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ABAALL BIG ANALYTICSCFB DATA HUB · POWERED BY THE B1G+A MODEL
Updated through Week 6 results

Ratings

B1G+A POWER RANKINGS

Every FBS team, ranked by the B1G+A model: the B1G+A rating (a weighted blend of ESPN FPI and the B1G+A Power Rating) plus record, strength of record, quality wins and head-to-head results.

Refit Oct 13, 1:16 AM CT from 448 completed 2026 games · this week: 70% ESPN FPI + 30% B1G+A Power Rating · ESPN FPI (ESPN updated 2026-10-12T08:00Z)

B1G+A B1G POWER RANKINGS

Week 7 · all 18 Big Ten teams · card (PNG)
How to read this: B1G+A rating = how many points better (+) or worse (−) than an average FBS team the team is on a neutral field: 70% ESPN FPI + 30% B1G+A Power Rating this week.
Power rtg = the pure B1G+A Power Rating (game results + box-score efficiency only), same scale. Rank also counts résumé and head-to-head, so a higher rating can rank lower.
Data note = one standout fact about the team: its best FBS offense/defense rank, a head-to-head or quality win, or its B1G+A rating rank.
RkTeamRecB1G+A rating (pts vs avg FBS team)Power rtgCFP oddsData note
1 Indiana6-0+24.324.3 pts better than an average FBS team+21.690.6%No. 1 defense in FBS
2 Ohio State5-1+26.926.9 pts better than an average FBS team+23.876.0%Top-5 offense and defense
3 UCLA5-0+11.511.5 pts better than an average FBS team+14.332.1%Head-to-head win over Oregon
4 Oregon3-2+17.717.7 pts better than an average FBS team+13.49.1%Beat B1G+A top-25 USC
5 Nebraska5-1+15.415.4 pts better than an average FBS team+10.620.0%No. 20 offense in FBS
6 USC6-1+13.113.1 pts better than an average FBS team+9.713.8%No. 14 offense in FBS
7 Iowa5-1+12.312.3 pts better than an average FBS team+10.619.9%No. 12 defense in FBS
8 Northwestern4-1+12.812.8 pts better than an average FBS team+9.911.9%Best unit: No. 31 offense
9 Wisconsin4-1+9.79.7 pts better than an average FBS team+8.410.1%No. 22 defense in FBS
10 Purdue3-3+3.03.0 pts better than an average FBS team+2.20.0%Head-to-head win over Minnesota
11 Minnesota4-2−0.20.2 pts worse than an average FBS team−1.40.0%Head-to-head win over Michigan
12 Michigan3-2+9.79.7 pts better than an average FBS team+6.90.3%Beat B1G+A top-25 Oklahoma
13 Penn State3-3+10.810.8 pts better than an average FBS team+6.90.0%Best unit: No. 28 defense
14 Illinois3-3+4.14.1 pts better than an average FBS team+3.30.0%Best unit: No. 36 offense
15 Washington3-3+2.82.8 pts better than an average FBS team+1.20.0%B1G+A rating No. 58 in FBS
16 Michigan St2-4+0.50.5 pts better than an average FBS team−1.50.0%Best unit: No. 44 defense
17 Maryland2-4−2.02.0 pts worse than an average FBS team−1.00.0%B1G+A rating No. 77 in FBS
18 Rutgers1-4−5.95.9 pts worse than an average FBS team−8.10.0%B1G+A rating No. 93 in FBS

Based on results, efficiency and résumé: B1G+A ranking = B1G+A rating + résumé (record vs. schedule, quality wins), then head-to-head (if A beat B, A ranks ahead unless it is a split series or part of a results cycle). B1G+A RTG = 70% ESPN FPI + 30% B1G+A Power Rating; POWER RTG = pure B1G+A Power Rating (game results + box-score efficiency), both in points vs. an average FBS team. CFP ODDS = B1G+A start-of-day playoff % (ESPN FPI playoff % blended with a 40,000-run B1G+A sim). Notes: offense/defense ranks among FBS from the B1G+A Power Rating split; top-25 = B1G+A rating top 25. Week-over-week change: not available (this is the first archived B1G+A B1G power ranking; change appears from next week). Not affiliated with the Big Ten Conference.

