CFN 2010 Final Rankings
No. 51 to No. 75
- CFN
2009 Final Rankings
- CFN 2008 Final Rankings
2010 CFN Final Rankings
- The
Top 10 |
Rankings
11-25 | Rankings
26-50
- Rankings
51-75 |
Rankings 76-100 | The
Bottom 20
The Formula's Components:
1. Wins. - If you win, everything else falls into place. Each
win counts as 1.
2. Quality Wins - The number of wins over teams that
finished with a winning record. Each win counts as
1.
3. Elite Wins - The number of wins over teams that
finished with two losses or fewer. Each win counts
as 1 with a road win over an Elite team getting an
extra 0.5. Also counting as 1 is a road win over a
team that finished with three losses or fewer (but
the extra 0.5 isn't added). A win over a team that finishes with
three losses in a bowl game counts as one.
4. Bad Loss - The number of losses to teams that
finished with three wins or fewer or a loss to a FCS
(DI-AA) team. Each loss counts as minus-1. Take away
an additional 0.5 for a Bad Loss at home.
5. Bad Win - The number of wins to teams that
finished with three wins or fewer, or a win over a
D-IAA team. Each win counts as minus 0.25.
6. Elite Loss - The number of losses to teams that
finished with two losses or fewer. Each loss counts
as 0.25.
7. Point Differential - Points for minus points
against divided by 100.
8. Winning Percentage - To take losses into account,
winning percentage is in the mix. Total wins is the
tie-breaker followed by winning percentage.
75. Cincinnati (4-8) 2010 CFN Score: 6.22
2010 CFN Preseason Rank:
42
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 8-4
2009 Final Ranking: 6
2009 Final Score. 22.44
2008 Final Ranking: 21
2008 Final Score: 16.09
Key Stat: UC was
next-to-last in the nation in turnover margin.
Butch Jones wasn’t able to keep the momentum going
from a near-miss for the national title from the
Brian Kelly era. The offense was fine, but it
couldn’t stop turning the ball over and the team
couldn’t come up with a key win over the second half
of the season losing five of the final six games.
There were nice wins over Miami University and
Louisville, but that wasn’t nearly enough to make
the season a positive.
74. Iowa State (5-7)
2010 CFN Score: 6.31
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 63
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 4-8
2009 Final Ranking: 67
2009 Final Score. 8.12
2008 Final Ranking: 110
2008 Final Score: 0.66
Key Stat: ISU was
last in the Big 12 in sacks for the second year in a
row
Still trying to get over the Gene Chizik disaster,
Iowa State struggled through injuries late in the
year to miss out on a bowl game. The Cyclones came
up with wins over Northern Illinois, Texas Tech, and
Texas, and they also came within an overtime misfire
of beating Nebraska. Even so, losing the final three
games ended a good year on a major down note.
73. Rutgers (4-8) 2010
CFN Score: 6.40
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 37
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 7-5
2009 Final Ranking: 32
2009 Final Score. 13.36
2008 Final Ranking: 38
2008 Final Score: 12.69
Key Stat: The
Scarlet Knights were last in America in sacks
allowed.
The season was dominated by the Eric LeGrand tragedy
as the Scarlet Knights never recovered. After he was
paralyzed in the win over Army, Rutgers lost its
final six games after a 6-2 start. There were some
quality wins over FIU, UConn and Army, but the
offense fizzled finishing last in the Big East in
yards and scoring thanks to an offensive line that
was among the least effective in America.
72. Tennessee (6-7)
2010 CFN Score: 6.46
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 42
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 6-6
2009 Final Ranking: 39
2009 Final Score. 12.21
2008 Final Ranking: 66
2008 Final Score: 6.99
Key Stat: The Vols
were 115th in the nation in sacks allowed and 105th
in rushing.
The season could’ve been far better with a few more
breaks. The Vols weren’t very good, but they were on
the wrong side of controversial late losses to LSU
and North Carolina, but they got a break with a
miraculous win over UAB in double overtime. After an
awful start to the season, they took advantage of
the lousy late slate to win four in a row to go
bowling. There are major positives going forward,
like QB Tyler Bray, but its’ still going to be a
little while before the program is back to being
among the elite.
71. Army (7-6) 2010 CFN
Score: 6.84
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 78
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 5-7
2009 Final Ranking: 104
2009 Final Score. 1.88
2008 Final Ranking: 1.18
2008 Final Score: 108
Key Stat: Army was last
in the nation in passing averaging 78 yards per
game.
A huge success, Rich Ellerson managed to take Army
to a bowl game and win it, getting by SMU in the
Armed Forces Bowl. The passing game was
non-existent, but the defense was shockingly good
and the team managed to do the little things right
beating all the bad teams on the slate. There might
have been another loss to Navy, and there was only
one two-game winning streak, but 7-6 is still a
great year.
