Half a season does not an All-American make, unless it's the ESPN.com Midseason All-America Team. You may notice that the two schools from the Magnolia State are as heavily represented here as in the top three. You may notice that the SEC and the Pac-12 combined have contributed more than half the players. And you may notice that stars such as Marcus Mariota of Oregon, Shane Ray of Missouri and David Parry of Stanford are not here. Check back with us at the end of the season. They and plenty of others may make their way here yet. -- Ivan Maisel

Dak Prescott has put together an impressive résumé in the first half of the season. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State: He's a Heisman Trophy contender because of more than his eerie similarities to Tim Tebow. Both QBs played under Dan Mullen and wear No. 15 after all. Prescott is big, runs hard, has a cannon for an arm and has the leadership to match. And did we mention he's done the impossible and lifted State to No. 1 in the polls? -- Alex Scarborough

RB Todd Gurley, Georgia: His suspension aside, Gurley has been arguably the nation's best player this season. He still leads the SEC in yards (773), yards per carry (8.2) and rushing touchdowns (eight). Gurley has rushed for at least 100 yards in four of five games and has averaged 167.3 yards in conference play. -- Edward Aschoff

RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin: After his curious disappearance in the second half against LSU in the opener and a mere 38 yards against Western Illinois in Week 2, Gordon has been nearly unstoppable. He has rushed for at least 175 yards each of the past four games and is on pace for more than 2,200 yards and 30 touchdowns. -- Brian Bennett

WR Amari Cooper, Alabama: He runs routes as if he's already in the NFL and makes defenders miss as if he's still playing Pop Warner. Take, for instance, Florida: The Gators knew Cooper was going to get the football and they had future pro Vernon Hargreaves III geared up to defend him. And what happened? Cooper went off for 201 yards and three touchdowns. -- Alex Scarborough

WR Rashad Greene, Florida State: The unassuming receiver very well could be Florida State's MVP through the first half. He made the clutch play against Oklahoma State and Clemson. No team has been able to keep Greene in check as the senior has 44 catches for 683 yards. -- Jared Shanker

Florida State's Nick O'Leary has emerged as one of the most talented tight ends in the country. Joe Robbins/Getty Images TE Nick O'Leary, Florida State: O'Leary is a throwback to the position, from the way he plays the game to how he approaches it -- no gloves or accessories. O'Leary played his best game when Florida State needed him most, providing a security blanket for backup Sean Maguire against Clemson. -- Jared Shanker

OL Brandon Scherff, Iowa: When Iowa has to have yards, it usually follows the lead of its 320-pound left tackle. Scherff entered the year as one of the top 2015 NFL prospects and has done little to damage his reputation. Even a minor knee surgery earlier this season couldn't keep him from delivering the pancakes. -- Brian Bennett

OL Laremy Tunsil, Ole Miss: There's been no sophomore slump for the 6-foot-5, 305-pound beast of a left tackle. He's kept quarterback Bo Wallace pretty clean this season, allowing just one sack. He absolutely swallows opposing players off the edge and is also very stout when it comes to protecting the run. -- Edward Aschoff

OL Spencer Drango, Baylor: The Bears' most experienced starter came back from season-ending back surgery this offseason and has never been better. His blocking is grading out at nearly 90 percent according to his coaches, and Drango is one of the most valuable cogs of the nation's most productive offense. -- Max Olson

OL AJ Cann, South Carolina: It's been a struggle for the Gamecocks the first half of the season, but that shouldn't take away from how Cann has played. If anything, the senior guard has helped his stock. Need proof? Just go watch the Georgia tape, which shows him dominating against one of the better defensive lines in the SEC. -- Greg Ostendorf

C Reese Dismukes, Auburn: There have been a lot of moving parts on Auburn's offensive line this season, but the one constant has been Dismukes. He's started 43 of the past 44 games, including all six in 2014. He's considered one of college football's better run-blockers and the driving force behind the Tigers' rushing attack. -- Greg Ostendorf

DE Preston Smith, Mississippi State: You didn't know his name a year ago, but you should now. Smith has gone from a middling prospect to arguably the most productive defensive player in the SEC. The senior defensive end has filled the stat sheet like few others: 6.5 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 9 QB hurries, 2 blocked kicks, 2 interceptions and 1 touchdown. -- Alex Scarborough

