Ranking Every Power 5 Football Conference by 2015 Recruiting Classes

The Power Five football conferences rule college football. Comprised of the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big 12, each league features many of the nation's top programs.

Not only is it obvious on the field, but the five conferences also dominate the recruiting trail. Individual recruiting rankings naturally put the focus on specific programs, but it's time to look at the big picture and rank things from a conference perspective.

The SEC is recruiting at its usual clip, while the ACC isn't far behind. The Big Ten has an old power back on top, but the Big 12 is falling off.

5. Big 12

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No. of 247Sports Top 25 recruiting classes: Two

Top Class: Texas

The Big 12 has historically been a powerful conference, but the league has taken a dip in recent years. That drop-off has also extended to the recruiting trail, where only two programs in the conference are ranked in the Top 25 recruiting rankings.

Texas leads the way, as the Longhorns' 11-man class is No. 19 in the country. While traditionally the expectation would be to assume Oklahoma is next, it's actually West Virginia checking in after Texas in the recruiting rankings at No. 24 in the country. 

It's also worth noting, however, that TCU is currently No. 27 in the recruiting rankings.

4. Pac-12

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No. of 247Sports Top 25 recruiting classes: Three

Top Class: USC

At No. 15 in the country, USC has the top class in the Pac-12. The Trojans have a 10-man group that features two 5-star commitments.

Rival UCLA is next at No. 17 with 10 players in its haul. With one 5-star pledge to go with five 4-star commitments, the Bruins have another great class in the works. The folks in Westwood can't get lazy on the recruiting trail, as Oregon is No. 18 in the national recruiting rankings.

The Ducks have 11 commitments, with four being 4-star prospects. Lurking around is Arizona at No. 29 with 17 pledges.

3. Big Ten

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No. of 247Sports Top 25 recruiting classes: Four

Top Class: Penn State

Checking in at No. 3 on this list is the Big Ten. The conference is led by Penn State, which has the No. 4 class in the country.

The Nittany Lions have gotten off to a terrific start, collecting 17 commitments and 11 4-star recruits. Thanks to a late-spring/early-summer surge on the recruiting trail, Ohio State is now No. 14 in the rankings with 12 commitments.

At No. 20 with 16 pledges is Northwestern, surely among the surprise recruiting schools in the 2015 cycle. Plus, Wisconsin has a 15-man class that has nestled itself into the No. 25 slot. Maryland is No. 28 with 16 commitments.

Penn State head coach James Franklin told the following to Paul Myerberg of USA Today:

"

We had the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for a while there, but then Alabama had their spring game. During the spring game they convinced five current NFL players to commit to them, and they passed us by. So we've got a little bit of work to do now.

"

2. ACC

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No. of 247Sports Top 25 recruiting classes: Six

Top Class: Clemson

Leading the way for the ACC is Clemson, which has a 20-man recruiting class that is ranked No. 3 in the country. Head coach Dabo Swinney has one 5-star commitment, plus six 4-star prospects ready to be Tigers.

Also with 20 commitments is Miami, which is at No. 9 in the country. With 13 commitments, rival Florida State is next at No. 13. North Carolina is 16th in recruiting, with 16 players in its class. The ACC is represented at No. 22 and 23 by a pair of surprise recruiting schools in Boston College and Duke, respectively.

The Eagles have 23 commitments, while the Blue Devils' class features 17 players.

1. SEC

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No. of 247Sports Top 25 recruiting classes: Nine

Top Class: Alabama

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, as the SEC is the top recruiting conference in America. Alabama has the No. 1 class in the country due to boasting a talented 19-man class that has 15 4-star prospects.

Texas A&M has a class ranked No. 2 nationally that can rival the Crimson Tide's group. With 18 total commitments, head coach Kevin Sumlin must be particularly proud he has two 5-star recruits headed to College Station.

Next is Auburn and South Carolina, sitting No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. The Tigers have 17 commitments, while the Gamecocks have 20. Tennessee has the same amount of pledges as the team in Columbia, and the Volunteers are ranked No. 7.

LSU isn't far behind with a 13-man class that is ranked No. 10, plus Georgia has a class of 13 commitments that checks in at No. 13. The surprise of the conference has to be Mississippi State, as the Bulldogs have 18 commitments and the nation's No. 14 class.

Finally, there's Florida and its group of 10 pledges at No. 21. It also should be mentioned that Kentucky is No. 26 with 12 commitments. 

All recruiting ratings and rankings are from 247Sports' Composite Rankings.

Player evaluations are based on review of tape at Scout.com, Rivals and 247Sports.

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.