Momentum can be built quickly by a prospect for the following year's NFL draft.

Case in point, Thursday's primetime kickoff between the North Dakota State Bison and Colorado Buffaloes didn't just highlight CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Mr. Everything Travis Hunter. FCS quarterback Cam Miller and NDSU defensive tackle Eli Mostaert showed they can play well against a higher level of competition.

Every game is an opportunity to piece together a resume worthy of becoming a draft pick. Certain contests tend to hold more value than others during the evaluation. A good impression in a big moment against a top opponent can carry a lot of weight.

As the full slate of college football officially enters Week 1, a handful of prospects are already packed with potential. How they open their campaigns can ignite an upward trend throughout the evaluation process.

Eight prospects find themselves in a specific moment where a strong outing can elevate their profiles, starting with the weekend's biggest games as three matchups feature ranked opponents. Quarterbacks are always at the forefront, of course.

QB Miller Moss, USC

Baker Mayfield. Jalen Hurts. Spencer Rattler. Caleb Williams. USC's Miller Moss is next in line for Lincoln Riley's pipeline of future NFL quarterbacks.

Moss doesn't have the natural throwing ability of Mayfield, Hurts' athleticism or Williams' creativity. However, he has a chance to be a highly efficient and effective operator in Riley's proven offensive scheme.

"Consistently Miller was still the best and still the guy that we feel like gives this team the best chance to win and play well," Riley told reporters after announcing this year's starting quarterback. "He's built up the momentum from the bowl game and from the spring and I think is playing at a high level and has done it very consistently. I think it's his consistency every day as a player, as a leader, operating the offense, that is certainly part of what makes him the player that he is."

Moss didn't garner extensive playing time with Williams on the roster. However, he feasted during USC's appearance in this year's Holiday Bowl. The underclassman threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns.

Monday's meeting with the LSU Tigers can show the junior prospect isn't just a one-game wonder. Death Valley is a different animal during the night. The Tigers are loaded once again. The USC quarterback can make a name for himself in primetime when the lights shine the brightest.

QB Conner Weigman, Texas A&M

The wait for Conner Weigman to reach superstar status should be over this season.

Weigman entered the Texas A&M Aggies program as a 5-star recruit. The coaching staff slow-played his ascension as he started at the bottom of the depth chart. Injuries eventually led to Weigman starting four games as a true freshman.

The reins were handed over for the 2023 season. Unfortunately, a broken foot that required surgery held the sophomore signal-caller to four games.

Despite the limited playing experience through two campaigns, Weigman is often brought up as the wildcard to become an elite quarterback prospect for the '25 draft. Why? He's a 6'3", 220-pound quarterback, who can spin it and rip it to all three levels despite a truncated release. He's also a solid athlete to create outside of structure and tough when forced to deliver from a collapsing pocket.

The primary question centers on whether Weigman can show out for an entire season against premium competition. Last year, the quarterback faced New Mexico, Miami and UL-Monroe before getting injured against Auburn.

The '24 campaign starts with a bang against seventh-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which featured a top-10 defense last season. A potential upset by the Aggies with Weigman leading the way and playing well will only feed into the excitement around the quarterback.

QB Mark Gronowski, South Dakota State

Small-school prospects benefit as much as anyone during the early portions of the collegiate season. Often, schools from the lower levels open their campaigns against Power Five opponents. NFL scouts will then place a heavy emphasis on how those lower-level talents perform against top competition.

As back-to-back national champions, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits are the best at the FCS level. Quarterback Mark Gronowski has led the program throughout its recent championship run. He's also the reigning Walter Payton Award winner, as the most outstanding offensive player among what used to be known as Division 1-AA.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, multiple Big Ten and Big 12 schools recruited the quarterback.

"Growing up, one of my big dreams was playing in the Big Ten, but the grass isn't always greener on the other side," Gronowski told Thamel. "The grass is pretty friggin' green on this side of the park. It's hard to leave a place you put so much time and effort into and met so many great guys."

The quarterback has a chance to do something special at South Dakota State. Obviously, the program is trying to become the third ever to three-peat as FCS champions. He can also become the winningest quarterback at the Division I level (if you believe in such things).

Over the last two seasons, Gronowski produced 6,835 total yards and 75 touchdown. He gets to open the season against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, who are nationally ranked and among the Big 12 favorites.

WR Javin Whatley, Tennessee-Chattanooga

Explosive targets are always in fashion. Tennessee-Chattanooga's Javin Whatley will bring quickness and versatility to any offense.

"He plays inside, he plays outside, he can carry the football if I need him to carry the football," Mocs offensive coordinator Joe Pizzo said last year, per Gene Henley of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. "He can throw the football—he was a good quarterback in high school. He's a quiet kid, about his business, but he shows up every Saturday, which is a real benefit."

Whatley finished second on the squad last season with 977 receiving yards, though he led the Mocs with nine touchdown receptions and an average of 17.8 yards per catch. Last season's top target, Jamoi Mayes, is no longer on the roster.

Now, Whatley gets to serve in the featured role, where he can thrive as a potential gamebreaker. At a listed 5'10" and 167 pounds, the receiver does have a slight frame. At the same time, he thrives working out of the slot and playing with a level of toughness that belies his size.

Furthermore, the quarterback convert is a skilled kick returner. All of his skills should be on display when playing in-state big brother, aka the Tennessee Volunteers. Whatley posted four catches for 69 yards against the Alabama Crimson Tide last year. Expect better numbers this weekend.

OT Wyatt Milum, West Virginia

West Virginia offensive tackle Wyatt Milum is a strong first-round possibility with another standout season. He's a 6'6", 317-pound prospect with significant playing experience. The senior is a three-year starter—two seasons at left and one on the right. Last year, Milum received the second-highest pass-blocking grade on true pass set at the FBS level, per Pro Football Focus.

Ironically, the left tackle's position coach identified his pass protection as an area of improvement.

"The next step for Wyatt is just being an elite pass protector off the edge. That's something he's got to continue to work on really taken his game to the next level," Matt Moore told Wesley Shoemaker of WVSports.

"When you got a player like Wyatt, you got to find ways to coach them because they're really, really, good at what they do, they work really hard, they're older. It's just like if you're a teacher in the classroom and you got some really gifted students and students that struggle, you have to teach them all. That's what we've really worked hard at is having things for Wyatt to work on to get him to be that elite pass protector on third and long off the edge."

The second-team All-Big 12 performer will be immediately tested by Penn State's dynamic edge-defenders, Abdul Hodge and Dani Dennis-Sutton. Saturday's meeting is a proving ground for both sides.

DL Bear Alexander, USC

USC defensive lineman Bear Alexander must go from being a big name to a big-time performer.

A year ago, the 6'3", 315-pound underclassman was one of the nation's most sought-after transfers. He landed with the Trojans after one season with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Expectations were high. Alexander played well, but he wasn't the consistent difference-maker many projected.

"Whether it's effort all the time, whether it's being in the correct gap, playing blocks the way we want to play them and aligning correctly," USC head coach Lincoln Riley said when asked where Alexander needs to improve, per Luca Evans of the Orange County Register. "I feel like all those little things where you step up from being a guy that flashes to a guy what I'd truly term—a great player."

Alexander isn't even entering this season as a defined started. Instead, Riley mentioned how he missed spring practice and some of fall camp. But he's trending upward now that he's back on the field and learning USC's new defensive scheme.

He'll need to show more against LSU, which features one of the nation's best offensive lines. While Alexander won't necessarily line up directly opposite the Tigers' standout offensive tackles, Will Campbell and Emery Jones, a disruptive evening in Death Valley will go a long way to proving he doesn't have a long ways to go.

Edge Mykel Williams, Georgia

Of those listed, Georgia's Mykel Williams is less about external factors and far more about what he does for himself.

The Bulldogs are matched up Saturday against another nationally ranked team in the Clemson Tigers. Furthermore, Williams will likely get some reps against Clemson's standout right tackle Blake Miller.

However, the defender's performance is more about how Williams transitions to a full-time role on the edge than the circumstances in which he's placed. Everyone wants to play well against good competition. Williams is likely to do an outstanding job against the run, with the kid of explosivity and power to make NFL scouts drool.

The question is whether he can be a dangerous professional pass-rusher when bending the corner and making life miserable on offensive tackles.

Prior to this season, Williams was featured heavily in a 4i (inside shoulder of the tackle) role. But his physical traits scream elite edge-defender. He's now in that role and the weekend's contest is his first test while every evaluator waits and watches.

Williams is already an NFL-caliber run stopper. The 6'5", 265-pound defender uses his length and power quite well. He's not necessarily as explosive or comfortable when asked to harass opposing quarterback. If the latter changes, Williams won't just be in the first-round mix; he may work himself into No. 1 overall consideration.

Edge Nic Scourton, Texas A&M

Nick Scourton did it in the Big Ten Conference. Let's see how he performs after joining an SEC program.

Scourton earned second-team All-Big Ten honors after posting 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks as a sophomore with the Purdue Boilermakers. He's now with the Texas A&M Aggies, where he'll immediately face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The 6'4", 285-pound junior is one of the nation's best all-around defensive linemen.

"His 21.3 percent pass-rush win rate in 2023 ranked ninth among all edge defenders," Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick wrote, "and his 25 run-defense stops tied for third in the Power Five."

The most impressive aspect of Scourton's game is his polish as a pass-rusher despite just turning 20 years old last week. He'll flash a variety of moves in an attempt to keep an offensive tackle off balance. His spin move can be particularly wicked for a man of his size.

Notre Dame's offensive line is always tough, though. The unit may not be quite as good this season after losing left tackle Joe Alt and right tackle Blake Fisher to the NFL. But the program knows how to recruit and develop the position. Scourton can take full advantage of the group as it transitions at offensive tackle.

Then, the transfer can ready himself for SEC play, which starts in two weeks for Texas A&M.