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Greetings on this Thanksgiving Day, sports enthusiasts! Carter Bahns is here with you on this holiday morning as we anticipate a stellar lineup of significant NFL games and exciting college basketball contests. What could be better than relaxing with a plate piled high with holiday food while watching some of the league’s top teams compete? I’ll certainly appreciate that when I tune into the Chiefs-Cowboys game on CBS. Here’s a brief video to boost your excitement for the game. (If you are a fan of the Chiefs, the Cowboys, their cheerleaders, or Beyoncé, you’ll enjoy it.)
For those of you spending the day with your families, we’ve got you covered with an in-depth guide to the three NFL games. How do you engage in football conversations with your relatives? JP Acosta has developed a reliable script.
A quick note before we begin. Today’s newsletter includes content for both Thanksgiving and Black Friday. We’ll return Saturday morning with a special edition to recap the holidays and preview the weekend, so keep an eye on your inbox.
Now, let’s get started.
⚾ Five points to consider this Thanksgiving
- The Blue Jays are reportedly close to signing Dylan Cease to the most valuable contract in team history. The hot stove season is underway, and Toronto is the latest team to make a significant move. The Blue Jays are said to be nearing an agreement with Cease on a seven-year contract totaling $210 million, making it the largest deal in team history by a $60 million difference. The free-agent right-hander struggled in his final season with the Padres, recording a 4.55 ERA, but he remains one of the top pitchers available and will strengthen a pitching staff that nearly reached a World Series victory this past fall.
- Michigan claims the Players Era Men’s Championship title. No. 7 Michigan dominated No. 12 Gonzaga, 101-61, in the tournament’s final game last night, securing an additional $1 million for the Wolverines in addition to the initial $1 million the school received for participation. Kansas defeated No. 17 Tennessee, 81-76, in the third-place game of the Las Vegas event.
- Arsenal edges out Bayern Munich to highlight a noteworthy Matchday 5 in the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal is currently the best team globally, according to James Benge following their 3-1 victory over Bayern. The Gunners are the only remaining team with a perfect record in the UEFA Champions League, and after ending Bayern’s unbeaten start to the season, they appear to be the frontrunners in the pursuit of international club supremacy. In other Matchday 5 action, Liverpool suffered a shocking 4-1 defeat at home against PSV, continuing their poor run of form. Once considered a preseason favorite, they have now lost five of their last seven matches.
- College football rivalry week commences with Friday’s featured matchups. Three top-25 contests create a packed Black Friday on the college football scene. No. 4 Georgia is heavily favored by two touchdowns over No. 23 Georgia Tech (Brad Crawford and Chris Hummer are both predicting the Bulldogs will win by a significant margin), No. 3 Texas A&M aims to conclude its undefeated regular season at No. 16 Texas, and No. 20 Arizona State hosts No. 25 Arizona in the Territorial Cup. Additionally, all eyes will be on Lane Kiffin when No. 7 Ole Miss travels for the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State. Will this be his final game with the Rebels, or will he remain in Oxford? An announcement is expected on Saturday.
- Two additional individuals are removed from consideration for college football coaching positions. Colorado State will initiate a fresh start as it transitions to the revamped Pac-12. Jim Mora Jr. is heading to Fort Collins after a successful tenure at UConn, where he oversaw an impressive turnaround that included two nine-win seasons. Meanwhile, in the FCS, Southern University is reportedly set to hire NFL legend Marshall Faulk. He currently serves as the running backs coach under Deion Sanders at Colorado.
🏀 Don’t miss: Final opportunities in NBA Cup knockout round available Friday
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Only one day of group stage competition remains as the NBA Cup’s knockout stage starts to materialize. The inaugural in-season tournament’s opening round concludes Friday with 11 games, featuring two nationally broadcast matchups: Bucks at Knicks and Mavericks at Lakers.
Concerning the Lakers, Luka Dončić is dissatisfied with the NBA Cup courts. The star player mentioned that he slipped multiple times during Tuesday’s victory over the Clippers and requested that the league modify the floor due to its excessive decals, deeming it “dangerous.”
Setting aside court concerns, here are the teams that have already qualified for the knockout stage:
- Raptors (East Group A winner)
- Lakers (West Group B winner)
And here is what is at stake on Friday:
- East B: Magic at Pistons, the winner advances
- East C: Knicks advance with a win; Heat advance with a win and a Knicks loss
- East wild card: Cavaliers currently hold the spot, but Knicks, Pistons, or Bucks remain possibilities
- West A: Suns at Thunder, the winner advances
- West C: Spurs at Nuggets, the winner advances
- West wild card: Suns currently hold the spot, but Spurs, Grizzlies, or Clippers remain possibilities
🏈 A look at NFL Thanksgiving and Black Friday games
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Thanksgiving is synonymous with football. Furthermore, for the third consecutive year, Black Friday also features football. The NFL presents four games across the two holidays, starting at 1 p.m. with the Lions hosting the Packers. That is not a mistake. For the first occasion in 43 years, the early Thanksgiving game will not commence at 12:30 p.m. ET. Enjoy the extra half-hour of sleep this morning, West Coast viewers!
Here is the four-game schedule, with links to previews and predictions for each game:
Below are the key narratives surrounding the weekday games:
👍👎 The finest (and not-so-finest) of the remaining items
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📺 What to view Thursday and Friday
Thursday
🏀 Battle 4 Atlantis: No. 24 Vanderbilt vs. VCU (M), Noon on ESPN
🏈 Packers at Lions, 1 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Rady Children’s Invitational: No. 10 Florida vs. TCU (M), 3 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Chiefs at Cowboys, 4:30 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Fort Myers Tip-Off: No. 16 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Michigan State (M), 4:30 p.m. on Fox
🏀 ESPN Events Invitational: No. 9 BYU vs. Miami (M), 5 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Navy at Memphis, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic: No. 4 Duke vs. No. 22 Arkansas (M), 8 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Players Era Festival championship: No. 2 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Texas (W), 8 p.m. on truTV
🏈 Bengals at Ravens, 8:20 p.m. on NBC
🏀 CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic: Northwestern vs. Oklahoma State (M), 10:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 Players Era Festival (third place game): Duke vs. No. 3 UCLA (W), 10:30 p.m. on truTV
Friday
⛳ The Skins Game, 9 a.m. on Prime Video
🏈 No. 7 Ole Miss at Mississippi State, 12 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Iowa at Nebraska, 12 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏈 No. 13 Utah at Kansas, 12 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Eastern Illinois at No. 1 Purdue (M), 12 p.m. on Big Ten Network
🏀 No. 13 Illinois vs. No. 5 UConn (M), 12:30 p.m. on Fox
🏒 Rangers at Bruins, 1 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Battle 4 Atlantis championship, 1 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 Bears at Eagles, 3 p.m. on Prime Video
🏀 ESPN Events Invitational championship, 3 p.m. on ESPN2
🏈 No. 4 Georgia at No. 23 Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 Boise State at Utah State, 4 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 Rady Children’s Invitational championship, 5:30 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Acrisure Holiday Classic championship, 4:30 p.m. on truTV
🏒 Penguins at Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. on NHL Network
⚽ Women’s international friendly: United States vs. Italy, 7 p.m. on TNT
🏀 NBA Cup group play: Bucks at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
🏈 No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 16 Texas, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
🏈 No. 2 Indiana at Purdue, 7:30 p.m. on NBC
🏈 No. 25 Arizona at No. 20 Arizona State, 9 p.m. on Fox
🏀 NBA Cup group play: Mavericks at Lakers, 10 p.m. on Prime Video
