The No Owens Top 20 Since 1993

As many of you know, ESPN is doing an ongoing project on the 25 Greatest Players in College Football History. I am a fan of these concepts, I really am. So No Owens decided to put out their version of the list. So here's what we have.

1993 is the magic year. Why? Because I can't tell you how good Jim Brown was. I can't tell you how good Barry Sanders was. At least, not from personal viewing. You have to be able to say you saw someone and remember what they did in order to really give them a solid place and have a strong opinion of their skills. I can't really remember anyone from 1992. I most certainly remember players from 1993, so that is where we start, for accuracy of course.

Players make this list for a number of reasons. First and foremost...they had an ability to change a game by themselves. Just about all of the players listed have a signature moment or moments that you remember from changing a game for the better of their team. Second, you are going to see a great highlight tape of the player's performances. Third, all but one player on this list put his team into national contention with his play and all of the players provided their teams with a way to win big games. Fourth, they had an impact on college football's legacy and that of his team.

This being said, just because a player won a Heisman Trophy, doesn't mean that they make this list. In the opinion of No Owens, most Heisman winners don't represent the best players anyway. Since 1993, you will see five Heisman winners on the list. The bottom ten players will be listed without rankings and the Top 10 till be listed in order tomorrow. Let's go.

Players 11-20

LaVarr Arrington - Linebacker, Penn State.
If you want to talk about a player that can change a game by not doing anything, Arrington is your man. The site of Arrington changed the way offenses played against Penn State's defense. Wearing an uncharacteristic #11, Arrington was one of the originators of the faster linebackers who can pursue the field from side to side. Not to mention the hits he gave out were menacing and game changing.

Ki-Jana Carter - Running Back, Penn State.
Carter was the best running back in the 1994 year. His team was undefeated and #2 in the country at seasons end and much of it was to do with Carter's ability to stretch the field with his running as well as the threat of it.

Pat Fitzgerald - Linebacker, Northwestern.
Northwestern was a team that will always be remembered as making a great run to the 1995 Rose Bowl. Many of us remember the running back Darnel Autry from that team, but Fitzgerald was the captain and two-time Bednarik award winner, of that defense. Not only was he the best defensive player on a team that will be remembered forever, but he has the personal accolades to go along with his team's legacy.

Willis McGahee - Running Back, Miami
McGahee, a converted fullback after the injury to Frank Gore, took over as the starting back for the best team in America. McGahee only had one season as a starter. That's all he needed. Watch his tape and tell me there are many other backs more dynamic than McGahee. McGahee is probably one of the last players to make this list, but after seeing his sheer speed in person, it's tough to leave him off this list.

Julius Peppers - Defensive End, North Carolina.
There's no question that Peppers is the premier defensive end of the time frame. Peppers sheer physical ability and stature made him a dominant force on the line of scrimmage. He was the most exciting player on the field, and he was in a three point stance. His 30.5 sacks goes along with 53 stops behind the line of scrimmage, 167 tackles, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, 13 passes defensed and 42 quarterback pressures (hurries) and returned two interceptions and one fumble recovery for touchdowns, all with offenses scheming against him.

Adrian Peterson - Running Back, Oklahoma
Peterson left after his sophomore year for the NFL, where he is presently flourishing. Peterson also spent a lot of his time at OU nursing injury. Barring all of that he still makes the top 20. Why? Because when he was on the field, there is no question that he was the best player in the country. We talk about two different types of backs: speed and power. Peterson is both and with the time he spent at OU, he changed games by himself. Watch his tapes and tell me otherwise.

Ed Reed/Sean Taylor - Safeties, Miami
Reed and Taylor basically were the exact same player, so they occupy the same spot. Never before have we seen a position defined like what these players did at the U. Not only were they absolute ballhawks but their run support was as good as most linebackers in America. They were the backbones of the best defenses on the best teams for two straight years. What goes unnoticed is the leadership that these guys brought to their teams and that cannot go unnoticed.

Warren Sapp - Defensive Tackle, Miami
Another Hurricane making the list. Are you surprised? Miami for much of the time we are dealing with, was arguably the top program in the nation and they have the record to prove it. Sapp was so dominant on the defensive line that he was a Heisman finalist. Sapp changed the position of defensive tackle to that of not necessarily a big man, but a big athletic man who can make plays all over the line of scrimmage, not just create havoc in front of him. Sapp has been truly instrumental in the revolution of defense and the position of defensive tackle. Players like Vince Wilfork, Shaun Rogers, and Tommie Harris played the college way in almost a mirror of how Sapp laid out for them.

Roy Williams - Safety, Oklahoma.
Williams was another linebacker-like safety. He wasn't the ballhawk that the Miami guys were, but he was a fiercer hitter and a feared blitzer. His ability to make plays on all ends of the field is really what lifted OU to their National Title over Florida State in 2000. Williams was a game changer and we will always remember him for the hit he laid on Chris Simms' after leaping from many feat away causing the fumble in the endzone. That's what we call a classic moment.

Roy Williams - Wide Receiver, Texas.
This Roy Williams was the most under-appreciated receiver of this generation. He has the best highlight tape of anyone not in the top 10 and probably a better one than others. Watching a Texas game, you would see Williams just throwing out his hand to make effortless one handed catches, diving all over the place to make plays, while making guys miss with his moves and running guys over like a running back when he needed to. Don't believe me? Find the highlights.

The Top 10...tomorrow.