ALL FBS: B1G+A POWER RANKINGS

138 teams · how it works

Rank = B1G+A rating + résumé (record, quality wins), then head-to-head. The rating columns show pure team strength.

RkTeamRecB1G+A ratingRésuméPower rtgESPN FPIOffDefH2H
1 GeorgiaUGA6-0+26.9 #2+7.7 #1+22.7 #5+28.7 #2+13.8 #2+8.8 #7
2 Notre DameND6-0+27.9 #1+4.7 #8+24.1 #2+29.5 #1+13.6 #3+10.4 #4
3 AlabamaALA5-1+25.9 #5+6.4 #4+24.4 #1+26.6 #5+15.7 #1+8.7 #9
4 MiamiMIA5-0+26.5 #4+4.7 #10+23.6 #4+27.7 #4+13.5 #4+10.1 #5
5 IndianaIU6-0+24.3 #6+6.8 #3+21.6 #6+25.5 #7+8.7 #13+12.9 #1
6 TexasTEX4-1+23.2 #7+6.1 #5+17.7 #7+25.5 #6+6.7 #19+11.0 #2beat OSU
7 Ohio StateOSU5-1+26.9 #3+3.6 #15+23.8 #3+28.2 #3+13.3 #5+10.5 #3
8 Texas TechTTU5-0+16.9 #11+4.7 #9+13.0 #14+18.6 #11+5.8 #26+7.2 #13
9 UtahUTAH5-0+18.1 #9+2.7 #19+16.3 #8+18.8 #10+10.1 #8+6.2 #16
10 Ole MissMISS4-1+14.8 #15+5.2 #7+12.8 #15+15.7 #15+9.7 #10+3.0 #39beat LSU
11 LSULSU4-2+19.3 #8+1.1 #29+15.4 #9+20.9 #8+10.1 #7+5.3 #25
12 BYUBYU5-0+15.4 #14+3.7 #14+14.5 #10+15.7 #14+4.8 #34+9.7 #6
13 Mississippi StMSST4-1+11.5 #24+4.4 #11+9.8 #24+12.2 #27+9.1 #12+0.7 #63beat MIZ
14 MissouriMIZ5-1+14.7 #16+3.8 #13+13.8 #12+15.1 #17+6.1 #22+7.7 #10
15 OregonORE3-2+17.7 #10+0.5 #35+13.4 #13+19.5 #9+7.5 #16+5.9 #17
16 Wake ForestWAKE5-1+13.3 #19+4.4 #12+12.7 #16+13.6 #22+6.9 #18+5.8 #19
17 TennesseeTENN5-1+15.4 #12+2.3 #21+11.2 #19+17.2 #13+5.8 #24+5.4 #21
18 KentuckyUK5-1+10.5 #30+6.9 #2+7.6 #30+11.7 #30+5.8 #25+1.8 #49
19 HoustonHOU5-1+14.0 #17+2.8 #18+12.0 #17+14.8 #18+7.4 #17+4.6 #33
20 NebraskaNEB5-1+15.4 #13+1.0 #30+10.6 #21+17.4 #12+6.7 #20+4.0 #36
21 OklahomaOU3-2+13.4 #18+2.7 #20+9.4 #27+15.1 #16+0.7 #64+8.7 #8
22 USCUSC6-1+13.1 #20+2.8 #17+9.7 #26+14.6 #19+8.7 #14+1.0 #61
23 IowaIOWA5-1+12.3 #23+2.9 #16+10.6 #22+13.1 #23+3.2 #45+7.3 #12
24 NorthwesternNU4-1+12.8 #21+1.4 #27+9.9 #23+14.0 #20+5.1 #31+4.8 #32
25 UCLAUCLA5-0+8.5 #37+5.5 #6+14.3 #11+10.3 #36+8.1 #15+6.3 #15
26 FloridaFLA4-2+11.0 #26+1.7 #26+7.2 #33+12.6 #25+9.4 #11-2.2 #89
