2011 College Football Predictions: Projecting The Top 25 Running Backs

The 2010 college football season has come to a close, and what a memorable season it was.

With a number of talented players and outstanding individual performances, it can be said that 2010 was the year of the quarterback in college football. The Heisman trophy winner was Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. Joining him in the Heisman race were two other quarterbacks, Stanford's Andrew Luck and Boise State's Kellen Moore. Up to five quarterbacks are slated to go in the first round of this year's NFL draft.

But looking ahead to next year, the most talent filled position in 2011 very well could be at running back. Many of the top teams in the country return their leading rushers. There are also a lot of good running backs who will be getting their first taste of the college game in their freshman or sophomore seasons.

Lets take a look ahead to next year and project the top 25 running backs in 2011.

25. Roy Finch, Oklahoma

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COLUMBIA, MISSOURI - OCTOBER 23: Roy Finch #22 of the Oklahoma Sooners rushes against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Columbia, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

After sitting out the first five games of his freshman season, Finch broke onto the scene in a big way in the Sooners 52-0 blowout victory over Iowa State. The freshman back carried the ball 16 times for 92 yards in backup duty.

Finch made a name for himself and continued to gain carries in every game from there on out. He had 10+ carries in five of the Sooners remaining eight games, including rushing for 70 yards and his first collegiate touchdown in a 45-7 win over Texas Tech.

DeMarco Murray had an outstanding career at Oklahoma, but with his departure, Finch should be the No. 1 back next year for the Sooners. It is very likely that Oklahoma could be the No. 1 ranked team in the country heading into next season, which means Finch will have his chance to shine in the college football spotlight.

24. Malcolm Brown, Texas

The Longhorns did not get the type of production from their backfield that they had hoped for this past season.

Not a problem. In comes freshman Malcolm Brown, who many believe to be the top ranked high school running back in the country this year. He is a punishing runner, and is built similar to Alabama running back Mark Ingram.

Brown has rushed for a combined 50 touchdowns the last two seasons while playing at Steele High School in Cibolo, TX.

23. James White, Wisconsin

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ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 20: James White #20 of the Wisconsin Badgers looks for running room while playing the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Wisconson won the game 48-28. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Ge

Wisconsin featured a three-headed monster in the backfield this season. White, John Clay and Montee Ball all rushed for at least 900 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Badgers.

White actually led the group with 1,052 yards in his freshman season. With the departure of Clay to the NFL, it will be White and Ball who will be leading this rushing attack in 2011. It should be one of the best in college football yet again, and White will be a big reason why.

22. Adonis Thomas, Toledo

This little known running back came on huge in his junior season at Toledo. Thomas rushed for 1,098 yards and eight touchdowns while leading the Rockets to an 8-5 record and a second place finish in the MAC.

Thomas had a monstrous game against Florida International in the Little Caesars Bowl, rushing for 193 yards and two touchdowns. He could be someone who could sneak his way up the list on college footballs leading rushers next season.

21. Chris Polk, Washington

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TUCSON, AZ - OCTOBER 23: Runningback Chris Polk #1 of the Washington Huskies rushes the football during the college football game against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats defeated the Huskies 44

Jake Locker was supposed to be the man leading Washington this season, but much of the Huskies success can be contributed to sophomore running back Chris Polk.

Polk rushed for 1,415 yards this season to go along with his nine touchdown scores. His 177 yard performance in the Holiday Bowl helped lead the Huskies to a 19-7 victory over a heavily favored Nebraska team.

Polk topped the 100 yard mark on five separate occasions this year, including an eye-popping 284 yards against Washington State in the final week of the season.

20. Demetrius Hart, Alabama

This prep stud has all the makings to be the next great back at Alabama.

He is not particularly big, but does run with an incredible combination of power and speed. Hart was selected as the most valuable player at this year's U.S. Army All-American Bowl high school all-star game. He carried the ball eight times for 100 yards, leading the East team to a 13-10 victory.

With the departure of Mark Ingram to the NFL draft, Hart could very well team up with Trent Richardson to form another dominant 1-2 rushing punch in Tuscaloosa.

19. Marc Tyler, USC

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 16: Marc Tyler #26 of the USC Trojans rushes the ball during the game against the California Golden Bears at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 16, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Tyler was a highly recruited kid out of high school, who had an unfortunate injury when he arrived at USC and took some time to find his game.

