Carla and Crappy Show: The Mashed Potatoes Edition

It's Week 13 of the college football season and Thanksgiving weekend ... which traditionally means it's rivalry week. But 2020 has been far from normal (#WeHaveNoIdea), and so many of the usual matchups aren't on the schedule. However, what we lack in tradition, we make up for in an abundance of solid games spread out nicely over the long weekend.

 

We begin with a breakdown of the first College Football Playoff rankings, released just moments before this episode was recorded. Who got snubbed? What team could make a move into the Top 4? And who do we need to talk to about Cincinnati and BYU?

 

Next, we hear from AJ, who again has a stellar buffet of #GroupOfFiveAfterDark and #Pac12AfterDark games to highlight.

 

And then, we dig into our unconventional Thanksgiving weekend lineup ... which feels pretty appropriate for 2020. 

 

No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 19 North Carolina (3:30 ET Friday, ABC): The Irish enter after a bye week ... and they may just need it, facing the high-powered Tar Heels offense. (Yes, that's a thing we just said.)

 

Maryland at No. 12 Indiana (Noon ET Saturday, ESPN2): It turns out that the Hoosiers are a legit good team, even if Carla's still really tired of talking about them. (Crappy's discomfort last weekend confirms this.) If Maryland can play, is Taulia ready for this defense?

 

No. 22 Auburn at No. 1 Alabama (3:30 ET Saturday, CBS): Weird things can happen in rivalry games. We say that every year. But no team has come close to stopping the Tide's offense in 2020, and Auburn's not built for a shootout.

 

Honorable mentions this week go to No. 13 Iowa State at No. 17 Texas (Noon ET Friday, ABC) because somehow the Longhorns are favored, Mississippi State at Ole Miss (4 ET Saturday, SEC Network) because we've waited a long time for Leach vs. Kiffin, and No. 11 Oklahoma at West Virginia (7:30 ET Saturday, ABC) because strange things happen in Morgantown on Thanksgiving weekend. Meanwhile, Crappy makes a bold prediction for Penn State at Michigan (Noon ET Saturday, ABC).

 

So grab those socially acceptable bowls of leftover mashed potatoes, toss in a bit of warmed-up turkey, and settle in for a good, long weekend of college football. Happy Thanksgiving, yinz guys.