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). Rankings come from my most recent power rankings: http://rpubs.com/ditrapani4.

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 10

Rank Away   Home Score Time
1 3 Alabama AT 4 LSU 4 8:00pm
2 6 Georgia AT 7 Kentucky 6.1 3:30pm
3 13 Penn State AT 5 Michigan 10.58 3:45pm
4 14 West Virginia AT 15 Texas 11.01 3:30pm
5 21 Stanford AT 28 Washington 15.7 9:00pm
6 9 Oklahoma AT 33 Texas Tech 18.8 8:00pm
7 17 Texas AM AT 37 Auburn 19.82 12:00pm
8 22 Michigan State AT 43 Maryland 21.89 12:00pm
9 36 South Carolina AT 47 Ole Miss 22.56 12:00pm
10 2 Notre Dame AT 42 Northwestern 23.32 7:15pm
11 40 Pittsburgh AT 31 Virginia 23.34 (Fri) 7:30pm
12 40 Missouri AT 8 Florida 24.32 4:00pm
13 43 Duke AT 39 Miami 24.41 7:00pm
14 32 Boston College AT 55 Virginia Tech 25.81 3:45pm
15 16 Utah AT 57 Arizona St 27.92 4:00pm
16 54 OK State AT 62 Baylor 28.46 12:00pm
17 20 Iowa AT 61 Purdue 29.07 3:30pm
18 24 Syracuse AT 62 Wake Forest 29.08 12:00pm
19 52 Louisiana Tech AT 18 Mississippi St 29.11 7:30pm
20 59 N Illinois AT 80 Akron 32.89 (Thurs) 7:00pm
21 60 Colorado AT 81 Arizona 33.17 (Fri) 10:30pm
22 72 Ohio AT 78 W Michigan 34.89 (Thurs) 7:00pm
23 73 Kansas State AT 75 TCU 35.31 3:30pm
24 69 Minnesota AT 90 Illinois 35.61 3:30pm
25 67 California AT 10 Washington St 35.72 10:45pm
26 70 Florida State AT 23 NC State 36.24 3:30pm
27 38 App State AT 87 Co Carolina 36.77 5:00pm
28 27 Utah State AT 88 Hawaii 38.07 11:59pm
29 79 BYU AT 53 Boise State 38.32 10:15pm
30 74 Temple AT 11 UCF 38.44 (Thurs) 7:00pm
31 57 Georgia Tech AT 97 North Carolina 38.61 12:15pm
32 71 Marshall AT 102 Southern Miss 39.26 3:00pm
33 84 UL Lafayette AT 68 Troy 39.58 3:30pm
34 82 Memphis AT 105 E Carolina 39.62 12:00pm
35 19 Houston AT 91 SMU 39.82 8:00pm
36 85 UCLA AT 50 Oregon 40.7 7:30pm
37 26 GA Southern AT 96 UL Monroe 40.86 3:00pm
38 48 USC AT 104 Oregon State 41.59 10:00pm
39 30 Iowa State AT 100 Kansas 41.83 12:00pm
40 93 FAU AT 65 FIU 42.98 7:30pm
41 93 Tulane AT 25 S Florida 44.9 7:00pm
42 98 Charlotte AT 56 Tennessee 45.18 4:00pm
43 95 Nebraska AT 12 Ohio State 46.34 12:00pm
44 77 Mid Tennessee AT 127 W Kentucky 46.6 (Fri) 8:00pm
45 103 Air Force AT 35 Army 48.01 12:00pm
46 29 Fresno St AT 120 UNLV 48.38 10:30pm
47 99 Louisville AT 1 Clemson 48.41 12:00pm
48 108 New Mexico AT 46 San Diego St 49.23 10:15pm
49 107 Navy AT 34 Cincinnati 49.49 3:30pm
50 114 S Alabama AT 83 Arkansas St 49.61 3:00pm
51 110 UTSA AT 49 UAB 49.79 7:30pm
52 118 Uconn AT 113 Tulsa 49.82 3:30pm
53 122 Texas St AT 117 Georgia St 51.01 2:00pm
54 121 San Jose St AT 106 Wyoming 51.06 2:00pm
55 119 Rutgers AT 43 Wisconsin 53.23 12:00pm
56 130 UTEP AT 128 Rice 53.25 3:30pm
57 128 C Michigan AT 101 E Michigan 53.58 12:00pm


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
20 59 N Illinois AT 80 Akron 32.89 (Thurs) 7:00pm
22 72 Ohio AT 78 W Michigan 34.89 (Thurs) 7:00pm
30 74 Temple AT 11 UCF 38.44 (Thurs) 7:00pm
11 40 Pittsburgh AT 31 Virginia 23.34 (Fri) 7:30pm
44 77 Mid Tennessee AT 127 W Kentucky 46.6 (Fri) 8:00pm
21 60 Colorado AT 81 Arizona 33.17 (Fri) 10:30pm
7 17 Texas AM AT 37 Auburn 19.82 12:00pm
8 22 Michigan State AT 43 Maryland 21.89 12:00pm
9 36 South Carolina AT 47 Ole Miss 22.56 12:00pm
16 54 OK State AT 62 Baylor 28.46 12:00pm
18 24 Syracuse AT 62 Wake Forest 29.08 12:00pm
34 82 Memphis AT 105 E Carolina 39.62 12:00pm
39 30 Iowa State AT 100 Kansas 41.83 12:00pm
43 95 Nebraska AT 12 Ohio State 46.34 12:00pm
45 103 Air Force AT 35 Army 48.01 12:00pm
47 99 Louisville AT 1 Clemson 48.41 12:00pm
55 119 Rutgers AT 43 Wisconsin 53.23 12:00pm
57 128 C Michigan AT 101 E Michigan 53.58 12:00pm
31 57 Georgia Tech AT 97 North Carolina 38.61 12:15pm
53 122 Texas St AT 117 Georgia St 51.01 2:00pm
54 121 San Jose St AT 106 Wyoming 51.06 2:00pm
32 71 Marshall AT 102 Southern Miss 39.26 3:00pm
37 26 GA Southern AT 96 UL Monroe 40.86 3:00pm
50 114 S Alabama AT 83 Arkansas St 49.61 3:00pm
2 6 Georgia AT 7 Kentucky 6.1 3:30pm
4 14 West Virginia AT 15 Texas 11.01 3:30pm
17 20 Iowa AT 61 Purdue 29.07 3:30pm
23 73 Kansas State AT 75 TCU 35.31 3:30pm
24 69 Minnesota AT 90 Illinois 35.61 3:30pm
26 70 Florida State AT 23 NC State 36.24 3:30pm
33 84 UL Lafayette AT 68 Troy 39.58 3:30pm
49 107 Navy AT 34 Cincinnati 49.49 3:30pm
52 118 Uconn AT 113 Tulsa 49.82 3:30pm
56 130 UTEP AT 128 Rice 53.25 3:30pm
3 13 Penn State AT 5 Michigan 10.58 3:45pm
14 32 Boston College AT 55 Virginia Tech 25.81 3:45pm
12 40 Missouri AT 8 Florida 24.32 4:00pm
15 16 Utah AT 57 Arizona St 27.92 4:00pm
42 98 Charlotte AT 56 Tennessee 45.18 4:00pm
27 38 App State AT 87 Co Carolina 36.77 5:00pm
13 43 Duke AT 39 Miami 24.41 7:00pm
41 93 Tulane AT 25 S Florida 44.9 7:00pm
10 2 Notre Dame AT 42 Northwestern 23.32 7:15pm
19 52 Louisiana Tech AT 18 Mississippi St 29.11 7:30pm
36 85 UCLA AT 50 Oregon 40.7 7:30pm
40 93 FAU AT 65 FIU 42.98 7:30pm
51 110 UTSA AT 49 UAB 49.79 7:30pm
1 3 Alabama AT 4 LSU 4 8:00pm
6 9 Oklahoma AT 33 Texas Tech 18.8 8:00pm
35 19 Houston AT 91 SMU 39.82 8:00pm
5 21 Stanford AT 28 Washington 15.7 9:00pm
38 48 USC AT 104 Oregon State 41.59 10:00pm
29 79 BYU AT 53 Boise State 38.32 10:15pm
48 108 New Mexico AT 46 San Diego St 49.23 10:15pm
46 29 Fresno St AT 120 UNLV 48.38 10:30pm
25 67 California AT 10 Washington St 35.72 10:45pm
28 27 Utah State AT 88 Hawaii 38.07 11:59pm