Stars on parade

Before the Super Bowl kicks off, the best of the rest head to Hawaii.
FOX has the NFL's Pro Bowl Sunday at 7 p.m., with the best players from 30 teams - the Packers and Steelers are gearing up for the real big game next week.
The best players, minus those who are injured. Or had another reason to get out of the contest.

Another group of all-stars gather in North Carolina this weekend - the NHL's best play on Versus at 4 p.m. Sunday. There's a draft to stock the teams Friday night, with the skills competition Saturday at 7 p.m.
The best, except for Penguins' star Sidney Crosby. He's missed most of January with a concussion, and will miss his third straight all-star weekend.
For lower level stars, the AHL skills competition from Hershey will be Sunday at 3 p.m. on Comcast.
The stars of the tennis world shine in the finals of the Australian Open this weekend. The women's title begins real early - Saturday at 3 a.m. on ESPN2 - and the men finish up Sunday at 3 a.m. Sorry fans, but that's prime time down under.
ESPN offers four nights of wild winter action - the 15th Winter X games. Coverage starts Thursday at noon on ESPN2, and there's two hours Thursday starting at 9 p.m. Friday, it starts at noon on ESPN2 and 7 p.m. on ESPN, Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2 and 9 p.m. on ESPN, and finishes up Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN.
The PGA tour returns to network TV this week, with the Farmers Insurance Open on CBS Saturday and Sunday starting at 3 p.m.
ABC gets its Sunday NBA package going with Miami's visit to Oklahoma City at 1 p.m. The Celtics take on the Lakers at 3:30 p.m.
TNT starts the weekend Thursday when LeBron James and the Heat visit the New York Knicks at 8 p.m. The Celtics face Portland in the nightcap. ESPN has the Celtics' game with Phoenix Friday at 10:30 p.m., while Sunday at 10 p.m. the Jazz take on Golden State.
The Wizards visit Oklahoma City Friday, then meet the Grizzlies in Memphis Saturday on Comcast.
For your ACC coverage, NBC29 has Boston College at Duke Thursday at 8 p.m. Saturday, Virginia visits Wake Forest at 4 p.m. on NBC29, after Florida State takes on Clemson.
Comcast brings Maryland at Virginia Thursday at 7 p.m., then heads west for Oregon State's game with California at 11. Saturday it's a tripleheader, with George Mason at William & Mary at noon followed by St. Louis-George Washington and Delaware hosting James Madison.
There's an ACC doubleheader Sunday night - Miami at Virginia Tech at 5:30 p.m. followed by Maryland-Georgia Tech. Then Washington plays Washington State at 10:30 p.m.
ESPN has Michigan at Michigan State Thursday at 7 p.m., while ESPN2 goes south with Vanderbilt taking on Mississippi State at 7 p.m. followed by UCLA-Arizona and St. Mary's facing Gonzaga.
Saturday, ESPN and ESPN2 both have four games. ESPN starts at noon with Georgetown-Villanova, followed by N.C. State taking on North Carolina. Georgia meets Kentucky at 4 p.m., with Kansas State battling Kansas at 7 p.m. with the Primetime crew.
On ESPN2, Xavier takes on Richmond at noon and Bradley meets Wichita State at 2 p.m. Top-ranked Ohio State takes on Northwestern at 6 p.m., then Pittsburgh visits Rutgers.
CBS has games at 1 p.m. both days of the weekend -either Minnesota-Purdue or Florida at Mississippi State Saturday, then Duke meets St. John's Sunday.
MASN visits the Big South Conference Thursday, with UNC-Asheville visiting Liberty. Saturday, there's a pair of Big East games among the four contests on the slate - Louisville at Connecticut at noon and West Virginia-Cincinnati at 8 p.m. In between, it's Oklahoma State taking on Texas Tech at 4 p.m. followed by Coastal Carolina at Radford.
Sunday, Manhattan visits Marist at noon, then it's a Big East battle between Providence and Seton Hall.
Versus has BYU at New Mexico Saturday at 4 p.m.
Comcast gives you ACC women's basketball Sunday at 1 p.m. - Florida State at North Carolina State. ESPN2 features Georgia-LSU at 5 p.m.
For those interested in gymnastics, Auburn and Georgia hit the mats Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPN2.

