Draft Week: What to watch for in Saturday's college football action

There may only be one matchup between ranked teams but there's plenty of intriguing matchups, potential upsets and tough tests for contending teams on the schedule and, of course, tons of top prospects in action.

Here's what (and who) to look out for in Saturday's games, focusing initially on match-ups featuring ranked teams:

Early Games

The headliner here is the only matchup between ranked teams as #24 Michigan tries to derail unbeaten #5 Wisconsin's playoff bid. Freshman phenom Jonathan Taylor will look to rack up yardage on the ground with right tackle David Edwards, tight end Troy Fumagalli and freshman center Tyler Biadasz worth paying attention to upfront. Michigan defensive lineman Maurice Hurst will look to slow down the running attack while Wisconsin's defense is keyed by linebacker TJ Edwards.

The top two ranked teams in the country, Alabama and Clemson, each have cupcakes on the schedule this week and should both win in a blowout. Each of them has several prospects worth watching, including wide receiver Calvin Ridley, defensive lineman Da'Ron Payne and defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick on Alabama and defensive lineman Christian Wilkins on Clemson.

Seven other ranked teams are in action in the early games, including #3 Miami and #6 Auburn. However, the only ranked teams favored by single digits in the early games (apart from Wisconsin) are #12 TCU, who travel to Texas Tech coming off a rough loss to the Sooners and #23 Northwestern, who will be looking to hold off Minnesota behind quarterback Clayton Thorson.

Late Afternoon Games

Seven more ranked teams are in action in the late afternoon games, although they're all strongly favored. However, there are some good prospects in action and there's always the chance we'll see some upsets.

Oklahoma (#4) will be worth watching here. They should easily take care of Kansas, allowing Baker Mayfield to strengthen his Heisman résumé. They have some other highly rated prospects too, including pass-catching tight end Mark Andrews, edge defender Ogbonnia Okoronkwo and offensive tackle Orlando Brown.

Oklahoma State (#13) are also in action against Kansas State with quarterback Mason Rudolph and his excellent pass catching targets James Washington and Marcell Ateman.

Notre Dame (#8) will be looking to recover from last week's blowout loss to the Hurricanes with a win over Navy. Guard Quenton Nelson and tackle Mike McGlinchey will be looking to pave the way for emerging junior running back Josh Adams.

Other prospects worth watching in action in the late afternoon include running back Saquon Barkley of #10 Penn State, versatile linebacker Roquain Smith of #7 Georgia and junior cornerback Denzel Ward of #9 Ohio State.

Evening Games

One of the most eagerly anticipated games of the season pits two players regarded by many as the best two quarterback prospects likely to enter this year's draft as Josh Rosen and UCLA face off against Sam Darnold and #11 USC. Running back Ronald Jones and wide receiver Deontay Burnett are also worth watching for the Trojans.

Two top running backs are also in action with Derrius Guice leading #20 LSU on a trip to Tennessee, who just fired their head coach, and Bryce Love's #22 Stanford hosting California. The LSU game will also feature highly-rated edge rusher Arden Key.

The only other ranked team in action this evening is #19 North Carolina State, led by a quarterback prospect who has started to get some buzz in Ryan Finley. The Wolfpack are the only ranked team to be an underdog on Saturday, as they travel to Wake Forest. Bradley Chubb, who some feel will be the first defensive player selected in the draft, will lead the Wolfpack defense.

Late night games

Two more ranked teams are playing in late games, with #25 Boise State hosting Air Force and #18 Washington hosting Utah. Record breaking return man Dante Pettis will be in action for Washington.

Top games featuring unranked teams

Finally, a few games featuring unranked teams catch the eye, headlined by an interesting match-up between 7-3 West Virginia and 5-5 Texas, who are trying to secure bowl eligibility. Offensive tackle Connor Williams, who is regarded by many as the top tackle in the draft but has been out since week three, makes his return for Texas.

Two high-profile quarterbacks are in action with Josh Allen and his Wyoming Cowboys facing Fresno State in a match-up of two 7-3 teams and Louisville's Lamar Jackson hoping to put up big numbers against a Syracuse team that lost 64-43 last week.

Finally, Florida State safety Derwin James is probably the highest rated prospect in action this weekend that hasn't been mentioned yet. The Seminoles are enduring a tough 3-6 season but should get their fourth win against Delaware State.

Enjoy the games later and be sure to come back here to discuss them with your fellow JetsFixers.