College Football Non-Conference Power Rankings: Week 3

We're making progress! Last week we saw some huge upsets in the realm of college football despite continued scheduling of cupcakes, which is an encouraging sign. I had read something earlier this week on Grantland that suggested the gap between major conferences and mid-major conferences is closing. It may also be impacted by the upcoming playoff (which, in the author's view, is still going to be a broken and biased system). Whatever the case, schedules may be bound to change and if it renders this series of posts unnecessary, it's for the betterment of college football... and that's all that matters, yo.

As for this season, Week 3 started Thursday with a Big East battle. I apologize for this coming out late, but technical issues and a possibly dead laptop battery didn't help my scheduling.

After 3 weeks, the conference rankings are below. Click here for last week's rankings.

1. Mid-American Conference (17; 50): After a week out of the top spot, schools like UMass and Western and Eastern Michigan hit the road against tough opponents to put the MAC back on top. There were some in-conference games and bye weeks to temper the move, and Akron hosted a cupcake, but overall a strong showing once again.
2. Conference-USA (13; 46): Only Houston and UAB played tough road games and became sacrificial lambs, though Rice lost a tough road game and SMU hosted Texas A&M, so a pretty tough slate again this week. Tulsa lost points for beating up on Nicholls State.
3. Big 10 (10; 44): Northwestern and Ohio State were the only schools that played a major conference team, and everyone else was home to smaller schools. Shame is put especially on Illinois and Iowa, who hosted cupcakes and helped the Big Ten fall to 3rd this week.
4. Sun Belt (27; 40): These guys saw a huge jump as only Troy played at home this week, and that was against the SEC's Mississippi State. Everyone else hit the road, with 7 teams facing big conference opponents. Western Kentucky (another big SEC upset!) and Middle Tennessee were the only winners, but some credit does need to go to these athletic directors for not laying down.
5. Pac-12 (11; 36): Cal and ASU hit the road for tough games, and that was partially offset by Arizona and Washington giving away money for a beatdown. The USC-Stanford game didn't help or hurt the ranking here, but it will make USC an interesting case study for the upcoming Death to the BCS playoffs.
6. Mountain West Conference (6; 33): Not a good overall showing for these guys this week. Only New Mexico went to the slaughter while Hawaii, Nevada, SDSU and Wyoming hosted D-IAA schools. Wyoming paid its price with a loss, but it still doesn't make up any points.
7. SEC (12; 30): Bye weeks and conference matchups didn't help the cause any, but the damage this week was minimal as only Vanderbilt hosted a cupcake. There were no big conference road games, but Texas A&M and Mississippi State were on the road this week, while Missouri and Ole Miss hosted big time opponents. After an opening week with 4 cupcakes scheduled, the SEC has been good about avoiding its stereotype, with a combined 2 cupcakes the last 2 weekends.
8. WAC (11; 22): It's a small conference, but they score fairly well for that level as Utah State and Idaho got money for their troubles, and no cupcakes were in sight.
9. ACC (9; 20): Finally these guys earned some respect with a few tough road games (Boston College, North Carolina and Virginia Tech left the comforts of home). However, the cupcake problem still isn't solved as Clemson, Duke and Miami all hosted FCS squads.
10. Big East (5; 16): UConn went to Maryland and got a win, Pitt scored a home upset and Louisville knocked off a tough ACC foe. Cincy and Syracuse took penalties for cupcakes to offset this. Having conference games every Thursday doesn't help the score either.
11. Big XII (3; 15): Kansas played TCU, which didn't help the score, but with only Texas facing a major conference team on the road (blowing out Ole Miss), there wasn't much room for growth with Baylor, ISU and West Virginia knocking off cupcakes.

I will again freely admit, this scoring system is not perfect. I think the theory behind scoring for teams is good, but I will have an adjustment at the end of the season regarding conference scores. Looking at the standings, most of the bigger conferences rest on top, except the 14 team SEC which has stayed more in the middle. The bottom 3 conferences (all major ones interestingly) are the smaller 3 of the big conferences. It does hold somewhat of a candle to the theory of cupcake scheduling, but with some adjustments near the end of the season we'll see how well the theory holds up. Enjoy your NFL Sunday everyone! I know I enjoyed Thursday.

