Welcome

Over the past few years I have created a straightforward way to rank college football teams. Basically, I wanted a way to combine subjective views towards teams with an objective component. I have tinkered with my formula over the seasons and have what I think is a pretty decent way to compare resumes of different teams. This is NOT a sophisticated algorithm, and should not be treated the same way as Sagarin, KenPom, or other computer rankings found in places like the Massey Ranking Composite. The rankings should also not be used to predict future games; my rankings should be considered a snapshot of how a team’s body of work has been up to this point. Even though it is not the most complicated ranking system ever created, I think its simplicity can be a positive thing.


Basic Idea

I will not go into detail here about how these rankings are calculated, but I will describe the basic concept. Like I mentioned above, these rankings combine subjective and objective features. The subjective component drives the whole process. Every team is placed by me into a bin. There are seven general bins, ranging from -3 to 3. A basic idea of what each bin represents is:


If a team seems to be somewhere in between two of these categories, they can be binned as a “0.5”, “1.5”, etc. For example, Wisconsin I would argue is not quite elite yet, but seems to be close enough where a 2.5 bin is warranted.

This is the subjective part of the process. I make the final call which bin a team falls into, but I try to inform myself as much as possible of the consensus of a given team. For example, for a team to be “borderline ranked” (bin 1), they need to at least appear in the “Other Receiving Votes” area of the AP and Coaches polls. I try to make the bins representative of the nationwide media consensus of a given team. Still, there is definitely subjectivity involved.

The objective element of the rankings gives and takes away points from a team depending on the bins of that team’s opponents. For example, beating a team from bin 0 at home by a “non-blowout score” (less than 22 points) rewards that team 0.5 points, and so on. This is the part of the process that I have tinkered with over the years. A team of course loses points for losing a game, depending on the opponent, where the game was played, and whether it was a blowout or not.

So the basic idea of the system is that we have an idea as fans which “bin” a team falls into. Once we determine that, we can get an obective idea of how a team’s resume is depending on the bins of that team’s wins and losses. The final “Score” of the ranking is simply a sum of the bin you are in and the amount of points you have gained/lost from wins and losses. For example, Oklahoma is 21st in my rankings with 2 points. They are in bin 2, received 2 points for beating Ohio State on the road by a non-blowout score (OSU is currently in bin 2), and lost 2 points with their home loss to Iowa State, who is in bin 0. None of their other wins are good enough to warrant any points. Therefore, Oklahoma’s score is 2 + 2 - 2 = 2.


Week 6: Curious Case of Oklahoma

The two most noteworthy results from Week 6 were the home losses by Oklahoma and Michigan. Both of these teams promptly dropped quite far in this week’s rankings, with Oklahoma’s loss being particularly surprising and detrimental. The Sooners now find themselves free fallin’ all the way to 21st this week, down from tied for 5th last week. Given the fact that they have one of the season’s best wins so far at Ohio State, why is Oklahoma that low? The math is easy enough to calculate. The Sooners got 2 points for winning at Columbus, but they lose an entire 2 points for losing at home to Iowa State. With no other noteworthy games, their final score is therefore simply their bin, which is 2, good for 21st place this week.

Oklahoma’s resume begs one of the most popular questions when deliberating who should be in the playoffs: what’s better, having one GREAT win but a questionable loss, or neither? What if you compare OU to a one-loss resume like Oklahoma State’s or Virginia Tech’s, who have one “quality loss” but very little significant wins? Should we reward big wins or punish bad losses with greater magnitude? This is all open for debate of course, but my approach seems to be quite punishing towards bad losses. Like I said, OU’s reward for their win over Ohio State was completely wiped out from their Iowa State loss. Of course, you can think of it in the other direction: the punishment of Oklahoma’s bad home loss was neutralized by their great OSU road win. I think this is a reasonable result from my model, but that can be debated.

The main reason why Oklahoma is rated relatively low in my system is actually not because of the trade-off between the OSU and ISU results. When you take a deeper look at the Sooners’ resume, it’s actually quite thin after the Ohio State win. Who is their second best win? 0-5 Baylor? Tulane? There’s really nothing there, other than the admittedly big road win at OSU. A team like Penn State, who doesn’t have an elite win, at least has beaten teams like Iowa, Northwestern, Pitt, and Indiana. Not great wins, but they put a little meat on their resume. Most teams near the top have several decent wins like that, while Oklahoma is leaning solely on the Buckeyes win. My system rewards resumes that have a deep, robust amount of solid wins. If OU was undefeated, this relatively shallow collection of wins would be fine and the Sooners would be easily in the top 6 or so. However, throw a bad home loss onto their docket and that one big win can’t keep their total body of work from looking a little thin.

