The bowl season continues this week, while the NFL arrives at the final weekend of its regular season. This is a week for football, which will continue to command the stage in North America.

NCAA Football: Poinsettia Bowl – Utah State Aggies vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

This is a game that should underscore the importance of having a healthy starting quarterback. Northern Illinois will send quarterback Jordan Lynch, a Heisman Trophy finalist, to the field in this game. Utah State will not be able to send its superstar quarterback, playmaker Chuckie Keeton, to the field in San Diego. This one difference between the two teams should loom large, giving Northern Illinois a noticeable advantage. The big hope for Utah State is that Northern Illinois will be depressed about failing to gain a spot in a BCS bowl game, which is what the Huskies would have done if they had defeated Bowling Green in the MAC Championship Game three weeks ago.

NFL Football: Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals

This is a game the Ravens have to win if they want to have any shot at the playoffs. Baltimore needs Miami to lose to the New York Jets. If that happens, Baltimore can return to the playoffs and defend its Super Bowl championship if it can win on the road in Cincinnati against the AFC North champion Bengals, who will host a wild card game in early January unless New England loses to Buffalo. Then, Cincinnati could get a first-round bye. Baltimore will be hurt by the fact that quarterback Joe Flacco has a bad left knee.

NFL Football: Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears  

This game is the NFC North championship game. The winner claims the division and moves to the playoffs, while the loser will be eliminated from playoff contention. Everyone will be waiting during the week to see if Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers can play in this game, but one should not expect him to be allowed to play.

Written by WagerWeb.ag