Who Won the War? 10 College Recruiting Rivalries and the Victors

They say the winners write the history books, but if my social life is any indication, the losers write the recruiting recaps.

Indeed, sports are all about winners and losers. And unless you're into these goofy Olympics, teams usually have a chance to make up for losing within the space of a year.

True fanatics chart winning and losing by more than the score. They follow the coin toss, how much the other coach makes, and, for the purposes of this article, how well the other side recruited.

Here's how 10 of the great college football rivalries wrapped up on the recruiting trail in 2010.

Pitt vs. West Virginia

As a rivalry, Pitt and West Virginia's "Backyard Brawl" is a name that only applies to the two schools' proximity to each other.

As of late, Pitt has stuck to recruiting their home state, where the pro-style scheme still reigns supreme. Meanwhile, the spread/speed scheme the 'Eers run has shifted their recruiting focus South. No one's backyard is getting raided.

Still, it's worthwhile to stack the two classes up next to each other and declare a winner.

Pitt landed safety Brandon Ifill, and wrapped its 24-man class with a star defensive end early, so that we could all go home and enjoy Christmas.

On the other hand, West Virginia tore its hair out to close the recruiting season. The 'Eers lost recruiting coordinator Doc Holliday to the Marshall head coaching gig (and losing a few recruits as well, to Marshall and to Michigan), and when it came time, five-star S/ATH Latwan Anderson wouldn't sign.

But they also landed WR Ivan McCartney over Miami and held onto Barry Brunetti and Jeremy Johnson, two exciting quarterbacks who provide depth and explosiveness to a unit that is looking to reestablish fear in its opponents.

What can I say? No risk, no reward. I like the 'Eers in this one.

Cal vs. Stanford

Participants in the Cal-Stanford rivalry measure their school's success in interesting ways—Nobel prize winners on the two faculties, number of entries on the periodic table, and, I imagine, the growth or decline of more than a few 401Ks.

In recruiting, the rivalry is heating up as well—Jeff Tedford and his wunder-assistant Tosh Lupoi, the conference recruiter of the year, went up against Jim Harbaugh and the whole everything-is-positivie vibe he stole from Pete Carroll.

The result was darn close—Cal inked probably their greatest class ever, stealing Keenan Allen from Alabama and Gabe King from Oregon and signing stud defensive end Chris Martin, who was once a Notre Dame commit. The Bears added two outstanding middle linebackers to assist a moribund back seven.

But Stanford fired right back, stealing a Notre Dame commit of their own in DE Blake Leuders, "borrowing" QB Brett Nottingham from UCLA, and making up for losing RB Brandon Bourbon to Kansas by signing a better prospect in Ricky Seale.

The honor goes to Cal, both because of plain old star rankings, and also because, well, when was the last time Cal recruited this well on defense?

But the mere fact that Stanford made it close, particularly with Cal's epic haul, is evidence that this rivalry is just heating up, and not in a fondue-and-fresh-strawberries sort of way.

Which makes it in Stanford's best interest to keep Jim Harbaugh around as long as possible.

Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State

In an earlier article on SEC recruiting, I liked Mississippi State's class ahead of Ole Miss' and wondered if the Rebels had lost their touch.

But this wasn't Houston Nutt's first rodeo (literally or figuratively). The eccentric coach went on an unholy tear to close the Rebels class, landing Tony Grimes over Michigan, stealing Delvin Jones, and hooking Carlos Thompson in a head-to-head battle with the rival Bulldogs. JUCO transfer Randall Mackey will help add depth to Ole Miss' vacant QB position, and DE Wayne Dorsey is one of the top D-linemen in the class.

Mississippi State still landed a terrific class, closing with a great prospect in in-state offensive tackle Damien Robinson and addressing needs at running back well. The Bulldogs landed four total RB commitments headlined by four-star Matthew Wells and early enrollee Vick Ballard.

But the Rebels made up a ton of ground in the closing month and a half, and that reaffirmed where the power lies in the state, at least for this year. Dan Mullen and company are making strides, but Nutt is still a master at closing the deal.

Winner: Ole Miss, giggity

Alabama vs. Auburn

Who won the Iron Bowl of Recruiting depends on what side of the bed you wake up on.

If you wake up liking defensive backs (DeMarcus Milliner, Josh Fulton, Dequan Menzie) and recruits that set a good foundation (Phillip Sims, Arie Kouandkio), Alabama wins.

If you wake up digging immediate impact offensive recruits (like Cameron Newton, Michael Dyer, Trovon Reed) and defensive linemen (Corey Lemonier, Jeff Whitaker), Auburn wins.

