1979 Final College Football Team Rankings

January 8, 1980By PowerUpRankings.com • Posted in 1979 Season Tags: • No Comments

1979 rankings calculated with the Classic formula (Ken's 2016-based hybrid, applied retroactively); records, NOW and game results come from James Howell's historical college football score archive.

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Rank	Change	Rating	Team	Conf	Record	Win %	Place	NOW	Game Status
1	0	0.913	USC	PAC	11–0–1	0.958	2	+62	Beat Ohio State 17–16
2	1	0.995	Alabama (ALABAMA)	SEC	12–0	1.000	1	+59	Beat Arkansas 24–9
3	-1	1.027	Pittsburgh (PITTSBURGH)	IND FBSI	11–1	0.917	4	+61	BYE
4	1	1.064	BYU	IND WAC	11–1	0.917	4	+52	BYE
5	5	1.092	Oklahoma (OKLAHOMA)	IND B8	11–1	0.917	4	+56	Beat Florida State 24–7
6	0	1.116	Central Michigan (CENTRAL MICHIGAN)	MAC	10–0–1	0.955	3	+45	BYE
7	-3	1.187	Ohio State (OHIO STATE)	B10	11–1	0.917	4	+52	Lost to USC 16–17
8	3	1.204	Houston (HOUSTON)	IND SWC	11–1	0.917	4	+52	Beat Nebraska 17–14
9	-2	1.273	Florida State (FLORIDA STATE)	IND FBSI	11–1	0.917	4	+50	Lost to Oklahoma 7–24
10	-2	1.278	Arkansas (ARKANSAS)	IND SWC	10–2	0.833	12	+50	Lost to Alabama 9–24
11	-2	1.298	Nebraska (NEBRASKA)	IND B8	10–2	0.833	12	+46	Lost to Houston 14–17
12	0	1.347	Mcneese State (MCNEESE STATE)	IND SLC	11–1	0.917	4	+46	BYE
13	0	1.517	Penn State (PENN STATE)	IND FBSI	8–4	0.667	31	+41	BYE
14	2	1.540	Temple (TEMPLE)	IND FBSI	10–2	0.833	12	+37	BYE
15	0	1.540	Texas (TEXAS)	IND SWC	9–3	0.750	19	+41	BYE
16	-2	1.546	North Carolina (NORTH CAROLINA)	ACC	8–3–1	0.708	27	+34	BYE
17	0	1.584	Yale (YALE)	IND IVY	8–1	0.889	11	+23	BYE
18	0	1.642	Purdue (PURDUE)	B10	10–2	0.833	12	+41	BYE
19	1	1.667	Washington (WASHINGTON)	PAC	9–3	0.750	19	+37	BYE
20	-1	1.676	South Carolina (SOUTH CAROLINA)	IND FBSI	8–4	0.667	31	+35	BYE
21	0	1.711	Clemson (CLEMSON)	ACC	8–4	0.667	31	+31	BYE
22	0	1.719	NC State (NORTH CAROLINA STATE)	ACC	7–4	0.636	39	+29	BYE
23	0	1.877	Wake Forest (WAKE FOREST)	ACC	8–4	0.667	31	+29	BYE
24	0	1.905	Baylor (BAYLOR)	IND SWC	8–4	0.667	31	+27	BYE
25	0	1.926	Notre Dame (NOTRE DAME)	IND FBSI	7–4	0.636	39	+28	BYE
26	0	1.939	Texas Arlington (TEXAS-ARLINGTON)	IND SLC	9–2	0.818	17	+21	BYE
27	0	1.981	Auburn (AUBURN)	SEC	8–3	0.727	22	+21	BYE
28	0	1.993	Tennessee Chattanooga (TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA)	IND SOCON	9–2	0.818	17	+21	BYE
29	1	2.023	UNLV	IND FBSI	9–1–2	0.833	12	+20	BYE
