The Thanksgiving Football Schedule for the 2021 season is set! The schedule includes all FBS and FCS college football games plus NFL and CFL contests this holiday weekend.
The football schedule this week kicks off on Tuesday, Nov. 23 with two games in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Buffalo travels to take on Ball State while Northern Illinois hosts Western Michigan, both at 7:00pm ET.
Thanksgiving Day kicks off at 12:30pm ET with a Thanksgiving Classic game in the NFL, which features the Chicago Bears traveling to take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.
An FCS matchup between Tuskegee and Alabama State is scheduled for 3:00pm ET, and that is followed by San Jose State hosting Fresno State at 3:30pm ET.
Two more Thanksgiving Classic games follow with an SEC football game sandwiched in between. First, it’s the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Las Vegas Raiders at 4:30pm ET. Next is the Egg Bowl featuring Ole Miss at Mississippi State at 7:30pm ET, and then the New Orleans Saints play host to the Buffalo Bills at 8:20pm ET.
Football on Black Friday begins at Noon ET with four matchups. Seven additional games are scheduled for Black Friday, culminating with Washington State at Washington in the Apple Cup at 8:00pm ET.
Saturday features a full slate of college football action, while Sunday includes 11 NFL games and two Canadian Football League (CFL) playoff games. The Thanksgiving Week Football Schedule concludes with a Monday Night Football matchup featuring Seattle at Washington.
Thanksgiving week is also Rivalry Week in college football. Some of the matchups include Alabama at Auburn, Clemson at South Carolina, Georgia at Georgia Tech, Oregon State at Oregon, Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, and Cal at UCLA.
The College Football Bowl Schedule is slated to begin on Friday, Dec. 17 this season. The College Football Playoff pairings for the 2021-22 season will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 5.
Note: FBS rankings are based on the College Football Playoff Rankings from Nov. 16. Rankings will be updated following tonight’s release.
Thanksgiving Football Schedule 2021
Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV / Online |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo at Ball State | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Western Michigan at Northern Illinois | 7:00pm | ESPNU |
Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV / Online |
|---|---|---|
| NFL: Chicago at Detroit | 12:30pm | FOX |
| Tuskegee at Alabama State | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Fresno State at San Jose State | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| NFL: Las Vegas at Dallas | 4:30pm | CBS |
| (9) Ole Miss at Mississippi State | 7:30pm | ESPN |
| NFL: Buffalo at New Orleans | 8:20pm | NBC |
Friday, Nov. 26, 2021
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV / Online |
|---|---|---|
| Boise State at (21) San Diego State | 12:00pm | CBS |
| Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| Kansas State at Texas | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Ohio at Bowling Green | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Utah State at New Mexico | 1:00pm | FS1 |
| (16) Iowa at Nebraska | 1:30pm | BTN |
| UTEP at UAB | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| (4) Cincinnati at East Carolina | 3:30pm | ABC |
| Coastal Carolina at South Alabama | 3:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Missouri at (25) Arkansas | 3:30pm | CBS |
| USF at UCF | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| UNLV at Air Force | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| Colorado at (19) Utah | 4:00pm | FOX |
| TCU at Iowa State | 4:30pm | FS1 |
| North Carolina at (20) NC State | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| Washington State at Washington | 8:00pm | FS1 |
Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV / Online |
|---|---|---|
| Akron at Toledo | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Army at Liberty | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Florida State at Florida | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| (1) Georgia at Georgia Tech | 12:00pm | ABC |
| (24) Houston at UConn | 12:00pm | CBSSN |
