Scout's Eye - College Football Week Two Preview
Game of the Week |
Saturday, September 12, 2026 - Austin, Texas. 7:30 ET / 4:30 PT |
Ohio State Watch List: |
QB Julian Sayin (SNS No. 3 ranked QB; No. 13 Big Board 100) |
WR Jeremiah Smith (SNS No. 1 ranked WR; No. 1 Big Board 100) |
WR Devin McCuin |
EDGE Kenyatta Jackson (SNS No. 5 ranked EDGE; No. 50 Big Board 100) |
CB Jermaine Mathews (SNS No. 6 ranked CB; No. 56 Big Board 100) |
The biggest inter-conference game of the 2026 college football season kicks off Saturday night in the comedy center of the universe, but the tilt between the Buckeyes and Longhorns is no laughing matter. It's a possible sneak preview of the national championship game and a preview of a possible generational choice at the top of the 2027 NFL Draft between Jeremiah Smith and Arch Manning. The Buckeyes are led by another potential candidate to go first overall next spring or in 2028 in Sayin (6'1" / 214 lbs), a Heisman Trophy Finalist last fall. Sayin completed 77% of his passes for 3,610 yds and 32 TDs against only 8 INTs last season and then opened the 2026 campaign by tearing apart the Ball State defense, going for 320 yds on 21/25 passing (84%) for 3 TD and 0 INT in the Buckeyes' 56-3 victory the Cardinals. But the competition level has ticked up significantly this week against the loaded Longhorns defense. Smith (6'3" / 222 lbs) was unstoppable last Saturday, going for 8 rec / 151 yds / 18.9 avg / 2 TD, and showcasing is rare combination of size, length, hands, explosiveness, and game breaking ability to re-define the WR position in the NFL. If Texas' defense has a weakness, it is probably the secondary that lacks significant experience, and WRs Smith, Brandon Inniss, and McCuin look to exploit that advantage. McCuin (6'0" / 185) may be the player to watch for the Buckeyes Saturday night. McCuin, a transfer from UTSA, should be a prime beneficiary of the attention that Smith will garner all night. Last season, McCuin finished with 65 rec / 726 yds / 11.2 avg / 8 TD and excelled against Ball State as the number two option in the passing game, going for 6 rec / 97 yds / 16.2 avg / 1 TD. McCuin's agility and route running ability make him a strong mid-round draft prospect for next spring's draft. Jackson (6'6" / 263 lbs) is one of the best power-based EDGEs in the nation and he will be tasked with facing off, at least part of the time, with elite OLT prospect Trevor Goosby, a physical specimen with natural power and athleticism to handle any type of pass rush threat he faces. The Buckeyes defense' effectiveness is based on it's ability to stop the run and pressure the QB consistently, two things that Goosby handles well. How OSU counters Goosby and Texas' OL will be a fascinating subplot to watch. Mathews (5'11" / 195 lbs) will be partially tasked with handling the talented WR duo of Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo in coverage Saturday night and it will be interesting to see which Mathews shows up. Mathews has some of the best game film of any CB prospect in the nation and some really bad film in the loses to Indiana and Miami, Fl where he was torched in coverage. Mathews will need to be on his game against the explosive Longhorns' offense this coming weekend. |
Texas Watch List: |
QB Arch Manning (SNS No. 1 ranked QB; No. 5 Big Board 100) |
WR Cam Coleman (SNS No. 3 ranked WR; No. 12 Big Board 100) |
OT Trevor Goosby (SNS No. 2 ranked OT; No. 9 Big Board 100) |
EDGE Colin Simmons (SNS No. 2 ranked EDGE; No. 3 Big Board 100) |
LB Rasheem Biles (SNS No. 4 ranked LB; No. 59 Big Board 100) |
Manning's first career start last season was in the opener at Columbus and he struggled significantly, going 17/30 (56.7%) / 170 yds / 1 TD / 1 INT, in Texas' 17-10 loss. But Manning (6'4" / 222 lbs) improved steadily throughout the season, finishing with 3,163 yds (61.4%) / 26 TD / 7 INT through the air while adding another 389 yds and 10 TD rushing, and enters the 2026 NFL Draft as the projected first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Manning is surrounded with great supporting talent and has the best pair of starting WRs in Wingo and Coleman (6'3" / 204 lbs) in the nation. Last year at Auburn, Coleman finished with 56 rec / 708 lbs / 12.6 avg / 5 TD and transferred to Austin for a chance to win the national title. Coleman, along with Jeremiah Smith, was a 5-star, uber-recruit as a freak athlete that NFL teams were excited to see develop. Coleman's combination of size, length, and explosiveness make him a lock as a first-round