Week 17 scenarios!

NFC

CAROLINA (14-1, vs TB 4:25)

The Panthers have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC South division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Panthers can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) CAR win/tie OR
2) ARZ loss/tie

ARIZONA (13-2, vs SEA 4:25)

The Cardinals have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC West division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Cardinals can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) ARZ win + CAR loss

GREEN BAY (10-5, vs MIN 8:30)

The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Packers can clinch the NFC North division title and the NFC's #3 seed with:
1) GB win OR
2) GB tie

MINNESOTA (10-5, at GB 8:30)

The Vikings have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Vikings can clinch the NFC North division title and the NFC's #3 seed with:
1) MIN win

WASHINGTON (8-7, at DAL 1:00)

The Redskins have already clinched a playoff spot with the NFC East division title, and they are locked into the NFC's #4 seed. They will host Green Bay, Minnesota, or Seattle in the Wild Card Round.

SEATTLE (9-6, at ARZ 4:25)

The Seahawks have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Seahawks can clinch the NFC's #5 seed, and be guaranteed to be at Washington, with:
1) SEA win + MIN loss

Note about seeding for Green Bay, Minnesota, and Seattle:
The winner of the NFC North is guaranteed to be the #3 seed. If the loser of MIN-GB is the Packers, they will be the 5 seed (at #4 WAS) and the Seahawks will be the 6 seed (at #3 MIN). If the loser is the Vikings, then the Seattle result against Arizona comes into play to decide which is 5 (at WAS) and which is 6 (at GB) between the Vikings and Seahawks.


AFC

NEW ENGLAND (12-3, at MIA 1:00)

The Patriots have already clinched a playoff spot, the AFC East division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Patriots can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) NE win/tie OR
2) DEN loss/tie

DENVER (11-4, vs SD 4:25)

The Broncos have already clinched a playoff spot, and they can still clinch:
a) the AFC West division title
b) a first round bye in the playoffs
c) homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs

The Broncos can clinch the AFC West division title with:
1) DEN win/tie OR
2) KC loss/tie

The Broncos can clinch a first round bye with:
1) DEN win OR
2) CIN loss + KC loss/tie OR
3) DEN tie + CIN tie

The Broncos can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) DEN win + NE loss

CINCINNATI (11-4, vs BAL 1:00)

The Bengals have already clinched a playoff spot and the AFC North division title.
The Bengals can clinch a first round bye with:
1) CIN win + DEN loss/tie OR
2) CIN win/tie + DEN loss OR
3) KC win + DEN loss

KANSAS CITY (10-5, vs OAK 4:25)

The Chiefs have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Chiefs can clinch the AFC West division title and the AFC's #3 seed with:
1) KC win + DEN loss

NEW YORK (10-5, at BUF 1:00)

The Jets haven't clinched anything.
The Jets can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) NYJ win/tie OR
2) PIT loss/tie

PITTSBURGH (9-6, at CLE 1:00)

The Steelers haven't clinched anything.
The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) PIT win + NYJ loss

HOUSTON (8-7, vs JAX 1:00)

The Texans haven't clinched anything.
The Texans can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South division title with:
1) HOU win/tie OR
2) IND loss/tie OR
3) MIA loss OR
4) DEN loss OR
5) NO beats ATL OR
6) NYJ win OR
7) CIN win OR
8) PIT loss + KC win OR
9) PIT loss + HOU clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker OR
10) KC win + HOU clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker

INDIANAPOLIS (7-8, vs TEN 1:00)

The Colts haven't clinched anything.
The Colts can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South division title with:
1) IND win + HOU loss + DEN win + CIN loss + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + PIT win + KC loss OR
2) IND win + HOU loss + DEN win + CIN loss + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + PIT win + IND clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker OR
3) IND win + HOU loss + DEN win + CIN loss + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + KC loss + IND clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker


Week 17:

CBS 1:00
NYJ@BUF
PIT@CLE
NE@MIA
JAX@HOU
TEN@IND

Fox 1:00
BAL@CIN
WAS@DAL
PHI@NYG
NO@ATL
DET@CHI

CBS 4:25
SD@DEN
STL@SF

Fox 4:25
SEA@ARZ
OAK@KC
TB@CAR

NBC 8:30
MIN@GB

Updated playoff scenarios prior to Week 16 MNF

NFC

CAROLINA (14-1, vs TB 4:25)

The Panthers have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC South division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Panthers can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) CAR win/tie OR
2) ARZ loss/tie

ARIZONA (13-2, vs SEA 4:25)

The Cardinals have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC West division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Cardinals can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) ARZ win + CAR loss

GREEN BAY (10-5, vs MIN 8:30)

The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Packers can clinch the NFC North division title and the NFC's #3 seed with:
1) GB win OR
2) GB tie

MINNESOTA (10-5, at GB 8:30)

The Vikings have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Vikings can clinch the NFC North division title and the NFC's #3 seed with:
1) MIN win

WASHINGTON (8-7, at DAL 1:00)

The Redskins have already clinched a playoff spot with the NFC East division title, and they are locked into the NFC's #4 seed. They will host Green Bay, Minnesota, or Seattle in the Wild Card Round.

SEATTLE (9-6, at ARZ 4:25)

The Seahawks have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Seahawks can clinch the NFC's #5 seed, and be guaranteed to be at Washington, with:
1) SEA win + MIN loss

Note about seeding for Green Bay, Minnesota, and Seattle:
The winner of the NFC North is guaranteed to be the #3 seed. If the loser of MIN-GB is the Packers, they will be the 5 seed (at #4 WAS) and the Seahawks will be the 6 seed (at #3 MIN). If the loser is the Vikings, then the Seattle result against Arizona comes into play to decide which is 5 (at WAS) and which is 6 (at GB) between the Vikings and Seahawks.


AFC

NEW ENGLAND (12-3, at MIA 1:00)

The Patriots have already clinched a playoff spot, the AFC East division title, and a first round bye in the playoffs.
The Patriots can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) NE win OR
2) NE tie + CIN/DEN tie OR
3) CIN beats DEN, loses to BAL OR
4) CIN/DEN tie + CIN loss/tie to BAL OR
5) DEN beats CIN + DEN loss/tie to SD

CINCINNATI (11-3, at DEN 8:30 tonight, vs BAL 1:00 Sunday)

The Bengals have already clinched a playoff spot and the AFC North division title.
The Bengals can clinch:
a) a first round bye in the playoffs
b) homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs

The Bengals can clinch a first round bye with:
1) CIN win/tie at DEN OR
in Week 17:
2) CIN win + DEN loss/tie OR
3) CIN win/tie + DEN loss OR
4) KC win + DEN loss

The Bengals can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) 2 CIN wins + NE loss/tie OR
2) CIN win + CIN tie + NE loss

DENVER (10-4, vs CIN 8:30 tonight, vs SD 4:25 Sunday)

The Broncos haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch everything!

The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) 1 DEN win OR
2) 1 DEN tie OR
3) PIT loss/tie

The Broncos can clinch the AFC West division title with:
1) 2 DEN wins OR
2) DEN win + DEN tie OR
3) 1 DEN win + KC loss/tie OR
4) 1 DEN tie + KC loss

The Broncos can clinch a first round bye with:
1) 2 DEN wins OR
2) 2 CIN losses + KC loss OR
3) DEN beats CIN + DEN tie + CIN tie

The Broncos can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) 2 DEN wins + NE loss

KANSAS CITY (10-5, vs OAK 4:25)

The Chiefs have clinched a playoff spot.
The Chiefs can clinch the AFC West division title and the AFC's #3 seed with:
1) 2 DEN losses OR
2) KC win + 1 DEN loss OR
3) KC win/tie + DEN loss + DEN tie

NEW YORK (10-5, at BUF 1:00)

The Jets haven't clinched anything.
The Jets can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) NYJ win/tie OR
2) PIT loss/tie OR
3) 2 DEN losses

PITTSBURGH (9-6, at CLE 1:00)

The Steelers haven't clinched anything.
The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) PIT win + NYJ loss OR
2) PIT win + 2 DEN losses

HOUSTON (8-7, vs JAX 1:00)

The Texans haven't clinched anything.
The Texans can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South division title with:
1) CIN beats DEN OR
2) HOU win/tie OR
3) IND loss/tie OR
4) MIA loss OR
5) DEN loss to SD OR
6) NO beats ATL OR
7) NYJ win OR
8) CIN beats BAL OR
9) PIT loss + KC win OR
10) PIT loss + HOU clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker OR
11) KC win + HOU clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker

INDIANAPOLIS (7-8, vs TEN 1:00)

The Colts haven't clinched anything.
The Colts can clinch a playoff spot and the AFC South division title with:
1) IND win + HOU loss + 2 DEN wins + 2 CIN losses + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + PIT win + KC loss OR
2) IND win + HOU loss + 2 DEN wins + 2 CIN losses + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + PIT win + IND clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker OR
3) IND win + HOU loss + 2 DEN wins + 2 CIN losses + MIA win + ATL beats NO + NYJ loss + KC loss + IND clinches "best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed" tiebreaker