In other news, is it bizarre to say that Notre Dame might be… underrated? The perenially overrated Irish actually seem to be flying under the radar since their loss to Georgia, and come in at T-10th this week. Their 20-point road win at Michigan State certainly has aged well, and they have been the only team to stay with Georgia thus far. They’ve also demolished inferior teams like Boston College, Temple, and UNC. Ask Oklahoma whether you should take that for granted or not! We’ll find out whether ND is for real, as they have a ridiculous slate the rest of the way: they play USC, NC State, at Miami, Navy, and at Stanford (and Wake). My strength of schedule formula has them at the second most difficult SOS the rest of the way. The hardest? That would be Georgia Tech, who plays Clemson, Georgia, Miami, Virginia Tech, at UVA, and at Duke (and Wake). Yikes…

Here are the Week 6 rankings. Notice that the top 25 teams in my rankings are the same exact teams in the AP top 25 (albeit with a different order of course). So that’s kinda cool!

Rank Team Score Record Conf Prev Rank Rem Sched Rank
1 Clemson 9 6-0 (4-0) 1 55
2 Georgia 7.75 6-0 (3-0) 2 43
3 TCU 6.25 5-0 (2-0) 4 51
4 Penn State 5.75 6-0 (3-0) 6 35
5 Alabama 5.25 6-0 (3-0) 3 60
6 Washington St 5.25 6-0 (3-0) 8 23
7 Miami 4 4-0 (2-0) 12 30
8 OK State 4 4-1 (1-1) 9 55
9 San Diego St 3.75 6-0 (2-0) 13 106
T10 USC 3.75 5-1 (3-1) 11 35
T10 Notre Dame 3.75 5-1 (0-0) 22 2
T12 Wisconsin 3.5 5-0 (2-0) 20 47
T12 Washington 3.5 6-0 (3-0) 10 14
14 UCF 3.25 4-0 (2-0) 18 70
T15 Ohio State 3 5-1 (3-0) T15 19
T15 Auburn 3 5-1 (3-0) T15 23
17 Michigan State 2.75 4-1 (2-0) T43 30
18 Stanford 2.75 4-2 (3-1) 28 8
19 Virginia Tech 2.5 5-1 (1-1) T15 43
20 S Florida 2 5-0 (2-0) 21 73
21 Oklahoma 2 4-1 (1-1) 5 14
22 NC State 2 5-1 (3-0) 24 35
23 Michigan 1.75 4-1 (1-1) 7 6
24 Texas Tech 1.5 4-1 (1-1) 25 19
25 Navy 1 5-0 (3-0) 27 51
26 Utah 0.25 4-1 (1-1) 23 3
27 Louisville 0.25 4-2 (1-2) 19 60
28 West Virginia 0 3-2 (1-1) 26 23
29 Georgia Tech -0.25 3-1 (2-0) 33 1
T30 Iowa -0.5 4-2 (1-2) T46 19
T30 Indiana -0.5 3-2 (0-2) 32 41
T30 Mississippi St -0.5 3-2 (1-2) T39 64
T33 Houston -0.75 4-1 (2-0) 58 64
T33 Memphis -0.75 4-1 (1-1) T43 73
T35 Virginia -1 4-1 (1-0) 49 23
T35 Troy -1 4-1 (1-0) T43 129
T37 Texas AM -1 4-2 (2-1) T34 48
T37 Maryland -1 3-2 (1-1) T34 3
T37 Tennessee -1 3-2 (0-2) T39 51
T37 Florida -1 3-2 (3-1) 14 55
41 Kentucky -1.25 5-1 (2-1) T34 30
T42 Wake Forest -1.25 4-2 (1-2) T34 8
T42 Purdue -1.25 3-2 (1-1) T39 60
T42 Texas -1.25 3-2 (2-0) 54 8
45 Florida State -1.25 1-3 (1-2) 29 51
46 Toledo -1.5 4-1 (1-0) 50 112
T47 Duke -1.75 4-2 (1-2) 30 46
T47 Oregon -1.75 4-2 (1-2) 31 30
T49 South Carolina -2 4-2 (2-2) T59 35
T49 Iowa State -2 3-2 (1-1) 75 30
51 UCLA -2.25 3-2 (1-1) T56 8
