College football Week 12: ‘Twas the week before rivalry week ...

Happy Saturday and welcome to Week 12 of the college football season!

For the first time this season, the schedule makers might have let us down a bit with today’s slate of games. It’s lean pickings this week, with match-ups like Alabama vs. Citadel or Rice at LSU.

However, there are still some games worth watching.

(Don't forget, Dan and I are taking our first look at the 2019 NFL Draft with the Big Blue Big Board podcast. This week we look at the EDGE position, which could be a priority for the New York Giants.)

(12) Syracuse at (3) Notre Dame

NBC - 2:30 pm

According to the national rankings, this should be our best game of the weekend. It’s one Notre Dame SHOULD win, but it could be entertaining along the way.

Most of the players of scouting interest will be on the Notre Dame sideline, but Syracuse Eric Dungey might be worth watching as well. Syracuse’s all-time leader in 300 yard games and average yards-per-game, Dungey has been productive for the Orange. Whether or not that translates to the NFL is another matter.

Players to watch

Syracuse

• Eric Dungey (QB)
• Cody Conway (OT)

Notre Dame

• Jerry Tillery (DT)
• Julian Love (CB)
• Julian Okwara (EDGE)
• Myles Boykin (WR)
• Chase Claypool (WR)

Duke at (2) Clemson

ESPN - 7 p.m.

If the Giants don’t decide to ride with Eli Manning and Kyle Lauletta in 2019, and top quarterbacking prospects Justin Herbert and Dwayne Haskins go back to school, Duke’s Daniel Jones might be the player to watch at the position.

Scouts always want to see a player against his hardest competition, and for Jones, that will be the Clemson defense.

It wouldn’t be anything but a massive upset if the No. 2 ranked team lost, but how Jones performs against a Clemson defense which is loaded with future NFL players will tell us a lot about him. He put up 547 yards of offense (361 passing, 186 rushing) and four touchdowns against North Carolina, but Clemson is a different kind of animal. If he can follow up last week’s beat-down with a solid performance against one of the best defenses in the country, it would go a long way toward securing his draft stock.

Players to watch

Duke

• Daniel Jones (QB)

Clemson

• Clelin Ferrell (EDGE)
• Christian Wilkins (DT)
• Dexter Lawrence (DT)
• Trayvon Mullen (CB)
• Kendall Joseph (LB)

(24) Cincinnati at (11) UCF

ABC - 8 p.m.

We haven’t checked in on the reigning national champions, UCF, yet this season. And honestly, I probably should have mentioned them earlier. McKenzie Milton is an undersized quarterback, but he is quick and creative as a passer, and a favorite of our own Dan Pizzuta.

In fact, UCF is just plain fun to watch, and a match-up against a ranked team should make for a good game.

Players to watch

Cincinnati

• Khalil Lewis (WR)

UCF

• McKenzie Milton (QB)
• Trysten Hill (DT)
• Trevor Elbert (OG)