Bowl season is underway and over the first couple of days of action, there have been a number of strong performances in the running game.
Six of the seven bowls to have taken place so far have seen a 100-yard rusher and over the next fortnight, it is a guarantee that that number will continue to increase.
Any NFL team in need of a running back ahead of the 2017 season should be excited about the talent at the position and will need to carry out their due diligence before the Draft next April.
Pumphrey and Wales flash in first week Bowl wins
In the second Bowl game of December, San Diego State produced a dominant second-half performance to defeat the Houston Cougars 34-10 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
The Aztecs defense played a big role in the comeback win, yet the biggest story coming out of the game saw running back Donnel Pumphrey set a new NCAA record for the most rushing yards in FBS history. A 15-yard run in the fourth quarter saw Pumphrey pass Wisconsin's Ron Dayne to set the new yardage mark which now stands at 6,405.
Pumphrey is projected to be a mid-round pick and is perfect proof of a small school talent who could be ready to make an impact on day one at the next level. The Jim Brown Award winner has the look of a third-down back who has the body of work behind him which will guarantee scouts have plenty of footage to grade him on ahead of the Draft.
Another back who made his mark on Tuesday evening was Western Kentucky senior Anthony Wales who amassed 329 yards from scrimmage in his team's 51-31 beating of the Memphis Cougars in the Boca Raton Bowl.
Wales became the first player in the FBS this season to gain 245 rushing yards, 75 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the same game during the 82-point shootout at FAU Stadium.
The Hilltoppers star carried the load for his team, running the ball on 35 occasions, with the second leading rusher for Western Kentucky being offensive lineman Forrest Lamp who scampered nine yards for a touchdown on a trick play during the first half.
Fournette and McCaffrey create controversy by deciding to skip Bowls
Pumphrey and Wales have both left lasting impressions for their schools before moving to the pro's, yet not every back will be doing the same during Bowl season ahead of the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia.
Leonard Fournette has been earmarked as a superstar for a long time and having battled through injuries all season he has decided against playing for LSU in the Citrus Bowl against Louisville.
Fournette is likely to be a top-ten pick and has made what he feels to him a sensible decision to pass on adding one more 60-minute performance to his stacked résumé before entering the NFL.
He was then joined by Stanford's all-purpose monster Christian McCaffrey who announced he would not be taking part in the Sun Bowl in El Paso.
Having watched Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith fall from being a potential top-five pick in the second round last year due to a gruesome knee injury picked up in the 2015 Fiesta Bowl, many are starting to question the importance of taking part in Bowl games which have no bearing on the National Championship.
Smith's injury may have had a huge bearing on the future of Bowl games, and with players looking to protect themselves and their assets going forward, skipping games in December may become more of a regular occurrence.
Cook leads RB's hoping to produce strong Bowl showings over next fortnight
With plenty of Bowl games still on the slate, there is plenty of talent to keep an eye out for during the Christmas and New Year period. Unlike Fournette and McCaffrey, one running back who is likely to be a first-round pick will be taking part in his Bowl game is Florida State's Dalvin Cook.
Cook, who broke the rushing touchdown record for all Seminoles toward the end of the season averaged six yards a carry during 2016 and will hope to cap his year with a win in the Orange Bowl against a mean Michigan Wolverines defensive front. Going up against Jim Harbaugh's men will be one of the highlights of the New Year's Six Bowls where Cook will be aiding his freshman quarterback Deondre Francois in a mouthwatering matchup.
Big Ten standouts Saquon Barkley (Penn State) and Corey Clement (Wisconsin) will each go up against top-15 ranked opponents, while Boise State's Jeremy McNichols should have his way against the Baylor Bears in the Cactus Bowl.
Wherever you look, running backs who are ready to perform on Sunday's in the near future should take on from Pumphrey and Wales' lead and leave their mark as Bowl season continues.