Rivals.com team recruiting rankings: Tide on top

2017 Rivals.com team rankings | Rivals.com team rankings formula

The Rivals.com recruiting rankings for the class of 2017 have been updated, and there's a familiar program in the top spot of the team recruiting rankings: Alabama.

But the Crimson Tide isn't necessarily a lock to finish atop the rankings come National Signing Day. They'll have to find off the likes of Ohio State and possibly others.

We break down the contenders for the top spot, changes in the top 10 and more in this team rankings analysis.

Everybody is chasing Alabama for the top spot in the 2017 team rankings.

According to the team rankings formula, the Crimson Tide has amassed 3,085 points already. To put that into perspective, Alabama has won the team rankings crown every year except two (USC in 2010 and 2015) since 2008, Saban’s first recruiting class. A team has only surpassed 3,000 points four times. Three of those teams finished first in the team rankings. Alabama’s 2015 class is the only class to get more than 3,000 points and not win the team rankings crown.

Rivals100 No. 1 Najee Harris and five-stars Jedrick Wills, Jerry Jeudy, Alex Leatherwood and Elliot Baker lead Alabama’s 2017 recruiting class. Highly rated targets like five-star offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson, Rivals100 defensive lineman LaBryan Ray and Rivals250 wide receiver Henry Ruggs are uncommitted so there is a good possibility Alabama could extend their lead over Ohio State, Oklahoma, Georgia and the rest of the field.

Texas A&M’s rise into the top 10 is the biggest change near the top of the team rankings. Since the previous rankings update the Aggies have picked up eight verbal commitments. Five of them are four-stars, and two of them are Rivals250 prospects. With 24 commitments, Kevin Sumlin’s 2017 recruiting is nearly full, but their success during the season really gave this recruiting class a boost.

Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs are building a very good 2017 recruiting class. Georgia added commitments from two Rivals100 prospects, one Rivals250 player and two highly rated three-stars. There are only 18 players committed to Georgia right now, so expect the Bulldogs to make a strong push for the top three.

Notre Dame’s 2016 season was underwhelming, and it shows in their 2017 recruiting class. The Fighting Irish were sitting in the No. 5 spot in the team rankings after the last rankings update in August but now they have slipped out of the top 10. Brian Kelly and his staff are working hard to add more talent to Notre Dame’s roster so they could potentially move back up.

Sitting in second place with 2,601 points, Ohio State is the only team within shouting distance of Alabama. The Buckeyes are in line for some major commitments down the road, and if Najee Harris ends up decommitting from Alabama it could be possible for Ohio State to overtake the Crimson Tide at the top of the team rankings.

Michigan likely won’t finish first in the team rankings this year, but they are charging up the rankings. Jim Harbaugh and his staff have put in a lot of effort on the recruiting trail and are expected to land a few highly rated players as we head toward Signing Day.

Tom Herman just got the job at Texas and the Longhorns are currently ranked No. 70 in the team rankings. That will surely change, but it will be interesting to see how high Texas will rise between now and Feb. 1.

Florida State, No. 18 in the team rankings, hasn’t finished outside the top 10 of the team rankings since 2007. The Seminoles just lost one of their highest-rated commitments in Rivals250 safety Daniel Wright to Alabama, and other schools are coming after some of their other headline commitments. Not since that 2007 class has Florida State failed to sign a five-star prospect. The Seminoles are in the mix with a couple of uncommitted five-stars, however, and there are some players already committed to Florida State who could potentially earn their fifth stars with outstanding performances at postseason all-star games.

Both Washington and Louisville are recruiting better than they have over the past five years, but with the success they’ve had this season and how much of the spotlight has been on them over the past three months, they should be higher in the team rankings. Currently ranked 16th, Washington’s average team ranking over the past five years is 29th. Louisville, currently ranked No. 19, has placed an average of 37th over the same span. Washington is one of the four playoff teams and Louisville has Heisman favorite Lamar Jackson. It feels like both are missing out on an important opportunity to take their program up a notch.