FCS Grouping System

However, 2006 saw the expansion of the schedule from 11 games to 12 games. In response to this addition of a 12th game, many FBS teams have added FCS teams to their schedules. The significantly higher number of FBS vs. FCS games has created three problems for the complete exclusion of FCS results. First, a larger fraction of results are ignored. Second, the increased competition between the two divisions has increased the parity between them, making FCS victories more likely. Third, the larger number of games makes the previously "flukish" win by a FCS more likely, just statistically. These three issues demand that a good ranking system for FBS somehow account for the games against FCS.

The Colley Matrix has addressed this problem in a straight-forward way that does not change the fundamental mathematics of the Colley Matrix rankings system. Here is how it works.

1. Selecting only games involving two FCS teams, rank the FCS teams using the normal Colley Matrix system.
2. Form groups of FCS teams.
• Determine the average number of games played by FBS teams.
• Starting at the top of the ranked list of FCS teams, begin adding to the group until the number of games that group has played against FBS is about the same number of games most FBS teams have played so far this season.
• When the group is "full," move to the next group and repeat previous step.
• Avoid the problem that the last group may be underpopulated by iteratively "demoting" teams from other groups until the distribution of FBS games played by each FCS group is fairly even.
3. We now have groups of FCS teams that have played about the same number of games against FBS as most FBS teams have played this season.
4. Add these groups into the list of FBS teams.
5. Rank the FBS teams plus the FCS groups as normal with the Colley Matrix ranking system.