The Greatest Thursday Ever

Thursday is usually that day you struggle through, knowing that Friday is next, and after that comes Saturday, which means 12+ straight hours of nonstop college football.  But this week, you will not have to wait until Friday, because sports fans, as this might just become THE GREATEST THURSDAY EVER.
You want a game with major college teams?
Done.
You want two of them?
Done.
You want the games to be hard-fought, and feature teams with something on the line?
Done.
You want them to both feature ranked teams?
Done.
You want all four of those teams to be ranked in the top 10?
Done.
You want these game to feature undefeated teams?
Done!
You want these games TO HAVE MAJOR BCS IMPLICATIONS!
DONE!!!

The only thing that would make this night any better would be a monkey rodeo*... Can we get someone on that please? Thanks.

But seriously, Thursday night is about to be everything you asked for, and then some!

At 7:00 pm (EST) #10 Oklahoma (7-1) goes on the road to take on undefeated #7 Baylor (7-0) on FoxSports1. This will be Baylor's first major test of the season, as they begin a stretch where they play 5 straight tough teams to close out the season (Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, TCU, and Texas are the other 4).  Baylor has yet to play a ranked team this year, and I am excited to see what they can do on a prime time stage.  Baylor is leading the nation with just under 64 points per game, and 417 passing yards per game. Quarterback Bryce Petty is the man that allows them to do this, but he is accompanied by a great group of wide receivers, and a running back with legit NFL potential in Lache Seastrunk.  You may remember him as the guy who scored a touchdown after pulling a hammy mid-run from last year, but he has turned into a great all around back. Baylor's offense is amazing, but will it hold up against the Sooner's defense? This game will be a great indicator of whether or not Baylor has the ability to make a BCS run this year.

An hour and a half later on ESPN comes what might be an even better matchup, when #3 Oregon (8-0)
travels down to Palo Alto and takes on #5 Stanford (7-1).  This game has the potential to propel Oregon past Florida State in the polls if they win.  This is a classic showdown of two opposite systems colliding, as Oregon's high tempo offense meets Stanford's tough defense and grind-it-out offense.  Heisman candidate Marcus Mariota is leading the way for the Ducks, as he has put up some great numbers thus far this year.  Overall, the winner of this game will be in the drivers seat to win the Pac 12 North, but more importantly for Oregon, this could be their shot at a national title game. Remember last year: Oregon was left out of the national championship game, and Alabama was chosen over them because of a 3 point OT loss to Stanford. This looks to be a game for the ages.

If this doesn't entertain you on a Thursday night, I don't know what will! You might just want to call in sick on Friday so you can have some time to recover! I have never seen a non-Saturday be this important in college football.  I can't wait! Just a reminder: Oklahoma @ Baylor is on FoxSports1 at 7:00 pm (EST) and Oregon @ Stanford is on ESPN at 9:00 (EST).  'Til next time.

*Seriously, "Monkey Rodeo" might just be the greatest thing ever.  Check it out HERE!