ROKFIN CFB PLAYOFF RANKINGS FORMULA
The official College Football Today and RokFin CFB Playoff rankings formula can be found below to learn more about the CFB Playoff rankings are formulated. You can read how this methodology and formula came to fruition in my last article on College Football Today by clicking HERE!
Updated on 1/12/2021 at 6:39 p.m CST
Updated on 1/12/2021 at 6:39 p.m CST
2020-2021 CFB BOWL GAMES COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY TOP 25 & CONFERENCE ANALYSIS
According to hundreds of sources and millions of voters, our CFB playoff rankings formula won the popular opinion in the world of College Football Today. You can find part of the quote below or click the picture to read one of the arguments against the most popular CFB Playoff rankings formula in all of College Football Today.
"This model has certainly been the most popular one I’ve seen passed around, with its proponents claiming it to be the fairest proposal. The winner of each conference gets a guaranteed spot, while also giving a Group of 5 team a chance to make some noise and allowing two at-large slots for independents like Notre Dame or worthy teams that failed to win their conference." - Connor Groel Medium.com
ROKFIN CFP RANKINGS FORMULA
The official College Football Today & RokFin CFP rankings formula can be found below!
(R)+(QW)+(SOS)+(HTH)+(ET)+(PF)+(PA) = CFP TOP 25 RANK
(R) = Record
This is one is pretty simple, equate how many games were won or lost to the remainder of the algorithm below.
(QW) = Quality Wins
Judging by top 25 teams defeated and how much team won by. This is also done by tallying up the wins and losses of opponents defeated, as well as opponents lost to. For example, USC's quality win over formerly ranked preseason top 25 opponent Utah moved them up substantially in the CFB Today Top 25 poll this week. Oregon had a mid-quality victory over UCLA, but only won by 3 points. A win is a win, unless your ranking the Top 25 correctly.
(SOS) = Strength of Schedule
Comparing strength of schedule can be easily accomplished by how many teams are in the top 25 that team plays and by looking at teams opponents schedule and their wins & losses. If things are real tight, you can even go look deeper and look at the opponent or the opponents match-ups and study their strength of schedule. As you will see below, parts of the above algorithm can be wiped out by (ET) and (HTH).
(HTH) = Head To Head
If you have teams that have competed head to head with the same record and both have the same sum total of the above, you must account for head to head match-ups to break the tie. If the head to head match-up happens to exist at the top of the rankings, you must add points by using the week to week eye test. Last time I checked, football is a game that normally is won between the white lines. There just happens to be a million variables in a daily week in college or pro football, that can drastically change the outcome of a team's performance. These variable have to be accounted for in this formula.
(ET) = Eye Test
When it all boils down to indecisiveness in the formula, you must go by what you visibly see out top 25 teams week to week. For example, a team like the Oklahoma Sooners who has woken up from their early season slumbers and the Longhorns, who are on a collision course with another top 25 team in the Big 12 Iowa State this weekend. The Cyclones look like a totally different ball team from early on in the 2020 college football season and so does Texas. If you still at a dead lock, use the two easily calculated measures below (PF) & (PA), which can often be misleading, but if you went through all of the above, you are left with no other options.
(PF) = Points For
How many points total college football team scored throughout the season.
(PA) = Points Allowed
How many points has college football team allowed throughout the season.
(R) = Record
This is one is pretty simple, equate how many games were won or lost to the remainder of the algorithm below.
(QW) = Quality Wins
Judging by top 25 teams defeated and how much team won by. This is also done by tallying up the wins and losses of opponents defeated, as well as opponents lost to. For example, USC's quality win over formerly ranked preseason top 25 opponent Utah moved them up substantially in the CFB Today Top 25 poll this week. Oregon had a mid-quality victory over UCLA, but only won by 3 points. A win is a win, unless your ranking the Top 25 correctly.
(SOS) = Strength of Schedule
Comparing strength of schedule can be easily accomplished by how many teams are in the top 25 that team plays and by looking at teams opponents schedule and their wins & losses. If things are real tight, you can even go look deeper and look at the opponent or the opponents match-ups and study their strength of schedule. As you will see below, parts of the above algorithm can be wiped out by (ET) and (HTH).
