College Football Recruiting 2012: The 10 Worst Classes from the BCS Conferences

Many teams are off to a fantastic start on the 2012 recruiting trail, gobbling up commitments and inviting top prospects to make unofficial visits to their campuses.

Then there are other schools that just seem to be going nowhere this year in recruiting.

They do have some commitments, but their classes are shaping up to be lackluster and chalked with low-rated, non-impact players.

Here are some flat out yawners of BCS conference classes.

Iowa

Iowa usually sees itself among the bottom 60 teams in the country on recruiting rankings lists. I know the Hawkeyes aren't a sexy school on the trail, but come on now.

They have just 10 commitments as we sit in November and most of their recruits are lower tier prospects. They do hold a 4-star pledge in DT Jaleel Johnson, but after that nobody really fires you up.

Let's get going Kirk Ferentz!

Duke

The sad thing is, it's no shock to find Duke on this list. I mean, every few years or so, as a program you're bound to have a good recruiting year. Not so for the Dukies.

The Blue Devils have 14 pledges and none are four-star prospects. In fact, half the class is rated less than three stars.

Yes, I know the Duke football team is not the hoops team, but they have to get better prospects via recruiting. If not, at some point you may start to wonder if Duke will pull the plug on the football program.

Illinois

Does it not feel like just a few years ago Illinois was hauling in top-25 classes left and right? Now that's not the case.

Zook and the Illini have the worst class in the Big Ten right now. He's got only nine commitments, and none are four-star recruits.

Many publications have the Illini ranked in the 60's, 70's or even 80's as far as class rankings go at the moment.

South Florida

I have USF down as the worst class in the Big East. You may disagree with that, but that's my analysis. 

The Bulls have only 11 commitments, and just one four-star prospect. I tend to be hard on USF recruiting-wise, because they sit in the middle of Florida, one of three golden hotbeds for prospects.

TE Sean Price is the class headliner right now, which is fine, but USF should be hauling in a bit more quality.

Utah

Utah and even Colorado are not really lighting up the Pac-12 recruiting trail this year, but give them time.

The Utes' recruiting reach will expand as years move on, but right now they take the cake for the Pac-12 on this list over the Buffaloes.

Sure, the Utes have 12 commitments, but with seven being three-star recruits, that is not too impressive.

Nebraska

Big Red's class is a head-scratcher to me. I like who they have, it's just not enough. I expected a big year from Bo Pelini and Co. on the trail, but I haven't gotten it.

Nebraska has just seven commitments and we're in November. Sure, they're in race for five-star OT Andrus Peat, but that should not be the only bright spot for them.

I do like QB Tommy Armstrong's potential fit, and Mike Rose, Paul Thurston and Greg McMullen. But there should be more in this class and there's not.

California

I docked Nebraska and Illinois for having a low commit number, so I have to dock Cal. I personally like Cal's quality, but they need more.

Sure, QB Zach Kline, LB Mike Barton, WR Bryce Treggs and CB Cedric Dozier are talented, but Cal has to get greedy and go for more. It's not like Cal is not an attractive school and can't lure talent to Berkeley.

They've done it in the past. So the expectations remain.

Kansas State

The Wildcats usually hit up the junior college circuit pretty heavily for instant impact players, but this year, as it stands right now, they are not having a good year recruiting.

Bill Snyder has only 10 commitments, no four-star recruits, and only two players are even rated at three stars.

Wake Forest

Wake Forest is not the mecca of college football, but the Demon Deacons do take pride in their program. Recruits just aren't too keen on helping.

Wake Forest has 13 commitments, though just six of the recruits are rated at three stars. That's not good at all.

Sure, the star system doesn't matter much to many, myself included. Player development and coaching are the most important factors of recruiting class success, but on paper, Wake Forest's class is the worst in the ACC and overall one of the worst in the country.

Kansas

Sad to see both Kansas schools on this list.

The Jayhawks just have not made a huge impact on the trail yet and 2012 looks the same.

Their seven-man Jayhawk class has no four-star recruits, and none of them are ranked within the top 25 at their position. Ouch.

KU is among the worst in the nation in recruiting right now.