With the College Football Playoff finally here, we take a look at the devy prospects to watch on Saturday, December 28th. While the College Football Playoff semifinals will rightfully take center-stage, there’s also a couple of intriguing noon matchups worth keeping an eye on for devy prospect scouting.
The four-game slate begins with simultaneous noon eastern kickoffs in both Orlando and Arlington. Notre Dame takes on Iowa State in the 2019 Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Florida while Memphis and Penn State battle it out in the 2019 Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas.
While these contests are fine appetizers, we’re all here for College Football Playoff semifinal contests in Atlanta, Georgia and Glendale, Arizona. LSU plays Oklahoma in the first semifinal in front of a sold-out Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while Clemson and Ohio State meet-up once again in the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium.
Without further ado, here are the best devy matchups to watch on Saturday, December 28th. Be sure to check back throughout the bowl season for our look ahead to every college football bowl game. You can also find my updated 2020 dynasty rookie rankings for a look ahead at which prospects to scout for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Camping World Bowl: Notre Dame vs. Iowa State
Date: Saturday, December 28
Time: 12:00 PM ET
TV: ABC
Location: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
The 2019 Camping World Bowl pits Ian Book and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish up against budding-star Brock Purdy and the Iowa State Cyclones. The Fighting Irish enter bowl season ranked #15 in the nation with a 10-2 regular-season record, while head coach Matt Campbell led Iowa State to a 7-5 finish.
Book, once seen as a promising prospect, is a low-volume passer whose stock has probably taken a dip this season despite improved passing numbers. Book’s stats this season (2,787 yards, 33 TD, 6 INT) are drastically improved from a season ago (2,628 yards, 19 TD, 7 INT), but the quarterback’s TD improvement was ultimately lost in the wild and crazy CFB landscape.
Notre Dame’s top devy prospect, wide receiver Chase Claypool, is slated to appear in the 2020 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama after a solid senior season in South Bend. Junior tight end Cole Kmet is a possible early-entrant into the 2020 NFL Draft after receiving a second-round grade from the NFL Draft advisory committee. With the 2020 NFL Draft lacking a premier tight end talent, Kmet has the opportunity to be an early-round pick a year earlier than expected.
Purdy finished his sophomore campaign with 3,760 passing yards and a 27-9 TD/INT ratio while also rushing for 265 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. The Cyclones top rusher (Breece Hall) and top receiver (Deshuante Jones) are both middling devy prospects.
Cotton Bowl: Memphis vs. Penn State
Date: Saturday, December 28
Time: 12:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
#17 Memphis enters the 2019 Cotton Bowl with a 12-1 regular-season record, while Big Ten opponent #10 Penn State finished with a 10-2 overall record. Penn State began November as the #4 overall team in the nation before losing to Minnesota and Ohio State in a three-week span. Memphis’ only loss of the season was a two-point defeat to AAC-rival Temple back on October 12th.
The Tigers have a balanced offensive attack with the unique ability to win in multiple ways. Quarterback Brady White has displayed tremendous chemistry with wide receivers Damonte Coxie and Antonio Gibson for the second-consecutive season. All three players were named “All-Conference Second Team” by the American Athletic Conference, while Gibson was also chosen as one of two “American’s Special Teams Players of the Year” after a sensational season as a return specialist.
Memphis running back Kenneth Gainwell, the surprise of the season for the Tigers, amassed 1,873 all-purpose yards and 1,381 on the ground. Gainwell’s breakout season was good enough for him to named “The American Rookie of the Year” heading into the 2019 Cotton Bowl.
Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler and tight end Pat Freiermuth are two of the best devy prospects that don’t generally get enough attention on the national landscape. Freiermuth has already announced his intentions to return for his junior season in 2020, but Hamler is set to enter the 2020 NFL Draft according to Pro Football Network Insider Tony Pauline.
In a stacked 2020 NFL Draft for wideouts, Hamler seems to get lost in the shuffle. Make no mistake about it, Hamler will make an impact in the National Football League. Even if it takes Hamler some time to work out the kinks at wide receiver in the NFL, he’s likely to be a dynamic return-specialist from the very start.
Penn State’s backfield began the season as a time-share between multiple running backs, but running back Journey Brown evolved into the Nittany Lions’ workhorse down the stretch of the 2019 regular season. After not receiving more than ten carries in his first seven games, Brown averaged nearly 15 carries per game in Penn State’s final five contests. Over that five-game timespan, Brown had three separate 100-yard games and seven rushing touchdowns.
Peach Bowl (CFP Semifinal): Oklahoma vs. LSU
Date: Saturday, December 28
Time: 4:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
After the appetizer portion of December 28th’s college football bowl slate, it’s time for the main course. The first College Football Playoff semifinal of the day pits 2019 Heisman trophy winner Joe Burrow and #1 LSU against Lincoln Riley’s vaunted Oklahoma offense led by Jalen Hurts and top devy prospect CeeDee Lamb.
