College Football 1981
Ranking of ALL Teams

Based on games played between 1981/9/5 and 1982/1/1
Ratings based on Chi Square fit to Score Difference (ScoreDif)

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Rankings Home Page Main Page 1981 Rankings - All Seasons Teams - All Seasons Historical Team Comparisons Top of this page
Links to the same page for other seasons
1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971
1981 - Ranking of all teams based on Chi Square fit to Score Difference
ScoreDif WinLoss Schedule Total Division Conference
Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Team Games Record Rank Games Record Name Rank Games Record Name
1 34.76 3 32.05 1 28.50 Penn State 12 10-2-0 1 12 10-2-0 I-A 1 7 7-0-0 EIC
2 32.45 2 34.70 58 57.33 Clemson 12 12-0-0 2 11 11-0-0 I-A 1 6 6-0-0 ACC
3 29.47 8 26.04 51 54.45 Southern Methodist 11 10-1-0 3 10 9-1-0 I-A 1 8 7-1-0 SWAC
4 28.41 4 29.35 13 41.25 Pittsburgh 12 11-1-0 4 12 11-1-0 I-A 3 8 7-1-0 EIC
5 27.83 10 23.30 2 36.38 Nebraska 12 9-3-0 5 12 9-3-0 I-A 1 7 7-0-0 BIG 8
6 27.38 1 34.84 14 41.42 Texas 12 10-1-1 6 12 10-1-1 I-A 2 8 6-1-1 SWAC
7 26.37 5 26.85 24 46.29 Alabama 12 9-2-1 7 12 9-2-1 I-A 2 7 7-0-0 SEC
8 25.33 9 24.11 27 47.38 Georgia 12 10-2-0 8 12 10-2-0 I-A 1 6 6-0-0 SEC
9 23.44 22 16.96 43 50.96 Michigan 12 9-3-0 9 12 9-3-0 I-A 1 9 6-3-0 BIG 10
10 23.03 6 26.79 6 39.32 Miami FL 11 9-2-0 10 11 9-2-0 I-A 1 3 3-0-0 SIC
11 21.65 18 17.77 78 69.38 Southern Mississippi 12 9-2-1 11 12 9-2-1 I-A 2 6 5-1-0 SIC
12 20.95 11 21.67 40 50.08 Southern California 12 9-3-0 12 12 9-3-0 I-A 3 7 5-2-0 PAC-10
13 20.67 7 26.74 112 100.33 Delaware 3 3-0-0 -1 0 0-0-0 NoDivi 0 0 0-0-0 Major-Ind
14 20.65 20 17.27 70 64.45 Arizona State 11 9-2-0 13 11 9-2-0 I-A 2 7 5-2-0 PAC-10
15 20.56 17 18.15 19 43.33 Oklahoma 12 7-4-1 14 12 7-4-1 I-A 2 7 4-2-1 BIG 8
16 20.55 14 20.06 52 56.04 West Virginia 12 9-3-0 15 12 9-3-0 I-A 4 6 3-3-0 EIC
17 20.35 13 20.27 67 63.54 North Carolina 12 10-2-0 16 12 10-2-0 I-A 2 6 5-1-0 ACC
18 19.03 15 19.97 83 72.96 Brigham Young 13 11-2-0 17 13 11-2-0 I-A 1 8 7-1-0 WAC
19 18.96 25 15.75 25 46.58 UCLA 12 7-4-1 18 12 7-4-1 I-A 1 8 5-2-1 PAC-10
20 18.95 27 15.58 28 47.62 Mississippi State 12 8-4-0 19 12 8-4-0 I-A 3 6 4-2-0 SEC
