Arkansas Fires Head Football Coach Bret Bielema

Arkansas has fired head football coach Bret Bielema just after their loss to Missouri this evening.  So, let's take a look at the Razerbacks during Bielema's tenure.  As you will see below, in terms of overall productivity, Arkansas was a top 25 team in two of the five seasons that Bielema was at the helm of the Razorbacks football program, which playing against a "tougher" or harder strength of schedule for each of the five seasons.

Below is a chart of offense, defense and total production of the University of Arkansas football program during Bielema's tenure as head football coach, along with who would be the lowest ranked team during this time period (in purple) and the average team (sky blue).  As you can see below, Arkansas was extremely productive after a difficult start, but the last two seasons have been below average overall.  All rankings in this blog come from my Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.  More details about the program under Bielema are after the chart below, including a link to his employment contract are below.

Bret Bielema [2013 - 2017]

2013
The Razorbacks finished the regular season at 3-9 and bowl ineligible.  Arkansas played against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that the Razorbacks SOS was between one and two standard deviations below the "league" average SOS.  The Razorbacks best game again was their victory over #52 ranked Louisiana-Lafayette (34-14) and their worst loss was to #95 ranked Rutgers (24-28).  Arkansas had the #102 ranked team in total production with the #96 ranked offense and the #92 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2014
Arkansas finished the regular season at 6-6 and were bowl eligible, and defeated by #71 ranked Texas (31-7) in their post-season bowl game to finish 7-6 overall.  The Razorbacks played against a "much tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that their SOS was more than two standard deviations below the "league" average SOS.  The Razorbacks best game was their victory over #16 ranked Mississippi (30-0) and their worst loss was again to #65 ranked Texas A&M (28-35).  Arkansas had the #22 ranked team in total production with the #37 ranked offense and the #22 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2015
The Razorbacks finished the regular season at 7-5 and were bowl eligible, and defeated #113 ranked Kansas State (45-23).  Arkansas again played against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Razorbacks best game was again their victory over #6 ranked Mississippi (53-52) and their worst loss was to #90 ranked Texas Tech (24-35).  Arkansas had the #17 ranked team in total production with the #12 ranked offense and the #54 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model. This was again a top 25 team in terms of overall production, even though the wins did not materialize.

2016
Arkansas finished the regular season at 7-5 and were bowl eligible and lost to #32 ranked Virginia Tech (24-35).  The Razorbacks again played against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Razorbacks best game again was their victory over #23 ranked Louisiana Tech (21-20) and their worst loss was again to #68 ranked Missouri (24-28).  Arkansas had the #85 ranked team in total production with the #48 ranked offense and the #104 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017
Bielema was fired immediately after their last regular season game with the Razorbacks finishing 5-7 overall and being bowl ineligible.  Arkansas for the fifth season played against a  "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Razorbacks best win was against #42 currently ranked Texas A&M by a score of (50-43) and their worst loss was to #34 currently ranked South Carolina by a score of (22-48).  At the time of Bielema's firing, Arkansas had the #96 ranked team in total production, with the #72 ranked offense and the #103 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017 NCAA FBS Head Coach Changes
Minnesota and Tracy Claeys
California and Sonny Dykes
Oklahoma and Bob Stoops
Mississippi (Ole Miss) and Hugh Freeze
UTEP and Sean Kugler
Oregon State and Gary Andersen
Georgia Southern and Tyson Summers
Florida and Jim McElwain
Tennessee and Butch Jones
UCLA and Jim Mora
South Alabama and Joey Jones

Joey Jones Resigns at South Alabama

Earlier today Joey Jones resigned as head football coach from the University of South Alabama Jaguars.  Jones has been the Jaguars only head football coach, with the program starting in 2009 and playing in the FBS in 2012 in the Sun Belt Conference.  So, here is my analysis of the University of South Alabama under head coach Jones since they officially played in the FBS.

Below is a chart of offense, defense and total production of the University of South Alabama football program during Jones' tenure as head football coach, along with who would be the lowest ranked team during this time period (in purple) and the average team (sky blue).  All rankings in this blog come from my Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.  More details about the program under Jones are after the chart below, including a link to his employment contract are below.

Joey Jones [2012-2017*]


2012
The Jaguars were 2-11 (bowl ineligible) during the inaugural season for the University of South Alabama's football program.  South Alabama played against an "easier" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that their SOS was between one and two standard deviations above the "league" average SOS.  The Jaguars best game again was their victory over #110 ranked Florida Atlantic University (37-34) and their worst loss was to #119 ranked Hawai'i (7-23).  South Alabama had the #112 ranked team in total production with the #120 ranked offense and the #73 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2013
The Jaguars finished the regular season at 6-6 and while they were bowl eligible, the Jaguars did not merit a bowl invitation, which is unfortunate since this was the best team in terms of productivity during Jones' tenure as head football coach.  South Alabama again played against a "easier" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Jaguars best game again was their victory over #36 ranked Western Kentucky (31-24) and their worst loss was to FCS Southern Utah (21-22).  South Alabama had the #55 ranked team in total production with the #68 ranked offense and the #29 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2014
South Alabama finished the regular season at 6-6 and were bowl eligible.  This season they did receive a post-season bowl invitation and were defeated by #89 ranked Bowling Green (28-33) in their post-season bowl game to finish 6-7 overall.  The Jaguars played against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that their SOS was plus or minus standard deviation of the "league" average SOS.  The Jaguars best game again was their victory over #34 ranked Appalachian State (47-21) and their worst loss was again to #79 ranked South Carolina (12-37).  South Alabama had the #90 ranked team in total production with the #94 ranked offense and the #76 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2015
The Jaguars finished the regular season at 5-7 and were bowl ineligible.  South Alabama played against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Jaguars best game was their victory over #4 ranked San Diego State (34-27) and their worst loss was to #117 ranked Texas State (18-36).  South Alabama had the #108 ranked team in total production with the #106 ranked offense and the #101 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2016
South Alabama finished the regular season at 6-6 and were bowl eligible and lost to #36 ranked Air Force (21-45).  The Jaguars played against an "easier" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Jaguars best game again was their victory over #6 ranked San Diego State (42-24) and their worst loss was again to #127 ranked Louisiana-Monroe (35-42).  South Alabama had the #77 ranked team in total production with the #80 ranked offense and the #61 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017*
At the time of Jones' resignation, the Jaguars were 4-7 overall having just lost (0-52) to then winless Georgia Southern and playing against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Jaguars best win was against #32 currently ranked Arkansas State by a score of (24-19) and their worst loss was to #118 currently ranked Georgia Southern by a score of (0-52).  At the time of Jones' resignation, South Alabama had the #94 ranked team in total production, with the #111 ranked offense and the #54 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017 NCAA FBS Head Coach Changes
Minnesota and Tracy Claeys
California and Sonny Dykes
Oklahoma and Bob Stoops
Mississippi (Ole Miss) and Hugh Freeze
UTEP and Sean Kugler
Oregon State and Gary Andersen
Georgia Southern and Tyson Summers
Florida and Jim McElwain
Butch Jones and Tennessee
Jim Mora and UCLA

2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Ranking for Week 12

Below is the Top 25 ranked teams using the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model from the data provided at www.cfbstats.com.  According to the Complex Invasion College Football production model, the University of Alabama is back on top as the most productive team in all of the Football Bowl Subdivision as of the end of last week. Links to the previous weeks rankings for this season are at the bottom of the page.

Rank	Team
1	Alabama
2	Washington
3	Ohio State
4	Penn State
5	Wisconsin
6	UCF
7	Auburn
8	Georgia
9	Oklahoma
10	Clemson
11	Miami (Florida)
12	Louisville
13	TCU
14	Oklahoma State
15	Notre Dame
16	South Florida
17	Boise State
18	San Diego State
19	Mississippi State
20	Washington State
21	Florida Atlantic
22	Fresno State
23	Northern Illinois
24	LSU
25	Memphis

Previous 2017 Top 25 Rankings
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #11
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #10
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #9
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #8
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #7
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #6
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #5
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #4
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #3
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #2

UCLA Fires Head Football Coach Jim Mora

Earlier today UCLA fired head football coach Jim Mora.  Mora has been the head football coach at UCLA since 2012 and finishes with a win/loss record of 46-30 overall.  Given the change in leadership coming with the Bruins, let's take a look at the football program since Mora's arrival at UCLA.

