Final Ranks or A History of the GCR

It took some digging, oh great and wonderful college football fans, but the treasure hunt was fruitful. I’ve now found each of the last rankings (6 of them in emails prior to the blog) and compiled them into a single page. I’ve created a weighting system that rewards recency (a team ranked in the top 10 a decade ago but has been ranked in the 70s since then shouldn’t be rewarded too much for that moment of glory) which provides a score (weighted average of the rankings) and from that sorted from first to worst. I’ve even included this year to date and will update the year-over-year after each week. There are a couple of things to remember:

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1. Prior to Liberty promoting themselves to the FBS, I did not have the ability to capture a second game between 2 teams which means the rankings stopped just before championship week – no bowl games either. That means the early years are bit off of what they would have been if I’d been a smarter person. Why Liberty? At the same time the Flames joined the big boys, New Mexico St and Idaho left the Sun Belt. So, Liberty and NMST decided to schedule home and home and I was forced to come up with a solution – which was a complete rewrite of the entire program. But it works so, thank you.
2. For the 2019 season, I added the FCS for the first time which means some of the teams who maxed out around the 130 rank (because they were awful and in last) were now in the 200 rank area. Oh well, tough for them. I kept the actual ranks for the 2019+ seasons.
3. Speaking of Idaho (see point 1), they demoted themselves to FCS after getting booted from the Sun Belt (one season as an independent), so I did not include them. Any team that promoted during the span (App St, Coastal Carolina, Ga Southern, James Madison, Liberty, and Troy) or is already announced they are going to promote by 2023 (Jacksonville St, Kennesaw St, Sam Houston) are included. A couple of special cases in Charlotte who just decided to start playing football at the Group of 5 level in 2018 and UAB who decided to stop playing football in 2014 only to start again in 2017 are included. If I don’t have a ranking for a team in a given year, that team was given a ranking of 1 more than the total number in the FBS at the time (except for note 5)
4. Just to be clear, I’m only including the current FBS teams (plus the three soon to promote).
5. In 2020 some of the teams did not play a down. For those teams, they received an average of the previous and next season so that they weren’t skewed unnecessarily. You can tell the “special” rankings (point 3 and this one) by seeing the decimal.
6. I will keep this updated, but I don’t think the system will send a notification every time, so check back when you think about it
7. I am planning to recreate the final rankings and post them so we can refer back to them.

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Let me know your thoughts. Thanks again Rhett G for the suggestion. Should have been doing this all along, but then we’ve already established I’m not the smartest person. Thanks for reading and sharing, G

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Rank	Score	Team	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013
1	4.0	Alabama	5	2	1	9	3	6	1	4	5	7
