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 week was characterized by very little movement, which tells us the teams we have ranked and under consideration are generally the teams that belong here.
Texas Tech is by far the best one-loss team with three Top 25* wins and no Bad Losses.
At this point in the season, two bad losses disqualifies a team from consideration. They could get back in later in the year.
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.
On-the-field results matter, and this fact really hurts Georgia and Mississippi, having lost to Alabama, which has the really Bad Loss to Florida State. Those two have no Bad Losses and would otherwise be ranked higher.
Here are the Top 25*:
1-1-1 Texas A&M (9-0) trounced #24 Missouri 38-17, (Quality Wins: #9 Utah, #16 Notre Dame and #24 Missouri)
2-2-2 Indiana (10-0) had its prayer answered in the final minutes against Penn State to win 27-24, (Quality Wins: #6 Oregon and #31 Illinois)
3-3-3 Ohio State (9-0) pummeled Purdue 34-10, (Quality Wins: #18 Texas, #30 Washington and #31 Illinois)
12-6-4 Texas Tech (9-1) trounced #5 BYU 29-7, (Quality Wins: #5 BYU, #10 Utah and #26 Houston, Lost to #30 Arizona State)
5-4-5 BYU (8-1) saw its unbeaten streak end 29-7 at the hands of #4 Texas Tech, (Quality Wins: #10 Utah, Lost to #4 Texas Tech)
7-5-6 Oregon (8-1) outlasted Iowa 18-16, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Iowa, Lost to #2 Indiana)
8-7-7 Alabama (7-1) scored a 20-9 win over #28 LSU, (Quality Wins: #8 Georgia, #19 Vanderbilt, #24 Missouri and #27 Tennessee, Lost to Florida State), Bad Loss: Florida State)
9-9-8 Georgia (8-1) mashed Mississippi State 41-21, ( Quality Wins: #9 Mississippi and #27 Tennessee, Lost to #7 Alabama)
11-10-9 Mississippi (9-1) blanked the Citadel 49-0, (Quality Wins: #20 Oklahoma and #32 Tulane, Lost to #8 Georgia)
14-8-10 Utah (7-2) was off this week, Quality Wins: #25 Cincinnati and #29 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech and #5 BYU)
24-13-11 North Texas (8-1) did not play, (Quality Wins: #23 Navy, Lost to #36 South Florida)
4-15-12 Georgia Tech (8-1) was idle this week, (Quality Win: none; Biggest Win: Wake Forest, Lost to North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)
15-11-13 Virginia (8-2) lost to Wake Forest 16-9, (Quality Win: #14 Louisville, Lost to North Carolina State, Bad Loss: North Carolina State)
16-12-14 Louisville (7-2) lost to California 29-26, (Quality Wins: #15 Miami of Florida, #21 James Madison and #28 Pittsburgh, Lost to #11 Virginia and California, Bad Loss: California)
17-16-15 Miami of Florida (7-2) destroyed Syracuse 38-16, (Quality Wins: #16 Notre Dame and #34 South Florida, Lost to #14 Louisville and SMU, Bad Loss: SMU)
18-17-16 Notre Dame (7-2) blitzed #23 Navy 49-10, (Quality Wins: #18 USC and #23 Navy, Lost to #1 Texas A&M and #15 Miami of Florida)
23-18-17 USC (7-2) pulled away from Northwestern 38-17, (Quality Win: #22 Michigan, Lost to #16 Notre Dame and #27 Illinois)
29-20-18 Texas (7-2) did not play, (Quality Wins: #19 Vanderbilt and #20 Oklahoma, Lost to #3 Ohio State and Florida, Bad Loss: Florida)
10-21-19 Vanderbilt (8-2) held on against hapless Auburn 45-38 in overtime, (Quality Wins: #24 Missouri and #23 LSU, Lost to #7 Alabama and #18 Texas)
30-24-20 Oklahoma (7-2) did not play, Lost to #10 Mississippi 34-26, (Quality Wins: #22 Michigan and #27 Tennessee, Lost to #10 Mississippi and #18 Texas
22-19-21 James Madison (8-1) danced over Marshall 35-23, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Old Dominion, Lost to #12 Louisville)
31-25-22 Michigan (7-2) was idle, (Quality Win: #30 Washington, Lost to #17 USC and #20 Oklahoma)
6-14-23 Navy (7-2) was outclassed by #16 Notre Dame 49-10, (Quality Wins: None; Best Wins: Air Force and UAB, Lost to #12 North Texas and #16 Notre Dame)
20-22-24 Missouri (6-3) lost to #1 Texas A&M 38-17, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Wins: Kansas, Auburn and South Carolina, Lost to #1 Texas A&M, #7 Alabama and #19 Vanderbilt)
26-27-25 Cincinnati (7-2) did not play, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Iowa State, Lost to #9 Utah and #37 Nebraska, Bad Loss: Nebraska)
Dropped out of the Top 25*: #25 LSU
Also Considered:
13-29-26 Houston (8-2) upended UCF 30-27, (Quality Win: #29 Arizona State, Lost to #4 Texas Tech and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia)
19-30-27 Tennessee (6-3) did not play, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: Mississippi State, Lost to #7 Alabama, #9 Georgia and #20 Oklahoma)
-----36-28 Pittsburgh (7-2) was idle, (Quality Wins: None; Biggest Win: North Carolina State, Lost to #14 Louisville and West Virginia, Bad Loss: West Virginia
----35-29 Arizona State 6-3 did not play, (Quality Win: #4 Texas Tech, Lost to #8 Utah, #26 Houston and Mississippi State, Bad Loss: Mississippi State)
32-26-30 Washington (6-3) lost to Wisconsin 13-10, (Quality Win: #31 Illinois, Lost to #3 Ohio State, #22 Michigan and Wisconsin, Bad Loss: Wisconsin)
33-31-31 Illinois (5-3) was idle this week, (Quality Win: #18 USC, Lost to #2 Indiana, #3 Ohio State and #30 Washington)
21-37-32 Tulane (7-2) held off #33 Memphis 38-32, (Quality Wins: #33 Memphis; Biggest Wins: Duke and East Carolina, Lost to #10 Mississippi and UTSA, Bad Loss: UTSA)
35-33-33 Memphis (8-2) lost to #32 Tulane 38-32, (Quality Win: #34 South Florida, Lost to UAB, Bad Loss: UAB)
36-34-34 South Florida (7-2) sailed past UTSA 55-23, (Quality Win: #11 North Texas, Lost to #15 Miami of Florida and #34 Memphis)
Dropped from Consideration: #25 LSU, #27 San Diego State, #28 Iowa
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