It’s March, which means it’s time for football fans to pretend they care about basketball for the purposes of filling out their brackets.

While college football has the best regular season in sports, college basketball has arguably the worst. The NCAA Tournament is one of the premier events on the calendar, but it makes the previous four months borderline meaningless.

Needless to say, we here at Saturday Down South are all SEC, all the time — football specifically. That being said, there’s no reason why we can’t try to capture the spirit of the thing and embrace March Madness. We promise not to be like Peggy in HR, who always wins the office pool by making her picks based on which mascot is the cuddliest.

Since play-in games are only for suckers, we’ve identified the Top 64 single-season performances in the conference’s history. They’re broken down into four regions: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers and Defensive Players.

(Our apologies, offensive linemen.)

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Your vote will determine who moves on to the Round of 32, so here’s a breakdown for each matchup from the field of 64.

QUARTERBACK REGION

1 Tim Tebow (2007) vs. 16 Bill Spears (1927)

Tebow assembled three Heisman Trophy-caliber years, but he won the award as a sophomore by throwing for 32 touchdowns and running for 23 more. Both were career highs, plus the 55 total TDs is just an absurd number. “Bounding Bill” Spears was a two-time All-American at Vanderbilt. If the Heisman was around back in 1927, he surely would’ve won it.


8 Rex Grossman (2001) vs. 9 Archie Manning (1970)

Grossman was almost the first sophomore to win the Heisman, putting together a TD-to-INT ratio of 34-to-12. A convincing case can be made that the future first-round pick was Steve Spurrier’s most talented passer. As for Manning, ignore the numbers. The passing game was much different back in his day. He’s a legend, though.


5 Tim Couch (1998) vs. 12 Condredge Holloway (1972)

Couch was the initial player in league history to eclipse the 4,000-yard barrier through the air. His mark of 4,275 yards passing in 1998 remains the all-time record. The Jackie Robinson of the SEC at the game’s most important position, Holloway was the first black quarterback to start a game when he did so for Tennessee.


4 Johnny Manziel (2012) vs. 13 Eli Manning (2003)

A video game come to life, Manziel threw for 3,706 yards, ran for 1,410 more and was responsible for 47 total touchdowns in winning the Heisman. As a result, Texas A&M rocked the boat during its first year in the SEC. Soon to be the No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft, Manning racked up an even 3,600 yards and 29 TDs with his right arm alone.


6 Peyton Manning (1997) vs. 11 Steve Spurrier (1966)

The third of the three Mannings on the list — no, Cooper doesn’t show up later — Peyton wrapped up his stellar career in Knoxville with a TD-to-INT ratio of 36-to-11. However, he didn’t win the Heisman. Spurrier did, though. It’s so fitting that they’re facing each other in Round 1. If they could only duke it out at the Citrus Bowl.


3 Danny Wuerffel (1996) vs. 14 Dak Prescott (2014)

Speaking of Spurrier, he won his only national championship with Wuerffel at the controls. Wuerffel was awarded the Heisman for the way he orchestrated Spurrier’s Fun-n-Gun to near perfection. Even if Prescott was a more polished passer as a senior, him leading Mississippi State of all schools to No. 1 in the polls as a junior was unprecedented.


7 Aaron Murray (2012) vs. 10 Chad Kelly (2015)

The conference’s all-time leading passer by a pretty healthy margin, Murray went over 3,000 yards as a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. But he never cracked 4,000. Kelly did just that as a first-year Rebel, becoming only the third signal caller in league annals to accomplish the feat. Couch and Manziel are the two others.


2 Cam Newton (2010) vs. 15 Pat Sullivan (1971)

Newton accomplished a rare trifecta in college football: going undefeated, winning a national title and walking away with a Heisman. One-year wonder or not, he threw for 30 TDs, ran for 20 more and even caught one. Another Heisman alumnus, Sullivan was a consensus All-American and second in the country with 21 touchdown passes.


RUNNING BACK REGION

1 Herschel Walker (1981) vs. 16 Todd Gurley (2012)

Still perhaps the most dominant performance by an SEC ball carrier over the course of one season, Walker ran 385 times for 1,891 yards and 18 touchdowns. While he only caught 14 passes, he scored on two of them. Like Walker, Gurley was incredible immediately as a freshman. He rushed for 1,385 yards and 17 TDs right out of high school.


