Sports Blog: Texas teams ready for Thanksgiving stage

Thanksgiving in America is a holiday tradition, a time to give thanks for the year you've had, and for the many blessings you've experienced.

It's a time for family, friends, and anybody else that is important to you. It's pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes and, of course, turkey. 

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In Texas, it's also a time for football. 

Here in Texas, we love our football, as most of the world knows, but we really love it on Thanksgiving. Whether it's pickup games in the morning or traveling to a game instead of having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, football has and will always be a big part of Thanksgiving in Texas.

This year, might be the biggest football-centric Thanksgiving yet for the Lone Star State. 

As usual, the Cowboys and Longhorns take the stage, as has been tradition, but two newcomers are set to take their first snaps on Turkey Day. 

The Houston Texans, riding high at 9-1, take on the Detroit Lions in the Thanksgiving early game on CBS. The Texans won't say it, but they've got to be excited to be on the big stage, and their fans would love nothing more than to show up America's team on their designated holiday. 

TCU also takes the stage, replacing Texas A&M as the Longhorns' Thanksgiving night game on ESPN. With A&M leaving the Big 12, the Longhorns were left without an opponent on Thanksgiving. The plan seems to be to play a different Texas school every year on Thanksgiving for the Longhorns, so this might be TCU's only shot to make a big impression on the nation, and state. 

And how can we talk about Thanksgiving football without talking about America's team, who host their biggest rivals on Turkey day, the Washington Redskins. 

Cowboys Stadium will take center stage on Fox, as perhaps the biggest Texas Thanksgiving tradition of all takes place, a Cowboys game. 

The Texas Longhorns will try to get on with life after A&M, as they continue the Hex Rally, and continue the Thanksgiving night game. 

TCU might not be a hated rival, but it is an old Southwest Conference rival with a lot of recent success. 

So get ready Texans, Horned Frogs, Longhorns and, of course, Cowboys, as the nation watches a football-crazed state showcase our teams for all the country to enjoy with their pecan pie. 

John Dyer is a sports blogger for KSAT.com. He also owns a sports website, Texas Sports Junkie.