Last week there were a handful of college football programs preparing for conference championships, and now there are many currently trying to get ready for bowl games. Yet back in the spring the NCAA Division I Council thought it was wise to pass the Early Signing Period that is now — as of Sunday — just 10 days away.

That’s a heck of a balancing act for staffs still coaching their football team while trying to close their 2018 recruiting class.

“Very tough,” said one college staff member. “Exhausting.”

Beginning on Dec. 20, senior high school players have a three-day window to send in their college letter-of-intents. Said window closes after Dec. 22, just in time for the Christmas weekend and the ensuing stretch of big-time bowl games and College Football Playoff semifinals. That’s a tough grind for so many staffs, but for us in college sports it should present the most exciting time of the year.

Ten days away from the big day, here’s 10 things we’ll be watching.

1. What percentage of classes will be locked up? I’m guessing 90 percent of all commits will be ready to sign and 75 to 80 percent of total prospects total will be off the board. Hence the stress it put on college coaches to balance recruiting with the end of their season, even if for some were playing for a conference title. To see which commits in your favorite school’s class plan on signing early, look out for that sunrise icon next to their name. And then keep your fingers crossed!

UGA commit Justin Fields.

2. Will highly-touted quarterbacks Justin Fields and Emory Jones sign? Fields, the No. 2 player in the 247Sports Composite, gave Georgia his verbal back in early October. However, a few things are going to make this interesting. First, Jake Fromm not only continued his solid play, but the Georgia freshman led the Bulldogs to the SEC Championship and the CFB Playoff. And a coaching carousel, interesting enough, swung positively for everyone trying to get on Fields over the summer this fall: Florida, once his projected destination, hired a quarterback whisperer in Dan Mullen. Florida State added an alluring hire in Willie Taggart. The Seminoles were probably the runner-up to Georgia in the chase for Fields. And speaking of the Seminoles, Jimbo Fisher landed at Texas A&M, which has a wide-open quarterback depth chart. In fact, all of those schools have an easier path to playing time than Georgia (though Fields, one of the best quarterback prospects ever, probably likes his chances anywhere).

We’ll know soon if the Kennesaw (Ga.) Harrison standout is possibly thinking twice. Georgia isn’t likely to have any coaching turnover that would impact Fields, and they’ve clearly already put in the work.

Regarding Jones, he has remained an Ohio State verbal despite several visits to Alabama and Auburn. The Buckeyes added another quarterback to their class last week and Jones sent out an interesting tweet in the aftermath. What’s next for the nation’s fourth-rated dual-threat quarterback?

3. Announcements! The most entertaining part of any signing day. The nation’s No. 2 offensive guard Trey Hill (Georgia and Auburn have 247Sports Crystal Ball buzz) gets us started on Monday and then next Wednesday we’ll have a few big ones including five-stars Micah Parsons (Penn State is the heavy favorite), KJ Henry (Clemson is considered the program to beat), Jamaree Salyer (Georgia the heavy 247Sports Crystal Ball favorite) and Cade Mays (Clemson, Georgia and Tennessee) plus cornerback Anthony Cook (Texas is considered the favorite over LSU and Ohio State), the No. 33 overall player. Five-star receiver Terrace Marshall (LSU the heavy 247Sports Crystal Ball favorite) will close down the early signing period with his commitment and signing on Dec. 22. Top-ranked offensive tackle Jackson Carman has planned a December decision as well with Ohio State, Clemson and USC as the finalists.

4. Does the assistant coach carousel begin earlier or will that wait until after the second signing day on Feb. 7? Assistant coaches remain valuable until their targets were signed. After that is when head coaches typically begin making moves with their staffs, letting guys go, making room for their replacements.

5. How will the new staffs fare? Arizona State, Arkansas, Florida, Florida State, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oregon, Oregon State, Tennessee and Texas A&M were among the schools that made postseason changes. Will they influence targets committed elsewhere not sign as they continue to pursue them? What kind of players will be left for them to try and get in on late if the majority of prospects sign. I recently sorted those new hires into tiers as it relates to expected recruiting success.

6. Will there be major flip-and-signs? The aforementioned Emory Jones could fall into that category. I imagine there will be a couple others. That kind of drama will likely begin a few days before the signing period, so get your twitter alerts set now.

Antwuan Jackson back when he was in high school.

7. Not to be lost in the shuffle is JUCO Signing Day. This date used to be theirs alone. Ohio State holds a commitment from 247Sports’ top-ranked JUCO prospect Antwuan Jackson. In those same rankings, Alabama has the No. 2 player, corner Saivion Smith, Mississippi State has the fourth-best, wideout Stephen Guidry and Georgia’s got the No. 5 prospect, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt. As you can see, there’s the usual SEC flair in the chase for the top JUCO prospects. The No. 3 player, Teair Tart-Spencer, is actually tops in the 247Sports Composite’s JUCO rankings. The East Mississippi C.C. product (Last Chance U) has just one Crystal Ball prediction and it’s to Alabama.

8. All eyes will be on the 247Sports Composite Team Recruiting Rankings. The Buckeyes have a huge lead as it stands right now with Texas, Miami, Georgia and Penn State rounding out the current top five. Penn State, Oklahoma, Auburn, Notre Dame, Alabama and Oregon complete the top 10. Watch out for Alabama. The Crimson Tide have finished No. 1 the last seven-straight years and, after an unusually slow summer and fall, are on a heater, with three commitments in the last week.

9. I’m curious how many sign among the mid-majors. How many current commits are still hopeful that Power Five opportunity comes? How many are told it could come and hold out? There’s pressure on them to secure their future at the non-Power Five schools, too.

10. And finally, when head coaches and their staffs meet with the media, what are their thoughts and feedback on the run to the early signing period? Did they collectively like it? Do they want to keep it?