We have a lot to get to this morning…

… and I’m not about to waste your time. Let’s just jump right on in to this morning’s rundown and get your week started on the right foot (or left if you prefer or can’t kick old marching band habits).

Alabama set to defend national title as Ohio State, Clemson and Washington look to challenge for it

The College Football Playoff field is set for its third annual miniature tournament.
The College Football Playoff field is set for its third annual miniature tournament.

As conference championships were decided over the weekend, the College Football Playoff selection committee got to work to figure out just how this year’s playoff field was going to look. As mostly expected given the results over the weekend (most notably Clemson winning the ACC and Washington winning the Pac-12), the playoff field pretty much played out as easily as it could have for the committee. Alabama, the defending national champions received the top seed after winning the SEC and going 13-0 this season. The Crimson Tide open their title defense in the postseason in Atlanta against Pac-12 champion Washington in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

In the other national semifinal in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl we are treated to ACC champion and No. 2 seed Clemson against No. 3 seed Ohio State. The Buckeyes become the first non-conference champion AND first non-division champion to break the playoff field in the short playoff era. Ohio State had largely been expected to be in the playoff but a debate over whether they should remain in the top four grew some steam as Penn State rallied to beat Wisconsin to win the Big Ten championship on Saturday night. While the Buckeyes did slip in the committee’s eyes (dropped one spot), there was still not enough ground to make up for the Nittany Lions despite owning a head-to-head victory over Ohio State.

Penn State will face red-hot USC in the Rose Bowl, while the Orange Bowl gets a sexy matchup between Michigan and Florida State.

I know I will be diving a little more into my thoughts and reactions to the playoff and New Years Six bowl lineup later today, so check back later for that.

No ties are supposed to be good in the NFL, right? Not in Carolina!

Cam Newton, a fashion king in his own mind, commited a fashion violation in the eyes of Ron Rivera.
But we’re trying to keep ties out of the NFL, I thought!

We have come to know that Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has a bit of a unique sense of style. His pre and postgame attire tends to stand out for one reason or another, but has not once crossed a line until Sunday night. With the Panthers making a west coast trip to take on the Seattle Seahawks, a curious murmur spread with word Newton would not start the game for the Panthers. Drek Anderson got the start due to a decision made by head coach Ron Rivera, who was apparently not happy with Newton’s violation of the team dress code. The offense: not wearing a tie.

Given how much attention has paid to Newton’s sense of fashion this season, the mere fact that the absence of a tie would lead to such a decision by the head coach just feels a bit weird.

If nothing else, Newton’s tie-benching was a nice distraction from the result on the field for the defending NFC champions (2015 feels like a decade ago the way this season has gone for the Panthers). The Seahawks took the Panthers to suplex city by a score of 40-7. It was quite a night in Seatle though with a sideline appearance from the one and only Marshawn Lynch and an in-game tweet about possible retirement from Earl Thomas.

At least somebody at the Panthers had a sense of humor about the night…

The Chiefs beat the Falcons on a defensive two-point conversion

The Falcons thought they had a lead. They did, very briefly.
When you think you have the lead but Eric Berry steps in front of your two-point try and says “Nope!”

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan has been playing like an all-star this season and had seemed to start to correct one of his biggest faults from last season (red zone turnovers). While technically not a red zone turnover, Ryan threw one of the most unfortunate interceptions of the season to Eric Berry of the Kansas City Chiefs. Following a go-ahead touchdown with just over four and a half minutes to play, Atlanta went for two points to make it a three-point advantage. Eric Berry stepped in front of a pass from Ryan on the two-point try and turned what was a one-point (and potentially three-point) disadvantage into a one-point advantage for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs would hold on for the 29-28 victory, moving them to 9-3 on the year (and 5-2 on the road). Berry also had a pick-six in the game and the Chiefs had a fantastic fake punt. Next up for the Chiefs is a Thursday night game against the Oakland Raiders in what might be one of the best Thursday night matchups we have seen in a while. Winner takes first place, and the Chiefs are one of only two teams to hand Oakland a loss this season.

The NFL Blitz

Other NFL goodies from Sunday.
Other NFL goodies from Sunday.

