play0:28Dante Moore throws 30-yard touchdown pass vs. RutgersDante Moore throws 30-yard touchdown pass to Kenyon Sadiq
play1:04What does Ty Simpson, Alabama’s win over Mizzou prove?SEC Now crew agree that the Tide are hitting on the right cylinders, while discussing Simpson’s ability to take care of the ball, make plays and get the whole offense involved.
play0:30Nico Iamaleava takes off for his third TD for UCLANico Iamaleava skirts in for a 7-yard UCLA touchdown and a 42-28 lead.
play0:44Dan Lanning calls Dante Moore the ‘best quarterback in college football’Dan Lanning has high praise for Dante Moore after Oregon’s double-overtime win against Penn State.
play0:33Ty Simpson throws pass to 6-foot-7, 366-pound tackle Kadyn ProctorTy Simpson throws it out to Kadyn Proctor, who barrels over everyone to set up first-and-goal.
play0:21John Mateer plows into the end zone for a big-time OU TDJohn Mateer breaks the plane to give the Sooners a lead late in the fourth quarter.
play0:28Justice Haynes breaks off for 75-yd rushing TDJustice Haynes takes it 75 yards to the house to put Michigan back in front vs. Nebraska.
play0:34John Mateer takes it 51 yards to the house for OUJohn Mateer takes it 51 yards to the end zone for the Sooners vs. the Owls.
play0:31John Mateer scores his 2nd rushing TD vs. MichiganJohn Mateer gets great blocking and keeps it to give Oklahoma a 21-7 lead.
play0:25Cade Klubnik airs it out for 26-yard touchdown passCade Klubnik connects for 26-yard TD pass
Jordyn Tyson gives Arizona State a two-score lead (0:17)Arizona State goes up 16-7 on Jordyn Tyson’s short-touchdown reception. (0:17)
Dante Moore throws 30-yard touchdown pass vs. RutgersDante Moore throws 30-yard touchdown pass to Kenyon Sadiq
What does Ty Simpson, Alabama’s win over Mizzou prove?SEC Now crew agree that the Tide are hitting on the right cylinders, while discussing Simpson’s ability to take care of the ball, make plays and get the whole offense involved.
SEC Now crew agree that the Tide are hitting on the right cylinders, while discussing Simpson’s ability to take care of the ball, make plays and get the whole offense involved.
Nico Iamaleava takes off for his third TD for UCLANico Iamaleava skirts in for a 7-yard UCLA touchdown and a 42-28 lead.
Dan Lanning calls Dante Moore the ‘best quarterback in college football’Dan Lanning has high praise for Dante Moore after Oregon’s double-overtime win against Penn State.
Ty Simpson throws pass to 6-foot-7, 366-pound tackle Kadyn ProctorTy Simpson throws it out to Kadyn Proctor, who barrels over everyone to set up first-and-goal.
John Mateer plows into the end zone for a big-time OU TDJohn Mateer breaks the plane to give the Sooners a lead late in the fourth quarter.
Justice Haynes breaks off for 75-yd rushing TDJustice Haynes takes it 75 yards to the house to put Michigan back in front vs. Nebraska.
John Mateer takes it 51 yards to the house for OUJohn Mateer takes it 51 yards to the end zone for the Sooners vs. the Owls.
John Mateer scores his 2nd rushing TD vs. MichiganJohn Mateer gets great blocking and keeps it to give Oklahoma a 21-7 lead.
play0:29Carson Beck connects for 40-yard TD passCarson Beck connects for 40-yard TD pass
play0:13Carson Beck to Joshua Moore for an 8-yard TDCarson Beck to Joshua Moore for an 8-yard TD
We’re now through Week 8 of the 2025 college football season. And yes, we had more upsets. It began with Miami falling to Louisville and Nebraska losing to Minnesota on Friday night. On Saturday, Arizona State took down Texas Tech, Vanderbilt edged LSU and UAB shocked Memphis. And we saw a lot of ranked-on-ranked football, too: Georgia came back to win over Ole Miss, Alabama rolled over Tennessee, BYU slid past Utah, and Notre Dame ran its way past USC. That’s a lot to break down.
The 2026 NFL draft is still roughly half a year away. But our NFL draft analysts are always looking down the road, taking early notes on top prospects and starting to stack their rankings for an exciting class.
With that in mind, Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller and Jordan Reid will size up CFB action through a draft-centric lens on Sundays all season long. (Save this link!) They will answer lingering questions on the best 2026 prospects, share insights from scouts, pick out risers to watch and pull back the curtain on their evaluation process. Here is what they’ve seen and heard through Week 8.
Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Chris Bell (Louisville) and Denzel Boston (Washington) are also first-round caliber. They all had terrific weeks, too. Tate had 111 yards and two scores against Wisconsin, Bell had 136 yards and two scores against Miami, and Boston had 71 yards against Michigan. This draft class doesn’t have the obvious top-10 pick like we’ve seen in recent years, but I think we will see some WRs come off the board in the middle-to-late parts of Round 1.