Alabama has immediate impact recruits, and Auburn has foundational talent, so don't think I'm reinforcing some false dichotomy here. But I'm not sure that what Alabama got was really what it needed.

The Tide never did enough recruiting at the linebacking position or on the defensive (or offensive) line for me to put my reservations about attrition and graduation to rest. Returning two starters to the defense next year is going to be a problem, no matter how you slice it.

Meanwhile, Auburn's biggest flaw last year seemed to be a waning explosiveness on offense—their defense played marginally to well. This class brings in some major upgrades in speed, explosiveness, and talent and also gets some extra trim to boot.

I'm rolling with Auburn. Blame it on the Simmons Beautyrest.

Clemson vs. South Carolina

Dabo Swinney has gotten a reputation as a slick recruiter, and Clemson's 201 haul is very good. The Tigers opened well with seven commits from the state of South Carolina, and even won a head-to-head battle for middle linebacker Justin Parker.

But Spurrier turned out to be the elder and more terrible lion in this fight. Landing five-star RB Marcus Lattimore over more touted, successful, and dare I say, promising programs in the country was huge for the Ole Ball Coach's reputation as one of the better recruiters in the biz (back in the day, at least).

Despite some unsettling decommitments to rival programs, the Gamecocks win this fight. Marcus Lattimore's signing, by itself, will propel South Carolina into the elite of the conference.

Head-to-head battles won aside, you can't say that of any recruit in Clemson's class.

Winner: South Carolina

Michigan vs. Ohio State

With 19 commits averaging 3.8 stars, Ohio State's 2010 class is solid and lays a great foundation. I think the Buckeyes' "need" for an offensive lineman or linemen was overstated—they've recruited excellently along the line for the past four years.

Coming up short for OT Matt James and Seantrel Henderson made it look like some need wasn't getting addressed, but I don't think any Ohio State fan is really hitting the panic button.

That said, there's really no focal point in the 2010 class, no Dorian Bell or Terrelle Pryor to hang a scarlet and gray hat on. Among the new commits are several good but few great prospects: ATH/WR Corey Brown, RB/FB Roderick Smith, and DB Christian Bryant are the three best.

Losing in-state stud Jordan Hicks to Texas gives the Bucks a temporary hiccup in great LB depth down the road. Great linebacker play is one of the many things that got Ohio State to where it is today, so it will be interesting to see if it costs them.

The Bucks got a QB commitment on the year in Taylor Graham, a pro-style QB out of Illinois, but it's hard to get excited about him; anyone after Pryor will be a letdown. Call it the Troy Smith/Todd Boeckman Hangover Effect.

Compared to Ohio State's, Michigan's class averages fewer stars. But their signees address needs better both by volume (27 commits, the largest in Michigan's history) and by focus.

Sixteen defensive players out of 27 commits (and one special teams player, the nation's No. 1 punter, Will Hagerup) will jam-pack Michigan's moribund defense with impact ability and depth this fall.

DT Jibreel Black, OLB/FS Marvin Robinson, CB Cullen Christian, and top athlete Demar Dorsey should see time almost immediately, while S Carvin Johnson, DB Courtney Avery, DT Richard Ash, and DE Ken Wilkins provide crucial depth.

On offense, the Wolverines picked up a crucial quarterback commitment from Devin Gardner, Rivals' No. 1 dual-threat quarterback, a year after signing two four star QBs in Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson.

I could natter on all day about reasons to be excited about all 27, but I don't want to get too imbalanced here. In sum, Ohio State didn't lose anything, but Michigan won, at least this year.

It's about time, by God, because we've yet to do it on the field.

USC vs. UCLA

The UCLA Bruins had one of the best single day hauls on National Signing Day, inking Anthony Jefferson, Owamagbe Odighizuwa, Josh Shirley, Dietrich Riley, and Jordan Zumwalt to close one of their best recruiting classes ever.

But while UCLA's final day was really, really good, USC's was epic. The Trojans lifted CB Nickell Robey from Georgia and WR Markeith Ambles from Tennessee. They held onto C Giovanni Di Paolo and TE Christian Thomas and landed JUCO DE Marquis Jackson.

Most of all, they airlifted OT Seantrel Henderson from Ohio State, and could be wooing S/ATH Latwan Anderson away from West Virginia.

If they landed Anderson, that would leave them with anywhere from four to six of the top ten recruits in the country, depending on who you ask.

I should say not all is signed and sealed with Henderson, but if the deal with the No. 1 recruit goes down, the Trojans will have one of the most jaw-dropping classes of the year.

And despite my concerns with the Trojans' scary lack of depth on defense—concerns that were only minimally addressed with this 20-man haul—the squad of new quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, athletes, and tailbacks makes this the most exciting class on offense in the country, bar none, immediately and for the future.

