Which college games will NFL clubs send scouts to this weekend? College Football 24/7 brings you a glimpse at the teams that are credentialed to attend some of the biggest games in college football.
Oregon at Michigan State
Three top players: Oregon (RB Royce Freeman, DL DeForest Buckner, WR Byron Marshall); Michigan State (QB Connor Cook, OL Jack Allen, DE Shilique Calhoun)
Matchup to watch: This will be the toughest defense Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams has had to face in his college career, by far, and Calhoun could be the player he sees most.
Boise State at BYU
Three top players: Boise State (ATH Shane Williams-Rhodes, LB Tanner Vallejo, DE Kamalei Correa); BYU (LB Bronson Kaufusi, WR Mitch Mathews, WR Nick Kurtz).
Matchup to watch: Scouts tend to follow pass rushers, and both teams have at least one worth watching. A matchup of Correa and BYU offensive tackle Ryker Mathews could provide a strong scouting look for both players.
LSU at Mississippi State
Clubs attending: New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Chargers.
Three top players: LSU (OL Vadal Alexander, RB Leonard Fournette, CB Tre'Davious White); Mississippi State (QB Dak Prescott, WR De'Runnya Wilson, CB Will Redmond).
Matchup to watch: Wilson is expected to be Prescott's primary weapon this season, and Wilson will get one of his stiffest tests of the year against the LSU secondary. Even without the injured Jalen Mills, who is expected to be back in a few weeks, the Tigers have a top cornerback prospect in White and a budding star safety in sophomore Jamal Adams.
Notre Dame at Virginia
Clubs attending: Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders.
Three top players: Notre Dame (LB Jaylon Smith, OL Ronnie Stanley, DL Sheldon Day); Virginia (DB Quin Blanding, CB Maurice Canady, RB Taquan Mizzell)
Matchup to watch: UCLA's run defense did a nice job against Mizzell last week, but couldn't contain him as much as a receiver (eight catches, 100 yards, TD). Smith, meanwhile, can cover the flats, read screens and slow Mizzell down as a receiver out of the backfield. That said, the Fighting Irish could use Smith as a pass rusher as much or more than he is allowed to play in coverage.
South Alabama at Nebraska
Clubs attending: Atlanta Falcons, San Diego Chargers, Tennessee Titans.
Three top players: South Alabama (QB Cody Clements, OL Chris May, LB Blake Dees); Nebraska (RB Terrell Newby, QB Tommy Armstrong, Jr., OL Alex Lewis)
Matchup to watch: Clements comes from the discontinued-then-revived UAB program as a transfer with plenty of starting experience. He'll see a Cornhuskers pass defense that gave up 379 yards through the air last week against BYU.
Hawaii at Ohio State
Clubs attending: New England Patriots.
Three top players: Hawaii (QB Max Wittek, WR Marcus Kemp, DE Luke Shawley); Ohio State (DE Joey Bosa, QB Cardale Jones, H-back Braxton Miller)
Matchup to watch: Attacking Ohio State's pass defense is the only direction Hawaii can go here, based on what Virginia Tech was briefly able to do Monday night. That means moving the pocket away from a fearsome pass rush led by Bosa, a star underclassman who is returning from his suspension to make his junior season debut.
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