As we all prepare to sit down with our families for a Thanksgiving feast, college rivals are preparing to tear each other apart this weekend. The stakes could not be higher with less than two weeks until the selection committee announces who is in the College Football Playoff (seriously, we need a better name for this). Last night the committee unveiled the latest rankings heading into rivalry weekend and while the top four remained the same there are some interesting takeaways.

We can safely assume that #1 Alabama is the only lock for the playoff as the only undefeated team left in playoff consideration (sorry Western Michigan, the committee clearly does not respect your undefeated season). The only other team that you could feel safe about getting into the playoff is #4 Clemson.

If the Tigers take care of business against South Carolina and win the ACC title game, they will be in one of the national semi-finals on New Year’s Eve. As we have seen though even the clearest path to the playoff is no easy task.

That being said, the final three spots in the playoff are totally up for grabs. There may only be two weeks left but so much can change between the final regular season games and conference championship games.

My biggest takeaway from these latest rankings is the Big Ten conference will likely decide how the playoff picture will look on December 4^th. The Big Ten currently has two teams in the top four (#2 Ohio State and #3 Michigan) with two more teams in the top seven (#6 Wisconsin and #7 Penn State).

I joked a couple of weeks ago that there were a countless amount of ways that things could play out. Thanks to the Louisville loss last week, that playoff picture is a little less murky but there is still some chaos that could ensue in the coming weeks.

Right now the Big Ten East division is the focus of all of the playoff projections because this is the only conference that could conceivably get two teams into the CFP. Here are the three ways the Big Ten East gets decided this weekend:

• Michigan Wins the East With: Win vs. Ohio State
• Ohio State Wins the East With: Win vs. Michigan and Penn State loss vs. MSU
• Penn State Wins the East With: Win vs. MSU and Michigan loss vs. Ohio State

There is a ton on the line in the Michigan/OSU game on Saturday and most of the Big Ten and CFP scenarios are hinging on this game. Now we can’t overlook Wisconsin here either. They have to take care of business against Minnesota to lock up their spot in the Big Ten championship game, which would give them a chance to get one more top-ten victory and potentially a berth in the CFP.

Another conference to keep an eye on is the Pac-12 title picture. #5 Washington plays #23 Washington State for the Apple Cup this week. The Huskies have the inside track to be the Pac-12 representative in the CFP but they need help. Washington needs Michigan to win out in order to keep a second Big Ten team from getting into the playoff and either #9 Colorado or #12 USC to be ranked inside the top ten for the Pac-12 title game.

Speaking of Colorado, they are likely the only other team that could sneak into the CFP from the Pac-12. The Buffaloes are rooting for the same thing Washington is hoping for in the Big 10. They would obviously need to defeat the Huskies for the Pac-12 championship just to have a chance to slip into the playoffs as the #4 seed.

Despite the fact that the CFP doesn’t take place until New Year’s Eve, these next two weeks are essentially playoff games. So much intrigue and drama surrounds all of these games. Before I wrap this up, here is the full list of games to keep an eye on with CFP implications this week.

Friday

3:30 PM – #5 Washington at #23 Washington State

– #16 Nebraska at Iowa

Saturday

12:00 PM – #3 Michigan at #2 Ohio State

3:30 PM – Michigan State at #7 Penn State

                 – Notre Dame at #12 USC

                 – Minnesota at #6 Wisconsin

                 – #13 Auburn at #1 Alabama

7:30 PM – South Carolina at #4 Clemson

                 – #22 Utah at #9 Colorado

That’s it for me today. Have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving weekend! If you are heading out tonight, please be careful and get a designated driver. I’ll be back on Monday fresh and ready to recap the full holiday weekend. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

It is a big day in fantasy football. Many trade deadlines were earlier today, so hopefully you all were able to grab that player who could put you over the top with the fantasy playoffs starting in two or three weeks. Even better news, all 32 teams will be in action this week since there are three games tomorrow for Thanksgiving. No bye weeks to deal with means that everyone’s teams should be at full strength unless you are dealing with things the Andrew Luck or Rob Gronkowski injuries.

There is a lot to get to in this week’s “Reality of Fantasy” with matchups getting a jump-start with the huge Thursday slate of games. So let’s jump right into the best and worst fantasy matchups of the week. It should be a fun week of games filled with fantasy madness in one of the final regular season weeks.

Best Game: Washington vs. Dallas

NFC East games always bring an added intensity, and given that these are two of the best offenses squaring off this has the makings of a great game for fantasy. You can never go wrong when two top-ten offenses get together. We also have the added bonus of Washington facing a must-win game to keep Dallas within striking distance in the NFC race.

I talked at length about this game in yesterday’s “No Huddle” but I’ll reiterate that I think that this is going to be the game of the week in the NFL. Last game came down to the final possession in a 27-23 Dallas victory in Week 2. Ten weeks later, both teams are coming into this game on hot streaks.

Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins have been lighting up defenses week in and week out which sets up a potentially high scoring affair here. Both running games have been great as well. Ezekiel Elliot is the best running back in football this year while Rob Kelley has been a pleasant surprise for Washington since taking over as the starter.

Load up, sit back, and enjoy this one because fantasy points should be as plentiful as your Thanksgiving table tomorrow.

Best Matchup (Tie): NY Giants (vs. Cleveland) and Tennessee (vs. Chicago)

I wasn’t joking when I said this could be a great week for fantasy football. Both the Giants and Titans have incredible matchups this week playing against two of the worst teams in the NFL.

