There is only one game this week, the annual Army-Navy game, played this season in Baltimore. Because our ratings for all 128 teams can be affected by just one game, we will not issue our bowl picks until after the conclusion of the game this weekend.
So, since there is not much to post this week, let us relay a little mathematical data concerning the Big Ten Conference, and its one playoff representative.
A similar thing occurred in 2006, when Ohio State played Florida for the national championship. The Buckeyes were number one after narrowly defeating second-ranked Michigan at the Giant Horseshoe in Columbus. The score that day was Ohio State 42 Michigan 39.
Ohio State defeated Michigan this year in double overtime and due to a favorable call that might have been and might not have been correct, but wasn’t reviewed.
Ohio State went to the national championship in 2006, and they will go to the playoffs this year. Michigan will have to be consoled with an Orange Bowl bid.
We asked then and ask now, “How much is Ohio State’s home field advantage worth?”
We can tell you that in 2006, Ohio State’s home field advantage for the Michigan game was worth more than four points, but rounded to four. They beat Michigan by three.
This year, Ohio State’s home field advantage for the Michigan game was just a tad under three points which rounded to three points. The score was tied at the end of regulation.
In actuality, both in 2006 and in 2016, Michigan was slightly better than Ohio State in the rivalry game and slightly better ranked, but both times, the Buckeyes earned the right to play for the championship.
This is a recurring theme. In 1973, Michigan looked like the better team at the end of the day in a 10-10 tie of undefeated teams, but Ohio State received the Rose Bowl invitation (and Michigan stayed home at 10-0-1), because Michigan’s quarterback had been injured and was not a sure thing to be ready for the Rose Bowl (The Big Ten decided who went to Pasadena).
We are not advocating that Michigan be given the Playoff spot over Ohio State. We are just alluding to the point that home field advantage should be part of the equation as long as there is going to be a playoff committee.
Our true belief is there should be no playoff committee. The participants should be decided strictly on the results with tiebreakers similar to the NFL. Of course, the NFL has the advantage in that every team in a division plays its division rivals twice, home and home. The Big Ten cannot schedule home and home so that Michigan and Ohio State would play both in Columbus and in Ann Arbor every year.
In another dozen or so years, expect the number of playoff teams to expand to 8, and then maybe 12, and maybe even 16, and this controversy will be replaced with the controversy of team number 17 being left out while team number 16 got in. We only hope that by the time the playoffs expand to 16 teams, there will be a new way to select them, maybe 8 conferences with two divisions each, and each division getting a team in the football dance.
This Week’s PiRate Ratings
| PiRate Ratings | |||||
| # | Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| 1 | Alabama | 138.7 | 132.5 | 138.7 | 136.6 |
