≡ Menu

Five weeks in, the first edition of NCAA SRS ratings

Petty and Seastrunk have yet to break a sweat

Petty and Seastrunk have yet to break a sweat.

It’s still too early to put much faith in any computer ratings, but we can at least begin framing the discussion of which are the most impressive teams in college football. As always, thanks to Dr. Peter Wolfe for providing the final scores for every college football game. As a reminder, here’s the system for producing SRS ratings.

1) For each game not played at a neutral site, 3 points are given to the road team. After that adjustment, all wins and losses of between 7 and 24 points are recorded exactly as such. This means that a 24-10 road win goes down as +17 for the road team, -17 for the home team.

2) With one exception, wins of 7 or fewer points are scored as 7-point wins and losses of 7 or fewer points are scored as 7 point losses. So a 4-point home win goes down as +7 (and not a 1) and a 1-point home loss is a -7 (and not a -4). The one exception is that road losses of 3 or fewer (and home wins of 3 or fewer) are graded as ties. So a 21-20 home victory goes down as a 0 for both teams.

3) Wins/Losses of more than 24 points are scored as the average between the actual number and 24. This is to avoid giving undue credit to teams that run up the score. So a 75-point home win goes down as a 48-point win.

Once we have a rating for each team in each game, we then adjust each result for strength of schedule. This is an iterative process, where we adjust the ratings hundreds of times (to adjust for SOS, you have to adjust for the SOS of each opponent, and the SOS of each opponent’s opponent, and so on.) in Excel. Then we produce final ratings, where the SRS rating is the sum of the Margin of Victory and Strength of Schedule in every week.

After five weeks, what are the results? As usual, the table is fully searchable (type “-0”, for example, to see a list of undefeated teams, or SEC to see all SEC teams.) Right now, the number one team is Baylor, with an average (adjusted) Margin of Victory of 41.5 points per game against an average opponent that is 27.7 points better than average (average includes all football teams at all levels, so all FBS will have a positive grade). Among undefeated teams, no opponent has faced a tougher SOS than Alabama. Below shows all 125 FBS teams.

RkTeamConfConf RkGMOVSOSSRSREC
1BaylorB121341.527.769.23-0
2OregonP121435.828.864.64-0
3AlabamaSEC1419.643.763.34-0
4Florida StACC1429.333.863.14-0
5WashingtonP122422.539.461.94-0
6GeorgiaSEC247.351.558.73-1
7LSUSEC3515.542.357.84-1
8LouisvilleAAC143126.657.64-0
9StanfordP123419.337.656.84-0
10ClemsonACC242036.556.54-0
11UCLAP124328.726.655.33-0
12MissouriSEC4420.933.354.14-0
13Texas A&MSEC5515.438.553.94-1
14Ohio StateB101524.329.653.95-0
15Texas TechB122421.432.353.74-0
16Arizona StP125411.342.253.43-1
17ArizonaP126417.83451.73-1
18MarylandACC3425.126.351.44-0
19South CarolinaSEC64545.750.73-1
20AuburnSEC74743.150.13-1
21FloridaSEC849.839.849.63-1
22TCUB12346.842.649.42-2
23IllinoisB102412.536.248.73-1
24Central FloridaAAC2414.63448.63-1
25WisconsinB103517.331.348.63-2
26OklahomaB124419.428.447.74-0
27Virginia TechACC456.441.247.64-1
28Utah StMWC1518.528.947.43-2
29Oklahoma StB125418.42947.43-1
30Georgia TechACC541729.846.83-1
31UtahP12741333.546.53-1
32MarshallCUSA1415.131.146.22-2
33IndianaB10446.839.2462-2
34IowaB105514.131.645.74-1
35Penn StateB106414.331.345.53-1
36Northern IllinoisMAC141431.545.54-0
37Boise StMWC2512.932.545.43-2
38Washington StP1285639.445.43-2
39Miami FLACC6426.119.245.34-0
40Southern CalP12953.94144.93-2
41NebraskaB10749.834.544.33-1
42East CarolinaCUSA2410.933.1443-1
43MississippiSEC94637.843.83-1
44NavyIND1310.832.843.72-1
45NorthwesternB10841627.543.54-0
46Mississippi StSEC10411.431.242.62-2
47TennesseeSEC1154.537.742.23-2
48HoustonAAC3420.821.141.84-0
49Brigham YoungIND247.534.241.72-2
50CincinnatiAAC4414.926.541.43-1
51Bowling GreenMAC2512.928.441.34-1
52VanderbiltSEC12511.729.641.33-2
53Oregon StP121059.431.741.14-1
54North TexasCUSA341.639.3412-2
55Kansas StB12647.43340.42-2
56Ball StMAC3514.425.740.14-1
57WyomingMWC3512.627.339.93-2
58Ohio U.MAC441.338.439.63-1
59PittsburghACC741.63738.63-1
60MichiganB109414.423.838.14-0
61Texas St-San MarcosSUN146.83137.83-1
62SyracuseACC8410.127.437.52-2
63ArkansasSEC1354.632.937.53-2
64West VirginiaB12750.836.637.43-2
65Iowa StB1283037.137.11-2
66ToledoMAC55-0.237.136.92-3
67MinnesotaB1010512.124.736.84-1
68Fresno StMWC445.331.536.74-0
69Boston CollegeACC94-5.942.336.42-2
70DukeACC1054.931.436.33-2
71BuffaloMAC64-7.844.136.32-2
72RutgersAAC5412.923.236.13-1
73North Carolina StACC1148.926.735.63-1
74KentuckySEC144-4.639.434.81-3
75ColoradoP121130.333.934.22-1
76North CarolinaACC124-7.441.534.11-3
77TexasB12940.533.233.72-2
78Notre DameIND352.231.333.53-2
79Western KentuckySUN253.130.233.33-2
80South AlabamaSUN34032.532.52-2
81RiceCUSA44-2.835.232.52-2
82VirginiaACC134-2.834.932.12-2
83Louisiana-LafayetteSUN443.828.332.12-2
84MemphisAAC631.329.130.41-2
85CaliforniaP12124-15.345.530.31-3
86San José StMWC54-10.139.929.71-3
87Colorado StMWC65-1.631.129.52-3
88Michigan StB1011411.11829.23-1
89NevadaMWC75-4.733.628.93-2
90TulaneCUSA554.22428.23-2
91SMUAAC74-1845.627.61-3
92Alabama-BirminghamCUSA64-8.435.627.21-3
93Arkansas StSUN55-4.430.926.52-3
94ConnecticutAAC84-1642.126.10-4
95Kent StMAC75-9.635.6262-3
96Texas-San AntonioCUSA75-8.434.325.92-3
97AkronMAC85-1135.924.91-4
98Middle Tennessee StCUSA85-2.627.224.63-2
99UNLVMWC85-2.126.424.33-2
100Wake ForestACC145-327.324.32-3
101San Diego StMWC94-11.535.724.21-3
102Florida AtlanticCUSA95-7.13123.91-4
103TroySUN65-225.423.42-3
104Hawai`iMWC104-15.837.922.10-4
105ArmyIND45-526.721.72-3
106TulsaCUSA104-17.538.921.41-3
107TempleAAC94-9.530.921.40-4
108Louisiana-MonroeSUN75-10.631.721.12-3
109KansasB121032.318.821.12-1
110PurdueB10125-17.237.420.21-4
111Air ForceMWC115-11.330.919.61-4
112IdahoIND55-19.738.618.91-4
113MassachusettsMAC94-22.940.117.20-4
114Miami OHMAC104-25.642.817.10-4
115Southern MissCUSA114-24.341.3170-4
116New MexicoMWC124-9.325.816.51-3
117Florida Int'lCUSA124-32.547.214.70-4
118Louisiana TechCUSA135-8.823.414.61-4
119UTEPCUSA144-5.519.714.21-3
120Eastern MichiganMAC114-16.629.6131-3
121Western MichiganMAC125-18.93112.10-5
122Central MichiganMAC135-18.829.310.51-4
123South FloridaAAC104-22.531.38.80-4
124Georgia StSUN84-19.327.78.40-4
125New Mexico StIND65-26.132.86.70-5

Once again, I’ve set up a page that shows the results of every single FBS game this season. You can view that page here. The single best performance so far this season came by Stanford last week. In Seattle (technically a neutral site game), the Cardinal crushed a decent Washington State team, 55-17.

So why is Baylor, and not Alabama, number one in the SRS? Let’s get one thing out of the way: no, I don’t think Baylor would beat Alabama. The SRS doesn’t know how good these teams actually are — no preseason information is used — all it knows is how the teams have played to date. I am sure Alabama will pass Baylor soon, but for now, here’s the explanation: Baylor has only played three games, and won those games by an average of 62 points. One of them even came against a non-garbage MAC team (Buffalo). The Bulls aren’t good, of course, but they beat Connecticut, who was respectable against Maryland (#18) and nearly beat Michigan. So a beatdown against Buffalo makes Baylor look for real, to the extent any team can look for real after three games against weak teams. Bears quarterback Bryce Petty has thrown for 1,001 passing yards and 8 touchdowns on just 67 pass attempts, giving him a 17.3 AY/A average. Running back Lache Seastrunk, a former Oregon transfer, has averaged 11.0 yards per carry on 38 runs. There’s been nothing but fireworks in Waco, although we should keep expectations tempered. Beating an FCS school and two low-level BCS teams isn’t what made Robert Griffin III a Heisman Trophy winner, and the Bears still have nine conference games to navigate.

With the nonconference schedule now over, things should ease up…. in theory. But for Baylor, their next four games are against West Virginia, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Kansas, perhaps the four weakest teams in the Big 12. We should see Baylor run the schedule up to 7-0, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Bears are in the top five by then.

As for Alabama? Well, they won a close game (according to the score board) in College Station, which just means that the Tide are considered very good and not a clear number one. And Alabama is docked a bit for only beating Colorado State by 25, since after all, Colorado beat the Rams by fourteen.

In any event, the ratings will get more accurate each week. For now, it’s too early to make any real conclusions. Finally, let’s look at each FBS team from week five, sorted from best to worst by SRS:

DateTm_ConfPFOppPAH/RW/LDiffMOVOpp_ConfSOSSRS
09-28-2013Stanford_P1255Washington St17NeutWin3831P1245.476.4
09-28-2013Washington_P1231Arizona13HomeWin1815P1251.766.7
09-28-2013Alabama_SEC25Mississippi0HomeWin2522SEC43.865.8
09-28-2013Arizona St_P1262Southern Cal41HomeWin2118P1244.962.9
09-28-2013Oregon_P1255California16HomeWin3930P1230.360.3
09-28-2013East Carolina_CUSA55North Carolina31RoadWin2425.5ACC34.159.6
09-28-2013Clemson_ACC56Wake Forest7HomeWin4935ACC24.359.3
09-28-2013LSU_SEC41Georgia44RoadLoss-30SEC58.758.7
09-28-2013Oregon St_P1244Colorado17HomeWin2724P1234.258.2
09-28-2013Texas St-San Marcos_SUN42Wyoming21HomeWin2118MWC39.957.9
09-28-2013Georgia_SEC44LSU41HomeWin30SEC57.857.8
09-27-2013Utah St_MWC40San José St12RoadWin2827.5MWC29.757.2
09-26-2013Virginia Tech_ACC17Georgia Tech10RoadWin710ACC46.856.8
09-28-2013Iowa_B1023Minnesota7RoadWin1619B1036.855.8
09-28-2013South Carolina_SEC28Central Florida25RoadWin37AAC48.655.6
09-28-2013Ohio State_B1031Wisconsin24HomeWin77B1048.655.6
09-28-2013Houston_AAC59Texas-San Antonio28RoadWin3129CUSA25.954.9
09-28-2013Florida_SEC24Kentucky7RoadWin1720SEC34.854.8
09-28-2013West Virginia_B1230Oklahoma St21HomeWin97B1247.454.4
09-28-2013Boise St_MWC60Southern Miss7HomeWin5337CUSA1754
09-28-2013TCU_B1248SMU17HomeWin3126AAC27.653.6
09-28-2013Florida St_ACC48Boston College34RoadWin1417ACC36.453.4
09-28-2013Western Kentucky_SUN19Navy7HomeWin129IND43.752.7
09-28-2013Texas A&M_SEC45Arkansas33RoadWin1215SEC37.552.5
09-28-2013Vanderbilt_SEC52Alabama-Birmingham24HomeWin2824.5CUSA27.251.7
09-28-2013Buffalo_MAC41Connecticut12HomeWin2925AAC26.151.1
09-28-2013Oklahoma_B1235Notre Dame21RoadWin1417IND33.550.5
09-28-2013Northern Illinois_MAC55Purdue24RoadWin3129B1020.249.2
09-27-2013Brigham Young_IND37Middle Tennessee St10HomeWin2724CUSA24.648.6
09-28-2013Wisconsin_B1024Ohio State31RoadLoss-7-7B1053.946.9
09-28-2013Arizona_P1213Washington31RoadLoss-18-15P1261.946.9
09-28-2013Boston College_ACC34Florida St48HomeLoss-14-17ACC63.146.1
09-28-2013Illinois_B1050Miami OH14HomeWin3628.5MAC17.145.6
09-28-2013Missouri_SEC41Arkansas St19HomeWin2219SUN26.545.5
09-28-2013Ball St_MAC31Toledo24HomeWin77MAC36.943.9
09-28-2013Central Florida_AAC25South Carolina28HomeLoss-3-7SEC50.743.7
09-26-2013Iowa St_B1238Tulsa21RoadWin1720CUSA21.441.4
09-28-2013Mississippi_SEC0Alabama25RoadLoss-25-22SEC63.341.3
09-28-2013Tulane_CUSA31Louisiana-Monroe14RoadWin1720SUN21.141.1
09-28-2013Pittsburgh_ACC14Virginia3HomeWin118ACC32.140.1
09-28-2013Tennessee_SEC31South Alabama24HomeWin77SUN32.539.5
09-28-2013Arkansas_SEC33Texas A&M45HomeLoss-12-15SEC53.938.9
09-28-2013Bowling Green_MAC31Akron14HomeWin1714MAC24.938.9
09-28-2013North Carolina St_ACC48Central Michigan14HomeWin3427.5MAC10.538
09-26-2013Georgia Tech_ACC10Virginia Tech17HomeLoss-7-10ACC47.637.6
09-28-2013Miami FL_ACC49South Florida21RoadWin2827.5AAC8.836.3
09-28-2013Southern Cal_P1241Arizona St62RoadLoss-21-18P1253.435.4
09-28-2013South Alabama_SUN24Tennessee31RoadLoss-7-7SEC42.235.2
09-28-2013Arkansas St_SUN19Missouri41RoadLoss-22-19SEC54.135.1
09-28-2013California_P1216Oregon55RoadLoss-39-30P1264.634.6
09-28-2013Army_IND35Louisiana Tech16NeutWin1919CUSA14.633.6
09-28-2013UNLV_MWC56New Mexico42RoadWin1417MWC16.533.5
09-28-2013Kent St_MAC32Western Michigan14RoadWin1821MAC12.133.1
09-28-2013Toledo_MAC24Ball St31RoadLoss-7-7MAC40.133.1
09-28-2013Rice_CUSA18Florida Atlantic14HomeWin47CUSA23.930.9
09-28-2013Notre Dame_IND21Oklahoma35HomeLoss-14-17B1247.730.7
09-28-2013Virginia_ACC3Pittsburgh14RoadLoss-11-8ACC38.630.6
09-28-2013Duke_ACC38Troy31HomeWin77SUN23.430.4
09-28-2013Oklahoma St_B1221West Virginia30RoadLoss-9-7B1237.430.4
09-28-2013Fresno St_MWC42Hawai`i37RoadWin58MWC22.130.1
09-28-2013Kentucky_SEC7Florida24HomeLoss-17-20SEC49.629.6
09-28-2013Troy_SUN31Duke38RoadLoss-7-7ACC36.329.3
09-28-2013Air Force_MWC42Nevada45RoadLoss-30MWC28.928.9
09-28-2013Hawai`i_MWC37Fresno St42HomeLoss-5-8MWC36.728.7
09-28-2013Colorado St_MWC59UTEP42HomeWin1714CUSA14.228.2
09-28-2013Akron_MAC14Bowling Green31RoadLoss-17-14MAC41.327.3
09-28-2013Minnesota_B107Iowa23HomeLoss-16-19B1045.726.7
09-28-2013Washington St_P1217Stanford55NeutLoss-38-31P1256.825.8
09-28-2013Florida Atlantic_CUSA14Rice18RoadLoss-4-7CUSA32.525.5
09-28-2013Navy_IND7Western Kentucky19RoadLoss-12-9SUN33.324.3
09-28-2013SMU_AAC17TCU48RoadLoss-31-26B1249.423.4
09-28-2013Wake Forest_ACC7Clemson56RoadLoss-49-35ACC56.521.5
09-28-2013Idaho_IND26Temple24HomeWin20AAC21.421.4
09-28-2013Miami OH_MAC14Illinois50RoadLoss-36-28.5B1048.720.2
09-27-2013San José St_MWC12Utah St40HomeLoss-28-27.5MWC47.419.9
09-28-2013Wyoming_MWC21Texas St-San Marcos42RoadLoss-21-18SUN37.819.8
09-28-2013San Diego St_MWC26New Mexico St16RoadWin1013IND6.719.7
09-28-2013Nevada_MWC45Air Force42HomeWin30MWC19.619.6
09-28-2013Temple_AAC24Idaho26RoadLoss-20IND18.918.9
09-28-2013North Carolina_ACC31East Carolina55HomeLoss-24-25.5CUSA4418.5
09-28-2013South Florida_AAC21Miami FL49HomeLoss-28-27.5ACC45.317.8
09-27-2013Middle Tennessee St_CUSA10Brigham Young37RoadLoss-27-24IND41.717.7
09-26-2013Tulsa_CUSA21Iowa St38HomeLoss-17-20B1237.117.1
09-28-2013Colorado_P1217Oregon St44RoadLoss-27-24P1241.117.1
09-28-2013Alabama-Birmingham_CUSA24Vanderbilt52RoadLoss-28-24.5SEC41.316.8
09-28-2013Purdue_B1024Northern Illinois55HomeLoss-31-29MAC45.516.5
09-28-2013UTEP_CUSA42Colorado St59RoadLoss-17-14MWC29.515.5
09-28-2013Texas-San Antonio_CUSA28Houston59HomeLoss-31-29AAC41.812.8
09-28-2013Connecticut_AAC12Buffalo41RoadLoss-29-25MAC36.311.3
09-28-2013New Mexico St_IND16San Diego St26HomeLoss-10-13MWC24.211.2
09-28-2013Southern Miss_CUSA7Boise St60RoadLoss-53-37MWC45.48.4
09-28-2013Louisiana-Monroe_SUN14Tulane31HomeLoss-17-20CUSA28.28.2
09-28-2013Central Michigan_MAC14North Carolina St48RoadLoss-34-27.5ACC35.68.1
09-28-2013New Mexico_MWC42UNLV56HomeLoss-14-17MWC24.37.3
09-28-2013Western Michigan_MAC14Kent St32HomeLoss-18-21MAC265
09-28-2013Louisiana Tech_CUSA16Army35NeutLoss-19-19IND21.72.7
{ 8 comments }