Happy Friday #ModernMoms! Hopefully you are recovering from your Thanksgiving festivities. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of time before things ramp up again. This might be a good weekend to relax and rejuvenate before you’re back in high gear for the Holidays. What better way to do that then lounge around and watch some sports? Ok, maybe throw in a massage and facial too.

#SportBits Weekend Highlights

College Football – Rivalry week is over, and the conference title games are set. Here is the schedule.

Saturday, December 5, 2015

ACC Championship: Clemson vs. North Carolina 8:00 p.m. ET ABC – If #1 Clemson wins, they will most likely be ranked #1 for the CFP, and the odds on favorite to win the National Championship.

SEC Championship: Florida vs. Alabama 4:00 p.m. ET CBS – #2 Alabama can move to the #1 spot if they win in and Clemson loses. Otherwise they stay at #2…unless they lose…which they won’t.

Big Ten Championship: Iowa vs. Michigan State 8:00 p.m. ET FOX – Whoever wins this game gets the 4th spot in the playoffs. This is the best game of the weekend! #winorgohome

Pac-12 Championship: USC vs. Stanford 7:45 ESPN – winner gets to go to the Rose Bowl. Second best game of the weekend.

AAC Championship: Temple vs. Houston 12:00 p.m. ET ABC

Conference USA Championship: Southern Miss vs. Western Kentucky 12:00 p.m. ET ESPN 2

Mountain West Championship: San Diego State at Air Force 7:30 p.m. ET ESPN 2

NFL – It’s December and that’s means cold weather football and play-off push time. Here are the games this weekend that have playoff implications:

NY Jets (6-5) v. NY Giants (5-6) : Sunday 1pm ET CBS The Battle of the Meadowlands : this game should be a great one because of the desperation the Giants must feel after dropping their last 2 games. The Jets are trying to get an AFC wild card bid while the Giants still have a shot to win the NFC East.

Indianapolis Colts (6-5) v. Pittsburg Steelers (6-5) : Sunday 8:30pm ET NBC – The Colts hold the lead in the AFC South while the Steelers are tied in the Wild Card race.

Houston Texans (6-5) v. Buffalo Bills (5-6) – Sunday 1pm ET CBS – This game is huge for both teams as they are separated by one game in the playoff race.

Seattle Seahawks (6-5) v. Minnesota Vikings (8-3): Sunday 1pm ET FOX – Seattle is on a roll winning 4 of their last 5. The Vikings are back in first place but with the Packers on their tail this game could have big implications for the wild card race. (Did you see the Aaron Rodgers last second 61 yd Hail Mary pass last night to give the Packers the 27-23 win over the Lions? Incredible!)

Check here for a full listing of games.

NBA – weekend TV schedule

Friday
Brooklyn Nets @ New York Knicks – 7pm ET ESPN
Cleveland at New Orleans – 9:30pm ET ESPN

Saturday
Cleveland @ Miami – 8pm NBATV *LeBron returning to South Beach

Complete list of weekend games….here.

College Hoops

There are many games on Saturday and Sunday, but the Pac-12 conference is where it’s at!

Last night #1 Kentucky lost to UCLA 87-77. Last year Kentucky demolished the Bruins in the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago, and the Bruins returned the favor by handing the Wildcats their first loss since March 8, 2014.

#15 Oregon v. UNLV – Oregon is undefeated and playing really well. They could be a contender come March. UNLV is an underrated team with only one loss (UCLA) this season.

#13 Gonzaga v. #19 Arizona – Saturday 12:15pm ESPN

Here is the complete weekend schedule.

4Stories…4Bits

The biggest story of the week, and what will probably be the biggest story for the entire season, is Kobe Bryant’s retirement from the NBA. His announcement came last weekend via the Player’s Tribune, with a letter entitled “Dear Basketball.” In the letter, Kobe thanks his fans, the City of Los Angeles, and expresses his love and gratitude for the game. I have lived in Los Angeles for almost 30 years, and have been a Lakers fan since the early 80’s. My two older sisters were Celtics fans, so I HAD to become a Laker fan, just to annoy them. It stuck. So while I am sad to see the #BlackMamba step away, I feel it’s time. And what makes it bearable is that it comes on his own terms, and he seems at peace with the decision. I believe there will NEVER be another Kobe Bryant. Sure, there will be players who will win multiple championships, and MVPs, and All-Star accolades. But I don’t think there will ever be another player with Kobe’s heart, dedication, will to win, and stellar work ethic. I’ll stop for now…but I’m not nearly finished.

In 8th grade I was the only one on my middle school team to throw the underhanded free throw. I wasn’t strong enough to shoot it overhand. So I was pleased to read about Louisville big man Chinanu Onuaku. Coming off a freshman season where he shot 47 percent from the foul line, Onuaku’s new underhand approach has proven to be a big improvement — so much so that he is using the unorthodox form in games. The underhanded style, recommended by Coach Rick Pitino, was famously used by NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, who ranks third all-time in NBA free-throw percentage. There are MANY college and pro players who have a VERY low free throw percentage rate, and while it is an odd alternative to the traditional free throw form, I would think they’d be willing to try anything. Hecklers beware.

The officiating in the NFL has gotten so bad, players and coaches are no longer afraid of getting fined for speaking out against them. After yet another weekend of bad calls, members of multiple teams sounded off on the league, it’s referees and even commissioner Roger Goodell. During the Patriots first defeat of the season last week, QB Tom Brady could be seen yelling and pleading with officials at the end of the game. On Wednesday, the commissioner finally stated the obvious: The NFL has an officiating and rulebook crisis on its hands. He announced he is forming a group of current and former players, coaches and officials to recommend changes to address the flood of blown calls, and the confusion as to what constitutes a catch. There have been a few games this season where bad calls have directly impacted the outcome of the game, so something has to be done. #goodluckwiththat

A South African appellate court on Thursday convicted Oscar Pistorius of murder, overturning a lower court’s conviction of the double-amputee Olympian on the lesser charge of manslaughter for fatally shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013. Pistorius killed Steenkamp in the early morning of Valentine’s Day. He said that he thought there was an intruder behind the door of a toilet cubicle in his home. The prosecution said Pistorius shot Steenkamp during an argument. He is currently under house arrest at his uncle’s mansion in Pretoria, South Africa. He was placed under house arrest in October after serving one year in prison. A 15-year prison sentence is the minimum punishment for murder in South Africa.

That’s it for this Friday’s #SportBits. Thanks for stopping by. Leave me some comments about what sports you’re watching, I’d love to hear. Remember to keep up with me on social media for more news and scores throughout the day. Have a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend everyone!