Ranking Every College Football Conference Heading into 2015 Season
The start of a new college football season usually means nonconference play for most schools—a carryover from the league vs. league action that ended the previous campaign.
Some of the top teams in separate conferences will collide over the first few weeks of the season, paving the way for the all-important matchups at the end of the year.
This season, the SEC is looking to end its short two-year drought of national championships, while the rest of the Power Five conferences hope to build on their recent successes.
On the eve of college football's long-awaited return, let's take stock of each conference in FBS football and power rank them. These rankings were based on how each league finished last season in the polls, how they are shaping up according to preseason polls and their top-to-bottom strength—how many bad programs weigh them down?
Let us know which conference you think is the best in college football and which ones should be ranked higher or lower in the comments below.
10. Sun Belt
1 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 0
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 0
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 8 (Georgia Southern*, Appalachian State*, Texas State*, Troy, UL-Monroe, Idaho, New Mexico State, Georgia State)
*was bowl-eligible but did not participate in the postseason
The Sun Belt might still be anchored to the bottom spot of any conference power rankings, but things are looking up for the conference.
When five of its teams bolted for the Conference USA in the span of two seasons, the Sun Belt added FCS powerhouses Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, along with WAC survivors Idaho and New Mexico State. The first two finished within the top three of the conference, while the other two won one conference game apiece.
With defending conference champion Georgia Southern and vastly experienced Appalachian State now cleared for postseason play, the conference could have more than half of its members bowl-eligible in 2015.
According to Luke Johnson of The Advocate, the Sun Belt will add a conference title game in the near future with the addition of Coastal Carolina for the 2016 season. The Chanticleers will add some major quality from the lower-division ranks, as they have won three straight Big South championships and are No. 5 in the FCS.
The abysmal trio of Idaho, New Mexico State and Georgia State will keep the Sun Belt down for now, but the league has a chance to move up in stature thanks to the quick success of its additions from the FCS.
9. MAC
2 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 0
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 0
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 8 (Ohio*, Buffalo, Akron, UMass, Miami, Kent State, Ball State, Eastern Michigan)
Last year was a down one for #MACtion. Its midweek games didn't sparkle quite like they did in recent seasons, and only six of its 13 teams finished with winning records.
The MAC members' early-season play against nonconference opponents wasn't good at all. By the end of September, Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports had already put all but two of the league's teams in his infamous Bottom 25 rankings. (Four MAC schools finished in Fornelli's final 25.)
Bowl season wasn't much better for the MAC, which finished with a losing record. In a head-to-head matchup with Conference USA champion Marshall, MAC title-holder Northern Illinois found itself on the wrong end of a 52-23 blowout at the Boca Raton Bowl.
Still, the MAC had five schools finish just outside bowl eligibility with five wins last season, and 6-6 Ohio wasn't invited to a postseason game out of the weak Eastern division. The top tier of the conference—NIU, Bowling Green, Toledo and Western Michigan—should be strong again, and some in the middle of the pack have a decent chance of rising.
The conference's overall strength should go through addition by subtraction when UMass, which has only won five games in three seasons as a MAC school, leaves the conference after this season. With several programs on the upswing, the magic just might come back to #MACtion this fall.
8. Conference USA
3 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 1 (Marshall)
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 0
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 8 (Middle Tennessee State*, Old Dominion*, UAB*, FIU, FAU, UTSA, North Texas, Southern Miss)
One of the more top-heavy conferences in the country, the Conference USA boasts a pair of teams that could make a run at Boise State's hold on the Group of Five bid to the New Year's Six bowls.
Marshall had only one loss last year, a 67-66 thriller against Western Kentucky, and will enter this season with the easiest schedule in all of college football, according to FBSchedules.com. While the Thundering Herd could easily go undefeated, Western Kentucky could ruin the parade for Marshall and several Power Five schools with its high-powered passing attack and experienced defense.
Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion and Middle Tennessee State have been solid additions to the conference after the American raided the league a couple of seasons ago. The latter two missed out on the postseason last year, after finishing 6-6, and Charlotte has replaced the recently resurrected UAB program.
The C-USA had the best winning percentage of any conference last bowl season, and Louisiana Tech recorded a solid win over Big Ten foe Illinois in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
While the bottom tier of teams is expected to struggle mightily again, the C-USA keeps churning out quality Group of Five programs who can shake things up in the postseason.
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7. American
4 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 1 (Memphis)
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 0
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 6 (Temple*, USF, Tulane, Tulsa, UConn, SMU)
Perhaps the deepest of the Group of Five conferences, the American has taken off in its young history and could climb even higher in these rankings by the end of the 2015 season.
