College Football Polls the Morris Poll

The Morris Poll is a computer generated composite college football poll made up of four inputs.  The  average of the AP poll and the Coach's Poll are weighted 20% of the total.

A computer algorithm which generates power ratings of each Division 1 team is also 40% of the total. These power ratings are formulated to not only reflect the wins and loses of each team, but also the strength for their competition to thirty-six levels. Also a team's power rating form the season before is factored and the power ranking of the conference in which they play. There is a bonus for wins by 20 or more points or if the team allows no more than 6 points in a win, but only if the opposing team has a power rating equal to or greater than the team being ranked. The is also a penalty for loses of greater than 20 points or if a team scores less than 6 point is a lose. The mathematics behind the power ratings are a closely guarded secret because historically they can predict the outcome of a particular game to such a high degree of accuracy that it would undermine the game.

An expert poll is also factored at 40%. Our experts are coaches, writers, sports editors, athletes, and others who are well versed in college football. These experts represent a diverse geographical, social economic, and cultural group.

Because of the computer generated power score, teams will drop down or out of the top 25 with a loss, partially early in the season. As more games are played a loss will not lower the power score as much because there are more wins to offset the loss. Losing to a team with a low power score will reduce that team's power score much more that losing to a team with a high power score. Actually it is possible for a team with a very low power ranking to lose to a team with a very high power ranking and the losing team increase its poser ranking. Similarly, winning against a team with a high power score will raise that team's power score more that winning against a team with a low power score.

By the time teams have played five or six games, the power scores are very good predictors of who will win the game.

Other Division 1 Football Polls