Saturday, March 8, 2008

CFBLive! - Fan Ranking Index


In the autumn of 2000 a group of college football pundits began to identify and rank the top college football fans. Ranking the fans was an original but difficult undertaking. The team spent months developing and compiling objective formulas and subjective input from media and game day experts.

After months of research the team released their ‘Fan Ranking Index’ under the online name FBFans, and over the last eight years the process has evolved. The core categories and grades are as similar today as they were in the first year of the index. The most significant change is that College Football Live! hosts and assists with the FBFans index and content.

Each year there are questions about the index, and this article will clarify as many questions as possible. The group of college media and fans that provide input into the Fan Ranking Index continues to grow as well. The panelists cover major college football regions and send updates from after attending college football games.

The data is calculated in an algorithm and a numeric value determines where the fans are ranked. Our current group of panelists has a broad range of college football knowledge for the subjective rankings, and it is the differing opinions that make the index unique.

The CFBLive! Fan Ranking Index is based approximately 80% on the last twelve months of the football season and 20% on historical facts, figures, and reputations. CFBFans uses five weighted categories to determine the final assessment. Each of the categories is based on a subset of sub-categories.

Here is an example of how the categories are compiled. The “Attendance” category is based on a formula that includes four different variables. It considers the stadium capacity, the size of the alumni base, and percentage of sold tickets in the last year, and number of other Division 1A schools in the state. This is an important category so Attendance contributes 30% of the ratings.

Other than a category for “Merchandise” the other categories are more subjective. We enforce standards to keep the values reasonable. For example, the “Travel” category will generally have a close deviation among programs, and it also takes into consideration fans willingness to watch games in bad weather. The “Noise Production” category is based on reputation, decibel values (when available), proximity of the students to the field, and on the program’s home field success during the season.

The “Loyalty” category is the only category based on historical reputation. It has sub-categories that include game day atmosphere, sportsmanship, tailgating, general support for the team, and whether fans support the program through good and bad seasons.

We've chosen the categories that we thought best quantify the spirit of the fans, and try to apply quantitative values. It's not an exact science so we use fan input to help find articles or share personal testimony that will give the panelists more insight. While the rankings cover all 119 major programs, only the Top 50 are shown below.


Attendence: (Sell-Outs and Capcity): This category considers the capacity of the stadium though most of the points are awarded based on how close the fans come to filling it. The formula rewards fans that sell out their stadiums.

Noise Production: Fan Noise gauges the level of disruption and intimidation caused by fans during the game. This is not necessarily based on crowd size, therefore large stadiums with thousands of mellow fans will not rate as high as a smaller stadium with more exuberant fans. Stadiums with student sections located at mid-field and close to the action are given higher ratings.

Loyalty: (Reputation & Sportsmanship) Even when the home team is in a slump, the loyal fans still come out to support them. Faithful fans remain until the clock runs to zero, and you rarely see them file out of the facilities at halftime. This has historical influence, but it's also based on the current and past season.

Travel: This is measured by the willingness of fans to travel during the regular and post season to show support for their beloved team. If fans have to travel greater distances to play opponents then this is taken into consideration as well. Selling out travel allotments is also a good measuring tool. Tailgating and game day atmosphere are taken into consideration here.

Merchandise (bonus rating): This rating comes from the sales analysis on NCAA programs. This bonus rating partially measures how much National support a program receives from fans.

