The NFL playoffs always guarantee scenes of heroism and heartbreak, and this past weekend’s divisional round was no different. The Philadelphia Eagles advanced past the Los Angeles Rams in a thrilling, snow-bound affair Sunday afternoon, setting the stage for an NFC East showdown against the Washington Commanders next weekend. The Commanders, behind the brilliance of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, dethroned the first-seeded Detroit Lions in a Saturday night shootout.

On the other side of the bracket, the Kansas City Chiefs coasted past the Houston Texans. A couple of generous referee calls certainly didn’t hurt in a game that was riddled with controversy, thanks to the officiating.

The Chiefs will meet a familiar face in Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, who barely staved off a desperate comeback attempt mounted by the Baltimore Ravens in Orchard Park.

Here’s what we've got today:

• National Championship Best Bet

• Game watch: Three Important Monday NBA Matchups

• News: The NFL Head Coaching Circuit Continues

• Elsewhere: The UFC Wraps Up the First PPV of 2025

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame: Best Bet

Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
🕖 Time: 7:30 PM ET
Spread: Buckeyes -8 (-115) | Irish +8 (-105)
Moneyline: Buckeyes -400 | Irish (+300)
Over/Under: Over 45.5 (-115) | Under 45.5 (-105)

The National Championship is finally upon us. The first expanded postseason yielded some excellent contests on the way to a championship showdown between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Buckeyes are coming off of two fantastic showings: steamrolling the Oregon Ducks and scoring a decisive victory against the Texas Longhorns.

Notre Dame has had a slightly tougher path, narrowly scratching out a win against Penn State in their last game. This difference is reflected in the odds for this game, as Ohio State sits as a sizable -400 favorite.

The difference will almost certainly be made by Ohio State’s offensive talent. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for over 150 total yards and three touchdowns against Texas. Wide receivers Emeka Egbuke and Jeremiah Smith are unanimously considered two of the best pass-catchers in the country, giving the Buckeyes four legitimate home-run threats on offense.

Notre Dame has been good defensively, but Ohio State is a different animal. Look for the Buckeyes to win and cover the spread thanks to their skill position players.

NBA: Three Big Monday Matchups

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the NBA will tip off at 12 PM EST on Monday. The Minnesota Timberwolves will face the Memphis Grizzlies, followed by a game between the Phoenix Suns and the Cleveland Cavaliers. A championship rematch featuring the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors will serve as the final consequential game of the evening.

The Minnesota game will likely be the most competitive of the three. Currently, the Grizzlies are small home favorites, earning a 3.5-point spread in their favor. In the last meeting between these teams, Memphis ground out a two-point victory on their home floor. However, the Timberwolves are 4-2 against the spread as road underdogs this season, and their past performance in this matchup inspires confidence. Minnesota is worth a bet at +3.5 (-110).

Both of the other two games feature significantly larger spreads than the Memphis game. The Suns, winners of five of their last six, will face the kings of the Eastern Conference on their home floor. The Cavs, despite a couple of recent losses, have looked every bit as good as their 35-6 record.

Phoenix is coming into this game on a hot streak, but wins against the dregs of the Eastern Conference won’t mean much against Cleveland. Back the Cavaliers to cover their 8-point spread (-110).

Finally, the 2022 Finals rematch. The Warriors no longer boast a title-worthy roster, especially with the injuries that have plagued them all season. Draymond Green and Kyle Anderson have both been ruled out for this game, while Stephen Curry is questionable.

The Celtics are only 7-point favorites, so it’s hard not to feel good about Boston’s spread at -110.

Each of these games can be confidently bet individually, but where’s the fun in that? Everyone knows that the real money comes from parlays. A three-legger yields +581 odds, turning ten bucks into 68 with a win.

News: The NFL Head Coaching Circuit Continues

It seems that the hiring cycles for the annual head coaching openings in the NFL get whackier by the year. There are currently six teams without a head coach, and a couple of them are reportedly considering some out-of-the-box methods of acquiring their next face of the franchise.

The Chicago Bears reportedly looked into trading for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. A franchise that was repeatedly embarrassed by its coaching staff this past season is now apparently willing to surrender draft capital and potentially even players to attain some sense of stability in the front office. Really goes to show how badly Matt Eberflus performed last season and how far the Bears are willing to go to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys have continued their misadventures under Jerry Jones after Mike McCarthy’s departure. Dallas and McCarthy parted ways just in time for the Cowboys to miss their opportunity to interview top candidates like Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.

Now, Jerry, in his infinite wisdom, is reportedly considering bringing in Deion Sanders as his new head coach. A guy who has five seasons of coaching experience, three of which took place at the FCS level and none of which were particularly successful. What could go wrong? If you ask Jerry, nothing.

Elsewhere: Successful Title Fights in Los Angeles

The UFC hosted its first pay-per-view event of 2025 on Saturday in Los Angeles, California, headlined by a lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Renato Moicano.

Despite a bit of a sleepy start in the prelim fights, the event turned out to be a resounding success. A light heavyweight matchup between Jiri Prochazka and Jamahal Hill got the crowd to their feet before a third-round TKO in favor of Prochazka.

An incredibly competitive bantamweight title fight between Umar Nurmagomedov (cousin of the great Khabib) and champion Merab Dvalishvili followed in a similarly crowd-pleasing manner. Dvalishvili worked through some early adversity to defend his belt on the scorecards in a violent, intense affair between the rivals.

Lastly, Makhachev made short work of Moicano, earning his fifth title victory in the lightweight division, the most in UFC history.

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