21 18.38 12 20.83 69 64.04 Washington 12 10-2-0 20 12 10-2-0 I-A 5 8 6-2-0 PAC-10
22 18.18 19 17.35 42 50.96 Missouri 12 8-4-0 21 12 8-4-0 I-A 4 7 3-4-0 BIG 8
23 17.75 29 15.45 32 48.75 Arkansas 12 8-4-0 22 12 8-4-0 I-A 4 8 5-3-0 SWAC
24 17.14 23 16.15 90 78.30 Hawaii 11 9-2-0 23 10 8-2-0 I-A 2 6 5-1-0 WAC
25 16.19 28 15.52 16 42.62 Houston 12 7-4-1 24 12 7-4-1 I-A 3 8 5-2-1 SWAC
26 15.49 16 18.87 56 56.62 Ohio State 12 9-3-0 25 12 9-3-0 I-A 3 8 6-2-0 BIG 10
27 14.65 34 12.31 38 49.96 Texas A&M 12 7-5-0 27 12 7-5-0 I-A 5 8 4-4-0 SWAC
28 14.47 30 14.82 7 39.80 Temple 10 5-5-0 26 9 5-4-0 I-A 5 7 4-3-0 EIC
29 13.55 21 17.15 29 47.96 Iowa 12 8-4-0 28 12 8-4-0 I-A 2 8 6-2-0 BIG 10
30 13.12 32 13.16 57 56.86 Washington State 12 8-3-1 29 11 7-3-1 I-A 4 8 5-2-1 PAC-10
31 13.06 33 12.58 34 49.46 Florida 12 7-5-0 30 12 7-5-0 I-A 4 6 3-3-0 SEC
32 13.02 45 8.13 23 46.05 Notre Dame 11 5-6-0 32 11 5-6-0 I-A 2 2 1-1-0 EIC
33 12.87 39 9.76 81 71.45 Wyoming 11 8-3-0 31 11 8-3-0 I-A 3 8 6-2-0 WAC
34 11.16 38 10.36 33 48.92 South Carolina 12 6-6-0 34 12 6-6-0 I-A 0 0 0-0-0 SIC
35 10.65 36 11.19 48 52.75 Oklahoma State 12 7-5-0 33 12 7-5-0 I-A 3 7 4-3-0 BIG 8
36 10.42 37 10.93 22 45.77 Florida State 11 6-5-0 35 11 6-5-0 I-A 6 4 2-2-0 SIC
37 10.19 24 15.93 35 49.68 Illinois 11 7-4-0 36 11 7-4-0 I-A 5 9 6-3-0 BIG 10
38 10.05 54 6.12 62 59.59 Tulane 11 6-5-0 39 11 6-5-0 I-A 7 3 2-1-0 SIC
39 9.89 48 7.24 44 51.55 Auburn 11 5-6-0 38 11 5-6-0 I-A 5 6 2-4-0 SEC
40 9.55 35 12.16 49 52.96 Kansas 12 8-4-0 37 12 8-4-0 I-A 5 7 4-3-0 BIG 8
41 9.35 31 13.92 85 73.25 Utah 11 8-2-1 40 10 7-2-1 I-A 4 6 4-1-1 WAC
42 8.67 60 4.51 31 48.64 Maryland 11 4-6-1 44 11 4-6-1 I-A 3 6 4-2-0 ACC
43 8.59 55 5.74 102 85.91 San Jose State 12 9-3-0 42 11 8-3-0 I-A 1 5 5-0-0 BWC
44 8.59 41 8.87 68 63.85 Cincinnati 11 6-5-0 41 10 6-4-0 I-A 8 4 1-3-0 EIC
45 8.55 50 6.94 82 72.55 Navy 12 7-4-1 45 11 6-4-1 I-A 6 4 2-1-1 EIC
46 8.30 61 4.14 53 56.14 Baylor 11 5-6-0 43 11 5-6-0 I-A 6 8 3-5-0 SWAC
47 7.50 47 7.83 72 66.41 San Diego State 11 6-5-0 46 11 6-5-0 I-A 6 8 3-5-0 WAC
48 7.43 75 0.78 108 91.95 McNeese State 11 7-3-1 50 9 5-3-1 I-A 2 5 3-1-1 SLC
49 6.86 52 6.69 60 58.82 Duke 11 6-5-0 49 11 6-5-0 I-A 4 6 3-3-0 ACC
50 6.79 26 15.59 65 62.08 Tennessee 12 8-4-0 48 12 8-4-0 I-A 6 6 3-3-0 SEC
