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Phil Steele includes 4 SEC teams in ‘best 2015 backfields’ list

Christopher Smith

By Christopher Smith

Published:

If an SEC West team fields a sub-par run defense this fall, it will get exposed.

College football analyst Phil Steele released a list of the eight best backfields in the country for 2015, and the SEC represented half of the list. According to Steele, three of the eight best reside in the SEC’s West Division.

We ranked all four of the SEC teams included in Steele’s list in our recent post titled “5 deepest SEC backfields in 2015.” The one team that Steele excluded? Auburn.

The Tigers have ranked No. 1 and No. 14 in the nation in rushing offense, respectively, in coach Gus Malzahn’s two seasons. Sure, the team lost Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant, but JUCO transfer Jovon Robinson, returnee Roc Thomas and backup Peyton Barber have a chance to help Auburn lead the SEC in rushing yards once again.

If I were to rank Steele’s eight backfields for ’15, as of now, I’d slot them like this:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Alabama
4. Arkansas
5. Oregon
6. LSU
7. Florida State
8. Oklahoma

The Big Ten dominated the country on the ground in ’14, claiming all three Doak Walker Award finalist spots (Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah and Indiana’s Tevin Coleman).

The SEC is in position to potentially make a similar run this fall.

Christopher Smith

An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.

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