CFN Five Year Program Analysis Rankings, The Top 75
75 Syracuse
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 54.59
2019 Ranking: 82
2018 Ranking: 88
2017 Ranking: 74
Biggest Positive: 13 Quality Wins
Biggest Negative: 35% conference winning percentage
Analysis: The Orange came up with a strong 2018 season to help provide a boost, and now they’re rocketing up even with just 22 FBS wins and with a rough run in ACC play. How did it happen? A whopping 13 Quality Wins helped, as did losing the 3-9 2014 campaign.
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74 Colorado
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 55.08
2019 Ranking: 89
2018 Ranking: 84
2017 Ranking: 90
Biggest Positive: 11 players drafted
Biggest Negative: 36% conference winning percentage
Analysis: There aren’t a whole lot of FBS wins – just 25 over the last five years – but getting close to 46,000 fans per game in the stands is solid, and a whole lot of players are getting drafted. The Buffs are moving up.
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73 Utah State
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 55.24
2019 Ranking: 68
2018 Ranking: 64
2017 Ranking: 51
Biggest Positive: 10 Quality Wins
Biggest Negative: 1.98 Attendance Score
Analysis: It’s been an interesting ride for the Aggies, but the drop comes after losing the 10-4 2014 season from the ranking. They have decent enough numbers in other areas – seven players drafted and ten Quality Wins – to keep from dropping too far.
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72 Air Force
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 55.35
2019 Ranking: 63
2018 Ranking: 70
2017 Ranking: 66
Biggest Positive: 63% conference winning percentage
Biggest Negative: 17 Bad Wins
Analysis: Air Force is always among the elite in APR – the 9.943 score is amazing – and the 34 FBS wins are fantastic. However, there weren’t a ton of Quality Wins and the players drafted – just three – is always going to be an issue.
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71 Virginia
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 55.83
2019 Ranking: 85
2018 Ranking: 94
2017 Ranking: 96
Biggest Positive: 9.704 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 2.5 Bad Loss Score
Analysis: One big season with a run to the ACC Championship game later, and Virginia rolled up the rankings. The 25 FBS wins are still too light, but the 11 Quality Wins and decent numbers in other spots boosted things under Bronco Mendenhall.
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70 Texas Tech
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 56.12
2019 Ranking: 76
2018 Ranking: 67
2017 Ranking: 63
Biggest Positive: 11 players drafted
Biggest Negative: 33% conference winning percentage
Analysis: Where are the Big 12 wins? The Red Raiders only took down 33% of their conference games, but the 56,000 fans a game packing the house helped. Getting a slew of players drafted was massive.
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69 Missouri
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 56.33
2019 Ranking: 41
2018 Ranking: 28
2017 Ranking: 27
Biggest Positive: 5.50 Attendance Score
Biggest Negative: 35% conference winning percentage
Analysis: There will always be a floor with a solid Big 12-caliber Attendance Score to go along with players drafted – 11 over the last five seasons – but the Tigers aren’t winning enough SEC games lately. The six Quality Wins are WAY low – Mizzou beats the mediocre, but not the good.
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T67 Indiana
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 57.25
2019 Ranking: 81
2018 Ranking: 76
2017 Ranking: 83
Biggest Positive: 10 players drafted
Biggest Negative: 34% conference winning percentage
Analysis: Things might get better for the Hoosiers over the last few seasons -they got to a bowl game last year – but there aren’t enough Big Ten wins, there are just four Quality Wins, and 16 Bad Wins.
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T67 Troy
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 57.25
2019 Ranking: 71
2018 Ranking: 74
2017 Ranking: 91
Biggest Positive: 35 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 20 Bad Wins
Analysis: Bad Wins is sort of a good/bad category. You can only beat who’s on you schedule, and give Troy credit for going 20-0 over the last five years against the miserable. The 35 FBS wins overall are great, and the ten Quality Wins are solid.
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66 Florida Atlantic
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 57.28
2019 Ranking: 88
2018 Ranking: 82
2017 Ranking: 112
Biggest Positive: 12 Quality Wins
Biggest Negative: 1.63 Attendance Score
Analysis: There were a few great years under former head man Lane Kiffin to make a big boost, but the lack of attendance and just getting six players drafted stalled things a bit. Even so, this was a great jump.
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65 Southern Miss
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 57.42
2019 Ranking: 75
2018 Ranking: 86
2017 Ranking: 108
Biggest Positive: 32 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 19 Bad Wins
Analysis: The Golden Eagles got eight players drafted, and winning 68% of Conference USA games are great, but the 19 Bad Wins and the 9.494 APR Score aren’t strong. There need to be more victories over the top teams.
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64 Marshall
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 58.11
2019 Ranking: 58
2018 Ranking: 54
2017 Ranking: 59
Biggest Positive: 34 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 2.4 Attendance Score
Analysis: The attendance part of the puzzle will always be an issue compared to the big boys, but the 34 FBS victories and ten Quality Wins are still strong. Taking down 60% of the Conference USA games is great.
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63 Cincinnati
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 59.11
2019 Ranking: 74
2018 Ranking: 81
2017 Ranking: 62
Biggest Positive: 33 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 2 Bad Loss Score
Analysis: The Bearcats were on their way up, and then Luke Fickell took things to another level. The attendance is always going to hit a ceiling, and two Bad Losses cost them a spot in the 50s, but the 33 FBS wins and 50% run in AAC play provided the boost.
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62 Arkansas
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 59.15
2019 Ranking: 57
2018 Ranking: 52
2017 Ranking: 53
Biggest Positive: 6.25 Attendance Score
Biggest Negative: 23% conference winning percentage
Analysis: It wasn’t all that long ago that Arkansas was a major SEC player with the high-powered offense that threw a scare into the rest of the league. The Hogs won just 18 FBS games over the last five seasons, but getting 18 players drafted and the good attendance save the ranking from dropping further.
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61 Wake Forest
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 59.64
2019 Ranking: 80
2018 Ranking: 91
2017 Ranking: 98
Biggest Positive: 9.804 APR Score
Biggest Negative: 2.71 Attendance Score
Analysis: Dave Clawson has turned Wake Forest into a factor. The wins are coming on a regular basis, and the 12 Quality Wins provided a giant pop to overcome the 38% ACC winning clip and the smallish attendance.
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60 Ohio
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 60.06
2019 Ranking: 69
2018 Ranking: 69
2017 Ranking: 67
Biggest Positive: 36 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 1.89 Attendance Score
Analysis: Frank Solich has created a MAC power, even if the program can’t get a conference championship through the recent run. There are lots of wins, the APR is great, and the conference winning percentage of 68% is strong. The attendance, though, is an issue.
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59 Boston College
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 60.34
2019 Ranking: 61
2018 Ranking: 59
2017 Ranking: 85
Biggest Positive: 14 players drafted
Biggest Negative: 35% conference winning percentage
Analysis: BC is good at the little things. The APR is fantastic, and getting players drafted isn’t a problem, but the 25 FBS wins are a little light and the Bad Loss Score of 3 hurts.
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58 North Carolina
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 61.69
2019 Ranking: 65
2018 Ranking: 42
2017 Ranking: 29
Biggest Positive: 10 Quality Wins
Biggest Negative: 9.588 APR Score
Analysis: The Tar Heels are starting to boost back up again. Getting 14 players drafted is good, and the ten Quality Wins are strong, but they’re not going to move up until they win more ACC games – winning fewer than 50% of their tries.
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57 BYU
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 61.75
2019 Ranking: 64
2018 Ranking: 58
2017 Ranking: 49
Biggest Positive: 31 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 3.5 Bad Win Score
Analysis: Getting over 57,000 fans in the house will always keep BYU from falling too far, and the 31 FBS wins were great, but getting just six players drafted and the 14 Bad Wins were low.
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56 Kansas State
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 62.38
2019 Ranking: 56
2018 Ranking: 46
2017 Ranking: 33
Biggest Positive: 31 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 9 Quality Wins
Analysis: The Wildcats are beating the teams they’re supposed to, but there aren’t enough wins over the decent-to-great squads. The 49% winning clip in the Big 12 isn’t okay for a program with the ability to push for a whole lot more.
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55 South Carolina
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 63.29
2019 Ranking: 48
2018 Ranking: 37
2017 Ranking: 24
Biggest Positive: 7.72 Attendance Score
Biggest Negative: 23 FBS wins
Analysis: It helps when you have one of the most loyal-large fan bases in the college football, with over 77,000 fans showing up through thick and thin. However, the Gamecocks have only won 40% of their SEC games over the last five years.
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54 California
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 63.47
2019 Ranking: 73
2018 Ranking: 79
2017 Ranking: 77
Biggest Positive: 14 players drafted
Biggest Negative: 38% conference winning percentage
Analysis: Justin Wilcox has turned the program around. It’s starting to win more, it’s going to bowl games, and it’s moving up fast in the rankings. The relatively light attendance – 43,000 per game – is a limit, but the APR is great and getting 14 players drafted is fantastic.
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53 Louisiana Tech
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 65.84
2019 Ranking: 55
2018 Ranking: 65
2017 Ranking: 57
Biggest Positive: 38 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 2.19 Attendance Score
Analysis: Very, very quietly, Louisiana Tech has put together a nice run with a whole lot of FBS wins, a 68% winning run in Conference USA, and with 12 players getting drafted. It isn’t beating a whole lot of great teams with just nine Quality Wins, but the team is 19-1 in Bad Win situations.
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52 Nebraska
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 66.16
2019 Ranking: 43
2018 Ranking: 36
2017 Ranking: 23
Biggest Positive: 8.97 Attendance Score
Biggest Negative: 27 FBS wins
Analysis: Really, Nebraska? 27 FBS wins over the last five years? The Huskers have only won 41% of their conference games, when you have over 89,000 fans showing up every Saturday, there’s a hard floor on how far the program can drop.
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51 WKU
Five-Year Program Analysis Score: 66.63
2019 Ranking: 46
2018 Ranking: 38
2017 Ranking: 34
Biggest Positive: 39 FBS wins
Biggest Negative: 1.62 Attendance Score
Analysis: The ranking is still relatively high with the 12-2 2015 and 11-3 2016 seasons still counting. The 15 Quality Wins are fantastic, but the Bad Loss Score of 5 is disastrous. The 2019 season-opening loss to Central Arkansas will be on the books for a long, long time.
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