Scout projects Shaq Thompson as first- or second-rounder

If the latest word in the NFL scouting community about Washington twoway standout Shaq Thompson is on target, the junior can be prepared to learn his name early in the NFL draft.

The question is, how early?

Thompson jobs as a first- or second-round draft pick if he decides to leave UW following the season and enter the 2015 NFL Draft as an underclassman, an NFL scout told Sports Illustrated.

» Scout’s Take: Thompson will gain from two way skill

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Scout projects Shaq Thompson as first- or second-rounder

Eleven things you should learn from Week 9 in college football

proceed and mark Ameer Abdullah down as the largest non-quarterback risk to win the Heisman Trophy.

only at that point, the Nebraska running back has to move ahead of Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, Alabama’s Amari Cooper, and anyone else who does not throw the ball in his play for the top individual honor in college football. On Saturday, Rutgers’ defense was more of a witness than the usual opposition to Abdullah’s latest exploits, enabling the Cornhuskers senior 225 yards and three touchdowns in the floor as well as a school-record 341 all-purpose yards as Nebraska improved to 7-1, 42-24.

» Can Not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 9 in CFB

With five games remaining, including a bowl, a 2,000-yard season is not out of reach for Abdullah.

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Eleven things you should learn from Week 9 in college football

Five things you should learn from Week 9 in college football

proceed and mark Ameer Abdullah down as the largest non-quarterback risk to win the Heisman Trophy.

only at that point, the Nebraska running back has to move ahead of Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, Alabama’s Amari Cooper, and anyone else who does not throw the ball in his play for the top individual honor in college football. On Saturday, Rutgers’ defense was more of a witness than the usual opposition to Abdullah’s latest exploits, enabling the Cornhuskers senior 225 yards and three touchdowns in the floor as well as a school-record 341 all-purpose yards as Nebraska improved to 7-1.

» Can Not-miss Minutes: Top plays of Week 9 in CFB

With five games remaining, including a bowl, a 2,000-yard season is not out of reach for Abdullah.

Read more from original source

Five things you should learn from Week 9 in college football

Buffalo"s Jeff Quinn fired despite signing extension in 2013

Technically we’re not even at the midpoint of October and already there are four schools looking for new coaches.

Buffalo fired Jeff Quinn — who had received a five-year contract extension in January 2013 — on Monday night, creating the latest opening. Kansas, SMU and Troy already had vacancies.

Offensive coordinator Alex Wood — who has been an NFL assistant with the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings — was named interim coach. Buffalo is off this week.

Quinn was in his fifth season with the Bulls and owned a 20-36 record, including a 3-4 mark this season. He guided Buffalo to an 8-5 record last season — just the school’s second winning record since 1996 — which included an Idaho Potato Bowl loss to San Diego State. That Bulls team featured outside linebacker Khalil Mack, who was the No. 5 overall pick of the Oakland Raiders, and tailback Branden Oliver, who made the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent and ran for 101 yards Sunday in a victory over the Oakland Raiders.

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Buffalo"s Jeff Quinn fired despite signing extension in 2013

Vernon Adams could be next in line of small-school NFL QBs

It’s well established that a quarterback doesn’t need to be from a major college program to find success in the NFL.

The list of QBs that rose from outside college football’s power conferences — or even Division I in some cases — within the past decade or so includes Joe Flacco (Delaware), Colin Kaepernick (Nevada), Ben Roethlisberger (Miami Ohio) and Tony Romo (Eastern Illinois). The latest signal-caller trying to follow their lead is New England Patriots rookie Jimmy Garoppolo (Eastern Illinois), a second-round pick earlier this year who threw his first career touchdown pass Monday night in relief of Tom Brady.

Who could be next in the pipeline from the less-heralded ranks?

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Vernon Adams could be next in line of small-school NFL QBs

Jim Kelly to be honored at Miami as Grand Marshal

Jim Kelly is so closely associated with the Buffalo Bills franchise that one has to be of a certain age to remember his days of gridiron glory down at Miami.

Well, one can prepare to relive those illustrious Hurricanes teams of the early 1980s after the school announced on Wednesday that the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and recent cancer survivor would be the Homecoming Grand Marshal and serve as an honorary captain the week of the North Carolina at Miami game.

"The University of Miami was and remains an important part of my life," Kelly said in a release. "My family and I are honored and we look forward to being Grand Marshal of the Homecoming Parade and Honorary Captain for the Homecoming game."

Kelly was diagnosed with cancer back in 2013 and later had part of his jaw removed. He underwent aggressive chemotherapy and said in early September that he was finally cancer free.

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Jim Kelly to be honored at Miami as Grand Marshal

College Football 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings: Week 5

Aside from Mississippi State, which had an impressive success at LSU, there was not lots of upward motion in the latest CFB 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings. Nevertheless, things are beginning to get very interesting in the top 10 as merely nine points separate first and fourth position, and only 32 between first and seventh.

Points: 169 (5 first place votes) W-L: 3-0 Previous rank: 1

The lanky: No Jameis Winston, no issue? Well, not actually. FSU needed to work overtime, but the Seminoles got the win over Clemson. The remaining ACC looks like easy pickings the remaining way.

Staying schedule: Saturday, Sept. 27 — at N.C. State; Saturday, Oct. 4 — vs. Wake Forest; Saturday, Oct. 11 — at Syracuse; Saturday, Oct. 18 — vs. Notre Dame; Thursday, Oct. 30 — at Louisville; Saturday, Nov. 8 — vs. Virginia; Saturday, Nov. 15 — at Miami (Fla.); Saturday, Nov. 22 — vs. Boston College; Saturday, Nov. 29 — vs. Florida

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College Football 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings: Week 5