Full schedule of the remaining 17 regular season games, ET:
Week 16 MNF:
tonight 8:30 ESPN: CIN@DEN

Week 17 Sunday:

CBS 1:00
NYJ@BUF
PIT@CLE
NE@MIA
JAX@HOU
TEN@IND

Fox 1:00
BAL@CIN
WAS@DAL
PHI@NYG
NO@ATL
DET@CHI

CBS 4:25
SD@DEN
STL@SF

Fox 4:25
SEA@ARZ
OAK@KC
TB@CAR

NBC 8:30
MIN@GB

Week 16 playoff scenarios

NFC

CAROLINA (14-0, at ATL 1:00, vs TB)

The Panthers have already clinched a playoff spot, the NFC South division title, and a first round bye.
The Panthers can clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs with:
1) CAR win/tie OR
2) ARZ loss/tie

ARIZONA (12-2, vs GB 4:25, vs SEA)

The Cardinals have already clinched a playoff spot and the NFC West division title.
The Cardinals can clinch:
a) a first round bye in the playoffs
b) homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs

The Cardinals can clinch a first round bye with:
1) ARZ win/tie

To stay alive to clinch homefield in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
ARZ win + CAR loss

GREEN BAY (10-4, at ARZ 4:25, vs MIN)

The Packers have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Packers can clinch:
a) the NFC North division title
b) a first round bye in the playoffs

The Packers can clinch the NFC North division title with:
1) GB win + MIN loss/tie OR
2) GB tie + MIN loss

To stay alive to clinch a first round bye in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
GB win

MINNESOTA (9-5, vs NYG 8:30, at GB)

The Vikings haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch:
a) a playoff spot
b) the NFC North division title

The Vikings can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) MIN win/tie OR
2) ATL loss/tie OR
3) SEA win/tie

To stay alive to clinch the division in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
1) MIN win OR
2) GB loss OR
3) MIN tie + GB tie

WASHINGTON (7-7, at PHI Saturday, at DAL)

The Redskins haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch the NFC East division title with:
1) WAS win OR
2) WAS tie + NYG loss

SEATTLE (9-5, vs STL 4:25, at ARZ)

The Seahawks have already clinched a playoff spot, and besides seeding, they can clinch nothing more.

The Seahawks can clinch the NFC's #5 seed with:
1) SEA win + GB win + MIN loss/tie OR
2) SEA win + GB tie + MIN loss

PHILADELPHIA (6-8, vs WAS Saturday, at NYG)

The Eagles haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch the NFC East division title in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
PHI win

NEW YORK (6-8, at MIN 8:30, vs PHI)

The Giants haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch the NFC East division title in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
NYG win/tie + WAS loss/tie

ATLANTA (7-7, vs CAR 1:00, vs NO)

The Falcons haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch a playoff spot in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
ATL win + MIN loss + SEA loss


AFC

NEW ENGLAND (12-2, at NYJ 1:00, at MIA)

The Patriots have already clinched a playoff spot, the AFC East division title, and a first round bye.
The Patriots can clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with:
1) NE win OR
2) NE tie + CIN loss/tie

NEW YORK (9-5, vs NE 1:00, at BUF)

The Jets haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch a playoff spot in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
1) NYJ win/tie OR
2) DEN loss/tie OR
3) KC loss/tie OR
4) PIT loss/tie

CINCINNATI (11-3, at DEN Monday, vs BAL)

The Bengals have already clinched a playoff spot.
The Bengals can clinch:
a) the AFC North division title
b) a first round bye in the playoffs
c) homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs

The Bengals can clinch the AFC North division title with:
1) PIT loss/tie

The Bengals can clinch the division and a first round bye with:
1) CIN win/tie

To stay alive to clinch homefield in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
1) CIN win + NE loss/tie OR
2) CIN tie + NE loss

PITTSBURGH (9-5, at BAL 1:00, at CLE)

The Steelers haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch:
a) a playoff spot
b) the AFC North division title

The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) PIT win + NYJ loss

To stay alive to clinch the division in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
PIT win + CIN loss

DENVER (10-4, vs CIN Monday, vs SD)

The Broncos haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch:
a) a playoff spot
b) the AFC West division title
c) a first round bye in the playoffs
d) homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs

The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) DEN win + NYJ loss/tie OR
2) DEN win + PIT loss/tie OR
3) DEN tie + NYJ loss OR
4) DEN tie + PIT loss

The Broncos can clinch a playoff spot and the division with:
1) DEN win + KC loss/tie OR
2) DEN tie + KC loss

To stay alive to clinch a first round bye in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
DEN win

To stay alive to clinch homefield in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
DEN win + NE loss

KANSAS CITY (9-5, vs CLE 1:00, vs OAK)

The Chiefs haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch:
a) a playoff spot
b) the AFC West division title

The Chiefs can clinch a playoff spot with:
1) KC win + NYJ loss OR
2) KC win + PIT loss

To stay alive to clinch the division in Week 17, they need in Week 16:
1) KC win OR
2) DEN loss

HOUSTON (7-7, at TEN 1:00, vs JAX)

The Texans haven't clinched anything, but they can clinch the AFC South division title with:
1) HOU win + IND loss/tie OR
2) HOU tie + IND loss OR
3) HOU win + CIN win + NO win OR
4) HOU win + CIN win + NYJ win OR
5) HOU win + CIN win + CAR win OR
6) HOU win + NO win + NYJ win + CAR win OR
7) HOU win + CIN win + KC win + BAL win OR
8) numerous possibilities involving HOU win + one or more ties in games of CIN, NO, NYJ, CAR

INDIANAPOLIS (6-8, at MIA 1:00, vs TEN)

The Colts haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch the AFC South division title in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
HOU doesn't clinch the division. It's just the opposite of HOU clinching scenarios above. I'm not going to break it down.

JACKSONVILLE (5-9, at NO 4:05, at HOU)

The Jaguars haven't clinched anything, but they can still clinch the AFC South division title in Week 17, as long as in Week 16:
JAX win + HOU loss

Ranking Week 15, Week 16 NFL games

Week 15 by level of excitement

 16. Dolphins at Chargers
 15. Bills at Redskins
 14. Bengals at 49ers
 13. Cardinals at Eagles
 12. Titans at Patriots
 11. Bears at Vikings
 10. Browns at Seahawks
 9. Chiefs at Ravens
 8. Packers at Raiders
 7. Buccaneers at Rams
 6. Lions at Saints
 5. Falcons at Jaguars
 4. Texans at Colts
 3. Jets at Cowboys
 2. Broncos at Steelers
 1. Panthers at Giants

Week 16 by level of interest
 16. 49ers at Lions (1:00)
 15. Cowboys at Bills (1:00)
 14. Bears at Buccaneers (1:00)
 13. Chargers at Raiders (Thursday)
 12. Jaguars at Saints (4:05)
 11. Browns at Chiefs (1:00)
 10. Colts at Dolphins (1:00)
 9. Texans at Titans (1:00)
 8. Steelers at Ravens (1:00)
 7. Rams at Seahawks (4:25)
 6. Giants at Vikings (8:30)
 5. Patriots at Jets (1:00)
 4. Redskins at Eagles (Saturday)
America's Game of the Week: Packers at Cardinals (4:25)
Game of the Week: Bengals at Broncos (Monday)
 1. Panthers at Falcons (1:00)

Games that could be the Week 17 Sunday night game

Week 17 scheduling rules: a team that has a chance to clinch something before Week 17 starts:
a) cannot clinch it before playing
b) cannot be eliminated from it before playing

We can extrapolate that the Sunday night game, the last game of the entire regular season, must be chosen as a game whose playoff implications cannot change based on the results of other games.

The last 5 seasons in a row, this has been a divisional championship game. This is likely again this year, as any of these games might be for their respective division titles:
JAX-HOU
MIN-GB
PHI-NYG
WAS-DAL
SEA-ARZ

There is one scenario under which MIN-GB is the NFC North Championship Game, but it cannot be the Sunday night game. This would occur if Minnesota is also competing with the New York Giants for a wild card spot, and they have not yet even clinched a playoff berth!

How this can happen: In Weeks 15 and 16, Redskins and Giants win out, Packers win 1 of 2, and Vikings beat Bears. Then, the scenario in Week 17 would be that if the Redskins and Giants both win, and the Vikings lose, the Vikings would miss the playoffs entirely! So, despite this being an NFC North Championship Game, it would need to happen at the same time as the NFC East games, instead of at night, so that the Vikings can't clinch a playoff berth before the kickoff of their game.

There is a scenario under which WAS-DAL could be the Sunday night game even if it's not an NFC East Championship Game. This requires a specific combination of five games over the next two weeks:
Redskins lose to Bills
Eagles beat Cardinals
Redskins win at Eagles
Giants win 1 of 2 in Weeks 15 and 16

If this happens, the Week 17 clinching scenarios for the NFC East will be:
WAS clinches div with: win
PHI or NYG clinches div with: win + WAS loss

This is a unique case where it would be okay for WAS-DAL to happen after PHI-NYG despite teams in both games competing for the same playoff spot. Despite the Redskins' playing after the PHI-NYG result is already known, it doesn't affect their scenarios. They still need to win to get in. It's impossible for them to clinch before playing because the PHI-NYG winner (or both if they tie) is guaranteed to be ahead of WAS after the PHI-NYG game. It's impossible for them to be eliminated before playing since they control their own destiny.

