Every College Football Conference's All-Hype Team for 2012

Guys like Tyrann Mathieu, De'Anthony Thomas and Matt Barkley know all about hype.

Each of them has immense pressure to perform at a high level this season, and part of that pressure comes from the expectations placed on them by their fans and the media.

That's what this list is all about. 

These players have all garnered pre-season hype, and for good reason. 

Sun Belt: Defense

The Sun Belt does not have the highly visible stars that can be seen in other conferences, but it has plenty of talent. Quanterus Smith finished last season with 7.5 sacks. 

Punter Will Atterberry averaged 43.5 yards per punt, while ULL cornerback Melvin White finished the year with 8.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and one fumble recovery. There is a significant amount of defensive talent in this group.

DL -Tourek Williams, FIU

DL - Quanterus Smith, WKU

DL - Isame Faciane, FIU

DL - Omar McLendon, Middle Tennessee

LB - Winston Fraser, FIU

LB - Andrew Jackson, WKU

LB - Zach Orr, North Texas

DB - Melvin White, ULL

DB - Keith Reaser, FAU

DB - Brynden Trawick, Troy

DB - Jonathan Cyprien, FIU

P - Will Attererberry, North Texas

Sun Belt: Offense

Brett Baer is money kicking the ball, and wide receiver Javone Lawson is a threat to score on just about every play from scrimmage. The real gem of this group, however, is Arkansas State quarterback Ryan Aplin.

Aplin rushed for 588 yards, passed for over 3,500, and scored 29 total touchdowns in 2011, and has the potential to better those numbers in 2012, especially with Gus Malzahn at the helm. He even punted the ball three times, averaging almost 38 yards per kick. Talk about versatile.

QB - Ryan Aplin, Arkansas State

RB - Alonzo Harris, ULL

RB - Kedrick Rhodes, FIU

WR - Javone Lawson, ULL

WR - Josh Jarboe, Arkansas State

TE - Jack Doyle, WKU

C - Josh Allen, ULM

OL - Leonardo Bates, ULL

OL - Caylin Hauptmann, FIU

OL - Adam Smith, WKU

OL - Cyril Lemon, North Texas

K - Brett Baer, ULL

KR - John Evans, WKU

PR - Darryl Surgent, ULL

WAC: Defense

Four out of the 12 players included in the WAC all-hype defense play for La. Tech. No wonder the Bulldogs won the conference last season and are set up to do so again in 2012.

One guy to really watch is Idaho linebacker Conrad Scheidt. He finished last season with 93 tackles, eight of them for loss, and three forced fumbles.

DL - Travis Johnson, San Jose State

DL - Justin Ellis, La. Tech

DL - IK Enemkpali, La. Tech

DL - Walton Taumoepeau, New Mexico State

LB - Bojay Filimoeatu, Utah State

LB - Conrad Scheidt, Idaho

LB - Keith Smith, San Jose State

DB - Chad Boyd, La. Tech

DB - Aaron Grymes, Idaho

DB - Nevin Lawson, Utah State

DB - Gary Walker, Idaho

P - Ryan Allen, La. Tech

WAC: Offense

The Colby Cameron to Quinton Patton connection for La.Tech is scary good. The duo produced over 1,200 yards through the air, and scored 11 times last season. Not good news for the rest of the conference.

San Jose State tight end Ryan Otten averaged over 14 yards per reception last season.

QB - Colby Cameron, La. Tech

RB - Hunter Lee, La. Tech

RB - Kerwynn Williams, Utah State

WR -  Quinton Patton, La. Tech

WR - Noel Grigsby, San Jose State

TE -  Ryan Otten, San Jose State

C - Tyler Larsen, Utah State

OL - David Quessenberry, San Jose State

OL - Davonte Wallace, New Mexico State

OL - Kevin Saia, La. Tech

OL - Nicholas Kaspar, San Jose State

K - Matt Nelson, La. Tech

KR - Lyle Fitte, La. Tech

PR -  Justin Veltung, Idaho

MAC: Defense

End Roosevelt Nix is a terror for Kent State, and spent much of last season in opponents' backfields, wreaking havoc with the rest of his teammates.

The man to watch out of all the studs on this list is Khalil Mack, Buffalo's star 'backer. He finished last season with 20.5 tackles for loss. Ridiculous.

