The end of the college football season struck me today in a completely un-football related way as my local Hy-Vee Wine & Spirits had rolled out their winter brews and retired the majority of their Oktoberfests. Don’t get me wrong, winter ales and coffee stouts are great in the colder months; I’m enjoyoing a nice Field Day dunkel as I write this. But there’s a sad sense of finality for me when those orange and black or blue and white Bavarian themed cans are no longer found on store shelves. After looking forward to that seasonal release all year, that season is coming to a close. Glad I stocked up on a few 12-packs while I could to see me through the winter.

We find ourselves at the end of another seasonal release as the 2025 regular season ends this weekend. We’ve come a long way from the preseason, when Texas and Penn State sat atop the AP rankings while Brian Kelly and James Franklin roamed the sidelines in Baton Rouge and Happy Valley. Billy Napier and Mike Gundy were also shown the door while the bidding war for Lane Kiffin has begun in the SEC – anybody have an extra $98 million lying around? You have until the end of the Egg Bowl to come up with it.

Much can change in three months and it’s amazing just how fast it goes. I was listening to the Legends & Listeners podcast last week and Scott Dochterman made the comparison to this time of year feeling like 9:00 pm on Christmas night. Yes, it’s technically still Christmas but it feels like it’s already over. It’s an apt comparison, one that carries the same disappointing feeling of something beloved coming to an end. We’ve got one more week before the postseason begins. Let’s enjoy every delicious drop.

Thursday, November 27 & Friday, November 28

The last weekend is all about rivalries, it’s chock full of them from Friday through Saturday. On Black Friday alone we get the Egg Bowl with #7 Ole Miss and Mississippi State and Iowa at Nebraska at 11:00, #4 Georgia at #23 Georgia Tech at 2:30, and finally #3 Texas A&M at #16 Texas and #25 Arizona at #20 Arizona State in the evening. There’s six rivalry games to enjoy while polishing off your Thanksgiving leftovers.

Georgia Tech was so very close to finally knocking off the Bulldogs last year, going eight overtimes before falling short. They’ve got another good team to hopefully get over the hump against their in state rivals. Texas A&M and Texas looks to be fun simply for the level of hate the programs have of each other, let alone the quality of the teams themselves. I’ll have more thoughts about Iowa and Nebraska in our prediction piece but after the last few years of close shaves and walk of winners I’m already primed for another one.

Saturday, November 29 – Morning & Afternoon

The biggest rivalry of them all comes Saturday morning on Fox with #1 Ohio State at #18 Michigan. There are many levels to The Game this year, not least of all being Ryan Day’s four game losing streak to the Wolverines. It’s weird that despite winning the national championship following last year’s loss there is still a pall hanging over Columbus. Day needs a win in this series badly but Michigan won’t be a slouch, and they’d love nothing more than to twist the knife for a fifth season in a row. Put me down for #12 Miami at #22 Pittsburgh and Clemson at South Carolina Saturday morning as well.

#6 Oregon picked up a huge win over USC last weekend, all but cementing their bid for a CFP spot. That is, unless they stumble in their rivalry game at Washington. Oregon has really impressed me this year but weird things happen in rivalry games. #14 Vanderbilt at #19 Tennessee should be another great one in what will be Diego Pavia’s last game for the Commodores. Vanderbilt last won in Knoxville in 2018 and this year is their best shot at breaking that streak in a long time.

The country’s longest running rivalry game renews for its 135th edition when Wisconsin and Minnesota fight over Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Now, I’m not an impartial observer as it’s obvious to everyone with eyes that Floyd of Rosedale is the premier trophy in college football but the Paul Bunyan’s Axe is easily a close second. It’s a big ass axe, how could it not be? And dare I say that Wisconsin has been looking…good lately?

Saturday, November 29 – Evening

As Saturday winds down and the sun sets on the regular season we are still treated to rivalries like Florida State at Florida, #9 Notre Dame at Stanford Virginia Tech @ #18 Virginia, UCLA @ #17 USC, and #10 Alabama at Auburn. It’s a mix of “could be pretty good” to “probably not going to be competitive but who cares, it’s a rivalry”. All of them are great helmet games, matching some iconic looks and storied histories. Even if they don’t all end up classics just the fact that we get to end the season with new editions of great series. Hell, I can even get excited to watch Northwestern at Illinois.

And that’s really what you want in the last week of the year. It’s been a wild ride this year but fun the entire way through.