What 2 Watch (Nov. 4-6)
The month of October is over and so the winter sports take over TV with football and hockey dominating the sports channels. The NFL is through their halfway mark and the second half will start off much like the first half with Baltimore taking on Pittsburgh in a big division rivalry. Meanwhile NCAA football will have their biggest game so far between the #1 and #2 teams in the nation that will go a long way to determining the National Championship. In Canada football winds down with the CFL entering their last week with the two top spots in the conferences up for grabs. Much of the CIS will be entering the playoffs with the OUA entering their second week of the playoffs in the semi-finals. Hockey is through their first week and the NHL will see an original six matchup on Saturday between the streaking Leafs and the struggling Bruins. Meanwhile NASCAR will continue the Chase with only three races left as drivers look to take the lead away from Carl Edwards. There will also be another UFC promotion from England as Chris Leben and Mark Munoz face off in one of four events in four weeks. There is plenty to watch with a very busy Saturday that will force sports fans to make some tough decisions over what they will watch.
University Rush: OUA Semi-Finals
The OUA semi-finals start this weekend with two games on the slate as four teams play for their opportunity at the Yates Cup. The Queen’s Golden Gaels will take on the McMaster Marauders in Hamilton. The 3rd place Gaels are on a massive winning streak and are coming off of a close 14-10 win against Laurier last weekend. The Marauders are 7-1 on their season having a very successful year only losing the first place Western Mustangs. The Marauders are coming off of a bye week in the first week of OUA playoffs and will be fresh to play against the Gaels. In the next game the Windsor Lancers will take on the Western Mustangs in London. The Lancers barely made the playoffs but have been a pretty good team. They are coming off of a big win against the Ottawa Gee Gees with a 55-33 win against the fourth best team in the OUA. The Western Mustangs have been one of the best teams in the country this year and will give the Lancers a very big challenge. Coming off of a bye week the last game the Mustangs played was their first loss of the season to the Queen’s Golden Gaels. Both games promise to be exciting as the teams look to earn their spot in the Yates Cup Finals
When: Saturday November 5th
Time: 1:00 pm/4:30 pm
Channel: The Score
UFC 138: Leben vs. Munoz
UFC 138 has not received a lot of promotion but it looks to be a very explosive night with a lot of great action. The main event will feature two wrestlers turned strikers as Chris Leben will take on Mark Munoz in a middleweight bout. Both of these fighters are standup fighters that have backgrounds in wrestling but have turned into devastating Knockout artists. Munoz loves to ground and pound but has slowly become a threat on his feet while Leben has been a threat to knockout anyone whenever he fights. This fight should be a great one with both fighters looking for the knockout and not the decision. Meanwhile the fight in England will feature two home favorites in the main card with Terry Etim and Brad Pickett on the main card. All of the fights in UFC 138 promise to be exciting and even though there are not many commercials for the promotion it would be a shame to miss.
When: Saturday November 5th
Time: 4:00 pm/8:00 pm
Channel: Sportsnet
Hockey Night in Canada: Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Boston Bruins
Two traditional rivals will face off in a matchup of two original six teams on Hockey night in Canada. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been on a tear as of late starting the season with the best record in years at this point. With Phil Kessel leading the Leafs their offence has woken up with some good performances from their defence. The Leafs will also hope that their starting goalie James Reimer will return after being sidelined for the past two weeks with concussion like symptoms. Meanwhile the defending champion Boston Bruins have had the opposite start to the season. The Bruins came out of the gate slow and are currently in last place in the Northeast division with a 4-7 record. The Bruins will try to turn around their season after a bad first month and will look to try to do this against the Leafs. Both teams have been playing for a long time and this game will be another chapter in their historic rivalry. It will also be a test for both teams to prove who can be the top of the Northeast Division.
When: Saturday November 5th
Time: 7:00 pm
Channel: CBC
NCAA Football: #1 LSU Tigers vs. #2 Alabama Crimson Tide
This weekend in College Football all eyes will be on the night game between #1 LSU and #2 Alabama. This game is the biggest non bowl game in the NCAA schedule as many will consider this game the de-facto National Championship. The game will also be the SEC championship game as both teams are the best in the SEC and whoever wins the game will probably win the championship. In the bigger picture the winner of this matchup between these two teams will have the direct path to the national Championship Game. The loser of this game will drop out of contention for the National Championship with the #3 team moving into their spot. Both teams have had great seasons and have done it with great defences but expect the supposedly defensive matchup to turn offensive very quickly. This game is the biggest game on the schedule for the year and is a must watch for all NCAA fans.
When: Saturday November 5th
Time: 8:00 pm
Channel: CBS
CFL Football: Montreal Alouettes vs. B.C. Lions
With only one week left in the CFL season almost every game means something and that is true with this Saturday night game. Both conferences have yet to be settled as the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference both have ties for the top spot. In the East the Montreal Alouettes are tied with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the top spot and the first round bye in the east. In the Western Conference there is a three-way tie for the first place between the B.C. lions Edmonton Eskimos, and Calgary Stampeders. This game could be the pivotal point in the wild weekend of games with big circumstances after the game is over. If the Winnipeg Blue Bombers lose this weekend the Montreal Alouettes will need to win against the Lions to take the first place spot in the East. If the Als lose they will take second place no matter what the Bombers do in their game. Meanwhile the Lions need a win as if they win they will take the first round bye and first place. If they lose they will have to have every other team in the west race lose as well. With both spots on the line and all games decided before this one the Saturday night game could be the most important game this weekend.
When: Saturday November 5th
Time: 10:00 pm
Channel: TSN
NASCAR Sprint Cup: AAA Texas 500
Carl Edwards remains at the top of the Sprint Cup standings although he has only won one race this year. Meanwhile as Edwards stays on top former leader Tony Stewart has found his way back to the top of the standings after a win last week in the Tums Relief 500. Stewart will attempt to dethrone the current leader this week at Texas Motor Speedway with yet another win. While Stewart looks for the win there will be challengers for the title as Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski continue to stand at the top of the standings. The AAA Texas 500 will be an important race with only three races in the Chase left and Stewart chomping at the first place spot.
When: Sunday November 6th
Time: 3:00 pm
Channel: TSN
NFL Football: Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
In week 1 the defending AFC champions looked like they were suffering from a serious Super Bowl Hangover. In the loss to the Baltimore Ravens the Steelers defence looked like they were showing their age and the Ravens defence was shutting down the attack of the Steelers. Since then the Steelers have just gotten better with their defence catching up to the offences in the NFL and their offence has begun to role. With Roethlisberger at the helm the Steelers have moved away from their running game and to their passing game and have been very successful. Meanwhile the ravens have done the opposite as they’re defence has stood up but their offence has fallen. As the Ravens attempted to move from the running game they began to lose games. Last week the Ravens got back to their running game and have had some success. The Steelers will be looking to even up the series for the playoff run while the Ravens will be looking to take two games. With a series win the Ravens will have a big boost in the upcoming playoff race and without it they may be in some trouble. This is the premiere game this weekend with one of the best rivalries in the NFL taking centre stage on Sunday Night.
When: Sunday November 6th
Time: 8:20 pm
Channel: NBC/TSN
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