Ashton Jeanty vs Barry Sanders records: How close is Boise State RB to breaking former Heisman winner's NCAA stats?

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is having one of the best college football seasons in history by a player in his position Before his team's 62-30 win over Vanderbilt in Week 6, he was on pace to break Barry Sanders' single-season FBS record for rushing yards in a season.

Barry Sanders set the record while playing for Oklahoma State in 1988 as he ran for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns. Sanders also won the Heisman that season which led to him having an NFL career that would have him inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

However, Sanders' rushing record is being challenged for the first time in years. Ashton Jeanty has 1,031 rushing yards through the first five games of the season. He has averaged 206 yards per game and with seven games left, he would need to average 229 yards to break the record.

That is possible, but Ashton Jeanty has one advantage over Sanders that gives him an edge. Boise State is a heavy favorite to reach the Mountain West Conference championship game. After that, unless the Broncos have a much worse second half of the season, they will play in a bowl game.

If Jeanty plays in a bowl game, he will have eight games to break the record. That brings his average yards needed down to 200, which is under his current pace. However, if Jeanty breaks it this way, it will not be a perfectly equal comparison to Sanders.

When Sanders set the single-season rushing record, the NCAA did not count bowl games as part of a player's stats. That rule did not start until 2002 so Jeanty has an unfair advantage.

Sanders participated in the 1988 Holiday Bowl where he had 222 rushing yards and five touchdowns. If his numbers from that game were included, it would push his record to 2,850 yards.

How high can Ashton Jeanty get on the top 10 list of single-season rushing yards leaders?

Although Ashton Jeanty can break Sanders' record, he will need to have an exceptional performance every game, even in the potential bowl game. As long as he does not get injured, he should be nearly guaranteed to enter the top 10. Here are the top 10 rushing yards seasons in college football history:

1. Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State), 1988: 2,628
2. Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin), 2014: 2,587
3. Kevin Smith (UCF), 2007: 2,567
4. Marcus Allen (USC), 1981: 2,342
5. Rashaad Penny (San Diego State), 2017: 2,248
6. Derrick Henry (Alabama), 2015: 2,219
7. Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin), 2018: 2,194
8. Troy Davis (Iowa State), 1996: 2,185
9. Andre Williams (Boston College), 2013: 2,177
10. LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU), 2000: 2,158