Boston College Fan Rooting Guide For 2014 NFL Playoffs Divisional Round

Eight teams remain in the hunt for this year's Super Bowl. Personally I wouldn't mind watching Luke Kuechly hoist the Lombardi Trophy. How about you? Let's break down the remaining matchups.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

NFC: No. 6 New Orleans Saints (12-5) at No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (13-3), 4:35 p.m. ET on FOX

Neither the Saints nor the Seahawks have any former Eagles on their roster so this one is up to you. I suppose you can root for four-year letterwinner Pete Carmichael in this one. Carmichael currently serves as the Saints' offensive coordinator. Rooting Interest: New Orleans.

AFC: No. 4 Indianapolis Colts (12-5) at No. 2 New England Patriots (12-4), 8:15 p.m. ET on CBS

OT Anthony Castonzo, OT Gosder Cherilus and QB/clipboard holder Matt Hasselbeck are onto the next round after their Colts engineered one of the most incredible playoff comebacks in NFL history. The Colts rallied from 28 down, becoming just the second team to overcome that large of a deficit in a playoff game. Indianapolis heads to Foxboro to take on the second-seeded Patriots in the second game of the day later tonight. The Pats don't have any current ties to BC, having released both DT Ron Brace and C Dan Koppen in 2012. Rooting interest: Indianapolis.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

NFC: No. 5 San Francisco 49ers (13-4) at No. 2 Carolina Panthers (12-4), 1:05 p.m. ET on FOX

Kaepernick vs. Kuechly didn't go so well for Kuechly and Boston College the first time around in the 2011 Fight Hunger Bowl, despite the linebacker earning game MVP honors. Let's hope that Carolina doesn't suffer the same fate as the Eagles did vs. Kaepernick and the Nevada Wolf Pack back in 2011. This is a rematch of a week 10 regular season matchup won by the Panthers, 10-9, in San Francisco. Keep pounding. Rooting interest: Carolina.

AFC: No. 6 San Diego Chargers (10-7) at No. 1 Denver Broncos (13-3), 4:40 p.m. ET on CBS

On one team, you have center Dan Koppen on the Broncos' injured/reserve squad. The other, Damik Scafe on the Chargers practice squad. Slight lean to Koppen and the Broncos, I guess, but could really go either way here. The two teams split the regular season series at a game a piece. Denver won in San Diego in week 10, 28-20. San Diego returned the favor by notching a 27-20 road victory over the Broncos in week 15. Rooting interest: Denver.

Go Saints / Colts / Panthers / Broncos! And go Eagles!