51 6.68 62 4.13 96 81.00 Virginia Tech 11 7-4-0 51 11 7-4-0 I-A 3 4 3-1-0 SIC
52 6.19 56 5.66 18 43.23 Syracuse 11 4-6-1 53 11 4-6-1 I-A 7 8 3-5-0 EIC
53 6.06 53 6.36 47 52.41 Purdue 11 5-6-0 52 11 5-6-0 I-A 8 9 3-6-0 BIG 10
54 5.86 40 9.54 50 54.08 Wisconsin 12 7-5-0 54 12 7-5-0 I-A 4 9 6-3-0 BIG 10
55 5.72 67 2.27 88 74.64 Tulsa 11 6-5-0 47 11 6-5-0 I-A 1 6 5-1-0 MVC
56 5.09 59 4.83 54 56.27 Michigan State 11 5-6-0 55 11 5-6-0 I-A 6 9 4-5-0 BIG 10
57 3.86 57 5.56 21 45.18 Vanderbilt 11 4-7-0 57 11 4-7-0 I-A 10 6 1-5-0 SEC
58 3.49 107 -9.68 97 82.00 Northwestern State (LA) 3 1-2-0 -1 0 0-0-0 NoDivi 0 0 0-0-0 Major-Ind
59 3.25 76 0.68 84 73.23 Arizona 11 6-5-0 56 11 6-5-0 I-A 7 8 4-4-0 PAC-10
60 2.56 51 6.84 36 49.86 Boston College 11 5-6-0 69 10 4-6-0 I-A 9 8 3-5-0 EIC
61 2.55 46 8.10 9 40.23 Mississippi 11 4-6-1 62 11 4-6-1 I-A 9 7 1-5-1 SEC
62 2.47 82 -1.36 45 51.86 Stanford 11 4-7-0 59 11 4-7-0 I-A 6 8 4-4-0 PAC-10
63 2.41 66 2.72 30 48.14 Louisiana State 11 3-7-1 61 11 3-7-1 I-A 8 6 1-4-1 SEC
64 2.41 49 7.03 37 49.95 Iowa State 11 5-5-1 58 11 5-5-1 I-A 6 7 2-4-1 BIG 8
65 2.21 64 3.04 79 69.56 Utah State 11 5-5-1 60 9 4-4-1 I-A 2 5 4-1-0 BWC
66 2.14 58 5.26 66 63.27 Minnesota 11 6-5-0 65 11 6-5-0 I-A 7 9 4-5-0 BIG 10
67 1.97 43 8.41 8 39.82 Rice 11 4-7-0 63 11 4-7-0 I-A 7 8 3-5-0 SWAC
68 1.57 65 2.93 4 38.64 Colorado 11 3-8-0 64 11 3-8-0 I-A 8 7 2-5-0 BIG 8
69 1.56 74 0.92 11 40.59 Kentucky 11 3-8-0 68 11 3-8-0 I-A 7 6 2-4-0 SEC
70 1.36 79 -0.25 17 43.18 Texas Christian 11 2-7-2 67 11 2-7-2 I-A 8 8 1-6-1 SWAC
71 1.25 70 1.39 39 50.00 North Carolina State 11 4-7-0 74 11 4-7-0 I-A 5 6 2-4-0 ACC
72 1.01 85 -2.02 101 85.00 Arkansas State 11 6-5-0 66 11 6-5-0 I-A 4 5 3-2-0 SLC
73 0.86 63 3.41 61 59.18 Rutgers 11 5-6-0 75 11 5-6-0 I-A 10 8 3-5-0 EIC
74 0.02 69 1.85 99 83.05 West Texas A&M 11 7-4-0 72 11 7-4-0 I-A 4 6 3-3-0 MVC
75 -0.02 84 -1.71 89 77.18 Texas Arlington 11 6-5-0 76 11 6-5-0 I-A 1 5 4-1-0 SLC
76 -0.45 77 0.25 106 90.91 Southern Illinois 11 7-4-0 71 10 7-3-0 I-A 2 7 5-2-0 MVC
77 -0.79 44 8.32 116 101.61 Drake 11 10-1-0 70 8 7-1-0 I-A 3 6 5-1-0 MVC
78 -0.84 71 1.39 142 120.50 Yale 10 9-1-0 79 9 8-1-0 I-A 1 7 6-1-0 Ivy
79 -1.03 108 -10.03 110 93.00 Louisiana Monroe 11 5-6-0 73 8 4-4-0 I-A 4 2 1-1-0 SIC
