In case you missed it, last week I explained why the SEC has a much better chance to win the Doak Walker Award than the Heisman Trophy.

It could be the year of the running back in the SEC. And nationally, for that matter. Fifty-six FBS players rushed for at least 100 yards during the first week of the college football season, while just 22 quarterbacks threw for at least 300 yards and 41 receivers topped the century mark.

If Todd Gurley stays healthy (not a given) and continues to run like he did against Clemson (a near-certainty), he’ll at least garner Heisman attention and votes.

RELATED: Todd Gurley for Heisman — Week 1 Highlights vs. Clemson

Gurley needed just 15 carries to rush for 198 yards and three touchdowns against a defense that was supposed to be one of the better units in the country. Oh, and he added a 100-yard kickoff return for good measure.

Meanwhile, Mike Davis rushed for just 15 yards on six carries in Texas A&M’s shaming of South Carolina on Thursday evening. Davis “is sort of doubtful” for Saturday’s game against East Carolina.

T.J. Yeldon (126 rushing yards) and Derrick Henry (113) proved there may be enough touches in the Alabama backfield to keep both players at the top of the SEC rushing chart. Henry represents stiff competition, but for now, Nick Saban trusts Yeldon (23 carries, two touchdowns) a little more than Henry (17 carries, one touchdown).

Cameron Artis-Payne, not on the 55-player watch list for the award, ran for 177 yards against Arkansas. Russell Hansbrough (Missouri), Braylon Heard (Kentucky) and Kenny Hilliard (LSU) also topped 100 rushing yards.

Here are my weekly Top 10 rankings for the Doak Walker Award.

Player Buzz Previous Rank
1. Todd Gurley, Georgia Perhaps the SEC’s best player in 2014, Gurley may be thinking bigger than the Doak Walker Award. 1
2. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin He torched LSU early and appeared poised to duplicate Gurley, but got only two fourth-quarter carries. 2
3. T.J. Yeldon, Alabama The biggest number for Yeldon: Zero fumbles. 3
4. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska The nation’s leading returning rusher shredded FAU for 232 yards. Now the Owls get Bama. 4
5. Shock Linwood, Baylor The Bears’ offense looks ready to smash all expectations again, and Linwood is a centerpiece. 10
6. James Connor, Pitt Narrowly missed my initial rankings. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound back put up 153 yards and four TDs. —
7. Duke Johnson, Miami Johnson looked no worse for wear after suffering a nasty broken ankle last season against FSU. 7
8. Tevin Coleman, Indiana Granted, it was against Indiana State, but Coleman ran for 247 yards Saturday. —
9. Byron Marshall, Oregon He pulled a DeSean Jackson, but 228 yards of total offense and two touchdowns make up for that. —
10. Aaron Jones, UTEP Jones stuck it to New Mexico, which he feels like misled him during the recruiting process. —

Dropped Out: Mike Davis, South Carolina (No. 5); Jeremy Langford, Michigan State (No. 6); Thomas Tyner, Oregon (No. 8); Malcolm Brown, Texas (No. 9).

Langford rushed for 57 yards against Jacksonville State, but suffered a leg injury. He told reporters he’ll be 100 percent for next week’s game against Oregon.

Speaking of Oregon, I dropped Tyner (11 carries, 64 yards) because the Ducks appear set to ration the backfield touches. Marshall (eight carries, 90 yards) and Royce Freeman (10 carries, 75 yards) will limit his numbers.

Similarly, Brown rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns, but teammate Johnathan Gray ran for 82 yards on the same number of carries.