2	4.2	Ohio St	4	6	2	2	7	8	2	2	1	8
3	6.6	Clemson	8	11	5	5	1	3	3	3	19	19
4	9.7	Georgia	1	1	7	6	5	2	47	33	13	24
5	16.0	Notre Dame	19	10	4	7	2	11	77	8	31	25
6	16.1	Oklahoma	61	9	6	8	6	4	7	1	14	9
7	24.2	LSU	13	57	37	1	10	22	25	16	28	22
8	25.6	Iowa	36	24	25	13	33	24	22	5	43	33
9	26.0	Michigan	2	3	107	15	12	20	5	12	67	38
10	26.5	Penn St	7	26	85	3	13	5	6	40	63	47
11	28.8	Wisconsin	57	14	48	16	47	1	10	22	10	20
12	28.9	Oregon	16	22	52	10	30	36	78	20	2	16
13	29.0	Auburn	35	51	27	12	28	7	23	56	23	3
14	31.1	Oklahoma St	60	4	13	33	62	16	18	21	71	13
15	31.3	Utah	20	21	60	17	23	50	33	15	30	76
16	32.6	Texas A&M	75	27	3	18	11	49	31	39	37	30
17	33.8	Boise St	42	34	39	28	25	27	19	57	24	43
18	35.3	Pittsburgh	24	18	31	39	39	72	24	28	65	63
19	35.4	Southern Cal	10	104	19	22	75	9	8	19	18	28
20	36.0	TCU	6	55	29	61	57	10	56	11	4	90
21	36.1	Florida	46	66	16	4	16	79	17	14	38	83
22	38.1	Mississippi St	18	43	57	56	21	23	65	31	11	59
23	38.8	Washington	9	113	38	35	31	12	4	50	34	31
24	39.3	Texas	21	61	17	20	49	41	63	72	52	26
25	40.9	Michigan St	45	7	91	44	42	17	95	6	7	4
26	41.6	Kentucky	43	20	44	36	15	47	43	77	73	109
27	42.0	Kansas St	15	35	59	34	79	46	27	73	15	55
28	43.2	Tennessee	3	25	68	27	83	96	28	25	49	77
29	43.8	Miami FL	77	36	11	69	72	13	21	34	42	21
30	43.9	Florida St	12	76	64	52	78	52	14	9	2	1
31	44.0	NC St	33	31	24	114	18	25	50	48	47	99
32	44.4	Cincinnati	53	8	14	30	19	111	115	69	41	42
33	44.7	West Virginia	69	56	30	57	17	43	9	35	36	96
34	45.3	Louisville	27	50	80	26	104	26	11	47	21	15
35	45.6	Minnesota	23	30	100	11	64	70	29	66	27	34
36	46.5	Mississippi	32	13	53	85	84	51	59	17	16	39
37	46.6	Baylor	68	5	70	14	60	115	62	10	6	6
38	48.2	Stanford	52	100	42	98	20	15	12	7	26	2
39	48.3	Wake Forest	34	17	63	32	56	32	67	94	99	89
40	49.3	App St	101	27	26	19	34	62	32	43	80	127.0
41	50.7	UCF	59	67	56	40	4	14	71	128	55	5
42	50.9	Missouri	62	49	54	51	22	48	84	76	17	12
43	51.3	Iowa St	66	32	10	43	51	29	91	86	108	100
44	52.0	South Carolina	26	46	97	64	29	30	69	79	61	10
45	53.4	UNC	28	68	20	48	110	100	38	13	60	65
46	55.4	BYU	73	33	12	82	63	109	44	41	50	36
47	55.6	Indiana	67	52	22	38	76	66	51	63	89	78
48	55.7	San Diego St	91	19	69	46	62	37	48	46	75	69
49	56.7	Washington St	65	62	117	62	9	21	20	29	95	57
50	57.0	Northwestern	56	86	18	129	36	19	42	18	74	82
51	57.1	UCLA	22	45	94	86	99	44	74	23	12	14
52	58.7	Arizona St	84	64	86	31	46	38	76	53	22	11
53	59.2	Virginia Tech	96	93	40	37	71	18	26	62	54	29
54	59.5	Air Force	29	47	78	23	96	101	54	59	56	119
55	59.6	Louisiana	95	16	8	45	59	108	88	104	69	56
56	60.8	Memphis	93	107	36	24	58	28	55	42	40	103
57	62.4	Texas Tech	39	39	62	94	92	60	75	44	88	53
58	62.9	Virginia	83	58	43	25	52	69	107	78	58	105
59	63.0	Georgia Tech	41	73	84	119	41	53	34	77	8	50
60	63.7	Boston College	80	98	45	54	44	33	68	96	39	49
61	65.5	Marshall	55	94	49	68	48	64	124	51	25	54
62	65.7	Maryland	30	40	73	117	74	86	61	88	45	62
63	66.5	Houston	70	29	87	143	53	61	37	27	79	35
64	67.6	Nebraska	81	63	81	63	94	90	16	55	20	41
65	67.8	Colorado	48	103	41	58	89	77	15	92	100	93
66	67.8	Arkansas	49	12	51	163	111	85	52	36	33	98
67	67.8	Duke	31	134	96	60	35	57	85	60	29	23
68	68.2	Syracuse	47	84	76	77	8	81	92	89	93	68
69	69.9	UAB	90	38	33	78	27	71	129.0	129.0	83	114
70	70.3	Purdue	44	15	106	91	80	39	110	99	98	110
71	70.5	W Kentucky	78	44	92	55	122	102	30	24	62	58
72	71.3	Toledo	71	110	67	111	65	31	41	30	64	51
73	72.3	Fresno St	40	41	101	153	14	40	127	114	84	18
