This week's #RivalsRoundtable looks at surprises surrounding different topics, according to the Rivals.com national analysts.

ROUNDTABLES: Favorites | On-field results vs. recruiting | QB Week

RANKINGS: Rivals250 | 2018 Team Rankings

Rob Cassidy (Southeast/Florida): I’m intrigued by anything Justin Fields does, so his trip to LSU was interesting. Maybe it’s a case of a player making the most out of his time as a recruit, but the fact that it gave hope to yet another fan base makes me laugh. So many schools are already convinced they are getting Fields, so I enjoy when the list of involved parties grows.

Mike Farrell (National): I think the obvious answer has to be Justin Fields to LSU. When everyone thought this was a two-team race between UGA and FSU with Auburn as a darkhorse, here comes Ed Orgeron and his recruiting magic. I'm not sure how serious a player LSU is, but it's a good sign to get an unexpected official.

Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): This has to be Justin Fields' official visit to LSU. As somebody who's not on the inside of his recruitment, it always sounded like Georgia vs. Florida State with a little bit of Auburn in the mix. LSU sort of came out of nowhere, and now the Tigers seem like a real player in Fields' recruitment

Adam Gorney (National/West Coast): Easily, Justin Fields going to LSU last weekend. The five-star quarterback seemed down to Florida State and Georgia, but there are a lot of intriguing factors when it comes to Fields and the Tigers. He has the ability to step in immediately and compete for the starting job. Plus, coach Ed Orgeron could recruit around Fields like crazy, and the five-star might be very intrigued to work with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who has a great reputation. FSU and Georgia still probably hold an edge, but don't count out LSU now that Fields has visited.

Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): This is an easy one - Kalon Gervin going back to Notre Dame. After Gervin decommitted from Notre Dame in May, he told me the Fighting Irish were not under consideration any longer. That continued through the summer, but toward the end of August and early part of September the two parties re-connected and Gervin made his first official visit of the process to South Bend the weekend of Sept. 8.

Nick Krueger (Texas): Most of the top 2018 players in my region in Texas have been committed for some time now, and those that aren't are down to just a few options. While there very well may be a surprise visit from a Texas prospect later this fall, there hasn't been much drama early on. Meanwhile, Justin Fields' visit to LSU has certainly raised some eyebrows. The way things have been over recent weeks, it's seemed as though FSU and Georgia are the most likely candidates, with Auburn a third option. At the very least, at this point, LSU seems to have supplanted Auburn in the pecking order.

Chad Simmons (Southeast): Justin Fields to LSU has been the most surprising for me. Many felt he would commit in August and be done with the recruiting process by now. After key quarterback injuries at FSU and Georgia, two schools he has high interest in, he may take even longer to make a decision. The LSU visit came up quickly, and the Tigers are hoping that 48 hours in Baton Rouge propels them back in this race.

Woody Wommack (Southeast): I think this one is easy, and it has to be Justin Fields making the trip to LSU. Fields has done a nice job of keeping everyone from college coaches to fans to recruiting analysts guessing and his decision to check out Baton Rouge took a lot of people by surprise.

Rob Cassidy (Southeast/Florida): It’s still Miami for me. It’s not so much a shock anymore because it has been at or near the top since the jump. Still, the momentum Mark Richt has built there without showing elite-level success in the fall is incredible. Richt and his staff have been creative and relentless. The results are clear.

Mike Farrell (National): Baylor at No. 21 surprises me because of all the scandals and the way they have played so far this season. I said last year that Matt Rhule did the best recruiting job in the country, and this year he's doing great as well.

Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): A horrendous start to the season doesn't seem to have hurt Baylor's recruiting class. Matt Rhule and his staff are working in an incredibly tough situation, which makes it all the more surprising that their recruiting class sits at No. 21 in the nation. Losses to Liberty and UTSA are ugly, but it seems like they haven't had much of an effect on the way prospects view the team.

Adam Gorney (National/West Coast): It does not surprise me that Texas is in the top 25, but it's impressive that first-year coach Tom Herman recruited so well even before coaching a game in Austin to have the Longhorns fourth overall. Herman and his staff are also doing a phenomenal job with in-state recruiting - a real weakness during the Charlie Strong regime - as Texas has already landed three of the top four players in the state with No. 1 Anthony Cook, who's basically down to the Longhorns and Ohio State, still on the board. Texas is off to a slow start this season, but I don't think it will matter - a lot of the top commits and targets will see that as an opportunity, not a deterrent.

Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): Oklahoma at No. 8 after losing a legendary coach like Bob Stoops right in the middle of the recruiting calendar for the 2018 class is really impressive. It speaks to the job Lincoln Riley and Co., have done in Norman over the last three months. I understand they hired from within and retained the staff, but this is still the a major coaching change at a big-time place, and yet the Sooners didn't miss a beat.

Nick Krueger (Texas): I'll say Michigan. I think most probably immediately think about which one is surprisingly high, but the Wolverines are surprisingly low to me. Last year the story was that Michigan had recaptured a foothold collecting the Detroit-area's top talent, but so far in this class it only holds three commitments from Michigan prospects. I would think with all the attention that Jim Harbaugh has received not just at Michigan, but throughout his entire coaching career, that he would have the benefit of the doubt with most recruits by now. I don't doubt Harbaugh and Michigan's ability to get that ranking boosted pretty high by the end of the cycle, but when you look at Michigan's Big Ten counterparts and see Maryland ranked higher and Penn State so close to Ohio State at the top of the rankings, it's kind of a bummer for Michigan at the moment.

Chad Simmons (Southeast): Georgia sits at No. 25, and that is surprising. Kirby Smart signed an elite class in 2017 and he is likely on his way to a top-10 class in 2018, so sitting at 25 is a surprise. A bigger surprise is Alabama, who is not in the top 25, but all expect Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide to make a big push these four and a half months.

Woody Wommack (Southeast): TCU's class doesn't get talked about enough nationally. The Horned Frogs are doing a nice job nabbing some Texas talent but also reaching into Louisiana to add elite players such as quarterback Justin Rogers. They're currently No. 15 overall, which would be one of their best classes in school history.

Rob Cassidy (Southeast/Florida): There are a few, but I’ll go outside my region as not to incriminate myself. I’m impressed with Purdue running back Tario Fuller, who not just a two-star, but a middle-of-the-pack two-star out of high school. Fuller is off to great start and rushed for 142 yards and a touchdown against Ohio last week.

Mike Farrell (National): To me it's Taquon Marshall at Georgia Tech. He was a low three-star kid who was so small I never would have thought he could play QB at Tech and take the pounding. He's been very impressive so far.

Adam Friedman (Mid-Atlantic): Former three-star quarterback Baker Mayfield is the obvious choice here. His outstanding performance in Oklahoma's win at Ohio State could go a long way toward helping him possibly win the Heisman trophy.

Adam Gorney (National/West Coast): Colorado State quarterback Nick Stevens has a fantastic arm, great ball placement and he's thrown for more than 300 yards in all of his games this season. He was a two-star coming out of Murrieta (Calif.) Vista Murrieta with offers from only Colorado State and Utah State. Whoever ranked him that low is pretty dumb. OK, it was me.

Josh Helmholdt (Midwest): In just his second year with the program, Iowa quarterback Nathan Stanley has been remarkably efficient leading the Hawkeyes' offense. Stanley was largely an unknown quantity to many coming out of his high school in Western Wisconsin, but that certainly looks to be to Iowa's benefit.

Nick Krueger (Texas): Arizona State seems to have found a nice player in linebacker Koron Crump. He was an unheralded player coming out of high school in St. Louis and only a three-star prospect as a junior college player at Fort Scott. Arizona State will want to see the offense pick up some steam, but the more that it does, the more opportunities Crump will have to continue getting after quarterbacks.

Chad Simmons (Southeast): Michael Gallop of Colorado State is this guy for me. He came out of Georgia not highly recruited, then went to junior college and he has now emerged as a star wide receiver for Mike Bobo at Colorado State. Gallop has put his names on NFL Draft boards, and he is being talked about as a second-round pick at this stage.

Woody Wommack (Southeast): It's not surprising with how much we know about him now, but that Baker Mayfield was a three-star walk-on quarterback is something that is still pretty remarkable. He's obviously outplayed that ranking and is a really fun player to watch.