It’s time for the true opening weekend of College Football 2015. This is the joyous confluence of exciting College Football and scouting for the 2016 NFL Draft. So let the games begin. But please keep in mind that because of the trend toward larger defections of underclassmen to the NFL Draft it makes the beginning of the college season more of a crapshoot to judge talent than ever. But as the weeks go by we’ll get a clearer picture of the top prospects vs. the suspects.
Saturday, NOON/EST, ESPN
STANFORD by 4 @ NORTHWESTERN
Stanford returns a very nice mix of proven vets and good young talent led by a solid senior QB/KEVIN HOGAN who is hoping to emerge as a top QB
and a Heisman contender. The Offense will again feature a strong running game, with the capability to strike balance with a solid passing attack. The Defense is big and hostile. The Wildcats of HC PAT FITZGERALD are coming off a disappointing 5-7 campaign that was injury plagued. They have nice size and are well coached so you cannot count them out at home. STANFORD may wear them down in the second half however.
Key prospects include:
STANFORD NORTHWESTERN
#8 KEVIN HOGAN/QB 6’4/225 #19 CAMERON DICKERSON/WR/6’3/210
#89 DEVON CAJUSTE/WR/6’3/230 #14 CHRIS JAMES/WR/6’3/230
#78 KYLE MURPHY/OT/6’7/300 #40 DAN VITALE/HB/6’2/235
#48 KEVIN ANDERSON/LB/6’4/245 #94 DEAN LOWRY/DE/6’6/280
#4 BLAKE MARTINEZ/LB/6’2/247
Saturday, 3:30 EST, CBS
AUBURN by 8 vs LOUISVILLE in ATLANTA
Great things are expected from Auburn this season. Lots of young talent returns on both sides of the ball. Despite the many talents of missing QB/NICK MARSHALL many expect improvement at the QB slot with the coronation of JEREMY JOHNSON as the new starter. Everything else is in place including some serious improvement on the D side of the ball. The cupboard is not bare, but HC PETRINO inherited a ton of talent from Charlie Strong and much of it graduated. Auburn should control this game from the start, but Louisville could hang in there all day.
Key prospects include:
AUBURN LOUISVILLE
#1 DUKE WILLIAMS/WR 6’2/224 #78 AARON EPPS/T 6’7/290
#6 DeVONTE LAMBERT/DE 6’2/282 #98 SHELDON RANKINS/DE 6’2/303
#17 KRIS FROST/LB 6’2/240 #97 DeANGELO BROWN/DT 6’/308
#8 CASSANOVA McKINZY/LB 6’2/253 #13 JAMES BURGESS/LB 6’0/230
#3 JONATHAN JONES/CB 5’10/181
Saturday, 7PM EST, ESPN
ARIZONA STATE by 11 vs. TEXAS A&M in Houston
Another pre-season Bowl Game, so to speak will feature a very highly ranked Sun Devils team against a middle of the SEC pack Aggies squad. This could be a tough one for a while, but expectations are very high for HC TODD GRAHAM’s crew, especially on Offense. The Aggies may just not be able to trade body blows for a full 60 minutes.
Key prospects to watch:
ARIZONA STATE TEXAS A&M
#2 MIKE BERKOVICI/QB 6’1/205 #21 TRA CARSON/RB 6’0/235
#8 DJ FOSTER/WR 5’11/195 #56 MIKE MATTHEWS/C 6’2/290
#55 CHRIS WESTERMAN/G 6’4/300 #93 ALONZO WILLIAMS/DT 6’4/295
#50 NICK KELLY/C 6’2/295 #11 JOSH REYNOLDS/WR* 6’4/190
#8 LLOYD CARRINGTON/CB 6’0/195 #1 DeVANTE HARRIS/CB 5’11/175
Saturday, 7:30 PM EST, NBC
TEXAS @ NOTRE DAME by 6
This is supposed to be HC BRIAN KELLY’s best and deepest team to date in South Bend. But having a new QB at the helm gives some cause for pause until he leads them to a couple of wins. The Longhorns are in year 2 of HC CHARLIE STRONG’s regime in Austin. He set the tone for things last season and had a Top 12 recruiting class by most estimations. ND is lucky to catch them early and at home, and should take advantage. This may tell us if ND is outstanding, or just good.
Key prospects to watch:
TEXAS
#32 JONATHAN GRAY/RB 5’11/206 #78 RONNIE STANLEY/T 6’5/315
#7 MARCUS JOHNSON/WR 6’1/195 #72 NICK MARTIN/C 6’4/300
#66 SEDRICK FLOWERS/G 6’3/319 #91 SHELDON DAY/DL 6’2/285
#99 DEMOND JOHNSON/99 6’0/305 #9 JAYLON SMITH/LB* 6’2/235
#21 DUKE THOMAS/CB 5’11/175 #6 KEI VARAE RUSSELL/CB 5’11/190
Enjoy these and all of the other top match-ups to kick-off the 2015 season.
