Fathead Blog

While many people think they have their sports viewing schedule covered with the Super Bowl, that isn’t going to cut it for the real sports fan. This weekend is packed with must-see games, and like every other week, we want to make sure you catch all of the big games. Here is how we envision your weekend sports viewing schedule. (All times EST).

We get you ready for all of the games to watch before Super Bowl XLVI.

Friday night

Winnipeg @ Florida – NHL – 7:30pm

This is a game that has plenty at stake as we come back from the All-Star break. The Florida Panthers are the 3^rd seed in the East right now, while Winnipeg is on the outside looking in as the 10^th seed. So why is it intriguing? Winnipeg only trails Florida by 3 points. The Southeast division is a tight race that will be fun to watch as the season goes on.  Florida has been taking advantage of power play opportunities, while the Jets have been doing well to kill them. These teams are very even statistically, and should start off the weekend right.

Saturday

Ohio State @ Wisconsin – MCBB – 2:00pm

Saturday kicks off with the Battle for the Big Ten. Ohio State has a half game lead on Wisconsin, but the Big Ten has had a rough time finding wins on the road. Wisconsin has had a rough time against ranked opponents this season though, going 2-4. However, the Badgers have won 6 in a row including their 2 wins against ranked opponents. Ohio State’s three losses have all come on the road, but they crushed Nebraska in their last road game. This game should provide a lot of back and forth with two teams trying to claim their spot atop the Big Ten.

#12 Creighton @ Northern Iowa – MCBB -5:00pm

I know what you are thinking. “Mid-majors? In the middle of my Saturday?” The fact is #12 Creighton deserves the credit they have been getting this season. The Blue Jays are first in the nation in Field Goal percentage and only have two losses on the season. Still, Northern Iowa gave them all they could handle, 63-60 AT Creighton, in January. Now, the Blue Jays have to go on the road and try to pull off another win against a Panthers squad that would like nothing more than to get a W against the a ranked team.

Orlando @ Indiana – NBA – 7:00pm

We might come into this game a little bit after tip-off, but plenty of time to catch most of the action. This will be the 3^rd time in a little of over 2 weeks the teams have played. Orlando won the first contest at Indiana by 19, only to have the Pacers come to Orlando to win by 21. The rubber match will be played in Indiana, and should be a very entertaining game. Indiana 11-4 in their last 15, while the Magic are 8-7 and battling the drama of when Dwight Howard will be traded.  After both teams suffered a blowout at the hands of the other, this 3^rd battle should be full of intensity.

UFC 143 – MMA – 10:00pm

An event that was supposed to be headlined by Georges St. Pierre, we now get to crown an interim welterweight Champion. Nick Diaz, the fighter originally set to face St. Pierre, will now face Carlos Condit in what should be a great fight. Also on the card is a guy you have to love watch fight, Roy Nelson. Taking on Fabricio Werdum, Nelson looks like he just came from out of the crowd. A large beard and larger belly, Nelson looks out of place in the UFC ring. However at 16-6, not many people are laughing at him. I am only a casual UFC fan, so I can’t make any guarantees on excitement, but I am rarely disappointed when I tune in to watch.

Sunday

#22 Michigan @ #10 Michigan State – MCBB- 2:00pm

What?! Basketball on Super Sunday?! Relax; there will be plenty of time for that. Rather than watch hours of pregame, tune in to a rematch of two rivals whose previous contest in January was won by Michigan 60-59. A rivalry where both schools really just don’t like each other, you know this game will have plenty of action. The Spartans won 15 games in a row before dropping 3 of their last five, and would like to back on track with a win over the Wolverines. Michigan has had a tough time winning on the road this year, and a road victory at the Breslin Center would look great on their tournament resume. Factor into this that Michigan (.5 back) and Michigan St. (1 back) are both close to claiming the Big Ten, and another close game could be just the way to kick off Super Sunday.