That said, I doubt WAS-DAL would be chosen in this case unless there are no other playoff implication games that are independent of other game results.

While it cannot be a divisional championship game, since obviously the Pats have already clinched it, NYJ-BUF could be the Sunday night game if it is a play-in game for the 6 seed. If the Bills win the next two, Steelers lose the next two, and Jets lose 1 of 2, the Jets and Bills will be the only 2 teams competing for that 6 seed, and so it would be an effective playoff game: winner gets the 6 seed, loser is eliminated. It could then be the Sunday night game.

One last note: if somehow NONE of the above games fit the criteria of a Week 17 Sunday night game, with no game having playoff implications that aren't affected by other games, if the Panthers are 15-0 I expect their game to be at night so that the NFL can showcase their attempt at only the second-ever 16-0 regular season.

How did the Dolphins' loss Monday night clinch the division for the Patriots?

The simple answer: The Pats had already clinched the sixth tiebreaker with the Jets, and the Dolphins' loss allowed them to clinch at least a tie in the fifth tiebreaker, to force the process to the sixth tiebreaker.

Now the breakdown: It may have made no sense to many that the Dolphins' loss clinched the division for the Patriots, because the only team still in contention with the Patriots was the Jets, not the Dolphins. Let's break it down.

To determine when the Patriots have clinched the division, one must look at the worst case scenario for the Patriots and the best case scenario for the Jets. Only if the Jets would still finish behind the Patriots in this scenario, have the Patriots clinched the division. Let's look at it from the perspective of BEFORE Monday night. All of Sunday's games had happened, so the Jets were (and actually still are) three games behind the Patriots with three games remaining.

If the Jets win out and Pats lose out, they'd finish tied at 11-5. Now for the tiebreakers.

1) head-to-head. If the Jets win out, they'll have beaten the Patriots in the second meeting, meaning the teams split the two head-to-head meetings.

2) division record. If the Jets win out and Pats lose out, both teams' division records would be 4-2.

3) record against common opponents. The Bills and Dolphins don't matter since we already know the Pats and Jets are tied in both head-to-head and division record. The other eight common opponents are the AFC South and NFC East. If the Jets win at the Cowboys and Pats lose to the Titans (which is part of the assumption when they both finish 11-5), both teams would have a 6-2 record against the AFC South and NFC East.

4) conference record. (Note: the reason common opponents come before conference in the tiebreaking order is because common opponents record is based on 8 games, to only 6 games for the conference.) Because the two teams are tied in the division, the only 6 conference games that matter for the tiebreak are the 6 AFC games outside the division. The Pats and Jets will both have gone 3-1 against the AFC South (Jets loss to Texans, Pats loss to Titans). The other two games are the games against the AFC North and West. The Pats beat the Steelers but lost at the Broncos. The Jets beat the Browns but lost at the Raiders. Clearly then, under this scenario of the Jets' winning out and the Pats' losing out, both would finish with a conference record of 8-4. Time for the fifth tiebreaker.

5) strength of victory. This is defined as the combined records of all the teams you beat. Many of the Pats' and Jets' victories have been and would have been against the same teams, so the only teams required for comparison of strength of victory are the ones the Pats beat whom the Jets didn't, and vice versa. The teams are:

for NE: PIT, HOU, BUF
for NYJ: CLE, TEN, MIA

The reason MIA is listed for NYJ is because the Jets swept the Dolphins, and under our scenario of both Jets and Pats finishing 11-5, Pats will have split with the Dolphins, so the Dolphins' record would be added twice to the Jets' strength of victory, but only once to the Pats'.

To calculate the worst case scenario for the Pats, to determine whether or not they have clinched, we must assume PIT, HOU, and BUF all lose out, and CLE, TEN, and MIA all win out. This would give the Jets the division title, on the strength of victory tiebreaker by just 1! However, this analysis was all from the perspective of BEFORE Monday night. Now that the Dolphins have lost a game, the best case scenario for the Jets is a tie in the fifth tiebreaker.

6) strength of schedule. Two teams in the same division only play two different games, the games against the two other divisions in their own conference (not their own division or the division where they're playing everyone). This season, the AFC East is playing the AFC South, so the two different games for the Jets and Pats would be the ones they played against the AFC North and AFC West. Last year, the Pats won the division, meaning they played 1st place Pittsburgh and 1st place Denver this year. Meanwhile, the Jets finished last in the division and played 4th place Cleveland and 4th place Oakland this season. In the current standings, the Browns cannot catch the Steelers and the Raiders cannot catch the Broncos, so the Pats' strength of schedule was already guaranteed to be better than the Jets', prior to Monday's game.

Back to the simple answer from the top: The Pats had already clinched the sixth tiebreaker with the Jets, and the Dolphins' loss allowed them to clinch at least a tie in the fifth tiebreaker, to force the process to the sixth tiebreaker.

Ranking Week 14, Week 15 NFL games

Week 14 by level of excitement
16. Titans at Jets
15. Falcons at Panthers
14. Colts at Jaguars
13. Seahawks at Ravens
12. Patriots at Texans
11. Steelers at Bengals
10. Lions at Rams
9. 49ers at Browns
8. Cowboys at Packers
7. Saints at Buccaneers
6. Giants at Dolphins
5. Redskins at Bears
4. Bills at Eagles
3. Raiders at Broncos
2. Vikings at Cardinals
1. Chargers at Chiefs

Week 15 by level of interest
 16. Lions at Saints (Monday)
 15. Dolphins at Chargers (4:25)
 14. Buccaneers at Rams (Thursday)
 13. Chiefs at Ravens (1:00)
 12. Bears at Vikings (1:00)
 11. Jets at Cowboys (Saturday)
 10. Falcons at Jaguars (1:00)
 9. Titans at Patriots (1:00)
 8. Bengals at 49ers (4:25)
 7. Browns at Seahawks (4:05)
 6. Bills at Redskins (1:00)
 5. Texans at Colts (1:00)
 4. Packers at Raiders (4:05)
 3. Cardinals at Eagles (8:30)
Game of the Week: Broncos at Steelers (4:25)
 1. Panthers at Giants (1:00)

Ranking Week 13 NFL games

Week 13 by level of excitement
 16. Bengals at Browns
 15. Cardinals at Rams
 14. Seahawks at Vikings
 13. Colts at Steelers
 12. Broncos at Chargers
 11. Chiefs at Raiders
 10. Texans at Bills
 9. Ravens at Dolphins
 8. Jaguars at Titans
 7. 49ers at Bears
 6. Falcons at Buccaneers
 5. Panthers at Saints
 4. Cowboys at Redskins
 3. Jets at Giants
 2. Packers at Lions
 1. Eagles at Patriots

Ranking Week 14 NFL games

Week 14 by level of interest
 16. Lions at Rams (1:00)
 15. 49ers at Browns (1:00)
 14. Seahawks at Ravens (1:00)
 13. Chargers at Chiefs (1:00)
 12. Titans at Jets (1:00)
 11. Saints at Buccaneers (1:00)
 10. Colts at Jaguars (1:00)
 9. Redskins at Bears (1:00)
 8. Raiders at Broncos (4:05)
 7. Giants at Dolphins (Monday)
 6. Cowboys at Packers (4:25)
 5. Bills at Eagles (1:00)
 4. Patriots at Texans (8:30)
 3. Vikings at Cardinals (Thursday)
Game of the Week: Steelers at Bengals (1:00)
 1. Falcons at Panthers (1:00)

Ranking Week 12, Week 13 NFL games

Week 12 by level of excitement
16. Eagles at Lions
15. Panthers at Cowboys
14. Dolphins at Jets
13. Rams at Bengals
12. Saints at Texans
11. Buccaneers at Colts
10. Vikings at Falcons
9. Chargers at Jaguars
8. Bills at Chiefs
7. Raiders at Titans
6. Cardinals at 49ers
5. Giants at Redskins
4. Steelers at Seahawks
3. Bears at Packers
2. Patriots at Broncos
1. Ravens at Browns

Week 13 by level of interest
16. Ravens at Dolphins (1:00)
15. Jaguars at Titans (1:00)
14. 49ers at Bears (1:00)
13. Bengals at Browns (1:00)
12. Broncos at Chargers (4:05)
11. Eagles at Patriots (4:25)
10. Cardinals at Rams (1:00)
9. Packers at Lions (Thursday)
8. Texans at Bills (1:00)
7. Falcons at Buccaneers (1:00)
6. Chiefs at Raiders (4:05)
5. Cowboys at Redskins (Monday)
4. Colts at Steelers (8:30)
3. Jets at Giants (1:00)
Game of the Week: Seahawks at Vikings (1:00)
America's Game of the Week: Panthers at Saints (4:25)

Ranking Week 11, Week 12 NFL games

Week 11 by level of excitement

14. Chiefs at Chargers
13. Buccaneers at Eagles
12. Redskins at Panthers
11. Packers at Vikings
10. 49ers at Seahawks
9. Cowboys at Dolphins
8. Raiders at Lions
7. Jets at Texans
6. Colts at Falcons
5. Titans at Jaguars
4. Broncos at Bears
3. Rams at Ravens
2. Bills at Patriots
1. Bengals at Cardinals

