7 Programs That Hurt Their Recruiting Chances with Bad Week 1 Outings

The first full week of college football is in the books. Many teams looked good, but several had bad Week 1 outings. These programs missed golden opportunities to not only get off to a great start this season, but to also generate a good surge on the recruiting trail.

As with everything in college football, recruiting was impacted by these teams' bad outings. Failure to gain momentum by winning on Saturdays can be severe for teams to keep the attention of their top recruiting targets.

A Big 12 team lost its opening game, which could help nudge its top commitment to another school. A pair of SEC teams missed their chance to show the country they are for real. Also, a school looking for a reboot on the trail will be stalled for awhile after its bad loss this past weekend.

Oregon State

The Beavers came into the 2013 season as dark-horse contenders in the Pac-12, but now have a black eye from the hands of Eastern Washington.

The Eagles came into Corvallis and walked out with a shocking 49-46 win over Oregon State.

With the Beavers trying to impress 4-star receiver Jalen Brown, their top recruiting target, this loss will not help them. Oregon State already had stiff competition for Brown, and their bad loss to Eastern Washington may have crippled their chances.

Mississippi State

The Bulldogs have seen their rivals of Ole Miss emerge as a potent recruiting school within the past year. For them to keep pace, they need a strong 2014 recruiting class, which would be helped by a great 2013 season.

So far, not good in Starkville, as Mississippi State lost 21-3 to Oklahoma State last weekend. Any chance the Bulldogs had to pry 5-star cornerback Marlon Humphrey from likely signing with Alabama may have been squandered, thanks to the Cowboys.

The loss also will not help the perception of the program, especially when Ole Miss won a thriller over Vanderbilt in its opening game, which was on national television. 

Boise State

The Broncos went to Seattle only to meet a Washington team that played inspired football. The Huskies thrashed Boise State 38-6. It will have a lasting impact on the Broncos, who have never been mistaken for a recruiting juggernaut.

However, Boise State is recruiting 4-star athlete Kalen Ballage, says 247Sports. Yet, the blowout loss to Washington could serve as a deciding factor for Ballage to sign with a bigger program. 

Iowa State

The Cyclones have a commitment from 4-star receiver Allen Lazard. The Iowa native stands nearly 6'5", weighs 207 pounds and is the headliner of Iowa State's class.

Yet, many more prominent schools are likely to continue to recruit Lazard hard until he signs a National Letter of Intent. So ISU will have to recruit him as if he is an uncommitted prospect.

That got tougher after this past weekend, as the Cyclones fell to Northern Iowa 28-20. If Lazard signs with another school, the Panthers defeating ISU could be part of the reason. 

UConn

Recruiting has not gone well for UConn, evidenced by its class being No. 82 in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. The best way to turn things around is to come out of the gate playing great football, gaining momentum and catching the attention of recruits.

Losing 33-18 to Towson—an FCS program—is not going to help by any means. The Huskies may drop even further in the recruiting rankings after this program-setback loss. 

TCU

TCU did not have a bad outing versus LSU, as the Horned Frogs played a great game.

However, this was an opportunity to beat a team from the SEC in a nationally-televised game and show the country that it is taking the next step in becoming an elite program.

A win over the Tigers would have been huge for TCU's recruiting efforts. Prospects such as 5-star defensive end Myles Garrett, 4-star linebacker/safety Edwin Freeman and 4-star offensive lineman Braden Smith would have really taken notice of the Horned Frogs' ascension. 

However, by losing, the upstart/underdog perception of TCU remains the same. 

Kentucky

Kentucky has been one of the top stories in 2014 recruiting, as the Wildcats are ranked No. 16 in the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

Prospects such as 4-star defensive tackle Matt Elam and 4-star cornerback Marshon Lattimore are wanted in Lexington. However, Kentucky losing 35-26 to Western Kentucky will not help lure them to UK.

Head coach Mark Stoops missed the chance to get his team off to a good start with a win. The loss to the Hilltoppers could prove to be the start of decreasing momentum on the recruiting trail for Kentucky.

Edwin Weathersby is the College Football Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. He has worked in scouting/player personnel departments for three professional football teams, including the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns.