Each week during the college football season, USA TODAY Sports' insiders will talk with coaches, athletics administrators, agents and more to bring you the behind-the-scenes news. They are granted anonymity to speak candidly. Here's what we're hearing this week:
The college football season is only two weeks old. Overreactions are inevitable.
And yet …
No player in the country has done more to elevate his future prospects than Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
Mentioned in this space just two weeks ago, Mestemaker continues to climb, and perhaps leapfrog, the early NFL Draft pecking order. What once felt like a long-term projection is quickly becoming a legitimate discussion.
First-round discussion.
"Mestemaker now is in that conversation,"
a scout from an NFL playoff team told USA TODAY Sports.
On a day when more than 20 NFL evaluators descended on Stillwater, it wasn't Oregon quarterback Dante Moore who boosted his stock the most.
It was Mestemaker.
He threw for 317 yards in Oklahoma State's stunning upset of then-No. 6 Oregon. But what impressed scouts most wasn't the stat line. It was the response.
Mestemaker threw two interceptions. He watched Oregon seize a 31-30 lead in the second half. Lesser quarterbacks might have unraveled.
He answered.
That's what stood out to evaluators in attendance.
One NFL scout told USA TODAY Sports he could envision as many as nine quarterbacks entering first-round conversations for the 2027 NFL Draft.
Among that group, few have improved their standing more during the first month of the season than Mestemaker. The others frequently mentioned by scouts: Texas quarterback Arch Manning and Notre Dame's CJ Carr.
Two weeks into the season, all three have dramatically changed how NFL teams view the quarterback class.
Lane Kiffin wanted the spotlight. He'll have all of it Saturday night.
Just how big is Saturday night's LSU-Ole Miss showdown in the shadows of the Grove?
Start with the credential requests.
Then consider how many media outlets are willing to send reporters to Oxford for what has become one of the season's most anticipated games: Lane Kiffin's return to Ole Miss.
It's the kind of storyline college football rarely produces. Think Nick Saban returning to LSU. Think Steve Spurrier going back to Florida. Think Tommy Tuberville facing Auburn after his infamous departure. Go back even further and you'll find Doug Dickey coaching Tennessee in a bowl game against Florida, then opening the next season as Florida's coach against Tennessee. (Fun fact: Dickey lost both.)
As USA TODAY Sports has learned, Ole Miss received more than 325 credential requests for Saturday's game, not including ESPN's "College GameDay," and approved roughly 200.
Sounds impressive. But here's the part that really matters.
For a typical ranked SEC matchup in Oxford, Ole Miss receives about 150 credential requests.
In other words, more than twice as many media members wanted access to this game as they would for a normal high-profile SEC showdown.
Which is exactly how Kiffin likes it.
Every camera will be pointed at Oxford. Every storyline will lead back to him. Every reaction, every call, every decision will be scrutinized.
The college football world will be watching.
No pressure, Kiff.
Why Week 0 could become college football's newest scheduling weapon
One of the NCAA's most significant recent decisions hasn't received nearly enough attention.
Beginning in 2027, schools across the country will be free to schedule Week 0 games without needing special exemptions, international matchups or unique circumstances.
The impact is already emerging.
As USA TODAY Sports previously reported, Willie Fritz's Houston program plans to take advantage of the new rule and open the 2027 season in Week 0.
Expect plenty of company.
"Most will play Week 0," one person familiar with Big 12 scheduling discussions told USA TODAY Sports, "in order to get two bye weeks."
In fact, many Big 12 schools are expected to move in that direction, creating more scheduling flexibility during an increasingly demanding season.
And if College Football Playoff expansion is finalized in the coming months, expect Week 0 participation to explode across the sport. Additional bye weeks would become even more valuable in a longer postseason format.
There is, however, one important caveat.
Heat concerns remain a significant obstacle, according to officials familiar with ongoing discussions, particularly across the SEC, ACC and parts of the Big 12 footprint.
The concern goes far beyond attendance figures or television windows. It centers on the health and safety of players, coaches, support staff and fans as schools navigate increasingly extreme late-summer temperatures.
Those concerns won't stop Week 0's growth. But they could influence where games are played, when they're kicked off and just how aggressively conferences embrace the new scheduling freedom.
SEC rivals wanted consequences. What they got was a statement.
After at least a half-dozen SEC schools expressed frustration to USA TODAY Sports last week over LSU's handling of players whose college eligibility had expired and who had already pursued professional opportunities. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey offered a measured response.
Through the conference's X account on Sept. 10, Sankey acknowledged discussions were taking place regarding member institutions and their conduct. The statement was brief, and for some around the league, underwhelming.
Multiple SEC officials familiar with offseason planning acknowledged schools had explored ways to position themselves to add players who otherwise appeared headed for professional football. But, in their view, LSU pushed the boundaries further than anyone else.
Some around the league expected stronger action. Fines. Suspensions. A public rebuke.
Instead, they got a statement.
As one SEC executive told USA TODAY Sports over the weekend:
"What this did was give us a glimpse into the future of Lane Kiffin and LSU. Nobody stopped him. Nobody stepped in to say no. We all prepared for this. Nobody took as far as Lane did."
Fair or not, that sentiment has become part of the conversation around LSU's aggressive roster-building approach. For some SEC rivals, the episode wasn't just about one roster move. It was about where the sport is headed, and how far certain programs are willing to push until someone finally draws a line.
Utah's speed and emerging talent drawing NFL attention
Scouts from several NFL franchises, including the Bears, Giants and Raiders, were on hand Saturday night for Arkansas' showdown with Utah.
While Arkansas edge rusher Quincy Rhodes Jr. remains a consensus early-round NFL Draft prospect, Utah featured no shortage of intriguing evaluations on both sides of the ball.
Team speed never hurts.
USA TODAY Sports has learned the Utes have multiple players who have been clocked at 21.7 mph or faster, with running back Wayshawn Parker and defensive back Braden Pegan among the fastest players on the roster.
Parker, notably, has been one of the breakout performers of the young season. Through Utah's first six quarters, he accounted for six touchdowns, splitting them evenly between rushing and receiving scores.
Another name drawing attention is offensive tackle Zereoue Williams.
After injuries limited him early in his college career, Williams has settled in at left tackle and is beginning to flash the traits NFL teams covet. At 6-8 and 305 pounds, he possesses rare size and length, making him an increasingly intriguing developmental prospect for scouts evaluating the 2027 draft class.
Between Parker's explosiveness and Williams' upside, Utah gave visiting evaluators plenty to monitor beyond the final score.
USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What we're hearing: Drew Mestemaker's NFL Draft stock, all eyes on Lane Kiffin