27 Boise StBOIS5-1+9.9 #34+1.9 #25+5.3 #45+11.9 #29+5.1 #32+0.3 #68
28 WisconsinWIS4-1+9.7 #35+2.0 #23+8.4 #28+10.3 #37+3.0 #46+5.4 #22
29 ArizonaARIZ5-1+10.6 #29+1.0 #31+11.1 #20+10.4 #35+6.2 #21+4.9 #30
30 ClemsonCLEM3-2+5.7 #49+0.7 #33+3.3 #54+6.8 #45-0.9 #76+4.2 #35beat UNC
31 North CarolinaUNC3-2+7.4 #42+0.5 #36+4.8 #46+8.6 #39-0.5 #73+5.2 #26beat PITT
32 PittPITT5-1+10.2 #31+0.9 #32+7.4 #32+11.4 #32+2.3 #51+5.0 #27
33 AuburnAUB3-2+10.0 #33-0.6 #42+6.7 #37+11.4 #31+0.8 #62+5.9 #18beat BAY
34 BaylorBAY4-1+10.1 #32+0.1 #38+7.6 #29+11.1 #33+2.3 #53+5.3 #23
35 LouisvilleLOU3-3+12.5 #22-2.9 #69+12.0 #18+12.7 #24+10.3 #6+1.6 #53
36 Texas A&MTA&M3-3+11.4 #25-2.4 #57+6.0 #40+13.7 #21+0.7 #63+5.3 #24
37 Oklahoma StOKST4-1+7.1 #43+1.9 #24+4.2 #49+8.3 #42+3.7 #39+0.5 #66
38 MichiganMICH3-2+9.7 #36-0.9 #45+6.9 #35+10.9 #34-0.1 #71+7.0 #14
39 SMUSMU4-1+8.0 #38+0.7 #34+7.0 #34+8.4 #40+5.2 #30+1.8 #51
40 South CarolinaSC3-3+10.7 #28-2.1 #56+7.5 #31+12.1 #28+6.0 #23+1.5 #56
41 James MadisonJMU6-0+6.5 #44+2.0 #22+9.8 #25+5.1 #51+5.5 #28+4.3 #34
42 New MexicoUNM4-1+7.9 #39-0.6 #43+5.4 #43+9.0 #38+3.4 #43+2.0 #47
43 DukeDUKE4-1+7.6 #40-0.4 #40+6.7 #38+8.0 #43+1.7 #55+4.9 #29
44 Penn StatePSU3-3+10.8 #27-3.9 #80+6.9 #36+12.5 #26+1.9 #54+4.9 #28
45 Florida StFSU3-3+7.5 #41-2.6 #60+5.4 #44+8.4 #41+3.0 #47+2.4 #42
46 Oregon StORST4-2+6.1 #46-1.7 #52+6.2 #39+6.0 #49+5.6 #27+0.6 #65
47 MemphisMEM5-1+4.5 #53-0.1 #39+4.7 #47+4.4 #54+5.0 #33-0.3 #73
48 Virginia TechVT4-2+5.8 #48-2.6 #61+3.8 #50+6.6 #46+4.3 #37-0.5 #75
49 CincinnatiCIN4-1+2.8 #59+0.1 #37+0.8 #63+3.6 #56+2.3 #52-1.5 #82beat KSU
50 Kansas StKSU3-2+5.9 #47-2.8 #68+3.8 #51+6.8 #44+2.8 #48+1.1 #60
51 UCFUCF3-3+5.1 #50-2.7 #63+4.4 #48+5.4 #50+1.7 #56+2.7 #41
52 VirginiaUVA4-2+4.8 #51-2.7 #64+1.4 #61+6.3 #48-0.7 #74+2.1 #45
53 TCUTCU2-3+6.4 #45-4.7 #90+5.8 #42+6.6 #47-1.5 #79+7.4 #11
54 North TexasUNT4-2+2.9 #57-1.6 #51+5.9 #41+1.6 #59+10.1 #9-4.2 #111
55 PurduePUR3-3+3.0 #56-1.9 #53+2.2 #57+3.3 #58+4.5 #35-2.3 #92
