Fantasy Football Collective

Mark Sanchez, perhaps the most likable guy on an otherwise hateable team, is this year's installment of The USC Quarterback. Sanchez is also currently listed in the top five on most NFL QB draft boards, often behind Georgia's Matt Stafford, Florida's Tim Tebow, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, and Purdue's Curtis Painter (for some reason). Astute observers of this short list will note that none of these QBs save for Painter are seniors. In addition, neither Tebow nor Bradford will probably go anywhere after this season, and Painter's senior season has been vastly underwhelming, leaving Sanchez to battle with Stafford for the coveted role of First Quarterback Taken in 2009.

In a down year for the Big Ten publicity-wise - thanks to early, high-profile non-conference losses by Michigan to Utah, Ohio State to USC, Michigan State to Cal, and Illinois to Mizzou - there isn't much buzz about several of the better Big Ten players entering the draft this year (as long as you leave out the misplaced enthusiasm for Purdue QB Curtis Painter, who just this week got replaced in the fourth quarter after hacking it up against the Nittany Lions).

However, NFL Eye For The College Guy would like to highlight the efforts of Spartan running back Javon Ringer, as he fits the prototype of an emerging hot commodity in the NFL - the speedy, undersized tailback who plays excellently in space.

I toyed with covering any of the players in the OSU-USC match-up from this past Saturday who will end up first round picks in the 2009 NFL draft for this, the first NFL Eye for the College Guy. But contributing to the heap of pure drivel written, spoken, and thought of about that mess of a game seems so pointless now. For being the game of the century of the year, the Clash at the Coliseum was almost entirely unwatchable. All pipe and no bag; I fell asleep, twice.