DL - Roosevelt Nix, Kent State

DL - Sean Progar, NIU

DL - Chris Jones, Bowling Green

DL - Tremayne Scott, Ohio

LB - Khalil Mack, Buffalo

LB - Dwayne Woods, Bowling Green

LB - C.J. Malauulu, Kent State

DB - Dayonne Nunley, Miami(OH)

DB - Travis Carrie, Ohio

DB - Johnnie Simon, Western Michigan

DB - Jahleel Addae, Central Michigan

P -  Brian Schmiedebusch, Bowling Green

MAC: Offense

Alex Carder does not have favorite target Jordan White to throw at anymore, but he is still a threat to put up big numbers with playmakers he does have available.

Perez Ashford of NIU has the talent to put up a 1,200 yards receiving season, but the question remains whether he will flourish in the absence of quarterback Chandler Harnish.

QB - Alex Carder, Western Michigan

RB - Anthon Samuel, Bowling Green

RB - Branden Oliver, Buffalo

WR - Nick Harwell, Miami(OH)

WR - Perez Ashford, NIU

TE - Garrett Hoskins, Eastern Michigan

C - Zac Kerin, Toledo

OL - Eric Herman,  Ohio

OL - Dann O'Neill, Western Michigan

OL - Brian Winters, Kent State

OL - Logan Pegram, NIU

K - Matthew Sims, NIU

KR - BooBoo Gates, Bowling Green

PR -  Demarius Reed, Eastern Michigan

Independents: Defense

Yeah, it's mostly Notre Dame and BYU, because there are only four Independents right now, but that should not minimize how much hype these guys have earned.

Kyle Van Noy amassed 15 tackles for loss, three interceptions and one fumble recovery at linebacker for BYU. Manti Te'o is an All-American talent at linebacker for Notre Dame.

DL -Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame

DL - Romney Fuga, BYU

DL - Louis Nix III, Notre Dame

DL - Jarrett Mackey, Army

LB - Manti Te'o, Notre Dame

LB - Kyle Van Noy, BYU

LB - Matt Warrick, Navy

DB - Preston Hadley, BYU

DB - Bennett Jackson, Notre Dame

DB - Daniel Sorensen, BYU

DB - Jamoris Slaughter, Notre Dame

P - Riley Stephenson, BYU

Independents: Offense

In 2011, Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert was the best tight end in the nation, and will be so again in 2012. That is, if the Irish can find someone to throw him the ball.

BYU has a dynamic passing game, led by Riley Nelson and receiver Cody Hoffman. Hoffman also earns recognition for his kick returning abilities.

QB - Riley Nelson, BYU

RB - Cierre Wood, Notre Dame

RB - Jared Hassin, Army

WR - Ross Apo, BYU

WR - Cody Hoffman, BYU

TE - Tyler Eifert, Notre Dame

C - Braxston Cave, Notre Dame

OL - Josh Cabral, Navy

OL - Frank Allen, Army

OL - Braden Brown, BYU

OL - Andrew Barker, Navy

K - Justin Sorensen, BYU

KR - Cody Hoffman, BYU

PR - Davonte Neal, Notre Dame

C-USA: Defense

Jeremy Grove is the one to watch in this group. He played last year as a true freshman at ECU, and finished the season with a whopping 122 total tackles in 11 games.

Southern Miss has a solid line boasting two guys with all-conference talent, while Tulane's lone representative, Trent Mackey, finished last season with 96 tackles, 14 of them for loss.

DL - Cory Dorris, Tulsa

DL - Jamie Collins, Southern Miss

DL - Victor Gray, UCF

DL - Khyri Thornton, Southern Miss

LB - Jeremy Grove, ECU

LB - Ja'Gared Davis, SMU

LB - Trent Mackey, Tulane

DB - D.J. Hayden, Houston

DB - Deron Wilson, Southern Miss

DB - Dexter McCoil, Tulsa

DB - Kemal Ishmael, UCF

P -  Ian Campbell, UTEP

C-USA: Offense

Former Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert has just finished classes at Texas, allowing him to play for SMU immediately this fall. While he still has to win the starting job, there is little question he will flourish in June Jones' quarterback friendly system.

He is joined in the backfield by running back Zach Line, which will make the 'Stangs backfield one of the two most potent outside of a BCS conference.

QB - Garrett Gilbert, SMU

RB -  Zach Line, SMU

RB - Charles Sims, Houston

WR - Aaron Dobson, Marshall

WR - Darius Johnson, SMU

TE - Luke Wilson, Rice

C - Trent Dupy, Tulsa

OL - Jacoby Ashworth, Houston

OL - Theo Goins, UCF

OL - Jason Weaver, Southern Miss

OL - Stetson Burnett, Tulsa

K - Chris Boswell, Rice

KR - Rannell Hall, UCF

PR - Tracy Lampley, Southern Miss

MWC: Defense

In past recent seasons, Boise State would have been all over this list. A recent resurgence in talent by other conference members, as well as some attrition has contributed to only one Bronco making the defensive all-hype team.

Colorado State has a healthy contingent of three out of the 12, one of them being star Shaqil Barrett.

DL -Paipai Falemalu, Hawaii

DL - Mike Purcell, Wyoming

DL - Cortez Woods, Nevada

DL - C.J. James, Colorado State

LB - Travis Brown, Fresno State

LB - Shaqil Barrett, Colorado State

LB - Alex Means, Air Force

DB - Leon McFadden, San Diego State

DB - Jamar Taylor, Boise State

DB - Luke Ruff, Wyoming

DB - Duke Williams, Nevada

P - Pete Kontodiakos, Colorado State

MWC: Offense

The one area of the field Boise State is sure of success this season is at offensive line. Mitch Burroughs and Joe Kellogg bring a wealth of talent to Chris Petersen's line, and will do a better than adequate job of protecting whoever winds up at quarterback.

Derek Carr and Robbie Rouse combine to give Fresno the top offensive backfield outside of the BCS conferences.

QB - Derek Carr, Fresno State

RB - Robbie Rouse, Fresno State

RB - Chris Nwoke, Colorado State

WR - Matt Miller, Boise State

WR - Billy Ray Stutzmann, Hawaii

TE - Gavin Escobar, San Diego State

C - Weston Richburg, Colorado State

OL - Chris Barker, Nevada

OL - Joe Kellogg, Boise State

OL - Jeff Nady, Nevada

OL - Charles Leno, Boise State

K - Parker Herrington, Air Force

KR - Marcus Sullivan, UNLV

PR - Mitch Burroughs, Boise State

Big East: Defense

Ryne Giddins is a monster you may not have heard about. He finished last season with 11 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He's joined on the all-hyoe line by Pitt's Aaron Donald and UConn's Trevardo Williams. The two of them are elite level talent and two of the top 10 tackles in the country. 

Rutgers has playmakers at every level of the defense, and will need them to keep up with Louisville's offensive talent and Pitt's scoring.

DL - Ryne Giddins, USF

DL - Trevardo Williams, UConn

DL - Aaron Donald, Pitt

DL - Scott Vallone, Rutgers

LB - Khaseem Greene, Rutgers

LB - Sio Moore, UConn

LB - DeDe Lattimore, USF

DB - Jarred Holley, Pitt

DB - Adrian Bushell, Louisville

DB - Logan Ryan, Rutgers

DB - Hakeem Smith, Louisville

P - Pat O'Donnell, Cincinnati

Big East: Offense

Teddy Bridgewater burst onto the college football scene last season, scoring 18 times in 13 games. Expect his interception number (12) to come down with another year under his belt.

Ray Graham, Pitt's running back, returns from injury to a new head coach: Paul Chryst, the man behind Wisconsin's incredible rushing game in recent seasons. That can do nothing but boost his confidence and help his game excel.

QB - Teddy Bridgewater, Louisville

RB - Ray Graham, Pitt

RB - Lyle McCombs, UConn

WR - Anthony McClung, Cincinnati

WR - Alec Lemon, Syracuse

TE - Ryan Griffin, UConn

C - Mario Benavides, Louisville

OL - Justin Pugh, Syracuse

OL - Kaleb Johnson, Rutgers

OL - Chris Jacobson, Pitt

OL - Jake Smith, Louisville

K - Maikon Bonani, USF

KR - Jeremy Deering, Rutgers

PR - Nick Williams, UConn

Pac-12: Defense

With Shayne Skov returning from injury, Stanford has two linebackers with the potential to be All-Americans. John Boyett doesn't get nearly the love he deserves for Oregon, while Star Lotulelei is a beast who also earns "best name" honors.

USC's secondary is excellent, and will have to be to cover some of the shortcomings in the front seven.

DL - Dion Jordan, Oregon

DL -Star Lotulelei, Utah

DL - Wes Horton, USC

DL -  Ben Gardner, Stanford

LB - Chase Thomas, Stanford

LB - Shayne Skov, Stanford

LB - Travis Long, Washington State

DB - John Boyett, Oregon

DB - T. J. McDonald, USC

DB - Jordan Poyer, Oregon State

DB - Nickell Robey, USC

P - Jeff Locke, UCLA

Pac-12: Offense

We've all heard ad nauseum about Matt Barkley, and he deserves every letter of the hype. But there are a couple guys on here that are vastly underrated: Cameron Marshall of Arizona State and Keenan Allen of Cal.

