College Football Bowls: The Top 10 Individual Performances...So Far

There have been 31 bowls played thus far, and we have seen our share of close games, overtimes and stellar individual performances. Some of the best players in the country have already played their bowl games, so this is just a reflection of the individual and not the team.  

Of course the BCS National Championship Game will be loaded with NFL talent on both sides of the ball, but we shouldn't overlook the individual performances that have occurred the three previous weeks...

Lifetime Achievement: Kellen Moore

This inclusion is the lifetime achievement portion of the list. Kellen Moore threw for 293 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. That is definitely not what we have come to expect from the all-time winningest quarterback, but he gets a pass as he completed a stellar career in which he won 50 games and lost only three by a combined five points.  

He wasn't the biggest or strongest, but that never seemed to matter when he stepped on the field. 

10. LaMichael James

If this was the last time LaMichael James put on a Oregon jersey, then he went out the right way. I think that is the only way he knows how. James had his usual 25 carries for 159 yards and one touchdown. While De'Anthony Thomas stole the show, James did what he always does...produce.

If there is no Lamichael James at Oregon next year, then college football really lost someone special. He was a whole lot of fun to watch.

9. Tavarres King

Tavarres King had a career day for himself and a record-breaking one for the Georgia Bulldogs in their triple-overtime thriller loss to Michigan State. King had six catches for a school-record 205 yards and one touchdown.

8. Brandon Weeden

Well someone had to get the ball to Blackmon. Brandon Weeden also had a big Fiesta Bowl, as he threw for 399 yards and the three touchdowns to Blackmon.

7. Andrew Luck

Much like Justin Blackmon, Andrew Luck made playing the quarterback position so easy. His final college game resulted in a defeat, but it had nothing to do with Luck's performance. Luck went 27-of-31 for 347 yards and two touchdowns.

His name will most certainly be the first one called in the 2012 NFL draft.

6. Case Keenum

Case Keenum is another player who went out with a bang. He posted his usual video game statistics: 532 yards and three touchdowns. He was 45-of-69 passing, which was the most completions and attempts against Penn State in a bowl.

Finishing with 19,217 yards passing and 155 touchdowns made for an astounding career for Mr. Keenum.

5. Terrance Ganaway

When I decided to do this list at the beginning of bowl season, I thought for sure if there was a Baylor player that made the list it would have to be Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.

Although tackling was optional in the Alamo Bowl, Terrance Ganaway was the hero for the Baylor Bears with 200 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

4. De'Anthony Thomas

Twitter and Facebook absolutely blew up after BOTH of De'Anthony Thomas carries.  

Eyes were glued...and hopefully open, because if you blinked you could have missed those runs.

Thomas put his world class speed on display in the "Granddaddy of Them All," on just TWO carries for 155 yards. That's only 77.5 yards per rush.

As a true freshman, Thomas showed the nation that he and the Ducks will be title contenders once again in 2012.

He also had four receptions for 34 yards and five kickoff returns for 125 yards. His future is as bright as the Oregon helmet was that night.

3. Brandon Boykin

In a losing effort, Brandon Boykin did just about everything on the field against the Michigan State Spartans. It all started on the Spartans first play from when, Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a bubble screen to Keshawn Martin, which was snuffed out by Boykin, who made a picturesque tackle to put the Bulldogs 2-0.

With just 1:39 left in the first half, the Spartans punted it deep to Boykin, who made a couple of moves and just outraced the coverage to endzone, for a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Boykin wasn't done yet as he caught a 13-yard touchown pass to from quarterback Aaron Murrray to cap off a long Bulldog drive.

He also finished the day with seven tackles.

2. Keith Price

Keith Price and the Washington Huskies hadn't been able to keep up with ranked opponents all season long. Although they came up short of beating the 12th-ranked Baylor Bears, the Huskies got everything they could out of their sophomore quarterback Keith Price. He accounted for 477 total yards and seven touchdowns. Yeah, you could say he played well...

1. Justin Blackmon

Justin Blackmon proved once again that he is the best wide receiver in college football, and it isn't even close. In one of the most entertaining bowl games, Blackmon had eight receptions for 187 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime Fiesta Bowl victory for the Cowboys.