7 Big-Time College Football Recruiting Rivalries We Overlook

In recruiting, when you follow your favorite school's recruiting class, of course you look to compare with your archrival's recruits. Sure, Alabama and Auburn fans will be debating, Michigan and Ohio State fans will argue over recruits and Florida and Florida State fans will both claim their team has the edge.

However, we tend to forget that recruiting isn't restricted to conferences as far as rivalries go. Even though they don't meet on the field every year, powerhouse recruiting schools bump heads on the trail and battle for big-time recruits off the field every cycle.

For this read, I'm going to give you seven big-time college football rivalries that we tend to overlook because they are not in-conference feuds.

7. Florida vs. Ohio State

Never really thought about it much, huh? Yes, the Gators and Buckeyes do see each other a lot on the recruiting trail, as Ohio State is no stranger to dipping into the Sunshine State to get some talent to ball in Columbus.

What really makes this recruiting rivalry interesting is that it's only going to get better. Why? Because of Urban Meyer.

You don't think Meyer is going use his old Florida high school connections to pipe talent to Ohio State? You really think Will Muschamp and the Gators are going to let that happen?

This is a recruiting rivalry that is going to grow for years to come.

6. Stanford vs. Notre Dame

Back in its glory days, Notre Dame was viewed as the best place to go if you were both a great football recruit and an academic standout.

Notre Dame is among the best academic schools in the country, yet it also plays big-time football. However, through recent times, that mantra has shifted out west to Stanford.

If you notice, many recruits that consider Notre Dame also consider Stanford, and vice versa. The Cardinal now boast themselves as the prime program to offer superior academics along with big-time football.

However, for some reason, we overlook this as a rivalry on the trail.

5. Clemson vs. the SEC

I've always gotten the feeling that the SEC views Clemson as a "little brother." SEC schools such as Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida and Georgia tend to view themselves as superior to the Tigers.

However, recently "little brother" has been standing up to his elders and then some. Clemson is growing into a recruiting power and is stockpiling talent in a way that's making the SEC powers get on their P's and Q's on the trail.

Sure, South Carolina knows that Clemson is a big-time opponent for prospects, but now the SEC as a whole knows that the Tigers aren't going to let the SEC powers gobble up all of the top talent in the South.

4. Florida State vs. Alabama

These two schools are not very far from each other at all, and Florida State has been piping good talent from Alabama for a while now.

Nowadays, the Seminoles' Alabama raids are led by quarterbacks coach Dameyune Craig, as he really works the state of Alabama hard. However, Alabama is no stranger around Florida, as Nick Saban will go wherever he has to for a top recruit—even to Australia for Jesse Williams, right?

We overlook this recruiting rivalry because these two teams don't meet on the field too often. However, they know each other quite well via the recruiting trail.

3. Notre Dame vs. Ohio State

The Buckeyes and Irish should be bigger rivals than they are, shouldn't they? They're two Midwestern powerhouse programs, but they rarely meet on the field.

However, they do have a recruiting rivalry. When you're in Ohio and Indiana, respectively, and have good tradition, talent, facilities, fanbases and more, you battle over regional and national talent quite often.

Many elite recruits that consider one likely always consider the other. They may not meet on the field much, but Notre Dame and Ohio State do have a great recruiting rivalry, believe it or not.

2. Texas vs. LSU

Yes, the Longhorns and Tigers go through a lot of heated recruiting battles. However, Texas fans get caught up in looking at Oklahoma and making sure they're superior to A&M, while LSU is just trying stay atop the SEC.

However, from battles for Terrence Toliver to Torshiro Davis to now going at it for Ricky Seals-Jones, Texas and LSU have a rivalry on the trail.

It won't stop anytime soon because it's a hard choice to make for recruits. They can go play at Texas of all places or go play at LSU of all places. Both programs are mega-powerhouses and offer great things.

It's a rivalry that is overlooked because they don't play on the field often, yet it's intense in recruiting.

1. USC vs. the SEC and Pretty Much the Entire Country

There is something about USC that recruits just love. It's a sexy school with tradition, great talent and good coaches, and it's in Los Angeles.

Any school can be recruiting a prospect and doing well, but when they find out the Trojans are also in the hunt, they get nervous. It's something about USC that not just UCLA, Oregon or Notre Dame has a rivalry with, but the entire country as well.

The Trojans have shown they can go anywhere in the country and take a top recruit from the hometown or in-state school. The SEC doesn't like USC because they feel the Trojans wouldn't be such hotshots if they were one of them.

USC is everybody's rival on the trail.

Edwin Weathersby has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams: the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena League. He spent a year evaluating prep prospects and writing specific recruiting and scouting content articles for Student Sports Football (now ESPN Rise-HS).

A syndicated scout and writer, he's also contributed to WeAreSC.com, GatorBait.net and Diamonds in the Rough Inc., a college football and NFL draft magazine.