Best individual seasons of the last 20 years: No. 5 - Deshaun Watson in 2015

Over a two-week period, theScore's NCAAF editors will be taking a look at the best individual seasons across the college football landscape over the last 20 years, focusing specifically on players from the Power 5 conferences.

Each day, we will be counting down the top 10 that college football has had to offer over the last two decades.

No. 5 - Clemson QB Deshaun Watson's 2015 season

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Deshaun Watson's college career is that either of his final two seasons at Clemson could be listed here, but for argument's sake, let's go with his 2015 campaign.

Watson's second year as the Tigers' starter was one for the ages, as the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder threw for 4,109 yards and 35 touchdowns while running for an absurd 1,105 yards and 12 more scores. With those gaudy numbers, Watson became the first player in college football history to throw for at least 4,000 yards and rush for at least 1,000 yards in the same season.

With Watson at the helm, Clemson ripped off a perfect 14-0 record ahead of the national championship game against mighty Alabama. The Tigers would fall by a narrow 45-40 margin in the title game, but Watson's four passing touchdowns and 478 yards of total offense against the Crimson Tide left an indelible mark on the football world.

The stats

What made the season so special?

Clemson had won 10-plus games in four straight seasons under Dabo Swinney entering 2015, but had yet to really announce itself as a national power. After a fairly easy start, the Tigers got by Louisville and Notre Dame by a combined five points before entering the meat of the conference schedule, beginning with an astonishing 58-0 win at Miami.

And Watson was a man on a mission over the final eight games of the season, as he averaged 414 yards of total offense and almost four touchdowns per game over that stretch while the Tigers averaged 38 points.

Watson's brilliance put Clemson on the national map and elevated Swinney into the conversation as one of the elite coaches in the country. Finishing with 14 wins also represented the most successful season in Tigers history, and Watson established himself as the best quarterback in the nation.

He finished third in Heisman balloting, although many felt that was a drastic oversight by the voters.

Best Moment

Top 10

• No. 10 - Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh
• No. 9 - Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel
• No. 8 - Auburn QB Cam Newton
• No. 7 - Arizona State LB Terrell Suggs
• No. 6 - USC RB Reggie Bush
• No. 4 - Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree
• No. 3 - Texas RB Ricky Williams
• No. 2 - Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey
• No. 1 - Florida QB Tim Tebow