The Best Playmaker for Every Top 25 College Football Team
Every good college football team needs a playmaker.
It needs a guy it can go to in the clutch when it needs a score with the game in the balance with the season on the line. A guy it can count on to make the big catch, gain the crucial yards or make the most important throw of the game.
Without a playmaker that your opponents don’t respect or game-plan for, your team is just average. A great playmaker can pull his teammates through when they’re having a bad night.
In other words, he's vital to a team’s overall success. We decided to take a look at the top playmaker for each team in this week’s College Football Playoff Top 25 poll, released Tuesday night. These players were determined by statistics and their overall value to their team.
25. Wisconsin TB Melvin Gordon
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At 6-2 with three regular-season games remaining, Wisconsin is right in the thick of the Big Ten West Division race. The Badgers are fueled by their running game, which averages 333.4 rushing yards per game, third-best nationally.
That ground game is paced by junior tailback Melvin Gordon, one of the nation’s top tailbacks with power, explosive speed and big-play ability. Gordon has rushed for 1,296 yards with 18 touchdowns and averages an impressive 7.5 yards per carry.
He has rushed for at least 122 yards in all but one game, with his best day a 13-carry, 253-yard, five-touchdown outburst against Bowling Green. He should, at the very least, earn an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
24. Georgia Tech QB Justin Thomas
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Last January, when starting quarterback Vad Lee transferred suddenly to FCS program James Madison, there was reason to wonder about Georgia Tech’s offense. After all, in Paul Johnson’s flexbone offense, the quarterback makes the system go as a runner and a passer, and the starting reins were now being handed to first-time starter Justin Thomas.
Thomas has quelled those doubts. He has proved adept at running Johnson’s offense, throwing for 1,247 yards with 14 touchdowns against four interceptions and also serving as the Jackets’ leading rusher with 721 yards and four touchdowns.
Tech averages 319.7 rushing yards per game, fourth best nationally, a sign the system is running smoothly with Thomas in charge. He has been excellent in making the offense move the way it should for the 7-2 Yellow Jackets.
23. West Virginia WR Kevin White
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West Virginia has rebounded from 2013’s ugly 4-8 mark to put together one of the nation’s biggest bounce-back seasons, with a 6-3 record. Dana Holgorsen’s “Air Raid” offense averages 325 passing yards per game, which ranks No. 11 nationally.
Senior receiver Kevin White has been a key cog in that system. He is one of the nation’s most prolific wideouts with 75 receptions for 1,075 yards (both third nationally) and eight touchdowns.
It is a breakout season for White, who had 35 receptions for 507 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. He catches everything thrown his way, deep and short, and is a huge reason why the Mountaineers have been and will be a tough out the rest of the way.
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22. Duke WR Jamison Crowder
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Quietly, Duke is in position for its second consecutive 10-win season and ACC Coastal Division title, something which seemed unthinkable when David Cutcliffe took over the Blue Devils’ program.
Duke’s offense is steady but not spectacular, with one of its best weapons senior receiver Jamison Crowder. Crowder stands 5’9”, 175 pounds and always seems to have the ball in his hands. A year ago, he had 108 receptions for 1,360 yards and eight touchdowns.
His numbers are a bit down this season (49 receptions, 636 yards, four scores), but Crowder has come up big when needed. In Saturday’s 51-48, double-overtime win over Pitt, he had his biggest game of the season, making nine receptions for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll be a key piece in the Blue Devils’ drive for another ACC division championship.
21. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson
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It can be hard to quantify a player’s impact on an offense. That isn’t the case with Clemson freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson energized the Tigers’ system when he took the reins from senior Cole Stoudt, and the offense’s struggles following a broken finger which has sidelined Watson for the better part of the last three weeks has been stark.
In two full games as a starter, Watson threw for 702 yards with eight touchdowns against one interception, and Clemson averaged 44 points per game. Following his injury, Clemson has averaged just 18.6 points per game. Stoudt has one touchdown against three interceptions in three full games in Watson’s stead.
Talented sophomore receiver Mike Williams had 12 receptions for 277 yards and four touchdowns in Watson’s starts. Over the last three games, he has 14 receptions for 323 yards but no touchdowns. Watson will be ready to go Thursday at Wake Forest but won’t start. His teammates are probably counting the days until he’s full-go and the full-time starter.
20. Georgia TB Todd Gurley
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One of the biggest disappointments for college football fans this season has been Georgia junior tailback Todd Gurley’s four-game suspension for allegedly accepting $3,000 in payments for signing autographs for memorabilia dealers. The suspension saved wear and tear on Gurley’s body, but it robbed fans of watching one of the game’s most dynamic talents. He’ll return against Auburn on Nov. 15.
