National Football League

NFL Draft 2017: 5 College Football Games to Watch in Week 8

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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With the 2017 NFL Draft already on the minds of fans, which college football games are must-watch in Week 8 of the season?

This week, there is a nice slate of college football games, but there are five that bring more attention than others when it pertains to being an NFL fan. Some of us like to watch college football for the reason it allows us to see what the future of the NFL can look like in a few short years.

Week 8 of the college football season is no different with there being two games on this list with Top 25 teams facing each other. Moreover, all five games we’ll take a look at have a ranked team playing. Those ranked teams have a good number of NFL prospects who we’ll know a lot more about this offseason. But this weekend it will be a good time to take a look at just how good those prospects are right now.

One of the games we’ll take a look at is the No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies at the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. That came is chock full of potential NFL talent and should be exciting to watch. It can be like a mini NFL game before we watch the pros on Sunday and Monday night.

Let’s take a look at five games that are must-watch in Week 8 of the college football season with eyes on the 2017 NFL Draft.

Sep 10, 2016; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive lineman Jonathan Allen (93) at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

No. 6 Texas A&M Aggies at No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide — 3:30 p.m ET (CBS)

The Alabama Crimson Tide have 15 players currently listed on the NFL Draft Scout prospects rankings on CBS Sports. On the other side of the field, the Aggies have nine prospects on the same list. Combined, the two teams have eight players graded as a first-round pick, with seven on the side of the Crimson Tide.

Those first-round projected players from Alabama are as follows: Jonathan Allen (defensive end), Marlon Humphrey (cornerback), Cam Robinson (offensive tackle), Tim Williams (outside linebacker), Reuben Foster (inside linebacker), O.J. Howard (tight end) and Eddie Jackson (strong safety). Of those seven players, four are ranked first-overall at their position.

The player who could be the difference maker this week is Allen. He’s the second-overall ranked defensive end and could potentially be a Top 10 pick. This season, Allen has five sacks and 29 total tackles (15 solo tackles). Maybe his best game of the season was on Oct. 1 vs. Kentucky, where he totaled eight tackles (six solo) with one sack. Last weekend against Tennessee, Allen had four tackles and one sack.

For the Aggies, defensive end Myles Garrett is their first-round prospect as he’s the No. 1 ranked overall defensive end in the draft thus far. Garrett this season has had three games of recording at least one sack, and at Auburn this season he recorded three tackles and two sacks. For the year, Garrett has totaled 14 tackles and four sacks. He’s missed one game this year.

This is not only the top game on the college football schedule this weekend, but it is full of potential NFL talent that we’ll be seeing very soon on Sundays.

Oct 15, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) pushes off of Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Josh Lidddell (28) during the second half at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Arkansas defeated Ole Miss 34-30. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels at No. 25 LSU Tigers — 9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

This is another SEC showdown that has more than enough talent that should be playing at the NFL level in the near future. LSU has 17 players listed on the 2017 CBS Prospect Rankings list, with 10 of them being graded at first- through seventh-round selections. Of those 10 players, five are being graded to be selected on the first two days of the draft.

The two first-round projected players are running back Leonard Fournette and strong safety Jamal Adams. Both players are juniors this season, with Fournette being the top ranked running back and Adams being the second-ranked strong safety. Second-round projections for LSU are cornerback Tre’Davious White and center Ethan Pocic. White is the ninth-ranked cornerback, and Pocic is the second-ranked center.

Looking at Ole Miss, they have 13 players in the CBS Sports rankings, with quarterback Chad Kelly, outside linebacker Marquis Haynes and tight end Evan Engram all projected as second-round choices. Kelly is the nephew of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly. As for the younger Kelly, this season he’s completed 62.4 percent of his passes. His passing yardage comes in at 1,849 with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions to go along with it.

Against Alabama on Sept. 17, Kelly passed for 421 yards as he was 26-of-40 with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 48-43 loss. That game, he completed 65 percent of his passes. He also ran the ball 14 times for 43 yards in that matchup.

There will be a lot of names we’ll be reading about this offseason in regards to the draft, making it a very watchable game for NFL fans.

Nov 14, 2015; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Josh Ferguson (6) attempts to make a catch against Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Raekwon McMillan (5) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes at Penn State Nittany Lions — 8 p.m. ET (ABC)

Let’s dive into the Big Ten now and take a look at the Ohio State Buckeyes, because every year it seems this team has a lot of first-round talent on their roster. Last year the Buckeyes had 12 players drafted, including two of the first four players selected overall.

This season, Ohio State has surprised many with just how good they are after losing so much talent to the NFL in April. There are 12 players from the undefeated Ohio State team listed on the CBS Draft Prospect Rankings and three of those guys could be selected in the first round. Those players consist of inside linebacker Raekwon McMillan, free safety Malik Hooker and cornerback Marshon Lattimore. OSU also has the No. 1 ranked center in Pat Elflein.

Penn State has four players on the prospect rankings, with their best being wide receiver Chris Godwin, a current fourth-round projected player and the 19th-ranked wide receiver.

Ohio State could be on this list every week, but this game is in primetime following OSU having a tough time on the road last weekend. It will be interesting to see just how dominant the Buckeyes respond to being on the road for a second straight week in primetime. The guess is they will be just fine and their talent will be on full display once again.

Sep 3, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Vince Biegel (47) during the Lambeau Field College Classic against the LSU Tigers at Lambeau Field. Wisconsin won 16-14. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers at Iowa Hawkeyes — Noon ET (ESPN)

Wisconsin played a very tough overtime game last weekend against Ohio State, but now they have to go on the road to face the Iowa Hawkeyes, which will be a big game in the Big Ten West. The Badgers stayed in the Top 10 after the loss to OSU and a lot of the reason they played the Buckeyes so strongly last Saturday was due to the fact they have some talented players who will one day be playing in the NFL.

Wisconsin has seven players listed as potential players who could be drafted, though two of them are projected as high as the fourth round. Those players are running back Corey Clement and outside linebacker Vince Biegel. Clement has 107 carries this season for 483 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He also has a long run of 68 yards and has scored five touchdowns.

Iowa has a cornerback in Desmond King, who is a first-round talent and the third-ranked cornerback in the draft right now. This season, King has six games of at least four tackles. In Iowa’s Oct. 15 game at Purdue, he grabbed his first interception of the season. That interception he returned 41 yards for a touchdown.

This game has vast importance in the Big Ten standings, and with two quality teams facing each other, it should be a good game for not just NFL fans, but all football fans in general.

Sep 24, 2016; Tucson, AZ, USA; Washington Huskies defensive back Budda Baker (32) warms up before the game against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon State Beavers at No. 5 Washington Huskies — 6:30 p.m. ET (Pac 12 Network)

The Washington Huskies have 12 players currently on the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect rankings, with at least a five players who have a second-round grade and three with a first-round grade.

One of those players for the Huskies is Budda Baker, a free safety who is also the top ranked free safety in the draft. Baker this season has 29 tackles (20 solo) with a half-sack, one forced fumble and one interception. Against Arizona on Sept. 24, Baker had 10 tackles (nine solo).

There is also Washington wide receiver John Ross, who is the fourth-rated wide receiver. Ross is 5-11 and this season has 371 yards receiving on 30 receptions. He’s caught nine touchdowns and is averaging 12.4 yards per reception. Ross also has four rushes this season for 55 yards with one touchdown.

Oregon State has six players on the draft rankings by CBS Sports, with one offensive guard, Sean Harlow, who is projected to be a fifth-round pick. As of right now, this game is for mostly watching the Huskies as they have so many projected players on the draft list, which makes this game very watchable.