56 Iowa StateISU3-3+3.7 #55-2.8 #65+2.6 #56+4.2 #55+0.6 #65+2.0 #48
57 UTSAUTSA5-1-0.3 #70+1.2 #28+1.8 #59-1.2 #74+1.7 #57+0.1 #70
58 IllinoisILL3-3+4.1 #54-3.6 #76+3.3 #53+4.5 #53+4.5 #36-1.2 #81
59 LibertyLIB5-1+1.2 #60-0.8 #44+1.6 #60+1.0 #65-1.4 #78+3.0 #40
60 Arizona StASU3-2-0.5 #71-2.0 #54-0.8 #71-0.3 #70+2.6 #49-3.4 #103beat KU
61 KansasKU2-3+4.5 #52-4.5 #86+3.7 #52+4.9 #52+2.3 #50+1.3 #57
62 UNLVUNLV4-2-0.5 #72-2.8 #66-0.5 #70-0.5 #73-3.9 #101+3.4 #38beat NDSU
63 N Dakota StNDSU5-1+0.8 #63-1.1 #46+2.7 #55+0.0 #69-2.1 #84+4.8 #31
64 Fresno StFRES4-2+0.9 #62-2.1 #55+0.4 #65+1.1 #64-0.9 #75+1.3 #58
65 VanderbiltVAN3-3+1.0 #61-2.5 #58+0.4 #66+1.3 #62-0.1 #70+0.5 #67
66 MinnesotaMINN4-2-0.2 #69-1.4 #49-1.4 #74+0.3 #68-2.1 #81+0.6 #64
67 WashingtonWASH3-3+2.8 #58-4.7 #89+1.2 #62+3.5 #57-0.1 #68+1.2 #59
68 NC StateNCSU3-3+0.0 #65-2.8 #67-2.1 #77+0.9 #66+1.0 #61-3.1 #100
69 Georgia StGAST4-1-2.4 #80-1.1 #47+0.3 #67-3.5 #83+3.4 #44-3.1 #99
70 ArkansasARK2-4-0.0 #67-3.7 #77-3.1 #84+1.3 #61-3.9 #100+0.8 #62
71 ColoradoCOLO2-3-1.1 #73-2.9 #70-2.8 #82-0.4 #71-4.4 #103+1.6 #55
72 Michigan StMSU2-4+0.5 #64-4.9 #92-1.5 #75+1.4 #60-3.6 #97+2.1 #44
73 W MichiganWMU4-2-2.1 #78-2.6 #59-2.2 #78-2.0 #76-3.8 #99+1.6 #54
74 East CarolinaECU3-2-2.5 #81-2.6 #62+0.7 #64-3.8 #84-1.1 #77+1.8 #50
75 CaliforniaCAL3-3-2.3 #79-4.5 #88-3.5 #86-1.8 #75-1.8 #80-1.7 #85beat SYR
76 SyracuseSYR2-3-0.0 #66-5.1 #95-2.6 #80+1.1 #63-0.1 #69-2.5 #96
77 Air ForceAFA4-1-3.7 #85-1.5 #50-4.3 #89-3.5 #82-3.5 #96-0.8 #77
78 South FloridaUSF4-2-1.9 #76-3.8 #78-0.0 #68-2.7 #78-2.2 #85+2.2 #43
79 Georgia TechGT2-3-0.1 #68-5.6 #101-1.5 #76+0.5 #67-0.4 #72-1.1 #80
80 Louisiana TechLT3-2-4.7 #89-1.3 #48-3.6 #87-5.1 #88+1.2 #60-4.9 #116
81 West VirginiaWVU3-3-1.7 #75-4.5 #87-4.8 #92-0.4 #72+3.8 #38-8.6 #128
82 Texas StTXST2-3-1.6 #74-4.9 #93+1.9 #58-3.1 #80+5.4 #29-3.5 #105
83 MarylandMD2-4-2.0 #77-4.8 #91-1.0 #72-2.4 #77+1.4 #59-2.4 #94
84 LouisianaUL4-2-4.1 #86-3.1 #74-2.7 #81-4.7 #86-2.9 #91+0.1 #69
85 ToledoTOL4-2-3.1 #82-4.3 #84-0.2 #69-4.4 #85+3.7 #41-3.8 #110
