Player Rankings (Defensive Top 5)

Tackle
1.  Sharrif Floyd, Florida
2.  Star Lotulelei, Utah
3.  Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
4.  John Jenkins, Georgia
5.  Jonathan Hankins, Ohio State

Analysis:  Hankins is sliding down the draft boards, but that was more of him being overrated than anything.  The opposite of that is Sharrif Floyd who has shot up draft boards and with Star Lotulelei's heart issue will probably be the first DT taken.  One thing that amazes me is that a lot of people don't know how good Sheldon Richardson is.  He realistically could go in the top 10.

Nose Tackle
1.  John Jenkins, Georgia
2.  Jonathan Hankins, Ohio State
3.  Jesse Williams, Alabama
4.  Kwame Geathers, Georgia
5.  Montori Hughes, Tennessee-Martin

Analysis:  Most of the time the top nose tackle doesn't go in the first round.  This year we could see two.  Jenkins has top 15 talent, but him being out of shape and other off the field issues could have him slided.  Hankins isn't your tradional 2 down NT, but he can still be very successful at the position.

3-4 End
1.  Star Lotulelei, Utah
2.  John Jenkins, Georgia
3.  Jonathan Hankins, Ohio State
4.  Datone Jones, UCLA
5.  William Gholston, Michigan State

Analysis:  The player really to watch is Datone Jones from UCLA.  He probably only fits in the 3-4, but he'll be very good because he can rush the passer an still be able to play two gaps.  One player that a lot of people aren't talking about is William Gholston.  He can play in the 4-3, but he's probably a better fit in the 3-4 because he isn't a explosive pass rusher, but does great taking on contact and still being able to make plays.  He could be a poor mans Calais Campbell.

4-3 End
1.  Damontre Moore, Texas A&M
2.  Bjoern Werner, Florida State
3.  Barkevious Mingo, LSU
4.  Dion Jordan, Oregon
5.  Alex Okafor, Texas

Analysis:  We could see three or four ends go in the top 10 this year.  The top is a battle between Moore and Werner.  However don't be surprised if Werner slides because he doesn't project well to the 3-4 and most teams in the top 10 are 3-4.

Rush linebacker
1.  Jarvis Jones, Georgia
2.  Barkevious Mingo, LSU
3.  Damontre Moore, Texas A&M
4.  Ezekial Ansah, BYU
5.  Alex Okafor, Texas

Analysis:  Jarvis Jones is an elite pass rusher and will be a force in the 3-4 because he can also drop into coverage.  However he might not be the first taken because of concerns about his past spinal issues.  Ezekial Ansah is a player who will probably go higher because of his potential.  But he is still very raw.

Outside Linebacker
1.  Khaseem Greene, Rutgers
2.  Arthur Brown, Kansas State
3.  Jelani Jenkins, Florida
4.  Nico Johnson, Alabama
5.  Gerald Hodges, Penn State

Analysis:  Khaseem Green and Arther Brown are two linebackers that are tackling machines who will be excellent on 4-3 teams.  After them there is a big drop off where the next three mgiht not go till the end of the third round.

Inside Linebacker
1.  Alec Olgetree, Georgia
2.  Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
3.  Kevin Minter, LSU
4.  Kevin Reddick, North Carolina
5.  Jonathan Bostic, Florida

Analysis:  We've had some good inside linebackers the past few years and this year might be no different.  This year we could see three guys go in the first round.  Olgetree is a guy that should go in the top 15, but because of some off the field concerns he'll likely go in the later half of the first round.

Cornerback
1.  Demarcus Milliner, Alabama
2.  Desmond Trufant, Washington
3.  John Banks, Mississippi State
4.  Xavier Rhodes, Florida State
5.  Blidi Wreh-Wilson, UConn

Analysis:  Desmond Trufant really showed his capabilities at the Senior Bowl and that really helped his stock.  Wreh-Wilson is another player that has seen his stock shoot up.  But watch out for Xavier Rhodes who many people aren't talking about, but has the skills to be a good NFL corner.  Plus he has good size, so he'll be enticing to teams.

Safety
1.  Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
2.  Matt Elam, Florida
3.  Eric Reid, LSU
4.  Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
5.  Phillip Thomas, Fresno State

Analysis:  Vaccaro is the star of this and will likely be taken early.  Prospects with his cover skills are hard to find and normally go high.  Elam and Reid are two high quality strong safeties who could find their way late into the first round, but more than likely they are 2nd rounders.

