College Football 2017: Ranking each conference by its running backs

4. Making a name for themselves

Outside of the Power Five, Conference USA is quickly becoming a league with top offensive talent.

Plenty of the schools have produced solid quarterbacks and wide receivers of the years, but the running back position is as deep as any in the nation this year.

Jeffery Wilson of North Texas and plied his trade for four years now. He currently sits atop the league standings with 749 yards and has scored nine touchdowns.

Right behind Wilson is the back most NFL teams are intrigued by in Southern Mississippi’s Ito Smith. The senior has 733 yards and seven touchdowns, adding 192 yards on 21 receptions to his totals. His blend of size, speed and skill has scouts drooling.

Florida Atlantic’s Devin Singletary has finally settled into the role everyone expected from the start of this year. After finishing his freshman season on a hot note, most thought Singletary would pick right up with Lane Kiffin as his head coach. He is now up to third in the conference in rushing with 686 yards and also has league-best 11 rushing touchdowns.

Singletary is also part of one of the top tandems in the country with senior Gregory Howell, Jr., who is averaging seven yards per carry on 56 attempts.

UAB’s return to college football has been boosted by freshman Spencer Brown, who has 629 yards and six scores.

Sitting just a notch below those five are UTSA’s Jalen Rhodes, Old Dominion’s Jeremy Cox and Charlotte’s Benny Lemay.