Four years from now, UCLA's 2010 recruits might have stuck around, gotten their degrees, and even won a Pac-10 championship or two, while the Trojans' players might have left early, busted, or underwhelmed.

But right now, I'm caught up in the glitz, baby, and hot damn can Lane Kiffin recruit the glitz!

Winner: USC, and yes, I feel covered in slime.

Florida vs. Florida State

How can Florida State go up against the greatest recruiting class of all time and expect to win?

Answer: by landing an outstanding class of their own that addresses their specific needs with impact players and critical depth.

I can't in good conscience say that Florida State's class is better than Florida's—the Gators' class, which I hope requires no introduction, is too big and too talented to be challenged by anyone but USC and maybe Texas.

But the Seminoles did deliver a terrific shot across the bow, temporarily stealing S/ATH Matt Elam away from Florida's clutches for a week after the brief but hideous Meyer retirement fiasco.

Elam ended up recommitting to the Gators, but the Noles did it again in pulling S/ATH Demar Dorsey away. Although Dorsey ended up at Michigan, the Noles' stepped-up interest swayed Dorsey into taking visits the Gators' staff didn't particularly care for.

Landing either or both of Elam and Dorsey would have put the Noles in serious contention for a top five class. Nevertheless, the Seminoles put the state of Florida back in play for the future by landing the top in-state outside linebacker, Christian Jones, the top middle linebacker, Jeff Luc, and one of the better in-state cornerbacks, Lamarcus Joyner.

That's as much, or more than you can ask of a program that is a) bidding farewell to a legend and his legendary defensive coordinator, and b) sharing the state with a defending national champion and another up-and-coming program with a championship pedigree.

Florida is once again one of the most interesting states to watch, and not just because every episode of COPS seems to be filmed there.

Texas vs. Oklahoma

I'm on record saying that Oklahoma's recruits are rawer than Texas' and may not be as prepared to make an immediate impact.

I'll stand by that assertion—there's not a single chink in Texas' armor, down to signing a kicker to wrap the class. Nor will I argue that Oklahoma wins any of the specific head-to-heads in terms of positions—as good as Oklahoma's receivers and linebackers were, Texas' were better.

But this recruiting battle is much closer than it looks, and there are some "other" areas that I think the Sooners come out ahead.

One is in early enrollees. The Longhorns got QBs Case McCoy and Connor Wood and DB Adrian White on campus early, but those recruits are either not very necessary, or, in White's case, probably not talented enough to crack the two-deep.

On the other hand, the Sooners got S Tony Jefferson, one of the top safeties on campus, to enroll early, as well as two top interior linemen in Austin Woods and Bronson Irwin.

Woods and Irwin will help the critical lack of depth at offensive line—by the Sun Bowl, all-conference tackle Trent Williams was playing center, for crying out loud. And Jefferson's speed and versatility will almost surely land him at return duties, in nickel packages, or possibly on the starting lines.

Those early enrollments don't push Oklahoma over the top, but the Sooners are also in much direr straits than Texas after a disappointing 8-5 season that began with national title aspirations. That makes the sheer volume of OU recruits a plus.

At 31 total, the Sooners are showing they learned a lesson from Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham's injuries—you can never have too many talented players, unless, you know, you actually do have too many.

While Texas may have the better prospects overall, the Sooners used other means to make it as close as possible.

Like, the Red River Shootout of this past year, Texas wins by a field goal.

Georgia vs. Tennessee

Georgia fans, you'll get no sympathy from me here.

The Bulldogs should have cleaned up on Tennessee recruits after the Lane Kiffin fiasco. Instead, the whole country, including Tennessee, feasted on Georgia.

The Bulldogs missed out on DT Jeff Whitaker, lost CB Nickell Robey, and couldn't sway Telvin Jones away from Florida State. Firing DC Willie Martinez and a handful of other defensive assistants really had its price, as did waiting so long to hire his replacement.

But most of all, the Vols pulled five-star WR Da'Rick Rogers away from Georgia in a rumored package deal with QB Nash Nance. Rogers took a last second visit to Tennessee and committed. This happened despite Georgia's offensive coaching staff remaining mostly intact.

Now, I'm not a head coach, but don't you think you'd be OK with giving a low-rated QB a scholarship if it MEANT HIS BUDDY DA'RICK ROGERS FIVE-STAR FUTURE ALL-AMERICAN CATCHER OF 60 TOUCHDOWNS WOULD SIGN WITH YOU?

Mark Richt will be the nicest assistant tight ends coach at Florida Atlantic in two years.

Winner: everyone but Georgia