The most memorable Rivalry Week finishes in college football - ESPN

Let's be honest: Thanksgiving weekend is an endurance test.

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. That is, until a rivalry game matches — or exceeds — the anticipation and delivers a finish that gets you jumping out of your seat in amazement at what you just witnessed.

With those stupefying (or stupor-defying?) moments in mind, we present some of the most fantastic finishes from the biggest Rivalry Week matchups — those unforgettable scenes that keep us coming back for more year after year.

Jump to a rivalry:
Ole Miss-Miss. State | https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46945252/fantastic-finishes-best-rivalries-college-football#Hate">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 | North Carolina-NC State

All times Eastern

Better known as: Egg Bowl
This year's game: Friday, noon, ABC
Record: Ole Miss 68-46-6
Current streak: Ole Miss, 2

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