How Do College Football Rankings Work?

College Football Rankings

Any college football fan who has an interest in sports betting will want to learn how college football rankings work. These rankings can help determine whether a team has a chance of making the playoffs and if they will head to the national tournament. Historically, teams that have higher standings have a better chance of making the playoffs. Here, we examine the importance of ranking and the various systems that are used. Using this information, along with information gathered through research, bettors have an increased chance of predicting the championship winner.

🏈Why Ranking Matters
📊Ranking Systems
📈Rankings Can Impact Odds
💡Rankings vs Ratings

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Why Ranking Matters

Football rankings can be a useful tool for those who are placing bets on what teams will head to the playoffs. These rankings go beyond simply being numbers on a page. They can impact many areas of college football. Here are some of the main reasons why these rankings are important to bettors.

Postseason Play – One impact rankings have is on the postseason play. Current rankings will be the determining factor for teams to land spots in bowl games and the College Football Playoff.
Recruiting Tools – Aside from being used by bettors, football rankings are also used by recruiters. Coaches will often use the team's ranking to recruit top high school athletes.
Media Exposure – When a team has high rankings, they get more media exposure. This can increase the fan base and lead to better spots on television. The more media coverage a team gets, the more attention they will draw, which can increase betting activities.

Ranking Systems

Ranking college football teams can be difficult, though there are many professionals and sportswriters who are always at work. These people make up panels of ranking systems and they analyze stats, player performance, and other things that make an athlete stand out. Check out the popular ranking systems below and learn more about how these can be used when placing bets with the top sportsbooks.

Coaches Poll

The Coaches Poll rankings make up a list of the top 25 teams. This consists of a panel of 65 coaches and a point system is used to rank teams, with first-place votes getting 25 points. Each place after that receives one point less. These rankings come out every week on Sunday and indicate the best college football teams in the United States.

The Coaches Poll started in 1950 and was created by the American Football Coaches Association. Head coaches from Division 1 programs make up the panel. These rankings are typically used to determine bowl matchups.

Taking things a step further, the FCS Coaches Poll launched in 2018, which is used to predict the top teams of the Football Championship Subdivision. A few years later in 2000, a poll was created for DII colleges.

AP Rankings

The AP Rankings, also known as the Associated Press Rankings, were first used back in 1936. These rankings are determined by a panel group that consists of media members. Sportswriters and various broadcasters place votes for the top 25 teams every week throughout the season.

AP rankings are merely an opinion from the most respected sportswriters in the US.

These rankings do not play any role in postseason play. The final ranking is determined by the number of points that have been received. Teams that receive a 1st place vote get 25 points, second-place teams get 24 points, and so on. AP rankings are merely an opinion from the most respected sportswriters in the US. They do not have any impact on what teams will play during the postseason.

College Football Playoff Rankings

The newest ranking system used in college football is the CFP, College Football Playoff Rankings. This started being used in 2014 and determines which teams will earn a spot in the playoffs. To determine the teams, a committee of 13 members will evaluate team performance and will consider the strength of the team’s schedule, performance against rival teams, and different head-to-head matchups.

When the College Football Playoff Rankings were introduced, there was a four-team playoff. In 2024, this changed to a 12-team playoff.

The committee will rank the top 25 teams and the 12-team selection is comprised of conference champions and the next 7 teams that have the highest rankings. These rankings are released mid-season after teams have established a track record. The rankings are then updated weekly throughout the season.

Rankings Can Impact Odds

The rankings assigned to each college football team will be used to determine the odds that are set by the sportsbook. Rankings can be used to help bettors determine the team that will be most likely to win a game. While looking at rankings will not guarantee a win when betting, they are a good way to measure possible success.

it is always possible for a surprise team to perform well and make it to the playoffs

College football rankings will also provide value when placing futures bets. Remember that preseason polls can play a role in the odds posted for a team to win the conference title national championship, over/under for wins during the regular season, and making the playoffs. In most cases, teams that are ranked high will have short odds in futures markets. However, it is always possible for a surprise team to perform well and make it to the playoffs.

How does this affect your bet?

There are different ways in which rankings will have an impact when placing sports bets. One is that the ranking could alter public perception. If a higher-ranking team is receiving more bets, the sportsbook may adjust the odds to maintain an even playing field.

Spreads and Moneylines

College football rankings also impact spreads and moneylines. Point spreads are set by the sportsbook to provide a level playing field. A handicap is offered to the underdog and the other team must win by a set number of points. As for moneyline bets, the odds will involve placing a bet on the winner of a game with no point spread in play. In most cases, teams that have high rankings will have low odds for moneyline wagers and lower-ranked teams have long odds.

Rankings vs Ratings

It is important to understand that there is a difference between college football rankings and ratings. With rankings, teams will be listed based on the strength of the team. There are many things that are considered, mainly:

team records
strength of the schedule
quality of the team
margins of victory

When speaking about ratings, there is a mathematical approach that is taken. Some of the same factors will be in play, but key stats are looked at in more depth. All variables are considered and the result will be a numerical rating. This means that when two teams take the field, bettors will be able to compare ratings and consider home-field advantage to determine a fair point spread for the game.

Ratings are beneficial when handicapping and can be a useful tool when attempting to predict the outcome of college football games.