This is the 11th year of the BCS/A5 Conference Comparison! I originall started this in 2009 to compare BCS conferences. Results are often surprising (see the B1G below) but in the end comport very closely with Massey computer standings.
Let's see how the A5 conferences did in week zero and one (see methodology below for how results are calculated).
If you spot any errors, please let me know.
The Big 12 is #1 after the first round! The Big 12 has a perfect record, as it suffered no losses but notched two countable wins thanks to OK State beating Oregon State, and Oklahoma beating ranked (see method) Houston. The SEC is #2, with the most extreme week. The SEC had the most wins, and the only "quality win" (see method), but also suffered two "bad losses" to unranked G5. In third place is the ACC, which suffered tough losses to highly-ranked SEC teams, but also scored wins by North Carolina and Wake Forest. In fourth place is the PAC, which took a bad loss thanks to Arizona losing to G5 Hawaii, but scored wins by USC and Stanford. Finally, the B1G is in last place, scoring no wins while suffering a bad loss by Purdue to Nevada, and Northwestern losing to Stanford. The B1G was lauded by the media as having a good week, but their wins came against unranked G5, which gain no credit here.
On to Cincinnati! (I mean next week).
Rankings for September 3, 2019
Code:
CONFERENCE WINS LOSSES SEASON RECORD
1) B12 OS, OK 2 - 0 (1.000)
2) SEC FL, AL, AU* O, S, T#, MZ# 3.5 - 5 (.412)
3) ACC W, NC L, D, M, FS 2-4 (.333)
4) PAC S, SC AZ#, O, LA, OS 2 - 4.5 (.307)
5) B1G P#, NW 0 - 2.5 (.000)
@ 2 win credit for "super win" (see Method)
* 1.5 win credit for "quality win"
# 1.5 loss credit for "bad loss"
& 2 loss credit for "awful loss"
METHOD
1) Only OOC games count.
2) Notre Dame is always regarded as a A5 opponent, including for ACC teams. BYU, Army and other FBS independents are regarded as G5 opponents excepted as noted below.
3) All references to "rankings" are to at the time the game was played.
4) How losses are assessed:
a) A conference is docked 1 loss for losing to any A5 opponent.
b) A conference is docked 1 loss for losing to any FCS or G5 opponent that is ranked in the Coaches or AP poll, including "others receiving votes".
c) A conference is docked 1.5 losses for losing to any unranked G5 opponent. This is a penalty for a "bad loss".
d) A conference is docked 2 losses for losing to any unranked FCS opponent, a penalty for an "awful loss".
5) How wins are earned:
a) A conference is credited with 1 win for any win against an unranked A5 opponent.
b) A conference gets credit for 1 win against an FCS or G5 opponent if the FCS or G5 opponent is ranked in the "others receiving votes" of both the AP and Coaches polls.
c) A conference earns 1.5 wins for beating any team ranked between 11-25 in the AP or Coaches top 25. This is a bonus for a "quality win".
d) A conference earns 2 wins if the win is against any team ranked in the top 10 in either poll. This is a bonus for a "super" win.
6) Wins against unranked FCS or G5 earn no credit.
7) For bowl season, the following modifications apply:
- Rankings of bowl game opponents are based on CFP rankings only, save for rules that refer to "others receiving votes" above. For bowl games pitting A5 vs G5, all win and loss credit is earned according to rules 4b-c and 5c-d and 6 above, with CFP substituted for AP/Coaches. So for example, beating a CFP unranked G5 team still earns no credit for the A5 conference, but losing to an unranked G5 in a bowl game does mean it suffers the "bad" loss penalty. But, if the G5 bowl opponent is ranked in the "others receiving votes" of either the AP or Coaches poll, the P5 conference would get credit for 1 win (if they win the bowl game) or just 1 loss (if they lose the bowl game).