Rivals Rankings Week: Top team ranking storylines
Rivals continues to roll out its updated rankings for the 2020 class and our focus today moves to the team side of things. Now that we've tweaked things at the top and across the board, analyst Sam Spiegelman takes a closer look at the updated team standings and provides a few predictions for how things will shape out down the stretch.
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CLASS OF 2020 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK: Analysts discuss new Rivals250 | New Rivals100 | Breaking down the new five-stars | Top 10 breakdown | Who could still finish in the top 10? | Why is Bresee No. 1? | Farrell's thoughts | Who could make a case for a fifth star? | Four who could crack the Rivals250 | QBs | RBs | WR/TEs | OL | DL | LBs | DBs | ATH
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1. Will Evans give Tigers the No. 1 class?
With 23 commitments on board and National Signing Day steadily approaching, LSU coach Ed Orgeron's Tigers have a chance to finish as the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings and possibly on the recruiting side of things as well. LSU has a slight edge over Clemson (No. 2) but is bracing for a star-studded finish.
Among the Tigers' top remaining targets are four-stars Phillip Webb, McKinnley Jackson and Marcus Dumervil, but the crown jewel may be five-star Texas running back Zachary Evans, who is expected to sign with a team before Christmas. LSU is the favorite here and Evans' signature could put it in line for the top class in America.
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2. Clemson close to record finish?
No college football team has signed more than three top-10 prospects in Rivals history. Florida State was the first to pull off the feat back in the inaugural 2002 rankings and the 'Noles repeated in 2012 and as recently as 2017. Southern Cal did it in 2005 and 2007. Florida did it in 2010 while Georgia and Alabama have each followed suit in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Clemson is in line to at least match that feat in 2020 with five-stars Bryan Bresee, D.J. Uiagalelei and Myles Murphy already on board. The Tigers are looking to close out strong with five-star linebacker Justin Flowe and/or defensive end Jordan Burch. If Dabo Swinney is able to lock down one or both of the top-10 prospects, it'll be history for Clemson in the Rivals era.
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3. Ohio State's WR haul is out of control
Ohio State has not missed a beat under Ryan Day – both on-field and from a recruiting standpoint. The Buckeyes have a path to possibly claiming the No. 1 class in the country, but what the offensive-minded Day cares about is that reinforcements are en route to the Horseshoe.
The Buckeyes own arguably the best haul of receivers for the 2020 class. That collection is headlined by Julian Fleming, a top-10 prospect nationally and the No. 1 player at the position. Fellow Buckeyes commitment Jaxon Smith-Njigba recently added his fifth star while Gee Scott Jr., another top-10 prospect at the position, is right on the cusp. Then, there's Mookie Cooper, a highly-ranked athlete inside the top-50 nationally.
Don't expect Ohio State to miss a beat with this elite haul on the way.
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4. Aggies in line to win the state?
Baylor is the surprise team in Texas and the Big 12, and the Bears have made some noise on the recruiting trail in recent months. The same can be said about TCU, which has garnered some momentum of late. Over the summer, it was the Longhorns and Tom Herman turning heads with their recruiting prowess, but could Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies win the state?
All signs point to Zachary Evans, the No. 1 prospect in Texas, heading out-of-state. Beyond that, Texas A&M holds a commitment from five-star Demond Demas and has been on an in-state tear of late. The Aggies locked down speedy athlete Devon Achane along with elite prospects Haynes King, Akinola Ogunbiyi and Jaylon Jones.
The Aggies are one of the finalists for Rivals250 athlete E.J. Smith, who is one of the most sought-after commodities in the nation. Texas A&M is also in the hunt for four-star tackle Ty'Kieast Crawford and has kicked the tires on Rivals250 cornerback Dwight McGlothern. It hosted Malik Hornsby for an official visit and remains in contact with four-star Princely Umanmielen.
In other words, Texas A&M could be in line to make some marquee moves as National Signing Day creeps up.
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5. Georgia, Alabama to make noise late?
Georgia and Alabama have been the kings on the block under Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. The Dawgs have finished No. 1 overall each of the past two cycles under Smart, meanwhile, Saban has engineered the Tide to the top recruiting class from 2011-14, 2016 and, most recently, in 2017. For either of those SEC programs to pull it off in 2020 would take some luck, but it's certainly not out of the realm of possibility.
Elite options Justin Flowe, Jordan Burch, Darnell Washington, Zachary Evans, Kelee Ringo, Phillip Webb, Trenton Simpson, Reggie Grimes and Jalen Berger remain options for these two elite programs as they attempt to finish up strong.