KCSNU Kickoff - Your College Football Watching Schedule for Week 8
The CFB games you have to watch this week all laid out with a nice little bow.
The last two weeks have come and gone of College Football and I’ve been slacking on this pseudo-watch list for everyone. I apologize for some scheduling conflicts and am ready to get back on the horse and dive into this week’s slate of games. The good news about this little hiatus as it’s given the craziness of the CFB season to shake out a little bit and for the better teams to rise to the top.
What to Watch on CFB’s Week 2
Local Games
#17 Kansas State vs #8 TCU
Time: 8:00PM EST | Location: Fort Worth, TX| TV Station: FS1
Prospect To Watch: Ekow Boye-Doe | KSU | CB | #25
Julius Brents gets a lot of heads talking about him at CB for Kansas State but Ekow Boye-Doe is his running mate on the other side of the field. Boye-Doe doesn’t see many targets which makes it harder for him to get a ton of recognition. Pair that with him excelling in zone coverage and it’s easy to see why he may not be a sexy name at this point in time but this week will bring the challenge to his footsteps. TCU’s Quentin Johnston has been on an absolute tear these past few weeks as the Horned Frogs have decided to target him a ton. The matchup between Johnston and both CBs should be appointment television Saturday night.
Vanderbilt vs Missouri
Time: 4:00PM EST | Location: Columbia, MO | TV Station: SEC Network
Prospect To Watch Will Sheppard | VAN | WR | #14
Vanderbilt doesn’t often get a lot of NFL talent come through the doors and when they do it’s rarely a player who’s athleticism really stands out. Will Sheppard is one of those exceptions for Vanderbilt this year. Coming in at 6’3”, 185lbs Sheppard isn’t a speedster but he runs quality routes and has great body control when working downfield. His ability to control his body both in the air and during route breaks at his size makes him a difficult cover. Ennis Rakestraw - MU CB - should have his hands full and most of Vanderbilt’s offense flows through Sheppard.
Kansas vs Baylor
Time: 12:00PM EST | Location: Waco, TX | TV Station: ESPN2
Prospect To Watch: Siaki Ika | BU | NT | #62
Kansas has one of the most impressive offenses in all of college football this year and it’s almost gotten even more dangerous with Jason Bean taking over at QB. The heavy pre-snap motion, the run game, and the play-action throwback manner of their offense has given defenses fits all year. Siaki Ika for Baylor is a dominant nose tackle who will be in a prime position to blow it all up. Constant pressure and re-setting of the line of scrimmage could be the biggest boon in terms of slowing down the Jayhawk’s offense.
Saturday Schedule
#14 Syracuse vs #5 Clemson
Time: 12:00PM EST | Location: Clemson, SC | TV Station: ABC
Prospect To Watch: Matthew Bergeron | SYR | OT | #60
Clemson’s defensive line is one of the most dominant groups in all of CFB and it’s only getting healthier as the year goes on. Myles Murphy has been stellar this year, Xavier Thomas is getting healthier, and KJ Henry is a solid rotational guy so who’s going to be tasked with stopping them for the Orange? Matthew Bergeron is who. The left tackle has improved every year while as the starter and had a great game vs Clemson last year. His lateral quickness, range, and smooth feet give him high upside in pass protection.
#9 UCLA vs #10 Oregon
Time: 3:30PM EST | Location: Eugene, ORE | TV Station: FOX
Prospect To Watch: Grayson Murphy | UCLA | EDGE | #12
The UCLA defensive line has been one of the biggest surprises of the season so far with their ability to dominate games both with physicality and their pass rush. Laiatu Latu has gotten the most press but the Murphy twins - transfers from North Texas - are equally important to that unit. Grayson Murphy may have the most clear path to NFL success with his built, power, and pass rush plan centered around a good long-arm rush plan. Oregon has a pair of NFL level players at OT in Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and TJ Bass who will look to use their size and toughness to push around the UCLA DL.
#24 Mississippi State vs #6 Alabama
Time: 7:30PM EST | Location: Tuscaloosa, AL | TV Station: ESPN
Prospect To Watch: Emmanuel Forbes | MSST | CB | 11
Emmanuel Forbes is a stellar CB for MSST that has amassed 13 Interceptions, 16 PBU’s, and 5 defensive Touchdowns in just 30 college games. He is the definition of a ballhawk or a playmaker at the position and it doesn’t matter if it’s coming out of zone or man coverage. He has enough fluidity and speed to play man to man but may be even better in zone coverage in which he’s allowed to watch the ball and make plays on every football. Alabama may not have premier WRs this season but they have a host of underclassmen who are dangerous and if MSST wants to pull off an upset, Forbes may need to come up big again.
Wildcard Watches
#7 Ole Miss vs LSU
Time: 7:30PM EST | Location: Baton Rouge, LA | TV Station: CBS
Prospect To Watch: Kayshon Boutte | LSU | WR| #1
Kayshon Boutte entered the season as a lot of people’s WR1 coming into the draft season but a slow start to the year had everyone re-thinking that decision. Finally he was able to get going in LSU’s last game and he’s looking to build on that performance down the stretch. He’s arguably the most dynamic player after the catch in all of CFB and utilizes his change of direction ability and speed to create easy separation. Ole Miss doesn’t have the CBs to present a great 1:1 matchup but their talented safety pairing of Rasheem Young and Otis Reese could play a big role in limiting the YAC opportunities.
#20 Texas vs #11 Oklahoma State
Time: 3:30PM EST | Location: Stillwater, OK | TV Station: ABC
Prospect To Watch: Ovie Oghoufo | UT | EDGE | #18
Ovie Oghoufo is a transfer EDGE player from Notre Dame who has found some success in Texas’ odd front on defense. He doesn’t get to pin his ears back and purely rush a ton but there is enough flash there to be intrigued by the 6’3” 245lb rusher. His frame looks like it can handle more weight and maintain some athleticism and he has the length a lot of NFL team’s covet out of the position. Oklahoma State has a quality OL and is led by OT Caleb Etienne who will be tasked with slowing down Oghoufo.