He has played in only six games but was college football’s best tailback in that span. He had 773 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on just 97 carries, averaging an impressive 8.2 yards per carry. He is incredibly difficult for opposing defenders to tackle, as Clemson found out in the season opener. He smashed the Tigers’ talented defense for 198 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, including a 100-yard kickoff return score.
Gurley has an amazing blend of speed and power, and Georgia fans should take a long look at him over the season’s final month. He’s a strong candidate to leave early for the NFL draft.
19. Arizona QB Anu Solomon
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In August, redshirt freshman Anu Solomon emerged as Arizona’s starting quarterback, and he has been nothing short of excellent in his first season as a starter. Solomon has thrown for 2,605 yards with 21 touchdowns against just five interceptions.
Solomon has a big arm and is an excellent fit for Rich Rodriguez’s fast-paced offense. He threw for 425 yards in his starting debut against UNLV and for 520 against Cal, including a game-winning Hail Mary on the final play from scrimmage.
He is a mobile quarterback who can move around and make plays, and while he’s had his downs (175 yards in a 17-7 loss to UCLA) Solomon has proved himself a capable leader of the Wildcats’ system.
18. UCLA QB Brett Hundley
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It has been a disappointing season for UCLA. The Bruins were a dark-horse College Football Playoff candidate but are mired in the pack of the Pac-12 South at 7-2, 4-2 in league play.
One player who hasn’t disappointed? Junior quarterback Brett Hundley. Hundley has thrown for 2,245 passing yards with 15 touchdowns against four interceptions while completing 71 percent of his passes. He has also rushed for 546 yards and five touchdowns as the Bruins’ No. 2 overall rusher.
Hundley is a mobile quarterback who can hurt you in a number of ways, a bright spot for UCLA’s season. This is expected to be his final season in Westwood, but he’s going out on a high.
17. Utah TB Devontae Booker
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Utah has rebounded from a pair of 5-7 seasons to become a factor in the Pac-12 South, and junior tailback Devontae Booker has been a huge reason why. Booker stands 5’11”, 203 pounds and has a powerful rushing style that makes him difficult for opposing tailbacks to bring down.
He has 990 rushing yards and eight scores and has gotten better as the season has worn on. He has surpassed 100 rushing yards in the Utes’ last five games, scoring six touchdowns in that span.
Utah still has a shot at the Pac-12 championship, and it will lean on Booker heavily to do so.
16. LSU WR Travin Dural
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An offense filled with young players has been up and down this season, but sophomore receiver Travin Dural has been impressive. The 6’2”, 192-pounder has been a great deep threat and has emerged as one of the SEC’s top big-play wideouts.
Dural has 27 receptions for 676 yards and seven touchdowns. Most impressive? He averages 25 yards per reception. He has touchdowns of 80 and 94 yards this season and is a threat to score on any pass route with excellent straight-line speed. The Tigers have had their offensive issues, but Dural can’t be blamed.
15. Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard
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At times this season, Oklahoma’s offense has been inconsistent, with sophomore quarterback Trevor Knight struggling to maintain the form that endeared him to Sooner fans in a Sugar Bowl rout of Alabama (he has 12 touchdowns against eight interceptions). A constant? Junior receiver Sterling Shepard.
Shepard has been outstanding, making 50 receptions for 957 yards and five touchdowns, surpassing the 100-yard mark in five of nine games. At 5’10”, 195 pounds, he is not a big receiver, but Shepard is very effective. He has excellent speed and downfield ability, and he is the Sooners’ clear top playmaker.
14. Ohio State QB J.T. Barrett
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The first month of the season wasn’t easy for Ohio State. When senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Braxton Miller was sidelined with shoulder surgery that required a redshirt, freshman J.T. Barrett was thrown into the fray.
Barrett didn’t fare well early, completing just nine of 29 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown against three interceptions in a home loss to Virginia Tech. But since then, Barrett has thrown 20 touchdowns against four interceptions.
On the season, he also has 496 rushing yards and four scores on the ground. He can hurt defenses in multiple ways and has proved himself as a solid leader for the Buckeyes offense, improving with virtually every game. He’ll be a key piece of Urban Meyer and Co.’s push for a Big Ten title and long-shot College Football Playoff bid. And he will be an excellent building block for years to come.
13. Nebraska TB Ameer Abdullah
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Nebraska has yet to lose fewer than four games in Bo Pelini’s six full seasons at the helm, but at 8-1, that looks almost certain to change this season. Where do you assign credit? You start with an excellent running game which averages 280.7 yards per game, eighth nationally.
The key? Senior tailback Ameer Abdullah, who has 1,250 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. He has been impressive, surpassing 200 yards four times and 100 yards six times in nine games (which includes Saturday’s one-yard effort after leaving with a sprained knee ligament).
