Forde-Yard Dash: Power Ranking the 10 FBS Conferences

Here’s how each league measures up based on the data from the nonconference slate.

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football (rogue kickers sold separately at Pittsburgh): 

MORE DASH: QB Revivals | The Surprises & Dumpster Fires of September

Second Quarter

Conference Power Ratings

O.K., we’ve seen enough. After four weeks of the season, most of the nonconference games have been played, give or take a sprinkling of matchups against independents and season-ending SEC vs. ACC rivalry games. It’s time to put some numbers behind the bragging and bashing fans are doing and objectively compare leagues.

The official Dash Conference Power Ratings, from best to worst:

SEC (11)

Overall noncon record: 36–5, .878 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 7–4, .636.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents: 20–1, .952.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 9–0, 1.000.
Home record: 29–3, .906.
Percentage of games at home: 78.1%.
Road/neutral record: 7–2, .778.
Percentage of games away from home: 21.9%.

Inside the numbers: The SEC has excelled at not losing games it shouldn’t lose; see the records vs. Group of 5 and FCS opponents—with one exception at Kyle Field.

Bragging point: Top two teams in the polls, and four teams currently in the top eight.

Don’t mention: Texas A&M losing at home to Appalachian State.

Best team: Georgia.

Worst team: Vanderbilt.

Middlest team: LSU.

Brock Bowers and Georgia are No. 1 in the SEC and No. 1 in the polls :: Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports

Big 12 (12)

Overall noncon record: 25–5, .833 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 7–3, .700.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 10–2, .833.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 8–0, 1.000.
Home record: 19–2, .905.
Percentage of games at home: 70%.
Road/neutral record: 6–3, .667.
Percentage of games away from home: 30%.

Inside the numbers: The Big 12 fortuitously scheduled several Power 5 opponents who appear headed toward the basement in their respective leagues: Nebraska, Arizona State, Colorado, Missouri, Virginia Tech.

Bragging point: Kansas. No, really, Kansas!

Don’t mention: The all-hat, no-cattle tentpole programs Texas and Oklahoma are both 0–1 in league play and have combined for zero quality wins.

Best team: Kansas?! Or perhaps Oklahoma State.

Worst team: West Virginia.

Middlest team: Iowa State.

Big Ten (13)

Overall noncon record: 31–20, .762 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 5–6, .455.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 19–3, .864.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 8–1, .889. Looking at you, Northwestern.
Home record: 28–7, .800.
Percentage of games at home: 83.3%.
Road/neutral record: 4–3, .571.
Percentage of games away from home: 16.7%.

Inside the numbers: The Big Ten East has lost just two nonconference games (Michigan State at Washington and Indiana at Cincinnati). The West has lost nine.

Bragging point: The biggest brands—Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State—are all undefeated heading into October.

Don’t mention: The Big Ten West outside Minnesota is a complete tire fire.

Best team: Ohio State.

Worst team: Nebraska.

Middlest team: Wisconsin.

ACC (14)

Overall noncon record: 31–11, .738 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 6–9, .429.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 13–3, .813.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 12–0, 1.000.
Home record: 22–6, .786.
Percentage of games at home: 66.7%.
Road/neutral record: 9–5, .643.
Percentage of games away from home: 33.3%.

Inside the numbers: The ACC has been the most-willing Power 5 league to play away from home, including by far the most trips to play at non-P5 opponents.

Bragging point: Four undefeated teams in the Atlantic Division, including revivals from Florida State and Syracuse.

Don’t mention: Miami and Virginia Tech, former football powers, are a combined 2–4 against FBS competition. That includes losses to Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion.

Best team: Clemson.

Worst team: Georgia Tech.

Middlest team: Duke.

Pac-12 (15)

Overall noncon record: 24–9, .727 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 2–7, .222.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 12–2, .857.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 10–0, 1.000.
Home record: 21–3, .875.
Percentage of games at home: 72.7%.
Road/neutral record: 3–6, .333.
Percentage of games away from home: 27.3%.

Inside the numbers: Outside the state of Washington, the league just hasn’t measured up against Power 5 opposition. The Pac-12 isn’t far ahead of the top G5 leagues.

Bragging point: Four teams currently ranked in the Associated Press top 15, the most since the league expanded in 2011.

Don’t mention: Colorado is the worst Power 5 program in the nation, and Arizona State isn’t too far ahead of the Buffaloes.

Best team: USC.

Worst team: Colorado.

Middlest team: UCLA.