Allen has the potential to be a better NFL wide receiver than even USC counterpart Robert Woods, while Marshall is about the only bright spot on a Sun Devil team other wise nearly bereft of talent. In other news, De'Anthony Thomas is the scariest man in the country with the ball in his hands.

QB - Matt Barkley, USC

RB - John White IV, Utah

RB - Cameron Marshall, Arizona State

WR - Robert Woods, USC

WR - Keenan Allen, Cal

TE - Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Washington

C - Khaled Holmes, USC

OL - David Bakhtiari, Colorado

OL - John Fullington, Washington State

OL - Kevin Graf, USC

OL - David Yankey, Stanford

K - Andre Heidari, USC

KR - De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon

PR - Jamal Miles, Arizona State

ACC: Defense

Florida State, returning guys like Xavier Rhodes, Brandon Jenkins and LaMarcus Joyner, is going to be a tough defense to move the ball against. That is, it will be if they can remain consistent.

Virginia Tech has a couple of representatives on this squad, and will have more by the end of the season. David Amerson led the nation in interceptions last season with 13, an incredible number.

DL - Brandon Jenkins, Florida State

DL - James Gayle, Virginia Tech

DL - Joe Vellano, Maryland

DL - Nikita Whitlock, Wake Forest

LB - Bruce Taylor, Virginia Tech

LB - Kenny Tate, Maryland

LB -  Steve Greer, Virginia

DB - David Amerson, N.C. State

DB - Merrill Noel, Wake Forest

DB - Xavier Rhodes, Florida State

DB - Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State

P - Dalton Botts, Miami

ACC: Offense

Bet you expected Tajh Boyd...Thomas has less talent, and is more accurate. He's a nightmare to bring down in the backfield, and has all the physical tools to have a huge season for the Hokies in 2012. Gio Bernard is a running back that does not get enough love.

On the offensive line, Seantrel Henderson lives up to his recruiting grade, while Omoregie Uzzi keeps on doing what he does, blocking like a madman.

QB - Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech

RB - Giovani Bernard, North Carolina

RB - Andre Ellington, Clemson

WR - Sammy Watkins, Clemson

WR - Conner Vernon, Duke

TE - Matt Furstenburg, Maryland

C - Dalton Freeman, Clemson

OL - Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech

OL - Jonathan Cooper, North Carolina

OL - James Hurst, North Carolina

OL - Seantrel Henderson, Miami

K - Duston Hopkins, Florida State

KR - Sammy Watkins, Clemson

PR - Greg Reid, Florida State

Big 12: Defense

Yeah, Texas has one scary set of defensive ends, TCU has the best tackle in the conference and Iowa State boasts a pair of all-conference-caliber linebackers.

Kansas State will once again be better on defense than expected, while Oklahoma boasts one of the hardest hitting safeties in the nation in Tony Jefferson.

DL - Alex Okafor, Texas 

DL - Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas

DL - Stansly Maponga, TCU

DL - Toben Opurum, Kansas

LB - Arthur Brown, Kansas State

LB - A.J. Klein, Iowa State

LB - Jake Knott, Iowa State

DB - Brodrick Brown, Oklahoma State

DB - Nigel Malone, Kansas State

DB - Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma

DB - Kenny Vaccaro, Texas

P - Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State

Big 12: Offense

Look, I like Landry Jones, and he puts up big numbers, but this is not his year. It's Geno's. West Virginia has an incredibly potent offense, and unlike the Sooners, more than one reliable, proven receiver. On top of all that, Jones struggles on the road, and the Sooners must meet both TCU and WVU away from the friendly confines of Norman.

Joseph Randle will see his numbers go down from last season, but still find himself leading the conference in rushing, and Josh Boyce is incredibly under-appreciated as an explosive talent. Oklahoma's Gabe Ikard will make a bid for the Outland Trophy in 2012.

