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How the ELO System Works

What is ELO?

ELO is a rating system originally developed for chess that measures the relative skill level of teams. In college football, it provides a more accurate ranking than traditional polls by considering strength of schedule and margin of victory.

How Teams Gain/Lose ELO

• Winning: Beat a higher-rated team = big ELO gain
• Winning: Beat a lower-rated team = small ELO gain
• Losing: Lose to a lower-rated team = big ELO loss
• Losing: Lose to a higher-rated team = small ELO loss

Margin of Victory

Blowout wins earn more ELO than close wins. The system rewards dominant performances while not heavily penalizing close losses to good teams.

Starting Values

Teams start each season with ELO ratings based on their previous four years of recruiting. New teams or teams without history start at 1500.

Predictions

ELO ratings can predict game outcomes and point spreads. A team with 50 more ELO points is expected to win by about 3 points on a neutral field.