2012 College Football Rankings – Week 6

After a week where a series of top-ten losses have shaken up the rankings, Alabama and Oregon had better watch out. South Carolina has thrown its hat into the national championship ring.

The Fighting Steve Spurriers waltzed into a matchup with a Georgia team that looked to be on the same level as them, and they didn’t even make it close. The Gamecocks’ utter demolition of the Bulldogs has caused the entire country to stand up and take notice, as they ratchet up into the #3 spot in both the polls and the C Ratings. If last week, which also saw LSU finally lose to Florida, didn’t count, this week will see the official passing of the torch for the title of biggest challenger to Alabama’s SEC throne when South Carolina takes on LSU. And from there? Florida the following week is their biggest obstacle to a showdown with Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, which could once again serve as a de facto semifinal.

How the C Ratings are tabulated: First, A Ratings are tabulated by multiplying the total score ratio, which is expressed by (points-opponents’ points)/points, by the winning percentage. Score ratio minimizes the effect of running up the score. Next, B Points for each game are tabulated by (margin of victory)/(opponent’s A rating)+/-1 for wins, and -(margin of loss)/(1-opponent’s A Rating)+/-1 for losses. The “+/-” is + for road games and – for home ones. The total number of B Points is multiplied by the A Rating to get the B Rating. Finally, the C Rating is tabulated by taking one-tenth the difference between the team’s B Rating and the average of his opponents’ B Ratings and taking the result off the B Rating. The three ratings go A, B, C across. Click here to see the complete ratings.

1 Alabama SEC #1 ’06 Boise St.
5-0 LW: #1 A Rat: .906 B Rating: 34.856 C Rating: 30.170 AP: 1 Coaches: 1
Only Alabama could add four points to their rating without even playing.
2 Oregon P12 #1 ’09 Boise St.
6-0 LW: #2 A Rat: .806 B Rating: 27.648 C Rating: 23.878 AP: 2 Coaches: 2
The Ducks had little trouble with Washington, but Arizona State will be no pushover.
3 South Carolina SEC #2 BCS Title
6-0 LW: #7 A Rat: .828 B Rating: 26.894 C Rating: 23.079 AP: 3 Coaches: 3
Sure a bunch of teams ahead of them lost, but the Gamecocks are determined to prove their bona fides with one game down in the meat of their schedule.
4 Notre Dame BCS Title
5-0 LW: #13 A Rat: .827 B Rating: 21.308 C Rating: 18.392 AP: 7 Coaches: 7
They’re ba-a-a-a-ack. After years of irrelevance, the Golden Domers’ shellacking of Miami to give the Hurricanes their second loss should prove their national championship bona fides. Might a similar squash of Stanford drive the point home?
5 Ohio State B10 #1 Probation
6-0 LW: #11 A Rat: .704 B Rating: 16.838 C Rating: 14.259 AP: 8 BlogPoll: 8
At least USC’s bowl-ineligibility only screwed up the Pac-12 title game. After the way they handled Nebraska, the Buckeyes look like they might have been a national championship contender.
6 Florida SEC #3 BCS Title
5-0 LW: #10 A Rat: .766 B Rating: 12.966 C Rating: 11.433 AP: 4 Coaches: 6
Florida didn’t quite put the hurt on LSU that South Carolina put on Georgia, but they impressed the country none the less. Of course, they’ll settle who’s really #2 in the SEC in two weeks.
7 Kansas State B12 #1 BCS Title
5-0 LW: #6 A Rat: .790 B Rating: 13.798 C Rating: 11.282 AP: 6 Coaches: 5
Kansas is a pretty bad team, so the Wildcats don’t benefit as much as the SEC teams, but they still did better than their Big 12 compadres.
8 Texas B12 #2 BCS Title
4-1 LW: #4 A Rat: .570 B Rating: 12.860 C Rating: 10.898 AP: 15 Coaches: 15
The first loss is always the hardest, but West Virginia, though overrated by the polls, is still a good team. Now comes a Red River Rivalry with some oomph.
9 Florida State ACC #1 BCS Title
5-1 LW: #5 A Rat: .665 B Rating: 12.478 C Rating: 10.383 AP: 12 Coaches: 11
On the other hand, the nature of B Points is that you’re never penalized too much for losing close no matter who it’s to. The way is still clear to dominate the conference.
10 Stanford P12 #2 BCS Title
4-1 LW: #12 A Rat: .479 B Rating: 9.447 C Rating: 8.180 AP: 17 Coaches: 17
Stanford moves up almost by default despite needing overtime to beat Arizona at home. Be very afraid of their prospects in South Bend.
11 Texas A&M SEC #3 BCS Bowl
4-1 LW: #27 A Rat: .601 B Rating: 9.769 C Rating: 7.495 AP: 22 Coaches: 21
Why does A&M shoot up the rankings after a narrow win over 3-3 Ole Miss? Perhaps it’s the cumulative effect of Arkansas’ first win and Florida’s big win. SMU did its part too.
12 West Virginia B12 #3 Prncton/Yale
5-0 LW: #14 A Rat: .671 B Rating: 7.787 C Rating: 6.936 AP: 5 Coaches: 4
Credit for beating a good team, but it was by only three. If you want to impress the C Ratings, put the hurt on Texas Tech this week.
13 Cincinnati BST #1 BCS Title
4-0 LW: #17 A Rat: .780 B Rating: 8.895 C Rating: 6.851 AP: 21 Coaches: 20
Cincinnati scored more points than they have all season in demolishing Miami (OH). The rest of the Big East should be on notice.
14 Iowa State B12 #4 BCS Title
4-1 LW: #19 A Rat: .525 B Rating: 6.600 C Rating: 6.090 Coaches: 25 Harris: 25
People are, belatedly, starting to realize the Cyclones are for real after a two-touchdown win over TCU. But Kansas State will be their biggest test yet.
15 Georgia SEC #4 BCS Title
5-1 LW: #9 A Rat: .550 B Rating: 7.233 C Rating: 5.618 AP: 14 Coaches: 12
Georgia came out with the short end of the stick after a trip to Columbia. But Kentucky should help them get back on track.
16 Oklahoma* B12 #5 BCS Title
3-1 LW: #49 A Rat: .546 B Rating: 7.142 C Rating: 5.606 AP: 13 Coaches: 10
Oklahoma just didn’t have the points to get anywhere, playing a I-AA school and taking two weeks off, but demolishing Texas Tech was just what they needed to prove their bona fides and spice up the Red River Rivalry.
17 Texas Tech B12 #6 BCS Title
4-1 LW: #3 A Rat: .588 B Rating: 7.251 C Rating: 5.484
Texas Tech got humbled by Oklahoma – and now the Heisman front-runner is coming to Lubbock.
18 LSU SEC #5 BCS Title
5-1 LW: #8 A Rat: .582 B Rating: 8.388 C Rating: 5.404 AP: 9 Coaches: 8
And now the chickens come home to roost on LSU’s weak early-season performances. And to make matters worse, South Carolina is out to prove they really are the third-best team in the country.
19 Toledo MAC #1 MAC Title
5-1 LW: #22 A Rat: .530 B Rating: 6.073 C Rating: 3.722
Ohio continues to get all the pub, but Toledo aren’t the ones escaping by a touchdown over a 1-4 team; they’re the ones demolishing the Directional Michigan schools.
20 Arizona State P12 #3 BCS Title
4-1 LW: #15 A Rat: .609 B Rating: 5.471 C Rating: 3.248
Idle hands compounded by losses by teams they played. Hopefully Colorado was a suitable tune-up for Oregon.
21 Oregon State P12 #4 BCS Title
4-0 LW: #18 A Rat: .665 B Rating: 4.220 C Rating: 3.083 AP: 10 Coaches: 14
I’m a little more worried than the polls about how much trouble the Beavers had with 2-4 Washington State. Better get back on track for a road trip to BYU.
22 Rutgers BST #2 BCS Title
5-0 LW: #38 A Rat: .803 B Rating: 7.098 C Rating: 3.062 AP: 20 Coaches: 19
The polls have Rutgers ahead of Cincinnati, but Rutgers hasn’t beaten an FCS opponent by more than 16, which Cincy has done twice.
23 Baylor B12 #7 BCS Title
3-1 LW: #33 A Rat: .480 B Rating: 3.716 C Rating: 2.631
Baylor moves up despite idle hands, doubtless because of the effect of WVU’s big win. They’re knocking on the door of nearly every poll, and can become ranked again by beating TCU.
24 Louisiana Tech WAC #1 BCS Bowl
5-0 LW: #20 A Rat: .660 B Rating: 6.527 C Rating: 2.384 AP: 23 Coaches: 24
Sure they blew out UNLV, but it was UNLV. Against Texas A&M, they can prove their bona fides and arrest the slide, or take their first loss.
25 Mississippi State SEC #6 BCS Title
5-0 LW: #25 A Rat: .783 B Rating: 4.237 C Rating: 2.284 AP: 19 Coaches: 18
13-point win over 1-5 Kentucky means Mississippi State remains at #25 for the third straight week.


