Who has the most talented running back room in the Pac-12?
It’s the offseason, which means that for a large majority of the college football world, it’s time to rank things.
Be it teams, schedules, players, or recruiting classes, fans always love a chance to pit their favorite school up against the best of the best in their conference or in the nation at large, seeing how they stack up against the rest.
While we’ve spent a lot of time talking about the quarterbacks and wide receivers in the Pac-12 — and for good reason — we decided to take a closer look at the running backs in the conference this week. On Saturday we ranked the top 25 rushers out west, showing which QB in the Pac-12 had the best guys running next to him. Now we want to build off of that ranking and see which team is best suited when it comes to overall RB talent.
This early in the offseason, it’s hard to know which guys are going to step up and be contributors for their respective teams. While there are a handful of new names that will likely break out and burst onto the scene, that can be hard to forecast. So for these team rankings, we looked purely at the talent at the top of the depth chart. Which QB has the most talented stable of running backs at the top to work with?
Quite simply, which school in the Pac-12 has an RB group with the most number of top-25 backs? When you break it down like that, the process is pretty simple. Let’s take a look.
Arizona Wildcats
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 16 Michael Wiley
Unranked Jonah Coleman
Unranked DJ Williams
Analysis: Michael Wiley probably doesn’t get enough credit in Arizona for being a veteran contributor, which is largely due to the talent the Wildcats have at WR. Wiley has been a very steady player for a few years now, and should lead the way once again in 2023. If the group is going to take a step forward, they will need something more from the other guys in the room, though.
Washington State Cougars
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 14 Nakia Watson
Unranked Jaylen Jenkins
Unranked Dylan Paine
Analysis: Much like with Arizona, it feels like Washington State has one very strong runner — Nakia Watson — followed by a couple of young and unproven players behind him. If either Jenkins or Paine can take a step forward this year, the Cougars could definitely move up the rankings.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 8 Cameron Skattebo
Unranked DeCarlos Brooks
Unranked Tevin White
Analysis: It’s going to be interesting to see what Arizona State looks like as a whole this year, and that sentiment continues into the RB room. Cameron Skattebo had an incredible career at Sacramento State, but will it translate to the Power 5 level? If Dillingham wants to find the same success he did in Eugene, it will need to.
Stanford Cardinal
Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 9 Ryan Butler
No. 23 E.J. Smith
Unranked Casey Filkins
Analysis: Pac-12 fans got a good feel for E.J. Smith last year, and they’re familiar with Casey Filkins. However, Ryan Butler comes over from Princeton and has a chance to step up and make a name for himself in the Power 5. He had a great freshman year with the Tigers, but we will see if it can carry over the Stanford.
Colorado Buffaloes
Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 4 Alton McCaskill
No. 19 Kavosiey Smoke
Analysis: There’s a chance that Colorado’s RB room quickly moves up the rankings, depending on what we see from McCaskill and Smoke. The former had an electric freshman season with Houston, while the latter is coming off of a long and productive career at Kentucky. That could be a good combo under Deion Sanders.
Utah Utes
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 10 Ja’Quinden Jackson
No. 11 Jaylon Glover
Unranked Micah Bernard
Analysis: It feels like Utah has a pair of really solid backs, but not one really great back. With Tavion Thomas now gone, it will be on either Jackson or Glover to step up and take over the No. 1 role.
Washington Huskies
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 12 Richard Newton
No. 17 Dillon Johnson
No. 20 Cameron Davis
Unranked Daniyel Ngata
Analysis: While much of the attention in Washington is focused on the WR corps, the group of RBs in Seattle is very solid, and ripe with experience. The running game with likely always play second-fiddle to the passing game, but Kalen DeBoer knows that he has a trio of really good players in the backfield.
Oregon State Beavers
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 3 Damien Martinez
No. 15 Deshaun Fenwick
Unranked Jamious Griffin
Analysis: The Beavers have someone who could easily contend for the best RB in the Pac-12 going forward with Damien Martinez, and Deshaun Fenwick has been a steady producer over the past couple of years. Outside of those two, there isn’t a ton of depth on the roster, but the Beavers are as talented as anyone at the top.
USC Trojans
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 6 MarShawn Lloyd
No. 13 Austin Jones
Unranked Raleek Brown
Analysis: Losing Travis Dye hurts, but the Trojans were able to reload and bring in MarShawn Lloyd from South Carolina, and they have both Austin Jones and Raleek Brown coming back for a second season with the team. It’s likely that they will be very solid once again.
Oregon Ducks
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 5 Bucky Irving
No. 22 Noah Whittington
No. 25 Jordan James
Analysis: With Bucky Irving at the top and Noah Whittington not far behind, the Ducks have a really solid rushing group that is expected to get better with the thought that Jordan James will fill a bigger role and be more than a short-yardage back. Unfortunately for this group, it feels like they will struggle to get some of the stats that they deserve with Bo Nix and his rushing ability in the redzone.
UCLA Bruins
Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 1 Carson Steele
No. 21 TJ Harden
No. 24 Anthony Adkins
Analysis: With Carson Steele transferring in from Ball State, the Bruins got the No. 1 rusher in the Pac-12. They are really solid at the top, and have some good depth behind Steele with Harden and Adkins. Chip Kelly’s offense should be humming once again.
California Golden Bears
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Notable Running Backs on Roster
No. 2 Jaydn Ott
No. 7 Isaiah Ifanse
No. 18 Byron Cardwell
Analysis: Cal might not be the best team in the conference, but they easily have the best group of running backs. Jaydn Ott showed that he can be elite last year, and it’s going to be fun to watch his career blossom. Behind him, Ifanse comes in from Montana State where he had an incredible career, but it will be interesting to see if that production can continue in Berkely. And then Oregon fans know all about Byron Cardwell, who is a supremely talented player that just needs a chance to perform. The Golden Bears could have an elite ground game this year.