| 2 | Washington | 133.0 | 125.8 | 132.4 | 130.4 |
| 3 | Ohio St. | 127.5 | 127.1 | 127.8 | 127.5 |
| 4 | Clemson | 129.5 | 123.5 | 128.7 | 127.2 |
| 5 | Michigan | 127.4 | 125.5 | 127.2 | 126.7 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 125.2 | 123.3 | 125.1 | 124.5 |
| 7 | LSU | 124.9 | 120.4 | 124.4 | 123.2 |
| 8 | USC | 124.3 | 119.4 | 122.8 | 122.2 |
| 9 | Florida St. | 122.8 | 117.1 | 122.1 | 120.7 |
| 10 | Louisville | 121.9 | 118.4 | 121.7 | 120.7 |
| 11 | Penn St. | 119.9 | 119.7 | 120.0 | 119.9 |
| 12 | Auburn | 120.5 | 118.5 | 120.4 | 119.8 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 118.7 | 116.7 | 119.1 | 118.2 |
| 14 | Virginia Tech | 118.7 | 116.9 | 118.8 | 118.1 |
| 15 | Oklahoma St. | 116.6 | 117.9 | 116.0 | 116.8 |
| 16 | Miami | 118.4 | 113.1 | 118.3 | 116.6 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh | 117.8 | 113.8 | 117.1 | 116.2 |
| 18 | Colorado | 117.1 | 112.7 | 117.0 | 115.6 |
| 19 | Iowa | 115.9 | 113.1 | 115.8 | 114.9 |
| 20 | North Carolina | 116.2 | 110.9 | 116.0 | 114.4 |
| 21 | Washington St. | 114.9 | 112.2 | 114.4 | 113.9 |
| 22 | Western Michigan | 113.2 | 113.0 | 114.9 | 113.7 |
| 23 | Stanford | 114.9 | 109.3 | 114.4 | 112.9 |
| 24 | Kansas St. | 111.9 | 113.7 | 111.9 | 112.5 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 113.3 | 110.9 | 112.4 | 112.2 |
| 26 | Texas A&M | 112.9 | 111.4 | 112.2 | 112.2 |
| 27 | Florida | 112.4 | 112.9 | 110.9 | 112.1 |
| 28 | West Virginia | 111.9 | 111.5 | 111.5 | 111.6 |
| 29 | Temple | 111.5 | 110.6 | 112.3 | 111.5 |
| 30 | Notre Dame | 112.3 | 109.5 | 111.4 | 111.1 |
| 31 | Utah | 112.7 | 107.8 | 111.4 | 110.6 |
| 32 | Western Kentucky | 110.7 | 108.8 | 112.1 | 110.5 |
| 33 | Houston | 110.0 | 108.8 | 111.1 | 110.0 |
| 34 | South Florida | 110.0 | 108.3 | 110.6 | 109.6 |
| 35 | Arkansas | 111.0 | 107.1 | 110.1 | 109.4 |
| 36 | BYU | 110.7 | 106.5 | 110.7 | 109.3 |
| 37 | Georgia Tech | 110.2 | 106.4 | 109.3 | 108.6 |
| 38 | Mississippi St. | 109.2 | 107.3 | 108.0 | 108.2 |
| 39 | Georgia | 108.3 | 107.7 | 107.6 | 107.9 |
| 40 | TCU | 107.4 | 109.1 | 106.4 | 107.6 |
| 41 | North Carolina St. | 108.8 | 105.2 | 108.5 | 107.5 |
| 42 | Northwestern | 108.8 | 105.4 | 107.8 | 107.3 |
| 43 | Navy | 107.4 | 106.1 | 107.5 | 107.0 |
| 44 | Minnesota | 107.4 | 105.8 | 107.1 | 106.8 |
| 45 | Vanderbilt | 107.5 | 104.3 | 106.4 | 106.1 |
| 46 | Nebraska | 106.5 | 104.3 | 106.1 | 105.6 |
| 47 | Memphis | 106.1 | 103.9 | 105.5 | 105.2 |
| 48 | Boise St. | 104.5 | 105.7 | 105.2 | 105.1 |
| 49 | Tulsa | 104.5 | 105.7 | 105.0 | 105.1 |
| 50 | Michigan St. | 105.1 | 104.3 | 103.9 | 104.4 |
| 51 | Texas | 104.1 | 105.7 | 103.0 | 104.3 |
| 52 | UCLA | 105.1 | 103.2 | 104.0 | 104.1 |
| 53 | Kentucky | 104.1 | 104.2 | 103.8 | 104.0 |
| 54 | San Diego St. | 103.8 | 102.6 | 105.6 | 104.0 |
| 55 | Baylor | 103.8 | 104.2 | 103.8 | 103.9 |
| 56 | Indiana | 103.5 | 104.6 | 102.9 | 103.7 |
| 57 | Ole Miss | 105.3 | 101.6 | 104.0 | 103.6 |
| 58 | Toledo | 102.5 | 103.2 | 103.4 | 103.0 |
| 59 | Oregon | 103.7 | 101.7 | 102.6 | 102.7 |
| 60 | Texas Tech | 102.2 | 101.6 | 101.3 | 101.7 |
| 61 | California | 103.9 | 97.7 | 101.7 | 101.1 |
| 62 | Duke | 101.3 | 100.3 | 100.7 | 100.8 |