But this past season, Tyler had a breakout year for the Trojans, rushing for a team-high 913 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was the Trojans go-to guy in the backfield, and should play an even bigger role next season with the departure of Allen Bradford.

Look for Tyler and Dillon Baxter to both have breakout years in 2011. But Tyler will be the No. 1 guy.

18. Montee Ball, Wisconsin

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Running back Montee Ball #28 of the Wisconsin Badgers rushes with the ball against the TCU Horned Frogs during the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

It was difficult to determine who should be ranked higher between Ball and teammate James White. But when you looked at the way this kid finished the season for Wisconsin, Ball has to be the guy.

Ball topped the 125-yard mark in the final five games of the season for Wisconsin, including rushing for 132 yards and a score in Wisconsin's Rose Bowl loss to TCU. He ran for more then 170 yards and scored four touchdowns in back-to-back victories over Michigan and Northwestern this season.

Ball scored 18 total rushing touchdowns for the Badgers this season, which ranked tops on a team filled with talented rushers. He will be the man next year in what always is an explosive Wisconsin backfield.

17. Bryce Brown, Kansas State

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LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 28: Bryce Brown #11 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs with the ball during the SEC game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Brown was the highest recruited running back in the country just two years ago when he committed to Tennessee. Midway through his freshman year, Brown decided to leave Tennessee, but coach Derek Dooley would not release Brown from his scholarship.

He decided to leave anyway and enroll at Kansas State, where he was forced to sit out this past season due to NCAA transfer rules.

Now with a fresh slate, Brown will be the featured back in Kansas State's backfield next season, and he will be looked at to do some big things for the Wildcats in the 2011 season.

16. Vick Ballard, Mississippi State

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - NOVEMBER 13: Running back Vick Ballard #28 of the Mississippi State Bulldogs rushes upfield against the Alabama Crimson Tide November 13, 2010 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Ballard was a machine in the backfield for Mississippi State this season, racking up 968 yards and 19 touchdowns.

He topped the 100-yard mark on four separate occasions, but even more impressive was that he scored 3 or more touchdowns in four separate games as well. That included his three touchdown performance in Mississippi State's 52-14 trouncing over Michigan in the Progressive Gator Bowl on New Years day.

If Ballard starts the next season how he ended this past season, he is in for one big year in 2011.

15. Dan Herron, Ohio State

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Dan Herron #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty

Herron, or "Boom" as they refer to him as in Columbus,  would be even higher up on the list if he wasn't forced to miss the first five games of the 2011 season after being suspended by the NCAA for accepting improper benefits.

After a sub-par season in 2009, Herron had a huge junior season in 2010. He led the Buckeyes in rushing with 1,155 yards to go along with his 16 touchdowns. Gone is his running mate, Brandon Saine, which means that once he returns from his suspension, Herron should be getting the majority of the carries next season.

It would be beyond impressive if he was able to top his 2010 numbers next year, despite missing five games.

14. Johnathan Franklin, UCLA

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PASADENA, CA - OCTOBER 02: Running back Johnathan Franklin #23 of the UCLA Bruins carries the ball against the Washington State Cougars during the third quarter at the Rose Bowl on October 2, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Imag

After having to share carries in 2009, Franklin took the starting job and delivered in a big way in 2010.

He rushed for 1,127 yards and eight touchdowns in his redshirt sophomore season with the Bruins.  Franklin was one of the lone bright spots for UCLA, as the Bruins struggled to a 4-8 season.

One thing for sure is that Franklin will be back next year and will be looked upon to be the man again in Westwood. Look for him to improve on his numbers and continue to raise his draft stock down the road.

13. Ed Wesley, TCU

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FORT WORTH, TX - OCTOBER 23: Tailback Ed Wesley #34 of the TCU Horned Frogs carries the ball against the Air Force Falcons at Amon G. Carter Stadium on October 23, 2010 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Wesley was one of the best players on one of the best teams in college football this season. He topped the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career to go along with his team-best 11 rushing touchdowns.

Wesley didn't do much in the Rose Bowl, but he didn't have to, as it was all senior quarterback Andy Dalton leading the way.

Wesley will be back next year, and with the graduation of Dalton, he will now take over as the main focal point in the Horned Frogs explosive offensive system.

