Ranking the Top 10 Group of Five Running Backs Entering the 2015 College Football Season

Dec 24, 2014; Honolulu, HI, USA; Fresno State running back Marteze Waller (33) is chased by Rice cornerback Bryce Callahan (29) during the third quarter at the Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports

You don’t have to be on a Power Five team to be a star. Here are the top 10 Group of Five running backs to look at for the 2015 college football season.

The defenses may not be as physical, but neither is the offensive line. And in many cases, neither is the passing game.

As always, not every great player is a member of the Power Five conference.

Plenty of running backs from the Group of Five, or mid-major teams as they were once gone, have gone on to make huge names for themselves in college football and then have successful NFL careers.

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Guys like DeAngelo Williams at Memphis about 10 years ago were considered can’t-miss players, and he is certainly not the only one.

LaDainian Tomlinson played at TCU before the Horned Frogs joined a major conference. Ian Johnson is a pretty beloved Boise State back. And don’t forget Matt Forte at Tulane, Kevin Smith at UCF, Donald Brown at UCONN, and Ronnie Hillman at San Diego State.

All of these guys made names for themselves by picking up lots of yards despite playing in conferences nobody knew.

Great running backs, however, are harder to find at this level than great quarterbacks, but it can be done. Going into this season, let’s take a look at the top 10 Group of Five running backs to watch out for in college football.

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