There are elite players all across the landscape of college football and the Heisman Trophy award showcases some of those players. But, what about the play-makers on teams that finish the season 4-8 or 2-10?

Pro Football Focus’ Josh Liskiewitz posted an article about the top-10 players on non-contending teams heading into the 2016 season. Two of those 10 come from the Southeastern Conference.

At No. 1 and No. 2 respectively are Arizona quarterback Anu Soloman and Colorado cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. At No. 3 is Missouri defensive end Charles Harris.

“The fact, the defense gave up the third-lowest point total in the SEC last year, which is a testament to the talent level on that side of the ball,  led by DE Charles Harris,” Liskiewitz said. “Harris is carrying on the tradition of outstanding defensive linemen at Missouri, as he is one of the top players in all of college football. His overall grade last year is the fourth-highest among returning 4-3 DEs, as does his 54 total pressures.

“Last year he scored higher in pass rush productivity than former teammates and 2015 top-75 draft picks Markus Golden and Shane Ray did in 2014, and his run-stop percentage also ranked him in the top 20 in the country. Harris has all the physical tools to be one of college football’s most dominant players in 2016, regardless of whether or not Missouri is able to improve upon last year’s one conference win.”

One spot later on Liskiewitz’s list at No. 4 is Vanderbilt inside linebacker Zach Cunningham. Here’s what he had to say about the Commodores’ defensive leader:

“The defense was good enough to keep Vanderbilt in games, and while it returns strong players at all three levels, the undisputed top returnee is ILB Zach Cunningham. Largely ignored coming out of high school due to his size, Cunningham is now 6-4 and 230 lbs., and has the speed and physicality to dominate the SEC. Cunningham boasts the third-best run stop percentage among returning ILBs in FBS, and the second-highest overall grade (only San Diego State’s Calvin Munson graded higher last season). He also contributed five sacks on pass rushes, and a positive coverage grade that saw him yield just three passes of greater than 20 yards all season.

“Cunningham is certainly going to draw interest from NFL scouts this year (whether the red-shirt junior stays in school for the 2017 season of course remains to be seen), as he has the size, toughness, range and instincts to be a complete player not just at Vanderbilt, but at the next level as well.”

The entire elite player list and article can be read here.