College Open Thread: October 5

Well, perhaps today doesn't have the luster it did in the preseason. Go back to week one, and looking at October 12 you get pretty excited. Texas-OU? LSU-Florida? That's a solid setup. As the season's gone on though, now we've got four losses between the four. Still, we've got plenty of NFL quality on tap today.

Here are your notes for the day from Mocking the Draft.

#25 Missouri at #7 Georgia (12:00 p.m., ESPN)

#12 Oklahoma *at Texas (12:00 p.m., ABC)

* - Played at neutral site - Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX

I would guess we've got three major factions of college fans on TST: USC fans, Mizzou fans and OU fans. So hitting two out of three in big early games is worth checking in on. Missouri's not flooding the NFL with talent yet, but Gary Pinkel's still trying to put the pieces back together in the post-Blaine Gabbert era. He knows how to coach, and with true sophomore WR Dorial Beckham-Green primed for a breakout game (today would be oh so timely...), Missouri isn't far off. For Georgia, injuries have taken their top two RBs and top three WRs. Still, with QB Aaron Murray and that offensive line, they're capable of hanging with nearly any team in the country.

Down in my hometown, it's another Red River Shootout that looks incredibly lopsided. Oklahoma is quietly creeping toward the top 10 as they're coming off of big wins over Notre Dame and TCU. Texas on the other hand is looking at Mack Brown's last season in all likelihood as they've already got two losses and still have four ranked teams left to play. Rams fans will want to get in on OU CB Aaron Colvin and WR Jalen Saunders along with Texas WR Mike Davis.

#17 Florida at #10 LSU (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Florida is on the verge of losing their grasp on SEC competency this season. A loss to Miami means they go into the heart of their season (five ranked opponents left, three of which are currently in the top 10) scathed. Meanwhile for LSU, a tough 3-point loss on the road to Georgia makes national championship aspirations a bit farther off. Still, with Alabama and Texas A&M left to play, the Tigers are still in the mix if they can somehow pick off both of those opportunities. If you're looking for cornerbacks, you can't do much better than Florida. Loucheiz Purifoy, Marcus Roberson and Jaylen Watkins could all be gone before day three of the 2014 NFL Draft even begins. You've got some day 3 offensive line options from the Gators in C Jonotthan Harrison and G Jon Halapio. For LSU, everything's pointing upward both as a team and as a NFL Draft feeder. DT Anthony Johnson, OL La'el Collins, SS Craig Loston and QB Zach Mettenberger are all looking at rising stock.

#2 Oregon at #16 Washington (4:00 p.m., Fox Sports 1)

Go ahead and find this channel early, because this could be the upset that shakes up the college world today. Washington nearly unseated #5 Stanford last week, but couldn't quite get it done in Palo Alto. This week though, they're at home inviting the Ducks' high-powered offense just a bit further north. There's plenty of top talent here. For the Ducks, QB Marcus Mariota, CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, TE Colt Lyerla and C Hroniss Grasu (my top selection from my center big board as of a week ago) are all looking at early selections in April. For the Huskies, TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins and RB Bishop Sankey could both be gone in the top 32. Get a look at Sankey now for those of you who are eager to see the Rams bring in some real RB talent. WR Kasen Williams is worth a look too.

The late slate's a bit soft, but we'll definitely be sifting through to see who stands out.

Stick with us all day and let's talk draft.