Tuesday, October 30, 2018

2018 College Football Rankings - Week 9

Entering November, it is clear, once again, that the SEC has the class of the country this year. Three of our top four teams are once again from the SEC, with only Clemson breaking into that top four and Michigan, Notre Dame and UCF sitting barely on the outside. Four of the top ten teams in our rankings this week are actually from the SEC, with one-loss Kentucky also coming in at #10. One interesting addition to our top ten is Mountain West Conference leader Fresno State, which has climbed all the way up to #9 in the rankings. Meanwhile, previous top four team Ohio State continues to fall. Although the Buckeyes had a bye this week, the team they lost to in Week 8 (Purdue) lost this week and dropped out of the Top 25, dragging the Buckeyes further down to #20 in the rankings. Meanwhile, there are only four undefeated teams left in the country: #1 Alabama, #2 Clemson, #6 Notre Dame and #7 UCF. UCF still hasn't lost since their bowl game back in the 2016 season.

Here are our complete rankings after week 9:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) - 1.0
2. Clemson Tigers (8-0) - 2.0
3. LSU Tigers (7-1) - 3.7
4. Georgia Bulldogs (7-1) - 4.7
5. Michigan Wolverines (7-1) - 4.8
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-0) - 6.1
7. UCF Knights (7-0) - 6.7
8. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1) - 8.5
9. Fresno State Bulldogs (7-1) - 9.7
10. Kentucky Wildcats (7-1) - 10.0
11. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2) - 11.5
12. West Virginia Mountaineers (6-1) - 13.3
13. Florida Gators (6-2) - 13.8
14. Washington State Cougars (7-1) - 14.9
15. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2) - 16.8
16. Army Black Knights (6-2) - 17.1
(tie) Georgia Southern Eagles (7-1) - 17.1
18. Houston Cougars (7-1) - 17.6
19. Utah Utes (6-2) - 19.0
20. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) - 19.1
21. Utah State Aggies (7-1) - 21.0
22. Syracuse Orange (6-2) - 21.9
23. Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-3) - 23.1
24. NC State Wolfpack (5-2) - 24.4
25. North Texas Mean Green (7-2) - 27.6
26. Boston College Eagles (6-2) - 27.7
27. Michigan State Spartans (5-3) - 28.5
28. Purdue Boilermakers (4-4) - 29.1
29. Iowa State Cyclones (4-3) - 30.2
30. Missouri Tigers (4-4) - 31.4
31. Texas Longhorns (6-2) - 31.8
(tie) Washington Huskies (6-3) - 31.8
33. Buffalo Bulls (7-1) - 32.2
34. UAB Blazers (7-1) - 33.9
35. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-1) - 34.6
36. Miami Hurricanes (5-3) - 34.8
37. Virginia Cavaliers (6-2) - 35.6
38. South Carolina Gamecocks (4-3) - 36.9
39. Appalachian State Mountaineers (5-2) - 37.2
40. Wisconsin Badgers (5-3) - 38.0
41. Texas A&M Aggies (5-3) - 38.1
42. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-3) - 39.9
43. Stanford Cardinal (5-3) - 44.1
44. Auburn Tigers (5-3) - 44.2
45. Duke Blue Devils (5-3) - 45.4
46. Boise State Broncos (6-2) - 45.9
47. Northwestern Wildcats (5-3) - 48.1
48. Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-3) - 48.5
49. Ole Miss Rebels (5-3) - 48.7
50. Maryland Terrapins (5-3) - 49.9
51. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-4) - 52.5
52. Troy Trojans (6-2) - 53.4
53. USC Trojans (4-4) - 53.6
54. Vanderbilt Commodores (4-5) - 53.8
55. Oregon Ducks (5-3) - 54.3
56. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (6-2) - 54.6
57. FIU Golden Panthers (6-2) - 57.9
58. Pittsburgh Panthers (4-4) - 59.9
59. Toledo Rockets (4-4) - 60.4
60. Eastern Michigan Eagles (4-5) - 60.9
61. South Florida Bulls (7-1) - 62.0
62. Baylor Bears (4-4) - 63.5
63. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-4) - 64.2
64. Colorado Buffaloes (5-3) - 64.5
65. BYU Cougars (4-4) - 66.0
66. Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-4) - 66.3
67. Indiana Hoosiers (4-5) - 67.1
68. Temple Owls (5-3) - 67.3
69. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (5-3) - 68.6
70. Arizona Wildcats (4-5) - 69.2
71. Marshall Thundering Herd (5-2) - 70.5
72. TCU Horned Frogs (3-5) - 71.2
73. San Diego State Aztecs (6-2) - 71.7
74. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-3) - 72.9
75. Ohio Bobcats (5-3) - 75.4
(tie) Western Michigan Broncos (6-3) - 75.4
77. Kansas State Wildcats (3-5) - 76.5
78. California Golden Bears (5-3) - 79.1
(tie) Florida State Seminoles (4-4) - 79.1
80. Northern Illinois Huskies (5-3) - 79.3
81. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (4-4) - 79.6
82. Tennessee Volunteers (3-5) - 80.0
83. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (5-3) - 83.4
84. Miami University RedHawks (3-5) - 83.6
85. Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-6) - 84.2
86. Nevada Wolf Pack (5-4) - 84.3
87. Memphis Tigers (4-4) - 85.9
88. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-4) - 87.8
89. Air Force Falcons (3-5) - 88.2
90. Arkansas State Red Wolves (4-4) - 90.2
91. Liberty Flames (4-3) - 90.8
92. Tulane Green Wave (3-5) - 91.6
93. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-5) - 91.8
94. UCLA Bruins (2-6) - 93.0
95. Hawaii Warriors (6-4) - 95.7
96. Akron Zips (4-3) - 95.9
97. SMU Mustangs (3-5) - 96.8
98. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (3-4) - 98.0
99. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-5) - 99.5
100. Charlotte 49ers (4-4) - 100.5
101. New Mexico Lobos (3-5) - 101.5
102. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (4-4) - 102.7
103. Kansas Jayhawks (3-5) - 103.1
104. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-6) - 103.4
105. Wyoming Cowboys (3-6) - 105.2
106. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-7) - 105.4
107. Navy Midshipmen (2-6) - 105.8
108. Massachusetts Minutemen (3-6) - 107.9
109. Oregon State Beavers (2-6) - 109.2
110. South Alabama Jaguars (2-6) - 110.5
111. Georgia State Panthers (2-6) - 110.6
112. ECU Pirates (2-5) - 113.5
(tie) Old Dominion Monarchs (2-7) - 113.5
114. Ball State Cardinals (3-6) - 114.0
115. UTSA Roadrunners (3-5) - 114.3
116. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-7) - 114.4
117. Louisville Cardinals (2-6) - 116.9
118. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-7) - 117.7
119. Central Michigan Chippewas (1-8) - 119.4
120. UNLV Rebels (2-6) - 121.0
121. New Mexico State Aggies (2-7) - 122.4
122. Kent State Golden Flashes (1-7) - 122.5
123. Colorado State Rams (3-6) - 123.3
124. Connecticut Huskies (1-7) - 123.5
(tie) Texas State Bobcats (2-6) - 123.5
126. San Jose State Spartans (1-7) - 124.2
127. Bowling Green Falcons (1-7) - 125.4
128. UTEP Miners (0-8) - 128.2
129. Rice Owls (1-8) - 128.7
130. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1-7) - 129.4