College Football Non-Conference Power Rankings: Week 2

The NFL season is nicely underway and week 2 of the college season began yesterday with a conference tilt in the Big East. But I'm back to focus on the non conference games on tap this weekend. I posted the formula in last week's edition (link is below) but again the gist of the formula is that you get rewarded for playing major conference teams and/or on the road and punished for having cupcakes on your schedule.

For the rest of the season the rankings listed will be cumulative scores from every week of the season, so there will be a little variation but not wildly. In the event of ties (there are multiple again this week) the current week's score and the presence of cupcakes versus tough tests will be taken into account.

Click here for last week's rankings. In parentheses below for each conference, the first number is the score for this week's schedule and the second number is cumulative score for the season.

1. Big Ten (23; 34): A phenomenal showing topping any total from last week puts these guys at the top. Minnesota is the only team hosting an FCS school this weekend, and a majority of the conference is on the road. Kudos especially to Nebraska, Illinois, Penn State, and Wisconsin for heading out to face major foes (plus Purdue off to South Bend to play Notre Dame).
2. Conference-USA (13; 33): They stay pat at number 2, but took a step back with 2 teams (Marshall and SMU) hosting cupcakes. They do match the B1G's travel to tough opponents with 4 teams (East Carolina, UTEP, UCF and Rice, the latter two of whom have started with the best scores in this metric for a team so far along with a few others). Their score this week is also impacted by a conference game (Tulane-Tulsa) plus byes for Southern Miss and UAB.
3. Mid-American Conference: (11, 33): C-USA got the nod because 5 MAC teams are hosting cupcakes this week (NIU, Buffalo, Eastern and Western Michigan, and Miami-Ohio). Ball State and Kent State are off to play big boys, and Central Michigan is hosting Michigan State to help offset that. Could be better as a whole, but a decent week for these guys as opposed to an amazing one drops them to 3rd.
4. Mountain West Conference (10, 27): This week only 2 schools (UNLV and Colorado State) earn criticism while the Air Force, Fresno State and New Mexico hit the road for big time games. Their weekly score is roughly middle of the pack overall, so there's no shame in where they're at.
5. Pac-12 (16; 25): Overall these guys really stepped it up from last week. There are still 3 teams hosting I-AA squads (Cal, Washington State and Colorado) but with Washington and USC on the road facing tough opponents and teams like UCLA and both Arizona schools hosting quality opponents, it's almost a shame the Pac-12 didn't score higher.
6. SEC (9; 17): Conference tilts are already underway this week (3 games total) which didn't help their cause but the SEC still came away with a good showing overall. Tennessee is the only school that got penalized, while you see Vanderbilt going on the road and LSU hosting Washington.
7. Sun Belt (5; 13): One conference game took away a little potential here, but much of the conference isn't off to the slaughter this week, instead playing other mid major conference opponents. The exception is Western Kentucky, off to face Alabama.
8. Big XII (10; 12): The Big XII made up for a poor showing last week to jump up the rankings. Oklahoma is hosting a cupcake, and former mid major TCU isn't thrilling me with a season opener against a current mid major. However, Iowa State and Oklahoma State leaving the comforts of home to face other big schools helps offset this.
9. Big East (6; 11): This 3-way tie was fairly tough to break, especially considering I initially miscalculated one of the below conferences, but one school in each of them puts the Big East at the head of this group. Getting the Cincy win over Pitt out of the picture, you have Louisville and Rutgers, 2 schools that impressed last week hosting cupcakes, but tough opponents for UConn, South Florida, Temple and Syracuse (2 very tough opening games at home. Much respect.) give them an edge.
10. WAC: (7; 11): I originally had the WAC at 8 points for the week giving them 12 total before taking a closer look at the schedule. Utah State is hosting a tough Utah squad tonight, and most of the other schools are either home against big schools or on the road against other mid majors. San Jose State lost a point for an FCS team, and UTSA is playing D-II's Texas A&M-Commerce. It's the Lions' first ever game against an FBS team. I don't care if it's against a WAC team, you scheduled a D-II team that has won 4 games in the last 2-plus seasons and hasn't a season above .500 since at least 2007. Shame on you. I'm moving on to the last place conference before my rage breaks.
11. ACC (11; 11): They improved over a score of 0 last week, so that's something. But despite Maryland, NC State, Duke and Miami all off to face big opponents in their houses, we still have 4 teams hosting cupcakes in Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. I'm especially ashamed of Florida State, the only school in the FBS with a negative score in my non conference scheduling metric because they've hosted 2 cupcakes.

