Thanksgiving Sports on Sling TV: NFL, College, and More
From NFL games on Thanksgiving day to the biggest 'Game' of the college football season, and more, here's a preview of Thanksgiving sports on Sling TV.
Thanksgiving and sports go together like New York’s 6th avenue and giant inflatable balloons. From the biggest college football rivalries to the NFL’s annual Thanksgiving games, the long holiday weekend is always a feast for football fans. However, this year a number of other sports are getting in on the action, including tournament games in both college basketball and the NBA.
With the cornucopia of competition this weekend, here’s a look at all of the Thanksgiving sports to stream on Sling TV. To get the most sports on Sling, use the link at the bottom of this page to subscribe to Sling Orange + Blue and add the Sports Extras pack.
College Football
Top picks of the week. For a full preview of this weekend's biggest college football games, click here.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/y1qP1liXKd8?si=qOwVg-TCKi1LYlmU
#2 Ohio State at #3 Michigan
Saturday, Nov. 25 at 12:00pm ET on FOX (Sling Blue in Select Markets)
#15 Oregon State at #6 Orego n
Friday, November 24 at 8:30pm ET on FOX (Sling Blue in Select Markets)
#5 Florida State at Florida
Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN (Sling Orange)
Texas Tech at #7 Texas
Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7:30pm ET on ABC/ ESPN3 (Sling Orange/ Blue in Select Markets)
Bonus games: #17 Notre Dame at Stanford
Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7pm ET on Pac-12 Network (Sports Extras)
It’s looking like the last live football game to be played on the Pac-12 Network will be between Notre Dame and Stanford. One team is an independent not in the Pac-12 and the other is a school headed to join the ACC conference in 2024. Poetic? Ironic? We're not sure, but we do know that Notre Dame fans who need to watch their Fighting Irish probably don’t have Pac-12 Network (Pssst...you can get it on Sling with the Sports Extras pack). Stanford is in the middle of a rebuild under first year coach Troy Taylor. The 3-8 Cardinal will welcome Marcus Freeman and the Irish, who are looking for their 9th win with the hope of reaching 10, including their bowl game. Notre Dame lost a heartbreaker to playoff hopeful Ohio State, and their loss to Louisville isn’t looking as bad as when it happened, with Jeff Brohm’s team ranked 9th in the country and headed to the ACC title game. Pour one out for the Pac-12.
#13 Ole Miss vs Mississippi State
Thursday, November 23 at 7:30pm ET on ESPN
With all the conference realignment, college football fans have lost a lot of traditional rivalry games played on Thanksgiving. The sport has put more emphasis on Black Friday (and of course Saturday), but it doesn’t mean that we don’t miss classic matchups like Texas A&M vs Texas or Pittsburgh vs Penn State or even Missouri vs Kansas. But one matchup remains, and the schools have no plans of changing their scheduled date every year on Turkey day: The Egg Bowl between Mississippi State and Ole Miss will play for the 120th time come Thursday at 7:30pm ET on ESPN. Sure, you can watch the 49ers vs Seahawks on NBC an hour later (more on that below), but let us make the case for the Egg Bowl.
First you’re probably wondering why it’s called the ‘Egg Bowl’. The easy answer is that a trophy was made to halt interstate fighting between the two schools' fan bases back in 1927. But you see, the football represented on the trophy looks a little more ‘egg’ like and not near as pointed as today's pigskins. Thus, the name was born. Last year Mississippi State beat Ole Miss, and a month later, tragically lost their head coach and college football icon Mike Leach to a heart condition. Mississippi State hired Leach's defensive coordinator Zach Arnett, who was fired this year. Greg Knox has taken over as interim head coach, and the Bulldogs beat Southern Miss last week handedly. But it’s time for the program to start over, and there is no better jumping off point than upsetting the 13th-ranked Rebs. Lane Kiffin’s bunch have had a great season this year as they search for their 10th win of the year. Alabama and Georgia are their only SEC losses this year, which isn’t something to be ashamed about. Those two schools are on another level, and the Lane train will just need to keep knocking on the door to finally take his former colleagues down. Rebs wide receiver Dayton Wade said it best, “'It ain't just another game,” and he’s right. The Egg Bowl is the the quintessential college football rivalry where the wacky and ridiculous happen. So, in that hour before the NFL kicks off the night cap, give the Egg Bowl some time, and who knows, you may enjoy the cowbells ringing in Starkvegas more than the 12th man in Seattle.
NFL
https://www.youtube.com/embed/9ZzEoCjfSrA?si=yM4e5aOqIGQokgvM
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions
Thursday, Nov. 23, 12:30pm ET - FOX
Along with the Dallas Cowboys – who welcome the Washington Commanders at 4:30pm ET on CBS on Thanksgiving – the Detroit Lions are one of two teams that always hosts a Turkey Day game. For Lions fans, it has rarely been a holiday treat: Since the NFL switched to a three-game format on Thanksgiving day in 2006, the Lions have won just four of those 17 contests. This year could be different. At 8-2, the Lions are the current No. 2 seed in the NFC and are off to their best start since the Kennedy administration.
Meanwhile, the alway-dominant Green Bay Packers must feel like they pulled a Freaky Friday with Detroit. At 4-6, Green Bay sits at third in the NFC North and prior to Sunday’s close win over an underperforming Chargers team, had lost five of their last six games. Strange as it is to say, this game means a lot more to the Packers than the Lions, at least in the standings.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
Thursday, Nov. 23, 8:20pm ET - NBC
Injuries left San Francisco hurting during its recent three-game losing streak, but after back-to-back dominant wins over Jacksonville and Tampa Bay, the 49ers once again look like one of the best, most balanced teams in the NFL. They’ll take on a Seahawks team that has looked great beating up on lesser opponents like the Panthers and Giants, but has struggled against playoff contenders like Baltimore and Cincinnati. This is a high-stakes divisional game that could leave the teams tied in the standings ahead of their rematch in just two weeks.
NBA
https://www.youtube.com/embed/MACsQMDQNKY?si=_qI6h0ne6aKGfqa1
At least from a ratings standpoint, the NBA’s new In-Season Tournament has been a major success (from a jersey and floor design standpoint, perhaps less so). Tournament games continue all day on Friday, with four games between NBA TV (available with the Sports Extras pack) and ESPN (available with Sling Orange or Orange + Blue):
Boston Celtics at Orlando Magic - 2:30pm ET - NBA TV
Phoenix Suns at Memphis Grizzlies - 5:00pm ET - NBA TV
Miami Heat at New York Knicks - 7:30pm ET - ESPN
San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors - 10pm ET - ESPN
NHL
https://www.youtube.com/embed/hBKUWzLDC94?si=mPTKLDQz6HY7Nean
Both the NHL and NBA wisely will not play on Thanksgiving. However, on Black Friday, Nov. 24, the NHL will feature a doubleheader between the Penguins and Flyers, followed by the Avalanche vs. the Wild. Both games are on TNT, which is available with both Sling Orange and Blue.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres - 6pm ET - TNT
Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild - 8:30pm ET - TNT
Men’s College Basketball
The college basketball season is still in its infancy, but Thanksgiving is a big week for the sport, with 13 events taking place across “Feast Week.” The ESPN family of networks will feature coverage from most tournaments, the biggest of which is probably Battle 4 Atlantis. A quartet of games kicks off the tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 22, with coverage continuing through the Championship Game, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24 at 3:30pm ET on ESPN:
North Carolina vs. UNI - 12:00pm ET - ESPN
Villanova vs. Texas Tech - 2:30pm ET - ESPN/2
Michigan vs. Memphis - 5:00pm ET - ESPN2
Arkansas vs. Stanford - 7:30pm ET - ESPNU
Soccer
The MLS Cup Playoffs are in full swing, but to watch most matches, you’ll need to subscribe to Apple TV+. However, FS1 will carry one of the four semifinal matches, when Sporting Kansas City visits the Houston Dynamo at 7pm ET on Sunday, Nov. 26.
If you’re a fan of international soccer, USA Network has four matches this weekend, plus a bonus contest on Monday:
Saturday November 25, 2023
- Brighton at Nottingham Forest - 10am ET on USA
- Arsenal at Brentford - 12:30pm ET on USA
Sunday November 26
- Aston Villa at Tottenham - 9am ET - USA
- Manchester United at Everton - 11:30am ET - USA
Monday, November 27
- Wolves at Fulham - 3pm ET - USA
Motor Sports
Finally, Max Verstappen will put a crown on his historic Formula One season this weekend with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which airs at 8am ET on Sunday, Nov. 26 on ESPN. After that, switch over to CNBC for the MotoGP World Championship, which gets underway at 3pm.
For a full schedule of all sports on Sling, follow this link, and use the link below to subscribe to Sling today!
https://main--sling--aemsites.aem.page/aemedge/fragments/try-sling-combo