Before continuing on with the full rundown from around the National Football League’s Sunday action, I should point out players were allowed to break a standard uniform code by wearing cleats with dedicated causes to promote. You may have noticed players have made a habit of using their cleats to send messages and promote various causes or missions in pregame warmups. On Sunday, the NFL allowed those cleats to be worn during the game. Consider these your Cliff’s Notes for the NFL, while our Chase Ruttig digs in a little deeper.

Patriots 26, Rams 10: What happens when you pit one of the NFL’s most consistently successful franchises against one of the more recent dreadful franchises? You make Tom Brady the winningest quarterback in league history and see a franchise stuck in the mud make the bizarre decision to give the head coach a contract extension without proving a damn thing. In hindsight, maybe we should have seen this one coming.

Raiders 38, Bills 24: I continue to be impressed by what is happening with the Oakland Raiders this season. They have two players playing on a higher level this season on each side of the football, and that’s pretty darn good. Derek Carr continues to be my MVP favorite with another second-half comeback under his belt. The Raiders trailed the Bills 24-9 midway through the third quarter and then scored the next 29 points. Not too shabby.

On defense, Khalil Mack continues to have a dominant impact.

Also, Raiders punter Marquette King continues to be the absolute best.

Broncos 20, Jaguars 10: The Broncos gave rookie Paxton Lynch his first career start due to an injury to Trevor Siemian, and it was a rough experience for the kid out of Memphis. Fortunately, the Broncos have a stellar defense and the Jaguars are the Jaguars. Bradley Roby had a 51-yard interception return for a touchdown to give Denver a 17-3 lead in the third quarter. The Jags had three turnovers, which was good because the Broncos only had 206 yards of total offense and went 1-for-13 on third down attempts. But a win is a win, right?

Ravens 38, Dolphins 6: The Dolphins had a nice winning streak going but the magic dried up in Baltimore. A six-game winning streak stood no chance against the Ravens on Sunday as concerns in the secondary and a running game suddenly being shut down did the Dolphins in. Joe Flacco was elite with four touchdown passes for the Ravens and Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi was limited to 61 rushing yards. Ryan Tannenhill was picked off three times by the Ravens as well.

Steelers 24, Giants 14: Eli Manning attempted 39 passes in the game, and not a single one was directed at Victor Cruz. After the game, Cruz brooded over that with the media. He wasn’t the only Giants receiver with some beef after the game. Odell Beckham Jr. took some shots at the officiating in the gamne, which surely means the NFL office will be sending him a fine in the coming days.

Good luck with that one, Odell.

Lions 28, Saints 13: The Detroit Lions are getting closer to clinching the NFC North Division after picking up a nice road win in New Orleans on Sunday. Golden Tate was unstoppable for the Lions with eight receptions for 145 yards and a touchdown. Saints quarterback Drew Brees was without a touchdown and was intercepted three times! Matt Stafford continues to play well and took a jab to the helmet while on the ground from Nick Fairley…

Packers 21, Texans 13: After picking up a nice win the previous week, the Green Bay Packers returned home and score done more. This time it was against the Houston Texans in weather that was fitting for Lambeau Field, and snow angels.

The Packers are up to .500 now, while the Texans dropped to .500 (both teams are 6-6).

Cardinals 31, Redskins 23: Carson Palmer completed 30 passes for 300 yards and three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter to pull away in a second half that saw four lead changes. Palmer needs just nine more passing yards for a 3,000-yard passing season and I’m pretty sure he’ll get it. The Cardinals remain in the playoff hunt, although still behind a crowded pack that still includes Washington (but a head-to-head tiebreaker is always nice to have in case you need it).

Buccaneers 28, Chargers 21: I’m not exactly sure what has gotten into Tampa Bay but the Bucs are on a nice little roll right now. Jameis Winston and company extended their winning streak to four games to move two games above .500. As a result, they just got a future game with the Cowboys flexed into primetime (OK, the Cowboys have something to do with that too), but Tampa Bay is now tied for first place in the NFC South with Atlanta with a pretty favorable remaining four games still to play  that includes two against 5-7 New Orleans and one against 4-8 Carolina. At the risk of cold taking myself, the Bucs are going to win this division.

