and are heavily skewed by margin of victory. If later games are weighted more than earlier games, then computer rankings look an awful lot like the human polls. Sagarin's "Recent" ratings, below, demonstrate how applying less weight to Notre Dame's first four (very) narrow victories (including Michigan) yields a more accurate rating.
Rank (Recent) Rank (Standard) School Rating (Recent)
1 1 Alabama 105.73
2 2 Clemson 100.38
3 9 Notre Dame 95.5
4 3 Michigan 95.5
5 4 Georgia 94.84
6 5 Oklahoma 92.31
7 11 LSU 90.16
8 6 Ohio State 89.74
9 15 Washington State 86.79
10 7 West Virginia 86.37
11 25 Iowa State 85.92
12 8 Penn State 85.5
13 23 Central Florida(UCF) 84.99
14 12 Mississippi State 84.39
15 20 Missouri 84.33
16 18 Texas 83.9
17 10 Washington 83.81
18 24 North Dakota State 82.72
19 33 Northwestern 82.08
20 14 Utah 81.26
21 29 Utah State 81.2
22 34 Syracuse 80.75
23 48 Pittsburgh 80.64
24 21 Michigan State 80.44
25 16 Texas 80.18
Rank (Recent) Rank (Standard) School Rating (Recent)
1 1 Alabama 105.73
2 2 Clemson 100.38
3 9 Notre Dame 95.5
4 3 Michigan 95.5
5 4 Georgia 94.84
6 5 Oklahoma 92.31
7 11 LSU 90.16
8 6 Ohio State 89.74
9 15 Washington State 86.79
10 7 West Virginia 86.37
11 25 Iowa State 85.92
12 8 Penn State 85.5
13 23 Central Florida(UCF) 84.99
14 12 Mississippi State 84.39
15 20 Missouri 84.33
16 18 Texas 83.9
17 10 Washington 83.81
18 24 North Dakota State 82.72
19 33 Northwestern 82.08
20 14 Utah 81.26
21 29 Utah State 81.2
22 34 Syracuse 80.75
23 48 Pittsburgh 80.64
24 21 Michigan State 80.44
25 16 Texas 80.18