The top 50 players of 2016 (20-11)

50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-1

Ahead of what promises to be another action-packed season, theScore is counting down its top 50 players in college football.

With 50-21 already in the books, the top-20 selections begin with a dominant player in Jim Harbaugh's defense at Michigan.

20. Jourdan Lewis - CB, Michigan

Michigan's defense in Jim Harbaugh's first season was downright dominant, allowing just 17.2 points per game, and ranking fourth in the country. The exuberant coach decided that wasn't quite sharp enough, and brought in Don Brown to lead the defense, fresh off a season with the nation's top unit in Boston College. Brown will have plenty of shiny new toys at his disposal, none better than cornerback Jourdan Lewis. The senior put together one of the finest seasons by a defensive back in recent memory last year, allowing an absurdly low 36 percent of passes his way to be completed. Lewis and teammate Jabrill Peppers are arguably the best duo in the country, and are one of the reasons why Michigan is a popular pick to capture the Big 10.

19. Calvin Ridley - WR, Alabama

Calvin Ridley exploded onto the college football landscape as a true freshman in 2015, catching a ridiculous 80 balls for 1,045 yards and seven touchdowns in Alabama's national championship season. While there will be a new starting quarterback throwing him the ball this year, Lane Kiffin will find plenty of ways to get the speedy Ridley the ball in his high-octane offense. With Derrick Henry gone to the professional ranks, look for the 6-foot-1, 188-pounder to get even more touches in his second campaign.

18. Teez Tabor - CB, Florida

His name may have changed from Jalen to Teez, but make no mistake, No. 31 on Florida is the same shutdown cornerback he was in 2015. Tabor followed up an impressive freshman campaign in 2014 with 14 pass breakups and four picks last season. Quarterbacks wanted very little to do with Tabor, targeting him just 58 times all season. That number is even more impressive when you consider he was alongside two first-round NFL draft picks in Vernon Hargreaves III and Keanu Neal in the Gators' secondary. With those two standouts gone this year, look for Tabor to step up in an even bigger role.

17. Adoree' Jackson - CB/WR/KR, USC

Assigning a position to Adoree' Jackson just seems unfair, as USC's do-everything junior dominates in a variety of roles. Jackson spent the winter, spring, and summer with the Trojans track team, trying to qualify for the Rio Olympics. A 10th-place finish in long jump at the U.S. Trials ended that quest, although Tokyo 2020 was always his end goal for Olympic participation. With that effort in the rear view, it's all football all the time, and new coach Clay Helton has him focused on the cornerback position. The electrifying Jackson will still return punts or kicks, maintaining a terrifying presence every time he steps on the field.

16. Royce Freeman - RB, Oregon

Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, and Christian McCaffrey get all the national attention, but Oregon's Royce Freeman is as good as any running back in the country. The 230-pound bruiser is the focal point of the Ducks' spread-based attack, and his 1,836 yards ranked fourth in the nation last season. Another quarterback change for Oregon will place even more pressure on Freeman, but the junior is clearly capable of carrying an offense. If the Ducks' defense can rebound from a dismal 2015, Oregon should find itself contending for a playoff spot. If that's the case, don't expect Freeman to remain underappreciated for long.

15. Nick Chubb - RB, Georgia

Prior to suffering a catastrophic season-ending knee injury in Week 6, Georgia's Nick Chubb had rushed for 100-plus yards in 13 straight contests. Simply put, when the junior standout can stay on the field, he's going to hit triple digits. The 20-year-old, whose running style resembles a bowling ball knocking over pins, has rehabbed like a madman, and should be ready to return to start the season. Mark Richt is gone, with Kirby Smart taking over the head coaching position at Georgia in his wake. Regardless of who's wearing the headset, though, Chubb is a virtual guarantee to dominate when he returns to the field.

14. Chad Kelly - QB, Ole Miss

Alabama may have captured the national championship last season, but one thing they couldn't do was take down Chad Kelly and Ole Miss. When your nickname is "Swag," certain expectations arise, but Kelly met and exceeded even the loftiest of goals in 2015. He finished the campaign with an impressive 4,042 yards passing and 31 touchdowns, while also adding 500 yards and 10 scores on the ground. After his team lost a great deal of talent to the NFL and graduation, Kelly will be counted on even further in 2016. Luckily for the Ole Miss faithful, he looks more than up to the task.

13. Derwin James - S, Florida State

Most teams would be crippled by the loss of a star defensive back like Jalen Ramsey, but most teams also don't have Derwin James waiting in the wings. Florida State's embarrassment of riches in the secondary produced yet another superstar in 2015, as James showed during his freshman season that he's the next one up for the Seminoles. An extremely versatile safety, James lined up all over the defense, even seeing time as an edge-rusher - destroying offensive tackles in the process. Look for James to become even more of a factor for the Seminoles in his second season, as Florida State makes a run at the national championship.

12. Jonathan Allen - DL, Alabama

Despite playing as part of a defensive line rotation, Alabama's Jonathan Allen managed an SEC-leading 12 sacks in 2015. The 6-foot-1, 291-pounder was a major part of the Crimson Tide's national championship run, and will become the leader of the defensive line, with Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson now in the NFL. More time on the field should certainly lead to a boost in overall statistics, and Allen will likely hear his name called early next April in the NFL draft. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of his game is his versatility. He's played defensive end in both a 3-4 and 4-3 scheme, while also seeing time as a nose tackle. Regardless of where Nick Saban deploys the ultra-talented senior, expect him to spend a lot of time in opposition backfields.

11. J.T. Barrett - QB, Ohio State

Ohio State may have lost 12 players to the NFL draft, but in keeping quarterback J.T. Barrett, they kept their playoff chances in tact. Barrett is the latest pivot to thrive in Urban Meyer's spread-based attack, and while his 2015 wasn't as strong as his freshman campaign in 2014, he looks poised to dominate as the focal point on offense. At his best, Barrett is a dominant runner that punishes defense in an option-based scheme. He showed time and time again in his freshman season that he's virtually unstoppable in space. He'll be fully recovered from an ankle injury that slowed him in 2015, and with Cardale Jones now in the NFL, the starting position is his alone. Ohio State faces a tough test in Week 3 at Oklahoma, and if Barrett can steal a win in Norman, he'll likely be an early favorite in the Heisman race.