The AAC had a three-way tie at the top last season between Cincinnati, UCF and Memphis. Cincinnati and UCF's spots weren't as surprising—they both have made it to a BCS bowl within the last few seasons—but Memphis' stunning turnaround from 3-9 to 10-3 was a huge boost for the conference's depth.
Memphis and Houston each recorded bowl wins last season, while Cincinnati, UCF and East Carolina all fell to power-conference teams in relatively close contests. This season, the AAC adds consistent bowl program Navy to the mix, giving the league enough teams for an important conference championship game.
The bottom half of the conference has a few teams who could turn things around in the next few seasons, with former Baylor coordinator Philip Montgomery taking over at Tulsa and former Clemson assistant Chad Morris looking to rebuild at SMU.
The AAC could have seven or eight bowl-eligible teams this season and a couple of powers that will challenge for a New Year's Six berth. This future is looking bright.
6. Mountain West
5 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 1 (Boise State)
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 1 (Boise State)
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 5 (New Mexico, Wyoming, Hawaii, San Jose State, UNLV)
The Mountain West's spot atop the Group of Five conferences has a lot to do with defending-conference-champion Boise State. The Broncos are favorites to make it back to the New Year's Six bowls again this season after returning a ton of talent from last year's squad that knocked off Arizona.
The league's power doesn't just stop at the "Smurf Turf," though, as the Mountain West had four teams with 10 or more wins last season—just as many as the SEC and the Pac-12. The league as a whole should get stronger, too, thanks to Boise State's success in the Fiesta Bowl.
"A rising tide lifts all boats," Paul Myerberg of USA Today wrote earlier this year. "Fresno State will get $4.9 million from the conference. Nevada and Utah State will draw more than $4 million. As a whole, the entire conference—arguably the strongest, top to bottom, of any non-major league—is wealthier than ever before."
All but five of the teams in the MWC went bowling last season, and three of them were just a couple of wins away from eligibility. Every member except for rebuilding UNLV has a realistic chance at the postseason in 2015.
Boise State could cash in for the conference again in 2015, but it'll first have to get through a number of tough teams wanting a crack at the big stage themselves. Remember, that Bronco team celebrating in the desert at the end of last season lost by two touchdowns to Air Force.
5. ACC
6 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 4 (Florida State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Louisville)
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 3 (Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech)
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 3 (Syracuse, Wake Forest, Virginia)
Two years after grabbing its first national championship in more than a decade, the ACC is viewed as the weakest of the Power Five conferences heading into the 2015 campaign.
With three-time defending-conference-champion Florida State reloading from its mass exodus of talent to the NFL, the ACC barely cracked the preseason top 10 in the AP poll. Plenty of college football experts are penciling the conference as the odd one out this year.
"This year, it's the ACC that's going to be left out of the CFP party," Mark Schalbach of ESPN.com wrote this week. "I think Clemson is going to be good, but might still be a year away from being a legitimate contender. FSU is going to have some growing pains after losing so much firepower to the NFL draft, and Georgia Tech's schedule looks too difficult."
A losing record in bowl season didn't help matters for the ACC. Although it grabbed a New Year's Six victory through Coastal division champion Georgia Tech, Florida State was flat-out embarrassed in the second half of a 59-20 loss to Oregon at the Rose Bowl.
The ACC lost a lot of star talent this offseason and doesn't have a surefire national title contender like the other four major conferences—although this writer picked Clemson to shock the world this season. Right now, the ACC is clearly the lowest of the power conferences.
4. Big 12
7 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 3 (TCU, Baylor, Kansas State)
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 3 (TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma)
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 3 (Texas Tech, Kansas, Iowa State)
Thanks to the addition of the head-to-head tiebreaker to the conference's rules, the Big 12 should be able to offer "one true champion" to the College Football Playoff committee in 2015.
TCU and Baylor, the two teams embroiled in last season's shared-title drama, are the favorites to fight it out for a semifinal spot this year. The Horned Frogs bounced back from a 4-8 program to a supercharged 12-1 team in 2014, while Baylor topped the conference for the second straight season behind Art Briles' video-game offense.
But neither team was the preseason favorite heading into 2014, and a disappointed Oklahoma program could rebound to stake its claim in the title race this season. The Sooners are the strongest of the potential spoilers in the Big 12 and are joined by Oklahoma State, Texas, Kansas State and West Virginia—which handed Baylor its lone loss last season.