86 ArmyARMY3-2-3.4 #84-4.1 #81-4.2 #88-3.1 #79-2.5 #88-1.7 #86
87 FAUFAU4-1-7.0 #96-0.6 #41-5.7 #94-7.6 #98+0.4 #66-6.1 #123
88 TulaneTULN2-3-3.3 #83-5.2 #96-3.2 #85-3.3 #81-7.0 #117+3.9 #37
89 TroyTROY3-2-6.2 #94-3.2 #75-6.3 #98-6.2 #94-3.0 #93-3.3 #102
90 South AlabamaUSA4-2-7.6 #99-3.0 #72-8.2 #108-7.4 #97+3.4 #42-11.6 #136
91 Boston CollegeBC2-3-5.6 #92-5.3 #97-6.4 #100-5.3 #91-8.5 #127+2.0 #46
92 OhioOHIO4-2-8.0 #101-2.9 #71-5.0 #93-9.3 #103-3.2 #94-1.8 #87
93 NavyNAVY2-3-5.2 #90-7.3 #115-3.0 #83-6.2 #93-2.1 #83-0.9 #78beat TLSA
94 TulsaTLSA3-3-5.4 #91-5.7 #104-6.0 #95-5.1 #89-4.4 #104-1.6 #84
95 Miami OHM-OH3-3-8.9 #105-5.5 #99-6.2 #97-10.1 #107-2.7 #90-3.5 #104beat CONN
96 UConnCONN3-3-4.2 #87-6.9 #111-1.3 #73-5.5 #92+1.5 #58-2.8 #97
97 Jax StateJXST4-2-7.4 #98-3.8 #79-4.7 #91-8.6 #99-2.2 #86-2.5 #95
98 GA SouthernGASO2-4-4.4 #88-7.6 #116-2.5 #79-5.2 #90-2.4 #87-0.0 #72
99 FIUFIU3-2-7.7 #100-4.4 #85-4.6 #90-9.0 #101-10.1 #135+5.5 #20
100 App StateAPP3-2-8.7 #102-4.2 #82-6.7 #101-9.5 #104-4.8 #105-1.9 #88
101 San José StSJSU3-3-12.1 #115-5.9 #106-10.8 #118-12.7 #113-7.6 #123-3.2 #101
102 E MichiganEMU4-3-14.6 #125-5.9 #105-12.7 #124-15.4 #125-7.5 #122-5.2 #117beat MASS
103 UMassMASS4-2-12.4 #118-5.0 #94-9.7 #112-13.6 #121-7.3 #121-2.4 #93beat RUTG
104 RutgersRUTG1-4-5.9 #93-7.6 #117-8.1 #107-5.0 #87+0.1 #67-8.2 #127
105 StanfordSTAN2-4-10.6 #110-3.0 #73-8.0 #106-11.7 #110-2.1 #82-5.9 #121
106 Utah StateUSU2-4-7.4 #97-6.6 #109-7.9 #105-7.2 #95-9.6 #130+1.7 #52
107 Colorado StCSU2-3-9.9 #109-5.6 #100-10.6 #116-9.6 #105+3.7 #40-14.3 #137
108 TempleTEM2-4-7.0 #95-8.6 #124-6.1 #96-7.4 #96-4.0 #102-2.2 #90
109 San Diego StSDSU2-4-9.7 #108-7.1 #114-7.0 #102-10.9 #109-3.4 #95-3.6 #108
110 NevadaNEV2-3-8.9 #104-8.2 #120-9.6 #111-8.6 #100-5.9 #108-3.6 #107
111 C MichiganCMU3-3-13.3 #122-4.3 #83-10.8 #119-14.4 #123-8.5 #128-2.3 #91
112 Arkansas StARST2-4-9.4 #106-8.4 #122-8.6 #109-9.7 #106-2.9 #92-5.7 #120