70. Kentucky (6-7) 2010
CFN Score: 7.08
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 46
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 6-6
2009 Final Ranking: 55
2009 Final Score. 9.73
2008 Final Ranking: 57
2008 Final Score: 8.94
Key Stat: UK was 14th
in passing in 2009 and 23rd in 2010.
Joker Phillips tried to keep the Rich Brooks
momentum going, and while the season ended with a
thud, losing two straight including a tough BBVA
Compass Bowl performance against Pitt, six wins and
a bowl game was still solid. However, the Cats were
just 2-6 in SEC play, in a bad year for the East,
and there was only one quality win - Louisville in
the opener.
69. Georgia (6-7)
2010 CFN Score: 7.26
2010 CFN Preseason Rank:
3
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 10-2
2009 Final Ranking: 30
2009 Final Score. 13.76
2008 Final Ranking: 14
2008 Final Score: 16.92
Key Stat: The Dawgs
led the nation in net punting in 2009 and were
fourth in 2010.
Oooooops. CFN’s preseason darling never got going
thanks to A.J. Green’s suspension early on and no
consistency. After an ugly 1-4 start, the Dawgs
settled down to win five of their final seven
regular season games, with the losses coming to
Florida in overtime and against Auburn, but just
when it seemed like they’d go out on a high note,
they clunked in a 10-6 loss to UCF in the Liberty
Bowl.
68. Toledo (8-5) 2010
CFN Score: 7.54
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 92
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 5-7
2009 Final Ranking: 91
2009 Final Score. 3.96
2008 Final Ranking: 107
2008 Final Score: 1.67
Key Stat: Toledo was
last in the nation in punting netting 28.68 yards
per punt in 2009 and averaged just 31.72 yards per
kick in 2010.
Head coach Tim Beckman didn’t get much out of his
offense, and his defense was spotty, but the Rockets
still managed to come up with eight wins and a bowl
game in a breakthrough season. There was a bad loss
to Wyoming at home, and there was a nice win over
Ohio on the road, but for the most part, Toledo beat
the teams it was supposed to and got walloped by the
stars, losing to Boise state 57-14 and to Northern
Illinois 65-30. However, winning five of the last
six games meant a bowl bid, even though it ended
with a disappointing loss to FIU.
67. Oregon State (5-7)
2010 CFN Score: 7.63
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 21
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 7-5
2009 Final Ranking: 37
2009 Final Score. 12.46
2008 Final Ranking: 23
2008 Final Score: 15.41
Key Stat: Oregon
State was 107th in the nation in sacks allowed and
97th in rushing.
The Beavers had the misfortune of playing TCU, Boise
State, Oregon, and Stanford – four elite teams. But
that wasn’t their excuse for a 5-7 season. Not
beating the starts is fine, but losing to UCLA and
Washington State killed bowl hopes. On the plus
side, there was a good win over USC and beating
Arizona and Arizona State was a major positive, but
for a team that’s used to being in the Pac 10 title
chase, 5-7 doesn’t cut it.
66. Boston College (7-6)
2010 CFN Score: 7.65
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 28
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 9-3
2009 Final Ranking: 48
2009 Final Score. 11.52
2008 Final Ranking: 25
2008 Final Score: 15.28
Key Stat: BC was
109th in the nation in total offense and scoring
offense.
Offense. Boston College didn’t have much of one
finishing last in the ACC in both yards and scoring.
Even so, the team rallied over the second half of
the season winning five straight before the Kraft
Fight Hunger Bowl loss to Nevada. There was only one
decent win and that was at the end of the regular
season at Syracuse. Close losses to Florida State
and Maryland kept the season from being great … that
and the lack of a passing game.
65. Texas (5-7)
2010 CFN Score: 7.68
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 10
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 10-2
2009 Final Ranking: 4
2009 Final Score. 24.09
2008 Final Ranking: 3
2008 Final Score: 25.24
Key Stat: Texas was
116th in the nation in turnover margin and 103rd in
passing efficiency.
Texas isn’t exactly used to being anything less than
elite, and a losing season is nothing short of
disastrous on an epic scale. The offense was
embarrassingly inept, killing a good, but not great
season from the defense. Even with all the problems,
things weren’t all that bad early on with a 4-2
start and a win over Nebraska. A home stretch was
supposed to solve all the problems but the Longhorns
lost four of the final five home dates and five of
the final six games overall.