As a random aside, I've included the independents in my study as well, and they have 6 total points through 2 weeks (3 each week). BYU is the only one to schedule a cupcake so far and Notre Dame has 3 of their 6 points to date. I'll have next week's rankings updated when I get a look at those schedules. Enjoy a full weekend of football! Hope your fantasy teams are doing well, and if you're picking teams, I hope you're off to a better start than Nathaniel and I am!

COAS/SSLYAR Pigskin Pick 'Em Week 1

Rejoice fans, the NFL season is here! Well, tonight it's here following a long work day, but you get good entertainment tonight! So in keeping with my plans alongside Nathaniel Fritz, author for Someone Still Loves You, Alberto Riveron, we will be alternating posting our picks for each NFL game. As it is still morning, you can join our group here.

The rules of this are pretty simple; we're picking against the spread as opposed to picking winners as it poses more of a challenge and makes you think more about outcomes. Posted below are my and Nathaniel's picks with rationales for each game in Week 1.

Dallas Cowboys at NY Giants (-3.5)

Lucas: Giants. The defending champs by tradition open at home and despite the usual tradition of the Giants starting seasons slowly, I'm confident they beat the spread in the opener. We're looking at probably a 7, 10 point game by the time all is said and done.

Nathaniel: Giants. A. The defending Super Bowl champion NEVER loses this opening night home game. B. The Giants look like they're noticeably better than Dallas this year anyway. One of the easiest picks of the week.

Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears (-10.5)

Lucas:  Bears. This was a tough pick and a well-set line by Vegas. I think the Andrew Luck Experience will start well, but from the bits and pieces of Bears preseason football I caught this offense looks scary good. I don't think a Colts defense still adjusting to 3-4 scheme will be able to fully hold off these guys.

Nathaniel: Colts. I'd be shocked if the Bears lost this game, but the likelihood of Andrew Luck coming up with a backdoor cover in the fourth quarter is too great for me to pick them against the spread.

Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns (+8.5)

Lucas: Eagles. I don't care if it's on the road, it's Cleveland. The better line would be at what point does Michael Vick get hurt? I say he's fine this week, but within a couple weeks he'll be nursing a dislocated elbow or something.

Nathaniel: Browns. Don't get me wrong, the Eagles will be much better than Cleveland this year, but giving a HOME team 8.5 points against a team (supremely talented as they might be) that went 8-8 last year? Gotta take the points, I think.

St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions (-8.5)

Lucas: Lions. Boromir says so.

Nathaniel: Lions. The Lions are not a team you want to play against if you have offensive line issues. Just get out of there without needing a body cast, Sam Bradford!

New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans (+6.5)

Lucas: Patriots. I don't think this secondary can contain Tom Brady and company. Too many points to be given up, and I don't think Jake Locker has the experience or the supporting cast to turn it into a shootout.

Nathaniel: Patriots. To make this interesting, Tennessee's going to have put up at least 24 to have a chance at making the cover and I don't have the faith in Jake Locker to make that leap.

Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefts (+0.5)

Lucas: Falcons. The Chiefs aren't a terrible team (hence the line), but I don't think they can keep up with Atlanta's offense, and the Falcons are an excellent regular season team.

Nathaniel: Chiefs. To me, these teams are virtually even with Kansas City as the home team; so touché, Vegas. When in doubt, take the half-point?

Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings (-4.5)

Lucas: Jaguars in an upset. Adrian Peterson is probably not going to be the guy we're used to seeing and I think it hurts them in their opener.

Nathaniel: Jaguars. Two possible front-runners for the 2013 Matt Barkley Sweepstakes square off; expect the action to be RIVETING.

Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints (-9.5)

Lucas: Redskins. I think the line is too high with New Orleans' defense. They're vulnerable and we could see a nice debut from RG3. Saints still win, just not by that much.

Nathaniel: Redskins. Let's see: a supremely exciting and talented quarterback going up against a team that has virtually its whole defense suspended and is being coached by their INTERIM interim coach is getting 9.5 points? Yeah, I think I can go with that.

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets (-3.5)

Lucas: Bills in an upset. Okay, maybe it's not much of an upset with a majority of of the Pick 'Em crowd going with Buffalo but that improved defense shouldn't have much trouble with the Sanchez/Tebow squad. It's just a question of can they score enough.

Nathaniel: Bills. Another toss-up in my book - taking the points and praying for one or fewer Ryan Fitzpatrick interceptions.