30	-1	2.028	Michigan (MICHIGAN)	B10	8–4	0.667	31	+23	BYE
31	0	2.117	Tulane (TULANE)	IND FBSI	9–3	0.750	19	+19	BYE
32	0	2.128	East Carolina (EAST CAROLINA)	IND FBSI	7–3–1	0.682	28	+14	BYE
33	0	2.135	Rutgers (RUTGERS)	IND FBSI	8–3	0.727	22	+18	BYE
34	0	2.180	Utah State (UTAH STATE)	IND PCAA	7–3–1	0.682	28	+18	BYE
35	0	2.183	San Diego State (SAN DIEGO STATE)	IND WAC	8–3	0.727	22	+24	BYE
36	0	2.236	Maryland (MARYLAND)	ACC	7–4	0.636	39	+18	BYE
37	0	2.352	Indiana (INDIANA)	B10	8–4	0.667	31	+18	BYE
38	0	2.386	Syracuse (SYRACUSE)	IND FBSI	7–5	0.583	50	+21	BYE
39	0	2.489	LSU	SEC	7–5	0.583	50	+15	BYE
40	2	2.490	Texas A&M (TEXAS A & M)	IND SWC	6–5	0.545	57	+16	BYE
41	0	2.491	Lamar (LAMAR)	IND SLC	6–3–2	0.636	39	+9	BYE
42	-2	2.502	Oklahoma State (OKLAHOMA STATE)	IND B8	7–4	0.636	39	+16	BYE
43	0	2.536	Tennessee (TENNESSEE)	SEC	7–5	0.583	50	+16	BYE
44	0	2.562	Toledo (TOLEDO)	MAC	7–3–1	0.682	28	+10	BYE
45	0	2.573	Missouri (MISSOURI)	IND B8	7–5	0.583	50	+13	BYE
46	0	2.681	Southern Miss (SOUTHERN MISS)	IND FBSI	6–4–1	0.591	47	+9	BYE
47	0	2.683	Brown (BROWN)	IND IVY	6–3	0.667	31	+3	BYE
48	0	2.747	Navy (NAVY)	IND FBSI	7–4	0.636	39	+9	BYE
49	0	2.769	Indiana State (INDIANA STATE)	IND MVC	8–3	0.727	22	+4	BYE
50	0	2.779	Southern Illinois (SOUTHERN ILLINOIS)	IND MVC	8–3	0.727	22	+14	BYE
51	0	2.818	Arizona (ARIZONA)	PAC	6–5–1	0.542	69	+11	BYE
52	0	2.862	Virginia (VIRGINIA)	ACC	6–5	0.545	57	0	BYE
53	0	2.878	Utah (UTAH)	IND WAC	6–6	0.500	70	+13	BYE
54	0	2.921	California (CALIFORNIA)	PAC	6–6	0.500	70	+7	BYE
55	1	2.940	UCLA	PAC	5–6	0.455	78	+14	BYE
56	-1	2.945	Princeton (PRINCETON)	IND IVY	5–4	0.556	54	+2	BYE
57	0	2.957	Long Beach State (LONG BEACH STATE)	IND PCAA	7–4	0.636	39	+5	BYE
58	0	2.985	Northern Illinois (NORTHERN ILLINOIS)	MAC	5–5–1	0.500	70	+7	BYE
59	0	3.032	Georgia (GEORGIA)	SEC	6–5	0.545	57	+1	BYE
60	0	3.044	Arizona State (ARIZONA STATE)	PAC	6–6	0.500	70	+4	BYE
61	2	3.088	West Texas A&M (WEST TEXAS A&M)	IND MVC	5–5–1	0.500	70	+5	BYE
62	-1	3.096	Western Michigan (WESTERN MICHIGAN)	MAC	6–5	0.545	57	+1	BYE
63	-1	3.096	San José State (SAN JOSE STATE)	IND PCAA	6–4–1	0.591	47	+2	BYE
64	1	3.150	Hawai'i (HAWAII)	IND WAC	6–5	0.545	57	0	BYE
65	-1	3.158	Ball State (BALL STATE)	MAC	6–5	0.545	57	-1	BYE
66	0	3.191	Miami (OH) (MIAMI (OH))	MAC	6–5	0.545	57	0	BYE
67	0	3.195	Virginia Military Institute (VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE)	IND SOCON	6–4–1	0.591	47	+1	BYE