Who's going to Super Bowl XLV?

The first two franchises to win Super Bowls were Green Bay and the New York Jets. They could return for Super Bowl XLV.

Fresh off upsets of the top-seeded squads, the Packers and Jets hope for one more upset Sunday - and the first championship meeting of the lowest seeded playoff teams in each conference.

Green Bay gets the day started at 3 p.m. on FOX against the Bears in Chicago. The Packers have two Super Bowl trips in the 1990s to go with winning the first two games. Three years after the departure of Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers has the Pack almost back to the big game.

The Jets haven't been to the Super Bowl since Joe Namath took them there in 1969. But they hadn't won in the state of Pennsylvania until beating the Steelers in December. The Steelers have plenty of experience making the Super Bowl, but have lost several times at home in the AFC championship. CBS has the coverage starting at 6:30 p.m.

In college basketball, Virginia hosts Georgia Tech Saturday at noon on NBC29 and the ACC Network. Clemson visits Maryland at 2:30 p.m., and Sunday at noon it's Miami taking on N.C. State.
CBS has a Saturday afternoon tripleheader, starting in the Big Ten with Ohio State-Illinois. At 2 p.m., there's the choice between Stanford and UCLA or Tennessee at Connecticut, then Texas battles Kansas at 4 p.m.
ESPN and ESPN2 have Thursday doubleheaders, highlighted by Maryland's game with Virginia Tech at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. South Florida-Rutgers gets things going on ESPN2 at 7 p.m., while ESPN offers Florida meeting Auburn followed by Indiana-Wisconsin.
Saturday's ESPN schedule starts at noon with Villanova-Syracuse. Kansas State faces Texas A&M at 2 p.m., followed by Duke-Wake Forest and Kentucky against South Carolina. The GameDay crew has Michigan State-Purdue.
ESPN2's four-game day starts at 1 p.m. with Arkansas-Little Rock meeting Florida Atlantic. Then it's Temple facing Xavier, Creighton-Missouri State and the Conference USA battle between Memphis and UAB at 7 p.m.
Comcast heads west Thursday night, with Arizona going to Washington at 10:30 p.m. There's three games on Saturday, starting with Massachusetts-Richmond at noon. Charlotte hosts Duquesne at 2 p.m., followed by VCU at Old Dominion.
MASN has Sacred Heart against Mt. St. Mary's Thursday, and fills the schedule with five games Saturday. The Big East tips off the day at noon with Rutgers at Seton Hall, then Loyola plays Marist in a MAAC contest.
At 4 p.m., Pittsburgh visits DePaul and Notre Dame hosts Marquette at 7 p.m. The night closes with Towson taking on UNC-Wilmington at 9 p.m. Sunday, St. Peter's meets Manhattan at noon, followed by South Florida against West Virginia.
Versus offers New Mexico at UNLV Saturday at 4 p.m.
Comcast has a women's college basketball tripleheader on Sunday. Boston College visits Georgia Tech at 1 p.m., followed by Oregon State-Oregon and the ACC battle between Duke and North Carolina State at 5 p.m. ESPN2 heads to the ACC Sunday at 5 p.m. for North Carolina's game with Maryland.
TNT has its NBA doubleheader Thursday, starting with Dallas at Chicago at 8 p.m. The Clippers - off Blake Griffin's 47-point effort Monday - travel to Portland in the nightcap. On ESPN Friday, the Celtics head to San Antonio at 8 p.m. then the Lakers face the Nuggets.
The Wizards host the Suns Friday on Comcast and the Celtics Saturday at 7 p.m.
Down under, the Australian Open reaches its midpoint. ESPN2 has coverage throughout the weekend - Thursday starting at 11 p.m., Friday at 9 p.m., Saturday at 9 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m.
The NHL season on NBC begins Sunday with Philadelphia at Chicago at 12:30 p.m. The Capitals meet the Islanders Thursday at 7:30 p.m. on Comcast, then visit Toronto Saturday on Comcast-plus.
The PGA tour heads to California this weekend, with the Bob Hope Classic on Golf Network.

