Up-tempo no-huddle offenses are here to stay, but star running backs aren’t fading from college football any time soon.

Last season, 20 different players rushed for at least 1,500 yards. Despite one of the deepest running back draft classes in years, the college game — especially the SEC — is saturated with talented backfields.

The SEC got 10 running backs on the Doak Walker Award watch list. Let’s take a look at how likely each player is to contend for the award as well as the top 10 running backs nationally entering 2015.

REAL CONTENDERS

  • Nick Chubb, Georgia
  • Leonard Fournette, LSU
  • Derrick Henry, Alabama

Last year, all three Doak Walker Award finalists hailed from the Big Ten. It wouldn’t be a total shock if the SEC were able to repeat that feat in 2015. All three players could remain in contention for the award throughout the season, and one of them probably will lead the SEC in rushing.

PRODUCTIVE BACKS, BUT NOT AWARD WINNERS

  • Jonathan Williams, Arkansas
  • Alex Collins, Arkansas
  • Russell Hansbrough, Missouri

All three of these players deserve some preseason recognition, as they each rushed for more than 1,000 yards last year and have a good chance to repeat that feat.

Williams and Collins have a few factors working against them if they’re to claim the award as college football’s best running back. First, there’s each other. As long as both remain healthy, there’s a sort of invisible ceiling on their overall production because they will split carries (not to mention Kody Walker, who could steal a few touches as well). Second, they play behind a terrific offensive line in a power-running offensive system, so much like a “system quarterback,” they won’t get full credit for their numbers.

Hansbrough enters the season as the No. 1 offensive option for Mizzou, but it’s hard to envision him producing much more than he did last year (1,084 rushing yards).

FACE MAJOR OBSTACLES

  • Ashton Shumpert, Mississippi State
  • Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt

Mississippi State’s current program is a conveyer belt of 1,000-yard rushers. The presence of Dak Prescott also bodes well for Shumpert — just ask Josh Robinson (1,203 yards in ’14). But the Bulldogs lost some linchpin starters on the offensive line, and Shumpert probably will get a smaller percentage of the carries than Robinson.

As for Webb, who came within shouting distance of 1,000 yards as a true freshman, he still plays for Vanderbilt. Two SEC wins for the Commodores would be considered successful by most. The team’s lack of a passing game will not do Webb any favors.

WHY ARE THEY ON THE LIST?

  • Brandon Wilds, South Carolina
  • Tra Carson, Texas A&M

This is not to say that either of these running backs lack ability. Each of them should enjoy an increased workload in 2015 as well.

But these watch lists are so long, and not everyone deserves to be recognized as potentially the best in college football. It would represent a major shock if either player made the semifinals or finals for the award at the end of the season, which generally means rushing for North of 1,500 yards and 10 touchdowns.

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

Player Buzz
1. Nick Chubb, Georgia Chubb rushed for at least 100 yards in all eight games after Todd Gurley first got suspended. His blend of balance, power and speed may be the best in college football.
2. Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State Elliott scorched the postseason, rushing for 220, 230 and 246 yards in the Big Ten championship and playoff games. QBs aside, he could be Ohio State’s No. 1 on offense.
3. James Conner, Pitt Conner is one of those unique physical talents that you rarely see in sports — a 250-pound running back who carried 298 times last year at nearly 6.0 yards per carry.
4. Samaje Perine, Oklahoma An efficient workhorse (237 pounds, 6.5 ypc), Perine got more than 30 carries twice as a freshman, running for 242 yards and then an NCAA single-game record 427 yards.
5. Leonard Fournette, LSU This is a bit of a projection based on an increased workload and the way Fournette began to play at the end of ’14. But if we get an entire season of that player, he belongs here.
6. Kareem Hunt, Toledo Hunt managed 1,631 rushing yards despite missing three games last season, thanks to a remarkable 8.0 ypc. He’s a threat to lead the nation in rushing yards as a junior.
7. Corey Clement, Wisconsin Clement managed four 100-yard games in ’14 — playing behind a 2,500-yard rusher in Melvin Gordon. Expect more of the same from the Badgers run game this year.
8. Derrick Henry, Alabama Offensive standouts Amari Cooper and T.J. Yeldon have departed as the running back corps has thinned. Henry (6.6 ypc) finally will get a chance to be a workhorse back.
9. Jarvion Franklin, Western Michigan A two-star prospect planted in Big Ten country, Franklin only drew interest from MAC schools. He produced 1,719 yards of total offense and 25 TDs as a freshman in ’14.
10. Paul Perkins, UCLA He barely made my list ahead of fellow Pac-12 standouts Royce Freeman (Oregon) and Devontae Booker (Utah). But Perkins averaged a far stronger 6.3 yards per carry in ’14.