Sunday, October 21, 2018

2018 College Football Rankings - Week 8

Ohio State's loss cost them. Purdue had been improving, but their poor start to the season had them ranked at #47 going into this game, as they only had a 3-3 record. The Buckeyes were not supposed to lose this game, certainly not 49-20. As a result, they dropped from #3 all the way to #15 in our week 8 analysis. This was a bad loss.

Purdue, on the other hand, broke into the Top 25 at #22 this week. Other new entrants to our Top 25 include Wisconsin (49-25 winners over #91 Illinois), Utah (who beat #49 USC 41-28), Miami (who had a bye this week) and Texas A&M (who also had a bye this week). Dropping out of the Top 25 were Cincinnati (who lost to #75 Temple 24-17), Duke (who lost to #45 Virginia 28-14), Army (who took two overtimes to beat #86 Miami of Ohio 31-30), North Texas (who lost to #43 UAB 29-21), and Texas (who had a bye but slipped from #24 to #26 in our analysis). Team movement during a bye (up or down) can be caused by the performance of teams that a given team has previously played in their schedule (affecting their strength of schedule), or wins and losses of teams that are ranked near a certain team can also push that team up or down.

Here are the complete week 8 rankings according to our analysis:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) - 1.0
2. Clemson Tigers (7-0) - 2.7
3. LSU Tigers (7-1) - 3.1
4. Michigan Wolverines (7-1) - 3.8
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-0) - 5.8
6. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) - 6.5
(tie) UCF Knights (7-0) - 6.5
8. Oklahoma Sooners (6-1) - 8.9
9. Kentucky Wildcats (6-1) - 9.0
10. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-1) - 9.6
11. Florida Gators (6-1) - 10.1
12. Washington Huskies (6-2) - 13.2
13. Fresno State Bulldogs (6-1) - 14.3
14. Washington State Cougars (6-1) - 14.6
15. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-1) - 15.9
16. Appalachian State Mountaineers (5-1) - 16.8
17. Wisconsin Badgers (5-2) - 17.5
18. NC State Wolfpack (5-1) - 18.5
19. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-1) - 20.0
20. Utah Utes (5-2) - 20.1
21. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-2) - 21.6
22. Purdue Boilermakers (4-3) - 24.1
23. Utah State Aggies (6-1) - 25.1
24. Miami Hurricanes (5-2) - 26.0
25. Texas A&M Aggies (5-2) - 26.8
26. Texas Longhorns (6-1) - 27.1
27. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-1) - 27.3
28. North Texas Mean Green (6-2) - 28.8
29. Army Black Knights (5-2) - 29.7
30. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-3) - 30.7
31. Houston Cougars (6-1) - 31.1
32. Duke Blue Devils (5-2) - 31.6
(tie) Virginia Cavaliers (5-2) - 31.6
34. Syracuse Orange (5-2) - 33.0
35. Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-2) - 33.9
36. Buffalo Bulls (7-1) - 34.1
37. Oregon Ducks (5-2) - 34.6
38. Missouri Tigers (4-3) - 37.0
39. UAB Blazers (6-1) - 39.2
40. Stanford Cardinal (5-2) - 39.3
41. Georgia Southern Eagles (6-1) - 40.1
42. Auburn Tigers (5-3) - 42.0
43. Iowa State Cyclones (3-3) - 42.5
44. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3) - 44.2
45. Boston College Eagles (5-2) - 45.4
46. Michigan State Spartans (4-3) - 45.5
47. Colorado Buffaloes (5-2) - 45.8
48. Ole Miss Rebels (5-3) - 46.0
49. South Florida Bulls (7-0) - 48.7
50. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-2) - 50.1
51. Boise State Broncos (5-2) - 50.3
52. Western Michigan Broncos (6-2) - 51.1
