BeastLine Sports-10 Things to Watch For in December

We started BeastLine sports near the end of July, as Jett and I love talking about sports, and thought it would be awesome to start a sports "blog/network/podcast", and while we are super busy in college, we aim to really ramp up BeastLine material starting in January. Hopefully, we will have a few podcasts out, more articles and on a consistent basis, and more Beast of the Night tweets, and updates in general. We would like to start out here by thanking BeastNation for the awesome support we have seen in our first four months of starting; we really believe our vision to view sports in a conversation/debate style format, with outrageous, but honest opinions will help us grow BeastLine Sports into a new, innovative and enjoyable sport network. As we prepare to really ramp up in January of 2018, we are releasing a December watch list article, 10 things that even the most basic sport fan MUST WATCH this month. For the record, these are not in ANY PARTICULAR ORDER. Here we go...

1. Christmas Day Slate

-Christmas, the day usually known for opening up presents, spending mornings in pajamas, and eating a family dinner has been completely transformed into a day of sporting spectacle. Usually, there is a 5-6 game NBA slate on December 25, but this year, there will be an additional two NFL games, one of which includes the NFL-best Philadelphia Eagles.

Below is a full list of the NBA & NFL Games on Christmas Day:

NBA:

-Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks (12:00, ESPN)

-Cleveland Cavaliers @ Golden State Warriors (3:00-ABC)

-Washington Wizards @ Boston Celtics (5:30-ABC)

-Houston Rockets @ Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00-ABC)

-Minnesota Timberwolves @ Los Angeles Lakers (10:30-TNT)

-This NBA slate is AWESOME. While I am a bit annoyed that the Lakers got another Christmas game despite being a below-average basketball team, there is nothing like a ratings boom that TNT is bound to get by featuring Lonzo Ball on Christmas Day in the Staples Center. It'll be interesting to see Minnesota's big three (Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns) take on the Lakers youthful core (Lonzo, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma). However, let's stop for a second and admire the star power the NBA managed to pack into this slate:

Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Kristaps Porzingis, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns

-THAT LIST IS INSANE, and it does not even account for players I consider second-tier, such as Andrew Wiggins, Al Horford, Clint Capela and Jaylen Brown. Additionally, the NBA was ingenious with these games they selected, as 3/5 have a narrative around it. The Cavs and Warriors have met in the Finals for the past three years, and feature the league villain of Christmas' past in LeBron James, and the current league villain in Kevin Durant. The Celtics & Wizards HATE each other, and faced off in an epic 7 game Eastern Conference Playoff 2nd Round last year, and James Harden returns to OKC. This Christmas slate is perfectly engineered, and has a chance to be one of the best days in sports of 2017.

NFL:

-Pittsburgh Steelers @ Houston Texans (4:30-NBC)

-Oakland Raiders @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:30-ESPN)

-I want to start off by mentioning one quick comment: imagine if Deshaun Watson was healthy, how insane that Steelers-Texans game would be. With Tom Savage likely under center for Pittsburgh, it seems on the surface that the game has lost a lot of its luster, but the Steelers have had a propensity to "play down" to their opponents this year (ex: Green Bay last week), and Savage has improved every week. Oakland traveling to Philly is intriguing, although the Raiders have arguably been the most disappointing team in the NFL this season. Since Raiders Nation travels as well as anybody, it seems to be an electric atmosphere at Lincoln Financial Field, and it could potentially become a shootout.

2. December 5: Super Tuesday Makes Its Return

-I'm a HUGE college basketball junkie, and while the PK80 tournament I think will be the highlight of this season (not including March Madness), December 5 has an amazing slate of games. Super Tuesday is BACK folks! At 7:00, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU will all be airing games, and two of them will most likely be ranked-vs-ranked matchups. On ESPN, the Villanova Wildcats will take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs, in what should be an amazing game. Gonzaga was one of the teams that surprised me the most at the PK80, mainly because they looked so talented and dangerous despite losing their top three players from last year's team. Jonathan Williams looks like the next big-man star for the Zags, and his frontcourt mate Killian Tillie gives the Bulldogs one of the best, and most underrated frontcourts in the nation. Add in Josh Perkins and Silas Melson, and the Zags are a dangerous team. Villanova, however, is also scary good, although they have experienced a talent drop-off. They still have Player of the Year Candidate Jalen Brunson, 3-and-D superstar Mikal Bridges, and impressive role players in Omari Spellman & Donte DiVincenzo. I think this will be one of the best games of the season.

