How would you rank College Football teams by tiers

[Alsacs]

Stewart Mandel ranked teams by tiers last year. Article

Here is how I would do it.

Kings-Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, USC. Each of these teams have played for or won a title during the BCS era

Barons-Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, South Carolina, UCLA, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Knights-Arizona State, Arkansas, Boise State, Boston College, BYU, Cal, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, Virginia, Washington.

Peasants-Arizona, Baylor, Cincinnati, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Rutgers, Temple, South Florida, Wake Forest, Washington State and Vanderbilt.

Cannonfodder- the rest of D-1

This shows me the ACC has more potential than it is given credit for and can become a national player with just a couple of good years.

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[HtownOrange]

Gotta love Tennessee in the Baron's club. They are a Knight at present.
Also, if WVU is a Baron, they should not have 3 consecutive losses to a Knight.

I'm not claiming Syracuse is ready to reenter the field of Barons but I do believe that field is padded.

 

[Alsacs]

Gotta love Tennessee in the Baron's club. They are a Knight at present.
Also, if WVU is a Baron, they should not have 3 consecutive losses to a Knight.

I'm not claiming Syracuse is ready to reenter the field of Barons but I do believe that field is padded.

While WVU's internet fanbase has made them unlikable they have won 3 BCS bowls in the last 10 years. 2006 Sugar Bowl, 2009 Fiesta Bowl, 2012 Orange Bowl. I think they have earned their Baron status for now. I think getting beaten up by Texas, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State and them finishing in the middle of that conference will knock them down to Knight status. I also knocked Penn State off King status and down to Baron status and put Oregon in King status. I think the GROB era and the fact we haven't won a BCS bowl is why we are in Knight status. Doug Marrone prevented us from falling down to peasant status.

 

[OttosBestFriend]

Stewart Mandel ranked teams by tiers last year. Article

Here is how I would do it.

Kings-Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, USC. Each of these teams have played for or won a title during the BCS era

Barons-Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, South Carolina, UCLA, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Knights-Arizona State, Arkansas, Boise State, Boston College, BYU, Cal, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, Virginia, Washington.

Peasants-Arizona, Baylor, Cincinnati, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Rutgers, Temple, South Florida, Wake Forest, Washington State and Vanderbilt.

Cannonfodder- the rest of D-1

This shows me the ACC has more potential than it is given credit for and can become a national player with just a couple of good years.

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First, you have STANFORD in two groups (BARONS and KNIGHTS) and they are definitely NOT a BARON over the long haul.

Second, there's NO WAY that UCLA is a BARON - based on their overall record, attendance, and media mentions in the last 10-15 years... They've been somewhat irrelevant since the late 90's.

I think WVU should bump down one to the KNIGHTS. Sure, they've made a few BCS games, but they did it coming out of a crappy conference and seemingly beat the big teams in their non-conference schedule.

I think Miami should bump down one to the BARONS or maybe even switch places with Georgia. Miami has done NOTHING since moving to the ACC and draws horrible attendance.

As far as Georgia is concerned, I could be convinced Georgia is to remain a BARON, but they are ALWAYS in the SEC title hunt, go to bowls every year, produce lots of pros, ALWAYS sell out their stadium, consistently have top-10 recruiting classes and are seemingly on the CBS every Saturday at 3:30PM.

Also, recognizing that the original article you referenced only had 5 tiers, I think there needs to be more levels. It's not that cut and dried. Especially in the world of KNIGHTS and PEASANTS.

IMO, the KNIGHTS should be split into two different tiers. (Same with the PEASANTS)

With no evidence to back it up, the following teams have separated themselves over the last 15 or so years - from the others in your KNIGHTS group.

My non-scientific analysis is based on a combination W-L records, bowl games, national TV appearances, media mentions, recruiting class ratings, NFL players produced, overall fanbase "craziness" and devotion, as well as other intangibles that don't really mean anything.

PLEASE NOTE: I looked none of this up - I just went with my perception of how the respective universities fared in these areas.

Again, I have nothing to back up these claims... Just think there's a pretty big difference between say Michigan State and Ole Miss or Kansas State over the last 15-20 years - with a heavier emphasis on the last 10.

TOP TIER (in no particular order)
Georgia Tech
Michigan State
BYU
Virginia
Arkansas
Stanford
Iowa (Been to Bowls 10 of last 12 years)
TCU
Louisville
Pittsburgh
Boise State
Utah

SECOND TIER (again in no particular order)
Arizona State
Boston College
Cal
Illinois
Kansas State
Maryland
Missouri
North Carolina
N.C. State
Oklahoma State
Ole Miss
Oregon State
Purdue
Syracuse
Texas Tech
Washington

 

[NashvilleOrange]

Gotta love Tennessee in the Baron's club. They are a Knight at present.
Also, if WVU is a Baron, they should not have 3 consecutive losses to a Knight.

I'm not claiming Syracuse is ready to reenter the field of Barons but I do believe that field is padded.

Agree about WVU. Tennessee is the only team in the Baron's group that has won a BCS title so you can't knock them down just yet.

 

[BomberOrange]

Stewart Mandel ranked teams by tiers last year. Article

Here is how I would do it.

Kings-Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, USC. Each of these teams have played for or won a title during the BCS era

Barons-Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas A&M, South Carolina, UCLA, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Knights-Arizona State, Arkansas, Boise State, Boston College, BYU, Cal, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas State, Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Missouri, North Carolina, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford, Syracuse, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, Virginia, Washington.

Peasants-Arizona, Baylor, Cincinnati, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Rutgers, Temple, South Florida, Wake Forest, Washington State and Vanderbilt.

Cannonfodder- the rest of D-1

This shows me the ACC has more potential than it is given credit for and can become a national player with just a couple of good years.

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I just cant see Oregon in the Kings group. They have had recent success, but not along the lines of the other schools in that group...not even close. They are the "one of these kids is doing their own thing" of the Kings group. They fit in well with the Barons.​

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[Alsacs]

First, you have STANFORD in two groups (BARONS and KNIGHTS) and they are definitely NOT a BARON over the long haul.

Second, there's NO WAY that UCLA is a BARON - based on their overall record, attendance, and media mentions in the last 10-15 years... They've been somewhat irrelevant since the late 90's.

I think WVU should bump down one to the KNIGHTS. Sure, they've made a few BCS games, but they did it coming out of a crappy conference and seemingly beat the big teams in their non-conference schedule.

I think Miami should bump down one to the BARONS or maybe even switch places with Georgia. Miami has done NOTHING since moving to the ACC and draws horrible attendance.

As far as Georgia is concerned, I could be convinced Georgia is to remain a BARON, but they are ALWAYS in the SEC title hunt, go to bowls every year, produce lots of pros, ALWAYS sell out their stadium, consistently have top-10 recruiting classes and are seemingly on the CBS every Saturday at 3:30PM.

Also, recognizing that the original article you referenced only had 5 tiers, I think there needs to be more levels. It's not that cut and dried. Especially in the world of KNIGHTS and PEASANTS.

IMO, the KNIGHTS should be split into two different tiers. (Same with the PEASANTS)

With no evidence to back it up, the following teams have separated themselves over the last 15 or so years - from the others in your KNIGHTS group.

My non-scientific analysis is based on a combination W-L records, bowl games, national TV appearances, media mentions, recruiting class ratings, NFL players produced, overall fanbase "craziness" and devotion, as well as other intangibles that don't really mean anything.

PLEASE NOTE: I looked none of this up - I just went with my perception of how the respective universities fared in these areas.

Again, I have nothing to back up these claims... Just think there's a pretty big difference between say Michigan State and Ole Miss or Kansas State over the last 15-20 years - with a heavier emphasis on the last 10.

TOP TIER (in no particular order)
Georgia Tech
Michigan State
BYU
Virginia
Arkansas
Stanford
Iowa (Been to Bowls 10 of last 12 years)
TCU
Louisville
Pittsburgh
Boise State
Utah

SECOND TIER (again in no particular order)
Arizona State
Boston College
Cal
Illinois
Kansas State
Maryland
Missouri
North Carolina
N.C. State
Oklahoma State
Ole Miss
Oregon State
Purdue
Syracuse
Texas Tech
Washington

I think Stanford should be in the Knights, but 1 more top 10 year and they will become a Baron.
I don't have a problem making tiers within tiers but those Knights are all good historical teams with decent performance or teams that have risen over the last fifteen years from being peasants. I wouldn't put Louisville or Pittsburgh in a tier higher than Syracuse. We have struggled because of the GROB era, but Pitt hasn't been anything more than a consistent 6-6, 7-5 team. Louisville had a good run under Petrino, but Kragthrope bombed that advancement and while Charlie Strong and Teddy Bridgewater have had a good two year run they haven't moved UL above Oklahoma State or numerous teams in that bunch. I realize you probably didn't spend more than a minute putting those groupings together.

Also, UCLA is a baron they are a top 15 power. They have struggled under two previous coaches before Mora, but the Rose Bowl attendance has been 67k while that may be less than 100k its impressive and UCLA has a ton of history aren't nobodys. They are a 2nd tier elite program with the ability to be a King.

 

[Lawrinson14]

Based on on-field performance and name/brand awareness:

Kings: Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, USC.

Dukes: Florida State, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia, Penn State

[GAP]

Barons: Auburn, Clemson, Stanford, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Knights: Tennessee, Arizona State, Arkansas, Boise State, Cal, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Louisville, Oklahoma State, UCLA

Yeomen: Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Boston College, BYU, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, N.C. State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Baylor,

Peasants: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Temple, South Florida, Wake Forest, Washington State and Vanderbilt.

 

[HtownOrange]

Based on on-field performance and name/brand awareness:

Kings: Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, USC.

Dukes: Florida State, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia, Penn State

[GAP]

Barons: Auburn, Clemson, Stanford, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Knights: Tennessee, Arizona State, Arkansas, Boise State, Cal, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Louisville, Oklahoma State, UCLA

Yeomen: Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Boston College, BYU, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, N.C. State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Rutgers, Cincinnati,

Peasants: Arizona, Baylor, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Temple, South Florida, Wake Forest, Washington State and Vanderbilt.

Historically Syracuse is a Baron. We slumped under PP and hit the GROB era. We are out of it. In no way is Syracuse lower than a knight. I agree with others that we are not yet back to Baron status but if a couple bad seasons make a school drop then Texas is a Knight and OU a Baron

 

[OttoinGrotto]

SEC

ND, USC, Texas, Oregon

er'body else good

er'body else not good

A school that rhymes with Buttgers

 

[Lawrinson14]

Historically Syracuse is a Baron. We slumped under PP and hit the GROB era. We are out of it. In no way is Syracuse lower than a knight. I agree with others that we are not yet back to Baron status but if a couple bad seasons make a school drop then Texas is a Knight and OU a Baron

That's why i did on-field performance and name perception. Unfortunately, it can take years to build up a respectable presence in the eyes of a general fan, but only a few bad years (g-rob era) to destroy it.

Schools like Texas and Miami still have a clout to their names. Syracuse, playing in the horrific Big East, lost most of it's football clout. Hopefully it can regain some of it in the ACC.

 

[HtownOrange]

That's why i did on-field performance and name perception. Unfortunately, it can take years to build up a respectable presence in the eyes of a general fan, but only a few bad years (g-rob era) to destroy it.

Schools like Texas and Miami still have a clout to their names. Syracuse, playing in the horrific Big East, lost most of it's football clout. Hopefully it can regain some of it in the ACC.

You need to get out more. CFB fans know what happened and are impressed by the vast improveent. Is Alabama scared? No. Did their fans of a sudden forget that Syracuse has a great history and should have beaten Auburn in the Sugar Bowl? No. If we dropped off everyone's radar, you have to put most schools far lower than the OP has them.

P.S. Miami has a tv name only. Nobody is really afraid of Miami. Tennessee has been nothing to brag about lately. Kiflin may be more destructive to a program than GROB.

 

[Lawrinson14]

You need to get out more. CFB fans know what happened and are impressed by the vast improveent. Is Alabama scared? No. Did their fans of a sudden forget that Syracuse has a great history and should have beaten Auburn in the Sugar Bowl? No. If we dropped off everyone's radar, you have to put most schools far lower than the OP has them.

P.S. Miami has a tv name only. Nobody is really afraid of Miami. Tennessee has been nothing to brag about lately. Kiflin may be more destructive to a program than GROB.

seriously...no reason to get annoyed. I placed Syracuse in roughly the 40-50 range. That's not that bad considering it would place us ahead of ~60-70 D1 teams.

 

[Alsacs]

Based on on-field performance and name/brand awareness:

Kings: Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, USC.

Dukes: Florida State, LSU, Miami, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia, Penn State

[GAP]

Barons: Auburn, Clemson, Stanford, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Knights: Tennessee, Arizona State, Arkansas, Boise State, Cal, Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Purdue, North Carolina, TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Louisville, Oklahoma State, UCLA

Yeomen: Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Boston College, BYU, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, N.C. State, Ole Miss, Oregon State, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Baylor,

Peasants: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Duke, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Northwestern, Temple, South Florida, Wake Forest, Washington State and Vanderbilt.

I would change North Carolina, Purdue. Texas Tech for Syracuse, Iowa, BYU, Pittsburgh, Washington. However, that list is solid.

 

[Moontan]

Schools to drop out at the end of the next academic year: Temple, South Florida
Schools to drop out within 5 years (unless save be further realignment): Cincinnati, Connecticut
School trying to hang on past 5 years: Boise State
School in need of another realignment round: BYU

 

[Orangello]

I would create a separate category called "Leper Beggars" just for Rutgers

 

[Lawrinson14]

I would create a separate category called "Leper Beggars" just for Rutgers

Medieval themed: Check
Make fun of Rutgers: Check

Have a like.

 

[HtownOrange]

seriously...no reason to get annoyed. I placed Syracuse in roughly the 40-50 range. That's not that bad considering it would place us ahead of ~60-70 D1 teams.

Not annoyed, just making a point. Syracuse is top 20 all time in wins. Most CFB fans know Syracuse as giant killer. Everyone has down periods. Look at the Big 12 with both premier schools down though nobody would deny Texas and Oklahoma are still elite.

 

[omniorange]

I'm still at work, but I can honestly say South Carolina has no business being in the Barons. I'm not even sure they are even a true Knight. They are barely over .500 lifetime and have yet to reach double digit in seasons ranked at the end of the year.

Cheers,
Neil

 

[All4SU]

The MOST Tears: UCONN, Cincy, USF and Temple.