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 quality 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 3

Rank Away   Home Score Time
1 7 LSU AT 3 Auburn 6.74 3:30pm
2 9 Ohio State VS 16 TCU 11.68 8:00pm
3 18 Washington AT 22 Utah 13.23 10:30pm
4 14 Boise State AT 22 OK State 13.38 3:30pm
5 30 Boston College AT 38 Wake Forest 19.41 (Thurs) 5:30pm
6 4 Alabama AT 34 Ole Miss 19.72 7:00pm
7 17 Arizona St AT 45 San Diego St 23.12 10:30pm
8 25 Duke AT 48 Baylor 23.65 3:30pm
9 20 Miami AT 48 Toledo 24.06 12:00pm
10 48 Vanderbilt AT 7 Notre Dame 27.94 2:30pm
11 54 Florida State AT 48 Syracuse 28.73 12:00 pm
12 29 USC AT 63 Texas 29.03 8:00pm
13 10 Oklahoma AT 63 Iowa State 30.75 12:00pm
14 61 E Michigan AT 68 Buffalo 31.02 6:00pm
15 61 Hawaii AT 76 Army 31.53 12:00pm
16 63 Georgia Tech AT 56 Pittsburgh 32.06 12:30pm
17 66 Troy AT 74 Nebraska 32.78 12:00pm
18 38 Houston AT 76 Texas Tech 32.97 4:15pm
19 31 S Florida VS 68 Illinois 33.69 3:30pm
20 59 Arkansas St AT 91 Tulsa 36.5 7:00pm
21 68 Ohio VS 83 Virginia 36.52 4:30pm
22 76 Fresno St AT 96 UCLA 37.17 10:30pm
23 79 Akron AT 72 Northwestern 37.6 7:30pm
24 73 Oregon State AT 98 Nevada 37.9 7:00pm
25 48 N Texas AT 95 Arkansas 38.64 4:00pm
26 79 UL Monroe AT 26 Texas AM 39.59 7:30pm
27 79 UL Lafayette AT 11 Mississippi St 40.38 7:30pm
28 89 Tulane AT 109 UAB 40.57 1:00pm
29 79 GA Southern AT 1 Clemson 40.93 12:00pm
30 88 Ball State AT 44 Indiana 42.09 12:00pm
31 85 BYU AT 13 Wisconsin 42.56 3:30pm
32 59 Rutgers AT 110 Kansas 42.65 12:00pm
33 38 Missouri AT 107 Purdue 43.41 7:30pm
34 97 Georgia St AT 83 Memphis 43.69 (Fri) 7:00pm
35 93 Mid Tennessee AT 2 Georgia 46.16 12:00pm
36 90 New Mexico AT 130 N Mexico St 46.63 8:00pm
37 112 Texas St AT 118 S Alabama 47.71 7:00pm
38 103 SMU AT 20 Michigan 48.81 3:30pm
39 104 Kent State AT 5 Penn State 49.99 12:00pm
40 118 Umass AT 98 FIU 50.36 7:30pm
41 114 UTSA AT 54 Kansas State 50.94 4:00pm
42 124 C Michigan AT 101 N Illinois 52.25 3:30pm
43 122 Colorado St AT 74 Florida 52.74 4:00pm
44 127 Old Dominion AT 112 Charlotte 52.82 (Thurs) 4:00pm
45 120 W Kentucky AT 43 Louisville 53.58 7:30pm
46 122 Miami OH AT 34 Minnesota 54.74 3:30pm
47 129 UTEP AT 66 Tennessee 55.49 12:00pm
48 126 Temple AT 31 Maryland 56.27 12:00pm
49 128 San Jose St AT 22 Oregon 57.44 5:00pm


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
44 127 Old Dominion AT 112 Charlotte 52.82 (Thurs) 4:00pm
5 30 Boston College AT 38 Wake Forest 19.41 (Thurs) 5:30pm
34 97 Georgia St AT 83 Memphis 43.69 (Fri) 7:00pm
9 20 Miami AT 48 Toledo 24.06 12:00pm
11 54 Florida State AT 48 Syracuse 28.73 12:00 pm
13 10 Oklahoma AT 63 Iowa State 30.75 12:00pm
15 61 Hawaii AT 76 Army 31.53 12:00pm
17 66 Troy AT 74 Nebraska 32.78 12:00pm
29 79 GA Southern AT 1 Clemson 40.93 12:00pm
30 88 Ball State AT 44 Indiana 42.09 12:00pm
32 59 Rutgers AT 110 Kansas 42.65 12:00pm
35 93 Mid Tennessee AT 2 Georgia 46.16 12:00pm
39 104 Kent State AT 5 Penn State 49.99 12:00pm
47 129 UTEP AT 66 Tennessee 55.49 12:00pm
48 126 Temple AT 31 Maryland 56.27 12:00pm
16 63 Georgia Tech AT 56 Pittsburgh 32.06 12:30pm
28 89 Tulane AT 109 UAB 40.57 1:00pm
10 48 Vanderbilt AT 7 Notre Dame 27.94 2:30pm
1 7 LSU AT 3 Auburn 6.74 3:30pm
4 14 Boise State AT 22 OK State 13.38 3:30pm
8 25 Duke AT 48 Baylor 23.65 3:30pm
19 31 S Florida VS 68 Illinois 33.69 3:30pm
31 85 BYU AT 13 Wisconsin 42.56 3:30pm
38 103 SMU AT 20 Michigan 48.81 3:30pm
42 124 C Michigan AT 101 N Illinois 52.25 3:30pm
46 122 Miami OH AT 34 Minnesota 54.74 3:30pm
25 48 N Texas AT 95 Arkansas 38.64 4:00pm
41 114 UTSA AT 54 Kansas State 50.94 4:00pm
43 122 Colorado St AT 74 Florida 52.74 4:00pm
18 38 Houston AT 76 Texas Tech 32.97 4:15pm
21 68 Ohio VS 83 Virginia 36.52 4:30pm
49 128 San Jose St AT 22 Oregon 57.44 5:00pm
14 61 E Michigan AT 68 Buffalo 31.02 6:00pm
6 4 Alabama AT 34 Ole Miss 19.72 7:00pm
20 59 Arkansas St AT 91 Tulsa 36.5 7:00pm
24 73 Oregon State AT 98 Nevada 37.9 7:00pm
37 112 Texas St AT 118 S Alabama 47.71 7:00pm
23 79 Akron AT 72 Northwestern 37.6 7:30pm
26 79 UL Monroe AT 26 Texas AM 39.59 7:30pm
27 79 UL Lafayette AT 11 Mississippi St 40.38 7:30pm
33 38 Missouri AT 107 Purdue 43.41 7:30pm
40 118 Umass AT 98 FIU 50.36 7:30pm
45 120 W Kentucky AT 43 Louisville 53.58 7:30pm
2 9 Ohio State VS 16 TCU 11.68 8:00pm
12 29 USC AT 63 Texas 29.03 8:00pm
36 90 New Mexico AT 130 N Mexico St 46.63 8:00pm
3 18 Washington AT 22 Utah 13.23 10:30pm
7 17 Arizona St AT 45 San Diego St 23.12 10:30pm
22 76 Fresno St AT 96 UCLA 37.17 10:30pm