53. USC Trojans (4-3) - 52.3
54. Eastern Michigan Eagles (4-4) - 54.7
55. Baylor Bears (4-3) - 55.9
56. Maryland Terrapins (4-3) - 58.5
57. San Diego State Aztecs (6-1) - 58.7
58. Indiana Hoosiers (4-4) - 59.8
59. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-3) - 60.0
60. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-4) - 60.1
61. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (5-2) - 61.3
62. Troy Trojans (5-2) - 61.4
63. Northwestern Wildcats (4-3) - 62.3
64. TCU Horned Frogs (3-4) - 63.2
65. BYU Cougars (4-3) - 63.8
(tie) Vanderbilt Commodores (3-5) - 63.8
67. Marshall Thundering Herd (5-2) - 67.4
68. FIU Golden Panthers (5-2) - 67.5
69. Temple Owls (5-3) - 70.5
70. Florida State Seminoles (4-3) - 71.0
71. Kansas State Wildcats (3-4) - 71.3
72. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-4) - 71.9
73. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-4) - 74.4
74. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-4) - 75.0
75. Arkansas State Red Wolves (4-3) - 76.0
76. Air Force Falcons (3-4) - 77.0
77. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (4-3) - 78.5
78. Tennessee Volunteers (3-4) - 78.8
79. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (4-3) - 80.1
80. Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-6) - 80.4
81. Miami University RedHawks (3-5) - 80.6
82. Memphis Tigers (4-4) - 81.1
(tie) Northern Illinois Huskies (4-3) - 81.1
84. Ohio Bobcats (4-3) - 81.2
85. Toledo Rockets (3-4) - 82.0
86. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (3-4) - 84.2
87. Liberty Flames (4-3) - 87.4
88. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-4) - 87.6
89. UCLA Bruins (2-5) - 89.0
90. Arizona Wildcats (3-5) - 89.9
91. Nevada Wolf Pack (4-4) - 90.5
92. California Golden Bears (4-3) - 93.0
93. Tulane Green Wave (2-5) - 93.2
94. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (3-3) - 93.6
95. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-4) - 95.0
(tie) New Mexico Lobos (3-4) - 95.0
97. Hawaii Warriors (6-3) - 95.2
98. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-4) - 95.6
99. Akron Zips (3-3) - 98.8
100. Arkansas Razorbacks (2-6) - 99.8
101. SMU Mustangs (3-4) - 101.3
102. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (4-4) - 101.6
103. Charlotte 49ers (3-4) - 104.1
104. Navy Midshipmen (2-5) - 104.7
105. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-5) - 105.2
106. Kansas Jayhawks (2-5) - 108.8
107. Old Dominion Monarchs (2-6) - 108.9
108. Wyoming Cowboys (2-6) - 109.9
109. Massachusetts Minutemen (2-6) - 110.0
(tie) South Alabama Jaguars (2-5) - 110.0
111. UNLV Rebels (2-5) - 110.6
112. Ball State Cardinals (3-5) - 111.2
113. Georgia State Panthers (2-5) - 111.6
114. ECU Pirates (2-5) - 111.8
115. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-6) - 113.3
116. Louisville Cardinals (2-5) - 116.0
117. Central Michigan Chippewas (1-7) - 116.7
118. UTSA Roadrunners (3-5) - 116.9
119. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-7) - 120.5
120. Colorado State Rams (3-5) - 120.6
121. New Mexico State Aggies (2-6) - 121.5
122. Kent State Golden Flashes (1-7) - 121.7
123. Connecticut Huskies (1-6) - 122.2
124. Oregon State Beavers (1-6) - 122.4
125. Texas State Bobcats (1-6) - 124.0
126. Bowling Green Falcons (1-7) - 125.0
127. San Jose State Spartans (0-7) - 127.4
128. UTEP Miners (0-7) - 128.1
129. Rice Owls (1-7) - 128.6
130. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1-6) - 128.8

