#11 Southern California (2-0) at #18 Michigan (2-1); 3:30 PM ET; CBS: There was a time when geographic sanity prevailed in the world of college football that USC at Michigan in September would be a marquee intersectional match-up. However, college football, in its infinite wisdom, has opted to defy the laws of geography and now the Trojans and Wolverines, whose respective campuses are almost 2.000 miles apart, are in the same conference. And that actually may make and even bigger game for both teams, but especially Michigan which already has a loss on its docket in its attempt to defend last year’s national championship despite losing a ton of talent to the NFL draft this past spring. The cupboard isn’t totally bare for Michigan, though, as the Wolverines return at least a couple of players with legitimate top ten potential for the 2025 draft in CB Will Johnson (#2, 6-2, 205) and DT Mason Graham (#55, 6-3, 320), both of whom are the consensus leading prospects at their respective positions. The Wolverines will also feature arguably the top TE prospect this year in Colston Loveland (#18, 6-5, 245), while DT Kenneth Grant (#78, 6-3, 340), who has some late first-round potential of his own, combines with Graham to give Michigan arguably the stoutest interior defensive front in the country. Pro scouts are also keen to see what RB Donovan Edwards (#7, 6-0, 215) can do as a full-time, feature now that Blake Corum has moved on to the pros. What the Wolverines don’t appear to have, though, is a quality replacement for QB JJ McCarthy. Senior Davis Warren (#16, 6-2, 195), the former walk-on who has a wonderful story – he’s a recent cancer-survivor – but he really wasn’t up to the job so Michigan will give Alex Orji (#10, 6-2, 235), a terrific athlete who can make plays with his legs, a shot at it, but he’s only thrown 7 passes in his college career to date as he’s a much better athlete than passer.
Southern Cal, of course, had a major draft moment this past April when star QB Caleb Williams was the firt player selected overall. However, it doesn’t appear as if USC will have anyone selected that early at the upcoming draft; in fact, the Trojans don’t appear to have anyone considered to be a lock to be selected over the course of the first two days of the 2025 draft. be anywhere near close to have a player chosen at any point in the upcoming draft, although they do have a couple of emerging type prospects in versatile RB Woody Marks (#4, 5-9, 210) and rangy OLB Eric Genrty (#18, 6-5, 220), while DT Bear Alexander (#90, 6-3, 315), LB Mason Cobb (#13, 6-0, 230), DEs Anthony Lucas (#6, 6-5, 275) and Jamil Muhammad (#10, 6-1, 260), C Jonah Monheim (#79, 6-5, 310), and safeties Arnold Akili (#0, 6-0, 200) and Bryson Shaw (#27, 6-0, 190). USC, though, also has a couple of real draft wild cards. One is QB Miller Moss (#7, 6-2, 205), a redshirt junior who’s only career start coming into the season was last year’s Holiday Bowl in which he set several team records. He’s a little on the slight size and doesn’t necessarily have a cannon, but he’s a very accurate passer with a great feel for the game and could conceivably work his way up the board if he continues to play well. They there’s sophomore WR/KR Zachariah Branch (#1, 5-10, 175), perhaps the most electric player in college football, but who won’t be draft-eligible until 2026.
#6 Tennessee (3-0) at #15 Oklahoma (3-0); 7:30 PM ET; ABC: This is another game that in an earlier era would have been a marquee inter-conference contest, but Oklahoma has finally made it to the SEC and instead its a huge early season conference game. Should also be fun for pro scouts in the sense that the two teams are lead by two of the best young QBs in the country in Nice Iamaleava (#8, 6-5, 215) of Tennessee and the Sooners’ Jackson Arnold (#11, 6-1, 210), although neither will actually be draft eligible until 2026. However, Tennessee, which is off to a hot start outscoring their three opponents to date by a combined 191-13, may not have to wait a couple of years to have an early impact at the draft as DE James Pearce (#27, 6-5, 245) is considered to be one of the top 2-3 non-QB prospects for 2025, although he is off to something of a slow star with just one tackle and a 1/2 sack so far this season. The Vols also feature one of the better OGs in the country in rugged Javontez Spraggins (#76, 6-3, 330), who has at least some second-day potential, while WRs Bru McCoy (#5, 6-3, 230) and Squirrel White (#3, 5-9, 170), C Cooper Mays (#63, 6-3, 310), and RT John Campbell (#74, 6-5, 330) all have mid-round possibilities. For its part, Oklahoma doesn’t really have anyone who is currently considered to be a first-round lock, but the Sooners do have several players who could at least get late first looks including MLB Danny Stutsman (#28, 6-4, 245), WR Deion Burks (#6, 5-9, 195) and S Billy Bowman (#2, 5-10, 195), while C Branson Hickman (#51, 6-2, 295) is a solid mid-to-late IOL candidate.
