SEC Football: Top 10 Rushing Offenses (1992-2007)

(Note: This is also Part IV in a series celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the 1998 National Champion Tennessee Volunteers)

Since the SEC went to its 12-team divisional format in 1992, there have been many great players who've shined on fall Saturdays and gone on to make NFL dollars on Sundays.

However, no matter how much football may seem to change and progress, the SEC has stayed true to the roots of successful football—a strong running game—while inventing new ways to gain yardage.

While there have been some individual standouts over the last fifteen years, like Shaun Alexander, the same idea that many NFL and collegiate teams are falling back on now has been alive and well in the SEC for years: It takes a village to run the football.

More often than not, it hasn't been just one superstar who's gained fame, but a stable of runners who've led their teams to championships in the SEC and on the national level.

That tradition has produced success even without name recognition (for instance, Alabama's attack of Tyler Watts, Ahmaad Galloway, and Santonio Beard produced almost 250 yards per game in 2001) and also bodes well for the present, as even Knowshon Moreno won't get 30 carries a game this season—he'll share the load like everyone else.

As we remember the 10th Anniversary of Tennessee's potent run game from their 1998 National Championship, and to continue to move along the final two months 'til football season, here's a look at the Volunteers and nine other successful running games in the modern era of SEC Football.

These rankings combine collegiate productivity, team success, the NFL Draft, and what the players have done on Sundays to enhance their Saturday legacies.  These are the ten best SEC tandems, ground games, and rushing attacks since 1992.

TOP 10 SEC RUSHING OFFENSES (1992-2007)

10. '07 Florida - Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Kestahn Moore

Highlighting the "inventing new ways" idea, the Gators won the National Championship in 2006 with a version of it, and then unleashed the full spread option in all its glory last season.  While Florida didn't make it back to the BCS or win the SEC East, they did pick up a ton of yards, score a ton of points, and help win Tim Tebow the Heisman Trophy.  

What's most startling about this offense is that its two top rushers were the quarterback and the wide receiver, going for more than 1,600 yards between them.  The idea would follow that if the Gators ever find and/or develop a star tailback to go with this offense—look out.

9. '03 LSU - Justin Vincent, Joseph Addai, Alley Broussard

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