Sunday, October 14, 2018

2018 College Football Rankings - Week 7

Upsets and close calls. There were a bunch of them in Week 7. As a result, the Top Ten was shuffled around quite a bit. Alabama, of course, was immune to all of this, rolling yet again and remaining at a very solid #1. Georgia lost to LSU, and it wasn't even that close. So LSU moved up to #2 from #7 and Georgia dropped to #8 from #2. Ohio State did about as expected, so they remained at #3. #9 Michigan had a big win (again, not even close) over #17 Wisconsin, which vaulted them up to #4 in our analysis and dropped Wisconsin all the way out of our Top 25. Clemson had a bye week, but they still slipped to #5. Notre Dame barely survived against #80 Pittsburgh, winning by just five points which is bound to drop you, so they ended up at #6. (At least they didn't lose.) UCF stayed undefeated as well, but only beat #71 Memphis by 1 point. They dropped to #7. Kentucky had a bye. Penn State and West Virginia both lost (to #43 Michigan State and #55 Iowa State respectively), so now Kentucky and Florida round out the new Top Ten.

Here are the complete rankings after seven weeks:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0) - 1.0
2. LSU Tigers (6-1) - 2.4
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0) - 3.7
4. Michigan Wolverines (6-1) - 4.0
5. Clemson Tigers (6-0) - 5.2
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-0) - 5.7
7. UCF Knights (6-0) - 8.3
8. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1) - 8.5
9. Kentucky Wildcats (5-1) - 9.0
10. Florida Gators (6-1) - 9.2
11. Oklahoma Sooners (5-1) - 10.8
12. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1) - 14.4
13. NC State Wolfpack (5-0) - 14.6
14. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0) - 15.5
15. Duke Blue Devils (5-1) - 16.2
16. Appalachian State Mountaineers (4-1) - 16.5
17. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-2) - 16.9
18. Washington Huskies (5-2) - 18.2
19. Fresno State Bulldogs (5-1) - 19.3
20. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-1) - 19.9
21. Utah State Aggies (5-1) - 20.4
22. Army Black Knights (4-2) - 22.4
23. North Texas Mean Green (6-1) - 22.5
24. Texas Longhorns (6-1) - 23.7
25. Washington State Cougars (5-1) - 24.4
26. Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-2) - 26.2
27. Wisconsin Badgers (4-2) - 28.2
28. Oregon Ducks (5-1) - 28.4
29. Texas A&M Aggies (5-2) - 29.2
30. Utah Utes (4-2) - 29.5
31. Syracuse Orange (4-2) - 30.6
32. Miami Hurricanes (5-2) - 31.0
33. Houston Cougars (5-1) - 31.9
34. Ole Miss Rebels (5-2) - 33.5
35. Michigan State Spartans (4-2) - 34.4
36. Texas Tech Red Raiders (4-2) - 35.0
37. Colorado Buffaloes (5-1) - 37.0
38. Iowa State Cyclones (3-3) - 38.8
39. Buffalo Bulls (6-1) - 39.4
40. Stanford Cardinal (4-2) - 41.6
41. South Florida Bulls (6-0) - 42.0
42. Boston College Eagles (5-2) - 42.2
43. UAB Blazers (5-1) - 43.7
44. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-3) - 44.4
45. Virginia Cavaliers (4-2) - 45.7
46. Georgia Southern Eagles (5-1) - 46.0
47. Purdue Boilermakers (3-3) - 47.0
48. Maryland Terrapins (4-2) - 47.2
49. USC Trojans (4-2) - 47.8
50. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-2) - 48.6
51. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-3) - 51.0
52. Baylor Bears (4-3) - 52.6
53. Auburn Tigers (4-3) - 52.8
54. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-3) - 54.5
