As you can see from our countdown timer on the left side of the site, signing day is 43 days away. It is truly a great day to be a sports fan as it brings new hope and the possibility of so and so player really being the next big thing. That being said, I decided to put together a chart based off of rivals.com information for ratings for all the Big 12 teams to see how the Buffs and other schools were stacking up. Of course, ratings are one man's opinion and by no means the final say but their is most definitely a reason why the USC's and Florida's of the world are at the top of the list in ratings and usually in a BCS bowl. Anyway, it is something fun to look at as we are nearing the February 4th signing day.

Right now, the Buffs have eight commits with 3* DT Nosa Egaue still a very very soft verbal and 4* WR Andre Simmons still needing to prove that he is eligible academically to attend the University of Colorado. Yes, their is still 43 days and a lot can happen over that time and a lot did happen over that time last year. Coaches can get fired, coaches can change jobs, schools can cool on a kid and the Buffs could sweep them up. But the Buffs are in a middle of a pretty big dry spell since November 16th which was the last day a recruit committed. One month and six days of really stagnant news on the recruiting front while the Buffs have watched their top two priorities, 4* WR Diante Jackson and 4* DT Edward Nuckols, either take more time to think about it and entertain other schools. The fact that Nuckols has Florida calling on him scares the ever living crap out of me. Could Florida really single handily ruin the Buffs defensive line recruiting by taking big Ed and Kasa? They certainly have the power to do so.

But I am not freaking out, nor should you. Freak out time starts Feb 4th at 10 pm. Until then, anything is possible. I mean Rodney Stewart signed on the day last year to no one's knowledge and look what he turned out to be. The Buffs still feel they have a chance at 4* WR Bryce McNeal and have their name in the hat with a few other big dogs. Do I see them landing a ton of 4*? Not really because the wins aren't there but one of the few things Hawkins and Co. have not been a disappointment in is their ability to recruit supposed highly rated players. What they did last year was pretty phenomenal. This year, don't expect a top 15 - 20 class but if Hawkins can get the "Big 2" and guys like S Stan McKay, DE Iatu Tepa, WR Terderma Ussery, one of the two Union High School guys (S Terrell Williams and TE Tracy Moore), DE Colton Nash, maybe a big DL JUCO to support the middle and hold onto Eguae and Simmons, the Buffs might find themselves in the top 30 - 35 which would be adequate. Next year is all about the development of the last two classes that Hawkins has recruited and building enough wins to recruit BIG TIME in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Defensive line and wide receiver are still a major concern. One must hope that something serious happens to the DL this offseason and one of the unknowns on the roster really blows up because right now, other than possibly Nuckols, I don't see any of the potentials or commits not red-shirting. I think Goree, Obi Cunningham, Herrod and maybe Pericak or Shields can be solid but the pass rush will probably need to come from a linebacker like Brad Jones provided and we all know that wasn't nearly good enough or committed to enough last year. At wide receiver, every Buff fan should write on their Christmas list that Simmons qualifies, Simas stay eligible and Diante Jackson signs and is ready to play. Simmons, Josh Smith and Simas are really the "X" factors, though. If the Buffs could get the trio on track and up to speed, those three guys coupled with McKnight would be a big upgrade. In a perfect world, you would love to redshirt Jackson (if we get him) and get him acclimated, as CU fans now know, highly rated recruits aren't always an immediate slam dunk. A ton of "ifs" in the last couple sentences but in 2009, the Buffs need some luck, in fact, they deserve a lot of luck after went they went through last year.

Here is where the Buffs stand compared to others in the Big 12 as of December 22nd, 2008.