Pac-12 Football: Ranking the Conference's Top 10 Running Backs for 2012

With wide receivers such as USC's Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, Washington State's Marquess Wilson, California's Keenan Allen and Oregon State's Markus Wheaton all returning, you can easily argue that there's not another conference in college football that will have as many star receivers as the Pac-12 will for the 2012 season. 

The league is absolutely loaded with star pass-catchers, but what's so interesting about the conference this year is that there will also be plenty of talented running backs on display as well. 

Yes, the Pac-12 may have waved an early goodbye to Oregon's LaMichael James, who was arguably one of the greatest running backs to ever grace the conference. Nonetheless, with seven out of the top-10 rushers from last season returning, there are still plenty of top-notch rushers to get excited about. 

If you're wondering which backs will make the biggest impact this year, here's a look at the Pac-12's top-10 running backs for the 2012 season. 

1. De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon

When most teams lose a rare offensive star such as RB LaMichael James, that player usually turns out to be impossible to properly replace. However, that won't be the case at Oregon this year, as the Ducks have two of the most dangerous running backs in the country—De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner—to help make up for the loss of James in 2012. 

Besides Clemson WR Sammy Watkins, no other freshman in the country made as big of an immediate impact as Thomas did last season. 

After arriving in Eugene as a highly touted 5-star recruit out of California's Crenshaw High School, Thomas stepped into the huddle and instantly gave the Ducks offense a huge boost as both a runner and a receiver. 

Last year, the extremely explosive and electric young back only touched the ball 101 times, yet he still managed to compile 1,200 yards of total offense and score 16 touchdowns. For those of you that aren't great at math, Thomas scored a touchdown every 6.3 times he touched the ball. 

There's simply one word for that type of efficiency—ridiculous. 

As if that wasn't enough, the versatile playmaker also averaged 27.3 yards per kickoff return and took two kicks back to the house for scores. 

By the time the season finally ended, Thomas had finished tied for 11th in the Pac-12 with 41 plays from scrimmage of 10 yards or more, he tied for fourth in the conference with nine plays of 30 or more yards and he tied for second with seven plays of 40 or more yards. 

That my friends, is the definition of a game-breaker.  

Now with James gone, the explosive 5'9'', 160-pound sophomore should only see his touches increase in 2012. 

Even though defenses may now be fully aware of what Thomas is capable of, I highly doubt that will help them keep the Black Mamba contained this season. 

Thomas will have to share carries with Barner, but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Thomas make a legitimate run at the Heisman Trophy this year. 

2. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford

Obviously an offense doesn't lose a quarterback the caliber of Andrew Luck, who is widely regarded as one of the most talented signal-callers in college football history, and proceed to get better the following season.

Just because Luck is gone, though, I don't necessarily think Stanford's offense will take a drastic turn for the worst in 2012. 

That's because I expect a monster senior season out of RB Stepfan Taylor. 

Since he's lined up in the same backfield as Luck for the past few seasons, Taylor has been one of the most under-appreciated players in college football. 

Although he hasn't received his fair share of national publicity, the 5'11'', 208-pound senior has still made a huge impact in Palo Alto, rushing for a combined 2,467 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns over the past two years. 

With Luck gone, Taylor will now be able to step out of his shadow and he'll be called upon to step up and become the leader of the offense in 2012.

It should be a role that he ultimately thrives in. 

3. Kenjon Barner, Oregon

Kenjon Barner has had to wait three years to become the featured back in Oregon's backfield, and now with LaMichael James gone, he'll finally get his opportunity to really prove himself in 2012. 

Barner has been forced to take a backseat to James throughout the first three years of his career, but that hasn't stopped him from putting up some mighty impressive numbers. 

Last season, the 5'11'', 180-pound senior averaged 6.2 yards per carry, rushed for 939 yards, caught 17 passes for 184 yards, and scored 14 total touchdowns. 

Barner is averaging 6.1 yards per carry for his career, and it seems like he's the type of speedy and shifty back that's perfectly built for Oregon's offense. 

This year, Barner will team up with De'Anthony Thomas to give the Ducks one of the most lethal and dangerous running back duos in college football. 

Don't be surprised if the dynamic pair have Oregon fans asking "LaMichael who?" in 2012. 

4. Isi Sofele, California

WR Keenan Allen, who has all the makings of a future Top 20 NFL draft pick, will undoubtedly be the showcase player on Cal's offense this season.

However, if the Golden Bears truly want to contend in the Pac-12 North this year, they're going to need RB Isi Sofele to play an integral role as well. 

Cal has produced plenty of quality running backs in recent years such as Marshawn Lynch, Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen, and Sofele definitely seems like he's worthy of being mentioned in the same conversation with all three of those current NFL players. 

Last season, Sofele took the backfield reigns from Vereen, who left school early to enter the NFL draft, and he ended up flourishing in his first year as a full-time starter, rushing for over 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

The 5'8'', 190-pound senior possesses an intriguing combination of vision, balance, running instincts and agility.

Sofele has no trouble breaking off big runs, which he proved last year when he led the Pac-12 with 46 runs of 10 yards or more.

If he keeps improving, Sofele's got the chance to be one of the conference's biggest offensive stars in 2012. 

5. Curtis McNeal, USC

With the excitement surrounding the passing trio of quarterback Matt Barkley and wide receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, it seems like USC's rushing attack is almost an afterthought right now. 

The truth is, though, if the Trojans want to make a serious run at a national championship this season, they're going to need to have a consistent ground game to diversify the offense and keep opposing defenses honest. 

