College Football Rankings

How lame is this college football season? We have a team in negative B Points in the Top 25 for about the second or third time since I started keeping track. It’s possible no game this weekend will affect the national title game, meaning if Georgia wins the SEC Title Game, we’ll have two teams playing for the national championship and neither won their conference. It’s not a lack of one-loss alternatives; it’s just that no one trusts an Oklahoma State team that lost to Iowa State, a Stanford or Boise State team that won’t win their conference either, a Virginia Tech team that would win a conference no one trusts and doesn’t have the parity of years past, or a Houston team that hasn’t even won the respect of a BYU, Boise State, or TCU.

This week’s rankings are a bit later than I would have liked because I lost the USB drive containing the database I use to calculate the rankings last week.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1	LSU					SEC #1		’06 Boise St.
	12-0	LW: #1	A Rat: .831	B Rating:	62.549	C Rating:	54.630	AP: 1	BCS: 1
	Can LSU avoid complete BCS embarassment in their opponent’s home state?
2	Alabama					SEC #2		BCS Title
	11-1	LW: #2	A Rat: .780	B Rating:	53.170	C Rating:	45.803	AP: 2	BCS: 2
	Alabama pummeled their rivals right out of the polls. Now comes the wait to avenge their one loss.
3	Oklahoma State					B12 #1		BCS Title
	10-1	LW: #3	A Rat: .643	B Rating:	43.721	C Rating:	36.214	AP: 3	BCS: 3
	The Cowboys have their best chance in years to beat Big Brother – and while a win sends them to the Fiesta, would they even go to the Cotton over K-State?
4	Boise State					MWC #1		Bowl Position
	10-1	LW: #4	A Rat: .687	B Rating:	43.078	C Rating:	36.125	AP: 9	BCS: 7
	What good will a #7 BCS ranking do for the Broncos? How about a trip to the Poinsettia Bowl.
5	Wisconsin					B10 #1		Big 10 Title
	10-2	LW: #8	A Rat: .668	B Rating:	43.762	C Rating:	35.344	AP: 15	BCS: 15
	Wisconsin pummeled a good Penn State team into the ground, but the polls barely noticed. Will they notice if the Badgers avenge their loss to the Spartans?
6	Oklahoma					B12 #2		Big 12 Title
	9-2	LW: #5	A Rat: .605	B Rating:	41.816	C Rating:	34.593	AP: 13	BCS: 10
	The Sooners demolished the team that beat the Cowboys and actually lost ground in the polls. The Big 12 may no longer have a title game, but Bedlam will serve the same purpose.
7	Houston					USA #1		BCS Bowl
	12-0	LW: #7	A Rat: .785	B Rating:	44.168	C Rating:	33.706	AP: 7	BCS: 6
	C-USA has never sniffed the BCS. Now their title game pits two ranked teams with one playing for a BCS spot. How huge is that? It’s getting the ABC treatment.
8	Oregon					P12 #1		Pac-12 Title
	10-2	LW: #6	A Rat: .605	B Rating:	33.005	C Rating:	27.381	AP: 8	BCS: 9
	Too many points allowed to a three-win team to avoid slipping.
9	Stanford					P12 #2		BCS Title
	11-1	LW: #10	A Rat: .686	B Rating:	27.597	C Rating:	21.118	AP: 4	BCS: 4
	Big win to a ranked Notre Dame team – the last exclamation point on Andrew Luck’s Heisman campaign?
10	Michigan					B10 #2		Bowl Position
	10-2	LW: #9	A Rat: .590	B Rating:	25.000	C Rating:	20.688	AP: 17	BCS: 16
	Just a little too close for comfort against a team that’s barely bowl-eligible, but all the Wolverines fans care about is finally getting the Buckeyes’ goat.
11	Virginia Tech					ACC #1		Prncton/Yale
	11-1	LW: #13	A Rat: .635	B Rating:	20.023	C Rating:	15.459	AP: 5	BCS: 5
	Virginia isn’t terribly great, but they were poised to steal the division with a win and V-Tech blew them out of the water. Now they get a shot at revenge against the one team to beat them for a trip to the Orange Bowl.
12	Georgia					SEC #3		SEC Title
	10-2	LW: #15	A Rat: .586	B Rating:	14.379	C Rating:	10.167	AP: 12	BCS: 14
	Big win over a good G-Tech team makes it all the more plausible the Bulldogs could pull the Upset of the Century.
13	USC					P12 #3		’09 Boise St.
	10-2	LW: #17	A Rat: .559	B Rating:	13.898	C Rating:	9.650	AP: 9	SBNBlog: 13
	Not even the conference commissioner likes this title game. Couldn’t we have Oregon and USC play and just send Oregon or Stanford to the Rose Bowl should USC win?
14	TCU					MWC #2		MWC Title
	9-2	LW: #12	A Rat: .579	B Rating:	14.515	C Rating:	9.150	AP: 18	BCS: 18
	The Horned Frogs slip for idle hands, but only UNLV stands in the way of going undefeated in-conference.
15	Arkansas					SEC #4		Bowl Position
	10-2	LW: #11	A Rat: .545	B Rating:	13.296	C Rating:	9.078	AP: 6	BCS: 8
	The appraisals of the Razorbacks come back down to Earth after getting blown out by LSU, and not even the Capitol One Bowl looks like a sure thing the way Georgia’s been playing.
16	South Carolina					SEC #5		Bowl Position
	10-2	LW: #18	A Rat: .560	B Rating:	11.993	C Rating:	8.982	AP: 14	BCS: 12
	Big win over a Clemson team headed to the ACC title game sends the Cocks streaming up the rankings. Hey, you think they might meet again New Year’s Eve in the Georgia Dome?
17	Notre Dame							Bowl Position
	8-4	LW: #14	A Rat: .402	B Rating:	8.998	C Rating:	6.181	—	—
	Had they not opened the season with a three-point loss to South Florida and a four-point loss to Michigan, the Golden Domers might be going to a BCS bowl.
18	Southern Miss					USA #2		C-USA Title
	10-2	LW: #16	A Rat: .576	B Rating:	12.161	C Rating:	5.514	AP: 24	BCS: 24
	Big win, but over one of the worst teams in the country. But it got Southern Miss back in the polls for the huge showdown with Houston.
19	Toledo					MAC #1		Bowl Position
	8-4	LW: #21	A Rat: .412	B Rating:	7.918	C Rating:	4.481	—	—
	Big win over Ball State, but the Rockets have nothing to show for their only loss by more than five coming to Boise State thanks to one very ill-timed loss.
20	Florida State					ACC #2		Bowl Position
	8-4	LW: #23	A Rat: .470	B Rating:	7.603	C Rating:	3.905	AP: 25	Coaches: 24
	The Seminoles finally pick up a win over Florida and await their bowl fate.
21	Nebraska					B10 #3		Bowl Position
	9-3	LW: #24	A Rat: .475	B Rating:	4.843	C Rating:	2.998	AP: 20	BCS: 19
	Big win over Iowa, but thirty-point losses to Michigan and Wisconsin mean it matters little. They just have to wait for their bowl fate.
22	Texas A&M					B12 #3		Bowl Position
	6-6	LW: #20	A Rat: .310	B Rating:	5.221	C Rating:	2.173	—	—
	Two overtime losses, another three losses by a combined seven points, a total four losses against teams ranked in the polls at the time, and one fired coach.
23	Michigan State					B10 #4		Big 10 Title
	10-2	LW: #33	A Rat: .562	B Rating:	3.094	C Rating:	-.640	AP: 11	BCS: 13
	Sparty’s rating has always been deflated by a combination of blowout losses, their best road win being either Ohio State or Iowa, bad nonconference opponents, and beating Minnesota by only 7, but they punched their title game ticket with a bang against Northwestern.
24	Penn State (9-3, .456, -.343, -1.656)					B10 #5		Bowl Position
25	Louisiana Tech*					WAC #1		WAC Title
	8-4	LW: #31	A Rat: .415	B Rating:	1.617	C Rating:	-1.704	—	—
	With Boise State gone, Louisiana Tech wrapped up their WAC championship campaign in dominating fashion over New Mexico State. Their four losses all came at the start around an OT win over Central Arkansas, but included both C-USA title game participants (and OT to Mississippi State).

