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Dynamic running backs and hard-hitting linebackers highlight Nos. 30-21 on our list of the 50 best players in the SEC this season. The matchups make for some potential heavyweight headbutts between several rivals, including Georgia-Tennessee and Arkansas-LSU.

Here’s a look at the top players in the SEC, Nos. 30-21:

No. 30: Russell Hansbrough, Missouri

Position: RB
Size: 5-foot-9, 195 pounds
Year: Senior

Intriguing Matchup: vs. Florida, Oct. 10; Hansbrough is a tough and speedy back who will need every bit of both attributes to survive the Gators run defense, which could be among the best in the SEC East, thanks to DL Jonathan Bullard and the pending health of Antonio Morrison’s knee.

Why Hansbrough: If Missouri wants to earn a third straight SEC East title, it will need to rely on a heavy dose of Russell Hansbrough. With the Tigers’ receiving corps replacing four of its top five pass-catchers from last season, the fast and physical Hansbrough should see plenty of carries in Josh Henson’s up-tempo spread offense. The senior scored 8 touchdowns and rushed for 1,084 yards in 2014, good enough to place him sixth overall in the conference. With an experienced offensive line led by Evan Boehm and Connor McGovern, Hansbrough stands to have big season. He needs a special kind of year (2,285 yards) to catch Brad Smith atop the Tigers’ all-time rushing leaderboard, but 1,153 yards will land him runner-up to Smith on the list.

No. 29: Kentrell Brothers, Missouri

Position: LB
Size: 6-foot-1, 235 pounds
Year: Senior

Intriguing Matchup: at Georgia, Oct. 17; The Bulldogs are going to throw a slew of running backs Brothers’ way, most dangerous among them Nick Chubb, who could flirt with 2,000 yards this season.

Why Brothers: Brothers is a tackling machine. The senior is the SEC’s leading returning tackler (103 tackles). Brothers is the lone returner from a trio of Tiger pass-rushers, including Shane Ray and Markus Golden, that finished in the top four in the conference in tackles-for-loss in 2014. The trio racked up a staggering 53.5 TFL — 17.0 of them belonging to Brothers. New defensive coordinator Barry Odom will stay with the Tigers’ iconic 4-3 system, which should benefit Brothers during his senior campaign.

No. 28: Curt Maggitt, Tennessee

Position: DE/LB
Size: 6-foot-3, 246 pounds
Year: Senior

Intriguing Matchup: at Alabama, Oct. 24; Maggitt goes up against an Alabama offensive line that yielded an SEC-low 11 sacks during the regular season.

Why Maggitt: Curt Maggitt played himself out of a full-time defensive end role this summer by being, well, still too dominant at strongside linebacker. Instead of moving to defensive end permanently, as originally planned, Maggitt will switch between linebacker and defensive end in nickel and base packages. Wherever he’s lining up, it’s bad news for quarterbacks — especially when you throw teammate DE Derek Barnett into the action. The tandem combined for 21 sacks (11 by Maggitt) last season, third-best in the nation. Of the leading returning sack masters in the SEC, only Georgia’s Jordan Jenkins enters this season with more career sacks (15.0 to 13.5) and tackles-for-loss (29.5 to 25.5).

No. 27: Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

Position: QB
Size: 6-foot-3; 212 pounds
Year: Junior

Intriguing Matchup: at Florida, Sept. 26; The SEC schedule doesn’t allow Joshua Dobbs to ease in, throwing DBs Vernon Hargreaves III, Marcus Maye and the Florida Gators’ staunch secondary at the junior in the conference opener. Luckily for Dobbs, he’s also adept on his feet (658 career rushing yards and 9 career rushing touchdowns).

Why Dobbs: Despite being the eighth true freshman in Tennessee history to start at quarterback, Dobbs found himself on the bench to start his sophomore year in 2014. After getting the call in Week 7 to replace Nathan Peterman (who replaced Justin Worley), Dobbs wrested the starting role for good after throwing for 1,206 yards and 9 touchdowns in just six games. The Vols went 4-1 with Dobbs as the starter, including his MVP performance in the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl. Making Dobbs’ life easier is an experienced group of upper classmen receivers in Pig Howard, Marquez North and Von Pearson.

No. 26: Jonathan Jones, Auburn

Position: CB
Size: 5-foot-10, 181 pounds
Year: Senior

Intriguing Matchup: vs. Mississippi State; Sept. 26; Jonathan Jones gets a chance to put a kink in Dak Prescott’s potential Heisman Trophy bid.

