The college football Week 12 slate is upon us, and the team of draft evaluators and CFB analysts at Pro Football Network are here with instant takeaways from the weekend slate.
Find our immediate reactions to all the action from start to finish in college football’s Week 12 Saturday games.
Taking into account all of the weekend’s slate of action, our CFB/Draft department will all be on hand for their instant reactions as they come in.
For clarity’s sake, each takeaway, reaction, and result will be culminated by the initials of the analyst responsible: TP for Tony Pauline, IC for Ian Cummings, and CM for Cam Mellor.
Ika vs Avila= the definition of big against big
12:30PM- There’s a lot on the line today for undefeated TCU, who is presently down to Baylor by a score of 7-0. The best match-up in this game has 355-pound Baylor defensive tackle Siaki Ika going up against 334-pounds TCU offensive guard Steve Avila. While TCU did not score on the opening drive the early advantage in this contest goes to Avila. Both grade as day two prospects. TP
Olusegun Oluwatimi: Super-sleeper at the center spot
12:20PM- I continue to be impressed with Wolverine center Olusegun Oluwatimi, the transfer from Virginia. He’s a tough, slug it out blocker on the pivot who gets the most from his ability. Oluwatimi was ignored by scouts entering the season and I doubt he gets selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Yet he’s one of those prospects who signs as a UDFA then turns heads in camp and makes an NFL roster as a back=up interior offensive lineman. TP
OU using NIL to bring back star players?
While there are few games of national importance this weekend, several noon kick-offs offer solid next-level matchups.
After a terrific start to the season, the Illinois Fighting Illini find themselves amid a two-game losing streak and they play Michigan today. Their defense has almost a half dozen next-level prospects we’ll be watching.
The PAC 12 gives us an early start to rivalry weekend as USC takes on UCLA and Stanford meets Cal in the Big Game. People out west tell me the feeling is USC receiver Jordan Addison and Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell are likely headed into the 2023 NFL Draft. I must stress there has been no final decision, and I expect both programs to use the power of the NIL to lure these players back
Another big rivalry game occurs today as Oklahoma State and Oklahoma face off this evening. The Sooners must win to have a chance of finishing above .500, and several of their underclassmen have decisions to make, including left tackle Anton Harrison. The junior is the highest-rated Sooner on my big board and presently holds a second-round grade. So will Harrison enter the draft?
Not if Oklahoma has its way, as I’m told the program has offered Harrison a huge NIL package to bypass the draft and return to Norman for another season.
Week 11 riser Tyjae Spears of Tulane turned in another massive performance on Thursday night. Against SMU, the redshirt sophomore running back totaled 121 rushing yards on 13 carries with 2 touchdowns. He is developing into an outstanding third-down back/rotational ball carrier for the next level. TP
