Average 2015 recruiting class ranking by conference

Most recruiting services consider the SEC to be the nation’s top recruiting conference this winter, but upon analyzing the recruiting class rankings of all 64 power conference teams, the gap between the SEC and the other four power leagues is wider than you’d think.

Not only does the SEC boast 12 of the nation’s top 31 recruiting classes and 13 of the top 41 recruiting hauls, but the conference as a whole boasts an average recruiting class ranking of 21.1. No other conference in the nation can claim an average ranking better than 35.

And if you remove Florida and its 85th-best class in the nation (due in large part to an offseason coaching change), the SEC’s average class ranking is 16.2.

The Big Ten has the worst average recruiting class ranking in the nation, although its average is weighed down heavily by Michigan and the nation’s No. 99 class (again due to an offseason coaching change). The Big 12 is the only power conference without a team ranked in the top 10 in the 247 recruiting rankings, while the SEC and ACC both boast multiple teams ranked in the top 5 in the nation.

Take a look at each conference’s average ranking and its best and worst individual classes so far this offseason:

(NOTE: Class rankings based on 247Sports industry composite as of Jan. 23.)