This Week’s Best Games


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.

Week 13


Rank Away   Home Score Time
1 7 Alabama AT 5 Auburn 6.73 3:30pm
2 6 Notre Dame AT 16 Stanford 10.98 8:00pm
3 14 Washington St AT 18 Washington 11.5 8:00pm
4 12 Ohio State AT 25 Michigan 14.92 12:00pm
5 1 Clemson AT 28 South Carolina 17.34 7:30pm
6 27 S Florida AT 13 UCF 17.9 (Fri) 3:30pm
7 32 Texas AM AT 23 LSU 19.96 7:30pm
8 30 Iowa State AT 42 Kansas State 20.95 12:30pm
9 37 Louisville AT 45 Kentucky 21.88 12:00pm
10 24 Boise State AT 44 Fresno St 22.14 3:30pm
11 35 West Virginia AT 4 Oklahoma 22.2 3:45pm
12 40 Arizona AT 38 Arizona St 23.15 4:30pm
13 3 Georgia AT 42 Georgia Tech 23.22 12:00pm
14 21 Virginia Tech AT 53 Virginia 25.93 (Fri) 8:00pm
15 41 Navy AT 60 Houston 27.04 (Fri) 12:00pm
16 54 California AT 48 UCLA 28.73 (Fri) 10:30pm
17 48 Florida State AT 68 Florida 29.45 12:00pm
18 57 Indiana AT 56 Purdue 29.71 12:00pm
19 59 Missouri AT 64 Arkansas 30.32 (Fri) 2:30pm
20 46 Boston College AT 73 Syracuse 31.32 12:20pm
21 9 Penn State AT 66 Maryland 31.96 3:30pm
22 62 Texas Tech AT 33 Texas 32.56 (Fri) 8:00pm
23 63 Duke AT 31 Wake Forest 33.05 12:30pm
24 65 Colorado AT 50 Utah 33.05 10:00pm
25 67 Southern Miss AT 78 Marshall 33.11 2:30pm
26 55 N Illinois AT 81 C Michigan 33.45 12:00pm
27 29 Iowa AT 77 Nebraska 34.08 (Fri) 4:00pm
28 75 App State AT 76 Georgia St 36.02 2:00pm
29 69 Arkansas St AT 94 UL Monroe 36.86 3:00pm
30 7 Wisconsin AT 80 Minnesota 37.17 3:30pm
31 72 Ole Miss AT 15 Mississippi St 37.44 (Thurs) 8:00pm
32 17 Michigan State AT 85 Rutgers 37.95 4:00pm
33 69 Ohio AT 98 Buffalo 38.12 1:00pm
34 2 Miami AT 84 Pittsburgh 39.05 (Fri) 12:00pm
35 82 W Michigan AT 39 Toledo 40.08 12:00pm
36 88 Utah State AT 97 Air Force 40.16 10:15pm
37 90 UTSA AT 94 Louisiana Tech 40.9 7:30pm
38 87 Tulane AT 58 SMU 41.08 12:00pm
39 89 Temple AT 111 Tulsa 41.11 4:00pm
40 92 Vanderbilt AT 79 Tennessee 42.07 4:00pm
41 93 W Kentucky AT 83 FIU 42.28 (Fri) 7:00pm
42 21 Northwestern AT 105 Illinois 44.29 4:00pm
43 101 Old Dominion AT 101 Mid Tennessee 44.49 3:00pm
44 103 UNLV AT 113 Nevada 44.87 3:00pm
45 106 Uconn AT 110 Cincinnati 45.93 12:00pm
46 96 North Carolina AT 26 NC State 45.95 3:30pm
47 109 BYU AT 120 Hawaii 46.69 9:00pm
48 61 N Texas AT 127 Rice 47.82 1:00pm
49 71 Wyoming AT 130 San Jose St 47.96 5:00pm
50 107 Oregon State AT 46 Oregon 48.88 7:00pm
51 51 FAU AT 128 Charlotte 48.95 2:00pm
52 117 Idaho AT 98 N Mexico St 50.02 4:00pm
53 123 GA Southern AT 100 UL Lafayette 51.96 5:00pm
54 118 New Mexico AT 34 San Diego St 53.35 (Fri) 3:30pm
55 116 E Carolina AT 20 Memphis 53.41 12:00pm
56 115 Baylor AT 9 TCU 53.67 (Fri) 12:00pm
57 129 UTEP AT 91 UAB 54.34 1:00pm
58 119 Kansas AT 19 OK State 54.51 12:00pm
59 124 Texas St AT 36 Troy 55.32 (Fri) 4:00pm


