After some mostly disappointing Thanksgiving Day football, there are tons of sporting events to get excited about heading into the five-week-long break. Regardless of religious beliefs or holiday celebrations, sports fans can all get into the spirit of the season with these top games to watch.
I’m one of the biggest advocates for a playoff in college football, especially since there hasn’t been a truly great BCS Championship game since 2006 when Vince Young led the University of Texas to a 41–38 win over the University of Southern California and then-Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush — before he got his award taken away. But with the projected championship game coming down to No. 1 Auburn University and No. 2 University of Oregon, I’m starting to have a little more faith in the flawed system.
Both the Tigers and Ducks have strong offenses and defenses, and both teams like to operate out of the no-huddle. It should be a fast-paced game that could come down to whichever team has the ball last. While the game will certainly be exciting, I’m psyched to see what uniforms the Ducks will break out in their chance to pick up their first-ever national championship Jan. 10 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Though the NBA has gone downhill since my childhood, every Christmas, after I’ve stuffed my face with my mother’s delicious French toast and torn open the latest video game craze, I get cozy on the couch and actually tune into the NBA’s festivities. This year’s schedule has a game for everyone, but the battles in the East surprisingly look stronger than those in the West, with five of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference taking the court.
Whether it’s the new big three in Miami traveling to L.A. to take on the world champions or the rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals as Boston heads to Orlando that tickles your fancy, get ready for 12-plus consecutive hours of exciting basketball.
As always, the NFL season has proven to be another twisted year. Who would’ve guessed at this point in the year the Cowboys would be sitting at the bottom of the NFC East with a terrible 4–8 record and the Tampa Bay Bucs would make a complete turn-around after a 2–14 finish last year to a 7–5 record so far this year?
With only three weeks left in the regular season, two of the top teams in the league will face off again Week 16. In their first matchup of the year, NFC South foes New Orleans (9–3) and Atlanta (10–2) went down to the wire as the Falcons defeated the Super Bowl champs 27–24 in an overtime thriller. This time around, the division could be on the line.
Casey Musarra  is a senior televison-radio major. Contact her at [email protected].
