TV guide to Thanksgiving weekend football match ups
Nov 23, 2015, 2:42 PM | Updated: May 19, 2016, 9:19 am
Thanksgiving is about traditions and history. For many families, the holiday tradition includes football. The first Thanksgiving college football game featured Yale and Princeton in 1876. The first professional turkey-day game featured the Chicago Tigers and the Decatur Staleys in Chicago in 1920.
In the years since, Thanksgiving weekend has become synonymous with important and exciting football action, and 2015 will no doubt uphold the tradition. Thanks to new technologies like CenturyLink’s Prism TV, people have more options for viewing the games than ever before.
Here are some highlights of the 2015 Thanksgiving pigskin lineup.
Thursday
Eagles at Lions, 10:30 a.m., Fox
Detroit traditionally hosts a turkey-day morning matchup. The first was in 1925 when the Detroit Panthers lost to the Rock Island Independents. This year’s NFC tilt features two teams hoping to have better finishes to their season than they did to start.
Panthers at Cowboys, 2:30 p.m., CBS
Dallas also hosts a Thanksgiving game every year. In 2015 the Cowboys are in last place in the NFC East but quarterback Tony Romo is back. Carolina is undefeated to lead the NFC South. On paper, the Panthers look much better, but this one should be close.
Bears at Packers, 6:30 p.m., NBC
This is the first time Green Bay will host a Thanksgiving Day game since 1923, according to Yahoo Sports. It’s the most revered matchup in professional football, and this game will be historic because the Packers will retire legendary quarterback Brett Favre’s number in a special ceremony.
Two college games that day feature:
- South Florida at Central Florida, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
- Texas Tech at Texas, 5:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1
Friday
The Thanksgiving holiday weekend always features some of college football’s biggest rivalries, and 2015 is no exception. In the final week of the regular season, key bowl-game spots and places in the Bowl Championship Playoff are on the line. Watch games on demand with CenturyLink’s Prism system.
Washington State at Washington, 1:30 p.m., Fox
Oregon State at Oregon, 2:00 p.m., Fox Sports 1
These two Pac-12 inner-state rivalries go back decades.
Baylor at TCU, 5:30 p.m., ESPN
This key Big 12 game matches up two Texas teams both trying to move up in the polls, Baylor having their eye on the playoff.
Saturday
UCLA at USC, 1:30 p.m. on ESPN
This is for Pac-12 South crown and an entry into the championship game.
Notre Dame at Stanford, 5:30 on Fox
Some college football analysts believe a one-loss Irish team will get one of the four spots in the college football playoff. Fivethirtyeight.com puts its chances at 31 percent, with Stanford at 11 percent.
Alabama at Auburn, 1:30 p.m. on CBS
If the Tide wins out, they are in the playoff. If Auburn pulls an upset, Alabama would be out, and the Tigers would like nothing more.
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 6:00 p.m. on ABC
Chances are, the team that wins this contest will have a great shot at being in the playoff.
Ohio State at Michigan, 10 a.m., ABC
A share of the Big Ten title could be on the line.
Clemson at South Carolina, 10 a.m., ESPN
Clemson needs to stay undefeated to make it to the playoff.
Florida State at Florida, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
A Saturday night under the Florida lights.
Wrapping up the week, Sunday features a full slate of NFL games. If you’re traveling and are worried you will miss a game, you can use CenturyLink Prism to see all the action when and where you want.
