What a sports weekend we’re going to see! The MLB pennant races are heading toward the finish lines, and the NASCAR playoffs are underway, and oh yeah, how can we forget the start of the NFL season? Let’s take a look at some of the weekend’s top sporting events.
Top Sports Events for This Weekend – September 11 – September 12
NFL
It’s the opening weekend of the NFL season. We’ve got some great matchups to watch. The Cleveland Browns will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the premier games of the weekend. Another top game will see the Green Bay Packers take on the New Orleans Saints. NFL fans will be thrilled, as regular-season action is back, and there won’t be a Sunday without football until February!
Major League Baseball
It’s nearing the middle of September, and we’ve got some great races for playoff spots. In the National League, the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies are all in the hunt for the second Wild Card spot.
There will be two huge series this weekend, as the Cincinnati Reds will travel to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals, and the San Diego Padres will play the team that currently holds the top Wild Card spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres currently hold the second Wild Card spot, but just four games separate them and the other three contenders.
The Los Angeles-San Diego series will be huge for both teams. The Dodgers are only 2.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants for the top spot in the National League West. The Padres will be looking to distance themselves from their contenders for the last playoff spot in the National League.
College Football
Although there aren’t a lot of games pitting ranked teams against each other, we do have one huge game that could have playoff implications. The 11th-ranked Oregon Ducks will head to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the #3 Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State is the favorite to win the Big 10 this year, and if they do, they should earn a playoff bid.
As for the Oregon Ducks, they’ll be a contender in the Pac 12. If they can win the Pac 12, they’ll have a strong case for a playoff spot. Neither team can afford a loss in this one, but if Oregon loses, it will be very hard for the Ducks to make a case for a playoff berth.
Another huge college football matchup will be for the CyHawk Trophy, as the Iowa Hawkeyes will take on their cross-state rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones. This could be the best Iowa State team ever, while the Hawkeyes are solid year in and year out. This should be a very exciting game.
NASCAR
It will be a very busy Saturday at the Richmond Raceway. The action will get underway early in the afternoon, as the Xfinity Series will hit the track for the Go Bowling 250. Later that night, the Cup Series will be on the raceway for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders. This is one of the races in the opening round of the playoffs, so there is a lot at stake here.
Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, and Brad Keselowski lead the favorites. 15 drivers are fighting for 11 remaining playoff spots, so we should see some very exciting racing.