| 63 | Wake Forest | 101.2 | 99.5 | 101.3 | 100.7 |
| 64 | Appalachian St. | 99.7 | 100.9 | 101.3 | 100.6 |
| 65 | Iowa St. | 100.6 | 100.6 | 99.6 | 100.3 |
| 66 | Missouri | 99.9 | 98.6 | 98.6 | 99.1 |
| 67 | Oregon St. | 100.6 | 96.2 | 99.5 | 98.8 |
| 68 | Boston College | 99.5 | 97.9 | 98.9 | 98.8 |
| 69 | Virginia | 99.9 | 97.3 | 98.9 | 98.7 |
| 70 | Colorado St. | 97.8 | 99.4 | 98.9 | 98.7 |
| 71 | Central Florida | 97.7 | 98.7 | 98.4 | 98.3 |
| 72 | Air Force | 97.6 | 99.2 | 97.8 | 98.2 |
| 73 | South Carolina | 98.3 | 97.8 | 97.8 | 98.0 |
| 74 | Arizona St. | 99.0 | 97.4 | 97.3 | 97.9 |
| 75 | Louisiana Tech | 96.5 | 98.7 | 98.2 | 97.8 |
| 76 | Syracuse | 98.9 | 95.6 | 97.2 | 97.3 |
| 77 | New Mexico | 95.2 | 96.9 | 96.0 | 96.1 |
| 78 | Maryland | 95.8 | 97.8 | 94.2 | 95.9 |
| 79 | Northern Illinois | 94.6 | 95.9 | 95.5 | 95.3 |
| 80 | Arkansas St. | 93.1 | 95.8 | 94.8 | 94.6 |
| 81 | Arizona | 95.3 | 93.0 | 93.8 | 94.0 |
| 82 | Wyoming | 93.5 | 94.1 | 94.5 | 94.0 |
| 83 | Ohio | 91.4 | 97.1 | 92.0 | 93.5 |
| 84 | Central Michigan | 92.5 | 94.6 | 92.9 | 93.3 |
| 85 | Troy | 91.0 | 94.8 | 92.8 | 92.9 |
| 86 | SMU | 91.9 | 91.5 | 93.9 | 92.5 |
| 87 | Cincinnati | 92.0 | 92.8 | 91.7 | 92.2 |
| 88 | Army | 89.4 | 95.8 | 90.6 | 91.9 |
| 89 | Purdue | 91.7 | 90.3 | 90.5 | 90.8 |
| 90 | Old Dominion | 89.4 | 92.4 | 90.6 | 90.8 |
| 91 | Miami (O) | 89.4 | 91.1 | 90.8 | 90.4 |
| 92 | Illinois | 91.6 | 88.8 | 90.4 | 90.3 |
| 93 | UTSA | 87.2 | 92.9 | 89.6 | 89.9 |
| 94 | Utah St. | 88.8 | 91.2 | 88.6 | 89.5 |
| 95 | Middle Tennessee | 88.5 | 90.3 | 89.0 | 89.3 |
| 96 | Nevada | 88.2 | 90.2 | 88.7 | 89.1 |
| 97 | Southern Mississippi | 88.4 | 88.6 | 88.7 | 88.6 |
| 98 | Eastern Michigan | 87.6 | 89.6 | 88.3 | 88.5 |
| 99 | East Carolina | 87.6 | 89.0 | 87.6 | 88.1 |
| 100 | Tulane | 86.8 | 89.9 | 87.4 | 88.0 |
| 101 | Idaho | 85.6 | 90.4 | 87.8 | 87.9 |
| 102 | Kansas | 87.0 | 91.0 | 85.1 | 87.7 |
| 103 | Georgia Southern | 86.3 | 87.4 | 87.9 | 87.2 |
| 104 | Bowling Green | 86.3 | 87.4 | 86.5 | 86.7 |
| 105 | UL-Lafayette | 84.8 | 88.6 | 86.4 | 86.6 |
| 106 | Rutgers | 86.8 | 85.3 | 85.1 | 85.8 |
| 107 | Ball St. | 84.7 | 86.7 | 85.6 | 85.7 |
| 108 | Kent St. | 84.0 | 85.5 | 84.9 | 84.8 |
| 109 | Connecticut | 84.9 | 84.6 | 84.3 | 84.6 |
| 110 | South Alabama | 81.8 | 88.0 | 82.5 | 84.1 |
| 111 | San Jose St. | 84.1 | 84.2 | 84.0 | 84.1 |
| 112 | Akron | 81.8 | 86.9 | 82.7 | 83.8 |
| 113 | UNLV | 82.5 | 85.4 | 83.1 | 83.7 |
| 114 | Florida International | 81.2 | 85.4 | 81.8 | 82.8 |
| 115 | Massachusetts | 79.8 | 85.0 | 80.6 | 81.8 |
| 116 | Hawaii | 80.9 | 80.8 | 80.7 | 80.8 |
| 117 | Rice | 77.8 | 83.3 | 78.3 | 79.8 |
| 118 | Georgia St. | 77.6 | 82.0 | 79.4 | 79.7 |
| 119 | Marshall | 77.9 | 81.4 | 78.4 | 79.2 |
| 120 | Charlotte | 76.3 | 81.9 | 76.9 | 78.4 |
| 121 | North Texas | 77.2 | 80.2 | 77.6 | 78.4 |
| 122 | Fresno St. | 77.3 | 80.6 | 77.0 | 78.3 |
| 123 | Buffalo | 76.1 | 81.9 | 76.7 | 78.3 |
| 124 | Florida Atlantic | 75.0 | 79.5 | 77.1 | 77.2 |
| 125 | UTEP | 74.4 | 79.1 | 75.7 | 76.4 |
| 126 | New Mexico St. | 74.2 | 77.2 | 75.3 | 75.6 |
| 127 | UL-Monroe | 68.8 | 74.1 | 69.8 | 70.9 |
| 128 | Texas St. | 62.3 | 64.9 | 63.3 | 63.5 |
PiRate Ratings By Conference
| American Athletic Conference | ||||
| East Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Temple | 111.5 | 110.6 | 112.3 | 111.5 |
| South Florida | 110.0 | 108.3 | 110.6 | 109.6 |
| Central Florida | 97.7 | 98.7 | 98.4 | 98.3 |
| Cincinnati | 92.0 | 92.8 | 91.7 | 92.2 |
| East Carolina | 87.6 | 89.0 | 87.6 | 88.1 |
| Connecticut | 84.9 | 84.6 | 84.3 | 84.6 |
| West Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Houston | 110.0 | 108.8 | 111.1 | 110.0 |
| Navy | 107.4 | 106.1 | 107.5 | 107.0 |
| Memphis | 106.1 | 103.9 | 105.5 | 105.2 |
| Tulsa | 104.5 | 105.7 | 105.0 | 105.1 |
| SMU | 91.9 | 91.5 | 93.9 | 92.5 |
| Tulane | 86.8 | 89.9 | 87.4 | 88.0 |
| AAC Averages | 99.2 | 99.2 | 99.6 | 99.3 |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | ||||
| Atlantic Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Clemson | 129.5 | 123.5 | 128.7 | 127.2 |
| Florida St. | 122.8 | 117.1 | 122.1 | 120.7 |
| Louisville | 121.9 | 118.4 | 121.7 | 120.7 |
| North Carolina St. | 108.8 | 105.2 | 108.5 | 107.5 |
| Wake Forest | 101.2 | 99.5 | 101.3 | 100.7 |
| Boston College | 99.5 | 97.9 | 98.9 | 98.8 |
| Syracuse | 98.9 | 95.6 | 97.2 | 97.3 |
| Coastal Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Virginia Tech | 118.7 | 116.9 | 118.8 | 118.1 |
| Miami | 118.4 | 113.1 | 118.3 | 116.6 |
| Pittsburgh | 117.8 | 113.8 | 117.1 | 116.2 |
| North Carolina | 116.2 | 110.9 | 116.0 | 114.4 |
| Georgia Tech | 110.2 | 106.4 | 109.3 | 108.6 |
| Duke | 101.3 | 100.3 | 100.7 | 100.8 |
| Virginia | 99.9 | 97.3 | 98.9 | 98.7 |
| ACC Averages | 111.8 | 108.3 | 111.2 | 110.4 |
| Big 12 Conference | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Oklahoma | 125.2 | 123.3 | 125.1 | 124.5 |
| Oklahoma St. | 116.6 | 117.9 | 116.0 | 116.8 |
| Kansas St. | 111.9 | 113.7 | 111.9 | 112.5 |
| West Virginia | 111.9 | 111.5 | 111.5 | 111.6 |
| TCU | 107.4 | 109.1 | 106.4 | 107.6 |
| Texas | 104.1 | 105.7 | 103.0 | 104.3 |
| Baylor | 103.8 | 104.2 | 103.8 | 103.9 |
| Texas Tech | 102.2 | 101.6 | 101.3 | 101.7 |
| Iowa St. | 100.6 | 100.6 | 99.6 | 100.3 |
| Kansas | 87.0 | 91.0 | 85.1 | 87.7 |
| Big 12 Averages | 107.1 | 107.9 | 106.4 | 107.1 |
| Big Ten Conference | ||||
| East Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Ohio St. | 127.5 | 127.1 | 127.8 | 127.5 |
| Michigan | 127.4 | 125.5 | 127.2 | 126.7 |
| Penn St. | 119.9 | 119.7 | 120.0 | 119.9 |
| Michigan St. | 105.1 | 104.3 | 103.9 | 104.4 |
| Indiana | 103.5 | 104.6 | 102.9 | 103.7 |
| Maryland | 95.8 | 97.8 | 94.2 | 95.9 |
| Rutgers | 86.8 | 85.3 | 85.1 | 85.8 |
| West Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Wisconsin | 118.7 | 116.7 | 119.1 | 118.2 |
| Iowa | 115.9 | 113.1 | 115.8 | 114.9 |
| Northwestern | 108.8 | 105.4 | 107.8 | 107.3 |
| Minnesota | 107.4 | 105.8 | 107.1 | 106.8 |
| Nebraska | 106.5 | 104.3 | 106.1 | 105.6 |
| Purdue | 91.7 | 90.3 | 90.5 | 90.8 |
| Illinois | 91.6 | 88.8 | 90.4 | 90.3 |
| Big Ten Averages | 107.6 | 106.4 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| Conference USA | ||||
| East Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Western Kentucky | 110.7 | 108.8 | 112.1 | 110.5 |
| Old Dominion | 89.4 | 92.4 | 90.6 | 90.8 |
| Middle Tennessee | 88.5 | 90.3 | 89.0 | 89.3 |
| Florida International | 81.2 | 85.4 | 81.8 | 82.8 |
| Marshall | 77.9 | 81.4 | 78.4 | 79.2 |
| Charlotte | 76.3 | 81.9 | 76.9 | 78.4 |
| Florida Atlantic | 75.0 | 79.5 | 77.1 | 77.2 |
| West Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Louisiana Tech | 96.5 | 98.7 | 98.2 | 97.8 |
| UTSA | 87.2 | 92.9 | 89.6 | 89.9 |
| Southern Mississippi | 88.4 | 88.6 | 88.7 | 88.6 |
| Rice | 77.8 | 83.3 | 78.3 | 79.8 |
| North Texas | 77.2 | 80.2 | 77.6 | 78.4 |
| UTEP | 74.4 | 79.1 | 75.7 | 76.4 |
| CUSA Averages | 84.7 | 87.9 | 85.7 | 86.1 |
| FBS Independents | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Notre Dame | 112.3 | 109.5 | 111.4 | 111.1 |
| BYU | 110.7 | 106.5 | 110.7 | 109.3 |
| Army | 89.4 | 95.8 | 90.6 | 91.9 |
| Massachusetts | 79.8 | 85.0 | 80.6 | 81.8 |
| Independents Averages | 98.1 | 99.2 | 98.3 | 98.5 |
| Mid-American Conference | ||||
| East Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Ohio | 91.4 | 97.1 | 92.0 | 93.5 |
| Miami (O) | 89.4 | 91.1 | 90.8 | 90.4 |
| Bowling Green | 86.3 | 87.4 | 86.5 | 86.7 |
| Kent St. | 84.0 | 85.5 | 84.9 | 84.8 |
| Akron | 81.8 | 86.9 | 82.7 | 83.8 |
| Buffalo | 76.1 | 81.9 | 76.7 | 78.3 |
| West Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Western Michigan | 113.2 | 113.0 | 114.9 | 113.7 |
| Toledo | 102.5 | 103.2 | 103.4 | 103.0 |
| Northern Illinois | 94.6 | 95.9 | 95.5 | 95.3 |
| Central Michigan | 92.5 | 94.6 | 92.9 | 93.3 |
| Eastern Michigan | 87.6 | 89.6 | 88.3 | 88.5 |
| Ball St. | 84.7 | 86.7 | 85.6 | 85.7 |
| MAC Averages | 90.3 | 92.8 | 91.2 | 91.4 |
| Mountain West Conference | ||||
| Mountain Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Boise St. | 104.5 | 105.7 | 105.2 | 105.1 |
| Colorado St. | 97.8 | 99.4 | 98.9 | 98.7 |
| Air Force | 97.6 | 99.2 | 97.8 | 98.2 |
| New Mexico | 95.2 | 96.9 | 96.0 | 96.1 |
| Wyoming | 93.5 | 94.1 | 94.5 | 94.0 |
| Utah St. | 88.8 | 91.2 | 88.6 | 89.5 |
| West Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| San Diego St. | 103.8 | 102.6 | 105.6 | 104.0 |
| Nevada | 88.2 | 90.2 | 88.7 | 89.1 |
| San Jose St. | 84.1 | 84.2 | 84.0 | 84.1 |
| UNLV | 82.5 | 85.4 | 83.1 | 83.7 |
| Hawaii | 80.9 | 80.8 | 80.7 | 80.8 |
| Fresno St. | 77.3 | 80.6 | 77.0 | 78.3 |
| MWC Averages | 91.2 | 92.6 | 91.7 | 91.8 |
| Pac-12 Conference | ||||
| North Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Washington | 133.0 | 125.8 | 132.4 | 130.4 |
| Washington St. | 114.9 | 112.2 | 114.4 | 113.9 |
| Stanford | 114.9 | 109.3 | 114.4 | 112.9 |
| Oregon | 103.7 | 101.7 | 102.6 | 102.7 |
| California | 103.9 | 97.7 | 101.7 | 101.1 |
| Oregon St. | 100.6 | 96.2 | 99.5 | 98.8 |
| South Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| USC | 124.3 | 119.4 | 122.8 | 122.2 |
| Colorado | 117.1 | 112.7 | 117.0 | 115.6 |
| Utah | 112.7 | 107.8 | 111.4 | 110.6 |
| UCLA | 105.1 | 103.2 | 104.0 | 104.1 |
| Arizona St. | 99.0 | 97.4 | 97.3 | 97.9 |
| Arizona | 95.3 | 93.0 | 93.8 | 94.0 |
| Pac-12 Averages | 110.4 | 106.4 | 109.3 | 108.7 |
| Southeastern Conference | ||||
| East Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Tennessee | 113.3 | 110.9 | 112.4 | 112.2 |
| Florida | 112.4 | 112.9 | 110.9 | 112.1 |
| Georgia | 108.3 | 107.7 | 107.6 | 107.9 |
