Article:College Football Power Rankings; OSU no. 1, Georgia no. 2

= College Football Power Rankings =

2008 Pre-Season Ranking By Paul Bessire, WhatIfSports.com July 22nd, 2008

WhatIfSports simulated every possible matchup in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) 100 times, and used the winning percentages from those 700,000+ games to deterministically evaluate all teams to come up with the best possible ranking of how every team compares to every other team. The inputs to the simulations are based on a rigorous analysis of each team that first considers strength-of-schedule-adjusted team and player ratings from 2007 and then makes modifications for 2008 based on returning starters (who, where and how many), expected progression of returning players in new roles, depth at each position and incoming recruits and transfers.

Check back August 11th when we begin unveiling projected scores for every FBS game as part of our comprehensive 2008 College Football Preview. The preview will also include conference standings, projected bowl matchups, updated power rankings and BCS results.

Teams Ranked by Winning Percentage (everyone plays everyone 100 times)


 * | Team | Win Pct | PF/G | PA/G |
 * 1. | Ohio State Buckeyes | 98.9% | 48.9 | 7.6 |
 * 2. | Georgia Bulldogs | 97.7% | 45.5 | 10.3 |
 * 3. | Oklahoma Sooners | 94.8% | 48.2 | 18.2 |
 * 4. | LSU Tigers | 94.6% | 42.6 | 11.5 |
 * 5. | USC Trojans | 94.0% | 41.2 | 10.6 |
 * 6. | W. Virginia Mountaineers | 91.5% | 41.6 | 17.8 |
 * 7. | Clemson Tigers | 89.1% | 36.6 | 14.5 |
 * 8. | Florida Gators | 86.1% | 39.2 | 18.7 |
 * 9. | Missouri Tigers | 86.0% | 41.7 | 22.6 |
 * 10. | Wisconsin Badgers | 84.5% | 34.7 | 16.4 |
 * 11. | Texas Longhorns | 83.9% | 39.0 | 21.2 |
 * 12. | Illinois Fighting Illini | 83.0% | 35.0 | 18.5 |
 * 13. | Alabama Crimson Tide | 82.0% | 33.4 | 17.0 |
 * 14. | WF Demon Deacons | 80.0% | 29.4 | 15.6 |
 * 15. | Kansas Jayhawks | 78.3% | 38.6 | 24.1 |
 * 16. | Texas Tech Red Raiders | 77.6% | 34.3 | 20.9 |
 * 17. | Virginia Tech Hokies | 77.5% | 28.4 | 16.0 |
 * 18. | Auburn Tigers | 76.7% | 25.3 | 13.6 |
 * 19. | South Florida Bulls | 74.3% | 32.8 | 20.3 |
 * 20. | Brigham Young Cougars | 72.5% | 33.7 | 23.9 |

Team

| Win Pct | PF/G | PA/G |
 * 21. | Fresno State Bulldogs | 72.1% | 36.8 | 26.7 |
 * 22. | Arizona St. Sun Devils | 70.4% | 32.4 | 23.2 |
 * 23. | Tennessee Volunteers | 69.1% | 35.0 | 24.8 |
 * 24. | Michigan Wolverines | 68.7% | 29.0 | 20.9 |
 * 25. | Cincinnati Bearcats | 68.0% | 30.1 | 21.6 |
 * 26. | Utah Utes | 67.6% | 28.0 | 20.3 |
 * 27. | Purdue Boilermakers | 67.4% | 30.3 | 22.4 |
 * 28. | Oklahoma State Cowboys | 66.7% | 36.9 | 29.9 |
 * 29. | Oregon Ducks | 66.6% | 28.7 | 20.7 |
 * 30. | Maryland Terrapins | 66.1% | 31.0 | 25.0 |
 * 31. | Pittsburgh Panthers | 65.6% | 28.2 | 20.2 |
 * 32. | Michigan State Spartans | 64.8% | 28.0 | 22.5 |
 * 33. | UCLA Bruins | 64.8% | 26.9 | 20.5 |
 * 34. | TCU Horned Frogs | 64.5% | 25.2 | 18.9 |
 * 35. | Indiana Hoosiers | 63.5% | 28.7 | 24.0 |
 * 36. | Louisville Cardinals | 63.4% | 35.9 | 31.3 |
 * 37. | Florida State Seminoles | 63.1% | 27.1 | 21.6 |
 * 38. | North Carolina Tar Heels | 62.9% | 30.6 | 24.6 |
 * 39. | Penn State Nittany Lions | 62.9% | 28.3 | 23.1 |
 * 40. | Rutgers Scarlet Knights | 61.9% | 29.6 | 24.7 |

