On a weekend of college football games, it is often quite overwhelming sifting through all of the matchups. If only there was a way of knowing which games were the most appealing in some objective way. If you ever have faced this conundrum, you’ve come to the right place! Using my power rankings of a given week, I have created a formula that calculates a “game score” for every matchup for the upcoming weekend, and ranks all of the games accordingly.
My formula is based off of two components: overall team quailty and team rankings similarities. Unsurprisingly, teams featuring better teams will be scored better than games with weaker schools. However, the “closeness” of the teams is taken into account as well. Where the game is played is also taken into account (I would rather watch #5 at #20 than #20 at #5, for example).
Things that are NOT included are factors like the general reputation of the schools involved, the style of play that the teams use, and the past history of a given matchup. Certainly rivalry games are more fun regardless of the quality of the teams, but that is not considered here.
| Rank | Away | Home | Score | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 USC | AT | 9 Notre Dame | 7.44 | 7:30pm |
| 2 | 17 Michigan | AT | 4 Penn State | 12.95 | 7:30pm |
| 3 | 33 Kentucky | AT | 29 Mississippi St | 20.25 | 4:00pm |
| 4 | 12 UCF | AT | 37 Navy | 20.26 | 3:30pm |
| 5 | 32 Indiana | AT | 10 Michigan State | 20.48 | 3:30pm |
| 6 | 14 OK State | AT | 43 Texas | 22.58 | 12:00pm |
| 7 | 28 Iowa | AT | 48 Northwestern | 23.42 | 12:00pm |
| 8 | 41 Iowa State | AT | 34 Texas Tech | 23.69 | 12:00pm |
| 9 | 46 Wake Forest | AT | 42 Georgia Tech | 25.6 | 7:30pm |
| 10 | 47 Arizona St | AT | 38 Utah | 26.14 | 3:30pm |
| 11 | 36 LSU | AT | 59 Ole Miss | 27.01 | 7:10pm |
| 12 | 54 Oregon | AT | 50 UCLA | 28.67 | 4:00pm |
| 13 | 50 Syracuse | AT | 6 Miami | 28.87 | 3:30pm |
| 14 | 54 Louisville | AT | 27 Florida State | 29.54 | 12:00pm |
| 15 | 57 Arizona | AT | 39 California | 30.27 | 8:00pm |
| 16 | 25 Memphis | AT | 67 Houston | 30.84 | (Thurs) 8:00pm |
| 17 | 22 Auburn | AT | 69 Arkansas | 31.84 | 7:30pm |
| 18 | 14 Oklahoma | VS | 61 Kansas State | 32.43 | 4:00pm |
| 19 | 59 Maryland | AT | 7 Wisconsin | 32.62 | 12:00pm |
| 20 | 64 Troy | AT | 80 Georgia St | 32.69 | 2:00pm |
| 21 | 63 Fresno St | AT | 23 San Diego St | 33.44 | 10:30pm |
| 22 | 61 Tennessee | AT | 4 Alabama | 33.61 | 3:30pm |
| 23 | 68 Boston College | AT | 30 Virginia | 35.1 | 12:30pm |
| 24 | 72 Pittsburgh | AT | 58 Duke | 35.46 | 12:20pm |
| 25 | 74 N Texas | AT | 84 FAU | 35.52 | 5:00pm |
| 26 | 74 Southern Miss | AT | 91 Louisiana Tech | 35.75 | 7:00pm |
