Save the clichés.

You know, the ones like, "They don't award medals at the 50-meter mark of a 100-meter race," or my personal favorite, "It's a four-quarter game."

Halftime of the 2018 college football season is upon us, and while it is true that no team has ever won a championship and no player has ever won the Heisman Trophy at the midway point of the season, that doesn't mean we can't celebrate who have been the best players through the first half of the season.

We unveil ESPN's 2018 midseason All-America team with a few of the usual reminders. This is not a list of the top NFL draft prospects, and it's not a list of the players who were being touted as All-Americans before the season. It's a list of the players who have played like All-Americans to this point.

Of note, only five of the players on our preseason All-America team -- Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams, Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, LSU linebacker Devin White and LSU cornerback Greedy Williams -- find themselves on this list, so a lot can change by the end of the season.

Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor is averaging 158.3 rushing yards per game this season. Morry Gash/AP Photo

OFFENSE

QB: Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama

A huge groan reverberated throughout the state of Alabama when Tagovailoa left the Missouri game on Saturday in the third quarter after aggravating a knee sprain. Coach Nick Saban didn't sound concerned afterward, and the good news for the Crimson Tide is that they face Tennessee this week and then get an open date before going to LSU. Tagovailoa has been magical for Alabama. Through his first five games, he had a 95.5 QBR rating, the highest for any quarterback in the 15 seasons that the metric has been tracked. He has accounted for 23 touchdowns and has still yet to take a snap in the fourth quarter.

RB: Travis Etienne, Clemson

The drama surrounding the quarterback change at Clemson has in some ways overshadowed what has been a terrific first half of the season for Etienne, who has been one of the most explosive and effective runners in college football. The 5-foot-10, 200-pound sophomore is averaging 9.2 yards per carry and has scored 12 touchdowns (11 rushing and one receiving). In six games, he has 10 runs of 20 yards or longer and might have saved the Tigers' season in the narrow escape against Syracuse after quarterback Trevor Lawrence was knocked out of the game. Etienne rushed for 203 yards and scored all three of Clemson's touchdowns against the Orange.

RB: Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin

Through six games, Taylor is already on the doorstep of a second straight 1,000-yard season with 950 yards. The 5-11, 222-pound sophomore is averaging 6.6 yards per carry and has rushed for eight touchdowns. He's exactly what you want in a running back. He's durable and tough and has the ability to rip off longer runs. He has four runs of 30 yards or longer this season. Few backs have been able to dent Michigan's vaunted defense, but Taylor had 101 yards in the loss last Saturday to the Wolverines.

WR: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama

There's more than just Tagovailoa to the Air Alabama offense. The 6-1, 192-pound Jeudy has been one of the top sophomore players in the country. He leads all Power 5 wide receivers with nine touchdown receptions, leads all FBS receivers in catches of 20 yards or longer (14) and is averaging an FBS-best 27.1 yards per catch. And get this: Jeudy is averaging a touchdown every 2.88 catches.

WR: Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado

As a freshman, the 6-2, 220-pound Shenault averaged 24 yards per catch for the Buffaloes. He has been even more dynamic as a sophomore. He injured his toe Saturday in the loss to USC and had to leave the game, but has been one of college football's most dynamic players during the first half of the season. Shenault leads the country with an average of 130 receiving yards per game and also has 11 touchdowns (six receiving and five rushing).