52 Arizona St -2.25 2-3 (1-1) 67 23
53 Boise State -2.25 3-2 (1-0) 61 86
54 Marshall -2.25 4-1 (1-0) 63 106
55 App State -2.5 3-2 (2-0) 65 129
56 Vanderbilt -2.5 3-3 (0-3) 38 68
T57 SMU -2.5 4-2 (1-1) 48 63
T57 W Michigan -2.5 4-2 (2-0) 68 93
59 Northwestern -2.75 2-3 (0-2) T59 55
60 Colorado St -2.75 4-2 (2-0) 62 93
T61 LSU -3 4-2 (1-1) 72 19
T61 Arizona -3 3-2 (1-1) T76 35
63 California -3 3-3 (0-3) T46 43
64 Fresno St -3 3-2 (2-0) 71 82
65 Kansas State -3.25 3-2 (1-1) 42 3
66 Minnesota -3.5 3-2 (0-2) 53 23
67 Ole Miss -3.5 2-3 (0-2) 55 66
68 Tulane -3.5 3-2 (1-1) 66 73
69 N Illinois -4 3-2 (1-0) 73 102
70 Arkansas -4.25 2-3 (0-2) 52 48
71 Pittsburgh -4.25 2-4 (0-2) 64 14
72 UTSA -4.25 3-1 (0-1) 51 128
73 Colorado -4.75 3-3 (0-3) T56 23
74 Army -4.75 4-2 (0-0) 78 70
75 Nebraska -5 3-3 (2-1) 69 8
76 Syracuse -5.25 3-3 (1-1) 86 8
77 Boston College -5.5 2-4 (0-3) 82 55
T78 Wyoming -5.5 3-2 (1-0) 80 98
T78 N Texas -5.5 3-2 (2-0) T83 123
80 Temple -5.5 3-3 (1-2) 98 70
T81 Southern Miss -5.75 3-2 (1-1) T87 127
T81 Arkansas St -5.75 2-2 (1-0) T83 121
83 Air Force -6 1-4 (0-2) 81 102
84 FIU -6 3-2 (2-1) 74 87
85 New Mexico -6.25 3-2 (1-1) T92 77
86 FAU -6.25 3-3 (2-0) 102 106
87 UL Monroe -6.25 3-2 (3-0) 95 77
88 Akron -6.25 3-3 (2-0) 94 91
89 Georgia St -6.25 2-2 (1-0) 97 112
90 Ohio -6.5 4-2 (1-1) 70 106
91 W Kentucky -6.75 3-2 (1-1) T92 112
92 Utah State -7 3-3 (1-1) 79 87
93 Illinois -7.25 2-3 (0-2) T76 35
94 UAB -7.25 3-2 (1-1) 106 118
95 E Michigan -7.5 2-3 (0-2) T87 112
96 UNLV -7.5 2-3 (1-1) 96 123
97 Cincinnati -7.75 2-4 (0-2) 91 81
98 Rutgers -7.75 1-4 (0-2) 104 14
99 Mid Tennessee -8 3-3 (1-1) 107 118
100 Oregon State -8.25 1-5 (0-3) 105 48
101 Buffalo -8.25 3-3 (1-1) T89 102
102 Missouri -8.5 1-4 (0-3) 100 66
103 Louisiana Tech -8.75 3-3 (1-1) T83 106
104 N Mexico St -9 2-4 (0-2) 101 118
105 North Carolina -9.25 1-5 (0-3) 99 41
T106 C Michigan -9.25 3-3 (1-1) T112 87
T106 Old Dominion -9.25 2-3 (0-1) T89 123
108 UL Lafayette -10.25 2-3 (1-1) 119 112
109 S Alabama -10.25 1-4 (0-1) 120 117
110 Idaho -10.5 2-3 (1-1) 103 102
111 Tulsa -11.25 1-5 (0-2) 108 68
112 Miami OH -11.25 2-4 (1-1) 109 106
113 Baylor -11.5 0-5 (0-2) 121 14
114 Kansas -11.5 1-4 (0-2) T112 6
115 BYU -11.5 1-5 (0-0) 115 121
116 Ball State -12 2-4 (0-2) 110 87
117 Kent State -12.25 1-5 (0-2) 116 98
118 GA Southern -12.25 0-4 (0-1) 117 123
119 E Carolina -12.5 1-5 (1-2) 111 77
120 Hawaii -12.75 2-4 (0-3) T112 85
121 Uconn -12.75 1-4 (0-3) 118 82
122 Nevada -13.25 1-5 (1-1) 126 73
123 Bowling Green -14.75 1-5 (1-1) 128 91
124 Rice -15.25 1-5 (1-1) 122 98
125 Co Carolina -15.5 1-4 (0-2) 123 93
126 San Jose St -16.25 1-6 (0-3) 125 82
127 Texas St -16.5 1-5 (0-2) 124 98
128 UTEP -18 0-6 (0-2) 127 93
129 Umass -18.25 0-6 (0-0) 130 77
130 Charlotte -20 0-6 (0-2) 129 93


