About CFB Ranks
A ranking system built by college football fans who got tired of unexplainable poll rankings
The Problem We Saw
Every week during college football season, fans argue about rankings. "How is Alabama still #4 after that loss?" "Why did Oregon drop but Texas didn't?" The answer is always the same: voter fatigue, brand bias, and human subjectivity.
The CFP committee rankings are a black box. The AP Poll is 62 journalists with their own biases. Even most "computer rankings" don't show their work or let you question their assumptions.
We wanted something different. A system where you can click on any team and see exactly why they're ranked where they are. A system you can verify, question, and even customize.
Our Approach
Wins Matter Most
Win your games, especially against good teams. Simple as that.
Strength of Schedule
Beating ranked opponents is worth more than cupcake wins.
Recency Matters
Teams evolve during the season. Recent games carry more weight.
Conference Calibration
Cross-conference games help calibrate true strength between conferences.
No Brand Bias
The algorithm doesn't care if you're Alabama or App State.
Full Transparency
Click any team to see their game-by-game point breakdown.
Our Data
All game data comes from CollegeFootballData.com, the most comprehensive source for college football statistics. Game scores are typically updated within hours of game completion.
Rankings are recalculated automatically each week after games are complete. Our historical data goes back to 2016, allowing you to backtest the algorithm against past seasons.
Version History
Summary page and the full schedule on Games
2026-10-05
- Analysis > Summary brings back the former home page: the top teams, the week's biggest risers and fallers, and a tour of the tools
- The Games page now opens any week of the season, including upcoming games
Rankings page navigation, preseason view, and email-code sign in
2026-09-28
- cfbranks.com now opens straight onto the Rankings page
- Preseason (PS) ranking is available as the starting point of each season
- Week navigation moved next to the team filter: jump to preseason, step back and forward, or return to the current week
- Compact view fits more teams on the screen
- Last Result shows the opponent's pregame rank for top 25 opponents, e.g. W vs (4) Ole Miss
- Team pages show the Remaining Schedule right after the season summary
- Sign in with a one-time code emailed to you - no password needed
Against the Spread factor
2026-09-21
- New algorithm step: teams gain or lose up to 3 points per game for beating or missing the betting line
- Applies from the 2026 season; past seasons' published rankings are unchanged
- Adjustable in the Sandbox, including trying it on past seasons
- Team page point breakdown shows the spread and ATS points for each game
2026 season, historical rankings refresh, and reliability fixes
2026-09-08
- Added the 2026 season with weekly rankings
- Regenerated 2016-2024 rankings so every season uses the current algorithm
- Fixed the head-to-head tiebreaker: with three or more teams on the same record, a team could be ranked above one that beat it
- Head-to-head now uses the latest meeting when two teams played twice
- Week selector disables weeks that have no results yet
- Security and reliability hardening across the site and API
Season comparison for Head-to-Head
2026-01-05
- Added season comparison to Head-to-Head
Eye Test, Games page, and UI improvements
2026-01-03
- Added Eye Test - rate team performances and view aggregated results
- Added Games page with week navigation and team filtering
- Updated team/game filters to include non-FBS selection
- Updated Week Selector for simplicity and consistency
First release
2025-12-24
- Fully transparent algorithm with detailed game point breakdown
- Full sandbox to play with the algorithm on your own to see the impact
- 'What If' processing to play with game results
- Easy tracking of various points of interest
- This is just the first version, more to come!
What's Next
Algorithm Enhancements
- Non-FBS opponents - more sophistication and flexibility
- Bowl game integration into rankings?
User Features
- Compare algorithms against each other (base and yours, yours and others)
- Save and share custom sandbox configurations
- Move Eye Test from sandbox to live
- Save your preference such as favorite teams (filters)
- Team watchlists and alerts
Disclaimer
CFB Ranks is an independent project not affiliated with the NCAA, College Football Playoff, or any conference. Our rankings are for informational and entertainment purposes only. We have no influence over actual playoff selection.