A theme of 2016 in fantasy has been to insert whichever stud plays Cleveland into your lineup. That isn’t going to change this week as the Giants have a chance to finally put up a huge day offensively. Am I worried that the Giants haven’t scored more than 28 points all season? A little, but if there is one team that they can break that streak against it is the Browns. In eleven games this season, Cleveland has allowed 30+ points six times. That is great news for anyone that owns players on the Giants.

Tennessee has been one of the surprises of the season. Coming into the season they looked like a one-trick pony that would solely rely on the running game led by DeMarco Murray. Early in the season that was the case, but Marcus Mariota changed that perception quickly.

He is on fire of late, throwing multiple touchdown passes in seven consecutive games. Delanie Walker, Rishard Matthews, and Tajae Sharpe have all been beneficiaries of Mariota’s hot streak these past few weeks. Even more impressive about Mariota, he is a red zone-scoring machine. In his career he has over 30 touchdowns and no turnovers.

Chicago presents an interesting matchup because they aren’t totally devoid of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The reason I like this matchup is the quarterback situation for the Bears. Jay Cutler, who has a tendency to turn the ball over in bunches, is banged up and if he misses this game that means Matt Barkley gets the nod. I can see the Titans getting extra possessions in this game, and with the way Mariota is playing that bodes well for Tennessee’s fantasy prospects this week.

Worst Matchup: Tampa Bay (vs. Seattle)

Jameis Winston has been pretty good of late in fantasy, scoring 20+ fantasy points in four of his last five games since Tampa Bay’s bye week. I’m not too excited about this game playing against the Legion of Boom though even without Earl Thomas potentially. Seattle terrorizes opposing quarterbacks on a weekly basis and are one of the best defenses in the league.

The Seahawks rank in the top ten in terms of passing yards allowed, which doesn’t bode well here for the Bucs. Outside of Mike Evans, I don’t see anyone on this offense that can win a one-on-one matchup with the Seattle defenders. Better days are ahead for Tampa Bay, so give anyone not named Evans a week off in your lineup.

Good Matchup: Oakland (vs. Carolina)

No Luke Kuechly in the lineup for the Panthers this week is a massive loss for Carolina and a huge advantage for Oakland. Kuechly is arguably the best defensive player in football and the signal caller for the Panthers. The Raiders may be on a short week but I like the potential this matchup presents.

Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, and Michael Crabtree are all in line to have great games here playing against a mediocre secondary. I also think that Latavius Murray and Jalen Richard will be able to get something going on the ground this week despite coming off of one of the worst team rushing performances of the season in Week 11. Don’t go too crazy with this game; there is no need to start Richard since you likely have better options but this is a clear “start your studs” game.

Tough Matchup: Atlanta (vs. Arizona)

This is a very intriguing game on Sunday. You have the second-best passing attack going up against the best pass defense. Julio Jones and Patrick Peterson are going to be an awesome matchup to watch in this one. From Atlanta’s perspective though, I’m very worried about this Arizona defense.

The Falcons average 334 yards passing at home this season, but Arizona allows only 144 passing yards per game on the road. That stat alone gives me cause for concern. Atlanta has been a fantasy darling this season, but I would be careful with this game.

Under-the-Radar Matchup: Philadelphia (vs. Green Bay)

This is not a “homer” pick, Green Bay’s defense is down right awful so don’t tell me to r-e-l-a-x. The Eagles receivers are tough to watch at times, but this matchup is ripe for the picking. Green Bay allows just less than 300 yards per game on the road and Philadelphia is a much better team playing in the city of brotherly love.

Carson Wentz should be able to rack up passing yards against this defense, which bodes well for Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz. Keep an eye on Wendell Smallwood here for the Eagles, he should see a ton of snaps with Ryan Mathews out and Darren Sproles banged up.

I hate sweating out games on Monday nights but this matchup for Philadelphia is one I can feel a little comfortable with given the struggles defensively for Green Bay.

Overrated Matchup: Buffalo (vs. Jacksonville)

You see Jacksonville and you think to yourself, great matchup here for Buffalo, right? Wrong. The Jaguars rank fifth in the NFL in passing yards allowed while Buffalo is dead-last in the NFL in passing. The Bills may have the most rushing yards per game, but the Jags aren’t pushovers in that area either (allowing an average of 85 rushing yards in their last three games).

I wouldn’t get too excited at the potential return of Sammy Watkins to the Bills this week. Typically when players return from injury, that first game is the “ease them into action” game. Considering he is coming back from a setback in his recovery from offseason foot surgery definitely don’t expect Watkins to be force fed the ball.

In injury news, Rex Ryan is not committing to LeSean McCoy’s playing status for Sunday due to a thumb injury. That is a big problem for the Bills if he can’t go in this game. Mike Gillislie is a capable backup, but obviously they would much rather have Shady McCoy leading the way.

Other Good Matchups: Miami (vs. San Francisco), San Diego (vs. Houston), Seattle (vs. Tampa Bay), New England (vs. NY Jets), Carolina (vs. Oakland), Arizona (vs. Atlanta), Green Bay (vs. Philadelphia)

Other Tough Matchups: San Francisco (vs. Miami), Jacksonville (vs. Buffalo), Denver (vs. Kansas City), Kansas City (vs. Denver), NY Jets (vs. New England), Cincinnati (vs. Baltimore), Baltimore (vs. Cincinnati), Detroit (vs. Minnesota)

Good luck to you all this week in fantasy and your playoff hopes. Stay tuned to Shooting the Moon, I will have my CFP Rankings breakdown up a little later this evening. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.