Football feast heavy on playoff implications

Rivalries are like a big Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings – oh so appetizing but with the potential to leave you feeling sick and sleepy.Throw a heaping helping of playoff implications on top of those rivalries, and it’s like smothering the whole thing in gravy.Welcome to rivalry week in the College Football Playoff era, a three-day football feast.Selection committee chairman Jeff Long stresses that the 12-member panel begins the task of ranking teams each week with a clean slate, so conceivably there could be some drastic changes at the top of the top 25 even if the favorites win out this weekend.The reality is Alabama, Oregon and Florida State looked locked into the top three as long as they don’t lose again. All three face archrivals on Saturday, with conference championship games looming.Mississippi State, TCU, Baylor and Ohio State are jockeying for that fourth spot, now held by the Bulldogs – but for how long?No. 4 Mississippi State faces the toughest test of all the contenders, playing at No. 18 Mississippi. The Egg Bowl has rarely been a bigger deal.”This game is special. It’s like no other,” Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott said. ”You circle this game on the calendar each and every year. You really don’t have to hype it up or do anything special. I think we’re ready for them.”The Bulldogs and Rebels have played 111 times, 87 with the Golden Egg Trophy on the line. This is the third time they have met as ranked teams.Yum!The picks:TEXAS TURKEY BOWLUPSET SPECIALNo. 6 TCU (minus 6 1/2) at TexasImproving Longhorns try to get coach Charlie Strong his first statement victory …..

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