College Football 2017: Ranking each conference by its running backs

8. Fighting through the big guys

The Mid-American Conference typically pulls an upset or two in September, but for the most part, the teams get hit pretty hard by the big guys of the Power-5 leagues.

Now that we have settled into the conference grind, you are seeing some strong backs come out of the MAC.

Ohio’s A.J. Ouellette leads the league with 656 yards, averaging just over six per carry.

Western Michigan’s Jarvion Franklin and Toledo’s Terry Swanson both sits halfway to the 1,000-yard mark, with Franklin adding six touchdowns and Swanson seven.

Franklin, with 538 yards, forms the best duo in the MAC with junior Jamauri Bogan, who has 462 yards.

Bowling Green’s Josh Cleveland, Northern Illinois’ Jordan Huff and Miami’s Kenny Young all have at least 400 yards on the ground.

Some of the top young guys to keep an eye on include Buffalo sophomore Emmanuel Reed, Western Michigan sophomore LeVante Bellamy, Ball State’s freshmen pair of Caleb Huntley and Andrew Clair, and Toledo’s Art Thompkin.