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We’re about 10 days aways from the Game of the Century II. But, more importantly, we’re only 7+ days away from the biggest and best feast of the year - Thanksgiving. Of course the Potato loves Thanksgiving – Mashed, Sweet, Scalloped, Salad, there’s potatoes everywhere!

Nothing beats spending time with family, friends, food, and football, and that’s why Thanksgiving is always the best. But what’s more up for debate is what’s the best food dishes during Thanksgiving? Is it the turkey? Mashed potatoes? Pumpkin pie? Let’s break it all down with the Potato’s Top 10 Thanksgiving food dishes.

10) HAM – Ham is one of those Thanksgiving dishes that doesn’t get the attention it deserves but at the same time is almost never going to make the top five of anyone’s best dishes. A great change of pace from overrated turkey, I’d be doing the ham an injustice not having it in the top 10.

9) BROCCOLI – Look, broccoli isn’t sexy. I know this. It’s kinda weird shaped. The stems are way too long and I just want to eat the bushy part. But, here’s the thing. I’ve had killer broccoli before. Throw in some bread crumbs, garlic, cheese and melt it all together, and oh my your refill plate will be all broccoli – if there’s any left by the time you get back up.

8) CRANBERRY – Here’s the weird thing about cranberry. Cranberry juice, great. Cranberry in a can – money. But, fresh cranberry on Thanksgiving – not in the top five. Can’t do it. And, you gotta make sure the cranberry stays on its own side and doesn’t mix with the rest of the food – it just takes over the flavor and that’s not cool.

7) TURKEY WITH GRAVY – This ranking is kinda throwing a bone to turkey, I felt like we had to have it in here. But, let’s be honest, remove the turkey from the Thanksgiving platter and no one’s going to complain. Plus, it takes forever to cook and takes an even longer time to cut. And, really after 46 years I still can’t decide if I like white or the dark meat better. That’s never a good sign. Plus, if it wasn’t for gravy does it even crack the top 10? Sorry gobblers, this was a gift at seven!

6) APPLE PIE WITH VANILLA ICE CREAM - Old faithful never lets me down. Throw on a little cinnamon or brown sugar on the top, just a bit heated so the ice cream melts just right, and I can be happy for hours having little tiny spoonful’s so it lasts the night. Dutch or cobbler ain’t bad either. You just can’t go wrong with apple pie!

5) BLUEBERRY/CHERRY PIE – here’s the difference between apple and blueberry pie. Apple’s floor is much higher but its ceiling is much lower. Blueberry/cherry can be one of those pies you’ll never forget – it’s ceiling is crazy high for a pie. I mean, a homemade, fresh blueberry pie is just crazy good. People drive miles and miles for famous blueberry/cherry pies and they are happy they did after. The blueberries just melt in your mouth and the Potato feels lucky to be an American with every fruity bite.

4) MASHED POTATOES – Obviously we all know the Potato’s going to have the Mashed near the top of the rankings. But, mashed sometimes has great nights and other nights it’s a clumpy mess. It’s just wildly inconsistent, you never know what mashed is going to show up for the night and that’s why it comes in at number four. But, if you got a lot of butter, I mean extra butter, some skin, maybe even some garlic in there, and oh boy, take that big spoon and fill up the entire side of my plate!

3) MACARONI & CHEESE – The mac can be a bit all over the place depending on whose home you eat at. But, a rich cheesy 3 or 4 cheese mac with some bacon bits or bread crumbs in there is just so freaking good. Fk the calories, you can burn them off later! Plus, it adds a bit of flavor as a topping for your turkey or ham or veggies if you’re not a gravy fan. I’m not letting mac dropping anywhere below three, but I can see many having it farther down the list.

2) PUMPKIN PIE – Now look I get it. Pumpkin pie isn’t everyone’s favorite. It is a fall classic, though. It has a sorta weird flavor and texture but that’s also kind of its beauty. Add on some whip cream for that contrast and you just have dessert magic. And for some reason unlike other desserts, I can have like half a pie and not even care or notice. My slices are double the size. Definitely not to be taken for granted either, the pumpkin is also a leftover king. It’s great for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire next week. Even bad pumpkin pie is damn good!

1) SWEET POTATO WITH MARSHMALLOWS – Was there any debate? I mean you knew the Potato was going to have the sweet potato at #1. The sweet potato flavor with cinnamon, brown sugar, a ton of butter, and even more marshmallows (never run out if you make a casserole!) is just a magical experience. It’s the yin to the turkey’s yang. It can be a side dish. It can be a dessert. It can be the main course if you’re the Potato. This was an easy choice at #1!

Predictions:

MICHIGAN (7-2-1): Penn St. wasn’t pretty but we got the W and the cover as the Potato expected. Maryland is a bit tricky and could even be a trap game with their offensive potential, but they just have too many flaws to pull off the upset. Maryland hangs around for awhile but Michigan wins but doesn’t cover 41-24.

MORTAL LOCK (5-6 so far): The Potato should get a pass when the QB gets injured in the 2^nd quarter but there’s no passes in mortals! Let’s get above 500 here. Give me Oregon St. knocking off Washington and their perfect season. Iowa, Northwestern, and Wyoming look juicy too.