2010 TCU Title: #45 Baylor (8-3), .411, -7.648, -9.197

Best game of week: Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State, 5pm PT, ABC

All season I’ve been saying the same thing: that no one, not even the pollsters, really believes that Oklahoma State is the best non-SEC team in the country. There are a number of reasons for that – namely, a weak nonconference slate and Texas being the only team in positive B Points they beat by more than a single score – but really, what it ultimately comes down to is that it’s Oklahoma State. This is a team that has definitively been “little brother” for the longest time, maybe since Barry Sanders was at the school. Over the last decade, while Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma was contending for national and Big 12 titles, Oklahoma State, while often being good, plied its trade deep in the shadows of the Sooners. Now it’s Oklahoma State who’s contending for a national title? You’ll have to excuse me – and, I suspect, many others – for being a bit skeptical.

Well, not anymore. By blowing out the team that beat Oklahoma (admittedly, that hasn’t looked like they can beat anyone else) by a downright apocalyptic score (66-6), Oklahoma State has established their dominance, and with upsets to the Cardinal and Broncos, now stand as one of only three undefeated teams in the country, enough to propel them past idle Big Brother to the top spot in the C Ratings. As much as the Cowboys look like last year’s Oregon team (essentially, a sacrificial lamb for the SEC team du jour to beat), the argument over whether they should go to the national championship game is pretty much academic at this point.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1	Oklahoma State					B12 #1		BCS Title
	10-0	LW: #5	A Rat: .728	B Rating:	49.978	C Rating:	42.806	AP: 2	BCS: 2
	How many people watched the potential national championship contender Friday night in their tuneup for Bedlam?
2	Oklahoma					B12 #2		2010 TCU
	8-1	LW: #1	A Rat: .674	B Rating:	49.507	C Rating:	42.541	AP: 5	BCS: 5
	Idle hands sends the Sooners tumbling from the top spot, but not to who you’d think. And they have to face a Baylor team out to prove they deserve their ranking in the polls.
3	LSU					SEC #1		’06 Boise St.
	10-0	LW: #2	A Rat: .821	B Rating:	47.947	C Rating:	42.286	AP: 1	BCS: 1
	Playing Western Kentucky, the Tigers might as well have taken the week off, and Ole Miss won’t be much better preparation for the clash with the Hogs.
4	Alabama					SEC #2		BCS Title
	9-1	LW: #3	A Rat: .775	B Rating:	48.648	C Rating:	42.193	AP: 3	BCS: 3
	As far as the polls and BCS are concerned, Alabama is in prime position to take advantage of a Cowboy stumble… but do we really want THAT rematch in the national title game?
5	Oregon					P12 #1		’09 Boise St.
	9-1	LW: #7	A Rat: .672	B Rating:	39.919	C Rating:	34.071	AP: 4	BCS: 4
	The Ducks have lost only one game all year… and it was against a little team I like to call LSU. Now the polls and BCS are recognizing them as the national-championship-caliber team they are.
6	Boise State					MWC #1		MWC Title
	8-1	LW: #4	A Rat: .676	B Rating:	34.219	C Rating:	28.631	AP: 10	BCS: 10
	All of a sudden, the Broncos are hoping for a TCU loss just to go to the Las Vegas Bowl.
7	Wisconsin					B10 #1		Big 10 Title
	8-2	LW: #8	A Rat: .641	B Rating:	28.938	C Rating:	22.315	AP: 15	BCS: 17
	Their two losses came on the road to decent teams by tight margins, but as far as the polls are concerend, two losses are two losses. But now the Badgers control their own destiny for the conference title game.
8	Stanford					P12 #2		BCS Title
	9-1	LW: #6	A Rat: .692	B Rating:	22.831	C Rating:	16.952	AP: 8	BCS: 9
	Suddenly the Cardinal won’t even make the conference championship, and only the grace of the BCS would put them in one of those games. And rival Cal is feisty.
9	Houston					USA #1		BCS Bowl
	10-0	LW: #9	A Rat: .768	B Rating:	24.283	C Rating:	15.538	AP: 11	BCS: 11
	Houston just continues to impress, and now Gameday is coming to town – for a game that’s arguably the least challenging of the remaining games.
10	Michigan					B10 #2		Big 10 Title
	8-2	LW: #12	A Rat: .569	B Rating:	16.826	C Rating:	13.437	AP: 20	BCS: 18
	Big win over a good Illinois team sends the Wolverines cruising up the rankings. But Nebraska is coming to Ann Arbor, and they will not be easy.
11	Southern Miss					USA #2		C-USA Title
	9-1	LW: #10	A Rat: .622	B Rating:	14.578	C Rating:	10.209	AP: 22	BCS: 20
	Is Southern Miss cracking under the pressure? They let Central Florida get within one at home, and they’ll fall next week after losing to UAB.
12	Notre Dame							Bowl Position
	7-3	LW: #13	A Rat: .449	B Rating:	11.179	C Rating:	8.491	AP: 24	Coaches: 25
	Pollsters are taking note of the Golden Domers again. Another weak ACC foe will serve as tune-up for a huge clash with Stanford.
13	Virginia Tech					ACC #1		Prncton/Yale
	9-1	LW: #14	A Rat: .607	B Rating:	11.816	C Rating:	8.373	AP: 9	BCS: 8
	To look at the pollsters, you’d think V-Tech was a national title contender; honestly, no one thinks that. But they’re one Cavalier loss away, even at their own hands, from the ACC title game.
14	Georgia					SEC #3		SEC Title
	8-2	LW: #19	A Rat: .558	B Rating:	11.229	C Rating:	8.366	AP: 13	BCS: 14
	The Tigers were ranked in the polls, but they looked like complete scrubs against Georgia, who have been justifying their own ranking of late. Now to beat Kentucky to lock up a trip to the SEC title game.
15	Clemson					ACC #2		ACC Title
	9-1	LW: #11	A Rat: .584	B Rating:	11.883	C Rating:	8.241	AP: 7	BCS: 7
	Clemson was so unimpressive in edging Wake and locking up their ACC title game spot that, combined with how their past opponents did, they might as well not have played, or even lost. Will they be ready for the rival Cocks in two weeks?
16	TCU					MWC #2		MWC Title
	8-2	LW: #18	A Rat: .554	B Rating:	12.695	C Rating:	8.072	AP: 19	BCS: 19
	Lucky or not, TCU impressed the nation with their win over Boise and could be leaving the conference with a bang.
17	Arkansas					SEC #3		SEC Title
	9-1	LW: #21	A Rat: .614	B Rating:	11.888	C Rating:	7.312	AP: 6	BCS: 6
	Arkansas’ defense gave them an even bigger blowout win over Tennessee, this one big enough to actually help them in the C Ratings. They need to repeat the feat against Mississippi State to prepare for LSU.
18	Nebraska					B10 #3		Big 10 Title
	8-2	LW: #20	A Rat: .527	B Rating:	8.382	C Rating:	5.837	AP: 17	BCS: 16
	It wasn’t pretty, but the Huskers did take advantage of reeling Penn State, and while beating the Wolverines won’t be easy, if they do so they’ll be in prime position to take advantage of a Spartan stumble.
19	South Carolina					SEC #4		SEC Title
	8-2	LW: #16	A Rat: .520	B Rating:	7.007	C Rating:	4.435	AP: 14	BCS: 12
	A narrow victory over a Florida team not up to their usual standards won’t cut it. They’ll drop further next week after playing the FCS Citadel.
20	USC					P12 #3		Probation
	8-2	LW: #26	A Rat: .521	B Rating:	7.741	C Rating:	4.379	AP: 18	SBNBlog: 18
	While the rest of the South embarass themselves, USC’s blowout of Washington propel them back onto the Top 25. But Oregon will not be easy.
21	Texas A&M					B12 #3		Bowl Elgblty
	5-5	LW: #15	A Rat: .302	B Rating:	5.827	C Rating:	4.192	—	—
	All but one of A&M’s losses came to teams ranked in the polls at the time, all but one came to teams ranked in the C Ratings now, all but one was within a score… but losses are losses, and they’re nowhere near the polls and not yet bowl-eligible.
22	Florida State					ACC #3		Bowl Position
	7-3	LW: #22	A Rat: .501	B Rating:	6.729	C Rating:	3.832	AP: 23	BCS: 25
	Pedestrian four-point win over Miami (FL), and now Clemson will keep them out of the conference title game. On the plus side, they’re getting poll respect and can play spoiler in the Coastal against Virginia.
23	Penn State					B10 #3		Big 10 Title
	8-2	LW: #17	A Rat: .525	B Rating:	5.467	C Rating:	3.636	AP: 21	BCS: 21
	Pollsters may be penalizing the Nittany Lions for off-field discretions, but that doesn’t explain why the C Ratings drop Penn State so far for a tight loss against a good Nebraska team. Ohio State smells blood.
24	Toledo					MAC #1		MAC Title
	6-4	LW: #23	A Rat: .355	B Rating:	4.490	C Rating:	2.452	—	—
	Allowing over 60 points is never good for score ratio, and keeping the margin of victory tight isn’t good either, but Toledo did better than that against Central Michigan.
25	Missouri*					B12 #4		Bowl Elgblty
	5-5	LW: #31	A Rat: .298	B Rating:	.617	C Rating:	.708	—	—
	Big win over Texas propels the Tigers into positive B Points and has them replacing the Longhorns on the Top 25 – even if as just the best of a bad lot.

