College Football Top 20 Analysis

The table visualizes the variability of the Top 20 teams in the SAVAGE rating system. The bars represent the bounds on the teams performance 68% of the time (1 standard deviation). South Carolina’s variability is extreme with the high end of their bounds exceeding everyone except Alabama while their low end drops them to 14th. Note that both SMU and USC loose to an average team on the low end of their bounds.

Considering this weekend’s Tennessee vs Georgia game, the analysis implies that it is up to Georgia to perform since Tennessee has been very consistent (UGA 65% chance of winning).

Sorting by the upper bounds drops down Indiana and Tennessee while brining Iowa and BYU into the top 20.

Sorting by the lower bounds brings Ohio State to number 1. The lower bounds, also, drops LSU and South Carolina out of the top12 with Texas A&M and Louisville replacing them, and Army and Colorado appear in the top 20.

SAVAGE Ranking
MeanUpperLower
ALABAMA112
OHIO-STATE241
TEXAS333
INDIANA485
MISSISSIPPI594
NOTRE-DAME666
OREGON757
SOUTH-CAROLINA8214
MIAMI-FL91010
PENN-STATE10118
GEORGIA11715
LSU121213
TENNESSEE13189
LOUISVILLE141612
TEXAS-AM152111
BOISE-STATE161318
TULANE171916
SMU181421
USC191522
IOWA-STATE202219
IOWA211724
BYU252031
Army223517
Colorado233120