113 DelawareDEL2-3-11.8 #112-6.1 #108-9.9 #114-12.6 #112-6.3 #111-3.6 #106
114 New Mexico StNMSU2-4-12.3 #116-8.7 #125-9.8 #113-13.4 #119-5.2 #106-4.6 #115beat WKU
115 Western KYWKU2-4-12.3 #117-6.0 #107-10.3 #115-13.2 #116-3.8 #98-6.5 #125
116 Kennesaw StKENN1-4-9.6 #107-8.9 #127-7.8 #104-10.4 #108-7.1 #118-0.7 #76
117 BuffaloBUFF3-3-13.2 #121-5.7 #103-14.2 #130-12.8 #115-8.3 #125-5.9 #122
118 Washington StWSU1-5-8.7 #103-10.4 #132-7.4 #103-9.2 #102-7.0 #116-0.4 #74
119 UABUAB3-3-13.6 #123-5.6 #102-11.2 #120-14.6 #124-8.4 #126-2.9 #98
120 Old DominionODU2-4-11.2 #111-8.2 #121-6.3 #99-13.3 #117-6.3 #110-0.0 #71
121 CoastalCCU2-4-12.0 #114-9.8 #131-10.7 #117-12.6 #111-7.0 #115-3.7 #109beat MRSH
122 MarshallMRSH3-3-16.0 #127-5.5 #98-14.2 #128-16.8 #129-5.5 #107-8.6 #129
123 RiceRICE1-5-12.0 #113-9.7 #130-8.7 #110-13.4 #118-7.1 #119-1.5 #83
124 Sam HoustonSHSU1-4-13.7 #124-8.1 #119-12.7 #123-14.2 #122-7.2 #120-5.5 #119
125 Southern MissUSM1-4-13.1 #119-8.8 #126-12.5 #121-13.4 #120-2.6 #89-9.9 #132
126 WyomingWYO3-3-16.2 #129-7.0 #113-14.6 #131-16.8 #127-13.7 #138-0.9 #79
127 Missouri StMOST1-4-15.3 #126-8.4 #123-12.6 #122-16.4 #126-6.2 #109-6.4 #124
128 Bowling GreenBGSU2-4-16.0 #128-7.9 #118-14.2 #129-16.8 #128-9.8 #133-4.4 #114
129 MTSUMTSU2-3-17.8 #130-6.9 #112-14.0 #125-19.4 #131-8.7 #129-5.3 #118
130 Kent StateKENT2-4-19.3 #132-6.6 #110-14.0 #126-21.6 #134-9.8 #132-4.2 #112
131 Hawai'iHAW1-5-13.2 #120-12.8 #136-14.2 #127-12.8 #114-9.8 #134-4.3 #113
132 N IllinoisNIU0-5-18.2 #131-10.4 #133-17.7 #134-18.4 #130-11.1 #136-6.6 #126
133 Ball StateBALL1-5-20.1 #134-9.0 #129-16.6 #132-21.6 #133-6.7 #112-9.9 #133
134 UTEPUTEP1-5-21.7 #135-8.9 #128-17.0 #133-23.7 #135-6.9 #114-10.1 #134
135 AkronAKR1-5-20.1 #133-11.3 #134-17.9 #135-21.0 #132-8.3 #124-9.7 #131
136 UL MonroeULM0-5-23.8 #136-12.3 #135-21.3 #138-24.9 #136-6.9 #113-14.5 #138
137 CharlotteCLT0-6-23.9 #137-13.4 #138-20.8 #137-25.2 #137-9.7 #131-11.1 #135
138 Sacramento StSAC1-5-26.9 #138-12.9 #137-20.7 #136-29.5 #138-11.4 #137-9.3 #130

