College Football

College football Week 7: NFL scouts will be watching these top matchups

Updated Feb. 16, 2023 3:29 p.m. ET

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By Rob Rang
FOX Sports NFL Draft Analyst

It has been nearly 20 years since former NFL great Terrell Owens announced his signing with the Dallas Cowboys by coining the exuberant phrase, "Get your popcorn ready." 

But the expression has never been more appropriate than Week 7 in college football, as the schedule features several tasty one-on-one matchups between playmaking wide receivers and dynamic cornerbacks.

Like those first buttery kernels, the action pops off early with a star-studded showdown in the Big Ten between Penn State and Michigan and doesn’t end until late with arguably the best one-on-one matchup of the day between reigning Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison of USC and the Pac-12's (maybe the country's) top playmaking cornerback in Utah’s Clark Phillips III. 

Preview: No. 10 Penn State vs. No. 5 Michigan

Joel Klatt breaks down the first top-10 matchup between these teams since 1997.

If that isn't enough to satisfy your appetite, mighty Alabama gets its biggest test of the young season with underrated Heisman Trophy contender Hendon Hooker and the undefeated Tennessee Volunteers looking to shake things up, in between. 

Here is a handy list of the one-on-one matchups in the weekend’s biggest games that pro scouts will be watching — and that you should be, too. 

No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan (noon ET; FOX and the FOX Sports app)

This critical Big Ten battle has all the makings of a prime-time showdown with two undefeated blue-blood programs battling for supremacy, and a tasty matchup between Penn State — which boasts one of the nation’s elite secondaries — against Michigan’s playmaking receiver corps.

The visiting Nittany Lions rank in the middle of the pack with just five interceptions in as many games, but they are much more disruptive than these numbers suggest, breaking up an eye-popping 49 passes during that time. Toolsy NFL-legacy Joey Porter Jr. leads the way with 10 PBUs. 

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Porter possesses terrific size, length and strength, ‘rassling opposing receivers in much the same way that his father dominated the competition off the edge for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While physical and instinctive, like most long-levered cornerbacks, there are concerns about his ability to handle quick-twitch and smooth accelerating receivers, and he has not yet shown the ball-skills to warrant the early first-round buzz his hype suggests, collecting just one pick among his 19 career PBUs — and that came last year. 

The Wolverines, meanwhile, feature one of college football’s most dynamic pass-catchers in Roman Wilson, who is expected to clock a 40-yard-dash in the 4.3s when he ultimately runs for NFL scouts. Wilson is not yet the accomplished route-runner and reliable pass-catcher that his teammate Ronnie Bell offers, but that is precisely why Michigan’s versatile and talented receiver corps make this a must-watch opportunity for scouts, especially given that Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, while talented, enters this game with just five career starts.  

No. 19 Kansas at Oklahoma (noon ET)

There is no denying that this key Big 12 showdown lost some of its luster with Kansas’ breakout quarterback Jalon Daniels officially listed as doubtful due to a shoulder injury suffered in last weekend’s 38-31 loss to TCU. Brushing off Kansas due to one injury — albeit to their most dynamic player — is not giving head coach Lance Leipold and his 5-1 Jayhawks enough credit, especially given that the hosting Sooners have thus far been far from reliable, with new head coach Brett Venables yet to record his first conference victory in three attempts, including a humiliating 49-0 thumping against rival Texas a week ago. 

While Daniels has earned most of the praise for Kansas’ impressive start to the season, edge rusher Lonnie Phelps has played an underrated role in the ascent, ranking alongside more celebrated Big 12 standouts Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas State) and Tyree Wilson (Texas Tech) — both potential first-round NFL draft picks — with six sacks on the season among 8.5 total tackles for loss. 

At "just" 6-foot-2, 245 pounds, Phelps does not possess the prototypical frame of his Big 12 counterparts, but he offers good quickness, lateral agility and flexibility to dip and rip his way past blockers, and he was a difference-maker at Miami of Ohio prior to his transfer to Kansas, registering 13.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks for the Redhawks in 2021. 

Bullying the MAC and Tennessee Tech (which gave up half of Phelps’ sacks in the 2022 opener) won’t go nearly as far in impressing scouts as enjoying success against the Sooners’ right tackle Wanya Morris, a battle-tested veteran who joined Oklahoma after initially signing (and starting) as a five-star recruit for Tennessee. Surprisingly quick and balanced, himself, given his 6-foot-6, 310-pound frame, Morris is the best competition Phelps has faced this season — although that could change this winter with the East-West Shrine Bowl circling him early on as part of their preseason watch list.

Can Oklahoma get back on track?

RJ Young is joined by Geoff Schwartz to preview the biggest matchups in Week 7, including Kansas vs. Oklahoma.

No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee (3:30 p.m. ET)

After barely escaping Texas in Week 2 with a healthy Bryce Young, the Alabama faithful are right to be nervous with the Crimson Tide traveling to Knoxville to face Tennessee's Hooker, the most accomplished quarterback on their regular season schedule. It would be too easy to simply focus on the quarterbacks in this game, however, especially with Nick Saban wisely playing coy as to Young’s availability. 

Certainly, freshman sensation Jalen Milroe has already demonstrated the dual-threat ability to lead the Tide to yet another win, but while most focused on his three touchdown passes (and 81 rushing yards) in last week’s win at College Station, his inexperience showed in taking four sacks. This is an area in which Hooker’s experience (and playing at home) should help the Vols. 

