ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) -- While the buzz continues over UCF's National Championship, a new ranking was released late Tuesday that left the Knights in the No. 1 position. UCF was crowned National Champions by the Colley Matrix. In addition to the Colley Matrix, UCF also saw its highest finishes ever in the Associated Press Top 25 (6th) and the Amway Coaches Poll (7th).
The Colley Matrix is based on very simple statistical principles, and uses only wins and losses as input—margin of victory does not matter. The scheme adjusts effectively for strength of schedule, in a way that is free of bias toward conference, tradition or region. According to the Colley Matrix web site, comparison of rankings produced by this method to those produced by the press polls shows that despite its simplicity, the scheme produces common sense results. From 2001-13, the Colley Matrix was one of the computer rankings used by the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) to determine participants in the BCS. The Colley Matrix is also listed under the header of National Champion Major Selections in the NCAA Football Record Book (p. 108).
In the final Associated Press Top 25, UCF was ranked No. 6. The Knights received four first-place votes and were one of just two teams to receive first-place votes. In addition to the highest season-ending ranking, it was the highest ranking UCF has ever achieved in the AP Top 25.
Meanwhile, UCF was ranked No. 7 in the final Amway Coaches Poll. It was the highest season-ending ranking and the highest-ever ranking for the Knights in that poll as well.