Best NFL weekend of the year

Four games.
The four winners are the final four teams alive for the Super Bowl.
You can hear Chris Berman's excitement from here.

The weekend starts with a big bang - Baltimore at Pittsburgh Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on CBS. The Ravens won by three points in early October, then the Steelers took the Sunday night contest in Baltimore by three. The Ravens haven't lost since then.

In primetime, FOX has the Packers visiting Atlanta. Matt Ryan won the first outing, but the perfect mark at the Georgia Dome ended on the final Monday Night game of the season.

Sunday starts with the surprising Seahawks taking on Chicago at 1 p.m. Seattle won there early in the season.
CBS closes the weekend with the rubber match between New England and the New York Jets at 4:30 p.m. Both teams won at their home stadiums, with the Patriots putting a real thumping on the Jets in early December.
With college football done, ESPN calls this week "Conference Tip-off." Thursday, Virginia Tech heads to North Carolina at 9 p.m. on ESPN after Minnesota-Purdue. On ESPN2, West Virginia takes on Providence at 7 p.m. followed by Mississippi State-Mississippi and Loyola Marymount at Portland.
Saturday, the day starts at 11 a.m. on ESPN2 with Marquette battling Louisville. Then it's Missouri-Texas A&M, the SWAC battle between Jackson State and Texas Southern and the MEAC contest of Morgan State and South Carolina State at 5 p.m.
ESPN offers Tennessee-Vanderbilt at noon, then Virginia has to battle top-ranked Duke at 2 p.m.
NBC29 has a pair of ACC games Saturday - N.C. State at Florida State at 4 p.m., then Wake Forest heads to Virginia Tech at 8 p.m.
CBS brings Maryland's trip to Villanova Saturday at 1 p.m., and Sunday it's Purdue at West Virginia.
Comcast has Southern Cal at Oregon late Thursday, and has three games Saturday from the CAA. The day begins with Northeastern against VCU at noon, followed by Georgia State-George Mason and Old Dominion traveling to Hofstra.
Sunday night, North Carolina visits Georgia Tech in the ACC game of the week at 7:30 p.m. followed by Washington at California.
MASN has WAC basketball Thursday, with Hawaii at New Mexico State at 9 p.m. Saturday, there's three games from the Big East, starting at noon with Cincinnati at Syracuse. Connecticut battles DePaul at 2 p.m., and Seton Hall's visit to Pittsburgh gets coverage at 7 p.m.
Sunday, Notre Dame takes on St. John's at noon.
In women's basketball, ESPN gives the showcase to Vanderbilt-Tennessee Saturday at 8 p.m. Sunday, there's a doubleheader on ESPN2 with UCF-SMU at 2 p.m. followed by Illinois-Penn State.
Georgetown faces Providence Saturday at 4 p.m. on MASN.
There's a pair of high school basketball games added to the weekend mix. ESPN2 shows St. Patrick of New Jersey vs. Winter Park of Florida Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday at 4 p.m. St. Anthony's meets DeMatha.
On TNT Thursday, the Florida teams head west. Orlando visits Oklahoma City at 8 p.m., followed by Miami-Denver. ESPN offers San Antonio-Dallas Friday at 8 p.m., followed by Portland at Phoenix.
The Wizards visit Minnesota Thursday at 8 p.m. on Comcast, then host Toronto Saturday at 7 p.m. and Utah Monday at 1 p.m. in an Martin Luther King Jr. holiday special.
A pair of Canadian teams visit the Capitals this weekend, with Vancouver in town Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast. Ottawa takes the ice Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Australian Open kicks off its two-week run Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.
The PGA tour's Sony Open is on Golf Network this weekend.

