Ranking The Best Sporting Events Of Thanksgiving Week

As far as holidays go, they don't get much better than Thanksgiving when it comes to sports (movies are a different story, but I digress).

The whole week and weekend of Thanksgiving, more or less, features nearly wall-to-wall sporting events and non-stop action for any sports junkie looking to get their fill.

But not all sporting events are created equal, and today, as we sit smack-dab in the middle of it all, I decided to rank some of the more notable game windows based on their enjoyability.

Grab some leftovers, flip on some football, and enjoy!

6. NFL Sunday Games

A typical NFL Sunday is usually a good time to be had by all, but the Sunday slate following the week of Thanksgiving is usually accompanied by a gnarly case of the Sunday Scaries.

Think about it: you've either had an entire week off or you spent most of the work week in an empty office with your feet kicked up while streaming some mid-week college basketball (we will get to that in a minute), so Monday is going to hit like a brick to the eye socket.

Not to mention you're probably hungover and ate way too much crap, so the Sunday NFL slate directly following Thanksgiving is more a reminder of your impending doom than anything else.

It's still football at the end of the day, but this is always one of my least favorite slates of the year.

5. Feast Week College Basketball Games

Non-conference college basketball games in November usually don't have a lot of cache, save for some of the more marquee matchups.

Feast Week is a different animal altogether though, as the entire week of Thanksgiving is chock-full of interesting and entertaining games with high-level brands battling it out head-to-head.

And the best part of all of it is that the games are happening in the middle of the day.

As I mentioned above, there is nothing better than having to work on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving when no one else is in the office and getting to watch all the college basketball your heart desires.

It's a great appetizer for some of the bigger games in other sports to come.

4. Black Friday NFL Game

The standalone Black Friday NFL Game is a fairly new development, but a welcome one all the same.

Getting to watch some meaningful football on the Friday after Thanksgiving is so elite, and it's a great way to reset your pallet for the myriad of games still to come.

Some years, the quality of the game can leave a little to be desired, but this year we have a treat of two 8-3 teams battling for NFC supremacy.

If your wife wants you to go Black Friday shopping, you now have the perfect excuse to skip it, as you let her know this game could single-handedly shape the NFC playoff picture.

Don't worry, she'll understand! And plus, everyone does online shopping on Cyber Monday, anyway.

3. Black Friday College Football Games

Okay, my biases are showing here, but the traditional rivalries that take place in college football on Black Friday are the perfect scene setter for one of the greatest Saturdays on the sports calendar: Rivalry Week.

As you battle the indigestion from yesterday's meals, you can treat yourself to an Egg Bowl with what might be the most consequential coaching decision in the history of Ole Miss football; hooray for controversy!

And, as is the case with Feast Week, if you're one of those poor schmucks who has to go into the office today, at least you can stream a couple of rivalry games to keep you company while you and the custodian keep the lights on at work.

On the other hand, working from home was literally invented for days like today.

Those Q4 initiatives can wait. Texas and Texas A&M are playing with a playoff spot on the line!

2. Thursday NFL Games

The reason for the season!

Thanksgiving wouldn't be the elite holiday that it is without football, and the NFL is kind enough to serve us up some beauties every year.

The quality may vary based on the year – based entirely on how good the Lions and Cowboys are that season – but having the three F's all in one place (food, football, family) makes for a nearly perfect day.

The spacing is perfect, too.

You finish up with the Macy's Day Parade (if that's your cup of tea), then you get a noon NFL game, followed by an afternoon game to go with your plate of turkey and mashed potatoes, then finally a nightcap as you sit down with some pie.

It's perfection, and it would have been my number one if not for…

1. Saturday College Football (Rivalry Week)

My biases are showing once again, but I don't care!

There aren't many days on a 365-day calendar that can touch what is coming tomorrow.

The Iron Bowl, The Game, The Cascade Clash. These are games that have both national and personal implications, granting a year of ecstasy to one fanbase and delivering agony to another.

The fact that these games take place on a Saturday doesn't hurt, either, as you still have a day to recover from all the damage you did to your body during the Thanksgiving festivities.

The melancholy side of Rivalry Week is that it is our last regular season week of college football until next August, but, as a wise man once said, "there is beauty in finality."

Cherish Saturday's college football slate, because you'll be begging for games like these around early July.