Rk = B1G+A ranking (B1G+A rating + résumé + head-to-head; see below). B1G+A rating = 70% ESPN FPI + 30% B1G+A Power Rating this week, in points vs. an average FBS team on a neutral field. Power rtg = the pure B1G+A Power Rating (results and efficiency only). Off/Def split the Power rating (higher is better for both). Résumé = 3 points per win above what a Top 25-level team would expect against the same schedule + 1 point per win over a B1G+A top-25 team (rank among all FBS teams). H2H = moved ahead of the listed team(s) by the head-to-head rule. Records count every completed game, including FCS opponents.

* B1G+A Model 2.2 BETA (blended with ESPN FPI), updated Oct 12, 2026. Model notes · Version history

HOW THE B1G+A RATINGS WORK

What the number means. A rating of +14.0 means the B1G+A model expects that team to beat an average FBS team by about 14 points on a neutral field. The gap between two teams is the expected margin between them; the home team gets a home-field edge fit from the data (currently 3.6 points).

What goes in

  • Every 2026 game involving an FBS team (scores, home/away/neutral site, and box-score yards and plays), pulled from ESPN's public scoreboard and game summaries. FCS opponents share one generic, heavily shrunk FCS rating (currently -26.2).
  • Scoring margin, opponent-adjusted. A ridge regression finds the set of team ratings that best explains every margin, given who played whom and where. Margins are capped at 28 points so running up the score does not help.
  • Yards per play, opponent-adjusted. The same regression on each game's yards-per-play margin, converted to points. It counts for 20% of the rating; scoring margin is the other 80%. Yards per play is steadier than the scoreboard early in a season.
  • A preseason prior that fades. Each team starts from its 2025 final B1G+A rating (computed the same way from 2025 games), pulled 15% of the way back toward average. The prior counts about like 1 game(s) of evidence, so it matters in September and is mostly gone by midseason. Returning-production data is not used (no free source), and ESPN FPI is never an input.
  • Offense/defense split comes from a matching regression on points scored and allowed, scaled so Off + Def = the rating.

The model is refit from scratch after every game day by the site's build script (it takes under a minute). Settings were tuned on the 2024 season only, then frozen and tested on 2025.

How it did: out-of-sample backtest

Each week of 2025 was predicted using only games played before that week (the 2025 prior came from 2024). Straight-up = picked the right winner; MAE = average miss on the final margin, in points (lower is better); Brier = accuracy of the win probability (lower is better; 0.25 is a coin flip). Win probability = 1/(1+e−gap/9.25), where gap = rating difference plus home field.

2025, FBS vs FBSGamesStraight-upMargin MAEBrier
B1G+A80872.4%12.420.180
Naive (home +2.5)80858.8%16.000.242
B1G+A (FPI subset)80772.4%12.410.180
ESPN FPI80772.2%12.270.178
B1G+A (Vegas subset)10163.4%12.170.198
Vegas spread10170.3%11.380.181

2024 (the tuning season, so not fully out of sample):

2024, FBS vs FBSGamesStraight-upMargin MAEBrier
B1G+A79869.8%12.820.191
Naive (home +2.5)79858.6%15.740.242
B1G+A (FPI subset)79769.8%12.830.191
ESPN FPI79770.8%12.370.187

Honest read: the B1G+A rating is far better than a naive home-team baseline and close to ESPN FPI, but FPI is still slightly better on margin error and Brier, and the Vegas spread is better than both on the games where ESPN archived a line. ESPN FPI figures come from ESPN's pregame matchup predictor; Vegas lines from ESPN's archived odds (only 101 2025 games had one).

Rating vs. ranking, and the head-to-head rule

The ratings are predictive: who would win next week. The ranking (the Rk column) also rewards what a team has done. Ranking score = B1G+A rating (the blend) + 3 points for each win above what an average Top 25-level team would expect against the same schedule (a strength-of-record measure computed from B1G+A ratings) + 1 point per win over a team in the B1G+A rating top 25. Then the head-to-head rule: if Team A beat Team B this season, A is placed directly ahead of B when the two are close: B's B1G+A rating is at most 7 points higher and A's ranking score trails B's by at most 4. Head-to-head weighs heavily between close teams but is never an absolute override. If two teams split games, or wins form a loop of any length (A beat B, B beat C, C beat A), those results are ignored for this rule and the ranking score decides. The B1G+A Top 25 uses its own head-to-head window (see CFB Top 25). Teams moved by this rule are marked H2H.

