Why Memphis Football and Tulane Play on Thanksgiving Day

November 28, 2024

There will be a college football game on Thanksgiving Day — but not the one most fans are used to.

Memphis (9-2, 5-2 AAC) and Tulane (9-2, 7-0) meet in New Orleans on Thursday (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN) in the only college football game of the day. It’s a great opportunity for the two teams and for the AAC, which doesn’t normally get a Thanksgiving slot but this time has the opportunity to feature two of the best teams in the conference.

Tulane travels to the AAC title game on Dec. 6 against Army (9-1, 7-0); Memphis, which missed its AAC championship and College Football Playoff hopes, is trying to finish its regular season with 10 wins.

So why is this game taking place on Thanksgiving?

Memphis vs. Tulane gets a Thanksgiving slot after Egg Bowl was moved to Friday

The Egg Bowl between Ole Miss and Mississippi State normally takes place on Thanksgiving, but the SEC decided to move the game to Friday this year (2:30 p.m. CT, ABC). This opened up a slot on ESPN, and the network decided to fill it with an AAC game.

Conference officials decided to host Tulane vs. Memphis there. It was a coincidence that Memphis was picked first and Tulane was picked third in the preseason poll.

“It’s a great TV window on a day when everyone is watching football together,” said AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti. “For 100 years it has become the stuff of Thanksgiving, with football being an integral part of the day.”

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