Burrow, the perceived #1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, seems destined for the Cincinnati Bengals. While going to Cincinnati would traditionally be a cause for concern, there are considerable skill-position players already established on the Bengals roster to make life easier for any incoming quarterback. If Burrow goes #1, he’ll already have a tremendous running back (Joe Mixon) and a reliable slot-receiver (Tyler Boyd) available to make life easier.
LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson form one of the best wide receiver duos in college football while running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the unsung hero of the Tigers’ revamped offense. Jefferson is seen by most as a second-round prospect in early 2020 dynasty rookie drafts, while Chase has to be considered one of the best WR prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Edwards-Helaire is questionable for the CFP semifinal after suffering a significant hamstring injury during LSU’s bowl preparation. Edwards-Helaire’s absence would be tremendous for the Tigers as the running back has become a pivotal component of LSU’s offensive success. Not only is Edwards-Helaire the Tigers leading rusher, but the junior running back has also added nearly 400 yards through the air this season.
The Oklahoma Sooners are led by Alabama transfer quarterback Jalen Hurts and all-world wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. There are concerns about Hurts’ ability to translate to the next level, but there’s no doubt about his success as a college football player. Hurts is just as likely to beat you on the ground as the air, so defenses have to be alert to him taking off at any given time.
Since Trey Sermon’s mid-season injury, the Oklahoma rushing attack has relied on running back Kennedy Brooks. With backup Rhamondre Stevenson suspended for the 2019 Peach Bowl, Brooks will again be given workhorse duties in the Sooners backfield.
Oklahoma wide receiver Lamb is one of the most talented wide receiver prospects in college football making his upcoming battle with LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton one of the best individual matchups to watch on Saturday’s slate. Fulton has already accepted an invitation to the 2020 Senior Bowl, while Lamb is seen as a first-round lock with the opportunity to go in the first half of round one.
Fiesta Bowl (CFP Semifinal): Clemson vs. Ohio State
Date: Saturday, December 28
Time: 8:00 PM ET
TV: ESPN
Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
The College Football Playoff semifinal between Clemson and Ohio State features a rare collection of elite devy fantasy football prospects on the field at the same time. The Tigers and Buckeyes both have elite quarterbacks and running backs, while Clemson holds the edge at the wide receiver position.
Trevor Lawrence, the likely #1 overall pick in the 2021 Draft, leads #3 Clemson into the 2019 Fiesta Bowl showdown against #2 Ohio State. After a shaky start to the year, Lawrence finished his sophomore season with 3,172 passing yards and a 34-8 TD/INT ratio.
Lawrence tossed eight mostly-forced picks in the early part of the season, but the quarterback has now gone six consecutive contests without an interception. Lawrence enters the 2019 Fiesta Bowl scorching-hot with 20 touchdown passes and a 76% completion percentage in the five contests since his last interception.
Lawrence’s top targets are wide receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross while running back Travis Etienne is one of the best running backs in the nation. With elite Ohio State cornerbacks Jeff Odudah, Shaun Wade, and Damon Arnette across from them, both Higgins and Ross have the opportunity to cement themselves as top wide receivers prospects in the next two NFL Drafts. Ohio State has only allowed seven passing touchdowns all season long, so a good showing in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl could seal Higgins’ status as WR3 behind Lamb and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy.
Etienne is my favorite running back to watch in college football and my current #1 overall player in my updated dynasty rookie rankings. Some people question Etienne’s start-stop ability, but the junior running back has elite athletic traits and a football sense that cannot be taught. Etienne has elite top-end speed while also displaying the consistent ability to break tackles on inside-zone runs.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields and running back J.K. Dobbins form one of the most formidable run-duos in all of college football. Fields has improved his downfield passing quite a bit this season while maintaining his ability as a runner in the open field.
Dobbins, one of the best running backs in college football, had over 2,000+ yards of total offense and 22 total touchdowns en route to a #6 overall finish in 2019 Heisman Trophy voting. Ohio State teammates Fields and Chase Young also finished #3 and #4 in Heisman Trophy voting, respectively.
Ohio State has a deep wide receiver core led by sophomore Chris Olave and seniors K.J. Hill and Binjimen Victor. While Ohio State has plenty of capable wideouts, the Buckeyes’ lack of a true #1 could come back to haunt them in Saturday night’s matchup with Clemson’s explosive defense. Clemson’s cornerbacks A.J. Terrell and Derion Kendrick are certainly capable of keeping Olave and company in check, so the matchup outside could help determine who plays for the CFP National Championship.
Jordan Woodson is a writer for the Pro Football Network covering Devy and Dynasty Fantasy Football. You can follow him @Jordan_Woodson on Twitter.