| Maryland at Rutgers | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Miami (OH) at Kent State | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Navy at Temple | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| (2) Ohio State at (5) Michigan | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Sacred Heart at Holy Cross | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas Tech at (8) Baylor | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| (18) Wake Forest at Boston College | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Miami (FL) at Duke | 12:30pm | RSN/ESPN3 |
| Louisiana Tech at Rice | 1:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Charlotte at Old Dominion | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Davidson at Kennesaw State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Texas State at Arkansas State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Troy at Georgia State | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| (22) UTSA at North Texas | 2:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Ga. Southern at App State | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| FIU at Southern Miss | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Hawaii at Wyoming | 3:00pm | Spectrum PPV/Team1 |
| MVSU at Prairie View A&M | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Stephen F. Austin at UIW | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UC Davis at South Dakota State | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| UMass at New Mexico State | 3:00pm | FloFootball/CW El Paso |
| (3) Alabama at Auburn | 3:30pm | CBS |
| Indiana at Purdue | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| Northwestern at Illinois | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Oregon State at (11) Oregon | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Penn State at (12) Michigan State | 3:30pm | ABC |
| WKU at Marshall | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| Vanderbilt at Tennessee | 3:45pm | SECN |
| Virginia Tech at Virginia | 3:45pm | ACCN |
| Arizona at Arizona State | 4:00pm | P12N |
| Northern Iowa at Eastern Washington | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Tulsa at SMU | 4:00pm | ESPN2 |
| ULM at Louisiana | 4:00pm | ESPNU |
| UT Martin at Missouri State | 4:00pm | ESPN+ |
| (14) Wisconsin at Minnesota | 4:00pm | FOX |
| Grambling vs. Southern (New Orleans) | 5:00pm | NBCSN |
| Southern Illinois at South Dakota | 6:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Florida A&M at Southeastern Louisiana | 7:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Middle Tennessee at Florida Atlantic | 7:00pm | Stadium |
| (15) Texas A&M at LSU | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| West Virginia at Kansas | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| (23) Clemson at South Carolina | 7:30pm | SECN |
| Kentucky at Louisville | 7:30pm | ESPN2 |
| (10) Oklahoma at (7) Oklahoma State | 7:30pm | ABC |
| (17) Pitt at Syracuse | 7:30pm | ACCN |
| Tulane at Memphis | 7:30pm | ESPNU |
| (6) Notre Dame at Stanford | 8:00pm | FOX |
| Nevada at Colorado State | 9:00pm | CBSSN |
| (13) BYU at USC | 10:30pm | ESPN |
| California at UCLA | 10:30pm | FS1 |
Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV / Online |
|---|---|---|
| CFL: Montreal at Hamilton | 1:00pm | ESPN2 |
| NFL: Tampa Bay at Indianapolis | 1:00pm | FOX |
| NFL: NY Jets at Houston | 1:00pm | CBS |
| NFL: Philadelphia at NY Giants | 1:00pm | FOX |
| NFL: Carolina at Miami | 1:00pm | FOX |
| NFL: Tennessee at New England | 1:00pm | CBS |
| NFL: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati | 1:00pm | CBS |
| NFL: Atlanta at Jacksonville | 1:00pm | FOX |
| NFL: LA Chargers at Denver | 4:05pm | CBS |
| NFL: LA Rams at Green Bay | 4:25pm | FOX |
| NFL: Minnesota at San Francisco | 4:25pm | FOX |
| CFL: Calgary at Saskatchewan | 4:30pm | ESPNews |
| NFL: Cleveland at Baltimore | 8:20pm | NBC |
Monday, Nov. 29, 2021
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV / Online |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle at Washington | 8:15pm | ESPN |
Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving this year.
Excited for The Game, the WI/MN battle for the Axe, and the BYU/USC matchup.
No more important games on ABC, please. Here in the Sacramento area we have not had ABC on DISH for 2+ months, with no end to the standoff in sight. Alternative news sites abound, but for live sporting events there is no alternative (other than rigging your TV for over-the-air reception via antenna). I hope the NCAA and advertisers are paying attention, and will punish ABC in the future.
I agree with your sentiment. But as a short term solution couldn’t you just get an over the air antenna for the channel, as you mentioned? Usually <10 USD.