25 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

Best game of week: USC @ Oregon, 5pm PT, ABC

Well, that was disappointing. Neither team is going to get the top spot coming out of it. No, Oklahoma responded to moving up to #2 by blowing out a good Texas A&M team, and as a result they, not LSU, benefit from Alabama falling out of the top spot. We’ll see if they hang onto it after a week off, but if Stanford loses and Oklahoma keeps winning I will definitely push them for a trip to the national championship game.

But let’s forget about that, and let’s forget about this week’s huge matchup between Stanford and Oregon, and let’s even forget about the mess at Penn State. I want to talk about this week’s game between Boise State and TCU.

I have another commitment, so I won’t be able to watch the game, but I would if I could and I hope you will too. And not because it’s Boise’s biggest challenge, at least for the rest of the season, towards getting another BCS bid. See, last year Boise State announced that it was leaving the WAC to join the Mountain West. This looked for all the world to create the ultimate non-BCS conference, with so many good teams there was no way anyone would stop them from becoming a full-fledged BCS conference. Utah, BYU, TCU, and Boise State? You’re going to tell me that’s any less a test of a champion than the Big East? And this was when it was looking like the Pac-10 was going to cause college football armageddon, gobbling up half the Big 12 to form the first 16-team superconference. The Mountain West was in perfect position to pick off at least some of the remainder, meaning that along with the four elite teams it already had, it would now boast some bona fide BCS conference teams on top of that. Are you going to deny BCS status to Kansas and Kansas State? Didn’t think so.

And then… the deal fell through. The Big 12 and ESPN finagled a way to keep the conference together, the Pac-10 was left with Colorado, they plucked Utah from the Mountain West to get to 12 and a championship game, and that’s when it all started going wrong. First it was Utah. Then BYU left to go independent. And then TCU announced it was leaving for the Big East, and then flipped to the Big 12 without playing a game in the Big East. Just like that, the one elite non-BCS school the Mountain West was left with was the school that thought they wouldn’t be the one elite school in the conference anymore: Boise State. The Mountain West made up for the losses by adding more WAC schools – Nevada, Fresno State – but Boise State, who thought they were joining the non-BCS conference to end all non-BCS conferences, now found themselves in a conference not much different from the WAC, and maybe worse than Conference USA. Is Air Force really that much better than Nevada?

But TCU’s move to the Big East came too late for it to take effect this season. That meant that, for one season, Boise State would come in to and TCU would remain in a depleted conference, before the Horned Frogs left for a BCS conference the following year. So this weekend’s game between Boise State and TCU is more than the biggest game of the year in the Mountain West. For all that Boise thought their move to the Mountain West would break up the BCS oligarchy, this weekend they will play the one game their move to the Mountain West amounts to.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1	Oklahoma					B12 #1		2010 TCU
	8-1	LW: #2	A Rat: .674	B Rating:	51.093	C Rating:	44.248	AP: 7	BCS: 6
	Not only have the Sooners beaten multiple good teams, they’ve blown them out. You’re telling me they’d be passed up for Boise or, heaven forbid, Alabama?
2	LSU					SEC #1		’06 Boise St.
	9-0	LW: #3	A Rat: .813	B Rating:	47.166	C Rating:	42.202	AP: 1	BCS: 1
	LSU is now in pole position to cruise to the BCS title game, but they better use the Western Kentucky and Mississippi games to get ready for a potentially huge clash with Arkansas.
3	Alabama					SEC #2		BCS Title
	8-1	LW: #1	A Rat: .766	B Rating:	42.836	C Rating:	37.022	AP: 4	BCS: 3
	The Tide’s run at the top spot comes to an end along with their undefeated record. They’ll try to get back on track with a trip to Mississippi State.
4	Boise State					MWC #1		BCS Title
	8-0	LW: #4	A Rat: .794	B Rating:	41.152	C Rating:	34.650	AP: 5	BCS: 5
	Will the Broncos players savor this weekend’s game against TCU? Or will they just play for their BCS lives?
5	Oklahoma State					B12 #2		BCS Title
	9-0	LW: #6	A Rat: .703	B Rating:	38.108	C Rating:	32.783	AP: 2	BCS: 2
	The Cowboys put away a team that was unbeaten until the Oklahoma game and now turn their attention to the team that upended the Sooners.
6	Stanford					P12 #1		BCS Title
	9-0	LW: #5	A Rat: .823	B Rating:	36.517	C Rating:	29.278	AP: 3	BCS: 4
	Oregon State’s A Rating is atrocious, so Stanford slips despite the big win. But the Beavers’ rivals may be the biggest test the Cardinal face all year.
7	Oregon					P12 #2		’09 Boise State
