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 weekend's biggest battles.
Oklahoma at Baylor
Clubs attending:New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys.
Three top players: Oklahoma (RB Samaje Perine, CB Zack Sanchez, WR Sterling Shepard); Baylor (DL Andrew Billings, DE Shawn Oakman, CB Xavien Howard).
Matchup to watch: Howard has had an outstanding season for the Bears, and he'll find himself facing some outstanding receiving talent against the Sooners, led by Shepard. The Sooners' most dangerous target should reach 1,000 yards before the regular season concludes.
Oregon at Stanford
Three top players: Oregon (DL DeForest Buckner, WR Bralon Addison, RB Royce Freeman); Stanford (RB Christian McCaffrey, OL Kyle Murphy, TE Austin Hooper).
Matchup to watch: Buckner and Murphy figure to tangle at some point, though it won't be an every-down occurence. That will be an NFL futures clash, to be sure. Expect a high score; neither a bunched-in Oregon defense nor a spread-thin Cardinal defense figures to fare too well here.
Memphis at Houston
Three top players: Memphis (QB Paxton Lynch, K Jake Elliott, LB Leonard Pegues); Houston (RB Kenneth Farrow, DB Adrian McDonald, DB Trevon Stewart).
Matchup to watch: A lengthy list of scouts certainly would like to see Lynch perform against Cougars standout CB William Jackson III, but Jackson is recovering from an injury and his status is uncertain.
Arkansas at LSU
Clubs attending:San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants.
Three top players: Arkansas (TE Hunter Henry, RB Alex Collins, OL Denver Kirkland); LSU (DB Jalen Mills, RB Leonard Fournette, OL Vadal Alexander).
Matchup to watch: A week after allowing a 200-yard rusher (Alabama's Derrick Henry), the LSU defense will be in no mood to succumb to another star rusher. Collins isn't as powerful as Henry, but he has great vision and operates very well behind the biggest offensive line in the college game.
North Carolina State at Florida State
Three top players: North Carolina State (QB Jacoby Brissett, DE Mike Rose, C Quinton Schooley); FSU (RB Dalvin Cook, DB Jalen Ramsey, LB Terrance Smith)
Matchup to watch: Scouts will get a good look at Wolfpack quarterback Jacoby Brissett against arguably the most talented defense he has faced all season. He'll be throwing with Ramsey roaming the secondary -- he has been one of the top defenders in the ACC the last two years.
Washington State at UCLA
Clubs attending:Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons.
Three top players: Washington State (WR Gabe Marks, WR Dom Williams, DB Shalom Luani); UCLA (DL Kenny Clark, RB Paul Perkins, DB Ishmael Adams).
Matchup to watch: Adams and the rest of the secondary will be busy all day defending Mike Leach's "Air Raid" offense that has attempted 512 passes in just nine games.
Alabama at Mississippi State
Clubs attending:New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, San Diego Chargers.
Three top players: Alabama (DL Jarran Reed, RB Derrick Henry, LB Reggie Ragland); Mississippi State (QB Dak Prescott, CB Taveze Calhoun, LB Richie Brown).
Matchup to watch: The success, or lack thereof, Alabama's linebackers, primarily Ragland and weakside linebacker Reuben Foster, have in defending Prescott's rushing attempts and scrambles will tell much about the outcome here. Prescott has had a fabulous year passing the ball, but he'll have to hurt Alabama on the ground as well to keep the game within reach.
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