There's no question that the team I've received more questions about -- or more "LOL u can't be seriouses" -- in this year's Fornelli 50 rankings has been UCF. The Knights opened the season with a 61-17 win over FIU and then had three weeks off due to games being canceled due to Hurricane Irma.
So, in a rankings system based off nothing but math, that 44-point win was working wonders for the Knights in the rankings. I would tell people this, and that I was sure the Knights would come crashing back to Earth sometime soon.
But they have not.
Since then, UCF has picked up a 28-point win over Maryland and a 27-point win over Memphis. That means the Knights are now 3-0 and winning their games by an average of 33 points per game. Furthermore, their strength of schedule looks healthy as well because the three teams they've beaten are a combined 9-0 against every other team they've played that isn't UCF.
They're all 3-1 with their lone losses coming to the Knights! So, yeah, UCF is still in the top five. Make fun of my rankings because of that if you must, but it's hard to argue it doesn't deserve to be here right now.
What about everyone else? We'll get to the rankings in a moment, but first a quick explanation as to how it all works (full explanation here).
- My opinion has absolutely nothing to do with the rankings
- There is true equality to start as math doesn't play favorites
- Wins and losses mean more than anything
- The formula is in no way predictive, it's a meritocracy
- I won't share the formula, but it works
The Fornelli 50
| Team | Name | Status | News |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. Clemson | 5-0 | Clemson has already played three teams currently ranked in the top 20, and it's beaten all of them. Two of them on the road. If you're still having doubts about them, maybe stop. (Last week: 1) |
 | 2. Alabama | 5-0 | Things have been so easy for Alabama this season that Nick Saban has had to yell at reporters for not speaking clearly into the microphone just to feel like he's coaching somebody. (2) |
 | 3. Oklahoma | 4-0 | The Sooners had the week off. (3) |
 | 4. Penn State | 5-0 | You know things are going well when there are opposing fans already calling you "classless" in September. (4) |
 | 5. UCF | 3-0 | Looking at the schedule, I have to believe the Knights will be sticking around at least a couple more weeks. (5) |
 | 6. Washington | 5-0 | It wasn't a win over Oregon State that moved the Huskies up five spots but rather how they've performed the last two weeks. (11) |
 | 7. TCU | 4-0 | The Horned Frogs had the week off after a big win over Oklahoma State. (6) |
 | 8. Georgia | 5-0 | Maybe people will take these rankings more seriously now that there are finally two SEC teams in the top 10. (14) |
 | 9. Michigan | 4-0 | Michigan won't have Wilton Speight for at least a month, and it might be a good thing. (9) |
 | 10. Wisconsin | 4-0 | I can only imagine how good this team would be if it treated every half like the second half. (8) |
 | 11. Washington State | 5-0 | Well, well, well, look at you, Cougs. The Apple Cup may decide the Pac-12 North. (16) |
 | 12. South Florida | 5-0 | The Bulls have outscored AAC opponents 104-38 in two games so far. (17) |
 | 13. Miami | 3-0 | The Canes looked impressive against Duke on Friday night, but this week's game with Florida State will tell us a lot more. (24) |
 | 14. UTSA | 3-0 | The Roadrunners are coached by somebody that LSU probably should have considered hiring before it went with Ed Orgeron. (18) |
 | 15. Ohio State | 4-1 | It's typically a sign of good things to come when you have a loss but are ranked ahead of so many undefeated teams in these rankings. (28) |
 | 16. Utah | 4-0 | The Utes had to love watching USC lose on Friday night. Well, if they weren't too busy celebrating BYU's loss I mean. (20) |
 | 17. San Diego State | 5-0 | I feel safe saying the Aztecs have replaced Boise State as the most dominant force in the Mountain West. (19) |
 | 18. Navy | 4-0 | The Midshipmen are just going about their business and refusing to lose. (22) |
 | 19. Notre Dame | 4-1 | The Georgia loss looks better every week, as do the Irish in general. (23) |
 | 20. Oklahoma State | 4-1 | After a scare against Texas Tech on Saturday night questions are arising. Well, from others, I still really like this team. (26) |
 | 21. USC | 4-1 | I don't think anybody who watched USC all season was that surprised by Friday's loss to Wazzu. (7) |
 | 22. Auburn | 4-1 | Could Alabama have a challenger within its division? For the sake of keeping things interesting, I hope so. (32) |
 | 23. Virginia Tech | 4-1 | The final score says the Hokies lost by 14 points to Clemson, but it never felt that close to anybody watching. (13) |
 | 24. Duke | 4-1 | The Blue Devils drop 12 spots after a 15-point loss at home to Miami. (12) |
 | 25. Oregon | 4-1 | Losing Justin Herbert for at least a month is a major blow to the Ducks. He had been playing so well in this offense. (33) |
 | 26. Louisville | 4-1 | Pretty quiet bye week at Louisville. Nothing unusual happening on that campus. No sir. (30) |
 | 27. Florida | 3-1 | Luke Del Rio's injury sucks for him, but it might be the best thing for Florida as now Jim McElwain has to stick with Feleipe Franks and the run game. (39) |
 | 28. West Virginia | 3-1 | The Mountaineers had the week off. (29) |
 | 29. NC State | 4-1 | Listen, if the Wolfpack beat Louisville this week, I think it'll be time to take this team very seriously. (34) |
 | 30. Georgia Tech | 3-1 | God I love watching this team when it's going good, and it is going good. (49) |
 | 31. Minnesota | 3-1 | The Gophers had some of the weakest peripherals of all the teams in the top 10 last week, and one loss later they're dropping 21 spots because of it. (10) |
 | 32. Wake Forest | 4-1 | Apologies to the world's biggest Wake Forest fan, Chip Patterson. He bleeds gold and black and was heartbroken to see the Deacs lose this past weekend to a winless team from somewhere in Florida. (15) |
 | 33. SMU | 4-1 | Whether via a contract extension or a new job, Chad Morris is on pace to get paid this winter. (36) |
 | 34. Kansas State | 3-1 | Quick thanks to Bill Snyder for bleeding out the clock so efficiently and letting Baylor cover on Saturday. I appreciate it. (50) |
 | 35. Houston | 3-1 | The biggest news for Houston is that Ed Oliver's injury doesn't appear to be serious. (41) |
 | 36. Texas A&M | 3-1 | The Aggies have recovered nicely from that UCLA loss, but none of that's going to matter against Alabama. (48) |
 | 37. Ohio | 4-1 | Remember when Nebraska fired Frank Solich after a nine-win season and a 58-19 record over six seasons? (44) |
 | 38. Kentucky | 4-1 | I have to be honest, Kentucky, I don't expect you to be here much longer. Not after what I saw against Eastern Michigan. (43) |
 | 39. Michigan State | 3-1 | Of all the teams I've watched this year, I don't think any of them embody the spirit of "meh" quite like Michigan State does. (NR) |
 | 40. Maryland | 3-1 | Take away all the Terps quarterbacks, it doesn't matter. Big win for Durkin's boys in Minneapolis. They needed it if they want to go bowling this year because it's a rough road ahead. (NR) |
 | 41. Texas Tech | 3-1 | Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Texas Tech lost a high-scoring shootout. (21) |
 | 42. Troy | 4-1 | There was a time when beating LSU at night in Tiger Stadium would have meant a lot in these rankings. Now isn't that time. Sorry, Troy. (NR) |
 | 43. Stanford | 3-2 | I know that Bryce Love is amazing. I don't know if anything else about this team is good. (NR) |
 | 44. Marshall | 3-1 | After a horrible 2016 season it's nice to see Marshall off to a good start. I've always been a fan of Doc Holliday. (NR) |
 | 45. Toledo | 3-1 | Toledo had the week off, and it jumped into the rankings. That's how you take advantage of a bye week. (NR) |
 | 46. Mississippi State | 3-2 | Listen, Georgia and Auburn might prove to be really good, so maybe we shouldn't hold those losses against the Bulldogs. (27) |
 | 47. Virginia | 3-1 | Like Toledo, Virginia moves up a few spots despite the bye due to other teams losing. (NR) |
 | 48. Memphis | 3-1 | So much for those New Year's Six hopes. (25) |
 | 49. Iowa | 3-2 | The Hawkeyes are on a two-game losing streak, but have played well enough to cling to a spot in the rankings for now. (31) |
 | 50. Nebraska | 3-2 | A 28-6 win over Illinois was enough to bump the Huskers up, but Wisconsin awaits this weekend. (NR) |
No Longer Ranked: South Carolina (35), Indiana (37), Vanderbilt (38), California (40), Eastern Michigan (42), Tennessee (45), Colorado (46), LSU (47)