	8-1	LW: #7	A Rat: .667	B Rating:	26.542	C Rating:	21.921	AP: 6	BCS: 7
	Oregon could be a national championship contender if they hadn’t scheduled LSU to start the year. Against Stanford, they’ll have a chance to look like one.
8	Wisconsin					B10 #1		Big 10 Title
	7-2	LW: #8	A Rat: .619	B Rating:	24.689	C Rating:	19.046	AP: 16	BCS: 18
	Wisconsin got back on track blowing out Purdue. Now Minnesota will serve as warm-up for a tough stretch run.
9	Houston					USA #1		BCS Bowl
	9-0	LW: #9	A Rat: .756	B Rating:	21.456	C Rating:	14.616	AP: 11	BCS: 11
	Another week, another blowout – two, counting the Tulane game earlier this week.
10	Southern Miss					USA #2		C-USA Title
	8-1	LW: #16	A Rat: .632	B Rating:	15.476	C Rating:	11.334	AP: 25	BCS: 22
	While the AP poll finally has no choice but to recognize the Eagles, their blowout of East Carolina propels them into the top 10 here, right behind the class of the conference.
11	Clemson					ACC #1		ACC Title
	8-1	LW: #11	A Rat: .587	B Rating:	12.734	C Rating:	9.262	AP: 9	BCS: 9
	Idle hands offset by Michigan’s problems, but now their hopes of making the conference title game may hinge on beating Wake Forest.
12	Michigan					B10 #2		Big 10 Title
	7-2	LW: #10	A Rat: .548	B Rating:	11.867	C Rating:	8.904	AP: 22	BCS: 24
	Iowa is a pretty respectable team and the Wolverines got within a score, but that’s still not a loss you want to take, especially with the Spartans now holding divisional pole position.
13	Notre Dame							Bowl Position
	6-3	LW: #19	A Rat: .419	B Rating:	8.723	C Rating:	6.678	—	—
	The Golden Domers are once again knocking on the door of the polls after a win over a good team, and now shouldn’t have any trouble with 2-7 Maryland.
14	Virginia Tech					ACC #2		ACC Title
	8-1	LW: #15	A Rat: .602	B Rating:	8.804	C Rating:	5.758	AP: 10	BCS: 10
	Idle hands outweighed by Nebraska losing. And now that they’ve dispatched Georgia Tech, if they handle North Carolina as they should Virginia will be their only obstacle for the title game.
15	Texas A&M					B12 #3		Bowl Elgblty
	5-4	LW: #17	A Rat: .342	B Rating:	6.794	C Rating:	5.284	—	—
	The Aggies get blown out by Oklahoma and somehow move up. Well, it was 16 points to the best team in the rankings. But it doesn’t get that much easier with a trip to Manhattan next.
16	South Carolina					SEC #3		SEC Title
	7-2	LW: #13	A Rat: .506	B Rating:	7.297	C Rating:	5.020	AP: 15	BCS: 13
	The Gamecocks got blown out by the Hogs, but still have a good chance to win the division. Florida comes to town next.
17	Penn State					B10 #3		Big 10 Title
	8-1	LW: #14	A Rat: .607	B Rating:	7.138	C Rating:	4.910	AP: 12	BCS: 12
	Joe Paterno ends his career on a 7-game winning streak and his team bowling, but lost his last bowl game, last year’s Outback Bowl against Florida – and will have never coached against Nebraska in a conference game, a tall act for Tom Bradley.
18	TCU					MWC #2		MWC Title
	7-2	LW: #25	A Rat: .555	B Rating:	10.132	C Rating:	4.866	Coaches: 24	—
	Huge win over Wyoming + losses by other teams = the Horned Frogs may have stopped shuffling on and off the rankings, just in time for the big showdown with Boise State.
19	Georgia					SEC #4		SEC Title
	7-2	LW: #23	A Rat: .523	B Rating:	6.062	C Rating:	4.189	AP: 14	BCS: 15
	Blowout win over New Mexico State propels the Bulldogs into the top 20, and for the moment they hold pole position in the SEC East. But Auburn isn’t New Mexico State.
20	Nebraska					B10 #4		Big 10 Title
	7-2	LW: #12	A Rat: .519	B Rating:	6.618	C Rating:	4.114	AP: 19	BCS: 19
	Aaaaand one loss to a mediocre Northwestern team later, and the Huskers have given up all the gains they made last week. Who knows what’ll happen when they play scandal-ridden Penn State?
21	Arkansas					SEC #4		SEC Title
	8-1	LW: #21	A Rat: .583	B Rating:	7.578	C Rating:	3.564	AP: 8	BCS: 8
	Blowout win over South Carolina, but they see no benefit from it. Now Tennessee and Mississippi State will serve as warm-ups for the showdown with LSU.
22	Florida State					ACC #3		ACC Title
	6-3	LW: #22	A Rat: .487	B Rating:	6.208	C Rating:	3.390	—	—
	With teams losing, Florida State stands pat despite idle hands. Now to take on their less-recently-scandal-ridden rivals.
23	Toledo					MAC #1		MAC Title
	5-4	LW: #18	A Rat: .333	B Rating:	4.921	C Rating:	3.255	—	—
	Toledo will bounce back next week after another 120-point game attracting national attention. Will it attract poll votes their way?
24	Arizona State					P12 #3		Pac-12 Title
	6-3	LW: #20	A Rat: .422	B Rating:	4.886	C Rating:	2.419	—	—
	That was a loss the Sun Devils could not take. They play nothing but bad-to-iffy teams the rest of the way, but it won’t make up for costing themselves a trip to the conference title game.
25	Texas*					B12 #4		Big 12 Title
	6-2	LW: #33	A Rat: .498	B Rating:	4.919	C Rating:	2.233	AP: 21	BCS: 16
	Blowout win over Texas Tech propels the Longhorns back into the Top 25, just in time for a tough stretch that starts with a road trip to Missouri.

