WAJL10 is a great resource for college football information, history and stats.
The 2002 Records section is a weekly updated breakdown for every conference. It includes a weekly Top 25 poll breakdown by conference, overall non-conference records and non-conference records versus the current Top 25. Because every conference's combined bowl performance is one of the four criteria I use to determine the strongest conference, I don't formally rank or rate the conferences until after the season.
The Past Ratings section dates back to 1988. You can view the yearly rankings, including a summary of each season and conference membership changes. Within each year, I have included the non-conference records, bowl records and a poll breakdown for every conference.
Over the years, some conferences have folded or merged and other new conferences have been formed. Also keep in mind, in most cases, conference membership with the present 1-A conferences has changed either by expansion or by teams leaving a conference. All of the yearly records represent the teams which were members in that specific season. The Conference Membership History section is a quick listing of every conference; which schools have been members and when.
The Various Conference Related Stats page is a collection of interesting factoids all related to conference strength over the years. It includes all-time conference bowl records, most championships by conference, the annual toghest non-conference schedules, the longest non-conference win streaks and a number of intra-conference stats, such as the most consecutive winning and losing seasons within each conference.
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2002 FINAL CONFERENCE RATINGS (UPDATED 1/5/03)
Big Ten 4.00
Big XII 1.00
Breakdown of scoring:
1.) Non-conference record:
*Big Ten, 38-15, .717
SEC, 40-16, .714
Big XII, 41-18, .695
Pac-10, 32-15, .680
Big East, 30-16, .652
ACC, 30-17, .638
MAC, 23-34, .404
MWC, 18-27, .400
C-USA, 17-28, .378
WAC, 16-28, .363
Sun Belt, 11-32, .256
2.) Non-conference record Vs quality opponents:
*Big XII (5-7 vs Top 25, 16-15 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
*Big Ten (5-6 vs Top 25, 17-12 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
Big East (4-6 vs Top 25, 13-10 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
Pac-10 (4-8 vs Top 25, 12-14 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
SEC (3-10 vs Top 25, 14-15 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
ACC (3-9 vs Top 25, 11-16 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
MWC (2-7 vs Top 25, 5-22 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
C-USA (1-8 vs Top 25, 4-22 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
WAC (0-7 vs Top 25, 5-19 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
MAC (0-12 vs Top 25, 3-24 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
Sun Belt (0-10 vs Top 25, 2-22 vs all seven-win 1-A teams)
3.) Bowl records:
*Big Ten, 5-2
Big XII, 5-3
Big East, 3-2
ACC, 4-3
Sun Belt, 1-0
WAC, 2-1
MAC, 1-1
SEC, 3-4
Pac-10, 2-5
MWC, 0-3
4.) Most teams ranked in Top 25:
*Big Ten, 4/11 (cumulative 34 - OSU1, IOWA8, MICH9, PSU16)
Big XII, 4/12 (cumulative 38 - OU5, TX6, KSU7, CU20)
Big East, 4/8 (cumulative 64 - Miami2, VT18, PITT19, WVU25)
ACC, 4/9 (cumulative 68 - NCSU12, MD13, FSU21, UVA22)
SEC, 3/12 (UGA3, ALA11, AUB14)
Pac-10, 2/10 (USC4, WSU10)
WAC, 1/10 (BSU15)
C-USA, 1/10 (TCU23)
MAC, 1/14 (MARSH24)
5.) Most teams ranked in Top 10:
*Big Ten, 3 (cumulative 18 - OSU1, IOWA8, MICH9)
*Big XII, 3 (cumulative 18 - OU5, TX6, KSU7)
Pac-10, 2 (USC4, WSU10)
Big East, 1 (Miami2)
SEC, 1 (UGA3)
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2002 FINAL CONFERENCE RECORDS (UPDATED 1/5/03)
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
Final Top 25 teams: 4/9 (NCSU12, MD13, FSU21, UVA22)
Non-conference record (regular season): 26-14, .650
Bowl record: 4-3
Non-conference record (overall): 30-17, .638
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 2-9
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 3-9
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 7-13
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 11-16
Record versus 1-AA teams: 3-0
BIG EAST CONFERENCE
Final Top 25 teams: 4/8 (MIA2, VT18, PITT19, WVU25)
Non-conference record (regular season): 27-14, .659
Bowl record: 3-2
Non-conference record (overall): 30-16, .652
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 3-4
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 4-6
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 10-8
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 13-10
Record versus 1-AA teams: 4-1
BIG TEN CONFERENCE
Final Top 25 teams: 4/11 (OSU1, IOWA8, MICH9, PSU16)
Non-conference record (regular season): 33-13, .717
Bowl record: 5-2
Non-conference record (overall): 38-15, .717
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 2-3
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 5-6
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 12-9
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 17-12
Record versus 1-AA teams: 3-0
BIG XII
Final Top 25 teams: 4/12 (OU5, UT6, KSU7, CU20)
Non-conference record (regular season): 36-15, .706
Bowl record: 5-3
Non-conference record (overall): 41-18, .695
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 4-7
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 5-7
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 10-12
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 16-15
Record versus 1-AA teams: 7-0
