Penn State (3-4) at #1 Ohio State (7-0); NOON ET; FOX: It wasn’t all that long ago that folks all around the country ahd this one red-circled as possibly THE game of the year not only in the B1G, but just maybe on the entire college football schedule. And top-ranked Ohio State has kept up its end of the bargain, but Penn State had a disastrous month of October losing 4 straight, while QB Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury and coach James Franklin was unceremoniously fired mid-campaign. However, the Nittany Lions do return star RBs Nicolas Singleton (#10, 6-0, 205) and Kaytron Allen (#13, 5-11, 220),both of whom are considered to be top 10 prospects at the position. They run behind a somewhat inexperienced OL that does have a couple of solid 2nd day prospects in LT Drew Shelton (#66, 6-5, 310) along with rising OG Vega Ioane (#71, 6-3, 330), one of this year’s top interior offensive line prospects. And while the Lions lost their top defender in Abdul Carter, the 3rd player selected overall this past April who had 12.5 sacks last season, they do get back DE Dani Dennis-Sutton (#33, 6-4, 265), who has 5.5 sacks so far this year and has some second-day potential, as does CB AJ Harris (#4, 6-0, 190), while DT Zane Durant (#28, 6-1, 290) and S Zakee Wheatley (#6, 6-2, 205) are mid-to-late round candidates.
It is hard to imagine a defending national champion and current top-ranked team ever having as quiet a season as Ohio State has so far this year, but the Buckeyes just haven’t faced many real challenges on their schedule to date. However, pro scouts certainly have been paying attention as the Buckeyes are loaded. Indeed, the Buckeyes will almost certainly continue a streak of having at least one player selected in the opening this coming April, especially if FS Caleb Downs (#2, 6-0, 205), who is generally considered to be one of the top 2-3 non-QB prospects in college football, opts to turn pro this winter. In fact, there’s a better than even chance that the Buckeyes will have at least one #1 pick this year even if Downs chooses to stick around for his final year of eligibility as both WR Carnell Tate (#17, 6-2, 195) and rising ILB Arvell Reese (#8, 6-3, 245) each have mid first potential, while TE Max Klare (#86, 6-4, 245), LBs Sonny Styles (#0, 6-4, 245) and , and rising DE Caden Curry (#92, 6-3, 260) are second-day candidates.
#9 Vanderbilt at #20 Texas; NOON ET; ABC: Vanderbilt which has crept into the top 10 for the first time since literally the 1930s, remains one of the best stories in college football this fall. And dual-threat QB Diego Pavia (#2, 6-0, 215) who is on pace to throw for over 3,000 yards and 30+ TDs this fall, while running for another 700 yards, remains as one of the best individual stories in the game, although he’s probably more of a CFL candidate than an NFL prospect. Indeed, Vanderbilt’s lone top NFL prospect is All-America TE Eli Stowers (#9, 6-4, 235), one of the top receiving threats in the country at the position. However, Vandy will get a challenge from the Longhorns who will literally be fighting for their CFP playoff lives especially if QB Arch Manning (#16, 6-3, 220), who seems to have found his stride of late, is able to play as he’s still in concussion protocol after hitting his head last week. Whether he plays or not, it seems unlikely that Manning will enter the 2026 draft. And even if Manning doesn’t enter the upcoming draft, the Longhorns still some very good players to watch in this game including MLB Anthony Hill (#0, 6-2, 240), one of the top 2-3 prospects at the position and OG DJ Campbell (#52, 6-2, 325), one of the top interior OL prospects in the country, while CB Malik Muhammad (#5, 6-0, 190), OLB Trey Moore (#8, 6-3, 250) and S Michael Taafe (#16, 6-0, 190) are second-day candidates.
#5 Georgia vs Florida; 3:30 PM ET; ABC: Georgia and Florida meet in their annual World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, a game in which the form chart sometimes just gets thrown out. That’s what the struggling Gators might be thinking as Georgia comes in loaded, although the Bulldogs don’t necessarily have any first-round locks at least for this year. LB CJ Allen (#3, 6-1, 235) and DT Christen Miller (#52, 6-3, 310), though, are currently rated among the top 2-3 prospects at their respective positions and would likely figure in the late first round mix if they did opt to leave school, but they’re both 3rd year juniors at somewhat lower-value positions. CB Daylen Everette (#6, 6-0, 190) could also get some late first-round consideration, while the Bulldogs boast one of the more interesting WR rooms featuring transfers Zachariah Branch (#1, 5-10, 180), the former USC speedster who doubles as one of the most electric kick returners in the country, and rangy Noah Thomas (#5, 6-5, 205), who comes over from Texas A&M.
