National Signing Day coming up next Wednesday had us at 247Sports thinking, "What if?"

It's an intriguing question in sports. For my money, it spawned one of the most interesting book chapters ever about the NBA in Bill Simmons' "The Book of Basketball." College football, with the open season nature of recruiting, certainly has plenty of those types of stories. There are some obvious ones in history, but here we'll explore some recruiting decisions that shaped to the 2017 season.

From Baker Mayfield's walk-on choice to national title game QBs, this week's Thursday 10 looks at that always popular barstool subject of hypotheticals.

Baker Mayfield (TCU or Washington State): Lost among the walk-on-turned-Heisman legend that is Baker Mayfield is the fact Mayfield actually had FBS offers coming out of Lake Travis High School in Texas. Washington State is the only Power Five offer Mayfield received. But TCU, which didn't offer, is just as interesting. Depending on which side you hear the tale from, the Horned Frogs either strung Mayfield along after promising to offer or TCU didn't because head coach Gary Patterson found Mayfield "arrogant."

Either way you want to look at it, just consider the possibilities that Mayfield's walk-on journey created. Oklahoma isn't making a pair of College Football Playoff appearances with Trevor Knight and whoever would come next under center. But can you imagine Mayfield playing for Mike Leach? The yards would've piled up and the quotes would've been golden. As for Mayfield at TCU, it's not hard to envision Mayfield giving the Horned Frogs an edge in the Big 12 either in 2015. Who knows, Mayfield could've even been the missing piece for a TCU playoff run.

Roquan Smith (UCLA): Smith stood in front of a crowd of his high school peers on National Signing Day 2015 and held up a pair of UCLA gloves. The Georgia native would fly out West to join a star-studded Bruins class that included star QB Josh Rosen. But in the time between Smith's announcement and when he planned to put pen to paper, word leaked out that UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich would leave for a job with the Atlanta Falcons. Smith never did sign with UCLA that day. After a long, drawn out process, Smith signed with Georgia a week later.

Three years later, Smith won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and helped lead Georgia to the national title game. UCLA finished the 2017 season with one of the worst run defenses in college football history. So what happens if Smith signs with the Bruins? Georgia probably isn't in the playoff ahead of schedule in Year 2 under Kirby Smart. As for the Bruins, they might've had a better chance of making the most of the Rosen era. At a minimum, Smith's presence would've ensured UCLA's 2017 run defense didn't make history in an infamous fashion.

Saquon Barkley (Rutgers): Did you know that arguably the best running back of this generation was once committed to Rutgers? Seriously, Barkley didn't attend many camps as a prospect and flew under the radar in the early part of his recruitment. That led to Rutgers, the first school to offer Barkley, securing his commitment in September of Barkley's junior year. Barkley rooted for Rutgers growing up in New York - his family moved to Pennsylvania in 2001 - but he eventually flipped to Penn State because it "provided more opportunity for me the rest of my life."

So what happens if Barkley ends up at Rutgers? The Scarlet Knights would have arguably the best player in their program history to grease their transition into the Big Ten in Year 2. As for Penn State, it would've been without the foundational piece of its turnaround. James Franklin might eventually turn the Nittany Lions into a contender again, but it takes a lot longer without Barkley. More than a running back, Barkley, in his three years in Happy Valley, became a positive on-field football symbol of a new era of Penn State football.

Lamar Jackson ends up at UF if not for a coaching change.

Lamar Jackson (Florida): The 2016 Heisman winner's recruitment can actually be split into a pair of "what-ifs." First, there's Bobby Petrino's initial reluctance to offer Jackson. Despite Jackson holding offers from Florida State and Clemson, Petrino didn't see Jackson as a quarterback. It took the pestering of then-wide receivers coach Lamar Thomas and a film alteration - instead of starting with Jackson's dynamic runs, Jackson's new highlight tape began with Jackson's 70-yard arm strength - for Petrino to offer. The second, and perhaps more interesting, is that Jackson strongly considered the Florida Gators. A Sunshine State native, Jackson didn't receive an offer from the Gators until late in his senior season. Jackson was interested. But then the Gators underwent a coaching change with Jim McElwain taking over for Will Muschamp. Jackson officially visited Florida the weekend before signing day. Ultimately, Jackson wasn't comfortable enough with McElwain and his staff in such a short amount of time to pull the trigger. But Jackson's high school coach, Rick Swain, told 247Sports in 2016 that he believes Jackson would've signed with Florida had Muschamp stayed in Gainesville.