28 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

Best game of week: Oregon @ Stanford, 5pm PT, ABC

We have an interloper in the Alabama-LSU-Oklahoma oligarchy in the C Ratings. Boise State picked up right where they left off in the Mountain West, winning their first conference game big over Colorado State. It’s not the conference they thought they were joining, but for this year at least it’ll provide a formidible challenge when they face TCU. If they survive that game and run the table, who’s going to argue against them for the national championship?

Meanwhile, Kansas State has finally put every undefeated team in the Top 25, and Northern Illinois is once again in positive B Points. This week’s rankings don’t include the Sun Belt teams that played Tuesday, or the Thursday night game.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1	Alabama					SEC #1		BCS Title
	7-0	LW: #1	A Rat: .906	B Rating:	44.930	C Rating:	38.779	AP: 2	BCS: 2
	Alabama owned a mediocre Ole Miss team, but other teams are creeping closer, and Tennessee is no Ole Miss.
2	LSU					SEC #2		’06 Boise St.
	7-0	LW: #2	A Rat: .846	B Rating:	40.859	C Rating:	36.063	AP: 1	BCS: 1
	Great job dispatching Tennessee. Suspending key players may be bad, but Auburn is overrated, and it seemed to work for them before.
3	Boise State					MWC #1		BCS Title
	6-0	LW: #5	A Rat: .821	B Rating:	38.907	C Rating:	33.944	AP: 5	BCS: 5
	The Broncos started life in their new conference in a big way, blowing out Colorado State on the road. Mediocre Air Force and horrid UNLV will be their preparation for the TCU game.
4	Oklahoma					B12 #1		BCS Title
	6-0	LW: #3	A Rat: .803	B Rating:	35.762	C Rating:	30.918	AP: 3	BCS: 3
	OU slips a spot with a concerning score-ratio game against a pretty bad Kansas team. They might want to find areas of improvement before Texas Tech comes to Norman.
5	Stanford					P12 #1		BCS Title
	6-0	LW: #7	A Rat: .873	B Rating:	29.293	C Rating:	24.267	AP: 7	BCS: 8
	Big win over Wazzu makes up for last week’s slip, and they want national championship respect. But the Cougars’ rivals will not go away easily.
6	Wisconsin					B10 #1		BCS Title
	6-0	LW: #4	A Rat: .907	B Rating:	29.274	C Rating:	24.044	AP: 4	BCS: 6
	Indiana’s A Rating is so horrid that even blowing them out leaves the Badgers open to Boise’s and Stanford’s hard charges. But now comes a big test against Michigan State.
7	Oklahoma State					B12 #2		BCS Title
	6-0	LW: #8	A Rat: .705	B Rating:	23.093	C Rating:	19.701	AP: 6	BCS: 4
	People are getting excited over Little Brother in Stillwater, and Bedlam is going to be must-see. Some close calls suppress their ranking vis-a-vis the BCS, but they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
8	Clemson					ACC #1		Prncton/Yale
	7-0	LW: #9	A Rat: .713	B Rating:	15.960	C Rating:	12.927	AP: 7	BCS: 8
	Good win over Maryland, but North Carolina is not to be underestimated, especially with G-Tech and main division challenger Wake Forest ahead.
9	Oregon					P12 #2		’09 Boise St.
	5-1	LW: #12	A Rat: .604	B Rating:	14.429	C Rating:	12.700	AP: 9	BCS: 10
	Oregon is making a hard charge after the opening loss to one of the best teams in the country, and suddenly they’re the nation’s best one-loss team. Now they travel to hapless Colorado.
10	Michigan					B10 #2		BCS Title
	6-1	LW: #6	A Rat: .637	B Rating:	13.651	C Rating:	10.966	AP: 18	BCS: 18
	Party time in East Lansing, and the Wolverines pick up the pieces. But they’re still a very good team, and they should bounce back against Purdue.
11	Texas A&M					B12 #3		Big 12 Title
	4-2	LW: #16	A Rat: .443	B Rating:	12.292	C Rating:	10.322	AP: 17	BCS: 17
	Baylor came in 4-1 and in the Top 25 both in polls and C Ratings, and A&M blew them out of the water, sending the Aggies shooting up the ratings. Now Iowa State serves as a warm-up for Missouri.
12	Notre Dame							BCS Bowl
	4-2	LW: #10	A Rat: .429	B Rating:	9.677	C Rating:	8.054	—	—
	A drop for idle hands, and Michigan losing doesn’t help. Will they start getting the respect they deserve after beating one-loss USC?
13	Nebraska					B10 #3		Big 10 Title
	5-1	LW: #18	A Rat: .526	B Rating:	8.335	C Rating:	6.871	AP: 13	BCS: 13
	Idle hands work the other way for Nebraska, as Washington gets poll respect and Ohio State beats a good Illinois team.
14	Virginia Tech					ACC #2		Big 12 Title
	6-1	LW: #33	A Rat: .574	B Rating:	8.098	C Rating:	6.292	AP: 16	BCS: 12
	Heading into last week V-Tech was only two spots ahead of Wake Forest, but you wouldn’t know the way they blew them out of the water. Now they’re the big Tech on campus and control their own Coastal destiny.
15	Houston					USA #1		C-USA Title
	6-0	LW: #20	A Rat: .729	B Rating:	9.345	C Rating:	6.245	AP: 21	BCS: 19
	Houston shoots up the rankings without even playing; losses by other teams help, but so does UTEP blowing out Tulane and East Carolina beating Memphis handily.
16	West Virginia					BST #1		Big East Title
	5-1	LW: #14	A Rat: .587	B Rating:	7.884	C Rating:	5.996	AP: 11	BCS: 15
	West Virginia drops for idle hands, as they prep for a showdown in the Carrier Dome.
17	Penn State					B10 #4		Big 10 Title
	6-1	LW: #19	A Rat: .594	B Rating:	6.828	C Rating:	5.729	Coaches: 22	BCS: 21
	Gotta do better than that against mediocre Purdue, but a win is a win. But they better get better against Northwestern before Illinois – and certainly before Nebraska – come to town.
18	Toledo					MAC #1		MAC Title
	4-3	LW: #26	A Rat: .343	B Rating:	6.160	C Rating:	5.012	—	—
	Bowling Green is a respectable win, but this climb into the Top 25 is more about other teams losing. Two of their losses were close and on the road and the third was against Boise State. Aren’t they worthy of consideration?
19	Georgia Tech					ACC #3		ACC Title
	6-1	LW: #11	A Rat: .576	B Rating:	7.067	C Rating:	4.844	AP: 20	BCS: 22
	Tight loss to a half-decent Virginia team, but come on. The biggest drop always comes with the first loss.
20	South Carolina					SEC #3		SEC Title
	6-1	LW: #23	A Rat: .569	B Rating:	6.532	C Rating:	4.347	AP: 14	BCS: 14
	Tight win against a mediocre Mississippi State team, but other teams outright lost. Now they catch Tennessee reeling.
21	Arizona State					P12 #3		Pac-12 Title
	5-2	LW: #13	A Rat: .444	B Rating:	4.593	C Rating:	3.969	AP: 24	Coaches: 25
	And the Devils lose every single spot they gained last week after getting blown out by Oregon. They could leave the Top 25 for idle hands, but perhaps a bad Colorado team can get them back on track.
22	Rutgers					BST #2		Big East Title
	5-1	LW: #15	A Rat: .555	B Rating:	4.199	C Rating:	3.266	—	—
	A tight pull-out against a mediocre Navy team, and they might as well not have played at all. Now Louisville will serve as prep for a huge clash with West Virginia.
23	Kansas State					B12 #4		2010 TCU
	6-0	LW: #34	A Rat: .661	B Rating:	4.634	C Rating:	3.133	AP: 12	BCS: 11
	You’ll have to pardon me for not believing in a team that beat FCS Eastern Kentucky by 3 and whose only win by more than 7 came against Kent State, but the Cardiac Cats do keep winning, and several teams losing finally put them in the Top 25.
24	TCU					MWC #2		MWC Title
	4-2	LW: #25	A Rat: .456	B Rating:	5.126	C Rating:	3.078	—	—
	Other teams losing + Arkansas also on bye = actually gaining a spot. But they better blow New Mexico out of the water.
25	Arkansas					SEC #4		SEC Title
	5-1	LW: #24	A Rat: .567	B Rating:	4.536	C Rating:	2.534	AP: 10	BCS: 9
	Swap places with TCU because New Mexico lost to a mediocre-to-bad Nevada team. Now they’re back in action against Ole Miss.

31 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

Best game of week: Oklahoma State @ Missouri, 9am PT, FX

Who’s the best team in college football: Alabama, LSU, or Oklahoma? It’s hard to argue with Alabama’s score ratio, with two shutouts and at least doubling the score of every opponent they’ve played, including Arkansas and Florida. Most people seem to have Oklahoma a bit behind the two SEC schools, and that might be appropriate; they’ve had two ten-point victories and Florida State hasn’t played up to expectations. It helps that the SEC teams haven’t had a bye already. Of course, one thing you can say about the BCS: if these really are the three best teams, the differences between them will be decided on the field.