Best Games, Sorted by Time


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
31 72 Ole Miss AT 15 Mississippi St 37.44 (Thurs) 8:00pm
15 41 Navy AT 60 Houston 27.04 (Fri) 12:00pm
34 2 Miami AT 84 Pittsburgh 39.05 (Fri) 12:00pm
56 115 Baylor AT 9 TCU 53.67 (Fri) 12:00pm
19 59 Missouri AT 64 Arkansas 30.32 (Fri) 2:30pm
6 27 S Florida AT 13 UCF 17.9 (Fri) 3:30pm
54 118 New Mexico AT 34 San Diego St 53.35 (Fri) 3:30pm
27 29 Iowa AT 77 Nebraska 34.08 (Fri) 4:00pm
59 124 Texas St AT 36 Troy 55.32 (Fri) 4:00pm
41 93 W Kentucky AT 83 FIU 42.28 (Fri) 7:00pm
14 21 Virginia Tech AT 53 Virginia 25.93 (Fri) 8:00pm
22 62 Texas Tech AT 33 Texas 32.56 (Fri) 8:00pm
16 54 California AT 48 UCLA 28.73 (Fri) 10:30pm
4 12 Ohio State AT 25 Michigan 14.92 12:00pm
9 37 Louisville AT 45 Kentucky 21.88 12:00pm
13 3 Georgia AT 42 Georgia Tech 23.22 12:00pm
17 48 Florida State AT 68 Florida 29.45 12:00pm
18 57 Indiana AT 56 Purdue 29.71 12:00pm
26 55 N Illinois AT 81 C Michigan 33.45 12:00pm
35 82 W Michigan AT 39 Toledo 40.08 12:00pm
38 87 Tulane AT 58 SMU 41.08 12:00pm
45 106 Uconn AT 110 Cincinnati 45.93 12:00pm
55 116 E Carolina AT 20 Memphis 53.41 12:00pm
58 119 Kansas AT 19 OK State 54.51 12:00pm
20 46 Boston College AT 73 Syracuse 31.32 12:20pm
8 30 Iowa State AT 42 Kansas State 20.95 12:30pm
23 63 Duke AT 31 Wake Forest 33.05 12:30pm
33 69 Ohio AT 98 Buffalo 38.12 1:00pm
48 61 N Texas AT 127 Rice 47.82 1:00pm
57 129 UTEP AT 91 UAB 54.34 1:00pm
28 75 App State AT 76 Georgia St 36.02 2:00pm
51 51 FAU AT 128 Charlotte 48.95 2:00pm
25 67 Southern Miss AT 78 Marshall 33.11 2:30pm
29 69 Arkansas St AT 94 UL Monroe 36.86 3:00pm
43 101 Old Dominion AT 101 Mid Tennessee 44.49 3:00pm
44 103 UNLV AT 113 Nevada 44.87 3:00pm
1 7 Alabama AT 5 Auburn 6.73 3:30pm
10 24 Boise State AT 44 Fresno St 22.14 3:30pm
21 9 Penn State AT 66 Maryland 31.96 3:30pm
30 7 Wisconsin AT 80 Minnesota 37.17 3:30pm
46 96 North Carolina AT 26 NC State 45.95 3:30pm
11 35 West Virginia AT 4 Oklahoma 22.2 3:45pm
32 17 Michigan State AT 85 Rutgers 37.95 4:00pm
39 89 Temple AT 111 Tulsa 41.11 4:00pm
40 92 Vanderbilt AT 79 Tennessee 42.07 4:00pm
42 21 Northwestern AT 105 Illinois 44.29 4:00pm
52 117 Idaho AT 98 N Mexico St 50.02 4:00pm
12 40 Arizona AT 38 Arizona St 23.15 4:30pm
49 71 Wyoming AT 130 San Jose St 47.96 5:00pm
53 123 GA Southern AT 100 UL Lafayette 51.96 5:00pm
50 107 Oregon State AT 46 Oregon 48.88 7:00pm
5 1 Clemson AT 28 South Carolina 17.34 7:30pm
7 32 Texas AM AT 23 LSU 19.96 7:30pm
37 90 UTSA AT 94 Louisiana Tech 40.9 7:30pm
2 6 Notre Dame AT 16 Stanford 10.98 8:00pm
3 14 Washington St AT 18 Washington 11.5 8:00pm
47 109 BYU AT 120 Hawaii 46.69 9:00pm
24 65 Colorado AT 50 Utah 33.05 10:00pm
36 88 Utah State AT 97 Air Force 40.16 10:15pm