Week 3 of the college season was full of excitement, close games and strong performances from headliners like Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, as well as up and coming devy names like Ohio State’s Noah Brown. While Week 4 lacks some of the high profile matchups seen in Week 3, there are several intriguing games and matchups to watch.
Penn State at Michigan
While SaQuon Barkley is the largest devy name in this matchup, I will be watching Chris Godwin against the Michigan defense that includes potential NFL 1st round picks Jourdan Lewis and Jabril Peppers. If Lewis plays and matches up against Godwin, this will be a great measuring stick for Godwin’s NFL future. While Peppers plays all over the field and could see time against Godwin, I expect his talents will be focused on stopping Barkley and the Penn State run game.
When Michigan is on offense, I am hoping to see a better game from wide receiver Jehu Chesson after being held without a catch against Colorado in week 3. While Chesson typically gets split billing with teammate Amara Darboh, I believe Chesson has the ability to be special at the next level, while Darboh has a lower ceiling. The pair, along with tight end Jake Butt all could be names to monitor for 2017 rookie drafts despite the average quarterback play this year.
Boise State at Oregon State
One name that seems to be flying under the radar is Boise State’s 2017 eligible running back Jeremy McNichols. McNichols has excelled in both the run and pass games against subpar competition. While Oregon State’s defense is not exceedingly strong, this may be McNichols’ toughest game on the schedule.
For Oregon State, wide receiver Jordan Villamin has been a major disappointment. He has been held to only four catches this year. A game against a weak Boise State secondary will hopefully lead to increased productivity. If Villamin cannot product against this defense, he will start dropping down my devy ranks.
USC at Utah
USC will be replacing quarterback Max Browne with redshirt freshman Sam Darnold for this game which is worth tracking. Similarly to Villamin, JuJu Smith-Schuster has been disappointing this year. He has been involved in USC’s three games with 11 catches, but the 99 yards is not what was expected. At some point, JuJu will have to start producing or he also will slip in ranks.