Interesting Plot of the Week

It’s easy to concentrate on Oklahoma’s and Michigan’s falls for their losses this week, but let’s give some credit to Iowa State and Michigan State, who both shot up the rankings. Iowa State still finds themselves down at tied for 49th, but their program is going in the right direction under Matt Campbell and they may upset another team or two this season. Michigan State all of a sudden finds themselves at 19th in this week’s rankings, actually landing ahead of both OU and “big brother” Michigan. The Spartans haven’t been the prettiest team this season, but their loss to Notre Dame is looking more excuseable by the week, and winning at Michigan will do wonders to your resume. The Spartans may not have the horses to be a legitimate contender in the Big 10 East, but they’re certainly in the picture right now.

Conference Ranks: Logjam at Top

The conference rankings this week are fascinating. We have essentially a four-way tie for first between the Pac 12, ACC, SEC, and Big 10. Techinically the Pac 10 has the #1 spot, but the differences between these four conferences are ridiculously miniscule right now. If anyone claims that one conference is objectively the best in the nation, there simply is no evidence to back it up. Each of these conferences has contenders (Clemson, Alabama, Penn State, Washington), middling disappointments (Florida State, LSU, Nebraska, Colorado), and flat-out bad teams (Boston College, Missouri, Rutgers, Oregon State). This is the first time in a long while where the power 5 conferences (the Big 12 isn’t too far behind the top 4) are so evenly clustered at the top. I think it’s great for the sport.

Rank Conf Avg
1 Pac 12 -0.8125
2 ACC -0.8571
3 SEC -0.8929
4 Big 10 -0.9107
5 Big 12 -1.575
6 Amer -4.25
7 MW -6.5625
8 Ind -7.6875
9 MAC -8
10 CUSA -8.8036
11 S Belt -8.8333


Next are the rankings within every conference, as well as each team’s national ranking:

ACC: Spotlight on NC State

NC State has had a tumultuous season, both with actual results on the field with how they’re situated within the ACC Atlantic. It all started with high preseason expectations being squashed with a disappointing loss to South Carolina, where they lost despite outgaining the Gamecocks 504-246. This took them off the radar for awhile, but now with wins at Florida State and against Louisville, the Wolfpack are squarely back in the national spotlight. The struggles of the Seminoles and (a little less so) the Cardinals have squarely placed NC State as the second best team in the division. They are perhaps the only team that has a shot to take down Clemson. Keep in mind that if NC State wins out, including a home win vs. Clemson, they will be the ones winning the Atlantic and going to the ACC Championship Game. They are to Clemson what Auburn currently is to Alabama.

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Clemson 9 6-0 (4-0) 12 1
2 Miami 4 4-0 (2-0) 6 7
3 Virginia Tech 2.5 5-1 (1-1) 9 19
4 NC State 2 5-1 (3-0) 7 22
5 Louisville 0.25 4-2 (1-2) 14 27
6 Georgia Tech -0.25 3-1 (2-0) 1 29
7 Virginia -1 4-1 (1-0) 5 T35
8 Wake Forest -1.25 4-2 (1-2) 2 T42
9 Florida State -1.25 1-3 (1-2) 11 45
10 Duke -1.75 4-2 (1-2) 10 T47
11 Pittsburgh -4.25 2-4 (0-2) 4 71
12 Syracuse -5.25 3-3 (1-1) 2 76
13 Boston College -5.5 2-4 (0-3) 12 77
14 North Carolina -9.25 1-5 (0-3) 8 105


Big 10: East Division Superiority

According to my rankings, there is no clear superior conference. However, there is no such ambiguity when it comes to the division rankings: the Big 10 East by far comes out as the best division in the nation (see the full rankings below). Michigan State’s big weekend win puts them up with the big boys, which of course include PSU, OSU, and Michigan. However, don’t completely forget what Indiana and Maryland have done to provide some depth to the division. Maryland got destroyed by Ohio State on Saturday, but they still own a decent win at Texas. And Indiana, despite losing to OSU and not being competitive against Penn State, scored a road win at Virginia early in the year that all of a sudden looks pretty good. Sure, Rutgers is…. Rutgers… but the other six teams form a heck of a group.

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Penn State 5.75 6-0 (3-0) 9 4
2 Wisconsin 3.5 5-0 (2-0) 12 T12
3 Ohio State 3 5-1 (3-0) 5 T15
4 Michigan State 2.75 4-1 (2-0) 8 17
5 Michigan 1.75 4-1 (1-1) 2 23
T6 Iowa -0.5 4-2 (1-2) 5 T30
T6 Indiana -0.5 3-2 (0-2) 11 T30
8 Maryland -1 3-2 (1-1) 1 T37
9 Purdue -1.25 3-2 (1-1) 14 T42
10 Northwestern -2.75 2-3 (0-2) 13 59
11 Minnesota -3.5 3-2 (0-2) 7 66
12 Nebraska -5 3-3 (2-1) 3 75
13 Illinois -7.25 2-3 (0-2) 9 93
14 Rutgers -7.75 1-4 (0-2) 4 98


SEC: Four Teams Left

After just six weeks, there are only four SEC teams remaining with one or fewer losses. Two of those of course are undefeated Alabama and Georgia, who look great. Auburn is another, where Jarrett Stidham is starting to get hot for the one-loss Tigers. The fourth team? Not Florida (losses to Michigan and LSU), Texas AM (UCLA/Bama), LSU (Miss St/Troy), Mississippi State (UGA/Auburn), or Tennessee (Florida/UGA). It’s Kentucky, who have plodded out a 5-1 start to the season. Their season hasn’t been particularly impressive however, with close wins over Southern Miss and Eastern Michigan and a painfully embarassing loss to Florida. They do have a solid win at South Carolina, although without injured star Deebo Samuel the Gamecocks are looking a little toothless. All in all, I thought it was notewhorthy that among all of the money-flowing, big-time programs in the SEC, a mediocre Kentucky team is one of just four with fewer than two losses. It’s been a strange year in the SEC.

