The most important 30-day stretch of the year for the television industry begins this weekend on the gridiron.

Why it matters: The 14 most-watched U.S. TV broadcasts of 2021 could take place over the next month: 13 NFL playoff games (up from 11 due to expansion) and Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship.

By the numbers: The NFL delivered 71 of last year's 100 biggest TV audiences, including 11 of the top 15, while the CFP National Championship ranked 18th.

• The only 2020 broadcasts that rivaled the NFL postseason or the CFP title game were both presidential debates, the vice presidential debate and the State of the Union.

The state of play: Without a presidential election in 2021, football will be even more important to networks like Fox, ESPN, NBC and CBS, which will air the year's biggest broadcast: Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7.

The big picture: The TV ecosystem is like a huge game of Jenga, and the last piece holding up the whole thing is live sports. It's one of the only things that still moves the needle.

• "The same can no longer be said for scripted programming, which continues to lose ground to the capriciousness of a commercial-avoiding audience," writes Sportico's Anthony Crupi.
• The most-watched episode of scripted TV last year was the March 31 installment of CBS' "NCIS." It ranked No. 102 on the list, making 2020 the first year in which a single drama or comedy failed to crack the top 100.

The bottom line: Football is king.

Fans will be allowed at four of the six NFL playoff games this weekend, though the added benefits of home-field advantage may be minimal, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes.

• Note: The Steelers' situation is still fluid as Pennsylvania only just lifted its monthlong restrictions. Reports suggest there could be 2,500 fans, but the amount is still being determined.

By the numbers: Between 2002 (when the NFL expanded to 32 teams) and 2019, home teams won 57% of their games. This season, with empty or close-to-empty stadiums, they won just 49.6% (127-128-1).

• This weekend's six home teams did much better (35-13), but that has less to do with home-field advantage and more to do with them being, by definition, six of the eight best teams in the league (OK, five ... sorry, Washington).
• Bills Mafia, assemble: Buffalo will host its first playoff game since 1996 on Saturday and spectators will be permitted for the first time this season. Get ready for 6,700 of the rowdiest, Zubaz-wearing fans you've ever seen.

Looking ahead: The Packers (limited attendance, likely frontline workers) and Chiefs (~17,000 fans) will join the fray next weekend.

🚨 ICYMI ... Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, two other coaches and two players will miss Sunday's game against the Steelers due to positive COVID-19 tests.

Boston University and Holy Cross both wore masks on the court during last night's men's basketball game in Boston.

The state of play: BU's athletic department requires all athletes to wear face masks during workouts, practices and games.

• The two teams also played on Monday at Holy Cross in their season opener, which was delayed when the Patriot League canceled non-conference games.
• Only BU players worse masks during Monday's game.

What they're saying: "Some players' masks slipped from their noses, past their lips and down to their chins as early as the game's first possession," WashPost's Glynn A. Hill reports.

"It's really hard to keep your mask up. ... It's not like you're on a treadmill where it's a steady pace; guys are jumping up and down, they're getting hit, so it's almost impossible."

A similar scenario played out for the women's teams from both schools. Holy Cross players had to wear masks when they played at BU on Monday, but they chose not to wear them during Tuesday's game in Worcester.

• The women's basketball teams at DePaul and Creighton have also played with masks this season.

Looking ahead: The Patriot League separated into three "mini-conferences" this season to limit travel, so the men and women of BU and Holy Cross will play each other four more times this season.

Alabama and Ohio State will square off in the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship — a game that represents the sport's highly unbalanced competitive landscape, Jeff writes.

Why it matters: The way the system is set up makes it difficult for the elite class of teams to grow, as the success of top programs breeds a seemingly never-ending cycle of the rich getting richer.

• "In the NFL, the team that wins the Super Bowl gets the last pick in the first round and the last pick in the second round," said Steve Spurrier.
• "In college football, Alabama gets the first 10 picks in the first round, the first 10 picks in the second round and then about the first five in the third round."

The state of play: 13 of the 34 five-star recruits in the 2021 class are headed to Alabama or Ohio State, continuing a trend of powerhouse programs scooping up the vast majority of blue-chip prospects — and dominating as a result.

• 22 of the 28 CFP berths have now gone to five teams: Alabama (6), Clemson (6), Ohio State (4), Oklahoma (4) and Notre Dame (2). In seven years, just 11 programs have made the field.
• During that time, the NFL (18), NHL (18), MLB (16) and NBA (14) have all sent a far more diverse collection of teams to their respective final fours.

Wild stat: College football hasn't crowned a first-time champion since 1996 (Florida). College basketball has had six during that time (Arizona, UConn, Maryland, Syracuse, Florida, Virginia).

