Alabama Football: Ranking the Top 10 Running Backs the Tide Face in 2011

The SEC is a conference that produces outstanding running backs.  The brightest stars have moved onto the NFL, including Mark Ingram, Peyton Hillis (former fullback) and teammate Darren McFadden, Carnell Williams, Knowshon Moreno, Joseph Addai, and BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

The quality of running backs in the SEC is top-notch, as usual.  Though Alabama doesn't have to face Marcus Lattimore this year, their run defense will still be put to the test by these 10 running backs. 

Stats don't always tell the whole story and this is not a ranking of who ran for the most yards, though yards gained wont hurt their credibility has a quality running back. 

No. 10: Michael Ford, LSU, Sophomore, 5'11", 215 Lbs.

Michael Ford has been a backup since heading to LSU and looks to fill that role and split carries with Spencer Ware for the rest of his career. 

He earns a spot here after hitting Oregon in the 2011 season opener for almost 100 yards on just 14 carries. 

Size-wise, he's identical to Mark Ingram, but not talent-wise. 

His outlook as far as carries go looks good, with LSU having a weak passing attack in recent history. 

He is sure to be used in a lot of play-action passes, and if the Alabama defense bites, Jarrett Lee may put some points on the board. 

No. 9: Ronnie Wingo, Jr., Arkansas, Junior, 6'3", 230 Lbs.

Ronnie Wingo, Jr. has been placed in a bad situation.  He plays on a contender-worthy team but must replace injured Knile Davis this year, who many would argue to be the best back in the SEC (I'm not one of them). 

He's not shifty, and he won't amaze you with his speed.  There is no doubt that he is a pure power back.  At 6'3", 230 lbs., he is much more suited to play fullback, but the Hogs don't have a lot of options right now. 

He's gained nice yardage as a backup, and in 2010 behind Davis and Ryan Mallett's prolific passing game, he averaged 6.2 yards per carry. 

With a new quarterback who might have trouble passing against the Tide secondary, Wingo might need to be the x-factor in the Arkansas offense. 

No. 8: Chris Rainey, Florida, Senior, 5'9", 174 Lbs.

Chris Rainey has been a mix of a running back and a wide receiver.  He didn't get many carries in 2010, but he hauled in 25 passes from a struggling quarterback, three of them for touchdowns. 

Rainey is small and relies on his scat back qualities to get him yards.  He'll be backing up/splitting carries with his fellow Gator, speedster Jeff Demps. 

Rainey doesn't have the build to be an every-down back, but he's done very well with what he has, averaging almost seven yards per carry during his long sting at Florida.  A lot of those yards came after handoffs from dual-threat extraordinaire, Tim Tebow.

He won't win or lose the game for Florida when they play Alabama, but he will be a steady, proven weapon in the showdown at The Swamp. 

No. 7: Onterio McCalebb, Auburn, Junior, 5'10", 170 Lbs.

Onterio McCalebb had his breakout year in 2010, with 810 yards on 95 carries.  This was all made possible by several factors. 

He played behind freshman-phenom Michael Dyer, Heisman Trophy dual-threat quarterback Cam Newton and played in a high-octane offense that put up just under 4,000 yards on the ground. 

He added the scat-back option to a run game that had every other angle covered. 

This year he will be spelling Dyer once again, but with no Cam Newton he will be taking handoffs from a fairly immobile quarterback. 

He may not get the numbers that he did in 2010, but he is still a home run threat every time he touches the ball. 

No. 6: Tauren Poole, Tennessee, Senior, 5'10", 215 Lbs.

Tauren Poole is a great example of how willpower can let you exceed your physical limitations.  He's not too big (same size as Mark Ingram), not that strong, nor fast, nor shifty. 

That didn't stop Poole from posting six 100-yard games last year.  That includes the game where he snapped the Crimson Tide's 41-game streak of not allowing a single rusher to accumulate 100 yards on the ground, even though his team was drubbed at home, 41-10. 

