Codaxx
Well-Known Member
Clemson has at least one top 10 class. That's what Oklahoma had been lacking up till last class. Otherwise we'd been hanging 15-20. No bueno. You have to have at least one top 10 class on your team to win the natty. The data pretty strongly bears that out. Below is the 247 rankings for each school for the last 6 years from 2016.
Class Oklahoma Clemson
2016 19 11
2015. 14. 9
2014. 14. 17
2013. 16. 15
2012. 12. 15.
2011. 13. 10
At no point in the last six years before 2017 does Oklahoma have a top 10 class, they damn near fell to 20 in 2016, and only came within striking distance once in 2012. Clemson has two and damn near a third. I know you don't think there's a significant difference there, but there definitely is. Oklahoma recruited well enough to beat almost anybody out there, but not well enough to hang with the heavy weights. I know you don't see the difference, and you'd be very happy with those classes, but at a place like Oklahoma, Ohio state, Alabama, Florida state, etc... the standards are different.
That last Clemson class was rated 11, but it was bad ass. Just a small class, but a lot of fame changers.