Copyright 1998-2011 Nutshellsports.com

WHAT ARE FOOTBALL RANKINGS AND RATINGS?

Updated 15 January 2012

There are rankings and ratings out there that are not the real thing. Rankings and ratings do not consider type of field, weather, injuries, or other factors that affect games. They are a specific formula or a set of fixed rules that cannot be added to or subtracted from and indicate only where a team fits in the big picture, not a particular day. Vegas uses various factors to set the line so that half of the gamblers bet on one side and half bet on the other. That way the casinos make money. If too many are on one side, the line is adjusted enough to make the other side enticing. A ranking system that takes various changing factors and the line into consideration in order to get more winners either straight up or against the line are not true rankings. They are manipulated.

Nutshell Sports Ratings uses a specific formula that gradually moves teams toward their correct position through the duration of the season. Once a team settles into its correct position, there is little movement. Below is this season's chart of movement. You will discern that as the season progresses there is less movement. There are no numbers jumping upward and downward - only a smooth, fluid movement.

Nutshell Sports has no favorite team or conference. All games and all teams are treated exactly the same.

And here's how it all came out:

 

pre	w01	w02	w03	w04	w05	w06	w07	w08	w09	w10	w11	w12	w13	w14
7	6	6	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	LSU
5	4	4	4	4	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	Alabama
2	1	1	1	2	3	4	5	4	3	3	3	3	3	3	Stanford
1	3	3	2	3	4	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	5	4	Oregon
8	8	10	10	10	12	12	11	11	10	8	6	5	4	5	Arkansas
32	33	28	21	21	19	20	16	16	14	14	9	7	6	6	USC
9	10	8	6	6	5	6	6	5	7	9	10	11	8	7	Wisconsin
10	11	9	8	7	7	7	8	9	6	5	5	6	7	8	Oklahoma State
12	13	15	14	14	13	11	10	10	9	12	12	12	9	9	South Carolina
11	7	7	7	5	6	5	4	7	8	7	8	10	13	10	Oklahoma
14	14	12	13	12	9	8	7	6	5	6	7	8	10	11	Boise State
22	21	25	29	32	28	30	23	14	12	10	11	9	11	12	Michigan State
3	2	2	5	8	11	13	12	12	13	13	15	15	16	13	Auburn
4	9	13	16	16	33	41	40	35	29	28	17	13	12	14	TCU
37	39	38	37	38	34	22	15	18	16	15	13	14	14	15	Georgia
42	40	35	32	29	21	19	24	22	25	20	21	20	19	16	Texas
18	18	17	18	20	25	32	27	25	26	25	19	17	15	17	Virginia Tech
13	12	11	11	11	14	15	21	20	24	24	23	21	17	18	Mississippi State
21	26	36	34	37	36	29	29	30	23	23	20	19	18	19	Notre Dame
61	62	59	53	46	39	34	22	17	17	19	22	22	21	20	Kansas State
16	15	16	15	18	16	26	28	31	22	16	14	16	20	21	Florida State
20	19	19	17	17	15	14	14	13	15	21	25	24	25	22	Texas A&M
15	16	14	12	9	8	10	13	15	20	26	26	26	24	23	Florida
65	46	45	46	33	26	18	26	27	35	42	45	32	28	24	Baylor