| 27 | 48 Purdue | AT | 90 Rutgers | 36.97 | 12:00pm |
| 28 | 71 Colorado | AT | 14 Washington St | 37.1 | 10:45pm |
| 29 | 74 Wyoming | AT | 34 Boise State | 37.26 | 10:15pm |
| 30 | 20 S Florida | AT | 84 Tulane | 37.33 | 7:00pm |
| 31 | 79 W Michigan | AT | 99 E Michigan | 37.96 | 2:00pm |
| 32 | 52 Colorado St | AT | 94 New Mexico | 38 | (Fri) 10:15pm |
| 33 | 52 SMU | AT | 97 Cincinnati | 38.98 | 4:00pm |
| 34 | 87 W Kentucky | AT | 111 Old Dominion | 41.18 | (Fri) 6:00pm |
| 35 | 92 UL Monroe | AT | 101 S Alabama | 41.44 | 5:00pm |
| 36 | 86 Akron | AT | 40 Toledo | 41.54 | 12:00pm |
| 37 | 45 Marshall | AT | 104 Mid Tennessee | 41.84 | (Fri) 7:00pm |
| 38 | 95 Utah State | AT | 101 UNLV | 42.45 | 6:00pm |
| 39 | 95 Temple | AT | 65 Army | 43.7 | 12:00pm |
| 40 | 98 UL Lafayette | AT | 78 Arkansas St | 44.24 | (Thurs) 7:30pm |
| 41 | 89 Air Force | AT | 122 Nevada | 44.32 | (Fri) 9:30pm |
| 42 | 105 C Michigan | AT | 116 Ball State | 45.47 | 3:00pm |
| 43 | 107 Buffalo | AT | 120 Miami OH | 46.04 | 2:30pm |
| 44 | 103 Illinois | AT | 73 Minnesota | 46.21 | 3:30pm |
| 45 | 65 N Illinois | AT | 124 Bowling Green | 46.57 | 2:00pm |
| 46 | 24 West Virginia | AT | 113 Baylor | 46.6 | 8:00pm |
| 47 | 88 UAB | AT | 130 Charlotte | 46.75 | 6:30pm |
| 48 | 110 Tulsa | AT | 108 Uconn | 47.32 | 12:00pm |
| 49 | 115 BYU | AT | 119 E Carolina | 48.66 | 7:00pm |
| 50 | 112 Kent State | AT | 82 Ohio | 48.96 | 2:00pm |
| 51 | 117 Idaho | AT | 93 Missouri | 50.22 | 12:00pm |
| 52 | 123 GA Southern | AT | 126 Umass | 51.06 | 3:30pm |
| 53 | 109 North Carolina | AT | 13 Virginia Tech | 51.33 | 3:30pm |
| 54 | 121 Rice | AT | 82 UTSA | 52.04 | 7:00pm |
| 55 | 125 Co Carolina | AT | 56 App State | 54.63 | 3:30pm |
| 56 | 118 Kansas | AT | 2 TCU | 55.11 | 8:00pm |
Before a long day of sitting on the couch watching game after game, it is nice to be able to get an idea of what the best games are for a given time slot. Here, I sort the rankings from above by the time in which the game is played, so readers can examine which games are best at a given time.
| Rank | Away | Home | Score | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 98 UL Lafayette | AT | 78 Arkansas St | 44.24 | (Thurs) 7:30pm |
| 16 | 25 Memphis | AT | 67 Houston | 30.84 | (Thurs) 8:00pm |
| 34 | 87 W Kentucky | AT | 111 Old Dominion | 41.18 | (Fri) 6:00pm |
| 37 | 45 Marshall | AT | 104 Mid Tennessee | 41.84 | (Fri) 7:00pm |
| 41 | 89 Air Force | AT | 122 Nevada | 44.32 | (Fri) 9:30pm |
| 32 | 52 Colorado St | AT | 94 New Mexico | 38 | (Fri) 10:15pm |
| 6 | 14 OK State | AT | 43 Texas | 22.58 | 12:00pm |
| 7 | 28 Iowa | AT | 48 Northwestern | 23.42 | 12:00pm |
| 8 | 41 Iowa State | AT | 34 Texas Tech | 23.69 | 12:00pm |