2007 CFBLive!
Fan Ranking Index

Fan Index
Total
Attendance
Noise
Loyalty
Travel
Merch.
# Program
100.00
30.00
30.00
10.00
10.00
bonus
1 Louisiana State
97.20
28.78
29.88
9.25
7.88
1.42
2 Florida
96.74
28.78
29.63
8.75
8.00
1.58
3 Tennessee
96.70
29.57
28.38
8.63
8.63
1.50
4 Ohio State
96.55
29.59
28.25
8.88
8.25
1.58
5 Michigan
96.30
29.63
27.75
9.00
8.25
1.67
6 Alabama
96.28
28.78
28.50
9.00
8.50
1.50
7 Penn State
96.24
29.61
28.00
9.13
8.00
1.50
8 Texas A&M
95.41
27.53
29.75
9.13
7.75
1.25
9 Auburn
95.17
27.51
28.63
9.00
8.63
1.42
10 Nebraska
95.11
27.66
28.38
8.88
8.88
1.33
11 Georgia
95.01
28.80
28.00
8.75
7.88
1.58
12 Oklahoma
94.91
27.66
28.50
8.88
8.38
1.50
13 Wisconsin
94.86
27.66
28.38
8.63
8.88
1.33
14 Notre Dame
93.57
27.28
27.25
8.88
8.50
1.67
15 Texas
93.32
28.03
27.25
8.50
7.88
1.67
16 South Carolina
92.86
27.16
27.50
9.00
7.88
1.33
17 Virginia Tech
92.78
26.16
28.63
8.63
8.38
1.00
18 Iowa
92.28
26.53
28.00
8.00
8.75
1.00
19 Clemson
91.91
27.53
28.00
8.38
7.00
1.00
20 Southern Cal
91.86
27.78
27.13
7.88
8.00
1.08
21 Florida State
91.45
27.28
27.50
8.13
7.13
1.42
22 Oregon
90.41
25.41
28.25
8.00
7.75
1.00
23 Arkansas
90.11
26.28
27.75
7.63
7.13
1.33
24 Michigan State
90.03
26.41
27.38
7.50
7.75
1.00
25 West Virginia
90.03
25.41
28.00
8.00
7.63
1.00
26 Kentucky
88.82
26.16
26.50
7.63
7.13
1.42
27 Colorado
88.66
24.53
27.50
7.50
8.13
1.00
28 BYU
88.53
25.78
26.13
7.88
7.75
1.00
29 Kansas
88.20
23.82
27.75
7.63
8.00
1.00
30 Oregon State
88.13
23.38
27.88
8.00
7.88
1.00
31 Washington
88.11
25.66
26.75
7.50
7.13
1.08
32 Boston College
87.78
23.66
27.63
8.00
7.50
1.00
33 Kansas State
87.70
23.78
27.13
7.63
8.00
1.17
34 Illinois
87.61
24.03
27.38
7.88
7.00
1.33
35 Virginia
87.32
25.28
26.25
7.75
6.88
1.17
36 Utah
87.41
23.41
27.25
8.00
7.75
1.00
37 Purdue
87.20
25.16
26.50
7.00
7.38
1.17
38 Missouri
87.07
24.78
25.88
7.63
7.63
1.17
39 Texas Tech
87.07
24.53
26.63
7.75
7.00
1.17
40 UCLA
87.03
26.03
26.00
7.00
7.00
1.00
41 Maryland
87.03
24.53
27.50
7.63
6.13
1.25
42 Louisville
87.03
23.28
27.38
7.88
7.50
1.00
43 Hawaii
86.78
23.16
27.75
7.88
7.00
1.00
44 Boise State
86.67
22.04
27.88
8.00
7.75
1.00
45 California
86.53
25.28
26.13
7.38
6.75
1.00
46 Rutgers
86.53
23.91
27.63
7.63
6.38
1.00
47 Oklahoma State
86.53
22.91
27.38
7.88
7.38
1.00
48 Mississippi
86.41
23.78
27.25
7.38
7.00
1.00
49 North Carolina
86.36
25.16
26.00
7.50
6.38
1.33
50 Arizona State
86.16
25.03
26.25
7.38
6.50
1.00

10 comments:

  1. This looks like some indices correllate with size of the stadium. that is not an index that provides a level playing field.

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  2. Not really. Alabama is over penn state. USC way under alabama, A&M, etc. Stadium size is dependent on the fan base and ticket demand, you've got it backwards. Looks accurate for the most part, though I'd put Oregon much higher. Autzen is nuts...

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  3. if you ever get the chance to come to baton rouge for a night game, do so, you'll have the time of your life...just remember that tailgating starts before noon...

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  4. I'm a Sun Devil fan that has been to all ten P10 stadium, and I hate to say it but the two loudest are both in the state of Oregon.

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  5. Ducks ahead of Beavers again. Tough times in Cornvalley!! I'm not even sure as to how OSU got in that poll anyway..they can't even sell out their stadium regularly. When they do, it because of the opposing team. Too funny..Ducks rule again!!

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  6. Yeah, Ducks ahead of Beavers again.... except where it counts. 3 out of the last four Civil Wars, Beavers beat the Ducks, 3 out of the last 4 seasons, Beavers finish ahead in the P10 standings. Scoreboard baby!

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  7. For all the hype surrounding The University of Oregon each and every year I find it funny that the only thing they truly succeed in is folding like a cheap suit. Myself I feel more comfortable playing Oregon then I Do playing Oregon State The Beavs seem to get after you a little bit more and Riley's play calling in crucial situations is tough.For all the Talent Oregon is suppose to have they are defiantly the biggest national underachievers of this conference.
    By the way I attended a Beav Game in Corvallis last year while visiting relatives I have also been to Eugene. Yes Autzen holds more folks but The Beavs have done a great job creating a great environment on campus with their new stadium. It's a credit to the conference.My ranking for Conference Stadiums (Not Necessarily the best but provide a great exp)1. ASU, 2. UW 3.Rose Bowl
    4. Corvallis 5.UA 6.Trees 7. Oregon
    8.USC(Because it's so hard to get there)9.WSU 10 Cal

    Sparky Rules

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  8. Thanks for this rate! I am going to share this article with my friends who are Sun Devil fans! Bear in mind that our writing service works truly hard to complete your assignments in a professional manner!

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