Week 12 by level of interest
16. Ravens at Browns (Monday)
15. Chargers at Jaguars (1:00)
14. Raiders at Titans (1:00)
13. Eagles at Lions (Thursday 12:30)
12. Saints at Texans (1:00)
11. Buccaneers at Colts (1:00)
10. Bills at Chiefs (1:00)
9. Rams at Bengals (1:00)
8. Cardinals at 49ers (4:05)
7. Bears at Packers (Thursday 8:30)
6. Dolphins at Jets (1:00)
5. Giants at Redskins (1:00)
4. Vikings at Falcons (1:00)
3. Steelers at Seahawks (4:25)
2. Patriots at Broncos (8:30)
Game of the Week: Panthers at Cowboys (Thursday 4:25)

Mistakes were made in the scheduling of the New Year's Six

Who made the mistakes though? Actually, it's not that actual mistakes were made by any one party, but that some unfortunate coincidences led to our having the playoff semifinals on New Year's Eve the majority of the time. This is nothing new, although many are just finding out about it, but the semifinals will only be on New Year's Day when they're the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl, which is once every three years. In the other two years of the rotation (Orange/Cotton and Fiesta/Peach) they'll be on New Year's Eve because the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl are locked in at 5 and 8:30 ET on New Year's Day. I described and explained all this on my very first post on this blog, ever, way back here: http://thewhole9yds.blogspot.com/2014/01/thoughts-on-and-questions-about-college.html

Here is the full rotation (repeats in the same manner every three years):

Note that the Cotton and Fiesta Bowls will flop back and forth between New Year's Eve and New Year's Day based on whether or not they are semifinals that year. The other four bowls are locked in to their day, with the exception that the "New Year's Day" becomes Monday, January 2, when New Year's Day falls on a Sunday. Beyond simply avoiding a conflict with the NFL's Week 17, it has been always the case that the Rose Bowl is on Monday, January 2, simply because the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade doesn't ever take place on a Sunday.

The timings of the games are (ET):
December 31
12:30 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (unless it's a semifinal, then Orange Bowl in this timeslot)
4 Vizio Fiesta Bowl (if Cotton or Peach Bowl is semifinal, it's in this timeslot)
8 Capital One Orange Bowl (if Fiesta Bowl is semifinal, it's in this timeslot)

January 1 (or Monday, January 2, if 1/1 is Sunday)
12:30 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (unless it's a semifinal, then Fiesta Bowl in this timeslot)
5 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual
8:30 Allstate Sugar Bowl

(A quick aside: I saw many complaints on Twitter last year when the Rose Bowl ran long and delayed the Sugar Bowl to 9 ET. The complaints stated that the West Coast game should have been played second. Two things:
#1: The Sugar Bowl is played in the Central Time Zone. It was delayed from 7:30 to 8 local time. Nothing wrong with that.
#2: The Rose Bowl Game has been played at 5 ET/2 PT for decades, before the CFP, before the BCS, and before even the organization and structuring of college football on a nationwide scale! It's a tradition to have it immediately following the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade, and that's not going to change)

The College Football Playoff National Championship Game will be played the first Monday that's at least a week after the semifinals. This could be as early as January 7, if the semifinals were on New Year's Eve on a Monday, or as late as January 14, if the semifinals were on New Year's Day on a Tuesday.

You'll notice above that besides the Rose and Sugar Bowl, the other four move around quite a lot based on what's a semifinal and what's not. It's understandable that the Rose Bowl, with all its tradition, especially because it's attached to a non-football event in the parade, would get locked into a specific timeslot. What about the Sugar Bowl though? And that's where the unfortunate coincidence lies, the one I mentioned in the opening paragraph.

You see, for years the SEC and Big 12 wanted to make their own tradition with the Sugar Bowl, similar to the Pac-12 and Big 10's with the Rose Bowl, with a locked-in timeslot and everything. They went ahead and signed the contract with the Sugar Bowl Committee, but they had to wait until the BCS contract expired for theirs to kick in. The unfortunate coincidence is that the CFP committee also signed contracts with the New Year's Six Bowls and also had to wait until the BCS era ended for the contracts that awarded the rotating semifinals to kick in. Unfortunately, even before the CFP signed these contracts, and likely before they had even decided how the New Year's Six system with the rotating semifinals would work, the Big 12 and SEC had already finalized their contract with the Sugar Bowl Committee to lock in that game at 8:30 ET New Year's Day. The CFP then had to work its scheduling around the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl BOTH being locked in to specific timeslots, which led to our current situation of New Year's Eve semifinals two out of every three years.

The unfortunate coincidence was that both the SEC/Big 12 coalition and the College Football Playoff committee were waiting for the BCS era to end for their different objectives, but that the objectives collided when the time finally came.

Ranking Week 10, Week 11 NFL games

Week 10 by level of excitement
14. Browns at Steelers
13. Saints at Redskins
12. Chiefs at Broncos
11. Bears at Rams
10. Vikings at Raiders
9. Panthers at Titans
8. Cardinals at Seahawks
7. Dolphins at Eagles
6. Bills at Jets
5. Texans at Bengals
4. Cowboys at Buccaneers
3. Patriots at Giants
2. Jaguars at Ravens
1. Lions at Packers

Week 11 by level of interest
14. Chiefs at Chargers (4:05)
13. Rams at Ravens (1:00)
12. Cowboys at Dolphins (1:00)
11. Raiders at Lions (1:00)
10. Buccaneers at Eagles (1:00)
9. Titans at Jaguars (Thursday)
8. Colts at Falcons (1:00)
7. Jets at Texans (1:00)
6. 49ers at Seahawks (4:25)
5. Broncos at Bears (1:00)
4. Packers at Vikings (4:25)
3. Bengals at Cardinals (8:30)
2. Redskins at Panthers (1:00)
Game of the Week: Bills at Patriots (Monday)

College Football Playoff Scenarios: Week 12

Here's how I see it:
With the best record in the Pac-12 now having two losses, things have become simple:
If the Big 10 is won by an Ohio State, Michigan State, or Iowa team who wins out, they're in.
If the ACC is won by a Clemson or UNC team who wins out, they're in.
If the Big 12 is won by an Oklahoma State or Oklahoma team who wins out, they're in.
If the SEC is won by an Alabama or Florida team who wins out, they're in.
The door is opened for Notre Dame if:
a) a team NOT listed above wins one of those four conferences (Michigan, LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor, TCU)
b) one of those four conferences' champions doesn't win out (example: Florida loses to Florida State but wins the SEC)
Let's call options a and b above "alternative results"

The door is suddenly left completely wide open, perhaps even for 2-loss teams and other chaos IF
EITHER
a) Notre Dame loses a game + a conf has alt result
OR
b) multiple conferences have alternative results

Ranking Week 9, Week 10 NFL games

Week 9 by level of excitement

13. Redskins at Patriots
12. Dolphins at Bills
11. Browns at Bengals
10. Jaguars at Jets
9. Giants at Buccaneers
8. Bears at Chargers
7. Falcons at 49ers
6. Broncos at Colts
5. Eagles at Cowboys
4. Titans at Saints
3. Rams at Vikings
2. Raiders at Steelers
1. Packers at Panthers

Week 10 by level of interest
14. Jaguars at Ravens (1:00)
13. Cowboys at Buccaneers (1:00)
12. Bears at Rams (1:00)
11. Saints at Redskins (1:00)
10. Lions at Packers (1:00)
9. Browns at Steelers (1:00)
8. Chiefs at Broncos (4:25)
7. Bills at Jets (Thursday)
6. Dolphins at Eagles (1:00)
5. Vikings at Raiders (4:05)
4. Cardinals at Seahawks (8:30)
3. Panthers at Titans (1:00)
2. Texans at Bengals (Monday)
Game of the Week: Patriots at Giants (4:25)

2016 Division I major conference finals schedule (men's basketball)

Saturday, March 12
ESPN
6:30 ET: Big 12 final
9 ET: ACC final
Fox Sports 1
5 ET: Ivy League playoff if nec. (only if regular season champion tied)
10 ET: Pac-12 final
Fox
5:30 ET: Big East final

Sunday, March 13
ESPN
1 ET: SEC final
CBS
3:30 ET: Big 10 final
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (delayed if nec. until conclusion of Big 10 final)

--

Old schedule (2014)
Saturday
6 ET: Big 12 final (ESPN)
8:30 ET: ACC final (ESPN), Big East final (Fox)
11 ET: Pac-12 final (ESPN)
Sunday
1 ET: SEC final (ESPN)
3:30 ET: Big 10 final (CBS)
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (CBS)

Old-old schedule (when the Big East used to be a major conference)
Saturday
6 ET: Big 12 final (ESPN)
8:30 ET: Big East final (ESPN)
11 ET: Pac-12 final (ESPN)
Sunday
noon ET: ACC final (ESPN)
2 ET: SEC final (ESPN, could be delayed until conclusion ACC)
4 ET: Big 10 final (CBS)
6 ET: Selection Sunday show (CBS)

