[h=1]College Football Vegas Rankings[/h][h=3]Defending national champion Seminoles top ranking of 25 best teams[/h]
By [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Evan Abrams[/FONT] | ESPN Insider
Three weeks into the 2014 college football season, there have been plenty of surprises, but everyone is focused on the inaugural College Football Playoff.
With enough of a sample size to draw some legitimate conclusions, it seemed like a good time to introduce our College Football Vegas Rankings.
The CFB Vegas Rankings are the composite power ratings of a panel of professional handicappers and college football statisticians, including fellow Insider Phil Steele, Brian Edwards and Bruce Marshall of The Gold Sheet. The ratings are intended to weigh the relative strength of the teams if they met on a neutral field and to be compared to the point spread on a given game.
For example, if Florida State and Texas A&M were to play on a neutral field this week, the Seminoles would be considered a 5-point favorite by our ratings.
Here's a look at the 25 best teams in college football according to Las Vegas.
1. Florida State Seminoles (Power rating: 49.5)They are the defending national champion and have Jameis Winston. Before they move from this spot, somebody is going to have to either beat them or seriously test them. The Seminoles have an 18-game winning streak dating back to 2012.
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2. Oregon Ducks (49)As a 12- to 12.5-point favorite against Michigan State, we were supposed to see a big test for the Ducks. It happened early but could not be sustained late. Oregon has a cakewalk against Washington State this week, but games against Arizona, UCLA and Washington in the following weeks should give us a clearer picture of how good the Ducks really are.
3 (tie). Auburn Tigers (48)The Tigers' biggest test of the season so far comes Thursday against coach Bill Snyder and Kansas State. As a 9-point favorite against a ranked opponent, obviously Vegas values Auburn's talent, but the Tigers have covered their last 13 games.
3 (tie). Alabama Crimson Tide (48)Alabama hasn't faced Florida since Week 5 of 2011 in the Swamp. That day, Alabama was only a 4-point favorite. On Saturday, Alabama is a 15.5-point favorite as Florida is coming off a triple-overtime win at home against Kentucky.
5 (tie). Baylor Bears (47)Baylor is on a bye week. The Bears have won their first three games this season against noncompetitive opponents by a score of 178-27, covering all three games with spreads of 30 or more.
5 (tie). Oklahoma Sooners (47)Like Baylor, Oklahoma has yet to play a close game. This week may be different, though, with the Sooners traveling to Morgantown to face West Virginia. Oklahoma has covered its last four road games dating back to last season, but the loss of RB Keith Fordmay hurt this week.
7. Texas A&M Aggies (44.5)Since the Aggies' opening-week win against South Carolina, they have been rolling, and that should continue this week on the road at SMU as a 32.5-point favorite. Texas A&M gets Arkansas at home next week, which will be a bigger test than the Mustangs.
8 (tie). Ole Miss Rebels (42.5)Ole Miss has covered four consecutive games dating back to last season. With a bye this week, the Rebels can prepare for Memphis next week and then their biggest test so far (Alabama at home).
8 (tie). Michigan State Spartans (42.5)The Spartans get a home game against in-state foe Eastern Michigan this week. With a spread of 45, we would hope Michigan State would cruise. The Spartans don't have a tough test until Oct. 4 at home against Nebraska.
10. LSU Tigers (42)LSU has covered its first three games of the season for the first time since 2007, which was the last time the Tigers won the national championship. LSU is 7-1 SU in its last eight SEC home games over the past three seasons, with its only loss coming against Alabama.
11. Stanford Cardinal (41.5)With a week off, Stanford will need to prepare for back-to-back road games against Washington and Notre Dame.
12. Georgia Bulldogs (41)Off their loss last week at South Carolina, the Bulldogs get an easy one in Troy. Georgia did not perform well ATS last season with a 3-9-1 record.
13. USC Trojans (40.5)Talk about ups and downs. After beating Stanford in Palo Alto, USC lost to Boston College last week as a 17-point favorite. Now the Trojans have an extra week to think about it before playing at home against Oregon State.
14 (tie). Missouri Tigers (40)Missouri plays at home against Indiana this week as a 13.5-point favorite. The Hoosiers offense has been improved the past couple of seasons, but they have failed to cover a spread in 2014.
