The last time USC finished as high as sixth in SP+ was 2008, when the Trojans were denied a shot at another national title with a classic upset loss at Oregon State. The last time Texas finished in the top 10: 2009, when the Longhorns were denied another national title by Colt McCoy's injury.
The last time Florida State finished as high as eighth? 2013, when the Seminoles won the national title. The last time Penn State finished as high as fourth or Washington finished as high as ninth? 2017, when the two faced off in a delightful Fiesta Bowl.
The last time Alabama finished as low as fifth? 2008, when Nick Saban's run was just beginning.
We're not exactly turning the clock back to the 1950s or anything, but we've got some awfully interesting developments in this week's SP+ rankings.
What is SP+? In a single sentence, it's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency. I created the system at Football Outsiders in 2008, and as my experience with both college football and its stats has grown, I have made quite a few tweaks to the system.
SP+ is indeed intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a résumé ranking that gives credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling -- no good predictive system is. It is simply a measure of the most sustainable and predictable aspects of football. If you're lucky or unimpressive in a win, your rating will probably fall. If you're strong and unlucky in a loss, it will probably rise.
Here are the full rankings:
