By Ned Steele

Attention football fans: The month that matters has arrived.

Yes, late December and January bring not only the College Football Playoffs and endless bowl games, but the NFL playoff buildup to the Super Bowl.

And just as the players and coaches have been perfecting their moves and getting into peak shape for a championship run, so too have the popular bars and eateries in Siesta Key and Gulf Gate that cater to the gridiron gang.

These fine establishments have been working all season towards this big month, introducing new specials, launching promotions, generally getting their A-game on for this special time of year and, of course, recovering from two or three hurricanes.

And now, they’re ready for you. What better time than postseason to share the excitement and the drama with a crowd of fellow fans and enthusiasts? The highs are high, the lows are less painful, and the fun is greater when you’re watching your favorite team with a crowd – preferably surrounded by tubs of wings and your beverage of choice.

So, what are you waiting for? Check the TV schedules, grab your team’s jersey, and head on out to one of these local bars to enjoy the postseason action. While there can only be one national college football champion and one Super Bowl victor, all these spots to watch the games are winners. Try one – or more. There are 47 bowl games and four rounds of NFL playoffs to feast on.

MUNCHIES 420 CAFÉ in Gulf Gate attracts big crowds of Buccaneers and Detroit Lions fans all season long. With the Bucs in contention (at press time) and the Lions poised for a deep run, and a newly repaired tiki roof in place, Munchies is in celebration mode. Look for their game day specials: Five wings for $4.20 or 20 for $15; Wash them down with a six-beer bucket for $20 or a bucket of six High Noons for $25. Top it all off with $1-off green tea shots.

With ten TV screens in the tiki bar and seven more in the pub, Munchies will blast audio of the day’s biggest games − and should the Bucs and Lions end up going head- to-head, they’ll go with whichever team has more fans on hand. (Challenge on, fans.)

FOOD + BEER in Gulf Gate is a big Philadelphia Eagles hangout on fall Sundays — they call it the Eagle’s Nest — and those fans are hoping for a long, rewarding postseason as well. Food + Beer will oblige them with a slew of specials. They’re talking $5.50 shots: PB& J with screwball, Florida Tea with Jameson Orange, and Altos Blanco Tequila. They also are offering $6 Altos Margaritas or Busch Light beer for $2.75 per 12 ounce can or $13 for a bucket. All that, and 26 TV screens.

GILLIGAN’S ISLAND in the village is fully reopened and in full party mode. There’s so much going on — live bands included – that you might not think of it as a sports bar, but they have 12 55-inch screens (six inside, six outside) so it’s a great place to catch a game. Happy hour lasts for seven hours: 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. They offer well drinks and domestic pints for $3 and domestic pitchers for $12.

SKOB in the village is another place hopping with all kinds of activity that’s also a game day destination. An official Chicago Bears bar, they are nonetheless not shut out of the postseason action even though Da Bears are. Despite their beloved team’s playoff absence once again, SKOB will run all its regular season game day specials: Sunday Sliders, selected beer pitcher specials, and, for diehards, Bears’ apparel for sale.

Other places on the key with reliably good postseason football action:

Captain Curt’s Crab & Oyster Bar with its 30 screens welcomes Ohio State fans, who were hoping (at press time) to advance in the College Football Playoffs.

Crescent Club is a big Buccaneers bar, and Bills fans are also numerous.

Daiquiri Deck can always be counted on for a good time, regardless of which team you’re rooting for.

And in Gulf Gate, there’s Moondoggy’s Saloon with its Bills crowd and 26 screens.

So, if you’ve been to enough chips-and-dip get-togethers at the neighbor’s or perhaps hosted more of them than you’d care to admit, head to your favorite watering hole this playoff season and get caught up in the once-a-year excitement of crowning a champion.