CFB Rankings: Texas Improves, USC Drops, Nebraska Holds Steady

The recent changes in college football have fueled debate over which conferences offer the most financial advantage and chance of success. For fans, however, the ultimate concern remains whether their team can come away with wins on game day. The 2024 realignment and media deals have brought significant changes, including larger conferences and an expanded College Football Playoff. This has left every fan base wondering how these changes will affect their team’s chances of winning.

To evaluate the potential success of each power-conference school, a scoring system ranging from minus-5 to plus-5 was used. This score is based solely on the team’s ability to win and does not take into account factors such as coaching staff or current roster. A score of 0 indicates no change in the team’s prospects, while scores of 1 through 5 suggest varying degrees of improvement, and scores of -1 to -5 indicate potential regression.

In the ACC, schools like SMU, Clemson, Florida State and Miami have seen positive shifts in their scores due to factors like recent success, recruiting potential and NIL odds. On the other hand, schools like Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Virginia have seen negative scores, indicating potential challenges in the new landscape.

In the Big Ten, teams like Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State have favorable records, indicating continued success and potential playoff appearances. Schools like Illinois, Indiana and Iowa face challenges in the changing college football environment.

The Big 12 has seen schools like BYU, Cincinnati and Houston receive positive scores, indicating improved prospects in the new conference format. However, schools like Oklahoma, Texas Tech and West Virginia have faced challenges adjusting to the changing landscape.

In the SEC, traditional powers like Alabama, Georgia and LSU continue to perform strongly, while schools like South Carolina and Vanderbilt face greater obstacles to remain competitive.

Overall, the realignment and changes in college football have had different effects on different schools, with some benefiting from new opportunities while others face greater challenges. As the sport continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how each team navigates the changing landscape to find success on the field.