Saying recruiting rankings don't matter is like saying the NFL Draft doesn't matter. Do first-round picks bust frequently? Absolutely. Do undrafted free agents sometimes turn into Hall of Famers? Sure. But pretending those results invalidate the draft is foolhardy. Any coach in the NFL would rather field a team of first-round picks than seventh-rounders, and it's the same way in college football.
Evidence is overwhelming that highly-rated recruiting classes lead to conference and national titles. Is it guaranteed? Of course not. But it sure beats the alternative.
(Updated: 10:03 a.m. ET - Thursday morning)
Here's a combination of all four sites. Note: this is just a simple average of all four rankings above. The 247 Composite can be found here.
Here are the top five class per conference, as ranked by Rivals:
American
1. Cincinnati - 57
2. South Florida - 58
3. Central Florida - 63
4. Temple - 75
5. Memphis - 77
ACC
1. Florida State - 3
2. Clemson - 4
3. Virginia Tech - 24
4. Miami - 26
5. North Carolina - 28
Big Ten
1. Ohio State - 9
2. Penn State - 15
3. Michigan State - 22
4. Nebraska - 31
5. Wisconsin - 37
Big 12
1. Texas - 12
2. Oklahoma - 14
3. West Virginia - 33
4. TCU - 34
5. Oklahoma State - 38
Conference USA
1. Marshall - 74
2. Florida Atlantic - 76
3. Louisiana Tech - 77
4. UTSA - 82
5. Middle Tennessee - 84
Mountain West
1. San Jose State - 60
2. Boise State - 64
3. San Diego State - 73
4. Fresno State - 86
5. UNLV - 99
MAC
1. Western Michigan - 77
2. Northern Illinois - 82
3. Miami (Ohio) - 84
4. Toledo - 89
5. Bowling Green - 91
Pac-12
1. USC - 1
2. UCLA - 13
3. Oregon - 17
4. Stanford - 18
5. Arizona State - 20
SEC
1. Alabama - 2
2. Tennessee - 5
3. Auburn - 6
4. Georgia - 7
5. LSU - 8
Sun Belt
1. Arkansas State - 80
2. Georgia Southern - 86
Texas State - 86
4. Louisiana-Monroe - 91
5. Louisiana-Lafayette - 99