Below is a chart of offense, defense and total production of the University of California at Los Angeles football program during Mora's tenure as head football coach, along with who would be the lowest ranked team during this time period (in purple) and the average team (sky blue).   As you may notice the last two seasons has resulted in a decline in overall productivity (below average).  All rankings in this blog come from my Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.  More details about the program under Mora are after the chart below, including a link to his employment contract are below.

Jim Mora [2012 - 2017*]

2012
The Bruins were 9-3 during the regular season under Mora's first year at the helm of the football program, and lost the Pac12 championship game to Stanford (24-27) and also lost their bowl game to #49 ranked Baylor (26-49) to finish the season 9-5.  UCLA played against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that their SOS was plus or minus standard deviation of the "league" average SOS.  The Bruins best game again was their victory over #24 ranked Arizona State (45-43) and their worst loss was to #102 ranked California (17-43).  UCLA had the #36 ranked team in total production with the #19 ranked offense and the #76 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2013
The Bruins again finished the regular season at 9-3 and defeated #54 ranked Virginia Tech by as score of (42-12) to finish overall 10-3.  UCLA played against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Bruins best game again was their victory over #12 ranked Washington (41-31) and their worst loss was to #27 ranked Stanford (10-24).  UCLA had the #26 ranked team in total production with the #28 ranked offense and the #34 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2014
UCLA finished the regular season at 9-3 for the third straight season under Mora's tenure at the helm of the football program (bowl eligible), and defeated #37 Kansas State (40-35) in their post-season bowl game to finish 10-3 overall.  The Bruins played against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that their SOS was between one and two standard deviations below the "league" average SOS.  The Bruins best game again was their victory over #12 ranked Memphis (42-35) and their worst loss was again to #62 ranked Utah (28-30).  UCLA had the #44 ranked team in total production with the #31 ranked offense and the #71 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2015
The Bruins were 8-4 during the regular season under Mora's fourth year at the helm of the football program (bowl eligible), and were defeated by #79 ranked Nebraska in their post-season bowl game by a score of (29-37) to finish 8-5 overall.  UCLA played against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Bruins best game again was their victory over #41 ranked California (40-24) and their worst loss was to #81 ranked Arizona State (23-38).  UCLA had the #36 ranked team in total production with the #33 ranked offense and the #55 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2016
UCLA finished the regular season at 4-8 and were bowl ineligible for the first time with Mora as their head football coach.  The Bruins played against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Bruins best game again was their victory over #50 ranked BYU (17-14) and their worst loss was again to #116 ranked Arizona State (20-23).  UCLA had the #70 ranked team in total production with the #108 ranked offense and the #25 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017*
At the time of Mora's departure, the Bruins were 5-6 overall, playing against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Bruins best win was their opening game against #44 currently ranked Texas A&M by a score of (45-44) and their worst loss was to #56 currently ranked Utah by a score of (17-48).  At the time of Mora's departure, UCLA had the #102 ranked team in total production, with the #39 ranked offense and the #123 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017 NCAA FBS Head Coach Changes
Minnesota and Tracy Claeys
California and Sonny Dykes
Oklahoma and Bob Stoops
Mississippi (Ole Miss) and Hugh Freeze
UTEP and Sean Kugler
Oregon State and Gary Andersen
Georgia Southern and Tyson Summers
Florida and Jim McElwain
Butch Jones and Tennessee

2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Ranking for Week 11

Below is the Top 25 ranked teams using the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model from the data provided at www.cfbstats.com.  According to the Complex Invasion College Football production model, the University of Washington is now the most productive team in all of the Football Bowl Subdivision as of the end of last week. Links to the previous weeks rankings for this season are at the bottom of the page.

