#17 Florida vs. Iowa 1 PM ABC
"Outback Bowl aka there's more sizzle in the steaks than both offenses"
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
- Both teams would love to be playing in Tampa next week but alas, it was not meant to be. Florida gets another home game though. The Gators are coming off two horrid efforts against both Florida State and Alabama. Their offense was so bad against the Seminoles to the point that they did not convert a single third down. The SEC title game, well let's just say that Bama's third string would have a better time stopping the Tide. The Hawkeyes finished the year with three straight wins, including a memorable upset over Michigan that threw the Big Ten into chaos. Which offense will show up first? /cue up Frank Beamer celebrating 0-0 tie picture.
Florida prospects to watch
1. Quincy Wilson 6'1 213 CB Junior
- Wilson is 2016's Tabor to Jalen Tabor's Vernon Hargreaves. An elite cover corner and a willing tackler. Teams will love his 6'1 frame due to the Legion of Boom in Seattle. While not as fast as Tabor, he's plenty fast for the position. Instincts are off the charts good. Receivers tend to get lost on Wilson's Way. Routinely demands that he gets to cover the opponent's top receiver. Really has impressed a lot this year after being unheralded previous years. Put on a good showing in the SEC title game despite his team being heavily outnumbered. Could be the top corner taken in a loaded class should he declare early.
2. Jalen "Teez" Tabor 6'0 200 CB Junior
- Tabor has been consistently among the best corners all year but Wilson has outshined him in 2016. Athleticism is very good. Versatility is a big plus as he's been used outside and inside. Football IQ is a plus. Ball skills are good (pass deflections, interceptions, etc). Hips are another plus with him. Can turn and run with the best. I think he's better than Vernon Hargreaves as a prospect and that guy was a top 15 pick last year. Suffers a bit from prospect fatigue.
3. Jarrad Davis 6'1 238 ILB Senior
- The man in the middle of a talented Gators defense. A speed merchant with great football IQ. He's a home run hitter that needs space to unleash his great athleticism, which Florida's talented DL gave him more often than not. Tends to get lost in the wash rather easily. He was given the "green dot" guy title on defense during the 2015 season and handled calling plays and aligning teammates very well. Had a standout 2016 season for a much beleaguered Gators defense (thanks to a rather hopeless offense). Zach Brown 2.0 basically.
4. Caleb Brantley 6'2 295 DT RS Junior
- Brantley has emerged in 2016 as a dominant tackle after sitting behind some major talent for a couple of years. Athleticism isn't the greatest but his instincts offset some of those concerns. Football IQ is very good. Lateral agility and footwork is above average. Has a pretty good arsenal of pass rush moves. Uncanny ability to time the snap perfectly.
Iowa prospect to watch
1. Desmond King 5'10 203 CB Senior
- King is the best cornerback prospect in the country. The leader of the Hawkeyes defense that has been solid all year. Not the most explosive athlete out there but is very fundamentally sound in all aspects of the game. A willing tackler as well. Runs the route for the receiver at times. Returned for his senior season even after being projected as a first round pick last year as a junior. He had an inconsistent start to 2016 but returned to form late. Size may be a question for him to answer at the next level.
#15 Western Michigan vs. #8 Wisconsin 1 PM ESPN
"Goodyear Cotton Bowl aka Where's your bowl game sponsorship, Firestone?"
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
- Row the Boat against Stompin in Madtown in what traditionally has been a fun game to watch. Somehow, the undefeated Broncos retained their coach PJ Fleck against all odds despite heavy interest from other programs. Wisconsin has made 15 straight bowl appearances. The Badgers are coming off a solid performance in the B1G title game, losing a close 38-31 battle with Penn State. WMU is coming off a last minute victory over Ohio in the MAC title game when they finally bothered to wake up in the fourth quarter. Will the Broncos finish off a perfect season and Want Bama?
Western Michigan prospect to watch
1. Corey Davis 6'3 213 WR Senior
- Davis is one of the best route runners in this class. He has an arsenal of tricks and feints like a veteran NFL receiver should to get open. Football IQ is outstanding. Knows where the first down sticks are and always seems to get to them. Fires off the ball very well and has deceptive speed and agility. However, he has occasional lapses of concentration and drops the ball. Frame is good. Frequently content to use the Zach Randolph method of getting balls instead of going up to get it. Has experience across all the receiver positions.
Wisconsin prospect to watch
1. Corey Clement 5'10 227 RB Senior
- Clement was the heir to Melvin Gordon's throne as the next great Badgers RB in 2015. It wasn't a banner year for him as he dealt with injuries that cost most of the year and ended with a fight in November. 2016 looks to be much brighter for him as he's healthy and let go of the selfish ego issues. A typical Wisconsin style big back with a decent amount of athleticism. After a slow start to 2016, he has really come on as of late. Clement has accepted his Senior Bowl invitation.
#9 USC vs. #9 Penn State 5:00 PM ESPN
"Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual"
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA
- The Granddaddy of Them All features two former powers trying to get back to their lofty perches atop the mountain. USC and Penn State are two of the hottest teams in the country. USC QB Sam Darnold has been a revelation for the Trojans despite looking like the twin of the animated character, Incrediboy. PSU has QB Trace McSorley who has a ton of confidence and isn't afraid to show it. PSU HC James Franklin has done a solid job rescuing the Nitanny Lions from the depths of self inflicted NCAA sanctioned purgatory. Expect USC to "outathlete" Penn State and win.