38 teams total with positive C Rating (none with negative B Rating)

Off Top 25: #27 Clemson (was #16), #31 Ohio (was #24), #46 Northwestern (was #23), #52 TCU (was #21)

Unbeaten teams not on Top 25: #31 Ohio, #38 Louisville, #44 Texas-San Antonio (all in positive B Points, Texas-San Antonio not in positive C)

Rest of Watch List: #26 Penn State (4-2), #27 Clemson (5-1), #28 North Carolina (4-2), #29 Northern Illinois (5-1), #30 Oklahoma State (2-2), #32 Michigan* (3-2), #33 USC (4-1), #34 Fresno State (4-2), #35 San Jose State (4-1), #36 Iowa (3-2), #37 Boise State (4-1)

Other Positive B Ratings (all 4-2 unless otherwise noted): #39 Michigan State, #40 Nevada (5-1), #41 Western Kentucky (5-1), #42 Pittsburgh (2-3), #43 BYU, #45 Louisiana-Monroe* (3-2), #47 Utah State, #49 Wisconsin* (*=Newly Positive)

No Longer Positive: #46 Northwestern, #48 Tennessee, #52 TCU, #54 Nebraska, #55 Middle Tennessee State, #70 UCLA, #80 Purdue

Bottom 10: #115 Virginia, #116 UTEP, #117 Colorado, #118 Southern Miss, #119 Eastern Michigan, #120 Akron, #121 Idaho, #122 Hawaii, #123 Tulane, #124 Massachusetts

Best game of week: Stanford @ Notre Dame, 3:30pm ET, NBC

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