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Doak Walker Award watch list 2017: 5 favorites to win

By John Buhler

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs with the ball against the USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 02: Running back Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs with the ball against the USC Trojans during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 19: Florida Gators at LSU Tigers; LSU Tigers running back Derrius Guice (5) rushes the ball during a game on November 19, 2016, in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 19: Florida Gators at LSU Tigers; LSU Tigers running back Derrius Guice (5) rushes the ball during a game on November 19, 2016, in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Derrius Guice

Running Back, LSU Tigers

The one running back that is poised to really make a name for himself this fall is LSU Tigers tailback Derrius Guice. After backing up Leonard Fournette the last two years in Baton Rouge, the junior running back will be the lead man for the Bayou Bengals under head coach Ed Orgeron.

As a true sophomore in 2016, Guice ran for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns. Granted, LSU had almost no passing game, but this did come in a year where Fournette proved to the NFL world that he was worthy of being a top-five pick. He would go No. 4 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 NFL Draft.

What really helps Guice in his quest to win the Doak Walker Award in 2017 is two-fold. The first part being he’s not going to have to share the rock with as good of a tailback as him. Nick Chubb has to share carries with Sony Michel at Georgia. The Alabama Crimson Tide have three solid running backs in Bo Scarbrough, Damien Harris and Joshua Jacobs.

The other aspect of Guice’s chances of winning the award being so strong is that LSU isn’t exactly a front-runner to get to Atlanta out of the SEC West. LSU will have to duke it out with the likes of Alabama, Auburn and Texas A&M to reach the SEC Championship. Five SEC road games is unheard of, but a reality for the 2017 Tigers. Regardless, this should be a huge year for Guice at LSU.

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