USC prospects to watch
1. Adoree' Jackson 5'11 185 ATH Junior
- Jackson is the west coast version of Jabrill Peppers. He also runs track for the Trojans in the spring. Jackson is a speed merchant with a decent amount of cornerback skills to make it in the pros if the receiver thing doesn't work out. Special teams ace with several return touchdowns. He's lived up to his lofty billing as a top recruit and then some. He blew up during the win at Washington, snagging 2 crucial picks and was generally the speed freak on offense and special teams as well. Kept up stride for stride against John Ross 3 for the most part. Needs to refine his technique. Undecided on his pro future as of this writing.
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster 6'2 220 WR Junior
- JuJu burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2014, taking much of the hype away from current Eagles WR Nelson Agholor and Jaguars WR Marqise Lee. Now he's a wise old veteran junior, ready to go pro like the Trojan receivers before him. Possesses a great big body receiver frame. Athleticism is of someone much smaller. A deep threat with a solid route running rep. 2016 was up and down for him as USC was breaking in a redshirt freshman QB. Picked up little nicks and bumps here and there as well. Undecided on pro future as of this writing.
3. Zach Banner 6'9 360 OT RS Senior
- Banner is a mammoth 6'9 360 and is a true road grader type of tackle. He is a little raw in terms of technique and fundamentals due to a lack of playing time but has a lot of potential. Could rise up the boards this year. Has been playing both left and right this year.
4. Chad Wheeler 6'7 290 OT RS Senior
- Wheeler is a massive mountain at 6'7 290. Athleticism is very good for a tackle and he should test well at the offseason events. Lateral agility is a big question due to footwork and hips. Possesses long arms that most tackles need to make it in the pros. Exceptional strength in hand usage. Instincts are good. Injury history is horrific as he's suffered a torn ACL, several concussions, and a shoulder problem. Off the field, he has some questions to answer as he was involved in a incident with the police during last year's Holiday Bowl prep. A psychological assessment was ordered due to this issue.
Penn State prospects to watch
1. Saquon Barkley 5'11 225 RB Sophomore
- Barkley is one of the more underrated talents at the position but expect to hear his name a lot more next year. He's a bigger back but has the athleticism of a guy much smaller. Good instincts as well. Knows where the hole is and hits it hard. A breakout sophomore campaign so far. On pace for 500 touches in two years (which isn't brutally heavy but a concern nonetheless).
#14 Auburn vs. #7 Oklahoma 8:30 PM ESPN
"Allstate Sugar Bowl"
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, LA
- Arguably the most fun bowl game of the year. Two high octane offenses meet in the French Quarter to determine who can eat the most gumbo, jambalaya, and crawdads. Oh, you mean there's a football game too? The Sooners won Bedlam and crowned themselves Big 12 champion. Auburn finished a respectable second in the SEC West. The Tigers have a new weapon in the form of 6'0 240 behemoth RB Kamryn Pettway. Oklahoma has both Baker Mayfield and DeDe Westbrook as Heisman finalists. Which defense will get enough stops to make the trip to New Orleans a sweet one? OU 38-30 over Auburn here.
Auburn prospects to watch
1. Montravius Adams 6'4 306 DL Senior
- Adams popped off the screen when I watched current Titan Angelo Blackson during my research. It left me really intrigued coming into 2016. Adams had an outstanding 2016 on top of a good 2015. A five star recruit that has played major reps from day one. Athleticism is very good for a guy his size. Footwork is a plus. Work ethic and character are not a concern. Does the dirty work inside willingly. Position versatile. Improved football IQ. Consistently a bright star amongst a putrid Auburn D (but it has improved somewhat) as a whole.
2. Carl Lawson 6'2 260 DE RS Junior
- Dee Ford who? Lawson, when healthy, is one of the best defensive end prospects in all of football. The biggest red flag is his injury history. It's not pretty as he missed one full year due to knee issues and parts of others with various bumps and bruises. Athletic specimen. Speed rushing expert. Underrated strength. Football IQ is above average. Elite talent but that injury history will knock him down several pegs aka the Jackson Jeffcoat syndrome. Declared for the draft.
Oklahoma prospects to watch
1. Joe Mixon 6'1 227 RB Junior
- Mixon is a talented back with good vision and instincts. His athleticism is very good. However, the off field history is entirely another story. He was suspended for the entire 2015 season for punching a woman in the face and was recorded on video doing so. Obviously with the heightened awareness of varying crimes against females shown by the NFL, this isn't a good look for him. He's only recently apologized for the incident in what seems like a PR stunt to save his stock but has shown little remorse for it. Based on character, he is in UDFA territory and would be a surprise if teams take a chance on him even in free agency. The video of the incident has come out and it's a virtual lock that he is an UDFA.
2. Jordan Evans 6'2 235 ILB Senior
- He has been the steadying veteran force for a youthful Sooners defense trying to find itself. He's a classic defensive general type of mike linebacker that marshals his teammates. Athleticism is somewhat limited but his instincts make up for it. Every time I watch Oklahoma, he's always around the ball making plays.
3. DeDe Westbrook 5'11 175 WR Senior
- Westbrook has blown up during his senior season under the second year stewardship of OC Lincoln Riley. While he likely can't match John Ross in terms of overall athleticism (not a lot of folks can) but he is plenty athletic himself. Speed and agility is a major plus to his game. Route running technician. Knows how and when to use his elite speed to set up the DB for route depth. Heisman Trophy finalist. He is this low on my board due to recent news of a domestic violence situation that occurred in 2012 and 2013.