2016 NCAA NCSS Rankings: Week 3

It's kind of crazy that we're already onto Week 3 of the college football season, but here we are. Last week offered some more drama than I had originally expected, given the scores for the week, but there were plenty of points to be had, especially for the Group of Five schools who went on the road to face big time opposition.

Since it's still September, we're still in the thick of non-conference play, so there are plenty more points to be had over the course of the week. Points will be awarded based on the spelled out criteria from the season intro post and added to the first two weeks' scores.

So the scores below will show first the conference's average score for the week, then their cumulative average for the season, and their ranking from last week. I'll also do a brief explanation of how the average score is what it is.

1. Conference USA (2.00, 3.85; LW: 4). This is the highest single week score of the year (though last year the MAC had one week at 2.15), thanks to everyone playing a non-conference game at the FBS level. Florida Atlantic, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, and North Texas are all off to play major conference opposition, while Rice and UTSA host Big 12 and Pac-12 teams, respectively.
2. Sun Belt (1.64, 3.82; LW: 2). A pair of conference games kill the conference's chance to jump up to the #1 spot, which is too bad, because the non-conference games are excellent. Georgia State, Idaho, New Mexico State, and Texas State are all playing road games against Power conference foes, Appalachian State hosts Miami, and Arkansas State and Troy are also on the road.
3. MAC (1.20, 3.50; LW: 1). Kent State plays an FCS team for the second straight week, and even though they lost to North Carolina A&T, their second FCS opponent in a row means they are disqualified from the Death to the BCS Playoffs. Ball State also faces an FCS team, while Ohio and Western Michigan help offset this with road trips to SEC or Big Ten competition. 
4. Mountain West (1.17, 3.33; LW: 3). Air Force and Boise State are off, and Colorado State and Wyoming are eating dessert this week, but this if offset by New Mexico and Hawaii playing against Power Five conference teams, and there are multiple trips to MAC schools on the docket as well.
5. Pac 12 (1.17, 2.92; LW: 6). Oregon State and Washington get their cupcakes, but this is more than negated by Colorado and Oregon heading to face Big Ten opponents, while UCLA, Utah, and Arizona State are also on the road. Cal gets a couple points as well for hosting Texas.
6. Big Ten (1.14, 2.79; LW: 7). Iowa gets its FCS opponent this week, though it's North Dakota State (Go Bison) and it's almost tempting to not penalize them because the Bison are FBS killers. Nonetheless, I can't create a precedent. They lose a point and three teams are on bye this week, but the rest of the conference deos well to make up for it. Ohio State is the big scorer by traveling to Oklahoma, though Maryland and Michigan State are also playing on the road this week and Michigan, Nebraska, and Northwestern all host Power Five teams.
7. Big 12 (1.30, 2.60; LW: 8). West Virginia is off and we have our first conference game of the season, but pretty much everyone else is doing well. Texas travels to the west coast to play Cal for the high score, while Oklahoma and Oklahoma State host other major conference powers. Kansas and Baylor are also on the road this week for some extra points.
8. SEC (0.57, 2.36; LW: 5). The SEC started the year at the top, but have slowed considerably in the past two weeks. This week it isn't their fault; four conference games make up the bulk of the schedule. The biggest points come from Vanderbilt heading to Georgia Tech.
9. American Athletic (1.08, 2.25; LW: 9). SMU and Tulsa are playing their FCS games this week, and there are a pair of conference games, but everyone else is playing a Power Five opponent, including a few at home.
10. ACC (0.79, 2.00; LW: 10). Full disclosure: Because I am an idiot, I forgot that Troy is a Sun Belt team and mistakenly gave Clemson a score of -1 last week. That has been corrected, and they actually do get dessert this week, as do Wake Forest and North Carolina. A couple conference games are on the docket, while Duke and Pittsburgh travel to face other Power Five schools.

To see the updated spreadsheet, click here.

I had a feeling I'd end up disqualifying someone for a pair of FCS games, but I didn't expect it to happen just three weeks into the season. Either way, Kent State probably wasn't making the playoffs, but they now join Penn State and Baylor among the disqualified. Hopefully I won't have to add more.

I'll be back on Monday with a look at the results from the weekend and how they impact the Playoff Points race. On Tuesday I'll take a peek at the Week 4 schedule.