Inside the Numbers: Best Big Ten Running Backs in 2020

There will be a new rushing king in the Big Ten in 2020.

Last season, Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor and Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins battled for that title. Not only were they the two best runners in the conference, they were two of the most prolific runners in the country as they each usurped 2,000 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.

This season, Taylor and Dobbins are off to the NFL, so there is an opening for everyone else.

So who will be the best Big Ten running back in 2020? To continue my series, I will rank who will be the top 10 running backs in the Big Ten. To be clear, this is not a ranking of the best returning running backs based on last season’s performances. Rather, this is a projection of the running backs who will stand out, taking into consideration depth charts, schemes, and schedules.

This the second such column of this series. Last week, I predicted who will be the best 10 quarterbacks in the Big Ten, and I will be ranking a position each week pursuant to this schedule:

June 17th: Quarterbacks

June 24th: Running Backs

July 1st: Wide Receivers

July 8th: Tight Ends

July 15th: Offensive Tackles

July 22nd: Interior Offensive Linemen

July 29th: Defensive Tackles

August 5th: Defensive Ends

August 12th: Linebackers

August 19th: Cornerbacks

August 26th: Safeties

With Taylor and Dobbins gone, will either of their successors at Wisconsin or Ohio State, respectively, spring their way to No. 1 or will a Penn State running back journey his way to the top spot? And how high will a Michigan running back rank when there may be a three- or four-man rotation among Hassan Haskins, Zach Charbonnet, Chris Evans and Christian Turner?

On that note, let’s unveil who will be the top 10 running backs in the Big Ten in 2020.

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