College Football: The 10 Best Players on the Latest Hall of Fame Ballot

They say winning a championship is the greatest thing an athlete can accomplish, although many would argue that making the Hall of Fame is. After all, winning a championship says you were the best team for that year, but reaching the Hall of Fame says you're one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Earlier this week the 2012 college football Hall of Fame ballot was released and it includes a total of 76 players and eight coaches. Almost all of them are deserving of eventually becoming a member of the college football Hall of Fame, but only a few will make it in this season.

Over 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation and current Hall of Fame members will vote on who's most deserving. The 2012 Hall of Fame class will be announced May 15th and that class will be inducted on December 4.

It's nearly impossible to pick just 10, and you can check out the entire list here, but here are the 10 most deserving players.

Eric Dickerson, RB, SMU

Not only is Erick Dickerson one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, he's also one of the most productive backs ever to play college football. He finished his career with 4,450 rushing yards, 48 total touchdowns and a career average 5.6 yards per touch. If he wasn't splitting carries his first two seasons, he could have easily topped 1,000 yards all four years of his career.

Despite still sharing backfield duties with Craig James during his senior year in 1982, he managed to finish third in the Heisman voting—behind two guys named John Elway and Herschel Walker.

Trev Alberts, LB, Nebraska

Trev Alberts didn't last long in the NFL, but he could have played forever in college. The Cornhusker finished his four year career with 29 sacks, 248 total tackles and five fumble recoveries.

It was his senior season, however, that makes him worthy of the Hall of Fame as he racked up 15 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss on his way to earning both the Dick Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Trophy.

In 1993 the Cornhuskers took on the Florida State Seminoles in the National Championship game, and despite playing with a cast on a broken arm Alberts finished the game with three sacks—only two short of the amount of sacks that Florida State gave up all year as a team.

Jonathan Ogden, OL, UCLA

You may know Jonathan Ogden as an 11 time Pro Bowler for the Baltimore Ravens and one of the best offensive linemen to ever play the game. He was also that great in college for the UCLA Bruins. He's one of only seven Bruins to have their jersey number retired, and won several awards such as the Outland Trophy and the Morris Trophy during a distinguished college career.

In his last two seasons of college football he only allowed a total of two sacks. He was truy as dominant an offensive lineman as has played the game.

Tommie Frazier, QB, Nebraska

Before Michael Vick and Cam Newton, there was Tommie Frazier, a quarterback who played four seasons at Nebraska in the early 90's. Before he arrived, the Cornhuskers had lost five bowl games in a row, and mostly in blowout fashion. With Frazier they won two national championships and went 33-3.

He was simply one of the fastest players to ever step on the field and his record 75 yard run in a bowl game proves that. He wouldn't just kill you with his feet either; he holds the Nebraska record with 44 touchdown passes to only 13 interceptions in a season.

Ty Detmer, QB, BYU

Detmer only threw the ball 153 times his freshman year, but finished with 1,252 yards and 13 touchdowns. He became the starter as a sophomore in 1989 and began a remarkable run of success for the Cougars. He finished his four year career with 15,031 passing yards and 121 passing touchdowns.

That includes his junior year where he threw for 5,188 yards and a ridiculous 41 touchdowns, which has to be one of the greatest seasons in the history of the sport. It was also good enough to win the Davey O'Brien Award, Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award in 1990.

Just put him in already.

Orlando Pace, OL, Ohio State

If Ogden makes it into the Hall of Fame, it would be a crime to forget about Orlando Pace. Only the second true freshman to ever start for the Buckeyes on opening day, Pace also finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 1996.

We all know the great career he went on to have as a St. Louis Ram, but he deserves credit for what he did in college as well.

Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida

When you're considered one of the greatest players to play for a school as prestigious as Florida, you should automatically be considered for the Hall of Fame. Wuerffel played for the Gators for four seasons and won the Heisman Trophy, a National Championship in 1996 and four consecutive SEC titles.

He finished his career with 10,875 passing yards and 114 touchdowns, while completing 60 percent of his passes. Keep in mind that those numbers were put up in the SEC.

Have I convinced you yet?

Raghib Ismail, WR, Notre Dame

Raghib Ismail had a decent career in the NFL, but he will always be remembered for his accomplishments at Notre Dame. His 1,565 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns may not jump off the page, but Ismail was a playmaker and broke off big plays when the Irish needed them most.

He returned six combined punts and kickoffs for touchdowns, including two in the victory against Michigan in 1989. He ended up winning the Walter Camp Award and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1990 behind BYU quarterback Ty Detmer.

Vinny Testaverde, QB, Miami

Vinny Testaverde was a member of the Hurricanes in the late 80's and won a Heisman trophy along with being a first team All-American. He is a member of the Miami Sports Hall of Fame and is considered one of the greats in building this football program into what it is today.

Sure, he played horribly in the national championship game against Penn State in 1986, but 6,058 passing yards and 48 touchdowns have to count for something. He put up the majority of those numbers during his last two seasons, since he only threw a combined 46 passes his first two years in Miami.

Derrick Thomas, LB, Alabama

You may know Derrick Thomas as a nine time Pro Bowler in the NFL or the guy who holds the record for most sacks in a game. (Which happens to be an unbreakable seven)

But Thomas was a beast before he went on to the NFL in 1989. He holds the NCAA record for most sacks in a season (27), which he set in 1988. The performance cemented his reception of the Dick Butkus Award, but he wasn't enough to prevent a Heisman Trophy snub. He also holds the career sack record with 52, and with so many athletes leaving college early, that record may also never be broken.

Thomas was a machine when he stepped on the football field and hurt many quarterback's feelings during his day. He is the most deserving ballot member of becoming part of the Hall of Fame.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]