In an effort to track the SEC’s best running backs, we’ll release a running top 10 each Monday. The criteria will involve a mix of talent, recent past performance, 2015 production and outlook.

After Week 9, here are the SEC’s 10 best running backs.

10. Sony Michel, Georgia: Granted, he’s faced tough defenses in Missouri and Florida. But in Michel’s last two games, he hasn’t managed to rush for 3.4 yards per carry. As the Bulldogs’ passing game has transformed from near-flawless (Greyson Lambert’s single-game NCAA record for completion percentage) to total disarray (Faton Bauta running a pro-style offense), defenses have been able to load up against the run and dare UGA to throw. That didn’t work against a healthy Todd Gurley or Nick Chubb, but clearly Michel isn’t that caliber. He’s still good, but is in a tier with lots of other SEC backs right now.

This Week: 13 carries, 45 yards; 2 receptions, 19 yards
Season: 102 carries, 553 yards, 4 touchdowns; 18 receptions, 2016 yards, 3 touchdowns

9. Stanley “Boom” Williams, Kentucky: He suffered what looked to be a significant elbow injury Saturday against Tennessee, but reports out of Lexington on Monday seemed optimistic. He’s officially week-to-week, though UK removed him from its latest depth chart. Williams is averaging 6.6 yards per carry, identical to his 2014 efficiency, while getting a few additional carries. His production as a receiver has fallen off, for whatever reason. But, when healthy and getting touches, he’s one of the SEC’s best at the position.

This Week: 4 carries, 12 yards; 1 reception, minus-1 yard
Season: 159 carries, 1,049 yards, 8 touchdowns

8. Kelvin Taylor, Florida: Taylor wishes he could play against Georgia’s defense every week. He’s now reached double-digit touchdowns as a very good goal-line back. He’s playing behind a patchwork offensive line, so that has to be considered. And he has rushed for at least 99 yards in three of the last five games. His overall average of 3.8 yards per carry is weak, or else he’d be higher on the list.

This Week: 25 carries, 121 yards, 2 touchdowns
Season: 154 carries, 584 yards, 10 touchdowns; 12 receptions, 105 yards

7. Jaylen Walton, Ole Miss: I know the Rebels have plenty of high-end receiving targets. But I don’t understand why Hugh Freeze hasn’t gotten Walton the ball more in the open field as a receiver, as good as Walton is in that role. Still, it’s impressive that any player listed at 178 pounds, playing in the SEC on a pretty solid offense, has reached 100 carries for a third consecutive season. He’s topped 20 carries in three games and averages a commendable 5.1 yards per carry.

This Week: 20 carries, 78 yards; 3 receptions, 47 yards
Season: 100 carries, 506 yards, 3 touchdowns; 14 receptions, 116 yards

6. Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt: The Commodores offense has a tendency to make players like Webb look bad, or at least worse than what they are in a vacuum. But you have to figure that most SEC teams would love it if Webb were a part of their backfield. The only offensive option able to accomplish much at all against Houston, Webb fell one rushing yard shy of his second 100-yard game. He now has rushed for 90, 99, 99 and 155 yards in four of his last five outings and remains one of the most productive pass-catching running backs in the conference.

This Week: 26 carries, 99 yards; 1 reception, 3 yards
Season: 176 carries, 693 yards, 4 touchdowns; 21 receptions, 175 yards, 2 touchdowns

5. Peyton Barber, Auburn: To give you an indication of just how steep the drop-off is from the top three running backs in the SEC to everyone else, Barber got upstaged by Jovon Robinson on Saturday, a talented JUCO transfer with just four FBS carries to his credit before Saturday. Granted, Barber hardly practiced last week and “wasn’t quite himself” on Saturday, according to Auburn offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee. But Barber hasn’t averaged more than 3.5 yards per carry in a game since Oct. 3 against San Jose State.

This Week: 8 carries, 17 yards
Season: 180 carries, 787 yards, 12 touchdowns; 6 receptions, 70 yards

4. Jalen Hurd, Tennessee: He did not exactly explode against a vulnerable Kentucky defense, though he did score two touchdowns. Still, Hurd enters November with an excellent opportunity to reach the 1,000-yard plateau and remains Tennessee’s clear No. 1 back, a steady offensive asset. If he only ran behind, say, LSU’s offensive line, he’d be threatening that number already. Tennessee’s schedule gets easier in the latter part of the season, so I expect Hurd to produce some nice games.

This Week: 18 carries, 61 yards, 1 touchdown; 1 reception, 37 yards, 1 touchdown
Season: 162 carries, 725 yards, 9 touchdowns; 10 receptions, 122 yards, 2 touchdowns

3. Alex Collins, Arkansas: Collins’ post-Sepetmber woes are a thing of the past, which should endear him to NFL scouts. Collins has spent plenty of time in Bret Bielema’s doghouse. He’s far from alone in that regard. Early in his career, though, the public narrative indicated he’s occasionally unfocused and not in ideal shape. That matches up with the fact that he failed to top 100 yards rushing in a game past September in 2013 or 2014. This year, though, he is as strong as ever entering November. That’s vital for a Razorbacks backfield that has thinned considerably.

This Week: 16 carries, 173 yards, 5 touchdowns; 1 reception, minus-6 yards
Season: 166 carries, 960 yards, 12 touchdowns; 8 receptions, 55 yards

2. Derrick Henry, Alabama: Don’t look now, but Henry’s numbers actually compare favorably to the ones that Mark Ingram produced in 2009, a season in which he won the Tide’s first Heisman Trophy. A productive game in a huge spotlight with Leonard Fournette on the other sideline — even better, in a win — would elevate his standing nationally and erase some of the margin that exists right now between him and Fournette.

This Week: Bye
Season: 180 carries, 1,044 yards, 14 touchdowns; 8 receptions, 69 yards

1. Leonard Fournette, LSU: Is there a better player-on-unit matchup in the SEC this season than Fournette against Alabama’s run defense? The Tide allow just 78.5 rushing yards per game, third in the nation. Only Michigan and Boston College top that figure. Meanwhile, Fournette’s 193.1 rushing yards per game are No. 1 in the nation by a ridiculous margin. Florida State’s Dalvin Cook is second at 148.1.

This Week: Bye
Season: 176 carries, 1,352 yards, 15 touchdowns; 7 receptions, 127 yards