Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

I hope all of you have a great holiday and enjoy all your family traditions, whatever they may be. This holiday is all about family and food. And it wouldn’t be complete without some football with one of our Big 12 family … and feud.

Baylor-TCU is a game that’s been long-anticipated, sort of like Grandma Denton’s sweet potatoes … with melted marshmallows.

The campuses are only 83 miles apart. These two are each other’s closest neighbors on Big 12 Lane. And the shared fence has taken a beating of late. It’s a rivalry that’s complete — from the guy in the last row to the players and all the way down to the head coaches. It’s thorough and thick, and it’s amazing that it’s taken this long.

Sure, Baylor and TCU played 110 times all through the early years and throughout the history of the SWC, but it never had the heat that it has now. In the old days, the Bears view of the Brazos was ruined on a regular basis by the hated Aggies, and TCU couldn’t stand SMU, a mere 30 miles east.

TCU and Baylor will play for the 111^th time tonight, and it’s one of the most played series in college football. If the SWC hadn’t broken apart, this would be one of the top three series in college football in terms of total games played.

It’s hard to imagine these two teams going at it more than once a year, but when these two schools were located in Waco, multiple meetings were commonplace: They played twice in 1901, three times in 1902, twice in 1904, three times in 1905, three times in 1907, three times in 1908, three times in 1909 and twice in 1910. The Frogs and Bears lost 10 games when didn’t play each other after 1995 until 2006.

The flames on this rivalry really got fanned in 2010 when Andy Dalton and the Rose Bowl-bound Frogs (from the MWC) welcomed RGIII and his Superman cape into Amon G. Carter Stadium. TCU led 35-3 at the half and dismantled Baylor in grand fashion, 45-10. That made it three straight TCU wins over Baylor and the folks in Waco didn’t like it. The next fall, when Casey Pachall and the Frogs rolled into Waco, Art and RGIII and big pass plays were waiting. While the Frogs had a chance to win it at the end, this shootout victory by Baylor leveled the table. Since the Frogs entered the Big 12 in 2012, it’s been a year-round tussle in worthy of neighborhood attention.

Even though TCU has lost two games and Baylor has lost one, there’s still a lot on the line, especially bragging rights and who gets to have fun with billboards in I-35 and team photos for the next year. It’s the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and these two teams are shopping for weaknesses to exploit and good gets that no coupon can bring. The store opens at 6:30 p.m. Don’t be late for these door busters!

• Quarterbacks – Who will they be?   Not exactly the scenario that everyone from Lee Corso to Dave Campbell anticipated at the beginning of the year. Trevone Boykin is hobbled but available and Baylor has no Seth Russell and no Jarrett Stidham. Chris Johnson has moved back to quarterback from wide receiver to fill in and he did a nice job vs. Oklahoma State. And he’s big.
• Running Backs – I like this matchup between Shock Linwood and TCU’s Aaron Green. Two of the more productive backs in the Big 12. These backs both bring the BALANCE to their respective offenses.
• Defenses – The Frogs have had problems defending deep passes and Baylor has had problems stopping the run. How each group has healed up since last week’s battles will be key here.
• Kicking Game – TCU has the best field goal kicker in TCU history in Jaden Oberkrom, and he’s almost done as a Frog. Watch and appreciate him. He may be the difference in this one. And don’t forget the return game … it may be Turpin-Time!

It’s a Purple Out game at The Carter, so lay off the tryptophan and get amped up for this one.

Kick ‘Em High!