NFL Championship Sunday Open Thread - 49ers/Giants; Patriots/Ravens

Today the NFL is set to narrow down its final four teams to the two squads that will battle - and given the current state of the UCLA basketball programs, this is the closest to a final four that the Niners/Giants/Ravens/Patriots fans here at BN are going to get for a while.

The San Francisco 49ers host the New York Giants later this afternoon in the NFC Championship Game, the game that will likely dominate BN's attention this afternoon. Aside from having a pair of 49er alumni on the UCLA coaching staff - including head coach Jim Mora, there is pretty heavy support for the 49ers among the front pagers and from what I have seen over the past weeks, a fair number of fans in the community. With that said, there is also some affinity on BN for Giants head coach Tom Coughlin. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. PST on Fox.

Today's championship game action starts off with the New England Patriots hosting the Baltimore Ravens, kicking off just after noon PST on CBS to decide the AFC champion. For folks looking for a UCLA angle in this game, the Ravens have Brendon Ayanbadejo on the roster as a linebacker/special teams player. The Patriots also feature Bruin representation, with Matthew Slater as a standout special teams player who has seen action at wide receiver and as a defensive back this season. Bret Lockett is also a member of the Patriots, though he has spent the 2011 season on injured reserve.