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| Oregon RB Kenjon Barner improved his draft prospects with 195 yards and three touchdowns against Washington State on Saturday. (US Presswire) |
Here's the latest on the conference's top players who are projected to star on Sundays.
1. WR Markus Wheaton, 6-1, 182, Oregon State
Why he has the top spot: Wheaton followed up his 150-yard, one-touchdown performance against UCLA two weeks ago with a 10-catch, 166-yard, two-touchdown performance against Arizona last weekend. The Oregon State senior is second in the Pac-12 in receiving yards per game (134.3), ahead of some bigger names like Cal's Keenan Allen, Washington State's Marquess Wilson and Marqise Lee and Robert Woods from USC. With 27 receptions, Wheaton has been quarterback Sean Mannion's favorite target so far this season.
Season stats (two games): 77 catches for 403 yards and three TD.
Player ranking: Wheaton is ranked 181st overall and is the 22nd-highest wide receiver in CBSSports.com's latest player rankings.
Up next: In Week 4 against UCLA, Wheaton set a career-high with 150 receiving yards. In Week 5, Wheaton topped his personal best with 166-yards against Arizona. This week, Wheaton could top his career-high once again as the No. 14 Beavers host Washington State. The Cougars pass defense has struggled this season, surrendering 309.4 ypg, a number that ranked 115th in the nation.
2. RB Johnathan Franklin, 5-11, 195, UCLA
Why he has the second spot: Franklin bounced back from his 45-yard performance against Oregon State with a 111-yard performance in the Bruins' 42-14 win over Colorado. The senior running back showed his versatility against the Buffaloes. Not only did he lead the team in rushing, with three catches for 48 yards, he also led them in receiving.
Season stats (three games): 93 carries for 697 yards and three TDs rushing; 12 catches for 180 yards and a TD.
Player ranking: Franklin is ranked 155th overall and is the 10th highest running back in CBSSports.com's latest player rankings. Franklin's draft stock has shot up up since the beginning of the season when he was ranked in the mid-200's overall.
Up next: Franklin could have his biggest game of the season on Saturday when No. 25 UCLA travels to Cal (10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network). The Golden Bears have the the Pac-12's worst rushing defense (174.8 ypg), which could mean big holes all game long for Franklin, the nation's fourth-leading rusher (139.4 ypg).
Why he has the third spot: Barner totaled 232 yards and four touchdowns in the Ducks 52-26 win over Washington State. The senior speedster rushed for 195 yards on 20 carries, averaging an impressive 9.8 yards per carry. Barner is the second leading rusher in the Pac-12, trailing only UCLA's Franklin.
Season stats (four games): 96 carries for 605 yards and nine TDs rushing; 11 catches for 111 yards and a TD.
Player ranking: Barner is ranked 274th overall and is the 21st highest running back in CBSSports.com's latest player rankings.
Up next: Barner and the Ducks will be tested by a suddenly resurgent Washington team. The Huskies, who upset then-No. 8 Stanford in Week 5, held the Cardinal to 65 yards rushing, Stanford's lowest total this season.
Keep an eye on: P Jeff Locke, 6-0, 207, UCLA
Why you should watch him: The senior punter has been a game-changer for UCLA this season, almost always giving the Bruins a field position advantage with his booming punts. In UCLA's win over Colorado on Saturday, Locke punted six times, pinning the Buffaloes inside their own 20 with three of those.
Season stats: 31 punts, 1,323 yards (42.7 average)
Player ranking: Locke is ranked 333rd overall and is the fourth-highest punter in CBSSports.com's latest player rankings. Locke has moved up three spots since last week when he was the seventh-highest punter in the player rankings.
Up next: Locke could be busy when the Bruins travel to Cal on Saturday. Opposing punters are averaging 5.8 punts per game against the Golden Bears. UCLA will be looking for its first win in Berkeley since 1998.
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