Three-Point Stance: Lane Kiffin, Michigan State, Big 12 recruiting

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s thought-provoking Three-Point Stance is here with some thoughts on Lane Kiffin, Michigan State's place in the Big Ten and a breakdown of Big 12 recruiting.

MORE FARRELL: Clemson playing with fire | Midseason NFL Draft Watch | Rival Views

I wasn’t convinced Lane Kiffin deserved another shot at a head coaching job at a Power Five program. Let’s put aside the debacle with the Oakland Raiders. He wasn’t ready and was clearly over his head. The lack of maturity he showed at Tennessee and USC led me to believe Kiffin was a loose cannon that no Power Five athletic director was going to touch.

And then Nick Saban gave him new life. When Kiffin was hired as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, many laughed. Here are just a few examples:

Now that Kiffin ranks among the best play-callers in college football and has done wonders at Alabama, he deserves a fourth chance.

Has Kiffin matured? I doubt it. People don’t change that much from who they are at the core. But coaches such as Mike Leach and Bret Bielema, to name a few, aren’t exactly glowing examples of maturity or political correctness.

Should Kiffin be given so much credit for his work at Alabama? Yes, despite the argument that he is working with the nation's most talented roster. Helping lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship last year with Jacob Coker under center -- and possibly doing it again this year with Jalen Hurts at quarterback -- speaks volumes about how much Kiffin has improved as an offensive mind.

Kiffin should be on multiple big-time Power Five hot boards, which is not something I expected before the season. Week after week, I see this guy make some of the most amazing play-calls, adjust on the fly when needed and make college football offensive domination look easy.

Kiffin likely won’t get another chance at USC and may not get a huge job like Texas, LSU or Notre Dame, but I have a possible landing spot for him in a couple of years or sooner. You heard it here first: Kiffin to UCLA if Jim Mora keeps underachieving. Wouldn’t that be something?

Last season, I wrote about Michigan State's title window closing thanks to the changing dynamics in the Big Ten, namely Jim Harbaugh's arrival and the continued dominance of Urban Meyer. Since that article was published, the Spartans went on to the College Football Playoff but have since fallen to 2-4 in 2016 following a 54-40 loss to Northwestern.

So was I right? Am I writing off Michigan State and dropped them to the second-tier in the Big Ten along with Penn State? Not so far.

Yes, it will be much harder for the Spartans to win their own division, let alone the Big Ten, with Meyer and Harbaugh on the schedule every season. But Mark Dantonio is a great coach, and Michigan State is a program that has a proven track record of developing talent. Right now, the Spartans are forced to play first or second-year players along the offensive line, at wide receiver, in the secondary and possibly at quarterback. There are players being asked to do things that isn't the norm for a Dantonio-coached Spartans team.

The 2016 season is obviously a write-off, especially with Michigan and Ohio State still left on the schedule, but Michigan State will be one of the most improved teams in 2017 because Dantonio won't let it fall too far.

With recruiting at its traditional, middle-of-the-season slow point, I thought I’d write a recruiting snapshot for each Power Five conference. We’ve done the SEC, ACC and Big Ten, so here’s a look at the Big 12.

Biggest get – Oklahoma quarterback commitment Chris Robison is the biggest get for any team in the Big 12. Kyler Murray is waiting for his chance, but I like Robison as a potential star in Norman.

Out-of-state steal – The most recent commit for the Sooners is the biggest in the conference as Tennessee linebacker Jacob Phillips decided to head to Norman and should make an immediate impact. The combo of Phillips and Caleb Kelly down the line is going to be nasty.

Biggest surprise – It’s probably not a surprise that a South Florida prospect chose West Virginia, but speedster Mike Harley did so well before the Mountaineers were as hot as they are now on the field. Now the key is holding onto him as others charge.

Surprising class – Iowa State is No. 2 in the Big 12 right now and that’s a big deal for a program that usually can’t recruit with the upper echelon. Others below them have a higher average star ranking, but for a team that is 1-6, to be this high is certainly a bit surprising.

Struggling class – Baylor has taken over this spot. With many more highly rated decommitments than current commitments, the undefeated Bears are getting killed in recruiting right now due to the firing of Art Briles and Title IX issues.

Recruiting battle to watch – It still is and always will be Texas versus Oklahoma. That will never change.

Must keep – The nation’s No. 2 player is Marvin Wilson from Texas and someone in the Big 12, obviously Oklahoma or Texas, would need to win this one over the SEC or Ohio State.

Do or die – It’s clear that Charlie Strong has to win big on the field the remainder of the season to avoid being fired so recruiting, especially during the slow time during the season, might not make an impact here. But his seat is the hottest by far and a few recruiting wins between now and season’s end would help.

Best 2018 get – Offensive lineman Brey Walker is just what Oklahoma needs: an elite tackle who plays nasty. The problem is, the Sooners could use him now, but expect him to impact early when he steps onto campus.