College Football 2016: 25 bold predictions

11. Saquon Barkley finishes top five in the Heisman voting

The third year of the James Franklin era at Penn State was a little disappointing, as the Nittany Lions finished at 7-6 for the second straight year. Much of national attention on the team was focused on quarterback Christian Hackenberg, who showed some ability while playing behind a poor offensive line.

Continuing a trend from his days at Vanderbilt, Franklin has at least been terrific in recruiting since arriving in Happy Valley. One key recruit Franklin picked up was four-star running back Saquon Barkley, who chose to remain in his home state rather than join the likes of Ohio State or Notre Dame.

Barkley was quietly the most productive part of the Penn State offense last year as a freshman. Despite missing two games and barely playing in two more, Barkley racked up 1,076 yards and seven touchdowns on 182 carries.

Penn State was overmatched against Ohio State, but Barkley fell just shy of the 200-yard mark on 7.5 yards per attempt. Barkley later turned in 100-yard efforts against good defenses in Northwestern and Michigan State.

That’s an impressive effort for a freshman, and Barkley has the ability to be one of the most productive running backs in the nation with some more growth. Helping matters will be a more experienced offensive line under new coach Matt Limegrover.

Next: 10. Boise State wins the Group of Five