CONFERENCE USA
Final Top 25 teams: 1/10 (TCU23)
Non-conference record (regular season): 15-25, .375
Bowl record: 2-3
Non-conference record (overall): 17-28, .378
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 1-9
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 1-8
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 2-17
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 4-22
Record versus 1-AA teams: 3-1
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Final Top 25 teams: 1/14 (MARSH24)
Non-conference record (regular season): 22-33, .400
Bowl record: 1-1
Non-conference record (overall): 23-34, .404
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 0-12
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 0-12
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 1-22
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 3-24
Record versus 1-AA teams: 12-3
MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
Final Top 25 teams: 0/8
Non-conference record (regular season): 18-24, .429
Bowl record: 0-3
Non-confrence record (overall): 18-27, .400
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 1-5
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 2-7
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 5-18
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 5-22
Record versus 1-AA teams: 2-0
PAC-10 CONFERENCE
Final Top 25 teams: 2/10 (USC4, WSU10)
Non-conference record (regular season): 30-10, .750
Bowl record: 2-5
Non-conference record (overall): 32-15, .680
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 4-5
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 4-8
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 10-9
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 12-14
Record versus 1-AA teams: 5-0
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Final Top 25 teams: 3/12 (UGA3, BAMA11, AUB14)
Non-conference record (regular season): 37-12, .755
Bowl record: 3-4
Non-conference record (overall): 40-16, .714
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 1-6
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 3-10
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 11-11
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 14-15
Record versus 1-AA teams: 5-0
SUN BELT CONFERENCE:
Final Top 25 teams: 0/7
Non-conference record (regular season): 10-32, .239
Bowl record: 1-0
Non-conference record (overall): 11-32, .256
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 0-10
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 0-10
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 1-20
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 2-22
Record versus 1-AA teams: 3-3
WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
Final Top 25 teams: 1/10 (BSU15)
Non-conference record (regular season): 14-27, .341
Bowl record: 2-1
Non-conference record (overall): 16-28, .363
Non-conference record versus Top 25 (regular season): 1-7
Non-conference record versus final Top 25: 0-7
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (regular season): 3-18
Non-conference record versus all 1-A seven-win teams (overall): 5-19
Record versus 1-AA teams: 2-0
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About my rating system:
The purpose of my ratings is to create a more tangible way to determine an answer for the annual question; which is the strongest conference? I don't give a power rating number to every conference, my lone objective is to find which conference or conferences are the strongest in any given season. In most years, only two or three conferences will even be included in my ratings, although the performance of every conference was used in the simple formula.
The four components which make up my system of ranking conferences after each season are non-conference records, non-conference records versus quality opponents, bowl performance and team rankings. I use these four components to determine which Division 1-A conference ranks as the strongest after each season. The rankings are based solely on actual performance, it takes into account each conference as a whole, including a conference's strongest teams and weakest teams.
The team rankings category is split into two parts (most teams ranked in the top 25 and most teams ranked in top 10), which makes a total of five different categories of conference strength. A conference is given one point (1.00) for each of the five categories it wins. In case of a tie, both conferences get half the point (.50). Ties are rare but can occur (most likely in the bowl performance category - see 1997, SEC & Pac-10). The best possible score for a conference in a single season is 5.00, if each of the five strength categories are won by the same conference.
Here are the explanations of how I score each category:
Non-conference records:
Conferences with more teams are going to play more non-conference games, so using a win or loss total would be completely unfair. The conference with the best winning percentage against it's non-conference schedule gets the point. For the most part, this category features a clear winner, which leaves little room for doubt about which conference gets the point. The one unfair aspect of using the combined non-conference records to determine conference strength is that some conferences may play a substantially tougher out-of-conference schedule than others (which is usually the case). I have attempted to use the next category to balance the fairness by taking into account each conference's schedule strength factor.
