Yahoo Sports Where LSU stands in the SP+ rankings following the regular season
LSU ended a good season on a low note, losing to Texas A&M on the road in rivalry week to finish at 9-3 in coach Brian Kelly’s debut campaign.
The Tigers were in the top five before the loss, but analytics systems had consistently been a bit lower on them than the polls showed. LSU ranks 12th in ESPN’s Football Power Index this week, but now, we’re going to take a look at a different metric from ESPN: SP+.
For the uninitiated, SP+ proprietor Bill Connelly describes it as a “tempo and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency” that is intended to be predictive and not a “resume ranking.”
Here’s how things stand in the SP+ following the final week of the regular season.
Kentucky Wildcats (7-5)
Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 13.0
Cincinnati Bearcats (9-3)
Syndication: The Enquirer
Rating: 13.1
Florida State Seminoles (9-3)
Syndication: Tallahassee Democrat
Rating: 13.2
Oregon State Beavers (9-3)
Syndication: The Register Guard
Rating: 14.3
UCLA Bruins (9-3)
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 15.0
Mississippi State Bulldogs (8-4)
Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 15.4
Oklahoma Sooners (6-6)
Syndication: The Oklahoman
Rating: 15.4
Washington Huskies (10-2)
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 15.7
Illinois Fighting Illini (8-4)
David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 15.9
Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4)
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 16.0
LSU Tigers (9-3)
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 16.2
Ole Miss Rebels (8-4)
Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
Rating: 16.2
Clemson Tigers (10-2)
Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 17.6
Oregon Ducks (9-3)
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Rating: 18.9
USC Trojans (11-1)
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 18.9
Utah Utes (9-3)
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 19.2
Kansas State Wildcats (9-3)
Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 21.4
Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2)
Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 22.4
Texas Longhorns (8-4)
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 23.1
TCU Horned Frogs (12-0)
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 24.3
Tennessee Volunteers (10-2)
Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 25.2
Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2)
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Rating: 30.3
Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1)
Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Rating: 31.1
Michigan Wolverines (12-0)
Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch
Rating: 32.0
Georgia Bulldogs (12-0)
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Rating: 35.3