| Vanderbilt | 107.5 | 104.3 | 106.4 | 106.1 |
| Kentucky | 104.1 | 104.2 | 103.8 | 104.0 |
| Missouri | 99.9 | 98.6 | 98.6 | 99.1 |
| South Carolina | 98.3 | 97.8 | 97.8 | 98.0 |
| West Division | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Alabama | 138.7 | 132.5 | 138.7 | 136.6 |
| LSU | 124.9 | 120.4 | 124.4 | 123.2 |
| Auburn | 120.5 | 118.5 | 120.4 | 119.8 |
| Texas A&M | 112.9 | 111.4 | 112.2 | 112.2 |
| Arkansas | 111.0 | 107.1 | 110.1 | 109.4 |
| Mississippi St. | 109.2 | 107.3 | 108.0 | 108.2 |
| Ole Miss | 105.3 | 101.6 | 104.0 | 103.6 |
| SEC Averages | 111.9 | 109.7 | 111.1 | 110.9 |
| Sunbelt Conference | ||||
| Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| Appalachian St. | 99.7 | 100.9 | 101.3 | 100.6 |
| Arkansas St. | 93.1 | 95.8 | 94.8 | 94.6 |
| Troy | 91.0 | 94.8 | 92.8 | 92.9 |
| Idaho | 85.6 | 90.4 | 87.8 | 87.9 |
| Georgia Southern | 86.3 | 87.4 | 87.9 | 87.2 |
| UL-Lafayette | 84.8 | 88.6 | 86.4 | 86.6 |
| South Alabama | 81.8 | 88.0 | 82.5 | 84.1 |
| Georgia St. | 77.6 | 82.0 | 79.4 | 79.7 |
| New Mexico St. | 74.2 | 77.2 | 75.3 | 75.6 |
| UL-Monroe | 68.8 | 74.1 | 69.8 | 70.9 |
| Texas St. | 62.3 | 64.9 | 63.3 | 63.5 |
| Sun Belt Averages | 82.3 | 85.8 | 83.8 | 84.0 |
| # | League | PiRate | Mean | Bias | Average |
| 1 | SEC | 111.9 | 109.7 | 111.1 | 110.9 |
| 2 | ACC | 111.8 | 108.3 | 111.2 | 110.4 |
| 3 | Pac-12 | 110.4 | 106.4 | 109.3 | 108.7 |
| 4 | Big 12 | 107.1 | 107.9 | 106.4 | 107.1 |
| 5 | Big Ten | 107.6 | 106.4 | 107.0 | 107.0 |
| 6 | AAC | 99.2 | 99.2 | 99.6 | 99.3 |
| 7 | Independents | 98.1 | 99.2 | 98.3 | 98.5 |
| 8 | MWC | 91.2 | 92.6 | 91.7 | 91.8 |
| 9 | MAC | 90.3 | 92.8 | 91.2 | 91.4 |
| 10 | CUSA | 84.7 | 87.9 | 85.7 | 86.1 |
| 11 | Sun Belt | 82.3 | 85.8 | 83.8 | 84.0 |
PiRate Retrodictive Rankings–similar to the AP and Coaches polls in its purpose
| 12/4/16 | |
| # | Team |
| 1 | Alabama |
| 2 | Ohio St. |
| 3 | Clemson |
| 4 | Michigan |
| 5 | Washington |
| 6 | Penn St. |
| 7 | Wisconsin |
| 8 | USC |
| 9 | Oklahoma |
| 10 | Florida St. |
| 11 | Western Michigan |
| 12 | Colorado |
| 13 | Stanford |
| 14 | LSU |
| 15 | Louisville |
| 16 | Auburn |
| 17 | West Virginia |
| 18 | Oklahoma St. |
| 19 | Washington St. |
| 20 | South Florida |
| 21 | Iowa |
| 22 | Boise St. |
| 23 | Florida |
| 24 | Houston |
| 25 | Temple |
| 26 | Virginia Tech |
| 27 | Pittsburgh |
| 28 | Nebraska |
| 29 | Miami (Fla) |
| 30 | Tennessee |
| 31 | Texas A&M |
| 32 | Utah |
| 33 | Western Kentucky |
| 34 | Navy |
| 35 | North Carolina |
| 36 | Tulsa |
| 37 | Minnesota |
| 38 | BYU |
| 39 | Kansas St. |
| 40 | Georgia Tech |
| 41 | Appalachian St. |
| 42 | Toledo |
| 43 | San Diego St. |
| 44 | Memphis |
| 45 | Georgia |
| 46 | Arkansas |
| 47 | Northwestern |
| 48 | Air Force |
| 49 | Kentucky |
| 50 | Colorado St. |
| 51 | Troy |
| 52 | Vanderbilt |
| 53 | North Carolina St. |
| 54 | Indiana |
| 55 | Ole Miss |
| 56 | TCU |
| 57 | Old Dominion |
| 58 | Wyoming |
| 59 | California |
| 60 | New Mexico |
| 61 | Mississippi St. |
| 62 | Central Florida |
| 63 | Louisiana Tech |
| 64 | Maryland |
| 65 | UCLA |
| 66 | South Carolina |
| 67 | Baylor |
| 68 | Oregon |
| 69 | Notre Dame |
| 70 | Idaho |
