It only makes sense that this weekend's college football slate would offer a multi-day feast of epic proportions.
There are 60 games on the college football schedule this Thanksgiving weekend, and nearly every one of them has real, tangible stakes on the line. Forty-two of them, in fact. From national title hopes to conference championship implications to bowl positioning to job safety to plain, old bragging rights, this weekend is packed full of don't-you-dare-blink games.
For your viewing convenience, we have laid out the stakes in every single game that has one, from Thursday evening lasting clear through Sunday morning.
THURSDAY
at (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): South Florida needs a win and a Temple loss to Connecticut to win the AAC East title and head to the inaugural American championship game... and that's after starting 1-3 this season. UCF, meanwhile, looks to avoid its first winless season since 2004. Central Florida has won two straight in the I-4 Rivalry.
at (8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1):Texas needs to beat Texas Tech and Baylor next week to avoid missing a bowl for just the second time since Mack Brown's arrival. The Red Raiders haven't won in Austin since 1997 -- when Kliff Kingsbury was a senior at nearby New Braunfels High School -- losing their eight trips since by an average of 48-22. Something to keep in mind here: the team that runs for more yardage has won 25 straight games in this series.
FRIDAY
at (noon ET, Fox Sports 1): Last year, Western Kentucky went to Huntington and ended Marshall's run to a perfect season in a 67-66 thriller. This year's Herd-Toppers clash will decide the Conference USA East championship.
at (noon ET, ABC): Despite the Cougars' loss last week, winner of this game wins the AAC West and meets Temple or South Florida in the American championship.
at (noon ET, CBS Sports Network): Thanks to Northern Illinois' stunning loss to Ohio Tuesday night (#MACtion gonna #MACtion) a win gives the 10-1 Rockets the MAC West, setting them up for a rematch with rival Bowling Green in the MAC championship and keeping them alive for a Peach or Fiesta bowl berth.
at (2 p.m. ET, ESPN3): Heading into this season Georgia State hadn't won a game against FBS competition. Now, with four wins to their credit and a two-game winning streak in their hip pocket, Trent Miles's Panthers need to beat Troy and Georgia Southern to (possibly) earn this season's most unlikely bowl bid.
at (2:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Barring some bowl eligibility wonkery, a loss here ends Gary Pinkel's 15-year run as Mizzou's head coach in Fayetteville instead of some tropical bowl destination.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX): A loss to Wazzu means Chris Petersen misses a bowl game for the first time in his 10-year head coaching career. Mike Leach's Cougars need a win over U-Dub and a bowl victory to book the program's first 10-win season since doing it three straight times from 2001-03. Wazzu is also looking to bring the Apple Cup home from Seattle for the first time since 2007.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC): Iowa's trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship is booked, but this game means so much more. The Hawkeyes need a win to complete their first undefeated regular season since 1922 and keep hope alive for their first national title since 1956. Nebraska needs a win to avoid just its third losing season since 1961. These two are kinda-sorta rivals, but a Huskers win here would be the type of moment real, true hatred is born.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network): San Jose State has played in just nine bowl games in its history, and only three in the past quarter century. A win makes the Spartans eligible for a fourth. A loss for Boise State books just their second five-loss season since 1999... and second in the last three years.
at (4 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1): Oregon needs a victory to keep a run of seven straight double-digit win seasons alive. Oregon State hasn't won in Eugene since 2007, which just so happens to be the last time the Ducks suffered the indignity of winning only nine games.
at (4:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU): A win makes Buffalo eligible for its third-ever bowl game in Lance Leipold's first season.
at (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): This isn't what we thought it'd be from last December all the way until the beginning of this month, but, still. They don't call this the Revivlary for nothing. Art Briles and Gary Patterson want to beat each other with the power of 10,000 suns whether they're playing for a national championship or the last piece of roll at dinner. A win gives Baylor at least a share of their third straight Big 12 championship while keeping their slight national championship hopes alive. A TCU win denies Baylor all of that while putting them in place to possibly reach a New Year's Six bowl.
at (8 p.m. ET, ESPNU): After winning five games combined in 2013-14, a win over the Green Wave sends Tulsa to a bowl game in Philip Montgomery's first season. Changes are coming for Tulane, could this be CJ's final game?
SATURDAY
at (noon ET, Fox Sports 1): A win pulls Dana Hologrsen one win closer to his first eight-win season since winning the Big East in his 2011 debut campaign. Safe to say he needs this one.
at (noon ET, CBS Sports Network): Ruffin McNeill's Pirates need a win to reach their fourth straight bowl game and ninth in 10 seasons.
at (noon ET, BTN): Kevin Wilson has been soooo close at Indiana. After a one-win debut in 2011, he won four in 2012, five in 2013, four in 2014 and now sits at five victories with one-possession losses to Ohio State, Rutgers, Iowa and Michigan -- three top-10 teams. An Old Oaken Bucket win, which would be IU's third straight in a series dating back to 1891, sends Indiana to its first bowl since 1993.
at (noon ET, Fox Sports Net): Someone give the Conference USA schedule makers a raise. Like the East, C-USA's West Division comes down to a winner-take-all game for a spot in the conference championship. Southern Miss head coach was 4-21 in his first 25 games on the job and 8-2 since, winning his last five by an average of 46-15.
at (noon ET, ABC): What's up for grabs here, other than the fate of all life itself? The first of hopefully many Meyer-Harbaugh clashes will see -- at worst -- the winner play itself into a possible Rose, Fiesta or Peach bowl berth or -- at best -- play for the Big Ten Championship while keeping hope alive for a national championship.