All full-rating reports will be in PDF form from now on. I waited all week for an opinion on what to do with the extra spots in the table and didn’t really get one. I’m using the polls this week, but I reserve the right to change it later. As you can see by the fact the rankings match the AP Poll in the top five with only LSU and Alabama flipped at the top, the rankings are starting to fall into place. In fact, we only have one unbeaten team outside the Top 25; lineal title or no, there’s no reason to trust a K-State team that eked out a 10-7 win over FCS Eastern Kentucky, blew out godawful Kent State, then eked out wins over good-but-not-great teams with only scandal-ridden #50 Miami (FL) coming on the road. Thus, the colored area to the right of each team is now active, indicating what each team is playing for.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1	Alabama					SEC #1		BCS Title
	6-0	LW: #1	A Rat: .901	B Rating:	43.824	C Rating:	38.240	AP: 2	Coaches: 3
	Another week, another big win for the Tide. Ole Miss and Tennessee will be their remaining two warm-ups for the huge clash with LSU.
2	LSU					SEC #2		’06 Boise St.
	6-0	LW: #2	A Rat: .836	B Rating:	35.396	C Rating:	38.240	AP: 1	Coaches: 2
	It didn’t matter that the punter got a TD called back for taunting the way LSU handled Florida, and now Tennessee and Auburn will be their tune-ups for the clash with Bama.
3	Oklahoma					B12 #1		BCS Title
	5-0	LW: #6	A Rat: .799	B Rating:	30.465	C Rating:	26.545	AP: 3	Coaches: 1
	While people have been forgetting about the preseason favorites as they’re blinded by the SEC’s brilliance, the Sooners have actually been playing closer to expectations recently. The blowout over Texas is their best win yet.
4	Wisconsin					B10 #1		BCS Title
	5-0	LW: #4	A Rat: .900	B Rating:	25.911	C Rating:	21.614	AP: 4	Coaches: 4
	Wisconsin moves into conference pole position without even playing (and without Michigan losing), thanks in part to the Huskers finally getting the first Big Ten win the Badgers denied them.
5	Boise State					MWC #1		BCS Title
	5-0	LW: #10	A Rat: .806	B Rating:	22.526	C Rating:	19.320	AP: 5	Coaches: 6
	The Broncos shoot up the board after putting the hurt on Fresno and finally start Mountain West play. If they play in that league the way they played in the WAC, they’ll pick up right where they left off busting the BCS.
6	Michigan					B10 #2		BCS Title
	5-0	LW: #3	A Rat: .825	B Rating:	21.762	C Rating:	18.622	AP: 11	Coaches: 10
	Northwestern was only the second opponent Michigan had allowed more than 10 points to all year, and they’re no Notre Dame. And while rival Sparty (#53) doesn’t deserve the poll respect they’re getting, neither will they be a pushover.
7	Stanford					P12 #1		BCS Title
	5-0	LW: #5	A Rat: .879	B Rating:	21.748	C Rating:	17.876	AP: 7	Coaches: 5
	Welcome to the Pac-12, Buffaloes: Colorado’s A Rating is so unbelievably pathetic that despite blowing them out, the Cardinal might as well have been off this week.
8	Oklahoma State					B12 #2		BCS Title
	5-0	LW: #8	A Rat: .714	B Rating:	18.365	C Rating:	15.375	AP: 6	Coaches: 7
	The Cowboys made up for the lost time of their bye week, blowing Kansas out of the water. But when it comes to football, Texas – hungry to bounce back from the Sooner loss – is no Kansas.
9	Clemson					ACC #1		Prncton/Yale
	6-0	LW: #7	A Rat: .732	B Rating:	13.756	C Rating:	11.341	AP: 8	Coaches: 8
	Clemson has to blow out a Boston College team as godawful as they are, so after only beating them 36-14, they slip ahead of the clash with Maryland.
10	Notre Dame							BCS Bowl
	4-2	LW: #13	A Rat: .429	B Rating:	11.688	C Rating:	10.334	—	—
	Air Force is mediocre and the Domers weren’t THAT dominant, so why the jump? Well, 26 points is 26 points, and Purdue’s blowout of admittedly-horrible Minnesota helps. Now they wait a week before facing rival USC.
11	Georgia Tech					ACC #2		BCS Title
	6-0	LW: #9	A Rat: .711	B Rating:	11.198	C Rating:	8.850	AP: 12	Coaches: 12
	Maryland is way too mediocre-to-bad (fashionably and on the field) for G-Tech to keep them that close. Now they have to go on the road to Virginia.
12	Oregon					P12 #2		’09 Boise St.
	4-1	LW: #29	A Rat: .589	B Rating:	9.848	C Rating:	8.417	AP: 9	Coaches: 9
	The Ducks blew out a good Cal team, more than making up for a win by only 15 over an Arizona team that’s now without their coach. But now comes a huge clash with Arizona State.
13	Arizona State					P12 #3		Pac-12 Title
	5-1	LW: #21	A Rat: .559	B Rating:	7.193	C Rating:	6.109	AP: 18	Coaches: 20
	Big win over a half-decent Utah team sends the Devils up the rankings, but a road trip to Eugene will be much tougher.
14	West Virginia					BST #1		Big East Title
	5-1	LW: #14	A Rat: .587	B Rating:	7.558	C Rating:	5.801	AP: 13	Coaches: 16
	The Mountaineers blew out a not-so-great UConn team to start conference play on the right foot. Now for an off week before a nationally-televised road trip to a Syracuse team that’s better than the Huskies.
15	Rutgers					BST #2		Big East Title
	4-1	LW: #20	A Rat: .555	B Rating:	6.056	C Rating:	5.335	—	—
	A blowout by a good Pitt team sends the Knights up the rankings. Now to host a possible future conference mate in Navy.
16	Texas A&M					B12 #3		Big 12 Title
	3-2	LW: #18	A Rat: .389	B Rating:	6.683	C Rating:	5.122	AP: 21	Coaches: 23
	A&M finally finished a game for once, escaping against rival Texas Tech. Now comes a huge clash against Baylor.
17	Illinois					B10 #3		BCS Title
	6-0	LW: #19	A Rat: .699	B Rating:	5.981	C Rating:	4.961	AP: 16	Coaches: 15
	Blowout win over Indiana, and now a desperate Ohio State team comes to Champaign.
18	Nebraska					B10 #4		Big 10 Title
	5-1	LW: #12	A Rat: .526	B Rating:	6.419	C Rating:	4.894	AP: 16	Coaches: 15
	Nebraska finally gives the realigned teams a conference win against a team once the cream of the conference, but you gotta do better than that against a 3-3 team. Perhaps they will against woeful Minnesota a week from now.
19	Penn State					B10 #5		Big 10 Title
	5-1	LW: #15	A Rat: .590	B Rating:	5.419	C Rating:	4.688	SBNBlog: 25	Coaches: 25
	Relatively pedestrian effort, even against a good Iowa team, causes the Nittany Lions to slip. But Purdue should be easier to beat.
20	Houston					USA #1		C-USA Title
	6-0	LW: #28	A Rat: .729	B Rating:	6.793	C Rating:	4.061	AP: 25	Coaches: 22
	Blowout win over East Carolina just what the doctor ordered to propel the Cougars into the Top 25 after all their other FBS games other than North Texas were close (and even UNT scored 20 more points than the Pirates).
21	Baylor					B12 #4		Big 12 Title
	4-1	LW: #35	A Rat: .554	B Rating:	4.694	C Rating:	3.336	AP: 20	Coaches: 24
	Blowout over a decent Iowa State team bounces the Bears back from the K-State loss and sends them rocketing into the Top 25. But Texas A&M will be dangerous.
22	Texas					B12 #5		Big 12 Title
	4-1	LW: #11	A Rat: .505	B Rating:	4.669	C Rating:	3.297	AP: 22	Coaches: 21
	As good as Oklahoma is, that was absolutely embarassing. But it doesn’t get any easier with Oklahoma State coming to Austin.
23	South Carolina					SEC #3		SEC Title
	5-1	LW: #17	A Rat: .566	B Rating:	5.441	C Rating:	3.270	AP: 15	Coaches: 13
	Kentucky is godawful, so even blowing them out doesn’t help the Gamecocks resist other teams’ hard charges. But with Tennessee losing, is the way clear for the Fighting Spurriers to repeat in the East?
24	Arkansas*					SEC #4		SEC Title
	5-1	LW: #40	A Rat: .567	B Rating:	3.803	C Rating:	2.849	AP: 10	Coaches: 11
	Still don’t trust a team that lets Troy get within ten and whose only impressive win had come over New Mexico, but they proved their bona fides against Auburn. Now they slip for the bye before heading to Mississippi.
25	TCU					MWC #2		MWC Title
	4-2	LW: #27	A Rat: .456	B Rating:	4.718	C Rating:	2.792	—	—
	Bounced back from the SMU loss with a big win over San Diego State. But not only will they slip again for the bye, they’re unlikely to get back on right away no matter how badly they beat woeful New Mexico.

35 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

Best game of week: Arizona State @ Oregon, 7:15pm PT, ESPN

An interesting thought based on an oddity of the first five weeks. What poetic justice would it be if every team that changed conferences this year went completely winless in their new conference until the Colorado-Utah game at the end of the year?

Something new this week: The full ratings are now available in PDF form. I can’t guarantee this will be the case every week, as that will depend on where I calculate the ratings, but it should be the case most weeks. The two “extra” slots are showing B Points this week, but I’m not liking it, and I’m running a poll about some other options. If you have another idea, leave it in the comments, and enjoy the chaos of this week’s rankings.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1	Alabama					SEC #1		SEC Leader
	5-0	LW: #2	A Rat: .882	B Points:	40.690	B Rating:	35.869	C Rating:	31.234
	Bama leapfrogs LSU with the win over Florida – for now. But with such a huge lead, they might keep it even if LSU beats the Gators.
2	LSU					SEC #2		’06 Boise St.
	5-0	LW: #1	A Rat: .830	B Points	29.354	B Rating:	24.368	C Rating:	21.419
	The Tigers have a substantial lead as well, though Kentucky wasn’t on par with the others. But now they get the Gators.
3	Michigan					B10 #1		Big 10 Lead
	5-0	LW: #3	A Rat: .847	B Points:	25.691	B Rating:	21.769	C Rating:	19.298
	The impressive win over Minnesota was their best yet – but it was Minnesota, and Northwestern’s not that much better. What will it mean to escape Wisconsin until the conference title game?
4	Wisconsin					B10 #2		In Top 25
	5-0	LW: #10	A Rat: .900	B Points:	23.298	B Rating:	20.969	C Rating:	18.015
	What a performance against the Huskers, proving they deserve the respect they’re getting. But expect them to drop for a bye week.
5	Stanford					P12 #1		Pac-12 Lead
	4-0	LW: #6	A Rat: .867	B Points:	23.958	B Rating:	20.774	C Rating:	17.629
	Big blowout victory over UCLA. Will Colorado share the same fate?
6	Oklahoma					B12 #1		Big 12 Lead
	4-0	LW: #14	A Rat: .788	B Points:	25.002	B Rating:	19.700	C Rating:	17.043
	With early-season volatility, a big blowout, even over Ball State, is just what the doctor ordered. But the Longhorns are no Ball State.
7	Clemson					ACC #1		Prncton/Yale
	5-0	LW: #18	A Rat: .717	B Points:	21.674	B Rating:	15.535	C Rating:	13.756
	Clemson didn’t just defend their title against the Hokies, they blew them out of the water, and now they’re top ten in the polls. Is the way clear to dominate the ACC – and for the ACC to be relevant again?
8	Oklahoma State					B12 #2		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #8	A Rat: .692	B Points:	19.114	B Rating:	13.232	C Rating:	11.095
	The Cowboys stood pat despite the idle hands, thanks to a blowout win by Tulsa over North Texas.
9	Georgia Tech					ACC #2		In Top 25
	5-0	LW: #7	A Rat: .730	B Points:	18.116	B Rating:	13.219	C Rating:	11.075
	A little too close for comfort against a mediocre NC State team, and now G-Tech has to worry about October 29.
10	Boise State					MWC #1		Non-BCS Lead
	4-0	LW: #13	A Rat: .772	B Points:	15.505	B Rating:	11.976	C Rating:	9.979
	The Broncos got their revenge for last year’s loss. Perhaps they can continue to improve their MoV against another ex-conference mate that will soon be again.
11	Texas					B12 #3		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #16	A Rat: .751	B Points:	14.999	B Rating:	11.263	C Rating:	8.670
	Blowout win over Iowa State + the Cyclones’ first loss = big jump in the ratings. But Oklahoma is definitely no slouch.
12	Nebraska					B10 #3		In Top 25
	4-1	LW: #5	A Rat: .510	B Points:	15.030	B Rating:	7.666	C Rating:	6.908
	Wisconsin’s sterling A Rating makes the Huskers our first team with a loss. They will bounce back, but watch out with the Buckeyes coming to town.
13	Notre Dame							In Top 25
	3-2	LW: #20	A Rat: .376	B Points:	18.151	B Rating:	6.831	C Rating:	6.291
	A two-loss team already? Pitt’s win outweighs USF’s loss. A blowout win over Purdue doesn’t mean the Domers are back, but Stanford is the only team on their level the rest of the way.
14	West Virginia*					BST #1		Big East Lead
	4-1	LW: #59	A Rat: .546	B Points:	13.697	B Rating:	7.480	C Rating:	6.022
	From the second page to the conference lead? Blowout win over Bowling Green coupled with a blowout win by Maryland. And they’re only now starting conference play against 2-3 UConn.
15	Penn State					B10 #4		In Top 25
	4-1	LW: #21	A Rat: .538	B Points:	8.336	B Rating:	4.482	C Rating:	4.189
	Why does Penn State move up so much after a tight game against lowly Indiana? Alabama’s blowout win certainly helps, as does a number of losses by teams ahead of them.
16	Tennessee					SEC #3		In Top 25
	3-1	LW: #17	A Rat: .521	B Points:	10.799	B Rating:	5.630	C Rating:	3.982
	Blowout win, but over lowly Buffalo. Losses by teams ahead of them allow them to move up a spot. But Georgia will be more of a challenge, and then comes an onslaught of LSU, Bama, and South Carolina.
17	South Carolina					SEC #4		In Top 25
	4-1	LW: #11	A Rat: .496	B Points:	8.250	B Rating:	4.093	C Rating:	3.170
	The Gamecocks don’t fall as far as other teams that lost because they managed to battle Auburn to the bitter end. Perhaps now they can bounce back against Kentucky.
18	Texas A&M					B12 #4		In Top 25
	2-2	LW: #12	A Rat: .336	B Points:	13.783	B Rating:	4.633	C Rating:	3.152
	Tough loss to Arkansas, but they battled the Razorbacks until the end. Still in the polls, barely. Perhaps they can get back on the winning track against another rival in Texas Tech.
19	Illinois					B10 #5		In Top 25
	5-0	LW: #23	A Rat: .688	B Points:	5.211	B Rating:	3.584	C Rating:	3.124
	Beat Northwestern by only a field goal, so why the relatively large jump? Arizona State got a substantial win that helped Illinois’ strength of schedule but not so much their own C Rating due to Oregon State’s weakness.
20	Rutgers					BST #2		In Top 25
	3-1	LW: #25	A Rat: .491	B Points:	7.034	B Rating:	3.451	C Rating:	2.911
	Wins are wins, and teams ahead of them weren’t that great. But now the team that upset USF comes to town.
21	Arizona State					P12 #2		In Top 25
	4-1	LW: #19	A Rat: .516	B Points:	6.651	B Rating:	3.431	C Rating:	2.697
	Substantial win, it’s just that Oregon State is absolutely atrocious. Will Utah help them more?
22	Pittsburgh*					BST #3		In Top 25
	3-2	LW: #60	A Rat: .360	B Points:	9.871	B Rating:	3.553	C Rating:	2.484
	Pitt didn’t just beat South Florida, they blew them out. This isn’t the team that lost to Iowa and beat Maine by only 6. Now to prove their bona fides against Rutgers.
23	San Diego State					MWC #2		In Top 25
	3-1	LW: #27	A Rat: .411	B Points:	7.264	B Rating:	2.983	C Rating:	2.424
	Michigan continues to be a good team to lose to, Army just got a blowout win over Tulane, and losses by teams above them outweighs idle hands. They’ll settle who’s second-best in the conference with TCU on Saturday.
24	Washington					P12 #3		In Top 25
	4-1	LW: #33	A Rat: .468	B Points:	5.003	B Rating:	2.342	C Rating:	2.007
	Washington has flirted with relevance before, but they’re five games in and Nebraska is their only loss. Colorado will serve as a tuneup for a clash with Stanford that could decide the North.
25	North Carolina					ACC #3		In Top 25
	4-1	LW: #31	A Rat: .517	B Points:	4.072	B Rating:	2.107	C Rating:	1.657
	Big win over East Carolina. The loss to G-Tech will be tough to overcome, but they look to have bounced back from NCAA trouble last year.

33 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

Best game of week: Oklahoma v. Texas, 9am PT, ABC

How much longer will I be doing the college football rankings? They eat up a lot of time at a time of year when I have a bunch of other projects in the pipeline, the last two years at least I didn’t post post-bowl rankings on Da Blog, there’s an increasing feeling we’ll get a plus-one in 2014 (thus sapping much of the reason for having the rankings), last year I didn’t even bother to post full ranking posts, and both this year and last I didn’t start posting rankings when I intended to. Although in this year’s case that’s because I wanted to get to the two posts I pushed through the past couple days first.

I would have released the first rankings Week 3, although there would have been a few teams only connected through USC at that point. You can still read the Week 3 rankings for your convenience. I finally fixed one of the two longstanding problems I’ve had with the rankings this year, concerning the wonky effect conference ranking has on the final rankings. C Ratings are now calculated by subtracting one-tenth the difference between the B Rating and the average of the team’s opponents’ B Ratings. As conferences are thus now unimportant, conference ratings aren’t listed on the RTF, but conferences themselves are still included for completeness and reference. The first round of conference realignment seems an opportune time to push through this change.

(The other change I’d like to make – making I-AA teams equivalent to an A Rating of 0 for B Point purposes win or lose – probably isn’t something the version of Access I have can handle.)

