College football ... The national championship game will see number-one ranked Michigan face number-two ranked Washington next Monday at NRG Stadium in Houston. Michigan beat number-four Alabama in overtime 27-20 at the Rose Bowl. And Washington toppled number-three Texas 37-31 at the Sugar Bowl. It's the first time since 2015 that the SEC is not represented in the final.
More college football ... Don't tell the fans of Texas State and Rutgers that bowl season doesn't mean anything – it means beer time! Texas State made their first ever bowl appearance at the First Responder Bowl at Gerald Ford Stadium in Dallas, playing against Rice. During the first half Texas State managed to drink all of the beer that was for sale on the side of the stadium where most of their supporters were sitting. In the second half their fans went to the other side of the stadium looking for more cold ones. By the time five minutes had elapsed in the third quarter, the stadium was officially out of beer. And during the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York City, fans from nearby Rutgers had so much fun as they beat Miami that the stadium ran out of beer before the game ended.
Pro football ... The Baltimore Ravens in the AFC and San Francisco 49ers in the NFC have locked up the number-one seeds for the postseason and will get to enjoy a week off when the playoffs start January 13th. The Detroit Lions won the NFC North and the Kansas City Chiefs won the AFC West, while Cleveland and the L.A. Rams clinched wild card spots. Headed into the final weekend of the seasons, Dallas and Philadelphia can both still win the NFC East, while Miami is in the driver's seat to win the AFC East. Both South divisions are up for grabs, with the 8-8 Buccaneers, 8-8 Saints and 7-9 Falcons all technically having a chance to win the NFC South, while in the AFC, Jacksonville, Houston and Indianapolis are all 9-7. Other teams still in it: Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Minnesota and Seattle.
More pro football ... The merger of the two spring football leagues, the XFL and the USFL, is official. The new league, called the UFL, will begin play on March 30th and games will air on Fox, ABC, ESPN, and FS1. The USFL teams that will be in the new league are the Michigan Panthers, Houston Gamblers, Memphis Showboats and Birmingham Stallions, while the Arlington Renegades, D.C. Defenders, San Antonio Brahmas, and St. Louis Battlehawks are the four XFL franchises to survive.