College Football: Two of These 11 Teams Will Be in the BCS Title Game in 2012-13

Did you know that of the 10 teams that have competed in the last five BCS title games, not one had a senior or junior class that was originally recruited with a group ranking worse than No. 25?

More specifically, did you know that, based on Rivals.com rankings, no squad participating in the national championship game since 2007 has had a senior class that ranked above No. 15 when signed and a junior class that came in higher than No. 22?

These numbers pay credence to how all-important recruiting is in college football and how BCS championships truly are fueled by highly-rated groups of signees.

Using the criteria set by the last five seasons (2007-11), the following slideshow identifies the 11 teams who fulfill the recruiting requirements necessary to make it to the title game in 2012-13.

This is admittedly a crude system that doesn’t take into account a literal slew of other factors (i.e. injuries, schedule, coaching changes, attrition, etc.). But if the numbers hold true, two of the teams on our list will be in the BCS Championship game slated for Monday, Jan. 7, 2013 in Miami.

Alabama

It’s no surprise to see the reigning national champions at the top of our list, as the Tide have recruited lights out since Nick Saban took over in 2007.

The group that technically will be Alabama’s senior class in 2012 was originally the No. 9-ranked group from 2009, while the juniors this season were ranked at No. 5 when signed they signed on in 2010.

If you’re sick of seeing the Crimson Tide at the top of the college football heap, be prepared to be further nauseated, as they’ve recruited well enough to be on a similarly concocted list for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

LSU

Another obvious selection, LSU doesn’t just have the all-important nod from the national media and early pollsters for another run in 2012-13; it also has the talent pool.

The Tigers brought in the No. 2-rated class back in 2009 (technically this year’s senior class), and in 2010 they hauled in the No. 6-ranked group (in theory this year’s juniors).

LSU is one of five SEC clubs on our list (which pays tribute to the national level of dominance the SEC holds in recruiting. But the Tigers may have the best combination of depth, recent success and stability to make the big dance.

The Tigers' recent recruiting numbers would also provide them with inclusion on a like list made for potential championship contenders for both the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.

USC

Delving further into the land of the obvious, USC also has the recruiting numbers to back up its fairytale relationship with a national media that is anticipating something very big from the unbanned Men of Troy in 2012.

USC captured the No. 4-ranked group of recruits back in 2009, (again this is technically the 2012 senior class) and then seized the day in 2010 with the No. 1-ranked class in the land.

The Trojans' only blaring deficiency from last season was a pass defense that ranked a dismal No. 102 nationally.

If USC can stop opponents from lighting it up through the air, all the pieces truly could be in place for the Trojans to be the team that finally unseats the SEC at the top of college football.

And yes, in case you were wondering, USC would be on this same list for 2013 and 2014…

Texas

Regardless of the Longhorns' offensive impotence over the past two seasons and despite their long fall from grace, Texas continues to recruit to a tune that puts the team among the elite talent brokers in the game.

The Longhorns' signing class of 2009 earned No. 5 honors while the group brought in back in 2010 garnered No. 3 honors.

The question in Austin remains the same: Can Mack Brown and company orchestrate all the talent, speed and athleticism they’ve toiled to recruit into a dominant, championship-caliber football team?

Well, if they screw it up again this year, they’ll still have the numbers necessary to be back on our list as top talent pools destined for greatness in 2013 and 2014.

Georgia

Georgia is yet another team that looks to have all the pieces in place for a historic run in 2012, and this is a prediction that is wholly validated by looking back at its recruiting numbers.

The Bulldogs class of 2009 ranked a whopping No. 9 while their group from 2010 earned No. 15 honors.

If you’re thinking that the No. 15 ranking seems low for the incoming junior class, it’s important to remember that four of the participants in the past five BCS title games had junior classes that ranked outside of the top 10 when signed.

Two of these groups were associated with winners (the 2010 Auburn juniors ranked No. 20 when signed, and the 2007 LSU juniors ranked No. 22 when recruited), and two were with teams that went on to lose the big game (the 2010 Oregon junior class ranked No. 19 when signed, and the 2007 Ohio State juniors ranked No. 12 when recruited).

