The first half of the Wild Card round is in the books, and we've seen one monumental upset and one thrilling finish. Can today's Wild Card games deliver on the same level? Here's what we've got on the docket for today.
↵Noon Central Time, CBS - Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
↵The winner of this game will get themselves a trip to Pittsburgh, thanks to the other half of the AFC bracket already being set with the Jets traveling to New England next weekend. Kansas City might be the most unlikely of the six AFC playoff teams this season, as many expected them to still be rebuilding this season. But behind the spectacular play of Matt Cassel at quarterback, the Chiefs put themselves on top of the AFC West and earned a playoff game in front of the raucous crowd at Arrowhead Stadium. They'll be taking on a Baltimore team that has proven to be susceptible to the pass, but still has stars on the defense like Haloti Ngata, Ray Lewis, and Ed Reed that are capable of stepping up their game. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
↵3:30 PM Central Time, Fox - Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles
↵The Eagles kind of took Week 17 off, having been locked into the #3 seed in the NFC since their Week 16 loss to the Vikings on Tuesday Night Football. That gave quarterback Michael Vick an opportunity to rest, and he certainly needed it after slowing down a bit over the past few weeks. For all the hype that Philly has gotten, they've only really played half of a good quarter of football in the past three weeks. . .their amazing fourth quarter against the New York Giants a few weeks ago. The Packers have been playing well the past couple of weeks, but they struggled against Vick when he came in to relieve Kevin Kolb in the season opener, and their success will hinge on their ability to contain the Eagles' QB. If the Eagles win this one, they will travel to the midwest to take on the Chicago Bears next week while the Seattle Seahawks will head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. If the Packers win, then our match-ups next weekend will be Packers at Falcons and Seahawks at Bears. (Gee. . .do you suppose the Falcons have a bit of a rooting interest in this one?)
↵If, for some reason, you're not terribly interested in the NFL playoffs, here are some other sporting events you may be interested in.
↵College Football
↵8:00 PM Central Time, ESPN - Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, #15 Nevada vs. Boston College
-The second-to-last bowl game of the college season (with only the BCS Championship Game remaining), you can see QB prospect Colin Kaepernick and the Wolfpack lead the Wolfpack against Boston College.
NHL Hockey
↵5:00 PM Central Time, KSTC Ch. 45 - Dallas Stars at Minnesota Wild
-The Wild have ripped off four consecutive wins and are coming off a very successful road trip to the East Coast. Now, they return home to see if they can sustain their momentum against Minnesota's "former" team. In a related story, Norm Green still sucks.
College Basketball
↵1:00 PM Central Time, Big Ten Network - #21 Minnesota Golden Gophers at #2 Ohio State Buckeyes
-If you're fortunate enough to have the Big Ten Network, you can watch the Gophers head to Columbus to take on one of the nation's elite teams.
3:30 PM Central Time, CBS - #3 Kansas Jayhawks at Michigan Wolverines
-After the AFC Wild Card game is over, you could always hang around and watch a very interesting Big Ten vs. Big 12 match-up on the hardwood.