12. Knile Davis, Arkansas

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NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 04: Knile Davis #7 of the Arkansas Razorbacks runs the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome on January 4, 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty

Davis was great all year for the Razorbacks, but he really closed out the 2010 season on a bang.

Davis topped the 100-yard mark in six of Arkansas' final seven games this season. His best game of the year came against Mississippi State, when Davis broke off 187 yards and two touchdowns in the Razor Backs 38-31 victory.

With Ryan Mallett moving on to the pros, Davis will be the highlighted go-to guy in this offense next year. He is poised to put up huge numbers in the always competitive SEC in 2011.

11. Zach Line, SMU

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DALLAS, TX - DECEMBER 30: Defensive end Joshua McNary #44 of the Army Black Knights defends the play against Zach Line #48 of the SMU Mustangs during the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on December 30, 2010 in Dallas, Texas.

Line is one of those guys that if you have never heard of him, you will starting next year.

In his sophomore season, Line rushed for 1,494 yards and 10 touchdowns while leading the Mustangs to a 7-win season. He topped the 100-yard mark on six separate occasions, including rushing for 202 yards and a score in SMU's 31-17 victory over Marshall.

If SMU builds on their 2010 season and enters the top-25 at any point, this is a name that will be talked about a lot.

10. Lance Dunbar, North Texas

If he played for a better team, this guy would have already been getting more national attention. But after North Texas stumbled to a 3-9 season this year, his name hasn't quite hit the national spotlight like many expected it to.

Well, that's not to say that he isn't going to be big in 2011. Dunbar has rushed for over 1,000 yards in two straight seasons now, including a 1,553 yard, 13 touchdown season in 2010.

He rushed for more then 200 yards in three games this season, including a 270 yard, 3 touchdown output in North Texas' 49-41 loss to Kansas State in the final week of the regular season. Look for Dunbar to continue to do big things in 2011, as long as he decides to stay in college.

9. Edwin Baker, Michigan State

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 27: Running back Edwin Baker #4 of the Michigan State Spartans carries the ball during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on November 27, 2010 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. The Spartans won 28-22.(

Michigan State had a breakout season in 2010, and one of the biggest reasons why was the outstanding play of sophomore running back Edwin Baker.

Although he only stands at 5'9, 210 pounds, Baker runs with a combination of power and speed that is hard to find in college football today. He shared carries with both Larry Caper and Le'Veon Bell, and still had one of the most productive rushing seasons in college football.

Baker topped the 100-yard mark five times, with his biggest game coming in a 31-8 trouncing of Minnesota, where the sophomore back ran for 179 yards and four touchdowns in the victory.

One of the most impressive statistics on Baker is in 2010, he became just the sixth MSU Spartan to rush for more then 1,000 yards in a season.That is some outstanding company to join with all of the successful running backs that have come through East Lansing. Michigan State has a good chance to repeat as Big Ten champions in 2011, and Baker is a big reason why that is possible.

8. Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State

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SAN DIEGO - NOVEMBER 20: Running back Ronnie Hillman #13 of the San Deigo State Aztecs carries the ball on a five yard touchdown run in the second quarter against the Utah Utes at Qualcomm Stadium on November 20, 2010 in San Diego, California. (Photo by

Hillman had one of the most productive freshman seasons in San Diego State history.

He rushed for 1,532 yards and 17 touchdowns, while leading the Aztecs to a nine win season, including a 35-14 victory over Navy in the Poinsettia Bowl. He rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. He also rushed for 228 yards in San Diego State's 27-24 loss to Missouri earlier in the year.

This will be a guy who college football fans will be hearing about next season as well as years to come after that.

7. Bobby Rainey, Western Kentucky

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LINCOLN, NE - SEPTEMBER 04: Jared Crick #94 and Baker Steinkuhler #55 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers take a bead on Bobby Rainey of the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers during first half action of their game at Memorial Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Lincoln,

Despite playing for an awful team, Rainey had one of the most memorable seasons for any player in college football. However, combine the fact that Western Kentucky isn't any good, and they play in a weaker conference to begin with, and not many people have heard about how good Rainey really is.

Let me show you: In 2010, Rainey rushed for 100 yards or more in all but three of Western Kentucky's games. He totaled 1,649 yards and 15 touchdowns in his junior season.

