After a forgettable weekend of NFL playoff football, and a BCS championship game so bad that a beauty contest winner named Kathleen Webb overshadowed the national champion (we vaguely remember Alabama winning), what’s to look forward to at the NFL’s Divisional playoffs?

It’s a 50-50 proposition.

The AFC matchups have clunker stamped all over them.

It’s become obvious over the past two months that it’s New England and Denver and no one else in the AFC.

Not that having the Pats’ Tom Brady and the Broncos’ Peyton Manning squaring off for the AFC championship next week is a bad thing, it’s just that by the time it finally happens, it will seem almost anti-climactic.

There are the immediate obstacles of Baltimore and Houston, who both firmly believe that they are capable of reaching the Super Bowl. The odds makers aren’t so confident. Both teams are almost double-digit underdogs, which isn’t surprising since these games are replays of routs from within the past month.

There’s really not much of a case to be made for the Texans against New England. Good team, but they faded badly late.

Don’t write off the Ravens quite so fast. With Ray Rice, they can run the ball, and keeping the ball away from Peyton Manning is the way to beat the Broncos. On the other hand, it could get ugly once Manning starts zipping darts through the Ravens’ inadequate secondary.

The NFC Divisional playoffs are more compelling.

Not many believe in Atlanta, but the Falcons have the home dome advantage against hot Seattle, which is making its second cross-country playoff trip in seven days.

Today’s nightcap, Green Bay and San Francisco, is the game of the weekend. Most preseason Super Bowl predictions had one or the other playing in New Orleans next month.

The Niners won during the NFL’s opening weekend, but that’s so long ago that Ms. Webb probably was in middle school.

The Mighty News-Gazette Divine Nine:

No. 1: Roll Tide. No. 2: Tide QB AJ McCarron, also known as Mr. AJ Webb. No. 3: The Pats. No. 4: The Broncs. No. 5: The Pack. No. 6: The Niners. No. 7: Oregon. No. 8: What’s left of the Irish. No. 9: The Divine Ms. Webb.

To the picks:

Baltimore at Denver (-8.5): Yes, the Broncos demolished the Ravens last month in Baltimore, but it was only a 10-0 game late in the second quarter before the Broncos blew it open with a pick-6. What does that mean for today’s game? Absolutely nothing, except that retiring Ravens LB Ray Lewis is done dancing. Manning Men by 8.

Green Bay at San Francisco (-3): If only all NFL playoff matchups looked like this one. Niners have a better team and home field advantage. The Pack has Aaron Rodgers and ... well, that’s enough. Pack by 4.

Seattle at Atlanta (-2.5): The Falcons are the NFC’s Texans, a team that manages to come up small at the worst times. The Hawks probably wouldn’t be here if RGIII’s knee was in one piece, and they are a long, long way from home again. Black Birds by 4.

Houston at New England (-9): This one should have been today, not as the Divisional round finale. Does anyone really think that Matt Schaub is going to go into Gillette Stadium and beat the Brady Bunch? Well, yeah, someone does. See below. Pats by 12.

Brian “Big Man” McBride’s Super Sniffer Upset Special: Texans by 3. (We couldn’t talk him out of it.)

Tom “Captain” Kirk’s Beam Me Up Scotty NFL Prime Time Playoff Special: The Pack and take all the points.

Ken “Young” Jackson says: Niners by 4.

Last week: Stimulated Senior (5-0, 111-50) squeezed past Knight Watch (4-1, 110-51).