The SEC boasts some of college football’s top running backs and it should truly be a position of strength for the conference in 2017.

Gone are the likes of Leonard Fournette and Stanley “Boom” Williams, but the league returns nine running backs who topped 1,000 yards last season.

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, we’ve compiled a list of the SEC’s top 10 returning running backs. This ranking is based on past performance, opportunity and overall ability, so it isn’t just calculated from last year’s stats.

No. 10: Trayveon Williams, Texas A&M – 2016 stats (156 Att., 1,057 yards, 6.78 YPC, 8 TDs)

Williams burst onto the scene as a true freshman and looks poised to have an even bigger role for Texas A&M in 2017. His best outing came in the Aggies’ overtime victory against Tennessee, when he gained 217 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. With a new quarterback, Williams is likely to account for a larger share of the offense in the fall.

No. 9: Damarea Crockett, Missouri – 2016 stats (153 Att., 1,062 yards, 6.94 YPC, 10 TDs)

Another talented freshman, Crockett started slow but ended the season as one of the players to watch. Crockett topped 100 yards in five of his final eight games, including a 225-yard performance against Tennessee in which he averaged 9.38 yards per carry. The Tigers were often playing from behind in 2016 and finished third in the SEC in pass attempts, two factors that limited Crockett’s opportunities, but he is good enough to make an impact at any given moment.

No. 8: Damien Harris, Alabama – 2016 stats (146 Att., 1,037 yards, 7.1 YPC, 2 TDs)

Although Harris was Alabama’s starting running back on paper, he didn’t have the workload of a regular starter. The sophomore made the most of his opportunities, however, and had the second-most yards per carry during the season among players with more than 100 carries. He averaged 7.1 yards per carry; only Derrius Guice was better.

Harris’ numbers dipped a bit at the end of the season as Bo Scarbrough became more of a factor. Two factors will help determine his production in 2017: Who is Alabama’s offensive coordinator and how does he divide the carries in a stacked backfield?

No. 7: Benjamin Snell, Jr., Kentucky – 2016 stats (186 Att., 1,091 yards, 5.87 YPC, 13 TDs)

Arguably the most exciting freshman running back in the SEC last year, Snell has the chance to become the first Kentucky running back to post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Just two RBs in program history — Rafael Little and Sonny Collins had two 1,000-yard yard seasons in their career.

Snell should be Kentucky’s featured back in 2017. Now that Williams is headed to the NFL, Snell will be given the opportunity to build on his incredible debut.

No. 6: Ralph Webb, Vanderbilt – 2016 stats (250 Att., 1,283 yards, 5.13 YPC, 13 TDs)

Webb is a perpetually underrated player who has proven himself as one of the SEC’s best running backs. The rising senior has topped 1,000 yards in two of his three years at Vanderbilt and finished with 907 as a freshman. Webb is very much on pace to become just the eighth player in SEC history to rush for over 4,000 yards in a career, and he has a realistic shot at finishing second on the conference’s career rushing list.

No. 5: Kamryn Pettway, Auburn – 2016 stats (209 Att., 1,224 yards, 5.86 YPC, 7 TDs)

The leader of one of the SEC’s most potent rushing attacks, Pettway could emerge as a true star next fall. Both he and Kerryon Johnson made a statement in 2016, but there are plenty of reasons to expect another big year. If Auburn’s passing game improves the way many believe it will, opponents won’t be able to stack the box against the run. Pettway also missed three games due to injury and did not receive a carry in the season opener, which makes his numbers look even more impressive.

No. 4: Bo Scarbrough, Alabama – 2016 stats (125 Att., 812 yards, 6.5 YPC, 11 TDs)

Scarbrough’s place on this list is due more to his talent and potential. It’s impossible to overlook his performance down the stretch for Alabama, and the Crimson Tide may very well have beaten Clemson had Scarbrough not left the game with a broken bone in his right leg. Health seems to be the only concern for Scarbrough, who should get more opportunities with the ball next season. Alabama will have a crowded backfield in 2017, but Scarbrough has made a strong case as the Tide’s best running back.

No. 3: Rawleigh Williams III, Arkansas – 2016 stats (245 Att., 1,360 yards, 5.55 YPC, 12 TDs)

One of the SEC’s breakout stars in 2016, Williams returned from a serious injury in 2015 and established himself as a lethal player with the ball in his hands. Williams was stifled by the better defenses that Arkansas faced, but he is also capable of going off at any given time as he did with his 205-yard, 4-touchdown performance against Mississippi State. The Razorbacks are losing several key receivers, which will likely make Williams and Devwah Whaley an even greater part of the offense in 2017.

No. 2: Nick Chubb, Georgia – 2016 stats (224 Att., 1,130 yards, 5.04 YPC, 8 TDs)

Chubb should be completely healed from the devastating knee injury that cost him half of his sophomore season and still seemed to plague him at times in 2016. At his best, Chubb is one of the best backs in college football. Only time will tell if we will get that version of Chubb during his final season in Athens, however. Offensive line play limited Georgia’s running game last year, and it will play a factor moving forward, but Chubb is one of the best at making something out of nothing.

With 3,424 career yards, he too should zoom past 4,000 and perhaps make a run at joining Herschel Walker as the SEC’s only backs to top 5,000.

No. 1: Derrius Guice, LSU – 2016 stats (183 Att., 1,387 yards, 7.58 YPC, 15 TDs)

It’s not often that a team loses one of college football’s best players and expects to maintain the same level of production at the position, but that is exactly the case with LSU. Leonard Fournette is off to the NFL, but Guice has proven to be just as capable of taking over.

Against Texas A&M, Guice set the school’s single-game rushing record with 285 yards, breaking the record that Fournette set earlier in the year. Guice topped the 100-yard mark in six of the eight games in which he received over 10 carries, and he could become one of the nation’s biggest stars this fall.