1 of 5 | The 2021 Heisman Trophy ceremony takes place at 8 p.m. EST Saturday and airs on ESPN. File Photo by Corey Sipkin/UPI |
License Photo
MIAMI, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The 2021 college football Heisman Trophy ceremony, the MLS Cup Playoffs title game, two UFC title bouts and dozens of regular-season college basketball, NBA, NHL and NFL games fill the weekend sports schedule.
Several international soccer games, Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff games and a three-day golf tournament also take place from Friday through Sunday.
The Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious individual honor in college football, will be presented Saturday at the Jazz at Lincoln Center concert venue in New York City.
The ceremony takes place a week before the start of a full slate of Division I Football Bowl Subdivision bowl games.
College football
The 2021 Heisman Trophy ceremony starts at 8 p.m. EST Saturday and airs on ESPN.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett and Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson are this year's Heisman Trophy finalists.
Young is a heavy favorite to claim the honor. He totaled the fourth-most passing yards and second-most passing touchdowns this season for the Crimson Tide.
Nearly 900 sports journalists, 57 living former Heisman Trophy winners and fans vote to determine the winner of the annual award.
In the FCS Quarterfinals, James Madison battles Montana at 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN2. North Dakota State faces East Tennessee State in another FCS Quarterfinal at noon Saturday on ESPN. Villanova State faces South Dakota State in the next FCS Quarterfinal at 2 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.
Sam Houston battles Montana State in the final FCS Quarterfinal at 8:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
The annual Army vs. Navy game also airs at 3 p.m. Saturday on CBS.
Soccer
The Portland Timbers host New York City FC in the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs final at 3 p.m. EST Saturday at Providence Park in Portland. That game airs on ABC.
Portland and NYCFC each advanced as No. 4 seeds out of the Western Conference and Eastern Conference, respectively. NYCFC is a slight favorite to claim the title.
NYCFC forward Valentin Castellanos claimed the MLS Golden Boot, as the league's top scorer this season. He totaled 19 goals and eight assists in 32 games for NYCFC.
Forwards Felipa Mora and Dairon Asprilla led the Timbers with 11 and 10 goals, respectively, in the regular season.
NBC also will air several Premier League matches on its affiliates throughout the weekend. Brentwood hosts Watford at 2 p.m. Friday on NBCSN.
Aston Villa faces Liverpool at 10 a.m. Saturday on USA. Manchester United battles Norwich City at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC.
On Sunday, Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain host AS Monaco in France's Ligue 1 at 2:45 p.m. Sunday on beIN Sports.
In Spain's La Liga, Real Madrid hosts Atletico Madrid at 3 p.m. Sunday on ESPN+.
UFC
Two title bouts take place as part of UFC 269 on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nev. The main card, which starts at 10 p.m. EST, airs on ESPN+.
Raulian Paiva (21-3) faces Sean O'Malley (14-1) in a bantamweight bout to launch the main card. Kai Kara-France (22-9) battles Cody Garbrandt (12-4) in a flyweight matchup for the next fight.
Welterweights Geoff Neal (13-4) faces Santiago Ponzinibbio (29-4) in the third bout.
Amanda Nunes (21-4) matchups up with Julianna Pena (11-4) in the fourth bout. Nunes is a heavy favorite to win the women's bantamweight bout and keep her title belt.
Dustin Poirier (28-6) battles Charles Oliveira (31-8) in the main event. The lightweight bout is for Oliveira's title belt.
Poirier, who is favored to win the bout, claimed the lightweight title in 2019, but lost it to Khabib Nurmagomedov in his next fight.
He beat Conor McGregor in each of his last two fights.
Oliveira beat Michael Chandler on May 15 to claim the lightweight belt. He enters the bout with nine-consecutive wins.
Nunes, a winner in her last 12 fights, is the reigning champion of the women's bantamweight and featherweight divisions. She is No. 1 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.
Her bout with Pena was planned for July, but rescheduled for Saturday this summer when Nunes tested positive for COVID-19.
