#5 Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints
Well, somebody has to play Drew Brees  (pictured), the New Orleans Saints, and their #1 passing attack this weekend. The Detroit Lions drew the short straw on this one. The last time the Saints lost a game was four major holidays ago, the day before Halloween. Detroit-ians should be thrilled that their team made the playoffs for the first time in the 21st century, but don’t expect too much more.

#4 Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans
The 9-7 Cincinnati Bengals snuck into the playoffs despite a week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Houston Texans won the AFC South despite a three-game losing streak to end the regular season – including that head-scratching, mind-boggling loss to the Indianapolis Colts. These two teams met in the regular season, a game that the Texans won by a slim 20-19 margin. But that was the last game that the Texans won. The rematch should be very interesting.

#3 Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants
The New York Giants aren’t what you’d call a great team this year. They did, however, manage to win two big games to close out the regular season and ensure their place in the playoffs. The Atlanta Falcons are the Wildcard team and the lower seed, but they come in with all the momentum after the unbelievable offensive outpouring in the first half against the Buccaneers last week. Then again, it was against the Buccaneers who were on their way to 10 straight losses. Expect plenty of scoring, especially if the Falcons take an early lead and the G-Men have to play catch up to stay in the game.

#2 Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Is this the end of Tebowmania? Well, no, it isn’t. There will be a 2012 edition regardless of this weekend’s outcome. But it may well be the end of Tebowmania for this year. Despite the home field advantage and the technical higher seed, the Denver Broncos limped into the playoffs by virtue of a weak division and the ineptitude of the Oakland Raiders, not by any merit of their own over the final three weeks of the regular season. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, went 12-4 in the regular season, including six of the last seven and only missed a first round bye by a tie breaker to the Baltimore Ravens.

#1 Allstate BCS Championship Game
OK, Monday night doesn’t qualify for your standard definition of the weekend, but we can make an exception for the BCS National Championship matchup between LSU and Alabama. After a season of surprises, one team will walk away a Champion. This is absolutely the kind of grudge match that should make a National Championship. The two teams met in November in an ugly defensive struggle that LSU won in overtime. It was the only time all year that Alabama was held to fewer than 24 points. Their closest margin of victory in their 11 wins was 16 points.
LSU averaged over 40 points per game in the rest of their games, but came up with just three field goals against Alabama. This will be a Monday night championship game worthy of extending the weekend by a full day. Maybe two.

(U.S. Air Force photo)

#6 The Winter Classic
The Philadelphia Flyers took a 2-0 lead over the New York Rangers in the second period of the Winter Classic. But that wasn’t enough to keep the Rangers out of the game. The last 25 minutes of the game belonged exclusively to the Rangers offensively and defensively. A 2-0 lead melted into a 3-2 loss faster than the mild Philadelphia weather melted the ice rink.

#5 The Comeback Kids
A week after spotting the Miami Dolphins a 17 point lead before they started playing for real, the New England Patriots fell behind the Buffalo Bills 21-0. Three touchdowns is nothing to this season’s edition of the Patriots. The defense tightened (to put it mildly) and Tom Brady and the Pats’ offense kicked into high gear. By the time the final whistle blew, the Patriots had rolled off a shocking 49 unanswered points to turn a big deficit into a laugher of a rout.

#4 Take the AFC West… please
Somebody had to win the AFC West. The Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos both seemed to be doing their best to avoid it, going a combined 1-5 in the last six games played. Denver couldn’t find the end zone even once against Kansas City on Sunday. Oakland couldn’t keep San Diego out of the end zone. Somebody has to play the Pittsburgh Steelers next weekend, and by default that somebody will be the Broncos.

#3 Like Passing?
Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford and Green Bay Packers back-up quarterback Matt Flynn combined for an even 1,000 yards passing and 11 touchdowns in one of the most exciting offensive outpourings of the year. Green Bay – sans Mr. Aaron Rodgers – outgunned Detroit to a thrilling 45-41 finish.

#2 The Outback Bowl
 Georgia kicker Kirk Cousins became the all-time leading scorer in SEC history on Monday. The Bulldogs’ Brandon Boykin – as in “that boy kin play football” – scored on offense, defense, and special teams. Georgia started the Outback Bowl by jumping out to a quick 16-0 lead in the first half. All around, it was a great day for the Georgia Bulldogs, except that they lost the game to Michigan State. The Spartans capitalized on the Bulldogs’ dubious play call in the first OT and went on to win 2 OTs later.

#1 The Rose Bowl
Score – score –score. Touchdown after touchdown. Eleven of them, to be exact. Each team kicked one field goal as well, just for good measure. The Oregon Ducks won the game, but you couldn’t help but think that Wisconsin would have scored again if they hadn’t just run out of time.

