National Signing Day 2017's 7 most important teams: Can anybody break Bama's streak?

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Welcome to The Crootletter (sign up to get this in your inbox every morning!), SB Nation's daily college football recruiting newsletter.

With the football season in the books, it is time to turn our attention to recruiting. National Signing Day is Wednesday, Feb. 1. Here is a look at the top classes in the nation, and what might happen going forward.

Alabama will probably sign the No. 1 class for the seventh consecutive year, and maybe its best ever.

Alabama’s class has 26 current commitments, including four five-stars and 17 four-stars; a ridiculous 81 percent of the class is comprised of blue-chip prospects. Najee Harris, of California, is the nation’s No. 1 running back. Dylan Moses, of Baton Rouge, is the No. 1 linebacker. The Tide also added the No. 1 JUCO offensive lineman in Elliot Baker, and the No. 1 JUCO defensive lineman in Isaiah Buggs.

And it could get even better. Alabama is the leader for Georgia five-star defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon. It is in a good position for four-star Alabama prospects like wide receiver Henry Ruggs and LaBryan Ray. The Tide are also still in it for four-star Louisiana prospects like Devonta Smith, Todd Harris, and Phidarian Mathis. And the Tide are still considered the top contender for four-star defensive end Jarez Parks out of Florida.

Plus, the Tide are still contending for Virginia four-star safety Devon Hunter, and Alabama four-star receiver Nico Collins.

This is just getting silly. Alabama is having to slow play, or flat out deny spots to players who would otherwise be the best recruit for many other schools.

With almost any combination of five or six of the above-mentioned prospects committing to the Tide, Alabama would finish with 320+ points on the 247Sports Composite scale, which no team has done since the Florida Gators in 2010.

Ohio State’s incredible class has a (slim) chance to grab the top spot if the Tide falter.

Like Alabama, Ohio State is set to sign its best recruiting class in over a decade. An incredible 17 of Ohio State’s 18 commitments are rated four or five-stars, and the Buckeyes lead the nation in five-star prospects, with a ridiculous seven. Wyatt Davis, of California, is the best guard in the nation. Chase Young, of Maryland, is one of the most dangerous prep pass rushers. The Buckeyes also have Kendall Sheffield, the No. 1 JUCO CB in the country. And paired with the No. 1 and No. 4 cornerback recruits nationally, in Jeffrey Okudah, and Shaun Wade, the Buckeyes have the nation’s best secondary class.

And they might not be done. This class is limited only by its quantity, not its quality. With most of Ohio State’s roster coming back, OSU’s class is going to be smaller than normal. But it could add Jaylen Harris, a four-star receiver from Ohio, and potentially defensive tackle Jay Tufele, from Utah. If that happens, plus perhaps another surprise, Ohio State could get to 319 points, which would be enough to unseat the Tide if Alabama misses on many more prospects than expected.

Land Grant Holy Land does a great job covering all things Ohio State recruiting.

Georgia has the inside track on the No. 3 spot.

In most any other year, Georgia’s class could well be talked about as the nation’s best. Nineteen of Kirby Smart’s 23 commitments are rated four or five-stars. The rest of the SEC East has 20. Combined. That dominance relative to the rest of the division is far greater than what Alabama does to the SEC West.

The strength of Georgia’s class is its offensive line. Georgia’s six offensive linemen rank Nos. 2, 5, 7, 12, 16, and 21 at their positions nationally. It’s a great job of addressing what was the biggest hole on the roster left by former head coach Mark Richt.

And Georgia has the No. 2 and 3 safety recruits nationally, in Richard LeCounte III, and Deangelo Gibbs, both of Georgia.

The Bulldogs are locking down the state like never before. Seventeen of its 23 commitments are from the Peach State. And they might not be done. They have a shot to land the state’s No. 3 player in Solomon (discussed above in the Alabama section), as well as No. 19 in defensive end Markaviest Bryant, and No. 21 in linebacker Leonard Warner.

A final piece could come from Alabama four-star receiver Nico Collins.

Will Michigan’s clubhouse lead be enough to hold on to the No. 4 spot?

Michigan currently enjoys a comfortable lead over Florida State and LSU, who are hard charging.