QB - Geno Smith, WVU

RB - Joseph Randle, Oklahoma State

RB - Malcolm Brown, Texas

WR - Kenny Stills, Oklahoma

WR - Tavon Austin, WVU

WR - Josh Boyce, TCU

C - Ben Habern, Oklahoma

OL - Lane Taylor, Oklahoma State

OL - Cyril Richardson, Baylor

OL - Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma

OL - LaAdrian Waddle, Texas Tech

K - Quinn Sharp, Oklahoma State

KR - Tyler Lockett, Kansas State

PR - Tavon Austin, WVU

Big Ten: Defense

For all you Michigan/Wisconsin fans rejoicing over the apparent demise of Ohio State's program, stop it. The Buckeyes are going to be no pushover in 2012, and it will mainly be because their defensive line is ridiculously good.

The two Badger linebackers on this list led the conference in tackles last season, Taylor at one and Borland at two, and with a less than scary defensive line, will be near the top again this season. It seems as if Micah Hyde has been around forever at Iowa, but returns for another year of disrupting play in the secondary.

And let's not forget about the Spartans. MSU is going to have one of the toughest defenses in the country once again.

DL - Kawann Short, Purdue

DL - William Gholston, Michigan State

DL - Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State

DL -  John Simon, Ohio State

LB - Chris Borland, Wisconsin

LB - Mike Taylor, Wisconsin

LB - Gerald Hodges, Penn State

DB - Ricardo Allen, Purdue

DB - Johnny Adams, Michigan State

DB - Micah Hyde, Iowa

DB - Isaiah Lewis, Michigan State

P - Brett Maher, Nebraska

Big Ten: Offense

The quarterback pickings are slim. Denard Robinson, while an explosive playmaker, is not the best passer in the nation. Even so, he is the best the conference has to offer, at least this season.

Where the conference is strong is at running back and offensive line. Record-setting running back Montee Ball returns to Wisconsin to try and pick up where he left off and score more touchdowns than his 2011 campaign, which would be quite a feat considering he scored 39.

Taylor Lewan, Ricky Wagner and Travis Fredrick all have the potential to make a bid for the Outland Trophy this season.

QB - Denard Robinson, Michigan

RB -  Montee Ball, Wisconsin

RB - Rex Burkhead, Nebraska

WR - Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin

WR - Keenan Davis, Iowa

TE - Jake Stoneburner, Ohio State

C - Travis Frederick, Wisconsin

OL - Spencer Long, Nebraska

OL - Taylor Lewan, Michigan

OL - Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin

OL - Chris McDonald, Michigan State

K - Brett Maher, Nebraska

KR - Raheem Mostert, Purdue

PR - Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin

SEC: Defense

The SEC is elite. There is no arguing that. That lineup of defensive linemen is ridiculous, and should scare the mess out of anyone. Jarvis Jones and Bacarri Rambo will wreak all kinds of havoc on offensive game plans, especially when Rambo is on the field.

LSU is going to be tough once again, and Alabama's linebackers are going to be strong, despite all the attrition on the defensive side of the ball.

DL - Corey Lemonier, Auburn

DL - Sam Montgomery, LSU

DL - John Jenkins, Georgia

DL - Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina

LB -  Jarvis Jones, Georgia

LB - C.J. Mosley, Alabama

LB - Sean Porter, Texas A&M

DB - Tyrann Mathieu, LSU

DB - Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

DB - Eric Reid, LSU

DB - Bacarri Rambo, Georgia

P -  Brad Wing, LSU

SEC: Offense

Don't overlook Tyler Bray. The Tennessee quarterback has the talent to absolutely torch the opposition, and the wide receivers in Da'Rick Rogers and Justin Hunter. Tyler Wilson will make a Heisman bid, but by the end of the season, we will all be realizing that Bray is the best quarterback to walk on campus in Knoxville since some guy named Manning.

Marcus Lattimore and Knile Davis are both returning from injury, but even so, they both have the offensive lines and talent to stay in the Heisman discussion until deep in the season. Barrett Jones will be looking to repeat as the Outland winner, and Tyrann Mathieu will continue to amaze with impressive punt returns at key moments in big games.

QB - Tyler Wilson, Arkansas/ Tyler Bray, Tennessee

RB - Knile Davis, Arkansas

RB - Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina

WR - Cobi Hamilton, Arkansas

WR - Da'Rick Rogers, Tennessee

TE- Philip Lutzenkirchen, Auburn

C - Barrett Jones, Alabama

OL - Alvin Bailey, Arkansas

OL - Alex Hurst, LSU

OL - Luke Joeckel, Texas A&M

OL - Larry Warford, Kentucky

K - Caleb Sturgis, Florida

KR - Andre Debose, Florida

PR - Tyrann Mathieu, LSU