| 14 | 54 Louisville | AT | 27 Florida State | 29.54 | 12:00pm |
| 19 | 59 Maryland | AT | 7 Wisconsin | 32.62 | 12:00pm |
| 27 | 48 Purdue | AT | 90 Rutgers | 36.97 | 12:00pm |
| 36 | 86 Akron | AT | 40 Toledo | 41.54 | 12:00pm |
| 39 | 95 Temple | AT | 65 Army | 43.7 | 12:00pm |
| 48 | 110 Tulsa | AT | 108 Uconn | 47.32 | 12:00pm |
| 51 | 117 Idaho | AT | 93 Missouri | 50.22 | 12:00pm |
| 24 | 72 Pittsburgh | AT | 58 Duke | 35.46 | 12:20pm |
| 23 | 68 Boston College | AT | 30 Virginia | 35.1 | 12:30pm |
| 20 | 64 Troy | AT | 80 Georgia St | 32.69 | 2:00pm |
| 31 | 79 W Michigan | AT | 99 E Michigan | 37.96 | 2:00pm |
| 45 | 65 N Illinois | AT | 124 Bowling Green | 46.57 | 2:00pm |
| 50 | 112 Kent State | AT | 82 Ohio | 48.96 | 2:00pm |
| 43 | 107 Buffalo | AT | 120 Miami OH | 46.04 | 2:30pm |
| 42 | 105 C Michigan | AT | 116 Ball State | 45.47 | 3:00pm |
| 4 | 12 UCF | AT | 37 Navy | 20.26 | 3:30pm |
| 5 | 32 Indiana | AT | 10 Michigan State | 20.48 | 3:30pm |
| 10 | 47 Arizona St | AT | 38 Utah | 26.14 | 3:30pm |
| 13 | 50 Syracuse | AT | 6 Miami | 28.87 | 3:30pm |
| 22 | 61 Tennessee | AT | 4 Alabama | 33.61 | 3:30pm |
| 44 | 103 Illinois | AT | 73 Minnesota | 46.21 | 3:30pm |
| 52 | 123 GA Southern | AT | 126 Umass | 51.06 | 3:30pm |
| 53 | 109 North Carolina | AT | 13 Virginia Tech | 51.33 | 3:30pm |
| 55 | 125 Co Carolina | AT | 56 App State | 54.63 | 3:30pm |
| 3 | 33 Kentucky | AT | 29 Mississippi St | 20.25 | 4:00pm |
| 12 | 54 Oregon | AT | 50 UCLA | 28.67 | 4:00pm |
| 18 | 14 Oklahoma | VS | 61 Kansas State | 32.43 | 4:00pm |
| 33 | 52 SMU | AT | 97 Cincinnati | 38.98 | 4:00pm |
| 25 | 74 N Texas | AT | 84 FAU | 35.52 | 5:00pm |
| 35 | 92 UL Monroe | AT | 101 S Alabama | 41.44 | 5:00pm |
| 38 | 95 Utah State | AT | 101 UNLV | 42.45 | 6:00pm |
| 47 | 88 UAB | AT | 130 Charlotte | 46.75 | 6:30pm |
| 26 | 74 Southern Miss | AT | 91 Louisiana Tech | 35.75 | 7:00pm |
| 30 | 20 S Florida | AT | 84 Tulane | 37.33 | 7:00pm |
| 49 | 115 BYU | AT | 119 E Carolina | 48.66 | 7:00pm |
| 54 | 121 Rice | AT | 82 UTSA | 52.04 | 7:00pm |
| 11 | 36 LSU | AT | 59 Ole Miss | 27.01 | 7:10pm |
| 1 | 8 USC | AT | 9 Notre Dame | 7.44 | 7:30pm |
| 2 | 17 Michigan | AT | 4 Penn State | 12.95 | 7:30pm |
| 9 | 46 Wake Forest | AT | 42 Georgia Tech | 25.6 | 7:30pm |
| 17 | 22 Auburn | AT | 69 Arkansas | 31.84 | 7:30pm |
| 15 | 57 Arizona | AT | 39 California | 30.27 | 8:00pm |
| 46 | 24 West Virginia | AT | 113 Baylor | 46.6 | 8:00pm |
| 56 | 118 Kansas | AT | 2 TCU | 55.11 | 8:00pm |
| 29 | 74 Wyoming | AT | 34 Boise State | 37.26 | 10:15pm |
| 21 | 63 Fresno St | AT | 23 San Diego St | 33.44 | 10:30pm |
| 28 | 71 Colorado | AT | 14 Washington St | 37.1 | 10:45pm |