Who to watch on Thanksgiving weekend in college football:
Thanksgiving Day:
#18 Mississippi State (7-4) @ Mississippi (5-6); 7:30 PM ET; ESPN: Anybody who gets a little tired of all the turkey day NFL fare and flips over to the college game might be in for a little draft treat as the annual Egg Bowl just might feature the best head-to-head match-up the entire weekend when star Mississippi State edge rusher Montez Sweat (#9, 6-4, 245, SR) goes against Ole Miss OT Greg Little (#74, 6-6, 325, JR) as both are among the very top prospects at their respective positions for the upcoming draft with both are considered to be solid top 15-20 candidates. In fact, while both Mississippi schools are something of also-rans this year with Ole Miss needing a win just to be bowl eligible, this game also features more potential first-round prospects per capita than any college game this weekend. In particular, State has two more opening round candidates in rising DT Jeffrey Simmons (#94, 6-4, 300, JR) and veteran C Elgton Jenkins (#74, 6-3, 315, SR), while Ole Miss WR A.J. Brown (#1, 6-1, 225, JR) is generally considered to be the top wideout in this year’s draft class.
Friday, November 23rd:
Houston (8-3) @ Memphis (7-4); Noon ET; ABC: The winner of this game gets a shot at unbeaten Central Florida in the AAC championship game next weekend, but that’s not why anyone outside Houston or Memphis would bother tuning in. No, you’ll be tuning in to see Houston’s All-Everything DT Ed Oliver (#10, 6-2, 290, JR), a potential #1 pick overall at this year’s draft, will return to the field after missing the past four games with a bruised knee that included an ugly spat with head coach Major Applewhite on the Cougars’ sideline last week.
Arkansas (2-9) @ Missouri (7-4); 2:30 PM ET; CBS: Again this is hardly a can’t miss contest, but it does offer one final look at Missouri QB Drew Lock (#3, 6-3, 225, SR) who entered the season as a top ten prospect, but who has seen his status slide after an inconsistent season, although overall he has completed 63% of his pass attempts as he threw for almost 3,000 and 23 TDs with 8 picks. However, those numbers pale in comparison to his 2017 totals of almost 4,000 passing yards and 44 TDs.
#6 Oklahoma (10-1) @ #13 West Virginia (8-2); 8 PM ET; ESPN: The Big XII’s penultimate game lost some luster when West Virginia lost a heart-breaker last weekend at Oklahoma State. The pretty much eliminated the Mountaineers from the CFP playoff consideration. However, the Mountaineers can still make the Big XII conference championship game next weekend with an upset win over the Sooners. On the other hand, a win by OU and the Sooners are off to the conference title game with their CFL playoff hopes still very much alive, although they likely will need some help along the way, in particular a loss by Michigan. This game also features two of the likely Heisman Trophy finalists in star QBs Kyler Murray (#1, 5-10, 195, JR) of Oklahoma and WVU’s Will Grier (#7, 6-2, 215, SR). Murray appears more likely to be headed to MLB once his college football days are down, but Grier will be one of the first QBs off the board this coming April, although pro scouts appear to be divided on his final grade with some loving his remarkable productivity with others not sold on the fact that he lacks prototype size and arm strength. Both QBs work with outstanding receivers in speedy Marquise Brown (#5, 5-11, 165, JR), one of the fastest players in this year’s draft, and David Sills (#13, 6-3, 205, SR) and Gary Jennings (#12, 6-0, 210, JR). Meanwhile, keep an eye on West Virginia LT Yodny Cajuste (#55, 6-4, 315, SR), a solid mid-round prospect, along with OU offensive linemen LT Bobby Evans (#71, 6-5, 305, JR), RT Cody Ford (#74, 6-4, 340, JR) and OGs Dru Samia (#75, 6-4, 305, SR) and Ben Powers (#72, 6-3, 315, SR).
#16 Washington (8-3) @ #8 Washington State (10-1); 8:30 PM ET; FOX: The big question that hopefully the Apple Cup will answer is Washington State for real? The other big question to be answered is WSU QB Gardner Minshew (#) for real. Let’s start with the first one: hands up everyone who had the Cougars as the last Pac-12 team with a shot at the CFP playoffs. It’s still a longshot for the Cougars, but beat state rivals Washington this weekend and win the conference title game next week and at least Washington State will have the right to bitch about being left out of the final 4 on their way to the Rose Bowl. However, a loss in the Apple Cup and Washington goes to the conference final and WSU ends up in a lesser bowl. Meanwhile, maybe the best story in college football this season has been WSU’s Minshew, a transfer from East Carolina who wasn’t even a household name in his own home at the beginning of the year, but who currently leads the country with over 4,300 passing yards, 500 more than anyone else in the college football. And while Minshew may be the product of the WSU system, pro scouts are starting to take note of the fact that he seems to have all the traits of an elite NFL QB including decent size and athleticism as well as surprising arm talent.