He finished the season with 1034 yards on 204 carries.

The bottom line is that Tauren Poole gets it done.  He won't carry you to the BCS title game, but he'll get you pointed in the right direction. 

No. 5: Vick Ballard, Mississippi State, Senior, 5'11", 220 Lbs.

If someone mentioned Vick Ballard a year ago you would have replied, "Who's Vick Ballard?"  After 2010, however, when Dan Mullen's Bulldog squad moved from perennial bottom feeder to middle of the pack upsetters-in-waiting, everyone is factoring him into their game plan. 

He's a true workhorse back.  He wont "wow" you with his yards per carry, but he keeps it around a solid five, and 100-yard rushing games are always a possibility for him. 

He almost had himself a 1,000-yard year in 2010. 

His quarterback, Chris Relf, is not known as a dangerous passer, and the Bulldogs will rely heavily on Ballard to keep the ball out of Crimson Tide hands. 

No. 4: Brandon Bolden, Ole Miss, Senior, 5'11", 221 Lbs.

Poor Brandon Bolden.  He's been a solid running back his entire career but was stuck playing with the new worst team in the SEC West, maybe even the whole SEC. 

He's always been a prototypical workhorse back who just didn't have enough talent around him to make a real difference.  Despite gaining almost 1,000 yards in 2010 with a six yards per carry average, he couldn't carry his team to win more than one single game in their SEC schedule. 

Bolden has the potential to embarrass the Tide on the ground, but his team still won't stand a chance of winning. 

No. 3: Jeff Demps, Florida, Senior, 5'7", 191 Lbs.

Jeff Demps is one of those players that is either considered overrated or underrated, with not a whole lot in between. 

He is about as compact as a running back can get.  He's about as short as a FBS school will accept, but he's got the weight at 191 lbs.

After four years in Gainesville he has put up outstanding yards per carry, including 7.8 his freshman year, 2008, the year the Gators beat undefeated Alabama in the SEC championship on their way to win the national championship. 

Okay, so what makes me so high on Jeff Demps?  He has been the fastest player in college football since he donned his Gator uniform.  He's run under a 10 second 100-meter dash (okay, so it was wind-aided), and he just might break the 40-yard dash record at the NFL combine. 

He won't bowl people over but would-be tacklers better grab him when they can, because even Usain Bolt would have trouble catching him.  Maybe that's an exaggeration, but dang he's fast.   

No. 2: Spencer Ware, LSU, Sophomore, 5'11", 223 Lbs.

Here is where the critics come out, if they haven't already. I think Spencer Ware is the second toughest running back the Tide will face. 

He broke out in last year's Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M with over 10 yards per carry, but he really proved his worth in the season opener against Oregon.

He only averaged 3.8 yards per carry against the National Championship runner-up, but he helped them win time of possession by capitalizing on Oregon's fumbles with his 26 clock-eating carries on a day where his quarterback couldn't even complete half of his passes. 

Without Ware's workhorse qualities the Tigers might not have taken home the win. 

There's a lot more in store for Spencer Ware. 

No. 1: Michael Dyer, Auburn, Sophomore, 5'9", 207 Lbs.

...And my pick for the toughest back the Tide will face this year is none other than the star running back for their arch rivals, the Auburn Tigers.

In 2010, as a true freshman, Michael Dyer burst onto the scene with a 1,000-yard season, six yards per carry average and a National Championship MVP, which he earned with a lovely "Which way did they go, George?" run. 

Many attribute his success to the great play of Cam Newton, but the naysayers were put to rest when Auburn upset Mississippi State and then lost to undefeated Clemson, both quality opponents.  In those games he gained 150 yards on the ground, in back-to-back weeks. 

I said big numbers don't always tell the whole story, but with Dyer they certainly do.

He will do well in the Iron Bowl this year, but Trent Richardson will do better.  So will Eddie Lacy.