Our rankings, unlike the AP and Coaches polls, are based on actual results and logic. A bad loss counts much more than a big win, but other than than, we evaluate the teams based on the number and quality of good wins and the number and quality of their losses. A bad loss is defined as losing to a team not under consideration, while a quality win is defined as a win over any other team being considered.
We start with each team being equal, then move them up or down based on their season performance vs. that of the teams around them. We separate them by record and then evaluate them against each other, starting with undefeated teams and moving down. When we compare teams with the same record, the ones with any Bad Losses* are always going to be ranked lower, and those with Quality Wins* are going to be ranked ahead of those without. A team with a worse record can be ranked ahead of another if they have less bad losses and/or more quality wins.
Often, especially late in the year, we have situations where a trio of teams have 2-1 records against each other, so the head-to-head matchup is essentially tied between those three. In those cases, we break the tie with the evaluation of their best wins and losses and season records.
This weekend was once again characterized by little movement, as there have been enough results to correctly rank the Top 25*. Several teams were dropped from consideration, as their Quality Wins have disappeared and their Bad Losses look worse than before.
Oregon scored their first Quality Win* with a victory over #19 USC and moved up a spot. As one would expect, there are no Bad Losses* to teams ranked in the Top 10*. Miami of Florida had its Bad Loss* to SMU erased when the Mustangs entered the list at #35, but its loss to Louisville is now realized as a Bad Loss* after the Cardinals' fourth loss of the season dropped them out of consideration.
With South Florida dropping out of the rankings, North Texas now has a Bad Loss* and thus dropped a couple of spots.
Most Important: If a team beats another, they cannot ever be ranked below them as long as that team has the same or worse record. In other words, we rank them logically.
Here are the Top 25*:
1-1-1-1-1 Texas A&M (11-0) ran away from Samford 48-0, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, #12 Notre Dame and #26 Missouri)
2-2-2-2-2 Indiana (11-0) did not play, (Quality Wins: #5 Oregon and #27 Illinois)
3-3-3-3-3 Ohio State (11-0) obliterated Rutgers 42-9, (Quality Wins: #21 Texas, #23 Washington and #27 Illinois)
12-6-4-4-4 Texas Tech (10-1) took the weekend off, (Quality Wins: #7 BYU, #10 Utah and #28 Houston, Lost to #29 Arizona State)
7-5-6-6-5 Oregon (10-1) overcame #19 USC 42-27, (Quality Win: #19 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana)
9-9-8-7-6 Georgia (10-1) clipped Charlotte 35-3, ( Quality Wins: #7 Mississippi, #21 Texas and #21 Tennessee, Lost to #14 Alabama)
11-10-9-8-7 Mississippi (10-1) was idle, (Quality Wins: #9 Oklahoma and #25 Tulane, Lost to #6 Georgia)
5-4-5-5-8 BYU (10-1) bumped Cincinnati 26-14, (Quality Win: #10 Utah, Lost to #4 Texas Tech)
30-24-20-10-9 Oklahoma (8-2) stymied #26 Missouri 17-6, Lost to #8 Mississippi 34-26, (Quality Wins: #14 Alabama, #15 Michigan, #21 Tennessee and #26 Missouri, Lost to #8 Mississippi and #20 Texas
14-8-10-9-10 Utah (9-2) won a wild 51-47 game over Kansas State, Quality Win: #29 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech and #7 BYU)
17-16-15-12-11 Miami of Florida (9-2) downed Virginia Tech 34-17, (Quality Win: #12 Notre Dame, Lost to #35 SMU and Louisville, Bad Loss: Louisville)
18-17-16-13-12 Notre Dame (9-2) ran it up on Syracuse 70-7, (Quality Wins: #16 Navy, #19 USC and #35 Pittsburgh, Lost to #1 Texas A&M and #11 Miami of Florida)
24-13-11-11-13 North Texas (10-1) rambled over Rice 56-24, (Quality Win: #16 Navy, Lost to South Florida, Bad Loss: South Florida)
8-7-7-16-14 Alabama (8-2) ran it up on Eastern Illinois 56-0, (Quality Wins: #6 Georgia, #17 Vanderbilt, #21 Tennessee and #26 Missouri, Lost to #9 Oklahoma and Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)
31-25-22-17-15 Michigan (9-2) manhandled Maryland 49-20, (Quality Win: #23 Washington, Lost to #9 Oklahoma and #19 USC)
6-14-23-18-16 Navy (8-2) did not play, (Quality Win: #34 South Florida, Lost to #12 Notre Dame and #13 North Texas)
10-21-19-19-17 Vanderbilt (9-2) demolished Kentucky 45-17, (Quality Win: #26 Missouri, Lost to #14 Alabama and #20 Texas)
22-19-21-21-18 James Madison (10-1) edged Washington State 24-20, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Old Dominion, Lost to Louisville, Bad Loss: Louisville)
23-18-17-14-19 USC (8-3) lost to #5 Oregon 42-27, (Quality Win: #15 Michigan, Lost to #5 Oregon, #12 Notre Dame and #27 Illinois)
29-20-18-23-20 Texas (8-3) turned back Arkansas 52-37, (Quality Wins: #9 Oklahoma and #17 Vanderbilt, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #7 Georgia and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)
19-30-27-25-21 Tennessee (8-3) scored a 31-11 victory over Florida, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #6 Georgia, #9 Oklahoma and #14 Alabama)
4-15-12-15-22 Georgia Tech (9-2) lost to #32 Pittsburgh 42-28, (Quality Win: #34 Wake Forest, Lost to #32 Pittsburgh and North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)
32-26-30-27-23 Washington (8-3) whipped UCLA 48-14, (Quality Win: #27 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #17 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)
15-11-13--20-24 Virginia (9-2) was idle this week, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Louisville, Lost to #37 Wake Forest and North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)
21-37-32-28-25 Tulane (9-2) tumbled Temple 37-13, (Quality Win: #33 Memphis, Lost to #7 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss: UTSA)
Dropped from Top 25*:
#22 Missouri, #24 Houston
Also Considered:
20-22-24-22-26 Missouri (7-4) fell to #9 Oklahoma 17-6, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #9 Oklahoma, #14 Alabama and #17 Vanderbilt)
33-31-31-28-27 Illinois (7-4) Lost to Wisconsin 27-10, (Quality Win: #19 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State and #23 Washington and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)
13-29-26-24-28 Houston (8-3) lost to TCU 17-14, (Quality Wins: #29 Arizona State and #30 Arizona, Lost to #4 Texas Tech, TCU and West Virginia, Bad Losses: TCU and West Virginia)
----35-29-26-29 Arizona State (8-3) annihilated Colorado 42-17, (Quality Win: #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #10 Utah, #28 Houston and Mississippi State, Bad Loss: Mississippi State)
-------------29-30 Arizona (8-3) blitzed Baylor 41-17, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Cincinnati, Lost to #7 BYU, #28 Houston and Iowa State, Bad Loss: Iowa State)
27-23----32-31 LSU (7-4) nudged Western Kentucky 17-14, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Clemson and Florida, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #7 Mississippi, #14 Alabama and #17 Vanderbilt)
---------33-32 Old Dominion (7-3) routed Georgia Southern 45-10, (Quality Wins: None, Biggest Win: Virginia Tech, Lost to #2 Indiana, #18 James Madison and Marshall, Bad Loss: Marshall)
----36-28-37-33 Pittsburgh (8-3) gummed up #22 Georgia Tech's hopes in a 42-28 win, (Quality Win: #22 Georgia Tech, Lost to #12 Notre Dame, Louisville and West Virginia, Bad Losses: Louisville and West Virginia)
---------38-34 Wake Forest (8-3) demolished Delaware 52-14, Quality Win: #20 Virginia, Lost to #15 Georgia Tech, North Carolina State and Florida State, Bad Losses: North Carolina State and Florida State)
Dropped from Consideration:
#30 East Carolina, #31 Cincinnati, #34 Memphis, #36 Louisville and #37 South Florida
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