NFL playoffs arrive on January sports calendar
The NFL and college football both offer up postseason contests this month. Here’s a look at 10 highlights on the January sports calendar, including a couple of UFC championship bouts in Inglewood, California.
College Football Playoff Quarterfinals (January 1)
The College Football Playoff quarterfinals actually got underway on December 31, with Penn State taking on Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. The other three quarterfinal matchups on New Year’s Day are then Texas vs. Arizona State in the Peach Bowl, Ohio State vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl, and Notre Dame vs. Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The four winners then move on to the semifinal matchups later in the month.
NBA Regular Season (January 1-31)
The NBA calendar for January tips off on New Year’s Day with eight games, including the Houston Rockets hosting the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets getting a visit from the Atlanta Hawks. It’s Boston at Minnesota and Philadelphia at Golden State in the first TNT doubleheader of the month on Thursday, January 2, while LeBron James and the Lakers will play at the Rockets on Sunday, January 5.
NHL Regular Season (January 1-31)
The NHL’s first weekend of January action includes a dozen games on Saturday, January 4, including the New York Rangers playing at the Washington Capitals in a Noon ET national broadcast as well as the Toronto Maple Leafs getting a visit from the Boston Bruins in an Original Six matchup. The Rangers are then right back in matinee action the next day as they play on the road at the Blackhawks at 3:00pm ET.
NFL Regular Season (January 4-5)
The NFL’s regular season schedule will come to an end on the first weekend of January, with two games on Saturday and the rest on Sunday. On Saturday the Ravens will host the Browns and the Steelers will host the Bengals, with Baltimore and Pittsburgh fighting for first place in the AFC North. On Sunday the top matchup has the Lions hosting the Vikings, with the winner of that game claiming the NFC North.
College Football Playoff Semifinals (January 9-10)
The four teams that advanced from the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff will take the field on January 9 and January 10, with the Orange Bowl hosting one of the semifinal matchups on January 9 and the Cotton Bowl hosting the other on January 10. The winners then move on to the national title contest.
NFL Wild Card Weekend (January 11-13)
The NFL playoffs will get underway on Saturday, January 11 with three Wild Card matchups, followed by two games on Sunday, January 12, and one game on Monday, January 13. Six of the seven playoff qualifiers in each conference will be in action this weekend, while the top overall seeds will get a bye.
UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan (January 18)
There will be a pair of championship bouts on the UFC 311 card at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, with champion Islam Makhachev taking on Arman Tsarukyan for the UFC Lightweight Championship, and champion Merab Dvalishvili taking on Umar Nurmagomedov for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. Also, Beneil Dariush meets Renato Moicano in a lightweight fight.
NFL Divisional Round (January 18-19)
The six winners from Wild Card Weekend along with the top overall seeds in each conference will hit the gridiron in the Divisional Round, with two games being played on Saturday, January 18 and two more being played on Sunday, January 19. The four winners advance to their conference championship games.
College Football Playoff National Championship (January 20)
The college football season finally wraps up on Monday, January 20 as the winners of the Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl semifinals hit the gridiron for the College Football Playoff National Championship. The game will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, with the kickoff set for 7:30pm ET.
NFL Conference Championships (January 26)
The NFL’s final four takes place all on Sunday, January 26, with the NFC Championship Game set for 3:00pm ET and the AFC Championship Game then following at 6:30pm ET. The winners of those two games will then get a break before heading to New Orleans for Super Bowl 59 on Sunday, February 9.
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
