We made it. We made it to the promise land. This is where the 2015 NFL Draft takes shape.
Six of the top ten play ranked opponents. Every single other one plays a threatening opponent...save for #2 Oregon who, by order of verb tense, played a threatening opponent in unranked Arizona. They lost.
Draft stock is on the grill today and every week moving forward.
That being the case, the watchlist this week is here to support the second runs. You want the premier games? Me too. We've covered those teams, some of them twice already. Clicking over to the backups? I got you.
First Group
Prime Game: #6 Texas A&M at #12 Mississippi St. (ESPN, 12:00pm ET)
Jeebus, this is at noon? When am I going to get things done for the weekend? Oh well. I can subsist on carpet and my own sweat for 44 hours.
I've had Texas A&M on the watchlist twice already, but no appearances for MSU. The key draft prospect for the Bulldogs is MLB Bernardrick McKinney. The redshirt junior is just a terror in the middle of that defense. Ask LSU.
As for A&M, they've got the offense. It's just a lack of experience holding them back. Rams fans will want to get a look at the offensive line, especially center Mike Matthews, he of the footballing Matthews clan. If you're complaining about Scott Wells, you should be looking for a replacement. Matthews would seemingly make a fine one.
Backup: #20 Ohio St. at Maryland (ABC, 12:00pm ET)
Michael Bennett | DT | Sr. | Ohio St. | 1st |
Noah Spence | OLB | Jr. | Ohio St. | 1st-2nd |
Doran Grant | CB | Sr. | Ohio St. | 1st-2nd |
Adolphus Washington | DT | Jr. | Ohio St. | 2nd-5th |
Joshua Perry | OLB | Jr. | Ohio St. | 3rd-5th (↑) |
Tyvis Powell | FS | RS Soph. | Ohio St. | 4th-6th (↓) |
Curtis Grant | LB | Sr. | Ohio St. | 4th-6th |
Braxton Miller (i) | QB | RS Sr. | Ohio St. | 4th-6th |
Taylor Decker | OT | Jr. | Ohio St. | 4th-6th (↑) |
Jeff Heuerman | TE | Sr. | Ohio St. | 5th-7th (↓) |
Devin Smith | WR | Sr. | Ohio St. | 6th-UD |
Pat Elflein | G | RS Soph. | Ohio St. | 6th-UD |
Stefon Diggs | WR | Jr. | Maryland | 1st-2nd |
Darius Kilgo | DT | RS Sr. | Maryland | 4th-5th |
Deon Long | WR | RS Sr. | Maryland | 4th-5th |
Matt Robinson | OLB | RS Sr. | Maryland | 5th-7th |
Sean Davis | FS | RS Sr. | Maryland | 5th-7th |
Andrew Zeller | G | RS Jr. | Maryland | 5th-7th |
Jeremiah Johnson | CB | RS Sr. | Maryland | 7th-UD |
Quinton Jefferson (i) | DE | RS Sr. | Maryland | 7th-UD |
Northeast Washington D.C. is the setting. The B1G heavyweight versus the newcomer. This could be really fun.
For tOSU, it's about winning all the way to that November 8 matchup against Michigan St. Had they avoided the early upset against Virginia Tech, this game would have been much, much bigger. As it is, it's the first of the challenges in the Big Ten slate to get to that early championship that's not a championship. Rams fans, do yourselves well to get a look at the Buckeyes' defense. There's tons there...too much for one NFL team, so pick your favorites early.
Maryland is just trying to get settled in their new conference. Get a look at Stefon Diggs, though. He's a Tavon Austin-esque option. He's not necessarily a Rams target, but I think the way he's perceived is a referendum on Austin's pro career to this point. Worth keeping a tab on.
Second Group
Prime Game Part I: #3 Alabama at #11 Ole Miss (CBS, 3:30pm ET)
This game is so Southern I might just pass out at kickoff. I had Bama in the watchlist in weeks 1 & 4, so get schooled up. I've avoided Ole Miss because they're not 2015 NFL Draft sexy. After next spring's draft? They're top tier material. Check out how the Mississippi senior defensive trio of FS Cody Prewitt, OLB C.J. Johnson and CB Senquez Golson deal with Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin's revamped Alabama offense with standout WR Amari Cooper.
Prime Game Part II: #14 Stanford at #9 Notre Dame (NBC, 3:30pm ET)
This one might have been the top option had Stanford not dropped a game against USC a month ago. Still, Stanford has the best defense in the country in points allowed right now. It's a stiff challenge for a Notre Dame team that has impressed against inferior competition to this point in the season. The Irish have Stanford today and Florida State in two weeks, so we'll have a more realistic picture of who this team is by then.
