NFL Spin Zone
Fansided

2018 NFL Draft: 5 Best college football games of Week 8

By Stephen Forsha

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown against the Indiana Hoosiers on September 30, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown against the Indiana Hoosiers on September 30, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 14: Quarterback Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans passes the ball in the first half of the game against the Utah Utes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 14, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 14: Quarterback Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans passes the ball in the first half of the game against the Utah Utes at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 14, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

No. 11 USC Trojans at No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

This matchup is something many college football fans look forward to for the fact it is a classic rivalry that has had many exciting outcomes in the past. This year, the two teams are both ranked in the Top 15 with Notre Dame winning their past four games and having a record of 5-1. USC is 6-1 on the season, with their lone loss to the No. 16 ranked Washington State Cougars three games ago.

Even with the potential NFL talent on both teams, this is a must-win game for both the Fighting Irish and the Trojans to stay in the hunt for the College Football Playoff.

Speaking of NFL talent, of course the Trojans have Sam Darnold at quarterback and he’ll most likely be a first-round choice, but they also have players like Cameron Smith (inside linebacker), Ronald Jones II (running back), Iman Marshall (cornerback) and Porter Gustin (defensive end) all ranked in the Top 100 draft prospects by CBS Sports for the 2018 NFL Draft.

The same can be said about Notre Dame with Mike McGlinchey (offensive tackle), Quenton Nelson (offensive guard) and Equanimeous St. Brown (wide receiver), all of whom also ranked in the Top 100 on that same list of players.

Notre Dame and USC provide the NFL with many talented players each year, and this game will showcase the next group of players they will send to the professional level.

Home/NFL Draft