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We stop amid the economic woes engulfing our fine nation to offer a word of Thanksgiving -- for America's plumbers, who are about to embark on the most lucrative four days of their year. You see, the traditional Thanksgiving fare -- turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and such -- treats drains like Al Davis treats his coaches. An industry study shows that plumbers are 21 percent busier than normal during the Thanksgiving weekend and book an additional $1 million in business on Friday alone. So eat heartily, Joe the Plumber. You're in fat city. Also printing money is Domino's Pizza. It delivers 1.1 million pizzas the night before Thanksgiving, one of its biggest nights of the year. Bar owners also report healthy profits on the day before Turkey Day as Americans drink in advance of the inevitable family reunions. So as Thanksgiving dawns, economic growth surrounds us. You just have to search for it -- which is a decent metaphor for this weekend's viewing lineup. There are a few gems; you just need a plumber to cut through the greasy stuff.



Titans (10-1)
at Lions (0-11)

12:30 p.m. ET - Thu - CBS 
There were six Thanksgiving Day games in 1920, when the tradition of professional football on the holiday began. Every one of 'em was better than the Titans-Lions tilt the NFL is subjecting the nation to. The Titans? Virtually unbeatable. The Lions? Certainly unwatchable. Thank goodness NBC is counterprogramming with the National Dog Show (maybe the Lions can enter next year). For the record, Detroit lost in 1920, too -- the Dayton Triangles beat the Detroit Heralds 28-0. We can only hope this one's that close.
    
Seahawks (2-9)
at Cowboys (7-4)

4:15 p.m. ET - Thursday - FOX

 
Cowboys QB/Good Samaritan Tony Romo has helped change a tire on his way home. He has taken a homeless man to the movies. He got MIA wide receiver Terrell Owens back into the offensive mix. Is there anything this man can't do? Well, Seattle coach Mike Holmgren could use a handout -- in his final season, he brings a team that's 31st in pass defense and 26th in points allowed. Seattle isn't as bad as the Lions, but isn't as good as about 25 other NFL teams. A tryptophan-induced nap isn't a bad option here.
    
Cardinals (7-4)
at Eagles (5-5-1)

8:15 p.m. ET - Thu - NFL Net.

 
This has the makings of a bad scene (not unlike the mother-in-law who serves beets for some unknown reason). Donovan McNabb, benched Sunday, starts for the Eagles against suddenly respectable Arizona before a sure-to-be hostile crowd that will have expended its holiday cheer earlier in the day (and likely will be well lubricated). One fact in the Eagles' favor: They're riding a 68-year unbeaten streak -- and haven't allowed a point -- on Thanksgiving. Of course, they've played on the holiday only twice (1968 and 1989).
    


 
 
Texas A&M (4-7) at No. 2 Texas (10-1)
8 p.m. ET - Thursday - ESPN

 
When in doubt, we consult the Bible here. No, not Dana Xenophon Bible, who coached the Aggies in 1917 and from 1919 to '28, and the Longhorns from 1937 to '46 (and helped turn around both programs). The other Bible. Aggies fans like to quote part of Psalm 75:10 to razz the Longhorns ("And all the horns of the wicked He will cut off"). Longhorns fans like to quote the rest of the psalm as a retort ("But the horns of the righteous will be lifted up"). Who's wicked? Who's righteous? The underdog Aggies have won two straight.
 

 
West Virginia (7-3) at Pittsburgh (7-3)
Colorado (5-6) at Nebraska (7-4)

Noon ET, 3:30 p.m. ET - Friday - ABC

 
West Virginia and Pittsburgh hate each other … hence, their game is called the Backyard Brawl. A loss last year cost West Virginia a BCS title game berth. And if revenge is indeed best served cold, snow is possible in Pittsburgh. No snow in Lincoln, Neb., and little hate. A columnist in the Fort Collins, Colo., newspaper (The Coloradan) tried to stir up some emotion. One Nebraska fan's retort? "I think it's clear … no NU fan gives a crap about the CU/NU rivalry idea." So there you have it.
 

