This little steak bet is going to be interesting.
I see we're #4 and #5 on Rivals and Scout. ESPN hasn't updated in almost a month, so it's hard to know, but I don't see us in the their top 5 as of right now, but still top 10 I'm sure.
A big thing to watch though are the teams right behind us that have more to add to their class. We know we'll be adding 5 or 6 more if we can.
I looked at the ESPN classes, and they have a "also considering" tab to click on that shows most of the recruits that are still considering a program. Looking at that and at how many commitments each program currently has, I have made a little list of the teams that have potential to pass us.
USC is the main one, for two reasons. First, they only have 14 commitments and are still rated #7 on Rivals, #11 on ESPN, and #15 on Scout. And second, they have 10 players still considering them that are rated an 80 or higher on ESPN (Auburn has 7 80+ committed right now and two more considering us), and of those, four are rated 83 or higher (there are only about 45 guys in the whole country rated 83 or higher). USC has ten 80+ already committed and could add as many as 8 more.
Georgia only has 19 commitments as of now and could add as many as 7 more (because they have two already enrolled). Of those still considering Georgia, three of them are rated 80+ by ESPN, with two more a 79.
Florida State, along with USC, is the team I think most likely to move up quickly and possibly pass us. They are #11 on Rivals, but only have 21 commitments as of now. They have four guys already enrolled, so they potentially could be adding 8 or 9 more recruits. They currently have five guys that are rated 80+ that are considering them, and they are considered favorites for quite a few of them. They could finish strong and shoot into the top. Whether Lemonier goes to Auburn or FSU could determine who finishes in front of who.
Penn State only has 18 commitments right now, but they're ranked #9 on Rivals and #6 on Scout. They have room to add quite a few more recruits. The downside to them is that Lattimore recently removed them, which leaves only a couple of highly rated recruits that are known to still be considering them (only one 80+ according to ESPN). But still, with only 18 commitments, they could move up just by adding bodies.
LSU is rated #6 on Rivals and #7 on Scout, but they already have 25 commitments, and only one of them is currently enrolled. That being the case, they look to only be adding 4 more to their class. However, they do have at least three that are rated 80+ that are still considering them. If they get all of those guys and Auburn misses on Lattimore and Whitaker....that could be the difference in who ends up on top.
So, as of right now, Auburn is in the top 5, but there are quite a few teams that could still make a move. If Auburn lands Lattimore, Whitaker, Lemonier, and Jones...I don't think anyone else could pass us with the exception of USC. USC just still has so many spots open that they could make a a huge move, maybe even catching up to Florida.