(HTH) = Head To Head
If you have teams that have competed head to head with the same record and both have the same sum total of the above, you must account for head to head match-ups to break the tie. If the head to head match-up happens to exist at the top of the rankings, you must add points by using the week to week eye test. Last time I checked, football is a game that normally is won between the white lines. There just happens to be a million variables in a daily week in college or pro football, that can drastically change the outcome of a team's performance. These variable have to be accounted for in this formula.
(ET) = Eye Test
When it all boils down to indecisiveness in the formula, you must go by what you visibly see out top 25 teams week to week. For example, a team like the Oklahoma Sooners who has woken up from their early season slumbers and the Longhorns, who are on a collision course with another top 25 team in the Big 12 Iowa State this weekend. The Cyclones look like a totally different ball team from early on in the 2020 college football season and so does Texas. If you still at a dead lock, use the two easily calculated measures below (PF) & (PA), which can often be misleading, but if you went through all of the above, you are left with no other options.
(PF) = Points For
How many points total college football team scored throughout the season.
(PA) = Points Allowed
How many points has college football team allowed throughout the season.
ROKFIN CFB PLAYOFF 8 TEAM FORMULA
The College Football Today and RokFin CFB Playoff 8 team ranking formula can be found below!
Over two years ago, we introduced our CFB playoff 8 team bracket and how it would look if it were to come to fruition. It is obvious this season that it could be easily justified when looking at all of the top 25 polls and where teams stand. Let's first look at how the 1st round would take place in the power five conference championship. We also added a new formula in case we wind up with 3 teams from one conference ranked in the top eight, along with a group of five play in game. If this scenario presents itself, like is has in the 2020 CFB season. Also, given the fact that it is extremely difficult to judge the power rankings of each individual conference this season, due to many teams only playing in conference schedules this seems pretty legit. The teams below obviously could change throughout the remainder of the 2020 CFB season, but this is where they stand right now and many will be climbing the polls as we finish up the season. In our CFB 8-Team playoff formula, the winners of each power five conference championship get automatic bids into the 8 team CFB playoff formula. So we are just going to go with the highest ranked teams at this point to show the 8 team CFB playoff model.
SEC Championship
#1 Alabama
BIG TEN Championship
#3 Ohio State
ACC Championship
#2 Clemson
PAC 12 Champioship
#25 Oregon
*New Oregon Rule - Must have played at least ten games to be considered for the 8 team CFB Playoff Bracket of The Future. (We will assume they did and finished a top 10 team)
BIG 12 Championship
#6 Oklahoma
SEC Championship
#1 Alabama
BIG TEN Championship
#3 Ohio State
ACC Championship
#2 Clemson
PAC 12 Champioship
#25 Oregon
*New Oregon Rule - Must have played at least ten games to be considered for the 8 team CFB Playoff Bracket of The Future. (We will assume they did and finished a top 10 team)
BIG 12 Championship
#6 Oklahoma
ROKFIN 8 TEAM CFB PLAYOFF FORMULA
In our RokFin 8 team CFB playoff formula, normally the remaining top 3 teams ranked in the the Top 25 would get a bid, but with Texas A&M being ranked higher than Florida, we would have three teams from the SEC in this 8 team playoff format. Below you will find the fully justified and fair solution to coming up with the 8 teams that would play for the National Championship. Depending on the outcome of the 1st round conference championship playoff game, the losers could inevitably fall out of the top 8, which makes room for another first round game between BYU and Cincinnati.
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Cincinnati
8. Oregon
1. Alabama vs 8. Oregon
2. Clemson vs 7. Cincinnati
3. Ohio State vs 6. Florida
4. Notre Dame vs 5. Texas A&M
Above is considering we scratch the 13 team CFB Playoff and the group of five play-in bracket, but the Bearcats would be in most likely in either formula in 2020-2021.
8th Seed - (G5 Playoff or 1st RD play-in game, read more below)
Of course, there are many other scenarios that could play out and Clemson could beat Notre Dame, Florida could upset Alabama and so on. Let's look at how this would pan out in the 8 team CFB playoff bracket below by taking the currently higher ranked Top 25 teams.