64. Northwestern (7-6)
2010 CFN Score: 11.56
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 53
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 7-5
2009 Final Ranking: 47
2009 Final Score. 11.56
2008 Final Ranking: 49
2008 Final Score: 10.74
Key Stat:
Northwestern was last in the Big Ten and 112th in
the nation in sacks allowed.
Dan Persa. Northwestern started off 5-0 and got bowl
eligible with a win over Indiana to go 6-2. Persa
managed to come up with a heroic performance to beat
Iowa, tore his Achilles heel, and that was NU’s
season as the run defense went out the window in
blowout losses to Illinois and Wisconsin before
valiantly losing to Texas Tech in the TicketCity
Bowl. The Cats are looking to do more, but a winning
season and a bowl game is still solid considering
the limitations.
63. FIU (7-6)
2010 CFN Score: 7.98
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 110
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 3-9
2009 Final Ranking: 105
2009 Final Score. 1.76
2008 Final Ranking: 90
2008 Final Score: 4.23
Key Stat: The Golden
Panthers were next-to-last in America in total
defense in 2009 and finishes first in the Sun Belt,
and 61st overall, in 2010.
In one of the best stories of the college football
season, FIU went from disastrous to Sun Belt
champion with the league’s best defense and a timely
offense. After an 0-4 start, the Golden Panthers won
seven of their final nine games including a Little
Caesars Pizza Bowl victory over Toledo. The win over
the Rockets was the only quality victory, but for a
program that’s never done anything, 7-6 and a bowl
win qualifies as the best season ever.
62. East Carolina (6-7) 2010 CFN Score: 8.27
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 99
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 6-6
2009 Final Ranking: 29
2009 Final Score. 13.85
2008 Final Ranking: 34
2008 Final Score: 13.72
Key Stat: ECU was
last in the nation in total defense and 119th in
scoring defense
The offense was as dynamic and as exciting as any in
America, and it had to be as Ruffin McNeill’s
defense couldn’t stop anyone finishing dead last in
yards allowed. After a thrilling start, with
miraculous wins over Tulsa, Southern Miss, and NC
State on the way to a 5-2 record, the Pirates were
awful losing five of their last six including a
51-20 blowout bowl loss to Maryland.
61. SMU (7-7) 2010 CFN Score: 8.51
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 87
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 5-7
2009 Final Ranking: 61
2009 Final Score. 9.33
2008 Final Ranking: 114
2008 Final Score: -1.69
Key Stat: SMU was
111th in the nation in turnover margin.
SMU might not have taken a huge step forward, but it
was another solid season under June Jones winning
seven games and going bowling. Losing the Conference
USA title game and the Armed Forces Bowl to Army put
a sour taste on the finish, but for a program still
rising from mediocrity, 2010 showed that the success
should be here to stay as long as Jones is around.
60. Kansas State (7-6) 2010 CFN Score: 8.63
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 65
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 4-8
2009 Final Ranking: 72
2009 Final Score. 6.71
2008 Final Ranking: 83
2008 Final Score: 5.06
Key Stat: KSU
were next to last in America against the run
allowing 231 yards per game.
The Wildcats couldn’t stop the run and couldn’t throw a lick, but they got back to a bowl game under Bill Snyder and had a fun, interesting season. After starting out 4-0 and 5-1, the problems started to come in Big 12 play until a nice, easy win over a bad Texas team put KSU over the top. The lone Quality Win, though, can in a great victory over UCF, but the fun of that went away quickly after getting run over by Nebraska the game after.
59. Clemson (6-7) 2010 CFN Score: 8.64
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 33
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 7-5
2009 Final Ranking: 24
2009 Final Score. 14.64
2008 Final Ranking: 45
2008 Final Score: 11.31
Key Stat: Clemson was tenth in the ACC
in total offense and scoring offense.
The Tigers were disappointing after playing for the ACC title in 2009, losing three of the final four games including a bowl loss to USF. The offense failed to find its identity, and while the defense was among the best in the ACC, it wasn’t enough to overcome an attack that couldn’t find any firepower. The highlight was the close call against Auburn with a missed field goal in overtime.
58. Baylor (7-6) 2010 CFN Score: 8.88
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 66
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 5-7
2009 Final Ranking: 85
2009 Final Score. 4.55
2008 Final Ranking: 92
2008 Final Score: 4.17
Key Stat: The Bears
were 13th in the nation in total offense.
The Bears had their best season since joining the Big 12 with a win over Texas and a bowl appearance, but all the fun fell flat with a four game losing streak to close out the year including an ugly bowl loss to Illinois. Not only did BU close out ugly; it got blown out in all four games. there was only one win over a winning team, Kansas State, and the games against the elite – TCU, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State – were ugly.