Bengals 32, Eagles 14: Who would have thought the Eagles would be the less disciplined team in a game that also featured the Bengals? Well, anyone who’s been watching the Eagles this season, that’s who.

The Eagles may have been fun in the beginning of the season but rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has regressed and has absolutely no help around him. Doug Pederson may be proving to be in over his head as a head coach, but it’s still only one year for each. In the meantime, a blowout loss to this Bengals team does nothing to allow for any excuses. Maybe the Birds should have had these cleats for Sunday.

Bears 26, 49ers 6: I feel as I have said this a number of times already, but I just want to say once again to the San Francisco 49ers that it is perfectly acceptable to admit hiring Chip Kelly was a huge mistake. Cut him loose and do not allow him a chance to ruin your franchise any more than it has already been soiled. Let Chip find his way back to the college game. I mean, when you lose to the Bears, the decision has become pretty clear, right?

All your rowdy friends are here for Monday night: New York Jets vs. Indianapolis Colts (-2.0)

Honestly, not a whole lot to pay attention to here unless you want to see how the Jets melt down. You know what, I changed my mind. Let’s all tune in to see just how the Jets melt down tonight against Andrew Luck and the Colts.

Stop trying to make Worst NFL Team vs. Best College Football Team a thing!

The Cleveland Browns didn’t play this weekend (hooray for not losing!), but for some reason we saw some people discussing whether or not they could be beaten by the Alabama Crimson Tide. The answer is no. Stop forcing Las Vegas betting experts make such silly calls.

Don’t @ Me: Five Worst Christmas Songs

Look, the holidays can be emoiotnal to some of us, but a song about a mother dying does not belong in a play list that includes "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" and "Linus & Lucy."
Look, the holidays can be emotional to some of us, but a song about a mother dying does not belong in a play list that includes “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “Linus & Lucy.”

1. The Christmas Shoes – The caption above says it all. And there’s even a music video for this awful song.

2. Baby, It’s Cold Outside – Hey kids, want to listen to a song about a creepy guy trying to get it on with his lady friend? You know that’s what’s going on.

3. Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer – Ahh yes, a song about your grandmother being the victim of a hit and run. That’ll set the mood.

4. I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas – Nobody wants a hippo for Christmas.

5. All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth – You’ll get your freaking two front teeth soon enough. Ask Santa for a bike or an Xbox instead, kid.

Quick Hits

Hall of Famer.
Hall of Famer.

– The New York Yankees made a notable free agent signing on Sunday by adding veteran outfielder Matt Holliday to their roster. Of course, Holliday will fill a void as a designated hitter with the Yankees for a cool $13 million. It’s a short-term plug for the Yanks for a roster with a lot of young talent continuing to develop. Holliday’s veteran leadership will be an asset and we’ll see how moving into hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium affects Holliday’s stats in 2017. This just after Carlos Beltran signed a contract to return to the Houston Astros.

– Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig is heading to the Hall of Fame next summer, the same year one of his biggest blunders is finally being corrected (All-Star Game no longer determining home field advantage in the World Series). Selig had his critics and had his awkward moments, but there is no question he left his mark on the game with expansion, an expanded playoff system with wild card and interleague play. He was also the commissioner during a stained stretch in the history of the sport, which should also not be ignored (even if the players who were on top during those years will be slighted).

– Players can make mistakes at times, as was the case the last few days in the basketball world. How about JaVale McGee inbounding a pass to a member of the opposing team? Oops!

– ESPN does an awesome job with their 30 for 30 films. One on the Lakers-Celtics rivalry? Yes, please! (Bonus, Bill Simmons won’t get his hands on it, and you know that will tick him off.)

– When a player delivers a punch to the groin of an opposing player, it should be flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. We know Ron Cherry would have called it…

– You may not believe it, but our next President of the United States fired off a criticism of Saturday Night Live’s latest portrayal of him this weekend.

– Soccer players fighting? Nothing new. Soccer teammates getting sent off the pitch due to fighting with each other? OK, that’s unique.

– Best tweet and GIF of the weekend goes to whoever did this piece of work for the Wisconsin men’s basketball Twitter account…

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.