College Football News 2019 Final Season Rankings: Who Had The Best Seasons?
The CFN Season Formula is based on straight numbers, wins, losses, and strengths of schedules to measure just how good a season really was, and NOT how good the teams were.
That’s what the CFN Opinion Rankings are for.
This is about the season from start to finish, putting an emphasis on the big wins against the top teams. This formula – used to compare seasons on a historical basis, as well as year-by-year – only cares about victories and the raw numbers, taking the eye test out of it completely.
Yes, there are a few head-to-head discrepancies, but again, this is about the season as a whole – the Opinion Rankings factor in the Team A beat Team B side.
It’s simple … was your schedule good, and did you win with it? Then your ranking is high. Was your schedule mediocre? This exposes that.
Win your conference championship, or do even more, and kaboom – this formula will probably love you.
Click for the breakdown of how the CFN Season Formula is calculated.
Contact CFN@ColFootballNews
130 UMass (1-11)
2019 Season Score: -8.12
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 128
2018 Final Season Ranking: 104
2017 Final Season Ranking: 106
Key Season Score Element: 5 Bad Loss Score (worst in college football)
Best Win: Akron 37-29
Worst Loss: UConn 56-35
129 Akron (0-12)
2019 Season Score: -5.09
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 125
2018 Final Season Ranking: 102
2017 Final Season Ranking: 81
Key Season Score Element: Only winless team in college football
Best Game: at Miami University 20-17
Worst Loss: at UMass 37-29
128 UTEP (1-11)
2019 Season Score: -3.63
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 130
2018 Final Season Ranking: 130
2017 Final Season Ranking: 130
Key Season Score Element: No wins over FBS teams, just 126 points
Best Win: Houston Baptist 36-34
Worst Loss: at New Mexico State 44-35
127 New Mexico State (2-10)
2019 Season Score: -1.40
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 129
2018 Final Season Ranking: 124
2017 Final Season Ranking: 79
Key Season Score Element: 492 points allowed
Best Win: UTEP 44-35
Worst Loss: at New Mexico 55-52
126 Connecticut (2-10)
2019 Season Score: -0.92
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 126
2018 Final Season Ranking: 129
2017 Final Season Ranking: 111
Key Season Score Element: 486 points allowed
Best Win: at UMass 56-35
Worst Loss: East Carolina 31-24
125 Old Dominion (1-11)
2019 Season Score: -0.80
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 115
2018 Final Season Ranking: 105
2017 Final Season Ranking: 99
Key Season Score Element: 195 points scored
Best Win: Norfolk State 24-21
Worst Loss: UTSA 24-23
124 Bowling Green (3-9)
2019 Season Score: 0.29
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 124
2018 Final Season Ranking: 118
2017 Final Season Ranking: 121
Key Season Score Element: 192 points scored
Best Win: Toledo 20-7
Worst Loss: Ohio 66-24
123 Rutgers (2-10)
2019 Season Score: 0.36
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 75
2018 Final Season Ranking: 125
2017 Final Season Ranking: 105
Key Season Score Element: 159 points scored
Best Win: Liberty 44-34
Worst Loss: Maryland 48-7
122 Georgia Tech (3-9)
2019 Season Score: 0.36
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 50
2018 Final Season Ranking: 64
2017 Final Season Ranking: 75
Key Season Score Element: 200 points scored
Best Win: at Miami 28-21
Worst Loss: Citadel 27-24
121 Arkansas (2-10)
2019 Season Score: 0.57
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 61
2018 Final Season Ranking: 119
2017 Final Season Ranking: 104
Key Season Score Element: Just two wins, one of them a Bad Win
Best Win: Colorado State 55-34
Worst Loss: San Jose State 31-24
120 New Mexico (2-10)
2019 Season Score: 0.63
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 104
2018 Final Season Ranking: 110
2017 Final Season Ranking: 113
Key Season Score Element: Both wins were Bad Wins
Best Win: New Mexico State 55-52
Worst Loss: Colorado State 35-21
119 South Alabama (2-10)
2019 Season Score: 0.95
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 112
2018 Final Season Ranking: 109
2017 Final Season Ranking: 90
Key Season Score Element: One Quality Win boosted up score out of the bottom five
Best Win: Arkansas State 34-30
Worst Loss: at Texas State 30-28
118 UTSA (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 1.70
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 113
2018 Final Season Ranking: 112
2017 Final Season Ranking: 72
Key Season Score Element: 4 wins – all Bad Wins – the most of any team below 112
Best Win: Rice 31-27
Worst Loss: at North Texas 45-3
117 Kansas (3-9)
2019 Season Score: 1.74
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 71
2018 Final Season Ranking: 108
2017 Final Season Ranking: 129
Key Season Score Element: No Quality Wins (lowest-ranked Power 5 team)
Best Win: at Boston College 48-24
Worst Loss: Coastal Carolina 12-7
116 Vanderbilt (3-9)
2019 Season Score: 1.92
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 62
2018 Final Season Ranking: 74
2017 Final Season Ranking: 83
Key Season Score Element: 198 points scored
Best Win: Missouri 21-14
Worst Loss: at Purdue 42-24
115 Rice (3-9)
2019 Season Score: 2.04
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 122
2018 Final Season Ranking: 127
