Thanksgiving weekend college football viewers' guide: what to watch, when, and where

College football and a national holiday weekend go together swimmingly. Add in Rivalry Week and you've got two days of must-see TV action. For everyone from the two-day coach potato to the busy fan trying to pick one game to watch, here's the rundown on the viewers experience ahead from college football's Week 14.

Thursday night

Yes, the party starts early with Navy and Memphis playing at 7:30 ET on ESPN. Two eight-win teams with a quality game on Thanksgiving night is a nice start.

Friday action

It's a full day on Friday. The marquee early game is the Egg Bowl, with No. 7 Ole Miss playing at Mississippi State at noon on ABC. Will the Kiffin rumors derail the Rebels' excellent season? There are even a couple of nice power conference alternatives, with No. 13 Utah facing Kansas. The Utes still have an outside shot at the Big 12 title game. That's a noon kick on ESPN. Iowa faces Nebraska in a noon Big Ten showdown on CBS.

The afternoon battle is No. 4 Georgia and No. 23 Georgia Tech at 3:30 on ABC. One possible alternative is 9-2 San Diego State and 8-3 New Mexico on CBS Sports Network in the same time slot.

The late Friday matchups are absolutely prime. The big game is No. 3 Texas A&M's battle with No. 16 Texas. The Aggies are looking to wrap up an SEC regular-season title and the Horns are trying to fight their way back into the College Football Playoff. That's a 7:30 kick on ABC. At the same time, Indiana plays Purdue on NBC/Peacock, which probably won't be competitive, but allows Fernando Mendoza another Heisman showcase. Then at 9 PM, No. 25 Arizona plays No. 25 Arizona State on FOX.

Saturday Morning Battles

Of course, the Saturday marquee has to be No. 1 Ohio State and No. 15 Michigan on FOX at noon. The year's biggest game has Michigan trying to sneak into the Playoff while Ohio State has a four-year losing streak to avenge. An ACC battle at the same time, No. 12 Miami vs. No. 22 Pittsburgh, has Pitt trying to play its way to the ACC title game (with a little help), while Miami is staking its non-champion CFP credentials.

The 3:30 slot has No. 14 Vandy and No. 19 Tennessee facing off on ESPN. The Commodores still have a punchers' CFP chance, but only at the Vols' potential expense. Oregon and Oklahoma are both in action at that hour (Oregon faces Washington on CBS, Oklahoma hosts LSU on ABC) with CFP relevance in play.

The late slate isn't entirely exceptional, but after 48 hours of college football, it's hard to complain. No. 10 Alabama needs to hold off Auburn on ABC at 7:30 to stick in the CFP field. SMU has a chance to clinch its ACC title game spot against Cal on ESPN2 at 8:00. No. 9 Notre Dame has one more test, but the Irish face only lowly Stanford at 10:30 on ESPN.

Game of the Week

Ohio State/Michigan has to be the one, although Texas and Texas A&M probably has a better chance of being a competitive game.

Sleeper Game of the Week

How about Thanksgiving night? That triple-option Navy offense and a plucky Memphis team should go well with a few lunch leftovers.