B1G+A vs. ESPN FPI

FPI is ESPN's own model; its inputs and weights are not public, and it uses information the B1G+A rating does not (such as recruiting and returning starters). The B1G+A rating uses only game results and box-score efficiency, so every number can be traced to games on the field. Expect B1G+A ratings to be a bit more compressed than FPI's (fewer extreme values) because of the margin cap and the shrinkage.

The B1G+A rating: blending in ESPN FPI

The B1G+A Power Rating alone was slightly less accurate than ESPN FPI in testing, especially early in the season, and blends of the two did as well as or better than either one. So the number used across the site, the B1G+A rating, is a weighted average: 70% ESPN FPI and 30% B1G+A Power Rating this week. The FPI weight is 85% through Week 4 and drops 5 points a week to a floor of 50% from Week 11 on: in testing FPI helped most in September, and the two were about even later. The weights also keep the site's numbers from jumping away from figures already published.

Week-by-week testGamesStraight-upMargin MAEBrierLog loss
2024: B1G+A Power Rating (pure)79769.8%12.830.19090.5601
2024: ESPN FPI (ESPN win %)79770.8%12.370.18740.5485
2024: B1G+A blend (weekly FPI weight)79771.1%12.390.18640.5473
2024: Fixed 50/50 blend79770.6%12.490.18720.5499
2025: B1G+A Power Rating (pure)80772.4%12.410.18020.5322
2025: ESPN FPI (ESPN win %)80772.2%12.270.17780.5259
2025: B1G+A blend (weekly FPI weight)80772.0%12.190.17880.5299
2025: Fixed 50/50 blend80772.4%12.220.17810.5280

Each 2024 and 2025 FBS-vs-FBS game, predicted using only earlier games. ESPN FPI uses ESPN's own pregame win % and projected margin. The weekly schedule was set by judgment from these tests; 2024 was also the season used to tune the Power Rating, so it is not fully out of sample.

Where B1G+A numbers are used

  • CFP Live Projection: game win chances in the 40,000-run season sim come from the B1G+A rating. The starting playoff % blends ESPN FPI's playoff % with the sim's, using the same weekly weight, and then moves live as games finish.
  • Projected records use the same game win chances.
  • B1G+A Top 25: 50% ESPN Strength of Record rank, 30% B1G+A rating rank, 20% loss rank, minus a bonus for wins over AP Top 25 teams, then the head-to-head rule.
  • Bowl Projections (coming soon) will use the same rating and sim.
  • ESPN FPI also appears on its own as a comparison column.

Model updates

  • Oct 12: UCLA adjusted for QB Nico Iamaleava injury (out for the season; B1G+A rating -3 points while Ty Dieffenbach starts).
  • B1G+A Model 2.2 BETA · Oct 12, 2026, 11:45 PM CT (current, BETA). Current version: 2.1 plus a three-row live ticker on the homepage and /live, building on the live in-game tracking from 2.0 and 2.1. Row 1 is B1G games, row 2 is the Top 25 scrolling the opposite way, and row 3 is every CFB game from the ESPN scoreboard, with a slower scroll. Each game shows the B1G+A win chance, with the projected loser's percentage in red beside it. Same FPI/B1G+A Power Rating blend schedule.
  • B1G+A Model 2.1 · Oct 12, 2026. 2.0 plus updates since, including news-driven rating adjustments.
  • B1G+A Model 2.0 · Week 7 upgrade. The big jump: 100% live in-game metrics for every FBS game (win chance on every play, 4th-down decisions graded live) plus the start of B1G+A's own data repository, collected from Week 6 after the Friday game (Iowa at Washington, Oct 9). Same ESPN FPI / B1G+A Power Rating blend as 1.1.
  • B1G+A v1.1 · Oct 10, 2026, 11:29 PM CT. B1G+A v1.1 blends the B1G+A Power Rating with ESPN FPI. It tested best for accuracy in combined 2024-2025 backtests (highest share of winners picked correctly). Some projections differ slightly from numbers published earlier. Example: Nebraska pregame playoff odds: 27.1% published vs 25.3% under v1.1.
  • B1G+A v1.0 · Oct 9, 2026. Launch version (ESPN FPI-led). Reports published before Oct 10, 2026, 11:29 PM CT keep their original v1.0 numbers.
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