2017 Final Season Ranking: 127
Key Season Score Element: All three wins to end season
Best Win: at Middle Tennessee 31-28
Worst Loss: at UTSA 31-27
114 Texas State (3-9)
2019 Season Score: 2.30
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 119
2018 Final Season Ranking: 123
2017 Final Season Ranking: 122
Key Season Score Element: Two of the three wins were Bad Wins
Best Win: Georgia State 37-34
Worst Loss: ULM 24-14
113 Maryland (3-9)
2019 Season Score: 2.37
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 53
2018 Final Season Ranking: 82
2017 Final Season Ranking: 100
Key Season Score Element: Two of the three wins were Bad Wins
Best Win: Syracuse 63-20
Worst Loss: Nebraska 54-7
112 NC State (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 2.37
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 40
2018 Final Season Ranking: 36
2017 Final Season Ranking: 25
Key Season Score Element: Second-lowest ranked 4 win team. Bad Loss to Georgia Tech a killer)
Best Win: Syracuse 16-10
Worst Loss: at Georgia Tech 28-26
111 North Texas (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 2.60
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 82
2018 Final Season Ranking: 51
2017 Final Season Ranking: 36
Key Season Score Element: Bad Loss to Rice dropped the ranking more than ten spots
Best Win: Middle Tennessee 33-30
Worst Loss: at Rice 20-14
110 Northwestern (3-9)
2019 Season Score: 2.63
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 47
2018 Final Season Ranking: 27
2017 Final Season Ranking: 21
Key Season Score Element: 196 points scored
Best Win: at Illinois 29-10
Worst Loss: at Stanford 17-7
109 Colorado State (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 2.71
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 97
2018 Final Season Ranking: 120
2017 Final Season Ranking: 76
Key Season Score Element: Bad Loss to Arkansas dropped the ranking by more than ten spots
Best Win: at Fresno State 41-31
Worst Loss: at Arkansas 55-34
108 East Carolina (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 2.75
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 114
2018 Final Season Ranking: 117
2017 Final Season Ranking: 117
Key Season Score Element: All 4 wins were Bad Wins
Best Win: at UConn 31-24
Worst Loss: Tulsa 49-24
107 Middle Tennessee (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 2.90
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 99
2018 Final Season Ranking: 59
2017 Final Season Ranking: 63
Key Season Score Element: Bad Loss to Rice at home killed the ranking
Best Win: Marshall 24-13
Worst Loss: Rie 31-28
106 UNLV (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 3.02
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 98
2018 Final Season Ranking: 107
2017 Final Season Ranking: 98
Key Season Score Element: Rebels outscored by 106 points
Best Win: at Nevada 33-30
Worst Loss: at Northwestern 30-14
105 Arizona (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 3.27
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 41
2018 Final Season Ranking: 92
2017 Final Season Ranking: 67
Key Season Score Element: 429 points allowed
Best Win: at Colorado 35-30
Worst Loss: at Stanford 41-31
104 USF (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 3.36
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 78
2018 Final Season Ranking: 78
2017 Final Season Ranking: 31
Key Season Score Element: 250 points scored
Best Win: BYU 27-23
Worst Loss:at Georgia Tech 14-10
103 Purdue (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 3.51
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 51
2018 Final Season Ranking: 55
2017 Final Season Ranking: 47
Key Season Score Element: Three of the four wins are Bad Wins
Best Win: Nebraska 31-27
Worst Loss: TCU 34-13
102 Texas Tech (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 4.10
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 49
2018 Final Season Ranking: 68
2017 Final Season Ranking: 69
Key Season Score Element: Lowest ranked team with a positive Point Differential
Best Win: Oklahoma State 45-35
Worst Loss: at Kansas 37-34
101 Houston (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 4.18
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 55
2018 Final Season Ranking: 56
2017 Final Season Ranking: 40
Key Season Score Element:
Best Win: at Tulsa 24-14
Worst Loss: at Tulane 38-31
2019 College Football News Season Rankings
Top 10 | 11-25 | 26-50 | 51-100 | 101-130
CFN Season Rankings Formula
NEXT: 2019 Top 100 College Football Seasons
2019 Top 100 College Football Seasons
100 ULM (5-7)
2019 Season Score: 4.32
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 111
2018 Final Season Ranking: 89
2017 Final Season Ranking: 107
Key Season Score Element: Lowest-ranked team with five wins
Best Win: Georgia State 45-31
Worst Loss: at Florida State 45-44
99 Ole Miss (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 4.34
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 63
2018 Final Season Ranking: 97
2017 Final Season Ranking: 70
Key Season Score Element: Three of the four wins were Bad Wins
Best Win: Vanderbilt 31-6
Worst Loss: at Mississippi State 21-20
98 Stanford (4-8)
2019 Season Score: 4.60
2019 CFN Preseason Ranking: 35
2018 Final Season Ranking: 32
2017 Final Season Ranking: 35
Key Season Score Element: Just 260 points scored
Best Win: Washington 23-13
Worst Loss: UCLA 34-16