Sun Belt (16)

Overall noncon record: 24–19, .558 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 4–11, .267.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 9–8, .529.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 11–0, 1.000.
Home record: 19–4, .826.
Percentage of games at home: 53.5%.
Road/neutral record: 5–15, .333.
Percentage of games away from home: 46.5%.

Inside the numbers: Some splashy Power 5 upsets—Marshall over Notre Dame, Appalachian State over Texas A&M, Georgia Southern over Nebraska, Old Dominion over Virginia Tech—put the Sun Belt a pinch ahead of the American.

Bragging point: No league has done more to elevate its profile and presence this September than the Sun Belt, which has had the biggest upsets and also has the final two remaining unbeatens outside the Power 5.

Don’t mention: After winning 34 games the previous three seasons, Louisiana has fallen in the post–Billy Napier era.

Best team: Maybe James Madison, freshly up from FCS.

Worst team: Texas State.

Middlest team: Southern Mississippi.

App State’s roller-coaster games have grabbed headlines in the Sun Belt, but James Madison’s comeback in Boone stole the show on Saturday :: David Yeazell/USA TODAY Sports

American (17)

Overall noncon record: 22–17, .564 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 3–13, .188.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 11–3, .786.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 8–1, .889. Looking at you, Navy.
Home record: 17–8, .680.
Percentage of games at home: 64.1%.
Road/neutral record: 5–9, .357.
Percentage of games away from home: 35.9%.

Inside the numbers: The American has the best record against its G5 peers. Which is why commissioner Mike Aresco has tried to distance the league from them and nudge its way into the exclusive club, coining the dubious “Power 6” phrase.

Bragging point: The league has enough depth that it should show well come bowl season.

Don’t mention: The league doesn’t have a great team to sustain the lineage of Cincinnati and UCF. Houston has been an early disappointment.

Mountain West (18)

Overall noncon record: 18–23, .439 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 1–15, .063.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 8–5, .615.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 9–3, .750. Looking at you, Utah State, Colorado State and Nevada.
Home record: 17–8, .680.
Percentage of games at home: 61%.
Road/neutral record: 1–15, .063.
Percentage of games away from home: 39%.

Inside the numbers: Whew, that road record is brutal. With Boise State in decline, San Diego State fairly average, Utah State disappointing and Colorado State terrible, the league is hurting.

Bragging point: UNLV is showing signs of life.

Don’t mention: The Boise situation is bad, with second-year coach Andy Avalos under duress and already firing his offensive coordinator, Tim Plough. There also were reports Monday that veteran starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier intends to transfer.

Best team: Wyoming.

Worst team: Colorado State.

Middlest team: San Jose State.

Conference USA (19)

Overall noncon record: 18–22, .450 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 1–9, .100.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 8–12, .400.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 9–1, .900. Looking at you, Charlotte.
Home record: 13–5, .722.
Percentage of games at home: 45%.
Road/neutral record: 5–17, .227.
Percentage of games away from home: 55%.

Inside the numbers: Some near-misses against higher-profile opponents by Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic and UTSA hurt. The power drain of several programs leaving for the Sun Belt is being felt. There isn’t a lot of meat on the C-USA bone these days.

Bragging point: Middle Tennessee ripping Miami on Saturday.

Don’t mention: Florida International. The Panthers’ last win over an FBS opponent was in 2019—and the opponent was Miami.

Best team: Western Kentucky.

Worst team: FIU.

Middlest team: Rice.

Mid-American (20)

Overall noncon record: 14–30, .318 winning percentage.
Record vs. Power 5: 2–19, .095.
Record vs. Group of 5/independents other than Notre Dame: 3–9, .250.
Record vs. FCS opponents: 9–2, .818. Looking at you, Buffalo and Bowling Green.
Home record: 12–5, .706.
Percentage of games at home: 38.6%.
Road/neutral record: 2–25, .074.
Percentage of games away from home: 61.4%.

Inside the numbers: The MAC is the king of the body-bag games, scheduling nearly half its nonconference matchups thus far against Power 5 opponents—and, for the most part, taking its beatings for the paycheck that comes with them.

Bragging point: Eastern Michigan became the first MAC team to beat a Pac-12 team when it won at Arizona State—and got Herm Edwards fired on the spot.

Don’t mention: There isn’t a single New Year’s Six bowl candidate in the league. No standout.

Best team: Maybe Kent State, which played the gantlet of Washington, Oklahoma and Georgia—and at least made the Bulldogs work a little harder than anyone else has this season.

Worst team: Akron, despite giving Liberty a tussle Saturday.

Middlest team: Ohio.

MORE DASH: QB Revivals | The Surprises & Dumpster Fires of September