Scout.com's ranking formula is a little asinine, in my opinion. At first glance it seems logical but it isn't. Here is their formula:
Star Rating Points --- (5* = 200, 4* = 120, 3* = 40, 2* = 20, 1* = 0)
+
Position Ranking Points --- (#1 = 100, #2 = 99, #3 = 98, etc.)
=
Total Points
There are a few things wrong with this. For example, JuCo and Sign-and-Place recruits get no position ranking. If they are a 4* recruit and the 3rd best player in the nation at Left Tackle, for example, then they only get 120 points (The 3rd best Offensive Tackle in Scout's rankings this year is a 4*). Meanwhile, a typical high-school recruit who is a 3* recruit and the 20th best player in the nation at Tight End, for example, is worth "more" at 121 points. And a 4* Wide Receiver who is the 41st best player in the nation at his position is worth a lot "more" at 180 points.
In addition, the position ranking scoring system doesn't take into account relative depth at the different positions. That 41st best Wide Receiver earns a whopping 60 position ranking points even though he's a 4* player. Meanwhile, a 2* Center is worth 75 position ranking points simply because there were only 25 Centers ranked ahead of him.
As further evidence, look at a few of Ohio State's Scout.com Top 300 player rankings:
[TABLE="class: grid, width: 600"]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]National Ranking[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Star Rating[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Position[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Position Ranking[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Player's Last Name[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Scout Points[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]25[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]*****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]S[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2[/TD]
[TD]Bell[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]299[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]28[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]*****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]MLB[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2[/TD]
[TD]Mitchell[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]299[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]32[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]*****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]WR[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6[/TD]
[TD]Marshall[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]295[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]38[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]*****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]DE[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD]Bosa[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]297[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]47[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]RB[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]9[/TD]
[TD]Elliott[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]212[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]72[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]OT[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD]Lisle[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]216[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]73[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]TE[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD]Baugh[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]218[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]111[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]CB[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]11[/TD]
[TD]Apple[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]210[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]129[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]CB[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13[/TD]
[TD]Conley[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]208[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]151[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]QB[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13[/TD]
[TD]Barrett[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]208[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]203[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]OLB[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16[/TD]
[TD]Johnson[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]205[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]222[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]WR[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]30[/TD]
[TD]Clark[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]191[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]246[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]****[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]S[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]20[/TD]
[TD]Thompson[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]201[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Meanwhile, the #293 player in the Scout.com Top 300 is Wyatt Shallman, a 4* Fullback, who ends up with 219 total points simply because there are only two 4* Fullbacks in this year's class. That gives him more total points than each of the eight 4* recruits in the Top 50 of Scout's rankings - including WR Derrick Griffin, RB Ezekiel Elliott, DT Dee Liner, OT Kyle Bosch, and RB Dontre Wilson!
Using that scoring system, here are how the Top 5, Top 10, Top 15, Top 20, and Top 25 players in each of Alabama's and Ohio State's recruiting classes score up against each other:
[TABLE="class: grid, width: 480"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 64, align: center"][/TD]
[TD="width: 128, colspan: 2, align: center"]Alabama[/TD]
[TD="width: 128, colspan: 2, align: center"]Ohio State[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Total Points[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Avg. Nat. Ranking[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Total Points[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Avg. Nat. Ranking[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1494[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1402[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]34[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 10[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2655[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]32[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2466[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]60[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 15[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3689[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]55[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3492[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]96[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 20[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4414[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]111[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4471[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]132[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 25[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4824[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]149[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5046[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]166[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Note: Any player not ranked in the Top 300 receives a value of 301 for the calculated average.
A better ranking would be to keep the Star Rating points but substitute the National Ranking for the Position Ranking. Let's say that the #300 ranked player in the nation (a 4*) gets 25 points in addition to his Star Rating points for a total of 145 points. Player #299 gets +26 points for a total of 146, #298 gets +27 points for a total of 147, and so on and so on all the way up to the #1 player in the country who gets 525 total points. That way, every player in the Top 300 is only 1 point behind the person in front of them and 1 point ahead of the person behind them.
If you used that scoring system with Scout's rankings, then you would end up with:
[TABLE="class: grid, width: 480"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 64, align: center"][/TD]
[TD="width: 128, colspan: 2, align: center"]Alabama[/TD]
[TD="width: 128, colspan: 2, align: center"]Ohio State[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"][/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Total Points[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Avg. Nat. Ranking[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Total Points[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Avg. Nat. Ranking[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2567[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2380[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]34[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 10[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4617[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]32[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4181[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]60[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 15[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6342[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]55[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5575[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]96[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 20[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6950[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]111[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6572[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]132[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Top 25[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7130[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]149[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6852[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]166[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
Note: Any player not ranked in the Top 300 receives a value of 301 for the calculated average.