The Packers, who have stunned the football world with an 8-1 start to the season, face off against Carolina at noon Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Fans should remember to savor the moment.
With road games on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit and the following Thursday night in Dallas, the Packers won't play on Sunday until Dec. 9, when they play host to Oakland at Lambeau Field.
By then, we'll have a better idea of whether Ryan Grant is the next Dorsey Levens or Samkon Gado. We'll also have a better gauge on whether the Packers can make a deep run into the playoffs.
Here is a look at the weekend in sports:
FRIDAY
CAPITAL TIMES
The WIAA state high school football championship games conclude today at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin Lutheran (12-1) faces off against New London (12-1) for the Division 3 title at 10 a.m. Wisco won the title in 2004 and 2005. New London is a first-time visitor to the championship game. The Division 1 title game, slated to begin at 4 p.m., will feature unbeaten Arrowhead (13-0) against Homestead (12-1) in a rematch of the 2006 state final. The Warhawks won that game, 35-0, and Homestead, whose only loss came at Menominee, Mich., is looking for revenge. The game features two standout running backs: Arrowhead's Jake Ferris averaged 123 yards per game and scored 30 touchdowns; Homestead's Brett Werner-Powell averaged 123 yards and scored 20 touchdowns.
SHOT AND A GOAL
The Admirals square off against San Antonio at 7 p.m. at the Bradley Center. Milwaukee is 8-4-1 under first-year coach Lane Lambert. San Antonio is 9-5-1. Both teams are looking up at Chicago, which has sprinted to an early lead in the Western Conference West Division by going 11-0-1 in its first dozen games.
SATURDAY
THIS ONE TIME.... AT DEER CAMP
Wisconsin's 156th gun deer season begins a nine-day run this morning. The state deer herd is estimated at 1.7 million animals.
AXE ME A QUESTION...
Can the Badgers retain possession of the Paul Bunyan Axe, which is presented to the winner of the annual Wisconsin-Minnesota game? Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. at the Metrodome. If you don't have a satellite dish, you'll have to go to a sports bar or a friend's house because the game is on the Big Ten Network, still unavailable on most cable systems in the state.
FOR KICKS
The Wave plays host to Orlando at 6 p.m. at U.S. Cellular Arena. Milwaukee, which needs a victory to even its record at 2-2, will draw inspiration from Olympic speed skating champion Bonnie Blair, who will be on hand to present medals to youth soccer teams before the game.
THE OTHER BUCK SHOTS
Fresh from a well-balanced victory over Memphis, the Bucks play host to Atlanta at 7 p.m. at the Bradley Center. The key to the game could be the play of point guard Mo Williams, who did a tremendous job distributing the ball on Wednesday night, when he dished out 12 assists.
SUNDAY
SENIOR CITIZEN DAY
Brett Favre can't believe it either. He's getting ready to face Carolina and he may or may not be the oldest quarterback in the game. The Panthers are flirting with the idea of starting 44-year-old Vinny Testaverade. The Packers have to take care of business in this game before heading into a key Turkey Day battle with the Lions.
PANTHER PROWL
UW-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter is understandably excited about Torre Johnson, a transfer from Oklahoma State who has played well early this season. The Panthers play host to Northern Iowa beginning at 2 p.m. at the U.S. Cellular Arena.
