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With the regular season drawing down, the stakes elevate across all of college football. With the pressure on players to perform, the good are separated from the great. Here’s who I’m watching this week.
- KJ Hamler, Wide Receiver, Penn State v. Ohio State (12 PM on Fox): Ohio State is not only one of the best teams in the country, they have a handful of NFL prospects in their secondary. Penn State’s success will hinge on their speedster receiver.
- Yegur Gross-Matos, Edge, Penn State v. Ohio State (12 PM on Fox): On the other side of the ball, Penn State will need to slow Ohio State’s breakneck offense. Yegur Gross-Matos is an all around defender who will need to play the best game of his life against the Buckeyes to give Penn State a shot.
- Paddy Fisher, Linebacker, Northwestern v, Minnesota (12 PM on ABC): Northwestern is not exactly a marquee team, but Paddy Fisher is a very good linebacker who will he depended on to slow Minnesota’s talented offense.
- Julian Okwara, Edge, Notre Dame v. Boston College (2:30 PM on NBC): Boston College has one of the most physical run games in the country. Julian Okwara is primarily a pass rusher, but could put some great run defense on tape against the Eagles.
- Justin Madubuike, Defensive Tackle, Texas A&M v. Georgia (3:30 PM on CBS): An underrated defensive linemen in the SEC, but he will have a great chance to make a name for himself against Georgia.
- Grayland Arnold, Cornerback, Baylor v. Texas (3:30 PM on FS1): In what should be a high scoring affair, big defensive plays matter. Grayland Arnold leads Baylor in interceptions and bringing that playmaking to this game will give the Bears a chance to rebound from last week’s loss.
- Jaylen Twyman, Defensive Tackle, Pitt v. VaTech (3:30 PM on ESPN2): In the battle of 7-3 teams, Pitt fields an underrated defensive group. Jaylen Twyman is a very good player and could be a bulwark against the Hokie running game.
- Brandon Aiyuk, Wide Receiver, ASU v. Oregon (7:30 PM on ABC): One of the best deep threats in the country versus one of the best secondaries? That is going to be great television. The Sun Devil home run hitter will be gunning for big catches to keep ASU alive.
- CeeDee Lamb, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma v. TCU (8 PM on Fox): TCU is a rather middle of the road team this year, but it will still be fun to see what the Hurts/Lamb connection does in conference play.
- Isaiah Hodges, Wide Receiver, Oregon State v. Washington State (9 PM on Pac 12 Network): This has all the makings of a game that ends after 1 AM on the east coast with a combined score over 100. The Beavers and the Cougars are going to be slinging it and Isaiah Hodgins is sure to add to his already eye popping stats for this year.