The end of the season means it’s time for our countdown of the top 25 players in the Pac-12 for 2015. We’ll roll out five a day each day this week, capping it with the top five players on Friday.
Check out the earlier postseason rankings here:
And you can see our preseason rankings here:
1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
McCaffrey finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting and was a consensus All-American. He also amassed an FBS-record 3,864 all-purpose yards -- 8.9 yards per touch -- breaking Barry Sanders' record set at Oklahoma State in 1988. In the Rose Bowl against Iowa's formidable defense, he made a statement to East Coast Heisman voters who might have underestimated or simply missed his extraordinary skills because they were in bed during late-night Pac-12 games, rushing for 172 yards on 18 carries, catching four passes for 105 yards and returning a punt 66 yards for a touchdown in a blowout victory. He and Clemson QB Deshaun Watson will lead just about every preseason list of 2016 Heisman candidates.
2. Jared Goff, QB, California
Goff, who might be the first quarterback selected in this spring's NFL draft, earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors after passing for 4,719 yards and 43 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. His 363 passing yards per game ranked second in the nation and his touchdown total ranked third. He ranked ninth in the nation in passing efficiency. He led Cal to its first eight-win season since 2009. Goff won the starting job as a true freshman, and over his three-year career he piled up 12,200 passing yards with 96 touchdowns.
3. DeForest Buckner, DE, Oregon
Buckner, a three-year starter who improved every season, earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors after ranking second on the Ducks with 83 tackles and leading the conference with 10.5 sacks. He also finished with 17 tackles for a loss, six QB hurries and an interception. He is expected to be among the first defensive players selected in this spring's NFL draft.
4. Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon
Freeman followed a stellar freshman campaign -- Pac-12 Offensive Freshman of the Year -- by earning first-team All-Pac-12 and second-team All-American honors (FWAA). He is widely considered a top Heisman Trophy candidate for 2016. He ranked second in the conference and fourth in the nation with 1,836 yards rushing -- breaking LaMichael James' school record -- and ranked first in the conference with 17 rushing touchdowns. His 6.5 yards per carry led all backs with at least 200 carries. He was the only FBS player to rush for more than 100 yards in every game.
5. Luke Falk, QB, Washington State
Falk, who shared first-team All-Pac-12 QB honors with Goff, led the nation with 390.1 passing yards per game. He threw for 4,561 yards with 38 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, completing 69 percent of his passes. A former walk-on, he led the Cougars to their first bowl win and nine-win season since 2003. He's likely to earn mention among 2016 preseason Heisman Trophy candidates.