Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day to everyone out there. Thanksgiving weekend is always a great weekend for sports, so here is what I'm looking forward to this weekend:

-Cowboys and Lions always get the headlines on Thanksgiving Day, but this year the most intriguing game by far is Arizona traveling to Philly. How will Donovan McNabb respond to being benched? The Eagles need a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and the Cardinals are one of the most surprising teams in the NFL this year. I always enjoy watching the NFL on Thanksgiving. Should be good stuff.

-Rivalry games galore in college football this weekend. The USC-Notre Dame game that I will be attending at the Coliseum has lost much of its luster over the past six years of Trojan domination, but it's still always an intriguing game. In addition, there's Alabama-Auburn, Texas-Texas A&M, Florida-Florida State, and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State. The great thing about these rivalry games is that they all have major BCS implications. Texas and Alabama should roll, but Florida and Oklahoma will be in for a challenge. Finally, there's Oregon-Oregon State, the most intriguing Civil War game in years. A win for the Beavers and they're in the Rose Bowl. A loss, and USC is most likely headed there. Most Trojan fans, including myself, want to see the Beavers win so USC can go to the Fiesta or Sugar Bowl and play a Big 12 or SEC team. However, if a few things go the Trojans way this weekend, their hopes of getting to the BCS title game in Miami could dramatically increase. This weekend could do a lot to clear up the BCS picture, or it could create even more of a mess. We'll see how it plays out.

-The USC basketball team is back in action on Friday after a very disappointing weekend in Puerto Rico, where they went 1-2. After these next two home games, the Trojans travel to Norman to face a terrific Oklahoma Sooners team. Before then, they will need someone to step up as a go to guy when Taj Gibson is on the bench. Gibson has been the only consistent thing for the Trojans this season, putting up monster numbers. Daniel Hackett has to be more consistent and prove he can handle the basketball more this year. Dwight Lewis has to shoot more consistently from the field. It's pretty clear that freshman DeMar DeRozan will need some time to get adjusted to the college game. He's not O.J. Mayo. A talent like that only comes around once in a while. DeRozan is two years younger than Mayo and his game isn't nearly as polished. Trojan fans need to be patient with the youngster. I still think DeRozan will be a dynamic talent this season. It just might take a little longer for him to develop than fans originally expected. The Trojans must also play 2 good halves. In both of their losses in Puerto Rico, the Trojans had big leads at the half. They were up 15 on Seton Hall at the half. They must play 40 minutes of good basketball if they hope to live up to expectations this season.

-The showdown for first place in the NFC North is set for Sunday night when the Bears come to the Dome to take on the Vikings. I am sick and tired of losing to teams from Chicago and I hate the Bears, so we better throttle them. In spots like these over the past few years, the Vikings have not been good. Remember when Washington came to the Dome last year with the playoffs on the line? How about the collapse in Arizona a few years ago? Or, remember the must-win game when the Steelers came to town? There have been so many collapses by this team in recent years, which is why my excitement leading up to this game is accompanied by fear. The Vikings SHOULD win this game, but their past history doesn't give me confidence that they will. Still, despite the fear, this year I think they will finally come through. We are playing at home, where the Bears have always struggled to win. Adrian has seven touchdowns against the Bears in three games, and they have shown no signs that they can stop him. Our offense marched up and down the field against Chicago at Soldier Field and if it wasn't for two special teams gaffes, we would have won handily. Our defense can't possibly play as badly as it did at Soldier Field and in the second match up against Green Bay, they showed they are capable of making solid adjustments after a weak first performance. We are a better team than the Bears and we absolutely need this game. Behind Adrian Peterson, we should get it done. Still, I am fearful we won't. My prediction: Vikings 27, Bears 23. SKOL.

Should be a great Thanksgiving weekend full of food and sports. Have fun taking it all in.

Fight On and SKOL.

Thanks for reading.