Top 10 Pac-12 Running Backs Entering the 2015 College Football Season

Jan 2, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Paul Perkins (24) runs after a catch during the second half of the 2015 Alamo Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats at Alamodome. The Bruins won 40-35. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The pass-happy Pac-12 has many running backs that can make a difference. Here are the Top 10 Pac-12 running backs for the 2015 college football season.

Pac-12 football has always been about high-powered offenses built around a great quarterback to put up lots of points. Come on, we’re all used to seeing those 70-60 games at night and loving it.

As a result, too often we forget about the running back position at this conference, but it is still valuable. Even in pass-happy offenses, a versatile running back who can make a difference in open space is a huge asset. In fact, it might be a bigger asset in that situation.

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There are some physical teams in the Pac-12 that value the running back such as Stanford and Utah. And there are others that have systems to maximize their running backs’ talents, which could include a lot of success in the passing game.

And finally, the traditional historical powers like USC whose running backs have historically gotten tons of recognition, an anomaly in this conference.

But USC has traditionally run a standard, pro-style offense, which allows for all the positions to shine depending on who the most valuable player on the team is.

The rest of the conference, though? Running backs are sadly becoming an afterthought. But the great ones will be huge mismatch advantages for teams.

Here are the Top 10 Pac-12 running backs entering the 2015 season.

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