10 Things to Watch During Bowl Season

1.  Will the Big 10 win a bowl?
One of the primer conferences in college athletics has not enjoyed a good season.  Their best team is an undefeated Ohio State squad that isn't eligible for the post season.  Nebraska was the 2nd best team, but they got blowout to a 7-5 Wisconsin team.  The conference will send 7 schools to bowl games, but none of those 7 teams are favored to win.  Wisconsin has to play a tough Stanford team without their coach, Nebraska is facing a team that was 3 yards short of a National Title, and Michigan isn't a good match up for South Carolina.  The team with the best chance to win is Northwestern against Miss State.  But the Wildcats might not be able to match Miss State's physicality   It could be a long bowl season for Jim Deleaney.

2.  Which Washington team will show up?
When you beat Oregon State and Stanford this season you would think that the Huskies would be one of the top teams in the Pac 12.  But that same team also dropped a games to an average Arizona team and a horrible Washington State team.  Not a model of consistency.  Washington has a ton of talent, but it's a matter of them wanting it.  Will they want it against Boise State who always is up to play BCS teams.


3.  How many sacks will Jarvis Jones have?
Jarvis Jones has been dominant for most of the season.  He's one of the best pass rushers in the nation and finished 4th in the nation with 12.5 sacks.  He'll likely be a top 5 draft pick in the NFL Draft.  His Bowl opponent, Nebraska.  Nebraska's offensive tackles (Brett Qvale and Jeremiah Sirles) are not very good and have shown to give up a lot of pressure on Taylor Martinez.  I have a gut feeling that Jones could easily get 5 or more sacks in this game.  Add in Martinez's tendency to put the ball on the carpet, Jones could improve on his 7 forced fumbles too.


4.  Georgia Tech's Running Game
Everybody knows that Georgia Tech has one of the best rushing attacks in all of college football.  Their triple option attack is puts a strain on defenses and has allowed them end the regular season with the 4th overall rushing attack.  Usually triple option teams struggle in bowl games because teams have a month to get ready fort hem.  However USC has struggled to stop the run and in their biggest losses opponents have just gashed the Trojans.  USC is even giving up an average of 156 yards per game.  Will the Trojans be able to slow down the triple option?  Or will the Yellow Jackets be able to end their seven bowl losing streak and take advantage of a porous USC rush defense?

5.  Old School Rose Bowl
In case you are new to college football, the spread has taken over.  Teams are employing three and four wide receiver sets on a consistent basis.  Even teams like Arizona and Oregon who are two of the best rushing teams run their offenses out of the spread.  So it's rare to see teams run a traditional power running attack.  But we have two of them in this game.  Both Wisconsin and Stanford are known for their smash mouth rushing attacks, big strong offensive lineman, and dominating the line of scrimmage.  Old School football fans will be in heaven for this game.  We shouldn't see a high scoring affair, but at the end of the game we'll see plenty of grass, blood, and sweat all over their uniforms.  It should be great to watch.

6.  Conference Supremacy
Because it takes only winning all of your games or sometimes losing just one game to make the national title teams aren't willing to play a lot of marquee games in the non-conference.  Sure we get the occasional Oregon vs LSU or Michigan vs Alabama, but most schools have FCS programs on their schedule and non AQ schools so they can go undefeated entering conference play.  So it's hard to get a real feel for which conference is the best.  But Bowl Games do give us a chance to have conference vs conference.  And even though it isn't an exact science  we can see which con fence wins the most bowl games and has bragging rights.  But then the SEC has had bragging rights for a while since they've won six straight national titles.  Though it's still fun to see which conference will win the most bowls.


7.  How will Northern Illinois do in their first BCS Bowl?

The term BCS buster has become a common term lately.  It all started with Boise State in the 2006-2007 season when the Broncos beat Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.  From there on we saw Utah, Hawaii, and TCU all make BCS Bowls from non-AQ schools.  This year we have another and it's the first appearance from a MAC school.  Northern Illinois has enjoyed a great season going 12-1 and beating Kent State in the MAC Title Game.  Their lead by QB Jordan Lynch and a high powered offense.  Under normal circumstances the Huskies would be underdogs against a one loss Florida State team that many considered to be a National Title contender.  But add in that Northern Illinois will be without their head coach, Dave Doren, who left to take the North Carolina State job.  How will the Huskies play?  Will they be motivated to prove they belong?  Or will Florida State's superior athletes run wild over them?