pick and his match-ups with potential first-round candidate CB Jermaine Mathews will be appointment viewing for every scout next winter. Goosby (6'7" / 312 lbs) is many draft analysts' top-ranked OT. Goosby's combination of size, length, bend, and lateral agility are elite and make him a likely top ten pick in 2027 or 2028. Goosby will be lined up across from Jackson, and fellow NFL prospects Qua Russaw, and Beau Atkinson throughout the night on Saturday and that serves as a great preview for the 2027 NFL Draft. Simmons (6'3" / 240 lbs) is arguably the best EDGE prospect in college football and deserves to be talked about as a potential first overall draft pick next spring. Simmons has 21 sacks and 29.5 TFL over his first two seasons and has superb cutting ability and a fantastic finishing burst as his featured tools. If OSU can not slow down Simmons, it will a long evening for Sayin. Biles (6'1" / 220 lbs) transferred into Austin to replace the departed Anthony Hill (Titans) as the rangy, instinctive, and athletic off-the-ball LB Texas relies on to clean up at the second level. Biles is coming off a solid performance in the season opening victory over Texas State, recording 5 tackles / .5 TFL / 1 FF in Texas' 59-7 victory. Biles carries a solid top 100 grade for the 2027 NFL Draft into the game Saturday night against Ohio State. |
Other Games to Monitor: |
#11 Oklahoma @ Michigan |
Saturday, September 12, 2026 - Ann Arbor, MI. 12:00 ET / 9 am PT |
Oklahoma Watch List: |
QB John Mateer (SNS No. 10 ranked QB; No. 71 Big Board 100) |
WR Isaiah Sategna (SNS No. 15 ranked WR; No. 75 Big Board) |
IDL David Stone (SNS No. 3 ranked IDL; No. 23 Big Board 100) |
The Sooners look to make it two consecutive victories over the Wolverines and having a fully healthy Mateer (6'1" / 224 lbs) ready to helm the offense is a boon that is sure to inspire his teammates afer battling nagging injuries all of last season. Mateer is coming off a masterful performance last weekend in OU's 51-0 drubbing of UTEP, recording 11/17 passes (64.7%) / 225 yds / 3 TD in just about one half of football. Mateer faces off against one of the best secondaries in college football and a (sometimes) raucous environment with 110,000 screaming fans making it one of the most unique road experiences in college football. Mateer is an excellent athlete, a true running threat outside the pocket, and has one of the best receiving threats in the nation lining up on the outside in Sategna (5'10" / 185 lbs), possibly the fastest player in college football. Sategna flirted with entering the 2026 NFL Draft but returned to Norman and gives the Sooners an elite weapon to deploy against the talented Michigan secondary. Sategna nearly topped 1,000 yds receiving last season, going for 67 rec / 965 yds / 14.4 avg / 8 TD and he will be the focus of the Michigan defensive game plan this week. The most promising NFL prospect on the Sooners is Stone (6'3" / 315 lbs), a potential top ten pick as soon as next spring. Stone has a frame and game similar to Jalen Carter (Eagles) as a physical, twitched-up, uber-athlete, overflowing with raw talent. Stone began to display his freakish combination of size, strength, quickness, and agility last season and hopes to provide more consistency as a junior. Michigan's OL had difficulty with Western Michigan's defensive front and Stone and fellow DT Jayden Jackson provide a set of NFL-quality IDL to attack Michigan's still developing OL. Something to watch for Saturday afternoon. |
Michigan Watch List: |
RB Jordan Marshall (SNS No. 9 RB; No. 99 Big Board 100) |
EDGE John Henry Daley |
CB Jyaire Hill (SNS No. 10 CB; No. 97 Big Board 100) |
The Wolverines survived over Western Michigan with a "last second" Hail Mary pass to give Michigan a 13-12 victory over the Broncos last Saturday night, one of the most controversial decisions in recent sports memory. What is very clear, regardless of result, is that Michigan needs improved play from sophomore QB Bryce Underwood to have any chance in beating the Sooners Saturday afternoon. Another problem area was Michigan's OL's inability to open any holes for the running game led by Marshall (5'10" / 220 lbs) - U of M only ran for 106 yds on 25 carries (4.2 avg), as Marshall only recorded 11 carries / 44 yds Saturday night as the offense failed to uncork any big plays. The Sooners have a great IDL tandem in Jayden Jackson and David Stone and it does not get any easier from here for Michigan's OL. But they need to provide a solid running game to take some heat off Underwood, who