14 (tie). South Carolina Gamecocks (40)Off the win against Georgia, the Gamecocks play a road game against Vanderbilt as a 21.5-point favorite. It is the first time since October 2001 that South Carolina is more than a three-touchdown favorite on the road in conference play (Kentucky).
16. UCLA Bruins (39.5)After barely escaping against Texas, UCLA is off until Sept. 25 when the Bruins play on the road against Arizona State to kick off their Pac-12 schedule.
17 (tie). BYU Cougars (38.5)BYU's strength of schedule the rest of the year will be the reason we continue to talk about the Cougars. They are a two-touchdown favorite at home against Virginia this week.
17 (tie). Mississippi State Bulldogs (38.5)Mississippi State has won six straight games entering this week, but that may come to an abrupt end when it faces LSU as a 10-point underdog. The last time the Bulldogs won a game outright as a 10-point underdog was in 2008 against LSU.
19. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (38)The Irish have the week off before a neutral-site game against Syracuse and a home game against Stanford. Notre Dame has started 3-0 for first time since 2012 when it went to the national title game.
20 (tie). Oklahoma State Cowboys (37.5)The Cowboys have a week off before back-to-back conference home games against Texas Tech and Iowa State. Oklahoma State will open the season with five straight home games this season.
20 (tie). Ohio State Buckeyes (37.5)We have yet to really see what J.T. Barrett is all about. Ohio State routed Kent State last week, and with a week off, its game against Gunner Kiel and Cincinnati should tell us a lot.
22. Wisconsin Badgers (36.5)The Badgers sure looked impressive at moments in their opening game against LSU, but the question is, can they perform like that for a full 60 minutes? Wisconsin is a 26.5-point favorite against Bowling Green this week.
23. Nebraska Cornhuskers (36)Since Nebraska beat Georgia in its bowl game last year, it has continued its hot hand, winning the first three games this year behind Ameer Abdullah.
24. TCU Horned Frogs (35.5)TCU has covered four straight games dating back to last season. With a week off, the Horned Frogs get to prepare for a road game against SMU before their first huge test of the year at home against Oklahoma.
25. Arizona State Sun Devils (35)In the case of Arizona State, forget what you have seen already, as its upcoming schedule is pretty brutal: vs. UCLA, at USC, vs. Stanford and at Washington.
By [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Evan Abrams[/FONT] | ESPN Insider
Three weeks into the 2014 college football season, there have been plenty of surprises, but everyone is focused on the inaugural College Football Playoff.
With enough of a sample size to draw some legitimate conclusions, it seemed like a good time to introduce our College Football Vegas Rankings.
The CFB Vegas Rankings are the composite power ratings of a panel of professional handicappers and college football statisticians, including fellow Insider Phil Steele, Brian Edwards and Bruce Marshall of The Gold Sheet. The ratings are intended to weigh the relative strength of the teams if they met on a neutral field and to be compared to the point spread on a given game.
For example, if Florida State and Texas A&M were to play on a neutral field this week, the Seminoles would be considered a 5-point favorite by our ratings.
Here's a look at the 25 best teams in college football according to Las Vegas.
[h=3]College Football Vegas Rankings[/h]
1. Florida State Seminoles (Power rating: 49.5)They are the defending national champion and have Jameis Winston. Before they move from this spot, somebody is going to have to either beat them or seriously test them. The Seminoles have an 18-game winning streak dating back to 2012.
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2. Oregon Ducks (49)As a 12- to 12.5-point favorite against Michigan State, we were supposed to see a big test for the Ducks. It happened early but could not be sustained late. Oregon has a cakewalk against Washington State this week, but games against Arizona, UCLA and Washington in the following weeks should give us a clearer picture of how good the Ducks really are.
3 (tie). Auburn Tigers (48)The Tigers' biggest test of the season so far comes Thursday against coach Bill Snyder and Kansas State. As a 9-point favorite against a ranked opponent, obviously Vegas values Auburn's talent, but the Tigers have covered their last 13 games.
3 (tie). Alabama Crimson Tide (48)Alabama hasn't faced Florida since Week 5 of 2011 in the Swamp. That day, Alabama was only a 4-point favorite. On Saturday, Alabama is a 15.5-point favorite as Florida is coming off a triple-overtime win at home against Kentucky.
5 (tie). Baylor Bears (47)Baylor is on a bye week. The Bears have won their first three games this season against noncompetitive opponents by a score of 178-27, covering all three games with spreads of 30 or more.