Why Jones: Jonathan Jones was already an outstanding cornerback entering his senior year. Now that Will Muschamp is in town as Auburn’s new defensive coordinator, Jones most certainly could see his game taken to an even higher level. Which would be impressive considering that Jones’ six interceptions in 2014 were second to only Ole Miss’ Senquez Golson in the SEC last year — and ninth overall nationally.

No. 25: Pharoh Cooper, South Carolina

Position: WR
Size: 5-foot-11, 207 pounds
Year: Junior

Intriguing Matchup: at Tennessee, Nov. 7; Cooper lines up across the likes of stellar Tennessee DBs Cam Sutton and Brian Randolph. Cooper torched the Volunteers last season with 233 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.

Why Cooper: You’d think it’d be difficult for Pharoh Cooper to improve upon his 2014 season, especially with the Gamecocks breaking in a new quarterback. But the exciting thing about the junior is that you never know what’s coming next from him. Cooper hasn’t done a little bit of everything at South Carolina, he’s done a lot of everything. In 24 games, Cooper has amassed an impressive stat sheet that reads: 1,190 receiving yards, 402 rushing yards, 107 passing yards, 359 kick return yards, 115 punt-return yards, and 3 passing touchdowns. In fact, Cooper has more career touchdown throws and yards than all four quarterbacks competing for the Gamecocks’ starting role this summer.

No. 24: Carl Lawson, Auburn

Position: DE
Size: 6-foot-2, 257 pounds
Year: Sophomore

Intriguing Matchup: vs. Georgia, Nov. 14; Lawson goes up against Georgia running back Nick Chubb in a battle of heavyweights. The late-season game could potentially make or break either squad as they each make a final push to win their respective divisions.

Why Lawson: Carl Lawson’s monster career is back on track after an ACL injury sidelined him for the entire 2014 season. As a freshman in 2013, Lawson averaged a tackle-for-loss just about every third takedown. He finished his freshman campaign with 7.5 TFL, 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Reports say Lawson’s knees are fine and ready to chase down SEC quarterbacks. That’s great news for an Auburn pass defense that finished No. 70 in the nation, yielding 230.1 yards per game in his absence.

No. 23: Jonathan Williams, Arkansas

Position: RB
Size: 6-foot, 233 pounds
Year: Senior

Intriguing Matchup: at LSU, Nov. 14; The Tigers have some depth issues replacing Danielle Hunter, but they have a big, young line that’s rapidly improving.

Why Williams: Arkansas had one of the most potent rushing attacks in the country in 2014 with the duo of Williams and Alex Collins. Together, the tandem combined to each score more than 10 touchdowns becoming the first Razorbacks running back duo to do that since Darren McFadden and Felix Jones accomplished the feat in 2007. Running behind an experienced offensive line only behooves the only two teammates last season to both rush for more than 1,000 yards. Williams, Arkansas’ 10th all-time leading rusher, finished fourth in the SEC in rushing (1,190 yards). He passed up a chance to enter the NFL draft to return to Fayetteville.

No. 22: Kyle Allen, Texas A&M

Position: QB
Size: 6-foot-3, 210 pounds
Year: Sophomore

Intriguing Matchup: at LSU, Nov. 28; Kyle Allen gets another shot at the vaunted LSU secondary that was one of the only SEC teams to shut down the frosh.

Why Allen: Kyle Allen took over as the Aggies starter with five games remaining in the 2014 season and closed out the year with an MVP performance in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Allen was the first Aggies true freshman quarterback to win his starting debut since Corey Pullig in 1992. The sophomore has more weapons to throw to than he probably needs with the Aggies’ deep roster of pass-catchers. With another year in the Texas A&M system, putting points on the board won’t likely be a problem for the Aggies.

No. 21: Lorenzo Carter, Georgia

Position: LB
Size: 6-foot-6, 242 pounds
Year: Sophomore

Intriguing Matchup: at Tennessee, Oct. 10; Volunteers quarterback Joshua Dobbs is going to try to beat the Bulldogs in this critical SEC East matchup with his arm and his legs. If he can get past Carter, he might have chance. He has to get past Carter first.

Why Carter: Georgia’s 2014 Newcomer of the Year Award-winner Lorenzo Carter is going to quickly wear out his welcome throughout the SEC East this year. Carter registered 7 tackles-for-loss and 4.5 sacks as a freshman. Teaming up with Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd, the trio creates one of the more formidable linebacker units in the SEC.