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Ohio State
4. Notre Dame
5. Texas A&M
6. Florida
7. Cincinnati
8. Oregon
1. Alabama vs 8. Oregon
2. Clemson vs 7. Cincinnati
3. Ohio State vs 6. Florida
4. Notre Dame vs 5. Texas A&M
Above is considering we scratch the 13 team CFB Playoff and the group of five play-in bracket, but the Bearcats would be in most likely in either formula in 2020-2021.
8th Seed - (G5 Playoff or 1st RD play-in game, read more below)
Of course, there are many other scenarios that could play out and Clemson could beat Notre Dame, Florida could upset Alabama and so on. Let's look at how this would pan out in the 8 team CFB playoff bracket below by taking the currently higher ranked Top 25 teams.
CFB TODAY ROKFIN 13 TEAM PLAYOFF FORMULA
I actually even came up with an even more justified CFB Today Rokfin 13 team playoff formula system, that will would have a six team playoff between the group of five programs and include the highest ranked independent team. The winner of the group of five college FB playoff would be granted the 8th remaining spot in this model of the college FB playoff above. Given the parity we have seen this season between power five teams and group of five teams, I believe this model would be the best for the inclusion of all deserving teams to battle it out for the right to play for the College Football National Championship. Let's take a glance of how the group of five playoff would commence at this point in the college football season and the teams that would be battling it out for the 8th seed in the above college football playoff 8 team bracket.
MAC Conference Champion
Ball State
Sun Belt Championship
#12 Coastal Carolina
Mountain West Championship
#22 San Jose State
American Athletic Conference
#7 Cincinnati
Conference USA
UAB
Independent Championship
#16 BYU vs Liberty
(Liberty is ranked 23rd in AP Top 25 & Coaches Poll, as well as 22nd in the CFB Today Top 25)
CFB GROUP OF 5 PLAYOFF
Taking the highest ranked teams or just by guessing at this point in the season, as teams in the MAC have only played three games thus far, here is how the group of five playoff seeding would look currently. The two highest ranked conference winners would receive 1st round byes.
(New Bearcat rule: If group of five team finishes in the top 8, they automatically earn a bid to the 8 team CFB Playoff & the rest of the group of five play for the G5 National Title)
Going a step further, the winner of the G5 National Title meets the winner of the FCS National Title, which means they probably face off against North Dakota State.
1st RD byes - #1 Cincinnati & #2 Coastal Carolina
1st RD Match-Ups
#22 San Jose State vs UAB
#16 BYU vs Ball State
2nd RD Match-Ups (hypothetical seeding)
#1 Cincinnati vs #4 San Jose State
#2 Coastal Carolina vs #3 BYU
The winners of the semi-finals would go onto to play in the group of five championship and the right to the final seed in the 8 Team CFB Playoff.
MAC Conference Champion
Ball State
Sun Belt Championship
#12 Coastal Carolina
Mountain West Championship
#22 San Jose State
American Athletic Conference
#7 Cincinnati
Conference USA
UAB
Independent Championship
#16 BYU vs Liberty
(Liberty is ranked 23rd in AP Top 25 & Coaches Poll, as well as 22nd in the CFB Today Top 25)
CFB GROUP OF 5 PLAYOFF
Taking the highest ranked teams or just by guessing at this point in the season, as teams in the MAC have only played three games thus far, here is how the group of five playoff seeding would look currently. The two highest ranked conference winners would receive 1st round byes.
(New Bearcat rule: If group of five team finishes in the top 8, they automatically earn a bid to the 8 team CFB Playoff & the rest of the group of five play for the G5 National Title)
Going a step further, the winner of the G5 National Title meets the winner of the FCS National Title, which means they probably face off against North Dakota State.
1st RD byes - #1 Cincinnati & #2 Coastal Carolina
1st RD Match-Ups
#22 San Jose State vs UAB
#16 BYU vs Ball State
2nd RD Match-Ups (hypothetical seeding)
#1 Cincinnati vs #4 San Jose State
#2 Coastal Carolina vs #3 BYU
The winners of the semi-finals would go onto to play in the group of five championship and the right to the final seed in the 8 Team CFB Playoff.
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