5 (tie). Oklahoma Sooners (47)Like Baylor, Oklahoma has yet to play a close game. This week may be different, though, with the Sooners traveling to Morgantown to face West Virginia. Oklahoma has covered its last four road games dating back to last season, but the loss of RB Keith Fordmay hurt this week.
7. Texas A&M Aggies (44.5)Since the Aggies' opening-week win against South Carolina, they have been rolling, and that should continue this week on the road at SMU as a 32.5-point favorite. Texas A&M gets Arkansas at home next week, which will be a bigger test than the Mustangs.
8 (tie). Ole Miss Rebels (42.5)Ole Miss has covered four consecutive games dating back to last season. With a bye this week, the Rebels can prepare for Memphis next week and then their biggest test so far (Alabama at home).
8 (tie). Michigan State Spartans (42.5)The Spartans get a home game against in-state foe Eastern Michigan this week. With a spread of 45, we would hope Michigan State would cruise. The Spartans don't have a tough test until Oct. 4 at home against Nebraska.
10. LSU Tigers (42)LSU has covered its first three games of the season for the first time since 2007, which was the last time the Tigers won the national championship. LSU is 7-1 SU in its last eight SEC home games over the past three seasons, with its only loss coming against Alabama.
11. Stanford Cardinal (41.5)With a week off, Stanford will need to prepare for back-to-back road games against Washington and Notre Dame.
12. Georgia Bulldogs (41)Off their loss last week at South Carolina, the Bulldogs get an easy one in Troy. Georgia did not perform well ATS last season with a 3-9-1 record.
13. USC Trojans (40.5)Talk about ups and downs. After beating Stanford in Palo Alto, USC lost to Boston College last week as a 17-point favorite. Now the Trojans have an extra week to think about it before playing at home against Oregon State.
14 (tie). Missouri Tigers (40)Missouri plays at home against Indiana this week as a 13.5-point favorite. The Hoosiers offense has been improved the past couple of seasons, but they have failed to cover a spread in 2014.
14 (tie). South Carolina Gamecocks (40)Off the win against Georgia, the Gamecocks play a road game against Vanderbilt as a 21.5-point favorite. It is the first time since October 2001 that South Carolina is more than a three-touchdown favorite on the road in conference play (Kentucky).
16. UCLA Bruins (39.5)After barely escaping against Texas, UCLA is off until Sept. 25 when the Bruins play on the road against Arizona State to kick off their Pac-12 schedule.
17 (tie). BYU Cougars (38.5)BYU's strength of schedule the rest of the year will be the reason we continue to talk about the Cougars. They are a two-touchdown favorite at home against Virginia this week.
17 (tie). Mississippi State Bulldogs (38.5)Mississippi State has won six straight games entering this week, but that may come to an abrupt end when it faces LSU as a 10-point underdog. The last time the Bulldogs won a game outright as a 10-point underdog was in 2008 against LSU.
19. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (38)The Irish have the week off before a neutral-site game against Syracuse and a home game against Stanford. Notre Dame has started 3-0 for first time since 2012 when it went to the national title game.
20 (tie). Oklahoma State Cowboys (37.5)The Cowboys have a week off before back-to-back conference home games against Texas Tech and Iowa State. Oklahoma State will open the season with five straight home games this season.
20 (tie). Ohio State Buckeyes (37.5)We have yet to really see what J.T. Barrett is all about. Ohio State routed Kent State last week, and with a week off, its game against Gunner Kiel and Cincinnati should tell us a lot.
22. Wisconsin Badgers (36.5)The Badgers sure looked impressive at moments in their opening game against LSU, but the question is, can they perform like that for a full 60 minutes? Wisconsin is a 26.5-point favorite against Bowling Green this week.
23. Nebraska Cornhuskers (36)Since Nebraska beat Georgia in its bowl game last year, it has continued its hot hand, winning the first three games this year behind Ameer Abdullah.
24. TCU Horned Frogs (35.5)TCU has covered four straight games dating back to last season. With a week off, the Horned Frogs get to prepare for a road game against SMU before their first huge test of the year at home against Oklahoma.
25. Arizona State Sun Devils (35)In the case of Arizona State, forget what you have seen already, as its upcoming schedule is pretty brutal: vs. UCLA, at USC, vs. Stanford and at Washington.