 
Heat at Suns
Mavericks at Lakers

8 p.m. ET, 10:30 p.m. ET - Friday - ESPN

 
When last we looked in at Shaq and Kobe, The Big Cactus was serenading The Reigning MVP with a tone-deaf rap worthy of a parental warning (though not a Grammy). Tonight, Shaq faces his former Miami teammates for the first time since being dealt in February; Kobe faces a team he regularly lights up. It's part of an 11-game post-holiday night in the NBA.
 

 
LG Skins Game
Saturday (1 p.m. ET) and Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET) - ABC

 
Does Phil Mickelson need the Skins Game to get back on track? Mickelson has won 34 PGA Tour events and three major titles, but he's been an also-ran in the king of Silly Season events. He also hasn't won since May on tour (and was marginal in the Ryder Cup). At the Celebrity Course, he'll have to beat U.S. Open feel-good story Rocco Mediate (who has played like Rocco DiSpirito since Torrey Pines), K.J. Choi and Stephen Ames, who's looking to become only the second man to win three straight Skins Games. The other? The late Payne Stewart.
 

 
No. 4 Florida (10-1) vs. No. 20 Florida State (8-3)
3:30 p.m. ET - Saturday - ABC

Auburn (5-6) vs. No. 1 Alabama (11-0)
3:30 p.m. ET - Saturday - CBS

 
Your SEC title game combatants tune up against (allegedly) dangerous rivals at the same time on two networks. Two wins and their showdown next week in Atlanta is for a national title game shot. Hope that Black Friday electronics sale netted you a picture-in-picture HD set.
 

 
Detroit vs. Boston
7 p.m. ET - Saturday - NESN

 
Sure, it's shown only on a regional network, which usually doesn't qualify for our little walk through the weekend. But this is big boy hockey and the only time these two will play in the regular season. Heading into Wednesday's play, the defending Stanley Cup champs have lost just twice in 19 starts. The Bruins have lost just three times in 21 starts. Find a good sports bar. Trust us.
 

 
No. 3 Oklahoma (10-1) vs. No. 12 Oklahoma State (9-2)
8 p.m. ET - Saturday - ABC

 
Rumor has it the first game in the Bedlam Series, in 1904, included a touchdown scored when an Oklahoma player jumped on the football in a half-frozen creek. A book claimed the 1954 game was fixed by mobsters, who used a horse laxative to poison some of the Sooners' players (don't get any ideas for relatives). The matchup has been somewhat tamer in the past half-century -- Oklahoma has won the past five, but the past two games in Stillwater have been barn burners. And this year's has big-time national title implications.
 

 
Notre Dame at No. 5 USC
8 p.m. ET - Saturday - ESPN

 
College football likes its trophies. Pigs. Oaken buckets. Axes. So what do USC and Notre Dame play for? A jeweled shillelagh, a Gaelic war club that gets an emerald-colored clover when Notre Dame wins and a ruby-colored Trojans warrior head when USC wins (the original ran out of space, so there's a second jeweled shillelagh that's been in place since 1997). Bet on more ruby -- USC has won six straight, including last year's 38-0 thumping, the most lopsided game in the 80-year history of the series.




Steelers (8-3)
at Patriots (7-4)

4:15 p.m. ET - Sunday - CBS

 
A year ago, Pittsburgh's Anthony Smith promised a win at New England. The Steelers lost 34-13. He repeated his challenge this year, telling the Indiana Gazette: "If they ask me again, I'll say the same thing." Smith apparently hasn't studied history: New England has won six of seven versus Pittsburgh since 1998.
    
Old Spice and 76 Classics
7:30/10 p.m. ET - Sun. - ESPN2

 
Like pumpkin pie (or Alka-Seltzer), not a bad way to wrap up a pretty good week of early-season college hoops. If form holds, a sweet-smelling final from Old Spice, with Michigan State (No. 6), Gonzaga (No. 10), Tennessee (No. 12) and Georgetown (No. 16) in the field. Arizona State (No. 14) and Wake Forest (No. 24) are the cream of the 76 Classic field.
Bears (6-5)
at Vikings (6-5)

8:15 p.m. ET - Sunday - NBC

 
Nothing wraps up a Thanksgiving weekend better than intradivisional infighting. The Bears and Vikings play for the 94th time, and when it's over, one team will be .500; the other will lead the NFC North. The first meeting was 48-41. Is something similar too much to ask for? After all, it's just 25 shopping days until Christmas.
    
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