With 18 of 27 commitments rated four-stars or better, the Wolverines are quickly restocking the cupboard. Four commitments are rated within the top five at their positions nationally, another four in the top 10, and another four in the top 15. This includes the nation’s No. 1 receiver in Donovan Peoples-Jones, of Michigan, and No. 1 center Cesar Ruiz, of Florida by way of New Jersey.

Michigan is running out of spots, which limits its upward mobility. The top targets remaining on the board are defensive tackle Aubrey Solomon and receiver Nico Collins (discussed in the Alabama and Georgia sections, above). The Wolverines are also still pursuing defensive tackle Jay Tufele (discussed in the Ohio State section, above).

As you may have noticed, everyone is pursuing a select few group of defensive tackles. This is not a strong year for defensive tackles.

Michigan is also still in contention for four-star linebacker Willie Gay, of Mississippi. Gay is an awesome prospect and could be in line for a bump to five stars.

Florida State may have more top targets remaining than any school other than Alabama.

The Seminoles have just 17 commitments, with nine ranked four or five-stars. As currently comprised, the class is very top heavy, with three five-stars in Mississippi running back Cam Akers, Florida defensive end Josh Kaindoh, and Florida cornerback Stanford Samuels.

FSU might be adding to that in a big way, though, with five or six spots left to fill.

The Seminoles are in a strong position for Marvin Wilson, the No. 1 defensive tackle in the country, out of Houston. They are Alabama’s main competition for Jarez Parks and Henry Ruggs. FSU could flip four-star Tennessee safety commitment Melaik Gray. Florida State is also a strong contender to hold off Florida and Texas A&M for four-star Texas linebacker Levi Jones. And if it’s not Stanford or Georgia for linebacker Leonard Warner, FSU could be in a good spot. The Seminoles are also battling Stanford for four-star defensive tackle Dalyn Wade-Perry, of New Jersey.

If FSU can’t leapfrog Michigan, LSU might.

The Tigers have 17 commitments total, and 12 are blue-chippers. LSU has Tennessee five-star Jacoby Stevens, the No. 1 safety in the country, and eight players ranked in the top-10 at their positions nationally.

More importantly for Tiger fans, LSU is bringing in two four-star quarterbacks in Myles Brennan and Lowell Narcisse.

And there are several elite prospects left on the board. The Tigers will be with Florida State for Wilson down the stretch. The Tigers are still very much in the mix for Louisiana four-stars like receiver Devonta Smith, safety Todd Harris, defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis, Travis Etienne, and defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson.

Linebacker is a huge need in the class, and the Tigers are also looking outside of Louisiana to fill the need.

Four-star linebacker Jacob Phillips, from Tennessee, is committed to Oklahoma, but may be listening to Clemson. If Phillips, who has already taken his official visits, and thus must pay for any remaining trips, does visit Baton Rouge, look out.

LSU is also targeting Mississippi four-star Willie Gay, Virginia four-star Ellis Brooks, and Georgia four-star Tyler Taylor.

Oklahoma has its best class in a long time

The Sooners have 17 four-star commitments, and 24 total. Without gaining any other commitments (the Sooners seem to be running out of spots), this would still be the best Oklahoma class in the last seven years.

One of the big keys to this class being much better than the recent Norman hauls is the work the staff is doing in Texas. The Sooners have nine commitments from Texas, and six are four-stars. They are recruiting Texas as well as any school, including the in-state programs.

So, what about Clemson?

The Tigers did just win a national title. It’s generally believed, however, that teams get more of a recruiting bump from the class that signs 13 months after winning, than they do with the class signing a month after a team takes home the trophy. This is because coaches only have a month to sell the national title to the current class, but a full year to do it to the next class.

Clemson’s class is very small, but it’s packed with elite players, consisting of two five-stars, eight four-stars, and three three-stars. Tennessee five-star receiver Tee Higgins might be the nation’s best wideout. Indiana five-star QB Hunter Johnson has a ton of talent. Georgia four-star cornerback AJ Terrell has great length. And Tennessee four-star receiver Amari Rodgers is like a running back once he catches the football.

With its new football facility, a national championship, and playing time to sell, Clemson very well could put together its best recruiting class ever come 2018.