Quickie from-the-hip thoughts based on scout.com’s final national rankings, which may or may not turn out to be accurate …
Winner: SEC. The conference landed 20 five-star players, as many as the next three leagues (Pac-10, ACC and Big Ten) combined.
Loser: Ohio State. Signed the No. 1 class, which means the recruits are headed for a major letdown when they get blown out of the BCS title game in 2013.
Winner: UCLA. Slick Rick closed with a flourish, getting five major signing day commitments to push his class into the top five. How many improper contacts did it take? (Just kidding! I am a kidder! … He did a heck of a job.)
Loser: UCLA. With two top-10 classes in a row, Neuheisel will very soon be out of excuses for why the Bruins stink. (Good thing he’s got Norm to make it all work).
Winner: Notre Dame. Snatched the No. 1 linebacker, Manti Te’o, away from USC on signing day. Only 10 more like him, and the Irish might actually beat the Trojans.
Loser: Louisiana State. Sure, the Tigers landed the nation’s No. 2 class, but they lost coveted WR Kenny Bell to Alabama on signing day. Sabaaaaaaaan!!!!!!!
Winner: Alabama. Saban’s class checked in at No. 3, which is bad news for the free world given his knack for getting the most out of his talent.
Loser: Fresno State. Pat Hill’s class ranked 70th behind “traditional” non-BCS powers like Central Michigan and SMU. And more luster falls off the FSU program.
Winner: USC. Class rank (7th) was a little low because of only 19 signees. But the Trojans’ per-player rating of 3.89 tied with Georgia for tops in the country and far exceeds UCLA’s per player rating of 3.30. Not all top-10 classes are created equal.
Loser: Western Athletic Conference. Its best class (Boise State’s, No. 60) was behind three from the Mountain West (BYU, Utah and TCU).
Winner: SEC. Eight schools finished in the top 20, and not one of them was Florida — the Gators’ class was long on quality but short on quantity and thus finished 21st.
Loser: Arizona. Class ranked 52nd, behind Duke and Washington State. If Mike Stoops isn’t landing big-time players, the Cats have big-time problems (his program doesn’t exactly overachieve).
Winner: Oregon. Closed almost as strong as UCLA, landing two major WRs on signing day. One of them, Tyrece Gaines, had an offer from Oklahoma.
Loser: Big East: Its best class was West Virginia’s (No. 23), assuring us of at least one bad BCS game for the next five years.
Winner: North Carolina. Could Butch Davis (class rank: No. 5) be the best recruiter on campus?
Loser: Arizona State. Yes, Erickson grabbed the nation’s No. 1 middle linebacker on signing day, Corona’s Vontaze Burfict. But with only two five-star and no four-star signees, it sure feels like the Devils have lost what little momentum remained from their breakthrough ’07 season.
Winner: Lane Kiffin. Not a bad opening act for the Tennessee rookie, whose class ranked 22nd. Only problem: That’s good for 10th in the SEC. Next year, better make the top five, baby.
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