74	73.7	SMU	79	60	46	41	98	68	94	113	128	91
75	74.2	Navy	105	80	102	21	108	65	46	26	72	44
76	75.8	UTSA	25	23	58	160	117	89	79	108	106	61
77	77.4	Troy	17	124	74	139	54	35	45	101	118	127.0
78	77.6	Tulane	14	85	77	88	87	91	106	123	111	67
78	77.6	W Michigan	117	54	66	105	86	73	13	67	57	120
80	77.9	Army	97	48	32	156	26	54	89	119	112	108
81	78.0	Oregon St	11	69	123	59	107	119	81	106	82	70
82	78.8	Utah St	103	37	131	75	40	82	99	74	48	66
83	79.0	California	74	128	124	29	55	63	64	38	77	113
84	81.4	Illinois	37	74	114	73	101	113	101	70	59	94
85	82.2	Ga Southern	112	127	47	66	24	117	90	45	46	127.0
86	82.3	Arizona	64	83	137	95	97	45	98	65	9	48
87	83.0	Vanderbilt	51	91	121	130	50	83	39	82	110	46
88	83.5	LA Tech	118	137	65	47	61	93	49	61	35	111
89	84.5	Ohio	54	157	88	106	45	58	66	68	94	71
90	85.3	Nevada	124	75	34	92	69	105	105	90	68	92
91	85.6	Coastal Carolina	63	42	9	140	100	125	129.0	129.0	129.0	127.0
92	86.9	Buffalo	89	167	28	71	32	87	126	97	103	52
93	87.0	Liberty	85	72	15	83	88	131.0	129.0	129.0	129.0	127.0
94	89.3	Arkansas St	131	146	89	74	37	55	72	52	76	64
95	90.7	Wyoming	92	90	119	72	90	78	53	120	101	95
96	91.0	FAU	110	138	72	42	93	34	120	105	105	74
97	91.8	C Michigan	121	59	95	100	129	67	86	64	78	84
98	92.4	N Illinois	142	53	133	126	77	56	87	58	44	17
99	93.0	Tulsa	114	71	35	148	113	114	40	85	121	101
100	93.9	South Florida	106	106	109	154	67	42	35	54	113	106
101	95.3	James Madison	50	82	79.0	76	131.0	131.0	129.0	129.0	129.0	127.0
102	96.0	Miami OH	136	89	55	80	91	97	83	118	120	125
103	96.0	Kansas	58	65	90	135	106	124	117	125	96	102
104	96.2	Georgia St	122	70	50	107	118	84	114	93	127	126
105	96.8	Southern Miss	86	142	118	89	73	74	82	49	115	123
106	96.9	Middle Tennessee	88	109	104	155	70	94	70	71	85	60
107	97.0	Kent St	82	99	61	87	125	122	109	117	119	97
108	97.9	Hawaii	129	114	82	65	43	121	93	121	109	121
109	99.2	E Michigan	76	108	115	124	68	88	80	127	123	112
110	100.5	Temple	139	147	128	70	66	92	36	32	90	115
111	100.6	Ball St	116	120	23	134	102	126	108	110	91	32
112	101.4	East Carolina	72	79	105	175	114	120	118	81	53	37
113	101.5	Rutgers	87	78	108	152	121	98	113	91	51	79
114	102.6	ULM	99	97	116	116	85	99	102	126	97	73
115	104.8	San Jose St	94	141	21	138	126	127	112	95	114	75
116	105.8	North Texas	98	136	110	173	38	59	103	122	117	45
117	110.1	South Alabama	38	143	93	216	116	106	96	98	87	81
118	111.1	Colorado St	109	129	126	178	119	75	57	84	32	86
119	120.6	FIU	144	159	127	131	61	80	119	100	107	124
120	120.7	Rice	111	123	103	192	127	129	121	103	66	27
121	121.4	UNLV	135	87	132	176	109	104	116	116	122	72
122	121.8	Bowling Green	102	149	143	187	120	118	100	37	81	40
123	122.0	Charlotte	140	162	112	84	95	128	104	124	129.0	127.0
124	123.3	New Mexico	113	133	120	208	112	112	73	87	104	107
125	126.7	Texas St	132	125	98	189	124	123	128	115	86	87
126	127.3	UMASS	120	131	79	243	103	103	125	109	116	122
127	127.9	Kennesaw St	197	96	99	99	131.0	131.0	129.0	129.0	129.0	127.0
128	130.8	UCONN	100	111	162.5	214	128	116	123	83	124	104
129	132.6	Akron	127	154	134	252	105	76	97	75	102	88
130	132.9	New Mexico St	130	105	158.5	212	122	95	111	111	126	118
131	133.7	UTEP	128	118	111	244	130	130	122	102	70	116
132	135.7	Old Dominion	125	130	182.5	235	115	107	60	107	92	85
133	139.3	Sam Houston	185	81	159	159	131.0	131.0	129.0	129.0	129.0	127.0
134	140.9	Jacksonville St	141	189	83	183	131.0	131.0	129.0	129.0	129.0	127.0