Trevor Matich agrees with the decision of naming the Heisman favorite Sam Darnold the AP Preseason All-American 1st team QB as he makes everyone around him better. (0:55)

USC quarterback Sam Darnold and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley put on a show at the Rose Bowl last season and established themselves as two of the biggest stars in college football coming into 2017.

AP All-America First Team Player Team QB Sam Darnold USC RB Saquon Barkley Penn State RB Derrius Guice LSU OT Orlando Brown Oklahoma OT Connor Williams Texas G Quenton Nelson Notre Dame G Cody O'Connell Washington St. C Billy Price Ohio State TE Mike Gesicki Penn State WR James Washington Oklahoma St. WR Christian Kirk Texas A&M DE Harold Landry Boston College DE Bradley Chubb NC State DT Ed Oliver Houston DT Dexter Lawrence Clemson LB Arden Key LSU LB Josey Jewell Iowa LB Azeem Victor Washington CB Tarvarus McFadden Florida State CB Jaire Alexander Louisville S Derwin James Florida State S Minkah Fitzpatrick Alabama AP Quadree Henderson* Pittsburgh K Daniel Carlson Auburn P Mitch Wishnowsky Utah * All-purpose player

The two Heisman Trophy contenders highlight the first preseason All-America team in the history of The Associated Press.

Darnold passed for 453 yards and five touchdowns in the Trojans' 52-49 victory over the Nittany Lions. Barkley ran for 194 yards and scored three touchdowns against USC.

The AP All-America team is the longest-running annual honor roll of the nation's top college football players, dating to 1925, and is usually released after the season. Darnold was voted to the first team by a panel of 51 Top 25 voters, edging out Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, who is the second-team quarterback on the teams released Tuesday.

Joining Darnold and Barkley in the backfield is LSU running back Derrius Guice, who spent the past two seasons as the backup to former All-American Leonard Fournette.

Washington State guard Cody O'Connell was the only offensive player selected to the first team who was also a 2016 All-American.

The first-team defense is led by two players who were postseason All-Americans in 2016: Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who made it to the first team as a freshman last season, and Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. Florida State placed two defensive backs on the first team with cornerback Tarvarus McFadden and safety Derwin James, who missed most of last year with a knee injury.

The ACC led all conferences with seven players on the first team, followed by the SEC with five and the Big Ten and Pac-12 with four each.