80 -1.06 92 -3.81 12 40.82 California 11 2-9-0 77 11 2-9-0 I-A 8 8 2-6-0 PAC-10
81 -1.87 42 8.73 98 83.00 Tennessee State 3 2-1-0 -1 0 0-0-0 NoDivi 0 0 0-0-0 Major-Ind
82 -2.01 93 -4.86 80 70.08 New Mexico 12 4-7-1 80 12 4-7-1 I-A 5 8 3-4-1 WAC
83 -2.23 87 -2.73 104 88.33 Colgate 10 7-3-0 81 6 3-3-0 I-A 11 4 1-3-0 EIC
84 -2.46 68 2.13 115 101.36 Miami OH 11 8-2-1 82 11 8-2-1 I-A 3 8 6-1-1 MAC
85 -3.20 89 -3.37 10 40.50 Texas Tech 11 1-9-1 83 11 1-9-1 I-A 9 8 0-7-1 SWAC
86 -3.47 96 -5.98 93 80.27 Louisiana Tech 11 4-6-1 87 10 3-6-1 I-A 3 5 2-2-1 SLC
87 -3.47 86 -2.44 124 107.67 Toledo 12 9-3-0 86 12 9-3-0 I-A 1 9 8-1-0 MAC
88 -3.85 88 -3.11 63 60.59 Wake Forest 11 4-7-0 89 11 4-7-0 I-A 7 6 1-5-0 ACC
89 -4.00 83 -1.71 87 74.18 East Carolina 11 5-6-0 92 11 5-6-0 I-A 11 3 1-2-0 SIC
90 -4.17 100 -7.14 3 37.80 Kansas State 11 2-9-0 84 10 1-9-0 I-A 7 7 1-6-0 BIG 8
91 -4.42 90 -3.52 105 90.45 Fresno State 11 5-6-0 85 10 5-5-0 I-A 6 5 2-3-0 BWC
92 -5.25 97 -6.00 76 68.77 Air Force 11 4-7-0 91 11 4-7-0 I-A 7 5 2-3-0 WAC
93 -5.30 99 -6.88 91 78.56 Wichita State 11 4-6-1 88 9 3-5-1 I-A 6 7 3-3-1 MVC
94 -5.40 80 -0.46 73 66.46 Nevada Las Vegas 12 6-6-0 90 12 6-6-0 I-A 0 0 0-0-0 SIC
95 -5.52 78 -0.24 75 67.95 Louisville 11 5-6-0 78 10 5-5-0 I-A 9 4 2-2-0 SIC
96 -6.40 102 -7.34 86 73.38 Lamar 11 4-6-1 96 8 3-4-1 I-A 5 5 1-3-1 SLC
97 -6.57 110 -10.74 64 60.64 Oregon 11 2-9-0 93 11 2-9-0 I-A 9 7 1-6-0 PAC-10
98 -7.04 103 -7.79 122 106.00 Holy Cross 11 6-5-0 94 8 5-3-0 I-A 12 3 1-2-0 EIC
99 -7.05 91 -3.80 77 68.82 Pacific 11 5-6-0 95 11 5-6-0 I-A 3 5 2-3-0 BWC
100 -7.20 72 1.14 114 100.56 Tennessee Chattanooga 11 7-3-1 117 8 4-3-1 I-A 4 6 3-2-1 SoCon
101 -7.38 109 -10.13 41 50.45 Virginia 11 1-10-0 100 11 1-10-0 I-A 6 6 0-6-0 ACC
102 -7.65 111 -11.03 100 84.14 Richmond 11 4-7-0 102 10 3-7-0 I-A 12 4 0-4-0 SIC
103 -7.69 73 1.11 20 45.14 Indiana 11 3-8-0 99 11 3-8-0 I-A 9 9 3-6-0 BIG 10
104 -7.92 106 -9.28 46 51.86 Memphis 11 1-10-0 97 11 1-10-0 I-A 10 6 1-5-0 SIC
105 -8.18 104 -9.05 131 111.45 Central Michigan 11 7-4-0 101 11 7-4-0 I-A 2 9 7-2-0 MAC
106 -8.26 98 -6.84 121 105.81 Citadel 11 7-3-1 108 7 3-3-1 I-A 2 6 3-2-1 SoCon
107 -8.32 123 -16.60 92 78.85 Louisiana Lafayette 11 1-9-1 103 10 1-8-1 I-A 6 5 0-4-1 SLC
