s Animal Planet Puppy Bowl has been released. Team Fluff and Team Ruff are made up of shelter dogs that hope to be adopted. Talk about the ultimate “tail”gate. Here’s the cutest lineup you’ve ever seen. PICS

Sideline stat

This weekend the Jacksonville Jaguars are playing in their first home playoff game since 2000 against a Buffalo Bills team that hasn't made the playoffs since 1999. They’re so excited (maybe almost too excited) that their black, teal and gold exuberance has spread to the game day food. The team is offering very appetizing burgers with teal buns, teal ice cream and even teal beer. Try to refrain from reciting green eggs and ham.

Coaches’ corner

Do you have weekend plans? If you are in Cleveland, you do now. The Cleveland Browns are celebrating their perfect season with a parade on Saturday. Although it’s not the kind of perfect season you’d think. The parade celebrates the winless, 0-16 (wins-losses) regular season for the team - the second time in NFL history that a team has had a winless season.

Heads up!

Alabama and Georgia will battle it out for the the College Football National Championship on Monday. Brush up on the Five Things To Know About Monday's National Championship Game so you're in the know for the weekend chatter.  

Ho, Ho, Holy College Football Bowl Games – The 5 Things You Need To Know

If football games are on your holiday wish list, then you must have been well behaved this year because there is an abundance of college football coming your way. Been naughty? Don’t worry, here are the five things you should know about bowl game season to put you back on the nice list.

Getting coal again this year,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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Five Things To Know About College Football Bowl Games

1. If the Oscars have the most coveted swag bags, bowl games are a close second. Players cannot be paid to play in the games but they can take home some great loot. Gifts this year include nice watches, rocking headphones and a PlayStation PS4.

2. There have been quite a few head coaching positions vacated and with the new coach not starting until next season, you’ll see a handful of teams playing with an interim coach. (Think Tennessee, Florida, Nebraska and Arizona State).

3. What’s in a name? Well for bowl games, it’s big money. The committees will do just about anything to please their title sponsors including naming the game itself something odd. The most memorable bowl game names this season roll off the tongue like the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, Taxslayer Bowl and the Potato Bowl. And yes, there used to be a game called the Salad Bowl.

4. If you want to put your name on it, it’s going to cost you. Collectively, companies spend around $100 million on the naming rights for bowl games. The money, it goes to the conference and they divvy it out amongst the teams in their conference but not before taking a little for themselves.

5. Not all teams are invited to a bowl game. A team has to have a .500-plus record to be considered bowl eligible. The top four teams in the country will play in either the Sugar Bowl or the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The winner of those two games will play each other in the National Championship Game on January 8th.

- Why does this matter? Once again football is going to dominate the conversation this month. There are 40 games between Sunday, December 16 and Monday, January 8 so there's no escaping the discussion. SCHEDULE

Keep the conversation going

Find out what Lindsey Vonn is doing with cheese that is upping her game, how basketball is overtaking football as the most popular sport in America and why a blizzard may have cost one player $500,000. READ

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Want to learn a little about college football with minimal effort? Join our college football bowl game pool where you can do just that. Simply pick the teams you think will win (or use the autofill function – we’re not judging). There are prizes for the winners (and even a few of the losers).  

Ps – Your picks need to be submitted by this Saturday.

Hotline Bling

Let’s talk about something other than figgy pudding and what’s on your holiday gift list this year.

Holiday party overload,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL

And you thought you had a Sunday Funday. Yesterday, we found out which four college football teams will be playing in the semifinal games on New Year's Day. If you want to sound in the know, the controversy around the playoffs is that Alabama was chosen over Ohio State, even though they had a weaker schedule and didn't win their conference. Here's more on that discussion.
 

When someone asks for your number. A Georgia fan tackled their playoff opponent Oklahoma by sending out the phone number of Oklahoma’s quarterback, Baker Mayfield. Mayfield changed his number and then gave props to the Georgia fans for all their creative text messages. And you thought your Tinder messages were tough to read. 

OVERTIME

HGTV star Chip Gaines is going to need a different type of Fixer Upper after being leveled on the sidelines of a Baylor basketball game. Don't fret because immediately after the tackle, he stood up, waved to the crowd and received a bigger cheer than the basketball team did all night. 

SIDELINE STAT

Who said you have to don a helmet and cleats to be on ESPN? The Southern College Cornhole Championships took place this weekend and the competition was as fierce as a fraternity tailgate party. The team from Arkansas took home the championship, $4,000 in prize money and the bragging rights, because chicks dig throwing bags. Don't know what cornhole is? We'll explain. 

COACHES’ CORNER

Being the head coach of the New York Yankees (MLB - Major League Baseball) is a high-pressure job that requires a stellar coaching resume. Until now. The Yankees hired former player and current broadcaster Aaron Boone as their head coach. It’s back into the pinstripes for the former Yankee player and not the kind that includes handcuffs. Well, maybe not literally.