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5. Zach Zwinak, Penn State Nittany Lions

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Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Of all the problems surrounding the Penn State Nittany Lions football program in 2012, Zach Zwinak was not one of them. He provided a solid rushing attack for a Penn State offense that lacked true star power. He ran for exactly 1,000 yards last season to go along with eight touchdowns and had over 100 yards rushing in six games throughout the year. Zwinak is an old-school runner and is a lot of fun to watch. He is also a good back in passing situations, possessing good hands and is a solid pass blocker. With Penn State looking to break in a new quarterback, look for Zwinak to take some pressure off of whoever the quarterback is.

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4. Carlos Hyde, Ohio State Buckeyes

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Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Carlos Hyde has the potential to be one of the best running backs in the Big Ten this season. Playing in the high powered Urban Meyer spread offense, there will be lots of room for him to gain big yards, especially with defenses being forced to focus on quarterback Braxton Miller. Hyde is one of the toughest runners in the conference, and he has great speed to back it up. He is almost a lock to score if the Buckeyes get in the red zone, and Hyde should be well over 1,000 yards rushing this season if he stays healthy.

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3. Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska Cornhuskers

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Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Ameer Abdullah quietly put up 1,137 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns last season while filling in for the injured Rex Burkhead all year. While most of the attention was put on Burkhead’s injury and the play of quarterback Taylor Martinez, Abdullah was tearing up defenses with his great speed. He had six games of over 100 yards rushing and finished sixth in the conference in rushing. With a lot of attention focused towards Martinez and Burkhead graduated, look for Abdullah to have another solid season.

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2. James White, Wisconsin Badgers

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Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

After being the backup in high school to now NFL running back Gio Bernard and then coming to Wisconsin and being the backup for John Clay and Montee Ball, it is finally time for James White to be the number one guy. White has run for over 2,500 yards in his career and has never been the starter, which is astonishing. He is a between the tackles runner and is a perfect fit as a Wisconsin running back, although it will be interesting to see if new head coach Gary Anderson changes the offense at all. Look for White to be among the top running backs at the end of the season.

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1. Venric Mark, Northwestern Wildcats

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Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Venric Mark was one of the most electrifying players in the entire Big Ten conference last season, running for 1,371 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season. He also had 104 receiving yards and a touchdown out of the backfield. Mark is one of the fastest players in the entire conference and is able to find major seams in the Northwestern spread offense. He can outrun anyone on the field and is a threat to score the ball every time he touches it. He is also a serious return game threat, returning two punts for touchdowns last season.

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