108 -8.76 81 -0.95 107 91.83 Massachusetts 3 2-1-0 -1 0 0-0-0 NoDivi 0 0 0-0-0 Major-Ind
109 -9.08 95 -5.29 123 106.89 Furman 11 8-3-0 112 8 5-3-0 I-A 1 7 5-2-0 SoCon
110 -9.39 119 -14.27 111 99.35 Indiana State 11 5-5-1 98 10 4-5-1 I-A 5 7 2-4-1 MVC
111 -9.68 94 -5.29 125 108.45 Virginia Military 10 6-3-1 109 10 6-3-1 I-A 3 5 3-1-1 SoCon
112 -9.98 105 -9.25 59 58.23 North Texas 11 2-9-0 104 11 2-9-0 I-A 5 2 1-1-0 SIC
113 -11.15 125 -17.76 119 104.45 Bowling Green 11 5-5-1 107 11 5-5-1 I-A 4 9 5-3-1 MAC
114 -11.28 120 -14.53 130 111.00 Western Michigan 11 6-5-0 110 11 6-5-0 I-A 5 9 5-4-0 MAC
115 -11.51 126 -18.08 74 67.94 Cal State Fullerton 11 3-8-0 105 8 1-7-0 I-A 4 5 1-4-0 BWC
116 -11.64 116 -12.82 5 39.14 Georgia Tech 11 1-10-0 106 11 1-10-0 I-A 13 2 0-2-0 SIC
117 -12.60 101 -7.14 109 92.77 William & Mary 11 5-6-0 114 10 4-6-0 I-A 8 3 2-1-0 SIC
118 -13.11 117 -13.06 95 80.86 Army 11 3-7-1 115 11 3-7-1 I-A 13 5 0-4-1 EIC
119 -13.12 112 -11.57 118 104.18 Ohio University 11 5-6-0 113 11 5-6-0 I-A 6 9 5-4-0 MAC
120 -13.17 115 -12.62 94 80.55 Cal State Long Beach 10 2-8-0 111 10 2-8-0 I-A 5 5 1-4-0 BWC
121 -14.77 118 -13.12 141 119.55 Dartmouth 10 6-4-0 116 9 6-3-0 I-A 2 7 6-1-0 Ivy
122 -15.97 122 -16.57 117 103.55 Western Carolina 11 4-7-0 122 9 3-6-0 I-A 5 7 3-4-0 SoCon
123 -16.69 113 -12.03 133 112.70 East Tennessee State 11 6-5-0 124 8 4-4-0 I-A 6 6 4-2-0 SoCon
124 -17.57 131 -21.55 126 108.60 Kent State 11 4-7-0 120 10 3-7-0 I-A 7 9 3-6-0 MAC
125 -17.88 114 -12.35 15 41.95 Northwestern 11 0-11-0 118 11 0-11-0 I-A 10 9 0-9-0 BIG 10
126 -18.00 121 -15.24 55 56.45 Oregon State 11 1-10-0 119 11 1-10-0 I-A 10 7 0-7-0 PAC-10
127 -18.79 128 -18.58 143 121.05 Harvard 10 5-4-1 125 10 5-4-1 I-A 3 7 4-2-1 Ivy
128 -19.17 132 -22.85 120 104.65 Appalachian State 11 3-7-1 128 9 1-7-1 I-A 7 7 1-5-1 SoCon
129 -19.65 130 -20.94 113 100.50 New Mexico State 11 3-8-0 121 10 2-8-0 I-A 7 6 1-5-0 MVC
130 -19.83 129 -20.68 26 46.88 Colorado State 12 0-12-0 123 12 0-12-0 I-A 8 8 0-8-0 WAC
131 -21.03 134 -26.38 137 114.82 Ball State 11 4-7-0 127 11 4-7-0 I-A 8 8 2-6-0 MAC
132 -21.29 124 -16.94 71 66.00 Texas El Paso 11 1-10-0 126 10 1-9-0 I-A 9 7 1-6-0 WAC
