The college football season is right around the corner. As the season approaches, I will be breaking down the best players of each conference. Each article a new conference will be unveiled and the order will be alphabetical. The players will be ranked 1-10 (1 being the best). Note: This is before the start of the 2012 season, therefore players may get hurt and some will get better or worse. This is simply analyzing the best players in each conference, not which players will get drafted the highest in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Independents
1.Manti Te’o-Inside Linebacker-Notre Dame 
It isn’t normal to see two middle linebackers selected within the first 15 picks of the NFL draft, but if Manti Te’o would have entered, this would’ve been the case; instead Te’o wanted to get his degree and finish out his four years at Notre Dame. The Hawaiian linebacker is not only a tackling machine, but he is more valuable to his defense than any other player is valuable to theirs in the nation. Te’o covers a ton of territory and his high football IQ allows him to read and react at an abnormal speed. The past two season, Te’o has led the Irish in tackles (128 in 2011, 133 in 2010) and in 2011 he also recorded 15.5 tackles for loss. Look for the top linebacker prospect to once again lead the fighting Irish in 2012.
2.Tyler Eifert-Tight End-Notre Dame
The 6’5 tight end for the Fighting Irish is one of the most productive in the nation. Despite only catching five touchdown passes, Tyler Eifert still hauled in 63 catches for 803 yards and he was the security blanket for all of the quarterbacks that played for the Irish in 2011. Eifert moves exceptionally well for a man of his stature; he can also turn bad throws into great catches. At 251 pounds, look for him to get an even bigger workload in 2012.
3.Cierre Wood-Running Back-Notre Dame
Yes, Notre Dame holds the top three spots on this list, but with good reason. To cap off the top 3 is running back Cierre Wood. The junior tailback is an extremely patient runner who anticipates what defenders are going to do, he also has a low center of gravity and a burst of speed when hitting the hole. Last season Cierre Wood rushed for 1,102 yards and 9 touchdowns, this year he will have to fight off the two other running backs trying to earn playing time.
4.Cody Hoffman-Wide Receiver-Brigham Young 
Finally mixing things up a bit, now we finally have someone other than a Notre Dame player on this list. Junior receiver Cody Hoffman was a key component in BYU’s late season run; in the last four games of the season (all wins), Hoffman averaged 96 yards per game and caught three touchdowns against Tulsa in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. The 6’3 receiver started out slow in camp this year but has now begun to pick it up according to the head coach. “He is a man among boys.” Look for Hoffman to be a huge part in the Cougar offense as they try to build off of a 10-3 season.
5.Matt Warrick-Middle Linebacker-Navy
Navy Midshipmen’s Matt Warrick is the epitome of the heart & soul of a defense. In 2011 alone, Warrick had 4 games where he had at least 10 tackles (three games with 12). Warrick is a solid 229 but moves fluidly and flies to the ball and can take down any offensive player by himself. Look for Warrick to become an even better all-around linebacker in 2012, and anything short of 100 tackles will be a disappointment.
6.Zack Martin-Offensive Tackle-Notre Dame
Notre Dame makes it back onto the list at number six with junior left tackle Zack Martin. The Indianapolis native stands in at 6’4, 305 and has been a bright spot along Notre Dame’s abysmal line. Martin is not overly powerful but has a great center of gravity and can get leverage over opposing pass-rushers. The Irish allowed only one sack every 27 pass attempts, not only did Martin play a huge part in that but he also was part of an offensive line that helped Cierre Wood rush for over 1,200 yards.
7.Louis Nix-Nose Tackle-Notre Dame
It’s not often that you see a freshman nose tackle have an immediate impact on a Division I team. As a freshman, Nix had 45 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a half sack; he truly has talent. For a guy that is 328 pounds soaking wet, Nix has an incredible motor and a remarkable skill set. Going into his sophomore season, look for Nix to see a lot of double team but also pay attention to how often he wreaks havoc in the backfield.
8.Raymond Maples-Running Back-Army
Going into his junior season, Raymond Maples will be looking to rush for 1,000+ yards for the second consecutive season. Maples is 6’1 but runs low to the ground and is very efficient, averaging 7.3 yards per carry. The Philly native never fumbles and he is used to rushing for over 100 yards in a game (season high 159 yards on 10 carries against Fordham).
9.Riley Nelson-Quarterback-Brigham Young
Utah native, Riley Nelson, was responsible for leading the Cougars to yet another 10 win season in 2011. The gunslinger threw the ball for 1,717 while posting a 19-7 touchdown/interception ratio. With wins over teams like Ole Miss and Oregon State in 2011, Nelson is a testament to how good Brigham Young has become. If there aren’t any receivers open, Nelson isn’t afraid to run it either, he had two games where he rushed for 80 + yards (Oregon St. & TCU).
10.Tra’ves Bush-Safety/Outside Linebacker-Navy
Matt Warrick isn’t the only tackling machine on the Midshipmen defense. Tra’ves Bush is a great compliment to Warrick and completes one of the most underrated linebacker corps in the country. Finishing the season with 96 tackles, Bush also had four double-digit tackle games. Bush is such a versatile player, when opponents go five wide, Bush can drop to safety, or when they are in the red zone, Bush can line up as an OLB and help stop the run. Bush is simply a joy to watch, look for this Navy defense to surprise people in 2012.
Just Missed:
Tommy Rees-Quarterback-Notre Dame
Marcus Jackson-Cornerback/Kick Returner-Army
Andrew Hendrix-Quarterback-Notre Dame
Eathyn Manumaleuna-Defensive End-Brigham Young
AlexFarnworth 