Luckily for Bulldog fans, Georgia’s classes of 2011 and 2012 ranked No.  5 and No. 12, respectively, meaning the Bulldogs will also be included on this list for the next two seasons.

Florida State

After falling short of huge expectations in 2011-12, the Seminoles will have another realistic shot of bursting back onto the national scene in 2012-13. And, luckily, they’ll have the talent pool to get it done.

Florida State is another program that has managed, despite leadership changes and disappointments, to recruit at the highest level.

The ‘Noles class of 2009 (again, we’re technically talking about the senior class in 2012) was ranked No. 7 when signed while the group from 2010 (the juniors of the upcoming campaign) ranked No. 10.

Florida State is yet another team that will be, based on recruiting figures, on this same championship watch list in 2013 and 2014.

Michigan

Though Michigan might not have Texas, USC or Alabama-type recruiting numbers, it's sitting on exactly the right set of stats to propel it to the top of the charts in 2012-13.

The Wolverines' incoming seniors earned No. 8 honors when they were brought to campus in 2009, and the junior class ranked No. 20 when they signed in 2010.

Michigan’s 2011 class ranked No. 21, which coupled with the No. 20 rating from 2010 means that the Wolverines, from the recruiting strength approach, need to strike this year if they want to get to the national title game.

With 16 returning starters and Ohio State banned from the postseason, Big Blue’s big year could well be 2012.

Tennessee

Tennessee is definitely one of the two surprise teams on our list. The Volunteers may have only won 18 total games over the last three seasons, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t managed to keep recruiting with the big dogs.

Tennessee’s 2012 seniors were technically recruited at No. 10 back in 2009, and its incoming juniors were rated a lofty No. 9 when they signed on the dotted line in 2010.

The Vols continue to draw talent to the point that they will be on this same list for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

So, can Derek Dooley take his full cupboard and bring a championship meal to the table?  Well, an offense that ranks better than No. 106 in scoring nationally (which is where Tennessee ended last season) would be a darn good place to start.

Florida

Even though the Gators haven’t dropped quite as far as Texas has during the last two seasons, they’re still a program that recruits so effectively that anything short of being part of the conference championship conversation seems unacceptable.

Florida wooed the No. 11 class of 2009 and then hauled in the No. 2 group in 2010, meaning its leadership group is technically as talented as any on our list.

Despite the drop in win production and the turnover at coaching, the Gators have continued to recruit well enough to have already earned a spot on this same list for 2013 and 2014.

Like Texas, with the exception of a new head coach who was meant to be the Longhorns' sideline general, it remains to be seen if the new Florida can turn pure talent into a solid gold hit.

Oklahoma

The Sooners have played as consistently well as any team in college ball since 2000, and this is due in no small part to the recruiting stylings of Bob Stoops.

Stoops and company may not lasso top-five ranked classes, but they do bring in top-15 rated groups year in and year out, making Oklahoma a shoo-in for this list and a factor in each and every season’s title talk.

The Sooners' 2009 group ranked No. 13 when recruited while their class of 2010 earned No. 7 honors.

Moving forward, Oklahoma continues to prowl the nation for the best talent with a success rate that puts it on this same list in 2013 and 2014.

UCLA

Saving the biggest surprise for last, the Bruins' appearance on any national championship watch list has to seem marginally insane.

But, as they say in the game of poker, let the cards (or numbers, in this case) speak for themselves.

Say what you must about Rick Neuheisel, but here’s a guy who brought in the No. 14-ranked recruiting class in 2009 and then hooked the No. 8-rated group in 2010.

Yes, this is a program that hasn’t won more than seven games since it went 10-2 under Karl Dorrell back in 2005. But maybe, just maybe, UCLA got rid of Rick Neuheisel just months before the wine was aged to perfection.

By virtue of bringing in the No. 45 class of 2011, the Bruins won’t be on our list moving forward in 2013 and 2014. That means Mora the Younger will have to strike the iron while it’s hot, and that means now.

UCLA may well be (insert appropriate throat clearing here) one of the biggest surprise teams in the nation in 2012.

Seriously.