79	79	78	79	79	79	75	74	64	57	48	36	27	22	25	Houston
19	20	20	19	19	18	17	19	19	18	29	31	34	36	26	Nebraska
66	66	60	55	52	45	37	36	36	34	35	33	37	31	27	Michigan
35	36	37	36	40	41	46	45	42	36	31	28	25	29	28	Missouri
33	35	32	26	15	10	9	9	8	11	11	16	23	38	29	Clemson
26	27	26	24	25	22	16	18	24	30	36	41	41	46	30	West Virginia
49	43	40	41	42	43	45	50	48	48	46	35	31	27	31	California
31	32	29	22	22	20	21	17	23	28	27	18	18	23	32	Utah
34	34	27	30	27	24	23	20	21	19	18	24	29	33	33	Washington
41	49	49	40	35	37	35	32	28	31	32	29	28	37	34	Miami
64	64	56	50	53	54	54	65	72	64	59	62	36	26	35	Iowa State
46	45	55	57	56	60	70	71	63	59	56	48	45	34	36	Louisville
25	25	22	25	23	23	27	31	34	38	34	40	44	48	37	Tennessee
24	24	23	23	24	27	33	34	38	37	38	34	38	39	38	North Carolina
52	54	50	45	36	31	24	33	44	42	40	44	50	45	39	Georgia Tech
6	5	5	9	13	17	25	30	32	27	17	27	33	49	40	Ohio State
63	67	63	60	59	57	55	55	52	53	54	46	35	35	41	Tulsa
57	57	65	62	58	50	50	42	40	39	33	37	49	47	42	Cincinnati
48	48	48	52	55	55	56	54	56	55	57	50	47	43	43	BYU
36	37	43	44	51	56	57	57	55	56	50	51	48	41	44	NC State
75	76	72	72	75	75	73	64	60	52	45	38	30	30	45	Virginia
29	22	24	27	28	29	38	44	45	44	44	43	43	40	46	Pittsburgh
60	58	57	65	67	71	76	80	79	78	63	52	42	32	47	Northwestern
45	44	44	43	34	32	31	35	29	32	37	47	52	56	48	Texas Tech
73	72	66	64	62	53	43	38	37	43	53	56	55	51	49	Wake Forest
28	31	31	35	48	52	60	59	59	62	60	57	54	50	50	Kentucky
39	38	34	33	31	35	36	46	53	54	62	63	59	55	51	South Florida
47	47	47	47	49	58	58	58	50	49	51	55	57	54	52	Oregon State
59	60	58	49	44	44	39	39	39	47	58	58	56	58	53	Iowa
44	55	62	66	70	69	64	63	62	61	52	49	46	42	54	UCLA
40	42	51	61	61	73	78	76	75	71	68	64	61	52	55	Boston College
23	23	21	28	30	30	28	25	26	21	22	32	51	62	56	Arizona State
91	92	82	74	65	66	59	56	57	60	61	59	58	53	57	Vanderbilt
56	61	69	70	76	74	67	68	58	50	41	42	53	59	58	Southern Miss
43	41	42	42	41	42	42	41	41	41	39	39	39	44	59	Penn State
78	77	74	73	72	61	52	47	47	46	49	54	60	61	60	Rutgers
30	29	33	38	43	46	47	48	46	45	47	60	63	64	61	Arizona
17	17	18	20	26	38	40	37	33	33	30	30	40	60	62	Nevada
83	83	86	87	86	87	88	87	86	80	75	71	64	57	63	Louisiana Tech
51	52	52	51	54	51	53	61	67	65	65	65	65	63	64	Air Force
67	65	64	68	69	67	66	67	70	73	74	72	67	67	65	Washington State
80	80	84	85	82	68	69	51	43	40	43	53	68	74	66	SMU
54	53	53	56	57	59	61	62	54	51	55	61	62	69	67	Syracuse
68	71	71	76	77	77	79	81	80	84	90	82	80	70	68	Colorado
71	70	67	54	50	48	44	43	51	63	64	69	76	79	69	Illinois
27	28	41	58	64	80	86	83	82	77	73	73	73	66	70	Connecticut
50	51	39	39	45	47	51	52	66	70	69	67	74	72	71	C. Florida
85	86	88	89	89	91	89	89	85	82	84	68	66	65	72	Purdue
90	90	91	90	92	86	81	77	68	68	66	66	72	75	73	Toledo
86	84	87	83	73	72	68	60	71	69	78	91	89	88	74	Temple
55	56	54	48	47	49	49	49	49	58	67	76	75	76	75	San Diego State
