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How good were the seasons? Based on schedules, wins, and how hard the victories were – and how bad the losses were – the 2015 College Football Season Rankings

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2015 College Football Season Rankings: No. 31-40

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– Explanation of the College Football Season Rankings and the components

40. Washington Huskies, Pac-12

Considering it was a fight just to get bowling, the Huskies turned out okay closing out with three straight wins including a blasting of Washington State in the Apple Cup and a 44-31 win over Southern Miss in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. However, for all the positives, UW was so, so close to making this a phenomenal year losing a heartbreaker to Boise State to start things out and with tough losses to Cal and Oregon early on. Beating USC on the road and crushing Arizona showed off the potential for a young team that should come back roaring.

2015 Season Ranking Score 12.83

2015 Record 7-6
2015 Preseason Prediction 6-6
2015 Preseason Ranking 54
2014 Final Season Ranking 64

39. Pitt Panthers, ACC

Considering the loss of superstar RB James Conner, and despite a turnover in the coaching staff, new head man Pat Narduzzi came up with a good year starting out 6-1 with the lone loss coming to Iowa, and then came home losses to North Carolina and Notre Dame that stunk, but turned out to be more than acceptable. Closing out with losses to Miami and Navy might have ended things with a thud, but the four Quality Wins made it a solid season. By the way, notice the 2015 Preseason Ranking.

2015 Season Ranking Score 12.90

2015 Record 8-5
2015 Preseason Prediction 6-6
2015 Preseason Ranking 39
2014 Final Season Ranking 70

38. Wisconsin Badgers, Big Ten

It was a season of what might have been. Obviously there was no shame in losing to Alabama to start the season, but the losses to Iowa and Northwestern at home were total gags, turning the ball over in painful fashion to drop both games. The Badgers did what they were supposed to do in easy win after easy win, but they didn’t get their first Quality Win until the thrilling 23-21 Holiday Bowl victory over USC.

2015 Season Ranking Score 12.97

2015 Record 10-3
2015 Preseason Prediction 11-1
2015 Preseason Ranking 12
2014 Final Season Ranking 7

37. Georgia Bulldogs, SEC

Considering it was a disappointing season in terms of not winning the SEC East, taking ten wins and closing out with five straight victories was yet another good-but-not-good-enough season for Mark Richt. But the Bulldogs didn’t win the really big games, losing three in a four game stretch to Alabama, Tennessee and Florida – that defined the season, and the end of the Richt era. On the year, Georgia went 10-0 when allowing fewer than 27 points, 0-3 when allowing 27 or more.

2015 Season Ranking Score 13.24

2015 Record 10-3
2015 Preseason Prediction 9-3
2015 Preseason Ranking 15
2014 Final Season Ranking 15

36. Florida Gators, SEC

How crazy was Jim McElwain’s first season? He started out 6-0, and then 10-1 with the lone loss coming to LSU. His team rolled over Georgia and barely got by Vanderbilt and Kentucky, but it was all good enough to get to the SEC championship game. But the offense failed to show up over the second half of the season scoring just 24 points over the final three games – all losses. The 41-7 Citrus Bowl loss to Michigan was embarrassing, but give McElwain credit – he turned the program around.

2015 Season Ranking Score 13.90

2015 Record 10-4
2015 Preseason Prediction 8-4
2015 Preseason Ranking 27
2014 Final Season Ranking 53

35. Boise State Broncos, Mountain West

The Broncos didn’t win the Mountain West title, and they didn’t even win the Mountain division, but they still turned in a big year helped by a 55-7 blowout win over Northern Illinois in the Poinsettia Bowl, and with a nice victory over Washington to start the season. But the year was defined by back-to-back losses at home to New Mexico and Air Force in the span of six days, blowing a shot at defending the conference title.

2015 Season Ranking Score 14.14

2015 Record 9-4
2015 Preseason Prediction 11-1
2015 Preseason Ranking 40
2014 Final Season Ranking 5

34. UCLA Bruins, Pac-12

All the craziness over the rise of freshman QB Josh Rosen in a 4-0 start fell off with losses to Arizona State and Stanford, but just when everything started roiling again, the Bruins faltered. Considering all the returning talent, the season should’ve been better. Considering all the injuries, 8-5 with a road with at Utah wasn’t all that bad except for the blowout loss to USC and the inexcusable Foster Farms Bowl loss to a five-win Nebraska team to close things out.

2015 Season Ranking Score 14.18

2015 Record 8-5
2015 Preseason Prediction 11-1
2015 Preseason Ranking 3
2014 Final Season Ranking 12

33. Temple Owls, American Athletic

The Owls might have lost the American Athletic Conference championship to Houston, and they might have gotten drilled by Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, but it was still a huge ten-win year. Starting out with a historic victory over Penn State was a nice way to kick things off, and going 7-0 made thins fun before losing a nationally-televised heartbreaker to Notre Dame. The Owls destroyed Memphis and rolled over UConn and beat Cincinnati – and they kept their head coach.

2015 Season Ranking Score 14.32

2015 Record 10-4
2015 Preseason Prediction 6-6
2015 Preseason Ranking 85
2014 Final Season Ranking 77

32. Western Michigan Broncos, MAC

The Broncos got their share of time on the big stage losing just games to Michigan State and Ohio State early, but coming up with an Elite Win at Toledo in the regular season finale. It was good or bad among the eight wins, with four of the victories Quality Wins, and the other four Bad Wins. Outside of a 43-17 blowout to Georgia Southern early on, WMU beat the teams they were supposed to.

2015 Season Ranking Score 14.62

2015 Record 8-5
2015 Preseason Prediction 8-4
2015 Preseason Ranking 72
2014 Final Season Ranking 57

31. Appalachian State Mountaineers, Sun Belt

They didn’t win the Sun Belt championship, but the Mountaineers came up with the program’s first ever bowl win with a walk-off kick to beat Ohio in the Camellia. The two losses came to Clemson and to an Arkansas State team that went unbeaten in the Sun Belt – that’s not bad. How impressive was the offense? ASU lost both games when they scored fewer than 28 points, and scored more in all ten wins.

2015 Season Ranking Score 14.64

2015 Record 11-2
2015 Preseason Prediction 8-4
2015 Preseason Ranking 95
2014 Final Season Ranking 74

The Season 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.