NCAAF 2022 Rankings after Week 9

    NCAA Football Top 25 Rankings

Updated: Week 9, 31 OCT 2022

(Delta Calc'd from Week 8, 25 OCT 2022)

(Click here for a more detailed explanation of my NCAAF rating system)

Some of these rankings my surprise you, but keep in mind that there is no bias towards any team or preconceived notions, and the only thing considered is what each team has accomplished so far.

(For those viewing from a phone, tap the rankings and rotate to enlarge)

Notes:

• Tennessee (defeated #31 Kentucky) jumps #2 Clemson (Bye) for the top spot this week. TCU and Georgia hold on to #3 and #4, respectively.
• Ohio State leaps up seven spots to #5 after defeating #19 Penn St. Ohio State was also helped by #24 Notre Dame getting a big win against #16 Syracuse. Recall, last week ND was ranked #42. ND's win increases their rating, which in turn increases the rating delta that Ohio State receives for beating them.
• The SEC still dominates the top 10, owning four spots: #1 Tennessee, #4 Georgia, #7 Alabama, and #10 LSU.
• This point is still true: The top teams in the Big Ten (#5 Ohio State, #6 Michigan, #19 Penn St, and #23 Illinois) are suffering from the poor performances of the rest of the Big Ten: they just aren't getting much credit for defeating those teams, and therefore their rating isn't as high as other teams with similar records.
• Ohio State and Michigan are ~5.5 and 9 points below the other 8-0 teams in the top 10.
• For reference, Georgia received +5.54 points after defeating #36 Florida this week
• Note: this is a little bit of an oversimplification because there are more factors that contribution to this delta rating (such as increasing learning of previous opponents, that we discuss frequently on this blog)
• Illinois is the lowest ranked 7-1 team in the Power 5 conferences.
• In fact, only #27 Liberty and #39 Coastal Carolina are ranked below them with the same record
• This is also reflected in the conference rankings below.
• Keep in mind, these rankings are early. There's still a lot of learning (and therefore fluidity) in the rankings as the season is played out.
• Top 10 // Top 25  Teams for each conference:
• ACC: 1 // 6 
• Big 12: 1 // 3
• Big Ten: 2 // 4
• Pac 12: 2 // 5
• SEC: 4 // 5

Poll Comparison

As always, please leave questions/comments below! If you would like to see more than just the Top 25, or any ratings for Div I-AA, Div-II, or Div-III, just let me know!