Except that it hasn’t. Tennessee has allowed a very mediocre eight sacks through five games this season, which makes the matchup with Will Anderson Jr. — virtually the consensus top-rated prospect entering the season — that much more fascinating. 

Given that he registered a jaw-dropping 17.5 sacks and 31 tackles for loss a year ago, perhaps it was impossible for Anderson to live up to the hype this year, but there is no denying his production has dropped with the 6-foot-4, 243-pounder posting "just" five sacks and 10 tackles for loss, thus far. Anderson did come through against Texas when Alabama needed him most, and the combination of burst, bend, power and sheer drive that has earned him comparisons to All-Pros Von Miller and T.J. Watt remains obvious on tape. Anderson remains my personal top-rated prospect for the 2023 draft. 

This is a fun matchup, however, as the Vols boast not only a heady quarterback in Hooker, but a quality left tackle in Gerald Mincey, a 6-foot-6, 337-pounder with light feet, length and strength of his own. Alabama moves Anderson around a lot — and for good reason — but the Vols boast another massive and battle-tested blocker on the right side in senior Darnell Wright (6-foot-6, 335), which may force someone else to step up for the Crimson Tide if they are to leave Knoxville unscathed. 

Wisconsin at Michigan State (4 p.m. ET; FOX and the FOX Sports app)

While fantasy football has placed even more emphasis on the passing game, for many traditional football enthusiasts, the game still comes down to the trenches and battles between galloping, tackle-breaking running backs and glass-eating, block-busting linebackers. 

That is precisely the matchup to focus on when the Badgers burrow through East Lansing, though, with all due respect to Wisconsin’s latest star runner Braelon Allen (not NFL-eligible until 2024), the showdown scouts will be eyeing is between the Badgers’ star linebacker Nick Herbig and the Spartans’ running back Jalen Berger. 

Herbig broke out a year ago, registering 14.5 of his 61 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, nine of them sacks. His teammates Leo Chenal and Jack Sanborn earned much of the attention throughout the year, but each dropped further than expected on draft day — in part because scouts recognized that Herbig was the most disruptive of the bunch. The speedy, instinctive and tenacious Herbig, who led the team in sacks as a sophomore, is a fun player to watch because he complements his long arms and strong, active hands with his lower body so well, swimming past would-be blockers like an Olympian free-styler off the blocks. He plays even faster than he’ll time, dipping and ripping in a fluid motion and showing excellent recognition against the pass and run, alike.

Herbig and the Badgers will know Berger well, because, of course, he is a former teammate of theirs, who transferred to Michigan State in the hopes of succeeding Ken Walker III.

At a rock-solid 6-foot, 215 pounds, Berger is not the light-footed slasher the Seattle Seahawks hope Walker will be in the NFL. Instead, he is a classic downhill thumper with good vision, pad level and the kind of power to bowl over would-be tacklers. The collisions in the hole will make this a game worth watching, even if both teams are currently fighting through disappointing campaigns, overall. 

USC or UCLA to win the Pac-12?

Joel Klatt reacts to the USC Trojans’ win over Washington State, but wonders if UCLA is actually the team to beat in the Pac-12.

No. 7 USC at No. 20 Utah (8 p.m. ET; FOX and the FOX Sports app)

This game has a relatively late start, but it would be a mistake to miss it. Not only because the Utes are easily the toughest matchup thus far this season for the undefeated Trojans, but because this contest boasts arguably the best one-on-one battle of the week — reigning Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver Addison and Utah corner Phillips III, who is tied (Nevada’s Bentlee Sanders) for the national lead with five interceptions.

It is difficult to describe either of these future first-round picks and not venture into hyperbole. Pardon the pop-corny pun, but Addison is buttery smooth in his acceleration and breaks as a route-runner, consistently generating easy separation. That's why he's the unquestioned top target for the Trojans after starring last year with Kenny Pickett at Pitt. He plucks the ball easily, snatching it out of the air on comeback routes and tracking it beautifully over his shoulder like a center fielder. That is quite the advantage given the exciting natural throwing ability of sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams, who followed Lincoln Riley to USC from Oklahoma. 

Phillips, however, is one of the few defensive backs with the loose hips and smooth change of direction to keep up with a receiver like Addison. He is an even better athlete than former Ute Jaylon Johnson, a second-round pick and current starter for the Chicago Bears — and that is saying something, as Johnson is a talented cover corner. Besides the athleticism, Phillips also possesses terrific hands and awareness for the interception, as well as a flair for the dramatic, as he demonstrated with three picks — including one returned for a touchdown — in Utah’s Homecoming win over Oregon State two weeks ago. 

Utah is the reigning Pac-12 champion, but Kyle Whittingham has historically struggled against USC. This one should be a terrific game in many respects, likely to be decided in the trenches. But from a scouting perspective, the matchup to focus on is on outside with Addison and his anticipated shadow, Phillips. 

Read more:

- Everything to know about ‘Big Noon Kickoff:’ Penn State at Michigan

- Breaking down Week 7: What we have our eye on

- Nick Singleton, Penn State's run game a threat to No. 5 Michigan

- Week 7 of the college football season, by the numbers

- How Alex Grinch's defense "flipped the script" for No. 7 USC

- RJ Young's top five Heisman Trophy contenders

- UCLA's Chip Kelly among coaches thriving in second act

- College football rankings: Ohio State tightens grip on No. 1

Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He 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. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.

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Rob Rang