may be close to losing his starting job. The offense's inability to move the ball overshadowed the defense's inability to get off the field on third down (WMU was 8-18 (44%)) last Saturday night - WMU had a better than 2-1 time of possession advantage (40:08-19:52) on the field against the then 16th-ranked Wolverines. Daley (6'5" / 252 lbs) followed coach Whittingham from Utah to Michigan and played his first game since suffering a season-ending ruptured Achilles last November. Daley may take some time to get back to full health but the hope is that he will soon be back to form that last year led him to record 11.5 sacks and 17.5 TFL on the season. Daley's combination of height, length, and agility make him a potential day two selection next spring. Hill (6'2" /190 lbs) has flashed elite skills for an outside CB with the height, length, quickness, and closing burst desired at CB. Hill needs to display better ball skills and play the ball in the air better as a junior. Hill, Zeke Berry, and Snowden Smith make up three of the best CBs in college football and will be tasked with slowing down speedster Sategna Saturday afternoon in the Big House. |
Arizona State @ #8 Texas A&M |
Saturday, September 12, 2026 - College Station, TX. 12:00 pm ET / 9 am PT |
Arizona State Watch List: |
WR Reed Harris (SNS No. 8 WR; No. 29 Big Board 100) |
WR Omarion Miller |
EDGE Jalen Thompson |
A top 2027 NFL Draft prospect that virtually no one is talking about is Harris (6'5" / 220 lbs), a transfer from Boston College, a huge, surprisingly nimble, sure-handed, big-play threat who gives transfer QB Cutter Boley (Kentucky) a dynamic weapon to feature in the passing attack. Harris is a quality route runner with very good deep speed, is a powerful runner after the catch, and is coming off a strong season-opening contest where he had 6 rec / 137 yds / 22.8 avg / 2 TDs against an over-matched Morgan State secondary in the Sun Devils' 70-0 domination last Saturday night. The Aggies are going to put up a much better fight Saturday afternoon and this could serve as Harris' introduction to a national audience. Fellow WR Miller (6'2" / 215 lbs), a transfer from Colorado, offers an intriguing combination of length, speed, and leaping ability to exploit over-matched CBs in man coverage. The Sun Devils' ability to utilize their WR corps to their maximum potential against the Aggies' secondary may be the key to this contest. EDGE Thompson (6'3" / 265 lbs), a transfer from Michigan State, has proven to be a quality run defender who can squeeze down outside run lanes consistently and flashes as a power rusher. Thompson's debut was solid - 1 sack and 1 TFL recorded - but he faces a much more daunting task against the Aggies' rebuilt OL this Saturday. The Sun Devils hope that they can unleash a more impactful performance out of the senior, starting this weekend. |
Texas A&M Watch List: |
QB Marcel Reed |
WR Mario Craver (SNS No. 4 ranked WR; No. 15 Big Board 100) |
EDGE Anto Saka (SNS No. 9 ranked EDGE; No. 82 Big Board 100) |
Reed (6'1" / 185 lbs) enters his third year as the starter in College Station and is looking to return to the playoffs after the Aggies first round exit. Reed is undersized, lacking size/size potential and the body armor to withstand punishment in the pocket, but he is a great leader, tremendous athlete, and very talented passer with the arm strength and accuracy to flourish in the SEC. Reed needs to improve his decision-making - he forces the ball into coverage and has 18 INTs over the last two seasons. Reed has a premium WR that he likes to feature in the passing game in Craver (5'9" / 180 lbs), an extremely quick and explosive WR who considered entering the 2026 NFL Draft but returned to get the horrible taste of the playoff loss out of his mouth. Craver, who recorded 59 rec / 917 yds / 15.5 avg / 4 TD last season, lines up both out wide and in the slot in college but seems destined to playing the slot exclusively in the NFL. The Aggies' best defensive prospect entering the season is Saka (6'4" / 255 lbs), a transfer from Northwestern looks the part with the size, frame, length, and large wingspan desired in an NFL EDGE and he has flashed elite skills - twitch, quickness, bend, and closing burst. But the lack of consistent production and a tendency to disappear for long stretches of time is concerning. Saka only has 12 sacks and 14 TFL over his three-year career at Northwestern. More will be expected in College Station, starting this weekend. |
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