Weeks Ahead

What to watch and watch for

MONDAY 12/31
Trail Blazers at Jazz
Portland will be sorry to see December end. The Blazers have won 10 of 11 this month, and in five of those wins they were without injured high-scoring forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Guard Brandon Roy (right) has picked up the slack, averaging 23.6 points in Portland's 10-game winning streak, which included two wins over Utah.
Check listings

TUESDAY 1/1
Sugar Bowl: Georgia vs. Hawaii
Rainbow Warriors QB Colt Brennan (left) graduated last week with a degree in communications. At the ceremony the leader of the only undefeated Division I team sported a mortarboard that read 12--0. Hawaii's final exam will be the 10--2 Bulldogs, who topped the SEC with 34 sacks this season.
Fox 8:30 p.m.

THURSDAY 1/3
Mercedes-Benz Championship
The man to beat at the PGA season opener isn't Tiger Woods; the new papa is skipping the event to spend time with the family. Rather, it's Vijay Singh, who won in Maui last year, a victory that gave Singh, 43, the PGA record for most wins after turning 40 (18).
Through Sunday, Golf Channel 6 p.m.

SATURDAY 1/5
No. 1 Tennessee at No. 17 Notre Dame
Behind do-it-all junior Candace Parker, who leads the team in scoring (22.1 points) and rebounding (8.9), the Lady Vols are 10--1. They've never lost to Notre Dame in 18 meetings, but these Irish are especially feisty. No player averages more than 13.6 points, but 10--1 Notre Dame has outscored its opponents by an average of 26.1 points.
CBS 2 p.m.

NFL Wild-Card Playoffs
The Patriots, Colts, Cowboys and Packers get an extra week off before the do-or-die part of their season begins, but that doesn't guarantee them ultimate success. The last two Super Bowl champs played on wild-card weekend. Among those in action: Jeff Garcia (left) and the Bucs, who bounced back from a 4--12 year to win the NFC South.
Check listings

SI PICK OF THE WEEK

TUESDAY 1/1
NHL Winter Classic
The last time the NHL went outside to play (above), the Oilers hosted the Canadiens in November 2003 as 57,167 fans bundled up to watch despite subzero temperatures that turned their beers to golden slush. The NHL will return to the Great Outdoors—and ring in 2008—at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo for the first outdoor NHL game in the U.S. And who better to headline the event than league golden boy Sidney Crosby, who leads Pittsburgh with 47 points? Crosby's Pens will take on the Sabres before a crowd expected to approach 75,000.
NBC 1 p.m.

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DAVID E. KLUTHO (HOCKEY)

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FERNANDO MEDINA/US PRESSWIRE (GARCIA)

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DEBORAH BOOKER/THE HONOLULU ADVERTISER (BRENNAN)

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DON RYAN/AP (ROY)