57. Fresno State (8-5) 2010 CFN Score: 9.24
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 68
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 8-5
2009 Final Ranking: 54
2009 Final Score. 9.83
2008 Final Ranking: 65
2008 Final Score: 7.60
Key Stat: Fresno
State was second-to-last in the nation in sacks in
2009, and was ninth in 2010.
Another year, another year when Fresno State fell flat in big WAC games. The lone good win came late in the season against Illinois, but the 40-17 bowl loss to Northern Illinois was an embarrassment. The offense wasn’t consistent and the defense didn’t take advantage of the pass rush, and it showed in the 51-0 loss to Boise State. However, the Bulldogs gave Nevada one of its toughest games of the year in a 35-34 loss.
56. Troy (8-5) 2010 CFN Score: 10.37
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 100
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 7-5
2009 Final Ranking: 49
2009 Final Score. 10.95
2008 Final Ranking: 47
2008 Final Score: 10.86
Key Stat: The
Trojans finished fifth in the nation in sacks.
2008 Score: 10.86 2008 Ranking: 47
Helped by a late FIU loss, Troy managed to win
another part of a Sun Belt title and went on to
blast Ohio in the New Orleans Bowl. This wasn’t one
of the better Trojan teams, and there was only one
win over a team with a pulse, the Bobcats, but the
offense put up a ton of points and this was an
entertaining squad that made things interesting
every week.
55. Arizona State (6-6) 2010 CFN Score: 9.37
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 54
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 5-7
2009 Final Ranking: 90
2009 Final Score. 3.98
2008 Final Ranking: 87
2008 Final Score: 4.94
Key Stat: ASU was eighth in the nation in tackles for loss..
Arizona State didn’t learn the less from 2009 Kansas State – you never, ever, schedule two FCS teams. The Sun Devils started out the year beating Portland State and Northern Arizona, and it cost them a bowl appearance. The defense was great and the passing game was stellar at times, and it all added up to a near-miss year with close calls against Wisconsin, Oregon, and Stanford. However, a 50-17 clunker against Cal will be the one the team is kicking itself over.
54. BYU (7-6)
2010 CFN Score: 9.63
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 56
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 9-3
2009 Final Ranking: 11
2009 Final Score. 18.16
2008 Final Ranking: 33
2008 Final Score: 13.87
Key Stat: The
Cougars finished second in the Mountain West in
total defense.
After a disastrous 1-4 start, the Cougars settled down to win six of their final eight games including a blowout win over UTEP in the New Mexico Bowl. It helped to get a back half of the schedule against several truly awful teams, but the win over San Diego State was solid and starting off the year with a win over Washington helped the overall ranking.
53. North Carolina (8-5) 2010 CFN Score: 9.64
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 13
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 9-3
2009 Final Ranking: 31
2009 Final Score. 13.49
2008 Final Ranking: 26
2008 Final Score: 15.22
Key Stat: The Tar
Heels were 104th in the nation in sacks allowed.
Oh what might have been. North Carolina was supposed to be a killer with one of the most talented defenses in America, but suspensions proved costly. There was only one win over a team that finished with a winning record, Florida State, but late losses to Virginia Tech and NC State kept a good season from being great. After all the problems, the Tar Heels got their break in the classic double overtime bowl win over Tennessee.
52. Ohio (8-5) 2010 CFN Score: 9.85
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 81
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 8-4
2009 Final Ranking: 41
2009 Final Score. 12.13
2008 Final Ranking: 95
2008 Final Score: 3.45
Key Stat: Ohio
averaged 164 rushing yards and 162 passing yards per
game.
Another year, another solid season from Frank Solich’s club. While Ohio failed to get to the MAC title game for a second year in a row, it managed to get to a bowl game and got blasted by Troy 48-21. The two Quality Wins over MAC champion Miami University and Temple helped offset the other six wins over some of the most miserable teams in college football.
51. Temple (8-4) 2010 CFN Score: 10.13
2010 CFN Preseason Rank: 77
CFN 2010 Preseason Prediction: 8-4
2009 Final Ranking: 60
2009 Final Score. 9.38
2008 Final Ranking: 86
2008 Final Score: 4.96
Key Stat: The Owls
were 16th in the nation in total defense.
Temple’s season was a failure in several ways, including losing Al Golden to Miami. The talent was there to win the MAC, but the Owls didn’t even get to the title game. Despite an 8-4 season and a win over Connecticut, they failed to get a bowl bid after gagging away the East with losses to Ohio and Miami University. The blowout wins helped the ranking.
2010 CFN Final Rankings
- The
Top 10 |
Rankings
11-25 | Rankings
26-50
- Rankings
51-75 |
Rankings 76-100 | The
Bottom 20