RCFR Methodology
HOW THE RESUME COLLEGE FOOTBALL RANKING IS CALCULATED.
RCFR uses a published set of ranking criteria designed to evaluate what teams have earned on the field.
Each week begins with the AP/Coaches Consensus Top 25. Teams are then re-ranked using seven defined criteria applied consistently across the entire ranking.
The RCFR Methodology
| Methodology | RCFR Rule |
|---|---|
| Philosophy | QUALITY WINS MATTER. RCFR rewards quality wins and challenging schedules. |
| AFCA Coaches Poll | Current week's AFCA Coaches Poll — a traditional, widely available ranking. |
| AP Top 25 Poll | Current week's AP Top 25 Poll — a traditional, widely available ranking. |
| Consensus Top 25 | Average the current week's AP Top 25 and AFCA Coaches Poll rankings. The resulting Consensus Top 25 becomes the pool used for the RCFR Ranking Criteria. |
| Ranking Criteria #1 | Top 25 Wins — highest to lowest. |
| Ranking Criteria #2 | Best Top 25 Win — lowest opponent Consensus Rank. |
| Ranking Criteria #3 | Top 25 Games — highest to lowest. |
| Ranking Criteria #4 | Total Wins — highest to lowest. |
| Ranking Criteria #5 | Total Losses — lowest to highest. |
| Ranking Criteria #6 | Consensus Rank — lowest AP/Coaches average rank. |
| Ranking Criteria #7 | Head-to-Head — After Criteria #1–#6 are applied, adjacent teams are reviewed from top to bottom. The team leading the season head-to-head series is ranked ahead. If the teams split the season series, no adjustment is made and the Criteria #1–#6 order remains unchanged. After any adjustment, the next adjacent pair is reviewed. Previously reviewed pairs are not revisited. |
| Additional Note | The seven ranking criteria determine the final RCFR rankings. |
| Additional Note | Rankings begin in Week 2 using the Week 2 AP and AFCA Coaches Polls. |
| CFP Comparison | CFP Comparison begins in Week 11 when the CFP rankings are first released. |
The RCFR Process
CONSENSUS TOP 25
→
7 RANKING CRITERIA
→
FINAL RCFR RANKING
One published process. Applied consistently. Built to reward quality wins and challenging schedules.