At 5’9”, 195 pounds, Abdullah has impressive speed and big-play ability, the kind of guy that Nebraska leans on in key situations. He’s a threat to score any time he touches the ball and will be a key factor in the Huskers’ push for a Big Ten title.
12. Baylor QB Bryce Petty
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Baylor has the nation’s top-scoring offense, averaging 50.4 points per game. And while the Bears offense has many talented pieces, the guy who makes it all go is senior quarterback Bryce Petty.
Petty has thrown for 2,034 yards with 20 touchdowns against three interceptions and completed 54.8 percent of his passes, adding 111 rushing yards and three scores. He also missed a game with a fractured transverse process in his back.
Petty moves well in the pocket and has an excellent downfield passing arm. He is Baylor’s clear leader and had his best game when the Bears needed it most, throwing for 510 yards and six touchdowns in a 61-58 comeback win over TCU. The Bears remain in contention for the College Football Playoff, and if they hope to stay there, Petty will carry them.
11. Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace
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Saturday’s 35-31 loss to Auburn was devastating for Ole Miss’s College Football Playoff and SEC West title hopes. The Rebels lost a potential game-winning touchdown with less than two minutes to play when receiver Laquon Treadwell fumbled into the end zone, suffering a season-ending broken left ankle in the process.
With Treadwell sidelined, more pressure will land on senior quarterback Bo Wallace. Wallace is the SEC’s most experienced quarterback but has struggled at times with inconsistency. He has thrown 20 touchdowns against seven interceptions with 2,416 passing yards. He’ll have to become a steadier leader down the stretch for the Rebels to make something special of this season.
10. Notre Dame QB Everett Golson
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A year ago, Notre Dame slipped from national runner-up status to 9-4 and a Pinstripe Bowl win. While there were numerous factors in that slide, the absence of quarterback Everett Golson (who was serving an academic suspension) was telling.
Now, Golson is back, and the Fighting Irish offense has improved as a result. Golson has 2,311 passing yards with 22 touchdowns against seven interceptions as well as 272 rushing yards and seven scores. He makes the offense go on the ground and through the air. It’s clear how much Notre Dame missed him last year and how much it will lean on him down the stretch in pushing for a College Football Playoff spot.
Arizona State coach Todd Graham knows his team must account for Golson in the teams' Top 10 showdown Saturday, per Doug Haller of AZCentral.com. Last week, Golson became the first Notre Dame player to throw and rush for three touchdowns in a single game in a win over Navy.
"He's got a lot of confidence. We got to make sure that we keep him contained. He really hurts people on critical downs. It'd be third-and-6. and everybody's covered and he pulls it down and runs it in for a touchdown.
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9. Arizona State WR Jaelen Strong
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Arizona State plays plenty of its games after the East Coast has already gone to bed on Saturday nights, so it might not be a surprise that junior receiver Jaelen Strong isn’t a household name. But he should be.
The 6’3”, 212-pound wideout is one of the biggest pieces of a potent offense that averages 34.4 points per game. He has 57 receptions for 821 yards and eight touchdowns. His biggest game came against Southern California, when he went for 10 receptions, 202 yards and three scores in a wild 38-34 win.
Strong isn’t necessarily well-known nationally, but with Notre Dame coming to town Saturday for a Top 10 showdown, that could change in a hurry.
8. Michigan State WR Tony Lippett
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Entering Saturday’s night’s Big Ten East Division showdown against Ohio State, Michigan State still has hopes of making a run to the College Football Playoff. A deep, talented offense is a huge reason why.
Quarterback Connor Cook is one of the Big Ten’s best quarterbacks, but senior receiver Tony Lippett is by far his best weapon. A year ago, Lippett had 44 receptions for 613 yards and two scores. He’s become a tremendous threat as a senior, making 42 receptions for 899 yards and nine touchdowns, passing the 100-yard receiving mark in six of eight games.
He is an excellent downfield threat with size and speed and is the guy Cook counts on in key moments. He’s the Spartans’ best playmaker.
7. Kansas State WR Tyler Lockett
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Kansas State has been one of the fall’s biggest surprise stories, rising from the middle of the Big 12 pack to become the last team unbeaten, with a path to the College Football Playoff.
Senior quarterback Jake Waters has been the Wildcats’ leader, but receiver Tyler Lockett has been their most explosive playmaker.
This season, Lockett has 49 receptions for 682 yards and five touchdowns. He stands only 5’11”, 175 pounds, but he has tremendous game-breaking speed and the ability to separate from cornerbacks deep and make big plays down the field. He’ll be a key piece of K-State’s late-season run.
