FOOTBALL

In the highest scoring Rose Bowl ever, USC beat out Penn State in a game for the ages. At 103 years old, the Rose Bowl is called “The Granddaddy of Them All” as it’s the oldest of all the Bowl games with the highest attendance rates. After two comebacks in the game, USC pulled out a 52-49 win.

The National Championship Game between Alabama and Clemson takes place next week, but Alabama coach Nick Saban made a stunning announcement on Monday. His offensive coordinator, Lane Kiffin (who has signed on as Head Coach at Florida Atlantic University for next season), will be leaving Alabama immediately with Steve Sarkisian taking over his duties for the National title game. The move seems odd with only one week to go before the game. If Alabama doesn’t pull off a win, you can be sure Saban’s decision will criticized and analyzed by all.

For anyone who thinks fantasy football is a waste of time, a Starbucks barista would respectfully disagree. He took his fantasy football obsession to a whole new caffeinated level by winning over $900,000 in the Las Vegas SuperContest.

FOOTBALL

The NFL playoff picture is coming in to view. After a great weekend of football, the New England Patriots secure the top spot in the AFC East again, giving them home field advantage. In the AFC West, the Kansas City Chiefs pull out the win in their division.

In the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys came away as the NFC East Champs. The NFC South Champs, the Atlanta Falcons, also secure a bye in the first round.

For a complete listing of the 12 teams making the playoffs and their paths to the Super Bowl, click here!

In some NFL coaching news, the 49ers made headlines firing their head coach Chip Kelly after only one season with the team. General Manager, Trent Baalke, was also let go in a disappointing 2-14 season.  Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak will also be gone next season announcing he will retire due to his health concerns.

In College Football over the weekend, Alabama beat Washington and Clemson beat Ohio State setting up a showdown for the National Championship on Monday January 9th.  If that matchup sounds familiar, it is. The same two teams played in the National Championship last year with Alabama walking away the victors.  According to Bama coach Nick Saban, “Every season is its own story. No two seasons and no two teams are ever alike. And even if the teams are the same, no rematch between those teams is ever alike either.”