Giants vs. Patriots – NFL – 6:29pm

We have finally made it to the main event! Of course the game of the weekend will be the Patriots and Giants, which should be a great matchup. The drama leading up to the game has all been focused on the ankle of Rob Gronkowski, which we all know will play, but how effectively? A rematch from Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots once again need to defeat Eli Manning and the Giants to get their 4^th Super Bowl win. The Giants pass rush has been terrorizing quarterbacks this postseason and Manning and his receivers have been clicking. No one has performed like Tom Brady when it comes to Super Bowls, but can Eli and the Giants be his kryptonite again? Enjoy what should be a great Super Bowl and very entertaining sports weekend!

If you are a UFC fan, then you already know more than anything you will find in this article. Now, I enjoy watching MMA, but I might catch it once every two months. Since I am such a big fan in most things we cover on this blog, I thought it would be fun to breakdown UFC 141 from a completely uneducated perspective. So without further delay, here are my complete guesses (aka picks) for tonight’s fights.

Main Event – Lesnar vs. Overeem

This actually sounds like a Main Event I would love to watch. Lesnar (6’3, 265) and Overeem (6’5, 265) are huge punchers who don’t let fights go very long. A fight that seems a lock for not going to decision, there should be plenty of heavy blows landing in this one. While Lesnar has gotten a lot of the spotlight, Overeem is far more experienced in the octagon. However, this will be Overeem’s first fight in the UFC. It sounds like Lesnar will look to go to the ground and keep Overeem from standing and using his legs. My guess here is Overeem doesn’t buckle under the bright lights of the UFC and uses his experience to get a big win over Lesnar.

Co-Main Event – Diaz vs. Cerrone

A lightweight bought between two fighters with similar builds and records, this will be hard to breakdown. Diaz will look to get takedowns and win via submission, but won’t be too outmatched on his feet. Cerrone will need to work on his takedown defense if he hopes to stay in this fight. Diaz has a surprisingly weak takedown defense as well, and if Cerrone can catch him by surprise and land punches that way, it could lead to a victory. Cerrone ended both of his last fights early and will look to do the same tonight. I like Cerrone to beat Diaz.

Fitch vs. Hendricks

For some reason, this fight really intrigues me. Jon Fitch’s last two losses were to BJ Penn in his last fight and Georges St. Pierre back in 2008, both very respectable losses. Hendricks meanwhile is 11-1 and looking to use Fitch as his marquee win. A former wrestler at Oklahoma State, he of course has the upper hand in takedowns and overall wrestling. Look for Fitch, who isn’t bad at takedowns himself, to try and turn this into a boxing match. If Hendricks does get a takedown, look for Fitch to try and use Hendricks’ inexperience against him and try to catch him with a submission. I like Fitch in this fight, but something has me pulling for Hendricks. Maybe it’s just the underdog role.

Matyushenko vs. Gustafsson

The 3 cards above all seemed to be against similar opponents. This card is the battle of pure opposites. Matyushenko (6’0, 205, 40 years old) and Gustafsson (6’5, 205, 24 years old) are so different it makes you laugh when you look at the card. Matyushenko is a takedown fighter who I would assume will look to use a “ground and pound” technique on the younger Gustafsson. Gustafsson, meanwhile, is a submission fighter who will look to use his length to keep this fight in a standup position as much as possible. Gustafsson is 12-1, and I think he gains the edge the longer this fight goes. However, I think Matyushenko ends this fight early.

Phan vs. Hettes

Another battle of submission fighter (Hettes) vs. striker (Phan), this fight could get interesting. I think Phan will look to end this fight early as newcomer Hettes will only gain confidence the longer the fight goes. Look for Phan to try and stay on his feet for a while with Hettes not being a very good striker. Phan should win this fight and hand Hettes his first defeat.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the ramblings of someone who has no idea what they are talking about. Trust me; I will be watching to see if I was anywhere close in my guesses.