55. TCU Horned Frogs (3-3) - 55.3
56. Missouri Tigers (3-3) - 56.5
57. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (4-2) - 57.1
58. San Diego State Aztecs (5-1) - 58.4
59. Boise State Broncos (4-2) - 59.2
60. Indiana Hoosiers (4-3) - 60.2
(tie) Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-3) - 60.2
62. Western Michigan Broncos (5-2) - 60.9
63. BYU Cougars (4-3) - 63.8
64. Northwestern Wildcats (3-3) - 63.9
65. Troy Trojans (5-2) - 64.0
66. Memphis Tigers (4-3) - 66.2
67. Eastern Michigan Eagles (3-4) - 67.5
68. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-4) - 67.8
69. Kansas State Wildcats (3-4) - 69.9
70. FIU Golden Panthers (4-2) - 71.7
71. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-3) - 72.3
72. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-4) - 73.1
73. Tulane Green Wave (2-4) - 73.5
74. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-3) - 73.7
75. Temple Owls (4-3) - 75.0
76. Hawaii Warriors (6-2) - 75.7
77. Tennessee Volunteers (3-3) - 76.7
78. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-4) - 76.8
79. Air Force Falcons (2-4) - 80.3
80. Liberty Flames (3-3) - 81.2
(tie) Toledo Rockets (3-3) - 81.2
82. Arkansas State Red Wolves (3-3) - 81.3
83. Marshall Thundering Herd (4-2) - 82.7
84. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (3-3) - 83.6
85. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (3-3) - 83.7
86. Miami University RedHawks (3-4) - 85.2
87. Arizona Wildcats (3-4) - 87.6
88. New Mexico Lobos (3-3) - 87.8
89. Northern Illinois Huskies (4-3) - 88.3
90. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (3-3) - 88.6
91. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-3) - 89.7
92. Florida State Seminoles (3-3) - 89.9
93. Ohio Bobcats (3-3) - 90.3
94. UCLA Bruins (1-5) - 94.6
95. Akron Zips (2-3) - 95.3
96. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2-3) - 95.6
97. California Golden Bears (3-3) - 97.9
98. Nevada Wolf Pack (3-4) - 99.3
99. Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-6) - 100.4
100. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (3-4) - 101.2
101. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-5) - 101.5
102. Navy Midshipmen (2-4) - 102.5
103. Charlotte 49ers (3-3) - 103.0
104. Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) - 104.0
105. Ball State Cardinals (3-4) - 106.1
106. Georgia State Panthers (2-4) - 107.0
107. SMU Mustangs (2-4) - 107.1
108. Arkansas Razorbacks (1-6) - 107.3
109. Massachusetts Minutemen (2-5) - 108.6
(tie) UNLV Rebels (2-4) - 108.6
111. South Alabama Jaguars (2-5) - 111.2
112. Old Dominion Monarchs (1-6) - 111.3
113. Central Michigan Chippewas (1-6) - 112.6
114. ECU Pirates (2-4) - 113.7
115. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-4) - 114.2
116. Wyoming Cowboys (2-5) - 114.3
117. UTSA Roadrunners (3-4) - 116.2
118. Louisville Cardinals (2-5) - 117.6
119. Oregon State Beavers (1-5) - 119.2
120. Colorado State Rams (3-4) - 120.2
121. New Mexico State Aggies (2-5) - 120.6
122. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-6) - 122.0
123. Kent State Golden Flashes (1-6) - 122.9
124. Bowling Green Falcons (1-6) - 123.4
125. Texas State Bobcats (1-5) - 124.1
126. Connecticut Huskies (1-5) - 124.3
127. San Jose State Spartans (0-6) - 128.0
128. Rice Owls (1-6) - 128.1
129. UTEP Miners (0-6) - 128.6
130. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1-5) - 128.8

