It’s one of the best times of the year for college football with rivalry games wrapping up the regular season portion of the schedule just in time for Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday. We took the time to break down the best matchups on paper to get you ready for all of the action. Here is a look at the best college football games for this Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday.
LSU @ Texas A&M
Thursday, 7:30 PM ET
LSU blew multiple opportunities to take down Florida last week and suddenly Ed Orgeron’s future with the program is that much less clear. The Tigers scored on just two of their five red zone trips against the Gators and now the pressure is back on to get a win on the road against a tough Texas A&M team this week. The Aggies didn’t dominate UTSA the way some expected they would but they took care of business in a 23-10 win and they will be rested and focused for this SEC showdown. Texas A&M will also get seven points as a home underdog so it seems safe to bet on the Aggies to cover on Thanksgiving Thursday.
Pick: Texas A&M
#20 Houston @ Memphis
Friday, 12:00 PM ET
After a rollercoaster start to the season, the Cougars finally appear to be back on track following last week’s upset win over Louisville. Houston opened the season as a dark horse College Football Playoff contender and while it didn’t take long for them to come back down to earth they have generated some momentum of late and appear to be trending up. The Cougars have already been eliminated in the AAC West race but they can finish their season on a high note beginning with a tough road win at Memphis this week. The Tigers have managed to stay just above .500 to this point but that could change with a loss this week.
Pick: Houston
#5 Washington @ #23 Washington State
Friday, 3:30 PM ET
Washington got over its loss to USC with a big win over Arizona State to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2000 but they still have unfinished business to take care of in the Pac-12. This week’s Apple Cup showdown will be an even tougher test and they will need to be at their best on both sides of the football. The Huskies held the Sun Devils to just 84 yards in the first three quarters last week but will have a much tougher time against Luke Falk and company on the road this week. Falk threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s loss to Colorado but the defense couldn’t slow down the Buffaloes’ attack. Jake Browning and company will have studied that tape closely and will try to do the same thing to the Washington State defense this week in what should be another high scoring affair.
Pick: Washington -6
TCU @ Texas
Friday, 3:30 PM ET
Neither of these teams is in the top-25 but there is a lot to like about this matchup with TCU looking to bounce back from a brutal loss to Oklahoma State and Texas looking to rebound following a stunning 24-21 overtime loss at Kansas that has a lot of people questioning Charlie Strong’s future with the team. Some Longhorns players have been outspoken about wanting Strong to stay so they better bring their best stuff against the Horned Frogs this week. Both teams have considerable firepower so while neither is in the Big 12 championship picture they both still have a lot on the line heading in to Friday’s showdown.
Pick: Texas -3
Toledo Rockets @ #21 Western Michigan
Friday, 5:00 PM ET
Western Michigan has impressed a lot of people this season and has now made their way into the Top 25. They are a perfect 11-0 on the year and had they played a tougher schedule (and won all of those games), they’d be in the College Football Playoff picture. However, they still have one more test in front of them, which might be their toughest to date. They’re hosting Toledo in what is the MAC West Division title game. Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside leads the nation with 40 touchdowns and is fourth in passing yards (3,653). This figures to be a shootout.
Still, Western Michigan is just one of two undefeated teams in the country and is on a school record 13-game winning streak. Look for that to continue on Friday in an entertaining showdown.
Pick: Western Michigan -9
