College Football Recruiting 2012: Power Ranking the Big Ten Classes

Now that the college football season is officially over, our entire focus should be on the recruiting process. Which top schools will get richer, and which surprising schools will make a run and land some of the top players in the country?

Those are just some of the questions we'll be asking over the next couple of months.

The Big Ten is a conference that normally recruits well. You have your powerhouses like Michigan and Ohio State, but then there are some teams that are sneaking up in the rankings. It only takes one or two great players to really have an impact on others and possibly turn the program around.

As the recruiting process is heating up, here are the power rankings for each recruiting class in the Big Ten.

1. Ohio State

You can thank Urban Meyer for this ranking. Once he became the head coach of the Buckeyes, he landed several top players, including defensive end Noah Spence and defensive tackle Tommy Schutt. Ohio State also added a powerful running back in Brionte Dunn and a solid defensive end in Adolphus Washington. Ohio State may be on probation for one season, but they will be national championship contenders for years to come afterwards. 

2. Michigan Wolverines

Michigan hasn't exactly landed any top players at the sexy positions, but they have loaded up on the defensive front and the offensive line. Offensive tackle Kyle Kalis has a chance to be a starter the moment he steps on the field. Linebacker Royce Jenkins-Stone is extremely athletic and will provide a spark on the defensive side of the ball.

The Wolverines are taking huge steps with head coach Brady Hoke, and with recruiting classes like this, this team isn't going anywhere.   

3. Northwestern

What a job head coach Pat Fitzgerald is doing at Northwestern, huh? He has the Wildcats competitive and is putting together a very solid recruiting class. One of the most surprising commitments comes from linebacker Ifeadi Odenigbo, who has a ton of upside and picked the Wildcats over schools like Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Northwestern also picked up four safeties and tweaked the offensive line with additions that include Adam DePietro.  

4. Wisconsin

Wisconsin doesn't have a lot of signings at this point, but the few that they have are quality players for the most part. Look at quarterback Bart Houston for example. He is a leader on and off the field and has an absolute cannon for an arm.

Sure, many have questions about his release and the way his arm drops when he throws the ball, but Kellen Moore and Tim Tebow were great college quarterbacks. Other top additions include safety D.J. Singleton and guard Dan Voltz.  

5. Penn State

The reason I have the Nittany Lions at the No. 5 spot isn't because their class isn't talented. It's because they've lost a few top players to the ongoing scandal, including a couple players that stayed in the Big Ten. Regardless, this class has some quality players, including cornerback Armani Reeves and a 6'2'' wide receiver in Eugene Lewis.

Penn State also added to the offensive line and the defensive front quite a bit.  

6. Michigan State

Michigan State absolutely needed wide receivers and they landed a solid one in Aaron Burbridge. He runs fantastic routes, catches extremely well in traffic and has excellent leaping ability to where he can out jump corners for the football. A pair of tight ends in Evan Jones and Josiah Price don't hurt, either, as the Spartans are losing a ton of last years offensive production.

Michigan State doesn't have a lot of prospects, but they have filled in a couple of needs.  

7. Purdue

Purdue appears to be a sleeper team heading into next year. They picked up a few pieces that should keep them in the hunt in the future. Guard Ryan Watson is probably the best player out of this group, as he plays with a very aggressive style and doesn't get beat much by defenders.

The Boilmakers also picked up four tight ends, five wide receivers and two talented quarterbacks.  

8. Iowa

Iowa is always a fun team to watch, as they always have the potential to pull off an upset. With this recruiting class, they may become one of the big boys in the Big Ten. Running back Greg Garmon is a home run hitter, as he has great speed and field vision to make big plays.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Hawkeyes picked up talented players, such as Faith Ekakitie and Jaleel Johnson. Don't sleep on this team at all moving forward.  

9. Indiana

Indiana may have had a terrible season last year at 1-11, but that didn't stop 16 players from committing to the Hoosiers. None of them are considered top players, but when you add three defensive ends, three outside linebackers and a couple tight ends, you have quite a bit of depth moving forward.  

10. Nebraska

Nebraska has the fewest commitments of any team in the Big Ten with only nine. One of the more talented players in the bunch is quarterback Tommy Armstrong. He's a dual-threat quarterback who makes great decisions with the football and runs the 40 in about 4.5 seconds.

Other top players include wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp, offensive tackle Paul Thurston and middle linebacker Michael Rose. 

11. Minnesota

Minnesota has landed a total of 27 recruits, which is the most in the Big Ten, but that doesn't always make a class the most talented. In fact, it's really lacking in the talent department, but depth will not be an issue with this team. This class includes three quarterbacks, four wide receivers and a total of five linebackers.  

12. Illinois

Man, the firing of Ron Zook really didn't do this Illinois team any favors. They have by far the worst recruiting class in this conference up to this point. There are pretty much no four-star or five-star players anywhere in this class.

This class does include three wide receivers and three linebackers, but Illinois has to land a top prospect somewhere to get the fans excited about football again.

Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]