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans (-7.5)

Lucas: Texans. Ryan Tannehill doesn't exactly have the weaponry to combat Houston, even though the Texan D lost a few key players. They should still cover in Week 1.

Nathaniel: Texans. HOW IS THIS LINE ONLY 7.5? Not that I'm complaining at all...

San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers (-6.5)

Lucas: 49ers. There's enough pressure from the Niner defense to give Aaron Rodgers some fits and Alex Smith has a decent day against a gelling Packer D, but it's not enough to stop the MVP from leading a game winning drive in the 4th quarter.

Nathaniel: Packers. The team that had unsustainably good turnover luck last year (but also has the best quarterback alive) should have no problem with the team that had unsustainably good turnover luck last year (and has Alex Smith).

Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals (-1.5)

Lucas: Seahawks in an "upset" similar to the Bills. Arizona has home field but I think Russell Wilson shines in his debut.

Nathaniel: Seahawks. I know Seattle hasn't exactly lit the world on fire the past few years, but I can't possibly understand why a team starting John Skelton at quarterback would possibly be favored in this context. Give me the rookie quarterback on the road in his first start!

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+2.5)

Lucas: Panthers. They'll cover the spread, but probably not by much. Tampa will make it an interesting game as Cam Newton starts a bit of a sophomore struggle. Think a 21-17 type of game.

Nathaniel: Buccaneers. My pick for Sunday's most surprisingly entertaining game. With two good offenses and two VERY QUESTIONABLE defenses, this should be a game with a score up in the sixties and extensive nail-biting throughout.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos (-1.5)

Lucas: Broncos. A little leftover Tebow magic plus Peyton Manning's debut goes pretty well for Denver as they are barely able to cover the spread. Should be a fun game.

Nathaniel: Steelers. Can't believe I'm picking against Peyton Manning in a night game...can't believe I'm picking against Peyton Manning in a night game...can't believe I'm picking against Peyton Manning in a night game...

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens (-6.5)

Lucas: Ravens. Andy Dalton is able to do a little damage with AJ Green against this tough defense, but Joe Flacco comes out firing and Ray Rice is able to run out the clock late after Dalton turns it over one too many times.

Nathaniel: Bengals. Here's where we see how much the Ravens miss Terrell Suggs...

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders (+1.5)

Lucas: Raiders in an upset. It's a small enough line and the Chargers tend to start seasons slowly enough I think the Raiders could pull this one off at home.

Nathaniel: Raiders. Another game that should be wildly entertaining. Of course, since it's going to end at about 1:30 in the morning on the East Coast, not too many people will know that...

We're alternating who's posting our picks for every given week, so Nathaniel will have the picks next week. Enjoy today's season opener and the games on Sunday and Monday!

AFC North Preview

For the NFC East preview, click here.
For the AFC East preview, click here.
For the NFC South preview, click here.
For the AFC South preview, click here.
For the NFC West preview, click here.
For the AFC West preview, click here.
For the NFC North preview, click here.

It's been a lot of work this week but it's finally down to the last division in the NFL for the previews. I would have liked to save the NFC North for the end, but it works out well. Here's the last of my NFL previews.

AFC North
Common opponents on schedule: AFC West, NFC East

1.  Baltimore Ravens
2011 Record: 12-4, lost in AFC Championship game

This Ravens team is probably one of the most complete in the league. Despite the age of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, this is still a very tough defense, especially up front with guys like Haltoi Ngata. This offense is also a legitimate threat with the most complete back in the league in Ray Rice and the weapons to complement Joe Flacco. He's still not in the class of Brady, Brees and Rodgers regardless of what he says, but he's good enough to get this team to a deep postseason run.

2. Pittsburgh Steelers*
2011 Record: 12-4, lost in AFC Wild Card round

They'll be right in the hunt with Baltimore with that continually tough 3-4 defense, though health is a big concern with these guys. They're already out an offensive lineman in David DeCastro, and for whatever reason James Harrison is not listed on their current depth chart despite being on the roster. Offensively a good to go Rashard Mendenhall will complement a good passing game led by Roethlisberger-to-Mike Wallace combination. These guys will easily get a wild card spot if not the division, but those injuries will be tough to overcome.