The Big 12 could send eight teams to the postseason this year with a bounce-back effort from Texas Tech, and the league could benefit greatly from a stronger showing in bowl season. Last year, TCU and Oklahoma State were the only two victors, and Oklahoma and Texas lost in blowout fashion.
It's hard to imagine a scenario in which the Big 12 gets left out of the four-team playoff again this season. While the favorites are far from historical powerhouses, this is a high-powered league.
3. Big Ten
8 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 3 (Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin)
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 3 (Ohio State, Michigan State, Wisconsin)
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 4 (Michigan, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue)
The Big Ten's resurrection from the dead may have taken many across the country by surprise last season, but no one will be shocked when the conference takes its place at the playoff table later this year.
Ohio State won a national championship ahead of schedule last season, rebounding from a bad loss at Virginia Tech to knock off Wisconsin, Alabama and Oregon with a third-string quarterback by the end of the season. Urban Meyer's Buckeyes are the runaway favorites for the No. 1 seed this season and give the Big Ten a boost over the Big 12 and the ACC.
Michigan State is also a strong contender, even though it shares a division with the unanimous No. 1 team in the land. The Spartans will open the season at No. 5 and have a chance to prove their staying power with an early season game against Oregon.
What hurts this top-heavy league, though, is the lack of contenders past Ohio State and Michigan State. Western division champion Wisconsin lost 59-0 to Ohio State last season and will go through some transition this season under a new head coach. Penn State, Nebraska and Michigan received votes in the AP poll but have a ways to go before they're firmly planted in the rankings.
The Big Ten's resurgence, 2014 postseason success and powerhouse duo at the top inch the conference slightly ahead of the Big 12 heading into 2015. If some of the league's newer coaches can get their respective programs rolling again, the Big Ten will get better and better in the eyes of the college football world.
2. Pac-12
9 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 6 (Oregon, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona, USC, Utah)
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 6 (Oregon, USC, UCLA, Arizona State, Stanford, Arizona)
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 4 (California, Oregon State, Washington State, Colorado)
The Pac-12 nailed down its spot as the second-best conference in college football last season—and it closed the gap with the No. 1 league on this list in a big way.
Oregon took home the conference title and then beat defending national champion Florida State in style at the Rose Bowl. Although the Ducks failed to win the big one and lost a Heisman-winning quarterback to the NFL, they are still the top team in the conference, judging by the 2015 preseason polls.
The Pac-12 South has a legitimate claim at being the toughest division in all of college football, and it went 4-1 in bowl season last year. USC, UCLA and Arizona State not only have a great shot at winning the Pac-12 this season, but they also are all receiving some serious buzz as potential playoff teams.
The conference's middle tier is on the rise, too. Stanford should challenge Oregon in the North. Arizona is somehow underrated as a defending South champion. Utah returns 14 starters from a nine-win team. California is a potential bowl team with its ridiculous "Bear Raid" offense.
The Pac-12 is deep, talented, successful in the postseason and growing in national reputation year after year. If the league can pull off another season like 2014, the SEC's reign as the top league in college football could very well come to an end.
1. SEC
10 of 10
Teams in 2014 final AP poll: 6 (Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Auburn)
Teams in 2015 preseason AP poll: 8 (Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee)
Non-bowl teams in 2014: 2 (Kentucky, Vanderbilt)
The SEC hasn't won a national championship since way, way, way back in 2012, but don't put this conference in crisis mode just yet. The same conference that won every national title for seven straight seasons is still the best top-to-bottom league in college football.
Championship depth is the key in the SEC, as the conference has a preseason top-five team, a pair of contenders in the top 10 and several more dark horses in a single division. And while the rest of the Power Five leagues have several teams who aren't expected to go bowling in 2015, the SEC only has one in Vanderbilt. Thirteenth-place Kentucky was just one win away from the postseason last year.
Sure, the 2014 postseason wasn't good for the SEC—especially in its Western division—but the league still finished with a 7-5 record thanks to the help from the "weaker" East. Several average finishers, like Auburn and Texas A&M, addressed their biggest needs in the offseason with big-name hires, and teams such as Tennessee and Arkansas have double-digit win potential with all their returning experience.
"I think the league is in better shape than it's ever been from a football standpoint because there's more really good teams," Alabama head coach Nick Saban said earlier this year, per Matt Zenitz of AL.com. "Now, if you use the barometer that winning a championship is the only barometer for the league, then I guess you would have an argument against that."
If the SEC lays an egg in the major bowl games for a second consecutive season, another Power Five league will have a great chance at claiming the throne. But right now, the SEC is still the richest, deepest and best conference in the country.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
