Previous Week Standings

The previous merit-based standings from prior weeks in the season.

About the Standings

Welcome to the College Football Merit Based Standings system. This standings methodology aims for transparency and simplicity. It evaluates teams based on what was accomplished on the field, not hidden human biases in traditional polls or the black box of computer rankings alone.

Like soccer, who give teams 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a loss, we wondered if the same could apply to football. The challenge is not every team plays one another, so you must account for strength of schedule. We propose a method to do just that.

How It Works

A win can be worth up to 10 points; even a loss can be worth up to 3 points if it's a close one against a good team.

Our merit-based system considers 5 factors:

• Did you win? If you won, you get 3 points. If you lost, see the quality loss rule below.
• How did you win? If you had a quality win (a win by 14 or more points at home, or any win on the road) you get 2 points
• Who did you beat (part 1)? If you beat a team from a power 4 conference you get 2 points
• Who did you beat (part 2)? If you beat a team who is currently (updated weekly) in the top 30 of total points you get 3 points; a team in the top 60 gets 2 points; and a team in the top 100 gets 1 point
• Quality loss. Even a loss counts for something if it's close: if you lose by 7 points or fewer to a team currently (updated weekly) in the top 30, you get 3 points

Point System

Teams accumulate points each week based on if they won or lost, how they won, and who they played. The total points system provides a cumulative view of the entire season, while weekly details show how teams performed in specific weeks. Fully transparent: the standings are simply every team ordered by total points, highest to lowest.

Ties for total points are broken by average points on the season (total points divided by number of games played), then by the team's standing at the start of the year.

Updates

Standings are updated weekly after all games are completed and verified.

Ultimately, the standings won't truly reflect the winner until the final week.

Total Points Standings

Season Archive

Browse final standings, total points, and every game from past seasons.

All Game Data

See all the game data in this master table. Sort and filter to see specific teams or games by week

Week 1 Details

Week 1 performance breakdown after the first week of competition.

Strength of schedule reflects the team's standing from the week prior

Week 2 Details

Week 2 performance breakdown after the first week of competition.

Strength of schedule reflects the team's standing from the week prior

Week 3 Details

Week 3 performance breakdown after the first week of competition.

Strength of schedule reflects the team's standing from the week prior

Week 4 Details

Week 4 performance breakdown after the first week of competition.

Strength of schedule reflects the team's standing from the week prior

Week 5 Details

Week 5 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 6 Details

Week 6 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 7 Details

Week 7 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 8 Details

Week 8 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 9 Details

Week 9 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 10 Details

Week 10 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 11 Details

Week 11 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 12 Details

Week 12 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 13 Details

Week 13 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 14 Details

Week 14 performance breakdown and standings.

Week 15 Details

Week 15 performance breakdown and standings.