A week from tomorrow, I’ll sink into my home recliner with a little gravy dribble still on my lips, undo a notch or two on my belt and exhale a sigh of satisfaction as I watch the Detroit Lions lose again.

There’s no denying how great of an American holiday Thanksgiving is, with the gluttonous food consumption and storied pilgrim-American Indian origins (except the whole smallpox by Christmas thing).

But for many, Thanksgiving means as much about sports as it does food or family, much more so considering how the NFL’s popularity has skyrocketed in the last 10 years.

So it got me thinking as to where Thanksgiving ranks among other sports holidays in America, and I’ve whittled the field down to a Final Four with the following seeds: 1. Thanksgiving, 2. New Year’s Day, 3. Fourth of July, 4. Christmas Day.

Like any sports-related matter, the winner should be decided – insert your own BCS joke here – with a playoff to determine holiday supremacy.

Keep in mind that I’m taking into account the sports action, the holiday’s traditions and how those two mesh. Who’s the last holiday standing?

Semifinal 1: Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

A total mismatch. On the surface they look pretty even – a football doubleheader against a basketball doubleheader. Things are different this year with the NFL also holding two games on Christmas Day, but we’re not just focusing on specifically this year, which also has an NFL tripleheader on Thanksgiving.

Really, Thanksgiving football just carries too much tradition compared to its NBA on ABC counterpart, and basketball just can’t close that gap.

The hardwood serves a nice side dish on Christmas, something to have on in the background while you open up the last round of gifts from the crazy aunt who showed up late.

But it’s rarely the centerpiece of the day, not when you’re busy hooking up new electronics or returning the clothes Grandma bought you to the mall.

Thanksgiving is totally different. The family can watch a game before, after or in between meals and the kids can go play two-hand touch at halftime.

Nobody outside Miami or L.A. pretends to be Dwyane Wade or Kobe Bryant on Christmas Day, mostly because it’s too darn cold out to play basketball.

But you better believe millions of American tikes tried their best Barry Sanders imitation every Thanksgiving afternoon in the ’90s.

Game over. Winner: Thanksgiving.

Semifinal 2: New Year’s Day vs. Fourth of July

Here’s my upset.

College football on Jan. 1 used to be a sacred entity, what with all the big bowls and elite teams ushering in the new calendar year. But with the BCS, the best games get spread out across the entire week after Jan. 1. New Year’s Day still has the most games played of any day during bowl season, but it’s just not the same anymore.

Fourth of July, though, now that’s my kind of holiday.

Hamburgers sizzling on the grill. Dad making a fool of himself with a cannonball into the pool. Your hometown play-by-play guy talking baseball on the backyard radio.

The Fourth of July is a celebration of American independence and what better way to complement the red, white and blue than with America’s pastime? ESPN always has a tripleheader on, Mom’s always got some lemonade on the rocks, and if you’re lucky enough to attend a day game, nothing quite compares to the sound of bat on ball under the warm summer sun.

If I have to choose between watching the Gator Bowl hung over or the Mets with a hot dog in my hand, I’ll take the Fourth of July anytime – especially if I’m a Syracuse football fan.

The final: Thanksgiving vs. Fourth of July

I’ve already talked about how much of July 4th’s greatness comes from its Americanness, but really, Thanksgiving is the most American – and thus, obviously, the greatest – sports holiday we have.

Consider the context: long-lost family reuniting, laughing and telling stories over way too much food and the fall foliage outside giving a picturesque backdrop to it all.

Football is easily America’s most popular sport and now it holds three games on a day that can so perfectly accommodate them.

And sometimes on Independence Day, Dad messes up the barbecue or it’s obnoxiously hot outside or the pool pump breaks. Fourth of July has too many variables that might be great but can potentially go wrong, and no amount of fireworks can overcome Mom’s homemade stuffing.

Breaking it all down, every holiday can be great sports-wise, depending on the teams and players involved or if you prefer a particular sport over another. Peripherals really dictate how great a sports holiday is, and Thanksgiving offers the best combination of the criteria I outlined above.

So as you make the trip home next week, make sure to hug your mom and dad, chuckle at your old high school quarterback who went from cocky big shot to Wal-Mart cashier and bring some Thanksgiving leftovers to enjoy once you get back to campus.

Just also remember to celebrate the newly crowned champion of all sports holidays.