Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

I know there is no real debate on who is the best, but to list Nile Kinnick as RB  seems to limit the actual role he played for his team.  

Kinnick also played DB and many other positions.  He still to this day shares the Iowa single season record for interceptions (8) and all time interceptions (18).  When the Big Ten recently named its all time Big Ten team, they put Kinnick at DB.

1939, Iowa finished the year ranked ninth in the AP Poll with a 6-1-1 record. Kinnick threw for 638 yards and 11 touchdowns on only 31 passes and ran for 374 yards. He was involved in 16 of the 19 touchdowns (11 passing, 5 rushing) that Iowa scored and was involved in 107 of the 130 points that Iowa scored that year. He played 402 of a possible 420 minutes that season. All told, Kinnick set 14 school records, some of which still stand today.

I did not vote. I am late.
I would have added a vote for Nile Kinnick.
In addition to what the Pig states, Nile Kinnick drop kicked the extra point that defeated Notre Dame 7-6, in 1939. On his 16th punt of the Notre Dame game he sent it 63 yards, pinning the Irish at their own 6-yard line with less than two minutes remaining. Remember, the pigskin was more like a rugby ball then, and 63-yards would be an incredible punt by today's standard, let alone a guy punting who stood just 5'8". The ball changed shape again to its present form in 1941. He threw, caught, and as a halfback ran, and also played DB. He was one of Iowa's Ironmen. They were few and seldom left the field. He kicked, place kicked, and punted. Nile Kinnick did everything on the field, and he could speak, too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt34q7o9r00

One of the problems with looking at the numbers is that players can only play during their own era. Things have changed a lot, so Melvin Gordon has better numbers than Byron White and on today's field he would be the better player, but for the game at the time, was he better? That's the question that I'm trying to answer with my votes here. For me the question is who was the most dominant player in his game/era to wear the number.

Quarterbacks today will all have better passing numbers than those of yesteryear, but are they actually better players? It's similar to OAM's thoughts about quarterbacks who don't play in the P5--their better numbers don't mean they were better players, it means they faced different circumstances.

Which is a long way of saying this is all highly subjective.

problem with stats is that each individual has their own perception of given stats

as you say, it's what makes the discussions interesting