| 71 | Boston College |
| 72 | Texas |
| 73 | Arkansas St. |
| 74 | Wake Forest |
| 75 | Ohio |
| 76 | Arizona St. |
| 77 | Oregon St. |
| 78 | Eastern Michigan |
| 79 | Middle Tennessee |
| 80 | Texas Tech |
| 81 | SMU |
| 82 | Missouri |
| 83 | Duke |
| 84 | Michigan St. |
| 85 | Syracuse |
| 86 | Central Michigan |
| 87 | UTSA |
| 88 | UL-Lafayette |
| 89 | Army |
| 90 | Miami (O) |
| 91 | Northern Illinois |
| 92 | Iowa St. |
| 93 | Arizona |
| 94 | Southern Miss. |
| 95 | Georgia Southern |
| 96 | Hawaii |
| 97 | South Alabama |
| 98 | Illinois |
| 99 | Cincinnati |
| 100 | Tulane |
| 101 | Akron |
| 102 | Utah St. |
| 103 | Bowling Green |
| 104 | Purdue |
| 105 | East Carolina |
| 106 | Virginia |
| 107 | San Jose St. |
| 108 | Nevada |
| 109 | North Texas |
| 110 | UNLV |
| 111 | Ball St. |
| 112 | Rutgers |
| 113 | UL-Monroe |
| 114 | Kent St. |
| 115 | Kansas |
| 116 | Georgia St. |
| 117 | Connecticut |
| 118 | Charlotte |
| 119 | UTEP |
| 120 | New Mexico St. |
| 121 | Florida Int’l. |
| 122 | Marshall |
| 123 | Rice |
| 124 | Massachusetts |
| 125 | Florida Atlantic |
| 126 | Fresno St. |
| 127 | Texas St. |
| 128 | Buffalo |
Army – Navy Game played at Baltimore
| Team | Team | PiRate | Mean | Bias |
| Army (N) | Navy | -18.0 | -10.3 | -16.9 |
The Bowl Schedule
| Day | Date | Bowl | Conferences | Time (ET) | Network | |
| Sat | Dec-17 | New Mexico | MWC | CUSA | 2:00 PM | ESPN |
| New Mexico (7-5) vs. Texas-San Antonio (6-6) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-17 | Las Vegas | Pac-12 | MWC | 3:30 PM | ABC |
| Houston * (9-3) vs. San Diego St. (11-2) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-17 | Cure | AAC | SBC | 5:30 PM | CBSSN |
| Central Florida (6-6) vs. Arkansas St. (7-5) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-17 | Camellia | MAC | SBC | 5:30 PM | ESPN |
| Toledo (9-3) vs. Appalachian St. (9-3) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-17 | New Orleans | CUSA | SBC | 9:00 PM | ESPN |
| Southern Miss. (6-6) vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (6-6) | ||||||
| Mon | Dec-19 | Miami Beach | AAC | MAC | 2:30 PM | ESPN |
| Tulsa (9-3) vs. Central Michigan (6-6) | ||||||
| Tue | Dec-20 | Boca Raton | AAC | CUSA | 7:00 PM | ESPN |
| Memphis (8-4) vs. Western Kentucky (11-2) | ||||||
| Wed | Dec-21 | Poinsettia | MWC | BYU | 9:00 PM | ESPN |
| Wyoming (9-4) vs. BYU (8-4) | ||||||
| Thu | Dec-22 | Idaho Potato | MAC | MWC | 7:00 PM | ESPN |
| Idaho * (8-4) vs. Colorado St. (6-6) | ||||||
| Fri | Dec-23 | Bahamas | AAC/CUSA | MAC/CUSA | 1:00 PM | ESPN |
| Old Dominion (9-3) vs. Eastern Michigan (7-5) | ||||||
| Fri | Dec-23 | Armed Forces | Navy | Big 12 | 4:30 PM | ESPN |
| Navy (9-3) vs. Louisiana Tech (8-5) | ||||||
| Fri | Dec-23 | Dollar Gen. | MAC | SBC | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| Ohio U (8-5) vs. Troy (9-3) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-24 | Hawaii | CUSA | MWC | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| Middle Tennessee (8-4) vs. Hawaii (6-7) | ||||||
| Mon | Dec-26 | St. Petersburg | AAC | ACC/ND | 11:00 AM | ESPN |
| Miami (O) * (6-6) vs. Mississippi St. * (5-7) | ||||||
| Mon | Dec-26 | Quick Lane | ACC/ND | Big Ten | 2:30 PM | ESPN |
