College Football

College football championship weekend: Key matchups NFL scouts will be watching

Updated Dec. 3, 2021 2:24 p.m. ET

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By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

With the college football regular season coming to a close for many of the 130 FBS teams, the focus for NFL scouts narrows to the championship games this weekend.

Last week’s rivalries (and the Thanksgiving holiday) provided quite the bounty for hungry pro scouts. Nothing shines more brightly than the lights of a title-game setting, however, especially for those prospects able to take full advantage of the prime-time stage.

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From the Sun Belt to the SEC, the MAC to the Mountain West, the Big Ten to the Big 12 and more, these are the one-on-one showdowns and storylines NFL scouts will be watching in the 10 conference championships this weekend, with the title games listed in the order they will be played.

Conference USA: The Hilltoppers' QB
Western Kentucky at University of Texas-San Antonio
7 p.m. ET Friday, CBS Sports

From an NFL scouting perspective, the easy prospect to focus on in this contest is the Hilltoppers' quarterback, Bailey Zappe, the nation’s leader in two of the most important passing statistics: touchdowns (52) and passing yardage (4,993). 

What the 6-foot-1, 220-pound transfer from Houston-Baptist might lack in size and recognition, he makes up with savvy and awareness, earning comparisons from some scouts to former "small schoolers" who went on to enjoy a lot of NFL success such as Taylor Heinicke (Old Dominion), Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois) and Jon Kitna (Central Washington). 

Zappe will be invited to a prominent senior all-star game following the conclusion of the Hilltoppers’ season, and he promises to be among the most scrutinized quarterbacks in this class. 

Pac-12: The line of scrimmage
Oregon vs. Utah
8 p.m. ET Friday in Las Vegas, ABC

The one-time fourth-ranked Ducks got thumped 38-7 by the Utes in Salt Lake City a couple of weeks ago, but this could be a completely different ballgame in Sin City, where a bigger, more physically talented Oregon squad could exact some revenge. Longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham would love to win his first Pac-12 championship in this setting, and the Utes have the running game to do just that. 

The showdown between future (but not 2022) NFL draft picks Tavion Thomas and Noah Sewell — Utah’s sophomore running back and Oregon’s sophomore linebacker, respectively — will earn most of the attention, but scouts will be paying plenty of attention to the line of scrimmage, where Utes center Nick Ford and Ducks offensive tackle Steven Jones are earning more love from the NFL than most in the media and fan base realize. 

Big 12: Defenses and running games
Baylor vs. Oklahoma State
Noon ET Saturday in Arlington, Texas, ABC

The Big 12 is perhaps best known for its high-flying offenses, but the Bears and Cowboys qualified for this year’s title game thanks to defenses allowing fewer than 20 points per game. Oklahoma State is ranked fifth in the country in the latest AP Poll and has the same placement in total defense, surrendering just 16.42 points per game. 

Like the Pac-12 and MAC title games, this contest is a rematch, with the Cowboys having beaten Baylor 24-14 on Oct. 2 in Stillwater. Both in that victory and the Cowboys' win over rival Oklahoma a week ago, quarterback Spencer Sanders was more effective as a runner than as a passer, teaming with running back Jaylen Warren to power the Pokes’ offense. 

Led by former linebacker/star senior running back Abram Smith, Baylor knows a little something about running the ball, too. The Bears have run for 2,729 yards and 28 scores so far this season — both of which lead the Big 12.

MAC: Kent State's dual-threat QB
Kent State vs. Northern Illinois
Noon ET Saturday in Detroit, ESPN

In a college football weekend expected to be full of defensive slugfests, fans of firepower might want to turn to the Mid-American Conference Championship, for which the over-under is set at 74.5 points — a surprisingly low mark, given that these teams combined for 99 in a 52-47 thriller won by the Golden Flashes on Nov. 3 in Kent, Ohio. 

Besides all of the points being scored, the game was a shocker to many, as Northern Illinois had dominated the Flashes in recent years, winning the past 10 consecutive matchups. If Kent State (7-5) is to back up its earlier victory over the Huskies (8-4), gutty dual-threat quarterback Dustin Crum will probably have to bulldoze his way to a score or two.

Mountain West: Receiving and pass-rushing
Utah State at San Diego State
3 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX and the FOX Sports App

Fans looking for a sneaky-entertaining game from both a team and talent perspective will want to tune in to this year’s Mountain West title clash, as Utah State has one of the more underrated quarterback-receiver duos in the country in Logan Bonner and Deven Thompkins, a Florida native who leads the nation with 1,543 receiving yards. 

Thompkins will be overlooked by some due to his short stature (5-foot-8, 155 pounds), but he plays bigger, has the straight-line speed to challenge deep and shows excellent body control to adjust (including in this TD grab against SDSU in 2020). 

The duo of Bonner and Thompkins is worth the price of admission, but the 19th-ranked Aztecs also have the pass rush to slow Utah State’s aerial assault, mostly due to redshirt junior defensive end Cameron Thomas. The prototypically built Thomas (6-foot-5, 270 pounds) has recorded 11.5 sacks in 12 games, including big plays against the best competition the 11-1 San Diego State squad faced this season (Utah, Boise State, Arizona).

