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ESPN staff 9y

Postseason #CFBrank: 31-40

College Football, Colorado State Rams, Florida State Seminoles, Ohio State Buckeyes, Washington Huskies, Stanford Cardinal, Oklahoma Sooners, Arizona State Sun Devils, Oregon Ducks

We're wrapping up the 2014 season by ranking the top 100 players in college football, just as we did before the season. As the rankings are announced, you also can find them here on the pages of ESPN.com.

What is #CFBrank?

#CFBrank is the Twitter hashtag to use if you want to get involved in the discussion or just follow along.

How did we rank the players?

We asked 32 of ESPN's college football writers and editors to rate players on a scale of 0-10 based on their performance during the 2014 season.

31. WR Rashard Higgins, Colorado State Rams
Score: 7.72
Higgins posted crazy numbers in Jim McElwain's offense, leading the nation with an average of 145.8 receiving yards per game. With 96 catches for 1,750 yards and 17 touchdowns, Higgins became Colorado State's first consensus All-American since 1995 and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

31. CB Jalen Ramsey, Florida State Seminoles
Score: 7.72
An all-purpose star in Florida State's defensive backfield, Ramsey made an impact all over the field in 2014. He finished second in the ACC in pass breakups and was second among the league's defensive backs in tackles for loss, becoming the only player in the country with at least 12 PBUs and 9 TFLs. He racked up double-digit tackles against both Oklahoma State and NC State and keyed the Seminoles' come-from-behind victory over Miami with four PBUs, an interception and a forced fumble.

33. DT Michael Bennett, Ohio State Seminoles
Score: 7.69
Bennett put up pass-rusher-like numbers (seven sacks, 14 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles) for a line that triggered Ohio State's resurgent defense. A durable and disruptive interior force, Bennett occupied blockers and helped free up Joey Bosa to wreak havoc on the perimeter. He earned third-team AP All-America honors and helped lead Ohio State to the national title.

34. TE Nick O'Leary, Florida State Seminoles
Score: 7.66
The Mackey Award winner as the best tight end in the nation proved his worth once again with another stellar season, setting career highs with 48 receptions for 618 yards to finish second on the team in both categories. He added six touchdown catches, making himself one of the most valuable go-to players for Jameis Winston.

35. LB Hau'oli Kikaha, Washington Huskies
Score: 7.63
The hybrid defensive end/linebacker became Washington's sixth unanimous All-American and the school's first since 1996. He led the nation in total sacks (19) and was second nationally in tackles for a loss (25). He was also second nationally in sacks and TFLs per game.

36. RB Samaje Perine, Oklahoma Sooners
Score: 7.59
The 243-pound bulldozer became the focal point of the Oklahoma offense, leading the Big 12 with 1,713 yards rushing and 21 touchdowns. He also broke the FBS single-game rushing record with 427 yards against Kansas.

37. OT Andrus Peat, Stanford Cardinal
Score: 7.56
The 6-foot-7, 316-pounder is a prototypical NFL left tackle. While the Stanford offense struggled at times, quarterback Kevin Hogan was well-protected by Peat & Co., as the Cardinal allowed just 23 sacks, which tied for first in the Pac-12. He also was named the recipient of the Morris Trophy for the Pac-12's top offensive lineman as voted on by opposing players.

T-38. OT Jake Fisher, Oregon Ducks
Score: 7.50
Though the Oregon offensive line went through several personnel changes due to injury, no player seemed to affect the line more when he came back than Jake Fisher. In the games Fisher missed, quarterback Marcus Mariota was sacked 12 times, and the Ducks averaged just 158 rushing yards per game and didn't register a rushing touchdown. When Fisher returned -- for the final 10 games of the season -- Oregon allowed just 16 sacks, averged 247.3 rushing yards per game and had 30 rushing touchdowns.

T-38. DT Danny Shelton, Washington Huskies
Score:  7.50
Shelton was the only player in the nation named first-team All-American and first-team Academic All-American in 2015. The 6-2, 339-pounder was a dominant presence in the middle of the Huskies' defense, piling up 17 tackles for a loss, nine sacks and leading the nation with five fumble recoveries. His 93 tackles ranked second on the defense.

T-38. WR Jaelen Strong, Arizona State Sun Devils
Score: 7.50
Strong was the Pac-12's fourth-leading receiver with 97.1 receiving yards per game at a whopping 14.2 yards per grab. He was quarterback Taylor Kelly's (and Mike Bercovici's) safety net this season, most notably in the Sun Devils' Hail Mary/"Jael" Mary win over USC in October.

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