Top 25 College Football Running Backs Heading Into Week 3

With two weeks of the college football season now in the books, there is still a lot up in the air as far as who the Top 25 running backs are.

With conference play yet to start, some players are putting up huge numbers against lesser opponents, vaulting them up the list.

While they may not be there all season, one thing that remains the same from last week is the man at the top of the list.

Here are the Top 25 running backs in college football heading into Week 3.   

25. Bernard Pierce (Temple)

Pierce is a relative unknown who has been dominant in Temple's first two games of the season. 

In Week 1 he ran all over Villanova for 147 yards on 20 carries and hit Akron with 150 yards on 18 carries in Week 2. 

He ranks sixth in the country in rushing yards and has also put up three touchdowns in each game. 

His 7.8 yards per carry is also something to take notice of. 

24. Chris Rainey (Florida)

Rainey is the second new name on the list after having two big games to start off the season. 

Last weekend against UAB, he had 16 carries and 119 yards with a touchdown. He also had 43 receiving yards. 

Combine that with 79 rushing yards and 67 receiving yards in Week 1 and Rainey has vaulted into the Top 25. 

His dual-threat capabilities and ability to burn the defense with both the run and the pass make him one of the best running backs in the country. 

23. Dominique Whaley (Oklahoma)

Whaley was close to making the Top 25 last week and after a few subpar performances from some of the names near the bottom of the list, the Oklahoma running back finds himself as the third and final new name on the list. 

He ran all over Tulsa in Week 1, with 131 yards on only 18 carries to go along with four touchdowns. 

Oklahoma was off in Week 2 and Whaley could be a name to look out for as somebody who has a chance to move up the list throughout the season. 

22. Jonathan Franklin (UCLA)

Franklin drops from No. 18 to No. 22 after an 81 yard one touchdown performance on 16 carries against San Jose St. University. 

After 128 yards in Week 1, Franklin slipped slightly from the 8.0 yards per carry he put up against Houston. 

The junior will have another shot this weekend against the Texas Longhorn defense. 

21. Tauren Poole (Tennessee)

Poole moves up four spots this week after a 101-yard performance against Cincinnati. 

He did not reach the end zone, but carried the ball 21 times and helped Tennessee control the game against Cincinnati. 

Poole will certainly be challenged a little more in Week 3 against Florida. 

20. Marcus Coker (Iowa)

Like Poole, Coker vaults up four spots this week after a solid performance in an overtime loss against in-state rival Iowa St. 

Coker ran all over the Cyclones for 140 yards and two touchdowns. 

He has proven he can be a workhorse for Iowa as he carried the ball 35 times over the weekend. He will be called upon heavily in the weeks to come, particularly in Big 10 play. 

19. Bobby Rainey (Western Kentucky)

Rainey is another name that makes a slight jump up the list, going from No. 22 in Week 1 to No. 19 this week. 

He doused Navy for 131 yards and two touchdowns on only 21 carries. 

While he is a relative unknown, he has a chance to put up over 1,800 yards in the run happy Hilltoppers offense. 

18. David Wilson (Virginia Tech)

After 162 yards in the season opener, Wilson followed that up with 138 against East Carolina in Week 2. 

Even though he did not reach the end zone, his performance was still worthy of a one-step jump up the list. 

Wilson should get 25 carries a game and will see his name slowly creep up the list if he does. 

17. Zach Line (SMU)

Zach Line remains pat at No. 17 after carrying the ball 20 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns against UTEP. 

The performance was consistent with his 22 carry 128-yard performance in Week 1. 

Line must continue putting up big numbers if he wants to remain on this list. 

16. Lamar Miller (Miami)

Miami was off in Week 2 in preparation for their showdown with Ohio State on Saturday. 

Miller remains No. 16 based on his 119-yard performance in Week 1. 

He will face a true test against Ohio State and if he has a good game, could propel himself into the top half of this list next week.  

15. Doug Martin (Boise St.)

Like Miller, Martin was also on bye in Week 2. 

After a spectacular season last year, Miller struggled in Week 1 against Georgia, but is almost certain to regain the form this Week against Toledo. 

Another sub-par game though, could find Martin falling fast on this list. 

14. Chris Polk (Washington)

Polk drops one spot on the list after 107 yards and one touchdown on 22 carries against Hawaii. 

While 107 yards is not a bad performance by any stretch of the imagination, more should be expected out of one of the top running backs in the country against a team like Hawaii.

Polk and Washington will be tested this week against Nebraska and we will see where he stands heading into Week 4.  

13. Edwin Baker (Michigan St.)

Baker drops three spots on the list from last week after only 50 yards on nine carries in a 44-0 romp of Florida Atlantic. 

