Thanksgiving weekend is also College Football Christmas. Rivalry week is upon us.
The 2021 regular season comes to a close for every school this Saturday but Army and Navy and, thanks to a COVID-19 rescheduling, USC and California. The final hurdle on nearly everyone’s schedule? Their nemeses.
Alabama gets to seal Year One of Auburn’s Bryan Harsin experiment with what will likely be a double-digit blowout. Wisconsin and Minnesota will battle over Paul Bunyan’s axe and the chance to lose to Ohio State by 30 in the Big Ten Championship Game. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will play a Bedlam game where no outcome would be surprising.
It’s a perfect segue into conference championship week. Its only flaw is the lack of a Pittsburgh-West Virginia matchup — a brand of vitriolic chaos so pure, its absence is the leading argument against realignment. Better yet, 20 teams stand at 5-6 and thus, a win over their most hated rival away from a postseason bid. That includes:
- 5-6 Florida State, who probably should fire its head coach, vs. 5-6 Florida, who just did.
- 5-6 LSU, trying to send Ed Orgeron out with a bowl game vs. Texas A&M, who exists solely to disappoint both its own fans and everyone else’s.
- Virginia hosting 5-6 Virginia Tech, who also just fired its head coach and you know what I’m sensing a pattern here, hold on …
Welp, might as well talk about rivalry games that often find a way to defy expectations and betting odds, even with a smattering of interim and lame duck coaches on the sideline. All lines are provided by Tipico Sportsbook.