(U.S. Air Force Photo)

#5 Doesn’t anyone want to win the AL Wild Card?
The Boston Red Sox have been playing just awful baseball for the last month. The Tampa Bay Rays have been intermittently playing well and choking in big games. The New York Yankees have their spot locked up and and control – or at least heavily influence – who wins the Wild Card spot with their final six games split between the two contenders. Neither team looks to have the legs to go deep into the playoffs, but come on, somebody’s got to step up and take it.

#4 What’s up with the Minnesota Vikings?
Remember a couple of years back when the Philadelphia Eagles played to a tie with the Cincinnati Bengals because Donovan McNabb didn’t know that there was only one overtime period? Maybe McNabb, now the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, forgot that there are two halves to a football game. The Vikings look like two completely different teams – the competent one that plays the first half and the inept one that blows a big lead in the second half every week.

#3 Who was that guy and what did he do with the real Tom Brady?
Through the entire 2010 season, Tom Brady threw a total of 4 interceptions. Total. For the year. Sunday afternoon against the Buffalo Bills, the Brady impersonator under center for the New England Patriots tossed 4 INTs. He also tossed 4 TDs. But in the end, the Patriots blew a 20 point lead and the All-Offense Bowl turned on the play of the defense.

#2 Are the Lions for real?
The Detroit Lions are 3-0, including two wins on the road. They overcame a 20 point 1st half deficit to come back and beat the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota. Of course, Minnesota has blown a lead in every game so far. Before that, they beat a questionable Tampa Bay team and absolutely routed the as-of-yet winless Kansas City Chiefs. But you can only play the teams on your schedule and the Lions are 3-0 for the first time in 30 years. Can Lions fans allow themselves to believe in Matthew Stafford? Could this team be for real?

#1 How did LSU pass Oklahoma?
LSU didn’t just squeak past Oklahoma in the AP Poll. With 42 of the 60 first place votes going to the Tigers, they seized the top spot with authority. Was their win over #16 West Virginia really that convincing? Or did Oklahoma’s 38-28 victory over unranked Missouri look shakier than I thought? Neither team plays against serious competition next week (no offense, Ball State and Kentucky), so it’s unlikely that their roles will reverse before October 8th, when LSU and Oklahoma play #12 Florida and #17 Texas respectively.

#5 The Sylvania 300
Now that the Chase is on, perennial champion Jimmie Johnson is running out of time to make his move toward a sixth consecutive Championship. At just 300 miles, the Sylvania 300 is one of the shorter races on NASCAR’s Sprint Cup circuit. Will this prove to be the launching pad for Johnson’s glorious return, or the beginning of a new era?

#4 Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
It’s too early to know anything for sure, but the Detroit Lions look good, really good. The Minnesota Vikings who play the first half look pretty OK, too. But whoever it is that takes over for them at the half play some absolutely awful football. This game will be worth watching just to see how the Vikings manage to pull defeat from the jaws of victory once again.

#3 Oklahoma State at Texas A&M
Not only is the Oklahoma State – Texas A&M game a matchup of two top 10 teams from the Big 12, but they’re two evenly matched top 10 teams from the Big 12. OK State leads the NCAA in passing yards per game so far this season and is third in scoring. The Aggies, on the other hand, have allowed just 21 points total in their first two games. Only one can remain undefeated after Saturday.

#2 Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys
Always a bitter matchup, the Washington Redskins – Dallas Cowboys game this early in the season has taken a turn for the strange. Washington is 2-0 and in sole possession of 1st place in the NFC East. Dallas is 1-1 with a banged up quarterback. Could Washington be for real? Or will the ‘Boys expose the true Redskins? We’ll find out on Monday Night Football.

#1 New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
Like scoring? The Buffalo Bills shockingly have the most potent offense in the NFL through two games. The Bills have put up 79 points so far. The New England Patriots are not far behind with 73 points already on the board. Who needs to play defense when the offense can score at will? Whatever the over/under is on this game, we’re taking the over.

#5 Bolt is Back
A week after Usain Bolt got himself disqualified for a false start, he stormed back into the Track and Field World Championships with a vengeance. He won Gold in the 200 meter on Saturday and followed it up on Sunday by anchoring the Jamaican team in the 4×100 relay. Bolt and his teammates not only won the Gold, but set a new world record.

#4 South Florida Bulls vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
If there’s one thing we at Buzzer Eagle love to see, it’s an underdog. Unranked University of South Florida against #16 Notre Dame certainly fit the bill. USF Coach Skip Holtz, a Notre Dame alum and son of famed Irish Coach Lou Holtz, enjoyed a very happy homecoming as his USF Bulls scored the biggest upset of this first weekend of the 2011 NCAA Football season.