68	0	3.214	East Tennessee State (EAST TENNESSEE STATE)	IND SOCON	7–4	0.636	39	-8	BYE
69	0	3.308	Cornell (CORNELL)	IND IVY	5–4	0.556	54	+5	BYE
70	1	3.404	West Virginia (WEST VIRGINIA)	IND FBSI	5–6	0.455	78	+2	BYE
71	-1	3.407	Oregon (OREGON)	PAC	6–5	0.545	57	-2	BYE
72	0	3.435	Ohio (OHIO)	MAC	6–5	0.545	57	-3	BYE
73	0	3.490	Iowa (IOWA)	B10	5–6	0.455	78	-1	BYE
74	0	3.516	Virginia Tech (VIRGINIA TECH)	IND FBSI	5–6	0.455	78	-3	BYE
75	0	3.603	SMU	IND SWC	5–6	0.455	78	-6	BYE
76	0	3.608	Stanford (STANFORD)	PAC	5–5–1	0.500	70	-4	BYE
77	0	3.623	Minnesota (MINNESOTA)	B10	4–6–1	0.409	92	0	BYE
78	0	3.625	Citadel (CITADEL)	IND SOCON	6–5	0.545	57	+2	BYE
79	0	3.650	Dartmouth (DARTMOUTH)	IND IVY	4–4–1	0.500	70	-5	BYE
80	0	3.683	Michigan State (MICHIGAN STATE)	B10	5–6	0.455	78	-5	BYE
81	0	3.717	Tulsa (TULSA)	IND MVC	6–5	0.545	57	-6	BYE
82	0	3.749	Miami (MIAMI)	IND FBSI	5–6	0.455	78	+6	BYE
83	0	3.775	Western Carolina (WESTERN CAROLINA)	IND SOCON	6–5	0.545	57	-16	BYE
84	0	3.838	Boston College (BOSTON COLLEGE)	IND FBSI	5–6	0.455	78	-7	BYE
85	0	3.870	Georgia Tech (GEORGIA TECH)	IND FBSI	4–6–1	0.409	92	-5	BYE
86	0	3.871	Texas Tech (TEXAS TECH)	IND SWC	3–6–2	0.364	96	-3	BYE
87	0	3.884	Colgate (COLGATE)	IND FBSI	5–4–1	0.550	56	-1	BYE
88	0	3.913	New Mexico (NEW MEXICO)	IND WAC	6–6	0.500	70	-7	BYE
89	0	3.959	Kentucky (KENTUCKY)	SEC	5–6	0.455	78	-14	BYE
90	0	4.077	Louisville (LOUISVILLE)	IND FBSI	4–6–1	0.409	92	-7	BYE
91	0	4.211	North Texas (NORTH TEXAS)	IND FBSI	5–6	0.455	78	-11	BYE
92	0	4.357	Colorado State (COLORADO STATE)	IND WAC	4–7–1	0.375	95	-12	BYE
93	0	4.416	Furman (FURMAN)	IND SOCON	5–6	0.455	78	+2	BYE
94	0	4.433	Ole Miss (MISSISSIPPI)	SEC	4–7	0.364	96	-16	BYE
95	0	4.460	Wisconsin (WISCONSIN)	B10	4–7	0.364	96	-14	BYE
96	0	4.658	Bowling Green (BOWLING GREEN)	MAC	4–7	0.364	96	-17	BYE
97	1	4.685	Louisiana (LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE)	IND SLC	4–7	0.364	96	-18	BYE
98	-1	4.693	Memphis (MEMPHIS)	IND FBSI	5–6	0.455	78	-20	BYE
99	0	4.697	Holy Cross (HOLY CROSS)	IND FBSI	5–6	0.455	78	-6	BYE
100	0	4.848	Fresno State (FRESNO STATE)	IND PCAA	4–7	0.364	96	-12	BYE
101	0	4.876	Villanova (VILLANOVA)	IND FBSI	5–6	0.455	78	-7	BYE
102	0	4.902	Arkansas State (ARKANSAS STATE)	IND SLC	4–7	0.364	96	-23	BYE
103	1	4.941	TCU	IND SWC	2–8–1	0.227	120	-19	BYE
104	-1	4.955	Mississippi State (MISSISSIPPI STATE)	SEC	3–8	0.273	109	-22	BYE
