One the first bowl games of 2017 to pair two ranked teams against one another features arguably the nation's most explosive running back in Stanford Cardinal Heisman Trophy finalist Bryce Love.
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COMPARE: Bryce Love vs. Saquon Barkley | Kavontae Turpin vs. James Washington
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On the other side of the ball, TCU tackle Joseph Noteboom anchors an offense that averaged 33.2-points-per game and gave up just 1.38-sacks-per contest.
Check out the top 10 NFL Draft prospects to keep an eye on during this year's Valero Alamo Bowl airing on December 28 at 9 PM ET on ESPN.
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bryce Love | RB | Stanford |
| 2 | Joseph Noteboom | OT | TCU |
| 3 | Dalton Schultz | TE | Stanford |
| 4 | Kavontae Turpin | WR | TCU |
| 5 | Harrison Phillips | DT | Stanford |
| 6 | Jake Bailey | P | Stanford |
| 7 | Austin Schlottman | C | TCU |
| 8 | Justin Reid | FS | Stanford |
| 9 | Kenny Hill | QB | TCU |
| 10 | Darius Anderson | RB | TCU |
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Bryce Love
The stats make it pretty clear why Love finished second in the Heisman race to Oklahoma star quarterback Baker Mayfield.
The standout junior from Wake Forest, North Carolina, ran for 1,973 yards on 237 carries for an astounding 8.3-yards-per-rush average. He found himself in the end zone 17 times and ran for a trio of scores on two occasions against Arizona State and Washington.
It all started for Love on the first day of the college football season as he shredded Rice's defense for 180 yards and a score on just 13 carries.
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Joseph Noteboom
The senior from Plano, Texas, will have one last chance to shine for the Horned Frogs after a career in which it seemed like he never missed a snap.
Watch this video from 2016 of #68, which shows why the 6' 5", 306-pound lineman could be a future NFL star.
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