College Football Week 12: Games and Players to Watch

Week 12 brings us four matchups of top 25 teams including a top 5 battle between SEC powers Mississippi State and Alabama. With a little over six months until the 2015 NFL Draft, scouting departments have turned up the heat on the 2014 college football season.

No. 1 Mississippi State @ No. 5 Alabama

The Bulldogs continue their unlikely undefeated campaign through the SEC with another tough matchup with the class of the conference. Bama is looking to knock the Bulldogs off their stoop this afternoon in Tuscaloosa and reclaim positioning in the critical top 4.

State’s ILB Benadrick McKinney is a jack of all trades for the MSU defense, lining up across the formation including rushing the passer. He’ll probably be best suited as a straight up ILB potentially in a 3-4. While his coverage skills need to be worked on he has tremendous NFL prospects.

Bama’s all world WR Amari Cooper figures to be the first WR off the board this spring. NFL Hall of Famer Chris Carter said Cooper is the best WR Alabama has had since Ozzie Newsome. That’s tremendous praise for the young Cooper as Bama’s recent WR history includes Julio Jones. It would surprise me to see a team, like Atlanta did for Jones, trade up into the top ten to select Cooper. Could that team be the 49ers?

No. 11 Nebraska @ No. 22 Wisconsin

This Big10 matchup features two of the top rushing teams in the country. Both RBs figure to be selected in the top two rounds of the draft. Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah runs bigger than his 5-9, 195lbs stature making precise cuts with incredible ball carrier vision. Wisconsin's Melvin Gordan is yet another in the long list of successful Badger running backs to make a name for himself. Looking for his second consecutive 1600+ yard season, Gordan is more of a traditional running back with excellent acceleration and ability to run both inside and out.

I look for both teams to continue to pound the rock. It wouldn't surprise me to see a combined 80+ rushing attempts in this one. If you're a fan of old school, smash mouth football this one if for you.

No. 3 Florida State @ Miami

In what used to be the best rivalry in college football, tonight's prime time features two teams looking to prove they're better than people think. Sounds odd for a FSU team coming in with a 25 game win streak but they've been less than impressive against inferior competition this year causing many to question their position in the college football playoff.

Miami is coming in with a ton of confidence despite a 6-3 record. The 'Canes Duke Johnson is one of the best RBs in the country and continues to impress the more he plays. Johnson combines speed and power and has the Hurricanes humming on offense right now. ILB Denzel Perryman reminds me a lot Navarro Bowman. With similar size and an uncanny nose for the football, Perryman is underrated in draft circles right now.

Here is today’s slate: