Ranking the Pac-12’s best running backs heading into the 2023 season

Who is the best RB in the Pac-12 going into the 2023 season? We broke down the numbers and found the answer.

We are just a few months away from what is expected to be one of the best seasons of college football in the Pac-12 in recent memory. This offseason, we’ve extensively covered the unprecedented talent out west and looked at the landscape of quarterbacks that are expected to lead their team to success in the 2023 season. We’ve also looked at the wide receivers that each QB is throwing to, and assessed which team is best set up for an entertaining season through the air.

Now we want to take a look at the players lining up in the backfield alongside those passers. Who are the best running backs in the conference heading into this season?

As with receivers, I looked at career TDs, career yards, average touchdowns per game, and average yards per game. Obviously, it’s too early to put any true or incoming freshmen on the list, so while guys like Oregon’s Dante Dowdell and USC’s Quinten Joyner could eventually find their way onto the list, they will have to prove it first.

While the metrics I used may be weighted a bit towards veteran players with more accumulated stats, the per-game averages allowed a handful of young guys to skyrocket up the list.

After looking at past production, and offseason changes — whether it be personnel or coaching, we’ve got a definitive ranking of the top RBs in the Pac-12.

Take a look.