Weekend preview

There’s just two games on the schedule this weekend for me due to the MLB playoffs and NHL return bumping CFB from the network. I’ve got Alabama at South Carolina and LSU at Florida. There are more intriguing games out there from a NFL Draft prospective. The Florida State vs Miami game puts Allen Bailey and Rodney Hudson in one-on-one combat which should be fun to watch. It’s also a chance for Christian Ponder (QB, FSU) to repair his stock on the road after a rough showing at Oklahoma. If you get a chance to watch this game unlike me – keep an eye on Brandon Harris (CB, Miami) who’s really climbing up the boards at the moment.

It’ll be interesting to see how Andrew Luck and Stanford bounce back after defeat against Oregon last week. They face USC at home, which could be a tricky one to negotiate despite Washington’s victory over the Trojans last week. Jake Locker and the Huskies entertain Arizona State needing a win to maintain their momentum. Pittsburgh at Notre Dame might not be the most entertaining to watch, but it’ll feature two big names wide outs – Michael Floyd (ND) and Jonathan Baldwin (Pitt). Other notable draft prospects include UCLA’s OLB Akeem Ayers at California, DE Da’Quan Bowers of Clemson at UNC and Ryan Mallett hoping to out-gun Jerrod Johnson and Texas A&M.

Going back to the two featured games I can watch, here’s two prospects I’ll be looking out for:

Julio Jones (WR, Alabama) vs South Carolina
We’ve seen the best and worst from Jones so far this year. His stunning one-handed catch in week one flashed his brilliance, but he’s also showed his lack of concentration and execution too. Some pundits have him in the top ten of their mocks, whilst others (like Scouts Inc.) give him a second round grade. Clearly he looks like a #1 pro wide out, but teams will need to see greater consistency and effort. Jones was shut out by Janoris Jenkins last week, but Alabama didn’t need much offense to beat a hopeless Florida. This will be a tougher game on the road and the Crimson Tide will need their top receiver to have an impact.

Janoris Jenkins (CB, Florida) vs LSU
The Tigers’ offense has been poor again this year, but they’ve still won games. That’ll be tested against a Gators team that should be motivated to make up for last week’s beat-down in Alabama. If the Gators get in front early, it’ll force LSU to throw and that could be good news for Janoris Jenkins. He’s so far displayed good coverage skills and an ability to shut down one of CFB’s top receivers. There’s definitely opportunities in this game to get a pick or two and Jenkins has that ability to turn it into six points the other way. He might come up against Terrance Tolliver (WR, LSU) who’s been disappointing so far in 2010 – but remains a prospect with some potential who can be a threat.