Alternative College Football Ranking System

Introduction

This website offers an alternative ranking system that is totally objective in determining a team’s ranking with criteria that is fully publicized and completely verifiable by anyone.  It is based on the premise that a team’s ranking should be based on current performance and not on past performance or current potential.  Current performance should be based on objective parameters score margin and current opponent ranking.  It does not involve any eye test (subjective opinion) because that is not an objective parameter.  It does not allow a team to maintain its ranking just because it did not lose a game (entitlement is not given).  Do you really want someone’s subjective opinion or entitlement to determine your team’s ranking?

New!!! Strength of Schedule (SOS) Chart each week beginning 2025 wk 10

Last night for the first CFP reveal broadcast for the 2025 College Football season, analytical measures were mentioned but there was no indication that the measures took into account a team’s Strength of Schedule.  It is very reasonable that a team could hold opponents to relatively few points if the teams they are mostly playing are not ranked very high.  Be sure and check out the SOS charts under the Current Year page.

Performance points

Points earned = score margin factor times current opponent ranking factor.

The score margin factor has changed from last year in order to achieve a better distribution of points.  This year (2025) the score margin factor = ((3.4 times (Score Margin/35)^0.7) plus 0.1) for a win and ((minus 3.4 times (1 minus ((35 plus Score Margin)/35)^0.7)) minus 0.1) for a loss when the score margin is 35 points or less.  The score margin factor = 3.5 for a win and -3.5 for a loss when the score differential is greater than 35 points.  For a win the score margin factor is positive while for a loss it is negative.

The current opponent ranking factor has changed from last year in order to achieve a better distribution of points.  This year (2025) the current opponent ranking factor for a win = ((3.4 times (((Total number of teams plus 1 minus Opponent Rank)/Total number of teams)^2.5)) plus 0.1). The current opponent ranking factor for a loss = (((3.3 times (((Total number of teams plus 1 minus 1)/Total number of teams)^2.5)) plus 0.2) – (3.3 times (((Total number of teams plus 1 minus Opponent Rank)/Total number of teams)^2.5))).

For additional information visit the Description page.