College Open Thread - Sep. 22, Early Games

Good morning, friends. Welcome back to yet another week of football wherein the games before 6pm are designed for the college/hardcore NFL Draft fans, and the late slate is meant for anyone who loves KILL! KILL! THIS IS YOUR LEGACY!

Don't worry. Two weeks from now we have Upsetageddon, and by mid-October, the conference slate means all dinners will be served on a bed of pureed pain and topped with chaos sauce.

Until then, let us maintain our professional, laser-like focus on evaluating players for the 2013 NFL Draft. For we must always remember, the NFL is a league where gentlemen come to KILL! KILL! DEFINE YOUR FUTURE TODAY!

Virginia at #17 TCU (12 p.m., ESPN)

While I expect TCU to boss Virginia on offense, it's still worth tuning in to evaluate a couple key prospects.

As I mentioned on Thursday (you should click that link if you're looking to schedule your Saturday accordingly), there's a solid NFL Draft-centric matchup in Virginia RT Morgan Moses and TCU DE Stansly Maponga. Given the Rams' options at RT, that might be the battle to watch early on. I should note I'm high on TCU QB Casey Pachall and WR Josh Boyce. Do I see the Rams going that route? No. So when TCU has the ball, train your eye on #66 G Blaize Foltz. Foltz is a weight room MONSTER. Bench presses 580 lbs. 800 pound squat. Incline bench of 530 pounds and a 430 pound clean and jerk. Let's get a good look at him this year.

Oregon State at #19 UCLA (3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN2 - TV coverage map)

While Sergey might disapprove, I had to stretch here. The midday offerings are thin.

As of right now, I see two 2013 NFL candidates on the Beaver's roster: CB Jordan Poyer and WR Markus Wheaton. As for UCLA? I think Datone Jones is being overrated; a guy between sizes as a 3-4 DE and a 4-3 DT. Johnathan Franklin is a fine RB...but he's a RB. Ask Daryl Richardson and Isaiah Pead where you should draft RBs... Joseph Fauria is a fine TE prospect. Rams fans will want a look at G Jeff Baca. He's got an NFL skill set, though his deficiency in the run game may turn teams off. Give him a look, and let everyone know what you think.

Plenty of other early action with West Virginia, Florida, Ohio State, South Carolina, Missouri and North Carolina in action.

What are you watching today? Leave your observations throughout the early schedule here.