105	0	4.972	App State (APPALACHIAN STATE)	IND SOCON	3–8	0.273	109	-23	BYE
106	0	5.046	Kansas (KANSAS)	IND B8	3–8	0.273	109	-19	BYE
107	0	5.091	Wyoming (WYOMING)	IND WAC	4–8	0.333	105	-25	BYE
108	1	5.277	William & Mary (WILLIAM & MARY)	IND FBSI	4–7	0.364	96	-18	BYE
109	-1	5.283	Washington State (WASHINGTON STATE)	PAC	3–8	0.273	109	-25	BYE
110	0	5.293	Colorado (COLORADO)	IND B8	3–8	0.273	109	-24	BYE
111	0	5.456	Duke (DUKE)	ACC	2–8–1	0.227	120	-27	BYE
112	0	5.465	Iowa State (IOWA STATE)	IND B8	3–8	0.273	109	-26	BYE
113	0	5.597	Kansas State (KANSAS STATE)	IND B8	3–8	0.273	109	-29	BYE
114	0	5.605	Northwestern State (NORTHWESTERN STATE)	IND FBSI	3–6	0.333	105	-1	BYE
115	0	5.709	Harvard (HARVARD)	IND IVY	3–6	0.333	105	-6	BYE
116	0	5.797	Illinois (ILLINOIS)	B10	2–8–1	0.227	120	-29	BYE
117	0	5.807	Cincinnati (CINCINNATI)	IND FBSI	2–9	0.182	125	-28	BYE
118	0	5.812	Army (ARMY)	IND FBSI	2–8–1	0.227	120	-26	BYE
119	0	6.038	UConn (CONNECTICUT)	IND FBSI	3–6–2	0.364	96	-22	BYE
120	0	6.095	Drake (DRAKE)	IND MVC	3–8	0.273	109	-28	BYE
121	0	6.322	Louisiana Tech (LOUISIANA TECH)	IND SLC	2–9	0.182	125	-32	BYE
122	0	6.368	UL Monroe (LOUISIANA MONROE)	IND FBSI	3–8	0.273	109	-17	BYE
123	0	6.426	Pacific (PACIFIC)	IND PCAA	3–7	0.300	108	-28	BYE
124	1	6.589	CAL State Fullerton (CAL STATE FULLERTON)	IND PCAA	3–8	0.273	109	-24	BYE
125	-1	6.595	New Mexico State (NEW MEXICO STATE)	IND MVC	2–9	0.182	125	-37	BYE
126	0	6.630	Rice (RICE)	IND SWC	1–10	0.091	131	-32	BYE
127	0	6.665	Illinois State (ILLINOIS STATE)	IND FBSI	3–8	0.273	109	-16	BYE
128	0	6.723	UTEP	IND WAC	2–9	0.182	125	-39	BYE
129	0	7.088	Vanderbilt (VANDERBILT)	SEC	1–10	0.091	131	-42	BYE
130	0	7.125	Eastern Michigan (EASTERN MICHIGAN)	MAC	2–8–1	0.227	120	-32	BYE
131	0	7.127	Wichita State (WICHITA STATE)	IND MVC	1–10	0.091	131	-42	BYE
132	0	7.182	Florida (FLORIDA)	SEC	0–10–1	0.045	138	-40	BYE
133	0	7.491	Oregon State (OREGON STATE)	PAC	1–10	0.091	131	-46	BYE
134	0	7.500	Marshall (MARSHALL)	IND SOCON	1–10	0.091	131	-47	BYE
135	0	7.628	Northwestern (NORTHWESTERN)	B10	1–10	0.091	131	-45	BYE
136	0	7.668	Air Force (AIR FORCE)	IND FBSI	2–9	0.182	125	-51	BYE
137	0	7.727	Columbia (COLUMBIA)	IND IVY	1–8	0.111	130	-26	BYE
138	0	8.095	Kent State (KENT STATE)	MAC	1–10	0.091	131	-32	BYE
139	0	9.648	Pennsylvania (PENNSYLVANIA)	IND IVY	0–9	0.000	139	-30	BYE
140	0	9.699	Richmond (RICHMOND)	IND FBSI	0–11	0.000	139	-69	BYE