8.  Will UCLA and Baylor score more than 90 points combined?
If your a fan of defense and low scoring games, then don't watch this game.  Both UCLA and Baylor are known scoring points.  Baylor is as high flying as they come and are averaging 44  points per game.  UCLA isn't rated as high, but they do average 35 points per game.  UCLA has an improved defense, but they are still giving up 25 points per game and Baylor will be able to score on anybody.  Add in that Baylor's defense can't stop anybody and Brett Hundley and Jonathan Franklin shouldn't have any trouble finding the end zone.  This game should be the highest scoring game of the bowl season.

9.  Battle of Heavyweights 
One of the best things about bowl season is seeing some great one on one match ups between elite players.  This year is no different.  In the Outback Bowl we get to see arguably the best pass rusher against one of the best left tackles in college football.  Jadeveon Clowney is a beast. No other way of saying it.  He was second in the nation in sacks with 13 and has given tackles in the SEC fits all year long.  In this game he'll be going against Michigan LT Taylor Lewan whose nutrerlized every player he's seen this year.  He's projected as the second best tackle in the 2013 NFL Draft and will likely be a top 15 pick.  I don't know about anybody else, but I'm excited to see how these two heavyweights do against each other.  Will Clowney have his way?  Or will Lewan show why NFL GMs are in love with him?


10.  Will the SEC win their 7th straight National Title?
It's been no secret that the SEC has dominated college football the past decade.  So much that they've won 6 straight National Titles.  This year is no different.  Alabama has made it back to the BCS Title Game and look to win their second straight National Title.  That would give the SEC their 7th in a row.  Something that is just unheard of.  They have a great shot to do so.  They'll be facing off against a good Notre Dame team.  But it's a Notre Dame team that isn't necessarily a world beater.  Yes they won all 12 games but they've done  so without a consistent offense.  Alabama brings one of the best defenses in the nation and an offense that has a strong running attack.  It should be a close game, but Alabama holds the edge.

All Americans

1st Team

QB:  Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M
RB:  Kenjon Barner, Oregon
RB:  Johnathan Franklin, UCLA
WR:  Marqise Lee, USC
WR:  Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
TE:  Joseph Fauria, UCLA
OT:  Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M
OG:  Chance Warmack, Alabama
C:  Barrett Jones, Alabama
OG:  John Cooper, North Carolina
OT:  Taylor Lewan, Michigan

DE:  Damontre Moore, Texas A&M
DT:  Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame
DT:  Star Lotuleilei DT Utah
DE:  Bjoern Werner, Florida State
LB:  Anthony Barr, UCLA
LB:  Manti Te'o, Notre Dame
LB:  Jarvis Jones, Georgia
CB:  Jordan Poyer, Oregon State
S:  Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
S:  Matt Elam, Florida
CB:  Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregen

P:  Ryan Allen, Louisiana Tech
K:  Dustin Hopkins, Florida State
RS:  Tavon Austin, West Virginia

2nd Team

QB:  Collin Klein, Kansas State
RB:  Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
RB:  Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona
WR:  Terrance Williams, Baylor
WR:  DeAndre Hopkins, Clemson
TE:  Zach Ertz, Stanford
OT:  Lane Johnson, Oklahoma
OG:  David Yankey, Stanford
C:  Braxston Cave, Notre Dame
OG:  Xavier Su'a-Filo, UCLA
OT:  Eric Fisher, Central Michigan

DE:  Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina
DT:  Will Sutton, Arizona State
DT:  Jordan Hill, Penn State
DE:  Dion Jordan, Oregon
LB:  Khaseem Greene, Rutgers
LB:  Kevin Minter, LSU
LB:  Arthur Brown, Kansas State
CB:  Demarcus Milliner, Alabama
S:  Eric Reid, LSU
S:  Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
CB:  Ricardo Allen, Purdue

K:  Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State
P:  Kyle Christy, Florida
RS:  Venric Mark, Northwestern