• Mississippi senior DE Greg Hardy will be sidelined the remainder of the season after a left wrist injury he suffered earlier in the season was re-aggravated last week against Northern Arizona, with X-rays revealing a fracture. The injury-prone senior, who was also slowed by a stress fracture in his foot early in the season, finishes his career with 26½ sacks. He has been used most in passing situations as a senior. Hardy possesses unique pass-rush skills, but with a quirky personality that has opened questions about his overall character and dependability topped with more injury questions, his draft stock could plummet considerably. That said, some team will still likely take a shot in the middle rounds because of his pass-rush ability.

• Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson bounced around the NFL, having his greatest success in Denver when the Broncos won two Super Bowls on the merit's of Mike Shanahan triple-threat offense featuring John Elway, Terrell Davis and Shannon Sharpe, before leaving the pro game to take the head-coaching position at Syracuse. Wherever Robinson has been, he has struggled to stay for long, and his three seasons of double-digit losses at Syracuse marked a new low in the program. The Wolverines have been able to produce plenty of points this season in Rich Rodriquez's wide-open offense, but the program will remain muddled in mediocrity as long as Robinson is calling the defense. Rodriquez' inability to bolster the defensive side of the ball could be his undoing if he does not get it corrected, with some of its best players — junior CB Donovan Warren and junior MLB Obi Ezeh — regressing under Robinson. 

• Bowling Green senior WR Freddie Barnes, who leads the nation with 1,176 yards on 107 receptions, stole the show again in the Falcons' last game on Nov. 3 with a game-winning TD catch in the back of the endzone in the waning seconds vs. Buffalo.  Although featured primarily on underneath routes and crossers, the slightly built Barnes did flash the short-area quickness to defeat press coverage and show he could get behind Buffalo's defensive backs. He will have to run better than the 4.87 he clocked in the 40 in the spring to warrant being drafted, but he does play faster than his timed speed and is the type of prospect who will find a way to stick on a roster as an undrafted free agent. All he seems to do is produce. 

• Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly has settled on sophomore revelation QB Zach Collaros for Friday night's matchup vs. West Virginia, although senior Tony Pike has been cleared to play since undergoing surgery on his left forearm. Pike led the Bearcats to wins in his first five starts, and demonstrated impressive anticipation on his throws, downfield touch and accuracy on the run, but the senior still has to prove that his slender frame is not prone to injury and that his production is more a function of ability than Kelly's simplified, pass-happy spread attack.

• Georgia Tech junior DE Derrick Morgan continued his assault on ACC quarterbacks with a three-sack effort vs. Wake Forest — his second such feat this season (he had three sacks vs. Clemson). Morgan showcased his scheme flexibility, notching sacks with both his hand in the ground and standing up, demonstrating the latter with a game-clinching sack on 3rd-and-7, in which Morgan absolutely bulldozed the Demon Deacons' running back in pass protection.

• Clemson senior WR Jacoby Ford took a definitive step back vs. Florida State after dropping a pair of very catchable balls. The initial drop came in the first quarter, when the track star was able to create separation on a whip route, but let a dart slide right through his hands. In the third quarter, Ford botched an easier toss near the goal line, and would have easily strolled into the endzone. Later in the third quarter, Ford was seen on the sideline receiving an earful from head coach Dabo Swinney, presumably for a miscue in which the Tigers were unable to convert on third down. Ford's football intelligence and ability to consistently catch the ball will be heavily weighed against his blazing speed in draft discussions.

• Plagued by injuries through most of his career, Oklahoma senior DE Auston English will again have to answer questions about his durability after suffering a season-ending ankle tendon injury for which he was scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday. The Sooners also lost senior Brody Eldridge — who has started at center, guard and tight end this season — to a neck injury. Eldridge projects best as a tight end in the pros.

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