College football rankings give fans and media members plenty to talk about between Saturdays. On Sundays, we get the Coaches Poll and the AP Poll, ranking the top 25 teams in the country. Out in Las Vegas, the smartest folks in the desert rank all the teams.
While coaches and media voters weigh head-to-head and overall resumes, Vegas has only one concern: money. The oddsmakers at Vegas sportsbooks are focused on which teams would be more likely to win on a neutral field so that betting lines can be properly set. The casinos on The Strip weren’t built on the house losing money.
Phil Steele, widely recognized as one of college football’s leading experts, has connections to oddsmakers at the Las Vegas SuperBook and other casinos. Steele has published weekly in-season Vegas Power Ratings since his time at ESPN. He is independent these days but continues to publish the Vegas numbers in weekly updates on his website during the season.
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The difference between 2 teams’ Vegas Ratings offers insight into what the betting line would be if they met on a neutral field today. Steele reminds his readers that, unlike other polls, Vegas Rankings don’t always reflect prior outcomes on the field. That message is especially relevant in the Week 6 rankings.
Alabama’s thrilling win over Georgia moved the Crimson Tide to No. 1 in the AP Top 25. In the Vegas Rankings, however, Alabama is still below Georgia. The Vegas numbers have Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Georgia, Texas and Alabama.
Here’s where all 16 SEC teams stand in the latest Vegas Power Rankings:
- No. 2 Georgia (133.85 Vegas Rating)
- No. 3 Texas (133.33)
- No. 4 Alabama (133.24)
- No. 6 Tennessee (128.90)
- No. 7 Ole Miss (127.43)
- No. 13 LSU (120.61)
- No. 15 Mizzou (119.52)
- No. 17 Texas A&M (118.36)
- No. 20 Kentucky (118.09)
- No. 21 Oklahoma (116.99)
- No. 26 Arkansas (116.20)
- No. 27 South Carolina (115.89)
- No. 36 Florida (113.16)
- No. 42 Auburn (112.34)
- No. 71 Vanderbilt (105.38)
- No. 83 Mississippi State (101.48)
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
