With Thanksgiving one week away and most of the campus heading home, here are some things to consider while stuffing your face full of turkey and being the creepy college kid who goes back to watch your high school’s football team every year.

While it can be hard to remember how important the holiday truly is, make sure you’re keeping the tradition of our forefathers and remember to be thankful for all we have. To help, here are my top five reasons to be thankful for the upcoming sports season:

1. The announcement of the American and National league MVPs: After a long baseball season, it’s time to recognize the two men that meant the most to their respective teams and give them the honor they deserve. As always, this should be a close race in both leagues, and the winner should come as a surprise — or it will just be Pujols and Mauer.

2. College football bowl week: For as much crap as the Bowl Championship Series takes every year, college football bowl games still provide for some of the most exciting and entertaining games of the season. Just because a computer comes up with the matchups, it doesn’t mean the players want to win any less.

3. The NHL Winter Classic: What’s better than playing hockey outdoors? After last year’s matchup of the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field, the NHL sticks with a classic baseball stadium for this year’s game — pitting the Philadelphia Flyers against the Boston Bruins at Fenway. I, for one, cannot wait to see a hockey game with the Green Monster as the backdrop.

4. Ithaca women’s soccer in the playoffs: For those of you who have not been paying attention, Ithaca’s women’s soccer team is really good. Like really, really good. So far they have already taken down Muhlenberg College and William Smith College in the first two rounds of the NCAA playoffs and will now head to the sectional semifinal against Rowan University. If there is one team that has a chance to bring a national title to South Hill this season, this is it.

5. A few more games of the AFL throwback uniforms: These are some of the greatest uniforms ever worn in professional sports, and it’s a shame they have gone away. Though there are some terrible ones (Denver), the good ones (New England and San Diego) are so great they should consider going back to the originals.

Even when it looks like the school work will never stop, and there is nothing on ESPN except for where LeBron is playing next year or why Ochocinco is getting fined again, take some time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for this season.

Cory Francer is a senior sport studies major. Contact him at cfrance1@ithaca.edu.