Weekend schedule (all times EST)
Friday
Golf
QBE Shootout: First round from noon to 4 p.m. on Golf Channel
Soccer
Premier League: Watford at Brentwood at 2 p.m. on NBCSN
College football
FCS Quarterfinal: James Madison vs. Montana at 7 p.m. on ESPN2
NHL
Rangers at Sabres at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Penguins at Capitals at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Predators at Devils at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Red WIngs at Avalanche at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
Panthers at Coyotes at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
Jets at Canucks at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
Flyers at Golden Knights at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
College basketball
Women's
NC State at Pittsburgh at 6 p.m. on ACC Network
NBA
Nets at Hawks at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
Celtics at Suns at 10 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday
Soccer
Premier League: Wolves at Manchester City at 7 a.m. on NBCSN
Premier League: Southampton at Arsenal at 9:30 a.m. on NBCSN
Bundesliga: Mainz at Bayern Munich at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN+
Bundesliga: Borussia Dortmund at VfL Bochum at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN+
Premier League: Aston Villa at Liverpool at 10 a.m. on USA
Serie A: Juventus at Venezia at noon on beIN Sports
Premier League: Manchester United at Norwich City at 12:30 p.m. on NBC
Serie A: AC Milan at Udinese at 2:45 p.m. on beIN Sports
MLS Cup final: NYCFC at Portland at 3 p.m. on ABC
La Liga: Sevilla at Athletic Bilbao at 3 p.m. on ESPN+
College basketball
Men's
Nebraska vs. Auburn at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2
Wisconsin at Ohio State at noon on Big Ten Network
BYU at Creighton at noon on FS1
Syracuse at Georgetown at noon on Fox
Penn State at Michigan State at 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network
UCLA at Marquette at 2:30 p.m. on Fox
Missouri at Kansas at 3:15 p.m. on ESPN
St. Bonaventure at UConn at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Eastern Illinois at Butler at 4 p.m. on FS1
UNC Greensboro at Tennessee at 4:30 p.m. on SEC Network
Arizona at Illinois at 5 p.m. on Fox
Kentucky at Notre Dame at 5:15 p.m. on ESPN
LSU at Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. on ESPN2
Minnesota at Michigan at 6:30 p.m. on FS1
Cincinnati at Xavier at 8:30 p.m. on FS1
Houston at Alabama at 10 p.m. on ESPN2
Women's
UCLA vs. UConn at 1 p.m. on ABC
Idaho at Texas at 2 p.m. on Longhorn Network
College football
FCS Quarterfinal: North Dakota State vs. East Tennessee State at noon on ESPN
FCS Quarterfinal: Villanova vs. South Dakota State at 2 p.m. on ESPN+
Army vs. Navy at 3 p.m. on CBS
Heisman Trophy ceremony at 8 p.m. on ESPN
FCS Quarterfinal: Sam Houston vs. Montana State at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN+
NHL
Lightning at Senators at 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Capitals at Sabres at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Blackhawks at Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. on NHL Network
Ducks at Penguins at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Canadiens at Blues at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Devils at Islanders at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Flyers at Coyotes at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
Bruins at Flames at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
Hurricanes at Oilers at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
Blue Jackets at Kraken at 10 p.m. on ESPN+
Wild at Kings at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Stars at Sharks at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Golf
QBE Shootout: Second round from 1 to 3 p.m. on Golf Channel; from 3 to 5 p.m. on NBC
NBA
Warriors at 76ers at 8:30 p.m. on ABC
UFC 269 on ESPN+
Raulian Paiva vs. Sean O'Malley at 10 p.m.
Kai Kara-France vs. Cody Garbrandt after first fight
Geoff Neal vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio after second fight
Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena after third fight
Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier after fourth fight
Sunday
Soccer
Premier League: Tottenham Hotspur at Brighton at 7 a.m. on NBCSN
La Liga: Barcelona at Osasuna at 10:15 a.m. on ESPN+
Premier League: Everton at Crystal Palace at 11 a.m. on NBCSN
Serie A: Empoli at Napoli at noon on beIN Sports
La Liga: Real Sociedad at Real Betis at 12:30 p.m. on ESPN+
Ligue 1: AS Monaco at Paris Saint-Germain at 2:45 p.m. on beIN Sports
La Liga: Atletico Madrid at Real Madrid at 3 p.m. on ESPN+
College basketball
Men's
Florida State vs. South Carolina at noon on ESPN2
Jackson State at Iowa State at 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Purdue vs. NC State at 2 p.m. on Big Ten Network
Villanova at Baylor at 3 p.m. on ABC
Kent State at West Virginia at 4 p.m. on ESPN2
Washington at Gonzaga at 5 p.m. on ESPN
Rutgers at Seton Hall at 7:30 p.m. on FS1
Women's
Kentucky at Louisville at 1 p.m. on ESPN
South Florida at VCU at 1 p.m. on ESPN+
Saint Mary's at NC State at 2 p.m. on ACC Network
Georgia State at Tennessee at 2 p.m. on SEC Network
Texas A&M at TCU at 2 p.m. on ESPN+
Maryland at South Carolina at 3 p.m. on ESPN
Indiana at Ohio State at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network
NFL
Cowboys at Washington at 1 p.m. on Fox
Jaguars at Titans at 1 p.m. on CBS
Seahawks at Texans at 1 p.m. on Fox
Raiders at Chiefs at 1 p.m. on CBS
Saints at Jets at 1 p.m. on CBS
Falcons at Panthers at 1 p.m. on Fox
Ravens at Browns at 1 p.m. on CBS
Giants at Chargers at 4:05 p.m. on Fox
Lions at Broncos at 4:05 p.m. on Fox
49ers at Bengals at 4:25 p.m. on CBS
Bills at Buccaneers at 4:25 p.m. on CBS
Bears at Packers at 8:20 p.m. on NBC
Golf
QBE Shootout: Final round from noon to 2 p.m. on Golf Channel; from 2 to 4 p.m. on NBC
NHL
Predators at Rangers at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Ducks at Blues at 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Panthers at Avalanche at 8 p.m. on ESPN+
Wild at Golden Knights at 9 p.m. on ESPN+
Hurricanes at Canucks at 10 p.m. on ESPN+