#3 Western Michigan at Michigan
Western Michigan vs. Michigan is a big game for bragging rights in the Wolverine State, but other than that it barely registers on the excitement meter. Unless it’s a bizarre, weather-shortened affair that seizes the nation’s attention for a scant few moments. The Wolverines were winning handily, 34-10, late in the third quarter when the game was stopped for the second time. It wasn’t until later, in the locker room, that the team got the news that the game was over and they were the victors. A bittersweet win, but a win just the same.

#2 Utah State at Auburn
The defending national champion gets the privilege of choosing a patsy for the warmup game that starts their title defense season. With three minutes left in the game it looked like Auburn chose poorly. Auburn won by a slim 42-38 margin and needed a desperation onside kick to do it. If this is a preview of what the post-Cam Newton Tide is going to look like, it will be a long season at Auburn.

#1 Oregon Ducks vs. LSU Tigers
This is the game that we were most excited about this weekend. It is so rare to get a match up of bona fide championship contenders so early in the season. Unfortunately, with both teams missing key players, we didn’t get to see either play at their potential. The LSU team that exists today proved to be far superior to the Oregon team of now, giving the #4 ranked Tigers a huge lift in their hopes for a championship.

5. Cougars and Broncos

The high school football season begins Saturday in Litchfield, NH, with the first scrimmage of the season.  Starting with their biggest challenge of the season, Campbell High School, a Division V school, takes on the neighboring high school of Alvirne, a Division II school.  Go, Cougars!

4. Arsenal and Liverpool

One week into the Premier League season, football fans (AKA soccer fans) are busily singing chants and wearing their team colors.  According to a trusted source, the highlighted game of the weekend is the match-up between Arsenal and Liverpool.  Perhaps it won’t be in the Nielsen Top 10 list, but it should be popular in homes outside the USA.

3. Danica and Maryeve

In other sporting news based outside of the 50 states, this weekend’s Nationwide race is taking place in Montreal.  The highlight of the race may not be which driver crosses the line first, but simply who two of those drivers are.  Danica Patrick and Maryeve Dufault will be joining the usual gathering of men.

2. Players and Refs

The NFL has implemented the new kickoff rule, moving the ball from the 30 yard line to the 35 yard line. On numerous sports shows this week, both hosts and guests lamented the change.  Last Saturday, the Chicago Bears sneakily changed the rule, by placing the ball on the 30 yard line, twice.  We’re watching preseason games just to see if anyone tries that again this week.

1. USA and the World

Eleven days of baseball bliss begin today.  With eight teams representing the US and eight teams representing the world, it is sure to provide some great sporting entertainment.  If you’re looking to see some great ball played by some great kids, South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, is the place to be.

#5 The Gold Cup
The Gold Cup Final match is this weekend. With four teams left in contention there is still hope that the US could make it to the Finals. Of course, they won’t get anywhere near the weekend match if the Panama team has anything to say about it. Oh yeah, either Mexico or Honduras will be there, too.

#4 Mariners at Marlins
The Mariners will have to travel about as far as you can go across the continental US this weekend, from Seattle to Miami. Once there, they will face the wrath of an 80-year-old man trying to fix a struggling ball team. Jack McKeon may be old, but he’s feisty. He’s got experience. And he’s not afraid to smack you with his walker if you talk back.

#3 Infineon
NASCAR takes it to the streets for the Toyota / Save Mart 350 on Sunday. There’s something special about seeing NASCAR on a road course. I’ve had this one circled on my calendar for a while now. It’s one of the shortest races of the year, but it’s also one of the curviest. Just like women, race tracks are better with lots of curves.

#2 The College World Series
College Baseball’s annual double elimination tournament to determine which team full of players that did not get signed by Minor League Baseball teams at age 18 will reign supreme. The field is narrowed down to the top eight. Lose once, you still have a chance. Lose twice and you’re out. The playoffs run through the weekend leading up to the CWS on Monday through Wednesday.

#1 Wimbledon
You know, the biggest problem with spending the weekend watching sports is those pesky early morning hours with nothing to see. Thanks to Wimbledon Tennis, that’s no longer an issue. Matches start at 7AM Eastern time. Can Rafael Nadal make it two in a row? Does Roger Federer have one more in the tank? Serena Williams is already crying and we’ve still got a full week of tennis action ahead of us.

#5 Boston Ascendant

#4 Alvarez – Rhodes
Saul Alvarez, at 20 years old, already has 5 years of professional boxing under his belt. And speaking of belts, he’s got one of those, too. The WBC Junior Middleweight belt to be specific. Saturday night he showed that he’s got endurance, pelting a hapless Ryan Rhodes in the twelfth with a flurry of punches sent boxing writers to their thesauruses looking for a more intense word for flurry.

#3 The College World Series
It’s not like there weren’t enough MLB games over the weekend to satisfy even the most hard-core baseball junkies. But it’s still nice to diversify a bit, and the College World Series has the same kind of intensity as March Madness, only with baseball. Watching Vanderbilt dismantle North Carolina while Florida mopped up Texas was a reasonable substitute for the pro games. And the ping of the aluminum bats is just plain cool; I don’t care who you are.

