Fantastic finishes from the biggest games of Rivalry Week

"From the stress of pre-holiday prep to the dinner conversations with people you don't see (or care to see) all that often to the glorious, gluttony of the big meal itself, it's no wonder a late-afternoon nap often is in order. That applies to the excess of football as well. Several days packed from noon to midnight with high-stakes, hatred-fueled action can take it out of a person."

"It's difficult to overlook the Piss and the Miss in 2019. But in the string of dramatic finishes that runs through this 124-year-old rivalry, the most bizarre ending in Egg Bowl history came 42 years ago this month. In Oxford, at least, it's remembered fondly as The Immaculate Deflection, even if there was no deflection at all. Mississippi State and Ole Miss met in the capital city of Jackson as a pair of sub-.500 programs in late fall of 1983."

Thanksgiving weekend combines pre-holiday stress, social pressures, and a large meal that often leads to late-afternoon naps. A long stretch of football from midday to midnight adds exhaustion, but rivalry games can match or exceed anticipation and produce astonishing finishes. Memorable finishes from major Rivalry Week matchups across college football are presented, spanning many historic series. Featured rivalries include Ole Miss–Miss. State, Georgia–Georgia Tech, Texas A&M–Texas, Arizona–Arizona State, Ohio State–Michigan, Clemson–South Carolina, Wisconsin–Minnesota, Florida State–Florida, USC–UCLA, Virginia–Virginia Tech, Alabama–Auburn, and North Carolina–NC State. The Egg Bowl produced one of the rivalry's most bizarre endings in late 1983, remembered in Oxford as The Immaculate Deflection despite no actual deflection. Mississippi State and Ole Miss met in Jackson as sub-.500 programs; with 24 seconds to play, Bulldogs kicker Artie Crosby lined up for a potential game-winning 27-yard field goal after three late turnovers had fueled a 17-point Rebels comeback that gave Ole Miss a 24–23 lead in the final minute. The kick looked good off Crosby's foot and Mississippi State fans roared.

Read at ESPN.com