COTTON BOWL; 8 PM ET; ESPN; #3 MICHIGAN STATE (12-1) vs. #2 ALABAMA (12-1)

COTTON BOWL; 8 PM ET; ESPN; #3 MICHIGAN STATE (12-1) vs. #2 ALABAMA (12-1)

It doesn’t get much better than this in college football: the Big Ten champ against the SEC titleholders in a true national semi-final. Indeed, about the only thing that would make this game a tad more appealing might be if defending national champion Ohio State were playing rather than the Spartans, although after beating the Buckeyes in their own house last month Michigan State fully deserves to be in Austin. Now the question can the Spartans hang with the Tide because on paper they don’t appear to be quite as talented. Indeed, win or lose in Dallas, Alabama will again be a factor at the upcoming draft as the program has had at least one player selected in the opening round in each of the past 7 years. In fact, the Tide has had at least one player taken in the top ten in 6 of those 7 years. And this year Alabama could have as many as a half dozen first-round prospects including junior DT A’Shawn Robinson, DEs Jarran Reed and junior Jonathan Allen, MLB Reggie Ragland and junior RB Derrick Henry, this year’s Heisman Trophy winner who was a one-man offense this past season as he ran for just a first-down under 2,000 yards and 23 TDs. Meanwhile, junior TE O.j. Howard should be at, or near, the top of his positional ranking this year, although for now he appears to be a more likely second-day pick. Meanwhile, other Alabama players that could get calls in the later rounds include QB Jake Coker, RB Kenyan Drake, C Ryan Kelly, OLBs Denzel Devall and Dillon Lee, and CB Cyrus Jones.

Meanwhile, no player in the national semi-finlas will be under more scrutiny from pro scouts than Michigan State QB Connor Cook, a mid-first round candidate who could move closer to this year’s top 10 if he raise the level of his mates enough to really challenge the Tide defense. Cook had a decent year in which he threw for almost 3,000 yards and had a 24-5 TD-to-INT ratio, but completed just 57of his pass attempts. Cook should be joined in this year’s opening round by rugged junior LT Jack Conklin, while DE Shilique Calhoun, who had 10.5 sacks this fall, but isn’t necessarily that athletic, has second-round potential. Also keep an eye on unheralded WR Aaron Burbridge who quietly piled up 80 receptions for over 1,200 yards this fall. He’s a mid-rounder along with C Jack Allen and DT Joel Heath.

ALABAMA MICHIGAN STATE
QB Jake Coker, #14, 6-4, 235 QB Connor Cook, #18, 6-4, 220
RB Derrick Henry, #2, 602, 245, JR WR Aaron Burbridge, #16, 6-0, 210
RB Kenyan Drake, #17, 6-1, 210 OT Jack Conklin, #74, 6-5, 325, JR
TE OJ Howard, #88, 6-5, 245, JR C Jack Allen, #66, 6-2, 300
OT Dominick Jackson, #76, 6-5, 315 DE Shilique Calhoun, #89, 6-5, 250
C Ryan Kelly, #70, 6-4, 300 DE Lawrence Thomas, #8, 6-3, 305
DE Jarran Reed, #90, 6-4, 315 DT Joel Heath, #92, 6-5, 295
DE Jonathan Allen, #93, 6-3, 275, JR OLB Darien Harris, #45, 6-0, 220
NT A’Shawn Robinson, #86, 6-3, 315, JR CB Arjen Colquhoun, #36, 6-0, 205
OLB Tim Williams, #56, 6-4, 230, JR
LB Reggie Ragland, #19, 6-2, 255
LB Denzall Devall, #30, 6-1, 255
LB Ryan Anderson, #22, 6-2, 260, JR
CB Cyrus Jones, #5, 5-10, 200
S/CB Eddie Jackson, #4, 5-11, 195, JR

http://gbnreport.com/bowl-watch/

Another QB to watch, Cook.