Sunday, October 7, 2018

2018 College Football Rankings - Week 6

Alabama and Georgia solidified their positions at the top of the rankings, but the other two SEC teams that had been in the top four, LSU and Kentucky, both lost, dropping them back to #7 and #8. Still, the top four now is more familiar than ever, as undefeated Ohio State and Clemson have slid into the #3 and #4 spots respectively. The more things change, the more they say the same - especially in the world of college football.

Notre Dame is nipping at Clemson's heels, just barely back in the #5 spot, while, don't look now, but UCF still hasn't lost. The last time that happened was in the Cure Bowl on December 17, 2016. They have crept all the way up to #6. They still haven't played anybody voters would consider good - or in fact anybody with a winning record. Their best opponent according to our current rankings is #73 Florida Atlantic, which is (3-3). Nor do they play anyone that should be a challenge until November 17th, when they play #14 Cincinnati and November 23rd, when they play #32 South Florida. Both of those teams are currently undefeated and UCF has beaten the opponents they've played by an average of 31.2 points, with the closest game being a 20-point win over Florida Atlantic. It will be interesting to see if, with this schedule, UCF is able to build up enough of a resume to climb into our top four like they did last season entering the bowl games, which in our mind would justify including them in the College Football Playoff. There would be quite a clamor among the public as well, we believe, since that would mean that UCF was undefeated for the second straight season, a difficult feat to accomplish with any schedule.

