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, games 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 | 2 Notre Dame | AT | 5 Miami | 4.75 | 8:00pm |
| 2 | 8 TCU | AT | 4 Oklahoma | 7.42 | 8:00pm |
| 3 | 1 Georgia | AT | 14 Auburn | 10.37 | 3:30pm |
| 4 | 7 Alabama | AT | 15 Mississippi St | 10.37 | 7:00pm |
| 5 | 9 Michigan State | AT | 16 Ohio State | 10.75 | 12:00pm |
| 6 | 11 OK State | AT | 22 Iowa State | 13.58 | 12:00pm |
| 7 | 20 Iowa | AT | 12 Wisconsin | 14.32 | 3:30pm |
| 8 | 18 Washington | AT | 27 Stanford | 15.41 | (Fri) 10:30pm |
| 9 | 24 NC State | AT | 35 Boston College | 18.48 | 12:00pm |
| 10 | 16 Virginia Tech | AT | 37 Georgia Tech | 19.9 | 12:20pm |
| 11 | 23 West Virginia | AT | 40 Kansas State | 20.6 | 3:30pm |
| 12 | 42 SMU | AT | 46 Navy | 23.87 | 3:30pm |
| 13 | 36 Wake Forest | AT | 51 Syracuse | 24.04 | 3:00pm |
| 14 | 19 Washington St | AT | 48 Utah | 24.15 | 5:30pm |
| 15 | 37 Arizona St | AT | 57 UCLA | 26.2 | 9:30pm |
| 16 | 25 Michigan | AT | 58 Maryland | 27.5 | 3:30pm |
| 17 | 53 Virginia | AT | 48 Louisville | 28.32 | 3:30pm |
| 18 | 52 Florida State | AT | 2 Clemson | 29.94 | 3:30pm |
| 19 | 50 Kentucky | AT | 73 Vanderbilt | 31.05 | 4:00pm |
| 20 | 10 USC | AT | 68 Colorado | 32.59 | 4:00pm |
| 21 | 65 Tennessee | AT | 81 Missouri | 32.97 | 7:30pm |
| 22 | 32 Boise State | AT | 75 Colorado St | 33.11 | 10:30pm |
| 23 | 63 Arkansas | AT | 29 LSU | 33.15 | 12:00pm |
| 24 | 65 Duke | AT | 45 Army | 33.24 | 12:00pm |
| 25 | 70 Florida | AT | 34 South Carolina | 35.7 | 12:00pm |
| 26 | 67 Wyoming | AT | 91 Air Force | 36.02 | 10:15pm |
| 27 | 77 Nebraska | AT | 77 Minnesota | 36.72 | 12:00pm |
| 28 | 69 FAU | AT | 95 Louisiana Tech | 37.18 | 3:30pm |
| 29 | 73 Purdue | AT | 26 Northwestern | 37.26 | 7:00pm |
| 30 | 62 Indiana | AT | 102 Illinois | 39.86 | 12:00pm |
| 31 | 89 Temple | AT | 97 Cincinnati | 40.5 | (Fri) 7:00pm |
| 32 | 80 Rutgers | AT | 6 Penn State | 41.04 | 12:00pm |
| 33 | 90 UAB | AT | 87 UTSA | 41.09 | 7:00pm |
| 34 | 61 Arkansas St | AT | 107 S Alabama | 41.54 | 5:00pm |
| 35 | 93 Tulane | AT | 111 E Carolina | 41.68 | 7:00pm |
| 36 | 92 W Kentucky | AT | 76 Marshall | 42.18 | 6:30pm |
| 37 | 47 Texas Tech | AT | 109 Baylor | 43.29 | 12:00pm |
| 38 | 56 Fresno St | AT | 113 Hawaii | 43.84 | 11:00pm |
| 39 | 98 UL Lafayette | AT | 72 Ole Miss | 44.48 | 12:00pm |
| 40 | 86 Georgia St | AT | 124 Texas St | 45.09 | 4:00pm |
| 41 | 101 Mid Tennessee | AT | 127 Charlotte | 45.21 | 2:00pm |
| 42 | 99 North Carolina | AT | 59 Pittsburgh | 45.4 | (Thurs) 7:30pm |
| 43 | 84 Southern Miss | AT | 125 Rice | 45.51 | 3:30pm |
| 44 | 105 Oregon State | AT | 31 Arizona | 48.94 | 10:00pm |
| 45 | 115 BYU | AT | 103 UNLV | 49.16 | (Fri) 10:30pm |
| 46 | 41 Troy | AT | 128 Co Carolina | 49.81 | 4:30pm |
| 47 | 106 Uconn | AT | 13 UCF | 50.26 | 12:00pm |
| 48 | 114 New Mexico | AT | 37 Texas AM | 51.8 | 7:00pm |
| 49 | 117 Old Dominion | AT | 55 FIU | 51.93 | 7:00pm |
| 50 | 118 Kansas | AT | 33 Texas | 53.41 | 6:00pm |
| 51 | 130 San Jose St | AT | 120 Nevada | 53.52 | 4:00pm |
| 52 | 123 Ball State | AT | 64 N Illinois | 53.56 | (Thurs) 7:00pm |
| 53 | 126 GA Southern | AT | 85 App State | 53.6 | (Thurs) 7:30pm |