DE Leonard Williams, USC: With 38 tackles, 4 sacks and 4.5 tackles for a loss, Williams has lived up to his preseason billing as one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the country. Even an early and lingering ankle injury hasn't slowed him down in signature road wins over Stanford and Arizona. -- Kevin Gemmell

DT Danny Shelton, Washington: The defensive tackle is sixth in the nation for sacks, eighth in tackles for a loss and tied for second in fumble recoveries. Shelton leads a defensive line that has held opponents to 3.1 yards per rush (15th nationally) and just three rushing touchdowns (T-6th nationally). -- Chantel Jennings

DT Malcom Brown, Texas: A 6-foot, 320-pound man-child with a nonstop motor, Brown has shined in new coach Charlie Strong's defense. He leads all Big 12 DTs in tackles (37), tackles for loss (nine) and sacks (3.5) and has constantly been a disruptive force up the middle. The junior should draw serious NFL attention by the end of the year. -- Max Olson

LB Benardrick McKinney, Mississippi State: His stats are fine (41 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 2 fumble recoveries), but McKinney's stats don't adequately explain his value to Mississippi State's defense. He's the centerpiece of a defensive front seven that has helped Mississippi State control each of its three consecutive wins against top-10 opponents. -- David Ching

Shaq Thompson leads the nation in defensive touchdowns. Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images LB Shaq Thompson, Washington: Thompson has been one of the most electrifying defensive players in the nation. He leads the nation in defensive touchdowns -- three fumble returns and an interception (he also has a rushing touchdown to boot). The junior also has 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries and 2 pass breakups. -- Chantel Jennings

LB Eric Striker, Oklahoma: Striker has been the focus of every offensive coordinator the Sooners have faced this season. Despite often fighting double-teams, Striker still ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 4.5 sacks and third with 8.5 tackles for loss. He also has a fumble recovery and leads Oklahoma with three quarterback hurries. -- Jake Trotter

CB Senquez Golson, Ole Miss: Not only is Golson second nationally with five interceptions, but three of them came in the Ole Miss end zone. He picked off a pass in the end zone to seal the Rebels' win against Alabama and also had a fourth-quarter pick to prevent a Texas A&M touchdown last Saturday. -- David Ching

CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Oregon: The senior has recorded 30 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 interceptions (including a huge pick against Michigan State that certainly grabbed the attention of NFL scouts), 3 pass breakups and 5 passes defended. Those statistics would be quite a bit higher, too, if opposing quarterbacks weren't smart enough to throw away from the corner so often. -- Chantel Jennings

S Jordan Richards, Stanford: Fans may best know Richards for his imposing physical presence -- his bone-crunching hit in the Rose Bowl two years ago was widely replayed. But the strong safety is also the cerebral captain of the nation's best secondary (allowing 4.3 yards per attempt). He's intercepted a pass, forced two fumbles and excelled in run support. -- David Lombardi

S Gerod Holliman, Louisville: Holliman has been the breakout star on one of the nation's top defenses through seven weeks. The Louisville sophomore has already racked up seven interceptions, which leads the nation. A year ago, only Virginia's Anthony Harris had more for the entire season. More importantly, Holliman's contributions have helped the Cardinals overcome a lackluster offense early with a defense that has allowed just three offensive touchdowns to FBS foes all year. -- David M. Hale

K Roberto Aguayo, Florida State: The redshirt sophomore has not missed a kick this season as he looks to defend his Lou Groza Award. He hit a 50-yard field goal in a tight win against Clemson and converted all five field goal attempts against Wake Forest. It'd be a surprise if Aguayo misses a kick this season. It's happened only once in his career. -- Jared Shanker

P Tom Hackett, Utah: The Pac-12's punting leader averages 48 yards per kick (second nationally) for the Utes -- who have allowed a total of only 23 punt return yards all season. Of his 30 punts, 12 have gone beyond 50 yards and 13 have been inside the 20. His directional kicking ability has been a valuable asset midway through the season. -- Kevin Gemmell

AP Tyreek Hill, Oklahoma State: The speedy Hill has been one of the most explosive all-around playmakers in the country so far. He ranks ninth nationally in all-purpose yards, including 278 in the opener against defending national champion Florida State. Hill has also delivered back-to-back kickoff return touchdowns the past two weeks, the latter being the game winner late in the fourth quarter Saturday at Kansas. -- Jake Trotter