2015 College Football Rankings - Week 15

Little change this week - only one game was played. Here are the final updated pre-bowl game rankings:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) - 1.3
2. Clemson Tigers (13-0) - 2.1
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) - 2.7
4. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1) - 4.1
5. Stanford Cardinal (11-2) - 5.7
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2) - 6.8
7. Michigan State Spartans (12-1) - 7.8
8. Florida State Seminoles (10-2) - 8.7
9. Houston Cougars (12-1) - 9.4
10. Ole Miss Rebels (9-3) - 9.7
11. Iowa Hawkeyes (12-1) - 10.9
12. Baylor Bears (9-3) - 12.1
13. Navy Midshipmen (10-2) - 13.4
14. Tennessee Volunteers (8-4) - 14.5
15. TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) - 15.5
16. Michigan Wolverines (9-3) - 15.7
17. LSU Tigers (8-3) - 17.1
18. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2) - 19.1
19. Temple Owls (10-3) - 19.8
20. North Carolina Tar Heels (11-2) - 21.6
21. Florida Gators (10-3) - 22.3
22. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4) - 22.9
23. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (11-2) - 23.5
24. Oregon Ducks (9-3) - 23.9
25. Memphis Tigers (9-3) - 24.6
26. Bowling Green Falcons (10-3) - 25.2
27. Toledo Rockets (9-2) - 26.1
28. Northwestern Wildcats (10-2) - 26.7
29. Arkansas Razorbacks (7-5) - 29.2
30. Utah Utes (9-3) - 29.6
31. USC Trojans (8-5) - 29.9
32. Wisconsin Badgers (9-3) - 30.8
33. Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-2) - 31.7
34. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-5) - 35.2
35. BYU Cougars (9-3) - 36.3
(tie) Georgia Bulldogs (9-3) - 36.3
37. Texas A&M Aggies (8-4) - 37.3
38. Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) - 37.7
39. California Golden Bears (7-5) - 38.9
40. Washington Huskies (6-6) - 41.2
41. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-5) - 43.5
(tie) Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5) - 43.5
43. San Diego State Aztecs (10-3) - 44.3
44. South Florida Bulls (8-4) - 45.2
45. Marshall Thundering Herd (9-3) - 45.8
46. UCLA Bruins (8-4) - 46.2
47. Miami Hurricanes (8-4) - 46.7
48. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-5) - 48.6
49. NC State Wolfpack (7-5) - 49.8
50. Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-7) - 49.9
51. Western Michigan Broncos (7-5) - 50.3
52. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (9-4) - 50.8
53. Louisville Cardinals (7-5) - 52.4
54. Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-3) - 54.2
55. Arizona State Sun Devils (6-6) - 54.4
56. Auburn Tigers (6-6) - 56.9
57. Boise State Broncos (8-4) - 57.3
58. Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6) - 57.8
59. Georgia Southern Eagles (8-4) - 58.0
60. Texas Longhorns (5-7) - 60.7
61. Northern Illinois Huskies (8-5) - 60.8
62. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-4) - 61.1
63. Washington State Cougars (8-4) - 61.4
64. Central Michigan Chippewas (7-5) - 61.5
65. Kansas State Wildcats (6-6) - 62.5
66. Indiana Hoosiers (6-6) - 66.3
67. Air Force Falcons (8-5) - 66.5
(tie) Ohio Bobcats (8-4) - 66.5
69. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-7) - 69.7
70. Akron Zips (7-5) - 71.1
71. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-7) - 71.3
72. Arizona Wildcats (6-6) - 73.4
(tie) Missouri Tigers (5-7) - 73.4
74. Duke Blue Devils (7-5) - 73.8
75. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (7-5) - 74.4
76. Utah State Aggies (6-6) - 74.8
77. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-9) - 75.9
78. ECU Pirates (5-7) - 77.0
79. Connecticut Huskies (6-6) - 78.6
80. Colorado State Rams (7-5) - 79.5
81. Iowa State Cyclones (3-9) - 81.5
82. Virginia Cavaliers (4-8) - 83.2
83. Maryland Terrapins (3-9) - 84.0
(tie) Vanderbilt Commodores (4-8) - 84.0
85. Syracuse Orange (4-8) - 85.4
86. Boston College Eagles (3-9) - 86.1
(tie) Kentucky Wildcats (5-7) - 86.1
88. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-6) - 86.7
89. Buffalo Bulls (5-7) - 87.1
90. New Mexico Lobos (7-5) - 90.4
91. Colorado Buffaloes (4-9) - 92.6
92. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-8) - 94.2
93. San Jose State Spartans (5-7) - 95.1
94. Nevada Wolf Pack (6-6) - 95.2
95. Georgia State Panthers (6-6) - 95.6
96. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-9) - 96.5
97. Troy Trojans (4-8) - 96.6
98. FIU Golden Panthers (5-7) - 97.8
(tie) South Carolina Gamecocks (3-9) - 97.8
100. Purdue Boilermakers (2-10) - 98.5
101. Rice Owls (5-7) - 100.2
102. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-9) - 100.7
103. Kent State Golden Flashes (3-9) - 103.2
104. South Alabama Jaguars (5-7) - 104.4
105. Miami University RedHawks (3-9) - 105.4
106. Massachusetts Minutemen (3-9) - 106.2
107. Oregon State Beavers (2-10) - 107.5
108. UNLV Rebels (3-9) - 107.8
109. Ball State Cardinals (3-9) - 108.3
110. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (4-8) - 109.5
111. UTSA Roadrunners (4-10) - 110.1
112. Old Dominion Monarchs (5-7) - 111.2
113. Idaho Vandals (4-8) - 111.4
114. UTEP Miners (5-7) - 113.5
115. Fresno State Bulldogs (3-9) - 113.7
116. New Mexico State Aggies (3-9) - 116.1
117. Charlotte 49ers (2-10) - 117.5
118. Hawaii Warriors (3-10) - 119.2
119. Texas State Bobcats (2-8) - 119.6
120. Tulane Green Wave (3-9) - 120.5
121. SMU Mustangs (2-10) - 121.1
122. Wyoming Cowboys (2-10) - 121.7
123. Army Black Knights (2-10) - 122.3
124. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (2-11) - 122.6
125. Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-11) - 124.0
126. North Texas Mean Green (1-11) - 126.4
127. Kansas Jayhawks (0-12) - 127.8
128. UCF Knights (0-12) - 128.5

