Published Sep 29, 2020
Three-Point Stance: Big Ten recruiting snapshot; 5 downers from Saturday
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Mike Farrell  •  Rivals.com
Rivals National Columnist

National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with a breakdown of Big Ten recruiting so far, the worst from the weekend in college football and another round of Correct Me If I'm Wrong.

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1. BREAKING DOWN BIG TEN RECRUITING

Lets start with the Big Ten as we break down recruiting by Power Five conference heading into the slow period of October.

Dominant Team: Ohio State - There is little doubt who is at the top of the Big Ten as even with Michigan putting together a top-10 class, the drop off is noticeable. It’s Ohio State and everyone else right now and for the foreseeable future.

Biggest Recruiting Get: TE Thomas Fidone, Nebraska — This was one they couldn’t let get away from the Huskers as Fidone is a special talent and grew up a huge Nebraska fan.

Biggest Recruiting Get II: OL Donovan Jackson, Ohio State — The raid of Texas continues for the Buckeyes and they will likely win a national title eventually because of it.

Biggest Recruiting Loss: DT Damon Payne, Alabama — Michigan knew it wasn't going to get Payne, so the Wolverines backed off a bit to save face, but trust me this is a big loss for the the Big Ten.

On The Come Up: Wisconsin — This is next-level stuff for the Badgers and players are taking notice of their consistent success in the conference.

Slowing Down: Penn State — The loss of potential commits like Nolan Rucci and Diego Pounds hurts a bit and there’s only been one commit since early May.

Steady Eddie: Iowa — The Hawkeyes are up a notch but are still recruiting at a level we would expect from the Hawkeyes. It might not be a top-25 class in the end, but it will be right there.

As Expected: Minnesota — The average star rating is above three and PJ Fleck is doing a consistent job of recruiting for the Gophers.

Must Keep: RB Donovan Edwards, Michigan — Michigan and/or Michigan State need to keep Edwards from leaving the state of Michigan.

Out of State Grab: OT Nolan Rucci, Wisconsin — Rucci decided to play with his brother over going to Penn State where his parents went and his dad played. This was a massive grab for the Badgers.

Out of State Grab II: QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan — He’s in Florida now but this was a big get for Michigan out of Illinois in Big Ten country.

In State Keep: OT Teddy Prochazka, Nebraska — The offensive line is crucial for the Huskers moving forward and they couldn’t afford to lose this monster out of state.

In State Keep II: Jack Sawyer, Ohio State — It’s expected that the Buckeyes keep top talent in state, but this was still a huge one as everyone wanted him.

New Coach Crootin’: Rutgers and Greg Schiano are doing a great job recruiting and it clear that he’s the solution from that standpoint.

Hot Seat Recruiting: Illinois coach Lovie Smith enters the season on a warm seat and recruiting has shown that as they are near the bottom of the conference.

2. FIVE AWFUL THINGS THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEKEND

This was an amazing weekend for college football with plenty of positives like Florida, Miami, Mississippi State and others all impressive. But why focus on the positive? It’s the negative that gets people talking so here are five awful things that happened.

1. Texas Tech blows it — How on Earth does this happen? How can you have a 15-point lead with under three minutes left and still lose? This was downright embarrassing and an amazing collapse that ruined what should have been a stunning upset.

2. LSU’s defense — I know they lost a lot of players and Derek Stingley Jr. was out, but c’mon now. Giving up more than 600 yards passing to K.J. Costello is insanity. This is not a good sign for defensive coordinator Bo Pelini.

3. Sooners fall apart — When will it ever change? When will the Sooners put together a defense that is close to quality for their amazing offense? Yes, they had turnovers and looked sloppy on offense, but this came down to not being able to stop a pedestrian opponent.

4. Kellen Mond — I pushed for him to be a five-star way back when and he continues to disappoint. Vanderbilt is not a great team and this should have been a showcase game for Mond, not a mediocre performance in a low-scoring and mistake-filled snoozer.

5. Florida State — Can anything good be said about the Seminoles? This could be the worst FSU team many people have seen in their lifetime. That’s right, in their lifetime.

3. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG

And finally here’s another edition of Correct Me If I’m Wrong...

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Auburn could be a real problem in the SEC if Bo Nix plays like he did against Kentucky. With an elite defense and a strong running game, Nix taking the next step is crucial.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but the Big 12 can’t play defense. I’m sorry Big 12 fans, but your conference is a joke defensively.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Louisville is the most disappointing team so far in college football. I expected much more.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Alabama didn’t look as good as expected against Missouri.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Boston College is clearly going to be a team that fights under new coach Jeff Hafley.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but this Miami team has so much more swagger than the one in 2017 that started so strong.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but K.J. Costello and Kyle Trask will play themselves into round one discussion after Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Georgia is going to struggle on offense all season long and it will probably cost them a playoff berth.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but the Vols have learned to win football games under Jeremy Pruitt well beyond anything they learned under the previous coaching staffs since Phillip Fulmer.

... Correct Me If I’m Wrong but Pitt has the best defensive line in the country that no one has a clue about.