What this does, apart from annoy the crap out of most Americans, is diminish the wonderful holiday of Thanksgiving. There was once a time when the purveying of Christmas wares before Thanksgiving was considered unthinkable. It was so taboo to start the Christmas sales before Thanksgiving that Macy's founder Fred Lazarus, Jr. pushed FDR to move Thanksgiving a week earlier so the shopping season could begin sooner (gotta love Wikipedia!). Apparently, over time the merchants ceased to care about being taboo, and we're now close to a literal Christmas in July situation. Isn't greed great? Ugh.
So Thanksgiving has become little more than a speed bump on the materialist greed-grab that is the American cultural Christmas experience. Which is a shame, because Thanksgiving is one of the greatest weekends of the year. And not just because of the 3 F's of Thanksgiving: family, football, and food. All of which are cause for celebration. It's the one time of year I actually enjoy eating leftovers!
But beyond those externals surrounding the Thanksgiving weekend is the heart of the holiday: a time of giving thanks. I love the fact that our country, and several others as well, sets aside a day each year to give thanks for the blessings and gifts we've received. Thanksgiving, of course, began with the earliest settlers from Europe to the American continent, as they praised God for His provision and protection amid the harshness of life in a dangerous and wild land. It would become a yearly tradition, established by presidential decree - a day set aside to acknowledge God's provision and abundant blessing on the nation and its people. It's a time of humility and recognition that we're not the ones responsible for all that we have, that we've been astoundingly blessed. And we have to be sure.
So before engaging in the four day feast of family, food, and football, be sure to reflect on the thousands of things we have to be thankful for. For me, the list begins with my grace-given relationship with God through Christ, my wonderful and loving wife, a healthy and beautiful daughter, dozens and dozens of friends and family who care about me deeply, the best job in the world, and more than enough food on the table and money in the bank. I'm blessed, and I'm more than thankful.
Needless to say, I'm also thankful for the smorgasbord of college football that encompasses Thursday night through early Sunday morning. It's the best week of the season. Not only are there wall-to-wall games all weekend long; constant opportunity to eat leftover turkey and mashed potatoes and fall asleep in front of a college football game. This is also the chief weekend of the largest rivalries in the sport, tilts that sizzle with intrigue even without national implications. Throw those in and you've got the most emotional and entertaining games of the season. My only gripe is that not all of the major rivalries happen in this one weekend. Imagine if you threw in Ohio State-Michigan, Oregon-Oregon State, and the other rivalry games that have shifted weekends for one reason or another. It seems as the traditional last weekend of the college season has become 3. Just another problem to correct when I become czar of college football someday.
I'll do the picks this week in chronological order, spanning the 50-odd hours of great rivalry action in the offing.
1. Texas at Texas A&M
Oddly enough, Texas A&M has taken two of the past three against the Longhorns. Upsets mark the recent history of this series. Can it happen again? It's a short week of prep for both teams, which can throw a wrench into things and add a level of unpredictability. Texas is favored by something like 23 points, but I expect this game to be much closer. Texas A&M has been inconsistent all season, but will be up for this one to be sure, and Kyle Field will be rocking for the 8pm Thanksgiving night start. But in the end, Colt McCoy will pull the Longhorns through - he's become a man on a mission, and the mission is both a Heisman trophy and a national championship. In a few months we could be talking about Colt McCoy rivaling Tim Tebow as the top QB of this generation and one of the greatest college QBs of all time.
Texas 23, Texas A&M 17
2. Alabama at Auburn
The Iron Bowl looks like an upset alert, but don't count on it. Auburn's offense has sputtered at times this year and has yet to face anything like the Crimson Tide defense they'll face Friday. It'll be intense and hard-hitting, but it may end up being one of those SEC grinders that's out of reach in spite of what the score might show.
Alabama 20, Auburn 6
3. Pittsburgh at West Virginia
The interesting thing about this edition of the Backyard Brawl is that a Pitt loss means virtually nothing. They can still win the Big East by defeating Cincinnati at home next weekend. But you can bet that the Panthers will not lack motivation. Neither will the Mountaineers. A West Virginia win wouldn't erase the pain inflicted upon them the last time Pitt traveled the hour south to Morgantown, their 13-9 win eliminating WVU from national title contention in their very last game of the season. But beating a much better Pitt team would be pretty satisfying anyway. Weird things happen in this series, and point spreads mean nothing. My hunch is that Pitt gets ambushed by an amped up Mountaineer squad, but is able to regroup and still win the Big East next weekend.
West Virginia 27, Pittsburgh 23
4. Nevada at Boise State
If this game were in Reno, I might pull the trigger on an upset pick. Nevada's come the closest to knocking off Boise on the blue track, but the Broncos are virtually unbeatable against WAC teams at home. Boise State's defense rises to the occasion to stop a high-flying Nevada offense and preserve their undefeated season and BCS dreams. But it could be dicey.
Boise State 42, Nevada 28
5. Clemson at South Carolina
Clemson may be the ACC Atlantic champion, but they're still Clemson. Which means there's a good chance for an upset here. The ACC Atlantic is a far cry from the SEC, and a South Carolina victory would take a little pressure off the ol' Ballcoach heading into the bowl season. Clemson gets caught looking past their rival to their first ACC Championship game (which they have a very good chance of winning, by the way), just a bit, and they lose some of the momentum built over a 6 game winning streak.
South Carolina 24, Clemson 23
6. Oklahoma State at Oklahoma
I have a hard time believing that Oklahoma has totally abandoned their season, though recent results speak otherwise. It's been perhaps the most disappointing of the Stoops era, but knocking their in-state rival out of BCS contention, and following that with a bowl win, would at least provide a silver lining. Oklahoma State's 9-2 record is a bit deceiving - they've played two ranked teams all season (Texas and Houston), and lost both, both at home. And they've struggled to get past average opponents all season long. They're ripe for an upset in the Bedlam Series.
Oklahoma 34, Oklahoma State 28
7. Florida State at Florida
The Seminoles close another disappointing campaign with another blowout loss to their rivals from Gainesville. And immediately following the Florida win, the hype machine cranks up for the run-up to the SEC Championship. Expect such superlatives as, "greatest matchup in the history of conference championship games", "the most anticipated matchup of the season", and, from the south, "the real national championship".
Florida 37, Florida State 17
8. Arizona at Arizona State
I've gone back and forth over this game. Arizona's lost 2 straight and could be characterized as "reeling", with the wheels ready to fall off what began as an excellent season. A loss here would likely lead to 6-6, with USC on the docket next week. But a closer look shows a close loss at a surging Cal squad and a double overtime defeat against Oregon, the class of the Pac-Ten. Their season isn't over yet, and though the Sun Devils will keep things close, Arizona is the better team.
Arizona 20, Arizona State 17
9. Miami (FL) at South Florida
South Florida already has one in-state scalp with their road win at Florida State, and they seek another here. But look for Jacory Harris to pick apart the Bulls secondary, affirming the fact that they still have some catching up to do in order to be the fourth member of the Sunshine State power structure.
Miami (FL) 31, South Florida 16
10. Missouri at Kansas
If recent Border Wars have given any indication of what will come this year, expect this game to be wild. Kansas has had an awful season and needs to win to become bowl eligible, and take some heat off Coach Mangino. I'm picking them to do it - the Jayhawks may have disappeared for the second half of the season but they'll be prepared and eager come Saturday against their arch-rival. Todd Reesing's still a good QB too, maybe he has some late game heroics left for the Tigers.
Kansas 35, Missouri 31
11. Utah at BYU
For some reason, I've considered Utah as overrated all season, starting with the release of the preseason magazines and polls. Nothing I've seen this season has changed that opinion. People forget how poised Brian Johnson was under center for the Utes, and while they still have talent, a freshman cannot possibly provide the kind of leadership that Johnson did. BYU wins going away.
BYU 30, Utah 14
12. Arkansas at LSU
Arkansas could be a popular upset pick after the debacle LSU had last week in Oxford, but the Tigers are clearly the more talented team. The talent gap will make up for what lacks in sideline leadership, and LSU will bounce back at home to secure a New Year's Day bowl bid.
LSU 27, Arkansas 24
13. Tennessee at Kentucky
Kentucky has quietly put together one of the most surprising and overlooked seasons of the year. The Wildcats are a home win over an average team away from 8-4 and a New Year's Day bowl; if Kentucky wins expect the Outback Bowl to call and pair them with Wisconsin. Rich Brooks was once embattled and nearly out of a job, but he's got to get credit for making the most out of the least in the SEC year after year. In rooting for a feel good story, I'm going with Kentucky to beat Tennessee in a tight one.
Kentucky 23, Tennessee 20
14. Notre Dame at Stanford
The Charlie Weis era comes to its regular season end with an embarrassing loss at once-lowly Stanford. The Irish won't have an answer for brute running back Toby Gerhart. The only questions surrounding Notre Dame after this week will be: 1) Will they even be invited to a bowl game?, and 2) Will Charlie Weis be around to coach in it, or will they can him immediately?
Stanford 41, Notre Dame 21
15. Georgia at Georgia Tech
I'm surprised at how close the spread is for this one (last check: 7 points). Georgia's obviously living on reputation alone, as this year's Bulldogs are the definition of average. Georgia Tech ran all over them last year, no reason to expect different this time around. Also, this rivalry has one of the greatest names of them all: Clean, Old Fashioned Hate. But, since when has hate been clean?
Georgia Tech 38, Georgia 24
Next: a Saturday evening look back at the pomp, pageantry, and intensity of rivalry weekend.
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