I don’t think anyone would hold it against Florida if they wanted a word with the guy who put together their schedule as the Gators are in the midst of a streak in which they play 4 straight Top 10 teams and then finish the season with 4 more games against ranked opponents. Bottom line, the Gators aren’t likely going anywhere in the 2025 post-season, but they their share of intriguing prospects C Jake Slaughter (#66, 6-4, 305), one of the top IOL prospect this year, along with LT Austin Barber (#58, 6-6, 315) and DE Tyreak Sapp (#94, 6-2, 275).
#18 Oklahoma at #14 Tennessee; 7:30 PM ET; ABC: For all intents and purposes this is a virtual CFP elimination game as both the Sooners and Vols already have a couple of losses and a third would be something of a dagger to those hopes. For pro scouts, though, its another chance to check out OU QB John Mateer (#10, 6-1, 225) who emerged as a legitimate Heisman candidate as well as a first-round draft prospect early in the season but is still trying to re-establish that momentum after missing several games with a broken hand. There is also an interesting QB story at Tennessee where former Vols’ star Nico Iamaleava bolted for greener pastures at UCLA this spring in a dispute over NIL payments only to be replaced by former UCLA QB Joey Aquilar (#6, 6-3, 225) who was displaced when Iamaleava arrived in LA. And Aquilar has been solid enough leading the Vols to six wins to date, although he is still more of a fringe NFL prospect. The Vols, though, do have a couple of rising stars that could figure early at the 2026 draft in WR Chris Brazzell (#17, 6-4, 200), a rangy, big-play threat who is averaging almost 17 yards per catch this fall, as well more than a TD per game, and ER Josh Josephs (#19, 6-3, 240, while the Sooners could also field one of the most dynamic pass rushes in college with a group of edge rushers led by R Mason Thomas (#32, 6-2, 250)
#23 Southern California (6-2) at Nebraska (6-2); 7:30 PM ET; NBC: This is yet another virtual elimination game, although this one’s in the B1G. The Trojans come to South Bend with one of the most prolific offences in the country led by emerging junior QB Jayden Maiava (#14, 6-3, 230), the third leading passer in college football, although to date he hasn’t gotten much respect from pro scouts. That’s not the case, though, with WR Makai Lemon (#6, 5-11, 195), the 2nd leading receiver in the country who has started to show up as a top 10-15 prospects on a lot of teams boards around the league. Lemon combines with fellow WR Ja’Kobi Lane (#8, 6-3, 200), the Trojans big-play threat who has some second-round potential of his own, to give the Trojans one of the better 1-2 WR combos in the country. Meanwhile, rangy LB Eric Gentry (#18, 6-5, 225), a very versatile guy who can both get into the backfield and cover, and S Kamari Ramsey (#7, 6-0, 205) head the defence.
#17 Cincinnati at #24 Utah; 10:15 PM ET; ESPN: And lastly, for west coasters or nighthawks wiling away the hours until the NFL kicks off on Sunday just the third game of the day between ranked teams. In fact, 3’s are wild here as each team has a trio of very good 2026 prospects. Indeed, Utah may have a legit top 10-15 candidate in RT Spencer Fano (#55, 6-6, 310), who combines with LT Caleb Lomu (#71, 6-6, 310), a second-day candidate in his own right, to give the Utes one of the better sets of bookend tackles in the game. The Utes also have a pretty good LB candidate in Lander Barton (#8, 6-4, 240) who has been productive when healthy, but has missed time with injuries. For its part, Cincinnati also features a solid LB in Jake Golday (#11, 6-4, 240) who has started to generate a little draft buzz among scouts, while TE Joe Royer (#11, 6-5, 250) is one of the top prospects at that position as would wide-body NT Donte Corleone (#2, 6-1, 335) who is coming back after missing a chunk of time battling blood clots in his leg.
