SP+
Used in both the NFL and college football
A rating built by Bill Connelly estimating how good a team is, adjusted for who it played. It reads as a predicted scoring margin against an average opponent, so a rating of 20 means about 20 points better than average.
It is a predictive rating, not a resume ranking. It tries to say who is good, not who has earned the most.
Adjusting for opponent is the whole point. Beating a weak schedule by 40 moves it less than beating a strong one by 10.
This is why a team can be ranked far higher in SP+ than in the polls, and why broadcasters cite it when arguing a team is better than its record.
You’ll hear it like this
They lead the country in SP+, nearly 10 percent clear of the next team.
Related
Sources
Checked 2026-08-07.