We have three games between ranked opponents this week
Good morning New York Giants fans! Happy Saturday and welcome to Week 7 of the college football season.
The college football schedule is really starting to heat up, and we have multiple games against ranked opponents that will have a definite impact on the College Football Playoffs. This week will also give us a couple games that should be go-to scouting tape for the 2025 draft process.
So without further ado, let’s get to the games!
(7) Alabama vs. South Carolina
ABC – noon
The college football landscape was thrown into chaos in Week 6 with Alabama’s loss to Vanderbilt. Nobody saw that coming, particularly after their dominant first half against Georgia the week before. And just like that, the top of the college football rankings is up for grabs.
Scouts across the NFL will be interested to see how Alabama bounces back from a massive upset. In particular, how Jalen Milroe responds after his pick-six played a crucial role in Alabama’s loss could play a role in his draft stock.
This is also a great opportunity for South Carolina, who are coming off of their own tough loss — a 27-3 drubbing by Ole Miss. The Gamecocks have some intriguing players on offense and defense. Defensive linemen Tonka Hemmingway and T.J. Sanders have upside as rotational DTs at the NFL level, while DB Nick Emmanwori should be a starter at the NFL level.
On the offensive side of things, running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders has a legitimately rare blend of size (6-foot-2 242 pounds) and athleticism (reportedly 4.4-second 40-time), and is flying below the radar thanks to Aston Jeanty’s absurd season at Boise State.
(18) Oklahoma vs. (1) Texas
ABC – 3:30 p.m.
I could talks about Penn State at USC here, and I think that’s a great solid option with some very intriguing players. However, the Red River Rivalry is always a fun watch, and these are also two good teams who could both make the expanded 12-team playoffs.
Oklahoma receiver Deion Burks is still waiting for a breakout game against premier competition since transferring from Purdue. He had 3 touchdowns against Temple back on August 30th, but has been fairly quiet since then. A big game against Texas could put him on the national radar. Linebacker Danny Stutsman has been a tackling machine for the Sooners, while safety Billy Bowman is a player to watch for the mid-rounds.
Texas, meanwhile, has one of the most talented teams in the nation. Quarterback Quinn Ewers remains in the mix for the top of the quarterback depth chart in April, though right now he might be more concerned with holding off Arch Manning. Wide receiver Isaiah Bond is one of the most explosive receivers in the country, while tackle Kelvin Banks should be drafted in the top half of the first round. His linemate Cameron Williams should be off the board by the end of the third round. Cornerback Jahdae Brown could be of interest to the Giants in the second round if they don’t draft a cornerback in the first round.
Just a quick note before we get to the evening time slot. We have two games that deserve spotlights here, and I’m not going to choose between them. Pick whichever one you want, or channel flip. Either way, these could be great games with a lot guys who will be playing on Sundays.
(3) Oregon vs. (2) Ohio State
NBC – 7:30 p.m.
Last week we got a match-up between the top two teams in Georgia and Alabama. This week we get a showdown between the second and third ranked teams in the country.
The Ducks have a bevy of potential Day 2 players on their roster, including receivers Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson, OL Josh Conerly, CB Jabbar Muhammed, and DL Derrick Harmon. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel won’t be drafted highly due to his size (6-foot, 200 pounds) and age (24 on draft day), but he’s a very experienced and capable passer. I regarded Gabriel as a potential sleeper in last year’s draft class and compared favorably to the top quarterbacks in the 2024 draft class before returning to school and transferring from Oklahoma to Oregon. I still have him as a potential sleeper who could be a Brock Purdy-like find if he lands in the right situation.
We’ve talked about Ohio State before and I’m not going to go over all the future NFL players on their roster. But suffice it to say, the Consensus Big Board currently lists them with 11 potential top-100 picks on their roster, including four in the Top 35.
(13) Ole Miss vs. (9) LSU
ABC – 7:30 p.m.
We’ve talked about Ole Miss a fair bit already. Eli’s alma mater has assembled a great roster through recruiting and the transfer portal.
If Princely Umanmielan and Walter Nolan last into the second day, they won’t have long to wait to be drafted. Likewise, receivers Tre Harris and Antwane Wells jr. are both big play threats who should have an impact on whichever teams draft them. QB Jaxson Dart is currently second on my QB board behind Cam Ward and ahead of Jalen Milroe. Dart is having a phenomenal season, and has already thrown for 2,100 yards (350 per game 12.1 per attempt), while completing 73.4 percent of his passes. For some perspective, Jayden Daniels threw for 317.7 yards per game, 11.7 per attempt, and completed 72.2 percent of his passes last year. It’s still very early in the process, but if Dart can maintain this pace through the meat of the schedule, his physical traits and that level of production could see him drafted very early.
Moving over to the LSU side of things, we find two of the top offensive linemen in the whole draft in Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr. The LSU bookends could both find themselves drafted in the first 20 picks of the draft, and Campbell might not make it out of the top 10 — or even top five.
WR Kyren Lacy is getting his chance to show out with Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. in the NFL. He isn’t leading LSU in receiving — he trails sophomore Aaron Anderson by 19 yards — but is averaging 14.1 yards per reception and has 5 touchdowns on the season.
QB Garrett Nussmeier is in his first season as a starter after being QB 2 behind Jayden Daniels the last two seasons. He’s had a strong campaign so far and has gotten buzz as a potential first round pick after being considered a developmental prospect coming into the year.
Nussmeier is a bit on the slender side for an NFL QB at 200 pounds, but he has the frame to add some mass as he continues to mature. That said, he has legitimate NFL arm talent and is able to drive the ball to all areas of the field with accuracy and velocity. Nussmeier also has a reputation as a high IQ player and a natural leader in the LSU locker room. He’s far from an elite athlete like Jayden Daniels, and compares more closely to Joe Burrow. Teams favoring savvy pocket passers could be intrigued by Nussmeier if he declares for the 2025 draft.
