Quote:The 2022 college football season was a beautiful mix of knowns and unknowns. Georgia and Ohio State made the College Football Playoff for the third and fifth times, respectively, and Michigan made it for the second straight year. Known playmakers like C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Will Anderson Jr. and Bijan Robinson looked the part frequently. What we thought we'd get, we got.

We also got TCU in the national title game. Max Duggan starting the year on the bench, then finishing second in the Heisman. Jalin Hyatt playing like the best receiver in college football for weeks at a time. Purdue reaching the Big Ten Championship!

After this year of plot twists and delights, it is once again time to rank players. We have followed the same process we follow in the preseason. -- Bill Connelly

Methodology: Voters were presented with a series of one-on-one votes. For example, "Who was better in 2022: Jalin Hyatt or Caleb Williams?" Think of it as an Oklahoma Drill of statistical reasoning. More than 10,000 votes later, these were the results.

Quote:57. Frank Harris
QB, UTSA, Senior
Notable 2022 stats: 32 TDs, 4,059 yards
Preseason ranking: NR

Harris will return for one more season after leading his Roadrunners to an 11-win season and a second straight Conference USA title. He ranked 18th in Total QBR -- best among QBs from a Group of Five conference -- by combining 4,059 passing yards with 600 rushing yards. He completed 70% of his passes with 32 touchdowns to nine interceptions, and he's now thrown for at least 300 yards 10 times in his career and rushed for at least 100 yards four times.

Quote:70. Rashee Rice
WR, SMU, Senior
Notable 2022 stats: 1,355 yards, 10 TDs
Preseason ranking: NR

A second-team All-American and Biletnikof Award semifinalist, Rice was targeted nearly three times as much as any SMU receiver, and while opponents knew the ball was going to the senior, they couldn't do much about it. He caught 96 passes (fifth in the nation) for 1,355 yards (third), 54 first downs (sixth) and 10 touchdowns (13th). He topped 100 yards in six games.

Quote:95. Zakhari Frankin
WR, UTSA, Senior
Notable 2022 stats: 1,137 yards yards, 15 TDs
Preseason ranking: NR

"Throw it to Franklin as quickly as possible" was one of UTSA's base plays this year, and it worked most of the time. Franklin caught 93 passes (seventh in the FBS) for 1,137 yards (11th), 58 first downs (fourth) and 15 touchdowns (second). He did a lot of his damage on horizontal or short passes, providing the sort of risk-free explosiveness that every offensive coordinator dreams of.