62	63	61	63	66	63	63	69	65	66	70	75	78	80	76	Mississippi
38	30	30	31	39	40	48	53	61	67	71	74	82	85	77	Maryland
70	69	70	78	78	85	87	88	90	91	83	77	69	73	78	Northern Illinois
87	85	85	81	83	78	74	73	74	72	72	78	84	83	79	Marshall
74	73	75	71	63	65	65	72	73	75	81	84	81	78	80	Duke
58	59	77	86	85	94	97	96	98	90	77	70	70	71	81	Minnesota
107	108	104	103	103	101	98	99	94	88	85	81	77	77	82	Arkansas State
69	68	68	67	68	70	72	75	76	81	80	80	79	81	83	Navy
110	110	110	110	93	84	77	66	69	74	79	83	85	84	84	La-Lafayette
104	104	103	99	100	100	105	102	103	93	87	79	71	68	85	Wyoming
102	103	102	101	101	92	83	78	81	85	86	90	93	92	86	W. Michigan
81	82	83	84	81	81	82	84	83	79	82	86	83	82	87	East Carolina
53	50	46	59	60	62	62	79	84	92	94	92	92	90	88	Hawaii
72	74	76	77	74	76	80	82	78	76	76	85	87	93	89	Fresno State
94	95	94	94	95	95	91	92	95	96	96	95	96	89	90	Utah State
92	94	93	92	90	88	95	101	110	106	105	101	97	86	91	Ohio
95	91	80	69	71	64	71	70	77	83	91	88	90	91	92	Florida Int'l
116	116	116	116	114	112	109	98	97	94	97	97	95	94	93	San Jose State
111	112	112	113	113	113	113	111	102	99	92	89	88	87	94	W. Kentucky
88	88	89	93	94	96	96	93	88	86	89	93	86	95	95	UAB
84	87	90	88	88	83	85	86	87	89	93	96	98	98	96	Army
76	78	79	80	87	90	90	90	92	100	99	98	100	100	97	Rice
77	75	73	75	80	89	94	95	99	98	95	94	94	96	98	Miami OH
89	89	95	97	102	104	101	97	91	87	88	87	91	99	99	UTEP
82	81	81	82	84	82	84	85	89	97	100	100	103	103	100	Kansas
106	107	109	109	110	109	108	108	108	105	106	107	105	106	101	La-Monroe
100	100	98	107	109	111	114	115	116	113	112	106	99	97	102	Kent State
119	119	113	108	108	102	99	94	96	101	102	99	102	104	103	NM State
108	106	106	105	97	98	102	105	101	102	101	104	104	102	104	Bowling Green
101	101	100	100	99	103	100	103	107	110	110	110	108	107	105	Colorado State
120	120	120	119	119	118	118	116	113	112	104	102	101	101	106	E. Michigan
113	109	108	106	98	99	103	106	105	107	111	109	106	105	107	Ball State
103	102	101	104	105	106	107	109	104	104	103	105	107	108	108	Middle Tenn
97	93	92	91	91	93	93	100	100	103	107	112	109	109	109	Troy State
99	99	105	95	96	97	92	91	93	95	98	103	112	113	110	UNLV
112	114	117	117	116	115	110	110	106	109	108	111	110	110	111	North Texas
93	96	97	96	106	110	112	112	111	111	109	108	111	111	112	Indiana
96	97	96	98	107	108	111	114	115	115	114	113	113	112	113	Idaho
98	98	99	102	104	105	106	107	112	116	116	117	118	114	114	Tulane
105	105	107	111	111	107	104	104	109	108	113	114	115	115	115	C. Michigan
109	111	111	112	112	116	117	117	118	119	119	118	117	117	116	New Mexico
118	118	118	118	118	117	115	113	114	114	115	115	116	118	117	Buffalo
114	113	115	115	117	119	119	119	117	117	117	116	114	116	118	Memphis
115	115	114	114	115	114	116	118	119	118	118	119	119	119	119	Florida Atlantic
117	117	119	120	120	120	120	120	120	120	120	120	120	120	120	Akron