Miller: If there is a surefire top-10 pick in this class, it’s Love. Against rival USC, the Notre Dame running back put together a résumé game — 228 rushing yards and a TD on 24 carries, plus five catches for another 37 yards. Love put the Irish offense on his back and carried them to a marquee win. Scouts praise the 6-foot, 214-pound back’s burst, long speed and vision.
“The Reggie Bush comparisons get made, and I see that,” an AFC scouting director said. “Love has a little more finish to his game; he’ll put his shoulder down and make you pay, but he’s so agile and quick through the hole and that first cut. He’s dangerous.”
Teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals would all have top-11 draft picks if the draft were today. And each could use an impact back just like Love to propel their offenses.
I have him as the No. 8 CB in the class on my Big Board, but I could reasonably see him jumping up into the No. 4, No. 5 range. He’s firmly in the Day 2 mix, and I like him as a second-rounder for an NFL team looking for a talented slot corner (though he can play outside, too).
Dante Moore throws 30-yard touchdown pass vs. Rutgers
Dante Moore throws 30-yard touchdown pass to Kenyon Sadiq
Miller: I’ve been hyping the Missouri pass rush all season, and that unit called game on Saturday against Auburn. Zion Young was unblockable with five tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss against a good Auburn offensive line. He and linemate Damon Wilson II have been mentioned before in this space — and I’m a big fan of both as top-50 talents.
Reid: Alongside Lemon, USC WR Ja’Kobi Lane has begun to come on after battling an early-season injury. The 6-foot-4, 200-pounder is still a bit streaky, as he had consecutive games with fewer than 40 receiving yards in between two 100-yard performances. But the long-strider has a wide catch radius, and I think Lane is someone to watch down the back stretch of the season — especially with Lemon getting a lot of the attention from defenses. He looks like a second- or third-rounder.
Bernard has great hands and attacks the ball, knowing when he has to body-catch the ball and when he has to pluck it out of the air. He works hard at that aspect of his game, spending a lot of time on the JUGS machine. And once he has the ball in his hands, he can tack on extra yardage despite not being a real blazer.
It’s still a very wide-open race, but Alabama’s Ty Simpson has become a real player to watch. Despite being a first-year starter, he has carved up opponents throughout the first few weeks of the season, including three TD passes on Saturday against Missouri. But no, we still don’t have a serious QB1 who is pulling away from the pack.
What does Ty Simpson, Alabama’s win over Mizzou prove?
Miller: Missouri edge defender Damon Wilson II continues to look like a top-40 prospect and has really emerged as one of the best transfers in the nation after joining the Tigers from Georgia. He posted two sacks in Saturday’s close loss to Alabama, running his total for the season to 5.5. At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, Wilson’s first-step burst and length make him a tough ask for college offensive tackles to contain. I think I might be adding him to my top 25 after that big game.
Reid: I was excited to watch Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor (6-7, 366) against the talented Mizzou edge rush of Zion Young and Damon Wilson II. He had allowed nine pressures so far this season, with seven coming in Week 1 against Florida State. But I thought Proctor played a clean game against the Tigers. His consistency as a pass protector was tested, and he remained firm. Plus, he generated good movement in the run game.
Proctor is still polarizing as a prospect because of his inconsistency. There are some scouts who still believe he’s a Round 1 prospect, but others are hesitant to buy into his draft stock as an early-rounder. Upcoming matchups against Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU and Oklahoma will be huge for him.
Kiper: Defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington was solid in Oregon’s loss. He had a bull rush for a sack and added three tackles. His game is still raw, but I see a nice combination of explosiveness, power, quickness, toughness and overall athleticism. Washington was really strong at the point of attack Saturday, and at 6-foot-3 and 330 pounds, he proved disruptive on the interior. He’s another one who could play his way into Round 1.
Manning, Wisner on Texas’ mentality after dominant win over No. 5 OU
So what does it all mean for his draft stock? At 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds, Iamaleava has dual-threat traits and a big arm, but he needs time. He’s still just a redshirt sophomore. He has 19 career starts, and he is still inconsistent with accuracy and decision-making. I don’t expect Iamaleava to declare for the 2026 draft. I’d put him in the Day 3 conversation right now for next year, but it makes sense for him to keep developing before entering the 2027 or even 2028 class.
Nico Iamaleava skirts in for a 7-yard UCLA touchdown and a 42-28 lead.
Reid: This was Beck’s fourth game with four touchdown passes and zero interceptions over the past two seasons — tied for the most in the FBS during that span, per ESPN Research. A true pocket passer, Beck stays in-rhythm in the Hurricanes’ offense. I had Beck graded as a middle-round prospect prior to this season, but he’s trending upward. Like Matt, I have him entering the early-round discussion with his play through the first quarter of the season.