Georgia football fans were no doubt pondering what might have been back in January as they watched Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson turn in a tour-de-force performance in the national championship game loss to Alabama.

Watson, who passed for a stunning 405 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 73 more in the narrow 45-40 loss to the Crimson Tide, might be the top returning player in all of college football for 2016. A dazzling blend of mobility, arm strength and cool, Watson might be the No. 1 overall pick of the upcoming NFL Draft.

Perhaps most tantalizing to Dawgs fans, however, is the somber realization that Watson was raised just a stone’s throw from Athens in Gainesville, Ga., and could have easily have been the answer to the Dawgs’ quarterback problems of last fall.

Instead, he’s an early Heisman Trophy front-runner who is expected to again lead the Tigers back into the national championship equation this season, which is why the dynamic junior ranks at the top of the list of 10 Must Watch College Football Players of 2016.

The list only includes players expected to face an SEC team this year. So while Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and a few others might be great players, we will not be listing them all here.

Here’s the list of the 10 Must Watch College Football Players of 2016.

1. QB Deshaun Watson (Clemson): A first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year in 2015 after becoming the first player in major college history to pass for at least 4,000 yards and rush for more than 1,000 yards in the same season.

Watson was clearly the best player on the field in the national championship game loss to Alabama.

Jan 11, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) stiff arms Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Cyrus Jones (5) during the 2016 CFP National Championship at U. of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

For the season, Watson completed 67.8 percent of his pass attempts (333 of 491 with 13 INTs) for 4,104 yards and 35 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,105 yards and 12 more scores.

Clemson opens the season at Auburn on Sept. 3 and will close its season against rival South Carolina on Nov. 26 in the annual regular season finale for both teams.

2. RB Leonard Fournette (LSU): He was a first-team All-American in 2015 after setting school rushing records with his 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns, including 10 games of at least 100 yards rushing and four with at least 200. Fournette has great vision and is equally as capable of running over defenders as he is at running past them. LSU boasts a proud history of great running backs, but Fournette may be the best of the bunch. He’s also the SEC’s leading Heisman candidate in 2016.

3. RB Nick Chubb (Georgia): A first-team All-SEC pick in 2014 after rushing for 1,547 yards and 14 TDs, Chubb was having an exemplary sophomore season until suffering a terrible knee injury at Tennessee. He’s looked good in his recovery and his unique blend of size and speed could again rate as among the nation’s best after rounding out to his old form.

Sep 12, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) runs the ball during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Georgia won 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

4. DE Myles Garrett (Texas A&M): A pass-rushing demon who ranks as one of the most disruptive defenders in all of college football, Garrett earned first-team All-American accolades last year after pacing the SEC in sacks (12.5), tackles for loss (19.5) and forced fumbles (5). The junior figures to be a high first-round selection in the upcoming NFL Draft should he leave school early as expected.

5. WR Juju Smith-Schuster (Southern Cal): The Trojans junior ranks as one of the most electrifying players in college football after totaling a team-best 89 catches for 1,454 yards and 10 TDs last fall to earn first-team All-Pac 12 and second-team All-American honors.

Dec 30, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) cannot get to a pass as Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Darius Hillary (5) defends during the first quarter in the 2015 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Smith-Schuster boasts eight career games of 100 yards receiving, including six last year. A mix of speed and power, Smith-Schuster has proven himself to be extremely elusive after the catch as well to rank as one of the school’s all-time great receivers. USC opens the season Sept. 3 against Alabama in Arlington, Texas.

6. RB Dalvin Cook (Florida State): A first-team All-ACC and second-team All-American pick a year ago and a leading Heisman contender for 2016 after rushing for a school-record 1,691 yards and 19 TDs as a sophomore. Cook tallied six games of at least 150 yards rushing last year and two of 200 yards or better.

FSU opens the season in Orlando on Sept. 5 when it faces Ole Miss and later hosts rival Florida on Nov. 26 in the annual season finale for both teams.

7. WR Calvin Ridley (Alabama): Enjoyed a banner freshman year that saw him earn Freshman All-American and second-team All-SEC honors after totaling a team-high 89 catches for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns. A great athlete capable of making acrobatic plays, Ridley quickly proved himself a big-play threat as 17 of his catches went for 15 or more yards, while five of his seven touchdowns came on plays of 30 yards or more.

8. QB Josh Rosen (UCLA): The much-ballyhooed freshman was as good as advertised last year, starting all 13 games for the Bruins while completing 60 percent of his pass attempts for 3,688 yards and 23 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions.

Nov 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) looks to pass during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. UCLA won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

The first true freshman to start a season opener for the Bruins, Rosen passed for more than 300 yards in six games and set a number of school records — including for the consecutive passing attempts without an interception (245) — to earn Freshman All-American honors, including Freshman of the Year recognition from Sporting News.

His cool under fire and deft touch on his balls means the NFL soon beckons, but Rosen will first face a stiff challenge on Sept. 3 when UCLA opens the season at Texas A&M.

9. QB Chad Kelly (Ole Miss): The senior nephew of NFL Hall of Famer Jim Kelly is the SEC’s top returning quarterback after completing better than 65 percent of his passes for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns last season to guide the Rebels to a Sugar Bowl victory over Oklahoma State.

Kelly, a second-team All-SEC pick who also rushed for a team-high 10 scores, was the trigger man of an Ole Miss offense that set 14 school single-season records in 2015, including points (531), touchdowns (68), total offense (6,731), passing yards (4,351), passing touchdowns (35) and first downs (341).

10. DE Jonathan Allen (Alabama): A first-team All-SEC pick last year after registering 12 sacks and a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss to pace a stiff Crimson Tide defense. Now a senior, Allen passed up the NFL Draft last year and should rate as an early favorite for the Lombardi and Ted Hendricks Awards.