Todd Gurley may be the most recognizable running back in the country. Georgia’s backfield stud looked like a transcendent player at times against two Top 20 teams. If the Bulldogs hadn’t lost Saturday, he’d still be considered a strong Heisman Trophy candidate.

Then there’s James Conner. At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, he’s a backup defensive end who sometimes rushes the passer on third down. Oh, and he’s also the nation’s second-leading rusher.

RELATED: SEC Debate: who has the best group of RBs?

One NFL scout compared Conner to Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy, with NFL.com describing the Pitt star as a “run-and-scatter-the-bodies” type. The sophomore broke Pro Football Hall of Fame member Tony Dorsett’s school record with 529 rushing yards through three games. The Pitt offense is physical and punishing, but receiver Tyler Boyd is a certified pro prospect as well. The Panthers are scoring 44.7 points per game and could be a surprise contender in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

Conner is a workhorse, plowing to 80 carries in three games, one behind NCAA leader Leon Allen of Western Kentucky. In his previous four games, Conner has rushed for 229, 153, 214 and 177 yards. He ran for 173 yards against Duke last season in his only other game with at least 20 rushes.

It’s intriguing that the biggest concern with Gurley is his health, while his main competition for the Doak Walker Award right now is one of the most punishing, durable running backs in all of college football. Conner never could beat Gurley in a footrace and doesn’t have Gurley’s vision, but Gurley could never match Conner’s brute strength.

In the SEC, Arkansas has run for 495 and 438 yards in the last two games. Granted, those totals came against horrendous run defenses, but Bret Bielema clearly has imposed his style on the Razorbacks, for better or worse. Alex Collins (411 rushing yards) and Jonathan Williams (322 rushing yards) are on pace to rush for 2,932 yards in a 12-game season.

Florida’s Matt Jones ran for 156 yards in a three-overtime win and now has 244 yards of total offense in two games. Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne, though, is second to Gurley with 144.5 rushing yards per game, and will get a national stage Thursday at Kansas State.

Vanderbilt’s Ralph Webb rushed for 116 yards in a win against UMass as Jerron Seymour missed a third consecutive game due to injury.

Here are my weekly Top 10 rankings for the Doak Walker Award.

Player Buzz Previous Rank
1. Todd Gurley, Georgia In two games against ranked teams, Gurley has 35 carries for 329 yards and four touchdowns. 1
2. James Conner, Pitt Conner is this year’s Andre Williams: a big back whose team feeds him the ball on seemingly every play. Conner has 81 carries for 544 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. 3
3. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska Abdullah returned to form on the ground Saturday with 110 rushing yards against Fresno State. 2
4. Duke Johnson, Miami Johnson fell short of the magical 100-yard mark for the third consecutive game, but he’s run for 277 yards on 6.4 yards per carry. 6
5. T.J. Yeldon, Alabma Yeldon rushed nine times for 56 yards against Southern Miss. He hasn’t done anything spectacular this season, but he only carried the ball 16 times combined the last two games. 4
6. Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin Gordon and Wisconsin must regroup this weekend. He had a spectacular first half against LSU before injuries, a defense stacked against the run and an off week cooled his stock. 5
7. Tevin Coleman, Indiana Coleman averages 9.3 yards per carry in two games, rushing for 190 yards in a loss at Bowling Green. 7
8. Alex Collins, Arkansas Collins the last two weeks: 40 carries, 343 rushing yards and five touchdowns. —
9. Shock Linwood, Baylor Linwood racked up 101 yards of offense and two touchdowns at Buffalo. The system makes it easy for him, but that doesn’t lessen Linwood’s talent. 8
10. Aaron Jones, UTEP Outside of Conner, Jones is the best running back you’ve never heard about. He continues to lead the NCAA in rushing after hanging 168 and two touchdowns on New Mexico State. 10

Dropped Out: Javorius Allen, USC (No. 9).

Allen rushed for 31 yards on 15 carries at Boston College while the Golden Eagles ran for more than 450 yards against the Trojans. The loss nearly assures USC won’t make the College Football Playoff and Allen’s performance also means he’s unlikely to finish the season as a Doak Walker finalist.