2011-2012 College Bowl Season - Who to watch for draft day needs

Following back to back OT games in Fiesta and Sugar....onward and upward.....lets find the talent.

 

January 4th

Orange Bowl; Miami; 8 PM ET; ESPNU Clemson (10-3) vs. West Virginia (9-3)

The countdown to the only bowl that really matters next week continues with Clemson meeting West Virginia in the Orange Bowl that likely absolutely outside South Carolina or West Virginia could NOT care less about. At least pro scouts AND FANS OF THE DRAFT will be watching as Clemson, in particular, has several very good prospects for the upcoming draft. In particular, Clemson has a number of top 100 prospects including DT Brandon Thompson (#98, 6-2, 310), a potential mid-first rounder, along with DE Andre Branch (#40, 6-5, 260) and juniors Andre Ellington (#23, 5-9, 190), a scatback with sub-4.4 speed, TE Dwayne Allen (#83, 6-4, 255), and FS Rashard Hall (#31, 6-1, 200). Clemson also has several later round or free agent prospects pro scouts will be tracking including OG Antoine McClain (#74, 6-4, 330), OTs Landon Walker (#72, 6-5, 310) and Phillip Price (#79, 6-5, 300), FB Chad Diehl (#30, 6-1, 265), DT Rennie Moore (#94, 6-3, 270), DE Kourtnei Brown (#90, 6-4, 250), and P Dawson Zimmerman (#96, 6-2, 205). The guy at Clemson that everyone is talking about, though, is true freshman WR Sammy Watkins (#2, 6-0, 200) who is averaging over 100 receiving yards per game and has scored 6 times in his first four career games, while sophomore QB Tahj Boyd (#10, 6-1, 225) is the key to the Tigers’ offense.

In contrast West Virginia isn’t likely to have anyone selected in this year’s opening round, but does have a couple of second-day prospects in DE Bruce Irvin (#11, 6-3, 235), a freakish athlete who led the country with 14 sacks in 2010, but slipped to 7.5 this year, CB Keith Tandy (#8, 5-10, 200), who picked off 9 passes over the past couple of seasons, while DE Julian Miller (#97, 6-3, 260) and LT Don Barclay (#64, 6-4, 305) are also mid-to-late round prospects and SLB Najee Goode (#52, 6-0, 240) should at least generate some free agent interest. At the same time, West Virginia has a very good run pass-run combination with junior QB Geno Smith (#12, 6-2, 215) throwing to WRs WR Tavon Austin (#1, 5-9, 180), a junior who caught 89 passes this fall and doubles as one of the more dangerous kick returners in the country, and sophomore Stedman Bailey (#3, 5-9, 190), a big-play threat who averaged just under 18 yards per catch this season. In fact, the athletic Smith, who completed 65% of his pass attempts for almost 4,000 yards and 25 scores against only 7 picks, could be a bit of a sleeper if he pulls a surprise and enters this year’s draft.

 

January 6th

Cotton Bowl; Dallas; 8:00 PM ET; Fox Arkansas (10-2) vs. Kansas State (10-2)

The Cotton Bowl, which of course used to be one of the main New Year’s Day games before falling on hard times, appears to be on the way back with what is easily the best non-BCS bowl match-up this year. Indeed, its not hard to make the case that this year’s Cotton Bowl between #6 Arkansas and #8 Kansas State is a more BCS worthy match-up that an least a couple of this year’s actual BCS games. Certainly, Arkansas, which lost only road games at #1 ranked LSU and #2 Alabama deserves to be in a BCS bowl. What makes the Hogs’ record even more impressive this year is that they did after graduating star QB Ryan Mallett to the pros this past April and then losing emerging RB Knile Davis (#7, 5-11, 230) to what turned out to be a season ending foot injury in August. However, despite losing Mallett who was a 3rd round pick by New England at the 2011 draft, the Arkansas passing attack hasn’t skipped a beat with emerging junior QB Travis Wilson (#8, 6-3, 215) throwing to one of college football‘s best receiver corps led by speedy WRs Jairus Wright (#4, 5-9, 180) and Joe Adams (#3, 5-11, 190). For the record, Wright caught 63 passes for over 1,000 yards and 11 TDs, while Adams had 49 receptions and also returned 3 punts for scores. The Hogs‘ receivers also include WR Greg Childs (#85, 6-3, 220), who had been considered to be an ever better prospect but has been slow to come back from torn patella tendon suffered at the end of the 2010 season, although he remains a big target with decent speed who will likely be the subject of some intense scrutiny from pro teams during pre-draft testing. On the other side of the ball, underrated MLB Jerry Franklin (#34, 6-0, 245) and FS Tramain Thomas (#5, 6-0, 200) are solid mid-round prospects, while DE Jake Bequette (#91, 6-4, 275), who had 8 sacks this fall, is a high energy 3-4 DE prospect.

