Ever want to use the same numbers oddsmakers do to make college football point spreads? Now is your chance. Subtract the higher-rated team's number from the lower-rated team's to make the point spread on a neutral field.
The Action Network college football analyst Collin Wilson has released his betting power ratings for all 130 teams. His numbers will be updated here every Sunday before the next week's point spreads come out. He'll also track changes over the course of the season.
How Should You Use These College Football Power Rankings?
Great question. Each team is assigned one composite number based on a variety of factors, each weighted differently. They include explosiveness, returning production, defensive havoc, coaching, Pythagorean projections based on last season's results and more.
The difference in each team's number listed above is the approximate point spread on a neutral field. You can read more about how many points each team is given for home-field advantage here.
Take other things into account, like public betting tendencies, but our ratings are a great place to start.
If Clemson is rated at a 95 and Alabama is rated as a 93, the Tigers should be about a 2-point favorite on a neutral field.
Why Are Some so Different from the Point Spread?
There are many reasons why a point spread could vary. Oddsmakers shade lines for different reasons, since they're trying to come out ahead of bettors.
We're just trying to show the relative difference in talent between two teams and capitalize on those oddsmaker tendencies that the betting public doesn't normally factor in.
Different power raters weigh different metrics more heavily, too.
Wilson favors teams with explosive offenses and disruptive defenses, so you'll see teams with those qualities appear higher in The Action Network's power ratings than in many other places.
