Every week during the college football season, NFL clubs deploy scouts to campuses all over the country to make in-person evaluations of draft prospects. Naturally, the bigger games featuring more top prospects tend to draw larger contingents of scouts. Each week, College Football 24/7 brings you a look at the teams credentialed to attend some of the biggest games in college football.
Washington at Cal
10 clubs credentialed to attend:Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans.
Details: Saturday, Nov. 5 at 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Three top players: Washington (CB Sidney Jones, S Budda Baker, WR John Ross); Cal (QB Davis Webb, RB Khalfani Muhammad, DT James Looney).
Matchup to watch:Cal QB Davis Webb vs. Washington CB Sidney Jones. Quarterbacks haven't thrown Jones' way much this season, and for good reason. Will Webb? Cal returns WR Chad Hansen, by far its best receiving threat, from injury. That gives Webb all the more reason to check under Jones' hood.
Pittsburgh at Miami
13 clubs credentialed to attend:Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, San Diego Chargers.
Details: Saturday, Nov. 5, at 12:30 p.m. ET (ACCDN)
Three top players:Pittsburgh (DE Ejuan Price, S Jordan Whitehead, RB James Conner); Miami (QB Brad Kaaya, LB Shaq Quarterman, CB Corn Elder).
Matchup to watch:Pittsburgh RB James Conner vs. Miami LB Shaq Quarterman. Conner is coming off his best game of the season (141 yards, 3 TDs against Virginia Tech), and you can bet Panthers offensive coordinator Matt Canada will be looking to carry that momentum forward. That means plenty of play calls for runs between the tackles, where Quarterman has patrolled the middle of the UM defense very impressively for a freshman. Pitt's offensive line has paved the way for 232 rushing yards per game, and Conner's power and strength at 235 pounds figures to be an intriguing test of Quarterman's own rugged, downhill style of play.
Alabama at LSU
2 clubs credentialed to attend:Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans
Details: Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. ET (CBS)
Three top players:Alabama (LB Reuben Foster, WR Calvin Ridley, OT Cam Robinson); LSU (RB Leonard Fournette, S Jamal Adams, CB Tre'Davious White).
Matchup to watch:Alabama LB Reuben Foster vs. LSU RB Leonard Fournette. Stopping a rusher of Fournette's strength and power is a group effort, but Foster's play as Alabama's middle linebacker will be especially important. Alabama's defensive line can hold its own against double teams, which will help keep Foster's path to the ball carrier more clear. A fearless hitter, Foster won't be shy about filling Fournette's rushing lanes aggressively. He also has the speed to get to the sideline on stretch plays, so this is a battle that will extend beyond the tackle box.
UCLA at Colorado
21 clubs credentialed to attend:Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans.
Details: Colorado 20, UCLA 10 (Thursday)
Three top players:UCLA (OT Conor McDermott, DE Takkarist McKinley, LB Jayon Brown); Colorado (CB Chidobe Awuzie, RB Phillip Lindsay, SS Tedric Thompson).
Matchup to watch:UCLA DE Takkarist McKinley vs. Colorado QB Sefo Liufau. McKinley is one of the Bruins' most promising draft prospects and is a highly disruptive force against opposing offenses (team-high 14 tackles for loss, 7 sacks). He won't be able to burst upfield without a certain amount of discipline Saturday, however. Liufau isn't a stationary target in the pocket and he can take advantage of McKinley's aggressiveness in a Colorado offense that runs its share of zone-read plays and run-pass options. Despite splitting playing time with Buffaloes QB Steven Montez, Liufau is CU's fourth-leading rusher with 202 rushing yards.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