Here are the current rankings as we see them after six weeks of the 2018 college football season:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0) - 1.0
2. Georgia Bulldogs (6-0) - 2.0
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) - 3.5
4. Clemson Tigers (6-0) - 4.6
5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-0) - 4.8
6. UCF Knights (5-0) - 5.7
7. LSU Tigers (5-1) - 7.9
8. Kentucky Wildcats (5-1) - 8.4
9. Michigan Wolverines (5-1) - 9.7
10. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-1) - 9.8
11. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-0) - 10.4
12. Oklahoma Sooners (5-1) - 11.3
13. Florida Gators (5-1) - 12.9
14. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-0) - 15.3
15. NC State Wolfpack (5-0) - 15.6
16. Washington Huskies (5-1) - 16.8
17. Wisconsin Badgers (4-1) - 17.1
18. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1) - 20.2
19. Duke Blue Devils (4-1) - 21.7
(tie) Miami Hurricanes (5-1) - 21.7
21. Colorado Buffaloes (5-0) - 22.9
22. Army Black Knights (3-2) - 24.7
(tie) Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-2) - 24.7
24. Fresno State Bulldogs (4-1) - 24.8
25. Oregon Ducks (4-1) - 25.6
26. Texas Longhorns (5-1) - 26.3
27. Washington State Cougars (5-1) - 26.5
28. Appalachian State Mountaineers (3-1) - 28.0
29. Utah State Aggies (4-1) - 28.1
30. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-2) - 28.3
31. Syracuse Orange (4-2) - 28.4
32. South Florida Bulls (5-0) - 29.2
33. Texas Tech Red Raiders (3-2) - 33.1
34. Ole Miss Rebels (4-2) - 33.3
35. Auburn Tigers (4-2) - 34.5
36. North Texas Mean Green (5-1) - 35.5
37. Houston Cougars (4-1) - 37.1
38. Texas A&M Aggies (4-2) - 37.3
39. Utah Utes (3-2) - 38.1
40. Georgia Southern Eagles (4-1) - 38.4
41. Stanford Cardinal (4-2) - 43.2
42. Missouri Tigers (3-2) - 43.4
43. Michigan State Spartans (3-2) - 43.7
44. Virginia Tech Hokies (3-2) - 44.1
45. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-2) - 45.2
46. Buffalo Bulls (5-1) - 48.0
47. Virginia Cavaliers (3-2) - 49.0
48. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-3) - 49.3
(tie) UAB Blazers (4-1) - 49.3
50. Boston College Eagles (4-2) - 50.2
51. Boise State Broncos (3-2) - 50.8
52. Indiana Hoosiers (4-2) - 51.9
53. Troy Trojans (5-1) - 52.1
54. Baylor Bears (4-2) - 52.4
55. Iowa State Cyclones (2-3) - 55.0
56. Hawaii Warriors (6-1) - 55.9
57. TCU Horned Frogs (3-2) - 56.1
58. Maryland Terrapins (3-2) - 57.1
59. USC Trojans (3-2) - 58.3
60. Purdue Boilermakers (2-3) - 60.6
61. Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-2) - 60.7
62. Vanderbilt Commodores (3-3) - 61.7
63. San Diego State Aztecs (4-1) - 63.3
64. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-3) - 64.2
65. Western Michigan Broncos (4-2) - 64.9
66. Illinois Fighting Illini (3-2) - 66.9
67. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (3-2) - 67.2
68. Northwestern Wildcats (2-3) - 67.4
69. New Mexico Lobos (3-2) - 68.9
70. Arkansas State Red Wolves (3-2) - 69.4
71. Memphis Tigers (4-2) - 69.7
72. FIU Golden Panthers (3-2) - 71.2
73. Florida Atlantic Owls (3-3) - 73.7
74. BYU Cougars (3-3) - 74.7
75. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-3) - 75.2
76. Tulane Green Wave (2-4) - 77.5
77. Eastern Michigan Eagles (2-4) - 78.1
78. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (3-2) - 78.4
79. Air Force Falcons (2-3) - 78.7
80. Pittsburgh Panthers (3-3) - 78.8
81. Toledo Rockets (3-2) - 80.5
82. Arizona Wildcats (3-3) - 80.8
83. Temple Owls (3-3) - 82.0
84. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (3-2) - 83.0
85. Ohio Bobcats (3-2) - 84.6
86. California Golden Bears (3-2) - 85.7
87. Kansas State Wildcats (2-4) - 87.2
88. Liberty Flames (2-3) - 88.3
89. Florida State Seminoles (3-3) - 88.6
90. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (2-2) - 90.2
91. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns (2-3) - 90.4
92. Miami University RedHawks (2-4) - 92.2
93. Tennessee Volunteers (2-3) - 93.0
94. Northern Illinois Huskies (3-3) - 93.2
95. Marshall Thundering Herd (3-2) - 93.8
96. Akron Zips (2-2) - 94.7
97. Navy Midshipmen (2-3) - 97.1
98. Nevada Wolf Pack (3-3) - 98.7
99. UNLV Rebels (2-3) - 101.2
100. Kansas Jayhawks (2-4) - 101.9
101. Wyoming Cowboys (2-4) - 102.9
102. Old Dominion Monarchs (1-5) - 103.3
103. Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-5) - 103.5
104. Tulsa Golden Hurricane (1-4) - 105.0
105. Ball State Cardinals (2-4) - 105.5
106. SMU Mustangs (2-4) - 106.1
107. ECU Pirates (2-3) - 107.4
108. Central Michigan Chippewas (1-5) - 108.7
(tie) Massachusetts Minutemen (2-5) - 108.7
110. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-3) - 108.8
111. UTSA Roadrunners (3-3) - 110.1
112. Georgia State Panthers (2-4) - 110.7
113. UCLA Bruins (0-5) - 111.9
114. Arkansas Razorbacks (1-5) - 113.2
115. Louisville Cardinals (2-4) - 113.3
116. Charlotte 49ers (2-3) - 114.3
117. South Alabama Jaguars (1-5) - 116.8
118. New Mexico State Aggies (2-4) - 117.6
119. Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (2-4) - 118.1
120. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-5) - 119.9
121. Oregon State Beavers (1-5) - 120.5
122. Kent State Golden Flashes (1-5) - 120.6
123. Colorado State Rams (2-4) - 123.8
124. Connecticut Huskies (1-5) - 124.3
125. Bowling Green Falcons (1-5) - 124.6
126. Texas State Bobcats (1-4) - 124.9
127. Rice Owls (1-5) - 127.1
128. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (1-4) - 127.7
129. San Jose State Spartans (0-5) - 128.1
130. UTEP Miners (0-6) - 129.0