The old adage that to win in college football, you have to run the ball and play defense still holds true. Sure, the game has evolved into a much more wide-open version that looks more like the CFL than the “three-and-a-cloud-of-dust” version that dominated through the early 1990s, but teams have to establish the run to open up those passing lanes and allow quarterbacks to stretch the field deep. There are plenty of backfields ready to shoulder that load in the 2022 season.
A great running game starts with a workhorse but isn’t effective unless there is at least one other versatile back who’s capable of staying involved in the game plan in a variety of ways. Which running back rooms are the best in college football heading into the 2022 season? Let’s break them down.
Texas won’t be “back” until it truly contends for a College Football Playoff berth, but there’s no doubt that its backfield will be terrifying this fall. No. 1 back Bijan Robinson is tied for the best Heisman Trophy odds among running backs (+3000), according to Caesars Sportsbook, and is fresh off a 2021 season in which he rushed for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games. Veterans Rocshon Johnson and Keilan Robinson — the Longhorns’ second- and third-leading rushers from last year, respectively — also return and provide incredible versatility for second-year coach Steve Sarkisian. Texas will likely be breaking in Quinn Ewers at quarterback this year, and his ceiling is high enough to bring Texas back into the national spotlight. He’ll have a great running back corps to fall back on, which puts Texas in a great spot to become relevant in the Big 12 once again ahead of its impending move to the SEC.
The Buckeyes will likely be picked to make the playoff by several pundits heading into the season, and the running back room is a big reason for that optimism. TreVeyon Henderson is also +3000 to win the Heisman Trophy after a…
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