Updated SP+ rankings for all 136 FBS teams

Below are the existent SP+ rankings, past updated aft the games of Sept. 20 (minus the late-night USC-Michigan State game, which volition beryllium incorporated erstwhile afloat stats are available).

What is SP+? In a azygous sentence, it's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measurement of assemblage shot ratio that I primitively created astatine Football Outsiders successful 2008. SP+ is intended to beryllium predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking (hence the deficiency of unbeatens adjacent the top), truthful it does not automatically springiness recognition for large wins oregon peculiarly brave scheduling -- nary bully predictive strategy does.

It is simply a measurement of the astir sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you're fortunate oregon unimpressive successful a win, your standing volition astir apt fall. If you're beardown and unlucky successful a loss, it volition astir apt rise.

Note: Early successful the season, ratings are based chiefly connected preseason projections, including peculiar teams ratings. Over the people of the season, preseason numbers are dilatory phased retired from week to week.

Within this page, we volition besides update the SP+ spot of docket and résumé SP+ ratings each week. Obviously these ratings aren't of overmuch usage aboriginal successful a fixed season, but their relevance volition summation arsenic the contention for College Football Playoff spots becomes much prevalent. Here's however they're defined.

SP+ spot of schedule is based connected the expected triumph percent an mean top-five squad (per SP+) would make against each team's schedule. An SOS standing of .850, for instance, signifies that the mean top-five squad would beryllium expected to triumph an mean of 85.0% of its games, oregon 10.2 projected wins implicit a 12-game schedule. A little expected triumph percent signifies a harder schedule, truthful the lowest SOS standing ranks first.

Résumé SP+ compares each team's scoring borderline (capped astatine 50 points for a fixed game) to what an mean top-five squad would beryllium expected to make against a fixed opponent. If a top-five hostile would beryllium projected to triumph a crippled by 10.0 points, and a squad wins by 15 instead, that's a +5.0 standing for that game. By the extremity of the season, lone a fistful of teams volition person a affirmative standing due to the fact that clearing a top-five barroom is evidently precise difficult. (Note: A seven-point punishment for losses is applied to the standing arsenic well, meaning your standing has 7 points deducted for each loss.)