Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson: Alabama Crimson Tide RBs Greatest Duo Ever?

Okay, so if you haven't heard yet, Alabama is really good at football.

Now that that is established, here is the main reason Alabama is so good: They have the greatest running back duo of all time.

Not only do they have the greatest duo in history, but they also have the best two backs in college football in 2010. 

The Trophy Winner

Anyone who follows college football even somewhat closely could tell you that Mark Ingram won the Heisman Trophy in 2009 over the pretty boy and fan favorite Tim Tebow and a multitude of others. Last season, Ingram rushed for a total of 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns on his way to the Heisman Trophy.

Ingram dominated SEC defenses and was virtually unstoppable. He averaged 6.1 yards a carry, which is almost unheard of for a season. Needless to say, he was voted the best player in college football.  

Despite knee surgery before the season began and missing the first two games, it looks like Ingram hasn't lost a step in 2010. He has run the ball a total of 33 times for a video game-like 308 yards, averaging almost 10 yards a carry. Along with these crazy numbers he has run for four touchdowns, including a 54-yard dash in an impressive win at Arkansas. 

The Second String

Enough about the praised Heisman winner; let's talk about the second-string running back Trent Richardson. Who wants to hear about a second-string back? Well, everyone wants to when the team's second-string back is considered by many as the No. 2 back in the nation.

While backing up Ingram in 2009, Richardson piled up 145 carries for 751 yards and eight touchdowns. This is an average of a little over five yards a carry.

It looks like Richardson is picking up right where he left off last year this season. He has already carried the ball 47 times for a total of 356 yards along with four touchdowns this season. Yeah, the second string has better numbers than the first string right now, but you have to factor in that Ingram missed the first two games of the season and is still not 100 percent. 

As a Duo

Well, if not thoroughly impressed by their individual numbers, just think that one needs to add these two sets of statistics together to get a feel for the Crimson Tide's running game as a whole. Together in 2009, the duo rushed for a whopping 2,409 total yards on the way to a national title. This is an average of 5.8 yards every time one of these two beasts gets the ball.

The numbers are even more impressive so far in 2010.

The dynamic duo has rushed for a total of 664 yards this season so far. 224 of these yards were earned against the No. 10 team in the nation Arkansas. For the year the two backs are averaging 8.3 yards a carry.

If this duo can stay healthy and maintain these types of numbers, they will be without a doubt the best tandem of running backs college football has ever seen—not only because of the impressive numbers, but also because of the fact they will win back-to-back national championships.

They have already joined the likes of Reggie Bush-LenDale White (USC), Laurence Maroney-Marion Barber (Minnesota), and Darren McFadden-Felix Jones (Arkansas) as one of the greatest duos in history, but if the numbers keep piling up, and the Tide keep on rolling, they will go down as the all-time greatest tandem in college football.

James Evens is a Purdue student and Basketball/Football Featured Columnist for the Boilermakers, along with being a Writing Intern at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.