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Georgia 7.75 6-0 (3-0) 5 2
2 Alabama 5.25 6-0 (3-0) 10 5
3 Auburn 3 5-1 (3-0) 2 T15
4 Mississippi St -0.5 3-2 (1-2) 11 T30
T5 Texas AM -1 4-2 (2-1) 6 T37
T5 Tennessee -1 3-2 (0-2) 8 T37
T5 Florida -1 3-2 (3-1) 9 T37
8 Kentucky -1.25 5-1 (2-1) 3 41
9 South Carolina -2 4-2 (2-2) 4 T49
10 Vanderbilt -2.5 3-3 (0-3) 14 56
11 LSU -3 4-2 (1-1) 1 T61
12 Ole Miss -3.5 2-3 (0-2) 12 67
13 Arkansas -4.25 2-3 (0-2) 6 70
14 Missouri -8.5 1-4 (0-3) 12 102


Big 12: Kansas State Struggles

Kansas State came into the season as a sleeper pick to make some noise in the Big 12. The preseason-ranked team returned star QB Jesse Ertz and a rare stingy Big 12 defense, but things have not gone to plan thus far. The Wildcats have picked up two losses in the only two relevant games they’ve played this season: an early road loss to Vanderbilt (ouch, that’s not looking good now) and this past week at Texas in double overtime. That being said, both of those losses were quite close, and Bill Snyder has been a really good coach for a really long time. In other words, don’t sleep on the Wildcats upsetting someone this year. Could they do it this week when they host TCU? Vegas agrees that the Wildcats shouldn’t be ignored: TCU is currently only a 4.5-point road favorite in this one, despite being ranked in the top 10.

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 TCU 6.25 5-0 (2-0) 9 3
2 OK State 4 4-1 (1-1) 10 8
3 Oklahoma 2 4-1 (1-1) 4 21
4 Texas Tech 1.5 4-1 (1-1) 6 24
5 West Virginia 0 3-2 (1-1) 7 28
6 Texas -1.25 3-2 (2-0) 3 T42
7 Iowa State -2 3-2 (1-1) 8 T49
8 Kansas State -3.25 3-2 (1-1) 1 65
9 Baylor -11.5 0-5 (0-2) 4 113
10 Kansas -11.5 1-4 (0-2) 2 114


Pac 12: Washington Cupcakes

Much has been said about the Chris Peterson vs. ESPN media brawl that took place over the weekend. Part of ESPN’s “disrespect” towards the Huskies came during the broadcast of Washington’s win over Cal late on Saturday. The on-field reporter described Washington’s nonconference schedule as literal cupcakes on the sidelines, prompting Washington fans to become angry at the message being sent. Still, the facts are facts: Washington’s nonconference schedule (Montana, Fresno State, and Rutgers… yikes) was an absolute joke. Not to mention their conference wins so far have been Oregon State, Colorado, and Cal, who are a combined 0-9 in Pac 12 play. I like the Huskies and had them as a preseason playoff team (I still have them as a playoff team), but dang that is a horrible schedule so far. Even by dominating each of those games, they only come in at tied for 12th in this week’s rankings.

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Washington St 5.25 6-0 (3-0) 5 6
2 USC 3.75 5-1 (3-1) 9 T10
3 Washington 3.5 6-0 (3-0) 4 T12
4 Stanford 2.75 4-2 (3-1) 2 18
5 Utah 0.25 4-1 (1-1) 1 26
6 Oregon -1.75 4-2 (1-2) 8 T47
7 UCLA -2.25 3-2 (1-1) 2 51
8 Arizona St -2.25 2-3 (1-1) 5 52
9 Arizona -3 3-2 (1-1) 9 T61
10 California -3 3-3 (0-3) 11 63
11 Colorado -4.75 3-3 (0-3) 5 73
12 Oregon State -8.25 1-5 (0-3) 12 100


American: Tulsa Struggles

Just last year, Tulsa went 10-3 with a bowl win in a very successful season under then-second-year coach Phil Montgomery. Despite losing a lot of offensive production through graduation, the Golden Hurricane came into the season with high expectations. Well, things haven’t gone too well, as Tulsa has started 1-5. Losses to Oklahoma State, Toledo, New Mexico, and Navy were capped by a 62-28 beatdown at the hands of Tulane this weekend. A strange turn of events in the wrong direction for Tulsa this year.

In other news, the AAC has the saem amount of top 25 teams (UCF, USF, Navy) as the SEC does right now. Go figure.