Ranking Week 8, Week 9 NFL games

Week 8 by level of excitement

14. Lions/Chiefs
13. 49ers at Rams
12. Dolphins at Patriots
11. Jets at Raiders
10. Packers at Broncos
9. Titans at Texans
8. Chargers at Ravens
7. Cardinals at Browns
6. Seahawks at Cowboys
5. Giants at Saints
4. Buccaneers at Falcons
3. Vikings at Bears
2. Bengals at Steelers
1. Colts at Panthers

Week 9 by level of interest
13. Bears at Chargers (Monday)
12. Jaguars at Jets (1:00)
11. Titans at Saints (1:00)
10. Falcons at 49ers (4:05)
9. Giants at Buccaneers (4:05)
8. Eagles at Cowboys (8:30)
7. Dolphins at Bills (1:00)
6. Raiders at Steelers (1:00)
5. Rams at Vikings (1:00)
4. Redskins at Patriots (1:00)
3. Browns at Bengals (Thursday)
2. Broncos at Colts (4:25)
Game of the Week: Packers at Panthers (1:00)

Ranking Week 7, Week 8 NFL games

Week 7 by level of excitement
14. Texans at Dolphins
13. Seahawks at 49ers
12. Browns at Rams
11. Vikings at Lions
10. Steelers at Chiefs
9. Raiders at Chargers
8. Eagles at Panthers
7. Falcons at Titans
6. Saints at Colts
5. Bills/Jaguars
4. Buccaneers at Redskins
3. Cowboys at Giants
2. Jets at Patriots
1. Ravens at Cardinals

Week 8 by level of interest
14. Titans at Texans (1:00)
13. Chargers at Ravens (1:00)
12. Lions/Chiefs (9:30am)
11. 49ers at Rams (1:00)
10. Buccaneers at Falcons (1:00)
9. Cardinals at Browns (1:00)
8. Seahawks at Cowboys (4:25)
7. Vikings at Bears (1:00)
6. Giants at Saints (1:00)
5. Jets at Raiders (4:05)
4. Colts at Panthers (Monday)
3. Dolphins at Patriots (Thursday)
2. Bengals at Steelers (1:00)
Game of the Year: Packers at Broncos (8:30)

NEWMAC field hockey playoff scenarios

Wellesley has played all eight of its conference games, but the other eight each have one game left this Saturday:

Wheaton at Mount Holyoke, noon
Babson at MIT, 1
Springfield at WPI, 1
Smith at Clark, 1

Recall, top six make the conference tournament (and these teams are already locked in), a top four seeding guarantees that if you must play in the first round, it's at home, a top two seeding grants a first round bye, and the top seed hosts the semifinals and final of the conference tournament.

Wheaton, WPI, and Clark have been eliminated, and the other six teams have clinched a spot in the tournament. Beyond that,

WELLESLEY
has clinched: a first round bye
can clinch: hosting the tournament
Wellesley can clinch hosting the tournament with: Babson loss

BABSON
has clinched: a top four seeding
can clinch:
a) a first round bye
b) hosting the tournament
Babson can clinch a first round bye and hosting the tournament with: a win

MIT
has clinched: a top four seeding
can clinch: a first round bye
MIT can clinch a first round bye with: a win

SMITH
has clinched: a spot in the tournament
can clinch: a top four seeding
Smith can clinch a top four seeding with:
1) a win
2) Mount Holyoke loss + MIT win*
3) Mount Holyoke loss + Springfield loss*

MOUNT HOLYOKE
has clinched: a spot in the tournament
can clinch: a top four seeding
Mount Holyoke can clinch a top four seeding with:
1) Mount Holyoke win + Smith loss
2) Smith loss + Springfield win + Babson win*

SPRINGFIELD
has clinched: a spot in the tournament
can clinch: nothing more






*The only way Mount Holyoke can beat Smith in a tiebreaker is if they end up in a three-way tiebreaker with Springfield. This is why if Mount Holyoke loses, not only do they need Smith to lose (to tie with them), but they also need Springfield to win to enter this three-way tiebreak. Now, since the three teams are 1-1 against each other, it goes to the next step, which is to compare the three teams to the first seed. If the first seed is Babson, Mount Holyoke wins since they beat Babson. This is why Mount Holyoke also needs Babson to win, to become the first seed. Even if they are in the three-way tiebreak, they'd lose to Smith if Wellesley is the first seed. Since none of the three beat Wellesley, the tiebreak would consider second-seed MIT, which only Smith beat out of Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Springfield.

Analysis of ESPN college football commentator positioning, Week 8

First, let me discuss how I know (or think I know) that these six commentator groups are the ones that ESPN considers its top six in the top tier, in this order:
1. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Heather Cox (they did the National Championship Game)
2. Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, and Holly Rowe (they did the other national semifinal that Chris/Kirk/Heather didn't do)
3. Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, and Todd McShay (they do Saturday Night Football whenever it's not Chris/Kirk/Heather)
4. Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, and Tom Luginbill (they did College GameDay's Game of the Week Cal at Utah)
5 and 6 I'm less certain on, but it's just based on the quality of matchups that I've noticed these commentator groups doing, and how m any appearances their sideline reporters frequently make on College GameDay for coach interviews

5. Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, and Shannon Spake
6. Adam Amin, Kelly Stouffer, and Olivia Harlan

This week's assignments:
1. Ohio State at Rutgers. Surprising such a garbage game. However, a weak slate this week with nowhere else to put them. Perhaps Clemson at Miami, but it's a noon kick which doesn't give Herbie and the Bear time to travel.
2. Texas A&M at Ole Miss. Always the SEC primetime game. No surprise.
3. Clemson at Miami. No surprise. Definitely the second-best ESPN game this week.
4. Washington at Stanford. I am surprised. I think this will be a blowout whereas Florida State actually has a pretty good chance to lose at Georgia Tech. I thought they would go there.
5. Iowa State at Baylor. I'm surprised at this as well, but it does make sense that they would want to take advantage of having Baylor after its being on Fox for a while.
6. Texas Tech at Oklahoma. It makes sense to send them here since so far no top team has been sent to one of the ABC/ESPN2 3:30 reverse mirror games. This is the Baker Mayfield Bowl. His dad called Kliff Kingsbury a scoundrel.

How Memphis can make the College Football Playoff

Memphis would require several things to go its way beyond just going undefeated, but it's definitely not out of the question for it to make the Playoff.

Most importantly, there need to be a maximum of three other undefeated teams. Let's not kid ourselves. An undefeated Memphis isn't going to beat out an undefeated team that won a Power Five conference. Memphis needs to be competing against one-loss teams for that fourth spot to have any chance. Right now, it looks like the most likely shot at this happening is if Utah and LSU are to lose, since their conferences have no other undefeated teams. However, it could really be any two of the Power Five that finish with no undefeateds.

Next, there are two rather very specific scenarios outside of Memphis's own games that I think need to happen:
Miami needs to beat Clemson
Temple needs to beat Notre Dame

The reason these need to happen is that then Memphis could claim the following:
They beat a team who beat team who beat Clemson (Memphis, Cincinnati, Miami, Clemson)
They beat a team who beat Alabama (Memphis, Ole Miss, Alabama)
They beat a team who beat Notre Dame (Memphis, Temple, Notre Dame)

They would also have three wins in October and November over ranked teams (vs. Ole Miss, at Temple, at Houston).

If all of these happen, and only three of the Power Five champions are undefeated, I don't see a way an undefeated Memphis gets left out of the College Football Playoff.

Ranking Week 6, Week 7 NFL games

Week 6 by level of excitement
14. Dolphins at Titans
13. Falcons at Saints
12. Giants at Eagles
11. Texans at Jaguars
10. Chiefs at Vikings
9. Bengals at Bills
8. Redskins at Jets
7. Patriots at Colts
6. Cardinals at Steelers
5. Ravens at 49ers
4. Panthers at Seahawks
3. Chargers at Packers
2. Broncos at Browns
1. Bears at Lions

Week 7 by level of interest
14. Vikings at Lions (1:00)
13. Saints at Colts (1:00)
12. Texans at Dolphins (1:00)
11. Buccaneers at Redskins (1:00)
10. Bills/Jaguars (9:30am)
9. Ravens at Cardinals (Monday)
8. Falcons at Titans (1:00)
7. Steelers at Chiefs (1:00)
6. Raiders at Chargers (4:05)
5. Browns at Rams (1:00)
4. Cowboys at Giants (4:25)
3. Seahawks at 49ers (Thursday)
2. Eagles at Panthers (8:30)
Game of the Week: Jets at Patriots (1:00)

Simultaneous games on the final day

This year for the first time, Major League Baseball scheduled all 15 games on the last day of the regular season at 3 ET (In reality, it was either 3:05 or 3:10 first pitch based on the preference of the home team.). This was largely due to the last day of the 2014 season, when the Pirates lost a 1 ET start, clinching the division for the Cardinals, who were scheduled at 4 ET at Arizona. This allowed the Cardinals to scratch Wainwright and save him for Game 1 of the Division Series against the Dodgers, clearly a competitive advantage.