Team

| Win Pct | PF/G | PA/G |
 * 41. | East Carolina Pirates | 61.7% | 28.5 | 23.7 |
 * 42. | California Golden Bears | 61.4% | 30.7 | 26.0 |
 * 43. | S. Carolina Gamecocks | 61.3% | 26.1 | 22.0 |
 * 44. | Houston Cougars | 61.0% | 29.4 | 24.9 |
 * 45. | Boise State Broncos | 60.0% | 27.9 | 23.2 |
 * 46. | Connecticut Huskies | 59.8% | 27.3 | 22.2 |
 * 47. | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | 59.7% | 25.7 | 22.0 |
 * 48. | UCF Knights | 59.1% | 25.8 | 21.1 |
 * 49. | Arkansas Razorbacks | 58.7% | 27.7 | 24.0 |
 * 50. | Kansas State Wildcats | 58.0% | 31.7 | 28.4 |
 * 51. | Nevada Wolf Pack | 57.3% | 35.5 | 32.4 |
 * 52. | Arizona Wildcats | 57.0% | 28.8 | 25.6 |
 * 53. | Kentucky Wildcats | 56.2% | 22.6 | 19.3 |
 * 54. | New Mexico Lobos | 55.3% | 22.9 | 20.8 |
 * 55. | C. Michigan Chippewas | 54.3% | 30.4 | 28.5 |
 * 56. | Air Force Falcons | 52.6% | 26.9 | 26.7 |
 * 57. | Florida Atlantic Owls | 52.5% | 27.7 | 26.5 |
 * 58. | Mississippi State Bulldogs | 52.3% | 20.4 | 19.7 |
 * 59. | Colorado Buffaloes | 52.2% | 26.2 | 25.7 |
 * 60. | Boston College Eagles | 51.3% | 21.6 | 21.7 |

Team

| Win Pct | PF/G | PA/G |
 * 61. | Tulsa Golden Hurricane | 51.3% | 32.0 | 31.6 |
 * 62. | Ball State Cardinals | 51.0% | 30.7 | 31.5 |
 * 63. | GA Tech Yellow Jackets | 50.7% | 25.5 | 25.2 |
 * 64. | Mississippi Rebels | 50.2% | 25.7 | 25.0 |
 * 65. | Nebraska Cornhuskers | 49.6% | 26.4 | 25.7 |
 * 66. | Iowa Hawkeyes | 49.4% | 22.4 | 23.3 |
 * 67. | Wyoming Cowboys | 47.6% | 20.3 | 21.5 |
 * 68. | Washington Huskies | 47.5% | 29.0 | 29.7 |
 * 69. | Texas A&M Aggies | 47.4% | 29.2 | 31.2 |
 * 70. | Navy Midshipmen | 47.1% | 27.5 | 28.9 |
 * 71. | Oregon State Beavers | 46.6% | 19.8 | 22.4 |
 * 72. | Miami (FL) Hurricanes | 45.8% | 20.8 | 22.5 |
 * 73. | Miami (OH) RedHawks | 44.8% | 20.4 | 22.8 |
 * 74. | Temple Owls | 42.8% | 21.5 | 25.4 |
 * 75. | Hawaii Warriors | 42.6% | 22.2 | 26.1 |
 * 76. | Duke Blue Devils | 40.9% | 20.0 | 24.8 |
 * 77. | Northwestern Wildcats | 40.7% | 24.3 | 28.8 |
 * 78. | Minn. Golden Gophers | 39.5% | 30.1 | 34.4 |
 * 79. | W. Michigan Broncos | 39.5% | 21.3 | 26.6 |
 * 80. | S. Miss Golden Eagles | 38.4% | 22.7 | 28.5 |