-Also at 7:00, the Virginia Cavaliers will face off against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the ultimate clash of styles, and Shaka Smart will make his return to VCU, a program he ran so beautifully. In the nightcap, the Texas A&M Aggies, one of the best teams so far, will duel with the disappointing Arizona Wildcats. One thing to remember; even though Arizona has stunk so far, they have as much talent as any team in the country. Also, Syracuse and UConn will face-off, reigniting what used to be one of the best rivalries in college basketball. December 5 should be a FUN night in CBB, and if you're not glued to your TV watching these games from 7-11, then you will be missing out.

3. Championship Saturday

-Tomorrow will be one of the greatest days in recent memory related to College Football. With the Big 12 bringing back its championship game (in the year they didn't need one), all five power conferences will be playing one this year (Pac-12 is on Friday), and we are lucky enough to have an awesome AAC Conference Championship game with UCF and Memphis. Tomorrow's slate of CFB games is epic, take a look below (along with my predictions):

#20 Memphis Tigers @ #14 UCF Golden Knights

Prediction: UCF (49-31)

#11 TCU Horned Frogs vs #3 Oklahoma Sooners

Prediction: Oklahoma (35-17)

#6 Georgia Bulldogs vs #2 Auburn Tigers

Prediction: Auburn (34-28, OT)

#25 Fresno State Bulldogs @ Boise State Broncos

Prediction: Boise State (24-21, OT)

#7 Miami Hurricanes @ #1 Clemson Tigers

Prediction: Clemson (27-10)

#8 Ohio State Buckeyes vs #4 Wisconsin Badgers

Prediction: Wisconsin (17-14)

-Saturday is loaded with College Football Playoff implications, which leads me to my next point:

4. College Football Playoff Selection

-While my personal predictions will likely lead us to a very boring selection show, there is a very good chance that chaos will wreak havoc on the Playoff. Right now, I would say eight teams have a possible path to the playoff in the committee's eyes, not my personal eyes. Personally, I believe Alabama should be disqualified just because I think not winning a conference championship is a huge knock on them, and if it came down to it, I think Clemson's resume is more impressive than Bama's (if Clemson were to lose). However, let's imagine that Clemson, Auburn, Oklahoma and Ohio State all lose, does this mean Alabama deserves a spot? Realistically in this scenario; Miami and Georgia would take the spot of Clemson and Auburn, which would mean Clemson, Alabama and Oklahoma would battle for the final spot. However, if Wisconsin were also to lose in this scenario, you could throw Ohio State in the mix as well. Below, I've listed my most realistic avenue for each team to get into the Playoff:

Clemson Tigers: If Clemson wins, they'll be in. However, if they lose, I think they would also still be in the Playoff if Ohio State wins, which would eliminate Wisconsin. For Clemson to miss the Playoff, they would need to lose and have Oklahoma and Wisconsin both win (in this scenario, the winner of the SEC Championship Game would be in along with Miami). Personally, I think it'll be very hard for Clemson to miss the Playoff.

Auburn Tigers: Personally, I think Auburn has to win to get in. I picked Auburn way back in August to make the Playoff, and I am standing by that prediction (I also picked Penn State, Oklahoma State and USC so I shouldn't be proud of myself). However, if Auburn were to lose against Georgia (which is certainly possible considering Kerryon Johnson is banged up and the game is in Atlanta), I cannot think of a scenario in which the committee lets in a 3-loss team.

Oklahoma Sooners: I think Oklahoma is in a similar situation to Auburn in which they have to win to get in. I think Oklahoma however, has a chance to still make the Playoff with a loss, but I think they'll need Clemson and Ohio State to win. Oklahoma should have an edge over the Buckeyes because they won in Columbus, meaning if it came down to one spot, Oklahoma would get that over Ohio State.

Wisconsin Badgers: Win, and in, it is the only scenario for Wisconsin to make the Playoff.

Alabama Crimson Tide: Alabama is at a serious disadvantage, because all the other seven teams still in contention have a chance to improve their position, while Bama can only sit there and watch. Nick Saban saying "you should have to win your conference championship to make the Playoff" likely won't help either. I personally like to believe the only way Alabama gets in is if Wisconsin loses and Clemson wins, which would open up an additional slot. In this scenario, Alabama's resume would have to beat out Ohio State's, which I think is certainly possible, considering Ohio State lost by 30+ in Iowa City.