How would things in college football change with Jackson at Florida? The biggest shift would be the Gators finally having a QB successor to Tim Tebow. With a talent like Jackson under center, Florida might've had the firepower to challenge Alabama during its SEC East title runs. Win one of those SEC Championship games, and McElwain is still at Florida, meaning Dan Mullen is still at Mississippi State - you can follow the dominos from there. As for Louisville, the Cardinals never do have their first ever Heisman winner. Without Jackson, Louisville doesn't surge early in the 2016 season.

Josh Rosen (Stanford): Rosen made a guest appearance earlier in this column, but his story merits mention as well. A five-star prospect, Rosen grew up hoping to attend another California institution - Stanford. Rosen wanted to go there so badly, his high school choice of St. Bosco almost hit a snag when Rosen wasn't sure he'd be able to jump to Stanford from the Bellflower, Calif., prep school. But Stanford, despite Rosen's talents, never offered Rosen. Some say Rosen's demeanor during a visit to campus rubbed the Cardinal staff the wrong way. Rosen, for his part, contends that Palo Alto just wasn't really for him. During the research for an in-depth story on Rosen, I heard both accounts.

Reasoning aside, the more interesting question is what would've happened if Rosen attended Stanford. For my money, the Cardinal go from above-average Pac-12 team in the post-Andrew Luck era to a national title contender. Consider that Stanford finished 76th or worse nationally in passing yards per game the last three years. That wouldn't happen with Rosen under center - UCLA finished fourth nationally in that category in 2017. Stanford's staff consistency would've also been a boon to Rosen. He had three different offensive coordinators in three seasons with the Bruins. Away from the LA spotlight, there would've likely been less controversy surrounding Rosen as well. As for UCLA, well, Jim Mora is likely fired either way.

Jarrett Stidham (Texas Tech): The man that led Auburn to a pair of upsets over No. 1 opponents was never supposed to play in the Southeast. Stidham, a native of Big Spring, Texas, originally committed to Texas Tech and Kliff Kingsbury in the spring of his junior year. He stayed committed for a year-and-a-half. But two factors likely had a large impact on Stidham's decision. First was the emergence of a freshman Tech quarterback named Patrick Mahomes, who would've been in Stidham's way in Lubbock for at least two seasons. Second, and just as important, was the pressure in Stidham's home town of Stephenville to play for Art Briles, who had coached Stidham's high school to multiple state titles earlier in his career. Eventually, Stidham flipped to Baylor after a December visit.

Obviously, Stidham eventually left Baylor and nearly led Auburn to the CFB Playoff this past season. But what would've happened had Stidham stayed with his Red Raider pledge? For one, Auburn would've been hard-pressed to have the season it had in 2017. Would-be Auburn starter Sean White was dismissed from the team in September, and the Tigers would've had little under center. If that's the case, Gus Malzahn might have well ended up at Arkansas as the Razorbacks' head coach. Ironically, another Stephenville alumnus, Chad Morris, ended up at Arkansas. As for the Red Raiders, they would've had the perfect successor for Mahomes in a year where they struggled to find consistent QB play.

Jake Fromm (Alabama): At this point, we all know the story of Fromm's commitment to Alabama. A Georgia fan growing up, Fromm never received an offer from Mark Richt's staff so he committed to the Tide. When Kirby Smart left Alabama to become the Bulldogs' head coach, he offered Fromm and the four-star QB flipped. But what would've happened this past season had Fromm ultimately signed with the Crimson Tide? That leads to several branches of possibilities.

First, Fromm may or may not have overtaken Jalen Hurts for the starting job. Considering Hurts is 27-2 as a starter, it wouldn't have been easy. Yet, as the national title game showed, Alabama could very well have needed an offensive spark at some point. Second, Tua Tagovailoa's championship heroics don't happen. It's unlikely Tagovailoa, a five-star prospect, commits to the Tide with Fromm already in the fold. In this scenario, Tagovailoa probably ends up on the West Coast, perhaps at Oregon where his idol, Marcus Mariota, played. Third, and most importantly, Georgia's 2017 campaign becomes one big question mark.Who would they have signed in 2017 instead of Fromm? Do the Bulldogs endure Jacob Eason's early-season injury with Brice Ramsey starting on the road against Notre Dame? If they do, would Jacob Eason become the star we expected him to after he came back healthy a few weeks later? If Georgia isn't in the Rose Bowl, does Oklahoma's offensive onslaught overwhelm Alabama in the national title game? We'll never know, but Fromm's flip, for my money, is the most interesting "what-if" of the 2017 season and beyond.

Brown anchored OU's o-line for years.