3. Cincinnati Bengals
2011 Record: 9-7, lost in AFC Wild Card round

Last year was an interesting look at a team on the rise. Andy Dalton has the makings of a good quarterback, especially with A.J. Green to throw to. Getting the Law Firm will help balance it out with the loss of Cedric Benson. Defensively they have a good secondary, but I'm not sold on the front 7. They'll be right in the hunt for a playoff spot again though; could steal that last wild card again. But I think Dalton will regress just a little bit in his sophomore season.

4. Cleveland Browns
2011 Record: 4-12, missed playoffs

They took advantage of good draft picks in guys like Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson, but there will be a learning curve with these guys. Having Scott Fujita missing in action early on will hurt a defense that otherwise probably will have some issues aside from Joe Haden at corner. They're going in the right direction, but with strength at the top of the division now will take time for this team to fully mature.

So to recap, here's a rough look at the playoff picture for the AFC.

1. Baltimore
2. New England
3. Houston
4. San Diego
5. Pittsburgh
6. Denver 

Coming up here in the next couple days, either here or on Somebody Still Loves You, Alberto Riveron, Nathaniel and I will have our Week 1 NFL picks. The season is right around the corner! If you want to help pick against us, you can join our ESPN Pigskin Pick 'Em group for free. You have a couple days yet. Enjoy the season!

NFC North Preview

For the NFC East preview, click here.
For the AFC East preview, click here.
For the NFC South preview, click here.
For the AFC South preview, click here.
For the NFC West preview, click here.
For the AFC West preview, click here.

It took several days but I'm finally to the one I care most about and probably the one most of my readership cares about in the NFC North. Home to my team, the local team, the team much of my extended family roots for, and Detroit. I've been looking forward to this one since I started writing these, so much so that I've all but decided what I'm going to write for most of these teams. And thrown in a few fun references and jokes for good measure.

NFC North
Common opponents on schedule: NFC West, AFC South

1. Green Bay Packers
2011 Record: 15-1, lost in NFC Divisional round

Last year's Super Bowl defense was cut prematurely short by greatest fall of a defense maybe ever in NFL history. Ted Thompson promptly took care of the major issues via the draft as he often has, so while the defense probably won't necessarily be great aside from Thor, Charles Woodson, and hopefully a healthy Tramon Williams, they can't be nearly as bad as they were last year. Either way, scoring points shouldn't be an issue again barring injury. I liked the late addition of Cedric Benson to add balance to an attack that already has the best player alive right now. Rodgers has a little bit of a Jordan gene to him in that he will take advantage of any slight, even if perceived. We'll see how he responds to last year's early exit.

2. Chicago Bears*
2011 Record: 8-8, missed playoffs

This team probably scares me the most among pretty much any of the other NFC contenders, especially given how close the Bears always seem to play the Packers. Jay Cutler finally has some weapons to throw to in being reunited with Brandon Marshall and the Bears drafting Alshon Jeffrey, while getting rid of the unintentional comedy Mike Martz brought to the team (WARNING: link contains strong language, though I think you all probably know what this is). Meanwhile that defense is still scary, with or without Urlacher, though their biggest question mark will be if the safeties can keep receivers in front of them. They're getting back to the playoffs this year though, I have no doubt.

3. Detroit Lions
2011 Record: 10-6, lost in NFC Wild Card round

Amazingly last year, Matthew Stafford was finally able to stay healthy and that helped this team reach the playoffs for the first time in a long time. It also helps that Stafford has a guy like Megatron who can catch anything regardless of whether you have him single covered, in a zone, triple covered, or with Optimus Prime guarding him. Defensively is where this team gets some question marks. They were fairly easy to pass against last year, as evidenced by Matt Flynn going insane in Week 17 against these guys, and there's always the concern like with Oakland about taking dumb penalties. I'm looking at you, Suh, you scumbag.

4. Minnesota Vikings
2011 Record: 3-13, missed playoffs

Year 2 of the Christian Ponder experience should bring a little improvement over his rookie year, and it's always a plus not to be learning from a guy who seemed to spike every pass 5 yards in front of his intended receiver. The big question will be the impact on the running game with Adrian Peterson coming off that torn ACL. On defense, they were porous last year, though if nothing else the presence of Mike Singletary had some sort of impact. This team is a far cry from what it was just a few years ago when they were one totally expected Brett Favre pick away from a possible Super Bowl berth.