Georgia Bulldogs: See Wisconsin

Miami Hurricanes: See Georgia, Wisconsin

Ohio State Buckeyes: Obviously, the Buckeyes have to beat the Badgers in Indianapolis to make the Playoff, but I think they have a slim chance to make it, regardless of what happens Saturday night. If Oklahoma loses, Ohio State has no chance to make it, but I believe there is one possible scenario where the Buckeyes make it, and it is wild. First, Ohio State would have to beat Wisconsin convincingly (by 20+), and have Oklahoma win. Next, I think Clemson would have to win, because Clemson has a more impressive resume than Ohio State, and Miami would make the Playoff with a Clemson loss. The only chance Ohio State makes it I believe is if Georgia convincingly beats Auburn (10+). This would, in theory weaken Alabama's resume, and strengthen Ohio State's claim for the final spot compared to Alabama. Even more interesting; if Auburn loses by 10+ and Fresno State loses and falls out of the Top 25, Alabama would look a lot worse on a resume test. There is a path for Ohio State, but it's not the easiest.

5. When Will Tennessee Find a Head Coach?

LOL Tennessee! In one of the craziest coach turnover periods in a long-time, Tennessee has somehow managed to be extremely dysfunctional. It seemed as if the Vols might have had a chance at Jon Gruden (LOL), then pivoted to a realistic candidate in Greg Schiano (shout-out PFT and Barstool for writing an awesome Schiano Man song-definitely check it out on their twitter @PardonMyTake or @PFTCommenter), but Tennessee fans had a mini-revolution which led to former AD John Currie backing out of the deal. THEN, it looked like Tennessee would get Purdue's Jeff Brohm, only for the Tennessee big-wigs to not like that deal either. THEN, it looked like NC State coach Dave Doeren might bolt Raleigh for Knoxville, until NC State gave Doeren and his staff a well-deserved raise. THEN, the icing on the cake, it looked like national treasure Mike Leach would leave Pullman, Washington for Knoxville. It would have been a slam-dunk hire, and not just because Mike Leach is a one-of-a-kind personality and coach, but because he's been successful (although, allegedly a bit unethical) at every place he's been. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE, this morning, Brett McMurphy, a college football insider, reported that AD John Currie was FIRED, as former Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer had been sabotaging the hiring process in hopes of being named the AD. So, somehow, Tennessee whiffed on a phenomenal candidate, because a former Vols' legend wanted to be the AD? I don't know about you, but seems like a pretty questionable move to sabotage the program you want to run. Tennessee will now move on to what has to be their Plan Z at this point for finding a head coach, but good luck finding anyone who wants to coach in Knoxville now. Keep an eye on Les Miles (who is rumored to be interested according to ESPN's Adam Rittenberg), Kevin Sumlin, Chad Morris, Brett Venables, or honestly, who the hell knows what Tennessee is thinking. At this point, Tennessee might as well hire Marty Daniels from Blue Mountain State, maybe that will satisfy Vols' fans.

6. The Rest of the College Football Coaching Carousel

-While Tennessee's coaching search has been a train wreck, some of other big-name schools have actively searched for, and found a new head coach. Florida has hired Dan Mullen from Mississippi State (A+ Hire), UCLA has brought Chip Kelly back to college football (A+ Hire), Texas A&M somehow lured Jimbo Fisher away from Florida State (A- Hire, paying him a 10-year deal and $7.5M annually is bound to end badly), Mississippi State quickly replaced Dan Mullen with Penn State's OC Joe Moorhead (A Hire), and Arizona State got Herm Edwards FROM OUT OF NOWHERE (if the Sun Devils don't start selling "you play to win the game shirts", then they're missing out). Still, vacancies remain, or have become open at big-time schools like Florida State, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Nebraska, while openings could become available at Oregon and Washington State. Below are my predictions for head coaches:

Florida State: Willie Taggart (current Oregon HC)

Tennessee: Kevin Sumlin (former Texas A&M HC)

Arkansas: Mike Leach (current Washington State HC)

Nebraska: Scott Frost (current UCF HC)

Oregon: Marcus Arroyo (current Oregon Co-Offensive Coordinator)

Washington State: Mike Riley (former Nebraska HC)

7. MLB Free Agency/Off-Season

-This MLB Off-Season should be pretty crazy, considering stud outfielder Giancarlo Stanton is a near-lock to be traded, and elite two-way star Shohei Ohtani has been posted by his Japanese club. Additionally, while the MLB free-agent market is not as rich as past years, this year's crop includes:

Jake Arrieta, J.D. Martinez, Yu Darvish, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis

Below, I've listed my predictions for where these top free agents sign, in addition to the Giancarlo Stanton trade and Shohei Ohtani's choice:

Jake Arrieta: Milwaukee Brewers (5 years, $120 million)

J.D. Martinez: Arizona Diamondbacks (6 years, $190 million)

Yu Darvish: Minnesota Twins (4 years, $100 million)

Eric Hosmer: Boston Red Sox (5 years, $95 million)

Mike Moustakas: Los Angeles Angels (4 years, $75 million)

Lorenzo Cain: San Francisco Giants (4 years, $64 million)

Wade Davis: St. Louis Cardinals (3 years, $45 million)

Shohei Ohtani: New York Yankees

Giancarlo Stanton: TRADED to the San Francisco Giants

8. NFL Playoff Push

-This year's NFL Playoff picture is PACKED, as many teams still remain in contention in both conferences, and many wildcards remain. For example, if Green Bay can manage a 7-6 record for Aaron Rodgers' return Week 15 (which would mean Green Bay beats Tampa Bay and Cleveland-certainly possible if not likely), then we could talk about the Packers somehow sneaking into the playoffs at a 10-6 record. Or, how about if the Cowboys continue the offensive rhythm they found against Washington, and stay afloat until Ezekiel Elliott returns? Do the Cowboys sneak into the Playoffs? With so many factors still in the air, and in a weekend loaded with high-stakes games, it is essential that YOUR team grabs a win this week. Below, I've listed my playoff predictions, which are WAY different than my pre-season ones (I predicted the Giants to win the Super Bowl)

AFC Playoffs:

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

2. New England Patriots

3. Jacksonville Jaguars

4. Los Angeles Chargers

5. Kansas City Chiefs

6. Baltimore Ravens

NFC Playoffs:

1. Minnesota Vikings

2. New Orleans Saints

3. Philadelphia Eagles

4. Los Angeles Rams

5. Green Bay Packers

6. Dallas Cowboys

-Before everyone freaks out about the Cowboys, hear me out. Ezekiel Elliott returns Week 16 against the Seahawks (a game I think they win with Zeke). Dallas faces the New York Giants Week 14 (with Geno Smith or Davis Webb starting), and Oakland Week 15 (I think Dallas loses that game). However, if Dallas were to defeat NYG without Zeke, but beat Seattle and Philadelphia with him (which I think they do), they can afford a loss to Oakland and still make it, based on what I predict. Green Bay has a great chance, just because they face TB and CLE, then get Aaron Rodgers back who will be able to hurt teams like Carolina, Minnesota and Detroit. Since Carolina, Atlanta, Minnesota and New Orleans beat up on each other so much throughout these final few weeks, I think Green Bay and Dallas still have a great chance to make the playoffs, and make some noise.

9. Georgetown vs Syracuse Renewed

-Georgetown vs Syracuse was one of the BEST rivalries in college basketball when the Big East was intact, but when the Big East disbanded, we lost so many iconic rivalries such as UConn-Syracuse, Syracuse-Georgetown, UConn-Pittsburgh, and the Big East Tournament moments (Cardiac Kemba). However, on December 16, the Orange will visit the Hoyas in the nation's capital, and it will be AWESOME. For those who are feeling nostalgic about those rivalries, then make sure you're tuned in at 12:30 that Saturday. Additionally, December 16 is loaded with other awesome CBB games, including Butler vs Purdue, Virginia Tech @ Kentucky, Davidson @ Virginia (CLASHING STYLES ALERT), Indiana vs Notre Dame, Cincinnati @ UCLA, and Bucknell @ VCU.

10. Fantasy Football Championships

-I had to include this one in, because, let's be honest, fantasy football makes watching the NFL 100x better. There's nothing quite like the rush fantasy football provides when you're down by 15 points going into Monday Night Football, with a championship on the line, and having one player left. It is awesome, and if you take the time to read BeastLine articles, then YOU ARE A BEAST, and deserve to win your league. We will take any fantasy questions Sunday Morning, and will provide daily fantasy advice if you ask. I hope all of you can pull off at least one fantasy miracle this year, and wish the best of luck to all of you as your fantasy season winds down.

Big thank you for all of you who made it this far in the article. Jett and I truly appreciate all of the support, it motivates us tremendously to try and put out the best content available for all of you. Please follows us on Twitter (@BeastlineSports), and remember, starting January 2018, we will seriously ramp up our content development and production. We wish all of you a very happy holiday season and a happy New Year, and remember to jam out to some Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas Is You" over these next few weeks. Thanks BeastNation

-Matt