The only thing that Rainey has going against him is still small stature, but it hasn't stopped him from tearing up college defenses this year, and it certainly wont stop him next year either.

6. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: Stepfan Taylor #33 of the Stanford Cardinal runs the ball against the Virginai Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miami, Florida. Stanford won 40-12. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/

Taylor had a monster year for Stanford in 2010, and with the return of both him and Andrew Luck, the Cardinal should be one of the best teams in the country in 2011.

Taylor rushed for 1,137 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2010. Next year, he should be even better with one more year of experience under his belt. Stanford is going to be playing under the college football spotlight next season with a ton of high expectations heading into the year. Taylor will be a big reason why the Cardinals should answer all of those expectations.

5. Doug Martin, Boise State

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LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 22: Doug Martin #22 of the Boise State Broncos runs into the end zone for a touchdown against the Utah Utes during the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium December 22, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty

Gone are Kellen Moore's favorite receiving targets Titus Young and Austin Pettis. But, back is the Broncos' leading rusher, Doug Martin, which means he will be even more involved in this explosive offense in 2011.

Martin put up exceptional numbers this past season, leading the Broncos with 1,260 yards on the ground to go along with his 12 touchdown runs. In addition to his rushing ability, Martin was very affective in the passing game, catching 28 passes for 338 yards and two more touchdowns.

Boise State should be great again next year, and a big reason for that will be the play of Martin. He is a polished running back that will be the go-to-guy in one of the most high-powered offenses in all of college football.

4. Michael Dyer, Auburn

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Michael Dyer #5 of the Auburn Tigers runs the ball for a 37-yards late in the fourth quarter during the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo

If Dyer can start next season where he left off in this year's National Championship game, then Auburn might have themselves back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners.

Dyer was spectacular in his freshman season with the Tigers. He rushed for 1,093 yards and five touchdowns while helping Auburn win the National Championship. He has an NFL body to go along with NFL skills. Fortunately for the Tigers, he will be back next season and leading their charge to try and repeat as the best team in college football.

3. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina

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ATLANTA - DECEMBER 4: Running back Marcus Lattimore #21 of the South Carolina Gamecocks runs with the ball during the 2010 SEC Championship against the Auburn Tigers at Georgia Dome on December 4, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty I

Lattimore was the biggest freshman name in all of college football this season. He showed every bit of why he was one of the highest recruited players in the country coming out of high school.

Lattimore rushed for 1,197 and 17 touchdowns in his first collegiate football season. He rushed for over 180 yards in three games this season, including a 212 yard, 3 touchdown game against Florida, which will go down as one of those most memorable freshman performances in SEC history.

Lattimore hit the college football scene in a huge way in 2010, and all signs point to him getting even better in 2011, which is pretty scary to think about.

2. Trent Richardson, Alabama

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TUSCALOOSA, AL - SEPTEMBER 11: Trent Richardson #3 of the Alabama Crimson Tide rushes against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Richardson has had two straight seasons where he has topped the 700-yard mark while running behind the best running back in college football in Mark Ingram.

Now that Ingram is moving on to the NFL, Richardson will have the backfield duties all to himself. Alabama will again be one of the best teams in the country next season, and that's with a new quarterback in place. With a new quarterback, they are going to want to establish the run, which means a heavy dose of carries for Richardson.

Many inside Alabama's camp believe that Richardson was even more skilled then Ingram. Bottom line, now that Richardson will have a season as the lone starting tailback, he will put up absolutely huge numbers and should be a top-10 draft pick in 2012.

1. LaMichael James, Oregon

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CORVALLIS, OR - DECEMBER 4: LaMichael James #21 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the game at Reser Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Corvallis, Oregon. The Ducks beat the Beavers 37-20 to likely go on the BCS Championship g

LaMichael James had an outstanding sophomore season where he was one of four finalists for the Heisman Trophy. He was also a candidate for the 2010 Walter Camp Player of the Year and Doak Walker Award.

There is no sign that Oregon won't be one of the best teams in college football again next year, and James will be a big reason why. He led the nation with 1,731 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2010 while playing in one of the top conferences in the country.

He has not given any indication yet that he will declare for the 2011 NFL draft, although one would have to be believe that every opposing college defense in America hopes that he will. James was the best player on one of college football's best teams this season, and should be even more dominant next year. If I had to pick a Heisman leader heading into next season, James would be that guy.