Power 5 conferences ranked by 2015 running backs

College football is oozing with talent at the running back position going into the 2015 season.

The SEC has no shortage of talented runners, with Nick Chubb and Leonard Fournette drawing attention for potential Heisman Trophy consideration as sophomores. But does that give the league enough talent to be considered the best among the Power 5 conferences?

Let’s find out.

5. ACC

Pittsburgh’s James Connor is one of the best running backs in the country, but the fall-off after him is staggering for the ACC. Dalvin Cook flashed the potential to be a special player as a freshman last year, but his arrest and subsequent legal issues are looking more and more likely to prevent him from ever reaching that potential. Boston College’s Jon Hilliman had a nice freshman season in 2014, and Clemson’s Wayne Gallman could be another young runner that could make a step forward in 2015.

Five notables:

James Connor, Pittsburgh (Jr.; 1,765 yards and 26 touchdowns in standout sophomore season in 2014)
Shadrach Thornton, North Carolina State (Sr.; Has steadily improved over three seasons with Wolfpack)
Dalvin Cook, Florida State (Soph.; Seminoles could be without 1,000-yard rusher due to legal issues)
Jon Hilliman, Boston College (Soph.; 860 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns during freshman year in 2014)
Wayne Gallman, Clemson (Soph.; ran for 191 yards against South Carolina as showcase of things to come)

4. Big 12

Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine and Baylor’s Shock Linwood give the Big 12 a pair of top tier running backs, but the depth of the position at the conference is why it cannot be ranked higher. Rushel Shell, who joined West Virginia last season, has the potential to produce big numbers in his second season with the Mountaineers. Texas Tech RB DeAndre Washington was the Red Raiders first 1,000-yard rusher since 1998, which is a significant accomplishment at a program that likes to throw the ball so often.

Five notables:

Shock Linwood, Baylor (Jr.; 1,252 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns as sophomore in high-powered offense)
Samaje Perine, Oklahoma (Soph.; 1,713 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns as freshman for Sooners)
Aaron Green, TCU (Sr.; averaged 7.1 yards per carry and saw role grown significantly in 2014)
Rushel Shell, West Virginia (Jr.; former 5-star recruit has bounced around, settling in with Mountaineers)
DeAndre Washington, Texas Tech (Sr.; looking to build off 1,103-yard season as a junior for Red Raiders)

3. Big Ten

The Big Ten was the run-away winner of this contest in 2014, with the top 3 running backs on the FBS rushing yardage rankings, and three more in the top 20. But Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman, David Cobb, Ameer Abdullah and Jeremy Langford are all gone now, leaving only Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott to return from that six pack of stars as perhaps the best running back in college football. Still yet, Wisconsin’s Corey Clement and Indiana’s Jordan Howard are capable of emerging as standouts in a new batch of Big Ten running back stars in 2015.

Five notables:

Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State (Jr.; finished 3rd in FBS with 1,878 rushing yards in 2014; 18 rushing touchdowns)
Jordan Howard, Indiana (Jr.; ran for 1,587 yards and 13 touchdowns for UAB in 2014 before forced transfer)
Corey Clement, Wisconsin (Jr.; neared 1,000 yards as backup during Melvin Gordon’s 2,500 yard season)
Justin Jackson, Northwestern (Soph.; ran for 1,187 yards and 10 touchdowns as a freshman)
Josh Ferguson, Illinois (Sr.; has over 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns over last two seasons)

2. SEC

A group that was young, yet talented in 2014 is ready to burst onto the national scene in 2015. Sophomores Nick Chubb and Leonard Fournette have legitimate Heisman aspirations after strong freshman seasons, and Alabama’s Derrick Henry will finally get a chance to fully showcase his talents with T.J. Yeldon moving to the NFL. Arkansas returns a pair of talented 1,100-yard rushers in Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins. Missouri’s Russell Hansbrough, Tennessee’s Jalen Hurd, Auburn’s Jovon Robinson and Vanderbilt’s Ralph Webb could make this a very tough All-SEC team decision at the end of the season.

Five notables:

Nick Chubb, Georgia (Soph.; shined in Todd Gurley’s absence with 1,547 yards as freshman)
Leonard Fournette, LSU (Soph.; 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns in freshman season)
Derrick Henry, Alabama (Jr.; 990 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2014 while sharing carries with T.J. Yeldon)
Jonathan Williams, Arkansas (Sr.; 1,190 yards and 12 touchdowns in split duty with Alex Collins)
Alex Collins, Arkansas (Jr.; 1,100 and 12 touchdowns as Jonathan William’s running mate)

1. Pac-12

It is hard to argue against both the front-line talent and the depth that the Pac-12 returns at the running back position in 2015. Paul Perkins and Devontae Booker are a couple of upperclassmen returning from 1,500-yard seasons that will receive plenty of national attention. Then there is sophomores Royce Freeman and Nick Wilson, who both turned in impressive freshman years and are in offensive that are setup for them to flourish in future seasons. Storm Woods (Oregon State) and Demario Richard (Arizona State) add depth to conference’s backs.

Five notables:

Paul Perkins, UCLA (Jr.; Ran for 1,575 yards as sophomore, only six returning FBS backs had more in 2014)
Devontae Booker, Utah (Sr.; 1,512 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns last season for the Utes)
Royce Freeman, Oregon (Soph.; Ran for 1,365 yards and 18 touchdowns as a freshman)
Nick Wilson, Arizona (Soph.; Ran for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman)
Daniel Lasco, Cal (Sr.; Burst onto the scene with 1,115 yards and 12 touchdowns in junior season)