That's where RB Curtis McNeal comes in. 

Last season, there were 47 players who topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark, but only one other running back, Missouri's Henry Josey, was able to accomplish the feat with as few carries as it took McNeal to get there. 

The 5'7'', 180-pound junior only needed 145 rushing attempts to get over the 1,000-yard hump, and he averaged a whopping 6.9 yards per carry. Oregon's LaMichael James was the only back in the conference that had a better rushing average in 2011. 

McNeal may not be the biggest back on the block, but he packs a lot of power and play-making ability into his compact frame. 

The USC coaching staff knows that it can trust McNeal to get the job done when the ball is in his hands, and now that fellow back Marc Tyler is gone, he should step up and become a true work horse for the Trojans in 2012. 

6. John White IV, Utah

It may seem disrespectful to have John White IV ranked this low, considering he is the Pac-12's leading returning rusher after totaling over 1,500 yards on the ground last season. However, I think you have to put his eye-popping 2011 numbers in proper perspective.

After QB Jordan Wynn went down for the season, White became the focal point of the offense, carrying the ball 316 total times in 2011, which was the fourth highest total in the country. 

With Wynn now returning, and backup running back Harvey Langi emerging and demanding more carries, it's unlikely that White will be able to match the type of production he put up last season.

Still, that doesn't mean that the 5'8'', 186-pound senior isn't a dangerous threat that defenses aren't going to have to worry about. 

White's numbers may have been a bit deceiving last year, but it takes some serious skills to put together the type of highly productive and impressive campaign that he did in 2011.

7. Johnathan Franklin, UCLA

UCLA's offense hasn't had much to brag about in recent years, given that the Bruins routinely finished near the bottom of the conference in offensive production during former coach Rick Neuheisel's four-year tenure. 

That doesn't mean, however, that there weren't at least a few solid individual offensive performances over the last couple of seasons. One of the few bright spots has been the play of RB Johnathan Franklin. 

Franklin hasn't had much of a supporting cast around him during his time in a UCLA uniform; but that hasn't prevented him from averaging 5.2 yards per carry for his career and compiling over 2,800 yards of total offense and scoring 19 touchdowns over the past three years. 

The 5'10'', 193-pound senior has continued to improve each and every year, and he now looks poised to have his best season yet in 2012. 

Franklin is one of the most talented and physically gifted backs in the Pac-12, and now that new coach Jim Mora is calling the shots instead of Neuheisel, he'll have his true chance to shine this year. 

8. Cameron Marshall, Arizona State

New Arizona State coach Todd Graham's offense wasn't all that spectacular during his quick one-year stop at Pittsburgh, but Graham was able to create an offense that allowed his running back, Ray Graham, to excel in 2011. Graham only played in eight games before going down for the season with a knee injury, but he was still able to rush for 964 yards and nine touchdowns. 

Now that Graham has taken over in Tempe, it should be very interesting to see what he can do with the Sun Devils' top back Cameron Marshall. 

Last season, Marshall was one of the most effective backs in the Pac-12, as he rushed for over 1,000 yards and tied for the conference lead with 18 rushing touchdowns. 

The 5'11'', 215-pound senior is a powerful and physical runner who can consistently pound the ball inside the tackles. 

Since QB Brock Osweiler decided to leave school early for the NFL, Marshall will now be the most vital player on Arizona State's offense in 2012, and it should be fun to see what Graham can get out of him this season. 

9. Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona

Rich Rodriguez's spread zone read system may have made a star out of QB Denard Robinson, but it failed to produce any great running backs during his three-year tenure at Michigan.

Of course, it you look at what RB Steve Slaton was able to accomplish under Rodriguez at West Virginia, you know that there's definitely room for running backs to shine in the spread scheme. 

That's certainly good news for the new Arizona coach's latest pupil, RB Ka'Deem Carey. 

While it's too early to forecast a Slaton-esque season for Carey just yet, it's obvious that the former 4-star recruit out of Arizona's Canyon del Oro High School is loaded with potential. 

Last year, as just a true freshman, Carey only touched the ball 106 times, but he still managed to pile up 628 yards of total offense and score eight touchdowns. 

The 5'10'', 203-pound sophomore is a versatile weapon who has value as not just a runner, but as a receiver and a returner as well. 

It may take a little while for Carey to become comfortable in the new offense, but with all five starting offensive linemen returning, he should have plenty of creases and running lanes to take advantage of in 2012. 

10. Jesse Callier, Washington

Washington is certainly going to miss RB Chris Polk, who piled up over 1,000 yards on the ground in each of the past three seasons.

Luckily for the Huskies, Polk's replacement, Jesse Callier, should be capable of stepping in and developing into a proper complement to dangerous quarterback Keith Price. 

Last season, Polk hogged up most of the carries, but when Callier did manage to get his hands on the ball, he looked very impressive, averaging 5.5 yards per carry on 47 total touches. 

The 5'10'', 203-pound junior will now be asked to carry a much heavier workload in 2012, but Callier appears to be ready to make a name for himself in the Pac-12 this season. 

Other Pac-12 Running Backs to Watch

Anthony Wilkerson, Stanford

Bishop Sankey, Washington

D.J. Foster, Arizona State

D.J. Morgan, USC

Harvey Langi, Utah

Malcolm Agnew, Oregon State

Malcolm Jones, UCLA

Rickey Galvin, Washington State

Storm Woods, Oregon State

Tony Jones, Colorado

Tyler Gaffney, Stanford