Rank	Team
1	Washington
2	Penn State
3	Wisconsin
4	UCF
5	Georgia
6	Northern Illinois
7	Washington State
8	Alabama
9	San Diego State
10	LSU
11	Ohio State
12	Boise State
13	Appalachian State
14	Toledo
15	Arizona
16	West Virginia
17	Texas
18	Miami (Florida)
19	Stanford
20	Army
21	Texas A&M
22	Auburn
23	Marshall
24	Colorado State
25	Houston

Previous 2017 Top 25 Rankings
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #10
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #9
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #8
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #7
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #6
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #5
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #4
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #3
2017 NCAA FBS Top 25 Rankings for Week #2

Tennessee Announces Head Football Coach Transition

The University of Tennessee's athletic director John Currie has announced a head football coaching transition today.  Here is a look at the Volunteers football program under Jones' tenure as head football coach at Tennessee.

Below is a chart of offense, defense and total production of the University of Tennessee Volunteers football program during Jones' tenure as head football coach, along with who would be the lowest ranked team during this time period (in purple) and the average team (sky blue).   As you may notice, after two seasons of improvement, Tennessee's productivity has dropped dramatically during the last two seasons, with this season the Volunteers being one of the bottom 20 teams in all of the FBS. All rankings in this blog come from my Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.  More details about the program under Jones are after the chart below, including a link to his employment contract are below.

Butch Jones [2013 - 2017*]

2013
The Volunteers were 5-7 during the regular season under Jones' first year at the helm of the football program and bowl ineligible.  Tennessee played against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that their SOS was between one and two standard deviations below the "league" average SOS.  The Volunteers best game again was their victory over #14 ranked South Carolina (23-21) and their worst loss was to #79 ranked Florida (17-31).  Tennessee had the #91 ranked team in total production with the #91 ranked offense and the #85 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2014
Tennessee finished the regular season at 6-6 under Jones' second year at the helm of the football program (bowl eligible), and defeated #47 Iowa (45-28) in their post-season bowl game to finish 7-6 overall.  The Volunteers played against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Volunteers best game again was their victory over #32 ranked Utah State (38-7) and their worst loss was again to #38 ranked Florida (9-10).  Tennessee had the #63 ranked team in total production with the #64 ranked offense and the #52 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2015
The Volunteers were 8-4 during the regular season under Jones' third year at the helm of the football program (bowl eligible), and defeated by #64 ranked Northwestern in their post-season bowl game by a score of (45-6).  Tennessee played against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS, meaning that their SOS was plus or minus standard deviation of the "league" average SOS.  The Volunteers best game again was their victory over #13 ranked Georgia (38-31) and their worst loss was to #48 ranked Florida (27-28).  Tennessee had the #28 ranked team in total production with the #46 ranked offense and the #25 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2016
Tennessee again finished the regular season at 8-4 under Jones' fourth year at the helm of the football program (bowl eligible), and again won their post-season bowl game against #58 ranked Nebraska (38-24) to again finish 9-4 overall; the third straight year defeating a Big 10 team in the post-season.  The Volunteers played against a "tougher" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Volunteers best game again was their victory over #17 ranked Appalachian State (20-13) and their worst loss was to #91 ranked South Carolina (21-24).  Tennessee had the #65 ranked team in total production with the #16 ranked offense and the #115 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017*
At the time of Jones' departure, the Volunteers were 4-6 overall, playing against an "average" strength of schedule (SOS) as compared to the "league" average SOS.  The Volunteers best win was their opening game against #58 currently ranked Georgia Tech by a score of (42-41) and their worst loss was on a last second touchdown to #110 currently ranked Florida by a score of (20-26).  At the time of Jones' departure, Tennessee had the #111 ranked team in total production, with the #111 ranked offense and the #97 ranked defense from the Complex Invasion College Football Production Model.

2017 NCAA FBS Head Coach Changes
Minnesota and Tracy Claeys
California and Sonny Dykes
Oklahoma and Bob Stoops
Mississippi (Ole Miss) and Hugh Freeze
UTEP and Sean Kugler
Oregon State and Gary Andersen
Georgia Southern and Tyson Summers
Florida and Jim McElwain