We're down to one last division in the AFC North, which will come up tomorrow. But with all 4 divisions set, here's how the general NFC playoff picture looks according to me:

1. Green Bay
2. NY Giants
3. San Francisco
4. Atlanta
5. Chicago
6. New Orleans

AFC West Preview

For the NFC East preview, click here.
For the AFC East preview, click here.
For the NFC South preview, click here.
For the AFC South preview, click here.
For the NFC West preview, click here.

The preseason is done, and we're less than a week away from the start of the season! I've almost made my way entirely around the country, with just 3 divisions left. Today we tackle the AFC West, the tightest division race from last year looking back.

AFC West
Common opponents on schedule: AFC North, NFC South

1. San Diego Chargers
2011 Record: 8-8, missed playoffs

There's something about this team under Norv Turner where they don't seem to be at their best until it's too late... or unless Mike Scifres, Champion Punter of the Universe is singlehandedly keeping you in the game. But Phillip Rivers is likely to have something of a bounceback year after a disappointing 2011 season. He's without Vincent Jackson and Ryan Matthews might still be a little banged up, but I think in a weak division the Chargers have a good shot at winning this division.

2. Denver Broncos*
2011 Record: 8-8, lost in AFC Divisional round

Denver made probably the second biggest upgrade under center during the offseason, unloading Tim Tebow and replacing him with Peyton Manning (though honestly, I still would have loved to see this theory play out at Mile High.) Largely it was the defense last year that kept Denver in so many games allowing Tebow to do things like this. With Manning commanding the offense, assuming his neck holds up he should be able to lead this team to victories without the need for such dramatics, and I think it'll be enough to get them back to the playoffs.

3. Kansas City Chiefs
2011 Record: 7-9, missed playoffs

Matt Cassel remains an average quarterback, but this offense has some pretty good weapons in Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston on the other side. A healthy Jamaal Charles also helps, and having Peyton Hillis to spell him occasionally will be a benefit.They have some decent weapons on the defensive side of the ball as well, which should get this team back to around .500 again and in decent position for next year.

4. Oakland Raiders
2011 Record: 8-8, missed playoffs

It's amazing to think that without Tebow's magic the Raiders would have been the division champs. They have a decent shot at it if Darren McFadden stays healthy all season (not a given) and if Carson Palmer learns that his team wears black and silver. Their defense has some decent weapons but I'm not sold on the top receivers being Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey. The other problem, of course, is Oakland's constant penalty troubles, though we'll see if a new head coach (again) can turn the discipline problem around.

Tomorrow I'll have the preview I've been most looking forward to writing as its my own division in the NFC North and thus the one I'm most knowledgeable about. I might also talk to my dad and see what he has to say about his team. All we're missing was having my brother pick the Lions as his team to be difficult. Alas.

College Football Non-Conference Power Rankings: Week 1

I'm taking another brief break from the NFL previews for a little bit for some college football talk. If you've been a reader for a while you know I have a heavy anti-BCS bias and that led to my not paying attention to college football until my senior year of high school. Even to this day I don't really pay attention to the recruiting and thus none to preseason rankings, as they really hurt the process of deciding who should play for a national title.

So as to not by hypocritical, I'm not doing a preview of who I think would make the "Death to the BCS" Playoffs, though I was tempted to do that. I instead decided to do an investigation this year into the scheduling of non-conference games in the FBS. One of the major attacks on the current system points out the importance of going undefeated, and often we see this applied in the form of weak non-conference schedules for teams. So week by week I will go through the schedule of all 124 FBS level teams and try to somewhat objectively rank their schedules outside of their respective conferences.

Since I'm not ranking teams before the season starts I needed a somewhat fair system to look at these slates of games in terms of credibility. I came up with the following point system:

• 0 points if team is on a bye or playing a conference opponent
• -1 point if the team is playing a D-IAA opponent or lower
• 1 point if the team is playing an FBS opponent (credit for playing someone)
• 1 point if the team is playing an opponent from a major conference (ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big XII, Pac 12, SEC)
• 1 point if the team is playing on the road.

The system is by no means perfect nor is it very advanced. It's enough to get a general idea of how each school is scheduling its non conference games even if it doesn't tell the whole story.

The general consensus from this opening week is actually better than many people would have you believe (and better than I expected). Of the 124 teams in D-IA, there were 41 games (82 teams) between D-IA teams scheduled and not postponed for this opening week. But there were still some teams that upheld the stereotype of scheduling cupcakes at home.

So without further ado, here's the rankings for Week 1: