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The 2017 college football season is nearly a month old, and most FBS teams have played at least one-fourth of their scheduled games. That gives us a large enough sample size to start evaluating performance, both from a team standpoint and in terms of individual showings.

For the freshmen, it's the first chance to compare their work against the reputations they showed up with.

Recruiting is such a huge part of the sport, but the highest-rated prospects aren't always the ones who stand out early. Among the 10 best freshmen in FBS so far this season—based on their performances to this point and how much they have helped their respective teams—none were 5-star recruits and only two were ranked in the top 100 of either the 2016 or 2017 class.

Which freshmen have impressed the most? Let's wade through the cream of the crop.