2010 Signing Day: Surprising Winners and Losers So Far

College football's Christmas is right around the corner. But while some schools may receive a bounty of presents, others are setting themselves up for some switches and lumps of coal in their stockings.

Signing Day is this Wednesday, and while the verdict is still out for many schools, some have already hauled in fantastic recruiting classes. Sure things will change on Signing Day, but right now, we've identified a few teams that are either on the cusp of future greatness or in the bowels of despair. These teams have surprised us the most. So far.

Texas made a great surge and landed two huge recruits (Jackson Jeffcoat and Jordan Hicks) recently, putting them in the No. 2 spot right behind Florida, who looks like they have an insurmountable lead at this point.

But what about everyone else? Who could be in trouble at this point, and who is making greatly needed strides?

In trouble

Notre Dame. Currently ranked No. 28, the Fighting Irish have suffered some decommits due to the departure of Charlie Weis. With seventeen commits and only one rated in the top 100, the Irish will have a tough time breaking the top fifteen with their commit list of no five-stars, four four-stars and thirteen three-stars.

While the Irish did get four star WR Tai-ler Jones, their quarterback recruiting has raised some red flags—so far, they have two three-stars in a position where they are lacking serious depth. Everybody pray Dayne Crist stays healthy.

Iowa. Sitting at No. 44 are the Hawkeyes. This is a bit shocking when you consider the great success this team had in '09. The Hawkeyes appear to have loaded up their linebacker and receiver corps, hauling in a great tight end in CJ Fiedorowicz, ranked No. 2 at his position. But with Penn State, Michigan and Ohio State ahead of Iowa in class rankings, the Hawkeyes' bid to become the dominant Big Ten team of 2010 won't happen with a predominantly three-star recruiting class.

Georgia Tech. While their ranking is somewhat eyebrow-raising at No. 45, there are some other things that are even more disturbing. For one, only four offensive players are committed, including a running back who isn't nationally ranked. Yes, their depth chart indicates a need for defensive players—specifically safeties after 2010 (they have four safety commits in this class)—the offense is what is worrisome. Georgia Tech loses two linemen (Sellers and Howard) in a roster that's only two-deep. So far, the Jackets aren't in dire straits, but they need to fortify their O-line in the next week or the triple-option spread will be a backfield disaster.

Oregon State. No. 67? Are you kidding me? Beavers fans must be hoping for a last minute tidal wave of recruits in Corvallis, but so far, the chances are slim. The Beavers are still hoping that the top prospect in the state, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, chooses Oregon State, but with the staying-in-state trend currently tilting negatively (OSU has only landed two in-state recruits so far), Corvallis may be a bit light this year.

More Beavers angst: RB Giovanni Bernard, at one point allegedly considering Oregon State, committed to UNC, and since then, there's been no movement for the Beavers in terms of high profile commits.

Making strides

Georgia. The Dawgs unloaded their dragging anchor—defensive coordinator Willie Martinez—but that's just one piece of the plan to rebuild their D. The second part was to find better defensive players, and Georgia has done a great job in shoring up their pass rush with four defensive ends, including Jalen Fields and TJ Stripling. Throw in a No. 6 ranked DT (Garrison Smith) and a No. 3 ranked OLB in Alec Ogletree, and Georgia looks like it's ready to mix it up in the near future. Look for the Dawgs to move up the boards on Wednesday, as Mark Richt needs a great recruiting class to avoid having to buy flame-retardant skivvies in 2011.

Washington State. Let's be clear here—no one expects Wazzu to compete for the Pac-10 crown this year. But to haul in a No. 35 ranked class (ahead of Cal) is a major feat by Paul Wulff. While Pullman is a tough place to recruit from, Wulff has managed to get the Cougs a top forty class with only two JUCOs so far. His big haul includes a four-star TE ranked No. 9 nationally (Aaron Dunn) and Huskies fans have to wonder how Sarkisian let this Spokane product go to the Palouse instead of Seattle.

Iowa State. Paul Rhoads should be considered Coach of the Year if he keeps up this recruiting pace. Last year Iowa State ranked No. 79 in team recruiting rankings—this year the Cyclones are currently ranked No. 66, ahead of Kansas, Colorado and Kansas State. Rhoads and Co. have managed to steal two three-star recruits from Texas: WR Chris Young and QB Jared Barnett. Throw in a three-star RB from Florida (Shontrelle Johnson) and three-star OT Bob Graham from Jenks, the premier high school in terms of football prepsters, and Iowa State will soon be giving Nebraska all it can handle in the Big 12 North.

*Note— all rankings are based on the most current available stats on Scout.com and rankings may or will change depending on added commits and decommits.