As the 2017 season draws nearer by the day, it’s time to start taking a look at some of the top players to watch in the Big Ten Conference.
Today in our Ranking the Big Ten series we looked at the top running backs in the conference, where the league will be led by at least one Heisman candidate in 2017.
Past rankings: QB |
1. Saquon Barkley, Penn State
Junior Saquon Barkley enters this season as one of the best players in all of college football. Barkley had stellar sophomore season where he led the Big Ten in rushing with 1,496 yards and 18 touchdowns, to go along with 28 catches for 402 yards and four more scores.
With a loaded offense around him, folks in Happy Valley are counting on maybe an even bigger year in 2017 from the Coplay, Pa., native.
Barkley is one of the frontrunners for the Heiman Trophy this year and already has NFL scouts drooling over his pro potential, so there’s a good chance this might be his final season as a Nittany Lion if he can come even close to achieving those expectations. Barkley played his best game last season on the biggest stage, gaining 249 yards on 30 touches to solidify he is the Big Ten's top back heading into 2017.
2. Justin Jackson, Northwestern
Not only is senior running back Justin Jackson arguably the best player on Northwestern’s roster, he’s also one of the best overall running backs in the Big Ten heading into the season.
Jackson has been the player opposing defenses have keyed in on every game for the past three seasons, and yet he’s still just 358 yards away from becoming the Wildcats’ all-time leading rusher.
Having already eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark his first three years, Jackson could become just the second Big Ten running back ever to accomplish that feat in all four years of his career, joining only Wisconsin’s Ron Dayne.
Only eight players have ever recorded four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in FBS history.
3. Mike Weber, Ohio State
Ohio State's Mike Weber redshirted the 2015 season, before breaking out as a redshirt freshman in 2016. The 5-foot-10, 215 pound Weber was named the Big Ten's freshman of the year, starting all 13 games for the Buckeyes.
Weber rushed for 1,096 yards and nine touchdowns last season. His career best game was 144 yards against Rutgers.
If there's one knock on Weber from last year, he was a non-factor in big games against Michigan and Clemson. In OSU's loss to the Tigers in the College Football Playoff, he had just 24 yards on 35 carries, while he had just 26 yards on 11 carries against the Wolverines.
4. Akrum Wadley, Iowa
Iowa junior running back Akrum Wadley led Iowa with 1,081 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2016 to go along with 36 catches for 315 yards and another three scores.
With LeShun Daniels now gone, Wadley is going to be more of a workhorse back in 2017, and offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz said this spring they want to get him 25 touches or more per game in 2017. The big question is can the 5-foot-10, 190 pound Wadley take the pounding of a No. 1 running back? He'll certainly have the offensive line in front of him to do some damage this season.
5. Rodney Smith, Minnesota
There may not be a better one-two punch at running back in the Big Ten than Minnesota's Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks. They are the clear stars of this Gopher team under head coach P.J. Fleck in year one, with Smith being the more featured back.
In 2016, Smith had 1,158 yards on 240 carries for 16 touchdowns in 2016, while Brooks had 650 yards on 138 carries for five scores.
The duo has 2,987 yards rushing over the last two seasons, to go along with 30 touchdowns. If Fleck is going to have success in year No. 1, he's going to need a similar stat line once again from Smith in 2017.