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 UCF 3.25 4-0 (2-0) 5 14
2 S Florida 2 5-0 (2-0) 7 20
3 Navy 1 5-0 (3-0) 1 25
T4 Houston -0.75 4-1 (2-0) 3 T33
T4 Memphis -0.75 4-1 (1-1) 7 T33
6 SMU -2.5 4-2 (1-1) 2 T57
7 Tulane -3.5 3-2 (1-1) 7 68
8 Temple -5.5 3-3 (1-2) 5 80
9 Cincinnati -7.75 2-4 (0-2) 11 97
10 Tulsa -11.25 1-5 (0-2) 4 111
11 E Carolina -12.5 1-5 (1-2) 10 119
12 Uconn -12.75 1-4 (0-3) 12 121


Mountain West: Tough Luck for Air Force

Air Force has the honor of being the third-highest ranked 4-loss team this season, behind Pitt and Boston College. Despite their 1-4 record, the Falcons have been pretty competitive. They had a hiccup in a loss to New Mexico, but kept things pretty close against both Michigan and San Diego State. This past Saturday they led a furious comeback against Navy before the Midshipmen salvaged a win with a last-minute TD. Put Air Force down as a team that is better than its record.

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 San Diego St 3.75 6-0 (2-0) 11 9
2 Boise State -2.25 3-2 (1-0) 6 53
3 Colorado St -2.75 4-2 (2-0) 8 60
4 Fresno St -3 3-2 (2-0) 3 64
5 Wyoming -5.5 3-2 (1-0) 9 T78
6 Air Force -6 1-4 (0-2) 10 83
7 New Mexico -6.25 3-2 (1-1) 2 85
8 Utah State -7 3-3 (1-1) 7 92
9 UNLV -7.5 2-3 (1-1) 12 96
10 Hawaii -12.75 2-4 (0-3) 5 120
11 Nevada -13.25 1-5 (1-1) 1 122
12 San Jose St -16.25 1-6 (0-3) 3 126


MAC: Seven Overtimes??

Western Michigan and Buffalo was probably not a game too many fans had circled on their calendar this past Saturday, but it was defintely noteworthy. Western Michigan won 71-68 in seven overtimes, tying the FBS record for the most overtimes in a game and breaking the FBS record for the most points in a game. This may not have been the most convincing win, but the post-PJ Fleck world is treating Western Michigan well. The Broncos’ two losses were relatively competitive against USC and Michigan State, two teams that are now in the top 25.

Also, if you are into commentators making epic fails during a live broadcast, check out this video from Toledo-E Michigan:

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Toledo -1.5 4-1 (1-0) 11 46
2 W Michigan -2.5 4-2 (2-0) 5 T57
3 N Illinois -4 3-2 (1-0) 7 69
4 Akron -6.25 3-3 (2-0) 3 88
5 Ohio -6.5 4-2 (1-1) 9 90
6 E Michigan -7.5 2-3 (0-2) 11 95
7 Buffalo -8.25 3-3 (1-1) 7 101
8 C Michigan -9.25 3-3 (1-1) 1 T106
9 Miami OH -11.25 2-4 (1-1) 9 112
10 Ball State -12 2-4 (0-2) 1 116
11 Kent State -12.25 1-5 (0-2) 6 117
12 Bowling Green -14.75 1-5 (1-1) 3 123


CUSA: Beware the Fighting Lane Kiffins

Gotta love the immortal Lane Kiffin, who is already making progress in his first season of his budding Florda Atlantic dynasty. The Owls followed up a nice win over Middle Tennessee by smashing Old Dominion by 30 points this weekend. Despite an underwhelming roster, Lane “Joey Freshwater” Kiffin has FAU as one of only two teams in the CUSA East Division with an undefeated conference record, alongside a surprising Marshall squad.

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Marshall -2.25 4-1 (1-0) 5 54
2 UTSA -4.25 3-1 (0-1) 14 72
3 N Texas -5.5 3-2 (2-0) 11 T78
4 Southern Miss -5.75 3-2 (1-1) 13 T81
5 FIU -6 3-2 (2-1) 1 84
6 FAU -6.25 3-3 (2-0) 5 86
7 W Kentucky -6.75 3-2 (1-1) 8 91
8 UAB -7.25 3-2 (1-1) 9 94
9 Mid Tennessee -8 3-3 (1-1) 9 99
10 Louisiana Tech -8.75 3-3 (1-1) 5 103
11 Old Dominion -9.25 2-3 (0-1) 11 T106
12 Rice -15.25 1-5 (1-1) 4 124
13 UTEP -18 0-6 (0-2) 2 128
14 Charlotte -20 0-6 (0-2) 2 130


Sun Belt

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Troy -1 4-1 (1-0) 11 T35
2 App State -2.5 3-2 (2-0) 11 55
3 Arkansas St -5.75 2-2 (1-0) 9 T81
4 UL Monroe -6.25 3-2 (3-0) 1 87
5 Georgia St -6.25 2-2 (1-0) 5 89
6 N Mexico St -9 2-4 (0-2) 8 104
7 UL Lafayette -10.25 2-3 (1-1) 5 108
8 S Alabama -10.25 1-4 (0-1) 7 109
9 Idaho -10.5 2-3 (1-1) 4 110
10 GA Southern -12.25 0-4 (0-1) 10 118
11 Co Carolina -15.5 1-4 (0-2) 2 125
12 Texas St -16.5 1-5 (0-2) 3 127


Independents

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Notre Dame 3.75 5-1 (0-0) 1 T10
2 Army -4.75 4-2 (0-0) 2 74
3 BYU -11.5 1-5 (0-0) 4 115
4 Umass -18.25 0-6 (0-0) 3 129

Bonus Video of the Week

Thanks for reading this far! Here’s a bonus video for the week. This came from a high school game this past Friday. Watch until the end.


