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 Win/Loss (Win_Loss)

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

       Soren Sorensen  -  Updated Sun Jan 25 01:31:34 2026