July 12Jul 12 Moderator No. Sports Illustrated names and ranks college football's 50 best players.SIRanking the 50 Best College Football Players of All TimeAhead of the 2026 college football season, Sports Illustrated has ranked the 50 greatest players in the sport’s 150-plus-year history. These are the players from the Pac-10 and Pac-12 conference, and the players from the Big Ten who made the list. I did not watch all of these exemplary players play ball, but I did watch many of them, including No. 1 on the list, RB Jimmy Brown, who played his college ball at Syracuse, also ran track, played basketball, and was a lacrosse All-American. 50. Bubba Smith - DE Michigan State - Spartan officials tried to but could not quell the 'Kill Bubba, Kill!' cheers.43. Dave Rimington - C Nebraska - Will Poncho win the eponymous award this season?42. Marcus Allen - RB USC - In 1984, I was blessed to be in attendance at the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay where Allen led the Los Angeles Raiders to a 38-9 upset defeat of the Washington Redskins.Allen's MVP Day: 20 carries, 191 yards rushing, including a 74-yard TD run, and another TD.34. Tommy Frazier - QB Nebraska - Only injuries could hold Tommy down.33. Matt Leinart - QB USC - Loved it when the Bush-push wiped the smile off the faces of Charlie Weiss and Brady Quinn. 32. One who got away, Portland, Oregon's Ndamukong (who played like King Kong) Suh - DT Nebraska - In 2009, Suh was CFB's outstanding player, and he should have won the Heisman Trophy. 29. Bronko Nagurski - RB/DT Minnesota - I'm old, but not old enough to have watched Bronko run over the opposition. 24. O. J. Simpson - RB USC - Later in life, OJ transferred to Penn State, er, State Pen. 😁21. Archie Griffin - RB Ohio State. CFB's only 2-time Heisman Trophy winner. Cal RB Chuck Muncie had a better season in 1975, the year Archie won his second award, but 'character' truly mattered in 1975, and Chuck was (in)famous for being on campus only for football practice and the games on Saturday. 18. Charles Woodson - CB/WR Michigan - Charles was Desmond Howard well before Howard showed up at Michigan. But Charles won the award playing mainly on the D side of the ball. He also had a great career in the NFL.15. Reggie Bush - RB USC - Stripped of his Heisman Trophy for 14 years because of extra benefits; if he played today, he would have made millions of NIL dollars a year. USC going on probation the year the Pac-12 Network launched is one reason the conference cratered. 10. Orlando Pace - OT Ohio State - A great player for the Buckeyes. The 1st pick in the 1997 draft, Pace had a 13-year NFL career and appeared in seven Pro Bowls. 9. Red Grange - RB/DB - Illinois. I did not watch the great Grange play ball. The Galloping Ghost disappeared from tacklers and graced the football field before my time. 7. Dick Butkus - LB/C Illinois. I watched Butkus in the 1964 Rose Bowl, where he helped the Illini to a 17-7 victory over UW 😁. He was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in 1965.In 1964, Butkus was named the Player of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. Butkus epitomized the toughness of the Chicago Bears. He was the NFL D Player of the Year in 1969 and 1970. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969, and to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983..................................................................................Should SI have named a Duck or two to the list?
July 12Jul 12 No. I would probably replace Leinart with Steve Emtman if there is a limit on Pac players. I also knew Bronco Jr, son of the legend. Bush was a phenomenal player.
July 12Jul 12 No. I don't like seeing OJ Simpson on any list of top performers. I wish that he be "disappeared" from history.
July 13Jul 13 Author Moderator No. FYI - The photo at the top of the article is a photo of No. 44 Syracuse RB Ernie Davis, who did not make the top 50.
July 13Jul 13 Moderator No. Ahmad Rashad. Recruited as a WR, moved to RB and named an All American, then back to Pro bowl WR.He was like DAT in that every time he touched the ball you expected a TD.
July 13Jul 13 Administrator No. 4 hours ago, Santa Rosa Duck said:I don't like seeing OJ Simpson on any list of top performers. I wish that he be "disappeared" from history.You gotta laugh and wince....and boy I miss Norm on Saturday Night Live! Mr. OBD
July 13Jul 13 Administrator No. Oh Norm....MILLIONS of viewers laughed and cringed at this one! (30 seconds) Mr. OBD
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