| 54 | 129 UTEP | AT | 79 N Texas | 54.88 | 5:00pm |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | 99 North Carolina | AT | 59 Pittsburgh | 45.4 | (Thurs) 7:30pm |
| 52 | 123 Ball State | AT | 64 N Illinois | 53.56 | (Thurs) 7:00pm |
| 53 | 126 GA Southern | AT | 85 App State | 53.6 | (Thurs) 7:30pm |
| 31 | 89 Temple | AT | 97 Cincinnati | 40.5 | (Fri) 7:00pm |
| 8 | 18 Washington | AT | 27 Stanford | 15.41 | (Fri) 10:30pm |
| 45 | 115 BYU | AT | 103 UNLV | 49.16 | (Fri) 10:30pm |
| 5 | 9 Michigan State | AT | 16 Ohio State | 10.75 | 12:00pm |
| 6 | 11 OK State | AT | 22 Iowa State | 13.58 | 12:00pm |
| 9 | 24 NC State | AT | 35 Boston College | 18.48 | 12:00pm |
| 23 | 63 Arkansas | AT | 29 LSU | 33.15 | 12:00pm |
| 24 | 65 Duke | AT | 45 Army | 33.24 | 12:00pm |
| 25 | 70 Florida | AT | 34 South Carolina | 35.7 | 12:00pm |
| 27 | 77 Nebraska | AT | 77 Minnesota | 36.72 | 12:00pm |
| 30 | 62 Indiana | AT | 102 Illinois | 39.86 | 12:00pm |
| 32 | 80 Rutgers | AT | 6 Penn State | 41.04 | 12:00pm |
| 37 | 47 Texas Tech | AT | 109 Baylor | 43.29 | 12:00pm |
| 39 | 98 UL Lafayette | AT | 72 Ole Miss | 44.48 | 12:00pm |
| 47 | 106 Uconn | AT | 13 UCF | 50.26 | 12:00pm |
| 10 | 16 Virginia Tech | AT | 37 Georgia Tech | 19.9 | 12:20pm |
| 41 | 101 Mid Tennessee | AT | 127 Charlotte | 45.21 | 2:00pm |
| 13 | 36 Wake Forest | AT | 51 Syracuse | 24.04 | 3:00pm |
| 3 | 1 Georgia | AT | 14 Auburn | 10.37 | 3:30pm |
| 7 | 20 Iowa | AT | 12 Wisconsin | 14.32 | 3:30pm |
| 11 | 23 West Virginia | AT | 40 Kansas State | 20.6 | 3:30pm |
| 12 | 42 SMU | AT | 46 Navy | 23.87 | 3:30pm |
| 16 | 25 Michigan | AT | 58 Maryland | 27.5 | 3:30pm |
| 17 | 53 Virginia | AT | 48 Louisville | 28.32 | 3:30pm |
| 18 | 52 Florida State | AT | 2 Clemson | 29.94 | 3:30pm |
| 28 | 69 FAU | AT | 95 Louisiana Tech | 37.18 | 3:30pm |
| 43 | 84 Southern Miss | AT | 125 Rice | 45.51 | 3:30pm |
| 19 | 50 Kentucky | AT | 73 Vanderbilt | 31.05 | 4:00pm |
| 20 | 10 USC | AT | 68 Colorado | 32.59 | 4:00pm |
| 40 | 86 Georgia St | AT | 124 Texas St | 45.09 | 4:00pm |
| 51 | 130 San Jose St | AT | 120 Nevada | 53.52 | 4:00pm |
| 46 | 41 Troy | AT | 128 Co Carolina | 49.81 | 4:30pm |
| 34 | 61 Arkansas St | AT | 107 S Alabama | 41.54 | 5:00pm |
| 54 | 129 UTEP | AT | 79 N Texas | 54.88 | 5:00pm |
| 14 | 19 Washington St | AT | 48 Utah | 24.15 | 5:30pm |
| 50 | 118 Kansas | AT | 33 Texas | 53.41 | 6:00pm |
| 36 | 92 W Kentucky | AT | 76 Marshall | 42.18 | 6:30pm |
| 4 | 7 Alabama | AT | 15 Mississippi St | 10.37 | 7:00pm |
| 29 | 73 Purdue | AT | 26 Northwestern | 37.26 | 7:00pm |
| 33 | 90 UAB | AT | 87 UTSA | 41.09 | 7:00pm |
| 35 | 93 Tulane | AT | 111 E Carolina | 41.68 | 7:00pm |
| 48 | 114 New Mexico | AT | 37 Texas AM | 51.8 | 7:00pm |
| 49 | 117 Old Dominion | AT | 55 FIU | 51.93 | 7:00pm |
| 21 | 65 Tennessee | AT | 81 Missouri | 32.97 | 7:30pm |
| 1 | 2 Notre Dame | AT | 5 Miami | 4.75 | 8:00pm |
| 2 | 8 TCU | AT | 4 Oklahoma | 7.42 | 8:00pm |
| 15 | 37 Arizona St | AT | 57 UCLA | 26.2 | 9:30pm |
| 44 | 105 Oregon State | AT | 31 Arizona | 48.94 | 10:00pm |
| 26 | 67 Wyoming | AT | 91 Air Force | 36.02 | 10:15pm |
| 22 | 32 Boise State | AT | 75 Colorado St | 33.11 | 10:30pm |
| 38 | 56 Fresno St | AT | 113 Hawaii | 43.84 | 11:00pm |