Top 10 Non-BCS Players

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Aug 23, 2011

Top 10 Non-BCS Players

Kellen Moore

Moore finished fourth in Heisman voting a year ago and was the national leader in passing efficiency, throwing 35 touchdowns to six interceptions. The two-time All-America has a 38-2 record as a starter.

Tank Carder

The conference's reigning defensive player of the year has 158 career tackles, including 20 1/2 for loss and 16 pass break-ups. He etched his name into Rose Bowl lore by batting down Wisconsin's two-point conversion attempt to secure TCU's win.

Case Keenum

Keenum was granted a sixth year of eligibility after suffering a knee injury last September, and will make a run at breaking the all-time NCAA career passing mark this year. He's 3,486 yards shy of Timmy Chang's record of 17,072.

Nate Potter

The 6-foot-6, 300 pounder anchors a line that paved the way for 521.3 yards per game, second-most in the nation, and ranked third in FBS in allowing eight sacks all season.

Lance Dunbar

Sixth in the nation last season with 1,553 yards, Dunbar will undoubtedly be the focal point of the Mean Green offense as it tries to break in a new starting QB. A 2,000-yard season is a real possibility.

Bobby Rainey

The Sun Belt conference's reigning offensive player of the year led the nation in rushing attempts last season with 340 and was third in yards at 1,649. He'll surely be the Hilltoppers' main source of offense again, but may not be able to help them improve on last year's 2-10 record.

Ryan Lindley

Lindley posted career highs of 3,830 passing yards and 28 touchdowns as a junior, and only five quarterbacks in the nation topped his average of 9.1 yards per attempt. Equaling those numbers this season could be hard with his top two receivers lost to knee injuries.

Billy Winn

A two-time All-WAC selection, Winn has registered 72 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 10 sacks over the last two seasons. He returns as a key piece of a defense that yielded just 254.6 yards per game last season, good for second nationally.

Ronnie Hillman

Hillman was the conference's leading rusher last season with 1,532 yards, breaking Marshall Faulk's school record of 1,429 set in 1991. He was also first among all FBS freshmen with 117.8 yards per game.

Carmen Messina

Messina led the nation in tackles with 162 as a sophomore and followed it up with a conference-best 115 stops in 2010, becoming the first Lobo since Brian Urlacher to post two 100-tackle seasons.