Best individual seasons of the last 20 years: No. 6 - Reggie Bush in 2005

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. 6 - USC RB Reggie Bush's 2005 season

The season may have been wiped from the NCAA record books, but it cannot be erased from the memory of anyone who watched Reggie Bush dance around a football field in 2005.

Ask current NFL players for their favorite collegiate athlete and Bush's name is likely to be the most common reply. He's considered one of the most explosive players in college football history, and he did things on the field that seemed only possible in a video game.

The stats

Consider the fact that Bush wasn't USC's lone running back in 2005. While he had 200 carries that season, LenDale White saw just as much work with 197 carries.

Nonetheless, Bush finished third in the FBS in rushing yards with 1,740 and led the nation in yards per carry with an absurd 8.7 average.

Bush won the Heisman in an absolute landslide. Though USC quarterback Matt Leinart and Texas quarterback Vince Young had strong Heisman resumes, Bush received the second-most first-place votes in history with 784. Young finished second with 79 first-place votes.

What made the season so special?

Bush and the Trojans entered the year seeking a three-peat as national champions. A third coronation appeared imminent. USC trounced their opponents by averaging 50 points per game and Bush was the team's biggest playmaker.

It took him just eight carries to get to 125 rushing yards in a Week 2 blowout over Arkansas. He scored three times on 15 carries in a win over Notre Dame. Then he exploded for 294 yards in the penultimate game of the season against Fresno State and capped the regular season with a 260-yard performance against UCLA in a 66-19 drubbing.

The Trojans won 34 straight games dating back to 2003 and USC went 12-0 in 2005 to reach the Rose Bowl.

Bush became the presumptive No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft. (He would be taken second overall by the New Orleans Saints.)

The year culminated in a national championship game considered one of - if not the - greatest college football games ever played. And it required the greatest individual performance in college history to keep Bush and USC from winning their third consecutive national title.

The Moments

Bush's signature moment came in that game. He tip-toed down the sidelines and front-flipped into the end zone on a 26-yard scamper that put USC up 31-23 late in the fourth quarter.

But perhaps the Trojans would not have even made it to the Rose Bowl if not for another marquee moment that season.

Bush's most important play was one in which he didn't touch the ball. USC trailed Notre Dame 31-28 in Week 6 of the season. With their No. 1 ranking and undefeated season hanging in the balance, the Trojans had the ball on the Irish 1-yard line with seven seconds to play.

Leinart tried to get the ball into the end zone on a quarterback sneak, and required a little help from his friends.

The play has since been dubbed "The Bush Push."

The play that best showcased his all-around skills was a 50-yard touchdown run against Fresno State. On the run, Bush dashed down the sidelines, stopped on a dime, put the ball behind his back for effect, and reversed field to go untouched into the end zone.

Bush vacated his Heisman trophy in 2010 after it was determined he received improper benefits during his time at USC. Though the 2005 season is without a Heisman Trophy winner, Bush's performance that year remains one of the most memorable in college football history.

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 DE Terrell Suggs
• No. 5 - Clemson QB Deshaun Watson
• 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

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)