College football has long struggled to compete with the NFL for the nation's attention, and that challenge is only growing. With the NFL now scheduling a Wednesday night game on Thanksgiving Eve—the Green Bay Packers versus the Los Angeles Rams this year—it's clear the professional league is filling a slot that college football left wide open.

Let's break down the bigger picture. The expansion of the College Football Playoff (CFP) was supposed to be a game-changer, but it's created new scheduling conflicts with the NFL. The first big playoff weekend now clashes with NFL Saturdays in December. The obvious fix? Move the CFP's opening round to the second Saturday of December, a date the NFL avoids. Instead, college football stubbornly sticks with the third Saturday, forcing fans to choose between playoff games and pro action.

The January national championship game is another missed opportunity. Instead of playing on a Saturday—and going head-to-head with the NFL playoffs—college football could shift to the Saturday before the NFL's conference championship weekend (which features only Sunday games). It's a simple adjustment, but one the sport has refused to make.

Now, Thanksgiving scheduling has become the latest flashpoint. The NFL's Wednesday night game on Thanksgiving Eve is a smart move, capturing viewers who are prepping for the holiday. College football could have owned that slot years ago with second- or third-tier rivalry games—think Louisville vs. Kentucky or North Carolina vs. NC State. These matchups wouldn't have the star power of Michigan-Ohio State or Alabama-Auburn, but they'd draw plenty of fans looking for football while they cook and clean.

In this case, the NFL didn't steal a prime slot from college football—college football simply failed to claim it. If the sport wants to hold its ground, it needs to start thinking ahead and making the kind of no-brainer scheduling moves that keep fans tuned in, not flipping channels.