College Football Power Rankings, Week 2: Pac-10 Running Backs

As promised, this week's rundown of Pac-10 running backs looks markedly different from the initial edition.

Four members of last week's list are out, including two of the top three.

But that's to be expected early in the season, with coaches across the conference still sorting out their depth charts, prominent names returning from suspensions, and no-names nabbing prime performances against subdivision scrubs.

While the current power rankings should be somewhat more indicative of what's to come than the previous one, there will still be plenty of movement amongst the conference's ball carriers up to and throughout the Pac-10 season.

That being said, here's the latest attempt to track the progress of the Pac-10's 'backs.

Jonathan Franklin performed admirably enough on Saturday to maintain a place in the rankings.

With 73 yards on 11 rushes, "Jet Ski" was one of the very few bright spots (if not the only) for the Bruins during a 35-0 trouncing at the hands of the Stanford Cardinal.

While UCLA's patchwork offensive line hasn't done so well protecting Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut at quarterback, it's done a pretty good job opening up running lanes for Franklin and freshman phenom Malcolm Jones.

Unfortunately for Franklin, Jones had himself a pretty good game on Saturday as well, picking up 52 yards on seven carries. If the freshman keeps contributing the way he has, Franklin may very well see his numbers drop significantly, along with his place in the power rankings.

Previous ranking: eighth

Opposite Franklin and the Bruins, Stanford's Stepfan Taylor had himself a solid outing at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

After carrying the ball only three times against Sacramento State, Taylor asserted himself as the Cardinal's feature back, accumulating 81 yards on 20 attempts.

Expect to see and hear plenty more from Taylor, assuming he holds onto the top spot on Coach Jim Harbaugh's depth chart.

Previous ranking: not ranked

Greg Nwoko gets this week's spot for "Best Performance by a Backup Against a Cupcake."

Against the mighty Bulldogs from The Citadel, the sophomore from Pflugerville, Texas, was granted seven carries and delivered 72 yards and two touchdowns to help Arizona overwhelm its FCS opponent from South Carolina, 52-6.

Chances are Nwoko won't see many more appearances on this list, if any.

But, for the quality of his work, and the brevity with which he accomplished it, Nwoko nabs the No. 8 spot in this week's power rankings.

Previous ranking: not ranked

Shane Vereen didn't exactly have his best game for Cal against Colorado, but the Golden Bears didn't exactly need it.

They embarrassed the Buffaloes, their future Pac-12 opponent, 52-7 at Memorial Stadium.

Amidst the carnage, Vereen put up a solid, if not spectacular, line: 16 carries, 59 yards, two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving).

Vereen will certainly see better days as the season goes along, and will likely make his way up the list in the near future, but for now he takes a subtle slide down the power rankings.

Previous ranking: sixth

Washington State is once again looking like a surefire Pac-10 cellar dweller for the 2010 season.

After being thoroughly squashed by the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 65-17, the Cougars needed a furious fourth-quarter comeback to slip past the Montana State Bobcats, an FCS team, 23-22.

Wazzu received a big boost from senior running back James Montgomery.

After starting his college career buried on Cal's depth chart, Montgomery now finds himself ahead of the Golden Bears' Shane Vereen in the rankings, thanks to a 116-yard, one-touchdown performance on Saturday.

Granted, it was against a subdivision opponent. But these days, when Wazzu wins a game, someone deserves the spotlight.

Which, this time around, shines on Montgomery.

Previous ranking: not ranked

Like the rest of the Trojans, Marc Tyler came back down to Earth against Virginia.

After shredding Hawaii's non-tackling defense for 154 yards on 17 carries, Tyler found yards (and carries) much harder to come by with the Cavaliers in his way.

Splitting time with much-ballyhooed freshman Dillon Baxter, Tyler mustered up 67 yards on 18 carries, helping USC hold on at home, 17-14.

Tyler finds himself in a predicament similar to that of Jonathan Franklin, his crosstown counterpart at UCLA, with a youngster breathing down his neck in the backfield, potentially trimming his playing time as the season goes along.

Previous ranking: second

Jacquizz Rodgers and the Beavers had the week off, so he maintains his spot in the rankings by default. He'll have a chance to prove his worth against the Louisville Cardinals this Saturday.

Previous ranking: fourth

Chris Polk is one of only two members of last week's rankings who found himself in a higher spot this time around.

And for good reason. Polk ran roughshod over the Syracuse Orange, piling up 117 yards on 20 carries, including a 53-yard scamper to the end zone for the Huskies.

As long as Jake Locker remains the biggest threat for Washington's opponents, as he was in the Huskies' 41-20 win on Saturday, Polk should have no trouble finding room to run, both down the field and up the rankings.

Previous ranking: fifth

The other rankings riser for this week is Arizona's Nic Grigsby, who, like his teammate Greg Nwoko, benefited greatly from the level of competition he faced.

Grigsby more than had his way with The Citadel, collecting 107 yards and three touchdowns, including a 62-yarder, on a mere 11 carries.

Thus far, Grigsby has been a model of efficiency, converting five of his 19 carries on the season into scores.

Unfortunately for him and the Wildcats, that ratio is likely to see a dramatic shift in the wrong direction, starting with this Saturday's matchup against No. 9 Iowa.

Previous ranking: seventh

As expected, LaMichael James debuts atop the rankings, even after missing Oregon's opener.

James' suspension for the Ducks' 72-0 shellacking of the New Mexico Lobos gave backups Kenjon Barner and Remene Alston the opportunity to shine.

It didn't take long for James to gobble up carries for Oregon, knocking his teammates out of the rankings entirely, including last week's chart-topper Barner.

Amidst the Ducks' 48-13 quacking of Tennessee in Knoxville, James "volunteered" his services to the tune of 134 yards on 16 attempts, highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown run.

No one should be surprised if James stays atop this list for a while, even in a conference loaded with backfield talent.

He's that good.

Previous ranking: not ranked