While he only got nine carries, Baker is going to need to do a little more than that against a team like Florida Atlantic to warrant moving up on the list. 

He will have his chance in Week 3 against Notre Dame. 

12. James White (Wisconsin)

White drops four spots after struggling mightily against Oregon St. 

He got 17 carries but only gained 53 yards. Far from the production of fellow Wisconsin running back Montee Ball. 

A few more weeks like that and White could find himself losing some of his carries to Ball for the rest of the season. 

11. Ronnie Hillman (San Diego St.)

Hillman moves up three spots this week a two touchdown performance for San Diego St. against Army. 

He ran for 117 yards on only 17 carries and has a chance to be one of the leading rushers in the country by seasons end. 

A few more solid weeks and Hillman could find himself in the Top 10 in the coming weeks. 

10. Ray Graham (Pittsburgh)

Graham is the latest star running back at a school that has produced a stable of them in recent years. 

After 201 yards in Week 1, Graham followed that up with 121 yards and three touchdowns in Week 2 against Maine. 

Graham will be tested in Week 3 against Iowa and if he continues to improve, he could be one of the top five running backs in the country by season's end. 

9. Trent Richardson (Alabama)

Richardson had a solid game against a good Penn St. defense, but he moves down two spots this week simply because a few others overshadowed him. 

He rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries. This was an improvement from the 37 yards he got in Week 1. 

Richardson clearly has the talent to move up this list in the coming weeks if he can continue putting it all together like he did in Week 2. 

8. Montel Harris (Boston College)

Harris may still be a few weeks from returning and drops five spots this week to number eight. 

He will continue to drop the more weeks he misses, but when he does return, he is one of the best running backs in the country the second he steps onto the field. 

Boston College has struggled mightily without Harris, proving even further how valuable he is to them. 

If Harris is not ready to go in the next three weeks, he may get redshirted. 

7. Michael Dyer (Auburn)

Dyer makes the biggest jump of anybody in this week's rankings. He moves up five spots to number seven after an impressive showing against Mississippi St. 

He carried the ball 18 times for 150 yards and two touchdowns. 

After a sluggish start in Week 1, Dyer showed why he was one of the top running backs in yards per carry last season averaging over eight yards per carry in Week 2. 

6. Vick Ballard (Mississippi St.)

Ballard is developing into a dual-threat running back for Mississippi St. after carrying the ball 21 times for 135 yards and a touchdown and also catching five passes for 64 yards. 

He moves up three spots this week and is one of six SEC running backs in the rankings. 

Along with Lattimore, Ballard has been the most consistent of the bunch so far this season. 

5. Montee Ball (Wisconsin)

Ball leaps up one spot this week, but separates himself from his teammate James White. 

White fell in the rankings with a poor performance against Oregon St. Ball had a solid outing on nearly the same amount of carries. 

He rushed the ball 18 times for 118 yards and two scores. 

Teams in the Big Ten can expect a steady dose or the running game when they take on Wisconsin and Ball will be leading the charge. 

4. LaMichael James (Oregon)

James improved slightly in Week 2, but still is not the man we all saw last season. 

He carried the ball 12 times for 67 yards and a touchdown and also caught two passes for 56 yards and a score. 

If he can put it all together he will move up on the list, but his lack of production will continue dropping him as was evidenced in his fall of two spots this week. 

3. Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati)

When it comes to yards per attempt, nobody in the country is close to Isaiah Pead. 

Pead torched Tennessee over the weekend for 155 yards and one touchdown on only 14 carries. 

He had a 65-yard touchdown run the first time he touched the ball and moves up two spots in the rankings this week.

Cincinnati inexplicably abandons the run every week when they have a guy as talented as Pead who is averaging 11.5 yards per carry.

If they continue to do so, it will be tough for Pead to move any higher on the list.  

2. Cyrus Gray (Texas A&M)

The Aggies had a bye in Week 2, but Gray still moves up two spots due to the injury of Montel Harris and the slow start of LaMichael James. 

Gray and the Aggies have another cupcake in Idaho this week, but then will be tested with back-to-back games against Oklahoma St. and Arkansas. 

Gray is a darkhorse, who will have to continue putting up big numbers to stay near the top of this list. 

1. Marcus Lattimore (South Carolina)

Lattimore is a workhorse and proved again in Week 2 why he is the best running back in college football. 

He carried the ball 27 times for 176 yards and a touchdown in the Gamecocks win against Georgia.

They needed every one of those carries and Lattimore further supplanted himself at the top of the list. 

He is looking like a solid bet to go wire-to-wire in that number one spot.