| Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley | | | | published in USA Today on Wednesdays. |
| While betting on sports is only legal in a few places in | | | | Following the first week of college football action, |
| the United States, such as Las Vegas, millions of | | | | here are some facts that interested me about |
| office workers are involved in sports pools every | | | | Sagarin's first-week ratings: |
| week now that the football season has arrived. | | | | 1) Washington, one of the poor to mediocre teams in |
| When you know that more than $700 million can be | | | | the country the last several years, was rated No. 31 |
| bet on one gamethe Super Bowlin only Las | | | | after hammering Syracuse 42-14 in its home opener. |
| Vegas, then you understand that billions were bet | | | | 2) Michigan State, another short end of the stick |
| illegally on the Super Bowl last year in the United | | | | team for far too long, was rated No. 36 after |
| States and in offshore sports books around the | | | | steamrolling over UAB 55-18 in its home opener. |
| world. | | | | 3) Appalachian State, a AA school, was rated No. 38 |
| Folks in the gaming business know that more than a | | | | following its upset of mighty Michigan 34-32 on |
| billion dollars is wagered on every Monday Night | | | | Michigan's home field. The win was the biggest upset |
| Football game during the season. | | | | in college football history as no AA team had ever |
| For those who wager, it may be helpful to put some | | | | beaten a ranked team. |
| science on your side when you wager, and one of | | | | Michigan was ranked No. 5 by both the AP Poll and |
| the best places to do that is with the Sagarin College | | | | Coaches Poll going into the game. Following its |
| Football Ratings. | | | | horrendous loss, Michigan ended up being ranked No. |
| Created by Jeff Sagarin, a 1970 MIT mathematics | | | | 40 by Sagarin. |
| graduate, these computer ratings are for Division I-A | | | | 4) Wyoming, a small school and never among the |
| (what the NCAA now calls the Football Bowl (FB) | | | | nation's top teams, was ranked No. 41 by Sagarin |
| Subdivision) and Division I-AA (what the NCAA now | | | | following its 23-3 home victory over Virginia. |
| calls the Football Championship (FC) Subdivision) | | | | 5) Notre Dame, beaten badly (33-3) by Georgia Tech, |
| teams. | | | | was rated No. 57 after the loss. Georgia Tech was |
| You will have to forgive the NCAA for taking titles | | | | rated No. 2. The Irish failed to score a touchdown for |
| that have been used for years and are perfectly | | | | the first time ever in their home opener. |
| clear, then renaming them and creating confusion in | | | | 6) Temple (ranked No. 143 after its opening loss) and |
| the process. | | | | Buffalo (ranked No. 145 after its opening loss) face |
| If there is a way for the NCAA to assert its superior | | | | off in week two. Both teams are among the 7 worst |
| power, it does so by making everything more difficult | | | | Division I-A teams in the country, joining |
| and confusing, similar to your United States | | | | Louisiana-Monroe, Rice, Duke, Utah State and Florida |
| government and its IRS tax code which could reduce | | | | International. |
| a sane person to tears just reading it. | | | | 7) A total of 242 teams, 119 A schools and 123 AA |
| Anyway, the Sagarin rating is a numerical measure of | | | | schools, make up the Sagarin College Football Ratings. |
| a team's strength. | | | | The worst-rated A school is Florida International at |
| A hypothetical victory margin is determined by | | | | No. 174 (56 AA teams are rated better), and their |
| comparing the rating of the two teams after adding | | | | play reflects their rating. The worst-rated AA school |
| 2.93 points to the home team. The home edge will | | | | is the No. 242 La Salle Explorers. La Salle is a Catholic |
| vary during the season. | | | | university located in Philadelphia. |
| Only Division I (both A and AA) are counted for | | | | La Salle lost its home opener to Ursinus 28-0. Ursinus |
| rating and schedule strength during the season. | | | | is not a planet but a real liberal arts college in |
| A diminishing-returns principle exists to prevent teams | | | | Pennsylvania. |
| from building up ratings by running up large victory | | | | Ursinus College is not a Division 1 school (which |
| margins against weak teams. Instead, it rewards | | | | includes the 242 teams with La Salle), not a Division II |
| teams that do well against good opponents. | | | | team (which includes another 157 teams), but a |
| The BCS (Bowl Championship Series) does not factor | | | | Division III team. Now you can better understand |
| in scoring margin. For Sagarin ratings and more | | | | why La Salle College is ranked last among 242 |
| detailed information go to: | | | | Division I schools. |
| USA Today, the largest circulation newspaper in the | | | | The first job for La Salle this year will be to score a |
| United States, is the nation's daily newspaper and | | | | touchdown, or any points, including a field goal or |
| carries the Sagarin College Football Ratings. The | | | | touchback. The Explorers next job will be to actually |
| ratings are updated following each week's games and | | | | win a game. Good luck, La Salle, and God speed. |