Sun Belt: Running game vs. rushing D
Appalachian State at Louisiana 
3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, ESPN

With all due respect to Appalachian State and Louisiana, many who tune in to the Sun Belt title game will be doing so to see what the Florida Gators can expect from their new head coach, Billy Napier, who will be leading the Ragin’ Cajuns for the final time before leaving for The Swamp. 

Napier built ULL into one of the nation’s fiercest running teams, gashing opponents this season for 2,307 yards and 29 touchdowns — and that's after losing star running backs Elijah Mitchell (San Francisco 49ers) and Raymond Calais (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) to the NFL the past two seasons.

ULL’s ground game is led by a two-headed underclassmen monster in sophomore Chris Smith and freshman Montrell Johnson, who have combined for nearly 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns. NFL scouts will love the matchup between ULL’s running game and a fast and physical Appalachian State defense, keyed by intense linebacker D’Marco Jackson, a Senior Bowl invitee.

SEC: WR Williams vs. CB Kendrick
Georgia vs. Alabama
4 p.m. ET Saturday in Atlanta, CBS

The top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs are playing defense at a historic level this season, surrendering more than 10 points in just three games on their way to a perfect 12-0 campaign. Quite frankly, Georgia could lose the SEC Championship and should still qualify for one of the four playoff spots. 

Therein lies the challenge. After an ugly (but effective) victory over rival Auburn last week, Nick Saban and defending national champion Alabama need an impressive win to earn consideration among the final four.

NFL scouts will focus on a critical one-on-one matchup between Alabama’s top receiver, Jameson Williams, and Georgia’s standout cover corner, Derion Kendrick. The two are transfers from Ohio State and Clemson, respectively.

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AAC: Senior bowl invitees
Houston at Cincinnati
4 p.m. ET Saturday, ABC

Cincinnati's bid for the CFP will make this matchup the most heavily anticipated title game in the short history of the American Athletic Conference. The undefeated Bearcats need "only" to win to cement their position as one of four teams with a path to a national title. 

If that fact doesn’t earn your attention, look closely at the talent on each sideline; NFL scouts certainly are. The Bearcats lead the country with six NFL-draft-eligible players having already accepted invites to the Senior Bowl, including quarterback Desmond Ridder. 

The University of Houston boasts two Senior Bowl invites of its own, with the Cougars’ chameleon-like Marcus Jones a virtual lock for the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player. A defensive back by trade, Jones is tied for the national lead with five interceptions on the season and has scored just as many touchdowns as a punt returner (two), kick returner (two) and occasional receiver (one). 

ACC: QB play
Pittsburgh vs. Wake Forest
8 p.m. ET Saturday in Charlotte, North Carolina, ABC

Pitt is led by senior quarterback Kenny Pickett, whose shocking ascent this season makes him arguably the most intriguing NFL prospect at his position for the 2022 draft. 

Even fewer anticipated the breakout play from Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman, whose 44 combined touchdowns scored this season (34 passing, 10 rushing) have him tied with none other than Pickett for second-most in the country (Western Kentucky’s Zappe has 55 scores) and powered the Demon Deacons to the ACC title game for the second time in school history. 

Big Ten: The line of scrimmage
Michigan vs. Iowa
8 p.m. ET Saturday in Indianapolis, FOX and the FOX Sports App

The Big Ten Championship takes place in the home city of the legendary Indy 500, but this contest will look more like a Monster Truck Rally than a race, given the focus on the line of scrimmage and running game. 

The starting QBs in this contest — Michigan’s Cade McNamara and Iowa’s Spencer Petras — have combined for just 25 passing touchdowns in 22 games, all but guaranteeing that this year’s Big Ten championship will showcase running backs, would-be tacklers and the physicality in the trenches. 

That, of course, is music to the ears of old-school coaches Jim Harbaugh and Kirk Ferentz, each of whom will be challenged by the understandable letdowns their teams might face after emotional victories over rivals Ohio State and Nebraska last week. 

Considering the national title implications for Michigan, this showdown between blue-blood programs is the perfect capper to championship weekend. 

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others.

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National Football League

College Football

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

Utah State Aggies

Bailey Zappe

Oregon Ducks

Utah Utes

Nick Ford

Steven Jones

Baylor Bears

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Spencer Sanders

Jaylen Warren

Abram Smith

Kent State Golden Flashes

Northern Illinois Huskies

Dustin Crum

San Diego State Aztecs

Deven Thompkins

Logan Bonner

Cameron Thomas

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

Appalachian State Mountaineers

Chris Smith

Montrell Johnson Jr.

D'Marco Jackson

Georgia Bulldogs

Alabama Crimson Tide

Derion Kendrick

Jameson Williams

Houston Cougars

Cincinnati Bearcats

Desmond Ridder

Marcus Jones

Pittsburgh Panthers

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Kenny Pickett

Sam Hartman

Michigan Wolverines

Iowa Hawkeyes