NCAAF Football - Power Rankings

The number 1 team in My FBS Power Rankings: Oregon Ducks

Well, the No. 1 spot belongs to Oregon, still undefeated in its first season since joining the Big Ten. You can't dim the Ducks success, defeating Boise State, Ohio State and Illinois -- all which were carrying a perfect record at the time, too. 

Everyone is showing up ready to play for Oregon. Dillon Gabriel leads the attack, completing 73.8% of his passes. Tez Johnson leads the receiving room that has two others who have earned over 500 yards and hit the endzone at least three times. Then, Jordan James ensures the offense is just as lethal on the ground, eclipsing 1,000 yards this year. 

most overrated team: georgia bulldogs

The computer placed them at four and I wish I could push them further than eight in my own power rankings. Coming off a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss, Georgia now has two scratches on its record. Falling to the Rebels and the Tide just proves to me that the 'Dawgs aren't so unbeatable anymore. 

I don't like how Carson Beck has been playing, throwing 12 interceptions this year to surpass his career total combined. It's been more inconsistency than we're used to seeing from Kirby Smart. But of course, SEC teams inevitably get the strength of schedule argument that always bumps them ahead of the pack.

most underrated team: BYU Cougars

Did you know BYU has been ranked in the top 12 four of the last five seasons? The Cougars have cashed four plus-money moneylines for the betting community since oddsmakers continously doubted their abilities. Though they suffered their first loss in Week 12, I still have to commend the Cougars on what they've accomplished this year.

They've nobly defeated SMU, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. Not the toughest matchups but hey, it counts! Well-rounded on both sides of the ball, BYU sits inside the top 25 for scoring defense and offense. 

honorable mention: vanderbilt Commodores

I recognize a 6-4 SU record may not compete with the success further up the board. But, credit is due to Vanderbilt, who just earned a bowl game after defeating Auburn. Whether it was the thrilling upsets over Alabama and Kentucky in consecutive weeks or covering spreads against Missouri and Texas (7-2-1 ATS), the Commodores have put up a fight against top-notch programs. A couple of more wins could earn Vanderbilt its highest ranking since 2012 and also boast them to better seeding come bowl season. 

How do we create our College Football Power Rankings?

* Power rankings for college football are updated at the conclusion of each week’s play. Ranks are based on a rolling past 10 games overall; early in the season, this date range reaches back to regular-season games of the previous year.

Is the worst team in the tough SEC better than the top team in the not-so-tough Sun Belt Conference? If they were playing, would you bet the 0-6 team from the SEC or the 6-0 team from the Sun Belt? Standings won’t tell you all you need to know to make that bet. And while college football power rankings won’t provide a perfect answer either, it will get you a lot closer to a true comparison of those teams so you can study the point spread more effectively.

Different teams in different conferences have different tendencies and strengths, most of which are revealed at Odds Shark in many of our comparative stats. But a full, math-based comparison taking into account all the offense, defense, time of possession and other key stats can only be gathered on the NCAA football power rankings page. Compare it against the college football lines each day. See below the ratings chart for details on the math that underlies the rankings.

The SEC has produced the past five national college football champions and for good reason – it’s the toughest conference in America. Teams emerging from a season of play there are battle-hardened and ready to pound the other BCS hopefuls. That fact underpins the college football power rankings here at Odds Shark Not all teams or conferences are created equal so looking at the standings is simply a false view into which teams are strong and deserve your money each Saturday.

We crunch the usual NCAA football power stats like rushing yards, yards per rush, time of possession, turnover differential, passing efficiency and more. We rate all 120 schools and rank and apply formulas based on their conference strength (a team rated first in Conference USA might only be 67th overall while the last-place team in the Big 12 might be 51st).

We do the same thing on the defensive side of the ball, factoring in run-stop effectiveness, defensive scoring, takeaways and passing yards allowed per game to come up with another set of power numbers. We merge those and apply a conference strength multiplier to even out the edges. What comes out the other side is a sometimes controversial ranking of college football teams that nonetheless applies some science and math to the subject and helps you judge the best odds.

It’s all designed to help you rate teams and find NCAA betting edges on the point spread or OVER/UNDER. Check it out all season long and win more wagers!