Orlando Brown (Tennessee): Future first-round picks at offensive tackle don't come around often, and Tennessee had one in Brown during the 2014 cycle. After committing to play for the Vols in May of his junior year, Brown flipped to Oklahoma when he learned the Volunteers wouldn't sign him because of academic concerns. The last-minute switch was big at the time, but there was little indication how important it'd become. Brown, after a redshirt season in Norman, developed into an All-American left tackle. With Brown protecting his blindside, Mayfield won a Heisman Trophy and the Sooners fielded the nation's top-ranked offense. Brown, in three years, helped Oklahoma to a trio of Big 12 titles and a pair of CFB Playoff appearances. Tennessee, in the meantime, made slow progress under Butch Jones until it all fell apart this past season.

So how do things change if Brown remains at Tennessee? First of all, Brown would've been a hell of a brick for Jones to build around. Offensive line wasn't Tennessee's only issue this past season, but a standout blindside protector would've been a huge boon for a pair of inexperienced QBs. Would Jones still be around had Brown kept his commitment? Who knows. As for Oklahoma, it's hard to imagine the Sooners offense clicking quite so well without Brown. Don't get me wrong, Oklahoma would've still put up points and Mayfield likely still wins plenty of hardware. But are the Sooners quite so dominant? That's hard to envision without their 6-foot-8, 345-pound backfield bouncer.

Jonathan Taylor (Rutgers): I'm sorry to do this to you again Rutgers fans. But Taylor, the Badgers' 2017 breakout star as a true freshman, was once committed to the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers was the first Power Five offer Taylor received in June of 2015, and Taylor eventually committed to the Scarlet Knights in May of the next year. But then the Badgers took notice ... Wisconsin offered Taylor a few weeks later, secured an official visit from him in October and 15 days later Taylor dropped his pledge. Taylor committed to Wisconsin two days later. Honestly, it's hard to blame Taylor. The four-star running back, per 247Sports, chose a program that had four active running backs on NFL rosters to start the 2017 season.

Taylor went on to break Adrian Peterson's NCAA freshman rushing record in a season in which he ran for 1,977 yards, 13 touchdowns and finished sixth in the Heisman voting. Riding Taylor, the Badgers won the Big Ten West and were a possession away from reaching the College Football Playoff. Without Taylor, it's hard to envision the Badgers finishing the regular season undefeated, which completely changes the complexion of the CFB Playoff conversation. If Taylor ultimately ended up at Rutgers, he would've been the best back on campus since Ray Rice. Alas, just two years after losing out on Barkley, Scarlet Knight fans had to watch another former commit tear up the Big Ten.

J.T. Barrett (Texas): The final "Mack Brown didn't offer that QB" story during Brown's tenure in Austin, Barrett grew up rooting for the Longhorns but never received an offer during the 2013 cycle. Texas opted to accept a commitment from Tyrone Swoopes (6-foot-5, 230 pounds), a raw, small-town QB with a big arm and even bigger potential. Barrett would've committed to Texas if it offered, but that verbal extension never came. Instead, Barrett went to Ohio State. There, he won a national title and set a myriad of Buckeye passing records over a four-year starting career. And if you're wondering if Barrett ever forgot about the Texas slight, check out what he had to say about the Longhorns when asked if Texas made a mistake following Ohio State's national title win over Oregon: "Shoot, you can tell 'em that. I don't need to tell 'em that. They saw the film. Talk to Mack Brown."

Texas, as it turns out, could've really used a QB of Barrett's quality. The Longhorns, in the four years following Barrett's redshirt season in 2013, started five different quarterbacks. During Barrett's five-year tenure at Ohio State, Texas also employed three different head coaches. Tom Herman's initial 2017 effort in Austin almost certainly would've been different with Barrett, a redshirt senior, under center. After all, Herman leaned on Barrett in 2014 as Ohio State's offensive coordinator. As for Ohio State without Barrett, things would've likely shifted drastically. Do the Buckeyes win their 2014 national title without Barrett taking over for an injured Braxton Miller? Maybe. After all, Cardale Jones wowed in three postseason games that year. But Barrett's career is far more than that 2014 run. He was a steady presence for the Buckeyes throughout, finishing with a school-record 38 wins. In terms of the 2017 season, Barrett both wowed and frustrated those in Columbus. Some might even argue the Buckeyes would've been better off without him as a senior due to his inefficiencies as a downfield passer. You won't find me in that camp, but the polarization of Barrett's career makes him such a fascinating subject.

Oh yeah, Barrett also strongly considered LSU. That's a conversation for another day. But I'm sure there are plenty of Tigers fans out there who would've loved four years of Barrett in Baton Rouge.