In the English Premier League, all 10 matches on the final day of the season (there are no playoffs) all begin at 3pm for the same reason. In soccer it's even more important since this is Championship Sunday, not just to make the playoffs.

The NFL doesn't play all 16 games at the same time on Week 17, but it is the only week when all 16 happen on the same day. In addition, game times can move up until 6 days before kickoff, such that games that impact each other do happen simultaneously. 2014 had the most chaos involving Week 17 scheduling. There were three divisional championship games, for the AFC North, NFC North, and NFC South. I wasn't sure whether the NFC South or NFC North's game would be chosen for Sunday Night Football. The NFC South's because it was a true elimination game, or the NFC North's because it was the most competitive of the three. I thought the NFL may not want to choose this game because the loser would not be eliminated: it would be a wild card. I was right, but who knows for what reason. I hadn't at all considered the AFC North Championship Game for the Sunday Night Football because with Cincinnati in it, it didn't contain the appeal of DET-GB, but it also wasn't an elimination game since PIT had scored a playoff spot. Somehow, that was the game selected. My thought is that with the 6-day rule, the Week 17 Sunday Night Football game had to be selected before Week 16 Monday Night Football, and had the Bengals lost that one to the Broncos, then Week 17 would have been an elimination game for them, if not for Pittsburgh. So, I believe the NFL decided to pick a competitive matchup where at least one team ha a chance of being eliminated. We may never know whether this matchup would have been chosen had the Bengals not been in danger of elimination. To date, this has been the only year with multiple divisional championship games, and so the sample size is far too small to know how the NFL selects Sunday Night Football Week 17 in the case of multiple divisional championship games.

Originally, CAR-ATL was scheduled for 1:00, and I think it would have stayed this way had the Bengals lost to the Broncos, because then the #1 seed would have been still up for grabs heading into Week 17, and NE-BUF would have moved for 4:25 to be simultaneous with DEN-OAK. When this didn't happen, the NFL wanted to give CBS a 4:25 game with playoff implications, and so CAR-ATL was crossflexed and timeflexed from Fox 1:00 to CBS 4:25. My friend said he disagreed with the decision; he wanted three divisional championship games in the three different timeslots of the day, and he said SD-KC should have been flexed. The problem is, as a result of such a move, KC may be eliminated before kickoff if either BAL or HOU wins at 1:00, changing how they play against SD, which would irritate BAL and HOU who actually need SD to lose, and are counting on KC playing them hard, still being in the playoff hunt. Thus, had CAR-ATL not had playoff significance, all three of SD-KC, BAL-CLE, and JAX-HOU would have been moved.

Ranking Week 5, Week 6 NFL games

Week 5 by level of excitement
14. Cardinals at Lions
13. Saints at Eagles
12. Patriots at Cowboys
11. Rams at Packers
10. Jaguars at Buccaneers
9. Bills at Titans
8. Colts at Texans
7. Broncos at Raiders
6. 49ers at Giants
5. Redskins at Falcons
4. Bears at Chiefs
3. Browns at Ravens
2. Seahawks at Bengals
1. Steelers at Chargers

Week 6 by level of interest
14. Texans at Jaguars (1:00)
13. Dolphins at Titans (1:00)
12. Ravens at 49ers (4:25)
11. Chiefs at Vikings (1:00)
10. Falcons at Saints (Thursday)
9. Chargers at Packers (4:25)
8. Bears at Lions (1:00)
7. Broncos at Browns (1:00)
6. Redskins at Jets (1:00)
5. Patriots at Colts (8:30)
4. Giants at Eagles (Monday)
3. Cardinals at Steelers (1:00)
2. Panthers at Seahawks (4:05)
1. Bengals at Bills (1:00)

Remaining SEC undefeateds' games today

#7 LSU (vs. South Carolina, 2:30 CT, ESPN, ESPN3)
#11 Florida (at Missouri, 6:30 CT, SEC Network, ESPN3)

Ranking Week 4, Week 5 NFL games

Week 4 by level of excitement

15. Texans at Falcons

14. Panthers at Buccaneers

13. Chiefs at Bengals

12. Packers at 49ers

11. Jets/Dolphins

10. Giants at Bills

9. Rams at Cardinals

8. Vikings at Broncos

7. Lions at Seahawks

6. Eagles at Redskins

5. Raiders at Bears

4. Browns at Chargers

3. Cowboys at Saints

2. Jaguars at Colts

1. Ravens at Steelers

Week 5 by level of interest

14. Jaguars at Buccaneers (1:00)

13. Colts at Texans (Thursday)

12. 49ers at Giants (8:30)

11. Bills at Titans (1:00)

10. Redskins at Falcons (1:00)

9. Steelers at Chargers (Monday)

8. Broncos at Raiders (4:25)

7. Cardinals at Lions (4:05)

6. Patriots at Cowboys (4:25)

5. Browns at Ravens (1:00)
4. Bears at Chiefs (1:00)
3. Rams at Packers (1:00)
2. Saints at Eagles (1:00)
Game of the Week: Seahawks at Bengals (1:00)

POSTSEASON SCENARIOS!!!!!

POSTSEASON SCENARIOS:

AL:
HOU win + NYY win + LAA beats TEX: LAA eliminated. HOU@TEX Monday for division. LOSER at NYY Tuesday in Wild Card Game.

HOU win + NYY loss + LAA beats TEX: LAA eliminated. HOU@TEX Monday for division. Loser HOSTS Yankees Tuesday in Wild Card Game.

HOU win + NYY win + TEX beats LAA: LAA eliminated. TEX wins division. HOU@NYY Tuesday in Wild Card Game.

HOU win + NYY loss + TEX beats LAA: LAA eliminated. TEX wins division. NYY@HOU Tuesday in Wild Card Game.

HOU loss + LAA beats TEX: TEX wins division. LAA@HOU Monday for second wild card. Winner at NYY Tuesday in Wild Card Game.

HOU loss + TEX beats LAA: TEX wins division. HOU gets second wild card, travels to NYY Tuesday. LAA eliminated.

For homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, the Blue Jays get it if they win and the Royals lose. Otherwise, the Royals get it.

NL:
For homefield in the Wild Card Game, the Cubs get it if they win and the Pirates lose. Otherwise, the Pirates get it.

What if there's a four-way tie in baseball after Sunday?

All times Eastern.

While it's no longer possible for the Angels and Rangers to tie for the AL West crown because the Angels are an odd number back heading into an four-game set in Arlington, it's possible for one of those teams to end up in a four-way tie with the Yankees, Astros, and Twins!

Now, the only record at which this could happen is 86-76 since the Yankees are currently 86-72 and the Twins are 82-76. Note that as a result, it's impossible for the four-way tie to include any part of the AL West crown: if the Angels end up 86-76, the Rangers would be 87-75, and win the division. If the Rangers end up 86-76, the Angels would have swept, and be 87-75, with the division title.

In either case, whether it's HOU, NYY, TEX, and MIN, or HOU, NYY, LAA, and MIN,  the four teams would be tied for two spots: both wild card spots. Thus, there's no March Madness (October Oddness?) tiebreaker involving a bracket; there would simply be two games Monday, and the winners of those two would play in the Wild Card Game Tuesday as scheduled.

Who would play each other is determined by teams' choosing four designations, and then the two Monday games would be B@A and D@C. The teams choose their 'ABCD' designations in order based on their winning percentages against each other.

If HOU, NYY, TEX, MIN all 86-76,
HOU record against NYY, TEX, MIN: 13-19 (.406)
NYY record against HOU, TEX, MIN: 10-10 (.500)
TEX record against HOU, NYY, MIN: 21-11 (.656)
MIN record against HOU, NYY, TEX: 7-11 (.389)

which means the Rangers would choose designation A, B, C, or D, first, followed by the Yankees' choosing amongst the remaining three letters, followed by the Astros, and finally the Twins would be left with whichever designation is left. This would make the Rangers and Yankees the home teams, and the Astros and Twins the road teams.

If HOU, NYY, LAA, MIN all 86-76,
HOU record against NYY, LAA, MIN: 17-15 (.531)
NYY record against HOU, LAA, MIN: 12-7 (.632)
LAA record against HOU, NYY, MIN: 16-16 (.500)
MIN record against HOU, NYY, LAA: 8-13 (.381)

which means the Yankees would choose first, followed by the Astros, Angels, and Twins. Home teams: Yankees and Astros, road teams: Angels and Twins

Which team would host the Wild Card Game is the team that won the season series against the other wild card club. If the wild card teams are the Rangers and Twins or Astros and Twins, both of whom split their season series 3-3, then the home team would be the one that won more games in the last 81 games of the season.

What you've read so far is the most important part. Now you've understood how the tiebreaker will work. The rest of this is mostly my own speculation, and is certainly less apropos.

Since one game site is in the Central Time Zone (either Houston or Arlington), I can see the games being scheduled for 5:38 and 9:08, but most likely the games will be at 5:08 and 8:38 since the winners will have to play the next day at 8:08.

All tiebreaker games will be telecast exclusively by ESPN, and therefore Monday Night Football (DET@SEA) would be moved to ESPN2.

