Every week here at Blogging The Boys, we’ll spotlight the biggest college matchups and the players who could soon wear the Star. If you want to get a jump on who might help America’s Team in the years
to come, this is your weekly college football guide. (For teams previously covered in other weeks, we move down the depth chart, giving you more insight on other draft candidates)
GAME OF THE WEEK
It’s back to Death Valley for this week’s BTB Game of The Week, as number three Texas A&M storms in to take on old rivals, the number 20 LSU Tigers. Expect A&M’s front to hunt negative plays while the Tigers lean on home-crowd atmosphere, red-zone efficiency, and a defense trying to steal possessions. Third-down communication and turnovers will be key in a game oddsmakers frame as tight. Prediction for this game, Texas A&M 27, LSU 20.
Game Overview
- Matchup: Texas A&M (3) vs. LSU (20)
- October 25th, at Tiger Stadium
- Kickoff time: 7:30 p.m (EST)
- Texas A&M favored by 4 points
- Texas A&M moved to third in the AP Poll, a ranking they haven’t achieved since 1975
Player Watch
Texas A&M
Will Lee, CB
Will Lee III looks like a classic Cowboys boundary corner. He’s a long, confident press corner who stops releases at the line. He mirrors without panic, and fights through the catch point. The Kansas State transfer brought real production to College Station with 10 pass breakups and 42 tackles in 2024, plus a 93-yard pick-six. The good news is he’s kept pace early in 2025 with 32 tackles and four PBUs through six games. The issues are with is long speed, it’s good not great, and if the first jam misses he can be stressed by pure burners. He profiles as a CB2 with CB1 potential who fits man coverage defenses and keeps the deep ball from turning into easy receptions. That’s exactly the type Dallas fans circle on Day 2.
Chase Bisontis, OG
Bisontis looks like the kind of interior tone-setter Cowboys fans love on the second day of the draft. He’s a 6’5”, 315 physical specimen who moved from tackle to left guard and started 10 games while powering an Aggies run game that sat 26th nationally and second in the SEC in 2024. He plays with heavy hands, sturdy anchor, and enough athletic pop to pull and erase second-level targets. Project him as a plug-and-play guard in the NFL who wins with leverage and violence rather than flash.
LSU:
Patrick Payton, DE
Payton looks the part at 6’6”, 255 with vine-length arms and a long-arm stab that dents pockets. His LSU start has been steady if not splashy so far after transferring from Florida State and has 18 tackles with one sack. The growing points are when the offensive tackles sit on his power, the rush can stall, so trimming the pad level and firing a quicker counter will turn more pressures into finishes. Clean up those details and you’re talking about a third-down closer who pries open the corner on one snap and chokes off the run the next. Cowboys will be looking for pass rushers in next year’s draft so keep an eye on guys Payton.
Texas (22) vs. Mississippi State
Texas heads to Starkville for a Week 9 matchup at Davis Wade with a ranked Longhorns side trying to keep pace in the league race, and Mississippi State hunting a statement in front of the home crowd. This is primed to be a field-position grind wrapped in excitement and great atmosphere. Texas needs a clean operation on third down, protection for Arch Manning, and a steady run game to mute the cowbells. While Mississippi State’s path will be based on timely explosive plays and upfront protection that holds up long enough to take deep shots. Books lean burnt orange, so turnovers and third-down nerves loom large in a game likely decided late. Score prediction time, let’s go Texas 28, Mississippi State 21.
Game Overview
- Matchup: Texas (22) vs. Mississippi State
- October 25th, at Davis Wade Stadium
- Kickoff time: 4:15 p.m (EST)
- Texas favored by 7 points
- Texas squeaked a win last week against Kentucky in overtime, hopefully this game doesn’t stay as close for Longhorns fans.
Player Watch
Texas:
Derek Williams Jr, S
Williams Jr. plays with a center fielder’s mind frame. He has a big frame, quick trigger, and clean finishes that let the Horns rotate late without panic. He’s still ramping after last year’s knee issue, but the flashes have been there. He’s a downhill thump, clear communicator, and has enough range to erase the alley or close on crossers. The growth points are straightforward, he needs to play with better pursuit angles and more on-ball production at the catch point.
Mississippi State:
Isaac Smith, S
Smith looks like the modern safety. He’s rangy, assignment-sound, and sudden to the ball. Mississippi State toggles him between high safety and nickel defensive back, and he handles the traffic with quick feet, clean angles when he’s on time, and a knack for arriving with enough pop to finish. The growth areas are again with pursuit angles and he needs to add a little extra bite at the catch point so big receivers don’t bully him through contested catches. Other than that, Smith is a coverage chameleon who lets the Bulldogs call disguises without springing leaks, and still fits the run like a linebacker.
BYU (11) vs. Iowa State
Game Overview
- Matchup: BYU (11) vs. Iowa State
- October 25, at Jack Trice Stadium
- Kickoff Time: 3:30 p.m. (EST)
- Iowa State favored by 2.5 points
Player Watch
BYU:
Chase Roberts, WR
At 6’4”, 210 pounds, Roberts is BYU’s boundary dominator. He had great ability to lift quarterbacks out of tight spots with a big catch radius, back-shoulder timing, and smooth body control. The production matches the tape with 24 receptions, 463 receiving yards and four touchdowns, including an 85-yard score and a 161-yard night against West Virginia. He’s more about positioning than he is about playing with a sudden twitch, so beating long press corners hinges on learning a deeper release toolbox, and he needs to add a little more YAC ability.
Iowa State:
Dylan Barrett, OG
Barrett looks like an NFL interior linemen, he has ideal size and strength. He’s a Wisconsin transfer and brings versatility, mass, and a steady communicator temperament. He logged starts at guard for the Cyclones last year before an injury, then opened 2025 as the emergency left guard when the depth chart shuffled, that’s good evidence the staff trusts his football IQ. On tape he wins with leverage, good hands, and enough range to pull and climb, though pad level and strike timing can drift and his recovery footspeed still needs work.
Notable Games
Syracuse vs Georgia Tech
Ole Miss vs Oklahoma
Kansas State vs Kansas
Auburn vs Arkansas
Missouri vs Vanderbilt
Illinois vs Washington
Alabama vs South Carolina
Baylor vs Cincinnati
Michigan vs Michigan State