| Boston College (6-6) vs. Maryland (6-6) | ||||||
| Mon | Dec-26 | Independence | SEC | ACC/ND | 5:00 PM | ESPN2 |
| Vanderbilt (6-6) vs. North Carolina St. (6-6) | ||||||
| Tue | Dec-27 | Ht. of Dallas | Big Ten | CUSA | 12:00 PM | ESPN |
| Army * (6-5) vs. North Texas (5-7) | ||||||
| Tue | Dec-27 | Military | ACC/ND | AAC | 3:30 PM | ESPN |
| Wake Forest (6-6) vs. Temple (10-3) | ||||||
| Tue | Dec-27 | Holiday | Big Ten | Pac-12 | 7:00 PM | ESPN |
| Minnesota (8-4) vs. Washington St. (8-4) | ||||||
| Tue | Dec-27 | Cactus | Big 12 | Pac-12 | 10:15 PM | ESPN |
| Baylor (6-6) vs. Boise St. (10-2) | ||||||
| Wed | Dec-28 | Pinstripe | ACC/ND | Big Ten | 2:00 PM | ESPN |
| Pittsburgh (8-4) vs. Northwestern (6-6) | ||||||
| Wed | Dec-28 | Russell Athl. | ACC/ND | Big 12 | 5:30 PM | ESPN |
| Miami (Fla.) 8-4 vs. West Virginia (9-3) | ||||||
| Wed | Dec-28 | Foster Farms | Big Ten | Pac-12 | 8:30 PM | FOX |
| Indiana (6-6) vs. Utah (8-4) | ||||||
| Wed | Dec-28 | Texas | Big 12 | SEC | 9:00 PM | ESPN |
| Kansas St. (8-4) vs. Texas A&M (8-4) | ||||||
| Thu | Dec-29 | Birmingham | AAC | SEC | 2:00 PM | ESPN |
| South Florida (10-2) vs. South Carolina (6-6) | ||||||
| Thu | Dec-29 | Belk | ACC/ND | SEC | 5:30 PM | ESPN |
| Virginia Tech (9-4) vs. Arkansas (7-5) | ||||||
| Thu | Dec-29 | Alamo | Big 12 | Pac-12 | 9:00 PM | ESPN |
| Oklahoma St. (9-3) vs. Colorado (10-3) | ||||||
| Fri | Dec-30 | Liberty | Big 12 | SEC | 12:00 PM | ESPN |
| TCU (6-6) vs. Georgia (7-5) | ||||||
| Fri | Dec-30 | Sun | ACC/ND | Pac-12 | 2:00 PM | CBS |
| North Carolina (8-4) vs. Stanford (9-3) | ||||||
| Fri | Dec-30 | Music City | ACC/ND/B10 | SEC | 3:30 PM | ESPN |
| Nebraska (9-3) vs. Tennessee (8-4) | ||||||
| Fri | Dec-30 | Arizona | SBC | MWC | 5:30 PM | No TV ^ |
| South Alabama (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3) | ||||||
| Fri | Dec-30 | Orange | ACC/ND | B10/SEC | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| Florida St. (9-3) vs. Michigan (10-2) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-31 | Citrus | ACC/ND/B10 | SEC | 11:00 AM | ABC |
| Louisville (9-3) vs. LSU (7-4) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-31 | TaxSlayer | ACC/ND/B10 | SEC | 11:00 AM | ESPN |
| Georgia Tech (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-31 | Peach | Semifinal | Semifinal | 3:00 PM | ESPN |
| Alabama (13-0) vs. Washington (12-1) | ||||||
| Sat | Dec-31 | Fiesta | Semifinal | Semifinal | 7:00 PM | ESPN |
| Clemson (12-1) vs. Ohio St. (11-1) | ||||||
| Mon | Jan-2 | Outback | Big Ten | SEC | 1:00 PM | ABC |
| Iowa (8-4) vs. Florida (8-4) | ||||||
| Mon | Jan-2 | Cotton | At-Large | At-Large | 1:00 PM | ESPN |
| Western Michigan (13-0) vs. Wisconsin (10-3) | ||||||
| Mon | Jan-2 | Rose | Big Ten | Pac-12 | 5:00 PM | ESPN |
| Penn St. (11-2) vs. USC (9-3) | ||||||
| Mon | Jan-2 | Sugar | Big 12 | SEC | 8:30 PM | ESPN |
| Oklahoma (10-2) vs. Auburn (8-4) | ||||||
| Mon | Jan-9 | Championship | Semifinal | Winners | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
| Alabama/Washington vs. Clemson/Ohio St. | ||||||
- * Replacement Team
- ^ Arizona Bowl will be broadcast online only at Campus Insiders website
The Pi-Rate Ratings 