2015 College Football Bowl Season - Most Intriguing Matchups

Each year we rank the bowls based on a measure we call "intrigue". Basically, what this means is that we look at each game and analyze, based on the performance of the two teams involved in the game, the relative chance that the game will play out to be a close game between two very good teams. It's a mixture of a measure of the quality of the teams involved and also how closely matched they are. Here are the results of our analysis of the 40 bowl games in the 2015/2016 bowl season:

1. College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl - #4 Oklahoma vs. #2 Clemson

2. BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl - #6 Notre Dame vs. #3 Ohio State

3. Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl - #8 Houston vs. #9 Florida State

4. College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - #7 Michigan State vs. #1 Alabama

5. Rose Bowl Game Presented by Northwestern Mutual - #5 Stanford vs. #11 Iowa

6. Allstate Sugar Bowl - #18 Oklahoma State vs. #10 Ole Miss

7. Russell Athletic Bowl - #20 North Carolina vs. #13 Baylor

8. Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl - #15 Michigan vs. #21 Florida

9. Valero Alamo Bowl - #24 Oregon vs. #16 TCU

10. Marmot Boca Raton Bowl - #27 Toledo vs. #19 Temple

11. Holiday Bowl - #31 USC vs. #32 Wisconsin

12. Outback Bowl - #28 Northwestern vs. #14 Tennessee

13. Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl - #35 BYU vs. #30 Utah

14. TaxSlayer Bowl - #41 Penn State vs. #35 Georgia

15. Hawai'I Bowl - #43 San Diego State vs. #48 Cincinnati

(tie) Foster Farms Bowl - #46 UCLA vs. #49 Nebraska

17. Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman - #38 Pittsburgh vs. #12 Navy

18. AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl - #17 LSU vs. #41 Texas Tech

19. Miami Beach Bowl - #23 Western Kentucky vs. #44 South Florida

20. Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl - #40 Washington vs. #52 Southern Miss

21. Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl - #37 Texas A&M vs. #53 Louisville

22. Belk Bowl - #49 NC State vs. #22 Mississippi State

23. San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl - #57 Boise State vs. #61 Northern Illinois

24. Motel 6 Cactus Bowl - #34 West Virginia vs. #55 Arizona State

25. R + L Carriers New Orleans Bowl - #54 Arkansas State vs. #62 Louisiana Tech

26. Hyundai Sun Bowl - #47 Miami vs. #63 Washington State

27. Birmingham Bowl - #56 Auburn vs. #25 Memphis

28. Quick Lane Bowl - #64 Central Michigan vs. #71 Minnesota

29. GoDaddy Bowl - #59 Georgia Southern vs. #26 Bowling Green

30. New Era Pinstripe Bowl - #66 Indiana vs. #74 Duke

31. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl - #70 Akron vs. #76 Utah State

32. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl - #39 California vs. #67 Air Force

33. AutoZone Liberty Bowl - #65 Kansas State vs. #29 Arkansas

34. Raycom media Camellia Bowl - #67 Ohio vs. #33 Appalachian State

35. Popeyes Bahamas Bowl - #75 Middle Tennessee vs. #51 Western Michigan

36. St. Petersburg Bowl - #79 Conneticut vs. #45 Marshall

(tie) Cure Bowl - #93 San Jose State vs. #95 Georgia State

38. Gildan New Mexico Bowl - #72 Arizona vs. #90 New Mexico

39. NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl - #94 Nevada vs. #80 Colorado State

40. Camping World Independence Bowl - #88 Tulsa vs. #58 Virginia Tech

2015 College Football Rankings - Week 14

According to our analysis, the four teams that had the best season this year were Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma. Three of those teams will be in the College Football Playoff this year. Ohio State will not, and it's hard to disagree with the committee on this one. Ohio State didn't win its conference, by virtue of its loss to Michigan State. Conference championships should matter. However, Michigan State's loss to Nebraska (who isn't even bowl eligible) is problematic for the Spartans. The committee will probably overlook it and put them in the playoff. Our analysis says that PAC-12 champion Stanford, even with two losses is more deserving. Stanford's two losses were to Oregon (ranked #24 in our analysis) and Northwestern (ranked #28). They also have a win over Notre Dame (ranked #6), which our analysis also shows to be more deserving of being in the playoff. Michigan State comes in at #7.

Here are the rankings with only one regular season game left - next week's Army-Navy game:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (12-1) - 1.3

2. Clemson Tigers (13-0) - 2.1

3. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) - 2.7

4. Oklahoma Sooners (11-1) - 4.1

5. Stanford Cardinal (11-2) - 5.7

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-2) - 6.8

7. Michigan State Spartans (12-1) - 7.9

8. Houston Cougars (12-1) - 8.8

9. Florida State Seminoles (10-2) - 8.9

10. Ole Miss Rebels (9-3) - 10.0

11. Iowa Hawkeyes (12-1) - 11.3

12. Navy Midshipmen (9-2) - 11.5

13. Baylor Bears (9-3) - 12.8

14. Tennessee Volunteers (8-4) - 14.7

15. Michigan Wolverines (9-3) - 15.8

16. TCU Horned Frogs (10-2) - 15.9

17. LSU Tigers (8-3) - 17.3

18. Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2) - 19.1

19. Temple Owls (10-3) - 19.8

20. North Carolina Tar Heels (11-2) - 21.7

21. Florida Gators (10-3) - 22.2

22. Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4) - 22.9

23. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (11-2) - 23.5

24. Oregon Ducks (9-3) - 23.9

25. Memphis Tigers (9-3) - 24.3

26. Bowling Green Falcons (10-3) - 25.3

27. Toledo Rockets (9-2) - 26.1

28. Northwestern Wildcats (10-2) - 26.8

29. Arkansas Razorbacks (7-5) - 29.2

30. Utah Utes (9-3) - 29.6

31. USC Trojans (8-5) - 29.9

32. Wisconsin Badgers (9-3) - 30.8

33. Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-2) - 31.7

34. West Virginia Mountaineers (7-5) - 35.2

35. BYU Cougars (9-3) - 36.3

(tie) Georgia Bulldogs (9-3) - 36.3

37. Texas A&M Aggies (8-4) - 37.3

38. Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4) - 37.7

39. California Golden Bears (7-5) - 38.9

40. Washington Huskies (6-6) - 41.2

41. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-5) - 43.5

(tie) Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-5) - 43.5

43. San Diego State Aztecs (10-3) - 44.4

44. South Florida Bulls (8-4) - 45.1

45. Marshall Thundering Herd (9-3) - 45.8

46. UCLA Bruins (8-4) - 46.3

47. Miami Hurricanes (8-4) - 46.7

48. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-5) - 48.6

49. NC State Wolfpack (7-5) - 49.9

(tie) Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-7) - 49.9

51. Western Michigan Broncos (7-5) - 50.2

52. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (9-4) - 50.8

53. Louisville Cardinals (7-5) - 52.3

54. Arkansas State Red Wolves (9-3) - 54.2

55. Arizona State Sun Devils (6-6) - 54.4

56. Auburn Tigers (6-6) - 56.9

57. Boise State Broncos (8-4) - 57.3

58. Virginia Tech Hokies (6-6) - 57.8

59. Georgia Southern Eagles (8-4) - 58.0

60. Texas Longhorns (5-7) - 60.7

61. Northern Illinois Huskies (8-5) - 60.8

62. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-4) - 60.9

63. Washington State Cougars (8-4) - 61.4

64. Central Michigan Chippewas (7-5) - 61.5

65. Kansas State Wildcats (6-6) - 62.5

66. Indiana Hoosiers (6-6) - 66.4

67. Air Force Falcons (8-5) - 66.5

(tie) Ohio Bobcats (8-4) - 66.5

69. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-7) - 69.7

70. Akron Zips (7-5) - 71.0

71. Minnesota Golden Gophers (5-7) - 71.3

72. Arizona Wildcats (6-6) - 73.4

(tie) Missouri Tigers (5-7) - 73.4

74. Duke Blue Devils (7-5) - 73.8

75. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (7-5) - 74.5

76. Utah State Aggies (6-6) - 74.9

77. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-9) - 75.9

78. ECU Pirates (5-7) - 76.8

79. Connecticut Huskies (6-6) - 78.5

80. Colorado State Rams (7-5) - 79.7

81. Iowa State Cyclones (3-9) - 81.5

82. Virginia Cavaliers (4-8) - 83.2

83. Maryland Terrapins (3-9) - 84.0

84. Vanderbilt Commodores (4-8) - 84.1

85. Syracuse Orange (4-8) - 85.4

86. Boston College Eagles (3-9) - 86.1

(tie) Kentucky Wildcats (5-7) - 86.1

88. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (6-6) - 86.7

89. Buffalo Bulls (5-7) - 87.1

90. New Mexico Lobos (7-5) - 90.2

91. Colorado Buffaloes (4-9) - 92.6

92. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-8) - 94.4

93. San Jose State Spartans (5-7) - 95.1

94. Nevada Wolf Pack (6-6) - 95.2

95. Georgia State Panthers (6-6) - 95.5

96. Troy Trojans (4-8) - 96.6

(tie) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-9) - 96.6

98. FIU Golden Panthers (5-7) - 97.8

(tie) South Carolina Gamecocks (3-9) - 97.8

100. Purdue Boilermakers (2-10) - 98.5

101. Rice Owls (5-7) - 100.3

102. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-9) - 100.7

103. Kent State Golden Flashes (3-9) - 103.2

104. South Alabama Jaguars (5-7) - 104.4

105. Miami University RedHawks (3-9) - 105.4

106. Massachusetts Minutemen (3-9) - 106.1

107. Oregon State Beavers (2-10) - 107.5

108. UNLV Rebels (3-9) - 107.8

109. Ball State Cardinals (3-9) - 108.3

110. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (4-8) - 109.5

111. UTSA Roadrunners (4-10) - 110.1

112. Old Dominion Monarchs (5-7) - 111.2

113. Idaho Vandals (4-8) - 111.4

114. UTEP Miners (5-7) - 113.5

115. Fresno State Bulldogs (3-9) - 113.7

116. New Mexico State Aggies (3-9) - 116.0

117. Charlotte 49ers (2-10) - 117.4

118. Hawaii Warriors (3-10) - 119.1

119. Texas State Bobcats (2-8) - 119.5

120. Tulane Green Wave (3-9) - 120.5

121. SMU Mustangs (2-10) - 120.9

122. Wyoming Cowboys (2-10) - 121.5

123. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (2-11) - 122.5

124. Army Black Knights (2-9) - 123.2

125. Eastern Michigan Eagles (1-11) - 124.0

126. North Texas Mean Green (1-11) - 126.4

127. Kansas Jayhawks (0-12) - 127.9

128. UCF Knights (0-12) - 128.4