Backup: #4 Oklahoma at #25 TCU (FOX, 3:30pm ET)
Dorial Green-Beckham (t) | WR | RS Jr. | Oklahoma | 1st-2nd |
Eric Striker | OLB | Jr. | Oklahoma | 1st-2nd (↑) |
Frank Shannon (s) | LB | RS Jr. | Oklahoma | 2nd-3rd |
Geneo Grissom | OLB | RS Sr. | Oklahoma | 3rd-4th |
Zack Sanchez | CB | RS Soph. | Oklahoma | 3rd-4th |
Tyrus Thompson | OT | RS Sr. | Oklahoma | 3rd-5th |
Daryl Williams | RT | RS Sr. | Oklahoma | 4th-6th |
Adam Shead | G | RS Sr. | Oklahoma | 5th-7th |
Sterling Shepard | WR | Jr. | Oklahoma | 5th-7th |
Jordan Phillips | DT | RS Soph. | Oklahoma | 5th-7th (↑) |
Julian Wilson | CB | RS Sr. | Oklahoma | 6th-UD |
Blake Bell | TE | RS Sr. | Oklahoma | 6th-UD |
Trevor Knight | QB | RS Soph. | Oklahoma | 6th-UD |
Chuka Ndulue | DT | RS Sr. | Oklahoma | 6th-UD (↑) |
Charles Tapper | DE | Jr. | Oklahoma | 6th-UD (↑) |
Devonte Fields (s) | DE | RS Soph. | TCU | 2nd-4th |
Chucky Hunter | DT | Sr. | TCU | 3rd-5th |
Kevin White | CB | RS Sr. | TCU | 3rd-5th |
Davion Pierson | DT | RS Jr. | TCU | 4th-6th |
Chris Hackett | FS | RS Jr. | TCU | 4th-6th |
Kenny Iloka | SS | Jr. | TCU | 5th-7th |
Paul Dawson | OLB | Sr. | TCU | 6th-UD |
Terrell Lathan | DL | Jr. | TCU | 6th-UD |
Jaden Oberkrom | K | Jr. | TCU | 6th-UD |
Aviante Collins | OT | Jr. | TCU | 6th-UD |
Ethan Perry | P | Jr. | TCU | 6th-UD |
Sam Carter | SS | RS Sr. | TCU | 7th-UD |
I mentioned November 8 above as the date for that Ohio St.-Michigan St. battle. That's not even the biggest game on the day. The SEC offers #3 Alabama-#15 LSU and #6 Texas A&M-#5 Auburn. Perhaps most interesting? #7 Baylor against these #4 Oklahoma Sooner. It's about survival until then, and this is the Sooners' biggest challenge to date.
TCU's much stronger defensively, but they've impressed with a less talented offense to date. The challenge here is to compete with an Oklahoma defense that has looked strong, aside from the Dana Holgorsen-fueled West Virginia team. This could be a battle.
Third Group
Prime Game: #15 LSU at #5 Auburn (ESPN, 7:00pm ET)
This is probably the weirdest of the big three SEC matchups. LSU dropped a disappointing home loss to Mississippi State two weeks back, so they've got to claw back into the SEC race. Auburn on the other hand is still running through success, but of the eight games remaining on their schedule, six are against teams currently ranked 15th or higher. It's a recipe for chaos today and beyond.
Backup: #19 Nebraska at #10 Michigan St. (ABC, 8:00pm ET)
Randy Gregory | DE | RS Jr. | Nebraska | 1st |
Ameer Abdullah | RB | Sr. | Nebraska | 2nd-3rd |
Vincent Valentine | DT | RS Soph. | Nebraska | 3rd-5th |
Kenny Bell | WR | RS Sr. | Nebraska | 3rd-5th |
Greg McMullen | DE | RS Soph. | Nebraska | 4th-5th |
David Santos | OLB | RS Jr. | Nebraska | 5th-7th |
Corey Cooper | SS | RS Sr. | Nebraska | 6th-UD |
Ryne Reevese | OL | RS Jr. | Nebraska | 6th-UD |
Alex Lewis | OT | RS Jr. | Nebraska | 6th-UD |
Zaire Anderson | OLB | RS Sr. | Nebraska | 7th-UD |
Shilique Calhoun | DE | RS Jr. | Michigan St. | 1st |
Kurtis Drummond | FS | RS Sr. | Michigan St. | 1st-2nd |
Trae Waynes | CB | RS Jr. | Michigan St. | 1st-2nd |
Connor Cook | QB | RS Jr. | Michigan St. | 2nd-3rd |
Taiwan Jones | ILB | Sr. | Michigan St. | 3rd-5th |
Jack Conklin | OT | RS Soph. | Michigan St. | 3rd-5th (↑) |
Jeremy Langford | RB | RS Sr. | Michigan St. | 4th-5th |
Josiah Price | TE | RS Soph. | Michigan St. | 5th-7th (↓) |
Tony Lippett | WR | RS Sr. | Michigan St. | 5th-7th |
RJ Williamson | SS | RS Jr. | Michigan St. | 5th-7th (↑) |
Mike Sadler | P | RS Sr. | Michigan St. | 6th-UD |
Jack Allen | C | RS Jr. | Michigan St. | 7th-UD |
You could argue this is the most important game from a college standpoint. If Michigan State gets through today, they've only got Ohio State as a legitimate threat the rest of the year. Meanwhile, Nebraska is the last undefeated team in the B1G, so getting past the Spartans today give them a direct line to the college playoff that runs through Wisconsin in mid-November. The key is what happens after today.
The other major conferences are likely hoping for a MSU win, having already lost handily (although the final score doesn't belie how close the game was) to Oregon. If they end up growing into the best option of the Big Ten...and drop another game, there's an argument to keep the Big Ten out of the playoff. On the other hand, if Nebraska wins here and drops later, it could be an SEC-like situation of chaos around the conference and all bets are off. And I love chaos, so I've got my rooting interests firmly with the Cornhuskers.
What a wonderful damn day. Let's get it.