Graphic: Do recruiting rankings translate into results?

The answer to that question — for the highest-ranked teams and for the most recent seasons at least — is yes. The schools with top recruiting classes in 2011, for the most part, are on a successful four-season run. Alabama finished No. 1 in the 2011 recruiting race, and followed that with two consecutive national titles. Florida State and Oregon were close behind in both the recruiting and actual rankings. Only a few teams from outside the top 2011 recruiting rankings managed to rise up and finish in the top 12 in the past four seasons — and no top-two finishes. Michigan State is one school that made a jump, along with Missouri, Baylor and Stanford. On the flip side to that, Texas — and, to a lesser degree, Florida and Clemson — did not see their prized 2011 class produce the expected results. The full look at how the top of the 2011 class performed over four seasons is below. The rankings are from Rivals.com. The final ranking for each of the seasons listed is from the Jeff Sagarin Ratings, which ranks every team for USA Today. Each of the No. 1 Sagarin teams won the national title. A school's 2011 class ranking is listed in parenthesis if not in top 12.