NCAA Rivalry Week, NFL Thanksgiving Weekend Games Feature Everything But The Kitchen Sink

What's Thanksgiving weekend without football?! Am I right? NFL football kicks into high gear on Thanksgiving Day and it's rivalry week in the NCAA.

Late November football always comes with the chance for bitter cold and snow. Mother Nature is throwing in everything but the kitchen sink through Sunday. Here'a a look at where the weather will be the most impactful this week.

No. 1 Ohio State at No. 15 Michigan

(Noon ET Saturday at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan)

In what is arguably the biggest rivalry in college football, the weather looks just as intriguing as the matchup.

Put simply, it will snow in Ann Arbor on Saturday. The question is how much of it falls during this game.

The noon kickoff is a bit of a respite in that snow may not start until after kickoff. But if the timing of Winter Storm Bellamy is a bit faster, much of the game could turn into a virtual snow globe.

We don't expect the winds and cold to be as fierce as the infamous "Blizzard Bowl" 75 years ago played during the infamous Great Appalachian Storm of 1950.

But the weather may be a wild card for the nation's number-one ranked defense, especially if snow starts to accumulate on the field.

(FULL FORECAST: Ann Arbor, Michigan)

More Snow Games?

If that isn't enough snow for you, here are some other games that may have snow to contend with Saturday. Click each link for the latest forecast:

Colorado at Kansas State (Noon ET): Rain, then snow, and wind too?

Wisconsin at Minnesota (3:30 p.m. ET): It seems right that a battle for Paul Bunyan's axe should be windy and cold with a risk of at least light snow.

Maryland at Michigan State (7:00 p.m. ET): Who cares if these two teams are at the bottom of the Big Ten standings with one conference win between them. This may be an even better "snow globe" game than Ann Arbor.

Northwestern at Illinois (7:30 p.m. ET): Speaking of "snow globe" games, Champaign, Illinois, will tell Ann Arbor, East Lansing and Minneapolis to "hold my beer", given this forecast. This is one I'm definitely not going to miss.

College Soakers?

You may have also noticed on the map above that rain and thunderstorms are forecast in parts of the South.

First up, we can't rule out a brief lightning delay from scattered showers and thunderstorms Friday night during the showdown between #3 Texas A&M and #16 Texas in Austin.

One SEC game — Missouri at Arkansas — looks to be soaked in cold rain and, if that wasn't enough, wind, too in Fayetteville.

Fingers will be crossed that games in Norman (LSU at #8 Oklahoma) and Stillwater (Iowa State at Oklahoma State) will be dry by kickoff.

NFL Impacts, Too?

Compared to the college slate, we don't see any definitive "snow globe" games in the NFL week 13.

Otherwise, there are three Sunday games that look interesting, weather wise.

San Francisco 49ers at Cleveland Browns

(1 p.m. ET at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio)

This is certainly a forecast you expect in the Great Lakes at the end of November. Rain, maybe mixed with or changing to snow, very windy and cold.

If you have the Cleveland Browns second-ranked defense by both yards allowed and sacks on your fantasy team, you have to be licking your chops for this game. Even with the 49ers third-ranked passing attack, the recent turnovers from starter Brock Purdy coupled with the Browns defense performance at home makes the Browns D a must start.

Oh, and there's the whole "California team playing in cold weather" factor, too.

(FULL FORECAST: Cleveland, Ohio)

Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets

(1 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey)

No this isn't exactly a battle of the titans, but rain, perhaps even a clap of thunder, could move in during the game.

So, for fantasy purposes, you may want to stick with just the running backs for both the Falcons and Jets. A wet ball with falling rain could mess with each team's struggling passing games.

(FULL FORECAST: East Rutherford, New Jersey)

Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers

(4:25 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

This game may have similar weather to the game in Cleveland: cold, windy with some showers possible.

One big question for the game and for fantasy football owners is the condition of Acrisure Stadium's notoriously bad grass field. While we're not forecasting a soaking, some rain before the game Sunday could make the field an issue once again late Sunday afternoon.

And it further complicates some mixed signals. The Bills third-ranked offense will face the Steeler's sixth worst defense, but fifth best defense for sacks and fourth best for turnover margin.

In this case Bills quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook III may be the only real safe options for fantasy owners.

(FULL FORECAST: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

Tiffany Savona is a meteorologist for weather.com with more than 15 years of experience in forecasting the weather across the country.

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.