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Conference Ratings are tabulated by averaging the B Ratings of all teams in the conference. (Independents are counted separately, and Army and Navy are counted as one conference.) Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1	LSU					SEC #1		’06 Boise St.
	4-0	LW: #5	A Rat: .812	B Rating:	19.778	C Rating:	17.760	—	—
	All three I-A teams they’ve faced so far are/were Top 25 in the polls, and the closest any of them came was 13 points. Is it any wonder the polls and C Ratings agree who’s No. 1? Imagine how scary they’ll be when Jordan Jefferson comes back.
2	Alabama					SEC #2		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #15	A Rat: .884	B Rating:	20.664	C Rating:	17.643	—	—
	Only Penn State has gotten within 20 points. If they can get past Florida, November 5th will be a heck of a game.
3	Michigan					B10 #1		Big 10 Lead
	4-0	LW: #1	A Rat: .809	B Rating:	15.349	C Rating:	13.569	—	—
	What Wisconsin-Nebraska game? Only Notre Dame got within three touchdowns. Have the Wolverines finally shaken their recent doldrums? Might they even beat the Buckeyes?
4	South Florida					BST #1		Big East Lead
	4-0	LW: #7	A Rat: .779	B Rating:	13.611	C Rating:	12.058	—	—
	Obviously they’ll fall after losing to Pitt, but before then only Notre Dame had gotten within four touchdowns. Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the coaching tree.
5	Nebraska					B10 #2		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #18	A Rat: .752	B Rating:	12.842	C Rating:	11.296	—	—
	Looks like the polls were right about the Huskers coming into their new conference with guns ablazin’. No one has gotten within 13 points. Look out, Badgers.
6	Stanford					P12 #2		Pac-12 Lead
	3-0	LW: #8	A Rat: .893	B Rating:	13.570	C Rating:	11.083	—	—
	Oregon’s national championship overshadowed Stanford’s great year, but the Cardinal seem to have picked up right where they left off.
7	Georgia Tech					ACC #1		ACC Leader
	4-0	LW: #4	A Rat: .759	B Rating:	11.881	C Rating:	10.166	—	—
	With only North Carolina getting within four touchdowns, might the Yellowjackets attract national attention to the ACC?
8	Oklahoma State					B12 #1		Big 12 Lead
	4-0	LW: #3	A Rat: .692	B Rating:	11.619	C Rating:	9.812	—	—
	Oklahoma State is auditioning for the Pac-16. Only A&M got within three touchdowns. Don’t look ahead to the Texas game against the Jayhawks.
9	Florida					SEC #3		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #52	A Rat: .877	B Rating:	10.754	C Rating:	7.895	—	—
	Great job blowing Kentucky out of the water. But watch out: now Bama comes into the Swamp.
10	Wisconsin					B10 #3		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #9	A Rat: .919	B Rating:	9.878	C Rating:	7.768	—	—
	Never scored or won by less than 35 or allowed more than 17 = fantastic score ratio. But expect that to change when Nebraska comes into Camp Randall.
11	South Carolina					SEC #4		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #33	A Rat: .673	B Rating:	7.979	C Rating:	6.885	—	—
	Big win over a decent Vanderbilt team. Now, can the Gamecocks prove they deserve their Top 10 poll ranking against the defending national champions?
12	Texas A&M					B12 #2		In Top 25
	2-1	LW: #2	A Rat: .497	B Rating:	7.913	C Rating:	6.068	—	—
	The Aggies are trying to leave the Big 12 with a bang. Big wins in their first two games and a one-point loss to Oklahoma State make them the top-ranked one-loss team. Big test coming against rival Arkansas.
13	Boise State					MWC #1		Non-BCS Lead
	3-0	LW: #10	A Rat: .752	B Rating:	7.102	C Rating:	5.696	—	—
	Boise State is off to a rollicking start their first year in the Mountain West – and once and future conference mate Nevada is starting off rockily.
14	Oklahoma					B12 #3		In Top 25
	3-0	LW: #6	A Rat: .733	B Rating:	6.621	C Rating:	5.470	—	—
	Ten-point wins over Florida State and Missouri, neither in positive B Points, suggest maybe the Sooners aren’t quite the national championship favorites everyone thought they’d be. But they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
15	Virginia Tech					ACC #2		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #23	A Rat: .826	B Rating:	6.824	C Rating:	4.877	—	—
	The battle of the Techs could be huge this year – but the clash with Clemson for the Princeton-Yale belt may be the biggest early season clash in the ACC.
16	Texas					B12 #4		In Top 25
	3-0	LW: #14	A Rat: .730	B Rating:	6.618	C Rating:	4.846	—	—
	The Longhorn Network has painted a target on the Longhorns’ backs for the whole Big 12 to aim at, but the Horns seem to have bounced back from last year’s doldrums.
17	Tennessee					SEC #5		In Top 25
	2-1	LW: #16	A Rat: .422	B Rating:	4.555	C Rating:	4.569	—	—
	No shame in losing to Florida after two wins by at least three touchdowns to start the year.
18	Clemson					ACC #3		Prncton/Yale
	4-0	LW: #27	A Rat: .662	B Rating:	4.947	C Rating:	3.962	—	—
	Wins over Florida State and I-AA Wofford just a little too close for comfort. But how huge is the showdown with V-Tech for determining the direction of the ACC?
19	Arizona State*					P12 #2		In Top 25
	3-1	LW: #44	A Rat: .470	B Rating:	3.367	C Rating:	3.064	—	—
	Big win over a USC team ranked in the AP poll, but admittedly not bowl-eligible, proved their bona fides. Even better? Divisional arrangement means they skate Stanford until conference title game – and their division title may not come with a USC asterisk like some thought.
20	Notre Dame							In Top 25
	2-2	LW: #24	A Rat: .283	B Rating:	2.723	C Rating:	3.003	—	—
	Once upon a time, the Domers would be the top-ranked two-loss team because of the effect of not having a conference to dilute their rating. Now it’s because their two losses were close to teams ahead of them, while their wins aren’t to slouches either. What Brian Kelly hot seat?
21	Penn State					B10 #4		In Top 25
	3-1	LW: #35	A Rat: .501	B Rating:	2.874	C Rating:	2.929	—	—
	Blowing out Eastern Michigan just what the doctor ordered entering Big Ten play.
22	TCU					MWC #2		In Top 25
	3-1	LW: #22	A Rat: .537	B Rating:	4.653	C Rating:	2.748	—	—
	Whaddaya know, it’s the two teams that stayed in non-BCS conferences that top the Utah schools in the rankings. TCU has bounced back from the Baylor loss with consistent blowout performances.
23	Illinois					B10 #5		In Top 25
	4-0	LW: #26	A Rat: .724	B Rating:	2.913	C Rating:	2.581	—	—
	Arizona State and Western Michigan wins too close for comfort, and Arkansas State only other I-A foe faced, but wins are wins. A good win over rival Northwestern should prove their bona fides.
24	Oregon					P12 #3		’09 Boise St.
	3-1	LW: #21	A Rat: .534	B Rating:	3.484	C Rating:	2.542	—	—
	Blowout win over Arizona, but Arizona stinks. California will provide a much bigger test, but Arizona State looms after that.
25	Rutgers					BST #2		In Top 25
	2-1	LW: #36	A Rat: .470	B Rating:	2.614	C Rating:	2.362	—	—
	When’s the last time we talked about Rutgers? 48-0 drubbing of NC Central and double-digit win over Ohio overcomes NC Central being I-A and a narrow loss to North Carolina.

35 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

2010 TCU title: #30 Baylor (3-0), .747, 1.283, .890

Off Top 25: #27 San Diego State (was #11), #31 North Carolina (was #20), #35 Florida International (was #17), #37 California (was #25), #41 USC (was #12), #49 Ohio (was #13), #59 West Virginia (was #19) (yes, freakin’ Florida International would have been Top 20 last week!)

Unbeaten teams not on Top 25: #28 Houston, #29 Kansas State, #30 Baylor*, #32 Iowa State, #61 Texas Tech (all in positive B points, Texas Tech not in positive C)

Rest of Watch List: #26 Utah (2-1), #27 San Diego State (3-1), #31 North Carolina (3-1)

Other Positive B Ratings (all 3-1 unless otherwise noted): #33 Washington*, #34 Temple*, #35 Florida International, #36 Wake Forest (2-1), #37 California, #38 Iowa, #40 Navy (2-1), #42 Bowling Green, #44 Duke* (2-2) (*=Newly Positive)

No Longer Positive: #41 USC, #43 Miami (FL), #45 Missouri, #46 Louisville, #49 Ohio, #55 Wyoming, #56 Vanderbilt, #58 Florida State, #59 West Virginia, #60 Pittsburgh, #68 Washington State

Bottom 10: #111 Army, #112 Florida Atlantic, #113 Tulane, #114 Idaho, #115 New Mexico, #116 UAB, #117 Louisiana-Monroe, #118 Central Michigan, #119 Akron, #120 Memphis

Best game of week: Alabama @ Florida, 5pm PT, CBS