Texas, Alabama battle for top recruiting class

If Texas and Alabama's recruiting classes were the equivalent of horses running in the Kentucky Derby, Alabama would be leading by a nose heading down the final stretch. Just how close is it? Scout.com allocates a certain number of points toward a class based on a player's star ranking five stars earn 200 points, four stars 120 points, three-star players 40, and so on with that figure added to a number calculated based on that player's ranking within his position group. The most a player can earn, if he is the No. 1 player at his position, is 100 points. From that point, the player's number goes down based on the number of players ranked at his position. So if there are 100 players ranked at wide receiver, the No. 1 receiver gets 100 points, No. 2 earns 99, No. 3 gains 98, etc. If there are 300 players ranked at a position, then the No. 100 player would get 66 points. Still with me? In the Scout.com ranking system, Alabama has 4,709 points. Texas has 4,583. That means that the Longhorns are merely one highly ranked three-star away from the top spot in the class. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't necessarily matter, except that winning the recruiting battle on Signing Day has generally meant winning the actual games in the fall. Since 2002 (as far back as the Scout.com archives go), there have been eight recruiting classes that have spent at least three years on campus. All eight of those No. 1 classes have won at least 10 games in a season. Seven of those eight went on to win a BCS game. And five of those eight won a BCS National Championship during their time on campus. But to focus on a potential one-spot gain in the rankings would be to miss what has been the steadiest increase in talent during that same era. From 2002 through 2011, no school has ever put together three consecutive top-three recruiting classes. If Texas simply holds serve, the Longhorns will be the first to accomplish that feat. Texas had the No. 3 class in 2010, a group that produced 11 players who have already started for the Longhorns, including All-Big 12 cornerback Carrington Byndom, versatile defensive back Adrian Phillips, offensive linemen Trey Hopkins and Dominic Espinosa and burgeoning defensive stars Jackson Jeffcoat, Jordan Hicks and Ashton Dorsey. Texas also placed No. 3 in 2011, producing a freshman All-America in Quandre Diggs and six offensive players who sat atop the depth chart at one point in 2011: quarterback David Ash, running backs Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron, wide receivers Jaxon Shipley and Miles Onyegbule and left tackle Josh Cochran. The 2012 class has a chance to be even better. Quarterback Connor Brewer figures to get the same opportunity Ash did this past year. Running back Johnathan Gray is tailor-made to take over the Fozzy Whittaker role. Cayleb Jones is a possible starter at wide receiver, while the 10 linemen Texas has committed should help to add immediate depth and talent. The Longhorns have the second-highest average star ranking, and the highest average ranking of any class with more than 16 players. The Longhorns also have the most five stars with five Gray, Jones, offensive tackle Kennedy Estelle, offensive guard Curtis Riser and defensive tackle Malcom Brown. Of those, only Estelle isn't ranked among the top three at his position (he's the No. 7 offensive tackle). The Longhorns have six players ranked in the Scout.com Top 100. Alabama's average star ranking is lower, but the Crimson Tide has commitments from three more players, 27 to 24. And Alabama has three five-star players of its own: massive middle linebacker Reggie Ragland, superb safety Landon Collins and wide receiver Cyrus Jones. Ragland is the nation's No. 1 player at his position, Collins No. 2 at his and Jones is No. 6. Like Texas, the Crimson Tide has six players in the Top 100. With several players still left on the Longhorn board, and with Alabama also in pursuit of some top prospects, this race could come down to a photo finish. And historically, the winner is more likely to win a BCS title than not.