These players will be challenged Saturday because of the matchups, game plans or situations they face.
How they perform will likely be a big factor in their team's success or failure. And while it's likely the last thing on the the players' minds, NFL evaluators are eager to see how these future pros handle these tough moments.
So no matter what lens you're looking through, these are some of the key players to watch in many of the top college football games this weekend.
Jared Goff, QB, California Golden Bears
You have to think Goff has had this weekend's game against Stanford circled on his calendar all season. Goff threw for just 182 yards against the Cardinal in 2014, his lowest total in the last two seasons. No one is mistaking this Stanford defense (50th in Total QBR allowed) for last year's unit (eighth), but Goff is going to have to keep pace with a Cardinal attack that averages 37 points per game. Another good performance from Goff -- he had 453 yards and 6 TDs against Oregon State last week -- would go a long way toward reassuring NFL scouts that the QB's midseason slump was merely a bump in the road.