The holiday season is upon us, and with all due respect to Andy Williams, whose winter ditty \u201cThe Most Wonderful Time of the Year\u201d cites the Christmas season as just that, the most wonderful time of the year, if we are going to narrow it down to one weekend for football fans, Thanksgiving weekend is the most wonderful time of the year, hands down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Starting late Thursday morning, once we get our token Turkey Trots and family touch football games out of the way, the holiday gods give us license to sit on the couch for four days. Unless you\u2019re working, the only reason you should leave the couch is for bathroom breaks, drink refills, and leftover turkey sandwiches.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For folks in the Houston area, there is a ton of meaningful football being played over the next 72 hours, but you might need a map to navigate all of it. So, as James Taylor would say, \u201cthat\u2019s why I\u2019m here!\u201d (Not sure why I keep quoting old, male singers. But I digress.)\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, for your gluttony and sloth benefit, here is my guide to football watching for the Houston football fan this weekend, with a brief blurb on each of these games, and what\u2019s at stake:<\/p>\n
Thursday, November 27<\/strong><\/p>\n Chiefs at Cowboys, 3:30 p.m. (CBS)<\/strong><\/p>\n Houstonians will have to pinch their nose and tolerate rooting for the Cowboys for a few hours on Turkey Day, because a Dallas win over the Chiefs would be a huge help to the Texans\u2019 playoff hopes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bengals at Ravens, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Bengals should be getting their quarterback Joe Burrow back in this one. Similar to the Cowboys, the Bengals can become the Texans\u2019 best friends by damaging the 6-5 Ravens.<\/p>\n Friday, November 28<\/strong><\/p>\n Texas at Texas A&M, 6:30 p.m. (ABC)<\/strong><\/p>\n Texas A&M can complete an historic undefeated regular season, clinch a slot in the SEC Title Game, and get one step closer to a first round bye in the College Football Playoff. Texas is trying to keep its microscopic playoff hopes alive. Oh, also, these two schools hate each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n Saturday, November 29<\/strong><\/p>\n Texas Tech at West Virginia, 11 a.m.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The Red Raiders are a 24 point favorite, but stranger things have happened on the road in college football. A win clinches a spot in the Big XII Title Game for Tech, and gets them one step closer to the school\u2019s first playoff berth.<\/p>\n Houston at Baylor, 11 a.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n A win for the Coogs here gets them to 9-3 on the season, and should lock up a pretty substantial bowl berth, with several projections sending them to San Antonio and the Alamo Bowl. Baylor will be staying at home during bowl season, trying to figure out what to do with head coach Dave Aranda.\u00a0<\/p>\n SMU at Cal, 7 p.m.<\/strong><\/p>\n Hey, we\u2019ll throw a bone to some of the Houston area Mustang alum! A win for SMU clinches a spot in the ACC title game, and gets them one step closer to a second straight playoff appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sunday, November 30<\/strong><\/p>\n Texans at Colts, Noon (CBS)<\/strong><\/p>\n Not much needs to be said here, as several million of you, here in Houston, will be watching the latest \u201cmost important game of the season\u201d for the Texans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jaguars at Titans, Noon (CBS)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Texans remain a game back of the Jaguars for second place in the division and a wild card spot in the postseason. The Titans are the worst team in football, and similar to the Cowboys, very painful for Houstonians to root for. However, a Titan upset would be huge for the Texans.<\/p>\n Bills at Steelers, 3:25 p.m. (CBS)<\/strong><\/p>\n These are two teams the Texans are looking up at in the standings. The Texans just beat the Bills, so the Texans have the head to head tiebreaker, if they end up tied after the season. The Steelers beating the Bills is the play for which to root here, as the Steelers winning the AFC North doesn\u2019t affect the Texans\u2019 playoff standing. Buffalo falling to 7-5, combined with a Texans win, would vault the Texans past the Bills in the standings.\u00a0<\/p>\n