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College Football's 5 Biggest "Sleeping Giants"

An interior view of Texas A&M's football stadium

COLLEGE STATION, TX - APRIL 13: An interior view of the stadium before the start of Texas A&M Aggies Maroon & White spring football game at Kyle Field on April 13, 2013 in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

The term "sleeping giant" gets thrown around a lot in the college football world. Which programs best fit that mold in 2018?

A year ago, Georgia would've made the list. The Bulldogs have long been considered one of the programs that should be better than they are. Some believe UGA is one of the two or three best jobs in the country.

Kirby Smart is starting to help prove why. Georgia is bringing in ridiculous recruiting classes and is coming off a national title game appearance.

Clemson is another program that could've made the list a couple of years ago. The Tigers are now firmly one of the sport's best.

What programs have the potential to do something similar in the next 10-15 years?

Here are five.

5. Maryland

A general view of Maryland's football stadium.

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Maryland has been on a lot of these lists. Maybe it will never happen, but the Terrapins possess a couple of things that could propel them to elite status. The deal with Under Armour is big, as is being located in the Washington, D.C. corridor. UMD will likely need Ohio State and Penn State to falter a bit before they can really take advantage of all of this, but if that were to happen, and the Terps are ready to pounce, big things could come to College Park.

4. Arizona State

Arizona State Sun Devils cheerleaders perform during a first-round game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament against the USC Trojans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Will Herm Edwards be the man to take Arizona State to a higher level? Maybe not. But it only takes a couple of minutes on ASU's campus to realize that it shouldn't be too difficult to get top high school recruits to want to play for the Sun Devils.

3. Nebraska

Head coach Scott Frost of the UCF Knights walks up to the stadium with his team before pregame of the 2017 AAC Championship.

(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Nebraska has everything an elite program could want, except for an elite recruiting state. That's never going to change, but with Scott Frost at the helm of the program, the Huskers might just need consistent top 15-20 recruiting classes to vault to College Football Playoff contention. Wisconsin is really the only program in their way from making the Big Ten Championship Game a near-yearly trip.

2. UCLA

UCLA Bruins takes the field for the Cactus Bowl against the Kansas State Wildcats at Chase Field.

(Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

UCLA is located in one of the best recruiting states in the country and the Bruins are now led by former star college coach Chip Kelly. It shouldn't take the program too long to get back to the top of the Pac-12, right?

1. Texas A&M

An exterior view of Texas A&M's football stadium.

(Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Texas A&M is spending so much freaking money that the Aggies almost have to become a top 10 program at some point in the future. Jimbo Fisher has proven to be able to take a team to a national title level. The recruiting area and program infrastructure are in place to make that happen.