Kansas State isn’t likely to have anyone drafted all that early this coming April, but it is also a very entertaining team to watch and a nightmare to try and defend. The star of the show is junior QB Collin Klein (#7, 6-5, 230), a dual-threat who could figure in the Heisman race next year after he ran for over 1,100 yards and 26 TDs this fall. In fact, most of the Wildcats best players are underclassmen including junior LB Arthur Brown (#46, 6-1, 225), who led the team in tackles after transferred from Miami, junior CB Nigel Malone (#24, 5-9, 180), a junior college transfer who had 7 picks this fall, and freshman WR/KR Tyler Lockett (#16, 5-10, 170). At the same time, K-State has several veteran players who figure to get some late-round or free agent interest this year including SS Tysyn Hartman (#2, 6-2, 210), CB David Garnett (#27, 5-8, 175), DTs Ray Kibble (#95, 6-3, 305) and Raphael Guidry (#94, 6-3, 290), OTs Zach Hanson (#70, 6-7, 320) and Clyde Aufner (#75, 6-5, 305), and OG Colten Freeze (#77, 6-4, 305).

 

Joe Adams is fun to watch...wow

 

January 9th

BCS Bowl; New Orleans; 8:30 PM ET; ESPN Alabama (11-1) vs. Louisiana State (13-0)

LSU, the only remaining unbeaten team in the country, comes into the national title game as the clear top-ranked team in the country. Indeed, there are a few whispers about how even if the Tigers were to lose to Alabama later tonight, they still might get votes to be the national champion. LSU starts with a defense that may be the fastest in the country. Junior CB Morris Claiborne (#17, 6-0, 180), who took over from Patrick Peterson, the 5th player selected at the 2011 draft, as LSU‘s shut-down corner, is the Team‘s top prospect for the 2012 draft. As good as he is, though, Claiborne still may not even be the team‘s best cover corner as true sophomore CB Tyrann Mathieu (#7, 5-9, 180) could be the Tigers‘s best player period. The LSU defense also features several decent later-round or free-agent type prospects including SS Brandon Taylor (#18, 6-0, 195), who leads the team in tackles, along with OLBs Ryan Baker (#22, 6-0, 230) and Stefoin Francois (#23, 6-0, 215). The Tigers get their pass rush, though, primarily from sophomore DEs Sam Montgomery (#99, 6-4, 265) and Barkevious Mingo (#49, 6-4, 240). The Tigers‘ offensive isn‘t as talented, but has a couple of solid senior second-tier QBs in Jordan Jefferson (#9, 6-4, 225) and Jarrett Lee (#12, 6-2, 210). LSU also has a pair of dangerous WRs in juniors Rueben Randle (#2, 6-3, 210) and Russell Shephard (#10, 6-0, 190), while TE Deangelo Peterson (#19, 6-4, 245) is a dependable underneath target.

After losing to LSU earlier this year, Alabama comes to the BCS title game as the underdog, but actually has the better draft prospects, at least for 2011/12, than the Tigers, although the Tide‘s best players are primarily underclassmen. Junior RB Trent Richardson (#3, 5-11, 225), for example, is considered by most scouts to be a better prospect than Mark Ingram, the 28th player selected this past April, and has top 10-15 potential, while as many as four other juniors - CB Dre Kirkpatrick (#21, 6-2, 195), OLB Donta Hightower (#30, 6-3, 260), and FS Robert Lester (#37, 6-1, 210) - are not all that far behind. Meanwhile, OLB Courtney Upshaw (#41, 6-2, 265), Alabama’s top senior prospect, is moving up draft board sound the league, and like Richardson could ultimately end up being taken in the top half of this year’s opening round, while SS Mark Barron (#4, 6-1, 220) and DT Josh Chapman (#99, 6-1, 310) could also conceivably get some late-first-round consideration of their own. At the same time, WRs Marquis Maze (#4, 5-9, 180) and Darius Hanks (#15, 5-11, 185), along with C William Vlachos (#73, 6-1, 295) have later-round potential.

 

Yes, I am rooting for Alabama (even though SATAN is there) because the BOWL SYSTEM has to change and playoffs are required....sorry LSU, if ALABAMA would have beaten you the first go round, I would have rooted for you!

Playoff system, Playoff system, Playoff system.....