College Football Rankings: LaMichael James and 10 Best Running Backs in Week 5

Last week, I put this same list together and it occurred to me: why put just one list together as opposed to keeping the list updated?

So here we are for my second edition of running back countdowns. In terms of this list, many things have changed drastically. There is a new leader atop the rushing yards list.

Some of the nation's best runners are running well enough to show their NFL capabilities. We're seeing guys who can make sick cuts and bowl through players at the drop of a hat. Who comes out on top remains to be seen, but watching these guys all year is certainly exciting!

For now, here are the nation's best backs after four weeks of play.

10. Henry Josey, Missouri

Last week: Honorable mention.

It would've been hard to keep Josey off the list this week. I was hesitant last week because of a low number of carries.

While that stat remains low, it's now high enough to have earned respect. He ranks fifth in the nation in rushing yards with 533 of them on 43 attempts. He's also scored four times.

Despite the loss to Oklahoma, Josey ran very well against the Sooners' tough run defense. Even if his previous games had been bad, Josey earned his respect against the nation's best team.

He's only tenth this week, but Josey is showing signs of being a great runner. He will break records if he continues to run at this pace.

9. Ray Graham, Pittsburgh

Last week: No. 6.

Graham falls to the ninth slot this week after a mediocre performance against Notre Dame. He carried the ball 21 times for a measly 89 yards and didn't score. 

There's certainly a lot of potential for the junior, but he occasionally makes silly errors that cost himself many yards every carry. At times, it appears he's moving too fast for his feet. 

He's still in the top 10 in terms of yards, but Graham's yards per carry have decreased over the last couple games. While he is a weapon for Pittsburgh, he's not being as effective as he could be.

Don't give up on Graham yet, but he'll need to pick it up.

8. Michael Dyer, Auburn

Last week: No. 4.

Dyer is lucky not to have dropped further down this list. He struggled mightily against Florida Atlantic.

14 carries for 68 yards just isn't good enough. Dyer is the primary focus now that Cam Newton is out, so he is going to have to do better.

7. Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State

Last week: No. 3.

Randle had such good credentials last week, good enough to be in the top three.

Then he ran into a tough Texas A&M defense. Randle only managed to rack up 83 yards and was pretty much ineffective against the Aggies.

This makes me wonder about how effective Randle is in an overall sense. I'm still a believer, but how he performs over the next couple weeks will say a lot about him. 

6. David Wilson, Virginia Tech

Last week: No. 5.

Wilson had a good week against Marshall, running for over 130 yards. Unfortunately, it's just a case of everyone above him having monster weeks as well.

Still, Wilson is showing a lot of potential in the ACC. He certainly has the ability to breakaway from the pack, even having a lot of tough competition.

He's showing that he can be one of Virginia Tech's go-to guys when it counts. Wilson still remains a conundrum given Tech's soft schedule so far, so watching him perform over the next couple weeks will be a good indicator of his talents.

5. Trent Richardson, Alabama

Last week: No. 7.

Richardson may not have scored in Week 4 against the Razorbacks, but he still had a good week. After a bad start to the year, Richardson has run for at least 100 yards in each of the last three weeks.

Arkansas really couldn't stop Richardson for most of the game. He continued to use his power to plunge forward and destroy defenders who tried to stop him.

As the key for a very good Alabama team, Richardson has a lot of pressure. He was my preseason prediction to win the Heisman.

So far, not a bad start (at least, if we forget Week 1).

4. Ronnie Hillman, San Diego State

Last week: No. 1.

Hillman became a victim this week of all the guys ahead of him having incredible weeks. He certainly didn't have a bad week, but it was actually a relatively average one.

109 yards against a Michigan team that San Diego State struggled against isn't bad. His new total on the 2011 campaign is 606 yards, good for third best in the nation.

Still, Hillman didn't score and his week was a sort of typical one. This week, that hurts his stock.

3. Bernard Pierce, Temple

Last week: No. 9.

Some athletes wait their entire careers to have a week like Pierce had in Week 4. How did that go?

32 carries for 149 yards and five touchdowns. FIVE touchdowns!

My question about Pierce throughout this first part of the year is how consistent he can be. Thus far, he's not failed to impress. He picked himself up after a poor performance against Penn State and did nothing less than dominate against Maryland.

He's proving to be one of this year's sleeper running backs.

2. LaMichael James, Oregon

Last week: No. 8.

After a dominating performance against Arizona, James has jumped on top of the nation in rushing yards with 613. He ran for 288 just this past week.

James started off slowly against the tough LSU defense, but has only gotten better since then. He's not one of the leading Heisman candidates for no reason.

He was definitely a perfect candidate for the top spot. However, consistency had to be considered. While James' last two performances have been impressive, there's one man who has been more impressive all year.

1. Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina

Last week: No. 2.

It's hard to argue against Lattimore this week. He's accumulated 611 yards in 2011, good for being second in the nation, and has scored eight times. 

He's got one of the tougher workloads, as he has carried the ball more times than any other player. That total is 107.

Lattimore is powerful, he's fast, and he's a key element to his team. Lastly—he's effective. While yes, it may be possible for anyone to pick up 611 yards on so many carries, Lattimore continues to be efficient and consistent, week in and week out.

This week, Lattimore is the best running back we've seen.