We're currently #25 in S&P
Caveats about it being early and such, but I thought it was fun to see someone/thing rank us in the top 25 nevertheless. For the uninitiated:
The S&P+ Ratings are a college football ratings system derived from the play-by-play and drive data of all 800+ of a season's FBS college football games (and 140,000+ plays).
The components for S&P+ reflect opponent-adjusted components of four of what Bill Connelly has deemed the Five Factors of college football: efficiency, explosiveness, field position, and finishing drives. (A fifth factor, turnovers, is informed marginally by sack rates, the only quality-based statistic that has a consistent relationship with turnover margins.)
The breakdown is: our offense is ranked #76 and our defense is ranked #12. Looking at our opponents, S&P currently rates us better than all our opponents save two (and I'm sure you can guess which two that would be). The closest team to us, profile-wise, is Boise State, at #22 overall, with the #79 offense and #11 defense.
September 23rd, 2015 at 6:58 PM ^
and if Utah beats Oregon, we may crack the top-25 in the AP poll.
Coaches will still have Auburn ranked.
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:25 PM ^
Auburn is only ranked because the coaches don't fuss over this stuff.
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:33 PM ^
where have you been? :)
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:04 PM ^
Sunnyvale.
September 23rd, 2015 at 9:11 PM ^
Drunky the clown had him locked in fake jail again.
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:16 PM ^
Right on, because some of the coaches voting on these polls are so brilliant.
Exhibit A:
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:44 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 9:23 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:01 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:40 PM ^
7th by yards per game
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:01 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:10 PM ^
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September 23rd, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^
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September 23rd, 2015 at 8:13 PM ^
Might be time to go to bed.
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:11 PM ^
Can't take this stuff too seriously until they at least get rid of preseason rankings (week 7), but interesting to note nonetheless.
BYU is 23 and 36, UoM is 25 and 36, so this game will decide who is more accurate between FEI and S&P - FOREVER!
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:19 PM ^
Why's Utah ranked #48? Seems laughable that Michigan is #25 and Utah is #48.
September 23rd, 2015 at 9:08 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 11:19 PM ^
Disagree that Michigan outplayed Utah. Utah outplayed Michigan and the score reflected it. Utah was relatively unimpressive in other games which brings down their rankings.
Before the final drive by Michigan offense, Utah outgained Michigan 334 to 275. Michigan got 80 yards largely against prevent defense and Utah was content to let them get the middle of the field to keep the clock moving. This is a better indictor of how the game went at Utah. Utah was the better team of the two.
September 24th, 2015 at 12:47 AM ^
it would have been much different. I don't know that I'd say that we outplayed them but we definitely held our own that game and have looked better than them since.
September 24th, 2015 at 8:03 AM ^
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September 24th, 2015 at 2:39 PM ^
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September 23rd, 2015 at 7:23 PM ^
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September 23rd, 2015 at 7:24 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:32 PM ^
when we're 10-1.
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:35 PM ^
We won't be ranked when OSU leaves the Big House and we're 11-1 because the Mormon apoclypse blows up the universe.
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:53 PM ^
.diary
September 23rd, 2015 at 10:10 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:25 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:17 PM ^
Now tell me you wouldn't buy shares in Michigan football.
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:19 PM ^
Crazy world we live in. NASDAQ and National Geographic are bound to get in on college football. Raback it.
September 24th, 2015 at 6:07 AM ^
"Steak and Potatoes" when I first read it last evening. But then again, it was before dinner and I was very hungry.
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:32 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:34 PM ^
BYU only won that game out of a very improbably pass at the last second. I also think our team matches up better against BYU than Boise State's did. but that's just my opinion.
September 23rd, 2015 at 9:21 PM ^
I watched that Boise State game and it has me scared. Boise S. did a lot of good things.
Should be a very interesting Saturday!
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:36 PM ^
~Dantonio
September 23rd, 2015 at 7:46 PM ^
Yeah, I could guess who those two opponents are. Anyone could.
And yet I'm still left wondering why the fuck Indiana and Rutgers are above us.
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:05 PM ^
Wonder what our rating will be after we beat those punks from Columbus?
We're gonna party like it's 1 9 6 9 !
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:13 PM ^
Why are there bodies in the top row of the student section? I thought students always packed in to lower rows? Confused...
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:17 PM ^
The students were trying to avoid the flying Buckeye blood
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:18 PM ^
They needed room for their kegs back then
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:21 PM ^
We seem to be playing a quality team in that picture
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:43 PM ^
There are no quality teams in Ohio
September 24th, 2015 at 8:38 AM ^
Four time outs in 1969?
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:11 PM ^
well based on revenue, we'd be #1 or inches from the top.
based on winged helmets, we'd be #1 in all the known (and unknown) universe. so there.
September 24th, 2015 at 8:20 AM ^
Yeah, but we just had the college football equivalent of the VW CEO as our AD, so our stock has tanked.
September 23rd, 2015 at 8:35 PM ^
That's kind of cool, but the sample is so small this far into the season. Give me one more game against a quality opponent and I will start to believe those numbers.
September 23rd, 2015 at 9:03 PM ^
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September 23rd, 2015 at 9:21 PM ^
September 23rd, 2015 at 10:05 PM ^
It would be nice to be ranked, I guess, but 4 weeks into a season doesn't tell a whole lot about a team.
Honestly, I think the best thing that happened to this team was that loss at Utah, in that it extinguished any of those pie-in-the-sky "Harbaugh will lead them to a title" talk too early.