National championship weekend

Back in the old days, college football ended Jan. 1. The big bowl games, and that was it.
In 2011, the second weekend of the New Year means college football championship games - one official, one assumed.
Friday, the Football Championship Subdivision (old I-AA) closes its expanded playoffs when Delaware meets Eastern Washington in Frisco, Texas on ESPN2. The playoffs previously ended before Christmas, but adding four teams - including a Coastal Carolina squad that lost to one-win Towson in September - meant the game had to be pushed into the New Year.
The Bowl Championship Series title game keeps going deeper and deeper into January. It lands January 10th this year, with Auburn trying to maintain the pride of the SEC against Oregon.
Several other bowls fill the weekend while awaiting Auburn-Oregon. Middle Tennessee plays Miami of Ohio Thursday in the GoDaddy.com Bowl (wonder if Danica Patrick will be there) on ESPN, and FOX has the Cotton Bowl between Texas A&M and LSU Friday at 8 p.m.
Saturday at noon, Pittsburgh and Kentucky square off in the Compass Bowl while Boston College faces Nevada Sunday at 9 on ESPN in the Fight Hunger Bowl from San Francisco.
The pros begin their march to the Super Bowl this weekend with four games. The last in will likely be the first out, as the 7-9 Seahawks host New Orleans at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC. In the nightcap, Peyton Manning and the Colts take on the Jets.
Sunday, the Ravens invade Kansas City at 1 p.m. on CBS. The Packers, who began the campaign in Philadelphia back in September, will try to continue onward against the Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. The winners advance to next weekend's conference semifinals. The losers start talking about the looming labor agreement.
In college basketball, ESPN2 has a doubleheader from the Midwest Thursday. Cincinnati takes on Xavier in a cross-town battle at 7 p.m., followed by Northwestern-Illinois.
Saturday basketball starts early on ESPN2, with West Virginia meeting Georgetown at 11 a.m., followed by Kansas State-Oklahoma State and Florida State's visit to Virginia Tech at 3 p.m. Vanderbilt plays South Carolina at 5 p.m. on ESPN2, while Connecticut takes on Texas at 4 p.m. on ESPN.
The ACC season heats up Saturday at noon when North Carolina visits Virginia on NBC29, followed by Wake Forest-N.C. State on CW29 at 2:30 p.m.
CBS follows NFL playoff football with Kansas heading to Michigan Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
Comcast heads west Thursday night for California at Arizona. Saturday there's an afternoon doubleheader, with George Mason-Old Dominion tipping off at 2 p.m. Richmond meets LaSalle at 4 p.m., and then Sunday's ACC prime time contest matches Maryland and Duke. The night concludes with UCLA taking on Southern Cal.
MASN offers Charleston Southern's visit to Liberty Thursday at 7 p.m. and five games Saturday - three from the Big East. The day begins at noon with Syracuse-Seton Hall, followed by Marquette at Pittsburgh. The action moves to the Atlantic 10 at 4 p.m. - UNC-Charlotte at St. Bonaventure - then Coastal Carolina takes on Liberty. Providence tackles Rutgers at 8 p.m.
Versus has the Mountain West Saturday at 4 p.m., with San Diego State heading to Utah.
CBS offers a women's basketball doubleheader while the NFL playoffs are on NBC. Connecticut tries to build a new winning streak at Notre Dame at 2 p.m., followed by Ohio State-Iowa.
Comcast has the ACC battle between Maryland and Duke Thursday at 7 p.m., then a pair of games Sunday afternoon - North Carolina-Boston College at 1 p.m., followed by James Madison at Old Dominion. ESPN2 has Dayton-Xavier at 3 p.m. Sunday, followed by Tulane's game with UAB.
TNT's NBA doubleheader starts Thursday at 8 p.m. with the Thunder visiting Dallas. In the nightcap, Denver heads to Sacramento. ESPN's twinbill on Friday starts with the Rockets in Orlando, then the Knicks visit the Suns.
The Wizards host the Nets Friday on Comcast at 7 p.m., then visit Charlotte Saturday on Comcast-plus.
The Capitals take on Florida Saturday on Comcast.
You can think warm thoughts, since the new PGA season begins in Hawaii Thursday on the Golf Network.