6. TCU QB Trevone Boykin
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This fall, TCU has used a fast-paced “Air Raid” offense to rise from a 4-8 2013 to the thick of College Football Playoff contention. At the center? Junior quarterback Trevone Boykin. Boykin has spent time in his college career as a quarterback and wide receiver, but he has fit in perfectly as the ringleader of the Horned Frogs’ offense.
Boykin has thrown for 2,472 yards with 22 touchdowns against four interceptions and added 423 rushing yards with four touchdowns as TCU’s second-leading rusher. He is a capable deep passer and a dual threat who has served as a solid leader. Without him, TCU would be hard-pressed to win the Big 12 title or make a College Football Playoff run.
5. Oregon QB Marcus Mariota
21 of 25Oregon’s offense hasn’t missed a beat this season, averaging 45.4 points per game, which ranks sixth nationally. The Ducks are in prime position to make the College Football Playoff despite an early loss to Arizona, and if they make it, they’ll do so behind Mariota’s leadership.
He is a leading Heisman Trophy candidate and a prime 2015 NFL draft candidate who, at 6’4”, 219 pounds, has ideal size for the position with an excellent arm, elusiveness and pocket sense.
USA Today Sports' Paul Myerberg says Mariota leads the chase for the Heisman Trophy, but other candidates have opportunities to impress down the stretch.
Mariota has piled up 2,541 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and two interceptions this season, and he also has 410 rushing yards and seven touchdowns as Oregon’s second-leading rusher.
He has completed 68.1 percent of his passes with strong downfield throwing. If Oregon makes the College Football Playoff, Mariota will make the most important plays.
4. Alabama WR Amari Cooper
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Junior receiver Amari Cooper has been one of the biggest matchup nightmares for opposing cornerbacks this season as well as a huge asset for first-year starting quarterback Blake Sims.
Cooper stands 6’1”, 210 pounds and is capable of catching every ball that is thrown his way put in a place where only he can catch it. He is very dangerous in the red zone and has excellent speed and leaping ability.
He has 71 receptions (fifth nationally) and 1,132 receiving yards (second nationally) with nine touchdowns. He has a pair of 200-plus yard receiving games, including a nine-catch, 224-yard, two-touchdown effort against Tennessee. He has gone for at least 130 yards in six of eight games. Matched up against All-America cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, Cooper ripped him for 10 receptions, 201 yards and three scores.
Alabama faces a pair of current Top 5 teams (Auburn and Mississippi State) in its last four games. To survive that stretch, Cooper will have to be a key piece of the Crimson Tide offense.
3. Auburn QB Nick Marshall
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A year ago, Auburn’s rise from a 3-9 season to national runner-up was fueled by the return of a high-powered spread offense led by quarterback Nick Marshall. Marshall made plays with his legs and his arm while accounting for over 3,000 yards of total offense and 26 total touchdowns.
This season has been no different. Marshall has been an engine for the Tigers offense. He has 1,357 passing yards with 13 touchdowns against four interceptions and is also Auburn’s second-leading rusher with 631 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
Marshall is an elusive player who can throw on the run but also move the chains with his feet. He’ll again be a key piece in Auburn’s push for a national title.
2. Florida State WR Rashad Greene
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Sophomore quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston garners most of the headlines for Florida State (both positive and negative), but senior receiver Rashad Greene has been one of the Seminoles’ most consistent players when they’ve needed it most this season.
Greene has been FSU’s leading receiver in each of his first three seasons, and that hasn’t changed this fall. He has 58 receptions for 853 yards and four touchdowns, surpassing the 100-yard receiving mark five times.
And those performances have come when the Seminoles have needed them most—in all three of FSU’s wins by 10 points or fewer. Another 11-catch, 125-yard, one-touchdown effort came at N.C. State, where the ‘Noles erased an early 24-7 deficit for a 56-41 win.
Greene is speedy, tall and a game-breaking receiver. Without him, the FSU offense could be in serious trouble.
1. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
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Mississippi State’s rise from SEC West also-ran to the nation’s No. 1 team has been a team effort, but no one has been more prominent than junior quarterback Dak Prescott. Following an injury-marred sophomore season, Prescott has emerged as one of college football’s top all-around players.
A Heisman Trophy candidate, Prescott has 2,025 yards passing with 16 touchdowns against seven interceptions as well as 725 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns. He’s MSU’s No. 2 rusher behind tailback Josh Robinson. At 6’2”, 235 pounds, Prescott has drawn comparisons to former Heisman winner Tim Tebow, albeit with a better throwing arm.
He can make plays with his arm or his legs, and he’ll be a key piece in the Bulldogs’ push for an SEC title and a College Football Playoff berth.
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