By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES

• FIVE THINGS THE GOP CONGRESS EXPECTED TO TACKLE: New Republican majorities poised to take control of Capitol Hill this week have a to-do list that will challenge the White House during President Obama's final two years in office. Here's a look at five items the GOP Congress is expected to tackle in the coming months, many of which are expected to face intense opposition from the White House, courtesy of ABC's JOHN PARKINSON: http://abcn.ws/1IfwNnZ

• COWBOY CHRISTIE: Chris Christie is staying true to his childhood sports allegiances. The New Jersey governor doesn't root for either of his state's two NFL teams, the Jets and Giants in East Rutherford. He doesn't root for the Philadelphia Eagles, either, a popular team in southern New Jersey. He cheers for the Dallas Cowboys, a divisional rival of the Giants and Eagles. Last night marked Christie's most visible appearance yet: the Cowboys' first playoff game in five seasons, according to ABC's DAN GOOD. Dallas scored a late touchdown to take a 24-20 lead against the Detroit Lions. And there was Christie, in a burnt orange sweater, trying to get a high five, and settling for a group hug with Jones and his son Stephen. http://abcn.ws/1vQAOIS

• WHAT WE'RE WATCHING: Four more House Republicans have decided not to support John Boehner's reelection bid for House Speaker, ABC's JOHN PARKINSON reports. Reps. Steve King, Marlin Stutzman and Paul Gosar - who all voted for Boehner in 2013 - have decided they can't support Boehner again in tomorrow's vote. Rep. Dave Brat, who knocked off former Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a primary last year, has also decided to vote for someone else. That makes nine members who have announced their opposition so far, meaning 20 more will have to step forward to throw the vote to a second ballot.

THE ROUNDTABLE

ABC's RICK KLEIN: This was supposed to be the week that was about results, not process. But a rough holiday break removed that possibility from what was supposed to be a triumphal week for House Speaker John Boehner. Before he gets settled into a third term as speaker, he has one Republican member resigning after a felony conviction, and a top member of his leadership team under intense scrutiny for a not-really-that-long-ago speech in front of a white supremacist group. Then there's the leadership challenge - a personal affront to Boehner, since the real time to run for House speaker would have been in GOP leadership elections shortly after Republicans expanded their majority to its new historic level. Ted Yoho/Louie Gohmert/Steve King won't stop Boehner from continuing to serve as House speaker. But Boehner will once again have to tame the impulses of his own fractious conference, before his expanded House majority even votes on a bill. What's that say about the year ahead?

ABC's JEFF ZELENY: Republicans are one day away from assuming their new majority in the Senate and their expanded grip on the House. A new era of divided government is dawning in Washington, which will shape the final two years of President Obama's time in office. The burden of governing, not simply saying no to the president's agenda, now rests with Republicans. Yet before they get started, John Boehner is trying to extinguish questions about whether he will be crowned as speaker of the House. Pockets of opposition are percolating, with at least nine GOP members saying they won't back him, but it will take 28 votes against him to send it to a second ballot. Don't expect a conservative coup. Until a center of gravity emerges from the Tea Party wing, Boehner appears safe. And he, along with Mitch McConnell, will drive the new Republican majority.

ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE: It's 2015. Where are we on 2016? Let's re-cap. Jeb Bush is "exploring the possibility," releasing his e mails, and raising money in Greenwich this week. Mike Huckabee left his Fox show because he can't "rule out another presidential run." Bobby Jindal will be in Iowa tomorrow for two closed door meetings with politically connected pastors. George Pataki will be in New Hampshire next week for what is described as a "multi-day trip" to the first primary state. And at the end of the month will be the first "cattle call" of the season with a large group of potential 2016ers heading to Des Moines for the Rep. Steve King and Citizens United sponsored Iowa Freedom Summit. Chris Christie will be in attendance, although he has been spending quite a few evenings in Dallas, cheering on his Cowboys, even if it does surprise his New Jersey constituents. On the Democratic side, the only person making any official moves is Jim Webb who has launched an exploratory committee, but thar's it. As for others, including Hillary Clinton, and possibly a slew of other GOPers, we're in the waiting before the waiting period.

'THIS WEEK' REWIND

REP-ELECT MIA LOVE: STEVE SCALISE SHOULD STAY HOUSE WHIP DESPITE KLAN CONTROVERSY. Representative-elect Mia Love, R-Utah, the first black woman elected to Congress as a Republican and one of the GOP's 74 fresh faces scheduled to be sworn in tomorrow, says that despite the controversy surrounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Lousiana, she thinks he should remain a leader to the newly reinvigorated party, ABC's ALI DUKAKIS notes. The third-highest ranked Republican in the House of Representatives, Scalise came under fire last week after he reportedly attended a civil rights workshop organized by a group of alleged white supremacists in 2002. Of note among the organizers was David Duke, the then-president of the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO) and former Knights of the Ku Klux Klan grand wizard. When asked by ABC's MARTHA RADDATZ on "This Week" what her initial reaction to the news was, Love said, "My first thoughts [were] this was 12 years ago. It's interesting that it's coming up now… I found that really interesting."

FAUCI: 2015 WILL BE 'BAD YEAR' FOR THE FLU. Flu season has hit the U.S. particularly hard this year and the widespread outbreak has officially been declared an epidemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. High flu activity is reported in 22 states, with increased hospitalizations across the country, according to ABC's KARI REA. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said yesterday that Americans are in for a rough flu season. "If you look at the trajectory, it's not going to be a good year. It's going to be a bad year," Fauci told ABC's Martha Raddatz on "This Week." "How bad it's going to be will depend on how it actually evolves."

U.S. COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN: WAR WELL WORTH FIGHTING. Raddatz spoke with Army General John Campbell about the new US and NATO mission in Afghanistan. WATCH: http://abcn.ws/1xHTa2E

IS MIKE HUCKABEE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT? The 'This Week' powerhouse roundtable weighed in the former Arkansas governor's big announcement on Fox News and potential White House run. WATCH: http://abcn.ws/14mVd2r

WHO'S TWEETING?

@PhilipRucker: As Huckabee eyes WH run in 2016, he faces financial & organizational hurdles. @costareports & @danbalz explore: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/huckabees-challenge-in-2016-growing-a-national-campaign-from-the-grass-roots/2015/01/04/173e1b08-9453-11e4-aabd-d0b93ff613d5_story.html?hpid=z5 …

?@JenniferJJacobs: Bobby Jindal to meet tomorrow with Iowa pastors in Cedar Rapids (again) & DM. http://dmreg.co/1BmVGxM

@wpjenna: Tomorrow will end four months of enforced limbo for former VA Gov. Bob McDonnell: http://wapo.st/1Bq4lQ9

@TheFix: The political reporters you need to follow in the early caucus and primary states. Good stuff here. http://ow.ly/GNTMO

@tackettdc: The long shadow of Mario Cuomo's 1977 defeat http://nyti.ms/1ypUqKI