Oregon, Auburn and Boise State All Preparing for College Football's Black Friday

Thanksgiving Day has always traditionally been a triumphant day for the NFL. It's a time for the league to shine and hold the nation’s attention while spectators gobble on turkey and absorb a little bit of the misery and frustration that Detroit Lions fans have been dealing with for decades.

It’s the following day, known around the country as Black Friday, when college football gets the chance to reign supreme.

While the early-bird consumers head to the store to get a start on Christmas shopping, college football fans can sit back, break out the leftovers and soak in a great, jam-packed day of action.

This year’s 14-game slate features the country’s three top ranked teams— Oregon, Auburn and Boise State— squaring off in crucial conference tests that could have a major effect on the BCS National Championship picture.

Luckily for us, all of Friday’s biggest games are staggered conveniently throughout the day.

The real fun kicks off with a noon Big East battle between hated rivals Pittsburgh and West Virginia at Heinz Field, a game that could have conference championship implications on the line. Pittsburgh currently holds the lead in the Big East race with a 4-1 conference mark, but the Mountaineers are right on their tail at 3-2.

Even if you're not a fan of the Big East’s brand of football, you may want to tune in just to see the interesting Nike Pro Combat uniforms the two teams will be donning.

At 2:30 comes the game everyone in the state of Alabama is anxiously waiting for: the Iron Bowl between in-state foes Auburn and Alabama.

Auburn is ranked No. 2 in the country and sitting pretty after wrapping up the SEC West Division and a berth in the conference championship game. However, going up against the defending champion Crimson Tide on their home turf in Tuscaloosa will likely be the toughest challenge the Tigers have faced all season.

Alabama has won the previous two meetings between these two but that was before Auburn had college football’s ultimate difference-maker, quarterback Cam Newton. Alabama’s defense has looked somewhat shaky at times this year, and if they don’t tighten up, Newton could run through them with Heisman-like precision all day long.

Once the Iron Bowl ends, the focus of the college football nation will shift from the South to the West Coast, where No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Boise State are set to host ranked opponents.

Oregon will try to bounce back after a mediocre showing in Berkeley in a close win over Cal as they host coach Mike Stoops’ No. 21 ranked Arizona Wildcats. The atmosphere in Eugene should be crazy as always, but forecasts are already calling for cold, rainy conditions. The weather and Arizona’s rush defense, which ranks No. 1 in the Pac-10, might put a damper on Oregon’s parade.

If the Ducks or the Tigers were to slip up, it could open the door for the No. 3 ranked Boise State Broncos to slide into one of the top two BCS spots. But the Broncos will first have to come away with a win in Reno against the Nevada Wolf Pack, who are led by outstanding senior quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

Nevada, ranked No. 19 in the country, has the WAC’s most productive offense this season, and slowing them down will be no easy feat for Boise State.

The Boise State-Nevada match-up is definitely a game that all the Boise State naysayers on the East Coast should stay up for and take in. Quarterback Kellen Moore hasn’t had just a Heisman-type season; he’s had a Heisman caliber career. If he can put up a big performance against the Wolf Pack on the road, his invitation to New York should be in the mail posthaste.

This weekend is shaping up to be a great one for college football with games like Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, LSU-Arkansas, Michigan-Ohio State and Florida State-Florida on tap for Saturday. But as far as the national title picture is concerned, Friday is the day to tune in and keep watch.


Complete Black Friday Schedule (all times Eastern)
11 a.m.: Louisville at Rutgers (ESPN2)
11 a.m.: Ohio at Kent State (ESPNU)
Noon: West Virginia at Pittsburgh (ABC)
Noon: Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan
2 p.m.: SMU at East Carolina
2 p.m.: Western Michigan at Bowling Green
2 p.m.: Buffalo at Akron
2 p.m.: Central Michigan at Toledo
2:30 p.m.: Auburn at Alabama (CBS)
3:30 p.m.: UCLA at Arizona State
3:30 p.m.: Colorado at Nebraska
6:30 p.m.: Southern Miss at Tulsa
7 p.m.: Arizona at Oregon (ESPN)
10:15 p.m.: Boise State at Nevada (ESPN)