Sources: http://m.mlb.com/news/article/59527184/playoff-tiebreaker-rules
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/151417362/mlb-announces-start-times-for-wild-card-games

4 days left in baseball season

With 4 days left in the season,
NL already clinched:
Mets: Eastern div
Dodgers: Western div
Cardinals: Central div + 1st seed
Pirates/Cubs: Wild cards

Races:
Mets/Dodgers series homefield
Mets
Dodgers -1
(Mets hold tiebreaker: 4-3 season series)

NL Wild Card Game homefield
Pirates
Cubs -2.5
(Cubs hold tiebreaker: 11-8 season series)

AL already clinched:
Blue Jays: Eastern div
Royals: Central div

Races:
Homefield advantage throughout the playoffs
Blue Jays
Royals -1
(Blue Jays hold tiebreaker: 4-3 season series)

AL West:
Rangers
Astros -2.5
Angels -3

AL Wild Card:
Yankees +2.5
Astros
Angels -.5
Twins -1.5

Ranking Week 3, Week 4 NFL games

Week 3 games by level of excitement
16. Bears at Seahawks

15. Bills at Dolphins

14. 49ers at Cardinals

13. Jaguars at Patriots

12. Chargers at Vikings

11. Redskins at Giants

10. Buccaneers at Texans

9. Eagles at Jets

8. Chiefs at Packers

7. Steelers at Rams

6. Falcons at Cowboys

5. Broncos at Lions

4. Bengals at Ravens

3. Raiders at Browns

2. Saints at Panthers

1. Colts at Titans

Week 4 games by level of interest

15. Packers at 49ers (4:25)

14. Rams at Cardinals (4:25)

13. Chiefs at Bengals (1:00)

12. Raiders at Bears (1:00)

11. Panthers at Buccaneers (1:00)

10. Texans at Falcons (1:00)

9. Cowboys at Saints (8:30)

8. Lions at Seahawks (Monday)

7. Browns at Chargers (4:05)

6. Jaguars at Colts (1:00)

5. Eagles at Redskins (1:00)

4. Ravens at Steelers (Thursday)

3. Jets/Dolphins (9:30am)

2. Giants at Bills (1:00)

1. Vikings at Broncos (4:25)

Why isn't today the last day of baseball season?

I've heard some folks wondering why today isn't the last day of baseball season -- next week seems a bit too late, especially considering that World Series Game 7 is scheduled for Wednesday, November 4! We've only had November baseball twice ever - in 2001 and when Fox experimented one year with days off between games at the same location - so why are they now part of the regular schedule? On top of all that, with the regular season ending Sunday, September 28, last year, why not Sunday, September 27, this year?

The simple answer - as with all things, including awards shows and holidays, not just sports - is that last year was the earliest possible season schedule, and this year is the latest possible. For example, there have been years when the Oscars fall on Sunday, February 22, and then fall on Sunday, February 28, the next. When Thanksgiving falls on November 22, the most common result the following year is that the holiday falls on November 28, not November 21. Therefore, moving six days from one year to the next isn't necessarily a change in the scheduling format; it's most likely the earliest-ever/latest-ever in consecutive years.

Under this new schedule, which began last year with the World Series starting on a Tuesday and ending the following Wednesday (old schedule: Wednesday, Thursday respectively), let's take a look at key dates and their earliest and latest possibilities.

Opening Night/Opening Day (Sunday/Monday): Earliest March 30-31/Latest April 5-6

Last day of regular season (Sunday): Earliest September 28/Latest October 4

First day of postseason (Tuesday): Earliest September 30/Latest October 6

World Series Game 1 (Tuesday): Earliest October 21/Latest October 27

World Series Game 7 (Wednesday): Earliest October 29/Latest November 4

There appears to be no pattern here: why not start the season on March 29? Or April 6? (if those dates were on a Sunday of course)

The pattern appears in a date not listed above, and perhaps not thought about much. World Series Game 4!

World Series Game 4 (Saturday): Earliest October 25/Latest October 31

World Series Game 4 always lands on the last Saturday night in October! This guarantees that in any season, it's always possible for the season to end in October.

As far as the question as to why November baseball is now possible when it wasn't before: the season is 4 days longer due to three days at the beginning of the postseason (one bye day for tiebreakers and the two wild card games) and one extra day (Thursday) that has been added to the All-Star Break since the last CBA. This accounts for the four days that extend the season (in the worst case) to November 4.

How the NBA Finals schedule change will impact the Stanley Cup Finals

Thursday, the NBA announced a change to its Finals schedule. From now on, any travel period will contain two days between games, leaving the traditional Thursday-Sunday-Tuesday rotation. That rotation was in place to have three games a week while completely avoiding Friday and Saturday, the two lowest-rated nights of the week. Thus, the two-day breaks happened on weekends, and the one-day breaks happened on weekdays, regardless of travel. Sometimes, there was no travel on a two-day break, and other times teams had to travel on a one-day break.

ESPN

The only two-day break outside of a travel day is between Games 1 and 2, presumably to guarantee a game on a Sunday, the highest-rated night of the week. I assume the days of the week will stay the same in future seasons.

So how will this impact the schedule of the Stanley Cup Finals? As a reminder, in prior years, the Stanley Cup Finals started on a Wednesday, always the day before the NBA Finals, and the rotation was Wednesday-(Fri/Sat)-Monday-Wednesday-(Fri/Sat)-Monday-Wednesday.

On the Fri/Sat splits, it was Friday whenever the Belmont Stakes were not on that Saturday, and if the Belmont Stakes were on that Saturday, the game immediately followed the Belmont Stakes on NBC.

Here is how I believe the rotation will be in future years:

Game 1: Wednesday
Game 2: Fri/Sat (based on Belmont Stakes)

Game 3: Mon/Tue. Since neither of these days any longer has an NBA game, I think the NHL will place Game 3 three days after Game 2, to give an extra day for travel, just like the NBA.

Game 4: Thursday
Game 5: Sat/Sun (based on Belmont Stakes)
Game 6: Tuesday
Game 7: Friday

2016:
Game 1: Wednesday, June 1, 8:22 ET
Game 2: Friday, June 3, 8:22 ET
Game 3: Monday, June 6, 8:22 ET
Game 4: Thursday, June 9, 8:22 ET
Game 5: Saturday, June 11, 7:15 ET (after Belmont Stakes)
Game 6: Tuesday, June 14, 8:22 ET
Game 7: Friday, June 17, 8:22 ET

Remaining SEC undefeateds' games today

#7 Georgia (vs. Southern, noon ET, SEC Network, ESPN3)
#8 LSU (at Syracuse, noon ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Florida (vs. Tennessee, 3:30 ET, CBS)
#14 Texas A&M (Arkansas at AT&T Stadium, 6 CT, ESPN, ESPN3)
#3 Ole Miss (vs. Vanderbilt, 6 CT, ESPN U, ESPN3)
#25 Missouri (at Kentucky, 7:30 ET, SEC Network, ESPN3)

Baseball vs. college football decisions for Fox affiliates in Texas tomorrow

Saturday, Fox is scheduled to air three consecutive sporting events:

1:05 ET: MLB: Fox Saturday Baseball (regional action map below)

4:45 ET: Big 12: TCU at Texas Tech

8:30 ET: Pac-12: Utah at Oregon

the506.com

Both the 1:05 game (Rangers at Astros) and the 4:45 game (TCU at Texas Tech) are all-Texas affairs. How will Texas's Fox affiliates handle the situation if kickoff time arrives, and the baseball game isn't finished yet?

My prediction: Much to the disappointment of TCU and Texas Tech fans across the state, I predict that almost all Fox affiliates in Texas (except perhaps the Lubbock affiliate) will stay on the baseball game through to its conclusion, and perhaps kick TCU at Texas Tech on Fox Sports 2. Fox Sports 1 is not an option as it will be airing Maryland at West Virginia.

The Redskins were not blown out tonight

Had the pure luck tipped pass not ended up in Randle's hands for the touchdown, the Giants would have kicked a field goal on 4th down, and the Redskins would have begun their final drive down 21-28, and would have played differently, instead of starting it down 21-32.

What would happen if the Rangers, Astros, Twins, and Angels all end up tied?

All times Eastern.

(Note: The assumption is that the Yankees/Blue Jays AL East division loser is the first wild card, and that these teams are competing for the second wild card.)

First, the three teams from the AL West would be assigned team designations of A, B, and C. The teams would get to choose which designation they wanted in the order based on their record against the other two teams. What the designations mean will be explained below when the actual tiebreaker games are described.

Current records against each other:
Rangers 17-14
Astros 14-21
Angels 19-15

The Rangers still have 3 games against the Astros this weekend and 4 games against the Angels next weekend to close out the season.

If two of these teams finish tied based on these records against the other two teams, then their season series will decide who picks their ABC designation first. The season series cannot be tied because teams in the same division play 19 games against each other.

The team with the best record against the other two teams isn't necessarily guaranteed designation A. The team is allowed to choose designation B or C instead. Then, the team with the second-best record picks between the two remaining designations, and the last team is assigned whichever of A, B, and C is left over.

On Monday, October 5, there would be two games: B@A and Twins@C. The scheduling is just speculation, but I think if the Angels hosted a game, the two games would be 6:38/10:08, and otherwise with both games in the Central Time Zone they would be 5:38/9:08.

