Urban Meyer from the sidelines at Cal.

Urban Meyer has consistently put together elite recruiting classes, and his 2014 group at Ohio State isn't an exception. But how does the rest of the Big Ten stack up?

(Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Urban Meyer has made assembling top five recruiting classes routine, and thatâs why heâs considered the fiercest recruiter in college football.

And in 2014, Meyer is back at it again.

Ohio Stateâs recruiting class has 22 oral commitments and ranks among in the top three in team rankings assembled by all three major recruiting services - Rivals.com, Scout.com and 247Sports.

But where does the rest of the Big Ten stack up with the Buckeyes?

Cleveland.com averaged every teamâs rankings from all three services and ranked them in order. According to the numbers, the Buckeyes haven't been challenged by anyone else in the Big Ten on the recruiting trail.

1. Ohio State. Average ranking: 2.33 (Rivals: 2, Scout: 3, 247Sports: 2) - If finding success in college football is based largely on recruiting, Ohio State should be on top of the Big Ten for years to come. Because right now, Ohio State is in a league of its own in in landing top prep talent. Five-star linebacker Raekwon McMillan stands out from a class stacked with four-star talents, many of which would be the jewels of other Big Ten classes.

2. Michigan. Avg: 21.67 (Rivals: 27, Scout: 23, 247Sports: 15) - If Meyer has any competition in the Big Ten right now, it is Brady Hoke and Michigan. The Wolverines are the only other program in the conference with a five-star prospect â New Jersey defensive back Jabrill Peppers â but the Wolverines have slid out of the top 10 in the three major recruiting servicesâ team rankings.

3. Wisconsin. Avg: 25.67 (Rivals: 28, Scout: 19, 247Sports: 30) - Wisconsin has never been a program that thrives on great recruiting, and maybe thatâs because it is situated in a state thatâs not a hotbed of prep talent. But the Badgers have been diverse, plucking four-star prospects from Ohio, Maryland and Florida. Perhaps the best player in the Badgersâ class is athlete Dareian Watkins of Galion, Ohio, but he never earned a scholarship from the Buckeyes.

4. Penn State. Avg: 28 (Rivals: 24, Scout: 31, 247Sports: 29) - That Penn State was able to remain afloat despite major recruiting sanctions was a testament to former coach Bill OâBrien, but new coach James Franklin earned his stripes as a great recruiter at Vanderbilt. Penn State flipped five Vandy commits when Franklin came to State College, and Franklin has his eyes on challenging Ohio State in 2015. But if Franklin wants to "dominate" the recruiting region, he'll have to beat out Meyer first.

5. Michigan State. Avg: 30.67 (Rivals: 29, Scout: 29, 247Sports: 34) - Michigan State won the Big Ten this year, and they did it with recruiting classes that look a lot like the group Mark Dantonio assembled this year. There are a few four-star prospects, like running back Madre London of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas and defensive lineman Enoch Smith Jr. of Chicago Mt. Carmel, but a large portion of the class is comprised of three- and two-star prospects. Dantonio has gotten more out of those types of talents than anyone else in the Big Ten.

James Franklin made a name for himself as a great recruiter at Vanderbilt, and he plans to bring Penn State back to the top of college football.

6. Nebraska. Avg: 36.33 (Rivals: 32, Scout: 37, 247Sports: 40) - Nebraska is in a tough spot because its old bread and butter for recruiting was in Texas, but it has been harder to reach the Lone Star State since the Cornhuskers left the Big XII for the Big Ten. But Nebraska still hasnât found great footing in the Midwest from a recruiting standpoint, either. Bo Pelini picked up a commitment Friday in four-star offensive lineman Nick Gates of Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman, but he isnât going to get Nebraska back to its 1990s form by putting together classes outside of the top 30 in the nation.

7. Indiana. Avg: 41.67 (Rivals: 39, Scout: 39, 247Sports: 47) - If it seems like Indiana is starting to become more competitive lately, it is probably because the Hoosiers have actually had a pulse in the recruiting phase. Though seventh-best in the Big Ten isnât going to turn heads, the Hoosiers used to be at the very bottom of this conference. And six of their commitments are from Ohio, including St. Ignatius linebacker Dameon Willis and Glenville running back Devine Redding.

T-8. Northwestern: Avg: 47.33 (Rivals: 50, Scout: 50, 247Sports: 42) - Northwestern is a program that seemed to be primed to compete for a Big Ten title this year, but the Wildcatsâ season fell apart after a close loss to Ohio State at home in their Big Ten opener. Pat Fitzgerald was gaining momentum in recruiting, but its hard to sell growth after a one-win Big Ten season. Perhaps thatâs the reason Northwestern still has a recruiting class ranked by Rivals and Scout as No. 50 overall.

Purdue head coach Darrell Hazell, a former Ohio State assistant, is finding it is much tougher to recruit to the Boilermakers.

T-8. Iowa. Avg: 13 (Rivals: 53, Scout: 41, 247Sports: 48) - Iowa earned a commitment from its quarterback of the future in four-star prospect Tyler Wiegers of Detroit (Mich.) County Day, but the Hawkeyes didnât stack a dynamic class around him. The only other four-star prospect in Iowaâs class is athlete Jay Scheel of La Porte City (Iowa) Union. According to Rivals, seven of the Hawkeyesâ 19 oral commitments are two-star prospects. That isn't ideal for competing at the highest level.

10. Purdue. Avg: 61.33 (Rivals: 62, Scout: 58, 247Sports: 64) - Former Ohio State assistant Darrell Hazell is finding itâs a lot harder to recruit top players to Purdue than it was to lure them to Columbus. The Boilermakers are trying to bounce back, but that battle will be harder if they keep finding themselves at the bottom of the Big Ten in recruiting. Purdue has only one four-star prospect in its class with 18 current commitments â defensive end Gelen Robinson of St. John (Ind.) Lake Central.

11. Illinois. Avg: 63 (Rivals: 65, Scout: 61, 247Sports: 63) - Back in the Ron Zook days, Illinois was rather competitive with the top programs in the Big Ten in the recruitment of top prospects. But Illinoisâ fade in the standings has a lot to do with their recruiting rankings, and Tim Beckmanâs 2014 class doesnât have a prospect rated better than three stars. Illinois is the only class in the Big Ten that doesnât have at least one four-star prospect.

12. Minnesota 3. Avg: 65.67 (Rivals: 68, Scout: 62, 247Sports: 67) - Minnesota is the only Big Ten program that is ranked behind every other conference foe in each of the three servicesâ rankings. Minnesota is at the very bottom, and there's no argument against it. The Gophers have a four-star commitment in running back Jeff Jones of Minneapolis (Minn.) Washburn, but the class is rated the lowest because it only has 14 total oral commitments.