NCAA College Football Rankings: Stew System - Week 2

There’s not a whole lot of preamble this week. Quite a bit of shakeup throughout, but the top didn’t change a whole lot. As with last week, this is still just wins, losses, and margin of victory. There’s a good portion of the system that will kick in once every team has played at least two FBS teams. I thought that would be next week, but West Virginia and Air Force aren’t going to let that happen. Week 4 the entire system should be implemented, and expect some pretty major changes that week. I do include a hit for playing an FCS school, already, though. So let’s get to it.

Teams Rankings:

B1G Thoughts:

• B1G 2, Little 127. Right now the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines are head and shoulders above everyone else in the country so far. In related news, the world is a horrible, horrible place.
• Nebraska Cornhuskers and Iowa Hawkeyes in the top 10. Appears these two may be on a collision course for the division crown on Black Friday as long as Mike Riley continues to run the dang ball and keeps Tommy Armstrong from turning into Tommy Two Picks
• The Wisconsin Badgers rocketed up the polls this week as they’re one of the few teams to be 2-0 and not play an FCS team. This is also a big reason why the Indiana Hoosiers are still in the top 20.
• Maryland Terrapins looking quite a bit improved so far this year. Let’s see how they do against a common opponent with Michigan.
• Pretty big drop here to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who are one of the lowest rated two win teams.
• Michigan State Spartans had a bye, so didn’t move much. They’ve got a good chance to leap up the rankings with a big win. Though, a loss would make them take a bit of a tumble (Notre Dame Fighting Irish rated 51).
• I don’t have much to say about Penn State Nittany Lions that hasn’t been said since Saturday. Though, my system doesn’t seem to think there’s really that much of a difference between them and Pitt (rated 49th).
• And we’ve reached the truly bad team. Sorry, Illinois Fighting Illini fans, you may look better and have a halfway competent coach, but bad is still bad.
• Purdue Boilermakers and Rutgers Scarlet Knights tied! Congrats! You’ve kissed your sister.
• Oh Northwestern Wildcats... Good job, good effort.

Other thoughts:

• Louisville Cardinals are murder-death-killing everyone and they’ve got a massive game against the Florida State Seminols this week. Should be fun.
• Looks like my system is buying the Washington Huskies hype.
• Texas State! Woo, go fighting .../checks google...Bobcats! They will not be here next week (they’re playing the Arkansas Razorbacks and Bert gonna check that card).
• The Army Black Knights suffered a major tragedy this week, as Brandon Jackson was killed in a car accident. Thoughts, prayers, and rooting interest are literally the least we can do, but I hope they can rally. Go Army, beat Navy (and UTEP).

Playoff Picture:

I’m going to be including my the teams I currently have in the playoffs. I am not going to project two teams from the same conference, as the committee has said that conference championships matter, plus those teams will probably play, and the loser (lower rated team) will lose and fall. I’m not going to include non-P5 teams, unless they’ve beaten a P5 team.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Louisville Cardinals
3. Washington Huskies
4. Alabama Crimson Tide

Conference Rankings:

• Despite a few teams having a bad week (waves to jNW, Illinois, and PSU), the B1G still ranks as the top conference.
• Independents having a good year so far.
• SEC had a pretty big bounce back week after a disastrous opening weekend.
• Oh, MAC, that is not good. Would truly be a shame if anyone from the best conference lost to a team from the worst.