133 -22.48 127 -18.24 132 112.06 Princeton 10 5-4-1 129 8 5-2-1 I-A 4 7 5-1-1 Ivy
134 -24.39 137 -29.73 139 116.14 Northern Illinois 11 3-8-0 130 11 3-8-0 I-A 9 9 2-7-0 MAC
135 -28.41 133 -25.80 127 108.75 Marshall 11 2-9-0 131 10 1-9-0 I-A 8 6 1-5-0 SoCon
136 -29.30 135 -26.86 134 113.10 James Madison 5 1-4-0 -1 0 0-0-0 NoDivi 0 0 0-0-0 Major-Ind
137 -30.49 140 -35.52 136 114.67 Illinois State 10 3-7-0 132 8 1-7-0 I-A 8 5 0-5-0 MVC
138 -32.16 139 -31.28 103 86.00 Wofford 4 0-4-0 -1 0 0-0-0 NoDivi 0 0 0-0-0 Major-Ind
139 -33.26 136 -29.28 135 114.06 Cornell 10 3-7-0 133 9 2-7-0 I-A 5 7 2-5-0 Ivy
140 -33.63 138 -31.06 144 121.11 Brown 10 3-7-0 134 9 2-7-0 I-A 7 7 2-5-0 Ivy
141 -34.07 141 -35.85 140 117.28 Columbia 10 1-9-0 135 9 1-8-0 I-A 6 7 1-6-0 Ivy
142 -35.91 142 -37.72 128 109.50 Pennsylvania 10 1-9-0 136 8 1-7-0 I-A 8 7 1-6-0 Ivy
143 -41.88 143 -44.26 138 115.25 Eastern Michigan 11 0-11-0 137 10 0-10-0 I-A 10 9 0-9-0 MAC
144 -42.17 144 -47.95 129 109.50 Western Illinois 3 0-3-0 -1 0 0-0-0 NoDivi 0 0 0-0-0 Major-Ind
Unrated teams with less than 3 games against rated teams
Akron 2 1-1-0
Boise State 1 0-1-0
Connecticut 2 1-1-0
Liberty 1 0-1-0
Middle Tennessee 2 1-1-0
Nevada Reno 1 1-0-0
Texas State 1 1-0-0
Bucknell 2 0-2-0
California Poly 1 0-1-0
Davidson 2 0-2-0
Eastern Illinois 2 0-2-0
Eastern Kentucky 1 0-1-0
Grambling 1 0-1-0
Idaho 1 0-1-0
Idaho State 1 1-0-0
Jacksonville State 1 0-1-0
Lafayette 2 1-1-0
Lehigh 2 1-1-0
Maine 1 1-0-0
Montana State 2 1-1-0
Morehead State 1 0-1-0
Nicholls State 2 0-2-0
Northern Iowa 1 0-1-0
Portland State 1 0-1-0
Presbyterian 1 0-1-0
Rhode Island 1 0-1-0
Sam Houston 1 0-1-0
South Dakota 1 0-1-0
SE Louisiana 2 2-0-0
Stephen F Austin 1 1-0-0
Tennessee Tech 1 0-1-0
Weber State 1 0-1-0
Youngstown State 1 1-0-0
Missouri Southern 1 0-1-0
Northern Michigan 1 1-0-0
Texas A&M Kingsville 1 1-0-0
Lenoir-Rhyne College 1 0-1-0
Newberry College 1 0-1-0
Boston University 2 0-2-0
Nebraska Omaha 1 0-1-0
Santa Clara 1 0-1-0
Navigation - College Football
Rankings Home Page Main Page 1981 Rankings - All Seasons Teams - All Seasons Historical Team Comparisons Top of this page
Links to the same page for other seasons
1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 

       Soren Sorensen  -  Updated Tue Mar  3 22:07:29 2026