#2 Gold Cup
OK, I admit it. I only like soccer when the US wins. Today, I like soccer. Sunday’s 2-0 win over Jamaica was a beautiful thing. The US team gets to move on to play either Panama or El Salvador on Wednesday in the Gold Cup Semi-final round. Not bad for a country that likes sports where you can actually touch the ball with your hand.

#1 US Open
I wanted to be the first writer to use some form of “Roring” to describe Rory McIlroy‘s amazing US Open victory, but I was beaten to it by… well, a lot of online sports writers. Still, it’s not about who comes up with the most clever pun, it’s all about who shattered Tiger Woods‘ record for the best score ever at the US Open.

#5 The Coca-Cola 600
That’s 100 miles more than the Indy 500. NASCAR, rather than graciously giving Open Wheel Racing their one day a year to shine, is bringing out the big guns for one of the most popular races of the year in Charlotte, NC, the heart of NASCAR Nation. Kyle Busch is so psyched up for the race he got himself caught doing 128 MPH in a 45 MPH zone. Save some for Sunday, big guy.

#4 Boston Bruins – Tampa Bay Lightning
I am loving this series. There is no home-ice advantage. There is no safe lead. I’m counting on this one going seven games and thrilling us through every last one of them.

#3 NCAA Lacrosse Final
OK, the Final Game isn’t until Monday night which technically isn’t the weekend, but in the spirit of the holiday we’re including this match. After two weeks of playoffs, the remaining 4 teams in NCAA Men’s Lacrosse – Virginia, Denver, Maryland, and Duke – will pair up on Saturday to determine who goes to the Finals and who goes home. If the only thing you know about college Lacrosse is that the Duke team has lousy taste in strippers, you should tune in. Lacrosse is a fast-paced running game, kind of a cross between hockey without the ice and soccer without the mind-numbing boredom.

#2 Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
There is no guarantee that there will be a Game 6 in this series on Saturday night. But the Bulls in general and league-MVP Derrick Rose in particular are not going to roll over for the guys from Miami. Figure Da Bulls win at least one of the next two and take the series into – but probably not out of – the weekend. Odds are pretty good the the Dallas Mavericks will have wrapped up their series with the Oklahoma City Thunder by then and will be getting rested up for the Finals, so the quicker the Heat can move on the better it will be for them.

#1 The Indianapolis 500
There is a time and a place for every sport under the sun. The time for Open Wheel Racing is the day before Memorial Day. The place is Indianapolis, Indiana. Some Canadian driver named Alex Tagliani is the pole sitter. Some hot chick named Danica Patrick (who, according to ‘unsubstantiated’ rumors – my favorite kind of rumor – is going to quit IndyCar and go to NASCAR for a full season next year) is starting in 26th place. Wonder who will get more attention this week?

#5 Irish (Setters) nip Huskies
The Notre Dame Irish were the #2 seed in the Women’s NCCA Tournament, but you’d have thought they were some unranked scruds the way the national media pronounced them unworthy of taking the court with UConn. Now, the Lady Huskies are at home watching their male counterparts play for glory while Notre Dame moves on to the Finals.

#4 Bulldogs bite Rams
Butler finally had a game in which they weren’t the underdog, which kind of made them the underdog since their whole team mojo was about being the underdog. It turns out that, mojo or no, the Bulldogs were just too much for Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU can’t be going home too sad after making the Final Four as a #11 seed. They played above their heads throughout the tournament and earned their coach a big, fat contract extension.

#3 Fighting like Dogs and Cats
Huskies and Wildcats, that is. The Kentucky – Connecticut game wasn’t pretty. Neither team was especially sharp. But when it mattered most, UConn’s Kemba Walker stepped up and carried his team to the promised land and a shot at bringing home a third championship for the school.

#2 Play Ball!
OK, it isn’t really a single event and it doesn’t fit our dog theme this week, but the beginning of Major League Baseball season deserves some recognition. The first weekend of MLB action marks the true beginning of summer. Basketball and Hockey lose some of their luster the minute the umpire yells “Play ball!” for the first time.

#1  Huskies are the Top Dogs
Butler battled their way back to the NCAA Finals for a second year in a row. After 9 losses in the regular season, not many people were picking them to return. Connecticut also lost 9 times this year. The combined total of 18 losses is the most ever for the two finalists in the NCAA Championship.

The Bulldog’s journey to the title game ended in the runner up spot again, but this loss was a lot uglier than last time around.  UConn beat Butler like a dog, holding them to a dismal 41 points – not that UConn’s total of 53 was anything to write home about.  After a tournament filled with shocks, upsets, and more buzzer beaters than you can shake a stick at, the Finals came down to the dog with the fewest fleas.