Division Ranks

For those who are even more curious, here are the same analyses but by division instead of conference. I know the plot is a little busy, but it gives a decent idea of how the divisions fall.

Rank Div Avg
1 Big 10 E 0.5714
2 Pac 12 N -0.25
3 ACC Atl -0.2857
4 SEC W -0.5714
5 SEC E -1.2143
6 Pac 12 S -1.375
7 ACC Coast -1.4286
8 Big 12 -1.575
9 Big 10 W -2.3929
10 Amer W -2.9583
11 MW Moun -4.9583
12 Amer E -5.5417
13 MAC W -6.125
14 Ind -7.6875
15 MW West -8.1667
16 CUSA E -8.3571
17 S Belt -8.8333
18 CUSA W -9.25
19 MAC E -9.875


Next are the rankings within every division, as well as each team’s national ranking (now with plots!):

ACC Coastal

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Miami 4 4-0 (2-0) 4 7
2 Virginia Tech 2.5 5-1 (1-1) 6 19
3 Georgia Tech -0.25 3-1 (2-0) 1 29
4 Virginia -1 4-1 (1-0) 3 T35
5 Duke -1.75 4-2 (1-2) 7 T47
6 Pittsburgh -4.25 2-4 (0-2) 2 71
7 North Carolina -9.25 1-5 (0-3) 5 105


ACC Atlantic

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Clemson 9 6-0 (4-0) 5 1
2 NC State 2 5-1 (3-0) 3 22
3 Louisville 0.25 4-2 (1-2) 7 27
4 Wake Forest -1.25 4-2 (1-2) 1 T42
5 Florida State -1.25 1-3 (1-2) 4 45
6 Syracuse -5.25 3-3 (1-1) 1 76
7 Boston College -5.5 2-4 (0-3) 5 77


SEC East

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Georgia 7.75 6-0 (3-0) 3 2
T2 Tennessee -1 3-2 (0-2) 4 T37
T2 Florida -1 3-2 (3-1) 5 T37
4 Kentucky -1.25 5-1 (2-1) 1 41
5 South Carolina -2 4-2 (2-2) 2 T49
6 Vanderbilt -2.5 3-3 (0-3) 7 56
7 Missouri -8.5 1-4 (0-3) 6 102


SEC West

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Alabama 5.25 6-0 (3-0) 5 5
2 Auburn 3 5-1 (3-0) 2 T15
3 Mississippi St -0.5 3-2 (1-2) 6 T30
4 Texas AM -1 4-2 (2-1) 3 T37
5 LSU -3 4-2 (1-1) 1 T61
6 Ole Miss -3.5 2-3 (0-2) 7 67
7 Arkansas -4.25 2-3 (0-2) 3 70


Big 10 East

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Penn State 5.75 6-0 (3-0) 6 4
2 Ohio State 3 5-1 (3-0) 4 T15
3 Michigan State 2.75 4-1 (2-0) 5 17
4 Michigan 1.75 4-1 (1-1) 2 23
5 Indiana -0.5 3-2 (0-2) 7 T30
6 Maryland -1 3-2 (1-1) 1 T37
7 Rutgers -7.75 1-4 (0-2) 3 98


Big 10 West

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Wisconsin 3.5 5-0 (2-0) 5 T12
2 Iowa -0.5 4-2 (1-2) 2 T30
3 Purdue -1.25 3-2 (1-1) 7 T42
4 Northwestern -2.75 2-3 (0-2) 6 59
5 Minnesota -3.5 3-2 (0-2) 3 66
6 Nebraska -5 3-3 (2-1) 1 75
7 Illinois -7.25 2-3 (0-2) 4 93


Big 12

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 TCU 6.25 5-0 (2-0) 9 3
2 OK State 4 4-1 (1-1) 10 8
3 Oklahoma 2 4-1 (1-1) 4 21
4 Texas Tech 1.5 4-1 (1-1) 6 24
5 West Virginia 0 3-2 (1-1) 7 28
6 Texas -1.25 3-2 (2-0) 3 T42
7 Iowa State -2 3-2 (1-1) 8 T49
8 Kansas State -3.25 3-2 (1-1) 1 65
9 Baylor -11.5 0-5 (0-2) 4 113
10 Kansas -11.5 1-4 (0-2) 2 114


Pac 12 North

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Washington St 5.25 6-0 (3-0) 3 6
2 Washington 3.5 6-0 (3-0) 2 T12
3 Stanford 2.75 4-2 (3-1) 1 18
4 Oregon -1.75 4-2 (1-2) 4 T47
5 California -3 3-3 (0-3) 5 63
6 Oregon State -8.25 1-5 (0-3) 6 100