Team

| Win Pct | PF/G | PA/G |
 * 81. | Ohio Bobcats | 36.4% | 21.4 | 27.9 |
 * 82. | Washington St. Cougars | 36.4% | 20.9 | 28.5 |
 * 83. | SMU Mustangs | 36.2% | 25.9 | 33.3 |
 * 84. | Bowling Green Falcons | 36.0% | 22.3 | 29.0 |
 * 85. | Virginia Cavaliers | 35.9% | 16.3 | 22.7 |
 * 86. | Rice Owls | 35.6% | 23.2 | 29.8 |
 * 87. | LA-Monroe Warhawks | 35.6% | 23.5 | 30.7 |
 * 88. | Baylor Bears | 34.0% | 22.4 | 30.0 |
 * 89. | Colorado St. Rams | 33.8% | 21.1 | 29.8 |
 * 90. | Buffalo Bulls | 30.2% | 22.2 | 31.6 |
 * 91. | Arkansas St. Indians | 27.5% | 19.2 | 30.1 |
 * 92. | UNLV Rebels | 26.7% | 21.9 | 33.6 |
 * 93. | UTEP Miners | 26.6% | 18.7 | 30.3 |
 * 94. | Kent St. Golden Flashes | 26.5% | 19.1 | 30.3 |
 * 95. | Northern Illinois Huskies | 25.7% | 20.0 | 32.1 |
 * 96. | New Mexico State Aggies | 25.1% | 20.6 | 32.8 |
 * 97. | Memphis Tigers | 25.0% | 18.6 | 30.9 |
 * 98. | Vanderbilt Commodores | 24.8% | 16.2 | 28.7 |
 * 99. | Toledo Rockets | 23.8% | 21.7 | 34.1 |
 * 100. | Idaho Vandals | 23.3% | 19.8 | 32.7 |

Team

| Win Pct | PF/G | PA/G |
 * 101. | Marshall Thundering Herd | 23.3% | 20.4 | 33.3 |
 * 102. | Syracuse Orange | 22.2% | 18.8 | 32.5 |
 * 103. | LA-Laf Ragin' Cajuns | 21.8% | 21.6 | 36.1 |
 * 104. | Stanford Cardinal | 21.4% | 16.0 | 30.5 |
 * 105. | Mid Tenn Blue Raiders | 21.2% | 16.5 | 31.0 |
 * 106. | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs | 18.6% | 15.6 | 31.1 |
 * 107. | North Texas Mean Green | 18.6% | 16.6 | 33.4 |
 * 108. | Troy Trojans | 18.1% | 13.8 | 30.4 |
 * 109. | E. Michigan Eagles | 17.0% | 14.9 | 33.3 |
 * 110. | Tulane Green Wave | 16.9% | 17.4 | 34.8 |
 * 111. | NC St. Wolfpack | 16.6% | 13.5 | 31.7 |
 * 112. | Akron Zips | 14.7% | 13.0 | 31.8 |
 * 113. | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers | 14.7% | 14.8 | 33.7 |
 * 114. | San Jose State Spartans | 14.2% | 11.3 | 32.3 |
 * 115. | Iowa State Cyclones | 13.8% | 12.6 | 31.7 |
 * 116. | UAB Blazers | 13.1% | 13.9 | 32.4 |
 * 117. | Utah State Aggies | 9.9% | 12.2 | 36.6 |
 * 118. | San Diego State Aztecs | 9.3% | 11.6 | 36.5 |
 * 119. | Fla. Int. Golden Panthers | 5.3% | 10.3 | 38.0 |
 * 120. | Army Black Knights | 5.3% | 8.4 | 35.3 |

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