The big picture: Since the CFP era began in 2014, the exclusive, four-team tournament has dominated the conversation all season, drawing attention away from other narratives and minimizing bowl season.

• From 1934 to 2013, the AP poll reigned supreme. Now, as soon as the first CFP rankings come out, the AP becomes an unimportant footnote.
• In the BCS' final year, three of the top bowls (Sugar, Orange, Fiesta) combined for 39 million viewers. Last year, the equivalent bowls (Sugar, Orange, Cotton) netted just 22.5 million.

The coronavirus vaccines authorized for emergency use by the FDA — one from Pfizer, another from Moderna — are making their way to first- and second-phase recipients, which include frontline health care workers, and anyone 75 or older.

The state of play: As the vaccine rollout shifts from essential recipients to others waiting in line, where do sports fit in? How "essential" are basketball players and hockey coaches?

"If 2020 provoked questions of whether healthy athletes should consume hundreds of thousands of coronavirus tests while symptomatic citizens ... waited weeks for results, vaccine distribution will define the coming year."

Looking ahead: The speed and effectiveness of the vaccine rollout, which is currently behind schedule, will dictate how soon fans can return to stadiums en masse.

• NIAID director Anthony Fauci recently estimated vaccines could be available to the general public by late March or early April, which would coincide with the start of the MLB season and the NBA and NHL playoffs.
• "The quicker we vaccinate people over 70, the faster pro sports can have fans in stands," said Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association.

The United States upset heavily favored Canada, 2-0, in Edmonton to win the gold medal in the first ever World Junior Championship played in a bubble.

• MVP: Boston College goaltender and Florida Panthers prospect Spencer Knight stopped all 34 shots he faced.
• Streak: This marks USA's fourth straight victory over Canada in a World Junior Championship final, having also earned wins in 2004, 2010 and 2017.

The big picture: USA Hockey has now won five medals in the last six World Junior Championships (two gold, one silver, two bronze) after winning just eight medals over the tournament's first 39 years.

Go deeper: Top prospects take unconventional path to World Juniors (NYT)

NEW YORK — "For nearly three decades, wide receivers failed to win the Heisman Trophy. That ended last night when Alabama senior DeVonta Smith was presented the award during a virtual ceremony." — ESPN

• 📚 Read: From skinny recruit to Heisman winner

LONDON — With a 2-0 win over Brentford, Tottenham booked a spot in April's League Cup final against either Manchester United or Manchester City (they play today) where the club will be vying for its first trophy since 2008.

• 🎥 Watch: Highlights

TOBLACH, Italy — American Jessie Diggins, who you may remember from this epic comeback at the 2018 Winter Olympics, won her second straight Tour de Ski race to maintain the lead in the eight-stage cross-country skiing event.

• 🎥 Watch: Diggins' Olympic comeback

45 years ago today, Ted Turner bought the floundering Braves for $12 million.

The backdrop: Hank Aaron left Atlanta after the 1974 season to finish his career where it began in Milwaukee. With the star player and his home run chase gone, team success and fan interest plummeted.

• Enter Turner, who already owned the rights to broadcast Braves games on one of his TV stations, which he soon decided to turn into a "superstation" that could beam its signal nationwide.
• Other MLB owners didn't like the idea of Braves games being broadcast nationally and encroaching on their local TV deals, so they pushed back against the sale. But the league ultimately approved it.
• A year later, the FCC approved Turner's new superstation, which was later re-christened as the Turner Broadcasting System (TBS).

The big picture: Turner's reign didn't produce immediate results, with the Braves winning 80 games just four times and making one postseason appearance (swept in 1982 NLCS).

• But in 1991, with former manager Bobby Cox back in Atlanta's dugout, everything finally clicked.
• Atlanta won 14 of 15 division titles from 1991 to 2005, including five World Series appearances (and one championship) in the 90's alone.
• In 1996, Turner sold the Braves as part of his company's merger with Time Warner, netting him $7.3 billion in stock.

Go deeper: Turner buys the Braves (Talking Chop)

DeVonta Smith could go as high as No. 3 to the Dolphins in this year's NFL draft, according to early reports.

• Question: Only five WRs have been drafted No. 3 or higher this century. Can you name them?
• Hint: Only one is still active.

Answer at the bottom.

Source: Real Federación Española Fútbol

1. ⚽️ Incredible strike
2. 🏀 Miracle buzzer-beater
3. 🏀 Irving to Allen
4. 🏀 Anthony Walker!
5. 🏀 Posterized

Watch all 5.