8 Tre Mason (2013) vs. 9 Charles Alexander (1977)

If not for a last-minute scoring pass from Jameis Winston to Kelvin Benjamin, Mason’s 2013 campaign would’ve concluded with a BCS championship. His 1,816 yards rushing and 24 trips to paydirt were no less fantastic, though. Alexander’s 1,686 yards on the ground in 1977 were second in America behind the unstoppable Earl Campbell.


5 Mark Ingram (2009) vs. 12 Moe Williams (1995)

Alabama’s first Heisman honoree, Ingram was the workhorse for coach Nick Saban’s primary national title in Tuscaloosa. He racked up 1,961 yards from scrimmage and found the end zone a total of 20 times. With 1,600 yards exactly on the ground, Williams set an all-time record for Kentucky that stands to this day.


4 Darren McFadden (2007) vs. 13 Alex Collins (2015)

One of the more multi-talented backs the conference has ever seen, McFadden ran for 1,830 yards and 16 touchdowns. But it was his ability to throw the ball (4 TDs passes) that was a precursor to the Wildcat craze. Another Razorback great, Collins was credited with 1,577 yards and 20 scores in his lone season as the primary threat.


6 Leonard Fournette (2015) vs. 11 Trent Richardson (2011)

As much fun to watch as any tailback the league has produced in recent memory, Fournette almost hit the 2,000-yard mark (1,953) and likely would have if the McNeese State contest hadn’t been canceled due to weather. Only a one-year starter, Richardson combined for 2,017 rushing-and-receiving yards and scored a total of 24 times.


3 Derrick Henry (2015) vs. 14 Garrison Hearst (1992)

With single-season records for carries (395), yards (2,219) and touchdowns (28), Henry owns a trio of SEC rushing marks that may never be broken. He won a national title, too. Another in a long line of tremendous backs from UGA, Hearst ran for 1,548 yards, scored 19 TDs on the ground and averaged a stunning 6.8 yards per attempt.


7 Billy Cannon (1959) vs. 10 Emmitt Smith (1989)

Even if 1959 was perhaps Cannon’s least impressive year statistically, he still won the Heisman and went on to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. His punt return to beat Ole Miss is one of the greatest plays in conference lore. The NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Smith left Florida after a 1,599-yard performance that included 15 total TDs.


2 Bo Jackson (1985) vs. 15 Nick Chubb (2014)

Walker and Jackson are still considered the most gifted backs to ever lace ’em up in this league. Jackson narrowly took home the Heisman with 1,786 yards and 17 scores on the ground. Only taking over as the starter after Gurley went down with injury, Chubb made a name for himself with 1,547 yards rushing and a 7.1 yards-per-carry average.


WIDE RECEIVER REGION

1 Amari Cooper (2014) vs. 16 Percy Harvin (2007)

Setting a league mark with 124 receptions, Cooper reeled in 1,727 yards worth of passes and scored 16 touchdowns. His quarterback, Blake Sims, was a mediocre talent, too. It’s hard to believe that Florida hasn’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since 2002. Still, Harvin was part tailback, part wideout and doubly terrifying.


8 Cobi Hamilton (2012) vs. 9 Travis McGriff (1998)

The leading receiver in Arkansas history, Hamilton recorded 90 catches for 1,335 yards as the No. 1 target for Tyler Wilson. In the Rutgers game alone, he grabbed 10 balls for 303 yards and 3 scores. Largely a backup until his senior campaign, McGriff exploded with 70 receptions for 1,357 yards and 10 TDs to close out his career.


5 Carlos Alvarez (1969) vs. 12 Jabar Gaffney (2000)

In his first year of eligibility, Alvarez topped what he would eventually do as a junior and senior combined. Back in 1969, not a lot of receivers caught 88 passes for 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns. Gaffney’s numbers were nearly identical for his two seasons in Gainesville. In 2000, he accounted for 71, 1,181 and 14.


4 Reidel Anthony (1996) vs. 13 Peerless Price (1998)

The fifth and final Gator in this region, Anthony set an SEC record with 18 touchdown receptions, a mark that is yet to be broken. He deserves some of the credit for Wuerffel’s Heisman. Price snared 4 passes for 199 yards and a TD in the initial BCS title game, giving Tennessee its first national championship since 1951.


