CBS Sports names the best player in college football, and it’s not Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields

The disrespect for Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is getting old.

What exactly does Clemson football star quarterback Trevor Lawrence have to do to earn some respect on the national scale?

Even after leading the Tigers to a national championship win over Alabama as a freshman two years ago, the junior signal-caller seems to always have to prove some doubters wrong.

Such is the case with Chip Patterson of CBS Sports, who doesn’t think Lawrence is the best player in the nation.

If you thought Justin Fields was the pick as the top college football player after being a Heisman finalist last year, you’d be wrong too. Nope, they tabbed Oregon left tackle and reigning Outland Trophy winner Penei Sewell.

No disrespect to Sewell, who is no doubt a future top two or three pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the debate starts and ends with Lawrence in this case.

There is no one in the country who means more to their team than the junior quarterback, who is widely expected to be taken No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft next spring. After throwing for 3,280 yards and a freshman 30 touchdowns in 2018, the 6-foot-6, 220-pounder followed that up by posting 3,665 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2019 and a return to the National Championship Game.

What will he have in store for his junior season, which will likely be his last in Clemson before heading for the league?

After going 14-1 in 2019, Clemson enters the 2020 season as the betting favorites to win the national title, which would be the second for Lawrence. Wide receiver Justyn Ross and running back Travis Etienne return to support Lawrence as well as an offensive line returning all its starters and defensive coordinator Brent Venables will have a stacked unit to work with.

With Lawrence also considered a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Clemson will be making headlines throughout the year. Maybe that will change the mind of CBS’ Patterson when deciding who the best college football player really is.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.