Pac 12 South

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 USC 3.75 5-1 (3-1) 5 T10
2 Utah 0.25 4-1 (1-1) 1 26
3 UCLA -2.25 3-2 (1-1) 2 51
4 Arizona St -2.25 2-3 (1-1) 3 52
5 Arizona -3 3-2 (1-1) 5 T61
6 Colorado -4.75 3-3 (0-3) 3 73


American East

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 UCF 3.25 4-0 (2-0) 1 14
2 S Florida 2 5-0 (2-0) 3 20
3 Temple -5.5 3-3 (1-2) 1 80
4 Cincinnati -7.75 2-4 (0-2) 5 97
5 E Carolina -12.5 1-5 (1-2) 4 119
6 Uconn -12.75 1-4 (0-3) 6 121


American West

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Navy 1 5-0 (3-0) 1 25
T2 Houston -0.75 4-1 (2-0) 3 T33
T2 Memphis -0.75 4-1 (1-1) 5 T33
4 SMU -2.5 4-2 (1-1) 2 T57
5 Tulane -3.5 3-2 (1-1) 5 68
6 Tulsa -11.25 1-5 (0-2) 4 111


MW Mountain

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Boise State -2.25 3-2 (1-0) 2 53
2 Colorado St -2.75 4-2 (2-0) 4 60
3 Wyoming -5.5 3-2 (1-0) 5 T78
4 Air Force -6 1-4 (0-2) 6 83
5 New Mexico -6.25 3-2 (1-1) 1 85
6 Utah State -7 3-3 (1-1) 3 92


MW West

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 San Diego St 3.75 6-0 (2-0) 5 9
2 Fresno St -3 3-2 (2-0) 2 64
3 UNLV -7.5 2-3 (1-1) 6 96
4 Hawaii -12.75 2-4 (0-3) 4 120
5 Nevada -13.25 1-5 (1-1) 1 122
6 San Jose St -16.25 1-6 (0-3) 2 126


MAC East

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Akron -6.25 3-3 (2-0) 1 88
2 Ohio -6.5 4-2 (1-1) 5 90
3 Buffalo -8.25 3-3 (1-1) 4 101
4 Miami OH -11.25 2-4 (1-1) 5 112
5 Kent State -12.25 1-5 (0-2) 3 117
6 Bowling Green -14.75 1-5 (1-1) 1 123


MAC West

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Toledo -1.5 4-1 (1-0) 5 46
2 W Michigan -2.5 4-2 (2-0) 3 T57
3 N Illinois -4 3-2 (1-0) 4 69
4 E Michigan -7.5 2-3 (0-2) 5 95
5 C Michigan -9.25 3-3 (1-1) 1 T106
6 Ball State -12 2-4 (0-2) 1 116


C-USA East

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Marshall -2.25 4-1 (1-0) 3 54
2 FIU -6 3-2 (2-1) 1 84
3 FAU -6.25 3-3 (2-0) 3 86
4 W Kentucky -6.75 3-2 (1-1) 5 91
5 Mid Tennessee -8 3-3 (1-1) 6 99
6 Old Dominion -9.25 2-3 (0-1) 7 T106
7 Charlotte -20 0-6 (0-2) 2 130


C-USA West

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 UTSA -4.25 3-1 (0-1) 7 72
2 N Texas -5.5 3-2 (2-0) 5 T78
3 Southern Miss -5.75 3-2 (1-1) 6 T81
4 UAB -7.25 3-2 (1-1) 4 94
5 Louisiana Tech -8.75 3-3 (1-1) 3 103
6 Rice -15.25 1-5 (1-1) 2 124
7 UTEP -18 0-6 (0-2) 1 128


Sun Belt

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Troy -1 4-1 (1-0) 11 T35
2 App State -2.5 3-2 (2-0) 11 55
3 Arkansas St -5.75 2-2 (1-0) 9 T81
4 UL Monroe -6.25 3-2 (3-0) 1 87
5 Georgia St -6.25 2-2 (1-0) 5 89
6 N Mexico St -9 2-4 (0-2) 8 104
7 UL Lafayette -10.25 2-3 (1-1) 5 108
8 S Alabama -10.25 1-4 (0-1) 7 109
9 Idaho -10.5 2-3 (1-1) 4 110
10 GA Southern -12.25 0-4 (0-1) 10 118
11 Co Carolina -15.5 1-4 (0-2) 2 125
12 Texas St -16.5 1-5 (0-2) 3 127


Independents

Rank Team Score Record (Conf) Rem Sched Rank NatlRank
1 Notre Dame 3.75 5-1 (0-0) 1 T10
2 Army -4.75 4-2 (0-0) 2 74
3 BYU -11.5 1-5 (0-0) 4 115
4 Umass -18.25 0-6 (0-0) 3 129