Non-conference record versus quality opponents:
This is an extension of judging conference strength by using the non-conference records, but also taking into account the strength of a conference's combined schedule. This category registers each conference's combined record versus non-conference top 25 teams and the combined record versus all non-conference Division 1-A teams with seven or more wins. Because the number of ranked teams each conference plays varies so much, the point in this category usually goes to the conference which wins the most games versus quality non-conference oppponents (top 25 teams and teams just outside the top 25). I use the win total rather than win percentage because, as an example, a 2-3 record versus top 25 teams is technically not as impressive nor as challenging as a 5-9 record versus top 25 teams. In most cases, when there is a clear winner using the non-con record versus top 25 teams, I use that to determine the winner. There are examples, however, when there isn't such a clear winner with records versus the top 25, in that case, I use a combination of both the top 25 records and records versus all 1-A teams with seven wins. These will be explained more thoroughly, when this is the case, in the yearly summary.
Bowl performance:
Bowl records are pretty much self explanatory. In most cases, the conference with the best bowl record (not the most wins) gets the point in this category. The best bowl record does not automatically get the point, however. Because specific bowl games, which usually coincide with rankings, are given more weight than others, a conference with a lesser bowl record, but more "major" bowl victories can get the point. In 2000, for example, the Big East won this category with a 4-1 bowl record, rather than the Mountain West Conference with a 3-0 record. The Big East got the point here because their victories in the Sugar Bowl and Gator Bowl (both were versus ranked opponents) carried more weight than the MWC wins in the Liberty, Silicon Valley and Las Vegas Bowls.
Team Rankings:
First and foremost, to clarify the scoring in this category, I use the final AP poll, rather than the USA Today poll or any other poll. Normally, there is very little difference in the two polls at where a specific team may be ranked (possibly one or two spots difference at the most in the final polls) and the situation would be rare that this difference would effect which conference wins the category. Judging a conference's strength by how it's teams are ranked can be somewhat misleading, so I break this category into two parts - teams ranked within the Top 25 and teams ranked within the Top 10. This way, equal weight is given to top-heavy leagues with strength at the top and the leagues with more depth and parity. The conference with the most teams ranked in the final Top 25 gets a point and so does the conference with the most teams in the final Top 10 (possibly the same conference). In 2000, for example, the Pac-10 had only three teams ranked in the final Top 25, but those were at #3, #4 and #7. The SEC, on the other hand, had six teams ranked within the final Top 25, but five of those were ranked #18 or lower - which conference won the rankings war? Quality or quantity? Also using 2000 as a guide, you see that the Big 12 had three teams ranked within the final Top 10 as well. In this case, I use a cumulative ranking for the conferences - The Pac-10 cumulative Top 10 ranking was 14 (Wash#3, OR St#4 & OR#7), while the Big 12 cumulative was 18 (OU#1, Neb#8 & KSU#9).
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In the Past Ratings section of this website, I have compiled the data and determined the top conference in every season dating back to 1988. Click the link to go to that page and read the yearly summaries or find the yearly non-conference records or bowl records for every conference.
Annual strongest conference winner:
2002: Big Ten(4.00)
2001: Big XII(2,00), SEC (2.00)
2000: Big East(2.00), Pac-10(2.00)
1999: Big Ten(5.00)
1998: Big Ten(2.50)
1997: SEC(4.50)
1996: SEC(3.00)
1995: Big Eight(3.00)
1994: SEC(3.00)
1993: SEC(3.00)
1992: SEC(4.00)
1991: Pac-10(3.00)
1990: ACC(3.00)
1989: Pac-10(2.00), SEC(2.00)
1988: Pac-10 (3.00)
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To view the current non-conference records for this season, including quality wins and losses and a Top 25 poll breakdown by conference, click here 2002 Records
To take a look at how conference membership has changed over the years, click here Conference Membership History
The Various Conference Related Stats page is a collection of interesting factoids all related to conference strength over the years. It includes all-time conference bowl records, most championships by conference, the annual toghest non-conference schedules, the longest non-conference win streaks and a number of intra-conference stats, such as the most consecutive winning and losing seasons within each conference.
Thanks for visiting, feel free to email me with any comments, suggestions or corrections. I am going to try to compile the records for the rest of the 1980s very soon.
James Howell's Historical Scores Index was instrumental in providing yearly records for my site.
WAJL10 is a great resource for college football information, history and stats.
The RSFC homepage is also a great reference area for college football information, links, power ratings, polls and stats.
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