If the Twins won, they would be declared the Wild Card team, and the winner of B@A would be the AL West division winner. The AL Wild Card Game would then still be played as scheduled on Tuesday, October 6, at 8:08. (The NL Wild Card Game also as scheduled: Wed 8:08)

If team C wins on Monday, then they will play at the winner of B@A on Tuesday, October 6, at 8:08, with the winner's winning the division, and the loser's receiving the wild card spot. The loser of this Tuesday game then plays its third consecutive one-game playoff on Wednesday in the AL Wild Card Game. The two wild card games would both be played on Wednesday, three-and-a-half hours apart, ranging anywhere from 5:08/8:38 to 6:38/10:08 based on time zones.

In any of the above scenarios, all tiebreaker games will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN, and Monday Night Football (DET@SEA) would be moved to ESPN2.

My source material for this article is http://m.mlb.com/news/article/59527184/playoff-tiebreaker-rules
This is a great source if you'd like to know about the other tiebreaking scenarios. What would happen if just the AL West teams were tied? What if just the Astros, Angels, and Twins? I only chose to explain the most complex one.

Ranking Week 2, Week 3 NFL games

Week 2 by level of excitement:
16. 49ers at Steelers

15. Cardinals at Bears

14. Lions at Vikings

13. Jets at Colts

12. Rams at Redskins

11. Cowboys at Eagles

10. Titans at Browns

9. Seahawks at Packers

8. Buccaneers at Saints

7. Chargers at Bengals

6. Patriots at Bills

5. Falcons at Giants

4. Dolphins at Jaguars

3. Ravens at Raiders

2. Texans at Panthers

1. Broncos at Chiefs

Week 3 by level of interest:

16. Redskins at Giants (Thursday)

15. Jaguars at Patriots (1:00)

14. Broncos at Lions (8:30)

13. Steelers at Rams (1:00)

12. Buccaneers at Texans (1:00)

11. Saints at Panthers (1:00)

10. Chargers at Vikings (1:00)

9. Raiders at Browns (1:00)

8. Bills at Dolphins (4:25)

7. 49ers at Cardinals (4:05)

6, 5, 4, 3 is the section where unexpected 0-2 teams might fall to 0-3!

6. Colts at Titans (1:00)

5. Eagles at Jets (1:00)

4. Bengals at Ravens (1:00)

3. Bears at Seahawks (4:25)

2. Chiefs at Packers (Monday)

Game of the Week: Falcons at Cowboys (1:00, only 2-0 vs. 2-0 game of the week)

SEC games of the week, Week 3

3. South Carolina at Georgia (6 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Last year had a very controversial finish with the 4th and inches conversion that wasn't, but it only happened after that missed field goal that many forget.

Last year's game length: 5 hours and 11 minutes

2. Auburn at LSU (2:30 CT, CBS)
With three such huge games this week, CBS chose this one, perhaps because they had both of today's other two big games last year.

1. Ole Miss at Alabama (8:15 CT, ESPN, ESPN3)
Last year Katy Perry stole Lee Corso's elephant-head right off his head, but this year she wasn't there to do it, given that the game (and GameDay) is in Tuscaloosa. However, ESPN's Football Power Index, which is based off analytics and not votes, ranks Ole Miss as the #1 team in the country (Alabama - 7). Ole Miss has a 55% chance to win the game, which makes tonight Alabama's first ESPN-projected home loss since November 2007.

Last year's game length: 3 hours and 48 minutes

Ranking Week 1 and Week 2 NFL games

Week 1 games by level of excitement:
16. Titans at Buccaneers
15. Bengals at Raiders
14. Panthers at Jaguars
13. Browns at Jets
12. Saints at Cardinals
11. Colts at Bills
10. Chiefs at Texans
9. Steelers at Patriots
8. Vikings at 49ers
7. Dolphins at Redskins
6. Lions at Chargers
5. Packers at Bears
4. Eagles at Falcons
3. Ravens at Broncos
2. Giants at Cowboys
1. Seahawks at Rams

Week 2 games by level of interest:
16. Buccaneers at Saints (1:00)
15. Lions at Vikings (1:00)
14. Ravens at Raiders (4:05)
13. Titans at Browns (1:00)
12. Dolphins at Jaguars (4:05)
11. Rams at Redskins (1:00)
10. Texans at Panthers (1:00)
9. Cardinals at Bears (1:00)
8. Falcons at Giants (1:00)
7. Jets at Colts (Monday)
6. 49ers at Steelers (1:00)
5. Seahawks at Packers (8:30)
4. Chargers at Bengals (1:00)
3. Cowboys at Eagles (4:25)
2. Broncos at Chiefs (Thursday)
Game of the Week: Patriots at Bills (1:00)

Predicting order of highlights on Football Night in America, Week 1

7:20ish
Panthers at Jaguars
Browns at Jets
Chiefs at Texans

Right before 7:30
Seahawks at Rams
Colts at Bills

-Bob Costas interview #1-

7:40ish
Dolphins at Redskins
Packers at Bears

7:50ish, after Bob Costas talks about profootballtalk.com
Saints at Cardinals
Lions at Chargers

7:58ish, Hyundai Drive to Kickoff
Bengals at Raiders
Titans at Buccaneers

-Bob Costas interview #2-

8:05
Ravens at Broncos

U.S. Open Day 14 TV Schedule

Men's Singles Final: (1)Djokovic/(2)Federer (3:30 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)

Longest final ever: 4 hours and 54 minutes (1988, 2012)

SEC games of the week, Week 2

SEC conference games start this week. For the first time ever, CBS will be involved in Week 2 games because they are no longer airing the U.S. Open. Maybe that's why they got the short end of the stick because they have the worst SEC conference game of the week.

3. Georgia at Vanderbilt (2:30 CT, CBS)
This is such a bad game. It's only on this list because there are only 3 conference games this week. Vanderbilt lost to an FCS team last week.

2. Kentucky at South Carolina (7:30 ET, SEC Network, ESPN3)
Kentucky hasn't won in its last 21 SEC games, but it'll win today!

1. LSU at Mississippi State (8:15 CT, ESPN, ESPN3)
LSU is where Mississippi State's run to #1 started last year. LSU shouldn't overlook them because they're already thinking about hosting Auburn next week (2:30 CT, CBS). The cowbells will be out in full force.

U.S. Open Day 13 TV Schedule

Women's Singles Final: Vinci/(26)Pennetta (3 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)

Differences in Australian Open/U.S. Open Day/Night scheduling in Week 2

The Australian Open and U.S. Open are the only two majors with night matches, and this allows them to hold all eight singles quarterfinals on the same court, unlike the French Open and Wimbledon, which use two courts in the quarterfinal round. For the Australian Open, this is Rod Laver Arena, and for the U.S. Open, this is Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Despite the two tournaments both having night sessions and both holding the last 14 singles matches of the tournament on one court, the schedules are very different. Here is a look:

	Australian Open	U.S. Open
Day 9: Tuesday	11am: women's qtr women's qtr men's qtr 7pm: men's qtr	noon: women's qtr men's qtr 7pm: women's qtr men's qtr
Day 10: Wednesday	11am: women's qtr women's qtr men's qtr 7:30pm: men's qtr	11am: women's qtr women's qtr men's qtr 8pm: men's qtr
Day 11: Thursday	1:30pm: women's semis 7:30pm: men's semi	7pm: women's semis
Day 12: Friday	7:30pm: men's semi	3pm*: men's semis
Day 13: Saturday	7:30pm: women's final	3pm: women's final
Day 14: Sunday	7:30pm: men's final	4pm: men's final

*first men's semi: day

second men's semi: night

Of the last 14 singles matches of the tournament, both the Australian Open and U.S. Open have 6 night matches. While the U.S. Open's 6 night matches are 3 women's and 3 men's, the Australian Open on the other hand shows a strong preference for men's night matches with 5 of the last 6 night matches of the tournament being men's.

Australian Open 6 night matches:

two men's qtrs

both men's semis

women's final

men's final

U.S. Open 6 night matches:

two men's qtrs

one women's qtr

both women's semis

one men's semi

Semifinals Day at the U.S. Open!

U.S. Open Day 12 (11 AM ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Semifinal: (26)Pennetta/(2)Halep
Women's Singles Semifinal: (1)S. Williams/Vinci
Men's Singles Semifinal: (1)Djokovic/(9)Cilic (not before: 5 ET)
Primetime at the U.S. Open: (5)Wawrinka/(2)Federer

U.S. Open Day 11 TV Schedule

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (7 ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Semifinal: (1)S. Williams/Vinci

Women's Singles Semifinal: (26)Pennetta/(2)Halep

U.S. Open Day 10 TV Schedule

Arthur Ashe Stadium (11 AM ET, ESPN, ESPN3)
Women's Singles Quarterfinal: (5)Kvitova/(26)Pennetta
Women's Singles Quarterfinal: (20)Azarenka/(2)Halep

Men's Singles Quarterfinal: (5)Wawrinka/(15)Anderson

Primetime at the U.S. Open, presented by IBM (8 ET, ESPN2, ESPN3)
Men's Singles Quarterfinal: (12)Gasquet/(2)Federer