6 Alshon Jeffery (2010) vs. 11 Wendell Davis (1986)

Jeffery’s 1,517 yards receiving in 2010 is the third-best total in the history of the conference. His 88 catches is tied for ninth, too. But Davis put up similar statistics in 1986, back when the league was all about the running game. He registered 80 receptions for 1,244 yards — that figure led the nation — and 11 scores.


3 Jordan Matthews (2013) vs. 14 Odell Beckham Jr. (2013)

Matthews was outstanding in 2012, and then the next season he was even better with 112 catches for 1,477 yards and 7 touchdowns. A bit of a one-year wonder in Baton Rouge, Beckham finally figured it out as a junior with 59 receptions for 1,152 yards and 8 TDs. However, his best was yet to come as a first-rounder in the NFL Draft.


7 Mike Evans (2013) vs. 10 Craig Yeast (1998)

Manziel’s most potent weapon for the Aggies, Evans followed his 1,105-yard debut as a redshirt freshman with 1,394 more the following season. Just like that, he was off to the pros. Somebody had to grab all those passes being thrown by Couch with the Wildcats. Yeast put up big numbers with 84, 1,311 and 6.


2 Josh Reed (2001) vs. 15 Julio Jones (2010)

In winning the Biletnikoff Award, Reed set a league record with 1,740 yards receiving. He also had 94 receptions, which ties the aforementioned Matthews for fourth. Possibly the premier pass catcher in the NFL right now, Jones never had a statistically eye-popping year in college. Still, 78, 1,133 and 7 is awfully good for a Saban-coached team.


DEFENSIVE PLAYER REGION

1 Derrick Thomas (1988) vs. 16 Ben Smith (1989)

Thomas collected a ridiculous 27.0 sacks in 1988, which is an FBS record that still stands. Half that many is considered a sensational year for a pass rusher. He won the Butkus Award and was a unanimous All-American. A defensive back for Georgia, Smith picked off 10 passes in 1989. That’s the second most in SEC history.


8 Tracy Rocker (1988) vs. 9 Jadeveon Clowney (2012)

Rocker was the first player in college football to win both the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy in the same season. He was named SEC Player of the Year and is a Team of the Century honoree at Auburn. Clowney, eventually the top choice in the draft, had 13.0 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore.


5 Jarvis Jones (2012) vs. 12 Terry Hoage (1982)

Jones did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs in 2012. Not only was he responsible for 14.5 sacks and 24.5 TFLs, but he also led the land with 7 forced fumbles. Another Georgia defender, the 12 interceptions collected by Hoage in 1982 are the most the conference has ever seen. He was named All-American twice.


4 Wilber Marshall (1983) vs. 13 Alex Brown (2001)

Recognized as the National Defensive Player of the Year by ABC Sports in 1983, Marshall is one of the most underrated Gators ever. He was three times All-SEC, twice All-American and then won a Super Bowl with Chicago. Another former Gator and one-time Bear, Brown was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year on the strength of 13.0 sacks.


6 Patrick Willis (2006) vs. 11 Jack Youngblood (1970)

A tackling machine for Ole Miss, Willis was credited with 137 stops in 2006 after 128 the season prior. He led the SEC in solo tackles and total tackles in consecutive years. Another forgotten name to some degree outside Gainesville, Youngblood was a first-team All-American with 58 tackles and 10.0 sacks.


3 Reggie White (1983) vs. 14 Champ Bailey (1998)

On the short list of best defenders the game has ever seen, White recorded 100 tackles as a senior. That’s a preposterous amount for a D-lineman. His Tennessee career record of 32.0 sacks was broken by Derek Barnett just last season. In addition to Bailey’s lockdown skills at corner, he was also a dangerous receiver and return man for the Dawgs.


7 Tyrann Mathieu (2011) vs. 10 Glenn Dorsey (2007)

A big play waiting to happen, Mathieu scored a pair of touchdowns on fumble returns and two more as a punt returner. He also intercepted 2 passes and forced 6 fumbles. Highly decorated at LSU, Dorsey won the Nagurski, Outland and Lott Trophies in addition to the Lombardi Award. A nightmare in the trenches, he had 7.0 sacks and 12.5 TFLs.


2 David Pollack (2004) vs. 15 Tommy Casanova (1970)

Pollack was even more decorated than Dorsey in winning the Bednarik, Hendricks and Lombardi Awards, as well as the Lott Trophy. Not only was he the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, but he was Player of the Year, too. A College Football Hall of Famer, Casanona was also a three-time All-American at LSU as a corner and return man.


John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.