Been doing this recruiting thing a long time now and I'm a firm believer your performance in any year is predicated off your average recruiting strength over the previous 3 years. I know the 4th year back can have influence as well, but with transfers, drop outs, kids leaving early and now "the portal", I believe the strength of the prev 3 is most critical to performance. I went back and looked at the teams that finished in top 15 this year and how those teams finished each year since 2017. If you look at 3 year averages, only one team has done it better than us and we know who that is and why and why that will not continue. All that said, if you don't have the right QB and coaching staff, I don't care how you recruited the prev 3, you are going to stink, but if you have the right parts, you will be in the mix. The data says one thing, no one is more in the mix than us and the Kang still be Kanging. See y'all in Atl this weekend! Go Dawgs!
I'll try this but I will probably screw it all up. The #s below are not that years ranking, its the average of the previous 3 years.
| 2025 Final | Team | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| 4 |
Alabama | 3.3 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 1.7 |
| 2 |
Georgia | 1.7 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.0 |
| 3 |
Ohio State | 8.3 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 |
| 9 |
Texas A&M | 10.7 | 9.3 | 6.3 | 4.7 | 7.3 | 11.7 |
| 5 |
Texas | 13.0 | 7.3 | 11.3 | 11.7 | 8.0 | 3.7 |
| 6 |
LSU | 8.3 | 7.0 | 3.7 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 10.3 |
| 12 |
Notre Dame | 12.7 | 15.7 | 15.0 | 12.3 | 8.7 | 8.7 |
| 1 |
Oregon | 12.7 | 9.7 | 6.3 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 12.7 |
| 7 |
Michigan | 12.7 | 15.0 | 10.3 | 10.0 | 12.3 | 13.3 |
| 11 |
Florida | 11.3 | 10.7 | 8.3 | 11.7 | 13.7 | 15.3 |
| 13 |
Miami (FL) | 17.3 | 18.0 | 20.0 | 19.7 | 18.0 | 15.7 |
| 10 |
Tennessee | 16.0 | 13.7 | 18.7 | 18.3 | 19.7 | 12.7 |
| 8 |
Auburn | 12.7 | 11.3 | 14.7 | 19.0 | 20.7 | 16.0 |
| 15 |
USC | 9.0 | 30.7 | 32.3 | 44.7 | 23.3 | 26.7 |