at (noon ET, American Sports Network): A win makes Old Dominion eligible for the first bowl trip in program history.
at (noon ET, ESPN): A win keeps Clemson in the driver's seat for the College Football Playoff's No. 1 seed. A loss sends them tumbling out of the bracket altogether. Sounds like there's no better way for South Carolina to provide a sweet ending to a rotten season. For what it's worth, Clemson hasn't won in Columbia since 2007.
at (noon ET, ESPNU): Put simply, there wouldn't be a worse possible way to send Frank Beamer out than with a loss in Charlottesville, ending his 22-year bowl streak, his 11-game Commonwealth Cup streak and his 425-game career in one fell swoop.
at (noon ET, ESPN2): Georgia Tech hasn't beaten Georgia in consecutive years since winning three straight from 1998-00. That final loss helped bring Mark Richt to Athens. Could a loss here help usher him out?
at (noon ET, SEC Network): Mark Stoops has brought a bucket full of enthusiasm and momentum to Kentucky. But a loss here means Louisville has sent UK home for the winter with a 5-7 record for two straight seasons. In other words, Bobby Petrino has a chance to dump that bucket over Stoops's head. The Cardinals have won four in a row, eight of the last 12 and 11 of the last 16 in this series.
at (2 p.m. ET, ESPN3): This isn't the finale for either team, but App State needs a win to keep hope of sharing the Sun Belt title alive, while Louisiana-Lafayette needs two more wins to reach its fifth straight bowl game.
at (2 p.m. ET, ESPN3): Similar to the game above, Georgia Southern needs two more wins and an Arkansas State loss to share its second straight Sun Belt title, while South Alabama needs one win in its final two tries to return to its second straight bowl game.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU): A win gives Northwestern its first 10-win regular season since its magical Big Ten title campaign of 1995. Illinois, meanwhile, needs a win to reach bowl eligibility and helps Bill Cubit hold on to a job he desperately wants.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Michigan State needs a win to claim the Big Ten East and set up a possible de facto quarterfinal against Iowa. James Franklin is 0-5 against ranked foes at Penn State and 1-13 lifetime.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, BTN): A win extends Minnesota's three-year bowl streak while ending an 11-year losing streak to their Paul Bunyan's Axe rivals.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2): At 10-1 overall and No. 14 in the latest CFP rankings, can North Carolina sneak into this year's playoff? There's only one way to find out.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS): Though it seems they've run away from the entire conference, Alabama still needs to beat Auburn or hope Mississippi State beats Ole Miss to win the SEC West. Of course, the Tide has its eyes on much greater prizes than just their fifth SEC West crown in eight seasons... all of which require an Iron Bowl win.
at (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN2): Much like both Conference USA divisions and the AAC West, the Pac-12 South comes down to one final win-or-go-home game. This will be the fourth different USC coach Jim Mora has faced at UCLA. He beat the other three.
at (4 p.m. ET, ESPN3): One win in its final two games gives Arkansas State, at worst, a share of its fourth Sun Belt title in five seasons.
at (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network): Vanderbilt hasn't won back-to-back trips in Knoxville since 1935-37. Tennessee, by the way, hasn't won five straight games -- period -- since winning the SEC East in 2007 -- three head coaches ago.
at (4 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1): Kansas State needs to beat Kansas and West Virginia in its final two games to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since 2009 and its first losing season since 2008. Kansas, on the other hand, clinched its seventh straight losing season on Oct. 24 and is down to its final strike to avoid becoming the first winless team in Big 12 history.
at (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU): Assuming South Florida beats Central Florida -- as safe an assumption there is in this business -- Temple needs to beat a UConn team fresh off ending Houston's unbeaten season to meet the Navy-Houston winner in the inaugural American championship. First team to 17 wins.
at (7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2): In the event Auburn wins the Iron Bowl, Ole Miss can advance to its first SEC Championship ever with a win here. Either way, the winner seems to be in good position to appear in the Sugar Bowl, assuming Florida loses to Florida State. Ole Miss hasn't appeared in the South's bowl game of record since 1970, and Mississippi State never has.
at (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): Florida, who beat Vanderbilt by two and Florida Atlantic in overtime, has already won the SEC East and can climb into the Playoff discussion with (however unlikely) wins over Florida State and Alabama. Florida State has won two straight in Gainesville -- and the 'Noles have never won three straight. Considering the way Florida plays down to its competition, Jimbo Fisher might consider dressing up the Florida A&M Rattlers in garnet and gold.
at (7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network): Barring a dramatic reversal of field, this will be Les Miles' final game in Death Valley. Like watching Pavarotti play the Met one last time.
at (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX): Both teams are alive in the race for the fourth and final golden ticket to the Playoff -- as long as they beat the team lining up across from them Saturday night...
at (8 p.m. ET, ABC): ... and Oklahoma loses Bedlam to Oklahoma State. Tuesday night's rankings reveal indicated Oklahoma faces a win-and-you're-in scenario wraped in a chilly trip to Stillwater. Beyond any national implications, Bob Stoops clinches his ninth Big 12 championship with a win, while Mike Gundy can win his second league crown with a win and two Baylor losses. OU has won 10 of the last 12 in this series, but four of the last five have been up for grabs deep into the fourth quarter.
at (10 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1): California is appealing to the NCAA to have its 73-14 season-opening win over Grambling count toward its bowl eligibility. A defeat of the Sun Devils takes care of any such ambiguities.
at (11 p.m. ET, Mountain West Network): Exactly nothing is on the line in a game between teams with a combined 3-20 record, but I can't think of a more fitting ending to this wild weekend than a game pitting two teams that have already fired their coaches.
